Long Distance Lover

Kelly folded her arms across her chest and looked away, not wanting David to see the tears of frustration that were burning her eyes.

Gently he touched her shoulder. “What is it, babe? Are you in pain?”

“I’m finished, David. Finished.” Her voice cracked. “Dr. Graham was just here. He told me everything. I may never run again, not even with rehab.” She banged her fist against the mattress. Tears seeped from her closed eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “Christ, what am I going to do?”

He leaned down and gathered her in his arms. His heart knocked in his chest. The soft scent of her rushed to his head, the feel of her body in his arms went straight to his groin. Kelly had no idea of the power she had over him. But in all the years they’d worked together, she’d never once indicated an interest in him beyond his coaching ability. He’d watched her move in and out of relationships, each time nothing sticking, and was secretly pleased. His greatest hope was that one day they would consummate their long-standing relationship. He ached to discover what it would feel like to be inside that kind of physical power. For now he would satisfy himself with fleeting moments like this.

“Listen,” he said, speaking softly against her hair. “Dr. Graham sees a dark cloud in every rainbow. We’re going to get you the best treatment available and you’ll be back on the track and you will be a champion. Have I ever let you down?”

She shook her head and sniffed hard.

“Exactly.” He smiled. He opened the nightstand and took a tissue from the hospital-issued box. “Here.”

She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “Thanks,” she murmured. She looked at him. “I need you to be honest with me, David.”

“Of course.”

“If I can’t run again, what will I do?”

Her voice was so pained and the imploring expression in her eyes twisted David’s stomach.

“That’s not something you’re going to have to worry about for a very long time. I promise you.”

Chapter 4

David sat at his desk in the office he shared with the assistant coach, poring over the brochure he’d received that morning in the mail from New York. The rehabilitation center at New York University Hospital was one of the best in the country. It was expensive, but worth it. If Kelly were to have any chance of a full recovery he would do whatever was necessary.

A knock on his door took his attention from the information in front of him. He looked up. “Come in.” He slid the brochure into his desk drawer.

“Hey, Coach,” Stephanie Daniels said, stepping inside. “Mind if I close the door?”

He looked at her with skepticism. The last thing he needed was a harassment suit.

“You can leave it cracked.”

She didn’t look pleased but did as he asked. She crossed the room a bit too seductively for David’s taste and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of his desk. She crossed her long, bare legs, the micro shorts not leaving much to the imagination. They hugged the apex of her sex defining clearly what she held between her toned thighs. David looked away.

“What can I do for you?”

Stephanie leaned forward revealing a hint of cleavage from her V-cut tank top.

“I was just wondering how Kelly is doing.”

“She’s doing great. She should be released at the end of the week.”

“Really?” She toyed with the heart-shaped locket around her neck. “Seems a little soon. She must not be too bad…” She let her statement hang in the air.

David leaned back in his chair. “Kelly will be just fine and back before you know it.”

Stephanie twisted her lips and forced a smile. “That’s good to hear. Everyone will be glad to have her back.”

Everyone but you. “I’m sure.”

She stood slowly. “Well, I guess I’d better be going. I have practice in an hour.”

“Good.”

She hesitated. “Uh, David, not that I’m saying Kelly won’t be back…but what if she isn’t?”

He knew what she was hedging at. She wanted Kelly’s spot on the team and by all rights it should be hers. But if he admitted that now, he’d have to accept the fact that Kelly may not return. And that he was unwilling to do.

“She will. End of story.”

She puffed out her chest. “See you on the track.”

“Yeah.”

He watched her saunter out. Stephanie Daniels had skill; there was no question about that. But she didn’t have star power. Kelly was the whole package, skill and charisma. David had worked with Kelly for the past six years, seeing a champion in her. He’d created her from nothing—turning a shy, insecure girl into a woman who understood the meaning of winning at all costs, who could charm the media and inspire a team. She was his. His career was riding on a championship and Kelly was the key. But if he was forced to deal a new deck of cards to ensure a championship, then he would. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Chapter 5

“Let me get the door,” David said. He stepped around Kelly and opened the door to her garden apartment.

She inched her way in, awkwardly balancing on crutches, and looked around in awe. The small, very Afro-centrically designed space was filled with flowers. Her living room resembled a tropical hot house, bursting in a kaleidoscope of color.

She turned clumsily toward David, her face beaming in delight. “This is incredible.”

“From all the folks who love you.”

She moved gingerly into the room and pressed her face to the blossoms, testing one after another. “This is so nice.”

“And I’ll personally drop by every day to take care of them and you,” he added.

“You’ve done too much already. You haven’t missed a day at the hospital; you brought me home, getting me into rehab. I can’t ask you to come over here every day.”

“You’re not asking. I’m volunteering. I want to and I will.” He picked up her small overnight bag. “I’ll put this in your bedroom. Why don’t you sit down?”

She did as he asked and plopped down on the couch with her leg stretched out in front of her. She propped the crutches against the couch. The delight that she felt only moments ago on coming home slowly slipped away when she considered what she was up against in her current condition. At least in the hospital pretty much everything was done for her. Now she would have to get in and out of bed alone, maneuver through the house—and what about bathing? She sighed and rested her head against the cushions, just as the phone rang.

She reached for the phone on the end table.

“Hello?”

“Kelly Maxwell?”

The voice was totally unfamiliar.

“Who’s calling?”

“I’m a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and I was hoping to speak to Ms. Maxwell.”

“She moved.” Kelly slammed down the phone just as David returned.

“Who was that?”

“Can you believe it? I haven’t been home five minutes and reporters are calling already!” She frowned. “How in the hell do they keep getting my number? I’ve changed it three times. Do you think they followed us from the hospital?”

David walked over to the window and peeked out. “I don’t see anyone, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. Which is more of a reason for you to get to New York and away from prying eyes.” He closed the blinds and joined her on the couch.

Kelly folded her hands on her lap. “You know what, David…”

“What?” He took a seat beside her and angled his body to the side.

“I’ve never done anything else but run.” She laughed lightly. “It seems as long as I can remember I was out in the air trying to slice through it. It paid my way through private high school, got me into college and the endorsements padded my bank account.” She turned and glanced at him for a moment. “I’m scared.”

“Why?” He reached out and stroked her hair.

“I’ve never even had a real meaningful relationship, never held a real job. If I’m not running it’s almost as if I’m not living. I have dreams of it all disappearing and me along with it. I never thought there would be a time when I’d even have to think about not flying through the wind, hearing the roar of the crowd. I know there is more to life than this. I’m just not sure what it is.”

“Kelly, you’re young, healthy and you have a long career in front of you.”

“Maybe. But I need to be realistic. I need to start thinking about alternatives.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If this therapy doesn’t work, I need to be prepared for that and I’ll need to prepare myself for the real world.”

“Hey, hey. What kind of talk is this? You’ve never been a pessimist. Everything is going to be fine. You’ll be back out there before you know it and coming into my office complaining that I work you too hard. Just like old times.” He chuckled and was relieved to see the slight smile brighten her face. “Now that’s better.”

“You always know what to say.”

“Just the truth.” He slapped his knee. “How ’bout I whip us up something to eat?”

Kelly grimaced. “Uh, the last time you fixed us something to eat we needed the Pepto-Bismol. How ’bout if we order something instead?”

“But I’ve been practicing,” he moaned, feigning hurt.

“Well, you just keep at it.”

“You wound me.” He placed his hand over his heart.

Kelly giggled. “Right. The menus are in the drawer next to the kitchen sink.”

“Fine. What do you have a taste for?” He headed for the kitchen.

“Pasta.”

“You got it.”

While David was gone Kelly wondered how long David would hang around if she couldn’t run again.

Chapter 6

When Kelly next opened her eyes, the room was submerged in darkness. She was soaking wet. Her heart raced. She felt exhausted. Were they still after her? Panic contracted the muscles in her stomach. She blinked, attempting to clear her head and her eyes. Had she gotten away?

She tried to sit up and felt the weight of the cast hold her in place. A thin streak of light filtered in through the partially opened blinds. Where was she? She looked wildly around and by degrees her pounding heart slowed. It was only a dream, she realized, a dream that had its genesis in reality, but a dream nonetheless. This was her bedroom in Atlanta, not the back woods of Mississippi, or the alleyways of Chicago’s South Side. She was safe here. Home.

Kelly reached for the bedside lamp and the room was bathed in a soft light. The antique shade in a bronze-colored velvet with its dangling clear crystals—a present from her grandmother—cast prismatic shapes against the winter-white walls.

Propped up against the lamp was a note. She picked it up and opened it, recognizing immediately David’s simple print. She stared at the paper and said each word aloud and slowly.

“‘Food in oven. Will call later.’”

She smiled. The always-thoughtful David. She slowly eased her legs over the side of the bed. She reached for her crutches and pushed until she was standing. She made her way into the kitchen and found a Pyrex dish in the oven filled with tender veal cutlet Parmesan and angel-hair pasta. Her stomach grumbled.

After several attempts she was finally able to get the dish out of the oven, while balancing on her crutches and not falling on her face.

She savored every morsel, taking sublime pleasure in each mouthful. It was the first real meal she’d had in a week. But she knew what she’d have to do. She closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure if only for the moment, dropping her fork against the yellow-and-white-checkered plate.

It was times like this, late in the evening when she wished there was more to her life than the next day on the track. She had no real friends or family. Although she had teammates and they went out from time to time, she never felt like one of them, that she was really accepted. For the most part she kept to herself and was ultimately branded a diva. What a joke. If they only knew.

Kelly pushed up from the table and took her dish to the sink. She turned on the water and watched as it mixed with the remnants of sauce to gather in a stream of red and disappear down the drain. It was as if she were suddenly watching her life dissolve in front of her. All that she’d endured, all that she’d worked for could wash away like the sauce on her plate, disappearing into a black hole of no return—unless she fought back. All she had was her skills. She wouldn’t lose the only thing in life that she’d ever succeeded at—not without a fight.

The phone rang.

She ambled over to the wall phone. “Hello?”

“I know it’s late, but I wanted to check on you.”

“David.” Her insides warmed.

“Did you get your dinner?”

“Yes, I did. Thank you. How…did I get in my room?”

“I carried you. You were totally out of it and I didn’t want to wake you. And I certainly didn’t want you to fall off the couch.”

She laughed. “I didn’t hear a thing.”

“You need your rest. It’s one of the best remedies for any ailment. Do you need anything? I can drive back over if you do.”

As much as she wanted the company she declined. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Well, I’ll be there in the morning.”

“Don’t you have to be at practice?”

“Reggie can run the team through the drills. I don’t want you to be alone.”

She didn’t want to read more into what he said. He was only offering his help to an injured member of his team. He would do the same for any of them.

“I’ll call you when I get up.”

“Make sure that you do,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

“Good night, K.”

“Good night.”

Thoughtfully she hung up the phone. She’d known David since she was seventeen years old and he was standing at the finish line when she’d won her race at a high school track meet.

“You’re good, but I can make you better,” he’d said by way of introduction.

She bent in half to catch her breath and looked up at him. “Who are you?”

“Your future coach.” He grinned and her heart did a funny little dance in her chest.

“You seem pretty sure of yourself.”

“I am.”

She stood up and braced her hands on her hips. “How do you know I want a coach?”

“Because you want to be a winner.” He handed her a towel.

She stared at it for a moment before taking it and wiping her face. “Thank you.”

“So what do you say? If you want me to talk to your family, I will.”

“There’s no one to talk to. Thanks for the towel and the offer. But forget it.” She handed him back the towel, turned and jogged away before he could react.

But as Kelly soon discovered, David was as determined as he was handsome and that was saying something. David Livingston was tall and lean, his features angular but with the kind of even brown complexion that women slaved to maintain. His smile was as generous as his eyes and his deep laughter reminded her of winter nights sitting in front of a fireplace.

He showed up for every track meet. He was the loudest in the stands as she jetted to the finish lines. David became a fixture to a point where she looked for him in the stands, listened for his cheers among the crowd.

Finally one day after practice she walked up to him.

“Okay, I give up. What can you do for me?”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

They’d been a “team” ever since.

But not even David knew all her secrets.

Slowly she went into the bathroom, pulled up the toilet seat and stuck her finger as far down her throat as she could.

Chapter 7

“This wheelchair is a bit much, David,” Kelly said as he pushed her through the terminal of American Airlines.

“You may be fast as lightning on the track, my dear, but you need a little work with the crutches. I want to get to the hotel sometime today.”

“Very funny.”

They trailed behind a redcap who pushed a metal cart that was loaded with their baggage.

“There’s a car waiting for us out front. We’ll have you settled in no time.” David weaved in and out of the flow of human traffic mindful of his precious cargo.

As always JFK airport was bustling with activity. The press of people in myriad attire, speaking in every imaginable language, was an awesome experience. The airport was a microcosm of humanity. Voices from unseen sources called out a steam of flights to everywhere in the known world, periodically interspersed with warnings about unattended baggage and the consequences of taking packages from persons unknown to you. A montage of aromas stampeded through the food court reminiscent of raucous stadium revelers doing a victory dance. The occasional National Guard patrolled the walkways, a holdover from 9/11.

“At least they cut the cast down,” Kelly said as they made it toward the exit doors. “I never would have made it through this crowd to the flight with my leg sticking out a mile in front of me.”

“It’s progress. I told you that you would be back in no time. It’s only been four weeks and look how far you’ve come.”

“Although this space boot isn’t a fashion statement.”

David chuckled and pushed open the glass doors.

The first blush of New York City welcomed them with a cool breeze and a spring shower.

A middle-aged man decked in a black suit, striped shirt and shiny black tie stood in front of a silver stretch limo holding up a sign with David’s name on it.

“Right here,” David instructed the redcap, pointing to the driver.

“Welcome to New York, Mr. Livingston, Ms. Maxwell. I’m your driver, Bill.” He turned to Kelly. “Let me help you into the car, ma’am.”

“I can—”

But before she’d finished her sentence, he’d lifted her from the wheelchair as if she were no heavier than a bag of rice and gently put her in the backseat.

“There’s juice, soda, snacks and the buttons above you control the music, DVD player and the air,” Bill said before backing out of the car door. He straightened and turned to David who immediately held up his hands.

“I think I can get in by myself.”

“Of course, Mr. Livingston.” He stood aside.

David got in and sat opposite Kelly. “Efficient,” he muttered then shut the door behind him.

Kelly giggled. “I thought for sure he was gonna pick you up, too.”

David reached for a bottle of chilled water from the bucket of ice. “So did I. But we would have had to fight.” He twisted off the top then took a long swallow. “Aaah. You okay?” He took another gulp.

“Fine.” She propped her leg up along the length of the wraparound leather seating.

The motion of the car rocked them gently against the plush interior. Kelly looked out the tinted windows as the landscape of the Big Apple spread out in front of her. Buildings rose toward the cloudy skies, murky silhouettes against the light gray backdrop. She was missing home already.

“How much do you know about this doctor-therapist, whatever he is?” she asked tersely.

“I checked Dr. Hutchinson’s credentials thoroughly. He’s worked with plenty of athletes. He’s one of the best.”

Kelly looked away. “How long do we have to stay here?”

“Until you’re better.” He glanced at her profile. Her mouth was a tight line as it always was when she was upset, worried or concentrating on the track. This was not the track. “You want to tell me what’s really bothering you?”

“Nothing,” she muttered.

“Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”

She folded her arms. “Sure.”

“Hungry?”

“No.”

“You really haven’t been eating lately. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. Please stop asking me.”

“All right, all right. Take it easy.”

She pushed out a breath. “I’m sorry. Guess my nerves are getting the best of me.”

David leaned over and took her hand. “Look at me.”

Reluctantly she did.

“Haven’t I always taken care of you?”

“Yes.”

“Have I ever let you down?”

“No.”

“Then that’s all you need to remember.”

“But what if someone finds out?”

“They won’t. They won’t,” he repeated. “All you have to do is follow the instructions of the therapist and the rest will take care of itself.”

The car slowed then came to a stop. Moments later, Bill opened the door. David got out first, went around to the trunk and retrieved Kelly’s crutches. Together he and Bill helped her from the car.

“What…no wheelchair?” Kelly quipped while gaining her balance.

“Time is no longer of the essence.”

Bill signaled the bellhop and they loaded the luggage onto a cart.

The decor of the Marriott was gracefully elegant. A dazzling chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling was the centerpiece of the circular floor. Light touches of gold filigree graced tables, the edges of counters and the reception desks. The hotel was busy. There was a steady movement of guests and uniformed hotel staff, but not one seemed to pay Kelly any undue attention. In a town like New York, celebrities were a dime a dozen.

“Welcome to the Marriott,” the concierge greeted. “I hope you have a lovely stay with us and if there is anything we can do to make you more comfortable, Ms. Maxwell, please let me know.”

“Thank you, I will.”

“If you will follow me, I’ll personally escort you to your room. You’re all checked in.”

“You have her in the presidential suite, correct?” David asked.

“Of course. Only the best. And it has the connecting suite as you requested.”

David nodded. “Excellent.”

“Connecting suite?” Kelly mouthed to David.

“We’ll talk upstairs.”

Once they were settled and the concierge had bowed his way out, Kelly didn’t waste a moment in getting to the connecting suite situation.

“You want to tell me now?”

“Look, I plan to be here for the next two weeks. You’re going to need help. What sense does it make for me to be in a completely different room, possibly on a different floor, in case of an emergency?”

She’d have to be extra careful. David must never know. There were many things she shared with David, but this could not be one of them. No one must find out. She was too ashamed.

“Fine. I suppose you’re right. Just make sure you knock first.”

He chuckled. “The door locks from your side.”

Her lips flickered ever so slightly until they formed the halo of a smile. She half walked, half hopped toward the couch and sat down. She looked up at him then stretched out her hand.

David walked toward her, took her hand then sat down. “What?” His voice was a gentle nudge.

“If I haven’t told you thank you—then thank you—for everything. I don’t know how many strings you had to pull to get me here. I did my research, too. This Dr. Hutchinson is booked through the year.”

He tightened his hold on her hand and looked her deep in the eyes. “I told you, whatever needed to be done to help you I was going to make it happen.”

Kelly lowered her gaze. “I owe you so much.” She looked up and stared into his eyes.

David felt himself being pulled into the midnight pools of her eyes. It would be so easy to kiss her right at that moment. Easy to loosen the barrette that held her hair in place and watch it fall in waves across her shoulders. So easy to lean her back against the pillows of the couch and caress the skin that he knew would feel like satin beneath his fingertips.

David forced a smile. “I’d better unpack.” Quickly he stood before desire outweighed reason. “Why don’t you order room service? Let’s see if the hotel lives up to all its hype.” He started to walk toward the door that separated them. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Kelly didn’t trust herself to speak so she simply nodded her head. Once David closed the door behind him, she finally released the breath she’d held. How was she going to be able to get through the next two weeks with David less than one hundred feet away every night?