Edge of Disaster (5 page)

He must have read my mind because he said, “The Middleton’s are the biggest benefactors to the medical school here.”

“Oh,” I said again.  “Did you train here?”

“No, I did my surgery residency at Duke.  Then I did my trauma surgery and critical care fellowship at Grady in Atlanta. I did a follow up year at Cook in Chicago.  I wanted to go to a large city to get hands on experience with gunshot wounds and thoracic and abdominal trauma.”

“Oh,” I said again. I was beginning to sound like a moron. If I didn’t come up with something more than ‘oh’ he would think I was brainless.  “That’s a little above my head,” I admitted.

“It’s okay.  It’s above most people’s heads.  What I wanted to do was to get a lot of hands on experience working on victims of gunshot wounds to the chest, neck and abdominal area.  They tend to be really...um, messy.  I figured I would get that in a large city which is why I chose Atlanta and Chicago.”

“That makes sense when you put it that way.”

“There’s also a lot of expressway trauma...car accidents and the like.”

“I see.  Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Doesn’t that stuff gross you out?” I scrunched up my face because just the thought of it all disgusted me.

He threw back his head and belted out a hearty laugh.

“No.  It’s a good thing too.  Can you imagine your doctor coming in and going, ‘Eww! That’s gross!’”

I tried to laugh, but it hurt too bad.  “Yeah, that would be kinda bad.”

“You get used to it.  At first it’s kind of weird looking at all the tissue and stuff, but then you get past it pretty fast.”

“Okay, I get it,” I grimaced. I was starting get queasy just listening to him.

“Sorry, I forget that people don’t like to hear that kind of thing. Can I check your belly?”

“What!
”
What the fuck!

He dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Shit Alexia, I’m sorry.  That wasn’t very professional.  What I meant was would you mind if I took a look at your wounds to see how they’re progressing? That really came out badly, didn’t it?”

I giggled. Then I tried to laugh.  Then he laughed too. I had to grab my stomach because laughing made me hurt.

“I thought you wanted to blow a raspberry on it or something.”

We laughed again.

“Well, if you want me to I can.”

This conversation had gotten extremely comfortable.  I was surprised too. I didn’t want to dwell on it.

“Um Pearce, I don’t have on any underwear.”

“Oh, right. Let me get Sharon in here for a minute.”

“Sharon?”

“Your nurse.”

He left and returned minutes later with my nurse and she had a sheet in her hand.  She shooed him out of the room for a second and she tugged my gown up and draped the sheet over my bare lower half.  Then she called him in.

He pranced in and pulled on some latex gloves. Sharon brought in some wound supplies and placed them on the bed. He removed the bandages over the two places where I’d been stabbed and the incision where they repaired my spleen and looked at them.

“Everything is looking good here.  Nice and neat.  Healing well.  No sign of infection.” He replaced the bandages with new ones and pulled my gown down for me.  Then he covered me back up and Sharon left.

“Did you see me naked?” I blurted out.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, when they were operating on me.”

“Alexia, we don’t have patients lying on the table naked. They are covered in gowns and surgical drapes. The only area exposed is the part where the surgery will take place. So no, sweetheart, I didn’t see you naked.”

“Oh, okay then.” My cheeks burned hot but for some reason, I felt better about this whole thing.  Strangely enough, countless men had seen me naked, but for some reason, I didn’t want him to unless I was conscious and willing.

Then the conversation shifted and so did the tone of his voice. “Alexia, the police want to speak to you this afternoon.”

I started to tremble.  “I figured they would. I don’t know what I can tell them though.”

“Do you want me to be here?”

I started to cry.  He moved to put his arms around me but for some reason I stiffened up like a board.  I was so conflicted over everything.  I wanted this man...badly.  But I didn’t want him involved in my life...not the way I was now.  I pushed him away.

“So we’re back to that then are we?”

“I...you...” I sniffed and snorted.

“Look, the police are sending two detectives here at two.  I’ll be here.  I can wait outside and if you need me you can just call my name.  Okay?”

I nodded.

“I have to go.  Got some patients to see and all.”  He headed out the door.

“Pearce!”

He stopped and turned around.

“Thank you.  So much.  For everything.  For holding my hand.  For being there.”

“I can still be there if you’d just stop pushing me away.”

“I know.” The tears poured down my cheeks and I didn’t even bother to wipe them away.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The police arrived at two on the nose and so did Pearce.  Just like he promised, he stayed outside my room while they asked me questions I had no answers for.  They kept asking me the same things over and over.  I kept telling them the same things over and over.  I couldn’t see who attacked me. I was hit from behind and knocked out.  When I woke up it was dark.  The one attacker had on a ski mask and then I was blindfolded.  I never once saw my assailants.  I woke up again on that bed and again in a van.  And, finally on the side of the road where the couple found me and called 911.  Apparently it was out on Johns Island, which was about ten miles away from the MUSC Trauma Center.

No, I didn’t recognize them because I never saw any of them. No, I didn’t have any enemies that I was aware of.  No, I didn’t recognize any voices.  No, I hadn’t been threatened recently.  I didn’t have any idea who would hurt me.

They told me they had done a rape analysis on me and had gathered fingernail scrapings and other evidence off of me while I was in and out of it.  I didn’t remember any of that. Then they started questioning my love life. A spurned lover perhaps.  I told them I hadn’t dated anyone since Peter died. I’d only lived in Charleston for three years. I’d moved here from Lynchburg, Virginia. My head was pounding and my body was throbbing everywhere.

When I couldn’t take it anymore, I burst out screaming at them, “I didn’t do anything wrong.  You’re treating me like a criminal.  I’m the victim here.” Then I was sobbing and Pearce was in the room ordering them to leave.

I was so distraught by the whole ordeal, I couldn’t calm down.  Pearce ended up having to order an anti-anxiety drug for me.  He left to go back to work and I curled back up into a ball on the bed. 

Terri popped back in thinking she would find me in the same condition as she left me.  Well, that wasn’t the case.  She wanted to march over to the police station and kick some ass. She was super pissed.

“I can’t believe they did that to you. The next time those asshats come in here, I’m gonna be here with you.”

“Maybe I should get a lawyer or something,” I said dejectedly. “They’re making me feel like I did something to deserve this when all I did was walk home.  I really don’t understand any of this. I’m gonna talk with Lisbeth.  I’m sure she knows someone who can get them to change their tactics with me.”

“Yeah, you’re right.  If anyone can help, it’s Lisbeth.”

********

Five days later I was released from the hospital. I went home to my little carriage house and locked myself inside.  I didn’t want to come out ever again.  Well, not really.  I just wanted to feel normal again, but I feared that wouldn’t happen.  I kept every light on in the place at night and I hardly sleep for the first week. I would get startled by the tiniest of noises.  I was jumpy and agitated so, finally, Terri came and spent a few nights with me, just so I could get some rest.  My clothes began to hang on me because I couldn’t eat anything substantial. Terri and Lisbeth fussed at me constantly and I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind that someone had wanted to kill me.

Pearce called every day to check on me, and I went to see his partner for my follow up appointments.  My ankle and wrist healed up quickly and after about eight weeks I was able to quit wearing that monster black boot.

The police said they couldn’t find any leads. The rape analysis came back negative as did the fingernail scrapings. The only thing they found were tire marks near where I was dumped and so far they couldn’t come up with anything else. I was living in a nightmare.  Every night I had them and every day the abduction was on my mind.

I’d lost my job at Camellia’s. I couldn’t blame the owner though. He couldn’t afford to hold my job because it would be quite a while before I would be able to go back to work. He promised that as soon as he had an opening again, it would be mine. My checkbook was pretty much down to nothing.  I was flat broke and scared of my own shadow. My hospital bills were crazy.  I couldn’t even look at them because they made me sick to my stomach.

Thank God for Lisbeth. I still did lots of things for her and she was paying me weekly, as well as covering my rent. I had to pick some things up for her from her decorator and was dropping them off at her house one afternoon when I walked in and accidentally overheard a conversation she was having.

“Well you need to do something about it. I think they’d make a marvelous couple.”

“Lisbeth, what would you like for me to do? Ground the boy? Pearce is an adult and will do as he wants. Besides, as I understand it, it’s not for lack of trying on his end.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“What it means is that he’s called Alexia time and time again and she still refuses him. I can’t understand it either. Why, he’s the most eligible bachelor in all of South Carolina!”

“Well, then perhaps it’s time for us to play matchmaker.”

“Oh dear, what do you have up your sleeve?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll figure something out.”

I hurried out of the house, not wanting to be discovered. I came back in then and made all sorts of noises so they’d know I was there. I called to Lisbeth from the hallway, told her I’d left her things but had to leave in a hurry. I dashed out of there before they could trap me into something I didn’t want to have any part of.

Matchmaking! Shit, just what I need. Then what would I do? How would I explain to Lisbeth, when Pearce took off like a bat out of hell, why he didn’t want to hang around the slut who was responsible for the death of her last boyfriend, and then went around and slept with every guy she could get her hands on? Oh yeah, I’m the perfect date for the most eligible bachelor in South Carolina. Shitfuckdamnhell!

I still had issues with my attack. My social life became nonexistent, except for seeing Terri. Nighttime was the worst. I was the antithesis of a vampire. When dusk hit, I scurried for home. I would start to freak if I was somewhere and didn’t think I’d be home until after dark. If I wasn’t constantly surrounded by light, I would start to resemble a bobblehead doll, because that’s what my head would do.  Those giant spotlight kind of flashlights became my constant companions, as I always carried one or two in my car, just in case I got tied up and didn’t get home until after dark.

I started job hunting but was having trouble finding anything.  None of the restaurants had any openings and I had applications in everywhere. I worried about getting hired somewhere that would require me to work late at night because I didn’t know what I’d do about getting home after dark. My stomach would churn and send me running for the bathroom just thinking about it.

One day, I finally got a call from a software company and they wanted me to work full time in their marketing department. I was torn because that would mean I couldn’t work for Lisbeth anymore.  The pay was decent, but I’d also give up my free rent. 

She needed to know what was going on so I went to her the next day and laid everything out.  She was so excited about the possibilities for me.  Lisbeth always wanted me to do more as far as a career was concerned so she knew this was the perfect opportunity for me. 

“But what about our arrangement?”

“You can do some things for me on the weekend and I’ll only charge you half rent.  How about that?”

“Are you sure?”

“What? Do you think I’m so old I don’t know what I’m talking about anymore. Of course I’m sure.”

“Well, in that case, it’s a deal. And if you need anything during the week, just call my cell phone and I can do it on my way home from work.”

“Alexia, I’ve been meaning to ask you.  How are you doing these days?”

I wanna run and hide in my house and never come out because when I do, I feel like I’m getting ready to plunge off the edge of a cliff.

“I’m fine.”

“The truth dear. I’m an old woman. I see things. I want to know.”

I looked at her and I felt myself unraveling. The only person I’d let in was Terri.  I didn’t want to dump this on Lisbeth because she was elderly and didn’t need this kind of shit in her life now. 

So I smiled and said, “I’m better, really I am.”

“Honey, you are the worst liar I’ve ever known. I know you are miserable. I can see the pain of it in your eyes, not to mention you look like a scarecrow. Why won’t you talk to me?”

“I don’t want to burden you with my silly issues.”

“Alexia, your issues are anything but silly. You nearly died. I think it would help you if you talked about it.  And I hope you know I care about you.”

We were sitting in her favorite room and I was seated next to her on the sofa. I had my hands clasped on my lap and I looked down and them because I didn’t want her to see the tears in my eyes. Her arm reached across and she placed her hand on top of mind and patted them.

“Alexia honey, I don’t know what happened between you and your parents, but they should be strung up in town square.  Does Lynchburg even have a town square? Oh hell, it doesn’t matter. Listen to me sweetie, I care about you and I want you to get some help.  You need to talk to someone about what happened to you. If you won’t talk to me, I’d like for you to talk to a professional counselor.”

“Lisbeth, I know you mean well, and I thank you for it. But I can’t afford it.”

“Honey, if you’d keep quiet and let me finish, I was going to say, that I’d be willing to pay for it. I want you to come back out of your shell. I know there’s a young woman inside of you that’s intelligent, strong and capable of taking on this world.  And I for one would love to see her emerge. Will you please at least think about it? And before you give me your answer, I want you to take this job and show that company everything you’ve got. I believe you could run that company one day if someone would give you half a chance.”

God, I loved that woman!

********

It was late October when I started my job and I ended up taking to it like a fish in water.  My manager and I got along really well and he kept pushing me to do more.  I gladly took on the extra responsibility and seemed to thrive on it.

Lisbeth called me one night and asked if I could take her to a party on the following Saturday. It was the end of November, and she said it was one of those tea party things, the kind that she really hated. She didn’t want to stay long, so she asked me to drive her and wait in the car.

I sat in Lisbeth’s Cadillac, in front of one of Charleston’s finest homes on the battery, and was reading my Kindle when I heard a tap at my window. I looked up and my heart immediately started doing laps around the Charlotte Motor Speedway. At that rate, it could’ve edged out #88 and really pissed off Junior.

Why the hell did he have to look so damn good? Shitfuckdamnhell!

I rolled down the window.

“Hey,” I said. Why did my voice have to sound so damn breathy?

“Hey yourself. Are you here with Lisbeth?”

“Yeah. You?”

“My grandmother asked me to bring her. Although I can’t figure out why when we only...oh no. I think I smell a rat.” He lifted his head up and sighed.

“What?”

“Gran and Lisbeth. Scheming.”

My face started to burn. Really burn. Then the rest of me followed.

Double shitfuckdamnhell!

“Look, do you mind if I get in?”

“Er, no.”

Oh God help me. I need strength around this man.

He jogged around to the other side of the car and got in. Then he grinned. And I melted.

“I think they’ve been scheming to get us together.”

I dropped my head down and blew out a breath.  “I’m sorry I never called you Pearce. You were the best...really...I should have thanked you with dinner or something. That was very unmannerly of me. Please forgive me.”

“You’re forgiven on one condition. Go to dinner with me.”

Triple shitfuckdamnhell!

“Well, I suppose it would be impossible to refuse you now,” I admitted.  It would have been worse than rude at this point.

“So when?”

“Next weekend?”

“That works for me. So how are you?” His gaze penetrated mine and I shivered.

I half-smiled and said, “I’ve been better.”

“I’m sorry Alexia.”

********

The following weekend, he picked me up, on foot, and we went to dinner.

“I hope you don’t mind the walk.”

“No, I love to walk.”

I was so nervous that I rubbed my hands against each other and then on my legs. I finally clamped my hands together so I’d quit altogether. He noticed my fidgeting and stopped walking.

Turning to me he said, “Do I make you nervous?”

“No. Yes. No, I make me nervous.”

Oh, hell. Why can’t I just be normal like other girls?

He grabbed my icy hands in his and said, “You’re cold.”

“No, I’m fine.” I tried to pull my hands from his, but he wouldn’t let me.