Devil’s in the Details (69 page)

"You can't. I spent weeks finding it and half of this month's salary on it." We stopped at the back of her car, I could see the silly wrapping paper on the medium sized box, "Is that SpongeBob wrapping paper?"

Stacy giggled, nodding, "You asked me to make it birthday like! All I had was this leftover paper from my nephew's birthday. Victoria will get a kick out of it." She opened the hatch and lifted the box out, both of us looking inside and smiling. "I'll put it in the front seat for you."

I nodded, grinning with excitement, "It's perfect, but I hope she likes it." I rushed to the BMW, opening the passenger side for Stacy, "I think I'm going to get her out for drinks on Saturday to celebrate her birthday. You’re more than welcome to join us. I think she has grown attached to you."

Stacy set the box down on the floor, looking once more in the box, "I agree. The woman knows all of my favorite menu items from all my favorite places, and she makes my coffee better than I could on bagel Thursdays." She reluctantly closed the door, "If you don't marry her, I will." She winked my way, shoving me, "Get to gettin'. Her flight landed thirty minutes ago. I checked online when I picked up the gift. Your surprise will go off perfectly."

I grinned again, hugging my friend, "I owe you."

Stacy patted my back, "You do. So when you come back from your little birthday vacation, you get poop bag duties for a week."

I frowned, "Whatever." I sighed, feeling nervous out of nowhere, "Okay, I'm going to go. I'll call you tomorrow let you know how it went."

Stacy winked at me, "I'll be waiting. Night Alex, tell Victoria happy birthday from me."

I grinned as Stacy head over to her car before closing the passenger door, double checking that the box was secure enough to make it home. I went to put my bag in the backseat, trying to calm down my own excitement when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

I gripped the car keys in my palm and looked over my shoulder. I groaned softly when I saw Diablo swaggering over. She grinned and threw up a small wave, “Good evening Alex.”

I smiled tightly and threw my bag into the backseat, “Hey.” I tucked my head down and went to the driver’s side. I hoped being distant and curt with the woman, she would slowly get the hint before I did actually go and file a report with hospital security. The cocky EMT was everywhere I turned lately. Peering in as I did rounds, poking her nose in things at the nurses’ station, and I tried to be polite when she asked very personal questions about me and Victoria. Stacy begged me to take care of it and get the woman fired, but there was something about Diablo that made me nervous. Nervous in the way Victoria did when I first met her

“I thought Stacy got off a couple of hours ago? You guys going out for drinks?” Diablo motioned in the direction Stacy had gone. She then looked at me, that odd smirk covering her face, “You two looked excited with that big birthday gift. Is it Victoria’s birthday today?”

I felt my jaw tighten as I glared at the woman. She had stepped over a line. “Why do you keep following me? Harassing me and digging around in my life?” I folded my arms across my chest, “I’m in a relationship and I am never going out with you. So, please. Leave me alone before I have to file a report against you.”

Diablo laughed shaking her head as she moved closer. “They always say you’re smarter than you look.” She rolled her eyes, “My jury is still out on that fact, Alex.” She sucked in a slow breath, “I’m not interested in you, romantically. I’m just very curious about you on a whole.”

I felt a slow shiver run down my spine. The way her voice lowered gave off a very predatory feel. “Well, I suggest you find someone else to be curious about.” I swung the car keys out of my palm. “Please don’t bother me or ask about me anymore.”

I heard her laugh again, “I wish I could, but there are bigger things in play here. Not just some silly imagined crush on a lovely nurse.” She sighed softly, “I won’t hurt you, I just need to understand why. Why Chimera is doing any of this.” Diablo waved me off, “Goodnight nurse Ivers. Drive safe.”

With that, the woman turned back around and disappeared into the mottled shadows of the parking structure. I had a wave of nervous fear wash over me, but shook it off. Diablo was a weird one, Stacy had told me a few stories about her while I was on vacation. I half shrugged off her weirdness as a side effect of her own form of PTSD of being a EMT in a dangerous city.

I climbed into the driver’s seat and locked myself inside. In the morning I would call and report Diablo.

Sneaking into the house, I set the alarm, tossed my bag in the laundry room before grabbing the box and heading up stairs to our bedroom. I set the box outside the door, and crept in. Seeing Victoria curled up in blankets, clutching my pillow, I felt my excitement soar. I crawled onto the bed, poking her leg and her shoulder like I did every night, whispering, "Are you asleep?"

Victoria mumbled, mushing her face into my pillow. I bit my bottom lip, leaning over to kiss the edge of her jaw, moving to her ear, "You are so asleep right now. Guess I'll go sleep on the couch." I leaned back to roll off the bed, when a strong hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me back down to sleepy grey eyes.

"I'll throw that damn couch out before that happens." Victoria pulled me down, meeting me half way in a deep, hard kiss.

Her tongue gliding over my bottom lip and melting my will, as I opened my mouth wider and laid on top of her. No matter how much I had her every day she was home, a few days away felt like I was stranded in a desert and she was my oasis. I nipped at her lip, her hands moving up under my long sleeved thermal. Her warm hands sending goosebumps up my back. I was about to lose all of my sense and give in when I heard a faint scratching noise outside the door.

Grinning I pulled back, hearing Victoria moan in protest. I looked down at her, running my thumb over her mouth, "Happy birthday."

She rolled her eyes, "It's not my birthday yet." She tugged at my arm, "Come back down here."

I chuckled, "You are tired." I pushed up from her grip, "It's two in the morning, your birthday started two hours ago." I managed to escape her grabby hands.

"I was born at eleven in the morning, so technically…." Victoria's raspy voice was doing little in calming my libido down from those kisses I wanted more of, but I had a mission.

"Technically, you need to shush up and let me give you your gift." I rolled off the bed, kicking off my shoes.

"Come back and I'll unwrap you." Victoria sat up, turning on the bedside lamp, "It's been a long five days without you next to me."

I blushed at the tone in her voice, moving to the box I picked it up and walked back in, "The wrapping wasn't my idea, but." I reached in the box watching a confused Victoria stare at the happy images of SpongeBob covering the sides. "You remember what you said at the formal?"

Victoria sighed, picking at the fading Navy logo on her shirt, "I said a lot of things, then you threw car keys at me." She raised an eyebrow, "I do remember what happened after….and…"

I rolled my eyes, "Can you go with it for a minute? Then I promise I'll get naked and you can have your other gift." I grinned as I wrapped gentle hands around the tiny fluffy black blob looking up at me in the box. "You said you always wanted a dog that night, and since we've been living together for the last six months, I thought it was time to take the next step."

I lifted the Scottie puppy up, cradling her to my chest, I looked up at Victoria as I walked back over and sat next to her. "I figured since you love Annie and Barney and I've always had Scotties, well, happy birthday Victoria."

I set the puppy down on the bed and watched it sniff the bed as she crawled over to Victoria, sniffing her hand before licking it and crawling up further to stand on Victoria's chest. Victoria looked down at the small puppy, "You got me a dog?"

I nodded, reaching over to pet the tiny little thing. "I did. You clearly love mom's dogs, you practically tried to steal Annie last month when we watched them." I shrugged, "And I can see how your eyes are lighting up right now looking at her." I bit my lip, "I love you Victoria and I love seeing you happy like this."

Victoria had the dopiest grin on her face as she picked up the puppy, holding it against her chest and petting her head as the puppy licked her hand, "Alex, I…" She buried her nose in the top of the puppy's head, "No one has ever…paid attention. My parents, grandma Edith, I told them all every year I wanted a dog, because I thought at least I would have someone who loved me and they could be my family where my real family fell vacant." Victoria sniffled, smiling as tears fell.

I felt my heart swell, I leaned forward, kissing her forehead, "You're my family, Victoria. You are everything I want and this is the first step in building our own family." I ran my hand down her face, holding it against her cheek as she grabbed it and pressed into it. I half expected her eyes to cloud over when I said what I did, instead, her eyes lit up brighter. "And maybe we won't both be so lonely when I'm at work, or you're on one of your trips."

Victoria sniffled again, smiling as the puppy yipped in her hand, asking for more pets, "I love you so much Alex, thank you. For everything." She bent forward, kissing me softly on the lips before tugging me to lay next to her and the puppy. She started laughing when a small black nose began sniffing inside her shirt, "What do we name her?"

I laughed, leaning on Victoria's shoulder, "Goat? USS Scottie? Or something Navy related, knowing you." I giggled when Victoria playfully scowled at me, lifting a nosy Scottie out of her baggy shirt.

"Alex, I'm serious. We should name her together." She kissed the side of my head, "What about pancake? Or Annie junior?"

I snuggled deeper into my girlfriend, reaching a hand out to the little black nose, letting it sniff me. "You're not very creative when you're sleepy." I squinted for a second, "Holly."

Victoria grinned, lifting the puppy up, "Holly for Holly Golightly. The first movie we watched together at your apartment." The puppy started barking tiny little barks, not out of fear but cute little demands that we put her back down to let her continue sniffing around.

I nodded, blushing that Victoria remembered that first movie night, "Exactly. She's quite independent and sassy."

Victoria laughed, setting the puppy back down on her chest, laughing harder as she immediately went back to digging in the oversized shirt. "Holly it is." She turned, "She's perfect, just like you Alex." Victoria kissed me again, longer than the last kiss, making me moan as she pulled away, "I love you."

I sighed happily, nuzzling Victoria's shoulder. Every time she told me she loved me, I felt like I could fight the world singlehandedly, that there was literally nothing that would stop me from being by her side. I looked up in her happy slate grey eyes, laughing as she held up the bottom of her shirt for Holly to crawl out of.

"I love you, Victoria and will forever." I sat up, crawling over and Holly, "I'm going to take a shower." I yanked off my long sleeve thermal as I stood up from the bed, looking over my shoulder at my two girls. "If you want, another of your many gifts will be waiting for you in the shower." I hooked my fingers in the side of my scrub pants, pulling them down with my underwear as I stepped out. Giving Victoria a quick glimpse of my naked rear before walking into the bathroom.

Closing the door, I chuckled to myself, hearing Victoria whisper to Holly that she would be right back, and set the barking puppy back in her box before half running and half stumbling to meet me in the bathroom.

Chapter 22

I sat cross legged in the grass, a cup of coffee next to me, laughing and watching Holly explore the backyard. Biting grass, chasing bugs and barking at the lone tulip plant under the tree. I had taken the puppy outside to play while Alex slept like a dead rock in the middle of the bed. Once again claiming it as her own as soon as I left it. I almost felt bad wearing the woman down to complete exhaustion, but my birthday gift in the shower was too tempting not to exploit to its fullest. I had missed Alex to a painful point over the last few days, and having her stand in front of me, that happy half grin on her face as she began running her hands over my skin under the water, all I wanted was to ease away the ache in my heart.

I stretched out my bruised hand, trying to work out the growing stiffness lingering around the purple and yellow mess of knuckles. Alex would give me hell when she woke up and got a real glimpse at it. I sighed. I hated hiding and lying, and I had done a decent job avoiding it, but this last job required a stronger approach. I frowned, cringing at the soreness deciding to call Dani later and prod her for an update on my retirement plan.

Hearing a quick yip, I looked up to see Holly jump over a tall patch of grass, then hop over to me. Her tail wagging like it was motorized. I grinned, opening my hands to encourage her to come closer, and she did. Running as fast as her tiny legs could and smashing her equally as tiny body into my hands. Lifting her up, I cradled her to my chest, laughing as she wiggled about trying to lick me to death.

"I thought I heard a creature out here." Mary appeared at the top of the fence, smiling and nodding at the puppy in my arms.

I nodded and moved to stand up, "This is Holly, the newest resident of this house." I held Holly tightly as she kept wiggling and squirming. “Holly, this is Mary."

I stopped at the fence, letting Mary hold her hand out for the puppy to sniff before licking it and barking happily at her, asking to be held. Mary chuckled, taking her, "She's sickeningly adorable."

I smiled, "She is. Eight weeks old and already full of piss and vinegar." I leaned on the fence, "She's my birthday present from Alex." I grinned halfway through the sentence, loving the way every syllable felt saying it.

Mary grinned back, "I know. Alex was asking for my advice and I guess, our permission? A few days ago while you were out of town." She met my eyes, "That girl is a keeper, you know that right?"

I looked down at my bare feet, whispering, "I do. At the same time, I don't know what I did to deserve her."

"You love her with the truest form of yourself, Victoria." Mary raised an eyebrow, "That's how. It's the same thing I did to win Dale over when we started dating when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth." She laughed, handing Holly back to me, "She mentioned you might be hanging up your teacher's hat soon? I thought you were like my husband, Navy till the day you die and maybe a few more days after that."

I swallowed hard, laughing to cover up that there was something in what Mary said that had my intuition tingling. "I'm working on it. I love the Navy, but I think it's been my mistress and first love long enough. I want a family and not worry about midterms, recruitment fairs and grooming the future leaders of our world." I bent down, setting the wiggly puppy back into the grass, watching her pounce on a leaf. "After a decade, it's time to live."

"I agree, Victoria, I've only known you as the nice girl next door who shovels our driveway, drags our trash cans up and helps my stubborn old man plant trees, but in the last few months, I've seen a beautiful young woman find her place in this world, and I'm happy to call you neighbor and friend." Mary reached over, squeezing my shoulder, "Not to sound like the old wise neighbor, but I understand Victoria. You remind me a lot of what I was like when I was younger than you. Trying to make sense of the world I was in. It was hard when Dale was in Vietnam, I always felt like I had to hide things from him to keep him safe."

I stared at the older woman for a second, her eyes glinting in a way that had my gut and training reacting. There was something in between the lines of her words. I smiled tightly, turning to the house when my eye caught the bedroom blinds being opened, Alex squinting at the bright sun pouring in, frowning then closing the blinds again.

I chuckled, shaking my head, "I should go see if the bear is awake and ready for breakfast." I glanced at Mary, "Thank you, for your kind words. I have grown fond of you and Dale, and if there is anything I or Alex can do for you two, please don't hesitate to ask." I was pouring on the manners, trying to work around the fact I was beyond curious about what she was trying to tell me.

Mary looked at me for a second more before drawing her eyes to Holly batting at the leaf, "I should see if Dale is up and ready to go for the day." She glanced at me, "Its grocery day, his least favorite day of the week, he gets grumpy when I find all of the junk food he hides under the vegetables." We both laughed, Mary patted my shoulder once more, "Happy Birthday to you and if you need a dog sitter." She winked at me, "Tell Alex I said hello and if you girls need anything while we're out, call."