First Class Justice (First Class Novels) (14 page)

Last weekend she’d accepted a dinner invitation from one of
the surgeons. He was newly divorced and incredibly good-looking so Katy had
been flattered when he’d asked her out. They’d enjoyed a nice evening, mainly
discussing work and the hospital, and it had been good to get out and start
socializing again. He’d asked her out again this evening and Katy was actually
looking forward to it. She had to move on. She didn't have a choice.

She was going to meet him at the restaurant. While she was
willing to try and move on, she wasn't willing to risk everything yet. She had
an hour to get home and get ready to go. It was doable.

As she was gathering her stuff into her backpack, her cell
phone rang.

Weird,
she thought.
It's Matt.

"Hey. What's up?" she asked.

"Hey Katy. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, actually. How's Janie?"

"She's fine, but you know that. She was on the phone
with you for almost an hour last night."

Katy could hear the smile in his voice.

"Did I cut into your play time?" she laughed.

"Yes," he chuckled. "But I forgive you."

"Like I need your forgiveness," she grinned.

"So, I know this is weird, but can you do me a
favor?"

"Sure," she said.

"Well, you haven't heard what it is yet. It's actually
a professional favor."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Mark is in Seattle, and I talked to him earlier today and
I'm really worried about him."

Katy's heart started racing and panic rose through her body.
"What’s wrong?" she gasped.

"Well, he's sick. He has this cough that sounds like a dog
barking and it's been going on for a couple of days I guess. He says he's fine,
but he's really not. I was wondering...I know it's a lot to ask...but you're
only a couple of hours away...do you think that...could you check on him?"

"Of course!" Katy replied without hesitation.
"Where is he?"

"He's at the Four Seasons, downtown. Room 824."

"I'm on my way."

Matt hung up the phone and grinned.

*****

Katy had passed Vancouver and was heading for Seattle. She’d
grabbed her stuff, ran to her car and hit the road after filling up with gas.
She figured she could be to Mark's hotel by about nine o'clock, but that was
with no traffic. She hadn't spent a lot of time in Seattle but she knew that
traffic could be a bitch, especially on a Friday night. And she hadn’t taken
into consideration leaving Portland at the height of rush hour. It was very
slow going for the first little while.

But she was now in pretty light traffic and had been driving
for about an hour when her cellphone rang. She ignored the call and kept
driving, anxious to get to Mark. It could be bronchitis or whooping cough, or
pneumonia. She needed to get him to the doctor if he would allow it. She would
need to convince him to go. All three conditions were potentially very serious.

She found herself going faster and faster so she set the
cruise control to 72mph. She didn't need a ticket when she was in a hurry.

About fifteen minutes later her phone rang again. She looked
at the caller ID and didn't recognize the number so she dropped the phone back
on the passenger seat and kept her eyes on the road. The phone buzzed to
indicate a voice mail. She picked it back up and pushed the button to hear the
message.

"Shit!" she yelled. "Shit! Shit!"

Dr. Gilchrist's voice was asking her where she was. He was
getting worried. She hadn’t given him a thought when Matt had called. Not one
thought! Mark needed her and she had left. What did that tell her?

She knew she shouldn't talk on the phone while driving, so
she pulled off at the next exit and hit the ‘call’ button. He answered
immediately.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "A friend called
and he's in Seattle but he’s sick so I'm on my way there now."

"You expect me to believe that bullshit? You have a
sick friend?"

"No, really. I think it could be pneumonia. I'm so
sorry."

"And there aren't doctors in Seattle? And any doctor is
gonna be better than just a nurse." The disdain dripped off his tongue and
through the phone.

"Fuck you!" she hissed and hit the ‘off’ button.

Katy threw her phone back on the seat and merged her Subaru
back onto the freeway.

“I’m not gonna do it anymore!” she yelled at herself. “I
deserve more!”
I deserve better!

The men that she had dated, and married, had been interested
in her physically. And for a long time that had been enough, but not anymore.
She wanted the real thing. She
deserved
the real thing. She deserved
him.

*****

She had no idea where the Four Seasons Hotel was located.
Katy pulled off the freeway and headed downtown and then pulled into a parking
lot so she could look it up on her phone. She was later than she’d thought
she’d be. It was getting close to ten o’clock. She navigated her way through
traffic and the one-way streets and finally came to the hotel. And it was just
as well because if she’d driven any further west she’d be in the Puget Sound.

She jumped out of the car and
took the ticket from the valet.
How much is that gonna cost me?
She
tried to put the thought from her mind as she made her way through the lobby to
the bank of elevators. She pushed the button and waited. An elderly couple came
and stood by her. Katy thought they were probably in the seventies, obviously
with money, as her diamonds sparkled in the light.
She must have a ring on
every finger!

The doors opened and she stepped
inside and pushed the number eight on the panel and the couple followed behind
her.

“Which floor?” Katy asked.

“Seventh,” he said, and she
pressed the appropriate button.

Katy waited a moment and then
turned to look at them. “You’re welcome.”

The couple looked surprised. Katy shook her head
. If
that’s what it means to be rich, I’ll stay poor, thank you very much.

The elevator dinged and the couple got out.

“Wow!” she said.

One more floor up and Katy all but ran out of the elevator
and down the hall.

“824, 824, 824,” she muttered as she read the numbers on the
doors. Finally she came to Mark’s room and knocked, probably a tad harder than
she meant too. There wasn’t an immediate answer so she knocked again.

“Shit!” she said under breath.

Mark opened the door, dressed in pajama bottoms and nothing
else. His chest and feet were bare.

“I forgot my bag!” Katy barked and turned and ran back down
the hall to the elevator.

Mark stood in the doorway completely baffled.

“What the fuck?” he mumbled as he watched her lunge into the
elevator and disappear. He stood there for a moment and then went back into his
room and closed the door. He grabbed a t-shirt from the closet and pulled it
over his head.

He stood and looked out of the window at the water, the
lights reflecting back at him. He waited and waited and thought perhaps she
wasn’t coming back, when the pounding on the door started again.

Mark shook his head, a slight grin on his face, and walked
to open the door. He didn’t get a word out before Katy had stomped in and set a
small black bag on the coffee table.

“Come and sit down,” she ordered.

Mark did as he was told.

Katy opened her bag and pulled out a thermometer. “Stick
this under your tongue and don’t move.”

Again, Mark did what he was told, now slightly amused.

The thermometer beeped and Katy took it out of his mouth and
read it, her forehead wrinkling.

“You don’t have a fever,” she said.

“I could’ve told you that,” Mark replied.

Katy put the stethoscope into her ears and leaned over Mark
and placed the other end on his chest. She listened while moving it around his
chest and then put it on his back and listened some more.

“Deep breath,” she ordered.

Mark took a deep breath and held it.

“Okay, breathe out.”

He did.

“Lungs sound clear,” she said, removing the instrument from
her ears and folding them up and putting them back in her bag. “So what are
your symptoms?” she asked.

“For what?”

“How long have you been coughing?”

“Um, I’m not?” Mark said, trying not to grin.

Katy started to ask another question but stopped herself and
looked at him suspiciously.

“Why did you tell Matt you were sick?” she asked.

“What? Why would I tell Matt I’m sick?”

“Oh, shit!” she said. Katy zipped up her bag and turned to
Mark. “Sorry!” She headed for the door.

“Oh, no!” Mark said grabbing her arm as she stepped past
him. “I get some kind of explanation, thank you.”

Katy huffed and tried to pull her arm from his grip. It was
pointless. She turned and frowned.

“Just let me leave without humiliating myself even more.
Please?”

Mark chuckled. “You’re humiliated?”

“Please, Mark. If you’re any kind of a gentleman at all you
will just let me leave quietly,” she begged.

“Nope!” he grinned and pulled her down to the sofa so she
was sitting next to him. “Spill it.”

“Matt called me as I was ending my shift and asked if I
could check on you because you had this terrible cough and sounded awful.” Katy
shrugged her shoulders, pretending it was no big deal.

“So you drove all the way from Portland to Seattle on a
Friday night to check on me?” Mark’s grin was as big as the full moon in the
sky.

“Yes,” she muttered.

“Well,” Mark said. “That is incredibly sweet of you.”

*****

Matt had completely satisfied his wife. Twice, in fact. He
was leaning back against the headboard stroking Janie’s hair as she lay on his
chest. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand.

“Waiting for something?” she asked.

“Huh?”

“You keep looking at the clock. Is there some place you’ve
gotta be?”

“Where would I be after midnight besides here? In our bed,
with you?” he asked.

“No idea. That’s why I’m asking.”

Matt grinned.
Let’s hope this works!

Katy could not imagine being any more humiliated than she
was right at this moment.
Matt’s going to pay for this.
She didn’t know
how, but she
would
make him pay.

She sat on the sofa, arms folded, Mark watching her every
move. She had no idea what he was thinking, although he did seem incredibly
amused at the whole situation.

“I don’t find it funny at all,” she pouted.

Mark chuckled and continued to stare at her.

“I’m just gonna go,” she finally said.

“Please don’t,” he said, the smile vanishing from his face.

“Look, it’s late. I’m tired. You were obviously working,”
she said as she looked at the open laptop and the file folders spread all over
the table in front of the window.

“Well you can’t leave now if you’re tired,” he said
seriously. “It’s too dangerous to drive.”

Katy sighed and closed her eyes. He was right, damn him.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

Katy shook her head. “I would have, but…”

“But?”

“But I came here instead!”

“You had plans?”

“Yes!” she muttered.

The smile was back.

“What plans did you have?” he grinned.

“Actually, if you must know, I had a date!” She tried to
sound smug.

“Another date?” His smile momentarily vanished.

“Yes. With a handsome doctor.”

“But you came here instead.” The grin was back.

“Oh, shut up!”

Mark chuckled.

“I haven’t eaten yet either. Let’s get dinner.”

“I’m not going out like this!” Katy was horrified. She was
still wearing her scrubs from work. She hadn’t bothered changing after Matt’s
call. She was at the Four Seasons hotel in scrubs. “Ugh!”

“You look beautiful,” he said.

“Like hell!” she scoffed.

“Okay, we can order room service.” Mark stood and went and
grabbed the menu off the table. “Lots of tasty choices,” he grinned.

Katy took it from him and read down the list. She really was
hungry. Mark sat down next to her.

“What do you want, Katy?” he asked.

“Umm, don’t know yet. Give me a sec, k?”

Mark studied her. She had come all this way because she
thought he had a cough
. Maybe?
he thought.
Is there hope?

“Anything look good?” he asked.

Katy lifted her head to look at him. “I think I’ll just have
a burger.”

Mark smiled. “Okay. Two burgers.”

He picked up the phone and dialed Room Service and placed
their order; two burger, fries, two chocolate shakes and two beers.

“What would you like to do ‘til the food gets here?”

Katy shrugged.

“Play doctor?” he teased.

Katy pulled the pillow from behind her and threw it at his
head.

“Okay, I’m sorry,” he chuckled.

Katy tried to hide her smile but wasn’t doing a very good job.

“Thank you for coming to take care of me,” he said softly.
“It means a lot.”

“But you’re not sick!”

“No, but it doesn’t mean I don’t need taking care of,” he
replied.

Katy ignored his comment and stood and walked to the window.
“There’s probably an amazing view but with all the lights on I can’t see
anything except my own reflection,” she frowned.  Her hair was in a ponytail
and she wore her pale pink scrubs with Dansco clogs on her feet.

Mark jumped from the couch and turned off a couple of lights
leaving a lamp or two on. He stood beside her and looked at the water.

“You like water,” he said.

“I do,” she smiled.

“I remember.”

“When I was little, our big trip for the summer was a day at
the beach. I waited all year for that
one
day. My mom made a picnic and
we sat on the sand and built castles and we played in the waves and we would
watch the sunset. And then we would drive home, but I never remembered getting
home because I always fell asleep.” Katy smiled as she relived those memories.