Mended Hearts

by Sarah Markel

  Taking in the area as she passed through the house, Kelly was surprised. In her younger days, Angie had been a hoarder. She had kept everything and it had cluttered their dorm room so bad Kelly had barely any space to put her own things. The house didn't appear to have any of that clutter. The living room was clean and organized, save for a few toys strewn on the floor. The hallway was lined with photos of the children, professional shots, candid shots, home shots, all with toothy grins smiling out at her. Passing through the kitchen, she noticed food of just about every variety on trays and plates all over the counters. Wow, there must be a lot of people coming she thought to herself.

  Stepping through the sliding glass door and onto the wide cedar deck, Kelly spotted the reason behind the children's laughter. Alex stood in the middle of the yard with a Super Soaker, with the children flanking her from all sides armed with water balloons, spraying each child as they took their aim. The tall handsome man at the grill was egging each child on in turn, telling them to aim for the gut. “Mommy! Doctor Kelly is here!” shouted Tommy. Kelly hadn't seen Angie creeping up behind Alex with a bucket of water until she struck. Alex shrieked out in surprise when Angie dumped the water over her head. The man, all of the children, and Angie laughed hysterically as Alex chased Angie around the yard. The children resumed throwing their water balloons at whoever was closest. Kelly watched in silence for a moment, enjoying the sight of happiness that seemed abundant between those in front of her. She was caught off guard when Zane, Tommy, and two other boys all took aim and hurled their balloons at her.

  Standing there with the wine and juice in her hands, Kelly just looked down at her clothes. Her white cotton blouse and matching skirt had become transparent the moment the water made contact. Flushing scarlet as her pale pink silk bra and panties became visible, Kelly felt everyone staring at her. Without making eye contact with anyone, she turned and bolted back through the door heading toward the front of the house. She barely heard the man sternly giving the boys a piece of his mind, while Angie and Alex both yelled for her to stop as they followed her. Stopping only because she had to fumble with the front door gave the twins a chance to catch up to her. Laying a hand on Kelly's shoulder, Angie whispered "Kelly are you alright?” Keeping her back to them, Kelly nodded doing her best to keep them from noticing her tears of shame. “Come on, I have some clothes you can change into.” Angie said, “I am so sorry. The boys have never done that to anyone before, and they are getting an ear full from Steve about it. Please don't let it ruin your visit.” Turning just enough to see Angie, Kelly whispered with a strained smile, “Not exactly the way I wanted to meet the family, Ange. Not to mention having my boss see my underwear on the first day.” Laughing out loud, Angie took her hand and pulled her toward the stairs. “Come on, I have plenty that will fit you", she said as she led the way up the stairs. Careful to keep from looking at Alex, Kelly let herself be pulled along, acutely aware that Alex was following. She blushed when she distinctly heard Alex mutter "nice ass" to herself.

  Angie pulled Kelly into a large bedroom with a huge four poster king size bed. Angie patted the end of the bed, indicating to Kelly to sit, then went to take towels out of the cabinet beside what appeared to be the master bathroom. “Alex and I need to change anyways, so we can all just do so together" Angie said cheerfully. Kelly chanced a glance at Alex, and had to work to restrain the gasp that threatened to escape. Alex had closed the door behind her and had stripped off the tank top she had been wearing and was working on unbuttoning her jean shorts. Kelly felt that distinct tug in her abdomen again as her gaze glued itself to Alex. Those broad, muscular shoulders were so much more attractive when they were unadorned. She admired the multiple tattoos that spread across Alex's chest and shoulders. She couldn't help but let her gaze track down to Alex's firm and supple breasts clad in a sensible black bra. Her eyes lingered on the soft globes a moment longer than she intended, and Alex's words shocked her back to Earth.

  “They're just tits.” Alex said with a sensuous smirk on her face. Kelly blushed bright at being caught staring, and looked down. Alex let out a hearty laugh and went over to sit next to Kelly, patting her on the knee. “You need to relax, Kelly. Don't be so embarrassed by the human body. Now come on, get changed, and let’s go relax and have some fun.” Alex stood and went to the closet. Rummaging around for a moment, she came out with three tops and three pair of shorts. Tossing one of each to Kelly and Angie, she stripped off her wet shorts and quickly put on the dry clothes. Smiling at Kelly, she gave a wink and headed out of the room. Kelly took a moment to gather herself before slipping out of her own wet clothes and pulling on the dry ones.

  “She likes you. I can't believe it!” Startled, Kelly whipped around to see Angie's flabbergasted look. She had forgotten Angie was there. “What's wrong?” she asked Angie. “Nothing's wrong, I'm just surprised is all. Alex hasn't shown any kind of interest in another woman for almost four years!” Angie replied still looking shocked. Shaking her head, she smiled at Kelly, “She's right though, let’s go relax. I saw the wine, let's go have some and get our grub on!” Chuckling, Kelly followed Angie back down to the yard.

  Chapter 5

  "Wow, Steve that was wonderful! Thank you so much.” Kelly said as she finished her burger. She hadn't had a really good burger in years. “In Florida, the burgers are good but they aren't back yard barbeque good.” Smiling, Steve puffed out his chest and thumped it with his fist, “Me man. Man grill food. Food good.” he joked. Chuckling, Kelly took her wine glass over to sit next to Angie on the sofa nestled on the corner of the deck. The children continued to play in the yard, running off their food. Alex came out of the house with Dej perched on her hip. After setting the girl down to go play, Alex came over and sat next to Kelly. “Is she really six years old, Alex?” Kelly asked. She saw Alex flinch momentarily, then added, “I'm sorry, you probably get that a lot.” Alex waved off the comment, “Yeah I get it a lot, but then again, I can't really blame people. She is really small for her age. That is also why she is so sarcastic towards people. She is always being spoken to as if she is an infant, or people will blow her off when she tells them how old she is. It goes with the territory.” Kelly gave a look of apology. “Is there a reason she is so small? Or is it a genetic flaw?” When Alex sighed heavily, Kelly added "Oh no! I didn't mean to pry. I was just curious, I'm sorry.” Alex smiled and patted Kelly's knee. “No, you didn't pry, but I hope you are up for a really long story.” Kelly smiled and readjusted her position to give Alex her full attention. “I like long stories, especially about kids.” she said with a chuckle.

  Alex blew out a breath and ran a hand through her hair. “Well when Dej was born, she was really sick. When her Newborn Screen came back, she was positive for Congenital Hypothyroidism and PKU. After more testing, the doctors found she also has pituitary disease. Mentally she is advanced for her age, but physically she is smaller than she should be. She is on medication to control it all, but she will always be little, and because of the PKU she will probably be a bit underweight. That is the reason she didn't have a burger like we did, she can't have protein. She will be starting a new drug called Kuvan, which will hopefully kick start her liver and allow her to have fewer restrictions.” Looking a bit nervous, Alex stared at her hands. Kelly placed a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder, causing the tug in her abdomen to come back. “Is she in danger from anything?”, When Alex shook her head no, Kelly continued, “Well then, as long as she is careful about her diet and remembers her medication, she will be fine!” Alex smiled, relieved that Kelly hadn't gone with the pity and condolences that most people went with. Smiling, Kelly turned her attention to Angie.

  “I can't believe how many little ones you have! And Steve is so funny! You have done well for yourself, Ange.” Angie beamed, “Thanks Kelly, I am pretty proud of them.” Kelly chuckled, then said "I want to ask a question, but I don't want to offend anyone.” Alex and Angie both laughed. “It's hard to offend me.” Angie said. Looking to Alex,
and finding a smile, Kelly continued. “I noticed that all six of the kids look like they could be siblings, is that because you two are twins?” Alex tossed her head back and laughed while Angie nearly choked on her wine with a snort. “I can answer that one,” Steve said as he sat next to his wife. “When Alex and Callie decided to have children, they asked me to be the donor. Callie was my sister and they figured it was the easiest way to get kids that looked like both of them. Thankfully it turned out that way.” Steve finished, his eyes gone sad. Curiosity burned in Kelly's mind, I wonder why his eyes changed? She thought.

  Looking to Alex, she saw Steve's expression mirrored on her face. Unsure of what to say, Kelly looked over to see what the children were doing. Smiling when she saw that all four of the boys had decided to play ring around the roses with the girls, she asked, hoping to change the subject, “So what are their names again? I can't seem to remember.” Chancing a look back at Alex, and finding the woman looking at her with a curious expression, she smiled. Angie chuckled and set down her wine glass, “You have to promise not to make fun of them.” she said. Repositioning herself, Angie waited for Kelly's nod to answer. “Oldest to youngest, Jaxon White is twelve, Raider Grey is eleven, Thomas Blue is seven, and our little princess, Anya Rose is five.” Angie said with pride. Kelly thought about the names for a moment before she spoke, “Angie, Steve, those are wonderful names, and I would never make fun of them. Your children are beautiful, and except for when they have water balloons, are very polite."

  Turning to Alex, she asked a bit hesitantly, “Are Zane and Dej's middle names as creative? You don't have to tell me, I am just kind of curious.” she added, noticing Alex's uncomfortable look. After a moment, Alex blew out a breath and ran her hand through her hair. “No, it's ok. You can know,” Alex said, “Zane's is Etienne, and Dej is actually her middle name, her first name is Marissa.” Kelly smiled and looked over at the children in the yard, “Aww, those are sweet names!” She said. Alex smiled and allowed a rare moment to really look at Kelly. Don't even think about it Alex, she thought to herself.

  Chapter 6

  "Your lunch is here, Doctor Taylor.” Jack Ferris, Kelly's secretary, stuck his head into her office with a smile and held up a paper bag. Kelly looked up, removing her glasses, and sighed with relief. “Thanks, Jack, I'm starving!” Kelly straightened up her desk as Jack brought in her lunch. Thanking him, she eagerly removed the Summer Salad, Veggie wrap, and plastic fork from the bag. As Jack excused himself from her office, Kelly's phone rang. Sighing with frustration, Kelly set down her fork and answered it. “Good afternoon, Serenity Home, this is Doctor Taylor.” Kelly nestled the phone in the crook of her neck as she listened to a Med Tech named David Alvarez ramble on. “So... umm... I was just... umm... wondering....” Kelly rolled her eyes as David tried to get out the words he was looking for. God, I hope he isn't going to ask me out again, Kelly thought to herself.

  David Alvarez had asked Kelly out for one meal or another almost every day for the last three weeks. She had done everything she could think of to politely decline without making an enemy of the man. While Kelly had never been closeted, she didn't like to discuss her orientation at work. “David, if you are calling to ask me out again, Let me stop you right there,” Kelly interjected, already annoyed with the phone call. “I am eating lunch already, because I only have about 10 minutes before Mr. Bergen's family gets here. And please stop asking me out. I am not interested.” Hanging up the phone, Kelly mused to herself. I really don't want to go running to the boss, but if he doesn't stop bugging me to go out with him, I might just have to. I have asked him repeatedly to stop and he just won't take no for an answer!

  Kelly sighed and picked up her fork, hoping to get through her lunch before having to do the end of life declaration for Mr. Bergen. As she ate, Kelly thought to herself how quickly the past few weeks had flown. She had finished her training quickly, and fell right into step with the rest of the staff. She liked just about everyone, except for David, and everyone seemed to like her. It honestly felt like she had been there for far longer than just under a month. Working with Alex had been much easier than originally anticipated. Kelly's growing attraction to her boss was easier to deal with since she realized that she and Alex had very little interaction with each other on a regular basis. On the weekends, however, Kelly spent a lot of time with Alex, Angie, Steve, and the kids at their weekend barbeques. While she and Alex got along well, when they were alone anywhere together, things seemed tense. She had been meaning to talk to Angie and try to find out a few things about Alex.

  Kelly finished her salad and picked up her wrap, leaning back in her chair with her thoughts. I wonder what happened to change her from the soft, feminine woman in the picture on her desk, into the hard, no nonsense woman I find so damn attractive. Kelly had never been attracted to butch women before, she usually preferred her partners to be more feminine. Kelly herself was what most people referred to as a soft butch. While she looked feminine with her waist length black curls, large supple breasts, and her weakness for clothing that complimented her trim figure, Kelly was proof that looks could be deceiving. Despite her outward appearance and initial shyness around new people, Kelly was quite dominant in her romantic relationships. She wondered to herself, as she finished off her wrap and began to clean up, if Alex had been the same way.

  A quick glance at the clock above her door had Kelly realizing she had better get back to the Comfort Care floor if she was going to be there before Mr. Bergen's family arrived. As she was leaving her office, she noticed a large bouquet of Daisies sitting on Jack's desk. Smiling, she asked, “Kyle sent you flowers? How sweet! I love Daisies, they have always been my favorite.” Referring to Jack's husband. Jack chuckled and shook his head as he responded, “Those aren't for me, goofball. Kyle knows my favorite flowers are Bluebells. No, those are for you, a woman dropped them off after I brought you your lunch.” Confused, Kelly plucked the card from its holder. That's strange, who would be sending me flowers? She wondered to herself. When she opened the card and read the words written in the familiar bubbly script, she panicked.

  Jack sprang up from his chair and caught her before she fell. Carefully setting her in his chair, Jack yelled across the lobby to Tina who was just getting back from lunch. “Tina, get Ms. Walker out here!” He called, picking the note up from the floor and laying it on his desk. Alex rushed over and began calling Kelly's name. After checking for any signs of injury, Alex pulled a small vial from her pocket and waved it under Kelly's nose. Kelly opened her eyes and gasped, surprised to find Alex so close and with a look of genuine concern on her face. “Are you alright, Doctor Taylor? Do you need to go home?” Alex asked, checking Kelly's eyes for any signs of disorientation. “No, No, I'm alright. I don't know what happened.” she lied. Kelly knew exactly what happened, and seeing the words scrawled on that note brought her the crushing realization that her ex-girlfriend was keeping the promise she made the night before Kelly moved to Oregon.

  Chapter 7

  "Is this her?” Alex asked, pausing the frame on the surveillance monitor. Kelly nodded, gulping at the sight of her ex-girlfriend, Lilly Corbin, walking through the front doors of Serenity Home. The woman was on the short side, with medium length blonde hair pulled into a braid, and a menacing look on her face. Kelly found herself experiencing real fear as she looked from the screen to the note in her hand. She didn't have to look at the words anymore, she knew them by heart, and they scared her. I told you I would find you. You are mine! "Well, security has her picture now and she won't be allowed back on the property. Who is she, Kelly?” Alex asked, concern evident on her face. Kelly hung her head, avoiding eye contact with Alex and Angie, both of whom were looking at her expectantly.

  “Her name is Lilly Corbin. She's my ex-girlfriend, and even though we broke up six months before I moved here, she refuses to admit that it's over. For a while, she would send me flowers or leave notes begging me to come back taped to my front door. Then about two mont
hs before I came out here, she started showing up at work. At first she was harmless, she would beg me to come back to her, I would tell her to leave, and then she would go. She started showing up on a daily basis, waiting for me to come into work and blocking my way so I couldn't get inside the building. I quit my job so she wouldn't bother anyone else. I called the police and filed a restraining order against her, and for a while it worked. She left me alone. After Angie called me and asked me to come work here, I put my house up for sale and once it was sold, Lilly came back. The day before I came out here, she stood in front of my car in the driveway of my house and refused to move until I talked to her. When I did, she told me that she would find me no matter where I went and that I was hers and hers alone. Today was the first I have heard from her since, and I guess I thought she gave up. I'm so sorry.” Kelly looked up at Angie, who smiled back and offered a concerned hug. Wearily, she looked over to Alex who had a faraway look in her eyes. Shaking herself back to reality, Alex assured her, “You don't have anything to be sorry about. She won't be able to get in here, and I will tell Security that all deliveries for you are to come directly to me first. Tomorrow you need to go down and talk to the police so you can get started on any paperwork you might need to transfer the restraining order.” Kelly nodded, shame making her cheeks heat.

  “Everything will be ok, Kelly, you are safe here with us. Why don't you come straight to my house tonight for the barbeque instead of going home to change? You can shower there and I can get you some clothes.” Angie said as she pulled out her phone to text Steve. Kelly thought about the offer for a moment and was torn. I don't want to go home, just in case Lilly knows where I live. But then again I don't want Alex to think I am a wuss. Before she could contemplate further, Angie decided for her. “That wasn't a request, Kelly. You ARE coming straight home with me. Steve said if you don't arrive when I do, he will be waiting with six water balloon wielding children.” Angie smiled, reassuring Kelly that she was among friends, and the threat had been a playful one. “Okay, I just need to talk to the Bergen Family and grab a few things from my office. I will meet you in the lobby at shift change.” Smiling halfheartedly, Kelly stood and headed for her office.