Behind The Mask (Nurses Book 2) Read online

  So I worked harder, sweat harder, and now I’m paying the price of being sore. But, the physical therapist said as long as my stump isn’t too swollen, we would start the process of me getting my prosthetic today. He said first we would start with measuring and doing a plaster mold of my stump.

  I’m not gonna lie, I’m scared. Scared of the future, scared of walking again. I have been in this bed, used my wheelchair and crutches only sometimes, but the thought of walking on two feet again scares me. What if I don’t get it right? What if I can’t do it? The pain doesn’t bother me because it lets me know that I’m still alive. But the fear of falling is there. The head shrinker lady asked me if I had anybody in my corner cheering me on. It sucked to tell her no.

  But as I was making my way back to my room yesterday, I ran into Sam again, when I asked her where Cori was, I heard a tinge of jealousy in her tone. I think this girl might end up being a problem. The few times I have been observing Cori from afar, in a totally non-creepy way, Sam has been sending her dirty looks. She seems to not like Cori for some reason. She’s probably jealous because Cori is so much better than her. But Sam became touchy-feely some yesterday. She wanted to hug me, telling me that she is proud of me for making this big step in my life. She made sure that when she went in for the hug that she plastered her tits to my upper chest. Granted she had to lean down to hug me in my chair, a guy can still tell when a girl is trying to smother him with her tits.

  Making my way to the shower, my mind drifts back to Cori. She’s completely clueless that men still look at her because she keeps her head down so much. The girl is beautiful, she has a light that shines from inside her that is just Cori, nothing fake about her. Great, now my dick is hard as a rock. Getting into my shower seat is a challenge when you have what feels like granite poking from between your legs. Soaping up my short hair, my hard on isn’t going down. The thoughts of Cori aren’t going away either. My hand instantly goes to my cock the second I see her face in my mind. I imagine her big brown eyes looking up at me with my cock in her mouth. Her mouth being so warm and the suction so tight. My imagination runs wild, and the grip on my cock tightens. I picture running my fingers through her hair and grabbing ahold. Her moaning on my dick has me almost coming. I would let her ride me, let her have the control over this. She could control the pace of this relationship forever if she needs to if it will help her have some self-confidence. Thinking of her bouncing up and down on my dick, tits in my face has me calling her name as thick jets of cum wash down the drain. A feeling of emptiness fills me up, and a feeling of being a creepster as well. I just jerked off to thinking about her. That screams pervert and I hang my head in shame.

  Finishing up my shower, once I get myself dressed and use my crutches to get out of the bathroom, I’m startled to see Sam sitting on my bed.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  “Oh, I was just waiting for you, wanted to see how you were feeling today. You must be sore from all the work you did. Wanted to see if you needed a rub down. I’m very good with my hands.”

  “How long have you been in here?” I’m beyond pissed. This girl is walking a fine line with me.

  “Long enough. Is she really what you want? She is just so…”

  “I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you. Now don’t you have something you should be doing? Like working and worrying about your other patients? I’m not interested in you, so please leave me alone.”

  The bitch has the audacity to come up to me with a pouty look on her face and try to wrap her arms around my neck! She’s wearing this perfume that smells like a wet dog.

  “Oh come on, Knight, don’t be like that. I can give you so much more than she ever could. She’s damaged goods, but I’m the real deal. She’s probably scared of her own shadow!” She chuckles as she says it like she can’t believe that I would want Cori over her.

  “Get. Out. Of. My. Room. Now!” I accentuate each word because this girl must be stupid. I’ve already told her once in this conversation that I’m not interested.

  She gets this childish pouty lip and drops her head like she isn’t used to being rejected, and it instantly pisses me off more than I already am. This girl is going to be a problem. Who knew that coming out of my room would cause such an issue? I certainly didn’t know that getting myself straight would cause this girl to go a little crazy.

  She doesn’t say anything more as she walks out, thankfully. I don’t want to be a dick to this chick but seriously, this shit needs to stop. I don’t want anyone to get any ideas about us, namely Cori.

  Sitting in this god-forsaken chair irritates me even more. But, I remember what the head shrinker said yesterday about deep breathing, sitting in this chair will be over soon. So I take my deep breaths in hopes that it calms me down and helps me with this shitty mood. I don’t mean to be this way and never was until I landed here. Fun Gage went out the window and that window has welcomed in a sullen, broken, beat up shell of a man.

  Getting out of this room and maybe seeing the outside might help me. I haven’t left this building for a few months now, so maybe some sun will get me better. I just hope that for once I don’t run into Cori. I don’t want to be a shithead to her ever because she has dealt with enough of them in her life.

  As I’m wheeling myself to the elevator I run into Allyn. Looking back now, I feel bad for being an asshole to him when I first got here. The old man is pretty cool and has some funny as hell stories, too. Yesterday he had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I hadn’t laughed that hard since before going to the sandbox.

  He told me about when he was younger, this motherfucker stole a city bus. Then he picked up passengers like he was the real driver! Who does that shit? A boss motherfucker does apparently! Not only did he pick up passengers as if he was the driver, he waited for a particular busy stop, got up and walked off the bus. Then as everyone who got off was wondering where the driver was, he stood in the crowd and wondered with them!

  This man, with all of his stories and witticisms, has turned into a friend. I never expected to have another friend again after losing my brothers. Hell for a while I thought I was living with a curse. I never wanted to have another friend because I felt as if I was tainted. But Allyn has wormed his way in, even though he’s my senior by at least forty years. He also seems to have taken an interest in my love life, or lack thereof I guess is a better way of saying it.

  He told me yesterday, “Boy, you need to lock that girl down. You may not know her very well, but I didn’t know my CC for very long, God rest her soul. She was the most precious of things in my life.” He then got a faraway look in his eyes and stopped talking.

  He told me the story of him and his departed wife. Her name was CC and they were married from when he was eighteen and she seventeen until she passed last year. Some fifty-two years they were married. I can’t imagine being married that long to the same woman. But his stories always recall a fondness for her that I haven’t felt toward anybody before.

  Finally getting onto the elevator, it wheezes going downstairs like an asthmatic going up steps. First thing I want to do when I get the leg is learn how to climb stairs with it, because that elevator seems to be a death trap. Once the doors open with a muted ding, I wheel myself off and head for the doors. The carpet is old in the lobby, probably from when Allyn was a kid, so my chair glides easily. The tricky part is finding my way once I get outside. I was brought in by ambulance to this place, so I have never actually been around.

  As soon as the air hits me and the sun shines on my face, I feel better than I did upstairs. Sam trying to get my dick is long forgotten, and flashbacks of sandbox hell is nowhere in sight. It’s just me and the sun.

  On my drive in, the last thing I expected to encounter in the front of the building was Gage in his chair. Eating lunch with him and all has just made him take up permanent residence in my mind. He just makes me feel things that I shouldn’t, no, things I don’t want to feel. I don’t want to feel like there�
��s a possibility in this life to have something normal. Because I know the second he touches me and my skin starts to squirm that I will be devastated. I can’t let that happen.

  Pulling into a spot, I shamelessly watch him for a few minutes. I’m one of those people that freak out if I’m late, so I’m always early wherever I go. I have plenty of time to watch him if I want. He’s peering up into the sky as if it’s the most wonderful thing in the world to feel the sun on his face. The rehab facility is right on the water, so there’s always a salty tang in the air from the bay, and we always have a breeze. He looks incredible, lighter than I’m used to seeing him. Like the weight of the world has faded away, as if the world isn’t on his shoulders. Good for him, I hope to one day be like that.

  He’s dressed in a short sleeve shirt, and I never noticed the tattoos before, maybe because I was too distracted by his face. The way he is staring up at the sky gives him a carefree look that you don’t see in people every day. His tattoos cover his arms, and I can’t tell what they are, though, not that it even matters. He would be impressive even without them. He’s tall, like really tall, even sitting in his chair you can see how giant he is. I find that he is so much taller than me attractive. Something about being the short girl and needing something off the top shelf.

  I need to get inside, but the issue is, I need to walk past Gage to get inside. I don’t want to, but I have to go to work. Just thinking back to just a few days ago when I flicked my bean thinking about him has me turning tomato faced. But, I don’t feel guilty about it, hell I would do it all again. He is that hot!

  Getting out of my car, I keep my head down and walk with a purpose. Hopefully, he is so distracted by the sun he doesn’t notice me. I decide to take the steps which is sort of on the opposite side as him and it puts me about fifteen feet away from where he’s enjoying himself. Walking up the steps, his back is towards me, so I get to admire the muscles bulging from his back. Well, they aren’t bulging, but he definitely has some definition. The kind of definition that tells you that before all this happened to him, he worked out. Religiously. And his smell, God his smell is like fresh cut wood and lollipops. It’s intoxicating. As I’m oogling him— and ok maybe sniffing him— his muscles bunch up like he caught me watching him.

  “Cori.” How in the hell did he bust me?

  “Gage, good day we’re having.” Please don’t turn around, the embarrassment is written all over my face. Please don’t turn around.

  Of course, he turns around to face me, a smirk evident on his lips. “Did you just sniff me?”

  “I did no such thing, you apparently think too highly of yourself, so you might want to deflate that head before you go back inside.”

  “I will, thanks for the tip. Never been accused of having a big ego before. Can’t say that I like it, I would like to say, though, that I am ruggedly handsome, loyal, and a great person.”

  “See there is that big ego again.” I chuckle and walk off, smiling to myself. It feels weird to smile, it’s been so long, but it is happening so often now. I’m not used to this.

  Finally hoofing it up the stairs, I make my way to the nurse’s station and see Sam. As normal, she seems to be her cheery self but with a slight edge. I can’t put my finger on it, but she seems mad at me, but for what I don’t know.

  She normally says hi to me, but today I had to go to her to say hi, and she seemed less than enthused to see me. Oh well, I have no clue what she seems bugged about, but I haven’t done anything to her, and I am not gonna let her try to ruin my decent mood.

  The day goes by in the blink of an eye, and all in all, it was a great day. Allyn had me rolling with stories of when he was a kid, one in particular about a boy on the wrestling team with him that apparently had a stomach bug. He got very ill and crapped in his singlet. It’s never a dull time when I’m around Allyn. I also got a visit from Martin. He’s just so warm. I like when he is around, it gives me a sense of comfort. Sam seemed distant all day, and I’m pretty sure she was talking about me. I walked into the small nurse’s lounge and overheard her whispering to Emily from physical therapy. Emily has been a bitch to me since day one, so I don’t care about her, but when I walked in, they stopped talking and Emily was just laughing. Girls are so catty.

  But honestly, I couldn’t care less. I come in and do my job, I love my patients and enjoy seeing them daily. I don’t have time for salty bitches in my life. I have too much shit in my mind than to care about their petty bull. But today is the first day that Sam tried to make me feel less than her.

  On the bright side, I didn’t have to deal with Gage too much other than when I was sitting with Allyn. He came over and listened to what he had to say, which I must say is a welcome addition. Not only for the eye candy but because I want Gage to get better. I want him to succeed and not be trapped in this place. It has to be hard to be a man his age and be stuck in rehab. He doesn’t get any visitors so I assume he’s not from around here.

  Walking out to my car, the sun is starting to set and the air has that chill that you feel when you’re by the water. It’s like the wind cuts down to your bones. Getting to my car has me shivering more than the wind does. Two of my tires are flat! I immediately look around because these tires aren’t just flat, they have been slashed. I run back inside because I figure I’m safer in the building than out in the open. A pounding has started in my ears, and my hands are shaky as I fumble through my purse to grab my phone. Hurrying up, I send a text to the only person I know that will come.

  Please come to the rehab facility, someone slashed my tires!

  As I await a reply, I nervously look around me. I’m scared and almost in tears.

  “Cori, what’s wrong?” Just what I need. I turn around to face Gage who has a concerned look on his face.

  “Just waiting for someone.” It’s been fifteen minutes since I have texted Damian and he hasn’t responded. That’s unlike him and now I am worrying about him too.

  “Since I have met you, I have done nothing but worry about you, please tell me what’s wrong, so I can try to fix it. I’m trying here, I’m trying to get to know you, trying to get better, I’m just trying. So please help me out a little, maybe cut me some slack, and throw me a bone and tell me what is really going on.”

  “Um, nothing, just…” Before I can finish I’m grabbed from behind and it has me screaming my head off in terror.

  “Shhhh, it’s just me.” Thank God, my savior, Damian.

  “You scared the shit outta me! Cheese and rice Damian, you’re gonna give me a fucking heart attack.” I slap him on the chest, but my heart hasn’t calmed down.

  “Who’s this?” Gage says with an edge to his tone like he is pissed off.

  “Oh, Gage this is Damian. Damian this is Gage, one of the residents here.”

  Men, instead of shaking hands or anything, they seem to be sizing each other up. Both are covered in tattoos, both are hot as sin, both seem to have this alpha, beat on their chests kind of complex.

  “Sup, man.” Gage breaks the staring contest first. Damian offers a ‘sup’ back and apparently that is the end of them sizing each other up.

  “Cori, do you know who the fuck slashed your tires? Do they even have security here? Has anyone been messing with you?” His questions make my head spin, and the pounding within my ears get louder. Especially when he asks if anyone has been messing with me. Damian was of course at the prison with me. That was how Olivia and he met. He was undercover police on a fact-finding mission against another inmate. He was supposed to just gain intel and admission of crimes, but of course, that wasn’t how it went. The inmate he was sent to gain information on was none other than that piece of shit Xavier. But Damian helped saved me, and he’s been family ever since. He’s one of the few who can touch me without making my skin crawling.

  “D, calm down, please. I’m already scared enough, and I don’t need you adding to it.”

  “Cori, what the fuck do you mean someone slashed your tires?” Great now
Gage is joining in on the shit storm.

  “Well, after I got off work I went out to my car and two of my tires have been slashed. I didn’t see anyone running away, but it was getting dark. I ran inside and texted Damian.

  Damian leans down and kisses my forehead. “You did good. I’m glad you texted me. Have you called the police?”

  When Damian wraps his arm around me and kisses my head I hear a faint growl coming from Gage. I don’t know why, he isn’t my boyfriend and neither is Damian. Just added shit I don’t need. Just when I think I’m getting into somewhat of a routine, shit like this happens.

  “No, but I can page Martin.”

  “Who the hell is Martin?” Damian growls out, and I remember that even though we have an amazing friendship, I haven’t kept him or Olivia in the loop lately.

  “He’s the head officer here. He has left for the day, but I know he will come back in.”

  When I get back from paging him from the landline and waiting on his call, I see that Damian and Gage are getting along. They have their heads bent together whispering about something, but, of course, stop as soon as I walk up.

  “Martin is on his way, he said don’t touch my car until he gets here.”

  Damian just nods at me and goes back to whispering with Gage. So now I’m the odd man out, just sitting and waiting. I hate that feeling because I know they are talking about me, but they won’t say it loud enough for me to hear. So I pull out my phone and start playing slots. That has always been my way of wasting time when I have nothing to do, but at least, it’s fun for me.

  Sitting here I get a creeping feeling like I am being watched. The hair on my arms stands on end, and goosebumps break out on my skin. I’m trying not to be obvious, but I look around everywhere to see if I can catch someone. Looking outside, it's pitch dark now, so I can’t see anybody. But the feeling is starting to go away, so whoever it was left.

  “I think someone was watching me,” I say out loud to anybody who will listen. Looking over at Damian and Gage, their heads are bent towards each other, and they seem to be deep in conversation, so neither one of them heard me.