Page 41 of Mistaken Intention

Chapter Five

Josie

Exactly as I predicted, the moment Lexi’s father was made aware of what had happened, he stepped in and took over.

Fortunately, by the time he was able to get to the hospital, I’d gone home, so I didn’t have to see him. Orla told me the following day that he’d made a tremendous fuss, though. He said he should have been informed immediately.

“He didn’t care about her boyfriend, and he didn’t even mention you.” He wouldn’t. In fact, I doubt he even knew of Manuel’s existence, and he will have forgotten me years ago. “And then he started shouting at everyone because he wanted to take her body back to New York with him straight away.”

In a way, that didn’t surprise me. It was the sort of thing I’d have expected of him. “But surely he understood there has to be a post-mortem.”

“He seemed to think there was no need, and even when Doctor Walters explained the protocol to him, he thought there should be some kind of exemption for him… or his daughter.”

He would.

“Did he ask about Maisie?”

She shook her head. “No. Not once. I was surprised by that.”

I wasn’t.

“Did you arrange for Manuel Ortega to see Lexi’s body?”

“Yes.” I was pleased. I felt sorry for him, especially as I knew Lexi’s father wouldn’t allow him at the funeral… any more than he would me. At least he’d got to say goodbye. Orla was staring at me. “Are you sure you did the right thing? Not seeing her yourself, I mean?”

“Yeah. I didn’t want to remember her like that.”

She smiled sympathetically, although I couldn’t feel sorry for myself. I still can’t. I’ve got Maisie and Drew to think about. Lexi would have wanted me to focus on them, not grieve for her. I didn’t get the chance to say any of that, because Doctor Walters came up and thanked me for taking care of Mr. Ortega the previous day.

“I’m really sorry I left you to handle that,” he said.

“It’s okay. I know how busy you were.”

He shook his head. “Busy or not, it should have been me who spoke to him, not you.”

“Am I in trouble?” I asked, slightly fearful of his answer.

“Hell, no. The poor man would have been waiting until the early hours of the morning if you hadn’t dealt with everything. I imagine he was just as grateful as I am.”

I couldn’t be sure about that, but it was good to know I hadn’t breached any kind of protocol… and that I’d hopefully given Manuel more comfort than anyone else could have done at such a horrible time.

It’s been three days since the accident and although I haven’t seen Maisie since Livia took her to Newport, I’ve seen plenty of Drew… a lot more than I anticipated, in fact.

I wondered at the wisdom of helping him shower on that first day, but it’s a part of my job, and he’d have thought it strange if I’d asked someone else to step in… especially as we’d been flirting. He started that, when he discovered the back of his hospital gown was open, and I took the chance to flirt back, which he seemed to like. Of course, I didn’t expect him to sayhe wanted to shower, but once he had, I could hardly refuse to help… could I?

I could hardly fail to notice his arousal, either. That happens sometimes with male patients, and they usually get embarrassed, or try to hide it. Drew didn’t. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I kept it professional, helping him into the shower and showing him how to work the temperature controls.

Once he was occupied, focused on what he was doing, I took a moment, leaning back against the wall to admire him. There’s no getting away from it… his body is divine. He has the broadest of shoulders, rippling abs, and a narrow waist, which lead down to the most perfectly formed penis… thick and heavy, all ridges and veins, with a bulbous head. Whenever male patients get aroused, I ignore it… but it was impossible to ignore Drew, or the effect he was having on me. I was struggling to breathe, sucking in lungfuls of air, trying to stop myself from sliding down the wall. My nipples were so hard they hurt, my pussy was slick with longing for him, and I had to bite on my thumbnail to stop myself from groaning out loud.

I’ve loved him for so long, but I’d never wanted him with such a visceral need.

He’s been aroused several times since… and not just in the shower. But I can’t act on it. Not only because I wouldn’t know how to, but because it would be unprofessional, and wholly inappropriate. Besides, I can’t even be sure his arousal has anything to do with me. I want it to, of course, but as I’ve already explained to him, the brain works in mysterious ways and his reactions may be nothing more than simple reflexes…

Although I hope they’re not.

Over the last three days, his physical health has improved significantly. He can shower and dress himself now… which is a shame, although I offered to help him shave yesterday. He hadn’t done so since the accident, but rather than accepting myoffer, or suggesting he’d manage by himself, he simply rubbed his hand across his chin and shook his head.

“I don’t know whether I used to shave before, but I kinda like this,” he said.

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