The Brass Ring (6 page)

CHAPTER SIX

C
C STOOD IN THE shadows and watched as her former lover retreated. She didn't understand why she’d driven out here. But once she spotted Jamie, a silly part of her said it was fate. Not that she was hoping for reconciliation. But Stevie was right. Jamie deserved to hear the truth. Now she only had one problem - how was she going to get the stubborn blonde to listen to her? Just what are the right words for totally abandoning someone? Of course, that wasn't what had actually happened. CC rubbed her throbbing temple and decided to leave. She didn't need to tell Jamie tonight. In fact, what she needed to do was go home and get some sleep.

Later that evening as she was lying in bed trying to sleep, her mind kept spinning. Thoughts of the younger innocent Jamie filled her; she wondered how and when she was going to tell Jamie the truth. Life had been so simple back then. They were young and in love. They gave each other their innocence. Why had she never told Jamie that it had been her first time as well? After seeing Jamie kissing a stranger, CC had never really opened her heart to anyone again.

Many women tried to get through to her. But the stoic policewoman only offered her body and never her true self. Her tossing and turning continued. CC showed up for work the following night completely exhausted.

"Hey, CC," her partner called out. "You look like shit."

"Thank you," she snapped.

"Ooops." The older man cringed. "At first I thought maybe you got lucky. But from your nasty attitude, I'll assume that you struck out."

"What are you talking about?" CC snarled as she flopped down in her chair. The rickety metal chair squeaked under her weight.

"That Doc last night," he continued, oblivious to the fact that he was treading on shaky ground. "You couldn't take your eyes off her. I can't blame you. She’s a real looker."

"Shut up," CC growled. "We have work to do." CC watched with some degree of amusement as her partner's eyes widened in fear.

CC's night was long and boring. It was quiet. In fact, things had been a little too quiet. Just as she relaxed enough to enjoy the reprieve, all hell broke lose. There had been another shooting. CC grabbed her coat and her partner. As they drove to the scene, she said a silent prayer that she wouldn't end up at the hospital again looking into those angry green eyes.

After they finished taking statements from the witness, who of course hadn't seen or heard a thing, they went to Boylston General. CC braced herself as she stepped through the electronic doors of the emergency room. She flashed her badge at the receptionist and made her way to the nurse’s station.

"I'm Detective Calloway," she explained.

"Yes, I know." The heavyset woman smiled at her. "Dr. James will be with you just as soon as she can."

CC groaned as she fought back the desire to bang her head on the counter until she lost consciousness.

CHAPTER SEVEN

J
AMIE RUBBED HER eyes tiredly as she allowed the orderlies to escort her newest patient from the room. A nurse had already informed her that the police were waiting. Nothing new since it was a gunshot wound. Jamie braced herself as she said a silent prayer that CC wouldn't be one of the officers waiting to question her. She had already lost enough sleep because of her ex-lover. She stepped out of the curtained area and gritted her teeth as she watched her former lover banging her head on the counter. It would have been comical if it weren’t CC.

"Who am I kidding?" She found herself smiling. "It's damn funny. I’m glad to know I'm not the only one who’s freaking out over our paths crossing again," she said quietly as she approached the detectives. "What the hell. I could use a little fun." She shrugged as she stepped up to the nurse's station.

"If you get blood on the counter, you’ll have to clean it up yourself," Jamie stated dryly. She smirked as the taller woman suddenly halted her movements. She winked at CC's partner who was just standing there looking bewildered. CC raised her head and glared at the doctor. Jamie felt her heart drop. CC looked so tired and defeated. She was about to reach out to her. Stopping herself, she withdrew her hand. "I take it you’re here because of the guy I just sent up to surgery?" she stated in a professional manner.

"Yes," CC responded in the same cold professional tone.

"He'll make it," Jamie answered, not even blinking as she stared down CC's icy gaze. "And before you ask, he didn't say anything. If that's all, I have work to do."

"Fine," CC snapped as she turned away, her movement causing a basket of files to topple over. Jamie suppressed her laughter as the tall brooding detective growled. Jamie just stood there as the flustered woman bent over to pick up the mess. The laughter that was threatening to emerge suddenly died as she found herself leering at CC's backside.

Thankfully, CC and her partner were too busy cleaning up the mess to notice her overt ogling. As they returned the items to the desk, Jamie found herself blushing. CC turned to her, seemingly understanding what she had just done. The taller woman flashed her a cocky grin.

Jamie clenched her jaw and folded her arms across her chest, glaring at CC who seemed far too happy with the turn of events. "I have work to do," Jamie spat out as she turned away. CC's laughter was burning her ears. She didn't turn around until she was certain that they’d left. Turning slightly, she caught sight of CC walking down the hallway. She glimpsed once more at the woman's rear end. She gasped slightly as CC turned and winked at her.

Jamie's head fell onto her chest as she fought back the anger that was building up inside of her. She sighed in defeat, knowing that anger wasn't the only emotion she was feeling. As she felt her nipples straining against her T-shirt, she hated her body for still finding CC attractive.

A few days later, Jamie was back at work. She was beyond exhausted at that point. Since her last run in with CC, she hadn't been able to sleep for more than a few hours. She wished that it were anger that was keeping sleep from claiming her tired body. It wasn't. Her mind and body were betraying her. She found herself lost in the thought of touching CC. The ache had been building steadily and she was fighting a losing battle to get past it. "Tonight," she tried to reassure herself as the ambulance doors swung open. "I'll get some sleep tonight."

"Talk to me," she commanded the EMT as she looked down at the frail teenage girl on the stretcher.

"Seventeen year old female," the EMT said hurriedly. He began to run off her vitals. Jamie could see the concern in the man's face as he spoke. "Drug overdose. We found these at the scene," the man explained as he handed her a vial of sleeping pills.

"Intentional?" Jamie continued as they wheeled the girl into one of the bays. "Okay people, on my count," she instructed the staff as they lifted the small girl onto the table.

"Yes," the EMT confirmed her earlier question. "She was on the phone with a crisis center. The counselor called it in."

"Can they do that?" one of the interns questioned.

"Yes," Jamie snapped. "Okay people, let's pump her stomach."

"Parents are on the way," the EMT added as he gathered up his things. "So’s the councilor. Off duty cop," he added before leaving.

Jamie was taken aback by the sadness in the older man's eyes. It was never easy when it was someone so young. She focused her energy on saving the girl. The monitors screamed out. "She's crashing," Jamie yelled out as they ripped open her clothing. "Tube her," she instructed her intern.

Jamie continued to work on the teenager long after life had slipped away from her. "Fuck," she growled finally, stripping off her latex gloves and tossing them on the floor. She pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting back the tears. Jamie knew that the girl had died only moments after she came in contact with her. Something inside of her just wouldn't let her go. Now she had to. Weakly she announced the time of death.

Jamie carefully pulled a sheet up to cover the tiny body. "I'll get her cleaned up," Evaline, one of the nurses, offered as she touched Jamie's arm lightly. Jamie nodded mutely, taking one last look at the girl she failed to save. She stripped off her gown and brushed back her errant blonde bangs, knowing that now she had to face the girl's parents, and in a clinical manner inform them that she had failed to save their child's life.

She stepped out of the room, grabbing the chart as she went. She signed off on the paperwork, taking a quick glance to note the girl's name and her parent's names. She handed the paperwork over to the desk clerk and noted that it was after three a.m. "I'm done for tonight," se muttered grimly. The clerk simply nodded in understanding. "Where are . . . " She stopped her inquiry, noting the resemblance to the girl, Susan. ". . .never mind. I see them."

As she approached them, she spotted a lone figure hiding in the corner. CC looked like she had been through hell and back. "Oh baby, why are you still doing this?" she murmured quietly. Jamie spoke carefully to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. They were shattered. She tried to be comforting as Susan’s mother screamed "Why?" Jamie watched CC out of the corner of her eye while she tried to comfort the grieving parents. She watched as the brunette was sucked into her own private hell.

CC had been five when her brother committed suicide. Jamie had heard the story of how the young girl had found him hanging in his bedroom. She knew that CC had been a volunteer for a teen crisis hotline back when they were dating. She’d always been proud of her for turning her own tragedy into something positive. At this moment, watching and knowing that it was CC who had been the one on the telephone was tearing Jamie apart.

Jamie was miffed that the Johnsons rebuffed her offer to provide them with phone numbers of councilors. They seemed to be blaming the crisis hotline for their daughter's suicide. Jamie tried to shake it off. They were in shock. She finished talking to them as she watched azure eyes filling with tears. CC wrapped her arms around herself as she stood there alone. Jamie called for a nurse to take the Johnsons to see their daughter.

After they left, she stood and ran after CC who had stormed out of the waiting room. It didn't take her long to find the woman outside, clinging to the brick wall as she wept. Jamie choked as she watched CC slump down on the ground. Jamie raced over. She knelt down and wrapped the distraught woman in her arms. CC curled up in her embrace and wept.

CHAPTER EIGHT

J
AMIE'S HEAD WAS pounding as she tried to open her eyes. The effort alone caused a searing pain to stab at her already muddled brain. Finally she managed to prop open one eyelid. The sight that emerged before her was startling and very pleasant. She blinked open her other eye. Then she blinked once again. Seeing that it wasn't a mirage, she stared intently at what she was using as a pillow. ‘
Yep, that's a breast. A really nice breast,’
she said to herself as she snuggled closer. She closed her eyes, enjoying the comfortable warmth emanating from the naked body beneath her.

She was just about to drift back to sleep when reality came crashing down around her. Her eyes flew open as she bolted up into a sitting position. "Oh God," she groaned as her head pounded violently. Feeling the chill of the morning air, she looked down to find herself completely naked. "Oh God," she repeated as she wrapped the sheet around her.

As she pulled the sheet around herself, she managed to reveal the naked body she’d been resting on. "Oh God," she said again, only this time her voice was filled with desire. CC groaned from beneath her. "Please stop saying that," the brunette pleaded as she placed a pillow over her head. "What the hell am I doing in bed with you?" Jamie shouted, which only increased the pounding from her hangover. She winced in pain, swaying for a moment, and feeling slightly nauseous. Something caught her eye. "When did this happen?" she inquired as her fingers began to trace a soothing pattern over the scars on CC's abdomen. CC reached out to clasp her hand while still hiding her face under the pillow.

Jamie pulled her fingers back as if she had been burned. "Never mind," she berated herself. "Let's get back to the first question. Why are we in bed together?"

CC threw the pillow off her face and stared up at Jamie who was straddling her. Jamie realized her position and bolted from the bed. Her emerald eyes widened at the sight of CC's magnificent body. Before she could surrender to the primal urges coursing through her, she tossed the sheet onto CC, successfully covering the temptation but not diminishing her desire.

"I can't believe you," Jamie snarled as her head spun.

"What?" CC gasped as she pushed up to her elbows.

Jamie looked around frantically for her clothing. "You got me drunk and took advantage of me," Jamie accused her, sensing that it wasn't the truth.

"I what?" CC stammered.

"Didn't you?" Jamie asked weakly as some the events of the past evening began to rear their ugly head.

"No," CC protested. "In fact I tried to slow things down."

"It doesn't matter," Jamie reasoned. "Where are my clothes? And where the hell am I?"

"I think you threw your clothes over there," CC informed her. "And you’re at my place."

Jamie stumbled to the far end of the bedroom to find hers and CC’s clothing strewn all over the place. As she bent over to retrieve her pants, she noticed several well-placed hickeys on her body. "What are you? Part vampire?" Jamie grumbled as she tugged on her pants.

"You started it," CC purred playfully. "Do you want to see mine?"

Jamie was furious at CC's taunting. "No," she growled in response. "I just want to get out of here," she fumed as she tugged on her shirt and jacket. She was far too flustered to search for her underwear.

"Stay?" CC implored her.

"Not a chance," Jamie flared, as she hopped up and down in an effort to put her shoes on.