Bending the Rules

by Ali Parker

  I showered quickly and changed into a pair of slacks and a pressed button down shirt before heading to the campus on my bike. It wasn't exactly frowned upon, but I knew it would do me no favors with the students or the faculty. Everyone could bite it as far as I was concerned. I needed to feel alive more than I needed acceptance.

  After locking up the bike behind the business building in the faculty lot, I walked as if I had purpose toward my office. It was the best way to keep people at bay. Just look busy or occupied in thought.

  I made it to my office without being bothered, which was a miracle of sorts.

  Someone cleared their throat just outside my door and caused me to turn from staring at my bookshelf.

  "Dr. Turner. How are you?" I offered her a warm smile and nodded to the chair across from my desk. "Come on in. Make yourself at home."

  "Eliza, please." She pulled the chair toward her and sat down gracefully. The older woman could be my mother and yet I considered her a dear friend and the only mentor I truly had.

  "Now, just a minute." I tapped my lips and pretended to be lost in thought. "I'm pretty sure you told me to call you Dr. Turner the last time we spoke."

  "Must have been someone else." She shrugged and gave me a quirky smile. "Tell me that you finally spoke with Mark about this situation you've been dealing with."

  "No." I sat down in my chair and leaned back. "I really don't want to start anything, Eliza. Heather hasn't been around much, and I think I've earned a little bit of sympathy because of my sister passing."

  "Right, well, I'm so sorry about your sister. Several of us came to the funeral, but didn't want to bother you in the middle of your grief."

  "Thank you. I appreciate the support." I clasped my hands and laid them on top of my desk. "Mark is actually asking me to draw closer to Heather, which I don't plan to do."

  Her voice dropped as her eyes narrowed. "Draw closer, how?"

  "We're co-sponsoring Beta Alpha Psi, which is honestly the last thing I need to do. Their president is a bit of a..." I searched for the right word seeing who was sitting in front of me. Being vulgar was out.

  "A skank." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Neither of you need to be involved in BAP. It's time consuming and you've just lost your sister and Heather is brand new. What was the purpose in that?"

  Her frustration was palpable, and I couldn't help but wonder where it was coming from. Had something else happened that had her on edge? There were always school politics running amuck, fucking up everyone’s plans, but she seemed a little too sensitive for her usually calm demeanor.

  "Heather's father has some additional funds that I believe he's looking at spending in the world of academia. I think the business school dean is putting pressure on Mark to make sure they are spent here. Part of that is keeping Heather happy."

  "And he wanted you to do that?" Her expression tightened as her cheeks burned pink. "That's absurd!"

  "Hey..." I tilted my head to the side and studied her. "What's going on with you? You seem way more on edge than usual. Did something happen? What did I miss?"

  She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh before pressing her hands to her face. "I just feel like everything is falling apart. I should have taken the dean position last year when they asked me to, but I didn't want the burden of working so goddamn much. And now... ugh."

  "And now, what? You can't keep worrying about me and Heather. I'm going to work all of it out, Eliza. I'm a smart guy."

  "It's not about you being smart, Kendal." She glanced up. "I had lunch with Daisy Jackson last week. I wanted to know why the hell she just upped and quit. She was a great professor, and between me and you, a good friend."

  "And?" I glanced up as Heather moved into the doorway behind Eliza. "Morning, Heather."

  Eliza stiffened and smiled before getting up. "Well, I still think you should take some time for yourself, Kendal. It's a lot to put on anyone... even you."

  "Thank you." I stood up, wishing like hell that she wouldn’t go. I wanted to know what happened with Daisy and why she was so fired up. "I'll come see you later?"

  "Yes. If you can catch me around." She moved around Heather without a word and walked out into the hallway.

  "I don't think the old bat likes me." Heather shrugged and moved to stand in front of my desk. She leaned over and pressed her balled up fists to my desktop, opening her blouse beautifully for anyone who might want to see what she looked like under her clothes.

  "She's a good woman. She's just got a lot going on. Don't call her names." I turned my back to her and worked to pull the rest of my papers from my briefcase.

  "Oh. I hit a nerve."

  "What did you need?" I forced a calm into my voice that I didn't at all feel.

  "There's a BAP event on Wednesday afternoon. I think we should both be there."

  "That seems a little inefficient." I glanced over my shoulder. "It's an extra-curricular activity."

  "And it's the best and brightest in our programs. Mark agrees that we should be at something together. Just once at least."

  "All right." I turned back around and closed my eyes as I pretended to fumble through my things. "We'll meet up at the event and stand in the background together."

  "How was your weekend away? Where did you go again?" Her voice was getting louder, which meant she was moving closer.

  I turned to find her standing in the tight space between me and my desk. "It was fine. Can you go back to the other side of the desk? I really don't need people speculating what's up between us."

  "We're both single, Kendal. What would it matter?" She pressed her fingers into my chest and dragged them slowly toward my waist.

  “I’m not single, and you’re aware of that.”

  “I think you’re lying.” She shrugged, as if I gave a shit what she thought.

  I gripped her hand and narrowed my eyes a little. "I'm more than willing to help you with your career, with any issues you have with students, with lesson plans or to run this silly honors fraternity, but I'm not interested in anything else you have to offer."

  "Why didn't you tell Mark that I was hitting on you? Scared that I would flip the story the other way?" The glimmer in her eye said that she would do exactly that. I wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't already won Mark over in more ways than one. Where he was a married man with another baby on the way, he certainly seemed like the type that would welcome the advances of a beautiful woman like Heather.

  What was the story on Daisy that Eliza was going to share? Did something happen that pushed her out of her position at UT? The position that Heather ended up scoring though there were a good handful of applicants that had been promised an interview if anyone in the department left.

  What the fuck was going on?

  "I'm just not interested in drama of any sort. If you knew me at all, you'd know that." I moved around her and picked up a packet of tests for my next class. "I gotta run. I'd rather not leave you in here to dig around. I don't exactly trust you."

  She put her hand on her heart and gave me a wounded look. "That hurts. After everything we've been through."

  "You know..." I moved to the door and held it open for her. "For a beautiful woman like yourself who could get anyone you wanted, you sure are wasting a lot of time that could be spent investing in a good relationship. Youth is fleeting. You're not going to look this good forever."

  She snorted and walked past me, stopping to close the gap between us. The tight grip she had on my balls was almost pleasurable. Too bad it was the wrong woman clinging to the front of me.

  "Don't insult me. I know you're up to something."

  "Am I?" I licked at my lips, not wanting to let her think she was getting anywhere with me, but wanting her to feel the deep sting of rejection that was headed her way.

  "Yes. You would never have denied me before. I don't know who you think you're falling for, but she's a waste of your time. You know as well as I do that you and I... we're going to be together."

/>   I reached down and tugged her hand from my crotch. "Is that how you shake hands with all the boys? No wonder you're so popular."

  "Keep it up, Kendal." She moved back as her face turned into a mask of anger. "I don't have a problem bringing you down to your knees if it means getting what I want."

  "And what is it exactly that you want?" I adjusted myself and held her attention. "Because if it's what I think you're after, they sell them in varying sizes at the sex shop down the street. Big ones for girls like you who need a little extra tension after years of taking it so good."

  "I don't want your dick. I want your heart." She shrugged and turned to walk down the hall. "And I intend to get it. No matter what."

  "Good luck, toots." I walked back into my office and ignored the sickening feeling in my stomach. Eliza was right. I needed to go to Mark and tell him what the fuck was happening. That sounded like a great idea before I started to get the uncanny feeling that maybe I wasn't seeing all sides of the picture. Mark had been pushing me closer and closer to Heather. There was something to be said about that.

  I just wasn't sure what it was yet.

  Chapter 17

  Dana

  The last thing I wanted to do was go over to Mrs. Delmaz's house to find this Larry character, but there was no way I was showing up at the hospital empty handed. Her throwing a fit wasn't necessarily my worry, but her not trusting me would mess up everything. She needed someone at the hospital that she was comfortable with while she was slowly losing her memories. I wanted to be that person for her.

  I walked up to her home and knocked on the front door. Nothing. I waited a few more minutes and knocked again. The hospital wouldn't approve of me coming to a patient’s house, and they had her keys locked up with the other things they'd gathered from her when she was admitted by one of her neighbors. The poor woman had been walking around in her nightgown in her front yard at three in the afternoon, lost as to where she was or who she was.

  "Really?" I groaned and lifted to my toes to see if maybe there was a key above the front door. I yelped and moved back as something sharp stung my hand. I pulled it down to find a splinter buried deep in my skin. "Great."

  I moved back and glanced around, making sure no one was watching me. The neighborhood was extremely nice, but there was no security gate upon entering, which was a bit surprising. After pacing in front of the door for a few more seconds, I finally decided to go around back. I could check for a dog before going into the backyard and if there wasn't one, then maybe there was a key hidden in a pot somewhere. The fear that I might find a dead man in Thelma's living room was the only thing that kept me moving forward, that and not wanting to disappoint her. Maybe Tensely was right. Maybe my empathy for our patients was going to become more of a detriment than anything else.

  "Anyone back here?" I pulled myself up on the side of the fence that surrounded her enormous backyard and looked around. Everything looked as if it had been manicured that morning. Maybe Larry was inside, but just asleep. Or maybe he was out running errands. I'd leave a note if nothing else.

  I hoisted myself over the fence, almost breaking my neck as I landed and walked up toward the back door. Something was moving inside, but I couldn’t really make out what it was.

  "Larry?" I pressed my hands to the glass at the top of the backdoor and leaned in, trying to catch a glimpse of this mystery man. "This is so fucking stupid. Just go back to the hospital and tell her that Larry is on his way. Just lie."

  As much as I wanted to, there was no way I could force myself to do it. By the looks of things, whoever this guy was, he was living high on the hog while Thelma was in the hospital. Why would he not come check on her? Was he her son?

  I lifted to my toes and used my other hand to check for a key. Something fell in front of me, and I screamed and jumped back as a golden key hit the ground.

  "Yes!" I reached down and grabbed it. Hopefully Larry wasn't dangerous. I paused as the thought ran through my mind. No one knew where I was. How stupid was I being? I pulled out my phone and shot off a quick text to Jackie that I was over at Mrs. Delmaz's place, looking for her friend.

  "There. At least if I don't make it back alive-" I forced myself to shut the hell up. I was being dramatic, which wasn't at all my style. I popped the key in the lock and let out a sigh of relief as the door handle turned in my hand. I pushed the door open a little and stuck my face in the crack. "Larry? Are you in there? I'm a friend of Thelma's."

  I smirked at the situation. I couldn't make this shit up and yet to tell anyone would be insanely embarrassing. The things I did for my patients.

  "I'm coming in, so don't be scared. I'm a nurse at the hospital and Thelma just misses you."

  "Larry misses Thelma." A bird squawked from somewhere in the house. "Larry misses Thelma."

  "Seriously?" I walked around the corner to find a parrot sitting on top of a large cage, his beady eyes watching me closely. "You're Larry?"

  "Larry misses Thelma." He squawked again and turned his head to the side. "The mail is late. The mail is late." Another squawk. "Larry misses Thelma."

  I rolled my eyes and smiled. "All right, well, I need to take you up to the hospital, Larry. Just a quick visit to see Thelma before I figure out who can take care of you, all right?"

  I glanced around, looking for the bird’s cage and finally founded it sitting in the corner. The little turd had done a number on the kitchen, but with him being alone for five days, it was no wonder the whole damn house wasn't torn up. Mrs. Delmaz had a bird for a best friend. Was it too much to consider?

  "Nope," I mumbled, then I picked up the cage and set it down on the counter. After opening the door, I patted the front of the cage and tried my best to get the bird inside. Nothing. The bastard wouldn't budge.

  I looked around the kitchen and found a few snacks that looked like they might belong to Larry.

  "You want a treat? Come get it, boy." I slipped the treat through the back of the cage and wagged it around. The bird flew right to it and landed on a limb that looked like it was growing out of the floor of the cage. I slammed the door and yelped like a girl before shivering. Birds were beautiful from afar, but having one so close was creeping me the fuck out.

  "All right, man. We're headed up to the hospital." I looked around and found a blanket to put over the top of the cage. I wasn't sure it would work, but I'd seen it in the movies or somewhere before.

  Lucky for me, the bird didn't make a sound all the way back up to the hospital. I walked in and rode the elevator to the top floor before anyone stopped to ask if I was all right. I must have looked a little out of sorts.

  "Hey. What's going on?" Jackie moved in front of me and reached out to grab my arms. "You look upset."

  "Nope. I just found Larry at Mrs. Delmaz’s." I shook my head in disbelief.

  "Oh shit. Was he dead?"

  "No, he's a parrot."

  "Wait. What?"

  "Larry is a parrot. I have him in my car. I'm going to get Thelma to get in her chair and I'll wheel her outside for a little while to see him."

  "Oh my God. Seriously? That's insane." She dropped her hands from me as a smile lifted her lips. "You seriously did all of that for some old woman that's losing her mind?"

  "Yes. I did." I moved around her and walked toward Thelma's room.

  "Well, I'm proud of you. You're a good person, Dana, and a great nurse."

  I smiled at her compliment and stuck my head into Thelma's room. A shoe came flying at me, and I moved back, barely missing getting smacked in the face with it.

  "Where is Larry? You promised you would ask him to come visit." There were tears in her voice.

  "I have him downstairs. If you want to get in your wheelchair, and you promise not to tell anyone that I have him with me," I leaned into the room and wagged my eyebrows at her, "I'll take you to see him."

  "Really?" Her face lit up like a child during the holidays. "Oh my God. You really went to get him?"

  "I did. Get in the cha
ir and I'll take you to him." I moved into the room as she pressed her face to her hands and began to weep. "Hey... it's okay. He's in great shape."

  "Thank you so much. He's all I have left in the world." She brushed away her tears and glanced up at me. "He's the only thing I can remember."

  *

  I finished up my shift feeling like a million bucks. Working as a nurse wasn't just about helping to heal the human body, but offering occasional balm to the human spirit. Watching Thelma come alive for the hour that I let her sit in the courtyard with Larry was worth all the trouble of having to go get the damn bird, including the tetanus shot that Dr. Lewis made me get.

  He wasn't excited about me stepping outside the boundaries of the hospital to risk going to someone’s private residence, but when I fully explained my reasoning behind it, he softened a little.

  I should have gone home after my shift, but I wanted to see Kendal. I could make the trip about checking in with Nurse Barry on my new schedule and accidently being in the business building around his classroom if needed, but either way, I wanted to check in on him.

  After circling the parking lot for what felt like forever, I finally squeezed into a compact car spot and made my way toward the center of campus. I smiled at the thought of telling Kendal how weird my day had been. He would think it was humorous as well, or at least I hoped he would. Knowing that there was a side of him that was all about following the rules, he might lecture me for an hour over how stupid it was to put myself in a situation where someone could have hurt me.

  I pulled out my phone and texted Kendal to let him know that I was just down the hall. His reply was to swing by his office and he could chat for a minute, but no more. He had a lot on his plate after coming back from taking the weekend off.

  After grabbing a Coke from the machine by the auditorium, I walked up the three flights of stairs that led to the accounting department offices and made my way down to where Kendal's name was posted on the door. I moved into the open doorway and watched him work for a few seconds before knocking on the doorframe.