Her Maine Reaction

by Rebecca Gannon

  “Let me help you,” he offers, coming around to support my weight as I stand.

  “Thanks.”

  “Aren’t they supposed to roll you out in a wheelchair?”

  “I think that’s just in the movies.”

  “But what if you get dizzy and fall? Are they sure you’re okay to leave?”

  “Ryan, relax. I’m good, I promise. Maybe you could just hold my hand, and then I won’t fall.”

  “I can do that,” he says. “I won’t let you fall on my watch.” Ryan grabs my coat from the closet door and holds it up to help me put it on.

  “Where is all of my other stuff?” I ask. “My car? My purse? Anything else I had inside?”

  “I have your purse. And your car was towed to the impound. We can go and get it when you’re feeling better. Don’t worry, I took care of everything.”

  “Thank you. Is my car a goner? Can she be saved?”

  “I’m not sure. I came straight here to be with you.”

  “Oh,” I whisper, the breath leaving my lungs. He came straight here to be with me. He was worried. He cares.

  Taking my hand, we walk down the halls of the hospital, and I feel every step pulse through my head. I have to focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

  Squeezing his hand, I move to loop my arm with his, and he looks down at me, his eyes filled with concern.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I just need to lean on you a little.”

  “Are you sure? Do you need me to get a nurse?” He looks around for one, but I shake my head.

  “No, I just need you. I’ll be fine. I’m just a little off balance.”

  “Are you sure?” he asks again, my heart swelling at his concern.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

  Continuing on, we make turn after turn until we finally make it to the sliding doors, the cold air hitting me hard.

  “I’m just over there.” He nods toward his SUV cruiser parked in the ‘official vehicles only’ spot.

  “I see you’re abusing your power for me. Do I have to ride in the back?” I smile, my mind going straight to handcuffs.

  “Do you have some sort of criminal/being arrested fantasy? Because we can play that out, sweetheart,” he muses, a gleam in his eyes.

  “Oh my God, Ryan.” I laugh, rolling my eyes. “I don’t know if I do, but maybe when I’m feeling better, you can pull those cuffs out again.”

  “That’s a given.” He smirks, opening the passenger door and helping me up. Spreading his hand out on my thigh, he slides it up. “I loved having you at my mercy, laid out and ready for me. I’ve never seen anything sexier in my life.”

  “Are you trying to make me dizzier? Because it’s working.” My head is spinning, and I wish it wasn’t so banged and bruised, or I would be jumping him the second we got back to his house.

  Leaning into the car he kisses me, his tongue sliding along the seam of my lips.

  “Not helping,” I rasp, my breathing rapid.

  “Not sorry.” He smiles, kissing me again before closing the door.

  “There’s a lot of buttons and gadgets up here,” I say when he gets in the driver’s side. “What do they all do?”

  He points to a series of switches. “These are for the siren, lights, and speaker. And then there’s my laptop, radio, and scanner.”

  “Oohh, can I turn the lights and siren on?”

  “Sure. I’ll take a backroad so you can go crazy.” Smiling, Ryan pulls out of the hospital parking lot, the sky lightening with the rising of the sun.

  I can’t believe the accident was only last night. It feels like I’ve been out of it for days, but on the other hand, my body is exhausted like I haven’t slept for days.

  The morning winter sky is streaked with orange, pink and yellow. A beautiful, bright, contrast to the stark white of the snow.

  Winding our way through backroads as we make our way back to Pine Cove, Ryan looks over at me when we turn onto a desolate road with no houses.

  “Alright, Ash, light it up.”

  Bouncing in my seat, I ignore the protest in my head, and I rub my hands together–warming them up for the task.

  I flip the switch for the lights, and smile when blue lights start flashing all around. Next, I flip the switch for the siren, and a girlish giggle bubbles out of me.

  When I press the button next to the switches, the siren makes that whooping sound, and I laugh again.

  Switching it off, I look at him hopefully. “Can we find someone to pull over?”

  “What? No, Ash, we can’t.” He laughs. “I’m taking you home to rest. I’m not on duty, either. I took a few days off, actually.”

  “You did?” I ask, all joking aside.

  “Yeah, I did.” He nods, looking over at me, unsure. “Is that okay?”

  “What? I mean yes, it is. I’m just surprised. I know you’re busy.”

  “Not too busy for you. I want to make sure you’re okay, and I was given strict instructions to watch over you.”

  “Isn’t the town going to fall apart? Won’t criminals be running around on the loose?”

  “Yes, Ash, the town is going to go up in flames and be brought down by criminals running rampant while I’m sitting at home watching movies with you.”

  I place my hand on his forearm. “Ryan,” I say softly, “thank you. The fact that you took off of work for me. I…” I swallow the lump in my throat, tears pricking the back of my eyes. My pounding head is making my thoughts all jumbled, and I’m feeling too emotional.

  Taking my hand, he brings it to his lips. “You don’t have to do everything by yourself, Ash. I’m here for you. You can depend on me.”

  I really want to. I want him to be that guy for me.

  “Okay.”

  Nodding, he intertwines his fingers with mine and places our joined hands on his leg.

  The ride back to his house is quiet and comfortable, the streets empty at this early hour. I close my eyes and lean my head back, trying to block out the pounding in my head.

  “We’re here,” Ryan says gently, waking me from a light sleep.

  “Mhmm.” Blinking awake, I unbuckle by seatbelt and climb out, gripping the door for support.

  “Hey, let me.” Ryan rushes to my side and wraps his arm around my waist.

  Walking into his house, Ryan brings me over to the couch.

  “Just relax, I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” Closing my eyes again, I lay on my side and drift off, waking again to the scent of chocolate. “Mmm.”

  “I knew that’d wake you.”

  “How do you make this? I need to know. It’s like liquid gold.”

  “I’m not telling you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because then you won’t need me to make it for you.”

  “Fine,” I huff, taking the mug from his hands. “Keep your big secret to yourself.”

  “It’s not the only thing that’s big.” He winks. “And I don’t want to keep it to myself.”

  “Oh, I know.” I smile, holding the mug up to my lips and inhaling the delicious aroma.

  Putting a DVD in, Ryan comes back and sits next to me, and I lift the blanket up so he can join me. I lean my head on his shoulder and he places his palm on my leg, running it up and down.

  Sipping my hot chocolate, I let myself relax into this moment.

  ∞∞∞

  Ryan’s been taking care of me for the past four days, and they’ve been bliss. We’ve watched movies, drank hot cocoa, slept in each other’s arms, and talked about any and everything.

  But he has to go back to work today, and I’ll be left alone again, missing him.

  “I’ll be home at six,” he tells me, bending over the bed to kiss me on the cheek.

  “Okay.” I nod, my voice low.

  He sees the look in my eyes, and scratches his jaw. “I mean, I could–”

  “No, it’s okay.” I smile weakly, pulling the blanket over my bare shoulder. �
��You have to save the world. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

  “Call me if you need anything. I’ll come right back.”

  “I’ll be fine. But, thank you.”

  “I’m still going to call and check on you.”

  “Okay.” I smile, biting my lip. “Will you be needing a stress reliever?”

  “Don’t tease, Ash,” he says, his voice strained. “Because I’ve been needing you.”

  “Me, too.” Grabbing his uniform shirt, I pull him down to my lips and kiss him hard.

  My head isn’t pounding as much as it was a few days ago, and I’ve been needing him too. I know he hasn’t touched me since the accident because of my concussion, and he doesn’t want to hurt me, but I can’t take another day, or night, of being with him and not ripping his clothes off.

  “You better not be late tonight,” I murmur against his lips.

  “Six sharp.” He rasps, kissing me back into the pillows. Groaning, he pulls away and stands up straight, staring down at me with molten eyes. “Be by your phone,” he tells me before walking out without a second glance, and I can hear his boots fading the further he storms down the hall.

  Smiling, I bite the comforter and roll over, hunkering down deep into the bed.

  ∞∞∞

  My phone ringing wakes me with a start.

  “Hello?” I answer groggily.

  “Hey, Ash.”

  “Ally, hi.”

  “Can I come over today? I’ll bring lunch.”

  “Yeah, sure. Ryan went back to work today, so we can hang here. I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Me too.”

  “Noon?”

  “Sounds good. See you then.”

  “See you.”

  Hanging up, I breathe out a sigh of relief and stare at the ceiling. I’ve been meaning to call her, but nothing I thought to say sounded good enough. I was an asshole in the hospital, and I haven’t talked to her since.

  Seeing it’s already after ten, I get up and take a hot shower, letting the water soothe my muscles. I haven’t been able to do much in the past few days, and I’m feeling cooped up. Add being tense from not getting any from my man, and I really need this hot water to relax me.

  Well, I need a lot more than hot water to relax me, but I have to wait until six until I get that relaxation treatment.

  This is going to be the longest day ever.

  Getting dressed, I throw on a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater for another day of lounging around. I was down to my last pair of clean panties and leggings, so I’m glad I was able to do laundry yesterday–something that felt very domestic for me to do in Ryan’s house.

  Heading downstairs, I straighten up a little and put on a pot of coffee, smiling when I see a note left for me on the counter.

  My sexy Ashley,

  I’m writing this after you so rudely teased me upstairs. I wish I could crawl back in bed with you and be the one to tease you for hours…

  I’ll be calling you soon.

  -Ry

  Smiling, I fan myself with the note and then re-read it. If he thinks he’s going to tease me, he’s got another thing coming.

  Oh, I’ll answer his call today, and he’ll see what it really means to tease someone.

  Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I go and sit in the living room, and scroll through my phone while I wait for Ally.

  Oh, shit! I can’t believe I never called my mom!

  Dialing her number, it rings twice, and then she answers.

  “Hi, honey, how are you?”

  “Hi, mom, I’m good. How are you?”

  “Good.”

  “Um, I sort of need to tell you something. I should have called days ago, but I, uh, was distracted.”

  “I already know, honey. Your nice young man called me when it happened. And he’s called me every day since to update me.”

  “What?” I ask, the words barely making it past my tight throat. He did?

  “He’s a good man, Ashley. I’m happy you found him.”

  “Mom,” I croak, tears gathering in my eyes.

  “I don’t know why you didn’t call me, honey.”

  “I…I didn’t want to worry you. Because of…”

  “I know. But I’m your mother. I don’t want you to be afraid to tell me things just because you think I can’t handle it.”

  “Mom, that’s not it.”

  “It is. And that’s on me. I lost myself when your father died. He was my everything, Ashley. I wasn’t ready to lose him, and I didn’t know what to do when I did.” I can hear the sadness and unshed tears in her voice. “I wasn’t able to be there for you, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, honey. You may as well have lost both parents that day.”

  “Mom, no.” Tears spill down my cheeks, and I pull the phone away from my face to try and gather myself. “I lost my dad. I didn’t lose you. You had to heal in your own way, and I had to in mine.”

  “But I should have been there for you more. We should have healed together.”

  “It’s okay, mom. I was twenty. I found a way.”

  “That’s still a baby, honey. You needed me.”

  She’s right, I did need her, but I understood.

  “I love you, mom,” I whisper, my heart squeezing. She’s finally saying the things I’ve always wanted to hear.

  “I love you, too, honey. And I promise I’m going to be better. I started seeing a therapist last month. I’m learning to cope.”

  “Mom, that’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

  “It’s a start.”

  “I want you to be happy again.”

  “I’m learning to focus on the future again, and moving forward.”

  “I know you loved dad, mom. And he loved you. I won’t ever think any less than that if you start moving on and living again.”

  “Ashley,” she chokes, and I can hear her crying through the phone. “Thank you. Thank you, baby.”

  “Mom, please don’t cry,” I beg, tears streaming down my face.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I’m just glad I didn’t lose you, too. But you have to promise me you’ll stop hiding things from me. I’m your mother, I should know if you’re hurt.”

  “Sorry,” I whisper, feeling like a shitty daughter. “Then I should probably tell you that I had to quit my job at the bar because my boss cornered me and I punched him in the face.”

  “Ashley, why would you hide that?”

  “Because of what happened at the law firm. This is the second time a man has thought I’d been leading him on, and the second time a man’s thought it was okay to put his hands on me. I don’t know what I do that makes them think–”

  “Ashley,” she interrupts, “it’s not you. It’s them. Those little pricks think because they have a higher position of power, then they can do whatever they want.”

  “But–”

  “Let me finish,” she interrupts again. “You’re a smart, beautiful woman. And most men think that just smiling at them is flirting. Trust me, honey, it’s not you. It’s them. Men are famously dense when it comes to women.”

  “Thank you,” I say softly. I should have just talked to her from the beginning. I don’t know why I thought she’d think differently of me, or blame me.

  “Now, let’s talk about your new man.”

  Smiling, I pull my knees to my chest. “Well, his name is Ryan. Ryan Taylor. He’s the sheriff of Pine Cove, and, uh, Ally’s fiancé’s older brother.”

  “Oh, scandalous.”

  “Mom.” I laugh.

  “He sounded handsome on the phone when he called me.”

  “He is.” I bite my lip. “Very handsome. And pretty freaking amazing.”

  “I can tell. He’s been taking care of my daughter, and that’s no easy task. I would know, I raised you.”

  “Mom, oh my God. That’s rude.”

  “It’s not, honey.” She laughs. “And it means a lot that you even let him take care of you. It means he’s important to you.”

 
; “He is,” I admit, pausing before I tell her, “I love him.”

  “I know. I can hear it in your voice.”

  “I haven’t told him yet. And I don’t know if he feels the same, but he told me he wanted more. So, I’ll wait.”

  “Oh, Ashley. That boy loves you. He’s called every day for the past four days. I hear it in his voice like I do yours.”

  “How did he call you when I was with him? How did he get your number?”

  “Don’t worry about it, honey.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “I’m glad you found a man who cares so deeply for you. I know he’ll take care of you.”

  “I’m fully capable of taking care of myself, mom.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. I just know that you’ll be taken care of, and loved, by a man worthy of you. Your father would approve, too.”

  Tears prick my eyes at the mention of my dad. I know he would like Ryan. He would love talking to him about small town life and being a sheriff.

  “I know he would,” I croak, my throat tight again.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “You didn’t. I’m glad we can talk again, mom.”

  “Me too, honey. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.”

  “Will you be calling me more, then, I hope?”

  “Yes, I promise.”

  “Alright. Well, I’ll let you go. Make sure you rest.”

  “I will. Bye, mom.”

  “Bye, honey.”

  Hanging up, I lay my head back against the couch and sigh. I’ve missed my mom so much these past eight years, and I feel like I’m finally getting her back now. I wanted her to get help, but I didn’t want to be the one to suggest it. I wanted her to want help.

  My phone ringing brings me back, and I swipe to answer.

  “Hey, Ally.”

  “I’m here.”

  “Okay, go to the side door. I’ll be right there.” Standing, I wipe my face and walk through the kitchen to open the door for her.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks right away.

  “Nothing, why?”

  “It looks like you’ve been crying. What did Ryan do?”

  “Whoa, okay, relax. Please come in.” I motion for her to enter, and wait for her to close the door before telling her about my mom. “I was just on the phone with my mom. And we talked. Really talked.”