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“You don’t trust me to feed the baby?”
“Of course, I trust you, Ms. Bellson. I just feel so sorry for her, her mom being operated on and everything. My father was a basket case about a half hour ago. She’s my sister … my first actual sibling. I’m just trying to help.”
“You’re getting in my way.”
“It’s unintentional. Honestly.”
“Unintentional.” Bellson snorted. “Haven’t you something better to do with your life than hang around here?”
“I’ll be back in school in a week. How’s that?”
“Where?”
“In New York. Columbia University, specifically.”
“UC system isn’t good enough for you?”
“Who can get into UCLA?” Cindy forced herself to smile. “Besides, I’m trying to give my poor mom a break after all these years putting up with me.”
“You don’t get along with your mom?”
Cindy waited a beat before speaking. She sensed that the nurse was hoping she didn’t get along. “Actually, I’m close to both my parents. They lead very different lives, but they’re both good people. I do the best I can.”
Bellson hesitated, then shook her head once again. Her eyes suddenly softened. “I suppose it’s nice what you’re doing for your father. Just don’t step on my toes, all right? I’ve been charge nurse of this unit for ten years. I don’t appreciate people barging in, demanding that I cater to them.”
“I didn’t mean anything. I’m sorry.”
“S’okay.” Bellson uncrossed her arms, letting them slowly drop to her sides. “I do get testy, especially when I’m overworked and understaffed.” She played with a gold class ring on her left hand. “My profession means a lot to me. I put my heart and soul into my babies—all of them. You notice that little Rodriguez baby?”
Cindy nodded.
“Mama’s only fifteen years old—a child with a child. I’ve spent hours with her just teaching her the basics. How to hold her baby, how to feed her, how to change a diaper. Letting her know that what she’s got is a baby and not a doll.”
“That’s very nice of you.”
“It’s because I care. I care about that skinny little thing.” Bellson furrowed her brow. “She was low birth weight because her mother smoked during pregnancy.” She dropped her voice a notch. “And I bet she smoked more than tobacco.”
The nurse smoothed her paper gown.
“Anyway, it’s not my position to judge. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of. But it is my position to help. I don’t want that poor little thing going home with an untrained mother. They’re the ones who do damage. One of the things I always tell the mamas: If they don’t want what the good Lord blessed them with, there are hundreds of nice families who’d gladly take the baby off their hands. They should quit their eternal griping and thank Jesus they have a healthy baby.”
Cindy nodded solemnly, thinking that Bellson would have been a great Puritan. She could picture the woman in a Pilgrim’s hat, her reedy body covered by a black dress with a starched white apron, fingers kneading stiff bread dough in a one-room shack heated by a black iron cauldron. Pilgrim Bellson would be an attentive mother—caring—but she’d never crack a smile. The Pilgrim glanced at her watch—the timepiece an anachronism that brought Cindy back to the present.
“I’m running late,” Bellson said.
“My fault, I’m sorry,” Cindy said. “I’ll wait in the nursery and won’t go past the yellow line.”
“Good.” Bellson played with her ring again. “It’s nice what you’re doing for your sister. As long as you remember you’re not the infant’s mother. I hope your stepmother takes your place soon.”
“I hope so, too,” Cindy said. And she meant it.
6 (#ulink_1d14c5d9-b13f-5560-8b21-c3da422a3c69)
The kick aroused her from a dull sleep. She opened her eyes and was staring at loin-clothed crotch. She couldn’t even tell who the crotch belonged to, because the wall of chest muscle hid the face. The voice told her to get the hell up. For a moment, she panicked. Her heart began to pound, awakening her out of her stupor.
The low one’s come back!
But then the voice was familiar in a positive way.
Mack.
The voice belonged to Mack.
She relaxed.
Back in control.
It was Mack.
Eric was better, but Mack was okay.
“Are you just going to lie around and gather dust like a rug? If you’re a rug, maybe I should take you out and beat you.”
The floor was cold and hard. His intimidation was working. She was feeling appropriately hostile. Lifting heavy weights required the rush, and nothing gave you the rush like hostility. “Shut up!”
“So are you ready to work or what?”
“I’m ready.”
He held out his hand. She took it, and he hoisted her to her feet. He threw a bundle at her.
“Put some clothes on.”
She nodded and dressed quickly.
“How much time do you have?” Mack asked.
“Two hours.”
“Two hours? Tandy, we can’t do anything in two hours.”
“Well, that’s all the time I have, Mack. Take it or leave it. Help me with my weight belt.”
“You should get a better-quality belt.” Mack slipped the leather straps through the metal loops and pulled tightly, enjoying the sound of her curses. “After two years of pumping, you’re no virgin, you know. You want to make progress, you need the right gear.”
“I’m a little tight on cash at the moment.”
“Hey, are you serious about building or what?”
“Of course I’m serious.”
“Then find the cash, Tandy. If you’re gonna do, do it right.”
“It’s too tight, Mack!”
Again Mack pulled on the straps.
“There! Now it’s too tight.”
“You are such a sadist!”
“Fuck you! What’s this two hours crap? Are you committed, or are you playing games? We don’t have time for games.”
“I told you I’m committed.”
“That’s what you say, but that’s not how you act,” Mack snarled. “Two hours …”
“How about the pecs? We could do the pecs in two hours, Mack.”
“Yeah, we could probably do the pecs,” Mack said. “Be better if we had three hours.”
“I have to work. I’m pulling the graveyard shift.” She attempted a deep breath, but the belt was too tight. All she could do was exhale short little puffs. “I’m going to need something, Mack.”
“What? Like some B-six?”
“Something stronger.”
Mack paused. “It can be arranged.”
“You’re a doll—”
“Hey, I don’t want to ever hear that kind of shit before a session!”
“Okay, you’d be a doll if you weren’t such a dumb jerk!”
“Much better!”
Mack slammed her back into his granite-hard chest. He reached around her body and felt her breasts. “I hate to say this. But you’re coming along nicely.”
She felt herself smiling. “Thanks. Or shouldn’t I say that?”
“You shouldn’t say that. You should say, ‘Of course I’m coming along, asshole!’ You’ve got to learn to get your body to deliver the rush. Pumped up means more than just the physical body, you know.”
“I know.”
He felt her again. “Yeah, you’re doing well. Of course, there’s always room for improvement. Your pecs have good tone, but no bulk.”
“What are you talking about! My chest is getting bigger all the time, and not a drop of it is due to fat.”
“Not enough.” Mack shook his head. “I’m going to increase your weights. What are you at?”
“Twenty each arm free weights.”
“How many reps?”
“Twenty.”
“How ’bout we use twenty-five weights, but we’ll drop the reps to ten. Try to bulk you up.”
“Whatever you think.”
“Tandy, get mean!”
She turned around and smiled. Then she punched his stomach as hard as she could. Her entire hand went numb from the impact, but it did the job. Mack had sucked in air from the surprise punch. Not a lot of air—not more than a little gulp—but she had actually caught him off guard. Mack shook his head, laughed, then pinned her against the wall. They went nose-to-nose.
“You ever try a stunt like that again, I’ll kill you!”
She spit at him. He spit back. Then they both laughed.
Mack said, “No good. Can’t pump and laugh at the same time.” He stared at her, then squeezed her arms with his massive claws. He thought he was being scary. But nothing, nothing physical, could be as scary as the mind out of control. She bit back the pain and kept eye contact.
“Good,” Mack whispered. “That was real good, Tandy.”
She felt him slowly easing the pressure off her arms, then he ran his hands over her breasts. Tandy closed her eyes. It felt good. In another world, she might have delved further. But that wasn’t where she was at now. Mack knew it, too. And really that wasn’t where he was at, either. It was just the touching. Gorgeous bodies like hers and his … they were meant to be touched by those who could truly appreciate them.
“You ready to sweat, girlie?” he said.
“Always.”
7 (#ulink_dd1447ad-172b-520d-91ea-16c66d362695)
The shaking of his shoulder brought Decker into a groggy state of consciousness. He leaped up, then felt unsteady on his legs. He could feel an arm giving him support. He rubbed his eyes and focused on a round, fair face. A body garbed in slacks, sports shirt, and a white coat—Dr. Hendricks. No more scrubs. Decker took that as a very good sign.
“Are you all right?” Hendricks asked.
“I fell asleep. I can’t believe I did that.”
“Happens to the best of us.” The doctor felt the stubble on his chin. “Rina’s progressing well. I just finished putting in the order to move her to the ICU. I don’t expect she’ll stay there long. I just want to make sure we have everything under control. You can see her now. She’s still heavily sedated, so don’t count on a lot of witty repartee.”
Decker smiled.
“She was oriented when I spoke to her. Her vitals are good. All indications are she’ll be just fine.”
“Thank God!”
Hendricks placed a hand on Decker’s shoulder. “I’ll be around for the next hour or so. I’ll need to talk to you, but I know how anxious you are to see Rina. Peter, I don’t want you shocked by her appearance.”
“Doctor, I’ve seen everything in any kind of condition imaginable.”
