Boundless Love (A Limitless Love Series.): (Christian Romance)

CHAPTER 8

Ryan sat watching as the nurse descended the rusty steps.

She's a Christian! He thought.

He tried to compare her with the other two Christians in his life, there was no comparison. His aunt and uncle professed Christianity but also lived to please others. He had grown averse to the Christian faith when he realized, his so-called Christian relatives and his parents, were birds of a feather.

As Halima's footsteps receded down the hall, he wondered what had caused her to storm off like that. From his short knowledge of her, she had never been judgmental or a snob. He looked back to their conversation and chided himself when he recalled his last words. He had insulted her; 'just a nurse' didn't even remotely come close to Halima Sintamei. The woman did more than was required of her in fact just having her in his service had eased off a huge burden from him. She definitely was not just a nurse, especially not with the way she carried herself. He sprung off his seat and sprinted down the ancient steps.

Storming through the office door, he froze at his startled colleagues who now occupied his and Halima's chairs.

"Whoa! What's up? Where are you running to?" asked Joe.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked a breathy Ryan.

"We came to check up on you, see if you needed help. That nurse sounded pretty shook when she called for you earlier." Gwen said looking through the files on his desk.

"She's not a nurse!" He snapped.

"Okay! What is she, a clinical officer?" Gwen continued perusing the files oblivious of her colleague's fierce glare.

"Never mind, why are you going through my stuff?" He walked towards her.

Joe sighed. "I told her not to do it."

"What? I just want to help. And from what I can see you are stuck."

"Oh ooh! Now you've done it." drawled Joe.

"Get out!" Ryan's orotund voice boomed in the small office.

"What?" Gwen stood up, aghast.

"I said get out! You have no right to be going through my stuff."

"I was just trying to help Ryan, come on."

"If I require your help Dr. Stevens I will be sure to ask and that is a big if!"

"You cannot be serious." She turned to Joe. "He cannot be serious."

"He is and I suggest we do as he says." He got up and started for the door.

Gwen slowly placed the files back to their previous position and with a fixed questioning gaze on her ex, she followed Joe out of the door.

*****

"What was that?" Agitated, Gwen turned to Joe who sat beside her as the car pulled out of the parking lot.

"That, was Dr. Ryan Mitchell, the man is unbearable whenever he can't crack a case."

"Well, he was unbelievably rude. Doesn't he want help, or must he solve the case by himself?"

"Trust me, at this juncture he has called in everyone he knows and sent them that case, the man is thorough, rude and with a God complex but thorough. He has connections all over the world. So when he says he doesn't need our help, I believe him. Also I try to stay as far away from his crazy as I can get!"

"What made him start behaving like this, the Ryan I remember was kind, humble and a team player."

"You mean the twenty two year old boy whose heart you broke eight years ago? Yeah, well that guy is gone, now we have Dr. Mitchell, the best pediatrician in the west."

"Sounds cold, lonely and awful, how are you guys still friends?"

"He is also loyal to a fault. I keep away from his work unless he asks me to help but the rest of the time he is my buddy, the guy who defended the only black kid during our high school freshman year from being bullied, he ended up getting beat up right beside me. But we've been best friends ever since."

"I remember that story." She said gaze lost past the window, into the dark night.

"He's a good guy. You just need to know which lines not to cross." The car came to a halt, "thanks Bahati." Joe waved to their driver as they alighted.

****

Halima glanced at her wrist watch. It was close to midnight. She had perpetually checked on her patients in the wards but made sure she didn't go back to the office. Spending time in the chapel helped calm her down and give her spirit renewed joy. She had learnt early on that the way to deny the devil her joy was to always walk away from any situation that turned sour. Staying away from the office ensured that she avoided a potentially explosive situation. Leaving the chapel, she made one more round in the wards. Once satisfied, she headed to the office where she was sure the doctor would be gone.

Sure enough, the office was empty when she went in and so she decided to prepare for bed. She closed the blinds and rearranged the furniture to create space at her usual corner. She pulled out a mattress from the tiny closet and spread it out in her cleared space. She changed into her pajamas and as she was undoing her hair, the door swung open.

Dr. Mitchell stood at the threshold nonplussed. Halima froze glad that she had decided to put on her ducky pajamas instead of her silk nightgown. Their eyes held as Silence raged on for a moment only to be broken by a deafening wail which tore through the calm night.