I stripped off my uniform, tossed it in the hamper, and headed for the shower. When I entered the bathroom, I found a surprise waiting for me. The tub the previous owner had installed was far more luxurious than I would have bought, but I had fallen in love with it. There was a separate shower stall in addition to the soaking tub. The tub was filled with hot water, scented with the sage and green tea bath salts I loved. There was a note, held down by a mug, with a thermos standing next to it. I read, "I thought you might need to relax and I didn"t want you to argue with me. I ran the water when I realized I missed your call so it should be hot. There is just the right amount of honey in your tea, enjoy your bath, and I"ll call you in time for dinner. Love, Caity."
I was in shock at her thoughtfulness but I decided to thank her later and do as her note said for now. I moved the mug and thermos to the tub and eased into the hot water. I poured some tea, blew on it to cool it a bit, and sipped before leaning back against the tub to relax. I could feel the tension ebb from my body as the tea and hot water worked their magic.
I was fully relaxed when Caity walked in a little while later. She smiled at me, leaned down and kissed my forehead before asking, "Feeling better? You sounded so stressed earlier today that I thought you could use some time to unwind."
"You are undoubtedly the best woman in the world, Caity Connor! I feel so great right now. Thanks, baby. Is dinner ready? I think I"m about to turn into a prune anyway."
"Yup, by the time you get dried and dressed, I"ll have dinner ready to serve. Come on down when you"re ready."
I watched as she left the bathroom, taking the mug and thermos with her. I let the tub drain, watching as the water swirled around the drain before shaking myself from my thoughts. I pulled a thick bath sheet around me as I got out of the tub and went into the bedroom to dress. I slid on some comfortable baggy shorts and a slightly too large T-shirt, and gave my hair a swift brushing before pulling it back into a ponytail. Deciding against socks or shoes, I padded downstairs to the kitchen and found that the table had been set, the wine poured, and my wonderful Caity was waiting for me.
"Something smells great, honey. You didn"t have to go through so much work for dinner. I would have been happy with a sandwich as long as you were sharing it with me."
I got another kiss before being shown my seat.
"Just sit down and let me get dinner out of the oven. Besides, I love to cook for you and you know it. You"ve been dealing with a lot lately and this is one way I"ve come up with to help you and pamper you a bit."
As she spoke, she was pulling dishes from the oven and bringing them to the table. I watched with antic.i.p.ation, feeling the hunger in my stomach make itself known. "You made your mashed sweet potato ca.s.serole? If I hadn"t already asked you to move in with me, I would certainly do it now," I joked.
In truth, her mashed sweet potatoes are some of the best I"ve ever tasted. She uses baked sweet potatoes, scoops out the insides, mashes them with some b.u.t.ter, cinnamon sugar, nutmeg, and a little cream. Not enough sugar to make them too sweet like those marshmallow concoctions at Thanksgiving, just sweet enough to revel in.
"You made turkey for me too?" I looked over at her as she settled down next to me at the table. Before us sat a roasted turkey breast and a dish of stuffing. There was even a salad. "Did you have a reason for this mini-Thanksgiving?"
"I do actually. Aside from the fact that I am, of course, very grateful for us becoming an us, and our moving in together, I am grateful that Kristy is getting treated in the hospital. I think she needs more help than we realized. I figured we could both use comfort food tonight and what"s better than Thanksgiving? Besides, I admit to cheating. I bought the stuffing at the pre-made foods section of the grocery store deli."
"Baby, it could have been from a box, just that fact that you made us dinner, that you chose comfort foods on a night I really needed the comfort means so much. I am at a loss, you have pampered me from the moment I walked in the door in a way I never thought possible. Thank you, I love you."
I leaned over and kissed her gently, taking a moment to appreciate the feeling of being loved so well. When I sat upright again, I started serving us both dinner and promised to do the dishes.
"What do you think happened today? She didn"t know where she was or how she got there. I have to admit, I was scared when we got there and found her like that."
Caity finished chewing, and then she answered me. "I"m not sure what was going on but I did find out that it actually had been her house at one time. She lived there until she was six years old. She moved around quite a bit from then on before she was placed in the foster care system."
I thought that over but it made me have more questions than it answered. "So, you are telling me that a six-year-old remembered her childhood home well enough for her to find it today, thirty-one years later? What do you mean foster care? I didn"t know she was in foster care."
"Well, she didn"t exactly remember the house. Her doctor hypnotized her to try to make sense of what happened this morning. Her medication wasn"t the cause apparently. All I know is what she told me. By the time I got to the hospital, her doctor had been there for a little while. They moved her to a quiet lounge and talked for a while and I went to the cafeteria. The doctor expedited things and got her moved upstairs to a private room very quickly. She put her on a med/surg floor and is calling it a possible medication reaction to keep it off her records for now."
"Wow, that was really cool of her. I"m a little surprised though. Why is she willing to do that for her?"
Caity shrugged, "I don"t know for certain, but she said something about her loyalty to EMS. I think someone in her family must have been a member of the service. Maybe that"s why she tries to focus on EMS personnel."
"I guess it would explain things if she had a family member in service. I"m just glad she"s taking such great care of Pauli and Kristy."
"Honey, she will be okay, you know that, right?"
"I hope so." I sighed as I said it because I just wasn"t sure if I believed she would ever be back to normal.
"Well, I know you"re worried about it her. You hardly ever call her Kristy. You only do that if it is a serious talk, you told me that once."
"Oh? So now you"re an expert on me, are you?" I grinned to make sure she knew I was kidding. "Well, I guess you"re right. Today I saw Kristy, a vulnerable, injured woman. There was no sign of Spike, the medic extraordinaire that I"ve worked with for years." I mentally shook off the chill that accompanied the reminder of the scene that morning. "So, what else did you learn at the hospital?"
"I couldn"t stay too long since I did have to get to work, but I talked to her by phone during my ride home. From the hypnosis, they discovered that she had lived there until her grandmother died. Then her father kept them moving for a few years until he pa.s.sed away in an accident at his construction site. Her mother had taken off when she was a baby, so there really wasn"t anyone to take care of her."
"I had no idea about any of this stuff. She told me she moved a lot as a kid but not about the foster care. I guess I just figured her family was military or someone kept changing jobs."
"I don"t know but she was only nine when she entered the system. That"s really as much as I learned today other than one thing. I think the doctor wants to keep her in the hospital for a few days. She mentioned something about more hypnosis to figure out what is bothering Kristy enough to have this morning happen."
"Is it all right for me to visit her tomorrow? I don"t want to intrude but I don"t want to leave her there all alone either."
"We can both go in the morning if you like. I don"t work until noon."
"Thanks, baby, I"d like that better than going alone, I think." Her shift registered with me, finally. "Noon? Why are you doing a middle shift? That means you get off at nine?"
She nodded. "I"m doing a favor for someone and switched. I prefer my day shifts but I don"t mind helping out now and then. Kind of like I don"t mind working weekends when you do too. I know that you"re off tomorrow, but I figured you could make me dinner tomorrow night."
"I knew there was a catch in there!" I grinned at her, "I will gladly make you dinner tomorrow night. Any requests?"
"I"m off the next day with you, so I have no bedtime and that means it doesn"t matter. Surprise me with a chef"s special."
She laughed but I started planning the meal in my head. I love cooking for an audience, and Caity is my favorite audience.
I awoke to find Caity already in the shower. I smiled to myself as I slipped from beneath the covers and headed for the bathroom to join her. I knocked gently on the doorframe to announce myself. I wanted to seduce her, not scare her into arresting in the shower. She looked good enough to eat as I watched her through the frosted doors of the shower. It was one of those older shower stalls, over sized with the double gla.s.s doors. One of the features I liked about the house was the frosted doors with pictures of palm trees and a beach etched into them. I had decided that it was sort of like showering in a tropical setting every day.
At my knock, Caity looked up and opened one door slightly. "Good morning, I was letting you sleep in a bit. You were so tired that you fell asleep before your head hit the pillow."
I groaned. "I"m sorry, baby. I didn"t mean to be such a dud. I guess I was more tired than I thought."
She invited me to join her in the shower and slid the door shut after I entered. She moved her slick body against mine as she swept my hair back from my face. All I could feel was her skin against me everywhere. The tips of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were rubbing against mine, both of us with nipples fully erect. Her legs moved so that one was between my thighs and her hands ran over my body in the warm water of the shower. I buried my head in her neck and pulled her tighter against me, needing the warmth of her embrace.
She moved against me, slicking her hands down my back to grab my a.s.s. She ground her thigh between my legs and held me there tightly. My c.l.i.t was throbbing and I could feel how wet she made me. She started nibbling at my neck and moved to suck my left earlobe into her hot mouth. I groaned and pushed against her leg, feeling my hips move on their own. "Baby, you"re killing me. I want you so badly. Let"s go back to bed," I suggested.
She moaned as I found her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with my hands and bit down gently on the tendon in her neck. "I don"t want to stop, I want you right here and now."
She pushed me against the wall of the shower and knelt down below the stream of water. She quickly spread me open with her fingers and moved her tongue up and down my slit. She didn"t tease me much, knowing how close I was already. "Is this what you want, Chloe? You want my tongue? Do you want my fingers too?"
I groaned and tried to keep myself from sliding down the wall. "Please, baby, please, go inside me. I want you inside when I come." I could feel it building, that tightening of my muscles, the way my hips moved without thought, seeking out the warm caresses of Caity"s tongue.
Caity moved quickly then, she slid two fingers in me and I almost screamed from the pleasure of having her inside me. Her tongue moved all over me before settling in a flicking motion against my c.l.i.t. I knew I wouldn"t last long but I didn"t care. All I wanted was to come and then make her do the same. I couldn"t wait to feel her, to be inside of her, and taste her. Just thinking about it got me so excited that I felt my o.r.g.a.s.m start. "Oh G.o.d, Caity, don"t stop. I"m gonna come. Oh G.o.d... yes, baby, YES!" I screamed and then had no more air to scream. My body shuddered instead as wave after wave of electric pleasure rippled through me. All I could feel was Caity"s magical tongue as she continued to gently lick me clean as I finished my o.r.g.a.s.m.
She moved up my body and held me against the wall of the shower. As I started to come back to myself, I felt tears on my face.
"Chloe, what"s wrong? Did I hurt you?"
I shook my head and tried to figure out what was wrong. "I don"t know, maybe nothing. Maybe I"m just so happy I started crying. I love you so d.a.m.n much, Caity."
She wrapped her arms around me tighter and ran her fingers through my hair as I rested my head against her shoulder. "I love you too, honey, I love you too. I love how you love me. Let"s go lay down for a bit. I want to hold you."
We dried off and went back to bed, snuggling under the covers. I relaxed as she held me, letting my mind drift a bit as my hands wandered over her beautiful body. She was slowly stroking my back and held me close to her, keeping as much skin in contact as possible.
I felt the muscles of her abdomen under my hand and started to move slowly upward in small circles of light ma.s.sage. "Let me show you, baby, let me show you how much I love you!"
I continued to caress her as I reached her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, working my way around the outer skin of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as I shifted my body to lie more on top of her than on my side. I let my thumbs graze her nipples which were already stiff and enlarged for me. I heard her moan and felt her body shift to allow me greater access. I ran my tongue around her navel before sliding my tongue up her body and nibbling the undersides of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. I let one hand wander down to stroke the smooth skin of her thighs, while my other hand was tangled in her shiny brown hair. I feasted on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, moving from one to the other and back again while my hand, guided by her moans, moved towards her center.
"Please, Chloe, touch me. Go inside me." She moved her head back and forth letting out little gasps as I found sensitive areas and teased them before moving on to different spots. I let one finger brush gently against her opening before moving to smooth her wetness around her c.l.i.t.
Groaning with need, I slipped through her juice, coating my fingers, which I then used to paint her nipple before returning my hand to her. I licked her b.r.e.a.s.t.s clean and moved to kiss her neck before capturing her mouth.
"What do you want, Caity? How do you want me?"
Gasping, she replied, "I don"t care, just take me hard, fast, and soon. I need to come so badly. Please, baby, let me come."
Grinning at the need in her voice, no, I grinned because I put that need in her voice; I decided it was time to move things along. I pulled her arms up and over her head.
I told her what I wanted. "Hold on to the headboard, just like that. Just leave them up there or I"ll stop what I"m doing until you"re holding on again."
She whimpered and nodded, need driving her crazy. I could see it in her eyes, those gorgeous hazel eyes had grown darker with an even darker ring around the iris. I kissed her again, hard and demanding. I settled between her hips, spreading her legs even wider for me. When I thrust my tongue into her mouth, I also pushed three fingers into her dripping center I put the force of my hips behind it as I sank into her heat and we both cried out from the sheer pleasure of it. I started moving, making sure that my hand b.u.mped into her enlarged c.l.i.t every time I entered her. I could feel her body as it tightened, preparing for her release.
"You like it this way, don"t you, baby? You feel me inside of you?"
"Yes, yes. Deeper, Chloe, go deeper. I want you so much, baby, so much."
I sat up suddenly in bed, automatically reaching out for Caity next to me. She wasn"t there and I felt the panic rise in my throat. I threw aside the covers and went looking for her. I found her in the guest room that Kristy was staying in. She was on her cell phone and I relaxed a little. It must have rung and I didn"t hear it. She heard me and turned to motion that she would be just another minute.
"Yes, I understand, thank you for calling." Then she closed her phone.
"What"s going on? I"m sorry, I didn"t even hear the phone ring."
She took a deep breath and started crying. Not knowing what to do I gathered her in my arms and tried to sooth her. "What happened? Is it Kristy?"
She tried to get her voice under control, and then pushed in closer to me. "That was Captain Williams. There was an incident at a call today and Pauli was injured. She"s in the ER at University right now."
"What happened? Let"s get dressed and go over." I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into the bathroom so we could wash up from activities that now seemed far away. I helped her get dressed while she continued to cry and to try to tell me what she knew.
"They went out to a call for an injured person. Turns out, it was a domestic issue and there were no cops on scene. They went in and there was a call from Tony for police to respond as well as for another crew. That"s really all the captain could tell me."
"Let"s get down there and find out. I"m going with you and we"ll take care of her."
We jumped in the car and headed to the hospital, about a ten-minute drive. There was absolute silence until we drew close. I didn"t know what to do other than hold her hand while she just stared out the window.
As we got close, Caity turned to me and asked, "What will I do if something happens to her, Chloe? She"s the only sister I have. My parents told me to look out for her."
I glanced over as I turned into the parking area by the ER. "You didn"t injure her, Caity. You"re a great sister, and Pauli knows how much you love her. Your parents would never have expected that you care for her constantly. She is an adult and she knows how to take care of herself. Let"s just get inside and see what is actually going on."
CHAPTER 12.
CAITY GRABBED MY hand tightly as I brought us in the ambulance entrance to the ER. We went to the board and saw what room Pauli was in but I still stopped a nurse and asked about her condition, as well as that of her partner, before we went to see for ourselves. I didn"t want Caity to walk in to a b.l.o.o.d.y mess or watching them resuscitate her sister.
"You can go on in, Donny. I think they are keeping her on a twenty-four hour hold, just to watch her, but she"s going to be fine."
I gave the nurse a grateful smile and brought Caity to the curtain covering the entrance to Pauli"s cubicle. I stuck my head around the curtain first, just to make sure there was nothing showing that would upset Caity, then pulled her inside with me. Pauli was sacked out, her left arm was immobilized, and there was a dressing on her forehead. Other than that, she looked unharmed.
Caity took hold of Pauli"s right hand and held it tightly between her own. Pauli"s eyes started to open and she winced as she turned to look at Caity.
"Hey, kiddo, how ya feeling?" I had to ask, no one was saying anything and the quiet was deafening.
"Sore, but I"ll be fine, Donny. Thanks for bringing her down. Caity, did you hear me? I"m going to be just fine." Pauli tried to get Caity to look at her, but Caity kept her head down, bowed over Pauli"s right hand.
"Baby, isn"t that good? Pauli"s going to be fine. Honey?" I bent down next to her, trying to catch her attention. Without warning, she released Pauli"s hand and started to collapse against me. I grabbed at her, catching her before she could fall and put her in the chair next to the bed.
"Put your head down between your knees. That"s it. I"ve got you, baby. Everything is fine." I rubbed her back and kept an eye on her until she was able to bring her head up without looking as white as a sheet. She gave us both a sheepish smile.
"I"m sorry, I don"t know what happened."
I hugged her close, "It"s a normal reaction, baby. You were worried about your kid sister and it was the relief combined with the stress. Your body got overwhelmed for a minute but you"re okay now."
Pauli was looking at us with concern. "I"m sorry, Caity. I didn"t mean to make you worry. I"m really fine. I could go home right now if they would let me. The captain says I have to stay here overnight so that I"m covered by the insurance and stuff. I"ll do what they tell me to, so please, don"t worry."
She looked more worried about Caity than she was about her own injuries. I had to put a stop to this and find out what had happened.
"Look, you two, I think this sisterly joint worry thing is great and all but can we take a break? Caity, she is going to be fine, let"s find out why she is here to begin with, and Pauli, Caity is fine as well, she really didn"t eat yet today so that may have had something to do with it."
I looked at them both and they looked at me, then at each other and grinned. Finally! A break through at last! Encouraged, I pressed on, "Now, as a part of your chain of command and as a concerned friend, tell me what happened out there?"
Pauli rubbed her hand over her face and ruffled up her spiky blond hair as she gathered her thoughts. "Well, we were dispatched to the address for an injured woman and we had no additional information. According to county, the caller simply gave the address and said his wife was injured. He didn"t say anything else before he hung up. We arrived on scene and when I radioed dispatch, they said PD was en route, but they would be another five minutes. We grabbed our gear and went to the door, I was lead, and Tony had my back."
She stopped to think and I looked to Caity. She appeared to be handling this pretty well so far but I moved a little so I could keep a better eye on her as Pauli continued.
"The door was partially open, so after knocking and identifying ourselves, we made our way inside. I had Tony hang back a bit to keep the exit route clear and started calling out and trying to find the patient. There was a long hall that I went down that led to a large kitchen and it was when I got closer that I saw the blood."
She stopped then and just stared ahead of her.
"What blood, Pauli? What happened?" I asked but I was afraid I knew the answer.
"I called to Tony to hurry up PD as I went into the kitchen, focused on the woman on the ground. She was bleeding heavily from a chest wound, so I started with direct pressure and I was trying to work on her when I heard Tony yell to me. As he came in, he had seen the guy in the corner coming towards me. Donny, this was my fault! I tunnel-visioned on the patient and didn"t check the room out first."
I looked at her and tried to figure out how to handle this well. Yeah, technically she was right. She should have checked the room for safety first, but we"re human too. She saw a large amount of blood and a still viable patient. She did what we are trained to do, she tried to save a life.