The Vigilante (8 page)

Lizzie grinned. “Sure, anything—hey, I haven’t heard from you for a while. Anything going on?”

Her quizzical look put Martha on guard. “No, nothing out of the ordinary. Work, of course, and there’s my grandson, Will. I wonder if there’s ever an end to what happened to that poor child. Do they ever recover from a thing like that? Do you know anything about those things? I may be a nurse, but this has me baffled.”

“I don’t know, but someone sure did a number on the dude that attacked Will. You hear about that?” Lizzie laughed in delight. “He won’t be out molesting kids any time soon, or ever. We need more of that in this country, I say.” She flipped her hair back as she spoke. “They ought to cut the balls off every child predator in the country!” Her bright, hazel eyes sparkled with mischief.

Martha nodded in agreement, thinking her friend was a nice looking woman for her age. In her forties, Lizzie had married very well, and no doubt had had a bit of enhancement work done. At least Martha thought so, but she had never asked. “I was glad to hear about it,” she said. “He must have more enemies than us. Guys like that never stop, I’m told. Maybe you’re right in your idea of a permanent cure. But that wouldn’t be politically correct, now would it?” Martha uttered a deep, derisive chuckle as she pulled out the coffee pot. “Would you like a cup?”

“Sure, coffee makes my world go round.” After it brewed, Lizzie took the proffered cup and cradled it in her hands. “How come you look so tired, Martha?” she questioned with narrowed eyes. “Tough night at work?”

“It’s always busy on the wards these days and charting is out of hand. The government won’t pay Medicare payments unless every procedure is written out in detail. So, instead of actually giving nursing care, you just write all about it in the treatment book or nurse’s notes.” Martha sighed. “It’s a pain in the ass of nursing, I can tell you that much.”

She hadn’t covered her fading purple spots, and noticed Lizzie eyeing them. The instant unease of it set her heart racing.

“Martha, I worry about you sometimes. You need to get married again. Don’t you ever meet any great guys on the job, business moguls, millionaires? They get sick, don’t they?”

Martha laughed. Lizzie always lightened her mood
. No need to mention needing a psychiatrist. Who would understand a thing like that? I don’t understand it myself, and I’m scared as hell. I wish I could tell someone, it would
be a relief.

“There’s a great looking guy at work, Bob Chance, she answered. “He’s a quiet one, sees things about me and wants to help. He knows about Will and offers his shoulder, so to speak. He’s nice enough, but I can’t get involved just now. I’m in such a whirl over everything. I couldn’t handle a relationship right now and I don’t know if he has leanings that way. He’s just a nice guy.”

“Ooh—
love
his name. You could be Martha Chance if you worked at it. You’re a good lookin’ gal, Martha. Don’t sell yourself short.” Lizzie waggled her head for emphasis, and added, “What’s the purple stuff on your arm there?”

“I don’t know what I got into. Looks like the gram stain solution we used in training, but I don’t remember going near the lab. Whatever, it’s fading now.” Martha shrugged. “Sometimes when I come home, I have about every stain there is on my uniform.”

“Good enough. Girl, you seem to need me just now. Why is that, Martha? You can tell me anything, you know that.” Lizzie’s hazel eyes darkened significantly. They delved too deeply and were too knowing for Martha’s comfort level.

She drew herself up, unable to speak of her fears. She barely eked out a weak reply. “Lizzie, you are without a doubt the best friend I’ve ever had. But for now, I have a lot of worries on my mind, mostly about my grandson, but that’s not all of it. In time, I’ll get things sorted out.”

She felt a tear welling up, “This latest thing on the news set me off all over again. Now two more children have learned to fear for their safety because the law can’t seem to protect us anymore. Where’s it all going to end?” She felt hot salty tears drip down her cheeks.

“God, Martha, you
are
upset. If I can do anything to help, you know I will. I’d like to be the one to fix those guys myself.” Lizzie couldn’t stop the giggle escaping her lips at the thought of what happened to Callahan.

Martha found herself caught up in it, too. “You’re good for me, Lizzie. You really are.”

They both laughed until tears escaped down their cheeks.

“Lizzie, you are the ever lovin’ limit!” Martha dabbed at her eyes and reached over to give Lizzie a big hug. “I love you, girl. I’m so glad you came over. You’ve saved my life today. Don’t ask me why—you just did!”

After a hasty lunch neither of them really tasted, Lizzie took her leave and Martha felt several degrees lighter for the visit.

She showered and headed to the hospital. “Another shift and I couldn’t care less. I can’t hide my worries, and I’m tired as hell. Hope my patients won’t suffer for it.” She parked her car and went to her assigned ward.

During report, she noticed Bob scoping her out more intensely than usual. Then he quickly looked away. She felt furtive for having noticed and decided she’d speak to him later if she found the time.
He seems concerned.
Do I look that bad
?
Does it show that much
?

Her patients kept her running the entire shift and she had no chance for a supper break. Heaving a sigh of relief, and with great fatigue, Martha headed out of the hospital toward the sanctuary of her car. Keys in hand, she was about to click it open when felt a solid, warm hand on her arm.

“How about a bite of supper, Martha?”

Bob had moved so close, right next to her elbow. In her worn condition, she hadn’t noticed his nearness, not even the masculine scent of him.

“Oh, hello there,” she mumbled in a voice that sounded weak and thin to her own ears. Startled at how close he stood, she managed a subdued response of refusal. “I’m not hungry, Bob.” She wondered how that sounded to him, but didn’t care. Was he was making a move on her, perhaps a dating overture? In her present state she couldn’t emotionally handle any sort of an intimate relationship. She desperately wanted to go home, go to bed and get away from everything.

“Look, I know you’re worn right down to your toes, but we need to talk. Come on, a bit of dinner might do you good. I happen to know you didn’t have time to eat.” His soft voice held a strong note of urgency and he directed a concerned look deep into her eyes.

His tone, so gentle, yet insistent couldn’t be denied. Martha saw only a look of kindness in his eyes. Realizing she sorely needed a friendly voice just now, she replied, “Okay, I’d love it, where?”

“Oh,
Denny’s
would do, wouldn’t it?”

At the sound of that name, Martha froze. “Uh—any place but there, Bob. I don’t know why I feel that way, but right now, I do.” She barely got the words out.
Why does the name Denny’s, upset me
?
She hugged herself and waited for his reply.

“Hey, we’ll go to
La Fiesta
.
They’re open late. Okay then?”

Martha nodded her acceptance and they went to Bob’s big GMC four-wheel drive. It was a high climb getting in, so he helped her up. She felt the heat of his hands on her body when he did, and she shivered at that unexpected sensation.

“I don’t want to be nosey, girl,” he said. “But something big has got a grip on you. You need to relax. Maybe a bit of down time will fix your wagon. What’s going on? That is, if you’d want to spill. I’m a damned good listener.”

Martha managed a smile. “A lot has happened and everything
has
kinda snowballed on me. I can’t talk about it, but I appreciate your company, Bob, I really do.”

His truck, big, warm, and strong, just like him, gave her the feeling of badly needed security. Basking in his gentle masculinity added to the feeling of stability. She realized she felt comfortable with him—an unexpected pleasure.

The loss of her husband Chet had left her alone. Sometimes she felt like an Eskimo woman left out on an ice floe alone to die. No family members, though they helped, had ever filled that great hole in her life. Indeed, they never knew the depths of loneliness his loss had left her to face. They had their own lives, and she wanted them to live peacefully without worrying over her problems.

She’d been more than aloof when men came near, fearing additional pain should she become entangled in a good relationship and face another loss. But now, with something as casual as a snack after work, she’d allowed a male to enter her personal sphere, if only this once. “Nice truck, Bob, rides smooth,” was all she could manage to say.

“Thanks Martha.” He glanced her way, his eyes warm and soft, and hesitated. “You know, I’ve always liked the way you look at work. You’re good with your patients. The way you are makes me think you just might be good people.”

“I always hoped I was.” Relaxing a bit, she nearly giggled, but held it to a chuckle. No need to act the silly female. “You’re one fine nurse yourself, Bob. I’ve watched you, too.” To another nurse, being good at the profession made all the difference in how they were perceived by their peers.

They said no more until he’d ushered her to a seat in
La Fiesta
. It had the usual Mexican décor: sombreros, serapes, and wildly colorful
ollas
sitting around filled with brightly colored paper flowers. It wasn’t busy this late—just a few patrons ordering small stuff. They received their colorful menus and ordered. By then, Martha realized she had a ravenous hunger. “This is nice, Bob, I didn’t know I was so hungry.”

He smiled in return, but said nothing and kept looking into her eyes as his long fingers toyed with his napkin.

Martha took a good look at him. He was approaching middle age. His hair, touched with gray, was thick with a hint of curl about it. Slim and fit, about six feet, she guessed as she wondered what his story would be. She’d never heard anything of his personal life, and asked, “How are things for you, these days?”

Sadness edged his smile as he replied, “Not so good in a lot of ways, but I’m handling it. My family’s gone now. Had a bad auto accident a couple of years ago, I made it—they didn’t.”

“Oh Bob—I’m sorry to hear that.” Martha felt tears forming and blinked them away. “We get so tied up in our own lives, we tend to forget that others have been there, too. I didn’t know about your family.”

He shrugged, a half smile spread across his firm mouth. “I’m learning to live with it, but I think about my two younger kids. They’ll never have the chance to marry, or do the things we’d hoped for them. One girl was away at school, so I do have her, but when they leave home, they never really come back, do they?”

Martha felt his pain. She reached out and took his hand. The sorrow in his voice compelled her to offer, “Bad things happen, Bob. We all get a shot of it at one time or another, but I have to say, you’ve certainly had more than your share.”

He squeezed her hand and his smile lightened the mood considerably. “Hey thanks, Martha. Looks like we’ve lots of things to share, but for now, let’s relax and have a good evening. And here comes the chow.”

After the waitress set their plates before them, they ate in comfortable silence. The sounds of people murmuring to each other, and the distant clink of dishes and glassware in the background, added to the warmth of their surroundings. Their booth encircled them, and Martha had greatly needed the feeling of security and comfort. The company wasn’t half bad either.

She sighed and smiled at him. A tremor of excitement passed through her at his return glance. Her thoughts lightened even more as he reached out and squeezed her hand again. His touch had an unexpected effect. One she’d never experienced, not even with Chet, her lost love.

“I lost my husband four years ago,” she murmured. “It was tough for me, but you have to go on. I’m sorry to mention it, but things happen, don’t they?”

His eyes held hers with their warmth. “Yeah, I’d have to say they do, so you doing okay with that, these days?”

“Yes. He left me well enough monetarily. I work more to get out of the house and be with people, than for expenses.” After a quiet moment, she went on. “It’s the aloneness, isn’t it?” She laughed. “Sorry, let’s enjoy our dinner—and the company.”

“Hey, it’s okay, and sometime I’d like to hear everything about you.” After they ate, Bob returned her to her vehicle and made sure she got it started before he waved goodnight. Martha felt enveloped in a lovely glow and for a time, forgot her oppressive worries. “How good it is to shelve all my troubles, if only for a little while. I’m off tomorrow, thank God! I’m so tired!”

CHAPTER 10

Two days later, feeling close to panic, Martha entered the office of Dr. Michael Carton. Her hands trembled so that she barely completed the required paperwork while sitting in the quiet, comfortable office, awaiting her first appointment. Not knowing what she might learn made her edgy. Her hands clenched into tight knots until she untwisted them and clamped onto the arms of her chair.

When the nurse appeared at the door to summon her into that dreaded inner sanctum, she rose tight-lipped. With fear and escalating tension, she entered the doctor’s office, took the indicated chair, and sat stiffly upright, neither enjoying or caring how nice the large, soft, brown leather chair felt against her back. Heart hammering, she waited for him to begin.

After introducing himself, he asked. “How are you, Martha?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice didn’t sound like her own.

He nodded, indicating he understood her hesitancy. “I want to help you. Your reason for seeing me states you’ve had periods of time lapses. Why don’t you just tell me as best you can what has occurred, when these episodes began, and what concerns you enough to seek treatment. We’ll take a look at those things and see what can be done.”