Chance (24 page)

She wiped her tears away
and looked at him.

“Yes, fine,” she lied.

Now that she wasn’t as disoriented
or affected by the medication, she suddenly realized why he looked so familiar.
Dr. Devlin was the same handsome doctor she'd bumped into the night that Logan
had been shot.

“I know you…,” she
blurted out.

Doctor Devlin regarded
her for a moment, “You do?”

“Yes, you were kind to me
one time. In the Emergency Room. My husband had been shot…well he wasn’t my
husband then,” she said quietly.

She saw the doctor’s eyes
widen in recognition. “I think I remember that, as well. Tell me, Mrs. Tyler,
is everything all right?”

She wasn’t sure why she
didn’t just come out and say it. Why she wouldn't tell him what was wrong. She
should've told him about Logan and that she didn’t want him visiting her.
Surely, they'd be able to put a stop to it if he upset her or made her feel
uncomfortable.

She was still so
embarrassed and filled with shame about everything that had happened to her.
She was also terrified about Logan's revenge. If she told anyone about him,
about the things he'd done and the things that had gone on in their
relationship, it could cause him trouble. She was sure he'd take it all out on her,
eventually. It would all come back to her and she'd be the one who'd get
punished for it, her and possibly her family. So, she kept silent and said
nothing.

“Yes… Please, I’d like to
rest,” she responded.

To her utter surprise, he
placed his hand on hers and looked full of genuine concern and kindness as he
met her eyes.

He said, “Okay, but if
you need anything, please use the buzzer and ask the nurse to page me.”

Charlotte felt the heat
of his hand on hers long after he'd left the room.

Thirty minutes later,
Logan was sitting on the chair by her bed, holding her hand. Charlotte was as
scared as she’d ever been in her life. His eyes screamed murder even though he outwardly
appeared calm. She wanted to move her hand away from him but she didn’t. She
instantly reverted to his obedient little sex toy.

Thankfully, Dr. Devlin
was in the room, with them. He was running some checks on her blood pressure
and making some notes. Logan was on his best behavior, being his usual public persona.
His over-the-top ‘nice’ self.

“I can’t understand what
you were doing out in the car in the first place, sweetheart,” he mumbled, his dark
eyes drilled into hers and he squeezed her hand cruelly, until she winced in
pain.

“Where did you find the
keys?” he asked.

“Just…where they usually
are,” Charlotte answered casually.

She was trying not to
give anything away to the doctor, whom she was sure was listening in on their
conversation.

“What were you thinking,
Charlotte? Why would you go out onto the freeway? On your own?”

“Just…for a drive,” she
answered, trying to hide the pain as he continued to squeeze her hand
painfully.

“Thought you’d go and see
your parents, did you?” His voice was low and dangerous. She knew how angry he
was, she could hear it in his undertones.

“I don’t know,” she responded,
her terror spiked when he'd spoken of her parents.

Her responses were all short,
tense and guarded. It had been so long since Logan and she'd had any semblance
of a normal conversation, she'd almost forgotten how. Since her last escape
attempt, they'd been nothing but strangers in the home they shared. He spoke to
her as if she were his slave, rather than wife or even a human being. He'd
merely bark orders at her.

Recently, he'd become so
enraged at every little thing. It seemed as though everything and nothing would
trigger his temper. It had been impossible to speak to him rationally. That was
what had finally tipped her over the edge, despite all of his threats and
warnings, into leaving him. He'd been erratic, insane and brutal. It had been
intolerable to bear.

She wouldn’t even attempt
to speak rationally to him now. He was beyond that point. Sadly, insanity and
paranoia were taking their toll on him. She was on eggshells trapped within in
a minefield. He was a virtual bomb that could explode at any moment.

So, there they were, in
her hospital room. He was squeezing and hurting her hand as they carried on
their fake, awkward conversation. All of this had been taking place in front of
Dr. Devlin. Finally, apparently frustrated by the audience in the room
throughout his visit, Logan snapped he was going to get them both coffee and he'd
be back soon.

She breathed a visible
sigh of relief the very moment he left the room and tried to soothe her hurting
hand. Dr. Devlin was watching her, with a small frown across his brow.

“Are you alright?” he
asked her gently.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,”
came her immediate, defensive reaction.

“You don’t have to
pretend anymore,” he smiled. “I can see you’re scared of him.”

“What?” she said, showing
just a glimpse of fear through her surprise.

Oh my God! Was I that
obvious? Should I admit it or try and cover it up?

So used to hiding from
the truth, she opted for the latter. It was the more comfortable option for
her. The truth was extremely stressful for her to admit.

“No, I’m not. Don’t be
ridiculous,” she lied.

“I’ve seen it before,” he
sighed. “Many times before—way too many times. You’d be surprised, actually.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of, truly.”

“I’m not…” She trailed
off, her blush, giving her lie away.

“Hey…hey, don’t worry,”
he said full of sympathy and kindness.

He came towards her and
sat down in the chair that Logan had previously occupied, taking her hand for a
brief moment and giving it a gentle squeeze before letting it go.

“You don’t have anything
to be scared about here, not with me around. He’s not going to hurt you while
you're here,” he promised.

Dr. Devlin looked at her
face for a moment as she looked back at him silently. He sighed, leaned back
and stood up.

“I’m assuming that bruise
on your cheek came from him,” he said quietly.

Once again, she didn’t
respond and averted her gaze, which spoke volumes. She didn’t have the energy
to continue to lie or argue back. She was too physically drained from the
accident, as well as too emotionally drained from Logan’s tense visit and the
thought that he'd be back any minute.

“We’ll…um…we’ll probably
need to keep you in the hospital for a few more days,” the doctor began,
carefully.

She could read something
else in his eyes, and she remembered the brief spark of attraction she'd felt for
him during their first meeting. She also remembered fantasizing about him way
after the time they'd met.

“We need to do some more
tests. That type of thing. It would give you time to…make arrangements,” he
offered tentatively.

“Perhaps I can contact
your parents if…if they’re still around,” he suggested.

She bit her lip and
nodded. She knew what he was doing. He was buying her more safe time; keeping her
in the hospital, so she didn’t have to go home with Logan. She wondered how
often he’d done that before, how many other battered and abused women he’d had
to deal with.

Charlotte felt another
flush of shame. Never had she dreamed she’d be a victim of domestic abuse. She'd
always thought she was a strong, independent woman who never even needed a man
in her life, that’s what she’d always told herself. Now look at her.

“My wife had been in a
relationship a bit like that once,” he explained. “Before she met me. He was
emotionally controlling, manipulative and he did hurt her physically a couple
of times. She told me about it but…it’s easy to spot from the outside if you
know the signs. I saw it in him immediately.

"He asked you where
you found the keys, what you were doing in the car. Completely bizarre and
unrelated questions for any normal relationship, I can assure you. He never
asked you how you were feeling. That said so much.” He looked at her pointedly.

Charlotte processed what
he'd said and swallowed her disappointment.
Wife…
of course, Dr. Devlin had
a wife. He was incredibly handsome, intelligent and kind. She was naïve to have
thought he wouldn’t be married or in a relationship.

She was about to ask him
more about his wife's abusive relationship when the door opened and Logan
returned, with coffee.

“I was just explaining to
your wife, Mr. Tyler,” Dr. Devlin began. “That we’ll need to keep her here for
a few more days, to run some more tests. It's standard procedure.”

He used that same phrase
again. He probably used it a lot, she thought. It's a useful phrase.

“It’s nothing to be
worried about,” Dr. Devlin told him, as if Logan was concerned about her
well-being rather, than exacting revenge and controlling her every move.

“How long?” Logan asked
gruffly.

“I’m not sure yet,
but…we’ll see. We’ll keep you informed. Somebody will be in touch when she’s
ready to go home. For now though, I think it’s time that your wife had some
rest, she’s still quite weak from the shock of the accident.”

“Right,” said Logan,
clearly not happy at being dismissed.

He placed Charlotte’s
coffee down on the bedside table.

“I’ll be back tomorrow to
see you,” he said, with a cold gaze that held a warning.

His words sounded more
like a threat than a statement. Logan's rage and frustration poured off of him
in waves, making Charlotte and Dr. Devlin tense.

She didn’t want Logan to
come back tomorrow, or any time. She wondered whether there was any way Dr.
Devlin could stop him. He was extremely sensitive and supportive of her needs,
she was sure of it. He seemed easy enough to trust and confide in, maybe. Charlotte
had never spoken to anyone about the full extent of the abuse she'd suffered,
not Bethany or her parents. She'd certainly never spoken to a stranger about
it.

The idea horrified her
but also sounded appealing at the same time. There was something so sincere,
good and trustworthy about Dr. Devlin. If he really did have a wife, who'd been
through the same thing, then that might be a good place to start, surely. He
seemed to understand at a deep level—possibly even more than Charlotte did.

Again, she felt relieved
as soon as Logan was out of the room. She turned to the doctor with a small
smile on her face.

“Thank you,” she managed.

“Really, it’s no
problem,” he shrugged. “Like I'd said before, my wife… She’s dead now, may she
rest in peace. She went through it all, so…I know the score.”

“I’m so sorry to hear
about your wife,” she said quietly.

Charlotte actually was
genuinely sorry, but she also felt her interest in the doctor spark back to
life again. He smiled and lowered his eyes for a moment.

“Thanks. It’s…fine. She
had cancer. It was a long battle and she fought it hard, but…it took her life
in the end.”

Charlotte was quiet for a
moment. Dr. Devlin avoided eye contact, and then scribbled some more notes on
his sheet. She had no idea what he was actually writing, but it seemed to be
keeping him occupied.

“I’d uh…better go,” he
said eventually, “I have other patients to see to.”

“Yeah, of course,” she
smiled. “Don’t let me keep you.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,”
he promised. “Have a good night’s rest.”

“I’ll try my best,” she
said, feeling hopeful she might actually be able to rest now that she felt
safer.

Her first night in the hospital
was restless and strange. She’d never really liked hospitals, and had
especially bad memories of the night Logan had been shot. It had been so
traumatic for her. The sights, sounds and even the smells were disturbing and
distracting, certainly not conducive to a good night's sleep.

Charlotte couldn't help
but think her life would've been so much simpler and even better if Logan would've
just died of his injuries when he'd been shot. He could've easily bled to death,
as the paramedics told her he would've done, if she hadn’t found him in time.
She felt bad, as if she were evil to think like that.

She knew it was a dark,
selfish and horrible thing to contemplate. Yet, it would've been a happier
ending for her. Still, she couldn’t wish him dead. She just couldn’t. She just
wasn’t that type of person.

The nurse came in to give
her some more painkillers and they helped her to drift off into an uneasy sleep.
She awoke a handful of times throughout the night to the various sounds and
noises that went on twenty-four hours a day in a busy city hospital. Someone
was calling out, apparently in pain. There were banging doors, creaking wheels going
by her door and nurses on night duty chatting to one another.

Despite all of that,
however, she woke the next morning feeling quite refreshed. The sun was filtering
in through the blinds into her small room and the handsome Dr. Devlin was
standing over her, smiling. He really was so very attractive and handsome, but also
so kind and likable. Even though he was the polar opposite of the slick, charming
and cruel Logan, she thought she could sense his inner strength shining through.
 

"What are you
thinking about?” he asked her with a smile.

Charlotte blushed and
looked towards the window.

“I was just thinking what
a beautiful day it seems to be outside,” she lied.

He looked at her and she
doubted he believed her.

Thank God, he can’t
read my mind!

Charlotte had never even considered
being with any other man, physically, since she'd married Logan. Ironically,
the only other man who she'd fantasized about in
that
way since she'd met
Logan, had been Dr. Devlin. She always recalled the huge impression he'd made
on her the night Logan had been shot. He was so appealing in more than one way.
Plus, there seemed to be chemistry between them. She could still recall feeling
his touch long after he'd shaken her hand.

Once she'd been married,
Logan had quickly conditioned her not to think of any other men, at all. In addition,
he'd barely allow her out of the house with his crazy paranoia. The few times
they'd gone out together to restaurants and the like, before her last escape
attempt, she'd conscientiously avoided making even the briefest eye contact
with any man. She'd been so worried about how Logan might react. He’d
threatened to beat men up on more than one occasion for giving her the ‘wrong
type of look’, whatever that meant.

“How are you feeling,
this morning?” the doctor asked her, bringing her back to the present.

“Mm, not bad. Thank you
for asking, Dr. Devlin,” she smiled at him.

“Please….call me Brett,”
he smiled back. “It's much less formal.”

“Um…okay,” she agreed.

His words made her smile.
Logan had always been the opposite in this regard, as well. He’d always wanted
to be formal with people when they'd first met; calling men ‘sir’ and women
‘madam’ or ‘ma’am’, overcompensating with politeness. He'd done this when he
met her parents. She was sure they would've felt more comfortable if he'd just
addressed them by their first names rather than Mr. and Mrs.

“Someone will bring your
breakfast in soon,” he told her. “What’s the food like here so far?”

“Not great, if I’m being
honest,” she answered with a smile. “But then, I never did like hospital food
much anyway. I’m sure it’s really tasty—as far as hospital food goes, that is.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t know. I
always pack my lunch. I’m not so keen on it, either,” he chuckled. “I can get
them to bring you a sandwich, if you’d prefer. There's less of a chance of them
screwing that up.”

“Really? That would be very
sweet of you,” she agreed. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Although their
patient/doctor relationship was still formal, to a certain extent, Charlotte
got the feeling
Brett
was spending more time in her room and more time
with her, than was strictly medically necessary. She loved that thought.
Whenever he wasn't there, she looked forward to seeing him again.  

At first, she thought it might
just be wishful thinking or her imagination. She thought perhaps she was just
willing it to seem that way. Then, she caught sight of his clipboard when he
turned away, the one he was always scribbling notes on endlessly. There was
hardly a word on it. She was shocked.

Hmm, that's so
strange! Had he been just pretending to write things down? Why would he do
that?

She tried to think of an explanation
for him to pretend to be doing his job that way. The only thing she could come
up with was he actually wanted to stay there with her, for a little longer than
was needed.

Later that afternoon, he
came by again. She kept her eye on the time, noticing that he stayed even
longer than he had that morning. By then, she was feeling anxious and stressed because
she knew Logan would be there in a few hours.

He'd told her he'd visit soon.
She was terrified to be alone with him. Terrified by what he'd say…or do…if no
one else was present to protect her. Charlotte decided to broach the subject
with Brett while he was busy doing his pretend note taking.

“Um…Logan…my husband…do
you know if he’s still coming in?” she asked.

“I’m…not sure,” he
answered. “He hasn’t called. Technically, he could turn up at any time and ask
to see you.”

“Is there any way I could
not
see him?” she asked hopefully.

He thought about it for a
moment, pursing his lips.

“Well, if you
specifically tell us you didn’t want any visitors, we could have someone call
him,” he answered slowly, and then thought some more.

“Perhaps because you weren’t
feeling well enough for visitors. Maybe you'd prefer we tell him you're sleeping
when he gets here. We can ask him to come back tomorrow,” he suggested.

She couldn’t imagine
Logan responding very well to that type of request. He'd probably just kick up
a fuss with the nurses and demand to be let in anyway. However, it was worth a
try. Anything was worth a try if there was any chance it would keep Logan away
from her. If he caused too much trouble, they'd probably call security to have
him removed. That was a comforting thought, if any were to be had in this
situation.

“Yes, alright. Well…I
suppose I’m not feeling all that great,” she smiled slightly with false
innocence.

“No, you do look a little
pale…” he said, winking at her.

He had a playful glint in
his eyes that told her he was joking. He was trying to convey he was on her
side and trying to relax her. She smiled slightly, but was too stressed to
laugh, right then—not until the Logan issue was put to rest, anyway. However, it
felt so good to know he was on her side. She wasn't alone anymore. Well, not yet.

“Thank you, but could
someone call him soon? He’s very unpredictable.” she replied.

“I’ll have the head nurse
call immediately,” he responded.

Charlotte fell back into
her pillows with relief. She felt safe for the first time in months, since she'd
last been at her parents'...

My parents, oh my God!
I need to speak to them!

“Is there any way I could
have a phone?” she asked hopefully and slightly desperately.

Brett immediately dug his
hand into his pocket, brought out his cell phone, turned it on and handed it to
her.

“You’re not supposed to
use these in here,” he winked again. “But it’ll be fine. Go ahead.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course, call your
parents,” he said with a smile.

“Wait—how did you know I
wanted to –?” she responded looking confused.

“I’m a mind reader,” he
smiled and chuckled softly, showing her his set of perfectly formed white
teeth.

She grinned back at him
and tapped in her parent's number. Her father answered. They hadn’t spoken or had
any contact since the ridiculous email Logan had forced her to send them, just
after he'd kidnapped her and brought her back to him.

Charlotte began crying as
soon as she heard his voice, but she managed to pull herself together enough to
speak. She hurriedly explained everything that had taken place. Her father told
her they'd received the fake e-mail and had panicked. They knew that something
had happened to her because she would never just leave like that.

“Those didn’t sound like
your words, Charlotte,” he said quietly, his voice sounding upset and hoarse.
“I knew that was him speaking for you, telling you what to say. Your mother
cried all night. We’ve been worried sick about you ever since. We tried to
respond to the e-mail, but it just kept bouncing back, returned. The police
told us there was nothing they could do unless you came forward and made a
complaint.”

“Yeah, Logan cancelled my
email account,” she told him.

She also told him she was
ready to go to the police if Logan didn’t let her go this time, but she resisted
his attempts to talk her into involving them now. She wanted to get away and
get her head clear before she made any important decisions like that.

She gave him the name and
details of the hospital and explained that one of the doctors was looking after
her and helping her avoid seeing Logan. As she spoke, she glanced over at Brett
coyly. He made eye contact with her and held it, then reached for her hand. She
allowed him to take it, the warmth of their skin contact flowing through her
and sending a tingling sensation up her arm.

Once she got off the
phone, she passed it back to him, suddenly realizing he'd listened in on their
entire conversation. He'd heard everything she'd told her parents about Logan.
She blushed; embarrassed she'd been trying to deny it when he first broached
the subject. Brett continued to hold her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“You have nothing to be
afraid of anymore,” he told her again.

This time, she believed
him.

“Thank you,” she said
with great sincerity.

Unable to control
herself, her eyes welled up with tears, the emotion of everything finally catching
up to her.

“Oh God, I’m sorry,” she
mumbled, pulling her hand away and wiping her cheek as one of them trickled
down her face.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he
insisted, putting down his clipboard and leaning forward. He wrapped his arms
around her and pulled her gently into his chest. She allowed him to embrace
her, taking comfort in his masculine strength.

She was certain this was
beyond what most doctors would do for their patients. She’d certainly never
been hugged by a doctor before. It was almost a confirmation that there was
something different going on between them. Brett had a soft spot for her; was
attracted to her, perhaps.

She couldn't even imagine
how angry Logan would be if he'd ever found out. Then she quickly put that
thought out of her mind. She didn’t give a damn about Logan anymore, he was out
of her life from now on and she had to try and move on. She had to try to
forget about him.

The thought he might not
like something she was thinking or doing almost made her want to do it to spite
him. Brett finally released her and she smiled at him, holding his eye contact
for a little longer than was normal. She liked him so much.

“I’d…better go,” he said,
suddenly appearing shy. “I’ll go and see if your husband called in and make
sure we call him immediately.”

He's always referred to
Logan as ‘your husband’, never by his actual name. When she'd eventually asked
him about that later, he said it was because he didn’t deserve to be given a
name. He was just a 'criminal scumbag'. Those were his actual words. They made
Charlotte smile. She didn’t reflexively leap to Logan’s defense anymore, as she'd
done for so long. She was beyond that now.

Over the next two days,
Brett’s visits increased. He came to see her four times a day, and he'd stay
for anywhere between fifteen to thirty minutes, sometimes even a bit longer. On
one occasion, a nurse rushed in saying he was needed in an emergency and he dashed
out, looking a bit guilty that he'd been neglecting his duties in order to spend
time with Charlotte.

He also gave up
pretending to make notes on his clipboard. Instead, he'd set the board to one
side and sit down on the visitor’s chair, pulling it up close to the bed so
they could hold hands. They didn’t hold hands all the time, but quite often,
they did. It was a sign they were becoming more and more comfortable with each
other.