It's Only the Rain

"I sorry, Greg. It was an acci..."

That was a far as she got when Greg drew his hand back, slapping her fully across the side of her face. Pain, sharp and angry, stole her breath away, tears of more than just sadness clouding her vision. He had caught her right next to her left eye, and she could feel the heat of the blow flowing into her face, skin burning at the violent touch.

Silence reigned in the hallway, Greg held the hand he had used to strike Mindy up to his eyes, a look of disbelief on his face like he couldn't quite fathom what he had done.

Mindy, rubbing the side of her face, started toward the door again. Greg did nothing to stop her this time.

"Mindy...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to..."

She sucked in a breath, barely containing the sobs that threatened to tear loose from inside her chest.

"You never do."

She made it through the door. Greg didn't follow.

The elevator was between floors, and she couldn't bring herself to wait for it. Instead, she took the stairs struggling to navigate between her vision blurred with tears and all the confusing emotions churning away in her head. Once she made it to the sidewalk, the cold air soothed the throbbing of her face, and she pulled her hair forward to hide the red mark from the world. The streets were crowded with people on their way home from work. Mindy blended in with the rush but kept her head down, walking with no clear destination. She wandered into a park several blocks away, dropping onto a bench and giving in to the need to cry.

Thankfully, there were few others in the vicinity, and she had the park mostly to herself. Mindy was in no mood to explain why she was crying. Time passed, and she grew cold in her thin coat. She couldn't stay there, so she started to wander again, leaving the park and heading first toward a bar she had passed that was on her way to work. It occurred to her before she ever got there that the last place on Earth she wanted to be was in a bar. The last thing she needed was to follow the lessons of her mother and numb her pain with alcohol.

Snow started to fall, and it reminded her that in Trevor's mind, it had been summer. She wondered if he remained in that moment all the time because it was a fond memory, or if the world his consciousness inhabited still changed with the seasons, had some semblance of continuity.

She walked on, her feet carrying her to automatically to the place she knew so well, the hospital. Standing on the sidewalk out front, Mindy realized that there was someone she wanted to talk to, someone she suspected would understand.

The day shift had clocked out, and Barbara's replacement as Head Nurse, a gregarious Hispanic woman, named Esmeralda Santos, barely acknowledged Mindy when she swept past the front desk. The door to 2B was closed as always, and a man she didn't recognize was standing in front of it. He wore a suit, but didn't have the look or feel she had come to associate with your typical businessman. His eyes moved constantly, and he seemed to be observing and evaluating everything and everyone around him. She remembered the talk of a security man coming from Harcourt Industries, and it was reasonable to assume this was him.

"Scary looking, isn't he?"

A voice behind her made Mindy jump, and she rounded on a petite, red-headed nurse she recognized from the second shift.

"Tina! Sorry, you scared me," said Mindy, trying to keep her head down.

"I should be the one apologizing!" laughed Tina, "I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I was just saying that security guy is very intimidating."

"Has he been there all afternoon?"

"I guess. He was there when I came on shift."

I suppose the Harcourt's want their privacy."

"I heard from Barbara that the mother and son left earlier, something about an emergency board meeting. She told me that Mrs. Harcourt looked very unhappy on the way out."

"Mitchell must be making his power-play..." mused Mindy.

"Is that Doctor still in there with Trevor?"

"I don't think so, he left around the same time, but Barbara said they're not letting anyone in there that isn't authorized by the Harcourt's because of some equipment that guy left behind."

"I see..."

"Well, I'm doing my rounds. Catch you later!" said Tina, practically bouncing on her feet as she walked away. Mindy generally liked Tina, but her constant peppiness could be hard to stomach, especially on a day like today.

Mindy thought about leaving, but a gnawing curiosity coupled with the fact that she had nowhere better to go drove her to walk toward 2B while attempting to put on an air of authority. The security man eyed her warily as she approached him.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I'm not allowed to let anyone in but the night nurse and the on-call doctor and him only in an emergency," he said in a deep voice.

"I was here earlier. I'm the day nurse, Mindy Dawson. I took ill and went home, but I wanted to come back and check on Trevor."

She doubted it would make a difference, but to her surprise, the security guard nodded.

"Ms. Dawson, I was told by Mrs. Harcourt that you were on the list of authorized persons. You can go in, but please don't mess with Doctor Avery's equipment."

Mindy thanked the Universe for this piece of good luck, letting the security guard open the door for her.

Once she was inside, she went straight over to the bed, noting that little had changed since she had been there that morning. It appeared that they hadn't gotten much further, perhaps called away by the board meeting before Dr. Avery could move forward with the treatment. The shielding he had planned to erect was in a heavy wooden box on the floor by the device, but it wasn't deployed yet. The metal disk was on the pillow where she had left it, the machine still active and humming faintly.

"I'm probably frying my brain," she said to herself as she picked up the device and slowly put it back against her temple.

"Are you in there?" she whispered.

Nothing seemed to happen at first. Mindy closed her eyes, wondering if she had done something earlier to trigger it. She was still mulling things over when her feet suddenly sank into wet sand.

It was dark, a bright moon hanging in the sky just above the horizon. The glow illuminated lake Michigan. The waters were dancing with white light, glittering with reflected stars. She was back on the beach, and to her right was the Harcourt family beach house. There were lights on in the living room, and through the windows, she thought someone was moving around. She drew in a breath, tasting the damp air, listening to the waves slapping against the shoreline.

"This is so bizarre," she said, but deep down, she was happy to be back even if this wasn't real. Being here made her feel safe somehow, protected in a way she hadn't been for a very long time.

The side door Trevor had taken her through before was not far from where she stood. Two dozen steps brought her to its threshold, but she hesitated, wondering how much time had passed here and would he even remember her from before. A loud barking made her jump backward, and a light next to the door clicked on.

The minute the door swung open, the furry shape of Max came flying out, and Mindy found a pair of dog paws hitting her stomach, the wayward mutt straining upward to try and lick her face.

"I guess you remember me," she said, rubbing his ears.

"Down, Max! Where are your manners for crying out loud! I'm sorry...Holy shit! Mindy!" cried Trevor cutting off what he had been about to say and darting forward to nearly bowl her over himself. He grasped her arms, looking her up and down.

"Jesus...Are you o.k.? I looked all over for you after the storm. Hell, I thought you might have blundered into the surf and gotten swept out into the lake when I couldn't find you anywhere in town. I ended up giving your description to the local sheriff."

"I'm alright...I...Uh...Got lost when the storm hit and wandered for a long while," replied Mindy, trying to think of how to explain her whereabouts and wondering how long she had been gone.

"You wandered for a week?" he asked.

"I guess that answers that question. Time is different here," she thought.

"No...I ended up down the coast and hitched a ride home."

It wasn't much of a lie, but the best she could do on short notice.

"I wish you had let me know. I was worried about you," he said testily.

"I'm sorry about that things got complicated and..."

Trevor reached up and brushed her hair back, "What happened to your face? Did you get hit by something in the storm?"

It hadn't occurred to Mindy that the blow from Greg would follow her here but, then again, this was her brain talking to his, so it made a certain sense.

"It's nothing, hardly even hurts," she lied.

"Come inside and let me get a better look. You know, for a nurse, you don't take very good care of yourself."

He led her into the interior of his home, helping her to the couch. A fire was burning in the hearth, throwing out a pleasant warmth into the room. Max padded over to lay near the windows watching the outside.

"The town took a beating from that storm. All the years I've been coming here I've never seen the weather turn like that. Power was out for days, and there was broken glass and trees down everywhere," explained Trevor.

"Yeah, it was pretty bad," agreed Mindy.

"This looks fresh," he noted, brushing his fingers across the darkly bruised skin on the side of her face.

Mindy didn't answer immediately, her mind playing back a memory of Greg's hand descending, the impact, pain exploding through her skull.

"This didn't happen in the storm did it?" he asked.

She shook her head, ready to spin a believable tale, but something in Trevor's eyes stopped her, and she knew why her instinct had been to come here in the first place.

"What happened, Mindy, and don't tell me you walked into a door, or you tripped on the stairs?"

"There was an argument..." she started to say, feeling the sobs she thought had been left behind in the park trying to claw their way out of her again.

Trevor put his hand over hers, and she drew in a deep breath, trying to gain control of her emotions.

"Did you call the police?"

"I just got away...left..."

"He should be in jail. A man doing this to you...Jesus, Mindy."

Trevor's voice was choked with emotion now, righteous indignation mixing with anger and disbelief.

"It's okay."

"It's not remotely okay! Tell me who it was, just give me a name and I promise he won't hurt you again."

She could see that he meant it. His expression was a mask of conviction.

Mindy started to cry then, and Trevor pulled her close to him, letting her tears stain his t-shirt. She cried for all the times she had forgiven when she should have fought back, all the times she pretended Greg's promises meant something when deep down she knew they didn't. Her body shook, and Trevor held her tighter as she let it all go. The accusations of her mother, shouldering the blame that had never been hers to carry, blows that may not have been physical but cut just as deep.

Tears fell, shedding away the veil of fear that had hung over her for so long.

Mindy sniffled and almost laughed at the irony. It had taken coming to a world of make-believe for her to finally see the reality of the life she had carved out for herself.

"He won't hurt me again. I'm done with him. I'm done with all of it," she said.

She sat up, rubbing at her nose.

"This is so gross. Can you get me a tissue?

"Sure," he said with a patient smile.

He returned and handed her an entire box while moving off toward the kitchen. She blew her nose loudly, slowly starting to feel better.

"My mom always said I should never cry in public. I don't have the coloring for it. It makes my face look horrid," she called out.

"There is nothing wrong with your face unless being too pretty is a crime in this state," said Trevor, returning with two steaming mugs, one in either hand.

He handed one of the mugs to her as he sat down.

"I've always found that there is no problem a mug of hot chocolate can't make better."

"I wholeheartedly agree..." said Mindy sipping the warm liquid.

"When I was a kid, my dad could be quick with his fists if Mitchell or I got out of line. I'm not saying it's on par with what you're going through I'm just saying I understand, at least a little."

"I appreciate that. I really do, Trevor."

Max trotted over, trying to sniff at Mindy's mug.

"Max! Chocolate is not for dogs!" admonished Trevor.

Max cocked his to one side looking puzzled as to why he was being excluded.

"Sorry, Boy."

The dog seemed to lose interest, wandering over to stare forlornly at the door to the outside.

"It's past time for his walk. Do you mind?" asked Trevor.

"No...It would be nice to walk for a bit," agreed Mindy.

Trevor put on leash on his rambunctious pet, and they set off down the beach. The night was chilly but comfortable, and after a short distance, Trevor took Mindy's hand.

"Just in case another unexpected hurricane comes sweeping in," he explained with a grin.

The walked on, watching the falling moon looking as if it would strike the lake.

"I...Uh...Know we just met and all, but if you need a place to stay while you sort things out."

"That's sweet of you to offer. I can manage. Besides, you hardly know me, trust me when I say I'm not that easy to live with."

They stopped while Max took his time sniffing around the water's edge.

"The funny thing is I feel like I do know you. This is going to sound like a line, and I don't mean for it to, but I feel closer to you then I have anyone in a long time."

"I wish you would stop being so nice. It makes me wish this was..."

"Was what?" asked Trevor, confused at where she was going with those words.

She had almost said "real," but maybe that was unfair. They were communicating, bonding, opening up to each other, just not in a very traditional way. Who was to say that if they had met in the physical world, it wouldn't have played out the same?

"I wish I knew what was going on inside there..." he said, tapping one finger gently on her forehead.

"My mom would say very little," she joked.

"I highly doubt that."

A light breeze kicked up, blowing Mindy's hair askew, covering her face. Trevor brushed it back with his hand before she could do so herself. They were standing close enough she could smell his aftershave, see a hint of stubble on his cheeks. He started to lean toward her, and Mindy's heart sped up in her chest. Their lips were about to touch when Max took off again, yanking Trevor backward and away from Mindy.

"Ow! Crap! Max!" cried Trevor in mock terror as his dog took off after a fish that had suddenly jump straight up out of the water.

Mindy burst out laughing as he dug in his heels and finally brought his wayward mutt under control, pulling him back out of the waves.

"I think we both need a towel," he said, shaking his head and looking at his damp pants.

Max shook himself violently, spraying the pair with even more cold lake water.

"Max! Oh...Man!"

They headed back the way they had come, all three the worse for wear thanks to Max's attempt at night time fishing.

When they arrived back at the house, Trevor went to change returning in a pair of sweat pants and a new t-shirt. He found Mindy drying herself in front of the fire.

"I think you got it worse than me," she said as he entered the room.

"Max got it worst of all. I dried him and made him lay in his bed. I love that mutt, but he can be a pain sometimes."

Trevor came to stand next to her, holding out his hands to warm them over the flickering flames.

"Were you going to kiss me?" she asked.

Trevor smiled at the fire, not looking directly at Mindy.

"I was jumping the gun, I know. I couldn't help myself. You looked so beautiful in the moonlight. It wasn't fair of me to come on to you, given what you've been through. I'm sorry if I seemed like I was trying to take advantage or something."

He sounded very contrite and a little ashamed, but the last thing Mindy felt was taken advantage of, and dream or not, the urge to kiss him was all too real.

Instead of comforting him with words, she reached up and turned his face to hers.

"The only thing I felt was disappointment at not getting to finish what you started."

Trevor's face took on an expression of profound surprise when Mindy kissed him softly.

"Wow...that was..."

"Wonderful? Amazing? Pick your adjectives carefully. I've had a rough day."

"I was going to say a nice surprise, and, yes, wonderful. Would you mind if..."

"Not at all..."

He swept her up in his strong arms, holding her tight to his trim, muscular body, and covered her full, moist lips with a slow, sensual kiss that left her stomach filled with butterflies. They parted but came together again straight away, letting their mouths press tighter, lips sliding around, enjoying the sensation of the touching. The heat between them grew hotter than the fire at their feet.

"If this is moving too fast..." began Trevor.

"It isn't..." said Mindy, desperately pulling his mouth back to hers.

The kissed deepened, lingered, while Trevor rubbed at Mindy's back, and she, in turn, slipped her arms around his neck.

His tongue flicked out and traced a line across hers, making Mindy sigh in the back of her throat. She gratefully opened her mouth, and they fell into a sexy French kiss, tongues swirling together in a slippery ballet of flesh that left them both out of breath.

Mindy slid her hands downward, grasping the bottom of Trevor's t-shirt and peeling it off over his head. Her hands explored his smooth, flawless chest, and her lips soon followed suit, kissing his warm skin.

He pulled her mouth back to his, taking her face between his hands and kissing her with a hunger that made her knees shake.

Trevor mirrored her movements, reaching down to lift off Mindy's t-shirt and tossing it aside. Her large, round breasts were encased in a lacy black bra that his nimble fingers made short work of unclasping the hooks that held it to her with ease. It joined her shirt on the ground, and all that was Mindy Dawson spilled out onto her chest coming to rest gorgeously and with more firmness than her size would have led one to believe.

"Mindy..." groaned Trevor with wide eyes and a lust-filled look that told her he was more than a little impressed.

They were captivating, pale-white typically but flushed at the moment with the blood of her arousal; her wide, bumpy areolas darkened to a rose red. The nipples that supplanted the center of each perfect expanse of feminine flesh were as large as a ripe cherry and just as dark. Trevor took her heavy mounds into his hands, squeezing them, lifting them to his lips and quickly smothering them with hot kisses.

"Oh...God...Yes!" cried Mindy.

She slid one hand into the thick hair on the back of Trevor's head, guiding his movements while he worked his way across the sweet, silky real estate in front of him. His kisses turned to long, teasing licks around her stiff love knots before he sucked them one at a time into his mouth, nibbling on them, pulling at them with his teeth. Mindy gasped and moaned, arching her back and pushing her breasts harder against his face.

They were both on fire now, consumed by a need they could neither control or ignore.

Trevor pushed her back toward the couch, and they made their way there, kissing all the while, tongues dancing all around one another's mouths, hands working feverishly to remove the last barriers between them.

Mindy beat Trevor by a narrow margin in the race to eliminate the other's pants as an obstacle.

He was wearing navy-blue boxers underneath, and they were bulging with the effort of holding back his very erect penis.