Chapter 5
Patch
Finally reaching my office is a relief. Because of the tiny apartment upstairs, I think of it as my own little stronghold in a sometimes-chaotic world.
When I don’t have time to ride thirty minutes to my house in the suburbs, my place in the city saves me from rolling up on my parents or renting a hotel room.
That’s the main reason I don’t rent it out. I’m selfish that way.
When we get off my bike, Beth looks like she’s about to cry.
I can tell by the way she clung to me on the way here that although she might be holding it together on the outside, she’s falling apart on the inside.
Of course she is. First, she discovers her stepfather is a monster, trying his best to traffic her for personal gain, and then my mother gets the bright idea that an arranged marriage to a man fourteen years her senior is the only surefire solution to her problem.
Any nineteen-year-old would be freaked out and looking to attach herself to the first decent guy who offered her protection.
As we enter the office, I see a couple of patients who have signed in early for their appointments. I hear a phone ring somewhere behind the front desk. My staff moves with purpose.
Sharon is the first to greet us. “Good morning, Doc.” As always, she’s wearing scrubs with her hair pulled up in a messy bun.
“Morning, Sharon.” Glancing around at the rest of my staff, I add, “And other miscellaneous peeps.”
They roll their eyes and Maggie laughs.
Sharon gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry about Crow thinking you’re dazzling us all with your amazing medical skills.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “How did you find out about that? He swore us all to secrecy.”
Her eyes sparkle with mischief. “And then he sobered up and told on himself.”
I step to the side because Beth is practically hiding behind me. “I’d like to introduce everyone to my new wife.”
The entire front office goes quiet, and Beth chokes out a strangled gasp as her eyes go wide. “We’re not technically married,” she whispers.
I tilt my head slightly. “That marriage license in your purse says otherwise.”
She brings her hand to her mouth and mumbles, “We need to do the second part, remember?”
I shrug and announce, “Fine, she’s my almost wife.”
Sharon looks Beth over, clearly confused. “Where did she come from? Don’t tell me you got yourself a beautiful Russian mail-order bride.”
Beth makes an indignant sound. “I’m not a mail-order bride.” Giving me a quick glance, she adds, “When you know, you know. Patch and I have known one another for years.”
This is Beth, selling the story we came up with. So, I pick up where she left off. “Sometimes you just gotta take the bull by the horns, right?”
Sharon’s eyes narrow on me. “So how come this is the first we’ve heard about you having a woman?”
“We need some entertainment, and shame on you, Dr. Patchett, for not sharing this sooner,” Maggie mock scolds.
I give my nurse and receptionist a look intended to warn them to mind their own business. “Although it’s not anyone’s business, Beth and I have known each other since we were children. Our mothers were best friends.”
Understanding clicks onto Sharon’s face. “So, the moms got tired of you two dancing around each other and made the match. That makes worlds more sense.”
“Yeah,” I tell her. “It was something exactly like that. We decided not to waste any more time.” Glancing around, I tell them, “Look, it’s been a long morning. I’m going to get Beth settled into my apartment upstairs. I’ll be back down shortly. Go ahead and put our patients into exam rooms.”
Sharon smiles at Beth. “It’s nice to meet you. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to let me know.”
Beth finally perks up. “That’s really nice of you. I hope to get to know you all better in the near future.”
The other women chime in their welcomes as well.
Now, I know we didn’t have to tell them anything.
But I’m pretty sure all of my employees bought the story, even Sharon, who is notoriously suspicious by nature.
Plus, we’re a pretty close-knit group. This was my way of setting Beth up for success.
Now that they know how important she is to me, my hope is that they will go the extra mile to make her feel welcome.
I put my hand at the small of Beth’s back and guide her upstairs. “In addition to my home in the suburbs, I have an apartment above the office. I’m going to give you some time to decompress because you look like you could use it.”
“Thanks. It’s been a rough last twenty-four hours.”
“I can only imagine. I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but you’re holding up like a trooper. I never realized how strong and resilient you are.”
She shoots me a mildly amused look. “I’m more than just a pretty face, as they say.”
“In my opinion, it’s more important to be smart and strong. Beauty fades but good character never gets old.”
“My mother’s beauty never faded, and she was of good character until the day she died,” Beth says earnestly.
“I can’t argue that point. Your mother was a great woman and much loved in our community, especially by me and my parents.”
She chokes up a little but doesn’t respond. I take that to mean now isn’t the right time to touch on her grief.
***
After getting Beth settled in, I head back down to my office, taking our marriage license with me to copy it and put it in my safe. Sinking down into my office chair, I toss the document onto my desk and steeple my fingers together as I decide how to approach her stepfather.
I can’t believe he struts around Las Salinas acting like he’s pious and perfect while trying to traffic his own stepdaughter on the down-low. I can’t even imagine the astronomical amount he could get for such a sweet, innocent young lady. That asshole doesn’t deserve to ever set eyes on her again.
However, deep down, I don’t think that’s punishment enough for him.
If there were evidence, a judge might call this attempted trafficking, but to my mind it’s trafficking pure and simple because he already made the deal.
He just didn’t get a chance to deliver the victim to the buyer.
Sound reasoning tells me no one is looking to acquire an innocent young virgin to exploit her for their own use.
The more I think on it, the angrier I get.
I pick up the marriage license. The paper is heavy archival paper with black ink and our two signatures side by side.
This creates a link that her stepfather cannot easily break.
I quickly snap a picture with my phone. My thumb hovers over the screen for a moment, then I open a text box and begin typing out a message to her stepfather.
I decide to make it seem like a done deal.
I wanted you to hear it from me first. Elizabeth and I were married this morning at the courthouse. As you know, our mothers were best friends, we grew up together, and it was her mother’s dying wish that we end up together. I’ll take care of her, just as I promised her mother before she passed.
My thumb quickly hits send before I can second guess myself. The screen blinks and the message is sent. My phone rings within minutes. His name lights up across the screen.
I don’t even get the chance to say hello before her stepfather begins his angry rant.
“What the hell is going on here? Her mother never said a word about you marrying my daughter.”
“Stepdaughter. And just because she didn’t tell you doesn’t mean it isn’t so.”
“I can’t believe you just ran off and married her. She’s a child, Solomon.”
“Beth is nineteen, old enough to know what she wants out of life, and what she doesn’t want…” I leave the last bit hanging. I’m in two minds whether to tell him what Beth overheard.
“I’m calling your parents right now. They won’t stand for this.”
“Who do you think arranged our marriage? It was your wife and my mother. If you think about the situation, you’ll find it makes perfect sense.”
“She’s confused and grieving. You took advantage of her when she was vulnerable and that’s not morally right.”
I’m about to tell him that he’s the one who wanted to take advantage of her, but I bite my tongue.
As yet there’s no evidence. “By law, she can marry who she likes. She won’t be the first woman to marry young.
She chose me and I’m in a position to provide well for her and any children we might have.
Once you calm down, I think you’ll see it’s for the best.”
“Absolutely not. If you don’t get an annulment today, I will. Do you hear me, Solomon? I’ll go to Father Michael if I have to.”
“You can go to whoever you want,” I tell him flatly. “It won’t change anything. The license is signed and there is nothing you can do legally to change it.”
“We’ll see about that. You’re crazy if you think I’m gonna stand for this.”
“Robert.” I cut him off, raising my voice.
“Listen to me. Beth is my wife. Her mother wanted us to be together because she trusted me to take care of her. There are very few reasons to revoke a marriage license in this state. The bottom line is you have no reasonable justification for attempting to revoke our marriage license. You can rage and call whoever you like, but the fact is, she’s mine to protect moving forward. ”
I tap the screen, attach the photo of the marriage license, and send it, thinking that should surely shut him up for a while. The next thing I hear is a string of curses before the line goes dead. I stare at the screen a second before turning the ringer off and sliding it into my pocket.
All his screaming and threats don’t rattle me. If anything, it hardens me for the coming battle with him.
By noon, my stomach’s growling so loud that Sharon asks, “Aren’t you getting hungry? You can have a bite of my sandwich if you like.”
“No way, I’ve got a wife to feed.”
Sharon teases, “She’s your fiancée. We already talked about that, remember?”
Grinning, I deadpan back, “I like the word wife better. It sounds more permanent.”
I like that my staff are so easygoing. They’ve found a good balance between being social and professional. I’m proud of what I’m creating here. But today, my mind keeps straying back to the beautiful young woman tucked away in my private space upstairs.
“Well, I think your old lady has a surprise waiting for you in your office.”
I rush to scrub my hands and fast walk to my office, way more excited than I should be at what Beth has planned for me.
Sure enough, Beth looks up from the food she’s plating from our local pub.
I love pub food, so I can’t keep the smile off my face.
Shutting the door behind me, I ask quietly, “Is this us selling the relationship or developing the friendship? I can’t tell. ”
Surprise registers on her face. “How about a little of both?” She gestures me over to the small table. I see she’s brought in an extra chair. “I ordered you a lunch based on what I remember you eating at church potluck dinners.”
I ask, as I sit down, “You paid for my food?”
“Of course I did. I have enough money saved so you don’t need to worry about paying me back. Just enjoy your food.”
“Darlin’, that is not gonna work for me.” Taking out my wallet, I put one of my credit cards down on the table. “I like that you’re looking out for us and want you to be able to order food or buy things that we need, but it needs to come from the money I earn, rather than your savings.”
“Why is that, exactly? I don’t understand why you’re so particular about me spending my own money.”
“Until you get trained and are earning a salary, your savings is all you have in the world. If anything were to happen to me, you’d need that to survive on your own. But the second reason is if people see you spending my money, they aren’t going to question the legitimacy of our relationship.”
“It’s depressing that everything in our life revolves around selling the lie that we created to protect me. It seems wrong to deceive so many people.”
I reach out to take her hand, holding it between both of mine.
I try to frame this in a way that will make it okay for her.
“Here’s where I am with this. Your safety is worth a little white lie.
Nobody in my life is going to be upset when we part ways because there isn’t anyone emotionally invested in my personal life. ”
“Your mom will be upset,” she counters earnestly.
I let her hand go and take the lid off my plate.
“My mom knows what this situation is. We don’t need to sell anything to her.
She really needs to learn to stop interfering in other people’s lives.
I suggest you start setting boundaries with her yourself because I’m sure she’s got some other church-going guy she’s gonna try to hook you up with when we go our separate ways. ”
I huff the last bit out. Something about the thought of Beth with another man makes me angry.
Beth makes the time-out gesture with her hands. “Calm down. Are you upset that some other man might end up with the woman you clearly don’t want?”
I take a bite of the cod she bought for me and take a minute to savor my favorite dish. Once I swallow, I tell her, “Truly, I don’t know why I’m upset about that. I just don’t like the idea of you getting manipulated, like I did. You know?”
Beth freezes in place for a second and her eyes drop to her plate.
When she starts pushing her food around on her plate, it hits me how that probably sounds to her ears.
“Look, I didn’t mean to sound like I don’t want to do this.
Whether or not she was manipulative, I would have agreed.
I really like you and don’t want to see the bad shit your stepfather had in mind happen to you. ”
She shrugs without looking up. “It’s fine. I don’t want to take up any more of your time than necessary, so I’m just going to go upstairs and let you get back to work.”
Before I can respond, she grabs her plate and disappears. I throw my paper napkin down on top of my food, disgusted with myself for hurting her feelings. I can be a complete dumbass sometimes. I stare at the credit card she left behind and wish I had better control of my mouth.