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Chapter 17 – Dangerous Territory

Nicola sat numbly on the examination table, watching another physician encase her arm in hard plaster. The TV that shattered against her arm had left her in horrible condition. Her forearm had been sliced from the breaking glass and her arm had absorbed the impact of the hit, breaking her ulna in two places and her radius in three places. Her forearm had received thirty absorbable stitches before the cast was applied to the mangled arm. The pain relievers finally began to settle into her nervous system as the doctor positioned Nicola’s arm for optimal healing.

She winced as the cold wet strips of plaster were applied to her arm. Her mind slowly cleared from the adrenaline released by the hazardous situation, allowing her to reflect on her stupidity. In front of Howie, Nicola had almost fainted from the intense pain. Somehow, she had managed to gather herself off the floor without any more damage. The blood flowed down her arm as her pitiful eyes locked against Howie’s terrified eyes. Her arm immediately swelled to at least three times its normal size during the stare-down and Howie appeared horrified when he noticed. Nicola hadn’t realized the potential injury and was in shock as she left the room in a blur of tears.

Yet, her final words still echoed in her mind, despite the trauma.

‘To think I wanted you to love me.’

“NICOLA!” a familiar voice barked into the void of emotions. Nicola jerked in fright, causing a jolt of pain to tear against her arm. She blinked back tears, noting that her attending physician had disappeared from the room. Her superior, Dr. Jacobs, stood admiring her figure from where her physician should have been. Nicola shifted uncomfortably, pulling down her bloody tank top that had managed to gather just above her stomach. His eyes quickly traced down her figure before meeting her gaze. “How are you?”

“How do you think I am?” Nicola answered stiffly, glaring at the man. She reached for the sling that had been left beside her. Carefully, she pulled the sling onto her shoulder, adjusted it, and allowed her newly cast arm to lie against the soft material. She glanced up to find Dr. Jacobs simply staring at her with wanting. Nicola shivered, deciding to cut the formalities short. She could no longer endanger herself in the presence of Howie. Her hope for helping him was too far out of reach. She had let herself become compromised in the situation. She feared that her emotions had led her to the place she now sat. “I quit, Jacobs.”

“Excuse me?” the older man snorted.

“That ogre who you assigned me broke my arm in FIVE places. The doctor said that I’m quite lucky that they were clean breaks, because I won’t need surgery on the expense of your clinic’s insurance. For that, I want nothing more to do with his care. I’m not going to press charges on him because I do understand where the pain and anger is coming from, but I forbid myself to complicate the matters by going back there. So, understand this, Jacobs, I quit,” Nicola answered coolly, folding her prescription of medication and stuffing it into her back pocket. She had given herself the dignity to leave the case without endangering Howie or revealing her forbidden desires.

“You’re not allowed to quit,” Dr. Jacobs decided, blocking the door to prevent Nicola from walking out of the conversation.

Nicola faltered, backing away. “What?”

“Don’t be stupid, Nicola. I could have fired you from the Dorough Account a very long time ago. Darcy’s accusations would have been enough to send you packing, but I knew better. I was providing for you, knowing that you needed this huge account to provide for your daughter’s welfare. Besides your needs, I also understood that you’re quite tempting. Simply put, you’re a piece of eye-candy,” Dr. Jacobs snarled with no remorse.

“What the Hell are you trying to say?” Nicola accused, feeling as if she were drowning.

“Nicola, you’re an intelligent woman, stop acting so foolish. You’re a gorgeous creature and many men would die to admire your body for a special price. Mr. Dorough obviously loves admiring your body during those sweaty workouts. That’s why he hasn’t squealed about your audacious behaviors. And, in addition, that cut little body of yours entices Mr. Dorough to support my clinic. His support of my clinic allows me to swim amongst the piles of cash while relieving your obvious sexual frustrations,” Dr. Jacobs explained, brushing his fingers through Nicola’s damp curls and then allowed his other hand to gently sweep against her hip.

Nicola jumped back as if she had been burned by his touch. Her eyes were wide with disgust and disloyalty. Her stomach churned with sickness as her cheeks flushed with rage. “Don’t you ever touch me like that again! I am not your whore!”

“Bullshit, Nicola. You’re whatever I say you are, because you’re bound to me. There’s no way you could survive on your own without this job. You need that big paycheck I give you for being so damn hot. Why do you think you get all the big male accounts? Because of your talent?” Dr. Jacobs laughed bitterly. “So, here’s the deal. You either go back and service my large account like I want or you find another income before social services snatches little Lucy by my suggestion.”

“Excuse me, I need to pick up my child,” Nicola choked with submission. She pushed past her employer, feeling his hand sweep against her behind. She cringed and immediately shielded her face from his delighted grin. He already knew he had won the argument, but she absolutely refused to let him see her pained tears.

*~*~*

“Howie! I can’t believe… How could you possibly? I mean, what in God’s name were you thinking?” Pollyanna exclaimed in shear anger. She dumped the broken bits of TV and glass into the trash before collapsing on the couch facing her brother. She eyed him with disbelief. Howie was a blur of frantic behaviors. He had called Pollyanna in tears, begging that she come over immediately. Pollyanna feared that he had done something stupid and she was right. Right now, both siblings feared that Howie had hurt Nicola severely. Neither had heard anything from her nor the clinic.

“Polly, I really don’t know what I was thinking! I saw the guys on TV… They made me snap inside. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. They hurt me so much! Then, just has Nicola walked into the room I pitched the TV. I swear to God I didn’t see her coming. I would never intentionally hurt her. Before I could stop myself, she was on the floor. God, Polly, all I can see now is her beautiful eyes. I hurt her… I hurt her terribly,” Howie exclaimed with fever, slamming the phone down once again. Nicola’s mother had picked up a few times to tell him Nicola was not yet home, but now no one answered the phone.

Howie’s heart throbbed as he dialed the number one more time. Nicola’s pained eyes flashed in his mind, sending a jolt of electricity to his heart. Howie distinctly saw her beautiful emerald eyes shatter as tears fell against her softly freckled cheeks. He had screamed his apologies even after she had stormed out. Yet, she had only offered one phrase. That very phrase continued to haunt him and fill him with regret.

‘To think I wanted you to love me.’

“Why won’t she pick up?” Howie screeched, almost throwing himself out of the wheelchair. He quickly looked to his sister with misery. She shook her head with disappointment. Howie bowed his head in utter shame.

“Do you really expect her to answer your calls?” Pollyanna finally asked him seriously.

Howie winced with knowing. He set the phone down and tangled his fingers in his short, dark curls. He slumped back into his wheelchair, forcing himself to swallow his tears of grief. He glanced at his older sister, finding his heart crumbling. He felt as if he had lost something so important, yet, nothing miraculous had happened between him and Nicola. He found himself puzzled that his heart was crumbling. “Polly, can I ask you something stupid?”

“I guess,” Pollyanna faltered in confusion. She didn’t understand what Howie was trying to say. Usually, she could communicate well with her brother without even speaking. However, now she found his other ways of communication blurred. This sudden change made Pollyanna nervous. His behavior scared her. She wanted to believe that Howie hadn’t purposely hurt Nicola, but she still couldn’t put the doubt behind her.

“When Nicola left, she said something that confused me.”

“What’d she say?”

“She said, ‘To think I wanted you to love me.’ Polly, that confused me. I mean, what did she mean?” Howie whispered in confession.

Pollyanna stared at her brother in bewilderment. She couldn’t believe that Nicola had stated such words, but Howie’s word was golden. He had always resisted the sin of lying, despite the easy path lying allowed. Pollyanna wanted to whoop with delight, but the situation was still grave. Nicola had finally revealed the feelings that Pollyanna assumed hung in the air between the two, yet Howie had burned the bridge. Pollyanna winced at the thought and groaned. “I think you know why she said that, but you just don’t want to admit it. So, I won’t overstep that line that’s clearly depicted in your mind.”

Howie nodded with remorse. He knew he had made a horrid mistake in whatever type of relationship he hoped to pursue with Nicola. He shivered with fear. “Do you think she’ll ever pick up her phone for me?”

“Do you blame her if she didn’t?”

“No, I was the one to screw up.”

“Yes, you were.”

“But I don’t want to loose her,” Howie admitted.

“Do you want my advice?”

“Yes, if it doesn’t cross that line you think I have drew.”

Pollyanna and Howie both finally smirked. Pollyanna reached out and grasped her little brother’s hand. She made sure that he was concentrating on her and only her. “I think that if you can’t get hold of her tonight, you have to do something drastic tomorrow if you hope to keep her. And I mean do something drastic.”