CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“I feel like a child,” Nick grumbled from the passenger seat. “A grown man shouldn’t have to ask for a ride every time he needs to go somewhere.”
“Be quiet, and sip your juice box,” Tess said. “Let me know if you need a potty stop.”
“Not funny.” It was Tuesday morning, and they were on the way to New Hampton for his second opinion.
“Think of me more as a chauffeur. You’re not a child. You’re a VIP.” She switched to a British accent. “You’re much too fancy to drive yourself. Only plebs drive themselves.”
“You’re nuts,” he said, fighting a smile.
“Sorry, I may be hanging out with Faith too much.”
“ That chick is wild,” Nick said. “How are you guys even friends? You’re so pragmatic and organized. She’s into all that woo-woo stuff. You seem like real opposites.”
“They say opposites attract. Maybe that applies to friendships too. She balances out my anal-ness. And she’s fun. Never a dull moment with that one.”
She had a point there. Every time Nick was around Faith, he left annoyed but smiling. Her carefree attitude kind of grew on a person. “You know she messes with tarot cards?”
Tess gave him a sideways look. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Think about what?” he asked.
“Getting involved with Faith.”
“Trust me. That hasn’t crossed my mind.” Or had it? Multiple times.
“She’s gorgeous and fun, but unpredictable, especially in relationships. She gets attached quickly and then loses interest just as fast. Burns through men like nobody’s business.”
“I just said I wasn’t interested.”
“Uh-huh. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I thought she was your best friend.”
“She is. Which is why I know her so well.”
“Why would I get hurt?”
“You tend to get in serious relationships that start off great but eventually fall apart. Faith’s never had a relationship go past two months. Neither of you seems cut out for forever.”
“You’re acting like I want to marry her. Calm down.”
“I’m just saying, dating Faith is a terrible idea. She’s your polar opposite, she never wants to leave GVF, and she’d drive you crazy. It’ll blow up, and I’ll be stuck in the middle.” She paused and then muttered, “déjà vu.”
“How many times do I have to say it? I’m not interested in Faith.”
Tess grunted in response. She dropped him off at the doctor’s office and left to do some shopping. Nick hoped this guy had better news than the last.
“This is healing nicely,” Dr. Butler said, poking around Nick’s chest.
“That one seems all right,” he said. “It’s my leg that’s still giving me trouble.”
“How so?”
“I thought it would feel better by now, but everything is still painful—stretching, the PT, walking too far, sometimes even doing nothing at all. It’s more than a muscle thing. It’s like the bone hurts. Is that possible?”
“I wonder…” Dr. Butler went to the counter and pulled out an X-ray. “We had the doctor in Boston send this over with your file.” He hooked the large film onto a lighted box and pointed to a particular spot.
“I don’t see anything,” Nick said.
“It’s small. That’s why another doctor might have missed it, but look here.” He used his pinky to circle a minuscule black dot. “I think a fragment of bullet or bone is still floating around near your femur.”
“Would that explain the pain? How do we verify it? And what happens if you’re right?”
“Yes, and I’ll order a CT scan. You can head over there now, and we should get results tomorrow or the next day. I’ll call as soon as they’re back. If I’m right, you’ll need another surgery to remove it.”
Nick sighed in frustration but had to admit, one good thing about small-town doctoring was availability. No way things would move this quickly in the city.
“Let’s go for the scan. Anything to make sure I get better. Would you mind if I got a second opinion?”
“Not at all. I can send the CT results via email. Just let my receptionist know where. In the meantime, you know what might help?”
“Please don’t say—”
“Yoga!”
“Of course,” Nick mumbled.
He texted Tess to advise her he would be longer than planned then followed the doctor’s directions to the lab.
Either the doctor gave him bad information, or he’d taken a wrong turn because he ended up in the children’s ward. At least that was what he assumed from the cheerful cartoon jungle animals painted on pastel green and yellow walls. As he turned to go, he heard a familiar laugh.
Jerking his head to the sound, sure enough, it was Faith, laughing with a little girl while doing something to her hair.
“Can I have a fancy braid like Elsie’s?” the child asked.
“Of course,” Faith said. “I’ll make it like a crown, since you are a beautiful princess.” The girl beamed up at Faith.
Nick stopped at the nurse’s desk. “Can you give me directions to radiology?”
“Sure,” the nurse said. “Go back the way you came and take a left at the T.” She smoothed her hair and licked her lips. “I’d be happy to walk with you.”
“That won’t be necessary. Thanks,” he said. “What’s that all about?”
The nurse looked to where he pointed. “Faith? She comes in once a week to visit the kids. Give haircuts and style the girls’ hair. Sometimes just to play games or read to them.”
“Oh,” he said, somewhat stunned. “Well, thanks for the directions.” He left before Faith saw him but couldn’t get the image out of his mind.
He got the scan, limped out to the front of the building, and parked himself on a bench to wait for Tess. While he waited, he called his doctor in Boston, told them the situation, and confirmed they could do a phone consult once they received the emailed results of the CT.
Five minutes later, Tess pulled into the circular entryway. “Hey,” she greeted. “How’d it go?”
“Not good,” Nick grumbled. His leg hurt like hell, but he was determined to stay off the pain pills. “This doctor thinks the other guy missed something, and they may need to operate again.”
“I’m sorry, Bro. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear.”
“If I don’t heal completely, my job could be on the line. Then what will I do?”
Tess glanced at him from the driver’s seat. “Cross that bridge when you come to it.”
He remained silent. His whole life was the job. All he’d ever wanted and worked for. Spending the next twenty years shackled to a desk was out of the question. If he couldn’t carry a gun and catch bad guys, he didn’t want to do it.
“When will you find out for sure?” she asked.
“Couple days. I’m having the results sent to Boston for them to weigh in too.”
“What about your chest? Is that healing okay?”
“Yeah. It barely hurts at all anymore. I still don’t have full range of motion on my arm, but therapy is helping with that. Hey, did you know Faith volunteers here?”
“What? No she doesn’t.”
“I just saw her. And the nurse I asked said she comes in every week.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m gimpy, not blind,” he said.
“Huh. She’s never mentioned it. I’ll have to ask her about it.”
“Maybe she doesn’t want anyone to know, and I shouldn’t have said anything. For some reason, it reminded me of a time I saw her bullying someone in high school.”
“Faith bully someone? No way.”
“Way,” he said childishly. “I was the TA for her English class. She was like a foot taller than the other girl and was totally in her face. Threatening like. The girl seemed scared out of her mind. I remember debating whether to tell someone.”
“I’ve known Faith since kindergarten. I would know if she’d been a bully.”
He shrugged. It didn’t really matter to him one way or the other.
“Wait a second,” Tess said. “That would have been your senior year then? So our sophomore year?”
“Yeah. Must have been April because it was the Friday before spring break. That’s why I never did say anything. Lost its sense of urgency over the time off.”
“Hah.” Tess hit the steering wheel. “I know what that was. The girl’s name was Heather, and she was bullying Alex. Faith found out and told Heather if she said another mean thing to or about Alex, she’d have to answer to Faith. Everyone knew Faith was sweeter than honey, so her threat left a real impression on Heather. Who never bullied Alex again, by the way.”
“Honestly, I don’t care.”
“Alex had no idea,” Tess continued anyway. “None of us did. Faith made Heather swear not to tell anyone.”
“How do you know that’s what happened then?”
“We didn’t find out until our senior year. Heather and Alex had become friends by then, and Heather told Alex what had happened to make her stop being so mean.”
“Whatever.” He shook his head. “We’ve derailed. Back to my thing. This might all get done via email, but if I have to go to Boston, could you drive me?”
“Depends on when. I’ve got that Weekend Warrior campout coming up.” She switched to her mocking, motherly tone. “Sounds like you were a good boy. You wanna get ice cream?”
He huffed as she ruffled his hair. “Yes, please.”
Two days later, when he arrived at the coffee shop, Faith was sitting with a strange man. Nick knew almost everyone in town and immediately pegged the guy as an outsider. He got his coffee and sat two tables over, where he could hear their conversation.
“That’s not what you said on your profile,” Faith said to the guy.
“What profile?”
“Your dating profile. On the Match Me app.”
Nick wasn’t even pretending not to listen anymore. This was getting good.
“Huh? I’m not on a dating app.”
Faith pulled out her phone and tapped a few times. “Who’s this then?” She faced the screen toward the man, whose brows narrowed in disbelief.
“Also, how do you think we met?” Faith cast a furtive glance around the room, catching Nick’s eye as he smothered a smile.
“My mom is friends with yours. They set us up.”
“My mom died a month ago,” Faith said quietly.
Confusion, realization, and finally consternation ran across the guy’s face. “This has my mother written all over it. She must have set up a fake dating profile and has been impersonating me. I don’t believe it!” He plowed a hand through his hair. “Scratch that. I do believe it.”
“Oh,” Faith said.
The stranger took a deep breath. “I’m real sorry about your mom. And you seem very nice, but if you’ll excuse me, I have a homicide to commit.”
“Justifiable.” Faith nodded. “Before you kill her, tell your mom it was nice chatting with her.”
Nick choked back a laugh. Faith watched as the man stormed out the door. She picked up her coffee and walked over to his table.
“When they say it’s a jungle out there, they aren’t kidding,” she said, sitting across from him. Her skirt came up to mid-thigh, and he had a hard time looking away as she crossed a pair of slender, shapely legs.
“How far do these men drive to meet you?” he asked, snapping his attention back to her face.
“Oh, they come from all over.” She took a swig of coffee. “It does surprise me sometimes how far some are willing to travel.”
“They do it because you’re pretty, Faith.”
“You think so?” She smiled.
“I’m a man. Trust me.”
“I mean, I’m not complaining.” She shrugged. “Better they meet me on my home turf than me driving all over New Hampshire. This is safer too.”
His phone rang, and he held up a finger to shush her. It was Dr. Butler, calling to confirm the bad news.
“There’s definitely a chunk of something—I’m betting on bone—that needs to come out. Sooner the better, so you don’t end up with a permanent limp.”
“Have you emailed the results to Boston?”
“Yes, my receptionist did that right after we got them.”
“Thank you. Once I get it verified, can you do the surgery? And if so, how soon could you do it?”
“Sure, I can do it. It’s a straightforward, minimally invasive procedure. You’ll have to check with the front desk about my schedule, but I know it’s important to you, so I’ll tell them to make room whenever you’re ready.”
Nick sighed. “Thanks, Doc. Appreciate it. I’ll be in touch.”
“That about another surgery?”
He nodded. “At least the mystery as to why my leg isn’t healing is solved. I’m so pissed the Boston doc missed it. He’s supposed to be some big shot specialist, and it’s the doctor from Hicksville who finds it?”
“I’m sorry, Nick.” She laid a hand on his. It was warm from her coffee cup.
“I saw you at the hospital. With the kids.”
Her eyes widened in surprise, then she glanced away, almost as if she was embarrassed to be caught.
“Why don’t you tell anyone?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “It started when my mom got sick. While she did her chemo appointments, I’d visit the kids. They always cheered me up. They still do.”
Finding out Faith wasn’t a bully—that she’d actually been sticking up for her friend all those years ago—had intrigued him. Made him see her in a different light. She came off as flighty and unserious, and maybe that was partially true. But the more he got to know her, the more he realized she was more than the horoscopes and psychics and tarot cards.
“Anyway, I gotta get to work.” She stood. “See ya around.”
He watched her walk out and then refocused on his leg problem. It took twenty minutes to get his doctor in Boston on the phone.
“Hate to say it, but your guy is right,” he said. “We missed a piece of something.”
“Is that why my leg’s still jacked up?”
“Can’t say for certain it’s the only thing, but it sure as hell isn’t helping. It should come out as soon as possible. The longer you wait to remove it, the more your leg’s healing for nothing.”
“When would you be able to do it?”
“I’m pretty sure my surgery schedule’s booked up for months. Maybe we could shuffle things around to get you in sooner, but I can’t promise anything.”
Nick kept his mouth shut, silently seething. How much needless time away from the job had this cost him? How many pain pills had he taken unnecessarily? How much permanent damage might be done to his leg?
“Forget it,” Nick said. “I’ll have someone here do it.”
He called Dr. Butler back, who, after some shuffling, was able to fit Nick in for the following Monday—four days away.