“How could you?” My mother’s voice was filled with quiet venom. She rose from her chair in what seemed slow motion to me. I had always lived in fear of my parents. I wondered what the warmth and affection I often saw my friends share withtheir parents felt like. I knew it was nothing like my parents' autocratic rule of our household.
I don't know what came over me, but I could no more stop my voice than stop the tides. “Oh, I don't know, it was rather easy. I found a boy I really liked and then I kissed him a lot, and I do mean a lot. Well, we even—” The sound of the slap registered before I felt it. I stared at my mother in shock, not sure how to respond.
My father spoke in a cool voice, void of any emotion. “Your uncle Timothy will be here tomorrow morning to take you to Barstoke.” My blood ran cold. Barstoke was on the other side of the country. It was a religious senior boarding school and had been waved about as a threat ever since I was old enough to talk back.
“Your bags are already packed and there is no point fighting us on this.” I looked over and saw my bags were sitting by the grandfather clock. This was all happening too fast, and I needed to speak to Ethan. I needed to convince my parents not to send me away.
“You can't do this! I'm supposed to start my A levels soon. Moving schools this late will be detrimental to my education.” I tried to reason with them, but they had already made their decision, and their precious reputation had been tarnished by their gay son.
I caught Anne's eyes. She gave a subtle nod, and I hoped she would somehow get a message to Ethan. There was no way I would be allowed out of the house until tomorrow morning when my uncle arrived to take me away.
I didn't cry when my uncle's car pulled away from the house that had been my home for sixteen years. I didn't even spare my parents a look. The only one I spoke to or looked at was Anne. We hugged until we were pulled apart, and I was shepherded into the waiting car. My heart turned to stone against my parents, and I had decided I would never set foot in this house again if I could help it.
I finally cried as the car crested the hill, and I saw Ethan running up the path to catch us. I could see he was crying. He looked as heartbroken as I was. I hoped I would find a way back to him, that despite my parents, I would find him again and we could be happy again.
Chapter One
Present Day
Ilet out a sigh of relief as the door to the locker room shut behind me. Just for a minute, I could let the professional face of Doc Cullen fade and just take two minutes for myself. Tonight was a madhouse. We were down a doctor, and Hanna, the matron of Tewsbury Hospital, was off sick with the same nasty flu that had taken out half the town.
Rhys calling in sick yesterday didn’t come as a surprise. Simon was already down with it, and from what Cal had said, Mouse was home with it too. Mind you, from the slight smirk on Cal's face, I'd say his Daddy nature was enjoying getting to dote on a sick boy. Poor Rhys, on the other hand, had to deal with an out of sorts and grumpy daddy, but I knew my friend well, and he'd only put up with so much of his daddy’s bullshit before he called him on it. I'd call him when I finished my shift. Glancing at my watch, I groaned. My shift still had another five hours to go.
Officially, Tewsbury East Shore Hospital had two full-time doctors, and I stepped in when we needed extra hands on deck. I was a trained emergency trauma specialist, and that had beenmy job for years in London before I returned home. But between the flu, a nasty pub brawl, and being down staff, tonight had been seven different kinds of hell, and I officially couldn't wait to get home and bury myself under my quilt until Sunday morning.
Opening my locker, I smiled at the photo I'd taped to the inside of the door a few weeks back. It was a shot of Mouse, Rhys, and me at the farm. I had still been wearing the sparkly tiara that Alice had given me. That time away had been precious. I didn't get enough time these days. I hadn't even visited Crimson House in months, but perhaps I was getting too old to run around kink clubs looking for a daddy to tame me. That thought made me sad. I would turn fifty in two weeks, and I still felt as young and vibrant as I did at thirty. I honestly wasn't ready to give up that part of my life.
I knew it sounded ridiculous to those not in the lifestyle, but facing a life without kink, turning my back on the community that had come to mean so much to me, left a hollow feeling in my chest, and I didn't want to face that. It would be no different from telling me I could no longer practice medicine. It was intrinsically part of who I was.
Fuck, I was tired. I only got this melancholy when I was tired. Not just the sort that came from physical exhaustion, but mentally tired. Normally, when the itch started under my skin, and I found sleep and relaxation eluding me, I would ask Callum for a non-sexual session.
Sometimes just half an hour under his flogger would put me in a better headspace, or if I found myself particularly needy, I would ask either Marco or Roman at Crimson to let me serve them for the evening, but in both cases, the Doms had recently started new relationships, and I didn't want to impinge on their time. I knew Mouse would scold me and tell me I was being ridiculous and demand I ask his daddy for help, but I honestlyneeded more than just a Band-Aid. I needed someone I could call my own.
The overhead speaker crackled to life. Bella's voice echoed over the speaker announcing incoming ambulances, plural. Three-car pileup on the road between here and Robin Hood Bay.
Even though we were technically a community hospital, we were as well equipped as some of the larger regional ones, mainly thanks to the many fundraisers and donations the town had undertaken or made. We could handle many cases the smaller town medical centres couldn’t, and this was why we needed more staff. Not just doctors but nursing staff and clerical staff to keep the place running.
I quickly moved down the hallway, my bright pink Converse squeaking on the freshly polished floors. Aiden, our newest doctor, was already waiting in the bay for the first of the ambulances to arrive, reading over the report sheet and calmly calling out instructions to Bella and Ayaz, our head nurse.
“How's it looking?” I moved around to take my place alongside Aiden as we waited for the first ambulance.
“Not great but not as bad as it could have been. Reports seem to indicate a few suspected broken bones. One occupant headbutted the windscreen, so we’re going to want to send that one for a scan asap. The occupants of the other car had mostly superficial bumps and bruises, though the paramedic on the scene suspects the driver may have fractured his arm.”
I clapped my hands together with the same mix of emotions that went through me before every emergency as I watched as the first ambulance backed into the bay. “Here we go.”
“Make sure Mr Russell and his son are put in a room together. His son said he grows anxious if he can't see him.” Luckily, when they had been brought in, the son had been conscious and able to explain his father had early onset dementia. With forewarning, we were able to keep both men comfortable and the stress levels down.
No road accidents were good, but at least the carnage had been minimal this time. The passenger who wasn’t wearing a seat belt and had headbutted the windshield had been the most worrisome, and they were going to be staying under observation all night. He had been conscious and coherent when they had been brought in with a massive hematoma on his forehead showing where his head had hit the window. Frankly, I was surprised with how little he was injured. The scan showed no internal bleeding or fractures, but I was still going to keep him in to be watched for the night.
Rubbing my eyes, I caught Aiden's gaze. He looked as worn out as I was. “Coffee?”
“Gods yes. Don't suppose you have any of those Hobnobs stashed away?” I nodded. I didn't share my secret stash with just anyone, but Aiden was a good sort, a damn fine doctor, and an excellent surgeon. He'd worked as an orthopaedic surgeon for years in Newcastle, but wanting a life change, he'd moved here to spend time with his mum and fell in love with the town. I got it. Even with my mixed emotions regarding the town, I could see how people could fall in love with it. They hadn't had the place tainted by their parents, and, slowly, even I was falling back in love with the town. I think the friends I had here helped, and I could see Aiden would fit in well with our group. I could see him and Simon easily bonding over tattoos. Aiden had nearly as much ink as the Viking Ink crew and he'd started to be a regular at Crimson House gatherings though I hadn't been in monthsat that point, but I still had my weekly coffee and shit-talk with Roman.
Which reminded me, I needed to tell him about the new tea shop I had found. The Earl Grey shortbread biscuits they made were close to heaven.
I followed Aiden through to the staff room and let him get the coffee going while I went to my locker and pulled out my Tupperware container with my Hobnobs in it. I think we'd earned more than a couple. I could already taste the milk chocolate tops.
I laughed as I watched Aiden make grabby hands for the biscuits, which was funny considering his badass mohawk and piercings. He could look intimidating, and when he was at Crimson in his sadist Daddy Dom space, he was, but I also knew the giant teddy bear side of him.
