Lila's Choice

Chapter 17

After somehow managing to get back to sleep, I wake up the next evening around 5 PM. Still tired from a restless sleep, I stand in the shower, under the stream of warm water letting it blanket me. As much as I would rather stay enveloped in this warmth, I force myself to wash up quickly before searching my closet for something to wear. Instead, I find myself staring blankly at its contents.

Robotically, I pull out an outfit and get dressed. Sitting at my vanity, untangling my hair, I hear a knock on my bedroom door. Without waiting for an answer, Jessica slowly opens the door and peeks in.

"Nigel is ready with the car when you wish to leave ma'am."

"Thank you Jessica. I will be there shortly." She lingers as though debating whether or not she should say more. "Is there anything else?" I ask, a bit annoyed by her hovering.

"Mr. Mitchell is upstairs, ma'am." I cock my head and furrow my brow, which prompts her to hurry on. "He just arrived. He said that he knows you have to work tonight, but wanted to check on you."

I look her over trying to figure out why she had to think this through before relaying the message. Sensing my irritation, she says, "I shall tell him you will be with him in a moment." With that, she quickly backs out of the room and closes the door behind her.

The thought of seeing Thad before I leave for the club, fills me with a renewed vigor. Turning my attention back to the vanity, I quickly style my hair, then stand before the full length mirror. Actually noting my attire for the first time, I give myself a nod of approval and silently thank Gwen for her OCD love of arranging my closet. She has arranged my clothes such that I can virtually reach into my closet with my eyes closed and still look amazing; which is essentially what I have done.

I find Thad sitting on the sofa in the living room, with his back facing the doorway. He has no idea how dangerous it is to leave himself so vulnerable and exposed around someone like me. It's a good thing that I have no intention of harming him.

I sneak up behind him and slide my hands down his chest. My lips graze his ear before reaching his neck, where I gently kiss him. His hand reaches up to grab my arm. Then he stands and comes around the sofa to wrap me in tight embrace.

"Hello there, gorgeous." Before I can respond his lips are on mine. I wrap my arms around his waist and lean deeper into the kiss.

He pulls back to look at me and I can see the concern in his eyes. "I know that you have to work tonight, but I just wanted to stop by and make sure you're alright. You had me worried after that call last night. I would have come by earlier, but I had patients waiting."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry about calling so late. I just had a very vivid nightmare that felt too real for comfort; I needed to make sure you were alright."

"What was it about?"

"I went to your house to see you and had a dreadful feeling. And when I found you, you had been attacked..." I can't bring myself to finish it or to look into his eyes any longer. It is too painful, so I put my head down and close my eyes.

Seeing how upset it is making me, Thad lifts my chin so that I am looking at him again. Then he reassures me, "I'm perfectly fine. Look at me, not so much as a scratch on me." He steps back so I can get a full view of him; then looks down at me with a hitch of his lips, pulling me into a hug and wrapping his arms around me like a warm blanket.

After a minute, I look up at Thad and unhappily inform him that I need to be on my way. "Okay. But will you consider coming to spend the night at my house after?"

I think about his offer. It's awfully tempting, but also highly dangerous since his I am left vulnerable to the elements at his house. Not wanting to simply tell him no, I say, "How about you call me tomorrow and we make arrangements for you to spend the night here. You can call me when you are done with your last patient."