“They’ve been really slow all day. Might take a while.” A male voice sounded from behind me.
I turned around to see Blake breezing down the hallway in his white lab coat. “What are you doing over here?” I scrunch my brow. Neurology was several floors up.
“I heard you were picking up Ava today. I thought I’d take a chance that you might be arriving soon.” He shrugged as a smile pulled at his lips.
“You came to see Ava?” I was surprised, shocked almost.
“And you.” His lip curled as a shy smile appeared. “Hope that’s ok.”
“Sure.” It was that moment that the elevator dinged and the doors opened in front of us. I lifted the car seat with a heavy sigh.
“Let me help.” Blake grabbed the handle from me, causing our hands to brush together. I could tell he noticed because his body went kinda stiff.
“Thanks.” I released where I was holding and stepped into the elevator. I’d been making this trip for the last four weeks, but today would be different; I wasn’t leaving alone.
“No problem. These things weigh a ton.” He laughed lightly to break the tension before following me into the elevator.
As the doors closed and we began rising, the tension began to come back. “So, why Ava?” I turned slightly, but didn’t face him directly. “I mean, I’m your patient and I’m fine now.”
“Yes, that’s true, but I’ve read a few of Ava’s scans too.” Blake stumbled over his words almost.
“Oh.” The doors opened and when we stepped off, Donna was leaning against the wall across from us. “Wait?! How did you beat me?”
“My parking spot is on this level. I used the walkway and just came across.” She smiled. “Dr. Blake.” She nodded at him with a knowing look and he blushed. I’d never seen a man blush before, but Donna had quite the effect on Blake.
“Afternoon, Donna.” He nodded as he motioned for us to lead the way to the entrance of the NICU.
As I stood there listening to all the instructions from the nurses for Ava, Donna and Blake stood in the background. “I think I’ll be fine,” I told Maggie. “I’m staying with Donna, so she can help me if I need it.” Maggie gave me a bag filled with diapers and formula samples. It was enough for a few days until I was able to get to the store. She helped me buckle Ava in, and then watched as the three of us walked out the door.
“I can carry that if you’d like.” Blake motioned to the carrier in my arms.
“It is heavy, but I want to do it.” I struggled. “I need to do things for myself. I know you’re trying to help, but you won’t be there all the time.” I sighed as we headed for the walk thru that Donna had taken.
“Oh, right,” Blake mumbled. “Let me give you my number here in case you have any questions. I don’t live far from where you’re staying. I can drop by after shift if you ever need anything.”
“Um, ok.” I was caught off guard. Blake was acting weird. It was like he didn’t want me to go, but had no reason to make me stay.
He stuffed a business card in my hand, “Anytime, night or day, and I’ll answer.” He waved before heading back to the elevator bank.
“What has gotten into Dr. Blake?” Donna shook her head as we reached the walk thru.
“That was weird, right? It wasn’t just me?” I stuffed the card in my pocket as we went into the parking garage.
“He was tongue tied like a school boy.” She laughed. “I think he might like you.”
“No.” I shook my head.
“We’ll soon find out,” she teased.
“What do you mean by that?” I lifted the car seat into the back of her car. It snapped into place, and I closed the door.
“If I’m right, he’ll find a way to come by the house. He already helped you move out, and then today he showed up for this. I know your radar is all kinds of messed up from your ex, but Dr. Blake’s signals are there.” She laughed as she climbed in the car.
Was I that blind, or was Donna seeing things that just weren’t there? I thought about this the entire ride home. Ava was quiet in the back, and Donna was humming to herself. It had been a long time since a man showed interest in me. Warren had trained me to ignore it. If we were ever out and a man was so much as polite to me, Warren would punish me when we came home. He was constantly accusing me of cheating. I never so much as looked at another man, but that didn’t matter. In his eyes, I was asking for it.
When we arrived home, Donna helped me carry Ava’s things into my room. I placed the carrier on my bed and lifted Ava out to cuddle with her. Before placing her in the crib, I wanted to spend time with her. Donna must have noticed this because she quietly slipped out the door to give us some time.
I laid on the bed with Ava beside me, just caressing her soft hair. She was sound asleep and didn’t even flinch when I shifted, causing the mattress to bounce slightly. Ava stretched and yawned after a few minutes, blinking up at me. “Hey baby,” I cooed. “Mommy is so happy to have you home.”
Ava’s mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but then closed again. She blinked a few times more before lifting her fist to her lips. As soon as she found her mouth, she began sucking. “Are you hungry?” I searched the room, finding the bottles we’d brought home sitting on my dresser.
I prepared one, and began feeding her as Donna’s words tumbled around in my head. Was Blake really interested? How did that even work? I was still married, and wasn’t sure I’d ever want to be involved with a man again. The only relationship I knew was a bad one, and I needed to concentrate on me. That was one of the few things that really stuck with me from therapy. I needed to worry about Ava and myself. The rest wasn’t important at the moment. Once I got myself and my daughter taken care of, then I could look into other things. If Blake started coming around, I’d have to tell him that. I needed to concentrate on me.
Chapter 9
Brooke
“What do you think?” Donna swept her arm across the room. After I’d laid Ava down for an afternoon nap, Donna had asked me to come into her office.
“What do you mean, exactly?” I tipped my head to the side as I watched her, now more confused than ever.
“I really need someone here to answer phones and manage things when I’m at the hospital. I know this isn’t what you went to college for, but I was thinking that you could do it for a while since Ava is so little still. We could bring the play yard in here for when you need to be here.” Donna smiled and nodded.
“You mean work for you?” My brow crinkled. “Like here?” I pointed at the small desk in the corner.
“Yeah.” She nodded again. “You can do this until next fall, then we’ll try to get you into a school. Ava will be old enough then that it won’t be so hard to leave her with a sitter. You may even be living on your own by that point.”
I swallowed, “On my own?”
“Relax,” she soothed. “I’m not kicking you out. You can stay as long as you need to, but I think you’ll be ready then.”
“Ok.” I forced a smile. The idea of moving out scared the crap outta me. I’d just gotten settled here, and was in no hurry to leave.
“I’m off tomorrow, and then I work the night shift for two days. I can show you what to do, and the girls are in and out every day. Someone seems to always be here.” Donna patted my arm. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll have a visitor or two.” She winked at me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I clasped my hands in front of me.
“Dr. Blake seems to have taken a liking to you, and from what Amy said, so has his brother.” She laughed and I couldn’t help but turn away slightly. I could feel my face heating with embarrassment.
“I don’t know about that,” I muttered.
“Hey, I wouldn’t mind attention from either one of them. They are both F-I-N-E, fine looking men.” Donna grinned and my heart raced. Did I want attention from either of them? What if they hid things the way Warren did from his colleagues? What if they were different behind closed doo
rs?
ooooooooo
It took about a week to get a time to meet but my lawyer, Veronica Ortiz, is meeting me at her office this afternoon. Donna is going to watch Ava and I’m signing the paperwork to get my divorce started.
Cal has been by a few times letting me know that the state is prosecuting Warren for criminal charges. Since the last incident involved Warren wanting to force me to have sex, the state is charging him with rape and sexual offense. If he’s convicted, he won’t be able to get custody of Ava.
Ava is an entirely different matter. Warren hasn’t tried to claim custody, he hasn’t come to see her, or attempted to contact me. I’m hoping to file abandonment charges against him for her. My lawyer says that since he’s made no attempts to claim his rights, I have a pretty good chance of getting full custody with no visitation. As much as I would love for Ava to have a dad, I want her dad to be one who wants and loves her.
It only took me about twenty minutes to get to Roni’s office. Emily’s House is downtown as well as the building that houses Veronica’s firm. I pulled my coat tighter around me as I stood there looking up at the dark glass structure. Winter was just beginning and it smelled as if snow was right around the corner.
I rode the elevator up to the seventeenth floor, staring through the glass the entire way. The sky was a dull gray, all the colorful leaves gone, leaving the trees bare. People were bustling about on the sidewalks, making them look like little ants from my view. When the doors opened, I stepped out into a luxurious office. Plush leather couches lined the waiting area. A large wooden desk sat off to the side with a young woman typing away on a computer behind it.
“Roni will be right out.” She glanced up at me, not even stopping what she was working on.
“Thanks.” I pulled my gloves off and stuffed them into my pockets.
“Brooke! Hi!” Veronica, Roni, smiled as she burst through the door. Her dark hair was pulled back in a low pony, and she was dressed in a navy pinstriped suit. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she called over her shoulder as she led me to an office near the end of the hallway.
“It’s ok. I haven’t been waiting long.” I smiled as she stepped out of the way and let me pass. Once inside, I removed my coat and hat, and lowered myself onto the red leather chair in front of her desk.
“I’ve drawn up the paperwork to get things started here. A lot will depend on the criminal case. If your husband is found guilty, then it’s going to be a slam dunk for us. I honestly don’t know why he wouldn’t, but you never can tell with some of these juries.” She opened a manila folder stacked with papers in front of me. Tiny black print filled the pages. Some of it I understood, but there was a bunch of legal jargon too.
“Sign here,” she pointed to the bottom of the second page, “here, here, and initial here, here, and here.” She tagged each spot with a small red arrow sticker.
“That’s it?” I sat back, slightly surprised that it wasn’t harder than that.
“For you, yes. I’m sure I’ll be going back and forth with his lawyer, but I’ve included everything you asked.” She smiled as she straightened the papers.
“Even the custody agreement?” I was skeptical.
“Yes, although I can’t promise anything on that one. The fact that he contested your application for assistance says he’s going to contest this. I’m working on the child support application for you too.”
“Thanks.” I sighed. I was just ready for all of this to be over. Why would a man who so obviously hates me want to drag this out?
“I know this is hard. I’ve seen some men who just sign and get it over with, and I’ve seen some drag it out for years. I’m hoping that the criminal charges stick. You aren’t seeing anyone, right?” Roni tapped her pen against her desk.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve been too busy healing and taking care of my daughter. Besides, I don’t think I could trust a man after what Warren did.”
“If you do start seeing someone, I wouldn’t broadcast it to your ex. He can make things a lot harder if he wants to. Jealous men don’t think with their heads too well.” She rolled her eyes before jotting down something on a card. “This is the case number for the criminal charges. You can check the progress by calling the station and asking for the detective in charge. Give them this case number and tell them you want updates.”
“Thanks. I don’t know how to thank you for this. I’d never be able to afford someone like you.” I clutched the card in my hand.
“Donna’s a good friend. She’s helped a lot of people over the years, including my sister. She wasn’t so lucky.” Roni smiled sadly. “Emily was everything to me, that’s why I’ve always helped women like her. My only payment is that you promise not to ever go back to him.”
“I won’t. Promise.” As I stood up to put my coat back on, I saw several framed photos of Roni with another woman who looked just like her. Donna was in one of the photos. This was the Emily the house was named after. This was the Emily who started it all.
“Good.” Roni jerked her head quickly. “I’ve got to get these to a courier so they can be served in the next few days. Don’t go anywhere alone. Once he gets these, he may break the order of protection.”
“I won’t,” I reiterated as I left her office. I walked back to the elevators with a little bounce in my step. Even though I still had a long way to go, I felt like I was finally doing something about it. Too many times I felt helpless when it came to Warren. It felt good to have friends and people who listened to me and wanted to help.
On the ride down, I stared at the card in my hand. I rubbed my gloved fingers over the lettering of my case number. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, and it cost me. When I stepped outside the building and onto the sidewalk, I glanced across the street. There, standing like a commanding statue, was Warren. He was dressed in a gray suit with a black overcoat. His briefcase was dangling from his left hand as a cell phone hung in his right. His eyes stared daggers right through me. I swallowed as I stumbled back slightly and he smirked, his mouth almost an evil grin.
Panic began to seize me. I turned, almost plowing into another bystander as I raced for the doors of the coffee shop next door. I looked back over my shoulder to see Warren still staring. He must have known that he couldn’t come any closer, but it didn’t stop him from trying to intimidate me from where he was.
I threw open doors to It’s Latte and barreled inside, crashing right into someone, a very tall someone.
“Whoa,” a male voice sounded as two strong hands grabbed my shoulders to steady me.
“Let go!” I yelled as I yanked back, almost falling backwards and back out the door.
“Brooke? Are you ok?” I looked up to see the blue eyes of Cal staring back at me.
“Cal. He’s out there.” I pointed at the door. “Warren’s out there.” Cal rushed outside, coffee in hand and stood on the sidewalk. I watched as he scanned the area before coming back in.
“He’s gone now.” He sighed. “Did he try to talk to you or get close?”
“No, he just stared.” My voice shook as my heart thundered in my chest.
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about that. As long as he stays a hundred feet away, he’s within his rights.”
“I’m just ready for this to all be over,” I mumbled.
“I know, and it will be, it just might take a while.” Cal nodded. “Hey, I was meeting someone here for coffee; want to join us?”
“I really can’t. I need to get back to the house. Thanks.” I waved as I turned toward the door. Roni’s words of ‘don’t get involved with someone’ ran through my head on a loudspeaker. I wasn’t ready, but I couldn’t chance it either.
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged before waving to someone coming in. “S’up, Bro?”
I turned to see Blake glance up at us. His smile dropped and was immediately replaced by a frown. “I’ll take mine to go,” he grumbled as the barista handed Cal two cups. Cal’s brow furrowed as Bla
ke turned and left as quickly as he appeared.
I used that moment to escape too. I couldn’t figure Blake out with his hot and cold moments. He seemed to want to be around me one day, and the next it was like I had the plague. My entire walk home was spent trying to figure why I made him mad. What did I do? Was Warren right? Was I just too stupid to see it?
Chapter 10
Blake
It’s been a long day today, and all I can think about is getting home, having a beer, and relaxing. My brother has been getting on my last nerve the last few days, so like the mature person I am, I’ve been avoiding him. Guess he figured it out because just as I looked up, I saw him heading straight for me.
“Hey.” Cal stopped at the nurse’s station where I was currently filling out orders for a patient I’d just seen.
“Need something?” I muttered as I placed the file back on the counter. Donna smiled and nodded. I could tell that she was up to something, but I didn’t know what at the moment. She’d been acting strange all day.
“I was hoping to grab a beer with you after shift, but you seem to be avoiding my calls.” Cal shrugged as he leaned his hip against the counter.
“I’ve been busy,” I grumbled as I started to walk away.
“Doing what?” Cal followed me. I don’t know what his game is today. Shouldn’t he be hanging out with Brooke? He’s been with her the last few times I’ve seen him.
“Working.” I shot him a warning glare. “Kinda like I’m trying to do right now?!” I stopped outside a patient’s door. “Why don’t you invite Brooke out with you? You seem to be pretty close now.”
“What?” He shook his head. “I’m helping her with her case. Why does this bother you so much?” His brow furrowed and then his lips formed a giant smile. “Oh, I see.” He chuckled. “You’re jealous.” He pointed at me and started laughing. “Dude, she’s nice and all but we’re just friends. You should ask her out if you like her.”
Enduring Act (The Survivor's duet Book 2) Page 5
