Harry shook her hand out, not caring if she’d broken her fingers. All that mattered was the asshole she assumed was Byron Simoneaux was unconscious on the floor. She pressed the call button and demanded security as well as the police, as she moved to Desi’s side. Her heart hammered in her chest as she took in Desi’s pallor, the bruising coming up around her neck, and the fact that she couldn’t see her chest moving.
“Desi.” She carefully moved Desi’s head, so her airway was open, hoping it was enough to get her breathing again. The slight cough almost buckled her knees in relief. “Open your eyes for me, sweetheart.”
“Harry?” Desi glanced at her and cringed back as if there was still something to fear. “He’s here.”
“You’re okay. He can’t hurt you again.” She found IV tubing in the utility drawer and used it to tie Byron’s hands behind his back. “This should earn him a free pass back to jail.”
“Please be careful,” Desi said as she rubbed her throat.
“Detective,” she said into the phone as she nodded in Desi’s direction, “we found Byron Simoneaux for you.”
“Where?” Landry asked.
“In Desi’s hospital room trying to kill her. When you come, make sure you bring someone who can take pictures of her throat. And where the hell was the officer who was supposed to be outside her door?” The security guards came in and replaced her makeshift bonds with handcuffs.
“Should we bring him to, Doc?” the older guy said.
“Get him out of here until the police arrive. Have one of the nurses look at him, but don’t let him out of your sight, and put him in a room where he can’t disturb the other patients when he’s sure to start having a temper tantrum.” One of the nurses came in and moved quickly to Desi’s side. “Get someone from respiratory up to look at her.”
“You got it, Dr. Basantes.”
They dragged Byron out, and she had to take a few deep breaths to calm down. Coming in and finding that idiot trying to kill Desi had sent her into a blind fury that made her punch him so hard she’d knocked him out cold. She turned to Desi. “Are you okay?” It was a stupid question. Desi was anything but okay, but she had to start somewhere.
Desi shook her head with her hands still on her throat. “He’s never going to stop,” she whispered. “Maybe you should send me somewhere else. Somewhere he can’t hurt you.”
“The thing about guys like Byron is they’re slow learners. At least, they are until someone who hits harder than they do teaches them it’s better if they move on.” If she hadn’t decided to check on Desi one last time before she left for the night, Desi would have died. The thought made the bile rise in the back of her throat.
Harry got a cold compress for Desi’s neck and dealt with the uniformed officer who arrived. Landry and his partner showed up soon after and took over. The whole thing took a few hours, and she wanted to know how Byron had found Desi to begin with. The only good news was that the consult she’d requested said Desi’s neck was bruised but there was no other damage.
“I can’t answer how he got here, Doc, but I’ll ask him when I get downtown. We couldn’t leave an officer posted on the door forever with all these city cuts. After a few days we figured she was safe and he wouldn’t find her.” Landry had sent his partner to deal with Byron while he questioned Desi. “This place is compromised, though, so we might need a new location.”
“Don’t worry about that. We’re moving as soon as you’re done.”
“Skip giving me the address, and I’ll call you if I need anything.” Landry left, and Harry sat on the bed.
“Nothing I say will change what happened, but you’re going to be okay. Right now, let me take care of you.”
Desi’s mouth seemed frozen, but she nodded hesitantly. Her tears were back, and she closed her eyes when Harry took her hand. Perhaps Desi was right, and this guy would never back down, but she couldn’t leave Desi to fight alone. Whatever had happened between them, it didn’t rise to the level of forfeiting Desi’s life.
She moved to the chair and eventually fell asleep once the nurse checked Desi’s vitals. No one bothered them again until the morning, and Harry arranged transport before anyone from Byron’s family showed up to finish the job. Rachel was furious that animal had gotten close to her sister again.
“I’ll cancel my appointments and come with you.” Rachel rested her head on Harry’s chest and cried.
“Go to work. I’ll take care of her.”
“Thank God you were here last night, Harry. If he’d killed her, I would’ve lost my mind.” Rachel hung on to her as she cried, and not for the first time in the last week. Harry felt inadequate to deal with all these foreign emotions.
“I promise I’ll do my best to keep you both safe.” She put her arms around Rachel and kissed the top of her head. “Go on in and give her a pep talk while I get everything ready.”
She wasn’t surprised to see Kenneth and Tony waiting for her. They’d both called after Rachel had told Tony what had happened. It had been a long night, and her back ached from sleeping in the chair, but she couldn’t leave Desi alone in the state of mind she was in.
“Is she okay?” Tony asked.
“That bastard almost choked her to death.” She looked at her phone when it rang, not recognizing the number. “Hello.”
“Dr. Basantes, this is Marge from University. We ran the search you requested and found the information was accessed by a transporter. His shift is over, but we’re calling him in to answer some questions.”
“I’m going to send the police to wait on him. Once he gives his statement, fire his ass. If he didn’t pay attention when you covered patient privacy, he can refresh his memory in the unemployment line.” She hung up and smiled when Kenneth did.
“Why don’t you let us take Desi home for you, and you can get some sleep?” Kenneth massaged her shoulders and she shook her head.
“I cleared my morning, so I’ll ride with her. You guys are welcome to come.” She noticed the same team that had transported Desi before waiting by the elevator. “This is some shit, huh?”
“Are you okay?” Tony lifted her hand and stared at her bruised knuckles. “Is this okay?”
“Trust me, if I could’ve broken his neck, I’d have gladly sacrificed some broken bones.” She greeted the guys and asked them to wait until she got Desi ready.
She walked in and waited until Rachel and Desi finished talking, their heads close together. At least this relationship hadn’t changed through the years, and the sisters still seemed close. From day one she’d known they came as a package deal, and Rachel being there meant Desi always had someone in her corner.
“Hey, come in,” Rachel said.
“I think it’ll be better if we move you before anything else happens, but I don’t want to risk damaging your leg. The ambulance is here, so if you’re ready, we’ll go.”
The ride was as smooth as before, and Harry rode in the back with her. They’d gone out of the service entrance as an extra precaution in case someone was watching.
“Damn, Doc, this place is nice,” the driver said as he waited for the gate to fully open.
“Tony knows his real estate,” she said, knowing he and Kenneth were in the car behind them. “Stop under the portico, and we’ll go through the kitchen. It’ll be the easiest route upstairs.” Her cell phone rang as the back doors opened, and she figured her clear morning was about to get complicated.
“We have an industrial accident en route, Doc,” the emergency room nurse at University said. “A section of scaffolding fell, and we need you in surgery. We’re waiting on at least fourteen, maybe more.”
“Call everyone in and start prepping three rooms. I’m ten minutes out.” This could take most of the day depending on the severity of the injuries, but it would give Desi the chance to settle in. “Tony and Kenneth will stay with you until Rachel gets back. She shouldn’t be more than a few hours.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can stay by myself, so no one has to go to any trouble.” Desi held the edge of the green sheet and stared at her feet.
“You can’t even walk on your own yet, Des. The boys don’t mind, and later Mona can help Rachel with whatever comes up.” She loosely held the side rail to keep the guys from moving the gurney.
“Mona?”
“She pretends to be my housekeeper, but she’s an open communication line back to my mother. She’s got three days off to visit her family, but she never lasts the whole time and always comes home early.” She smiled, trying to ease Desi’s tension. “Don’t let her give you a hard time, and she knows how to contact me if something goes wrong.”
“Thank you. I don’t deserve your kindness.” Desi didn’t lift her head, and she had to go, so there was no choice but to walk away.
“Jesus. What exactly did this guy do to you?” she whispered as she walked to her car. That was a mystery she didn’t know if she wanted an answer to.
* * *
Desi watched Harry walk away until she was out of sight, then smiled at Kenneth when he stepped up beside her. She remembered both men from high school and some of the things they’d done together. She and Harry should’ve had years of good memories to share with them, but at least Harry had a piece of what had been stolen.
“You holding up okay?” Kenneth said in that soothing voice she also remembered. “Give us a minute, and we’ll get you squared away and comfortable.”
“Thank you.”
“Darling, you’ve been through enough, so no need to thank us,” Tony said as he unlocked the door. “Come on.”
She tried to relax as she looked at the parts of the house they were passing. The place was beautifully decorated, and the kitchen was an awesome place to gather a family. It was strange that Harry didn’t have one, considering how often they’d talked about that.
The thought of Harry alone made her take a shuddering breath, as she tried not to cry.
“Are you hurting?” Tony asked from behind the guy at her feet.
“I’m okay.” She closed her eyes to fight the slight nausea and her mind flew back to all those long talks.
One day during senior year, it was too cold to go out to their usual spot in the yard, so Desi followed Harry up to the attic. Harry had made a spot for them behind the Christmas decorations, complete with a heater so they could get naked.
Desi was straddling Harry’s lap enjoying not only the feel of her skin but the sensation of her tongue in her mouth. It was getting harder to be apart, but the weekends were their best chance to be alone. From their first night together as lovers, they’d learned so much about what felt good and what would be the biggest turn-on.
“You feel so good,” Harry said, putting her hands on her ass and holding her even closer. “I missed you this week.”
“It’s all those practices you have to go to. My dad’s always home before we finish our homework.” She ran her hands down Harry’s back, moaning when Harry kissed her neck. “I’d complain, but you look so good in those soccer shorts that I can’t.”
“I can go put them on if you want,” Harry teased.
“You’re not going anywhere until you touch me.” They’d spent time after dinner playing a board game with Harry’s parents, but now she was so wet she was close to begging.
“You want me, baby?” Harry squeezed her ass, and she was sure Harry’s abdomen was wet from her sex.
It sometimes started slow like tonight but always built to this overwhelming need that drove her mad until Harry took her to the places she only wanted to go with her lover. They might’ve been young, but they both understood what passion was and how to build it up in each other. “Yes. Please touch me.”
Harry laid her back and hovered over her. “You don’t ever have to beg me for that.” She kissed her way down her body and put her mouth on her.
She placed her feet on Harry’s shoulders and moved her hips to the rhythm Harry set, sensing the now familiar tightening in her stomach. The orgasm she desperately wanted was right at the cusp of her consciousness, but she tried to hold it back. “Go inside, baby. I need you inside.” Talking to Harry while they made love was new, but Harry had broken through her inhibitions like a hammer through eggshells, and her words drove Harry insane. She’d quickly figured out she liked Harry insane.
“That’s good, baby.” The way Harry’s fingers moved in and out, along with her tongue flat on her clit, made it hard not to give in, but she bit her lip and tried her best. They were on the opposite side of the house from Harry’s parents, but there was no reason to chance it.
All the small discreet touches all night and the kissing in the kitchen when they were fixing everyone drinks made it impossible not to come. She had to—needed it like she needed air in her lungs to survive, and she swallowed the scream she wanted to let out as Harry pushed her over the edge.
“Do you think our kids will mind going to bed at five in the afternoon so I can drag you to the bedroom?” She traced small circles on Harry’s chest as she daydreamed out loud once Harry had come up and held her.
“You better pray they’re all like you then. The only way I’d do that for my mom would involve a tranquilizer gun.”
“I want all our kids to be like you, baby.” She lifted her head and kissed Harry, already wanting her again.
“How many kids are we talking?” Harry rolled her onto her back and put her hand between her legs.
“Four or five at least.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip when Harry squeezed her clit between her fingers. “It’s a good thing you can’t get me pregnant, or we’d be on our way to number one by now.”
“We should keep practicing.” Harry made her laugh, but she knew when they did start their life together, children would be part of it.
“Every chance we get.”
* * *
“She’ll be over there,” Tony said, pointing to the right. “The room at the end of the hall.”
“If you’re busy, I really don’t mind being alone,” Desi said as they locked the gurney’s wheels. The big room was as gorgeous as the bed they were getting ready to put her in.
“Girl, you know that isn’t going to happen, so smile. You’re stuck with us until Harry gets home, but it won’t be horrible.” Tony folded the blankets back and stepped away as the medics expertly moved her to the bed. “It’ll give us a chance to catch up.”
“You look happy, and it’s nice to know you and Kenneth are still together.” She placed her hands flat on the mattress and took a deep breath. All the jostling and Byron’s visit had left her leg and body aching.
“Thank you, guys.” Tony placed a metal frame over her leg and covered her as Kenneth led the medics out. The frame kept the weight of the blanket off her leg. “How about a bowl of soup, so you can take another pain pill?”
“That would be great.”
“Don’t move, and I’ll be right back.”
She concentrated on her breathing when Tony left her alone. Everything that had happened in the last week was hard to put into perspective. There was no way she could have imagined that Byron’s usual behavior would put her back into Harry’s life and into her house.
The room she was in reminded her of Harry, with the dark wood, pale blue walls, and fireplace. Harry’s parents had taken them on a vacation once, and they’d made out in front of the fireplace in their room. That’s when Harry had said they’d have to have one in their bedroom when they bought a house.
This place certainly appeared to be the space Harry had talked about. “The only thing missing is me,” she murmured to the empty room.
God, why did all this still have to hurt so much? She was tired of crying, but her tears were the only things left that were completely hers. Everything else, including her freedom, had been ripped away.
“Hey, don’t cry. You need to eat a little, and then you can take a nap.”
Tony put a tray down, and she didn’t argue with him. Explanations had to come with sharing what was bothering her, and she wasn’t ready for that at all.
“Rachel and I got you some stuff you’ll need, so we’ll change you once you’re done.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” She stopped with the spoon near her mouth. “There’s no way for me to pay you back.”
“Put it on, and don’t worry about owing anything. The fact that Rachel loves to shop as much as I do is payment enough.” He placed a chair close to the bed after getting a bag from the closet. “This will keep you warmer and feel nicer against your skin.”
She ate methodically, more to please Tony than to satisfy any hunger, and she studied the room to keep from talking. The antique pieces were beautiful, as was the original art, but she kept going back to the fireplace and her memoires. Her gaze landed on the framed photo that sat on the right edge.
“It clashes with everything in the house, but she’s kept it all these years.” Tony followed the direction of her gaze. “It’s also been her excuse to never move on. That’s my opinion, anyway.”
The picture was of her and Harry in their caps and gowns right after graduation, and in her mind, it captured a perfect moment in time. Harry had her arm around her with a wide smile that mirrored her own as she gazed up at her lover. If their time together had been a fairy tale, this was the last page before the story ended with no happy ending.
“I know what you think, but I’ve never forgotten my time with Harry.” The proof that Harry hadn’t forgotten either gave her equal parts grief and happiness. “I don’t blame any of you for hating me, but I didn’t let go easily.”
“No one hates you, Desi, least of all Harry. You broke something in her that has never healed, though, and here you are again.” He moved to the bed, and she finally blinked and looked at him. “When she asked me to get this place ready for you, it didn’t surprise me.”
“Why not? It surprised me.”
“Because even though she’s pissed and has been for so long, that part of her that loved you, craved you, is still alive and well. You’re the key that fits perfectly in the hole in her heart.” He sighed as he touched her arm. “I can see it wasn’t easy for you either, but if you aren’t planning to stay, I need you to tell me. Kenny and I’ll be happy to have you and Rachel stay with us, even though it will be a little cramped, but Harry won’t get her hopes up for nothing. She won’t survive you twice.”
“The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt Harry—not then and not now.” She tried not to lose her composure but couldn’t stop her chin from quivering. “Believe me, I’ve paid over and over for what I did to Harry, but she was free and safe.”
“I’m not blind, sweetie. What you’ve suffered is plain, but I love Harry. You aren’t a prisoner, so this time, talk to her before you go.”
“I promise, but there isn’t a place for me anywhere, not anymore. Byron wants me dead, his family is scary, and Harry got pushed into this.” Once she was on her feet, she’d be out on the street, but it was what she deserved. “You and I both know she needs better than me and my pathetic problems.”
“You have plenty of time to readjust your view of things because Harry thinks no such thing. Take the time to heal and talk to her, but if you want her to move on from her anger, you need to open up. Tell her the truth of what your story is, and I mean all of it. This isn’t the time to hold back. At the very least, give her a way to heal so she can move on.”
“Harry is so lucky to have you.”
He smiled and puffed out his chest. “You’re damn right. Without me there’d be a recliner and a massive television in every room. I set her straight, and I love her. That she still loves you is plain to me as well.”
“I doubt that.” This conversation wasn’t easy, but she appreciated him for trying. “I’m grateful for everything, but I’m the last person Harry wants. I’m damaged goods, and nothing will change that.”
“No one is that far gone, and I’ll be here every day to remind you of that.” He smiled again when she squeezed his fingers. “You’re safe here, and I’m easy to talk to, so I promise to listen.”
“Thank you.” She gladly hugged him when he came closer, and that’s how Kenneth found them.
“Hey, ready for a pain pill?” Kenneth held up a pharmacy bag.
“Can I try without one?” She relaxed against the comfortable pillows. “I hate how they make me feel.”
“Give them a chance for three days or so, and then you can stop. Right now, they help with the healing process.” Kenneth handed her one with a glass of juice. “Later on, we’ll start your antibiotics.”
“Are you a doctor too? Do you work with Harry?” She swallowed the pill and tried to keep her eyes open.
“No, Harry picked gore and glory. I’m a pediatrician, which is fun, but a good reminder of why our border collie is enough kid for both of us.”
“I’d love to work with kids.” She did her best to stifle a yawn, but she was exhausted. “Have you heard from Harry?”
“Don’t wait up for her. From experience, she’s going to be late. Try and get some rest, and we’ll be downstairs if you need anything. Please keep us on Harry’s good side by not trying to move by yourself.”
“I promise, and thank you both for everything.” She closed her eyes, but knew sleep would take some time in coming no matter how tired she was.
Tony was right that she was safe here, but for how long? Her life was like running a deadly gauntlet every single day, and every day she ran slower. Lying here made it easy to pretend what it would’ve been like to live here with Harry.
“Don’t be an idiot.” Fantasies were only dreams little girls had that were soon crushed under life’s boots time and time again.
She stared at the picture and thought back to life without Harry. The nightmare had so many chapters she had a hard time centering on one, but Kenneth’s admission of not wanting children made her settle on that subject. She drifted into memories she would rather have forgotten.
“Byron’s coming home soon, so I have to hang up.” Desi stood at the sink filling a pot with water, getting dinner ready for their fifth anniversary. She was having a hard time hearing Clyde with the bar noise on his end, and Clyde’s coughing wasn’t helping. She hadn’t considered him a parent in a long time.
“He told me the last five years have been the best of his life.”
At least one of them was happy. She gripped the phone, fighting the urge to run and not look back. “That’s great to hear.” She’d learned to lie well. Clyde and Byron’s dad had drinks a few times a week, and Clyde kept no one’s secrets.
“Do something nice for him—he’s been good to you, girl. How about that baby he wants bad?”
“Yeah,” she said noncommittally about the one thing that would truly tie her to Byron forever. “I have to go.” She didn’t often allow herself the luxury of anger—that emotion always ended in a beating—but she seethed with it for Clyde.
Her life had become mechanical, moving from one chore to another to keep from straying into his path. No matter how well she did those things around the house, she got hit, and Byron enjoyed that more than anything. Having a reliable punching bag was why his life was so great.
“You done good for yourself, girl, so you better start thinking about pleasing your man.” Clyde’s threats were clear. “He married you even though you’re a pervert. You’re lucky he loves you.” He had to stop because of the coughing fit that seemed to get worse by the day. “You’re so ungrateful for everything I did for you.”
She hung up, unable to lie and thank him like she usually did. Clyde always called on her anniversary to remind her what a great thing he’d done, but basically this day was a reminder of something completely different. This was the day Clyde had traded away her happiness for this hell.
Leaving, though, would put Rachel in more danger now than whatever Clyde had planned. The leash that kept her tethered to her husband was his constant threat to kill her sister. Her plan to bide her time until Rachel was old enough to get away from Clyde had blown up into this existence.
“Five years, honey. Do you still think about me? Would you even recognize me and the joke I’ve become?” She didn’t speak out loud to an imaginary Harry often, but she hadn’t forgotten her. The door slamming behind her meant her little indulgence had been overheard.
“You think your life here is a joke?” Byron screamed so loud the veins in his neck stood out. “Are you too stupid to know I was the best you were going to get?” He picked up a container full of cooking utensils and threw it at her. “Clyde said you were fucked in the head, and he was right.”
“All I was doing was cooking you dinner.” She tensed, waiting for him to move, and trying to think of her escape route.
“Oh, right,” he said sarcastically. “You’re in here crying over nothing? Is that what you’re doing?” He threw a chair next. “I get to put up with my dad calling me stupid all day, and then I come here and find you crying over some asshole who forgot you before she got to LSU.” He moved too fast for her. “It’s more than a man should have to put up with.”
He struck out blindly in a frenzy, and she was in a ball on the kitchen floor before his anger burned out. She stayed there until the next morning when he demanded breakfast after an insincere apology. He’d ordered her to stay inside until the bruises faded, considering she had only herself to blame.
She’d nodded to appease him, but nothing would ever be different. Byron’s shortcomings would always be there, as would her father, his disappointments, and her tears.