Always be ready to perform. You never know when you'll have to whip it out at the spur of the moment.
-Strip Style: A Guide for Aspiring Exotic Dancers
It happened as we left Montage.
Or rather, as I left Montage. I needed fresh air-desperately-as well as time to recoup from Gray's too omnipotent gaze. So while Charles and Gray were taking care of the bill, I slipped on my coat and murmured that I'd be waiting by the door.
Unfortunately, Rachel followed me out. "Great dinner, wasn't it? I love this place."
I grunted noncommittally.
"I'm glad I met you." She studied me, her head tipped to one side.
I had the distinct impression she was analyzing me. I could feel her eyes strip me, layer by layer, and I fidgeted as I imagined what she'd see.
Then she said, "You're not what I expected you to be."
My back stiffened. "What did you expect?"
She smiled. "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that the way Gray described you I thought you were another one of his typical women. You aren't typical at all."
My hackles rose at being described as not typical at all. "You're wrong. I'm just like any other woman."
She pursed her lips. "Somehow I don't buy that."
A car screeched around the corner. We both looked up in time to watch it hit a woman crossing the street, presumably on her way to Montage.
I was already halfway to the woman when I heard the sick thud of her body hitting the ground. I bent down to her and checked her pulse. Thready. A quick perusal told me she had a broken leg and a broken arm. The arm was what worried me though. The bone had perforated the skin and the way the blood was pumping through it looked like it'd knicked the brachial artery.
"I didn't see her!" A distressed man pushed through the small crowd that had gathered. He paled when he saw the blood pooling around the woman.
Pointing at him, I gave him an order so he'd be distracted from fainting. "Call 9-1-1. Now."
When I saw him pulling out his cell phone, I turned back to the victim. I needed to stop the blood loss so I jerked my jacket off and tore first one sleeve from my silk shirt and then the other.
"Daphne."
I looked up to see Gray shoving his way through the onlookers. "Is the ambulance on the way?"
"Yeah." He got down on his knees and took in the woman's condition with his sharp eyes. "We need to stem that tear. She'll bleed out otherwise."
"I know. Pulse is weak." I folded my sleeves together into a pad and pressed down on the bone with all my weight. It didn't even take a minute before the silk was soaked through.
"Take this." He stripped off his Hawaiian shirt and handed it over. "You got it?"
"Yes." I switched out the bandages and leaned down again as hard as I could. "We should use my jacket too."
"Let me take over. You get the jacket ready." He placed his hands over mine and applied his weight the second I slipped my hands out.
It was too thick to tear up, so I folded it. "Here. Lift your hands." I slid the jacket under his hands, noting how the blood welled up through his shirt. As he resumed pressure, I checked her pulse again. Not good. I glanced at Gray and his lips firmed as he read my expression.
He leaned down harder. "Where's the damn ambulance?"
"Move over a little." I scooted next to his body, put my hands over his, and added my weight to his, hoping the combined pressure would stem the flow until help arrived.
An ambulance and fire engine roared up to the restaurant. The medics rushed over and set the stretcher and their equipment on the ground.
"She's got brachial artery damage," I said before they could ask. "Multiple fractures. Internal bleeding highly likely. She's lost too much blood, her pulse is weak. They should have blood ready for a transfusion."
The medic closest to me nodded. "Keep applying pressure as we put her in the gurney."
Gray nudged me. "I'll slide my hands under to support her arm as you press."
"Right." I added pressure as Gray slid his out from under mine. Waiting for the medic's count, I held my jacket in place as they settled her and strapped her in.
The other medic leaned next to me. "I've got it now."
Nodding, I let him take over. I watched to make sure they had it under control before I got to my feet. As they loaded her into the ambulance, I said a silent prayer that she'd stay alive until she got to the hospital for a transfusion.
Someone wrapped a coat around me. I didn't have to look to know it was Gray. And if I'd had any doubts, they would have been banished the moment he circled my arms and turned me to face him.
There was a muddle of emotion on his face: worry, anger, fear, and relief. Relief rose to the surface and he crushed me to his chest. "When I came out of the restaurant and Rachel said your name and pointed, I thought you'd been the one hit."
Then, before I could do or say anything, he held me at arm's length and shook me. "What are you? You're not just a video store lackey. Not even someone who's watched years of 'ER' would be that knowledgeable about what to do in that situation."
I winced at the anger in his voice. "It doesn't matter. That's all behind me."
"Tell me."
I shook my head. "I gave all that up."
He dragged me closer. "Tell me."
I opened my mouth to say that intimidation tactics wouldn't work on me. "I was a physician" slipped out instead.
He nodded, his mouth still tight. "I thought so. I'd thought maybe, but then..." He shook his head but didn't let me go.
Someone cleared his throat. We looked to the side to see a policeman waiting, his pad open and a pen poised. "I need to get your statements and information."
Gray kept his arm around me the whole time the policeman asked us questions, which I appreciated on purely a comfort level. I let myself ease into him, feeling a little less alone and worried.
The officer finished with us quickly. We turned around to leave, coming face to face with Rachel and Charles. Were they behind us the whole time?
Gray reluctantly let go of my arms and stepped back. I shivered, recognizing it was mostly from the loss of his presence and not real cold. But I pulled the coat tight around me and pretended.
Charles glanced back and forth between me and Gray, his forehead furrowed. Rachel finally patted his arm and softly said, "Take her home. She needs to clean up."
"Right." He nodded and took my arm to guide me toward his truck.
I followed for about twenty feet before I gave in to temptation and turned to look at Gray. He and Rachel walked in the opposite direction, her arm around his waist. My heart twisted at the easy way they moved together. Frowning, I looked straight ahead. It didn't matter. It didn't matter.
It didn't matter.
Charles opened the car door and gently propelled me in. "Let me get the seat belt for you. Your hands..."
I looked down at them and winced. Covered in blood.
"You're shaking," he said as he buckled me in. "Are you warm enough?"
"Adrenaline letdown," I replied through chattering teeth.
"Well, let's get the car warmed up." He shut the door, hurried to the driver's side, and turned the ignition as he settled in.
I stared at him as he revved the car to get the engine going. He had a furrow between his eyebrows as he fiddled with the heater for me. Such a nice guy. "I'm sorry if I'm getting your car messy."
He started to back up. "Not a big deal in the scheme of things. You saved that woman's life."
Maybe.
"You did," he insisted, as if he knew what I was thinking. He stopped at a red light and faced me. For the first time, I noticed his gaze was wide-eyed and shocky. "Where did you learn all that?"
There was something in his look-awe mixed with horror. I frowned. "It wasn't really anything."
"You saved that woman's life." He goggled. "That's huge."
His stare reminded me of when I was fourteen and people found out I was not only in college but head of my class. It screamed freak. I shrank away and said, "The light's green."
"Oh." He shook his head and drove. The silence stretched for about ten minutes before he started to talk again. "I don't understand how you knew to do those things. You're a video store clerk."
I remembered what Gray had said and replied, "I watched a lot of 'ER.'"
"I did too, but I wouldn't have been able to do all that. I just stood there. Rachel said you were there immediately after it happened."
As a doctor you're trained to react, especially if you did as much emergency room work as I did before I left to join Kevin in research. "I didn't really think about it. Anyone would have done the same thing. I just got there first."
"That's what I'm talking about. Anyone wouldn't have done that. Most people would have just stood there and stared, like everyone except you and Gray. And then there was the way you and Gray worked together. Like you knew what the other was thinking. In tune." Gripping the wheel, he shook his head.
My frown turned into a scowl. "No we weren't."
"Yes, you were." He pulled in front of Mena's house and turned to me. "I don't get it, but there's something between you two."
Flushing, I remembered the way Gray pushed me against the counter in the restroom and kissed me.
"Watching you two in action just proved it."
"It didn't prove anything," I interrupted. "It only demonstrates-"
"So I'm bowing out."
I froze midsentence. "What?"
He nodded sadly. "I really like you, but tonight showed me that maybe even though we're good together you could be better with someone else. Gray."
"I would not be good with Gray," I said through gritted teeth. "He's a too brilliant, insufferable, pushy-" I sputtered as I searched for the right curse "-doctor."
"But you guys have sparks."
"There are no sparks," I shrieked.
"Daphne." He took my hand, wincing slightly at the dried blood. "I just don't think I'd be enough for you."
"You're-" I started to say perfect but I couldn't lie to him. I wilted in the seat. "You're right."
His smile had a tinge of irony around the edges. "I can't say I'm happy to hear that, but it's not something you can help, is it?"
Maybe he was smarter than I gave him credit for.
He leaned forward and kissed my cheek. "I'll be sad to see you go."
I nodded. Unbuckling the seat belt, I slipped out of the car and trudged up the porch steps. Standing at the top, I watched Charles drive away and the tightness in my chest increased.
I was fumbling in my purse for the keys when Magda swung open her door. "Did you lose your keys aga- Shit. What happened to you? Are you okay?"
I didn't know what she was talking about until I looked down. My hands, my knees, the front of clothes-everything-was bloodied. "There was an accident."
She grabbed my arms and pulled me inside. "Are you hurt?"
"No, this isn't my blood." But I let her pull me in. "A woman got hit by a car and Gray and I had to stop the bleeding."
"Gray left you out here to fend for yourself?" Her eyes hardened and narrowed, which was in direct contrast to the gentle way she guided me to a chair.
"No, Charles drove me home."
"Good. For a moment, I thought you were in love with an asshole."
"I'm not in love with Gray. And there are no sparks," I declared before she could say it.
She rolled her eyes. "Stay here while I turn on the bath for you."
Huddling in my coat, I sat there numbly until what she said hit me. Really, I didn't get it until I heard the rush of water. When she finally came back, I said, "I can go upstairs to clean up. I don't want to intrude."
"You aren't." She walked into the kitchen.
I blinked at her abruptness. I would have gotten up and followed her but, truthfully, she scared me. I wouldn't have been surprised if domination were her specialty.
Magda returned moments later with a steaming mug. "Here."
Tea. My entire body sighed, it sounded so good. I smiled my thanks and took a careful sip. And choked.
"I put some brandy in it."
"I noticed," I said, gasping and wiping my eyes.
"Come on. The bath's probably ready."
I followed her down the dark hall to the bathroom.
"Leave your clothes on the floor. I put a robe for you on the hook behind the door." As she closed the door, she added, "Take your time."
I stared at the door. Then I shook my head and undressed. I couldn't think-the evening had caught up with me. I'd take the bath, drink my doctored tea, and then figure things out.
Setting the mug on the floor next to the tub, I first rinsed the blood, at least as much as I could get off, in the sink. I didn't want my bath water to be tainted. Then I slowly climbed in.
Purposefully blanking my mind, I soaked until my digits were pruning and the water was cool. I drank the last of the tea, pulled the plug, and stood.
Or I tried to stand, but I toppled over. Catching myself on the edge of the tub, I slowly pushed myself upright. Funny. The room wobbled a little.
Magda. Glaring down at the tea mug, I wrapped myself in the robe and staggered into the living room to confront my host.
"How mush-" I shook my head. "How much brandy did you put in there?"
"Enough." She eyed me from where she was curled on the couch. "You needed it. You were coming off an adrenaline high."
"I know." I stumbled onto the other end of the couch. "But I would have been fine."
Her perfect eyebrow arched.
"I would have." I grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it. "It wasn't the first time. I used to work in the emergency room, for goodness sake."
She just watched me over the rim of her own cup.
I wondered how much brandy she'd given herself. "Besides, I was only thrown off because Charles broke up with me."
"Who's Charles?"
"The man I was going to marry." I pouted. Which was a new sensation because Mena was the pouter in the family.
Magda frowned. "What happened to Gray?"
"Oh." I sat up and pointed at her. "Do you know what that cretin did?"
"No."
"He kissed me."
"The bastard," she said without rancor.
"He kissed me in the restroom at the restaurant. While Charles waited for us to return."
"Us?" The luminous skin of her forehead furrowed. "What do you mean us?"
I wondered what she did to get her skin glowing like that. But I supposed she had to take care of herself. Her looks were her business after all. "You must use a great moisturizer."
She reached out and shook my foot. "Pay attention. What did you mean when you said Charles was waiting for you and Gray?"
"Gray and his date insinuated themselves into my date with Charles." I scowled. "Rachel had really good skin too."
Magda's smile bloomed slowly. "That must have been a double date to behold."
"It was terrible," I wailed. "Gray sat across from me and played footsy with me all night, and even Charles, who wasn't supposed to be that perceptive, claimed there were sparks."
"Sparks?"
I narrowed my eyes. "There were no sparks."
"But he kissed you in the bathroom."
"He forced himself on me in the bathroom," I corrected.
Her eyebrow arched again. "Did you fight him off? Scream for help?"
"No." I burrowed into the cushions. "I think he has an enzyme in his saliva that paralyzes my synapses so I can't think."
"That must be it." She dragged a blanket off the back of the couch and draped it around me.
"Because I can't think of any other reason I'd let him keep kissing me," I mumbled, closing my eyes. Except that his kisses were truly amazing. The kind of kisses that you could feel down to your toes. When I heard women say that, I'd always thought it was exaggeration. Or delusion.
Of course, there was also the fact that he'd grown up lonely and isolated, just like me. He understood me in ways I didn't understand myself.
I felt movement and remembered where I was. Cracking my eyes open, I frowned at Magda. "I don't understand why you're doing this. You could have just let me go home and not dealt with me."
"I couldn't let you stumble around alone." She shrugged. "Besides, I like you."
"You do?" I said around a lump in my throat.
"Of course."
"I don't understand why. Unless it's just because I can get discounts for movie rentals."
"It's not your rentals," she assured me with a wry twist of her mouth. "You're different. Unique."
I scowled. "I'm sick of being different. I want to be average."
"If you were average, I bet you wouldn't have attracted Gray."
"If I were average, I would have had a chance with Charles. Instead he broke up with me." My lip trembled as I remembered how he looked at me. Like I belonged in a circus sideshow.
"If you were average I wouldn't have bothered getting to know you." She set her mug on the coffee table and trained her frank gaze on me. "I wouldn't do this for just anyone."
"You're right." I nodded, yawning. "You don't have that nurturing quality to you."
She threw her head back and laughed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. Take a nap. I'll wake you up in a bit."
A nap sounded heavenly. My eyes seemed to close on their own accord and I let myself drift off to sleep.