Page 7 of The Ampersand Effect

“It feels warm, but the pain is like a one,” the captain reported, almost breathless. She looked at Grier in disbelief as she rolled her sleeve back down, sadly covering the tattoos. “How can I pay you?”

“You get to take us on a joyride on that helicopter of yours,” Grier replied, flushed at the compliment.

“Seriously?” The captain eyed her dubiously.

“Seriously. Also, you’re not out of the woods yet. You’ve got some extensive scar tissue. This is going to keep happening if you don’t take care of it. Did you do PT after surgery?”

“Yes, but it was focused on my back. I suffered a compression fracture in my low back in the same accident.”

Grier pushed her lips to the side in thought, listening to the captain’s story. “Hmm, well, I’m happy to offer help if you need it. You’re far too young to let your accident change the course of your career. And I’m pretty good with my hands.” She couldn’t stop the words before they left her mouth. She felt blood rush to her face. What was she saying? Was she hitting on this woman she had just treated? She didn’t even know if she was queer! And was she staring at Grier’s lips again. She had to salvage this. “I mean, I’m sorry. That was out of line.”

“Again, with the candidness.” The captain’s mouth lifted upward in a shy grin.Nowwho was staring at whose mouth? Grier inwardly palmed her face, then made a decision.What the hell—might as well shoot my shot.

“Hang on.” She reached into the thigh pocket of her scrub pants and pulled out a card. She began searching her jacket pockets for a pen when she noticed the captain had one in the breast pocket of her shirt. In a bold—and undeniably flirty—move she would likely castigate herself for later when replaying this to Alix and Maren, she plucked the pen from Captain Maes’s pocket. She wrote her cell number on the back of her clinic card. Then, she looked intensely into the captain’s gorgeous green eyes and returned the pen to her breast pocket, sliding the business card with it in a slow, deliberate movement. “If your arm hurts again.”

With that, she turned to Delta and scooted her off the chair, moving toward the refreshments. It took every ounce of her restraint not to look back at the captain. In the briefest flicker of fantasy, she allowed herself to hope that the captain was watching her walk away—and that she liked what she saw.

“Smooth,” Delta teased. Grier flashed her a look full of fire.

A few minutes later, Katie was ushering the group out of the meeting room and up to the helipad. “Not you two.” She stood in front of Grier and Delta. Delta’s face fell, mere moments from the ride. She looked crushed.

“Don’t look so sad. Captain Maes has asked for you two to be separated from the rest of the group.” She smiled as she continued, “Apparently her arm feels amazing, and she wants to thank you with a private tour. But you’ll have to wait a little longer. Is that okay?”

Delta looked up at Grier, wrapping her small arms around Grier’s chest and squeezing with the forcefulness of eageranticipation. Grier laughed through the hug. “Yes, I think that would be fine.”

Forty-five long minutes later, when Delta was nearly incapacitated with unspent energy, Katie opened the doors of the meeting room and smiled. “Your chariot awaits, ladies. Thanks again, Dr. Savage. It was kind of you to literally offer a helping hand today.”

They walked onto the helipad, and Grier felt her stomach lurch when she saw Captain Maes leaning casually against the helicopter, one foot propped behind her so her knee was gently bent. Her mirrored aviators hid her eyes, which Grier was grateful for in that moment. She wasn’t certain she could have kept her emotions in check, and they were already threatening to bubble over.

Grier was used to seeing helicopter pilots in jumpsuits. That image fueled many, many fantasies. But this woman, in a sharply tailored pilot’s uniform—with a dark navy tie coordinating perfectly with slacks that hugged the modest curves of her hips? Grier wasn’t accustomed to this type of fodder for her imagination. The tie and the hat were definitely going to work their way into her dreams tonight.

“I hope you don’t mind that I changed the plans on you a bit,” Captain Maes said with a smile, pushing herself off the chopper and removing her aviators. “My arm feels amazing. And I really hate not paying my debts.” She looked directly at Grier, and Grier nearly stumbled at the spark in her eyes.

Fuck. Why’d she have to take her glasses off? Grier was in trouble.

“Do we get to look at the cockpit? Can I sit in your seat?” Delta nearly whined with excitement.

“Right this way, ladies. Captain Parrish is already starting the pre-flight checklist, but you can take a peek from my seat.” She opened the door of the helicopter and took Delta’s hand, helpingher find her footing as she climbed inside and surveyed all the controls. Captain Parrish greeted Delta warmly from her own seat.

Grier was smiling as she watched Delta pretend to push buttons and enjoy herself in the pilot’s seat. She knew this was a moment her niece would remember forever. She quickly snapped a picture of Delta before the girl could catch her, knowing she’d start posing as soon as she noticed the phone. She absentmindedly toyed with the pendant at her neck, admiring the girl’s enthusiasm and wishing Nora were alive to see it.

Nora had gifted her the custom pendant of an outlined sacrum as a graduation gift. The particular design was a little joke between the two of them—the sacrum being a large part of their chiropractic paradigm, but also a triangular bone that subtly nodded towards Grier’s sexuality. It was minimalist and elegant, with a hint of flirtation. She was prone to toying with it when deep in thought, bored, or when Nora was the topic of conversation.

“Cute,” came a voice from a few feet away. When she turned, expecting to see the pilot looking at Delta, she realized the captain was looking directly at her, a slight lift curling one corner of her mouth. Her glasses were back on, infuriatingly blocking her eyes. Grier couldn’t read them to know what she was referencing. Was the captain hitting on her?

Fuck. Had she said that yet today? This was getting out of hand. “Did you say something?” She asked.Two could play…

“I said, ‘Cute.’” Her cockeyed smile returned. She was definitely toying with Grier now.

The captain deflected, “Did you want to hop up and take a look? As soon as you’re ready, we can take off.”

Grier shrugged. “Sure, why not.” She walked closer to the chopper and hollered up to Delta, “Hey, mind if I take a peek?”

“Auntie, this is so cool! I can’t wait to tell Dad about it!” Delta declared, hopping out of the chopper.

“We haven’t even flown yet, kiddo. Wait ‘til that part, then tell me what you like best.” Sometimes it gave Grier whiplash when her niece could flip between an eleven-year-old and a twenty-one-year- old in a matter of minutes, her youth hanging in the tenuous balance between precociousness and wisdom.

Grier pulled herself up into the cockpit, ignoring the hand Captain Maes offered her. She couldn’t continue to play this game and keep her wits about her. This wasn’t going anywhere, anyway— just some simple flirting; harmless.