Road to Redemption (15 page)

Jack dragged his tired and sore body up the few front stairs to Cori’s apartment.  He was beat.  He lost track of the number of hours he worked this week.  He wasn’t sure if it was living in the North at the wintertime that caused all the injuries and accidents, or if it was just bad luck.  Either way all he really wanted to do was sleep. But he hadn’t exactly paid much attention to Cori in the last few weeks. And he was feeling a bit guilty about it.

It was his first twenty-four hours off in a long time, thoughts of sleeping, eating, relaxing and watching football were the only things consuming him.  At least he had been able to sleep in a bit this morning since he didn’t get home until almost midnight the night before. 

Unfortunately Roxy had other ideas on how he would spend his morning, waking him up earlier than he wished and then wanting to play. He had been ignoring her lately, too. And the guilt got to him there. He wanted her to feel loved. She deserved it after what she had been through before he rescued her.

So he obliged and took her for a long walk, then threw the ball around the yard with her hoping to wear her out good so she didn’t get into any mischief later tonight.

He knocked once at Cori’s, then opened the door, stomping the snow off his feet and shaking it off his wavy hair. He really needed a haircut, but he was too busy to even find time for that.

When he saw her come out of the kitchen in her tight little yoga pants, bare feet and a T-shirt he was confused.  She had told him jeans were good for today, but asked for him to come over around three.  He figured she had some type of plans to go out, but maybe he was wrong. Especially since those yoga pants brought back fond memories from a few weeks ago.

“Hey, coming down hard out there?” she asked, noticing the remaining snow on his boots when he took them off in the doorway.

“Yes. Don’t know for how long but it’s miserable out there now.”

She reached up to give him a kiss, brushing his hair off his forehead a bit. “I like this look on you.  Kind of messy-got-out-of-bed look.” She grinned at him. “Want a beer?”

“Sure.” He cheered instantly and followed her into the kitchen. When he noticed her small table cleared off and paper plates set at two place settings, he asked in horror, “You aren’t cooking, are you?”

She snorted. “Yeah, right. I don’t want to spend my night in the ER.” She giggled. “We’ve got lasagna, meatballs and salad, courtesy of Chez Brooklyn,” she said with another giggle.

He popped the top on the bottle of craft beer she knew he liked. “Where’s that? Chez Brooklyn?”

She looked up at his confused face and laughed. “Brooke,” she clarified. “Brooke Malone, her name is Brooklyn. You didn’t know that?”

“No, why would I?”

Shrugging, she poured herself a small glass of wine.  “Sorry, thought you might have noticed it on her medical files.  Anyway she took mercy on me and put everything together this morning and left detailed instructions on cooking.  I figured between the two of us we were smart enough to turn the oven on and bake everything. I hope,” she added as an afterthought.

“Anyway,” she continued, “enjoy your beer, relax and then we will get to the other part of our night.”

He followed her into the living room to sit for a bit. “If your clothing is any indication of the next part, my beer can wait.”

“Nope, not yet.” She pushed him lightly into the chair. “That’s for later.  After the next part.”

He frowned, too tired to make heads or tails of what she was talking about. He took another sip of his beer, leaned back and relaxed like she ordered him.

***

Setting the empty beer on the coffee table twenty minutes later, he turned and said, “All done, now what?”

“Give me a second.” She jumped up. “Don’t come in until I tell you, okay?” She looked back at him on the couch as she made her way into her room. “Promise?”

“I promise.” She looked so darn cute and excited as she ran out of the room that he started to feel his energy return.

“You can come in now,” she called from her bedroom.

Rising, he made his way the short distance and stopped in the doorway.  The lights were off, but there was a dim glow about the room from the few candles burning in their jars. One on each bedside table and one on her dresser opposite the bed.  He smelled vanilla, guessing they were scented.  The blankets and comforter were stripped from the bed, leaving only the bottom sheet tucked into the mattress and the top sheet turned down. 

Then he noticed how hot the room was and located a portable heater tucked into the corner. “What’s all this?”

“You’re getting a massage.  A full body massage.” Laughter jumped into her eyes. “And it might even include a happy ending,” she said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Heat rose up his neck. “A massage?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you ever had one?” At the shake of his head, she said, “Don’t worry, I’m a licensed masseuse. You’re in good hands.”

“I didn’t know that,” he said, referring to her massage license.

“It’s not something I broadcast. I did it in college, thought it would be fun. But I’ve never really done much with it. Now I can put it to good use. So come on, get cracking, strip for me, Big Boy.”

He didn’t know why she called him that ridiculous name. Of course, next to her he was rather big. Still, it was embarrassing, but he did as she asked.

“Underwear, too.  Completely naked. I want to get something out of this, too, you know,” she said, bouncing on her toes, excited.

Once he was done complying with her request, he lay on his back as instructed.

“Close your eyes and relax.” She straddled his waist. “I don’t normally give a massage this way in case you are wondering. But I’ll make an exception to the rule since I don’t have a proper table. I don’t think you’ll mind though,” she whispered in his ear.

He cleared his throat. “Not at all. Of course, I’m not sure how much I can relax with you sitting like that.  Particularly on that spot.”

“Oh, you will, trust me.” She reached over and grabbed the remote to her iPod, turning on some soft soothing background music.  Then she spread oil on her hands from the bottle sitting on the bedside table.

She rubbed her hands together warming them up before she placed them on his chest. Applying a small amount of pressure, she pushed them forward toward his shoulders. Then down each arm, repeating the motion several times until his body relaxed, the knots softening in his shoulders.

“That’s it,” she crooned.  “Close your eyes and enjoy.  Don’t think of anything else but my hands on you right now.”

Her tiny hands continued to squeeze and knead his shoulders, biceps, all the way down to his forearms.  Picking up one hand, she placed it gently on her lap and started to work on his palm and fingers. Spending extra time there, as if she knew how overworked they must feel to him. She switched hands after a few minutes when he noticed her eyes locked on his, a big smile on her face.

She turned around to face his legs and rearranged herself on his lower waist. Then, turning her head, she looked at him over her shoulder, smiling in triumph. “Enjoying yourself? You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

It was pretty obvious she was referring to the one part of his body that was far from relaxed. “A little hard to do with you straddling me like that. Not to mention running wet hands all over me.” He groaned when she ran her hands down his thighs. “Don’t stop though,” he said with a moan.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that. Now close your eyes again and let me work on you.”

She was working on him all right, he thought. This was turning into one hell of a date night.  He should let her plan them more often.

Twenty minutes later, after she had given equal consideration to his thighs, calves and feet, sliding down his body to reach everything, torturing him with her own body, she ordered him to lie on his stomach. Then went to work on the back of his legs and calves. 

Somewhere in that time his mind began to shut off and he began to feel. The candlelight, the scent of vanilla in the air, her soft slick hands kneading the muscles in his back, and he drifted off completely.

***

“Wake up, sleepy head,” she whispered softly against his lips. 

He slowly started to wake up. The last thing he remembered was her hand brushing his hair from his cheek, then her lying down next to him. He must have fallen asleep, but somehow he was on his back again. And she was lying on top of him holding his face in her hands.

“Sorry,” he said, embarrassed. “I guess I fell asleep.”

“Yes, you did.” She laughed softly and proceeding to kiss his jaw. “Right before I was able to get to the best part.”

His mind was slowly waking up, along with the rest of him. Reaching under her soft T-shirt he discovered, like before, she was naked underneath. He loved her choice of clothing, at least when they were alone. 

She pushed his hands away when he attempted to lift her shirt off. “Nope, not part of my agenda.” Then she went back to kissing him. Only this time she made her way down his chest, flicking his flat nipple with her tongue.

Groaning, he reached under her shirt again, massaging his own way. He felt her respond to his touch, and hoped she was feeling what he was.

Again she pulled his hands out from under her shirt and placed them by his side.  “If you can’t keep them still I’m going to make you hold onto the headboard behind you,” she ordered softly, breathlessly.

His hands remained at his sides, but he groaned again when she made her way down his waist, her lips following the trail of his soft hair leading right to where she was targeting. 

Suddenly her little hands were holding and stroking him, massaging him like she had the rest of his body.  He closed his eyes and squeezed his hands into fists when he felt her tongue come out and trace the tip of him, then pull him into her soft warm mouth.

She worked him over, under, and every way there was. Only this time there was no way he could relax. He found his hands in her hair, Cori accepting his direction on what he liked best.  It was better than he ever had before, better than he had ever felt before, and he wasn’t sure he could hold back any longer.

He pulled her off of him. “Stop.  I can’t hold back much longer.”

With passion-filled eyes she shocked him. “I’m not stopping.”

“You don’t really want to do that, do you?” he questioned doubtfully, her hands continuing to stroke him.

“Oh yeah, I do,” she challenged him before placing her mouth on him once again.

He had no fight left in him.  He’d tried to warn her. It was the best he could do.  She urged his hands that were still holding her head to set the pace, show her exactly what he liked. Not that she needed any help from him. She was doing a wonderful job on her own.

Within minutes, his shout could be heard throughout the room while she continued on until the last shudder left his body.

Her fully clothed body slid up his bare chest, adding another form of sensation to his otherwise over-sensitized skin. With her arms on his chest and her chin on her hands, she grinned at him. “See? Happy ending.”

“So why did you try to stop me back there?” Cori asked after she placed a paper plate full of warm gooey lasagna, two meatballs and salad in front of Jack.

“It was the gentlemanly thing to do. Or at least warn you,” he added, then started to eat when she was seated across from him. 

Twenty minutes ago he had just started to relax again when they heard the timer go off and Cori say, “Dinner’s ready.” She bounded up and left him to get up and dressed while she finished getting dinner on the table.

“Well, that’s gentlemanly alright, but that isn’t what I meant,” she corrected him, and then took a huge bite of her own dinner. “Man, Brooke is an awesome cook. Anyway, you said, ‘you don’t really want to do that.’ Why wouldn’t I? Hasn’t anyone ever done that to you before?” she asked curiously.

He stared at her intently while he finished chewing, his face growing red.

“Oh my God. I was your first. That is so sweet.” She smiled, looking ridiculously pleased.

“Sweet?” he choked out.

“Yeah, sweet.  I set a new record with you too. Sort of. Well, yeah, I did,” she said proudly.

He took another bite, chewed and then tried to change the subject somewhat. “Anyway, I feel sort of bad. It seems I’m the one getting the most out of this date so far. Not that I’m complaining,” he clarified with a grin of his own.

“Oh, I expect my turn soon.” She grinned at him, stabbed a meatball with her fork and popped it into her mouth.

“You can count it,” he agreed.

***

She got her turn and then some, afterwards promptly passing out on his chest.

He was never much for cuddling, but he was more than content to let her lie there.  She was so tiny it didn’t even bother him.

Turning his head, he looked at the red glow of the alarm clock and realized that only seven hours ago he’d walked up her front steps almost dreading what she had planned for the night. As much as he found he wanted to spend time with her—time in bed that was—he hadn’t been sure he had the energy to go out on the town for her surprise date. So he was extremely touched that she seemed to understand that and planned her night around him.

Brushing her hair from her cheek, he ran his fingers softly down the side of her face and started thinking. He realized she was nothing like he had first imagined. 

On New Year’s Eve she had told him she was a simple girl and that spending the night in bed with pizza was the perfect night for her. But he hadn’t believed her. After all, he saw how she was the night of the wedding, on that dance floor living it up, having the time of her life and pulling everyone in with her. 

A party girl. That was what he’d thought she would want from him, too.

Even on their first date he thought she would be pleased with his choice of restaurants. Though she’d seemed to have a good time and enjoy her meal, she was more excited over the take-out sundaes they had gotten on their way home than the fancy meal they had shared.

After tonight he would have to concede she might be more like the simple girl that she said she was.  It didn’t seem to him that she planned tonight for anything other than that she truly wanted him to be happy.

He still wasn’t sure he could give her what she deserved, but she seemed to be doing a good job of giving him what he needed.

***

A few hours later, Jack was awakened by a loud noise.  Glancing at the clock, he noticed the red glow was missing.

“What’s wrong?” Cori mumbled against his chest.

“I heard a loud noise. Now the power’s out,” he stated, pushing himself to a sitting position. “Do you have a flashlight close by?”

“Bedside drawer.”

He reached over, pulled the drawer open, placed his hand on a long cylinder and pulled it out.  He felt around the cylinder for an on switch, finally twisted the bottom, resulting a vibrating noise, but no light. “What the...”

“Oops.” She reached out. “That’s my dongle.”

“What?” Jack asked again, mystified. Why would she have a USB in her bedside drawer, and why was it so big?

She reached across him, located the flashlight and swapped out the devices. When he turned the flashlight on, he saw what she was holding and his jaw dropped. It was bright pink no less.

Laughing at his reaction, she reached back over his body and returned it to its place of hiding. “What? I don’t always have a hot guy in my bed. A girl has needs.  Hmm, maybe someday I can introduce you to my little friend,” she said with a wicked grin.

Jack felt his body start to stir. Unfortunately he didn’t have a chance to do anything about it.  The sound of feet pounding could be heard in the apartments above them, and doors slamming in the apartment next door.

“Something’s up,” she said. They both started to climb out of bed in a rush and grab their clothes.

As they were making their way out of Cori’s bedroom, there was a loud pounding on her door and her neighbor’s voice coming through in a panic. “Cori! Cori, are you awake?  A car crashed a few houses down. Cori, open up!”

She and Jack threw on their boots and jackets and ran out the door.  Cori took off in a run at the sight of the minivan’s front end crumpled beyond notice against the utility pool. Jack stopped to grab his emergency bag out of his truck and followed suit.

When they reached the van, a woman in the passenger seat was moving and trying to make her way out. Her head was bleeding and she was holding her right arm.  “Johnny…Johnny isn’t moving,” she cried.

Cori led the woman over to the side away from the van, checking her over quickly while Jack ran to the driver’s side.  The driver, Johnny, he guessed, was bent at a sickening angle, slumped against the steering wheel.

He noticed the blood running down the man’s face, so he reached for the driver’s wrist to feel for a pulse. Faint, but there.  Putting the gloves on that he pulled out of his bag, he started to feel around for external injuries. 

Jack heard the woman crying hysterically, calling for her husband while Cori patiently asked her questions. “What’s your name?”

“Gina.”

“OK, Gina, I’m Cori. How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Two.”

“Good. Where do you feel pain?”

Through Gina’s crying, Jack heard her explain that she couldn’t move her arm. Cori told her to sit still and let her check.  “I’m a nurse; let me check you for injuries,” she said, trying to soothe Gina.

“Johnny!” Gina wailed again.

“Jack is a doctor. He is with Johnny right now. Does Johnny have any medical conditions we should know about? Any medications?” Cori asked, slow and steady.

“No, nothing. We were at a party. He said his head really hurt and he was feeling dizzy. He wouldn’t let me drive. He said he was fine,” Gina cried again.

“That helps. Stay right here, OK? Don’t move. The paramedics are on the way,” Cori said, then moved closer to Jack.

“Gina told me Johnny had a headache and was feeling dizzy earlier.”

Jack glanced up, nodded his head. He had heard bits and pieces of the conversation already. “Thanks. I can’t feel any broken bones, but I don’t like the angle of his body. I’m not moving him.  Are the paramedics on the way?”

“Yes. I saw several people calling when I ran to the car.” The sirens could be heard in the distance now.

“How’s the woman?” Jack asked. 

“Lucid.  Might have a dislocated shoulder, but she seems fine. Head wound looks superficial.”

He nodded again and continued to monitor the driver, thankful when the police and paramedics arrived at the same time.

“Move out of the way. Everyone out of the way,” the paramedics ordered as they came over with their bags. One of them stopped by Gina on the side of the road. The other made his way toward Jack and Cori.

“Out of the way,” the paramedic, who looked to be just out of high school, ordered Jack and Cori again.

Jack ignored him and started issuing out stats. “Male looks to be mid-thirties, head wound, faint pulse, no external broken bones that I could see or feel. Wife says he had a headache and was dizzy prior to getting in the vehicle.”

The paramedic started to open his mouth, his annoyance visible. “Hey, Frank,” Cori said obviously recognizing the paramedic in the light. “Dr. Reynolds and I were first on the scene,” she informed him.

He continued to ignore her, pushing his way to the driver. Frank put his hand on Johnny’s shoulder, intent clear, to push him to a sitting a position.

“Don’t!” Jack shouted and grabbed the paramedic’s arm before he could move the driver. “He’s at an odd angle. Just because I don’t feel any broken bones doesn’t mean his spine isn’t injured. What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked fiercely.

Jack saw Cori was fast losing her own patience. Her body shook as she placed her hands on her hips, and intervened as the peacemaker.  It was a good thing, because Jack was ready to forcibly move the paramedic out of the way himself. “Frank, Dr. Reynolds is an Orthopedic Surgeon. Listen to him.”

Frank took one look at Jack’s intimidating stare, then Cori’s frown, and stomped away.  Luckily the fire truck pulled up. Once Jack felt everything was under control and Frank was now following orders from the older paramedic who had made his way to the driver and supervised the transfer onto the gurney, he grabbed his medical bag and moved toward Cori. She had stepped back and was now standing with the onlookers.

Jack wrapped his arms around her as she stood there shivering. “You should have grabbed a warmer jacket,” he scolded, his eyes landing on her lightweight parka.

She looked up at him with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Sorry, didn’t have time to decide which jacket was the warmest.”

“Come on.” He pulled her away from the group toward her apartment. “I’ve never seen you with a patient before. I was pretty impressed with how you handled the situation.  Calm and cool the entire time.  A whole new side of you,” he said with a grin.

She turned and looked at him sharply, clearly offended. “What, you think I don’t take my job seriously? That I’m some airhead?”

“Huh?” he asked, eyebrows drawing together. “Where did that come from? I was complimenting you, not insulting you. Why would you think I meant it the other way?”

“Oh,” she replied, a faint blush spreading across her face. “Sorry, guess my adrenaline is wearing off.  The long day is getting to me. My mind took another direction.”

He accepted that for the moment. “Let’s go get warmed up.”

“Everyone was saying the power might not be on until sometime tomorrow morning,” she said when they made their way to her front door. “Why don’t you go home and get some sleep. Even on your day off you ended up working,” she said, trying to be lighthearted.             

He frowned for a minute. “Why don’t you grab a few things and come home with me? No reason you should stay here without power or heat.”

“Really? Thanks.” She opened her front door and was confronted with the darkness. She asked Jack for his cell phone so she could light the way and raced into her room. “I’ll just be a minute,” she said. Then she hurriedly stuffed random clothing into a bag from what he could see, and ran into the bathroom to get what she needed there.