In Full Bloom: Sequel to 'The Crying Rose': The Trilogy of the Rose (Volume 2) (12 page)

“Ollie, old boy, these females already have us wrapped in their power,” he commented to his dog.

Standing up to take off his jacket, Mark tossed it on the couch. Mark looked at Sami’s battered face again and grimaced, bringing him back to the task at hand. Picking up the wash cloth that he had intended to use to clean her arm, he changed his mind and proceeded to wash her face. A bump had formed over her left eyebrow, and it made him shake his head, knowing that it would take a couple of days for it to disappear. While gently cleaning her face, he thought how the hospitals nowadays left the task of administering to some minor injuries to the patient or family member. Suddenly, he missed the good old days when the patient’s welfare was top priority, instead of money. He didn’t blame the doctors; he knew that it was the system’s fault, not doctors’ lack of real concern. However, remembering Sami’s behavior in the emergency room prior to his entrance, he probably could see the reasoning for their expedient care.

Now, with some of the grime off her face, he examined it closely. Satisfied that there didn’t appear to be any signs that there would be much scarring, he started moving toward the bathroom to rinse the wash cloth in order to attack the arm’s rash. His movement caused the two dogs to lift their heads in unison. “Stay there, kids, and watch her for me. I’ll be right back,” he directed them. They settled back down again. A smile spread across Mark’s face as he realized that they shared his concern for the injured woman in the chair.

Walking back into the bathroom, he realized that his current procedure for cleaning her wounds was unpractical. What he really needed was to get her into a tub filled with hot water. Inspecting the tub, he was thankful to see that he could position her in it so as to allow the cast on her left arm to rest on the tub’s rim, thereby keeping it out of the water. Determination motivated him. Having her in the tub would aid in cleaning the wounds, and the temperature of the water would sooth her damaged body.

“
I’m a doctor, for God’s sake,” he blurted out in frustration to his reflection in the mirror. “I have only her best interests at heart.” His reflection mirrored his discomfort at the idea of removing her clothes.

You are a doctor, Mark. Do what you have to do
, Pat’s voice advised him. Mark nodded, and turned toward the tub. Leaning over, he plugged the drain and opened the water valves to fill it, checking the water’s warmth until he was satisfied the temperature was just right. Standing next to the tub, watching it fill, Mark had to force his mind to shut off. He found that the very idea of bathing her was causing a reaction in his body that was extremely inappropriate. He needed to focus on her needs right now. He had not felt this way regarding any woman in so long that it frightened him. This woman had gotten under his skin. She had found a way into his heart. He had felt it from the first moment he had heard her voice, and now he could not stop thinking of her. Standing there, hesitating in bathing her, he knew that he was falling for her.

Determining that the water level was now high enough, he turned off the water flow. Standing up, he shoved his feelings deep within him, knowing that when the time was right, he could act on his emotions later. Now was definitely not the time. He had not had these feeling of desire in a long time; he believed that they had been buried along with his beloved former wife years ago. He had the rest of his life ahead of him, and was now excited at the prospects of the future. Refocusing his thoughts to the task before him, he instructed his body to be patient. Stepping into the doctor’s persona, he exited the bathroom.

***

Standing in front of the semi-conscious Sami, Mark debated his next move. He noticed that Rick, the attending physician at the hospital, had cast her arm in such a way that getting her T-shirt off in one piece was not possible. Remembering that Grandma Jo kept scissors in her knitting bag, he scanned the room for it. Spotting it next to the couch, he moved in that direction. Removing the scissors from the bag, he returned to Sami and proceeded to cut the top by following the stitching on the left side of the shirt. With scissors still in hand, he pondered if he should give her damaged sweat pants the same treatment.

His thoughts returned to the experience of dressing her several nights earlier, when she has been in a hypnotic trance, and a faint smile played on his lips. This experience would be similar due to her current dazed state. Recalling it had been a difficult experience, one not worth repeating, he decided to take the advantage and hurriedly cut the seams on both sides before he had second thoughts. Placing the scissors aside, he reached behind her and brought her to her feet, causing the pants to drop from her body.

Supporting her in his embrace, he walked backwards down the hall to the open bathroom door. He noticed that the dogs were getting to their feet and following them. “So, you two want to be chaperones,” he muttered to the animals. “It will be a tight squeeze in there with you two, but I guess I have no other choice.”

As he maneuvered Sami into the bathroom, he quickly decided to leave on her undergarments. Knowing that the water would soak them and thus, leave nothing to the imagination, he felt that discretion is the better part of valor. He would leave the removal of those items for Grandma Jo to handle. With this decision made, his comfort level increased.

Mark seated Sami on the edge of the tub. Positioning his left leg on the rim to support her, he balanced her against his left thigh. He turned and secured a towel from the rack to carefully place around the cast. With her cast covered, he worked her right arm out of the T-shirt. One last step, he choked, before he could submerge her in the tub; the T-shirt needed to be removed from around her neck without touching her face.

“I should have thought to cut this off, also,” he said to the softly moaning woman. It was too late in the game for that idea, knowing that he had left the scissors next to the chair in the other room. There was no other option; he had to take it off over her head. “Sami,” he began, “this will hurt a little, but I need to get the shirt off.” He knew that she was in a fog, but even with the effects of the drugs, this move would cause her pain. Grabbing the front of the neckline of the T-shirt securely in his right hand, he yanked down hard on the fabric, hoping that it would give a little more. Holding his breath, he lifted the shirt up and away. It just slipped past the knot on her forehead, and came off without so much as a whimper from her. He threw the shirt to the side, barely missing the commode and landing in the wastepaper basket instead.

“Nice toss.”

Startled, Mark jumped when he heard the voice behind him as his foot almost slid into the water. Grandma Jo chuckled, which aggravated his already churning stomach.

“Help me!” he ordered.

“Help you? How?” she responded, now laughing so hard she was hysterical. “I can’t even get into the bathroom. I think you have exceeded the maximum occupancy as far as I can see.”

Concentrating on Sami, Mark shot back. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Mark, you’re no small person. Combine this with the dogs; I couldn’t get to Sami if I wanted to. There is just not enough room for all of us,” Grandma Jo explained.

Mark had forgotten about the dogs, and visualized what Grandma Jo was saying. “Okay, I get the idea. Ollie, get out of the way and let Grandma Jo in,” he barked at his dog.

Ollie immediately picked up the meaning behind his master’s tone and ‘hotfooted’ it out of the room. Molly, on the other hand, appeared to be reluctant to leave her mistress.

Shifting his body to see the worried animal, he spoke to her directly in a softer tone. “Go, Molly, follow Ollie.  I will take care of her.”

Molly’s eyes fixed on Sami.

“Go on, girl,” Mark urged. “Wait outside the room.” He heard her whine once, then saw her drop her head and slowly follow Ollie out of the room. With the dogs gone, Grandma Jo moved in. Taking one view at the situation in the tub, she removed her jacket and rolled up her sleeves.

“Grab a pillow or extra towel to place under her arm,” Mark directed.

Turning, she dashed from the room, returning just as Mark had gathered Sami back up on her feet. Mark backed up to the commode to let Grandma Jo step past and place the extra padding, wrapped in plastic, down next to the tub. She turned and removed Sami’s undergarments.

Mark felt extremely grateful and relaxed now that Grandma Jo was here. Her presence kept him focused on the situation. With his right arm already under Sami’s arm, he dropped his grip to around her middle and picked up her naked, battered body enough to allow Grandma Jo to swing her legs in the warm water. Mark motioned Grandma Jo to change sides. “I need you on my right,” he directed. “Stack the padding on the rim and watch her cast. Try to position it gently on the cushion.”

“Got it,” she responded.

Mark lowered Sami’s body slowly into the tub. Hearing a satisfied sigh from her, he knew that it had been the right move on his part. With Sami now stretched out in the tub, Grandma Jo offered him a towel to dry his arms and shirt.

“We need to address her wounds,” he stated, wiping his arms.

Grandma Jo nodded and reached for the wash cloth and soap. “I can do this myself,” she said, already lathering up the cloth. “You look frazzled. Get out of here and I will call you when I am ready to get her out.”

Mark gazed longingly at Sami, but turned and departed the room.

NINE

M
ark entered the hall, and three pairs of anxious eyes greeted him. The dogs accounted for two pair and David was bringing up the rear. Mark patted the heads of the two dogs and looked at David. “Give me a second to change clothes, and I will be right back.”

David nodded and turned, asking Mark if he would care for a soda.

“Yes, thank you,” Mark shouted back and entered his room. 

Knowing that he would have to fetch Sami back out of the tub later, Mark decided on a T-shirt that could be removed easily. Thinking of her in the tub, Mark tried to focus his mind on her injured face, but all he could see was the shimmering water caressing her beautiful body. He was in trouble and knew it.

“I am not letting her go,” he spoke quietly and with conviction to the dogs lying on the floor near him.

He opened the door, and instead of turning in the direction of the kitchen, went straight into Grandma Jo’s master bath. Turning on the cold water faucet, he cupped both hands into the gushing water, and bringing his head down, splashed water on his face. He hoped this action would cool his thoughts, but it only succeeded in getting him wet. Drying his face and head, he searched for other options to cool his increasing desire, but finding none, he stormed out of the room.

Halfway down the hall, Mark slowed his pace. “Why am I so angry?” he asked aloud. He felt he should be happy, even ecstatic, over this revelation. There was nothing wrong with being in love, although it was with his patient. He felt alive for the first time in years.

With renewed energy in his steps, he rounded the corner into the kitchen, walking on air, his head in the clouds. He found David sitting at the kitchen table with two open cans of soda in front of him, staring at the bottle of pills that they had just picked up at the pharmacy. Mark bounced over to the table, and lifting his leg high, straddled the chair as if he was mounting a horse.

“Hey,” Mark greeted David as he sat, noticing the intense focus David was giving the prescription bottle. “Any problems getting the scripts filled?”

Withdrawing his eyes from the bottle slowly, David shook his head. “This is pretty powerful stuff,” David observed, tossing the bottle to Mark.

Mark eyed the bottle recalling that David had been ‘around the block’ a couple of times.
He knew his medication
, Mark thought. “That’s true,” Mark confessed, telling David that he had powwowed with the attending physician regarding Sami. “I figured that in her current state, both mental and physical, I wanted her to feel as little of the pain as possible from her injuries. Keeping her sedated for the next couple of days, I believe, would benefit her and allow her time to recuperate,” Mark explained.