“Vicky, its Peter Sinclair. Um…I’m sorry to call on you so late, but was in the area and thought I’d drop by.” Peter waited for Vicky to respond and open her apartment door, but she failed to remove the latch and allow him to enter.
“Ah…Pe..Peter, I…I, this isn’t a good time. So, um…” Vicky coughed once and then twice. She cleared her throat and uttered “okay, Peter. I’ll…I’ll, some other time. I’ve got to…I’ll see you later.”
“Vicky, you sound…are you okay? Come on, let me…look, I’ll only stay a few minutes and…well, I think you need a friend. Just a few minutes, all right?” Peter attempted to peer through the spyglass in the middle of the door, but instantly realized that it was a ridiculous act. Of course he couldn’t see inside of the apartment. He took a step back and wondered, for a moment, if Vicky had been looking directly into his eyes. He leaned forward and said “Vicky, come on, let’s talk. I…”
Peter heard the sound of the door being cracked open and then waited for what seemed like an eternity while he listened as Vicky struggled to slip the chain’s lock along its slide. “It seems like that chain just won’t cooperate with you, kiddo.”
“I’ll, ah..I’ll get it, Peter. Just give me a minute. This thing always sticks and I keep meaning to…damn, come on.” Finally, she swung open the door, but quickly turned her head away from Peter as she coughed yet again and cleared her throat one more time. Vicky’s body shook as she struggled to keep from retching. A day of indulging in copious amounts of wine had successfully turned her quaking form into a deluged mass of nausea.
“God, Vicky, are you okay? Should I call a…” Peter’s senses were instantly assaulted with the sweet-sickly odor of an abundance of alcohol. He glanced at her stained, ginger-colored robe and quickly determined that Vicky wasn’t in need of a doctor. What this shuddering and obviously distraught woman required was care, affectionate care and plenty of it. A few rivers of coffee and at least three maximum-strength headache pills would complete his prescribed medical treatment.
Vicky raised her head for a moment and then quickly allowed it to slump back down. “Peter, I’m okay, really I…I’m just not feeling very well. Please don’t bother. It’s just that I…”
Peter entered the room, closed the door and gently steered his arm around Vicky’s shoulders. “I know, sweetie, I know. Come on, let’s go into your living room and see what I can do to help you.”
Out of the corner of his right eye, he noticed another bottle of Cabernet teetering precipitously on the edge of the table. “Thank God she didn’t finish this one off as well,” thought Peter as he moved it to the middle of the table and replaced a cork in its neck. The bottle nestled against an empty box of tissue.
“Vicky, I’m going to make a pot of coffee. Just sit there and relax. I promise we’ll talk about whatever has caused you to do this to yourself.” He took a stride towards the kitchen, but then stopped in his tracks. He walked back to the table and then picked up the half-empty bottle of wine. Peter cast a quick look at Vicky and thought “you poor kid. You must have been through hell.” He turned in the direction of the kitchen and began walking away.
Vicky opened her eyes and scanned the coffee table for the bottle of wine she knew must be nearby. “Where the hell is it?” she groaned. She slumped back on the couch and her besotted mind screamed, “why, why couldn’t you leave him alone? Damn you, Shona, damn you. I won’t let you do this to me again.” She struggled to keep from screaming her tortured years of pain out loud.
Vicky began to whisper in a voice disfigured with anger, “maybe you didn’t know what you were doing back then, but this time, this time... I won’t go through that again, I’ll stop you, I’ll…” Vicky shuddered as the bile in the pit of her stomach threatened to rise to the top of her throat. She shook uncontrollably in the despair-filled gloom of her living room.
Within a few minutes, Peter had placed the wine in the refrigerator, started brewing a pot of high-octane powered coffee and retrieved three headache pills from Vicky’s delicately lavender wallpapered bathroom. He turned and began walking back to the living room, but stopped in the hallway and peered into Vicky’s bedroom.
Peter walked into the living room and settled beside Vicky who was huddled into a corner of the couch. Her head lolled against the back cushions and her eyes seemed to be cemented shut.
Peter’s attention turned towards the lush milky texture of Vicky’s thighs as the slit in her silk robe awarded him a view more enticing than his imagination could have ever conjured up. He felt a stirring in his loins that, under other circumstances, would have caused him to consider seducing Vicky into a meadow of hopefully mutual interest.
Now, however, was not the time to invite her to swim in such a realm of passion. He needed to help her recover from the tidal waves of pain that had propelled her into an alcohol-engorged sea of despair. As Vicky’s eyes remained firmly closed, Peter gingerly reached out and draped the flap of her robe over her thighs.
Vicky opened her tear-sparkled eyes and whispered “Peter, I can’t talk about it. It is true, you don’t know me and this is something that I won’t talk about. I…I was, um…hurt…I’ll be okay. I’ll get over it.” Her body trembled as the last few words escaped her dry and yet still beautifully sensual lips. She unsteadily began to rise from the seat and uttered “I’ve got to get a g..g..glass of water or something.” Her hand missed the edge of the table and she toppled into Peter’s waiting arms.
Peter held her as she began to shed a new stream of tears. “Vicky, dear Vicky, it’s okay. If you can’t or don’t’ want to talk about this, I’ll understand. Just sit back and I’ll get the coffee.”
Over the next two hours, a combination of headache pills, seemingly endless pots of coffee and Peter’s gentle words of support and comforting affection helped Vicky to gain a somewhat tenuous grip on her pride and emotions.
During that time, Peter had cautiously tried to have her release whatever demons had served destruction on her spirits. Vicky, however, had refused to offer anything more than a vague and cursory word or two regarding a personal situation that had deeply upset her. Each time it seemed that she was about to open her heart, Vicky would lapse into silence and her well of tears breached once again.
Peter had desperately wanted to wrap his arms around Vicky and eradicate her pain, but other than a few gentle touches of his hand on hers, he had stopped short of going forward. His internal struggle regarding his overwhelming attraction for this woman and his desire to not interfere with her recovery had almost exhausted him. In the end, however, Peter refused to press his needs on the lady who required his compassion, not his lust.
“Now Vicky, I’ve been playing doctor for the past few hours and as far as I can tell, my prescribed medicine has been working pretty darned well. I know a drive up the coast would be a great tonic. Perhaps, however, you’d like to get a second opinion. I helped another friend of mine through a similar situation a few months ago. Let me find her number and then you can give her a call and see what she says!”
“No, that won’t be necessary Dr. Peter. Okay, you’ve sold me. I’ll go and throw on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Just give me a couple of minutes, kind sir.” Peter watched as Vicky walked down the hall and into her bedroom. He noted that she was still a shade unsteady, but was in far better condition than earlier in the evening.
Within a few minutes, Vicky had emerged from the bedroom and was dropping her keys into her purse. Peter’s eyes drank in the overpowering sensual vision of Vicky’s tantalizingly curvaceous body attired in painted-on black jeans and a soft pink cable-knit sweater. He also noted that she’d applied a light touch of makeup, brushed out her hair and was wearing a very subtle, yet enticing perfume. It took a huge amount of self-control to stammer “okay, let’s go” rather than “let’s stay here and…”
As the mesmerizing tones of Kerr’s enchanting voice filled the interior of the car, Peter asked, “Vicky, are you feeling better? I love to take late night drives along the coast. The air is so clear and clean. It always makes me feel so…” Peter turned his head towards the woman who was sleeping peacefully on the passenger’s seat. He smiled and his eyes shone as Vicky gently sighed and she subconsciously snuggled closer to him.
Peter returned his attention to the road as the beauty of the night enveloped him in a cocoon of the warmest possible sensations. The lights of Halifax ceased to sparkle in the reflection of his rear view mirror as the Corvette continued down the highway.
Peter turned his eyes, once more, towards Vicky and thought, “what could have upset her so much?” As he returned his visual focus to the road, he recalled what she had said earlier in the evening. “…I was hurt. I’ll be okay. I’ll get over it.” Peter asked himself, “what could she have meant? Who hurt her? I wonder if it’s someone I know?” The questions continued to play on his mind as he steered the car into the night.
“Rory, Duchess is doing just fine. She’s a very lucky dog to have been found by you. Peter will be so excited to know that his dear lass will make a full recovery. I tried to reach him again, but there is still no answer at his home. I left a message about Duchess. I hope he gets it soon and calls the clinic, although it’s getting rather late and we can’t stay here all night. In fact, you probably have to get going, don’t you?”
“Shona, don’t worry about me. I’m so keyed up from what has happened this evening that I don’t think I’ll sleep all night.” Rory smiled as he looked into Shona’s eyes and knew that as long as he could be with her, he wasn’t about to return to the city. Sitting with Shona on the brown leatherette couch in the clinic lobby wasn’t quite the romantic setting he’d like to be in, but it was better than tossing and turning in his bed alone and thinking constantly about her.
“Well, let’s give Peter another half-hour or so to call.” Shona curled her legs under her skirt and said “I hope you don’t mind me being so casual, but I’ve been on my feet all day and they are very tired. Mind you, the rest of my body is as well.” Shona closed her eyes for a moment and thought, “oh, this man is so very charming, handsome and sensitive. I wish we were strolling down a beach and…”
“I love doing the play. You see, Brigadoon is my favorite of all musicals and performing the role of Fiona is a delight. In fact, I don’t consider it to be hard work at all. I’ve always adored the fantasy of living in a mystical village like Brigadoon and falling in love with…well, it is a wonderful dream.” Shona’s cheeks began turning crimson and she lowered her eyes. “I guess you think that’s rather silly.”
“No, no I don’t, Shona. I’ve had the same dream and when I saw you, um…whenever I’ve seen the play, I’ve enjoyed thinking about what it would be like to live in a mythical place like Brigadoon and the magic that it promises. Life is so hectic and, oh…my business keeps me extremely busy and…well, you know what it’s like.”
Shona’s heart had jumped a few precious beats when she heard Rory say “…when I saw you.” She caught her breath and thought “no, no, don’t think about this, Shona. Perhaps he didn’t mean to say that. Yes, it must have been a mistake. I’m being ridiculous and after all, I can’t hurt Vicky. I just know she wants to be with him, but still…oh, stop this, Shona, stop this before you…”
Rory had not intended to say “…when I saw you.” It had slipped out and he prayed that Shona hadn’t heard him. He must take this as slowly and cautiously as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her away. He couldn’t bear being rejected, not again by a lady who might…but somehow this was different. He’d never felt such a constant rush of passion for a woman before. God, he was falling in love and yet, he had to slow it down, he had to. Cynthia had hurt him so deeply and he’d never risk such pain again, but…oh God, he…
“My work at the clinic is extremely rewarding and I love taking care of these wonderful animals. I’m so glad that I can help them and save as many as possible. But, Rory, no matter how professional I try to be, when a cat or dog or even when a canary like Prudence dies, I… it just tears my heart out. You see, Prudence was a pet of a dear friend of mine. The little bird was brought in today, but I couldn’t save it. My friend told me that it had gotten out of its cage and managed to eat something that poisoned it and…well, I couldn’t do a thing.
“Our neighbors had two children, one was the same age as me. Anyway, one day, the oldest kid decided to take Casey out of our yard and bring him into his house to play with him. He’d always been jealous of…” Rory’s voice broke and tears began to form in his eyes.
“Rory, it’s okay. You don’t have to talk about this, if you don’t want to.” Shona instinctively moved closer to him and took his hand in hers. Her knees were pressed up against his.
“Casey was my best friend, Shona, and I loved him so very much. Well…when the boy took him into his house, um…” Rory’s eyes were a well of dew and his body began to shudder. “You see, the boy’s mother must have been trying to kill some mice or something because there was poison in a tray or…I don’t know what, but Casey ate it and…”
“Rory, Rory, it’s okay, it’s okay.” Shona wrapped her arms around Rory and began to stroke his head. Her heart was in tatters watching this marvelous, wonderful man recall a memory that was still tearing him apart. She raised his head and began to lower her lips to…
Vicky sighed and Peter instantly removed his hand from hers. She needed her rest and he wasn’t about to have her wake up and think that he was making an advance on her. He reached for his cellular phone and punched the speed button dial that would connect him to his home telephone.
Peter listened to three messages and then an excited and very familiar voice caught his attention. “Peter, Duchess is here! She’s been found and is going to be all right. A car hit her, but she’s okay. I’m going to be staying late at the clinic, so give me a call and don’t worry about the time. I’m here with…”
Peter hit the disconnect button before listening to the rest of the message. A dazzling smile instantly formed on his face as he realized that not only was Duchess safe, but that he was only ten minutes from Shona’s clinic. Within four kilometers, the exit ramp for Macdonald Trail came into view. Vicky began to mumble words that Peter didn’t bother to try understanding. His only thought was to get to the clinic and hope that Shona hadn’t already left for the night.
In the flash of an instant, Rory was standing beside Shona and gazing into her bewildered eyes. “Please, Shona, I can’t stop thinking about you. I need you and I…” Shona’s lips stopped Rory from uttering another word. The exquisite warmth of her breath mingled with Rory’s as her arms wrapped around his body. Suddenly, Brigadoon was here. It was here.
Peter turned the Corvette’s steering wheel to the right and raced off towards the clinic. Within two minutes, he pulled his car into the parking lot of the veterinary hospital. Vicky stirred into full consciousness and rubbed her eyes. She turned to Peter and asked, “where are we? God, I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
Peter threw open the car door and said, “come on Vicky. Duchess is here!”
Vicky stumbled out of the Corvette and began heading after Peter. Suddenly, she felt like a million serrated knives of frigid steel were stabbing her heart. “No, no, no, no,” she screamed into the night as her venomous stare bore into the two startled figures who were holding onto each other inside of The Scotia Animal Clinic.
(Gary loves to hear from his readers so please email him)
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