Read Once More (Mercy Heart #1) Online
Authors: Madeline Rooks
Clem stepped through the doors and stopped in his tracks as Katelyn made her way across the lobby of the hospital. He had spent the majority of his Friday morning in his home office on a conference call with Nate and other members of his team dissecting the data for Mercy Heart, but nothing egregious had popped out at them as of yet. He was on his way to Gary’s office to question him, but for the moment he was enjoying catching an unexpected glimpse of Katelyn in her element while she visited with employees and visitors alike, leaving a trail of smiling faces as they all seemed to catch her infectious cheery disposition. He started towards her but then stopped when she hesitated for the briefest of moments before continuing on towards her office, right into the oncoming path of Marc.
Katelyn hadn’t seen Marc since that night she ended their relationship at Florino’s. She hadn’t been intentionally avoiding him, but now that an encounter was imminent, she was anxious about any awkwardness there might be between them. As they got closer to each other and made eye contact, Marc broke the tension with a warm smile.
“Good afternoon, Katelyn.”
“Good afternoon, Marc.”
Marc wavered for the briefest of moments. After taking a deep breath, he continued quickly. “I’ve been meaning to call you. The black tie fundraiser for the stroke center is coming up next week, and since we had talked about going I went ahead and purchased the tickets a few weeks back. I know you mentioned you had already bought a dress, so I was wondering if maybe you might still be interested in going with me? Just as friends, of course.”
Clem had ventured closer, concealed by a large potted plant, allowing him to hear their conversation without being noticed. Expecting Katelyn to let Marc down gently, he was stunned to hear her response.
“Of course, Marc. I would love to go with you.” Katelyn stepped closer and placed her hand on Marc’s upper arm. “I’m really glad we can still be friends, Marc. I would hate to mess that up.”
His face lit up with relief and hope, Marc took her hand in his. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me from being your friend, Katelyn.”
They made plans to firm up the details later and then continued on their separate ways. Clem thought momentarily about the sweet irony of tracking down a local rancher and borrowing a few stallions to take care of Marc, but then his jealous fury slipped away and was replaced by fear that Katelyn wasn’t as within reach as he had hoped.
* * * *
“It’s open!” Clem heard after he knocked on Gary’s door. The room was barely larger than a closet, and was chiefly taken up with an old metal desk holding what appeared to be a fairly outdated computer and monitor. The room reeked of cigarettes and cheap cologne, so Clem elected to leave the door open for some fresh air. There were two mismatched chairs for visitors on the opposite side from where Gary sat. Clem picked the one with the smallest pile and moved the items to another resting place before sitting down.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Bryant?” Gary asked mockingly, without an attempt to hide the disdain in his voice.
With a tight smile, Clem replied, “Please, Gary, call me Clem. No need for formalities. I wanted to ask you a couple questions about patient accounting. Specifically, refunds on credit balances.”
If he had anything to hide about the topic, Gary certainly didn’t give it away in his facial expressions. Either he had nothing to hide or he was more corrupt than Clem first imagined. “What do you want to know?”
“My team has been going through the numbers, and we were shocked at the low amount of credit balances. What is the process here for dealing with refunds?”
“Marc asked for some help with the credit balances because the VP’s were all over his ass about them. I wrote an automated program that deals with the credit when it occurs. My system looks at the transactions that result in a credit, whether it be payments and adjustments. It is easy to locate and reverse duplicate adjustments. If it’s an overpayment, the system processes a refund to whoever is due one.”
A noise in the hallway caught Clem’s attention for a moment, but when no one interrupted them, he continued. “How does your program know whether the refund is due to the patient or the insurance company?”
“I loaded all of our contract information with every single insurance company into a database, and my program references that database to see who was supposed to pay what. When the payment is too high, it pinpoints the discrepancy in actual payment versus expected payment and issues a refund.”
Clem thought this over for a moment. “Sounds like a very intelligent program.”
Gary turned gruffly towards his computer and began to type with vehemence. “Yeah, don’t act so shocked. Even us small time guys know a thing or two. Listen, I’m swamped, so if you have everything you need, I gotta get back to work.”
Clem nodded, mumbled a thank you and left. As he stepped into the hallway, he saw a man in a long hooded jacket walking briskly towards the door to the stairs. He started to go the other way, but curiosity got the best of him and he followed quickly. As he burst through the door, he wasn’t able to tell if the man went up or down. Suddenly, the lights in the stairwell went out. Disoriented in the darkness illuminated only by the Exit sign, Clem was defenseless when a figure rushed him, sending him into a tumbling fall down the stairs. Pain exploded in his shoulder and ribs. He heard the door at the top open and close once more. A final blow knocked him out cold as his head came into contact with the railing.
Katelyn rushed through the emergency department, pausing briefly to view a tracking board on the wall before finding the room she was looking for. As the door slid open, she was unprepared for the sight.
A shirtless Clem sat on the side of the bed, arguing with a nurse, Dr. Fisher, and Stuart. A bandage covered the left side of his face and his right arm was in a sling, but the moment he registered that she was in the room, he stood up and went to her, wrapping his good arm around her. It took a moment before she realized she was crying, having been consumed with fear when Stuart had called to say Clem was being taken to the ER. He comforted her, whispering that everything was fine, that he was going to heal and be good as new, but she was too shaken up to listen. Holding her close, he looked at Stuart, who escorted the others from the room so they could be alone. Once she finally calmed down, she stepped back to get a good look at him, checking his fingertips for capillary refill to make sure his arm was getting enough circulation in the sling, and his pupils for disorientation.
Clem smiled, reminded of how they first met. “Once you are through checking me out, hopefully I won’t have to try so hard to get you to go out to dinner with me this time.”
Through her tears, she laughed weakly but grew serious once more. “How did this happen?”
His face solemn, Clem cleared his throat. “Someone attacked me in the stairwell, though I haven’t shared that information with anyone. I told the doctors that I missed a step and fell. Until we find out what’s going on and who’s behind it, we can only assume that it’s someone who is unhappy with my presence here at the hospital. If they find out you and I are seeing each other, you may be in danger too. I don’t want you going anywhere alone. Stuart will take you if you have anywhere you need to be. The rest of the time you will be at work or with me. I can keep you safe at my place.”
Feelings of insolence ran through her with his audacious demands. She took a step back and crossed her arms in defense. “Do I get a say in this? I am perfectly capable of taking care of –“
Anger rolled through him. Why wouldn’t she just let him take care of her? He refused to back down. “Dammit, Katelyn, this isn’t up for discussion! You are staying with me so I can protect you. Period. I will not stand by and let something happen to you.”
The sliding door opened, and Dr. Fisher entered, looking curiously at them both. “Is everything okay in here?” Moving closer to Katelyn, he reached out to squeeze her shoulder, speaking softly. “You all right, babe?”
If Clem thought Katelyn refusing his help made him upset, hearing this asshole calling her babe made his blood boil. He clenched and unclenched his fists.
“I’m fine, Fish—“
Speaking in a menacing tone, Clem glared at the doctor. “You heard the lady. She’s fine. If you don’t mind, we were having a private discussion.”
Embarrassed by Clem’s interruption and furious still about his demands, Katelyn turned and walked out the door, right past the staff and Stuart.
Clem started to follow her, but Dr. Fisher put his arm up, blocking the door. His voice, though delivered calmly, held an undertone of malice. He’d been a friend to Katelyn for years, and he’d be damned if he let this guy treat her without the respect she deserved. “Mr. Bryant, I’m noticing some aggressive behavior. Is this a normal personality trait for you, or a new development?”
Smirking, Clem faced the doctor head on, face to face. “Move your arm, or you’ll see just how much aggression develops.”
Not phased by Clem’s threat, Fisher moved his arm but stood straight, looking down at Clem. “In light of your head injury, I recommend an overnight stay for observation.”
Clem walked out the door and past his security and the staff. “Stuart! Take care of it.”
Stuart shook his head. “I agree with Doctor Fisher, Clem,” but his plea was lost as Clem dismissed him with a wave of hand and trailed Katelyn through the staff doors and into the hospital to her office, without regard for the fact that he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
In her office, Katelyn gathered her things and started to head out the door to the parking garage, but Clem was blocking her way. “Get out of here. It is extremely unprofessional for you to be in here looking like that.”
“I don’t give two shits about being unprofessional. You are not leaving this hospital without me.”
Katelyn felt the heat rise up her neck and face. Anger rolled through her and their exchange escalated to a yelling match. “What gives you the right to show up after seven years and order me around? You gave up any claim to that right a long time ago. I’ve been on my own over half my life by now. I can take care of myself. Nobody even knows about us or what we were.”
Clem studied her, deciding for the moment to ignore the beginning of that statement. Coldly, he replied. “Marc does. Marc knows and he could have attacked me out of jealousy to keep me from interfering with your
date
to the fundraiser.”
“How did you –“
“Or maybe he does have something to hide and he found out I’ve been asking questions.” Immediately, he knew he’d made a mistake as he watched the change come over Katelyn’s face.
Shaking her head, she spoke quietly, barely above a whisper. “Get out.”
He tried to go to her, skirting her desk, but she backed up as far as she could to get away from him. He couldn’t stand to see the anguish on her face, knowing he put it there. “Katelyn—“
“I said get out! Leave or I will call security.”
He started towards the door, but turned back around to plead with her to give him the chance to apologize. Before he could speak, she had her phone in hand, speed dialing the security office.
“Security. Officer Craig speaking.”
“Officer Craig, this is Katelyn in nursing administration. There is a patient in my office that needs to be escorted back to the emergency room so he can complete his treatment.”
She hung up and sat down at her desk. Within a few seconds, security officers burst through her door, all too eager for a little action to liven up their otherwise dull afternoon.
“Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to come with us.”
His eyes wide, Clem looked at the officers and then at Katelyn. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. You are obviously injured. We don’t want to hurt you. You need to come with us.”
Clem stared at Katelyn, rage coursing through him. He blew out a harsh breath through gritted teeth, exited her office and walked straight out the lobby doors, into the waiting limo out front.
Still fuming over the whole ordeal with Clem, Katelyn tossed and turned through a restless night. At dawn, she refused to fight sleep any longer, deciding to go for a run instead. The October morning was cool, but her fast pace through the neighborhood rapidly warmed her. She felt her frustrations melting away the farther she ran. Looking both ways before she crossed the road, she noticed a car on a parallel street that was driving slowly, which would be considered odd at any time, but especially odd this early in the morning. Fear crept in as she thought about what Clem had said. Could someone be following her, looking for an opportunity to hurt her? Just to be on the safe side, she turned around and ran back towards her home. As she turned up her sidewalk, the car started rapidly down her street. Sprinting up to the door, she barged inside, locking it quickly behind her. Peeking through the curtains, she felt like her heart would beat through her chest as she watched the car drive by her house and down the street.
She checked the doors and windows to make sure they were locked, and then went to take a shower, locking the bathroom door as well. In all of the time she had been on her own, she’d never felt as afraid as she did in this moment. Standing under the warm spray, she couldn’t help but shake as the fear overcame her.
Once the water began to run cold, she quickly finished. As she got dressed and fixed her hair, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Determination replaced the cloudiness of worry in her eyes. She had too many responsibilities to let fear rule her life.
Heading into town, Katelyn stopped at her favorite local coffee shop for a cappuccino and a pastry. Just a few blocks away, the weekly farmers’ market was set up for the day. With her tote bags in hand, she stopped at each booth, chatting with the farmers and buying up their wares. A set of brothers from a local cattle ranch were flirty as always, and Katelyn enjoyed their attention as much as ever, especially on a day like today when she needed the distraction.
As Katelyn made her way back to her car, she almost ran into Clem as he exited the coffee shop. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I just ran down here to grab a drink. What are you doing here? Shopping at the farmers’ market?” His awkward, almost guilty tone made Katelyn suspicious. Looking over Clem’s shoulder, her suspicions were confirmed as she saw the car from earlier parked down the block. Furious didn’t even begin to describe how she was feeling.
“Are you having me followed? Is that how you just
happened
to be in the same area as me?” Before he could answer, she was already walking away from him, willing herself to not blow up at him in the middle of the crowded sidewalk.
“Look, Kate, it’s not what you think. I just wanted to make sure you were safe. If you won’t stay with me, my staff will make sure you aren’t in any danger. Do you really think I could live with myself if something happened to you?” He watched as she came to a stop in front of him, but she did not turn around. Cautiously, he stepped towards her, but before he could reach out for her, she turned towards him. Any feelings of relief he had were dashed when he saw her eyes. They were full of fire and anger, and any progress he’d hoped to have made was diminished. He was screwed. He took one step towards her in a last ditch effort to try to salvage what they’d been able to rekindle, but she raised a hand to stop him.
“Do you have any idea what you put me through this morning? I spotted your men following me this morning on my run. I was scared out of my mind, thinking that maybe you were right and someone might be coming after me. I’ve lived my whole life and never once been afraid in my own home, but today I was. Because of you.” She spit out the last part, her disdain for him dripping from every word.
“Katelyn, baby, I’m sorry – “, he started, but she threw up her hand to stop him.
“Don’t! You…You don’t get to call me baby. You don’t get to protect me from harm. You have no right. I am not yours.” Her words pierced his heart, his pain evident on his face. She turned and walked away, leaving him standing there on the sidewalk, filled with regret for hurting her yet again.
* * * *
After the weekend, Katelyn returned to the office, eager to get back to normal and get her mind off everything that occurred over the past few days. There was still a lot of work to do with the McKinley project. When she saw Clem in meetings, she only spoke to him when absolutely necessary. His injuries were explained vaguely to everyone as a fall, with no mention of the attacker. He also kept things professional between them, though he was abrupt with everyone who dared speak with him. On the surface, no one could tell that she had ever had anything going on with him outside of a working relationship. But Katelyn would be lying if she didn’t feel his eyes on her when he thought she wasn’t looking. She still felt a strong pull to him, but she was also still irritated that he wouldn’t trust her enough to be able to take care of herself, or at least let her in on his plan for a security detail.
One morning, while waiting in line at Starbucks, Stuart came in not long after she did. Her eyes widened as he came up to her. “Are you following me?”
Smirking at her, he shook his head. His deep voice held a hint of laughter. “No, actually. I have a wicked caffeine habit. I’ve been trying for years to kick it, but unfortunately, it’s the one thing I’m undisciplined about.”
Embarrassed, Katelyn turned away from him. “Oh, well, then I guess I owe you an apology.”
“No harm. Though, if you did want to make it up to me, I may have a suggestion. Clem hasn’t really been the same since Saturday morning. He’s been short with everyone. I’ve never seen him this unhappy. I was hoping you could consider being a little more understanding of his position.” His voice softened as he continued. “He cares about you, Katelyn. More than I’ve ever seen him care about anyone. And I can tell you care about him as well. All I’m asking is that you give him a chance to apologize and earn your forgiveness.” She deliberated with herself how to continue. She wanted to be irate with Clem, but she did understand that he only did these things because he was worried about her. Could she really be angry with him for being concerned? Stuart’s words only added to her guilt.
Stuart paid for both of their drinks. When their orders were ready, she grabbed hers and turned to leave. She didn’t turn around to face him, but paused for just a moment. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll consider what you said today.” She started to leave, stopping for just a second more. “Clem’s lucky to have a friend like you looking out for him, Stuart.” He only nodded, his lips pursed together in a non-smile.