Chasing Air (2 page)

CHAPTER TWO

A hot bath was perfect, just what the doctor ordered. She soaked in the large tub while listening to music by
Keaton Simons. Makenzie looked around at her beautiful, peaceful bathroom. The entire loft had been decorated in various shades of gold, cream and brown. The spacious bathroom was fit for a “mature” princess. She’d added a few floral arrangements, but other than that, the loft was exquisite when she moved in.

She stumbled upon
Vitruvian Park lofts by accident, stopping for lunch at a nearby restaurant right after her interview with the hospital. This area of North Dallas, called Addison, offered a unique combined shopping and residential area of urban chic design with numerous amenities. But an elegant apartment wasn’t the reason she picked this particular property. Pretty didn’t mean safe. When she first arrived, the complex screamed, “You’re safe here.” A security guard monitored the downstairs at all times. The elevator and stairwell required a code for entry. The apartment had a high-tech security system. None of these items were foolproof, but that meant something, at least. She knew that nothing would stop her past from finding her, the only option was to continually out run it. 

***

She’d played it safe ever since arriving in

Dallas, but as she got settled and more comfortable, life was bringing about cho
ices that were putting her at risk. A Chief position meant more money, better hours, but a risk of exposure and for certain, a picture on the hospital website.
I wonder how long I can stall them before they insist on a photo
, she thought, lingering over her options.

The next step might be to work with a photographer willing to do some serious
Photoshop edits. Well, certainly better to be planned and prepared than to be caught off guard. She would make the call after a much-needed nap. The events of the night had exhausted her mentally and physically.

***

My skilled hands were my gift from God
, she thought,
but still not enough to save every Serena that darkened her ER door
. The family desperately needed to know that their daughter was going to live. In her mind, she reenacted the horrendous crime that could potentially take a young girl’s life, and the intensity of her reaction to the detective. For whatever reason, she simply couldn’t let it all go.

Makenzie had dealt with law enforcement many times throughout her career with grace and substance. After all, each side played a vital role in the care of the patients and family
. Why all of a sudden did she lose her temper?

She had worked with detectives and forensics many times throughout her training and her residency. In fact, she loved her rotation through forensic medicine and even thought about going into the crime lab at one point during residency. 

Curiosity got the better of her. She quickly finished her bath, booted up the laptop, and researched Detective Ryler Buchanan. It was such an unusual name, there could only be one.

It only took a couple of seconds for a big photo to appear of the detective and for Makenzie to see how gorgeous he really was. Veronica wasn’t kidding. The man in the picture staring back at her had curly blonde hair, piercing bright blue eyes, strong chin, and the body of a fitness model. He certainly didn’t mind taking his shirt off. There were images with other officers, and many with various women. Scrolling through the images, one caught her eye, a black tie affair. Ryler Buchanan looked amazing in a tux. She clicked on the image, then studied the accompanying article indicating that the event was a fundraising gala for a children’s benefit. Apparently, one Detective Buchanan had been
auctioned off for a date. The winning bidder paid $22,000. Amazingly, some lady had wanted to spend serious cash to enjoy an evening with the hunky lawman.

Who was the winning bidder
, she wondered? Curiosity got the better of her. She needed sleep, but Makenzie couldn’t put the laptop away. Researching her online, Makenzie discovered the winning bidder was Petra Sharcova, a wealthy former model. The tall blonde was striking. Petra and Ryler made a gorgeous couple.

Several different pictures of them hinted that they must’ve had a relationship of some kind, since they were photographed everywhere. She looked a lot older than Ryler. Several Google searches later, Makenzie found out that Sharcova was married to a European f
inancier at one point.

Before she knew it, Makenzie had spent several hours researching and ogling over Ryler.
Stalker
, she thought of herself. Enough of this craziness, she needed sleep. Her shift would start in a few hours.

***

Makenzie awoke, startled from noises, or was it a dream? Once again, fear invaded her thoughts, wrecking her subconscious. She thought she heard gunfire and screeching tires. Quickly, she jumped from bed and peered out her window, but found nothing wrong. The only disturbance was the traffic visible on the toll way.

“Get a grip on it, it was just a dream,” she mumbled to herself. Almost dark out, she knew her shift would start soon. Simple things like photos on a website were enough to cause her to have nightmares. She picked up the glass of water beside the bed and noticed how her hand trembled. Anxiety. Although there’s a pill for that, she hated the thought of taking them. Exercise was a better alternative, but she didn’t have time, since she’d sloughed off the better part of her day on the internet. 

Makenzie dressed for work and tried to eat something, but her body was fidgety and unsettled. She couldn’t get the visions of Serena out of her mind. The staff had promised to call if her status changed. Shouldn’t the quiet count for something? Only it didn’t.

Skipping her meal, she
grabbed her bag and drove the ten minutes to the hospital, arriving early as she often did. The ER was calm, with only a couple of patients who needed clearing. She assisted Dr. Jackson in finishing up with charts so that he could go enjoy a long weekend off. After a short period of time, David and Veronica arrived to start their shift. Soon after they were greeted by the detectives.

“Detective Buchanan, what brings you by tonight?” Veronica asked, with a curious brow raised in Makenzie’s direction.

The two detectives looked at each other and took time in answering. “We just got the call about Serena’s passing.” Ryler glanced at Makenzie and saw her gasp. He turned his eyes to Veronica to see her cover her mouth quickly in surprise. Their reactions filled him with regret having opened his mouth. “I’m so sorry. From your reaction, I can only assume that ICU didn’t call you?”

“No, they didn’t,” Veronica confirmed.

Ryler looked down at his phone and began to fidget with it, as if looking for a distraction. His eyes couldn’t meet Makenzie’s.

Although Makenzie had expected the news last night, she had prayed for a turn in fate for Serena, especially since she’d survived almost twenty-four hours.

Still, the news of Serena’s death unsettled Makenzie. She dropped the chart from her hand. She felt the room spin and her chest tighten. “Please excuse me for a moment,” she mumbled under her breath. She made a quick exit out the side door and darted to the back end of the facility. She found herself in the smoker’s hideout, a private patio for the employees who hadn’t been able to kick the habit. Not a smoker herself, she thought one cigarette might be in order to settle her nerves, if only she had one.

She became winded, mentally comparing it to multiple rounds on the mat with her fitness coach. She bent over at the waist to help regulate her breathing when she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. Uneasy about someone walking up on her, she jerked around and saw that Detective Buchanan had followed her.

“Didn’t take you for a smoker, Dr. Holder,” he said, delivering a sarcastic, macho quip.

Makenzie, a New Yorker, could handle her own in the sarcasm department. “Didn’t take you for a stalker, Detective.”

She took a seat in a chair and looked away for a moment, trying to ignore him. “Just checking’ on you. Dr. Holder, I’m really sorry about the way I handled that back there, I assumed you knew. I have to speak with the family, I thought you might want to join me. Maybe you could help them in some way, or offer medical care. It’s tragic.” He rubbed his chin and took time to speak. “Only now, it’s a murder investigation, which will be even rougher on them.”

The air was thick around them for several moments. Ryler was concerned that Makenzie wasn’t well. “Are you going to be okay, Dr. Holder? You don’t look so well.”

Makenzie took her time answering. Grief had quickly engulfed her. Years of training had prepared her for many grieving families and she knew that she couldn’t save them all, but this particular experience took her beyond her training, it crossed the strong facade that she put up day in and day out. Victims of senseless crimes hit home with her.

“I feel like I’m always chasing air,” she mumbled, almost with exasperation. She leaned over and put her head between her knees.

Her response surprised the detective. There was definitely another reason she was riddled with anxiety, but he would table his questions for another time. He reached over to her, slowly stroking her back until her breaths slowed and her trembling diminished. Eventually, her breathing returned to normal and she seemed to have relaxed a bit.

Something about his care and concern spoke volumes to her. It reached her heart and she welcomed the connection.

“It’s Makenzie, but everyone calls me Mak. I appreciate your kindness. Yes, I want to see them, but I need to get myself composed first. Meet you back at ER control?”

Makenzie le
ft abruptly, leaving Ryler to mull over her mood and even more, question what she was hiding. As a detective, he could instantly sense when someone was hiding something. Makenzie Holder had a secret and he wanted to know what it was.

Mak returned to the ER control desk after touching up her makeup. She cleared out the remaining patients waiting.

“Mak, are you okay?” Veronica whispered.

“Yeah, but this is the part I hate.”

“Want me to go with you?” Veronica touched Makenzie’s arm in a soothing manner.

“Thank you, but the detectives are going.”

“You know, I can tell that he likes you.”

“Hmmm,” Mak uttered under breath.

She joined Ryler and Chris at the elevators. Seeing the grieving family was going to be difficult. No one had any answers for this senseless act that took the life of a blossoming young girl.

The three of them visited with the family. Makenzie took the parents to the ER and treated them for exhaustion and anxiety. She knew personally that the future held days and nights of despair for the parents and family of the young girl.

It didn’t take long for the news crews to show up at the emergency room.

“Doctor, will the family make a statement? Can you tell us if the girl regained consciousness and told you what happened?” the inquisitive reporter yelled out abrasively.

“This family deserves some privacy to deal with their grief. Please move away from the door.” Makenzie barked at the reporter.

She assisted the family in exiting through a private entrance and asked the detectives to handle the media.

Ryler thought her reaction to the first news reporter was pretty antagonistic. “Makenzie, do you always treat news crews and law enforcement with such animosity?” he asked with a bit of bite to his tongue, while gripping her arm as she tried to run away.

“I’ve had both interfere with my patient care in the past. I do try to keep control of my department, Detective. It’s about the patients first. The media, well, they just want a spin on a story. I have no use for them.” Her answer was quick and gritty. Again, Ryler thought there was more to her answer than what she allowed.

“Makenzie, we need the news to get this story out there for witnesses to come forward. We don’t have the shooter in custody. This is now a murder and it will happen again if we don’t find them. Your attitude isn’t helping.” He walked away from her, shaking his head.

David and Veronica stared in surprise. They could see the tension between Mak and the detective, but it was possible there was something else there, too. Chemistry? Attraction?

David was the first to speak up. “Makenzie, he’s just doing his job. I’ve known him for over ten years. He does a good job, go easy on him. What we need is for them to get the thug who shot that pretty little girl.” He quickly ended the conversation about Ryler Buchanan when Mak handed him a patient’s chart to take care of.

The ER Department quickly began to fill up with snotty noses, ankle sprains, and tummy aches. Before she knew it, she had put the tragedy and the lawmen out of her mind for a while. The staff kept her busy for several hours before they saw the first slowdown of the night.

After all the patients were cleared, Veronica went to fetch some coffee for David, Makenzie, and some for herself. The three of them sat around the desk shooting the bull, talking about wild and crazy cases each of them had experienced in their training or in their years on the job. They had some humorous moments to share and it felt good to lighten the mood.

“Ladies, it’s been fun, but I’m headed out early to help my dad load up the hot air balloon and be the dutiful son this weekend. The house supervisor is covering the rest of my shift in case you get crapped on before shift change. Otherwise, if you get bored, you know where to find me,” David said, waving as he walked out.

Veronica wasted no time in cornering Makenzie about the detective. “I’ve been around long enough to know when a man has interest in a woman and Ryler has the hots for you. Did you see the way he protected you with the press?” She cocked her eyebrow up at Makenzie.

“He only did that because I told him to. Look Veronica, I have no room right now for a relationship. And even if I did, cops are not my type.” She shuffled papers, acting as if she had better things to do than discuss the likes of Detective Buchanan. “Besides, I don’t think I’m his type.
I’m full-blooded Italian, and an Irishman doesn’t make for a fairytale ending for us. We’re both too headstrong.”

Veronica shook her head, but she was keenly aware that Makenzie was lonely and would die before admitting it. The two of them had gone out to dinner and spent time together shopping or to events on numerous occasions over the last nine months, but it was apparent that Makenzie had no family or other close friends. She spent her time at the hospital or at the gym working out. She had participated in several charity marathons, but that was the extent of her activities.