Gentleman Sinner

She pouts to herself, her mind obviously racing. Welcome to my world, Jess. ‘I wonder what would happen?’

My hands falter, enough for her to notice and conclude that I’m as curious about that as she is. ‘I need to unpack.’ I leave Jess at the table and make my way through to my bedroom, flopping on the bed with my box. And as I stare up at the ceiling, I daydream. I daydream, hope, and pray that one day Theo will be comfortable enough to give me free rein over his body. Until then, I guess I should get used to being tied up.Chapter 12

For once, I’m not complaining about the heat in the hospital. I haven’t warmed up since I left Vegas. God, eight hours at work and my holiday already feels like eons ago, and the urge to tip a bucket of water over Jess’s head this morning, when she smugly collected her coffee before going back to bed, was unbearably hard to resist. Her first shift back at work is the red-eye shift, the lucky cow. I, however, was up and out of the house by five thirty, more or less sobbing my way to work. I feel like I’ve been awake for years.

‘Where’s that sparkle in those gorgeous green eyes?’ Mable asks as I unhook her catheter bag.

‘In my bed,’ I quip. ‘How are you feeling? One to ten.’

‘Five,’ she answers immediately, hissing as she shifts on the bed. ‘Are you going to tell me about Dallas or not?’

‘Vegas,’ I correct her, laughing. ‘Do you have a thing for cowboys, Mable?’

She gives me an impish grin. ‘A man who prefers to straddle a horse rather than me isn’t top of my want list, dear.’

I fold over with laughter, nearly dropping the bag full of pee. ‘You’re a wicked old lady.’

‘Age won’t take that away from me, young girl.’

I look around at the rest of the patients in Mable’s bay, all elderly, either sleeping or looking as miserable as you would expect someone who’s stuck in a hospital to be. Mable is a refreshing change. ‘I’ll miss you when you’re gone,’ I say as one of the catering girls rounds the corner with the trolley.

‘Well, until this damn hip starts playing ball, I ain’t going nowhere, my love.’

I do a quick mental rewind through all the updates I’ve had today. ‘Hey, did anyone collect you for your X-ray yet?’

‘Not yet.’

I look down at my watch. ‘It’s a bit late now. Let me chase it up for you. Here’s your supper.’

‘Oh, joy,’ she mutters, flipping a hand to her wheelie table. I push it towards her and watch with a smile as she grimaces at the tray.

‘Bon appétit,’ I call, heading back to the nurses’ station.

After disposing of Mable’s pee and giving the empty bag to a health-care assistant to hook back up, I take a seat at the computer and load Mable’s file, then call the X-ray department. ‘Same old,’ I mutter when I get no answer, hanging up as Susan appears, looking a bit harassed, her round face red. ‘Everything okay?’ I ask as she leans past me to collect a pen.

‘Just a difficult visitor,’ she huffs. ‘It’s not hard. Visiting times are two till four. I don’t know what makes some people think the rules don’t apply to them.’ She jots something down on a pad and tosses it back on the desk.

‘Would you like me to have a word?’ I ask, getting up from my chair. Susan isn’t exactly the most diplomatic, and while most people respect her authority, the odd person questions it. Susan doesn’t like being questioned.

She looks at me with a telling expression. ‘Do you think the ignorant swine will listen to you?’

‘Worth a try, right?’

‘Go on then.’ She nods down the ward. ‘Bay two, bed four.’

‘That’s Percy’s bed.’ The old boy was admitted after a massive heart attack, and on top of that, he’s losing his marbles, bless him. And the raging bladder infection he has isn’t helping.

‘Yes, and Percy’s son is a nasty little so-and-so.’

I head for bay two and run into Rich, one of the hospital porters, as he rounds the corner with an empty wheelchair. ‘Hey.’

He beams at me, his tall, lanky body bent over the wheelchair as he pushes it along. ‘You’re back, and you look like shit.’

Reaching up to my hair, I tuck it behind my ears. I’m too beat to care what I must look like. This shift has been like a baptism by fire. ‘It’s great to be back,’ I chirp, full of feigned enthusiasm. ‘Who are you here for?’

He looks down at his clipboard. ‘Mable Loake. X-ray.’

‘Oh, great. I was just chasing that. She’s bay four, bed one.’ I point down the ward. ‘But she’s just eating her dinner.’

‘No problem.’ He wheels the chair off, grumbling something about having the day from hell. Join the club, I think, carrying on my way.