Love Hurts

Fourteen

Hoss,

           As I entered the room, the familiar scent of vanilla and lavender filled the air, instantly comforting me. I looked up and locked eyes with her, feeling reassured that everything would be alright. Camilla gasped in shock and exclaimed, "Oh my god, Hoss, what happened to you?" she cried out.
I take a seat on the bench in the front office and gesture for her to join me. Camilla walks over and sits down next to me, holding my hands in hers. She whispers, "Are you okay?" I smile at her, despite the pain. "Yes, baby, I'm okay now that I get to see your beautiful face again." I take a closer look at her and notice the cuts on her body and the bandage around her leg. "What happened?"
"Don't worry, Hoss," she says, smiling at me. Camilla baby looks at me. I can't help but wonder why you're here?"
      "I got worried when you didn't call or text me back a couple nights ago," she explains. "So I called here to see if you were at work or something. That's when your lieutenant told me you were missing."
"Why the hell did you concerned her?" I ask Andrews.
"Would you prefer me to lie to her and make her think you're cheating on her?" Andrew replies.
I look at Camilla and immediately know that's not what I wanted at all.
"Shouldn't you be at the hospital?" Kim interrupts.
"The stubborn idiot refused to go," Shorty says, and I give him the middle finger, earning a scolding from my girlfriend.
Renea Sydney Moore.
  The moment she says it, I cringe.
  Shorty has the audacity to laugh.
       I give him a disapproving look, then turn to Camilla. "Baby, I'm fine. I really just need a shower and a bed." Camilla stands up, placing her hands on her hips. "And that's why you were brought in here by those two, right? Because you don't need a doctor?" she retorts. "Well, guess what, buddy? I'm here now, and I say you need a damn doctor." I sigh, realizing I had to fall for a nurse.
      I saw the determined look on her face, and it made me grin as I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her passionately. After releasing her, I locked eyes with her. "If you really think I need to see a doctor, I will go."
     "I really think you do," Camilla replied, standing up from my lap and offering me a hand to stand up.
     Once we arrived at the hospital, the doctor confirmed what I already suspected. I had three cracked ribs, a fractured nose, and a broken right hand. He recommended keeping me in the hospital for a couple of days, and Camilla agreed with him. It was no surprise that she did.
    "Don't look at me like that," Camilla said once the doctor left the room.
    "Like what?" I asked innocently.
    "You're different," she says, as she comes over and sits in a chair next to me.
    "Will you tell me what happened?" she asks me.
    "No!" I reply.
   "Of course not," she says, grabbing my hand.
   I pull her onto the hospital bed with me.
   She winces, as if I hurt her.
   "What's wrong, baby?"
   "I'm fine," she says, but I can't help but notice the cuts and bruises on her body. Concerned, I call the nurse back into my room to have a look at Camilla. However, she is not happy with me for doing so.
    The nurse asks Camilla what happened, and she proceeds to tell her the horrifying story of how Allen kidnapped her in the middle of the night. He took her to a warehouse where he subjected her to physical assault and sexual violence. Eventually, Camilla managed to regain control of the situation and escape.
    I lie there, feeling utterly helpless as I cannot do anything to support Camilla through this ordeal. The nurse takes her to another room to examine and treat her injuries.
     When she finally returns to the room, I make space for her in the bed so she can lie beside me. I just want to provide her with some comfort and hold her in my arms for a while. But just as Camilla starts to relax, a nurse enters the room.
     The nurse remarks, "Mr. Moore, this is a hospital, not a motel room."
     Camilla buries her head in my neck and giggles, then she gets up from the bed and moves aside for the nurse to take my vitals.
                                                                                                   ♾️
   It has been two weeks since everything happened in Georgia, and being stuck at this desk is driving me crazy. I still have a whole month of this to endure.
     Lieutenants pissed because I made a mistake and got myself kidnapped.
     I can't say I didn't expect it.
     Even though he was actually concerned about me and is trying to act tough about it.
      Lieutenant Kelley barks, and I respond from my desk, "Yes, sir." He informs me that there is a pile of papers on my desk that I still need to go through. I groan, feeling the need to escape from this desk. I walk into his office to retrieve the paperwork, but he doesn't even look up from his computer. Frustrated, I ask, "Okay Lieutenant, how long are you going to keep giving me the cold shoulder?"
      "You know, I never asked for that psycho to find out who my partner and I were, kidnap us, and kill him while attempting to kill me, right? And I didn't ask to have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days, and I didn't ask to have to kill him and a dozen other psychos that day."
     " I'm not angry at you for getting kidnapped. I'm angry at you because you're carrying all of this on your own and not talking to anyone about it." Lieutenant tells me.
       "Whenever someone brings up that day, you become tense and avoid the topic. It frustrates me even more because you know deep down that it wasn't your fault. There was a corrupt individual in that precinct. Damn it!"
     I cough to clear my throat. I assure him that I will confront my issues and speak to the counselor assigned to me if it means getting back to active duty sooner.
    "I cannot determine if desk duty is necessary, as that decision is up to the doctor. However, taking on desk duty may alleviate the burdens you are currently carrying. Please refrain from making excuses about not carrying any burdens."
    "I, I captain, salute."
    "Get out of my office, jackass," he says, throwing a pen at me but smiling.
    I return to my desk and smile upon seeing a text from Camilla.
    Camilla: Hey there. How about having dinner at my place? Kim is out with Jeremiah tonight.
    Me: It's great to hear that they're still getting along. Hopefully, it's more than just dinner?
   Camilla: Well, that depends on how good you are.
   Me: Oh, darling, you know I'm amazing.
   Camilla: Haha! You're funny!
   Me: Sorry, babe, I couldn't resist.
   Camilla: I'll see you tonight.
  Berry sneaks up behind me and playfully taps me on the back of my head before casually sitting on the desk. "So, when are you going to stop pretending to be injured and get back to work?" he asks, a mischievous grin on his face. I smirk and reply, "Do you actually miss me out there?" Berry shakes his head and chuckles, "Nah, but your dog is going nuts being locked up back there." He then adds, more sincerely,  "But honestly, it's just not the same without you."
       "I understand, my friend."
      "Are you planning to join us at the bar tonight with the guys?"
     "Oh no, I completely forgot about that. I promised Camilla that I would come over tonight because Kim will be out with Jeremiah."
     "Well, I would also skip beers with the guys if my girlfriend wanted some alone time." Berry winks.
     "Where is your significant other?" I ask him.
     "Someone called in and she took the shift. So I'm going out with the boys tonight."
      "That's a bummer!"
     "Anyway, I better leave and start my rounds." Berry says, fist bumping me.
     "Stay golden!" He tells me.
     "Yeah, you too," I reply, returning to the stack of paperwork on my desk.
     After hours of slogging through paperwork, it's finally time to clock out and go home.
    One perk of working at a desk is that I can leave on time without any other concerns.
    I send a text to Camilla, informing her that I'll be stopping by the store to pick up some wine before heading to her place. Once I have the wine, I make my way to Camilla's house. Tonight, I'm ready to put the past few weeks behind me. Despite my injuries, which have kept us apart, I'm determined to make love to my woman tonight.
      Once Camilla opens the door, I eagerly embrace her, kissing her passionately. Camilla moans and playfully asks if I missed her that much. I growl in response, gripping her hips and pulling her closer to me. I continue kissing her, savoring the feeling of her in my arms. Slowly, I guide her back into the house, never breaking our kiss. Once inside, I use my foot to close the door, not stopping until I have her on the couch. I lay her down gently and proceed to remove my shirt, followed by hers.
       "You look incredibly stunning," I murmur, as I gently kiss her breast, eliciting a moan of pleasure from her. When I meet her gaze, I notice her biting her lower lip, which only intensifies my desire. My arousal reaches new heights, if that's even possible.
       "Hoss," she pleads.
       "Tell me what you desire, my love," I respond.
       "It's always you, Hoss," she cries out.
       I make love to her, providing pleasure through oral stimulation. I remove her sweatpants and use my tongue to stimulate her through her panties, causing her to tremble with pleasure. I slowly remove her panties, revealing her beautiful legs. I tease her by running my finger along her folds, eliciting moans of pleasure from her. She is incredibly wet for me, and I can't resist the urge to taste her. I eagerly dive in, wasting no time, and begin to lick up her sweet essence. I focus on her sensitive clit, using gentle sucking motions to enhance her pleasure.
       I glide my tongue from the top of her intimate area to her backside, causing her to gasp. "Please, Hoss," she pleads. "What is it, baby? What do you desire?" I ask. "I want your dick inside me," she moans. "Oh, Hoss, I'm about to climax!" she exclaims. "Go ahead and release, baby," I say, inserting a finger into her sensitive area while stimulating her clitoris with my mouth. She explodes in ecstasy, screaming my name. Without wasting a moment, I penetrate her with my erect dick, thrusting faster and faster to the sound of her screams until I release my seed deep within her. "Oh my god, Hoss, that was incredible," Camilla purrs. I lift her onto my lap and kiss her gently. "I've missed this, baby. I've missed you," I confess. She runs her fingers through my hair. "I've missed you too, Hoss. I never want to feel that way again. Promise me you'll be more cautious."
       "I can assure you that I will be more careful, but I cannot guarantee that I will not get injured on the job again. You understand that, right?"
     She rests her head on my shoulder and sighs. "Yes, I understand. Anyway, let's change the subject after that. Are you hungry?"
    "Yes, I'm starving," I tell her.
    And as I watch her in the kitchen, I realize that she is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. But how can I bring someone so innocent into my world?
   Once everything is ready, we sit at the table ready to eat when Camilla's phone buzzes. When she opens the text, she drops her phone on the table and gasps.
    "Baby, what is it?" I ask her.
    "It's, um, it's, oh god, it's..."
     I reassure her, "Take a deep breath and try to calm down, baby." I walk around the table to her side and crouch down to her eye level. "Look at me, Camilla's baby, and tell me what's happening. Can you do that?" Camilla clears her throat and musters the strength to say Kim's name. "What about Kim, Camilla?" I ask. Camilla breaks down in tears and says, "He... he has her."
     "Who has her baby? You're scaring me. Please speak in complete sentences." She stares at me with lifeless eyes. "Alan has her. He's going to kill her because I escaped and came to you in Georgia."
     "What? You haven't heard from him in months. Why now?"
     "That's how he operates. He makes me believe I'm safe, and then he strikes again."
     "What does he want, Camilla?"
    "He wants me to meet him at the warehouse. He's taken me back to the night he kidnapped me, and he'll release Kim if I go."
   "Do you really believe that, Cam?"
  I have no choice. He has her, and he'll definitely kill her if I don't go."
  "Wait, Camilla. Let's come up with a plan before you go to him. We need to figure this out."
  "The plan is for me to go in there and save my friend, no matter what happens. He has her because of me. I won't let him kill her because of me." Camilla yells.
   Fuck that shit. She won't be the hero for this psychopath's ego. "We need to approach this calmly and rationally to avoid any harm. Let's take our time, Camilla, and make sure we make the right decisions."
    She leans down while I'm crouched in front of her and kisses me. "We both understand that someone won't leave that warehouse alive," she informs me. "Fuck!" I shout, causing her to startle. "Shit! I'm sorry, sweetheart."
    "I assure you, it won't be you are Kim. I can guarantee that," I inform her.
    "Don't make promises you're unsure of keeping," Camilla responds, kissing me once more. When she pulls away, tears glisten in her eyes.
    "I have to protect her from that monster, Hoss. He must not discover your anywhere around the warehouse. He would undoubtedly harm her before I even have a chance to intervene."
    No, under no circumstances will she be going to that warehouse alone.
   "You're not going alone, Camilla."

@Crystal Steadman2023