Crossing Lines (Cops and Docs #2) (14 page)

Williams sighed. “I’m sorry, Kel. I wanted this one in a neat little bow for you. I didn’t know it was going to work out this way.”

Kelli lifted her eyes briefly. “Yeah, I know. Just…get me that detail. I’ll convince Nora to take it.” She looked down at her watch. Fuck, she was late. Maybe she could get Travis to keep her there? She dialed his room number. It rang and rang. Where the hell was he? Dammit, if she gunned it and found a way around traffic, maybe she could get to the hospital and the doctor’s parking lot before Nora left. Security or no, it was a prime opportunity for shitty people like Fuller to take advantage, and there was a point in Taylor’s favor. She didn’t look like herself. Kelli gave up on Travis and called Nora instead. She tried four times and decided to just have her paged.

* * *

Nora put her cell phone, stethoscope, and other personal belongings into her rather large COACH bag and zipped it. Someone knocked on her office door, and she turned to see who it was. Nora waved Susan inside.

“Don’t even say no. You’re going.”

“I am? You don’t think you’re being a tad bit presumptuous?” Nora asked.

“It’s way more than a tad. You need to unwind and what happened yesterday is between us. Mary and Patricia don’t need to know,” Susan said.

The truth of the matter was that Nora was reluctant to go home to an empty house. There was no laughter, no life there. “Okay.”

“Wait. What? That was way too easy. You have to promise not to just get up and leave this time.”

“I’ll try, but like I told you before. There is—”

“A lot going on and your life is complicated right now. I know.” Susan interrupted. “Your first spritzer is on me.”

“I don’t drink those things.”

Susan laughed. “Chardonnay then? That’s what you had last time.”

Something nice and warm swirled its way through Nora’s chest. It felt wonderful that Susan was paying attention. It felt even better to be able to reach out and open up this way beyond Kelli. Nora wasn’t sorry she hadn’t engaged in friendships before. She had obviously been waiting for the right people to come along. “True. I’ll see you soon.”

* * *

Nora decided on the 2014 King Estate Pinot Gris. She took the first sip and hummed in delight.

“It’s that good?” Susan asked.

Nora nodded.

“Sounds like she had a religious experience to me,” Patricia said.

“Well, you’re not going to find that in the Bud Light you’re drinking.” Mary nudged Patricia with her shoulder.

“Shut up! It’s the king of beers…or something.” Patricia took a healthy swig.

Nora’s thoughts immediately strayed to Kelli. She smiled, remembering their date at The Dirty Cat. The way Kelli had looked at her and the things she’d said still resonated. Nora wondered if they always would. They’d actually talked the day before, and it almost seemed like old times. Nora had to acknowledge that she felt a little lighter and dangerously hopeful.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I really needed this. It’s been a hell of a week,” Mary said.

“You and Richard still not talking?” Susan asked.

“No,
Dick
is silent.”

Patricia sputtered. “Was that like a play on words or something?”

Mary shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”

“I’m a little behind.” Nora was the outsider among this group of women who had been friends for a while.

Mary sighed. “Richard left.”

Nora tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. She certainly knew what that felt like. “I’m sorry.”

“I am too. It’s been…difficult and that’s an understatement. I didn’t expect any of this. I would have lost my mind if it hadn’t been for Pat.” Mary glanced at her friend who smiled back at her winningly. “I still can’t believe it. I gave that man everything. There isn’t a part of me he doesn’t know. Thought he’d done the same. Obviously, I was wrong.” Mary paused. “I don’t want to lay all this on you guys. I don’t want to drag you down.”

Patricia wrapped her arm around Mary. “No, dummy, that’s what friends are for.”

Susan nodded. “As long as nobody starts singing.”

Nora was riveted. “Yes, exactly.” Mary’s situation was somewhat similar to her own.

Mary chuckled and the tears started. “See what you all did?”

Patricia pulled her closer. “Blubber all you want, honey.”

Nora pushed her napkins toward Mary and listened. For the moment, she had nothing else to offer.

“I love him so much, and I know I shouldn’t say this. I’d take him back. I know he’s going through something. I hate that midlife crisis bullshit, but we’ve been together ten years…ten incredible years. No other woman can compete with that, no matter how young she is. This last year wasn’t great, by any stretch, but I can’t just throw all of that away.” Mary dabbed at her eyes.

Nora’s heart ached for her. Wine made things easier to digest. She reached for her glass only to find it empty. Nora noticed that everyone else’s beverages were nearly gone as well. The place was packed so it would be a while before the waitress made it back around. Nora leaned toward Susan and whispered, “I’ll get us refills.”

Susan nodded.

It wasn’t difficult to carry three beer bottles and a glass of wine. As Nora placed the drinks on the table, everyone looked at her in thanks. She slid into the booth beside Susan.

“If we’re over, I’m not sorry that we happened. I kind of lost myself in him, and I finally knew what the whole relationship and love thing was
supposed
to be like.” Mary shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m angry…damned angry and hurt, but still…” Her voice trailed off.

Mary’s words cut through Nora and left icy wounds behind. When she reached for her wine, her hand was shaking. Nora stared at Mary as she cried. It was rude, but she couldn’t look away. “I… Can I ask you something?” Nora cringed inwardly. Her heart got ahead of actual thought.

“Okay,” Mary answered.

Nora forged ahead, regardless. “You weren’t…scared? To put everything into him like that?”

Mary laughed through her tears. “Well… yeah. Show me a woman who isn’t at one time or another.”

“Amen to that.” Patricia lifted her beer in mock toast before taking a swig. “You take the chance sometimes. Could be walking into something great.”

“Or even if it’s just pretty good,” Susan said. “It doesn’t always turn out bad.”

“Truth be told, even the bad ones aren’t all bad,” Patricia said.

“Ugh, I don’t know about that.” Susan’s nose crinkled.

Nora took it all in. She had no frame of reference for Kelli and their relationship, but these women possessed knowledge that she didn’t. Despite the good, the bad, and somewhere in between, they were still present, strong, and eager to continue taking life on. Nora couldn’t help but to admire them, and they had certainly given her a lot to ponder.

* * *

Nora exited the bathroom stall. There was another woman, a brunette, at the mirror. Nora ignored her and washed her hands. She felt a little lightheaded and decided she’d had her last glass of wine tonight.

“I find it hard to believe that you have friends.”

Nora’s head snapped up. Her heart pounded against her chest as she looked into Taylor Fuller’s eyes. She tried to swallow down her rising sense of panic. Nora pressed the button on the dryer, refusing to show Taylor how much she affected her. “Why is that?” She had to speak loudly over the noise.

Taylor moved closer. She smiled, but it fell quickly.

Nora studied her. She had dark circles under her eyes that her makeup didn’t hide, and she looked decidedly thin. That didn’t make this moment any less menacing.

“You’re not scared? Or is it wrong of me to expect any kind of emotion from you?” Taylor asked. Her eyes were wide and wild, but her tone was light, airy, as if they were making everyday conversation. It added a surreal madness to the moment that made it all the more frightening.

“I think you’ve already drawn your own conclusions about me.” It took every ounce of self-control Nora possessed not to step back. She fought to keep her voice even, as fear inched its way up her body to clutch at her throat. It had a sour, bitter taste to it. Her muscles strained, ready for flight, and tensed near the point of pain.

“I was coming for you. I wanted to hurt you, but I…I don’t have a taste for this. James was…” She paled and started to tremble. “I didn’t know I could do something like that.”

“You followed me here to tell me that? To confess?” Nora tried hard not to focus on Taylor’s threats. After seeing the crime scene photos, a thousand different scenarios raced through her head. She’d seen what this woman was capable of, whether she regretted her actions or not.

“I just wanted to scare him. Maybe set his healing back a little and leave him with a bag of ice in his lap. But when I saw him, he was just so pathetic. How could I ruin my fucking life over someone like that? I guess, I just…lost it, but now things are so much worse.” Taylor’s shoulders sagged. She looked defeated. It could have been an act, but Nora had a feeling that Taylor wasn’t faking this. It was weird, relying on her gut in a potentially harmful situation as Kelli did.

“Why are you telling me all of this, Taylor?” Nora’s sense of dread started to waiver. She was beginning to think that James Rader wasn’t the only one who was pathetic.

“I don’t fucking know! I tried to get to you days ago, away from the hospital, but your cop friend has been following you like a puppy. She’s been camped out on your street, and after what happened last time, I knew she wouldn’t be easy to get past. I got to you first tonight, though.” Taylor’s smile was wide and brilliant, as if she’d won some coveted prize. She moved forward, invading Nora’s personal space.

The bathroom door opened. “Get out!” Taylor screamed, but her gaze never strayed from Nora.

Nora flinched. She couldn’t help it. Her fear returned full force. Taylor grinned. “So, you’re not a cyborg after all. You
are
scared. I like that. You were always so…imperial. It’s nice bringing you down a peg or two.”

Nora continued to hold her ground. She swallowed. Her throat was bone dry. Taylor continued to study her every move.

Taylor’s smile fell, and she was no longer staring at Nora. She was looking through her. “I really didn’t mean to do it. He begged and seeing him lying there like that, all helpless, was so fucking satisfying. His life was in my hands. That’s what being a doctor feels like.” Her voice was soft. “And you took that away from me.” Her gaze shifted back to Nora. Her expression contorted into rage. Her face reddened; her lips thinned, and her eyes flashed.

This time, Nora listened to her body. It screamed at her to flee. She took a step back, a sign of true distress. Nora’s heart dropped to her stomach.

Then, Taylor deflated once more. “God, obviously, I’ve lost it.” She covered her face with her hands. After a few seconds, she took her hands away. “Why am I here? I was a good doctor. I don’t know what happened. You at least saw that, right? I was a
good
doctor. I’ve just made some really bad choices.” Taylor pleaded with her eyes.

Despite being stuck in Taylor’s emotional blender, anger slammed into Nora, usurping the fear. She did her best to suppress it. After everything that had happened, Taylor wanted validation? And to reduce such heinous acts to bad choices? Nora had never wanted to punch someone before, but there was a first time for everything, she supposed.

Given the situation, Nora chose her words carefully, keeping them neutral and hopefully keeping herself safe. “I’m not sure how to respond to that.”

Taylor laughed. “I’m leaving. I don’t know what else to do, and I sure as hell am not turning myself in.”

This was ridiculous. Did this girl not have any common sense? Nora was going to call Kelli as soon as she was alone. Maybe deep down she wanted to get caught? “That much is obvious.”

Other women entered the bathroom. Taylor didn’t yell this time. She nodded and lingered for a few more seconds, looking utterly tortured the entire time. Then, she was gone.

As conversations went on around her, Nora stared at the door and her body relaxed in increments. Nora took a deep breath and was relieved that she could do so. That had to be the strangest, most frightening interaction with a human being she’d ever experienced. There were a few moments, off and on, when she feared for her life, but she refused to feel sorry for Taylor’s “bad choices.” To add fuel to the already weird fire, she wanted Nora to take note of who she could have been? Maybe all of this was a figment of her imagination. Clearly, she’d had too much wine.

Nora was still a little shaky as she walked back toward their booth.

“I thought I was going to have to come look for you.” Susan glanced up at her.

“Yes, me too,” Nora said.

“Huh?”

“I don’t even know where to start, but I need to make a phone call first, if you’ll excuse me. I’ll be right back.” Nora picked up her purse.

She didn’t dare go all the way outside. That would be tempting fate. Nora found a semiquiet corner and fished her phone out of her bag. She had seven missed calls and a number of text messages. They were all from Kelli.

Well. It didn’t take a genius to figure this one out. Before she could press the call button, Kelli’s name flashed again.

“Hello?”

“Holy fucking shit! Are you okay? I’ve been going out of my fucking mind! Where are you?”

In other words, Kelli was worried and scared for her. Even though they were apart, this made Nora feel like the most important person in the world. “My phone was in my purse and on vibrate. I’m okay. I’m out having drinks with friends.”

Kelli was quiet.

Nora felt compelled to fill the space. “One of the unit nurses and a couple of people from my surgical team.”

“That’s…uh, great. I hate to rain down on you, but—”

“Taylor Fuller, yes, I know,” Nora said. “She followed me here.”

“What?” Kelli’s voice went up at least two octaves. “Did she put her hands on you, because I swear to God, I’ll rip them the fuck off. How long ago was this?”

Nora clearly heard the anger in Kelli’s tone, but there was also fear. She offered Kelli the only reassurance she could. “No, she didn’t touch me. It was scary, yes, but strange as well. She confessed, blamed me, and made excuses for her behavior. She left less than five minutes ago.”