Surviving Doctor Vincent: The Good Doctor Trilogy Book 2 (26 page)

I gathered my purse. Thankfully, it hadn’t been impacted by Oscar’s demise. My clothes, however, were another story. The young hostess, who had originally escorted me to the table, gave me her gym clothes to change into but they were two sizes too small. The paramedics that arrived on the scene provided antiseptic to clean my skin and assisted in rinsing my hair, but it was still matted and disheveled. I was a mess, inside and out. “Do you need anything else from me?”

“Are you sure Mr. Bernstein didn’t say anything about why he decided to end his life?”

“I’m positive.” How could I ever explain the truth? I didn’t understand it myself.

“Any clue you have might help ease his family’s burden.”

I sighed. “I know. I wish there was something else I could say.”

“Fine. If you remember anything, just call the station.”

“Certainly.”

My legs felt like lead. The knot in my chest stifled my breathing. The moment I glanced back at the table, I regretted it. Oscar’s still form sat covered with a tablecloth and blood made deep red stains on the white fabric. Nothing made sense. How would I explain this all to Xavier when I didn’t even understand it myself?

* * *

W
hen we pulled up in front of Xavier’s building, Officer Benton with his bushy mustache asked in a thick New York accent, “You sure this is the place?”

“Positive, but you know what? I don’t have a key.” Xavier had never given me one. We had been so overwhelmed, and he was always with me, so neither of us actually considered it.

He laughed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

I glared at him. “You think I’m lying?”

“I didn’t say that.” He smirked. “Just most people who have enough money to live in a place like this are usually smart enough to remember their own address.”

I glared at him. “Thank you for the ride, Officer.” I threw open the door and to my surprise, he exited the vehicle too.

When I reached the revolving door, he entered the two-person space with me.

I tossed an aggravated look over my shoulder at him and huffed.

“What? Don’t mind me, Ms. Watkins, I’m just making sure you make it home safely and don’t...get yourself in any trouble.”

I approached the concierge who was stationed behind a large, granite counter top. I guess it was too much to hope that the doorman who saw me the night before would be on duty. The young unfamiliar woman smiled. “How may I help you, Officer? Ma’am?”

Officer Benton waved his hand toward the desk with a smirk pulling at his lips.

I was a mess, but surely I didn’t look so awful as to deserve his suspicion.

“Yes. Can you please ring Dr. Vincent’s penthouse?”

The woman laughed. “I don’t think Dr. Vincent wishes to be disturbed.”

Anger bubbled through me. After the afternoon I’d had, I wasn’t in the mood for games.

“How about you call and let Dr. Vincent decide?”

She tried to hide her snide smile but picked up the phone. “And who exactly should I tell him is requesting him?”

I crossed my arms. “Elaine. Tell him that Elaine needs to see him right now.”

She inclined her head and raised an eyebrow. “And you are his...”

Now she was just being nosey. “What does it matter?”

“I need to know the relationship of any uninvited guest for my security book.” She tapped the binder that sat on the counter.

Not this question again. I wasn’t even sure I knew how to answer it. Lover? Girlfriend. Fuck it. He was willing to marry me that day we went to the cabin, and this bitch needed to stop judging people. “Fiancé.”

“Sure... Let me ring him.” Her slow enunciation of her words told me she didn’t believe me. She raised the phone to her ear and pressed the keypad.

The officer shook his head and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

The human Barbie doll spoke into the receiver, “Hello, Dr. Vincent, your fiancé is here to see you in the lobby.”

Her smile grew wide. “Oh, you don’t. You don’t have a fiancé.”

Shit. I called out, “Xavier, it’s me, Elaine. Elaine.”

“Sorry, for bothering you Doctor.” She didn’t hang up as I expected.

The officer grabbed my arm. “Come on, I’ll get you somewhere to stay.”

I pulled away from his grasp and headed for the door. What the hell was happening?

Randi, according to her name tag, yelled, “Wait... He’s on his way.”

The police officer didn’t move. “I’ll just wait until he gets here.”

Why were they treating me like this?

Several awkward moments later the elevator door opened. Xavier stepped out, paused for a moment, before his long strides brought him to me. He wrapped his arms around me in a quick hug and then backed away a step and held on to my upper arms. “Elaine, are you OK? Officer, is everything all right?”

I didn’t answer, but the cop shifted his weight and adjusted his belt. “It is, if you tell me she really lives here.”

Xavier’s indignant tone brought me a moment of satisfaction. “Of course she does.”

Barbie doll busied herself with work so she didn’t have to look at us.

Xavier gripped my arms tighter. “What happened?”

Officer Benton chuckled and said under his breath, “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s gotta be a first. Usually drop-offs like this push me into overtime.” He raised his voice and addressed Xavier, “I’ll let her fill you in. Good night, Doctor.”

Xavier laced his fingers with mine, glanced toward the counter and shot Barbie doll a smile. “Sorry about the confusion, Randi. We’re newly engaged. Old habits... But I’m sure you understand. I’m glad you got to meet my Elaine.”

Her smile was pained. “Congratulations, Doctor... Elaine.”

He squeezed my hand. “Thank you.” He focused his attention back on me. On a whisper he asked, “What in the hell happened?”

“I’ll tell you when we get upstairs.”

He mashed the button. Once inside, he pulled a keycard from his pocket and held it up to the reader. The elevator hummed. He encased me in his arms. It was exactly what I needed.

The elevator door opened, we exited and passed a guard who had not been there before.

“He’s new.”

“I take your safety very seriously. So you can imagine my surprise when I woke to find you gone. Your note was the only reason I didn’t have the police put out an APB. But it seems they found you anyway.” He pressed his thumb against the security pad and the door unlocked. “I’ll have the building security add your thumb print to the system as soon as possible so you don’t ever have to stand in the lobby.”

We stepped inside the apartment. Sebastian and Marco stood up from the sofa.

Marco’s mouth gaped open. “Bella, what on Earth happened to you?”

Sebastian strode to my side and gripped my arm. “Are you, OK?”

Xavier spoke for me, “I think we should let her go get a shower and then we can all sit down and talk.”

I didn’t want to talk. The anxiety laced day left me numb. I didn’t want to feel or recant the happenings. Every time the image of Oscar raising the gun to his head flashed through my mind, pain cut through my chest.

Xavier led me to the en-suite bathroom with his arm around my shoulders. He settled a hand on the small of my back and ushered me into the room.

The multiple mirrors reflected my image, and I understood the Officer’s and Barbie doll’s reactions. I looked like I had been on a bender. My hair was a gnarled mess, and even though not visible, it was still caked with blood and sweat. My attempts at cleaning myself at the restaurant had been poor at best, and even though most of the blood had been removed from my face, my mascara had smeared, leaving long black streaks from my tears. But my eyes were most concerning. The faraway look that even I couldn’t deny made me appear as though I was drugged. Perhaps I was drunk on anxiety and fear. “Oh God, no wonder they didn’t want to let me upstairs.”

Xavier rested his hands on my shoulders. “I’ll wait for your explanation. Let’s get you in the shower.” He grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it up. “Raise your arms.”

I did as he asked and closed my eyes. I wanted to shut down all my senses. I could hear the loud pop of the gun ringing in my ears. I blindly allowed Xavier to lead me.

The sound of sprinkling water echoed through the room. Xavier grasped my hand and tugged me toward the two glass doors that enclosed the enormous shower that could have easily accommodated all four of us, with room to spare. The water neither cooled nor warmed my skin. So overburdened from sensation, I was hard-pressed to feel anything.

The scent of lavender filled the air and Xavier’s fingers worked the shampoo into lather. “I’m sure what you have to tell me isn’t good news, but there is something I want you to know.” He placed his suds-covered hands on my shoulders. “Even though it was all of three minutes from the time I put down the phone and saw you in the lobby, I have never been happier.” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “You told Randi you were my fiancé.”

I inhaled deeply. I didn’t want to tell him that it was partially to spite her.

“Don’t say anything, just relax.” His focused return to my hair. “But if you’re OK with it, I’d like to propose to you properly, buy you a ring, and give you something normal to look forward to. Then I’ll make sure we have the wedding you’ve always dreamed of.”

It simply wasn’t possible. My dreams as a girl of the knight in shining armor didn’t include all the merry men of the round table.

I didn’t mean to sound petulant when he was so happy, but any enthusiasm had been killed by the day’s events. “So where does that leave Sebastian and Marco?”

“We’ll have to ask them how they’d like to be involved.”

“I don’t mean who will be the best man and who will be the usher, I mean... God... I don’t know what I mean.” Tears started to escape my closed lids.

“We’re all here for you. You never have to questions that.” He kissed the back of my neck. “We’ll be whatever you need us to be, my queen.”

He gripped my shoulders, turned me, and with a finger under my chin urged my head back into the stream.

“Elaine, dear God.”

I opened my eyes, pivoted and discovered Xavier staring at the drain. He watched the red liquid spiral down the drain from just outside the spray’s reach, transfixed by the sight. Sprinkles of crimson dotted the clothes he’d left on as his hands stopped moving, but stayed tangled in my hair.

“That’s blood. Where are you hurt?” His hands searched my head for injury.

I brushed them away. “It’s not mine.”

“I’m concerned, Elaine. This is becoming a habit with you.”

I shot him a disbelieving look. “Funny, since it’s a side effect of our relationship.”

“Let’s hurry up and get you washed.”

He stepped out of the shower to gather a washcloth and soap.

The moment gave me a little time to think. What should I tell him? How much? Did I even believe any of the things Oscar said? Did I care? What was I to do, march into the next council meeting and ask for my robe? Would Xavier understand? There was so much that didn’t make sense. The most bizarre thing of all was that if Lydia saved me from execution, that meant my father had been Victoria’s subject. Did she create the monster?

Xavier stepped back into the shower, wet the cloth and rubbed it with the soap. He spread the lather over my body. I wanted to find comfort in his touch, but it was hard to feel anything through all the noise in my mind. But for a fleeting moment, as Xavier knelt in his dress slacks on the wet shower floor, I knew I could erase any fear of him from my list of concerns. When he looked up at me, my tears fell in streams. I needed him. His strength. His love.

He kissed my cheek as he reached for the showerhead. He unhooked it and rinsed away the suds, along with the agony of the day.

My sobs continued.

He turned off the water and grasped my hand, dragging me from the shower. After using the towel to soak up the water from my body, he retrieved a white fluffy robe from the closet.

I threaded my arms through each sleeve.

He tied the belt around my waist, and then cupped my cheek with his palm for a moment, before grasping my hand in his once again. “Come on.”

Out of the bathroom, I followed him to the sofa, facing a glittering view of the New York skyline. There, he urged me to sit.

In moments, Sebastian and Marco took a seat on either side of me, each clutching my arm.

Xavier towered above me, with the image of the city as his backdrop. There was no doubt he was powerful enough to be all of the things Oscar cautioned about, but when I reached up to wipe the tear trailing down my face, he dropped to his knees again, situating himself between my legs.

His arms encircled me. “Tomorrow we’ll go to battle with the source of your tears, but until then let us lessen your pain, give you comfort and reaffirm that you are the most loved woman on all the Earth.”

Twilight engulfed the cityscape, while Xavier Vincent rested his ear against my chest, listening to my heartbeat. The warmth of Marco and Sebastian’s body heat and comforting caresses soothed my shaken nerves. Tomorrow, I could be the victim, but tonight, in their arms, I was queen.

~ Coming Soon ~

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