Page 22 of The Criminal’s Cure

“Almost done.” I squint, looping the last stitch through and setting my utensils down. Derek gives me a goofy smile as he inspects his finger.

“Looks good as new, Dr. Taylor. Even better than before.” He grins, waving his hand around in the air.

This is the third stitch job I’ve done on him in as many weeks. Derek’s a carpenter and it’s truly a wonder he’s made it as long as he has because the man is more accident prone than a bull in a china shop. Clumsy doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Last week, it was a nail gun, and the week before that a wet saw.

And he got his latest injury when he tried to hoist a beam up onto the table saw all by himself.

At his age, working in the shop alone is dangerous in any capacity, and he’s glaring proof of that.

I’ve never actually seen any of his work, but with the amount of blood this guy loses in the workshop, I’m a little curious.

“I don’t know about that.” I smirk, snapping my gloves off and tossing them into the trash can. “Try to stay away from the table saw for a few weeks, okay? As much as I enjoy our time together, if you come in here again, I may just insist you find a new job.”

“If you would just agree to go to dinner with me, Dr. Taylor, then I wouldn’t have to injure myself to spend some time with you.” He winks.

“Ah, charming and handy. What more could I want?” I giggle, rolling my eyes as I fill out the rest of his chart.

Derek’s a massive flirt, but he never means it.

Not only is he about forty years older than me, he’s got a wife at home who usually comes with him when he visits.

Not today, though, because she had already warned him that working alone was a stupid idea.

“So what? Same routine?” Derek asks, grabbing his flannel and hat and following me out into the hallway.

“Yep. Keep it dry and clean, and let me know if it’s getting tender or red in the next few days.”

“You got it.” He pats my shoulder. “See you soon, Dr. Taylor.”

“Don’t make it too soon, Derek.” I wave, watching as he makes his way to the check-out desk at the other end of the ER.

It’s been a busy morning, but most of my patients have been like Derek. Quick and easy. It’s nice, but days like today are not why I went into medicine.

I duck into the staff lounge for a quick break, and I wince when I catch sight of the clock. Only noon? I barely slept two hours last night by the time Roman and I settled in, and I’m dragging.

I’ve got six hours left on shift, but it’s not nearly enough to make me regret a single second of last night.

My body still aches from the things he did to me, and every once in a while, I catch myself daydreaming about it.

It’s hard to focus when all I can think about is how good his body looked with the moonlight dripping in through the curtains and how his strong hands felt on my body.

I’m so lost in flashbacks that I can almost hear his voice.

Wait a second.

I really am hearing his voice. Is he here? Is something wrong with Ty?

I jet up, poking my head out of the door

Sure enough, Ty and Roman are standing in the emergency room lobby talking with Dr. Bauer.

“It’s been a long time, Roman. How are you doing?” Dr. Bauer says. His body is stiff as he sticks his hand out.

Roman doesn’t shake it, and his jaw hardens. “Fine, thanks.”

They know each other? Did I miss that? Roman’s hatred of hospitals flickers through my mind, and I have about a thousand questions. Is it because of Dr. Bauer? Did something happen between the two of them?

Dr. Bauer isn’t just my boss; he’s been my mentor since I arrived here as a brand new resident, fresh out of school. He’s taken me under his wing and I can’t imagine him doing anything to upset Roman.

“I’m here to see one of your...”

“Maddie!” Ty shrieks happily, racing towards me. He slams into my legs, wrapping his arms around them in a tight hug, nearly knocking me right off my feet.

“Woah! Slow down, buddy.” I laugh, bending to his level. “What are you guys doing here? Is everything okay?”

“We wanted to bring you lunch!” Ty beams, looking back towards Roman.

Roman gives me a guilty smile, holding up a paper bag with a shrug. “Ty’s idea.”

“You two know each other?” A strange look washes over Dr. Bauer as he glances back and forth between Roman and I.

“They’re friends, definitely not boyfriend and girlfriend.” Ty smirks up at Roman, who chuckles, but looks like he wants to crawl underneath a rock after being outed by his son.

I can’t help but laugh. Ty’s interjection is distraction enough to break up the tension that looms for everyone—almost everyone.

“Oh.” Dr. Bauer presses his lips into an awkward smile. “Well, have a great lunch. Madison, Come by my office when you’re done, will you?”

“Absolutely, Dr. Bauer. I’ll see you then.”

He nods back, scurrying off like he can’t get away from Roman fast enough. There’s a strange air between the two of them and it’s got me so curious.

“Come on, Maddie! Let’s eat!” Ty squeals, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the front doors. He runs a few steps ahead of Roman and me to a picnic bench that overlooks a pond.

“Definitely not boyfriend and girlfriend, huh?” I raise an eyebrow at Roman as we walk. His pinky grazes mine, and then he catches my hand in his. The touch makes my heart swell.

Despite his declarations last night, I still almost expected Roman to wake up with a change of heart, so I was pleasantly surprised when he got up just to make me coffee and kiss me goodbye before I left for work. And holding my hand in public is even better.

“I swear, that kid has a mind of his own.” He lets out a heavy laugh as we sit down. “He put me on the spot this morning and I didn’t know what to say.”

“I’m just giving you a hard time. I don’t care what we call this as long as we keep doing it.”

His face breaks into a wide smile as he leans in, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.

“Oh, we’re going to keep doing it, alright.

And make no mistake, I want you to be my girlfriend.

I just promised we’d take this slow, and I need to be careful with Ty.

He’s…it might be hard for him to understand right now. ”

The sweet, conscientious side of Roman is new to me, but I have no complaints. I could get used to it.

“How has your day been?” Roman asks as he pulls takeout containers from the bag. Whatever it is, it smells incredible.

“It’s been busy. Nothing too crazy, but a few frequent flyers.”

“Frequent flyers?” He raises an eyebrow.

“That’s what we call people who come in all the time. Sometimes with legitimate reasons, sometimes without. I saw a man this morning that I’ve stitched up three times in the last month.”

“Wow.” Roman chuckles, crossing his ankle over his knee as he leans back. “Well, I’m sure it can get crazy here. Probably nice to have quiet shifts.”

I shrug, chewing on my lip. “I kind of like the crazy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” I sigh, trying to hide the defeat in my voice. This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I went into medicine. “It’s what I went to school for to begin with. Trauma surgery.”

“And that’s not what you do here?” he wonders.

“Not exactly.” I swallow, wondering how much of this I should get into with Roman right now. “There are only a few hospitals in the country that let you fast track into trauma. Most of the time, you go through a general surgery residency, like what I’m doing here.”

“Where can you fast-track?”

“There are programs in LA, New York City, and St. Louis.”

Roman arches a curious eyebrow at me. I’m ready to drop the topic before I overshare all of my family issues, but he presses. “Aren’t you from St. Louis? Why didn’t you do it there if it’s what you want?”

I don’t know if he’s really listening or if he just plays the interested date part well, so I give him the short answer.

“My dad runs the program in St. Louis and he won’t give me one.”

“Because he doesn’t want to show favoritism?”

“Because he’s kind of a sexist prick who doesn’t think women should be in the field, including his own daughter.” I don’t even mean to say it out loud, and the moment I do, I cover my mouth. Did I really just admit that out loud?

Right away, I realize it’s not a part he’s playing. He’s furious, completely offended on my behalf, and it’s kind of sweet. “Seriously? That’s bullshit.”

“Yeah.” I bit my lip. “And what’s even worse is that he sent me here under the pretense that Dr. Bauer would let me in on more critical care cases than most other hospitals, but he rarely even has me in surgery. Most days, I just work as a general practitioner.”

I may have some friends and like the city, but I’m counting down the days until I can get out of here. At least, I was until I met Roman.

“Jesus, Maddie. That sucks.” His face creases with a frown. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “Any experience is good experience, I guess.”

I’ve heard those words a thousand times from my father over the years, and they leave a sour taste in my mouth.

“I could talk to him. Bauer.” Roman darts his eyes away. “Get him to put you on some bigger cases.”

“What’s the deal between the two of you, anyway? You’re friends?”

Roman scoffs. “We’re absolutely not friends. He just owes me, and if you want me to talk to him…”

“No.” I shake my head. “Thank you, but I don’t need you to get involved and pull strings for me. I’ll figure it out.”

“Okay,” he says. “But if you change your mind, just say the word. I’ve got a friend in New York, too, who could—”

“Roman.” I shut him down because I want a job one hundred percent on my own merit. Not because of him. Not because of my dad. I want to earn it.

“Right, sorry.” A deep laugh passes through his lips and it’s a sound I could listen to all day. Roman is serious so often that seeing him genuinely laugh or smile feels special.

“So what’s for lunch?”

“Sushi!” Ty chimes in. He’s completely out of breath from his run, and plops himself down next to me. “No octopuses, though.”

“Octopi,” Roman corrects with a laugh.

Ty’s face immediately scrunches up in disgust. “No, I don’t want it in a pie, either.”

Roman and I share a laugh that goes over Ty’s head, and we eat. Ty tells me about all the new clothes he got and promises to show me his Lego set when I get home, but soon, he’s off running again. A flock of geese fly off, honking as he chases them down toward the water.

“Wow,” I say. “He’s really getting his stamina back.”

“Yeah,” Roman agrees. “He’s doing really well.”

“You think so? You think he’s handling all of this okay?” I chew on my lip hesitantly.

Roman’s eyes shift to Ty, and he’s quiet for a moment, as if he isn’t sure how to answer.

“I…I really don’t know. I thought he was, but this morning I asked him if he wanted to go to the park and he immediately shut down.

Wanted nothing to do with it. It used to be his favorite place in the whole world. ”

“Well, that could take time, Roman. He’s still learning how to process things,” I tell him, tracking Ty as he races across the field again. “He’ll come back to it in his own time. Kids are so resilient.”

“Yes, they are.” His eyes meet mine across the table, lips curling into a smile. “Come here. You’ve got a little soy sauce there.”

He wipes his finger across my lip, the simple touch sending a harsh, prickly heat through my body, making my cheeks flush.

I cross one leg over the other before my body gets carried away.

It’s almost embarrassing how easily he gets to me.

How much he can make me feel with a little brush of his skin on mine.

He lets his hand fall onto mine, intertwining our fingers. “Hey, I was thinking…If we’re going to try this, like for real, I should take you out on a date.”

The idea of a date with Roman gives me butterflies. It’s one thing to continue what we’re doing behind closed doors, but being with him in public makes me even more confident that he really wants this. “Yeah, we have gone about things a little backward, haven’t we?”

“Usually sleeping together and moving into my house comes after a first date, but I’m not complaining.”

“What did you have in mind?” I ask him.

“A surprise, actually.” He smirks. “How does Friday night sound?”

“I’ll have to check my schedule. Maybe I can pencil you in.”

Roman isn’t even slightly amused. “Madison, I’m taking you on a date Friday night. Be ready at 7PM.”

“You know, for my definitely-not-boyfriend, you sure are bossy.”

“Trust me, you haven’t even seen how bossy I can be.”

“You mean you get worse?” My eyes widen playfully.

“I can show you, if you’d like.” Under the table, his hand lands on my knee, fingertips grazing my thigh. Even beneath my scrubs, his touch is fiery. “Ty seems occupied here. We can go find a supply closet or something.”

For a fleeting second, I consider his offer. Ugh, what am I thinking?

Truthfully, I know exactly what I’m thinking.

I’m thinking that Roman’s sculpted body is hidden underneath that tight white t-shirt and it makes me weak when I picture it.

I’m thinking that the sex we had last night won’t be near as hot as sex we have in a closet with the threat of someone catching us.

I’m thinking that I have six long hours to make it through before I can go home and cash in on all the promises he’s made.

God, I’ve got to get out of here before I let myself get carried away.

“As tempting as that offer sounds, I have patients to see…but I might be persuaded later tonight.” I stand up quickly, putting a safe distance between the two of us. Roman smirks because he knows exactly where my mind just went.

“The longer you make me wait, the worse it’s going to get.” Roman’s grin is menacing as his eyes bore into me.

“Looking forward to it.” I wink at him, and then turn to wave at Ty. “Bye, Ty! Thanks for lunch! See you later.”

“Bye, Maddie!” He waves wildly, tossing some rocks into the water.

“Goodbye, Dr. Taylor.” The smoldering smirk Roman gives me hits me right in my core, and it’s enough to make me consider heading home with him right now.

“Goodbye, Mr. Molanari.”