Disclaimer: Fluffy Cat does not own or have any right to the characters associated with The Queen of Swords Universe. She does not profit in any way from writing this story other than the pleasure it gives her to visit them again.
Patience with Patients
By Fluffy Cat
Dr. Robert Helm stormed into his private quarters and threw his coat across a chair in his angry frustration. Grisham's men had been shooting up the town again! Fortunately, the good Doctor told himself silently, no innocent civilians had been hurt this time, but that consolation didn't erase the nagging worry that someone else might have been. Had The Queen been hit?
He hadn't witnessed the shootings or the ensuing action across the rooftops, stables, and the town square but having seen it often enough in the past, he could well imagine what tonight's little scenario might have looked like. It was easy enough to envision; soldiers dropping to the ground while a black leather-clad figure, definitely of the female persuasion bounced, jumped, leaped, catapulted and oftentimes somersaulted around and over them, always managing to elude capture, always avoiding those bullets aimed directly at her.
Unless tonight were the exception?
Helm swallowed the lump of fear that formed in his throat at that horrifying thought. He thought he overheard one soldier exclaim he was certain he had hit The Queen. The man claimed to have seen The Queen flinch and fall forward across her horse. Helm closed his eyes and offered up a small prayer that such words were no more than a poor soldier's wish to claim an extra reward.
Despite an increasing sense of frustration and anger toward the little Mischief Maker, he knew he was reluctantly attracted to the leather-clad female. He also knew he had blasted her enough times with his own words to have taken a layer or two of skin off of her pretty little hide, but the thought of anyone else doing the same evoked a clenching of his gut and an awful taste of fear in his mouth. If he only knew where the devil to look for her; he'd ride out right now and tend to her!
Damn her! Helm cursed aloud and headed toward the bottle of whisky he kept hidden for non-medicinal purposes. With no clue as to where to find the pesky vixen, he poured a healthy portion of the whisky into a glass and sprawled across his bed to drink it. Eyes closed after the first heady taste, he remembered past encounters with his irritating Queen of Swords and offered a second prayer that those memories wouldn't be the last of her he would create.
The Queen of Swords held her hand firmly pressed against her right side as she circled back around the quarry, avoiding capture by Montoya's men. She instructed her mount to stop for a moment as she watched Grisham and his men set off after her in the wrong direction once again. Despite her pain and developing weakness, The Queen offered a triumphant smile for their retreating backs. They were always so predictable. It was a blessing really.
A wave of nausea suddenly swept over her. Her pleased smile quickly vanished. Glancing down at the amount of blood covering her clothes, she realized this wound appeared to be more than just a scratch Marta could remedy.
The Queen drew a calming breath, held on tightly to her reins and instructed her beauty of a mount to ride like the wind back into town. She hoped the good Doctor would be receptive to another one of her drop-in visits. He never seemed to mind them all that much, she told herself, as the pain grew worse. Oh, he always lectured her and sometimes yelled a bit, and he never forgot to argue philosophy with her, but not once had he ordered her to leave and never come back, she mused. Of course she had never visited him shot up before either, she reminded herself.
"Hello, Doctor." The Queen stated softly, using every bit of her remaining strength to stand tall and confident in front of him. She employed the frame of the doorway from his office to his quarters as a support while she greeted him.
Helm looked up from the novel he had attempted to read in his quest to cease worrying about the woman standing in front of him. "Well…well…you've been busy again this evening, I see." He tossed the book down on the mattress and stood up.
She offered him a rueful smile. "You could say that, I suppose." She tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder and watched him carefully through her lace mask.
Helm nodded. "Shooting up the town again? Is it really necessary?" He countered smugly.
Her lips twitched. "Well, a girl has to find something to do at night."
He tried very hard not to smile. He enjoyed their banter, more than he should, he knew. "I see." Helm walked back over to the dresser where he kept the decanter of whisky he had sampled earlier. "You must be tired and thirsty after all that excitement? Care to join me? I imagine Montoya's and Grisham's men are still canvassing the area looking for you. You probably have a little time, I should think."
She could feel the faint coming on. The Queen found it ironic that after all the times she had pretended to faint as Tessa Alvarado; she would still be surprised by the true sensation as The Queen. "I'm afraid how much time I have, Doctor, is going to be in your hands and those of God's."
Helm looked up sharply upon hearing her words, just in time to catch her before she hit the floor. "Damnit!" He cursed, turning her over so that he finally noticed the bloody outfit she wore that had been hidden by the shadows of his room. He brushed the dark silky hair away from her face tenderly. "Damn you." He whispered ever so gently to the unconscious woman in his arms.
Something cool touched her face. The manner was kind and gentle and loving.
"Marta?" Tessa mumbled before slipping into oblivion again.
Robert Helm dipped the wet cloth back into the basin and studied the woman occupying his bed. His handsome lips curved up a fraction as he realized that a certain fantasy he had engaged in on more than one occasion had just been fulfilled.
The Queen of Swords was in his bed.
Unconscious, but one had to be flexible when it came to granted fantasies, he thought to himself with self-directed amusement.
Marta. He wasn't too surprised by this; many peasants supported The Queen. And he had always suspected that she had more than one ally in her camp. How else could The Queen accomplish what she had without assistance?
Still, Marta was a servant of the spoiled Tessa Alvarado, not exactly a person he would expect to find helping The Queen. Helm reminded himself Marta was a gypsy and gypsies were an unpredictable lot by nature. Her secret was safe with him, just as The Queen's presence in his quarters had always been part of an unspoken trust. He wouldn't betray her.
Dr. Helm pulled the sheet back and inspected The Queen's wound for the fifth time in two hours. It was excessive, he knew, because she was doing remarkably well and it wasn't truly necessary to continue checking on her to that degree, but he still couldn't keep from making certain of it.
Dr. Robert Helm had not been pleased to perform surgery on the irritating woman. It was his personal opinion that beautiful young women should not be running around carrying bullets inside of them. And beautiful young women with soft skin and dark shiny hair, and mysterious eyes holding deep secrets who were fond of teasing and bantering with him especially fell under that edict.
He watched his patient with careful scrutiny. She had lost some blood, not an excessive amount, but enough to keep her on her back for a few days, he speculated. And it appeared she'd spend that time in his bed. The good Doctor smiled for the first time since she had collapsed in his arms.
The Queen's eyes fluttered open and slowly took note of her surroundings. It took a moment for her to understand why she wasn't in her own bed at the hacienda. When she remembered what had happened, she bolted straight up in bed and discovered the hard way that such a quick movement when recently shot would not be advisable again.
"Careful." The male voice quietly stated beside her.
Shocked eyes turned to the Doctor before her hands flew to her face to check for her mask.
It was still in place, surprisingly enough. "You didn't?" She whispered more to herself.
"No, I didn't." Helm told her, his lips curving. "Not that I wasn't tempted, but I decided I'd rather you learned to trust me enough to take it off for me."
She sank back against the pillows. "It isn't a matter of trusting you, Doctor. It's a matter of what's best for your own safety."
He acknowledged this with a nod. "If you say so; whatever you have to tell yourself." He was suddenly all business, walking over to his patient and feeling of her forehead for fever with those deliciously long cool fingers of his. The Queen trembled slightly when he touched her face.
"May I have some water?" She asked softly.
"Yes, of course, but only small amounts. I'll let you know when you are ready for something more."
She wasn't sure but his eyes seemed to sparkle back at her when he said it. He handed a glass of water to her and watched as she carefully sipped at it. "Thank you, Doctor." She closed her eyes for a moment. "How long have I been out?" She didn't open her eyes.
"Three hours." He answered, taking the glass back and setting it on the nightstand next to the bed. "I removed the bullet. Another inch in the wrong direction could have been fatal but you are probably going to survive to somersault again."
She opened her eyes and smiled. "Thank you. Three hours? It's the middle of the night then?"
"Yes, it is." Helm nodded. "Is there anyone you want me to notify, someone who would worry perhaps?"
He accurately read the crease between her eyes but refrained from arguing with her when she lied and said, "No, Doctor. No one knows when The Queen will appear or disappear."
"I see." He watched her with an intensity she found uncomfortable.
She started to sit back up and only then realized that the sheet covering her was truly the only thing covering her. Shocked eyes flew back up to his. "My clothes!"
Helm's lips twitched at her. "I usually remove them when performing surgery. They tend to get in the way of where I'm cutting."
The wide eyes continued to stare at him.
He finally grinned at her. "Don't worry; I only took liberties with the clothes themselves. And I left your mask on, remember?" He teased her.
She drew a breath of courage. "Of course." Adjusting to the idea that this man had seen what no other man had yet to see took a moment. "Where did you put them?"
"It doesn't concern you now. You are in no shape to dress and leave me." He countered smoothly.
She didn't care for that answer. "I can't continue to stay here, Doctor. You have patients, and well….I just can't."
"My patients will be treated in my office. You however, will be treated in my bed." He actually smiled at her when he said those words, and this time she didn't doubt for a moment that his eyes had sparkled back at her.
The Queen was at a loss for words. She had never seen the Doctor like this. What happened to the man who loved to chastise and reprimand her? This new one who had taken his place was much more difficult to read.
Not knowing what to say in reply to that outrageous statement, she closed her mouth and glanced around the room.
"Good girl." Helm nodded, biting back his smile.
Before he could tease her again, loud knocking could be heard pounding on the outside door.
The Queen's expression was easy enough to read.
"Don't panic." Helm advised her softly, "I'll see who it is. Maybe one of my patients needs something?"
"In the middle of the night?" She asked worriedly.
He chuckled. "I'm a Doctor. Yes, in the middle of the night."
"What if it's Montoya's soldiers?"
"I'll lie and tell them I haven't seen you." He sounded calm and reassuring.
"But what if they insist on searching?" She bit her lip and he couldn't keep from grinning at the nervous gesture from so confident a Queen.
He ignored the second round of pounding and watched her with gentle amusement. "Then I suggest you remove the mask and try to look sufficiently satisfied so that my reputation doesn't suffer any."
The look she gave him was priceless and had the good Doctor grinning all the way to the door.
His grin died when he found two of Montoya's soldiers standing at the door beside Captain Grisham. "Doctor," Grisham walked into the office. "What took you so long to answer?"
"I was in bed." His gruff voice echoed the words.
"In bed? Not treating a patient?" Grisham smiled maliciously.
"No, I treated my last patient this afternoon around six." Helm offered the information without rancor.
"We were just wondering, Doctor, because one of my men is convinced he shot The Queen this evening. It occurred to me if he did, then she might visit you."
"I imagine she would, if she were shot." Helm watched Grisham with cool indifference. "But I haven't seen the lady."
"Mind if we look around?" Grisham asked politely, watching Helm closely for any indication the Doctor was reluctant to have his office searched.
"Not at all." Helm gestured for them to follow him into his office and examining room. "As you can see; no patients here."
Grisham didn't notice anything out of the ordinary from the other times he had been in the Doctor's office. Still, his man had been pretty certain he had hit his target. If she were still alive, she'd need a doctor. "Mind if we check your private quarters, Doc?"
Helm tensed slightly. "Yes, I do."
Grisham's evil smile spread across his face. "And why is that, Doctor?"
Helm stood eye to eye with the Captain, not backing down. "It's private. It's my home."
"I'm going to need something better than that, Doctor." Grisham informed him with a cocky grin.
Helm watched the Captain for any chance he might back down and not seeing it, proceeded to slowly smile at him. "Well, how about a gentleman's code?"
Intrigued, Grisham grinned. "And what code would that be, Doctor?"
"I see you haven't heard of it; no matter." Helm insulted him and continued on, "A gentleman protects a lady."
"Ah…" Grisham laughed. "And you have a lady in your quarters who isn't The Queen of Swords?"
"Let's just say I would prefer you limit your search to my office. A lady's reputation is at stake."
Grisham studied Helm for a moment before nodding. "Okay, Doctor. My men will wait here. I'm an officer and a gentleman; I'll check your quarters myself and the lady's reputation will not be sullied as a result."
Helm blocked the door to his room. "You can't see your way to take my word for it?"
"Nope." Grisham's expression was cocky as he pushed Helm out of his way and opened the door to the physician's private quarters.
The door abruptly opened and Tessa pulled the sheet covering her all the way up to her chin. "Robert?" Her voice quivered as she peeked over the sheet and looked at the two men standing in the doorway. "Oh, Captain! I wasn't expecting you."
Tessa Alvarado looked as innocent as she always did when she spoke to the two men, aside from the fact she was quite obviously nude under the sheet. Tucking the top of the sheet under her arms, she flipped her dark hair off her shoulder, exposing even more skin to the gawking men and smiled sweetly. "Robert, is there a reason the Captain decided to disturb us tonight?"
She looked to the Doctor with an inquiring expression, praying he would find the presence of mind to replace his slack-jawed expression with one more in keeping with that of a lover. Her life depended on it after all!
Tessa watched as the shock began to wear off of the Doctor's face and his eyes narrowed to reflect his seething irritation with her. It only took a moment for him to respond to her words. "I'm sorry, Senorita, the Captain was insistent on checking my quarters."
"Senorita Alvarado?" The Captain chuckled. "Well…well…well…you are the last person I expected to find in the good Doctor's bed."
"Why Captain?" Tessa smiled and cocked her head to the side coyly. "He has an excellent bedside manner."
Dr. Helm covered his groan with a cough. "Captain, as you can see, everything is as I explained to you."
Grisham eyed the woman in Helm's bed. "Senorita, I confess to being a little disappointed in you."
"Why Captain?" Tessa's expression remained true to the character she had created as a Don's daughter. "If I remember correctly, you asked me more than once to join you in your bed." She continued to toy with him. "Are you disappointed to discover me in a man's bed, or just in the Doctor's bed?"
"Both." Grisham grunted, turning back to Helm. "I guess I was wrong, Doctor. You've been too busy with the Senorita here to have tended to The Queen."
Tessa acted surprised. "The Queen?" Her eyes batted at both men. "Is that what this is all about, Captain? You were looking for The Queen of Swords?"
Grisham rolled his eyes. "Yes, Senorita, I thought maybe Dr. Helm might have treated her tonight."
Tessa's lips curved. "I'm afraid I'm the only woman he's attended to this evening, Captain. And if you and your men will leave now, I'll see that he gets back to doing just that."
Robert Helm's eyes narrowed at her again, promising dire retribution but the expression disappeared as quickly as Tessa noticed it. "Captain, if you don't mind?" Dr. Helm pointed to the bedroom door as he asked the Captain to leave.
"Sure. Yeah. Right." Captain Grisham took a few steps to the door and turned back to Helm. "You're more of a man than I had you pegged to be, Doctor."
Tessa added impishly. "Oh…Captain…he's all man."
Grisham sighed and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Tessa watched as Robert Helm drew a quick breath of what she hoped was patience. He seemed fascinated with the closed door in front of his face. He stared at it for a full minute before slowly turning back around and pinning her to the bed with his angry stare. "You little lying, scheming, deceitful.."
"Please, Doctor, you'll offend my sensibilities." Tessa pleaded softly in her Tessa Alvarado persona.
"Why you little…." Robert Helm's frustration was evident but Tessa also noticed that the fire in his eyes wasn't all anger when he looked at her. "How many times have you approached me pretending to be Tessa Alvarado?" He demanded sharply.
Tessa shook her head at him, denying the charge. "You have that backwards, Doctor. I am Tessa Alvarado. What you mean to ask is how many times have I approached you as The Queen of Swords?"
"No." He stated firmly, finally walking over to the bed. He sat down beside her and Tessa held her breath for what he might say or do next. "The woman who is The Queen is who you really are…not some spoiled daughter of a Don."
She shook her head again, her eyes filling with tears. "I beg to differ, Doctor. I am a Don's daughter; a murdered Don's daughter. And as his daughter I will do whatever it takes to find justice. I am very much my father's daughter."
Robert Helm studied her pleading eyes so filled with pain, pain not affiliated with her injury but a deeper pain, the kind of pain born from grief and injustice. He was familiar with that type of pain. He recognized it. His fingers gently brushed a strand of silken hair off her cheek and his lips briefly touched that cheek. "So be it." He whispered and kissed her lips next.
Tessa relaxed the moment his lips gently touched hers. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and she put her entire heart into their kiss.
Her enthusiasm took the Doctor by surprise, but only for a moment before he greedily accepted it. He deepened their kiss, his tongue teaching her a new way to duel. He wasn't surprised when she proved to be a very able student, quickly mastering the newly discovered skill. He'd expect no less from The Queen of Swords.
Their first kiss soon became five or six and Tessa never wanted them to stop! But after a thorough seventh kiss, one that left her shaken and completely breathless, Helm pulled back, drew a steady breath himself and smiled gently at her. "I think we should discuss a few things, Senorita." He propped one of his pillows behind her head and instructed her to rest against it. "I should turn you over my knee and spank you for the deception you've played on me. You do know that, don't you?"
Tessa considered his words before smiling coyly at him. "I'd rather you kiss me again, Doctor."
He chuckled and scrubbed his face with both hands. "What am I going to do with you?"
"I have a suggestion, Doctor." Tessa answered, using her hands to draw his away from his handsome face.
"And what might that be?" He asked her, glancing down at how their locked hands looked together.
Tessa shrugged her bare shoulders, aware that the sheet had slipped dangerously lower than it had been. "Well…Doctor...." She smiled temptingly at him.
"Not on your life!" He gasped. "At least not until you are completely healed. You've been shot for God's sakes!"
"It didn't stop you from kissing me before." Tessa pointed out.
"Kissing?" Helm looked surprised before his face turned a ruddy color. "Right. Kissing. Well, you need to rest, my Queen. I'll kiss you again later. Now get some sleep." He bounded off the bed and began to pace around it instead.
Tessa watched him curiously. "What did you think I wanted you to do?"
He stopped and tried to look believable. "Kiss you, of course. What else could it have been?"
Tessa's lips curved into a beautiful smile. "Why Doctor! I'm positively shocked at the direction of your thoughts."
He made a face at her. "You are the most irritating woman I've ever met!"
"Don't yell. Grisham's men might hear you outside and think we've having a lover's quarrel."
"Very funny. Would you lie down and go to sleep?" Helm grunted. "It's only been three hours since I dug a bullet out of you. I'm your Doctor; trust me; you need to rest."
"Okay." Tessa sighed, feeling her strength give way to weakness once again. It must have been all that fear of being caught by the Captain that had given her that extra surge of energy. It was failing her now though. Crisis over and she was back to feeling her mortality. "I am tired and a little weak. But Doctor, what about tomorrow?"
"You leave tomorrow to me. I've got the entire bloody night to figure it out. You're in my bed, remember? It's not like I'll be getting any sleep." He was fussing at her like he usually did with The Queen. It made Tessa smile.
Tessa slid down into the mattress and covers and tucked the sheet around her breasts. "Well, Doctor, it would be rude of me not to offer to share your bed."
His eyes shot back to hers. "Not on your life! Sleep!" He ordered.
"Okay, but the Captain would be so disappointed in you." Tessa chuckled and then grimaced when she realized that laughter hurt her side.
Wearing a rueful expression, Helm tucked the covers around her and brushed her silky hair off a bare shoulder. His fingers lingered on her warm skin as if held there by a force the eye couldn't see. "Serves you right for being difficult." He told her, his voice husky with desire.
Tessa looked up at him, her eyes dark with the same desire his held. "You know you don't mean that. I think you have a soft spot for me, Doctor."
"It's the mask." He kissed her sweetly. "I've always had this thing for black lace."
"Lucky for me." Tessa sighed as her lashes fluttered shut. "Wake me in a few hours."
He scoffed at her orders. "I'm the Doctor here. I'll wake you when I think it's time to wake you."
"Difficult." She mumbled.
"I was thinking the same thing myself." Helm shot back.
But if Tessa had opened her eyes again she would have found only tenderness in his expression despite his gruff words.
The End ….or is it a beginning?