Lady Hideaway Ch. 03

Finally on Sunday morning he went to the hospital and was ecstatic to hear she had been released. He had tried not to speed the whole way to her house, and when he parked outside he noticed that the garage was open for the first time since he had been there, and a black car with tinted windows was parked in it.

Conner became nervous. Tessa wasn’t alone and he couldn’t bare being unable to see her again. He wiped the sweat from his forehead; his body’s effort to fight the heat. He lifted the bouquet of roses from the passenger side seat and gathered the courage to go to the door. When he knocked he waited for several minutes before he heard the click of the lock, and he hoped to God that it wasn’t going to be Katrina there as the door opened. It wasn’t.

Conner was looking at Dr. Formike. The man was in his early fifties, just a few inches shorter than Conner with thick glasses and a head of gray hair. Today his skin looked extra red, he was sunburned from his vacation, and it almost seemed comical. Conner stared at his dentist and then didn’t give him a chance to speak.

“I know what you’re going to say.” Conner stated, “And maybe I should have waited until Tessa had a chance to settle in, but I want to see her. It would only be fair to warn you that I’ll wait out here until I do.”

Conner watched a small smile curl over Dr. Formike’s lips. This smile confused Conner, but he could live with it. He followed the dentist’s gaze to the fresh sod on the front yard and the sprinklers splashing over it.

“You did all this?” Dr. Formike asked. “And the back yard too?”

Conner nodded.

“I had some help.” He admitted. “I wanted her to come home to something. I know she doesn’t go outside, but…”

“Come in Conner.”

Conner had expected to do a lot more begging before being allowed in, and it must have shown on his face because Dr. Formike chuckled.

“Tessa knows you’ve been to the hospital every day.” Dr. Formike explained, “You know, she’s never warmed up to anyone before, and well Katrina, Katrina is just a bit overprotective. When my girls were kids Tessa was always looking out for Kat, so I think Katrina is just trying to return the favor.”

“I know what happened to Tessa, Dr. Formike.” Conner confessed.

“Did she tell you?” He asked.

“I had a conversation with Misty Smith.”

“Ah, well, it’s probably best that you don’t bring it up around Tessa. She doesn’t like to talk about it… come in Conner.”

Conner followed Dr. Formike into the house and into the living room where he saw Tessa. She actually looked surprised to see him. She was on the sofa, her arms around Katrina as the younger sister leaned against her. It seemed they really were close.

Conner was looking right past Katrina, like she wasn’t even there, his gaze falling over Tessa. He couldn’t help noticing how pretty she looked today. Other than the bandaged wrist, her hair was down and the waviness had been turned into curls, and she was wearing a pink dress that made her look younger, and her soft, slender legs were exposed below her knees, and she was wearing ankle high white socks on her feet that didn’t look right but somehow seemed adorable. He wondered where this change in wardrobe came from, probably from Katrina. So maybe Katrina was good for something.

Conner approached cautiously, and although Katrina was scowling at him she left the couch and took the flowers Conner was holding. He hadn’t wanted to give them to Katrina, but if it meant he could see Tessa he could deal with it.

“At least you’re a gentleman.” Katrina remarked, and then she went to join her father as he went to the kitchen.

Conner was glad that they were gone, but he wasn’t sure Tessa was as he cautiously approached her. She moved further against the arm of the couch and brought her knees up, crossing her arms over them as she looked up at him.

“Can I sit down?” he asked.

Tessa nodded so he sat, leaving a gap between them. He had wanted to see her so badly, but now that he was here he had no idea what to say.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I’m better.” She nodded, “Sort of tired… I didn’t see all of what you did around here Conner, but my father tells me it’s very nice… thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He smiled, happy he wasn’t ‘Mr. Desway’ again. “Tessa, I came to see you every day...”

“I know.”

“I thought maybe you had changed your mind.” He sighed.

“Changed my mind, about what?”

Conner felt glum. Certainly she hadn't forgotten…

“We kissed. I thought there was something there… unless I was imagining the ‘we’ part in it.”

“You weren’t imagining it.” Tessa replied after a moment, words that he wanted to hear again.

Conner noticed her blush as she looked away from him again. She was shy, but calm, not at all timid. He hoped it wasn’t solely because she knew her family was in the next room. He looked at her hand. Her wrist was still bandaged. He wondered if it was painful for her. His own stitches had started to itch, and they only actually hurt when he was working.

Conner snaked his hand across the couch and settled it over Tessa’s. She didn’t pull away, and he waited for her to flip her palm up and take hold of his hand before he leaned forward and gently kissed her. He let her lean into him, and this time there was no hesitation from Tessa as their tongues met. He let her shyly experiment, brushing her lips over his, carefully flickering her tongue into his mouth and tasting him. It felt nice.

When she pulled away Conner was afraid she would run off like before, but instead she just stared at him with the red flush in her cheeks. He wanted her to be comfortable with him, but he had to admit that the bashfulness turned him on. He almost had to pinch himself to remember that her family was still there.

He lifted her hand and began to kiss her palm, watching her watch him from under thick lashes and heavy eyelids. She really did look tired. He wondered if it was because the drugs hadn't worn off yet. He assumed they had to sedate her before bringing her home. He also knew he should go soon and let her rest, but he really didn’t want to.

“I want to see you Tessa.” He sighed, “Soon. Let me take you to dinner.”

She shifted a bit and her hand left his grasp. She was looking uneasy again.

“I can’t go…”

“I’ll bring it here.” He smiled, “If that’s alright with you. How long will your family be here?”

“Not too long. They don’t like to crowd me after something like this happens.” She explained.

“Oh, am I… am I crowding you?”

“No.” She smiled, “I’m glad you came. Do you still have the key you’ve been using?”

“Yea, I’ll give it back to Dr. Formike.”

“Don’t.” Tessa insisted, “I mean, keep it, if you want to.”

“Okay.” He smiled, “Can I use it tomorrow night? Dinner, at around, seven thirty?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

Conner wanted to kiss her again, but Dr. Formike and Katrina returned. He hardly even noticed them though. He was wrapped in his own feelings, and he stayed for a few more minutes until he had convinced himself that he had not imagined Tessa’s change towards him. When he did leave he wasn’t even bothered by the fact that Katrina had offered to walk him out and she was probably going to say something less than kind to him. They were halfway to the door when he heard Tessa’s voice, but it wasn’t passive like it usually was, there was an assertive tone in it.

“Kat.” Tessa called, “don’t be a bitch.”

Conner was nearly thrown. It dawned on him that she was being protective of him, but he wanted to laugh. He had never imagined Tessa could talk like that. Katrina stuck out her tongue in retaliation. It seemed Tessa had a different relationship with her sister than she did with everyone else. He gave a last wave to Tessa and Dr. Formike and didn’t object when Katrina walked outside with him. He was entirely prepared to ignore her, but he did look back when she spoke.

“Hey.” She called, “don’t hurt her, alright?”

Conner nodded. Maybe he even smiled at her, he wasn’t sure. He began moving towards his truck but suddenly stopped and turned back, remembering something he had been wanting to ask.

“Katrina, wait.” He insisted, “Look, I know you don’t like me, but I like Tessa.”

“Who said I don’t like you?” Katrina crossed her arms, “I just don’t want my sister hurt more than she already has been.”

“Neither do I.” Conner stated, “That’s why I don’t know if I want to ask her this…Misty Smith said that after what happened to Tessa she was fine, or at least she seemed alright… why did she start living like this?”

Katrina looked the way anyone who remembered a painful memory looked. For a moment Conner didn’t think she was going to tell him.

“That guy who took her,” Katrina frowned, “he came back.”

“What?”

“Yea. Tessa was living at home then. She was taking a jog around the block when he showed up in a van. He pulled her inside and he had her for several hours. Tessa was brutalized, again, and we still don’t know why he let her live. The second time she wouldn’t talk about it. She was even afraid to talk to the police, and he got away, again. She kept saying, if only she hadn't gone out for that jog… anyways, a week later she talked dad into buying this house until she could pay him back, and I guess you could say she doesn’t go jogging anymore.”

Conner opened his mouth to say something but Katrina suddenly looked like she might cry and retreated into the house. Conner stood for a moment and then slowly went to his truck, this new information weighing his thoughts.