Page 18 of The Doctor's Promise
Noemi grinned. “Do you even have to ask?”
The apartment feltempty without Rafa in it. Even Mouse sniffed around the rooms looking for him. “I know how you feel, boo,” Noemi told her dog, and then she grabbed the dog’s leash. “Come on! Let’s go walk it off… grab your ball, Mousie.”
She walked the dog for what seemed like hours, then as she returned to her street, she saw two of her neighbors outside on the sidewalk. She greeted them, and they turned to her.
“Noemi… we’ve called the police.”
“What’s up?”
“Sweetheart, we think someone broke into your home. We heard a commotion, and of course, we went to investigate. Joseph went in and someone hit him.”
Noemi was horrified. “Oh my God! Is he okay?”
Phyllis, the elder of the two women, nodded. “He’s okay—just a little shocked. Ruby is taking care of him. Anyway, whoever was in your apartment got away…”
Noemi felt sick. “Are you sure Joe’s alright?”
“Oh yes, dear. But Noe, I wouldn’t go into your apartment until the police get here,” Phyllis put her hand on Noemi’s arm as Noemi moved towards the building. “We don’t know if anyone else is in there, dear.”
The police tooktheir time in her apartment and eventually, the lead officer came out and asked her to accompany them inside. “I’m afraid there has been some vandalism, Doc. We need you to tell us if anything is missing, and I must warn you, someone wanted to leave a message. You might find it a little distressing.”
Noemi had no idea what that could be until she saw the word scrawled in paint across her wall and her heart sank.
Whore.
10
Chapter Ten
Ally’s eyes were huge. “Oh, God, Noe, that’s awful. Do the police have any clues?”
“None—and nothing was taken. They’re working on the presumption that it was a junkie who must have known I was a doctor and who tried to find any drugs I might have stashed.” Noemi rolled her eyes.
“But still… I’m glad you have Mouse now. God.” Ally looked sick, and Noemi hugged her.
“I’m fine, Al, don’t worry.” She let her friend go and changed into her scrubs. Noemi had decided not to tell anyone about the ‘Whore’ message that had been scrawled on her wall, but inside, her nerves were frayed. It could well have been a disgruntled junkie, disappointed that she wasn’t some clinician who stole from her workplace and therefore couldn’t provide him with the fix he needed.
But coming so soon after her wonderful few days with Rafael Genova, it seemed too coincidental. After the police had given her the all clear, she had spent the previous evening scrubbing the message off her wall and repainting the whole thing.
She hadn’t told Rafa either. He had called at ten that night, Bepi having been read to and tucked in, and they had talked for a while.
“I wish you were here with me,” he said gently.
“Me too, but we have all the time in the world. We have to do this right for all our sakes, Rafa.”
“I know.”
So,Noemi had decided to not say anything to anyone, not even Ally. For now, her tryst with Rafa would stay her secret. But he dominated her thoughts every moment when she wasn’t concentrating on her work and her patients.
At lunch, she sat at their table, thinking of Rafa’s lips on hers when Kit nudged her. “Hey you.”
“Hey, KitKat.”
Kit grinned. They had fallen very quickly back into the pattern of teasing they had enjoyed in Syria, and Noemi was glad to have her friend around. Not as glad as Ally, Noemi grinned to herself, knowing Ally and Kit were hooking up and loving it. She was glad for them both.
“Listen,” Kit said, dragging a chair next to hers. “I’ve got someone who wants to meet you. Drew Ballentine? Thomasina Ballentine’s stepbrother. I think I told you I knew him?”
“You did. I’m actually surprised I never met him; I met most of the family.”
