Small Town Doctor (7 page)

He caressed along the curve of her hips, gently, so as not to scare her off. “Have you ever felt a connection between someone you just met…but you knew they were special?” She froze at his touch, tentative, nervous. “That’s how I feel about you and Abbi. Last night, sitting in front of the fire, I got to know you more than anyone else in my life. I told you things Jes or anyone else doesn’t even know.”

Her heart skipped a beat, and fear tightened her stomach. She had a feeling she knew where this was going, but it excited and terrified her. “What are you saying?”

“That you are special to me and I want to see where this goes. I won’t pressure you, but you’re not going to be able to push me away like you tried to do yesterday.”

“Like yesterday?” Her brows squinted together in confusion.

“When Michael said I was doing this out of charity, you were ready to send me on my way. The only thing that stopped you was that Abbi needed medical attention.” He paused as if waiting for her to deny it before he continued. “You’re frightened, and I understand, but I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Isn’t that what they all say? No one scares their prey by telling them what they’re going to do to them.”

“Is that what you think, that you’re my prey?” He leaned down until he could press his forehead against hers.

“No, I just meant…” She kept her hands on the sofa, her body trembling, even though she wanted to wrap her arms around him as he held her.

“I’m not sure how to convince you I’m not like every other man you’ve known.” He moved his hands up her back, pressing her a little closer to him. “You have to trust someone and I’m asking to be that person. Otherwise, we’re both going to lose out on something special.”

“Not every man, just Josh. He screwed with my head and it’s hard to trust anyone after all he put me through. Even after years of having Ryan visit, I’m still cautious of him.”

“That couldn’t have anything to do with the fact that he nags you to come back to town? Or that he could take your daughter away if he thought she was being neglected or in danger because of your lifestyle choice?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You could do that too.”

“No, I don’t have that power, but you have to know I wouldn’t. Raising a child isn’t easy but I think you’re doing a good job.” He wrapped his arms tighter around her, closing the last distance between them until he had her wrapped in a hug. “I promise you everything is going to be fine. We’re going to get through this together. Abbi, you…and me.”

She let her head rest against his chest because she wanted to believe him. Trusting him would take everything in her, and if he let her down it would tear her apart. After Josh, she thought she had nothing left to give, but now she wanted to find that part deep within her she had hidden away. She wanted to trust James, to believe in him, to allow everything to fall into place. The question was, could she do it?

James strolled from the office with the medication in hand, feeling relaxed and more carefree than he had in months. The ride into town had gone smoothly. Ella was surprised by how little had changed since her last visit, while Abbi was filled with excitement. He took his time, making passes on the side streets so she could see the different businesses. The only place he avoided was On the Rocks, not wanting to make her think about what happened there almost five years ago. Instead, he kept it pleasant, even taking a drive past Clearwater Lake to see the first rides being erected for the festival.

He glanced around the empty parking lot, wondering if it would be too much if he suggested they sat in the gazebo for a while, letting Abbi play in the grass. When he saw a few hospital employees at a nearby table he decided to save the idea for another day. He waved to another doctor who was getting out of his car across the parking lot before he opened the truck door and hopped in.

“Did you get what you needed?” Ella asked, her gaze scanning the parking lot. She still had a smile on her face, and that was what mattered most to him.

“Sure did.” He tossed the small paper bag of medication into the armrest compartment. “What do you girls say, want to drive around town some more? I can take you past Michael and Jessi’s, and my rental house is just down the road from them.”

“Can we, Mommy?”

“Why not.” She grinned back at her daughter. “As long as James doesn’t mind.”

“Please, Doctor Macis.” Ella begged, leaning forward from where she was nestled on the back seat.

“Little one, your wish is my command.” He smirked. Everything was perfect. He shoved the truck into drive and started to pull out of the parking lot, when his cell phone rang. In the pit of his stomach he knew he shouldn’t answer it; whoever was on the other end was about to spoil this perfect moment, but as a doctor he couldn’t ignore it.

He pulled to the side of the exit and tugged his cell phone off his belt. “I’ve got to take this.” Ella nodded as he brought it to his ear. “Doctor Macis.”

“James, this is Jordan Shepherd, I need your help.” The Winterbloom Bed and Breakfast owner’s voice came through the speaker with a touch urgency.

“Is it Bianca?”

“No, Bianca and Chloe are fine. I have a friend and a former Marine, Sergeant Gioven Sparks, staying here at Winterbloom. I need your help with him.”

“I’m a pediatrician, I don’t know what I can do to help. What’s wrong with him?”

“His last deployment was hairy and he’s turned to the bottle to help him cope. I need to get him out of On the Rocks, and Ryan’s on police business. I don’t want Chloe there, but if I can’t find anyone else, that’s what I’m going to have to do…unless you can help.”

“No, if he’s a drunk former Marine you’re going to need more than just Chloe. Leave her home with Bianca and I’ll meet you there. I’m at the hospital, give me five minutes.”

“See you there, I’m already in the parking lot.” Jordan ended the call.

James locked his phone screen and clipped it back onto his belt. “I’ve got to help Jordan, I can leave you in my office if you’d prefer.”

“Where at?”

“On the Rocks.” He saw the fear shine in her eyes. “You don’t have to go in, you can wait in the car or wait here, but I need an answer.”

“We’ll go. There’s no reason for you to come back here for us…but we’ll wait in the car.”

He shoved the truck back in drive. “I’ll try to make it quick.” Knowing the sacrifice she was making, he reached across the seat to lay his hand on her leg.

“I know you will.” She placed her hand over his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Are you sure two of you can handle a drunk Marine? Maybe you should call for additional help.”

“We’ll be fine. Once we get him under control, the bar owner, Daniel Bridge, will help if we need him to. He’s probably tired of hearing Gioven’s problems as he downs a bottle of whiskey. Daniel is a bartending therapist…at least according to most of the town’s drinkers.” He took the alley from the hospital over to Queen Street, where On the Rocks was just about on the outskirts of town.

“What’s whiskey?” Abbi questioned as she rocked Mr. Bear in her lap.

“It’s a drink for people Mommy’s age.”

“Nasty stuff.” He glanced in the review mirror back at her, wrinkling his nose in distaste. Turning his attention back to the road he made the turn into the parking lot and immediately spotted Jordan leaning against his truck.

The truck took to the gravel parking lot with ease and he pulled up next to Jordan before putting it in park. “I’ll be right back.” He squeezed her hand before grabbing the door handle. He hated to leave her in the one spot he knew brought back bad memories, but he couldn’t let Jordan handle this on his own.

“Sorry, man. I hoped to get Ryan to help, since Cameron and J.C. are teaching a class at Clearwater Combat and Guns,” Jordan called to him as he came around the front of the truck.

“No problem. Let’s see if we can get him out without causing a scene and disrupting Daniel’s lunch crowd.”

“Who’s the woman?” Jordan nodded to the truck where Ella was staring at the bar, her eyes wide.

“Ella Carmichael and her daughter Abbi.”

“The Carmichaels from the mountain?” Jordan raised an eyebrow at him, shock evident in his gaze. “Ryan’s been trying to get them into town for years. How’d you do it?”

He had a number of smart-ass comments in mind but he wanted this over so he could get back to Ella before she could talk herself into blocking him out again. “I thought we had someone we needed to rescue from the bar.”

“Yes, right, Gioven.” Jordan turned toward the bar while James glanced back at the truck.

He wanted to slip back into the truck and wrap his arms around Ella, to ease the discomfort she was feeling. If bringing her to On the Rocks destroyed what he accomplished already, he’d have a battle that was twice as hard. She’d close in on herself until he had to chisel away at the outer edge, begging her to open up again. There was no chance it would be as easy as the first time.

Damn it, I’m risking her to help someone else. She’s supposed to be my top priority.

* * *

The two story brick building that housed On the Rocks stared back at Ella almost in a taunting manner, reminding her of the last time she’d visited the bar and the horrors of that night. Her thoughts took her back, changing the beautiful day into the dark wintery night. Everything crumbled away until it looked like it did then.

She remembered staggering out of the car, her head splitting, blood spilling down her face. The first thing she remembered seeing as she came out of the bar was the little red truck they’d come in parked across from the exit, but Josh’s friends were nowhere in sight. A moment of relief filled her with the knowledge she hadn’t been left behind. That was until she scanned the parking lot and found Josh hunched over the man he had been fighting with in the bar. She’d tried to stop him from following the man to the parking lot, but what she received for her efforts was a punch to the jaw that sent her staggering backward until she fell into the corner of the bar and hit her head. That was when everything went black. While she lay unconscious on the barroom floor, Josh was out in the parking lot fighting. That showed the concern he had for her.

“Josh!” She pushed her way through the crowd when someone grabbed her arm to stop her. She wasn’t sure who had been there that night; the only one she could recall to this day had been the bartender, Daniel. Everyone else was just a blur.

She was trying to fight her way from the guy’s grasp when Josh looked over at her. His face and shirt were covered in blood as he continued to beat the man’s head into the ground. What she saw in his eyes, the pure hatred, rage, and the excitement of what he was doing, scared her enough to recoil, to stop fighting the hold the stranger had on her arm.

Torn between trying to stop Josh and terrified his rage would turn on her, she was frozen in place. Over and over, Josh slammed the man against the pavement. People shrieked for him to stop, but no one dared touch him. She couldn’t figure out why until she saw two others on the ground. One with a bullet hole in his chest and the other with a bleeding skull. What had happened while she was unconscious?

“Mommy?” Abbi shook Ella’s shoulder with her small hand, pulling her back from her thoughts. “Mommy, are you okay?”

“I…” She fought to push the memories away and find her voice. “I’m fine.”

“You’re shivering. Do you want my blanket, Mommy?”

She looked down at her hands and sure enough she was shaking, though it wasn’t from the cold like her daughter thought. It was from the memories, a chill that couldn’t be chased away by turning on the heater or adding an extra layer. “Thanks, sweetie, but I’m okay.”

“Look, he’s coming back.” Abbi pointed to the bar’s main entrance where James and Jordan were struggling to get Gioven out of the bar. He fought them with every step as they practically carried him out.

“Abbi, I want you to stay in this truck. Don’t you dare get out! Do you understand? I’m going to help.” She didn’t wait for Abbi’s answer; she’d always been a well-behaved child who listened when Ella told her something. Before she could talk herself out of it, she slipped from the truck, shut the door behind her, and crossed the parking lot.

“Ella, get back in the truck,” James hollered over Gioven moans.

“Let me help.” She closed the distance between them.

“H-hey, hey, beautiful, care to have a drink with me?” Gioven leaned toward her. “Mmm, you s-smell delicious.”

“Gioven.” James growled, making it clear he was pushing the limits.

She laid her hand on Gioven’s chest to help steady him. “I think you’ve had enough.”

“I’m s-still awake…so I haven’t had enough.” His voice was thick and his words slurred.

They leaned Gioven against the truck as Jordan opened the passenger door. “Oh-oh, b-beautiful, you deserve someone better than me. I’m broken, a…a useless shell of a man.”

“Hey, now.” She cupped the side of his cheek, tipping his head back to look at her. “There’s none of that. You’re an attractive man and any woman would be honored to have your affections.”

“Just not you.” His head fell back against the truck with a thump. “Because I’m broken.”

“No, because there’s someone else. At least I think…it’s all happened so quickly.” She glanced at James before forcing her attention back to Gioven. “Can I give you some good advice?”

“Sure, beautiful, but I can’t promise I’ll take it.”

“You can’t run from your problems.” When he started to interrupt her, she placed her finger over his lips. “I tried for years, hiding up in the mountains. Do you know today is the first time I’ve been in town after nearly five years of living in a cabin in the woods? Alcohol or being a recluse, neither of those take the problems away. I don’t know how much help I’d be, but if you’d ever want to talk…”

“There’s no chance I can make you change your mind and come home with me instead of him?”

“No. I think what’s best is you go back and get some sleep.” Her heart broke for the sadness she saw in his eyes. It wasn’t sorrow because she was rejecting him, but because of what he saw during his time as a Marine. He was suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder and needed help. “I’d like to come talk to you once you’re sober, if you’d be willing call James’s cell, Jordan has the number, and he’ll get the message to me.”

“Come on, Gioven, let’s get you into the truck.” Jordan nodded to the open door. “Get in and I’ll drive you back to Winterbloom so you can sleep.”

“What about my truck?” Gioven nodded toward the black pick-up across the parking lot.

“Give me the keys.” James held out his hand. “I’ll drive it back.”