“We have,” Sandy Littleton agreed, nodding sagely. “It’s hell getting people who actually want to work in this place. They all seem to go to other hospitals.”
“Oh, well, that’s nice of you to say,” Maddie hedged, her cheeks flushing with a mixture of pleasure and embarrassment. “I’ve missed you guys, too.”
“When is your first shift?” Iris asked.
Maddie balked. “I’m not back to work,” she replied hurriedly. “I’m just back for a visit. I happened to be downtown when the women were found in the back of that truck and since I saw and talked to a few of them, I wanted to drop off a treat.”
“Oh, you were the one who made an ice cream run.” Sandy furrowed her brow. “I heard whispers about that, too. That was nice of you.”
“I’m still disappointed you’re not coming back,” Iris said. Maddie remembered the woman as a hard worker and blunt talker and she was one of the few people Maddie legitimately missed once she returned to Blackstone Bay. “I was excited when I heard you were here.”
“Oh, well … I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not coming back.” Maddie was sheepish as Nick slipped an arm around her shoulders.
“I guess we know why you’re not coming back.” Sandy gave Nick a lingering look. “And who are you?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten my manners.” Maddie stirred. “This is Nick Winters. He’s my … fiancé.” The word felt weird slipping off Maddie’s tongue but it also felt right. “We’re getting married.”
“That’s generally what fiancé means,” Iris drawled, making a clucking sound with her tongue. “Good grief. He’s a tall drink of water, isn’t he?”
Maddie had never understood that expression, but she nodded all the same. “He’s all that and a bag of chips.”
Nick made an odd face, but Iris and Sandy burst into hysterical gales of laughter.
“Oh, I forgot that joke,” Iris said, her cheeks burning with happiness as she bent over at the waist and fought to contain her mirth. “We beat that joke for months.”
“What joke?” Nick asked, genuinely curious. He enjoyed meeting Maddie’s former co-workers because it gave him hope. All the stories she told about her time away indicated a lonely existence. Iris and Sandy’s boisterous attitudes seemed to indicate that Maddie had at least two people to talk to. That made him feel much better.
“It was a thing,” Maddie said. “There was a doctor here who thought he was God’s gift to women and he once mentioned to a new nurse that he was all that and a bag of chips and we couldn’t stop laughing about it.”
“It’s an in-joke,” Sandy added. “Sorry. I didn’t remember it until Maddie mentioned it.”
“I honestly forgot it until it was already on the tip of my tongue,” Maddie said. “Please tell me he’s gone.”
Iris shook her head, turning solemn. “No, and he’s even more full of himself since you left. I don’t think he got over the fact that you wouldn’t stay even though he practically begged you to do it.”
Maddie inadvertently stiffened when she felt Nick shift next to her. “Oh, well … .”
“He asked you to stay?” Nick cocked an eyebrow. “It seems I’m missing more to the story than I thought.”
“It’s nothing,” Maddie said hurriedly. “I swear it’s not. It’s just … he tried to get everyone on the nursing staff to date him. He seemed to think it was a game of sorts. That’s the only reason he wanted me to stay.”
“That’s not the only reason,” Sandy countered, clearly missing the look of distress on Maddie’s face. “He was always panting after you because … well, you’re you … and he thought he would have time to wear down your defenses. That never happened and he really pulled out the stops when he realized you were leaving. It was almost comical the way he followed you around.”
“I found it funny,” Iris agreed. “He was a bitter man for the first two weeks after you left. He kept asking if we’d heard from you and didn’t believe us when we said we hadn’t.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Maddie meant it. “Once I got home, though, there was a lot going on.”
Iris slid a sidelong look to Nick. “I can see that. In fact, I’m pretty sure I remember this guy from that framed photograph you had in your apartment. You only had like three decorations, and that photograph was one of them. He looked a lot younger in the picture but … this is him, isn’t it?”
Maddie nodded. “This is my Nicky.”
“Well, Nicky, I see why she decided to go home,” Iris purred with flirtatious delight. “We thought it was a mistake when she announced it, but her mind was made up. She said her granny needed her. I’m starting to think that was only half the story, though. You’re clearly the other half.”
“And I definitely needed her,” Nick agreed, keeping his hand on Maddie’s back as he rolled the new information through his head. He wanted answers but he knew better than questioning Maddie in front of her former co-workers. “While I’m sure it’s not a popular opinion here, I’m glad she’s home.”
“Honey, if I had you waiting for me I’d move to the middle of nowhere, too,” Iris drawled, causing Nick to let loose with a sly grin. “Screw work. I would just sit around and watch you flex for hours upon hours.”
Maddie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing, but Nick belted out a loud chuckle.
“That’s what Maddie does when we’re home. She stares at me and drools.”
“I do not!” Maddie playfully slapped Nick’s arms. “You’ll give them the wrong idea if you say things like that.”
“I don’t think anyone can get the wrong idea when seeing you two together,” Sandy said. “I mean … you make small town living look so very good.”
“We hope so.” Nick ran his knuckles up and down Maddie’s back, relaxing into the conversation as Maddie, Iris, and Sandy talked about changes to the hospital. After a few moments, he let his attention drift and his gaze landed on a sour looking man standing next to the elevator. He wore a physician’s coat and a stethoscope around his neck, but the look on his face was cold and aloof. At first Nick thought he was agitated by the noise and hoopla surrounding Maddie. After a few minutes, though, Nick realized the man was staring at Maddie with such intensity that it bordered on antagonistic.
“Who is that, love?” Nick asked, inclining his chin in the man’s direction.
Maddie kept her hand up so Iris and Sandy could “ooh” and “aah” over her engagement ring and looked in the direction he indicated. The smile she’d been boasting instantly fled. “That’s Dr. Milton Tipton.” Maddie’s lips curled into a sneer. “He’s got a few … issues.”
“He’s the doctor we were talking about,” Iris supplied. “He’s the one who kept asking Maddie out when he found out she was leaving.”
“He must’ve heard you were down here,” Sandy noted. “He probably wanted to see you and took a step back when he realized you weren’t alone.”
Instinctively, Nick tightened his grip on Maddie. “That’s him, huh?”
Tipton looked to be in his late forties, perhaps early fifties, and his gaze was so intent Nick couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to telepathically connect with Maddie from across the room.
“I don’t like him,” Nick announced, causing Maddie to purse her lips and Sandy and Iris to giggle uncontrollably. “He’s staring at you and it makes me uncomfortable.”
“Don’t make a thing about it,” Maddie warned, keeping her voice low. “This is a hospital and we might need to come back and talk to those women at some point. He could make it difficult for us.”
Nick wasn’t sure he cared about that, but he knew Maddie did so he reined in his temper. “Fine. I won’t say anything. We should probably get out of here, though.”
Maddie shared the sentiment. “Yeah. I want to run by the building where my old apartment was just for nostalgia’s sake and then I thought we could head back to the hotel. There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”
“That sou
nds like a plan to me.” Nick kept his left hand on Maddie’s waist and forced a charming smile for Iris and Sandy. “It was a great pleasure to meet both of you.”
“Oh, the pleasure was all ours,” Iris deadpanned, snickering.
“Maybe we can figure out a time to have lunch while I’m here,” Maddie suggested. “I’ll text you tomorrow when I know more.”
Sandy brightened. “That sounds like a plan.”
Maddie was distinctly uncomfortable as she and Nick moved toward the elevator. She could feel Tipton’s eyes on her and she didn’t like the way her skin crawled thanks to his unwanted attention.
“I’ll probably sleep ten hours tonight,” Maddie offered, letting loose with a smile that looked more like a grimace than anything else when Tipton caught her gaze. “Hello, Dr. Tipton.”
“Miss Graves.” Tipton’s voice was gravelly. “I didn’t realize you were back working here.”
“I just stopped in for a visit.” Maddie shifted closer to Nick. “We’re leaving, though.”
“I can see that.”
“I’m Nick Winters.” Nick extended his hand, but Tipton ignored it.
“Well, it was nice that you stopped in for a visit, Ms. Graves.” Tipton pushed himself away from the wall. “I hope you have a pleasant visit.”
Nick and Maddie watched him go in silence, waiting until they were safely on the elevator to speak.
“He seems nice,” Nick offered. “He should be one of the commentators on The View or something.”
Maddie broke into hysterical giggles. “He’s always been that way. It’s like hanging out with the crypt keeper.”
“Well, I can’t wait to hear about him hitting on you during our trip to your old apartment,” Nick said, causing Maddie’s smile to slip. “I think you might’ve left a few things out when you told me about your time down here.”
“It was nothing, Nicky. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
IT REALLY WASN’T a big deal. It seemed Dr. Tipton asked Maddie out five times, but she never said yes and did her best to let him down easy so as not to negatively affect their working relationship. Nick wasn’t happy to think about the unfriendly man drooling over his fiancée, but ultimately it was hardly something to concern himself with. Still, that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy teasing Maddie over the entire kerfuffle.
“So you like me better, right?” Nick queried as he followed Maddie into a quiet apartment building located two blocks down the road from the hospital. “You’re not regretting your choice, are you?”
“Ha, ha.” Maddie rolled her eyes. “That’s not even remotely funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. It was an honest question.” Nick shifted his eyes to the front door of the apartment complex – it was one of those old Detroit hotels they’d converted into communal living quarters – and frowned when he saw the weak lock. “Please tell me this was better when you lived here.”
Maddie glanced at the lock. “I’m pretty sure it’s exactly the same.”
“Ugh. It’s so good that I didn’t know what kind of place you were living in,” Nick groused. “If Olivia had shown me photos of this place – or even mentioned how bad it was – I don’t care how angry I was at you, I would’ve been down here in a shot to steal you away.”
Maddie chuckled as she climbed the steps that led to the second floor. “I wonder how that would’ve changed things if you did that.”
“Oh, we both know I would’ve started yelling and then I would’ve crumbled in five seconds flat and we would’ve been all over each other inside thirty minutes.”
“Hmm. That sounds rather intriguing.”
“It does,” Nick agreed. “I promise to be all over you as soon as we get back to the hotel room to make up for not coming after you sooner. How does that sound?”
“Like a good way to put this day behind us.” Maddie was sincere as she slipped her hand in his. “I’m afraid I’m going to have nightmares tonight. I accidentally brushed up against a few minds when I was helping those girls and … well … it wasn’t pretty.”
“I’ll be with you,” Nick promised. “In fact, I bought some melatonin because I anticipated you might have trouble sleeping. Since you won’t take anything heavier than cold medicine, I thought that was the way to go.”
“You are a genius.” Maddie beamed as she hit the top of the stairs, her lips curving down at the sight of the dingy hallway. “Here it is.”
Nick’s stomach twisted as he glanced around. “Where?”
“Right there. The second apartment on the left.”
Nick looked at the apartment she pointed toward. The hallway was dark, boasted a dank quality, and it didn’t feel safe. He hated it on sight. “I can’t believe you lived here.”
“The apartment wasn’t so bad,” Maddie argued. “It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible.”
“I still don’t like it.” He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. “You belong with me.”
“I think we both agree with that.”
Nick pressed a soft kiss to Maddie’s tender neck. “I love you so much, Mad. I don’t like to think of you being here without me.”
“I don’t really think about it much,” Maddie admitted. “I just wanted to see it so I could remind myself how much happier I am now. I don’t miss this place. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Good.” Nick gave Maddie a long squeeze before pointing her toward the stairs. “Let’s head back to the hotel. I’m ready to put this day behind us.”
“You and me both.” Maddie’s smile was back in place when they hit the main floor, but she pulled up short when she saw an older woman collecting her mail in the small alcove off the front door. “Mrs. Peterson?”
The woman snapped her head in Maddie’s direction, furrowing her brow for a long beat before she visibly relaxed. “You’re the girl who used to live here, right? The nurse.”
Maddie bobbed her head. “That’s me. I was just showing my friend the old apartment when I saw you. How are you?”
The woman shrugged. “I’m still alive. I guess that’s as good as it gets at my age.”
Nick had to press his lips together to keep from laughing at the woman’s matter-of-fact attitude.
When Mrs. Peterson shuffled closer, her eyes expressed confusion as she searched Nick’s face. “Who are you?”
“This is my fiancé,” Maddie answered automatically. “This is Nick.”
“You’re not the guy who came by right after Maddie left,” the woman noted. “You’re definitely not that guy.”
Maddie had trouble following the conversation. “What guy? Are you saying a guy came by?”
“He was looking for you,” Mrs. Peterson volunteered. “It was the day after you left. I don’t think he was expecting you to move as fast as you did. He said your last shift at the hospital was the previous day and he wanted to catch you before you left town.
“I told him you left five minutes after your last shift and never looked back,” she continued. “That seemed to make him angry and he called me a liar. I don’t put up with people being rude – you know that – so I had to call security to kick him out.
“Now, granted, Mike isn’t much of a security guard because he spends all his time playing video games in the back office, but he showed up right away and then the guy left,” she said. “I thought for sure he was with you, but this guy is not the guy who stopped by so I guess I was wrong on that.”
“What did he look like?” Nick asked, suspicious.
“All I know is that he’s not you,” Mrs. Peterson replied. “I didn’t do a sketch of him or anything. Besides, that was a year ago. It was clearly some sort of mistake. You don’t have to worry about it or get your girdle in a bunch or anything.”
In his head, the words made sense. Still, Nick couldn’t shake his sense of dread. “Okay, well, it was nice to meet you. We have to get going.”
“Make sure you lock the
door on your way out,” Mrs. Peterson ordered. “I don’t want more riffraff in the building. Are we clear?”
Nick mock saluted. “Crystal.”
“I bet you think you’re cute,” Mrs. Peterson muttered. “You’re not, though.”
Maddie smiled as she watched the woman ascend the steps. “I think you’re cute, Nicky. I’ve always thought it.”
“Good.” Nick pushed the worry out of his head. “Let’s go to the hotel and be cute together.”
“Finally something I want to do.”
9
Nine
Maddie dreamed poorly, but Nick was there the entire night to beat back the nightmares. In the end, she got a solid six hours of sleep and didn’t feel half bad when they met Dwight for breakfast in the hotel restaurant the next morning.
“You look tired,” Maddie announced, concern overwhelming her as she took the seat next to Dwight and rested the back of her hand on his cheek. “Are you okay?”
“You sound like my wife,” Dwight complained, shaking his head. “I’m perfectly fine. Lack of sleep never did anyone in so there’s no need to fret.”
“Didn’t the kids in A Nightmare on Elm Street go crazy after lack of sleep?” Nick asked.
Dwight scowled. “Oh, you’re so funny. You with your full night’s sleep and dreamy eyes.”
Nick made a face. “Have you been thinking about my dreamy eyes and not telling me?”
“No, but I happened to run into Sage this morning as she was heading toward the shower and I told her you guys were in town and she insisted that she see you before she heads back to school at the end of the weekend,” Dwight replied. “Then there was some talk of dreamy eyes and how you’re built like a movie star.”
Maddie barely swallowed her giggle. “Oh, well, Sage is young. It’s perfectly normal for a girl her age to develop a crush on an older man.”
“I’m not even nine years older than her,” Nick groused. “I’m hardly an older man. I’m nothing like that douche doctor who tried to pick you up.” Nick wasn’t one for saying rude things in public, but he didn’t feel bad about dropping the D-word and he ignored the look on the approaching waitress’s face as he ordered coffee. “Mad, what do you want to drink?”
Grave Danger (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 12) Page 8
