I close my eyes and breathe through my nose, trying to keep my annoyance under control. “I told you,” I say patiently, “you can’t go walking in the snow. Your ankle is unstable, and your bones are too brittle.”
Anna, the grey-haired elderly lady I’m currently treating, scoffs. “I’ve been walking around just fine for the last ninety-five years.”
“That’s kind of the problem,” I mutter, prodding the swollen skin.
She gives my shoulder a light slap. “Don’t be so rude,” she scolds.
I sigh, stretching out my back. I’m kneeling on the floor of Anna’s kitchen, prodding at her ankle as she lounges in her favourite chair. It’s the fifth time this year that she’s called me in for an injury. I don’t even know why she bothers; she never actually does anything I recommend her to.
Her grandson is standing at the stove, making tea. “Mormor,” he chides, “please don’t hit the doctor. What does she need, Riv?”
I sit back on my haunches. “An X-Ray. As soon as the snow to the city gets cleared. Until then, ice it for fifteen minutes every hour, and take the painkillers I left last time.” I eye the sealed pill bottle on her counter.
“I don’t need painkillers,” Anna huffs. “I’m not a child.”
“They’re not just for pain,” I explain as patiently as I can. “They also reduce swelling. If the swelling gets too bad, your whole ankle could dislocate. You want that?” She grumbles under her breath. I look back up at the grandson. “And for God’s sake, keep her off it.”
“Sure thing.”
I straighten, shaking both of their hands, then head back out into the snow.
My mood is dark as I trudge through the streets. I love my job, but this is the worst part. Anna needs hospital treatment, and until the roads clear, I can’t give it to her. It’s so frustrating to not be able to treat patients properly.
I turn a corner into the main square, heading for the pharmacy. Out of nowhere, an arm slings around my shoulder, half-strangling me.
“Läget?” Eli asks.
I shove him off me. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Daisy?”
“She told me to piss off,” he says cheerfully, falling into step next to me. “Said she could sort out the car by herself.”
“She’s probably hiding her ID again,” I mutter.
“Yup.”
My eyes slide across to him. He looks like a self-satisfied cat, happy and lazy. There’s a smudge of Daisy’s shimmery pink lip salve streaked on his cheek. “So, what? Are you two together, now?”
“Of course not.” He looks at me sideways. “Let me tell you, though, she is incredible.”
“Good to know.”
We walk a few steps in silence. “So,” he prompts after a moment. “You like her? I saw you looking at her earlier.”
“I look at a lot of things.”
He sighs. “It’s okay, man. You don’t have to become a monk because of one bad relationship.”
I scowl. “It wasn’t just a bad relationship. It ruined all our lives, for years.”
“Well, maybe this is exactly what you need.” He steps out in front of me, blocking my path. “Clearly you’re not ready for something serious.”
“I won’t ever be.” I push forward, trying to get past him. He just starts walking backwards. “Eli—”
“So, why not just try her?” He insists. “Baby steps, right? No commitment, just a casual fling before she has to leave. And there’d be two of us. That would take some of the pressure off.”
“Should we be having this conversation without her? You don’t even know if she’s interested in me, yet.”
He snorts. “Trust me. If she’s into me, she’s sure as fuck going to be into you. Tall, dark, handsome doctor?”
“It’s not going to happen.”
He grabs my shoulder. “Don’t you miss it?” He says, his green eyes suddenly serious. “I do. It feels like there’s something missing. What if it’s her?”
I try to shake him off. “Eli, I have a job to do.”
“Just think about it,” he says, letting me go. “I’m gonna go get some food.”
He saunters off, disappearing around a corner. I watch him go, my head spinning. His words repeat over and over again in my mind. It feels like there’s something missing. What if it’s her?
He’s right. I do feel something missing. I’ve felt it for the last five years, like a hole in my chest. We’ve built a little family up here, away from civilisation, but it’s not complete yet.
The image of Daisy pops into my head. She’s certainly beautiful. It’s been Hell having her wandering around the house, to be honest. It’s kind of difficult to focus on work when there’s a woman walking through the hallways, all soft curves and creamy skin and long, thick hair. I’m not used to having that kind of distraction around.
But that’s all she is. Beautiful. That doesn’t mean she has any special connection with any of us.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, checking the screen. Unknown number. I slide it open to accept the call.
“Dr Nilsson.”
“Riven, darling,” my mother croons. I stop in my tracks.
“Mom? Are you okay? Whose phone is this?”
“Oh, I’m fine, darling. It belongs to one of the maids. I knew you wouldn’t answer if you knew it was me calling.”
“Why are you speaking English?” I ask, irritated. “Speak Swedish with me.”
She acts like I haven’t even spoken. Even though my mom lived in Sweden for over forty years, she likes to pretend that she’s American. “You’ve been ignoring me the last few days.”
“I haven’t been ignoring you. Phone service is down again.”
“God. I don’t know why you keep living in that awful place. They’re practically medieval.”
Anger spikes through me. “You didn’t seem to have an issue raising me here.”
“Yes, but things are different, now. We can afford a better lifestyle.”
I sigh. “What did you want? I’m busy right now.”
“You’re coming over this summer, aren’t you?”
“No. Sorry.”
“But we had plans!” She whines. “You can’t just make plans and cancel them like that!”
“We didn’t have plans. You told me I was coming over. I said I wasn’t. You ignored me.”
She huffs. “Would one little visit really hurt so much? We miss you, Riven.”
“Yes. I’m a doctor. If I just disappeared for three months, it would hurt quite a lot of people.”
“Well, all those native people have their own herbal medicines and whatever, don’t they?”
I grit my teeth. “Sorry, I’m not coming. Is there anything else, or can I go do my job?”
She sighs. “Look, darling. I know you’re still angry. And your father and I have apologised about the little issue we caused with Johanna. But it’s been years. Isn’t it time you finally forgave us?”
My heart freezes in my chest. “It wasn’t a little issue,” I hiss, “she destroyed the lives of everybody I care about. And you both helped her do it.”
“Well, the situation was difficult. It was your fault for involving her in that threesome thing you do. It was bound to end in tears, Riven, honestly. We were just doing what we thought was best for you.”
I close my eyes. “No, I will not be coming home this summer. Mom, I’m sorry, I really have to work.” I hang up.
My phone immediately buzzes again. I slide it back into my pocket, rubbing a hand over my face. I hate talking to my parents. Every time, I end up fucking furious. I’d cut them off completely, if they didn’t keep making donations to the local hospital. But—
“WHORE!”
A shout from across the square shakes me out of my thoughts. It takes me a couple seconds to pick out where the voice is coming from. A drunk old man is standing outside one of the local pubs, ranting at some poor girl. He steps back, unblocking her from my view, and I catch sight of a familiar pale pink coat.
Daisy.
I don’t even think before I take off across the square, running full-pelt. As I get closer, I can hear the disgusting things he’s saying to her. “I thought of you when I came last night,” he slurs. “You’re just a little slut, aren’t you? Here.” He paws at her pocket. “Gimme your phone. I’ll give you my address. You can come over later, yeah? Don’t worry, my wife won’t mind.”
Daisy pulls away, confusion all over her face. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I… I don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Don’t be mean,” the guy mumbles, pushing forward. “C’mon. Gimme your number. I’ll pay you to come over.” She tries to step back again, and he grabs her arm. “How much do you want, huh?” He yanks her into him, so she falls across his front, her breasts crushed against his chest.
Anger flashes across her face. “Don’t touch me.” She hisses, then stamps on his foot, hard.
The guy howls. “You little fucking whore!” He spits.
“Hey!” I bellow. “What the fuck are you doing?” They both look over. Relief floods Daisy’s face. I pull her behind me and turn on the man. He’s clearly pissed out of his head. His cheeks and nose are red, and his eyes are glazed. “You don’t touch her, you don’t talk to her, you don’t fucking look at her,” I snap. “Do you understand me?”
The man looks between the two of us. “Doctor, your girl is a whore,” he garbles. “She’s made me come so many times.”
Daisy shivers. I draw her closer to me. “Get the Hell out of here, you piece of shit.”
“She likes it in the ass,” he crows. “She likes to take it hard up the ass. You fuck her up the ass?”
I fucking snap. I step forward and grab the guy by the collar, shoving him backwards. “You come near her again, and I will call the police. You’re sexually harassing women in broad daylight. There are plenty of witnesses.”
He stumbles back. “Police won’t care,” he mumbles, then belches. “I’m just tellin’ the truth. She’s a whore.”
“Fuck. Off.”
Grumbling under his breath, he turns and staggers away through the snow, heading back to the pub. I take a couple of breaths, trying to calm down. The protective instinct running through me is so strong that it surprises me. I haven’t been this angry for as long as I can remember. I squeeze my eyes shut, taking a breath through my nose, then turn to Daisy. She’s standing rooted to the spot, her arms crossed tightly over her chest like she’s trying to hide herself from him. “Are you alright?” I rough out.
“What was he saying?”
My lip curls. “Unpleasant things.”
“Oh.” She wilts. “I thought so. But I didn’t know for sure, so I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to kick him in the nuts if he was just a weird old man. But then he grabbed me.” She bites her lip. “What was he saying, exactly?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Her face hardens. “Riven. I’m serious. What. Was. He. Saying.”
I sigh. “Just a bunch of sexist bullshit. Ignore him.”
“Tell me,” she insists.
“You really want me to translate?” She nods, brown eyes wide. I rub my face. I don’t even want to say it. “He called you a… whore. A slut. A prostitute. He said that you, ah…” I try to word it nicely, “enjoy anal sex.” Her face whitens as all the blood drains out of her cheeks. “He’s just drunk and talking crap,” I assure her. “He probably says it to every pretty girl he sees.” She looks down, swallowing hard. Her shoulders shake. For an awful second, I think she might be crying. I put my hand on her back. “Hey. You’re okay.”
When she meets my gaze, her eyes are dry. Her mouth is set in a firm line. “Of course, I’m okay,” she says fiercely. “I’ve had much, much worse.”
My stomach twists. “Believe it or not,” I say slowly, “that doesn’t make me feel much better.”
“I wasn’t trying to make you feel better.” She crosses her arms over her chest and glares across the street, pursing her lips into a little pink heart shape. I’m gripped with the sudden, wild urge to lean in and kiss her.
I shake my head. What the Hell is wrong with me? I don’t want to get involved with this girl. Yes, she’s beautiful, but she’s keeping secrets. I think a lot of them. She’s far too risky.
Even so, I can’t leave her alone like this. I’m not leaving her to wander through a foreign town by herself after she just got sexually harassed.
“Are you hungry?” I ask suddenly.
She blinks, then nods cautiously. “I guess?”
“Want to go get some lunch?”
“I… okay.”
“Come on.” Without waiting for her, I start striding across the road. I’m used to walking with Cole and Eli, but she struggles to keep up with her shorter legs. Her foot hits a patch of ice, and she skids. I grab her before she can hit the ground, wrapping an arm around her waist. Glancing around, I see us getting quite a few curious stares. Most people around the village know me. I’m sure the gossip mill is already churning. Great.
“Come on,” I say again, a bit more gruffly, hurrying her across the square.
