As I made my way into my office wearing a grin like the cat who’d caught the canary, I considered my actions of the night before. I may have acted out of character, but I didn’t regret making love to Joshua Hanson. I’d at least made certain that I had his full name, place of birth, size of family, and birthday before I fell into bed with him. That had to stand for something.
My body still tingled from his touch. My heart still swelled from his words. For the first time in my life, I was really and truly in love. So many people never find the kind of love that we had. It was an amazing thing. What was even more amazing was how quickly it happened. It was literally overnight!
“Do you believe in love at first sight?” I asked when Chris entered with a cup of coffee and some Danish.
“You were supposed to check in with either me or Roger. I spoke with Roger and he did
“She’s coming around,” Chris said through the darkness.I could hear her talking with people nearby, but I was unable to open my eyes or utter a word. I eventually gained control of my hand and raised it to my neck. There was a thick bandage on it. I tried to force my tongue and vocal cords to cooperate and ask what was happening, but all I could get out was a long groan.“Gertrude, this is Dr. Mokena. Your friends say that you were attacked by a feral dog. You are in St. Peter’s Hospital. Can you open your eyes?” I heard in the distance.The first thing that came to mind was the question of why Dr. Mokena was in the hospital room with me. She was a therapist, not a surgeon. I searched my memory bank while I tried to grab bits and pieces of what happened, but it was blank. The only things I could pull up was Joshua’s horrific idea of a sexy interlude in the alle
On the morning of my birthday, I was able to move around enough to go outside and enjoy the beauty of my surroundings to their fullest. Marc still insisted on carrying me, even though I assured him my legs were fine and that I could easily walk on my own. Admittedly, I didn’t press the issue since it gave me a chance to wrap my arms around his neck and pretend that we were the love couple I dreamt of each night.He carefully set me down onto a lounge chair he’d moved from the covered porch onto the lawn so that I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face. Beside the lounge, he’d placed a side table and a chair so someone could sit with me, should I desire the company.I smiled when I saw Luis making his way toward us. He wheeled a tea cart laden with snacks and beverages along the smooth walkway. Close behind him were his two assistants. They carried a small table that I assumed they intended to set up to se
I inherently knew that the taxicab I’d spotted coming up the long drive was delivering my two friends. By the time I’d managed to make my way to the porch, it was parked in the circular driveway at the bottom of the steps with Chris, Roger, and Peter climbing out. I looked for Tom, but saw no sign of him. Chris must have noticed because she shrugged and smiled. It wasn’t unusual for Tom to stay behind when we got together. We had very little in common and, although Roger, Pete, and I tolerated him, we often wondered what Chris saw in him. To me, their relationship validated the saying that opposites attract.Roger stopped to take in the view while Chris bounded up the stairs to wrap her arms around me.“I’m still a little sore,” I warned her as she spread her arms wide.“You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to do this,” she said as she gently hugged me. “My ga
It was Dr. Mokena who noticed the hired car coming up the drive and came to ask if we were expecting anyone. Since my parents would have driven their car to the lodge, we really had no idea who it might be. We speculated that perhaps Marc was expecting company and mis-timed his day.The feeling of overwhelming shock that filled every inch of my being when Joshua stepped out from the back seat of car can’t be described. I was both elated and worried. On the one hand, now that I knew that he’d been trying to reach me to kiss and make up since that night in the alley by the pub, I was eager to do so. On the other hand, I was staying at the lodge of the man who he’d made it clear that same night that he wanted me to have nothing to do with. I could only imagine the sparks of jealousy that would fly.“This should be good,” Roger said while rubbing his hands together as he stood next to me on at the top
It was morning the following day before I joined my family and friends at the breakfast table. My mother was in her glory as she bustled around the kitchen making bacon, eggs, and blueberry pancakes for the hungry hoard. The one thing that I adored about my friends was the fact that they hadn’t a shy bone in their body. The world was their oyster and they enjoyed every delicious morsel of it. Although always polite, they were outgoing and extremely comfortable with who they were. Of my little group, I was the introvert.“Where did everyone sleep?” I asked. “It didn’t dawn on me to make sure you were all taken care of before I went to bed. I’m sorry.”“You needed the rest,” Chris said.“Besides, we were in good hands,” Roger said as he smiled warmly at my mother, who returned it with equal warmth. “Mama bear is quite the caretaker.”&ldqu
I slipped in and out of sleep for what I assumed was a few days. It was difficult to keep track of time in an environment with no windows and florescent lighting. At some point, Joshua saw fit to remove the IV from me and let me get up on my own to use the bathroom facilities and stretch my legs. They’d taken my clothes and replaced them with the standard, open backed hospital gowns. During one of the rare instances when I found myself alone, I searched my room for my clothes, but came up empty. Someone was going to great pains to make sure that I stayed put. I assumed that someone was Joshua.I hadn’t dreamt of Marc since I’d pushed him away in anger, which was why I was so surprised when his face popped into my head while I was fully awake. Not only could I clearly see him, but I could hear him as well.“Gertie, please listen to me. Joshua isn’t who he says he is. You need to get
I started keeping record of the number of times I was fed breakfast. This gave me a better idea of how long I was in that room. Joshua may have been hiding something, but he clearly had medical training. He cared for me with such competence that I know I healed faster and better than I would have in a normal hospital environment. I’d had two weeks’ worth of breakfasts when he carefully removed my bandage and handed me a mirror. Although it still looked angry, I was amazed at how clean and slender the scar was.“I wish it wasn’t there,” I said with a sigh, “but I expected this long-jagged thing. It felt like that dog ripped the meat from my throat. This is just a thin, small scar. It’s amazing.”“It could have been worse if you hadn’t been such a good patient,” he said as he stroked the hair on my head.’“Will I be able to leave soon
I was so frustrated and angry, with everything and anything, that I felt like I was going to burst. I needed to get out and walk. I was tired of being cooped up. I doubted that Joshua would even know that I was missing until the morning, so I didn’t need to worry about him coming after me. Therefore, there should be no harm in my spending a little time down by the lake.I thought about telling Marc what I was doing, but I as too angry with him for not taking me into his arms and showering me with the love that he claimed he had for me. I needed some way to release my pent up frustrations. My time with Joshua showed me that sex was an excellent avenue for that release. If Marc was as truly connected to me as he claimed we were, surely, he would realize that. Their crazy alien traditions be damned.I didn’t bother to try to be quiet when I walked out onto the porch. In fact, the screen door closed a little