See You Soon: Chapter 24

I woke up expecting to feel Danny’s body so I snuggle closer only to be met with bed sheets. My eyes flutter open taking in my surroundings. The curtains in Danny’s room are black-out curtains, I couldn’t see anything if it weren’t for a small light coming from a desk lamp. The memories of early morning sex hit me and I smile. I gave Danny all of me a few hours ago and I bite my lip instantly feeling over the moon thinking about it.

I stretch my legs and I feel the soreness between my thighs. I look down at my waist and I can see bruises forming where my hips are. His handprints settle in like a tattoo that will be erased with time. He said this was him going easy on me. His monstrous size compared to my short frame, it was to be expected.

I reach over and look for my phone. I found it on his nightstand. I need to get back to my room and go through the disaster that someone caused in my room. And I had a pretty good guess who it was.

Even though Danny had people clean up I wanted to look through the wreckage. I filed a police report so everything was documented.

I want proof before I start accusing Shane. I know he’s my toxic ex-boyfriend but would he take it this far? And on a military post? I had my doubts about Shane but I mean… who else could it have been? Who else would want to target and cause harm to me? What if I was there in my room alone when the intruder came in and not at work? I shuttered at that thought, ice-cold fear radiating inside of me.

Would they have hurt me? Or worst?

I catch up on missed text messages from my mother and Lori. I remembered Danny never answered my question about my brother. We got distracted and he ended up inside of me instead. There’s no way Kane meant it exactly the way he said it. Kane was probably just all riled up from Rooker almost dying. And it was an intense moment. Still, I need to know what he meant.

I need time alone yet a bigger part of me wants our bodies to be entangled in each other all day and night… round after round. As the memories from this morning wave in, I’m aching from the painful and life-altering sex but at the same time. I’m addicted and I want more.

It’s such an unbelievable feeling. I’m changed now. I feel different, and I feel tied to him. And that scares the hell out of me. I feel like every time I show Danny I care about him, he pulls away. And every time I pull away from him, he’s right there. I didn’t want to push him too far with questions surrounding the title of our relationship now. Were we just losing ourselves in each other with no strings attached? Were we lovers? Were we together, together? He’s made it clear to me time and time again, he doesn’t tie himself to anyone.

My phone buzzes in my hands as I’m contemplating our relationship. It’s from Lori. They’re calling me back into work and I need to be there within half an hour.

On my day off. Another shift. Great. I sigh frustrated as I reply.

I’ll be there as soon as I can.

I toss my phone on the nightstand. I reach for my scrubs. I rub my eyes attempting to shake the slumber off my lids. I walk over to where I had left my scrubs and found them in Danny’s chair instead, neatly folded. I smile, putting my clothes back on starting with my underwear. That was a kind gesture from him. I ruffle out my pants, sliding them on swiftly. I need to get to the hospital soon. Questions swirling in my head.

Why did Doctor Diaz want me there?

I don’t even have time to shower. Great. I’ll shower right after work. I usually shower after every shift as soon as I get back to my room but this time it was different. Kane’s outburst threw me off and I just felt like I had to get the hell away from everything and everyone.

I managed to put my uniform back on when I hear Danny’s front door close shut and a short yelp escapes me. I whip my body around, my long black hair flying across my other shoulder, to find Danny turning on the lights next to his bedroom door, looking at me startled.

My heart pounds in my chest, I let out a deep sigh clutching onto my chest with both hands. I’m so jumpy and on edge since the incident in my room.

‘Oh my gosh, I’m sorry, you scared me.’ I breathe.

Danny stands there smirking. Leaning on the door, eyeing me up and down.

‘Leaving so soon Cherry?’ He asks, crossing his arms and I’m blushing. His muscles flex through his black shirt. Every time he talks, I fucking melt into nothing but desire. He’s dressed differently from earlier. He’s wearing dark grey sweatpants and vans. He looks… relaxed. Which is rare.

I grab my hair tie, pulling my hair in a ponytail.

‘Yeah, my co-worker just texted me that I need to come in. I’m guessing there’s an emergency… Where’d you go by the way?’

He stills.

‘I don’t sleep well and I don’t actually sleep with anyone, afterward. I leave when the feeling is done. I don’t let it be more than it is.’ Danny says, looking down at his feet.

My heart sinks. He won’t sleep with me but he’ll fuck me into oblivion?

‘But…’ He continues. ‘This is also a first for me, Ari. You’re not sleeping anywhere but in my arms tonight. I won’t let you go back to your room where I can’t protect you. Someone did that to spite you.’ I swallow. I can’t help but feel blissfully radiant that tonight will be a first for him.

‘Plus I’ve been getting phone calls nonstop with work. I went out for a smoke and to meet with the team. Kane and Lopez want to drink before we go.” He holds up a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey in his hand. ‘I have a lot of shit on my mind. I’m heading back out soon.’ Danny purses his lips together and I have a strong feeling he wants to tell me more but refrains himself from giving me more information. He takes a swig of the bottle and I watch his Adam’s apple bob.

I know better than to ask why or what he was going to be doing, so I didn’t try and pry Danny for more. Paul never disclosed any details of his deployments. He couldn’t. And I know Danny can’t either. I would just have to trust whatever he could say.

‘How soon?’

‘Tomorrow. Early morning tomorrow.’

My heart sinks and I’m immediately devastated.

‘Oh okay. How long?’ I hope I’m not coming off as needy. At the same time, I just want to be prepared for the answer. Would I even still be here when he returned? I have about less than two months to go before I returned to North Carolina. I don’t know how long Danny would be staying in Iraq and that bothers me. I don’t want to be home if he isn’t there.

‘I don’t know Cherry. It all depends. I could be back in a few days… or in a few weeks, months even.’

I frown.

‘Are you even cleared by Doctor Diaz? You have a bad injury that can prevent you from performing your job. If you ask me, you’re not ready to go back out. But what do I know? I’m just a nurse that works with him.’ I say, trying to slip past him but he stops me in his tracks, grabbing my arm.

‘Baby, you know damn well this paper cut is not stopping me from anything.’ Then he leans in my ear and I hold my breath.

‘It didn’t prevent me from breaking into you and making you scream.’ He whispers, so greedy.

My jaw drops and I’m narrowing my eyes at him. I’m full of fireflies, buzzing around me in a meadow full of lust. He’s smirking and my lips curve into a small smile. I shake my head and walk away from him. He doesn’t let go of my arm, he pulls me in closer and plants a kiss on my forehead. I close my eyes, enjoying his lips brushing against me. I stand there for a few seconds, enjoying the short exchange.

‘You’re out of your mind.’

He laughs.

‘You have no idea… but you will.’ His iniquitous words roll out off tongue as he drinks more whiskey and I’m studying him. My heart stops and I’m desperate to know what he means.

“I’ve never been a whiskey type of girl,” I whisper as I watch him drink.

He stills and his blue eyes darken. He holds his breath and drops the whiskey bottle to his side.

Suddenly, he kisses me, pushing himself against me, crashing devastatingly on my lips and I’m instantly lost from the collision. He pries my mouth open and I feel the dark taste of whiskey, burn into my throat. Sweet and hard, he empties his drink inside me as my tastebuds erupt. I swallow it all, as his tongue travels deeper inside. The sensation of what he’s doing to me has me arching my back as his hand snakes to my hips, pushing me closer to his chest.

He really is out of his mind. Or am I? He spit whiskey in my mouth and I’m howling.

“Are you sure about that, little Angel? Because you swallowed it all like you will with my come when I fuck that perfect throat of yours.” Danny licks his lips, leaning back against the wall. He finally lets me go and he watches me walk away. I’m completely bashful as I bite my lip. I grab the handle of the door and turn around to face him.

“I’ll see you tonight.” He tells me.

And I know it’s not a question. He’s not asking to see me. Every time he says something, he means it.

‘I don’t know when I’m off work. It could be well into the night.’

‘It doesn’t matter, I’ll wait. I’ve got time.’ He quirks a brow. Danny’s tone shifts and he’s being protective, maybe even territorial over me.

‘I’ll see you soon, then.’ I nod before exiting his room, closing the door behind me softly. I trust Danny. If Paul trusted him I can too. I never hesitate to listen to him.

Hell, I don’t want to be in my room either, alone. I’d rather be in Danny’s arms. I start to speed walk my way to the hospital. He’s going to be leaving very soon and I won’t see him again for a while.

Although, I can’t help but feel as if Danny is trying to avoid the conversation that lingers above both of our heads.

Paul.

I try to shake out of those thoughts, I need to clear my mind before I start treating people in the ER. I couldn’t be thinking about anything worrisome while doing my job. I start to ponder why Doctor Diaz was calling me into work so promptly. He never does that. There must be something going on at the hospital. Something bad. Then my mind goes to the worst, Rooker.

I rush into the hospital, jogging. If something happened to Rooker, I’m not sure how Danny will take it. To lose two good friends within a year. I’m sure it wouldn’t be good and I know for a fact, he’s a drinker. I can’t confirm he’s an alcoholic but that alcohol collection at his house was massive. Then seeing him get drunk at the bar was an insight into what I’m dealing with when it comes to Danny.

I push through the doors into the ICU. Running towards Rookers’ room. Panting hard as I knock on the door and there’s no answer. My heart sinks. Maybe he’s sleeping. I gently push the door open to find another nurse, cleaning the bed sheets, and putting in fresh ones. No Rooker in sight.

Oh no. He didn’t make it. There’s no way they would move him from ICU so soon. It could only mean…

‘Ari, you okay?’ Edward asks me. He’s an army nurse that I’ve worked with on several occasions. I hadn’t noticed but my hand was shaking, still holding onto the door knob, a tear slipping out of my eye.

‘What happened to Rooker? He was stable when I last saw him? How could? He was stable, dammit! He was okay, his vitals were—’ I start to frantically ramble, my voice trembling, tripping over my words.

‘Rooker is fine Ari, calm down. They’re transferring him to Germany. He’s on a plane right now as we speak. Closer to home. That man was persistent about being transferred out of here,’ Edward cuts me off before I can ramble on further, he begins to walk towards me, putting his hands on my shoulders consoling me. I let out a sigh of relief, wiping my tear away. My heart rate starts to go to an even pace and I feel like a ton of weight is lifted off my shoulder. The downside of being a nurse… you never want to see a patient die on you.

‘You know Navy SEALS, stubborn as hell,’ Edward adds with a reassuring smile. I blink, taking deep breaths in. This job stresses me out so badly. But it’s so rewarding.

‘Well, that’s good. I’m sure his wife’s on her way to Germany.’ I say to Edward. He pats my shoulder and then releases me.

‘So why are Doctor Diaz and Lori rushing me to come back to work on my day off? I mean I don’t mind, I’m just curious. Are we understaffed?’ I ask, my eyebrows raising.

‘Ari, when are we not understaffed?’ Edward asks me sarcastically. He chuckles before continuing, ‘But no that’s not technically it, it’s because of a patient we have. Her name is Violet Redd. She was taken hostage by a terrorist organization and she was rescued and brought from a different hospital. She’s a medic for the army, suffered through a Humvee crash, and kidnapping. She was tortured.’

I gasp, throwing my hand to my mouth. Her story registers in my head and I’m in shambles. This poor woman. Tortured? Then my mind goes to the darkest possibilities of what that could entail. Tortured by terrorists… I shiver as I feel the complete devastation of what Violet must have gone through.

‘Now, she won’t let any male nurse touch her or help with anything, or even get near her. She won’t let Doctor Diaz go into the room without becoming violent because he’s a male. She only feels comfortable around females. Female nurses or doctors and Lori’s shift is up. So… they called you in.’ Edward explains.

I nod, looking into Edward’s deep brown eyes. He looks tired and contemplative. His eyes were studying me, his eyebrows raised with his forehead making little wrinkles. We all look like this after we start our shifts. I’m letting it all soak in and I try my best to remember all the parts of the psychiatric portions of nursing school. How would I approach this situation? I think the best way to approach her was to think of her as the biological sister I never had. Patience, understanding, gentleness, and no sudden movements.

‘Wow… I totally understand. I’m more than happy to help… I mean I’ll do my best but I can’t even fathom what she’s feeling right now.’ I tell Edward.

Edward purses his lips together, nervously. I’m sure nobody knows how to be there for Violet. If she’s in the ICU, she must have had almost life-ending injuries. I shiver. I leave Edward with a silent nod and I stop by the main ER desk as I usually do before my shift starts. I drop my backpack underneath the desk, sit down, and quickly log into the system.

‘Ahem,’ Lori pretends to clear her throat before continuing. She’s eyeing me suspiciously.

‘What’s that I see on your neck?’ Lori questions me close to my ear. I’m still looking at the computer screen but I can’t hide the redness that burns into my cheeks and I know I’m blushing hard. I’m shaking.

Crap I totally forgot that Danny sucked on my neck.

‘Nothing…’ I lie before turning to her, my pitch high and unconvincing. She looks at me like she doesn’t believe me and she’s trying to figure me out.

‘Mhm…’ Lori taps her fingers on the counter, smirking.

‘Can I borrow some concealer?’ I concede to her mental accusations.

‘I knew it.’ Her smirk turns into a bright smile. She starts reaching into her purse.

‘Shut up,’ I whisper, trying my hardest not to attract any attention from the staff around us. I stand up and she’s smiling at me giddy the entire time. I follow her to an empty hallway. She hands me the concealer even though our shades don’t match but it would do the job for me.

‘Who is it? Oh my God, it’s not Shane is it?’ She gasps, instantly narrowing her eyes at me disappointed.

‘What? No! That ship has sailed and sank to the point of no return.’ I’m applying the concealer with my fingers to my neck, using my phone screen as a mirror.

‘Good. Oh yeah, did you hear? They’re sending him home since he can’t physically do his job anymore because of his broken hand.’ Lori shrugs.

‘Huh… pity,’ I say sarcastically. This makes me feel more at ease. If he was the one to destroy my room, it gives me comfort knowing he won’t be anywhere near me anymore.

‘When?’ I ask Lori as she watches me apply the makeup to my neck.

‘Tomorrow.’

The concealer covered up the love marks Danny gave me. I hand Lori her concealer back.

‘So who was it, bitch? You gotta tell me. Oh my gosh, was it Doctor Diaz? I wouldn’t blame you, he’s a tall drink of sexy.’ She exclaims, twirling her brown hair.

‘Girl no… and I’m not telling. I don’t even know what he and I are.’ I softly say, hiding behind my curtain bangs. I wasn’t lying either. I didn’t know what Danny and I were now. Not long ago, we were strangers. Then he was distancing himself from me, and now… he was deep inside of me not too long ago.

‘Fine. But when you do find out, you gotta tell me all about Mr. Hickey over here.’

‘I will. Now, I don’t mean to change the subject but how’s Violet Redd? The patient that was a hostage? How’s she doing?’

Lori shakes her head, her smile fading.

‘Not good. She’s having a hard time, physically and mentally. Her eyes were almost completely shut from bruising. She can barely see in one eye. Her vision hasn’t fully come back yet but it will. Her face is finally healing from all the bruising, she was raped, and the fuckers broke her ribs. She had internal bleeding but the other hospital staff were able to stop it with surgery. She’s been through a lot. She’s stable but her mental state is not good. She’s scared all the time and won’t really talk. When Doctor Diaz tried to examine her, she started screaming at him and almost got violent so no males enter her room now. She let me into her room with no problem and was cooperative when I administered her medications and IV but other than that she won’t talk to me or anyone.’

I nod, digesting every single word. Raped? Broken ribs? Internal bleeding? Surgery? This poor woman.

Lori guides me to her room in the ICU. It doesn’t take us long to get there. It’s about one minute away from where we were standing. The glass door allows me to get a peak and Violet is asleep. I can see her vitals on the monitor and she looks stable. Her face is still a bit red and purple and I just want to cry looking at her. She’s in a hospital gown covered in hospital blankets. I look at Lori and I’m nervous to walk in.

I walk away from Violet Redd’s room and I need to mentally prepare myself for what’s to come. I think this is the hardest patient case I’ve had since I started working here and Danny’s words ring through my head like deja vu.