Gentleman Sinner(64)
His nostrils flare, and he releases my wrist, looking down at it when I start to rub away the slight pain from his squeeze. Gently this time, he reclaims my arm and takes over rubbing before bringing it to his mouth and kissing it sweetly, closing his eyes and breathing in a long, calming inhale. ‘I’m not fucking standing for this.’ He drops my arm and strides off down the road towards the hospital.
I stare at his back, letting the last few moments sink in. He’s not standing for it? Then what does he think he can do? I look at his car on the roadside and dip to get Callum in my view when the window lowers. He’s watching Theo walk off. ‘You’d better get in or any hope you have of keeping your job will be lost,’ Callum says, shaking his head. It’s a sign of dread, and it has me straightening and finding Theo again. He’s at the bottom of the street already, his long legs eating up the distance in no time.
‘Izzy, get in the fucking car.’
Callum’s demand has me moving quickly, and I jump into the car in a panic. As soon as I’ve pulled the door closed, he speeds off down the road. Before I know it, he’s swinging into the hospital grounds. The barrier takes an age to lift, to the point Callum starts cursing his impatience, and once he has just enough room, he puts his foot down, forcing a few pedestrians to jump from our path.
‘For the record,’ Callum says as the Bentley skids to a stop, ‘he really was paying for parking. Wait there.’ He jumps out, shutting the door and breaking into a sprint across the car park towards the entrance. I watch him pelt away, my mind a haze, trying to catch up. He really was just paying for parking? Theo’s not standing for this? So, again, what’s he going to do?
‘ “Wait here”?’ I say to myself, seeing Callum disappear through the doors of the hospital in pursuit of my rankled boyfriend. ‘I don’t bloody think so.’ I let myself out of the car and chase after him. Not fast enough, though. I lose sight of Callum, getting caught up in a crowd of people at the hospital entrance. ‘Excuse me,’ I shout, fighting my way through, knocking people out of the way as I go.
By the time I make it to my ward, I’m out of breath and sweating, my lungs burning. I pull to a slow jog near the entrance, trying to calm my breathing and my frantic state.
That’s when I hear the commotion, and I flinch as the sound of Theo’s voice thunders through the hospital, echoing off every wall. ‘You can’t suspend her for something she didn’t do,’ he yells. ‘I won’t have it!’
‘Sir, please. You can’t come in here throwing your weight around.’ Susan’s high-pitched shrill hits my ears, and I drop my head into my hands in dread. ‘Please leave, or I’ll call security.’
‘Fucking call them,’ Theo bellows. ‘What kind of imbecile does she work for? You know Izzy. Her kindness and her passion for her job. You’re going to let a depraved arsehole put her integrity and her reputation into doubt?’
I follow the sound of his voice to Susan’s office, seeing the door open and Susan backed into the corner, despite Theo being on the other side of her desk, albeit with his fists planted on the wooden surface, leaning over. Callum is hovering behind, silent and still.
‘I have to follow protocol,’ Susan stammers, her gaze flicking to me at the door. I hope she can see the sincerity in my eyes, the alarm and remorse for Theo’s threatening behaviour. If she was concerned about my involvement with him before, then Theo has just confirmed why she should be. His presence is ominous. Intimidating.
‘Theo,’ I say, approaching his heaving back. ‘Please, let’s just go.’
‘No, Izzy. Not until someone around here starts acting on common sense rather than fucking protocol. It’s a fucking joke.’ He lifts, straightening to his full height. ‘You know as well as I do that she would never confront someone, let alone a grieving person. Bollocks to protocol. Why the fuck aren’t you fighting in her corner?’
‘I know Izzy,’ Susan retorts. ‘I have no idea who you are, and you’re most certainly not welcome here. It’s time for you to leave.’
‘I didn’t inflict those injuries,’ Theo growls, his stubbled jaw ticking. ‘I wanted to, believe me, and if Izzy hadn’t stopped me, I promise you, he wouldn’t have wound up in Casualty, he would have wound up in the fucking morgue.’
I close my eyes and fold on the inside, silently begging him to stop. I love his protective instinct, have grown to crave it, but I’m slowly grasping the consequences. I’m so utterly torn.
A hive of activity breaks out behind me, and I swing around to find two hospital security guards. Oh, shit, no. Callum moves fast, ever alert, grabbing one who launches himself towards Theo. He restrains the startled security guard quickly, thrusting him front—forward against the wall, his arm up his back. The man squeals in pain, and time seems to slow to a crawl, my attention whirling to Theo and then to the remaining security guard, the one who’s lacking one big fucker holding him back.
I watch as the distance between him and Theo shrinks, the free security man’s body seeming to fly through the air towards my boyfriend. I don’t know what happens. Instinct? It must be. ‘No!’ I jump in his path to stop him from reaching Theo, knowing the reprisals will be ugly.
‘Izzy!’ Theo yells, though the sound is muffled, because the large arm of the security guard just connected with the side of my head, and I cry out in shock as I’m sent flying across Susan’s office, my body crashing into a nearby filing cabinet with a loud bang. I grunt, pain searing through me as I drop to the ground, stars dancing in my vision. Pain rips through my shoulder, and I grab it and squeeze as a blurry Theo appears in my sight, his hard face filled with concern. ‘Izzy, sweetheart.’ His hands find my cheeks and pull my head up, his eyes searching mine.