Lori Avocato - Dead On Arrival

He was awake.

I sat on the edge of the bed and said, “You’re all right now. It was only a dream.”

His opened his eyes again. “A dream? It was a freaking nightmare, Nightingale. A nightmare. A nightmare that comes each time I go to sleep.”

Not being able to help myself, I sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and hugging him to my chest.

Dano was apparently fine as far as the head injury was concerned, but his mental-health status was in question as long as he worked his job, tried to save lives and sometimes lost them.

He moved closer to me, his head pressed against my chest, and I tightened my arms around him. It seemed like hours that we lay there, me trying to comfort him yet knowing that I couldn’t do anything to release the demons from his memory.

I brushed his hair back behind his ears and he looked up at me. Not sure exactly what happened next, but knowing his head was fine, I gave in to his lips when they touched mine.

And we kissed as if starving for each other.

“I’m all right. Just a nightly occurrence, Nightingale. I’m all right,” he repeated.

I returned his kisses, and with my lips pressed against his cheek managed to say, “I know you are fine. I’m glad.”

With one swift motion he’d reversed our positions, and now I was lying next to him, his arms straddling mine, and his lips covering mine-and it felt so good.

Dano slid his hand beneath my top, running his hands across my breasts-and I was so glad I could never sleep with a bra on. When he touched my hardened nipples, I moaned.

He then lifted my top over my head and the last coherent thought that I had was, we are two adults. Two consenting adults, sex was a natural desire and…oh, man, did I want to consent to ER Dano.

So I did.

Since we both needed some semblance of sleep, I went back to the guest room, telling myself I’d be able to sleep. Ha! After such a pleasurable ride, I could barely shut my eyes without reliving parts of it-no, all of it.

This was going to be a futile effort, I told myself, until I felt my eyelids close.

When I opened my eyes to the sound of the shower running, it again took several seconds to orient myself to my surroundings.

ER Dano’s guest bedroom.

Yikes. Was that a fantastic dream that I’d had or the real thing? I turned over, hugged the pillow and smiled.

Then I looked at the alarm clock and groaned. Damn. A half hour to get to work, so I jumped up and grabbed my makeup kit. I’d at least get my teeth brushed in the downstairs bathroom until he was done with the shower. Ignoring the fact that I could join him…but knowing there wasn’t time, I hurried out-and told myself to stop those kinds of thoughts.

Thank goodness the stairs were carpeted, as I’d forgotten to shove on my clogs and hated walking barefoot. At the bottom of the stairs, I stopped at the end table and noticed myself in the mirror.

Raccoon eyes. Smudged mascara. Great. Did I look like this last night when…? Naw. Besides, it was dark. Still, I couldn’t go to work like this, so I reached into my bag for a tissue. Stella Sokol would be shaking her head right now. No tissue. Here I’d broken one of her golden bring-a-tissue, go-to-the-bathroom, and make-sure-to-wear-clean-underwear rules.

I chuckled, as I’d often wondered if the ER staff really cared or noticed anyone’s clean undies. Still in the afterglow of last night, I walked much lighter, nearly prancing, and headed into the bathroom. No tissues there either. Apparently ER Dano’s mom did not practice the same words of wisdom as Stella Sokol.

Laughing, I walked into the kitchen to look around, as there wasn’t even toilet tissue in the bathroom. Despite the Victorian setting, this was still a guy’s house. On the counter was a tissue box-empty.

“Damn.” There might be some in the cabinet above, so I opened it-to a pile of papers that cascaded out at me.

I shook my head and started to grab them to shove back in when the words caught my eye. TLC. Overcharge. Carry deceased. The fake list of EMT and paramedic’s names were listed as receiving cash from the undertakers, and no real names were given.

My eyes blurred. I didn’t need to read any further.

ER Dano had the papers that proved the fraud at Tender Loving Care Land and Air so nonchalantly piled up in his kitchen cabinet-as if he didn’t give a care in the world about them.

Dano was involved in the fraud.

After my “find” at ER Dano’s house, and knowing he was physically all right-after he insisted as much-I had showered, dressed and headed off to work, where the first thing I did, even before my morning tea, was to seek out Jagger. I found him sipping his coffee in the parking lot.

Jagger leaned back on the hood of his SUV. When I told him about my discovery and that I had been there to nurse Dano, he said, “Interesting.”

“Interesting? That’s all you’ve got? Interesting?” I leaned against the fender, as my lack of sleep was already taking a toll on me. “Come on, Jagger. Obviously ER Dano is involved. He was hiding evidence in his kitchen cabinets!” And damn, how I hated that. I mean the sex was great (great!) and I really cared for him-however, those words would never pass my lips to Jagger’s ears.

“If you talk a bit louder, all the employees will be able to hear,” he said.

I curled my lips. “I’m just so pissed.” I was really pissed at fate. Here I find a hot guy I liked, who seemed to like me, and he’s a criminal. I looked up to the clouds and shook my head. Saint Theresa must have been very busy last night and my “needs” didn’t qualify for prayer answering.

Jagger said, “Look, you don’t have any proof of why they were there. We need that.”

I bit my lips. “Are you saying you don’t think Dano is guilty? That he’s not covering up the fraud?” Please. Please say it because I believe whatever you say since it’s always true.

But Jagger merely responded, “I’m saying we need proof. Can’t close a case on assumptions. Right ones or wrong ones.” He looked past me. “Here he comes now. You’ll need to get into his house again tonight and find out more. I’ll go with you.”

“No!” I said way too loudly. He glared at me. “No need. I can handle Dano. You maybe should go see if Pansy’s any more alert.”

Suddenly I wished I could have swallowed those words.

Had I really just given Jagger an assignment? An order? Or something close to being an order?

Yikes!

He looked at me, got up off the car and walked away.

I watched his butt moving from side to side as he swaggered off, and I didn’t even get hot. Okay, I did get a wee bit warm.

I had way too much on my mind between fraud and getting back to ER Dano’s house, where who knew what would happen…again.

I hoped to hell that I wouldn’t get hot at some inopportune time.

Heading for the entrance I wondered if Jagger had agreed to my “order,” or would he show up tonight?

Dano smiled at me as we poured ourselves the usual morning drinks. The tea bags at TLC always tasted a bit stale, but I chalked that up to cheap management.

“Any word on Pansy?” I asked Dano.

He shook his head and winced.

“You shouldn’t move like that.” I sipped my tea and then I winced. Really stale.

“Damn it. I’m fine. Just the external shit hurts when I move too much. No mental problems, Nightingale.” He leaned closer. “But thanks for last night,” he said way too loudly.

Everyone in the room gave a collective stare!

I muttered, “Last night…we…Dano…ER Dano…Dan…I…” After a fast sip, which now tasted delicious, I said firmly, “You all know I had to wake him up to check his pupils and sanity.” I turned to walk out of the room and over my shoulder said, “That last part is still in question.”