Chapter Seven
JULIE COULD HARDLY wrap her mind around the audacity of her patient trying to pull the strings of her life. The very idea of staying at his house? Outrageous! She imagined the scene: her, a complete stranger, thrown into the chaos of this man’s home, mingling with a bunch of unfamiliar faces—men she had only just met. It bordered on the ridiculous. How did he expect her to waltz into that circus? No way. Not happening! A mix of disbelief and frustration bubbled within her. Surely, there had to be another way out of this madness. Deep down, her favorite fantasy flickered to life: perhaps this was all an elaborate hoax, a cruel joke.
Caught in a whirlwind of panic and disbelief, she desperately searched for another way to face the day ahead. A day that had turned into a waking nightmare. A bomb in her car! How could this happen? It had to be a mistake—a cruel twist of fate. She fervently thanked God for having the foresight to let Casey inspect her vehicle before she dared to approach it. The chilling thought of what might have occurred had she turned the key and unleashed that deadly engine sent shivers down her spine. She could almost feel the explosion reverberating through her mind, a haunting reminder of just how close she had come to oblivion.
Frustrated with what her life had become, she snapped, “Go to your home? No way, Rodney!”
He raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk appearing. “Why not? It’s as secure as a bank vault on lockdown.”
Seriously? Did this guy crawl out from under a rock? “Because I don’t know you from a hole in the wall.”
Rodney shrugged, a playful glimmer in his eye. “Guess what? I don’t know you, but I’ll risk my life for you.”
“See, here’s the rub. I don’t want anyone risking their life for me, especially people I don’t know.” She shook her head in disbelief. “This feels like something out of the Twilight Zone.”
Rodney chuckled. “Twilight Zone? When did blowing up cars become a feature of the Twilight Zone?”
She wanted to stomp her foot to emphasize her point but knew she had to act maturely to win this battle. “You know what I mean.”
With a heavy sigh, Doc wiped his hand across his face. She could see the pain in his eyes from the wound she had just repaired. She realized it must be painful for him to sit like that.
“I get that,” he said. “I really do. It’s a difficult situation for anyone to deal with. And maybe we’ll find out that only your car—not you—was the intended target, letting you move on and leave all of this behind quickly.”
Julie could only hope for a resolution, but she didn’t want to believe that the hospital had become the target of a sinister plot either. The thought of her colleagues and patients being harmed was unbearable. How did her life spiral into this chaos? She has always been a law-abiding citizen, following the rules—except for the occasional red light she ran while responding to emergencies at two in the morning when the roads were clear. She has nurtured strong friendships and treated them with care and respect. So, when did she become unworthy of peace? Surely, she deserves better than to have her world turned upside down.
She stiffened her back and tried to take control of the situation to prevent herself from breaking down. “Let’s revisit this and see what other plans can be implemented.”
“Is there a reason my house is so offensive?” Doc shifted in the seat, and she could only hope he hadn’t torn the stitches she had painstakingly placed.
“I don’t—” She cleared her throat. “I don’t find your place offensive. I—” Julie wasn’t sure how to explain this to him. He seemed so eager to take on a job he thought needed to be done for her, while she just wanted her life to be simple and straightforward. “It’s just a lot to take in all at once.”
Rodney nodded. “I get that, too. However, as you would in an operating room, you must take this seriously. No matter the circumstances, you must take charge and do what’s best for your patient. Here, you should prioritize your well-being so we can protect you until we’re sure you aren’t the intended target. After that, we can reassess the situation. If everything checks out, you can say goodbye to us. But I won’t allow you to dismiss me or the team until I determine it’s safe.”
Julie’s back tensed as her anger flared. Of all the things to say when she began to understand his perspective. “You won’t? What do you mean, ‘You won’t?’”
He winced. “I guess it was the wrong choice of words.”
Her blood ran hot. “You guess?”
Rodney flashed that cocky little smile she was beginning to appreciate. “Are you going to repeat everything I say?”
Refocusing herself, Julie shook her head. “No. I need to take control of my life. I can’t just hand it over to a stranger.”
“Okay, how about we partner on this, then? We’ll do as you wish—” Rodney raised his hand when she opened her mouth to speak. “—to a point. We won’t do it, or we’ll make other arrangements if I think it's unsafe. Can we agree on that?”
It didn’t seem like she had many options in the matter. This man and his teammates genuinely believed she was in danger and wanted to protect her. Her! A complete stranger. Now, she was truly repeating herself. At least he was seeing things her way and compromising. She realized she had no alternatives. Those men would follow her around until they decided it was clear or got bored playing superheroes.
With a sigh, she replied, “I can work with that. But only until we determine if the bomb was meant for me, which I seriously doubt since I haven’t made any enemies in my life.”
“You’d be amazed at how many enemies one accumulates without even realizing it.”
“I doubt I have any. I try to be respectful to others, but sometimes it leaves me at a disadvantage.”
Rodney furrowed his brow. “In what way?”
She sensed her words had struck a nerve. While she meant what she said, she hadn’t intended for him to take it so seriously. “I appreciate the little courtesies in life, like letting others move ahead of me in line. However, when this happens, it often delays my plans more than I expected. It’s like my experience in traffic. Those small gestures can significantly disrupt my timing.”
“What about Dr. Garcia? Have you made an enemy out of him? With the trial and everything?”
Despite the whirlwind of emotions in her heart, she and Dr. Garcia upheld their professional camaraderie. They rarely crossed paths in the office, often occupied with patients or tied to their respective hospital duties—sometimes even on opposite shifts. To her surprise, he hadn’t treated her any differently since the incident. But was he truly okay with her testifying at the trial? Sure, the medical board cleared him, but did that mean she should also feel free?
Yes, she felt a twinge of blame for him, but it was only because she would have handled things differently. Yet, did that make her right? After all, her choices could have also led to the boy’s tragic fate. Perfection was a tall order in her field. One misstep in her line of work could result in bitter enemies and lost lives. The pressure was immense, and she felt the weight of it all teetering on the edge between duty and morality.
“I don’t think so. Our professional relationship has remained as steady as a heart rate monitor during a code blue,” she replied, her playful yet resolute tone resembling that of a surgeon in the operating room.
Redirecting the conversation, she said, “Where’s your home? What kind of place is it? How many bedrooms does it have? Where will I sleep?” Her curiosity overwhelmed her sense of propriety.
Turning to her, Rodney offered a small smile. “Inner Harbor,” he began, his voice steady and reassuring. “It’s a townhouse with three bedrooms. You'll be in one of the guest bedrooms. Does that answer your sudden barrage of questions?” His tone was both teasing and informative, cutting through the tension of the unknown.
Julie felt a heat wave wash over her at her unexpected reaction to him. The way he smiled, with a playful glint in his eye and the teasing lilt in his voice, wrapped around her like a warm blanket, accompanied by his commanding presence. Not to mention how strikingly handsome he was, with his chiseled jawline lightly shadowed by several days of stubble and short hair that fell just right. But she knew she couldn’t allow herself to think that way— not now, and certainly not ever. He was a patient, and the strict code of ethics dictated the boundaries she must uphold. She didn’t have any genuine desire for him. She merely found him—her mind raced to capture the right words. It came to her with sudden clarity, like a snap of her fingers. She found him “undeniably charming,” enchanting in a way that tugged at her tightly held composure.
With a nod, she replied, “Yes. Thank you.” She didn’t ask where he and the other men would sleep. She had no intention of bunking with any of them, no matter how real the threat might be.
When her cell rang, she nearly jumped out of the car. Pulling it from her purse, she saw Laura calling on video. As she went to answer, her mind raced with thoughts about what to say. “Can I tell my friends where I’m staying?” Not that she knew.
Rodney shook his head. “Nobody.”
She planned to revisit that point later but wanted to respond now in case it was urgent, as Laura usually didn’t call during Julie’s work shift. She accepted the call and positioned the phone so she could see her face on the video call. “Hi, Laura. Is everything okay?”
Her friend’s voice came alive on the phone. “Okay?” she asked. “I just heard there was a bomb at the hospital. Are you okay? Of course, you’re okay. I see you.”
Julie wanted to laugh but knew it wouldn’t be well-received, so she replied, “You’re not going to believe the day I’ve had.” That was all she could say before Rodney reached over and ended the call.
“Hey! I was talking to my friend.” How could he end her call without her permission?
“No one knows where you’re staying, what happened today, or anything about us. If you’d like me to be your shadow, you can introduce me as a visiting colleague so I can go with you everywhere in the hospital.”
Still furious over his disconnecting her call, Julie narrowed her eyes at him. “Hell no, I’m not.”