Unforgettable (2 page)
Authors: P J Gilbers
Tags: #romantic suspense, #love story, #suspense action ebook, #paranormal angel, #hollywood celebrities, #suspense action adult
I walked down the hallway to the den.
The doors were open so I snuck in and put my things
down.
“
Jack?” I whispered, tapping
his shoulder.
He stirred and opened his
eyes.
“
I fell asleep,” he said and
took my hand. His hands were rough and big. I instantly felt small,
vulnerable, and… wanted. I didn’t think I’d include that in my
patient notes.
“
Damn. I’ve been drooling.
Probably dreaming about you. You are such a wonderful aspect of
this hell, Sam. Sit next to me. You look tired.”
“
Just a busy day. And it’s
hot out.”
“
Cool in here. You should
stay with me.” He stroked the back of my hand.
Such a simple touch. It was simply
erotic.
“
How’s the pain?”
“
Little better
today.”
“
I thought we’d take a walk.
I see Fritz got your crutches. I have to warn you that the first
time up may be a bit rough although you’ve been moving around a lot
so it may be okay.”
I buckled a gait belt around
him.
He leaned into my neck.
“
You smell wonderful,” he
whispered, almost a kiss
“
Behave.”
“
I really don’t want to. I
have never had fun behaving. Have you?”
“
Oh, yes. In my knitting
class.”
He stood and I could see the pain blast
through him. His face turned scary pale but he wouldn’t sit back
down.
He struggled to walk to the French
doors that led to the pool.
“
Let’s go out. Nice sunny
day. A little skinny dipping.”
“
I’ve never been skinny
dipping. And you’re not ready.”
“’
Sometimes you have to run
before you learn how to walk.’ Do you know who said
that?”
“
Sophocles.”
“
Nope.”
“
Shakespeare.”
“
Iron
Man
.”
“
Iron
Man
?”
“
One of my favorite movies.
I love seeing the good guys kick butt.”
“
Let’s walk to the front
door.”
“
I’m weak. Lying around too
much.”
"'Won't take long to get back on your
feet…or foot for right now."
“
Sit.” He landed in a
rocking chair and pointing to one for me. He was out of breath and
dripping with sweat. I went in the house to get him a
drink.
Fritz was in the kitchen working on
some blueprints.
“
Could I get a drink for
Jack?”
“
Scotch?’
I laughed.
“
Tea or some ice
water.”
“
Okay. We’ll try iced tea.
Maybe he’ll drink it for you.” He had that secret smirk
again.
Jack was rocking in the chair smiling
when I came back.
“
I bet that’s
scotch.”
“
Bad bet. You need to drink
a lot of water. Helps to keep hydrated. You had a ton of
anesthesia. I read your surgical summary. You were under for a long
time. That’s one of the reasons you’re feeling crappy.”
“
Come sit beside
me.”
I sat down in a rocker, perching on the
edge. I hated being in the open like this but I kept my body still,
my smile etched on, so that he wouldn't notice.
He drank some tea and played with one
of his crutches, spinning it one way and back again.
“
You are gorgeous,” he said.
His deep voice went places that made me blush.
“
Thanks.”
“
You don’t like it out here
do you?”
“
It’s beautiful. Tomorrow
we’ll try a few stairs and you can show me around.”
The walk back to the den was better but
it was obvious he was glad to go back to bed and get his foot up. I
wrapped his knee in ice.
“
Sorry you can’t take pain
pills. This must be very tough.”
“
It’s much better when
you’re here. I think you should stay. The night.” He blew smoke
rings with his cigar.
“
I’ll see you tomorrow,” I
smiled, glancing at the sky.
“
Rain?”
“
No. Not a
cloud…”
I nodded and left checking around
before I got in my car.
Robert always wore heavy
boots when we went to blow a place. They were loud and people took
notice. This gas station was run down, dirty. He was talking to
himself.
“
Damn place is a pig sty,
deserves to be hit.”
He'd been in twice since
they’d gotten to town. The thin metal base of the ATM bounced open
with the first blast of his short barrel shotgun.
He howled and shot it
again. Then he took the cash box. “Yup. That felt good. Good day’s
work…”
*
Wednesday
Stella called me at seven-fifteen. I
could hear her rings clinking against the phone.
“
Charlene is sick…again…can
you pick up two of her patients? They’re close
together.”
I thought about seeing Jack and not
wanting to be late. But I was new with ProfessionalPlus and I
didn’t want to screw it up.
The additional calls made me late to
see Jack. And I was really looking forward to seeing Jack. It was
almost five when I pulled up.
He was relaxing on the porch with his
cigar and iced tea.
“
I’m so sorry I’m late. I
had to pick up a couple of calls from a therapist who is
sick.”
“
I’m not sorry. Now you get
to meet Sarah.”
“
Oh, your wife?”
Jack laughed.
“
No. There aren’t any of
those around here. Come on. And I’ve been walking. Watch.” He stood
up with his crutches, wavering a bit, and hopped into the house to
the kitchen.
I was starving and the entire house
smelled of baked chicken and chocolate. Tonight I would again have
a slim hamburger and a large slice of watermelon. I tried not to
think about my stomach gnawing on itself.
Sarah had the face of a beautiful owl,
her eyes wide, light brown curly hair haloing her face. She was at
least nine months pregnant. Maybe ten.
“
Hello. You’re Sam. I’m
Sarah. I’m so sorry you have to put up with my boss but I have
fixed roasted chicken and chocolate cake for you this evening.
Compensation.”
“
Sarah’s been working her
poor pregnant fingers to the bone to serve you dinner…so, you must
stay. For her sake.”
“
Oh, I really mustn’t.
That’s not what we’re…okay. I’ll stay. Thank you, Sarah. Thank you
very much.”
“
I think we'll eat out by
the koi pond. How’s little seven today?”
“
Quiet. He’s going to wait
until I try to sleep to wake up and kick me,” she laughed. “Just
like all my boys," she turned to me, "this will be seven. And the
last.”
“
That’s what you said with
four and five and six.” Jack patted her belly. He yelled at it,
“wake up!”
We sat at a small glass table next to
the koi pond. It was quiet, peaceful. I tried not to gulp the food
down but I was incredibly hungry. My hand shook a bit even though I
struggled to calm it.
“
Sam,” Jack said,
“why
are
you so
hungry?”
“
Sorry. Missed
lunch.”
He shook his head at me. It felt scary
to talk to him like this, like going home from a date with your
shirt buttoned wrong.
“
And breakfast and dinner
and lunch. Tell me the truth, Sam. You have been hungry for days. I
can tell.”
Tears burned, threatening to
escape.
“
I’ve only been here a few
weeks. I just started working and I don’t get paid until Friday.
So, I’ve been skimping a bit. Friday I’ll be flush,
though.”
“
Obviously, I have a bit of
money. Would you please take a small loan…or a gift…just to get
by?” He reached for his wallet.
“
It’s really nice of you and
I appreciate dinner, but I can’t. My parents died when I was
seventeen. I put myself through school. I always make it on my own.
I’ll be fine, really. But, thank you.”
He poured me a glass of
wine.
“
Well, offer stands. Now,
enjoy this beautiful sunset. Almost as beautiful as the
company.”
I looked up at the sky.
“
Sunset. Oh, my Lord. I’ve
got to go. Thanks for dinner. Tell Sarah thank you. It was
wonderful,
I’ll see you
tomorrow.” I was so embarrassed. I felt like a fool. I hurried into
the house gathered my bag, and darted out the door. On the porch I
stopped and glanced around before heading for my car.
I saw Fritz watching from the window
and I waved.
When the sun was fading as I parked I
had to force myself not to utter the scream in my throat or to run
full speed at my door. I’d never been out this late since I’d
moved.
The thread was at the top of the door
right where I’d left it this morning. My hands trembled as night
nipped at my back.
I clamped the door alarm on, slid down
the wall and sobbed.
“
I found her,” Oscar
said.
There was no excitement in his
voice. “She’s working at ProfessionalPlus and she’s living in Van
Nuys. No phone. Same car that she bought in St Louis before she
left.”
He gave Robert the
address..
“
Damn! I knew you’d do it.
Come on, I’m going to buy you a steak dinner. And a beer. Or a
carrot juice if you want.”
Oscar smiled.
"Don't smile like that. You
look like a fucking porcupine when you smile. Dumb
shit."
Eddie stood up but Robert
pushed him back.
“
Why can’t I
go?”
“’
Cause you didn’t do
nothing for me today. Now fuck off. Or fuck yourself. Whatever you
pre-fer.”
Oscar and Robert were
walking out when they saw a white face in the mirror.
"Did you see that?" Robert
asked Oscar.
Oscar nodded, eyes glued
open.
"Weren't probably nothin'.
Let's get the fuck out of here," Robert said.
"Take me with you, man.
Come on, " Eddie was whining. Robert held the door shut and laughed
as he screamed.
Thursday
Thursday morning I went into the office
again.
“
He
called this morning,” Stella sat at her desk checking her new
hair color in her mirror.
“
Oh?” That tiny butterfly of
excitement was flittering around my stomach.
“
He’s requesting your
services over the weekend. He explained that he has to get back
filming as soon as possible. And he needs you.” She made kissing
noises.
"What should I do?"
“
It’s up to you. He’s
private pay so he can do what he wants. And you want.”
The butterflies multiplied.
“
I do need the money, Lord
knows. And it’s not like my social life is booked.
Sure.”
For a change I was fifteen minutes
early to Jack’s.
He was in his office, a room I hadn’t
been in yet. He sat at a large glass desk and was talking to
someone named John. He was surrounded by overflowing bookcases with
ornate glass doors and to his left was a white life-sized statue of
a mermaid. Somehow the mermaid was no surprise. I wondered about
her and Tonto.
“…
.On a horse. You are
insane. Absolutely insane. It’ll be weeks before I’m hopping up on
any four legged creatures. What do they call them? Adumlas. Right.
Whatever planet they come from they still have to be climbed up on,
right? How the hell am I supposed to do…”
There was a long pause and Jack drained
his glass.
He pointed at a tray with lemonade,
sandwiches, and melon.
I brought it to him.
“
Have some,” he
whispered.
I sat on the corner of his desk and
took a sandwich. We were suddenly like old friends on a lazy summer
day.
He rubbed his forehead.
“
Yes, maybe by next week I
can come in and do some shots. Sitting. John…it was your horse,
remember?...Here, tell my foot to heal faster.”
He held the phone out to the air then
hung up.
“
Sammy, sweetheart. I’m
sorry. They’re driving me nuts. I know…short drive.“
He leaned back in his chair and closed
his eyes.
I took another bite of the sandwich
then took the cigar out of his hand, putting it out in his drink
glass.
“
I take it you haven’t
eaten.”
He took a bite of sandwich.
“
There, I’ve
eaten.”
“
Ice?”
“
With my scotch.”
“
Ooooh. You are in a tizzy.
Your ankle? Any ice?”
“
No.”
“
Okay, in bed, or in the
recliner.”
“
Yeah, you women are all the
same. All you want is sex, sex, sex. Alright, let’s get it over
with.” He opened one eye and grinned.
I tried to hide a smile. In the kitchen
Fritz was sitting at the breakfast bar with a laptop.
“
You know, I have an office,
I have my place out back, but I always seem to end up in the
kitchen.” He dunked his cookie in his coffee. “I suppose it’s
because that’s where the food is. Sarah’s food. Chocolate chunk
with roasted almonds. Cookie?”
Ted watched intently from
the scrap of wind he was riding.
"I like this guy," he
mumbled and took a small pinch of dust out of his pocket. He threw
it at them.
"Shazaam!" He laughed and
floated higher.
I shook my head but took a cookie
anyway.
He watched in silence with that same
there's-more-to-the-story smile and the urge to rip his clothes off
came over me again.
"Man, hot in here."
He smiled.
"Strange, I'm cool. I got some big bags
of frozen peas as you prescribed.”
“
Thanks, Fritz. Holy cow, is
he in a mood today.”
“
The studio wants him back
on set. Now. And the director’s an ass. Everyday filming stops they
are hemorrhaging money. Big time.“
I took another cookie. He wiped a spot
of chocolate off my face with his finger.
First touch.
I don't know why that came into my
head, I guess because I'd wanted a touch. Not necessarily to remove
food particles dangling attractively from my face.
He handed me the frozen peas and
another scotch. I handed him the drink back.
“
Here I go, spreading
sunshine…” I danced out of the room making him laugh.
Next to a wall of arched windows sat a
large leather recliner. Jack was settling in.
“
Wow. Your toes look like
little purple grapes. You have had your leg down all day, haven’t
you?”
“ ‘
Lord, what fools these
mortals be!’”
“
A Midsummer Night’s
Dream
. We did the production in high
school. And you can quote Shakespeare but you’re still in trouble.”
I positioned the bag of peas under his knee. “Wiggle your toes. We
were going to work on the stairs but not tonight. And since there’s
nothing more for me to do, Daffy, I will be off.”
“
Whoa. Not so fast. How long
does the ice need to be there?”
“
At least twenty
minutes.”
“
Great. Hand me those
scripts off the desk. Sit down, drink your lemonade, I’ll have a
scotch…”
I shook my head.
Gabrielle and Ted and the
Simmons were on the fourth green. Gabrielle touched the ground and
it parted revealing a perfect view of Jack and Sam.
"Look, they're so cute
together. Wonder what the wedding dress will look like. I think
I'll give them just a little booster."
"Gabby… they've met, you've
done your thing, now let it go! I still like Fritz. Military man,
could protect her, and he's crazy about her."
"How do you
know?"
He grinned. "Just a little
physiological response he has when she gets around him. He wants
her…"
"Oh, my. I'm not watching
when they have sex like I did when she was in college. It was just
like those terrible carwrecks, you just can't look
away."
He put his arms around her
and kissed her. "Just watch me, you sexy wench. I think I'm having
one of those physiological experiences… God, I love
heaven."
He touched the ground with
his golf club and it closed, just as Gabrielle threw another
handful of dust over them from behind her back.
“
I’ll have a lemonade and
you can help me pick out my next movie deal. I know that I’m your
last patient of the day. Fritz is ordering Chinese. Every Thursday,
like clockwork, he orders Chinese, so you have to stay.”
I brought the scripts and tray of food
over to a table next to him then drew up an ottoman to sit beside
him.
“
How’s the pain?”
“
Not bad. Getting better all
the time.”
I knew he was lying.
I grinned at him and thumbed through
the scripts.
Finally I held up the second
script.
“
This one is by far more
interesting and it holds together in the middle better. Anyone can
write a beginning and an end, but the middle…that’s the hardest. I
can see you in this, I really can.“
“
Could it be, my dear Sam,
that you are a writer?”
“
Well…sort of. A bit.
Actually that’s one of the reasons I moved here was to take a few
classes at UCLA.”
He looked at me as he took a sip of his
lemonade. It wasn't a friendly look, but more of a
I'm-going-to-crown-your-king look.
“
And you moved
from…”
“
Kansas City,” I lied. I had
so many lies, so many names, I was beginning to have trouble
remembering who I had told what.
“
That’s right. You moved
because…”
“
Just wanted a change.
Needed a change. Saw this job online and I thought I’d really love
it.”
He nodded. He suspected. My toes were
curling in my tight shoes.
The phone rang again. Someone was
yelling at Jack and Jack was yelling back. I packed up my things,
checked his foot and started to sneak out the door.
He put the phone down.
“
Sam. Don’t
leave.”
“
I’ll just let myself out.”
I looked at the sky, dusk was coming. My throat
tightened.
For some reason I turned and hugged
him. I wasn’t sure why. He gave me a big hug in return, snuggling
his face into my neck.
I often gave my patients hugs but…they
were usually in their eighties. Or nineties.
And they weren't Jack Nolan.
“
Thanks for the food. You
don’t have to keep feeding me, though,” I whispered.
He reached up and brushed a hair out of
my eyes.
His jaw was set. I hadn't seen that
before. His smile was gone. Storm clouds swirled in his dark
eyes.
“
See you tomorrow,” I
whispered and handed him back his phone.
"Good fucking job,
Oscar."Robert hit him on the back. He almost fell over. "Three
doors down from her. Good fucking job."
They moved in after dark
in practiced silence.
At a quarter past eleven
Robert put on a long wig and a beat up jacket. He went outside and
stood across the street from her apartment. He saw her walk past
her window.
"I could get her now if I
wanted to but I know how I want it," he mumbled to the sky." I need
her out of that apartment. If she screamed I'd have to kill
her…people would hear in these shitty paper-walled apartments. And
she is so beautiful. I'm gonna take her on a real date, like a
restaurant. And she'll kiss me. And I'll bring her flowers. And
she'll laugh. And I'll take her to bed. I'll watch her now, keep
her safe, wherever she goes…"
Ted watched, keeping it
from Gabrielle.
"He's not getting her this
time. She's been through enough." He floated down, only a sprinkle
of light in the darkness, and hovered behind Robert. He sunk into
the back of Robert's neck for yet anoher headache.
Robert rubbed his neck and
leaned against a pole, watching her window as the light went out.
"Good night my Lilith."