An Honest Kiss

Chapter 13

"Of course-"

"Then when did it change? When did you give up on helping people and focus only on you and what you wanted? Why else would you send perfectly good nurses home when they did nothing but work hard for this organization?"

"How dare you, how dare you say that I put myself before this organization. You will never know what I have given-up to be here."

"Why did you give anything up, Jolene? You could have gone home years ago."

"Because unlike you, you little whore, this organization is my life."

Rachel's head jerked up as if slapped. "What did you call me?" She was dumbfounded.

"You heard me. You are a whore, the others might have fallen for the story that Jack told Nancy. but I didn't, not for a moment. You came in here and seduced him. You're a married woman, was your husband not good enough, was he ignoring you, do you need the attention of a man to make you feel like a woman?"

Rachel's mouth fell open in shock at the tirade. Nurse Bowers was in love with Jack. Rachel couldn't be mad at her. She should, but she knew what the woman was feeling, and she felt pity for her just like she felt for herself.

"You have nothing to say for yourself?"

"I am not a whore," Rachel said simply, not really wanting to fight her about it. She rose and made for the door, but Bowers reached out and grabbed her arm.

"So you deny being a whore, but you don't deny having an affair with Jack?" She asked, wanting clarification.

Rachel knew it would eat at her like a debilitating disease until she had the truth.

"Jack and I have had a relationship in the past and we are working to figure out exactly what we have now." Rachel said vaguely

"But you did have sex with him. That was why he had your rings."

"Yes." Rachel watched as her face turned from heated anger to ghostly white.

"You slut." Bowers reached out and slapped her making Rachel's head snap to the side.

Rachel thought about rubbing it in, telling her that she didn't know what she was missing, that Jack was the best lover in the world because her anger was that strong, but it quickly faded as she looked at Bowers's pale face and recognized a look that was so similar to the way she felt that she wanted to weep for her.

They stared at each other for a moment before the door opened and Jack walked in followed by Paul and Addie.

Rachel was rubbing her face and Bowers looked close to tears. The other three stood silently waiting for Rachel's next move, there was no doubt that they heard the last of the exchange, and Jack looked severe.

Mary came in a moment later and took in the situation, "Oh dear Mrs. Cooper, that will leave a mark."

If the room had been tense before it was unbearable after Mary spoke.

Unaware of the vibe in the room, or maybe she was, Mary had a way of cutting though most problems to the heart of the matter and with one sentence she had explained everything, she bustled around to get some ice for her cheek.

Rachel, had no sooner had the thought then her gaze tangled with Jack's and she knew he was thinking the same thing.

"As simple as that," Rachel said.

"As simple as that," Jack agreed, his voice having an edge of anger to it despite the humor of the situation.

"Mrs. Cooper?" Bowers asked all of the color returning to her face in a rush.