The Doctor and the War Widow (13 page)

Chapter 11

Harley stood at the entrance to the Emergency Room a week after her hearing before the bishop. She watched through the swinging doors as Abisi set the arm of a small boy who’d obviously been in a typical childhood accident. Other medical personnel alternately exited and entered the room, and Harley stole glances at him while she avoided the busy professionals. He was patient, gentle, and spoke in soothing tones to the child. The boy was little more than ten years old, a poor child with tattered pants and a torn T-shirt. Abisi hadn’t seen her yet, and she used this time to watch him unobserved. He was the handsomest man she’d ever seen. His profile was perfect, but Harley was struck by how gaunt he appeared. She drew in a breath. Could he really miss her that much? What now arrested her attention, however, was the way he interacted with the child. He brushed the boy’s close-cropped hair with a hand and said something that made the child laugh. He then turned to the boy’s parents and handed them a prescription. The man wore a UPS uniform and the mother’s polo shirt identified her as a Blood Bank employee. Abisi explained the boy’s needs patiently.

Harley stepped into the shadows when he turned, not wanting to invade the privacy of this family any longer. He hadn’t seen her yet. She’d promised Jessica she’d speak to him, and she always kept a promise. She waited until he was at the nurses’ station, completing paperwork and speaking to the nurse on duty.

“Hi!” Harley passed through the doors, ventured up, and stood beside him.

Abisi turned quickly at the sound of her voice. He stared at her as if she were a phantom.

A nurse approached. “May I help you, ma’am?”

He cleared his throat and then addressed the nurse. “See that the Turners get those samples for the boy. We have some more in the supply room. I have to finish something in my office.”

The woman stared at him curiously, glanced at Harley, and then turned to go. “Yes, Doctor.”

“I’m sorry. You’re busy. I shouldn’t have come while you were working.”

Harley gazed at the packed waiting room and examining stations. Every one was occupied. Was he glad to see her? She cursed her own heart for beating so rapidly just at the sight of him.

“No, I’m really happy you’re here.” Abisi gave her a smile that dispelled all doubt. He was glad to see her. He tentatively touched her arm. “Come into my office. I can take a few minutes.”

“I—I . . .” Harley glanced at the scores of hospital personnel moving around. The warmth of his hand on her skin sent an electric current through her body. “I don’t want to keep you.”

“You’re not. Come with me.” Abisi took her arm and led her to his office. Once inside, he closed the door. “Harley, you don’t know how glad I am to see you.” He drew in a breath that sounded like a sob.

Harley’s own heart lurched with loneliness and regret. She wanted to run into his arms, but she couldn’t forget what she’d seen as betrayal. She spoke hurriedly. “I don’t know just how I feel. You wanted me to say that I loved you. I—I think I do, but I’d just been through hell in the last year because of my mother.” She took a deep breath. “Hell, I’ve been depressed since John, for that matter.”

Abisi held her at arm’s length. “I’m sorry I misjudged you. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. You were right to be angry. When you love someone, you talk to them about a problem.”

Harley’s heart pounded. She had to tell him the truth, but she wasn’t sure how he’d react. “I need to explain about Pete. He’s an old friend. He and John went to grade school together. After John was killed, we did get close one night—” She held up a hand before he could speak. “Too close. He’d like more, but I think he now sees that won’t happen. Now, we know we’re only friends. That’s how we ended it that day. What you saw was two old friends saying hello. That’s all.”

His face had grown tight as she spoke, but he relaxed, visibly sighing at her last words. “So there really is no one?”

“No one.” Harley smiled gently at him. “Look, I don’t know what’s in store for us, but I think we can be friends for now. I still have to sort this out. A part of me still feels hurt that you didn’t have faith in me, but we can take it from there and see how things take shape. Maybe we’ll learn to trust each other completely.” She wanted to know about his son, but she wouldn’t press that until they had reestablished trust.

“Yes.” He nodded and returned her smile. “I’d like that. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to regain your trust.” He paused, looking suddenly like a shy schoolboy. His voice was soft. “Are you free this weekend?”

“What do you have in mind?” Harley suddenly wanted to dance like a schoolgirl. She’d missed his presence in her life, and sorrow had weighed on her like dead weight.

“Do you want dinner and a movie? We could take in a show at the Prytania and then eat at Reginelli’s.” He stared at her hopefully, expectantly.

“Dinner and a movie sounds like a great date night.” She sensed the blood rushing to her cheeks. God! The man made her feel like a sixteen-year-old girl again.

Maybe that’s why she didn’t resist when he took her in his arms without warning. He let his lips linger, hot and moist, along her neck and chin. She took a deep breath, resisting the temptation to fall into his embrace. “I need you, Harley.” His voice was hoarse as he whispered to her. “But if I can only have you as a friend, I’ll respect that for now.”

Harley’s blood pounded through her veins. The sensation of his breath feathering against her neck sent waves of heat and ice through her spine. She pulled away. “Dinner and a movie Saturday, right?”

With his lips pressed against her face, Abisi whispered in a choked voice, “See you at seven. Don’t give up on me. I want your trust again.”

Harley pulled away from him and turned to go. She gasped when she saw the nurse she’d encountered earlier standing in the doorway. The woman stammered, “I—I knocked earlier but no one answered. I didn’t know what had happened.” She went scarlet and scurried away with a quick, “I’m so sorry.”

Harley went crimson herself but laughed when Abisi grinned at her. She glanced at him over her shoulder. He was staring at her with undisguised desire. “I’ll see you this weekend.” She walked away without looking back at him or the gawking staff that had gathered to stare at her. Eden had always told her to prolong the mystery.

That night, Abisi returned home, flipped on his local station to the evening news, made his way to the kitchen, and opened a beer. His heart had rocketed skyward since he’d seen Harley. The day had flown by. No crisis was too terrible. When she’d walked out of his life, he’d felt like less of a man and less of a doctor. He’d only performed his duties by rote. With Harley’s reappearance, he was rejuvenated. He moved among his patients with a sense of purpose that had deserted him when she’d turned from him. He would win her back. The woman was his. The stars had destined their pairing.

Abisi settled into a large, overstuffed chair and took a sip of beer. A local news anchor droned on. He was drifting to sleep in the chair when the phone rang. Swearing softly, Abisi reached for the cordless phone on an end table. “Hello?”

No one spoke for a long time. “Hello?”

He was about to hang up when a voice said, “I saw your little whore leaving the hospital. She’d better watch her back.”

Abisi’s felt his blood run cold. The voice was muffled, but he had no doubt who’d called him. “If you touch her, I’ll see you in hell.” With trembling hands, he slammed down the phone and dialed the police. His heart pounded in his ears.

Late September

“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?” Judy stood in the doorway of Harley’s kitchen, empty glasses in hand. She then opened the dishwasher and deposited the glasses inside.

“I’m not sure of anything, but who in hell is?” Harley shrugged and wiped her table. She was clearing away the remnants of the lunch she, Judy, and Donna shared.

Donna placed a Tupperware bowl in the refrigerator. “Nothing in life is certain, Judy. That bitch Katrina taught us that.”

“Why are you encouraging her?” Judy glared at Donna. “This guy is bad news.”

Harley laughed and draped the towel over the dish strainer. “Come on, Judy. How can a respectable doctor be bad news? My mother would have loved it.”

“He had a bad marriage.” Judy placed her empty glass in the dishwasher.

“Lots of us have had bad marriages. Remember my first?” Donna rolled her eyes. “No, let’s not. Best forgotten.” Before meeting Mike, Donna had been married to an accountant who curtailed her artistic endeavors and sent her into a downward spiral of depression, prescription drugs, and alcohol. “Everyone thought he was the best thing in the world for me.” She nodded to Harley. “Including my parents, remember? Now I have a gallery owner who thinks like me.”

Harley laughed. “I guess parents want their kids to have stability. The problem is too many of them don’t know what
we
want.” She suddenly went empty inside. Eden had always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. “Let’s talk in the living room, okay.”

Harley sat on the couch with them, looking at old pictures. They each exclaimed things like, “Oh, God, can that be us? Burn this picture! Were we ever such children?” Before long, Harley was laughing again.

A knock on the door interrupted the trio in their rehashing of old memories. Nico, tail wagging, rushed to the door. “My ferocious watch dog!” Harley scratched behind his ears as her friends continued flipping through the photo album.

When she glanced through the peephole, she exclaimed with delight and threw open the door. Carville, her next door neighbor, stood outside, his police officer’s cap in his hand. His family had moved into the neighborhood shortly after segregation ended, and now, Harley lived in one of the most ethnically mixed and harmonious sections of the city. She’d babysat Carville when she was a teenager and he a toddler, and he still treated her with the respect a child gives an authority figure. He’d grown into a tall and wiry man who shaved his head. “Hi, Carville, how are you? To what do I owe the pleasure? How are things with the NOPD? Wanna come in?”

The young man’s dark eyes were serious. “Ms. Harley, has either of your friends bought a Camaro?”

Harley stared at him, puzzled. “No,” Harley answered quickly. She pointed to their cars. “That’s Donna’s car, and there’s Judy. Why?”

Carville nodded grimly. “Thought as much.” He pointed down the empty street. “A Camaro was parked there earlier. I’ve seen it before, not just this once. The other day, I came home from some extra detail and saw it parked there, too. You weren’t home, but Nico was barking like crazy. I think somebody’s staking out this house. Whenever the woman sees me pull up in the squad car, she drives off. ”

Donna and Judy had sidled up to Harley and greeted Carville. Donna asked, “Did any of the other neighbors buy another car?”

“No, nobody bought any new car in this neighborhood.” Harley shook her head. She knew who owned a Camaro and involuntarily shivered. That Kimberly was staking out her house made her stomach clench. Why was Nico barking? Was Kimberly walking around her yard? Harley’s throat went dry. “I—I think I know who it is.”

“I do, too. I ran the plates.” Carville grinned at her. “We look out for each other in this neighborhood, don’t we, Ms. Harley?”

Harley smiled at him. “Yes, we do. It’s Kimberly Cheramie, isn’t it?”

“Well, it was a woman in the car, but the car’s registered to a Mr. Wayne Cheramie.”

Harley absorbed this information. Probably the woman’s father or an ex-husband. She was suddenly angry. Kimberly just didn’t get that she wasn’t wanted, and the woman couldn’t let go.

“Can’t the police do something about her?” Judy’s voice intruded upon Harley’s consciousness.

Carville nodded. “Well, I’m going to ask a patrol car to pass more often, but unless the lady does something, there’s no law against parking on a public street.”

“So she has to do something like kill you first!” Judy threw up her hands in outrage.

“Don’t even say crazy shit like that.” Donna shook her head. “The woman’s trying to spook you. Hey, let’s bomb her house.” She glanced at Carville and grinned. “Oh, by the way, you didn’t hear that.”

“Will you two let up!” Harley glared good-humoredly from one to the other. Turning to Carville, she added, “Thanks for checking on that for me.”

“Don’t worry. My grandmother is always watching this neighborhood.” He tipped his hat to them and left.

Judy moved within inches of Harley when she shut the door. “I told you this guy’s bad news.”

“His ex-girlfriend’s bad news, not him.” Funny, Kimberly’s harassment made Harley all the more determined to renew her friendship with Abisi.

“Why do you refer to her as his girlfriend?” It was Donna’s turn to gaze at her curiously.

“Well, I’m not sure what I am in his life.” Harley suddenly felt bone-weary tired. Why was life always so hard?

“Dump him,” Judy advised.

“I did that. It didn’t quite work out.” The truth of her words hit Harley with the force of a truck. She didn’t want this relationship to end, but she’d been wounded by what she’d perceived as his mistrust. She also wished he’d be honest about what had happened to his son, but Harley couldn’t disguise her still molten hot desire for him.

“Do you want to stay with me for a few days?” Judy gazed at her with undisguised concern.

“I’ll be fine.” Harley didn’t know how true that was, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to add to Judy’s motherly anxiety.

Harley kissed Donna and Judy as they left. Donna hung back and said, “Listen, you have to follow your heart. But you’d better watch your back. This woman sounds like a nut job.”