Chapter 1 #2
All the while Bridget had been talking Nadia’s gaze had been drawn to a man at the far end of the table.
Mitch, she thought his name was. He looked handsome in his uniform.
Mitch was part of Eric’s team and joked with the guys.
However, it was like he was there in body, but not in mind and soul.
His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses so she couldn’t tell if he was bored and wanted to get the hell out of there or there was something more and he was having an inner battle with himself.
As his team walked on stage to receive their medals and plaques Mitch’s shoulders had been tense and he didn’t break a smile.
As he’d walked off stage he yanked the medal over his head, stuffing it into his pocket.
Once the formalities were over, the whole team changed out of their Hunt VFD uniforms and rejoined the party.
Mitch had milled around for a bit before coming back to sit at the table. By himself—again.
The music had started up again and the noise level had risen, but Nadia didn’t want to leave. Which surprised her. Normally, all this noise would have her craving some peace and quiet.
Once again she found herself looking for Mitch to see how he was doing, only he wasn’t around anymore. She craned her neck but she couldn’t see him in close proximity to them.
Was he okay?
Man, she really needed to turn off the physician side of herself sometimes.
What did it matter where he disappeared to?
He probably went and got another plate of food, he looked like he ate a lot.
Not that he was overweight or anything, the guy was built.
The fabric of his shirt stretched over his biceps every time he’d taken a sip of his drink.
And she’d spent far too much time looking at him, if she could catalogue all that about him. She needed something new to focus on.
“Hey Nadia, do you want to two-step with me?” She looked up to find Steve, one of the nurses from the hospital standing beside her.
She’d been looking for a distraction, but dancing wasn’t her thing. “Umm I don’t dance, and I don’t know how to two-step.”
Steve waved his hand around. “Not a problem, it’s easy and I happen to be light on my feet so I can teach you everything you need to know.”
“Yeah, you’re light on your feet, you’re always pretty quick when a patient is about to barf,” Cerise commented, while laughing. “You should see him, Nadia, he can deal with the bloodiest patient with the largest wound possible, but someone throws up, and he’s gagging like a champion.”
The group around the table laughed, Steve joining in with them. “What can I say, I’ll take blood and gore any day over vomit. So how about it Dr. Nadia, do you wanna dance?”
“I can vouch for him, he’s a pretty good dancer,” Eric said mildly as he approached the table.
“What? You and Steve have danced together?” Nadia asked waggling her eyebrows at them. “If that’s the case, how about you show me how it’s done.”
That caused the group to laugh even more and Nadia was glad she’d joined them. Being the new girl could’ve been tough, but Eric and Cerise had rallied around her and made sure she hadn’t felt like an outsider. It was very refreshing.
Eric shook his head and sent her a look, which probably would’ve intimidated a lot of people, but didn’t bother her at all.
The guy was big and looked like he was carved out of brick, but with patients he had a natural calm that seemed to relax even the most frightened person.
“I’ve watched him dance, you could do worse. ”
Steve punched Eric on his shoulder lightly. “Thanks for talking me up. You’re a real friend.”
Eric raised his beer bottle in a silent salute. “Just dance with him, Nadia, you’ll have fun. Have I ever steered you wrong?”
“No you haven’t.” If anything Eric had always steered her in the right direction at work when she’d needed it. Decision made she stood and placed her hand in Steve’s. “All right, Steve, show this New England girl how to Texas two-step.”
The group laughed once more and Nadia dropped her hat on the table quickly before Steve dragged her to the dance floor. He pulled her close, but not uncomfortably so, and secured his arm around her back.
“Relax and let me lead.” He said just before he started skipping them along the dance floor with the other couples.
Nadia had no idea how she did it, but she kept up with Steve and maybe only stepped on his feet three or four times. After the second dance she pulled away, her breathing ragged. “I need a drink and to take a breather.”
Steve laughed. “It may have been your first two step but you did a mighty fine job. Can I escort you to the bar?” He hooked his elbow.
“Sure,” she slipped her arm in and together they headed toward the drinks area.
“What can I get you?” Steve asked once they’d reached the counter, his eyes sparkled with interest. A feeling of apprehension filled her.
The last thing on her agenda was getting involved with anyone.
She’d only been in Kerrville for three months.
Nadia didn’t know how long she was planning on staying in Texas.
She hadn’t been able to get her dream job in a big hospital in Boston so she’d taken this position on the off chance it could lead to more in the future.
The ER in Hill Country Texas was nowhere near as busy as a major city hospital. The only good thing about being a smaller, regional facility was, she had the opportunity to treat more patients than she might’ve, had she got the job she’d coveted.
“Nadia? What would you like to drink?”
Damn, she hadn’t answered him. “Umm, I’ll just have a Diet Coke thanks.”
“You got it.”
When he spoke to the man behind the bar, Nadia took the time to think about what she was going to say to Steve to let him know that her plan was to stay single for a long time.
She looked out over the crowd and found Mitch standing on the edge of the dance floor, a blank look on his face, his sunglasses were off so they no longer hid his eyes from everyone.
Before she could even consciously think it, her feet were moving and she was closing the distance between her and Mitch.
The closer she got to him the more she could see that he was lost deep in his mind.
His fingers were clenching the neck of his beer bottle, the whites of his knuckles were showing and she wondered if he would break it.
Sweat beaded his brow and his lips were pulled into a firm line.
Everyone around him continued on dancing, laughing and chatting, oblivious to the internal struggle that Mitch was going through.
Nadia was no psychologist but it was clear that he was having some sort of panic attack or traumatic episode. She didn’t know the man’s past but the close-cropped cut of his hair and the way he carried himself would suggest that he had some military training in his background.
A slow careful approach was the best course of action. She stood by his side. “Hey Mitch, everything okay?”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Steve coming up to them, drinks in hand.
Catching his attention she shook her head and canted it to the right to suggest that he should go back to the table.
His eyes narrowed briefly as he looked between her and Mitch, before widening as realization struck that something was very wrong with the man she stood beside.
He nodded and hurried out of her line of vision.
Mitch hadn’t responded to her, so she tried again, a little louder. “Mitch, you doing okay?”
This time he turned but looked right through her. “We’re losing the patient.”
Okay, it wasn’t unusual that a volunteer fire fighter was also a medic on the team, Eric was, but he’d never mentioned what Mitch did. In fact Eric never really talked about the man standing next to her.
Deciding that going along with whatever was happening in Mitch’s mind, instead of yanking him out of it, was the best way to continue to deal with the situation. “What do you need me to do? I’m here to help.”
“There’s nothing you can do. It’s too late, can’t you see his injuries?
They’re too extensive.” The hand not holding his beer scraped down his face.
“God, he’s barely old enough to shave. What the hell is he doing in this shithole?
What the hell am I doing here?” He turned abruptly and strode away from her.
Nadia stood frozen to the spot for half a heartbeat watching him walk away from the crowd and head toward the far corner of the open space.
Away from carnival rides. Away from everyone.
The beer bottle hung from his fingers and she couldn’t help but think that he was unaware he still had a hold of it.
Should she follow or stay where she was?
Should she follow or get someone else to help him?
Should she follow and see if she could be the one to pull him from the nightmare he was in the middle of?
Follow him, that’s what she should do. Nadia hurried after his retreating figure, glad that she wore cowboy boots and she didn’t have to worry that she’d wreck her shoes traipsing over the grass.
“Mitch,” she called out. “Mitch, what about the other patients.” She was taking a huge risk by saying something like that, it could trigger him even more.
But it had the desired effect. He stopped, but he didn’t face her. His head and shoulders dropped. “There’s no point, I can’t do anything to help them anymore. It’s never ending.”
Why wasn’t anyone aware of the pain this man was going through?
Again she took her time approaching him, making sure that she didn’t make any sudden moves. She still didn’t have any idea if he would get violent or not. Somehow she didn’t think he would.
Carefully she laid her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. You’ve done a wonderful job. You’ve saved so many lives.”
“And lost a ton more. I can’t do this anymore.” He whispered again, the beer bottle slipped from his fingers and hit the ground with a soft thump.
Her heart broke for the man. The pain and despair was in every action. In his every word.
How the hell was she going to break him out of it?