As Peter began rushing towards the distraught and panic-stricken woman, Rory and Shona emerged from the clinic and began running after him.
Shona shrieked, “Vicky, what is it? Can I help? Please tell me what is wrong! I’m here, I’m here!”
“Stay away from me, Shona. Don’t you damned well come near me. You know what is…you bloody well know.” Vicky stumbled out of the parking lot and headed down the dimly lit street.
Shona stopped running and then wavered for a moment. With a look of total confusion, she murmured, “I don’t understand, I don’t. Peter, what has happened? What is Vicky saying? I haven’t done anything! What does she…” A trickle of tears began streaking down Shona’s cheeks as she spun back towards the clinic door.
“No, Shona, I’m going to take you inside and see what can be done about your knee. Peter will help her.” Their eyes focused on the sight of Peter running down the street. In the coolness of the moonlit night, Vicky had escaped into the shadows. “She’ll be all right, Shona. Don’t worry about her.”
“Yes, I…I guess so, Rory. Peter will find her and…but I don’t understand why Vicky is so upset. We’ve been good friends for a long time and have never had a real argument. Oh, we’ve had our occasional spats and…” Shona winced as a dagger of pain tore through her injured knee.
Rory stooped over, gently passed his left arm around Shona’s back and carefully placed his hand on her hip. She immediately rested her right arm on the small of his back and sighed with an intense air of sadness. Rory felt her shoulders shrug and bit his lip as thoughts of Vicky’s savage verbal attack on this exquisite woman bored into his heart. “Shona, we can talk about that later. Don’t put your weight on that leg, sweetie. Lean on me and I’ll help you into the clinic.”
Shona took a deep breath and closed her dew-filled eyes as the throbbing in her knee instantly began spreading through the rest of her leg. As Rory sat down beside her and she felt his hand rest on her shoulder, she said, “I’ll…I’ll be okay, Rory. Thank you for helping me.” She took a huge breath and continued, “This was turning out to be such a good evening. You found Duchess and…well, she’s going to be fine, but then Vicky…God, I wish I knew what made her so angry….”
“Shona, I haven’t a clue what set Vicky off, but her words make me think that something must have happened, in the past, between the two of you. I mean, it is really none of my business, but…well, I think we’d best take care of that cut on your knee before trying to figure out what Vicky’s problem is.”
“Yes,” sighed Shona, “that’s a good idea. I’ll go and get some antiseptic lotion. I’ve also got plenty of bandages in a First Aid kit in the backroom.” Shona struggled to rise from the couch, but slumped back down as a blast of pain shot through her leg. She watched Rory walk over to the reception desk and retrieve a towel. Then he returned to her side and pressed it against the flow of blood that was still streaking down her leg.
“Hold this tight and stay right where you are, sweetie. I’ll get the medical supplies. Just tell me where to find them and I’ll be back in a minute. I’m pretty handy with bandages and medicine. When I was a kid, I used to ride my bicycle over some pretty rocky ground. Trust me, I’ve had plenty of experience tending to all sorts of cuts. The scars alone attest to my lack of talent as a bicyclist.” Rory presented a cheeky grin to Shona, but he noted that she was in no mood to even offer the tiniest of smiles in return.
Shona pointed towards the back of the clinic and said, “Head down that corridor and then go into the backroom. You’ll see a First Aid kit on the wall. The bottle of antiseptic and the bandages are inside of it.”
She closed her eyes, leaned back on the couch, and continued searching her brain for an answer as to why Vicky was so furious with her. Perhaps she was angry with her for being with Rory. Yes, that was obvious. She must have seen them holding each other inside of the clinic.
But Vicky had screamed, “Not this time! Not this time!” What was she referring to? There hadn’t been any other men who had possibly come between them, had there? Shona shook her head and thought, “No, that hasn’t happened, but there was a time when I sensed that….”
“Thanks, Rory, but I’m the real doctor here. I’ll take care of the medical treatment. If I can perform surgery, it is pretty certain that I can handle this little problem.” Shona appreciated Rory’s help, but a flicker of concern regarding his sunny disposition began to fester within her. How could he be so upbeat after all that had happened? After pondering this for a moment, she decided that he was only trying to be kind and that she was being ungracious.
Rory wasn’t certain, but thought that he had detected a distance emerging between them during the past few minutes. Deciding to push the concern from his mind and heart, he concluded that Shona remained very upset at what had taken place over the past ½ hour. There was no question that she was in a very anxious state.
He knew that she felt comfortable with him and appreciated his efforts to help her. He also believed that their moments of passion experienced earlier in the evening had confirmed, in his mind, that she wanted to explore a closer relationship with him. Now, however, he wanted to help her take care of the wound. There would be time for romance later on, hopefully during a date that he wanted to make with her before his return to Chicago.
“Yes, you are the doctor, but I can be a very accomplished assistant.” Rory continued smiling at Shona and was gratified that she seemed to be cuddled in his warmth and attention.
“Okay, Rory, I would appreciate the help. Why don’t you get out a bandage and I’ll begin cleaning the cut with some of the antiseptic.” Shona reached into the open First Aid kit and removed a cotton swab. She started dabbing at the injury and said, “Thanks for being here, Rory, although I wish it was under better circumstances.”
“Yes, I know what you mean.” Rory applied a bandage to the wound and immediately felt Shona’s body shiver with tension. “I’m sorry about that, my dear. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Shona shifted her body on the couch, let out a sigh and said, “I’m fine, but hope that Peter has found Vicky. It’s very dark and she could have gone anywhere. Perhaps she has headed for the field that overlooks the bay. It is a very beautiful place and…well, the cool air and magnificent scenery might help her to relax. I’m so worried about her, Rory. She’s extremely upset and I can’t figure out why.”
“Nor can I, but Peter will find her, Shona. He’s a great guy and won’t stop looking for her. In fact, I’d be surprised if he hasn’t already caught up with Vicky. He’s got the strength and speed of a racehorse. There is no way that she could outrun him! I’m certain that he is with her and managing to soothe her spirits. It’s obvious that he really likes her.”
“Yes, you’re right, Rory. And I think Peter will be good for her, at least as a dear friend. They’ve known each other for awhile as business contacts. I didn’t realize, however, that they were any closer than that. I was very surprised to see them together this evening.”
“Well,” replied Rory, “I don’t think Peter has made any secret of the fact that his marriage has basically been over for a long time. I know he is interested in Vicky, but Peter wouldn’t entertain another relationship before divorce proceedings are well underway.”
“I hope so, Rory. You see, Vicky hasn’t been close to anyone for a long time and I don’t want her to be hurt. Oh, she’s been out with quite a few men and seemed to enjoy their company, but…well, I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but about six years ago, she went through a difficult relationship. Vicky wouldn’t tell me anything about it, but I do know that she was really upset when the breakup happened. She was very secretive about it and for a time was extremely distant, even to me. I guess she just wanted to sit back and be alone for a time.”
“Shona, I know you care for Vicky and I admire you for it, but after all, she was horrible to you tonight. I know she is your friend, but you shouldn’t have been treated that way.”
“Rory, let’s be honest about this. I know that she likes you very much and perhaps when she saw us together…well, she must have fallen apart. I don’t know what to do about that and I…”
“I know, Shona, I know, but look, I’m not interested in Vicky, and in any case, the problem she had in the past with the guy you’ve referred to doesn’t explain why she screamed, “Not this time,” in the parking lot tonight.
“I can’t figure that out, Rory, I really can’t.”
“Vicky, my poor, poor Vicky. Thank God I found you,” he gently whispered into the ear of the sobbing woman. “You’re going to be okay now, I promise.”
“Bu…but, Peter, I explained everything to you and…and she’ll never understand what she did to me. She…she never will and I hate her for what she’s done. I thought she realized, but…damn her, damn her,” cried Vicky as the rains continued to soak through her clothing and threatened to drag her to the ground under the weight of the sodden material.
“Vicky, you can’t blame Shona. She never knew what happened with you and him, but…well, there is no way she could possibly know. Let it go, sweetheart, let it go.” Peter stroked her matted hair and caressed her heaving shoulders in an embrace of timeless compassion.
“She knew about Rory and must have known about what happened between her…her…oh God, and me.” Vicky choked on the bile that was well on the way to flowing to the top of her throat. She coughed as a torrent of tears bonded with the rain that had intermingled with the mascara staining her cheeks.
“She couldn’t have, Vicky. I know she couldn’t have, and even if she did, it wasn’t her fault. Don’t you see that? Don’t you understand that it was his fault? It wasn’t Shona’s. In fact, she was the one who was hurt. Please let this go, please.”
Vicky shoved her body away from Peter’s and screamed at him, “Don’t you damn well protect her. Don’t do that, Peter. I can’t bear it! Everyone loves her, but she almost assassinated my heart. Don’t let her do it again, Peter.”
Peter closed the distance between them in an instant and once again held the quaking woman in his arms. In as soothing a voice as he could muster, Peter whispered, “Vicky, I want to talk with you about this, but let’s get out of the rain and walk back to the car. We can’t stand in the middle of this field and do anything about what is hurting you so terribly.”
“No, I…I can’t…I….” Vicky’s voice quivered. Then with an air of resignation, she muttered, “Wh…where is your car, Peter? Okay, okay, I’ll try, I’ll try to….” The remainder of Vicky’s words were muffled against Peter’s chest as she feebly tried to clear her mind of the effects of the vast amounts of wine she’d downed during the day and well into the evening.
“I left it back at the….” Peter stopped short of telling her that he’d left the car at the clinic. If she heard that word, she’d….
Suddenly, Vicky released a lightning quick force that propelled Peter backwards and caused him to bounce onto the slick ground, where he felt his ankle twist. She then lashed out with a stunning, venomous screech, “It’s at the damned clinic, isn’t it Peter! It’s where Rory and Sh…Shona are, isn’t it, you bastard! You go to hell, Peter! You are going to try and get me to talk to her, aren’t you! You son of a….”
Peter was chasing her now and as his lungs threatened to explode out of his chest, he screamed after Vicky, “Stop, stop, for God’s sake stop, Vicky! You’re heading for the cliff! Please, please….”
“No, no, no!” Vicky bellowed as she turned, glanced at Peter, and kept racing through the blackness of the night. As she hurtled forward, her left foot caught the edge of a jagged rock and her body catapulted towards the edge of the precipice, soaring over the sixty-foot drop to the vicious, swirling waters of the bay.
She desperately grabbed for another rock, a plant root, anything, but as the momentum of her fall thrust her body into the gaping vacuum of her doom, all she could hear was the bloodcurdling cry of Peter, too far behind her. “Vicky, Vicky, Vicky! Oh dear God!”
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