She was the most voluptuous woman he had ever imagined. Her slinky bronze legs were beautifully demonstrated by her tight clingy mini skirt. Her long silky hair cascaded down her back to her trim waist and seemed to lift and float in the gentle breeze. Her eyelids fluttered seductively, revealing alluring blue eyes.
As he watched, captivated by her charms, her arm stretched toward him, and her ruby red lips turned up in an inviting smile. "I'm free this evening. Why don't we spend some time together?"
Willing, if not eager, to accept her invitation, he started to move toward her, but a hand clamped down on his shoulder, effectively restraining him.
"Officer Luca?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
"Come on, Dom," the girl in the mini skirt beckoned. "We'll have some fun before you go back on duty."
The hand on his shoulder shook him, gently. "Officer Luca?" the voice repeated.
Dom's eyes popped open, startled, and he found himself staring into the unexpected jowled face of a plump, middle aged nurse. He blinked himself back to reality, then raised his hands to his face and groaned miserably as the wonderful dream and the beautiful girl slipped away forever.
nstantly, there was concern on the nurse's face. "Are you in pain, Officer?"
"No, I'm not in pain. I was just having a wonderful dream about the most incredible girl I've ever seen! Agh!" His hands dropped beside him on the bed, a gesture of frustration. "Now, I'll never know how it ended!"
"She ran off with another man," she told him. Taking his arm, she wrapped the blood pressure cuff around it and began pumping it up. "Take my word for it; you're better off without her." When the cuff was uncomfortably tight, she became quiet for several moments as she took the reading and wrote it down on his chart. �This isn�t really part of my job,� she explained as she glanced at her watch and wrote down the time. �A nurse�s aid should be doing this, but we�re a bit short handed tonight.�
Ask me if I care! Luca sullenly bit back the remark he wanted to make. Already, the image of the girl in his dream was fading until he could no longer remember what she looked like.
"Doctor Windom left instructions that the nurse on duty should see if you needed a sleeping pill," she said as she returned the chart to its original position.
Incredulously, Dom stared at her earnest, overly powdered face. Had he actually heard her correctly? "A sleeping pill? You woke me up from a sound sleep and a wonderful dream to ask me if I need a sleeping pill?"
The nurse drew back and placed her hands on her hips with a haughty air of superiority. "Don't you get huffy with me, young man. I was just following the doctor's orders!"
"I'm not getting huffy," he said in his defense. "But shouldn't it have been perfectly obvious to you that if I was sound asleep, I would not need a sleeping pill?"
"Young man, I don't have time to stand here and argue with you. Do you want a sleeping pill or not?"
"No! I do not want a sleeping pill!"
Rather roughly, she unwrapped the blood pressure cuff from his arm. "All right, then. I have other patients to see."
"Are you planning to wake them up too?" The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them, but he could not say he regretted them. It was easy to envision her going from one critically ill or critically injured patient to another, disturbing their rest to ask them stupid questions.
She glared at him, offended, as she stalked toward the door, and then made her exit muttering, "Ungrateful little . . . "
"Ungrateful little what?" he called after her, raising his head from the pillow.
His only answer was the door drifting closed behind her.
He sank back down on his pillow, and closed his eyes. If he was lucky, maybe he could recapture the dream or at least generate one equally as interesting. Then his eyes opened again. The nurse had forgotten to turn out the light.
"Hey!" he called. "You forgot the light!" When there was no answer, he called again, "Excuse me! You left the light on!" Again, there was no response. "I don't believe this!"
Lifting the remote that was draped over the bed�s side panel for easy access, he pressed the button with the symbol that resembled a glowing light bulb, and the reading light came on behind him. He pressed it again, turning it off.
�I don�t believe this!� he exclaimed again. He examined the controls on the side panels and pushed the button with the same result. �This is ridiculous!�
His eyes fell upon the call-button on the panel, shaped like a red cross. "I'll show you!" he muttered. Pressing his finger on the red button, he clamped it down firmly, and with great satisfaction, he heard the buzzer sound at the nurses' station outside his door. "Take that!" he said, quite pleased with himself.
A moment later, he heard the nurse's footsteps striding rapidly toward his room. She shoved the door open and her large stature filled the entrance. "Officer Luca!" she scolded. "All you have to do is press the button once, and then remove your finger. I assure you, we only need to hear it once! You're disturbing the other patients!"
He wanted to remind her that she was the one who was disturbing the patients, but he refrained from the comment. Instead, he said, "You left the light on."
She glanced at the overhead light as if to confirm the obvious, then returned her scornful gaze to his youthful face. "You called me back in here for that? If you don't want it on, then turn it off!"
"When I press the button, the reading light comes on. And besides, I'm not the one who turned it on."
She sighed heavily as she glowered at him, resentfully. "You don't want to get on my bad side, young man."
"Or what?" he asked, boldly accepting the challenge. "Lay a hand on me, and I'll arrest you for assaulting a police officer!"
"You're too weak to arrest a fly,� she retorted. She stood in the doorway for several moments, as if contemplating her options, then finally, instead of immediately turning off the light, she stepped into the room and moved to the bed where she stopped to gaze down at him, her arms folded across her generously endowed bosom. Feigning an Irish accent, she said, "If its war ya be wantin', laddie, its war ya'll be gettin'! The Irish against the Italian! Who do ya think'll be winnin' this battle?"
There was an implication in her words and demeanor that made gooseflesh rise on his scalp. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"You're scheduled for a bath at seven this morning." She glanced at her watch and smiled a nasty smile. "I was goin' to order Leon to do it, but I think I'll assign him to Mr. Higgins. I'll be seein' you -- all of you -- in about three hours."
Dom's heart leaped up in his throat. "You mean . . . "
"Don't worry. I'll be gentle with you. I'm sure that is a phrase a handsome boy like you is familiar with!"
He stared at her with wide eyes, rendered speechless. How could he respond to the news that this heavily powdered linebacker of the fairer sex was going to give him a bath at dawn?
"Oh! Yer not so cocky now, are ya, laddie?" she asked, enjoying the look of horror that stared back at her through his dark brown eyes.
With a wicked smile, she flipped off the light and he heard the rustling of her clothes as she returned to the door. When she opened it, a shaft of light stretched inside, illuminating her in silhouette. Even though he couldn't see her expression, he knew she was still smiling that evil smile.
"Sleep well, Boy-O!" she told him, then she stepped into the corridor.
With large eyes, Dom watched as the door glided shut again, and the room fell into darkness. In the silence that permeated the room, he was aware that his heart was pounding in his ears with dread of what was to come. The nurse was built like Joe Namath. In his present condition, there was no way he could fight her off. He wasn't sure he could fight her off even if he was in peak physical condition!
Beautiful dreams about enticing women were far from his mind, and for the next three hours, he lay in his bed and stared up at the ceiling through the darkness. Occasionally, his eyes strayed to the clock, watching the hours and minutes tick by as if he was a condemned man awaiting execution.
Finally, at seven o'clock sharp, the door opened and Nurse McGuire entered the room with a pan of water, a sponge and a large smile. "Top o' the mornin' to ya, laddie-boy! Guess what time it is?"
Dom swallowed hard, and put on his most handsome smile. "Look, we got off on the wrong foot last night. Maybe we should talk this over."
"Oh, I don't think there's anything to talk about," she said, thoroughly enjoying the heat that was creeping into the officer's cheeks.
"Just listen, okay? This is where I apologize profusely and promise to buy you flowers every day for the next month, and you go get Leon. Deal?"
"What? And miss the opportunity to tell all those giggling young nurses about all your . . . " Her eyes strayed down his torso, leaving no doubt as to the direction of her thoughts. " . . . shortcomings?"
"I think I'm having a relapse!" Dom exclaimed as she approached the bed and placed the pan on the bedside table. Snatching the covers, he pulled them up to his chin. "Go get Doctor Windom! I think I'm bleeding again!"
"Liar." She grasped the covers and yanked them back. "Let's just get this over with, shall we? Causing a fuss is not going to make it any easier for either of us. And remember, struggling might open up that wound again! So just lie still, and let me do my job."
With a grimace on his face, Dom closed his eyes tightly and surrendered to her will as she reached behind his neck to unfasten the ties of his hospital gown.
"Relax, Officer Luca!" she told him. "You look like you've just eaten a persimmon!"
"Where's my gun?" he asked through clamped teeth.
It was nearly noon. Dom lay quietly on his bed, staring glumly at the uneven surface of the tiled ceiling, still reeling from the aftershock of Nurse McGuire hours after the fact. The fight had gone out of him, realizing at last that it did no good to argue with her. Trying to reason with her was like trying to reason with a brick wall. She had size and strength over him, both of which she had wielded like a sword, her biting insults like salt in his wound. I'm hurt! he lamented, feeling very sorry for himself. How could she treat me like that?
The door opened, and he flinched, expecting to see the nurse again. With great relief, he saw that it was Doctor Windom striding through the door with a professional expression and a soothingly calm demeanor.
"Well, how are we doing this morning?" he asked, cheerfully, his eyes scanning the chart.
"When can I get out of here?" Dom asked.
Windom looked up from the chart, surprised by the blunt query. "Oh, you'll be here for at least a few more days. That was a very serious injury you sustained. We want to be absolutely certain that there won't be any complications before we release you."
"Then when can I get moved out of intensive care?"
Windom smiled, noticing the scribble on the chart that he recognized as Nurse McGuire's scrawling handwriting. She had given the officer his bath that morning. Even though he already suspected the answer, he asked, "Why the sudden eagerness to leave?"
Luca's eyes darted nervously toward the door, lest he offend the venomous nurse again. If he complained about her and she found out, there would be hell to pay, and he had already paid dearly! "Well, I just . . . I'm feeling much better, now, and wondered if I could pleeeeease go to another floor."
Windom could not help but smile at the pleading quality to the officer�s voice. "Well, actually, I was thinking we might move you upstairs this afternoon. You're out of danger, now, so there's no reason to keep you in ICU."
At last, some good news! "I would really appreciate that, Doctor." He hesitated briefly, then asked, "Um, Nurse McGuire won't be on that floor, will she?"
Windom laughed aloud. "You wouldn't believe how many times I hear that question!"
Yes, I would!
"No, she won't be on that floor, unless of course, you'd like me to ask her ---"
"No! That's okay. I wouldn't want to bother her." I just want to arrest her for sexual assault!
"Okay, Officer Luca, I'll order up some blood work, and if everything checks out all right, we'll move you upstairs later today. Does that meet with your approval?"
"Very much. Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Now, you had some soup for supper last night. Did it cause any nausea or discomfort?�
�Nope, and I�m starving for something solid."
�Okay. I�ll have the kitchen send something up for you.� Windom left the room, and with his spirits considerably lifted, Dom closed his eyes to nap awhile before his mother and sister arrived. After all, he had not acquired a full night of sleep thanks to Nurse McGuire. And -- hallelujah! -- he would be off her floor before morning bath time arrived again!
Deacon Kay strolled down the corridor toward the intensive care unit, passing Nurse McGuire with her pan of water and sponge. Obviously, she had been making the rounds, a remembrance he'd sooner forget. Quickly, he averted his eyes, hoping she hadn't recognized him from his own stay in the hospital.
"Well hello, Bright Eyes!" she said with a broad smile. "Welcome back!"
An involuntary shudder shivered down his spine. The courage he typically demonstrated in the line of duty shriveled and skittered into hiding behind his Adam�s apple. He swallowed in an attempt to dislodge it. "Uh, hello, nurse. I'm just visiting � " He gave a feeble wave down the corridor toward Luca�s room.
"You must be here to visit Officer Luca," she said, cheerfully, pleased with the fact that men were so obviously intimidated by her. Kept them manageable.
"Uh, yes, ma'am."
"He's in Unit Twelve."
"Thanks."
Hurrying away from the dreaded nurse, he entered the intensive care unit and pushed open the door to Luca's room.
Dom turned toward the door as it opened. "Hi, Deke! It's good to see you."
Deke stepped forward and shook Dom's outstretched hand. "It's good to see you looking so much better. You had us worried there for awhile." He glanced nervously at the door. "Uh, Dom, I think I'd better give you fair warning. Whatever you do, DO NOT get on Nurse McGuire's bad side! She has a way of getting even, and believe me, you won' like it!"
"You mean the Wicked Witch of the West? With a capital B? I would have called her 'Broom Hilda', but I didn't want to insult the Roach Coach!"
"Uh-oh. I'm too late with my warning, aren't I?"
"Yeah, you're definitely too late! She got you, too?"
"Boy, did she ever! Every time she looks at me, I feel like I'm totally naked!"
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"Well, I just came by to say hello, and to give you some good news. Our insurance will only pay for a double room, but the guys down at the station have taken up a collection to pay the difference so you can have a private room. We thought you might appreciate that more than flowers."
Dom was moved by their generosity. "Thank them for me, okay? I really appreciate that."
The door opened again, and Nurse McGuire stepped inside with a syringe and a length of rubber tubing. "Doctor Windom ordered some blood work," she told him. Correctly reading the expression on his face, she added, "I was the only one available. Now, give me your arm."
Deke backed toward the door as if seeking an escape route. "I'll be seeing you later, Dom."
"Coward!" Dom called after him as the nurse wrapped the tube around his arm and thumped the bend of his elbow to locate a vein. Then she inserted the needle. "Ouch! Damn it, woman, are you trying to stab me to death?"
"Hey! There will be no foul language on my shift!" she told him. "I have a bar of soap handy, and don't think I won't use it!"
"Oh, you don't have to convince me!"
"Are you getting flip again?"
"No."
"Because if you are ---"
"I'm not!"
"Not what?" asked a voice near the door.
Luca and the nurse both turned toward the voice, and found Mariana and Isabella standing in the doorway. Luca's heart leaped with the pleasure of seeing them. Saved!
"I'm so glad to see you both!" Dom replied. "Nurse McGuire was just leaving."
The nurse smiled, the most pleasant smile he had seen from her. "You must be Officer Luca's family," she said as she withdrew the needle from his arm, having drawn sufficient quantity for the tests. She slapped a cotton ball against the drop of blood that oozed from the needle prick, then took his wrist and with no gentleness whatsoever folded his arm back to hold it in place. "You have such a fine son, Mrs. Luca."
"Thank you," she replied. "I'm very proud of him."
"As well you should be. Well, I'd best get this blood over to the lab." Nurse McGuire strode toward the door and opened it to make her departure.
"She seems very sweet," Isabella remarked as the nurse stepped through the door.
"As sweet as sugar!" Dom replied, loudly enough for the nurse to hear.
Still smiling, Nurse McGuire made her exit, and the door swung shut behind her.
As the door closed, Dom's expression changed to a grimace, and he added, "Boiled in vinegar!"
"Dom!" Isabella and Mariana protested.
"I heard that!" Nurse McGuire called from the other side of the door.
Mariana Luca gazed a moment longer at the closed door through which Nurse McGuire had just passed, then turned to her son, surprised by the sudden tension that had permeated the air in the nurse's wake. Her expression was quizzical as she asked, "Dominic? I didn�t teach you to be so disrespectful to others! Now tell me what's going on between you and that nurse."
Luca gave her a reproachful look, as if shocked that such a horrifying thought could even enter his mother's mind. "Mama, please! She's not my type!"
But Mama was not fooled by his attempt to gloss over the incident with humor. "That is not what I meant, and you know it! You said a nasty thing about her, and she seems like such a nice lady! Now, tell your mama what's going on."
Keeping secrets from Mariana Luca had always been difficult. She could always tell when he and his siblings were lying to her, but he hadn't a clue what it was about mothers that inspired that unique ability. Mama had a sixth sense and eyes in the back of her head.
Luca hesitated, trying to determine how he should respond to her inquiry. How do I tell my mama that a woman nearly old enough to be my grandmother just stripped me and bathed me like I was a child, and there was nothing I could do about it? That can�t be legal! It was the most humiliating thing that's ever happened to me! �There's nothing to tell," he insisted, but the slight coloring in his cheeks alerted her to the fact that he was not entirely truthful. "She just came in to draw some blood, and wasn't exactly gentle with the needle." Among other things!
"Your face tells me there is more to it than that. Now, what happened?"
"Nothing happened," he repeated.
"Dominic, you have that look! Maybe I should talk to her, set things right."
"No!" he exclaimed, quickly. Too quickly. He could see that Mama�s curiosity had piqued. Unless he could nip it quickly, she would get the answers she sought from someone else, and talking to Nurse McGuire was the last thing he wanted her to do! "Mama, please, eh? Nothing happened!" He turned his attention to his sister. "So, how did you sleep last night?" he asked, cheerfully.
Isabella smiled, understanding that Dom had deliberately changed the subject. One look at Mariana told her that she knew it too, but unlike Mama, Isabella was willing to allow her brother some secrets. Some things were better left alone, and she suspected that this was one of them. "Better than the night before," she replied. "It was a relief knowing that you're all right."
He nodded, pleased. "That's good. I'm sorry I had you both so worried.�
�Just don�t let it happen again,� she told him in the bossy tone she had used when they were kids.
�Promise,� he said, smiling his most charming smile.
The door opened again, and Nurse McQuire stepped inside carrying a tray with the familiar food cover. �I was just heading down to the lab when this arrived. Doctor Windom asked the kitchen to send up some lunch for you, so I offered to bring it to you.�
She placed it on the rolling bedside table and adjusted its position to make it easier for him to eat it. When it was directly in front of him, she lifted off the cover to reveal a plate of lasagna that instantly made his mouth water.
�You�re in luck,� she added. �The lasagna is one of the better items on the menu.�
He looked up at her apprehensively, and resisted the urge to ask if she had spiked it with arsenic. He was aware of his mother sitting quietly, taking all of this in with a pensive frown.
�Don�t worry, Officer Luca,� Nurse McGuire said. �You can eat it with confidence; I didn�t poison it.�
Luca looked at her for a long moment, the smell of the cheese and pasta sauce making his stomach grumble with eager anticipation, as if wondering what the hold-up was. So, this woman had a sixth sense also; the ability to read minds.
�What is going on here?� Mama blurted suddenly.
Nurse McGuire smiled again. �It�s all right, Mrs. Luca. Your son and I are just playing a little game.�
�What kind of game is this? A game of insults?� Mama asked, disapprovingly.
�It�s my fault entirely, Mrs. Luca,� the heavily powdered nurse assured her in a pleasant voice. �You have a fine, upstanding son here, and I�ve just been pulling his leg a little. You know, having a little fun with him.� She gave Luca a discrete wink, and started for the door. �I�m going off duty soon, but someone will come by later for the tray.� With a wicked smile, she said, �They tell me you�ll be moved upstairs to a room this afternoon, so you�ll be gone when I come back on duty. It�s been a real pleasure seeing you, Officer Luca.�
Luca felt his cheeks heat up again, a sight which gave Nurse McGuire a tremendous amount of pleasure. Trying to ignore her, he turned his attention to his lunch as she made her exit through the door.
In addition to the lasagna was a side of green beans, hot coffee, a glass of water, and a dinner roll. A small bowl of cherry crisp for dessert rounded out the meal.
�At last!� he said, enthusiastically, cutting a piece of the lasagna with his fork. �I was beginning to think they never planned to feed me anything except that nasty brothy soup!� He placed the piece of lasagna in his mouth, and a dreamy expression crossed his face as he chewed it only once or twice before swallowing it. �Oh, this is good!� He cut a bigger piece.
�As good as Mama�s?� Isabella asked.
�Nothing�s as good as Mama�s, but when you�re starving, everything tastes good!�
�Eat slowly, Bambino!� Mariana protested. �Eating too fast is not good for you, especially when you haven�t eaten in so long.� Reaching out, she finger combed his hair to tidy him up a bit. �But I do love to see that you have a good appetite. That is a good sign, yes?�
�Yes, it is,� Isabella agreed happily as she watched her youngest brother devour the plate of lasagna.
For Luca, things were definitely looking up. A good meal at last, and no more Nurse McGuire!