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Max shook his head, looking utterly bewildered. “I’m sorry, no, I don’t. Look, why don’t we all sit down. Josie can make us some coffee and you can tell us what is actually wrong. We can talk about whatever it is calmly, like rational people.”
Sandy waved the knife in the air; she was obviously agitated. “Oh, you’d like that wouldn’t you, mister ‘Big Shot anesthetist!’ Except what you really are is amurderer. Did you know that, Josie? That your fiancé is a killer? Nah, I can see from your face that you had no idea until now! Well, let me tell you something about your so-calledDom. How pathetic is that, anyway, allowinghimto be in charge ofyouand letting him spank you? A pair of sickos, that’s what you are! Sickos, living in a town full of sickos! You make me feel like vomiting just looking at the pair of you!”
Josie knew that she had to interrupt this rant. Sandy was working herself up into a state of frenzy and with a knife in her hand, God only knew what would happen. “Oh shit, you poor thing, do you mean to tell me that Sean isdead?” she uttered platitudes in what she hoped was a sympathetic tone.
Sandy shut up. Her eyes immediately filled with overflowing tears. The hand in which she held the knife trembled.
“Yes.He,” she jabbed the knife in Max’s direction, “murdered my Sean.”
Max shook his head, vehemently denying her words. “No! People have died on the operating table but I always fought to save every single person I monitored. Every time a life is lost, a small part of me dies too. In the end I couldn’t stand it in the military hospital any longer. That is the real reason I resigned my commission!” He looked across at Josie, his voice broken. He sounded completely unlike her strong, competent Dom.
“D’you remember him?” Sandy swiveled her gaze to lock with Max’s. He shook his head slowly, negatively.
“I’m sorry, Sandy, no. But if you can tell me what he was in for, I might remember him. When was—did—he die?”
“Two years ago. He was blown up by a roadside IDE in Afghanistan. His leg was blown clean off at the knee. You were his anesthetist. I-I spoke to you before the operation. You told me that you thought he would be fine but you suspected the surgeon would remove some of his right leg as well due to some signs of gangrene. Sean joked that he had always ad-admired L-long J-John S-Silver.” Sandy began to sob.
Josie remained absolutely still. She didn’t know what to say or how to help the situation.
“Aw, honey, I am so sorry for your loss.”
Josie was astonished to see Max had tears in his eyes. He stretched out an imploring hand toward the distraught woman but didn’t move from where he stood.
“That’s what you said on the day you killed him and you didn’t mean it then, and you sure as hell don’t mean it now!” Sandy screeched.
Max stumbled back, palms held up defensively. “Idomean that! I live with the ghosts of everyone I couldn’t save! Do you know how hard it is for me to lose a patient, especially a brave man or woman who has served their country and suffered because of their sacrifice?” he shouted raggedly.
Josie stood frozen, shocked at seeing her strong man reduced to the state where he shed tears. It profoundly moved her. She felt the sheen of moisture fill her eyes. Her Dom was actuallycrying.She couldn’t bear to see her tall, brave man in so much anguish. A tear tracked down her cheek. “Can’t you see that you arebothsuffering? That you arebothheartbroken?” Josie interrupted them, her voice low and vehement.
Sandy spun around, shaking the knife at her. “Can’tyousee—that he murdered Sean?” she snarled in reply.
“No.No,I don’t see that at all!” Josie shouted back, angry now.
“Listen to me, Sandy.” Max’s calm, deep Dom voice interrupted them. The situation was fast spiraling out of control. “Sean’s blood pressure had plummeted. He arrested on the table. We fought to save him but his blood pressure just kept falling away. As the anesthetist I tried every trick in the book I knew but there was nothing any of us could have done to save him. Don’t blame me or the medical team who tried our best to help him—blame the damn insurgents who blew him up in the first place!”
“But you-you,said he w-would bef-fine,” Sandy choked out.
“Because at the time of the pre op examination I honestly thought that he would be! I didn’t know that he would have complications. I’m a doctor not a fortuneteller! His heart seemed strong and he passed the oxygen level test. We only found out afterwards at the autopsy that he’d suffered heart failure, poor devil.” Max spoke softly now and with obvious regret.
Sandy began to weep, the sound piteous.
Max swore and stepped forward. He grabbed Sandy’s wrist above the hand that held the knife. Twisting her arm sharply, he forced her to drop the blade. Josie leapt forward and scooped it up off the floor, moving away into the far doorway. Max yanked Sandy into his arms and held her tight, pressed up against his chest. Josie watched as his hand moved to cup the back of Sandy’s head, holding her close to him, both to comfort and restrain her. He began to speak soothingly as he rocked her gently.
To Josie’s astonishment, Sandy relaxed. Tucking her head into Max’s shoulder, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into him, wailing with grief. She sounded utterly heartbroken.
Max looked over Sandy’s head and met her gaze, then he quirked his eyebrow toward the door. Josie nodded and slipped out of the room, reaching for her cell as she went outside to phone Brent.
By the time she returned to the living room, Brent and Jonathon were on their way, promising to bring Marcus along with them. She found Max seated on the couch with the throw wrapped around Sandy, who was hiccupping softly and attempting to justify her actions.
He appeared to be listening intently, interjecting with the odd question every now and again.
Josie was simmering with repressed fury. From what she’d overheard so far, Sandy was responsible for all the bad luck they’d experienced since they’d moved into Corbin’s Bend. Sandy confessed to both floods and to hiring a car in order to drive Josie off the road.
Josie listened to the person she had seen as her friend as she admitted to each of her deceptions. Max, on the other hand, appeared sympathetic to the young woman’s plight. Josie tried to understand Sandy’s actions, but right now all she felt was mounting horror. Rage simmered against the girl, this was someone she’d trusted and befriended. This woman had betrayed her, using her to simply get at Max. Yet there he sat with the cause of all their misfortune cuddled on his lap! Josie thought she might scream and never stop. Turning away she hurriedly left the room, unable to stay and listen to any more of Sandy’s pathetic crap.
The ambulance finally arrived to take Sandy down into Denver; she was to be admitted to the very hospital where she worked. She’d agreed that Marcus could administer a mild sedative and travel there with her to sign her in. Max refused to press any charges against her. Josie watched sourly as Sandy apologized to both Max and then to herself. She assured them that she no longer blamed Max for Sean’s death.
In turn, Max reassured her, actually telling Sandy that he forgave her. He even promised her that they would both be along to visit her in due course. Josie seethed as she listened to this pretty speech. Whatever was he thinking? The woman had hurt him. She might have actually killed Max with that huge kitchen knife! Marcus examined the wound on Max’s stomach. He’d cleaned it and closed the cut with tape. Thankfully the injury was too shallow to require sutures.
