A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. Yeah, Demi is a bad ass. Lol. I'm glad you guys are into the story. This chapter is mostly for some character development. It gives you a little glimpse into Demi's past. Hope you guys enjoy!
Demi knew that there would be repercussions for her stunt at the Mayor's house. There are few people who would barge into the mayor of New York city's house and pretty much blackmail him. She was apparently one of those people. After sitting through several ass chewings and a few meetings regarding her future, she was simply given a written reprimand. This was their way of saying, yes you have the upper hand but we can't just let you do whatever you please. At the end of the day, she knew she was doing the right thing. Nate Gray was a criminal a far as she was concerned. She was considering leaking the information anyway. She probably wouldn't though. She's essentially painted a target on her back as it is with the stunt she's already pulled.
She walked through the hospital lobby toward the elevators. Once the doors opened she entered the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor. As she rode the elevator, she realized that she was kind of looking forward to seeing Dr. Russo. She twisted the wedding band on her finger and immediately dismissed any thoughts about the doctor. Once she made it to the fifth floor, she signed in with the receptionist and took a seat.
"Dr. Russo will be right with you." The receptionist stated.
"Thanks." Demi smiled as she crossed her legs. Moments later she heard her name called and followed the nurse into an exam room. She followed the nurse's instructions as she answered questions and had her vitals taken. Once the nurse was finished, she exited the room. Selena entered the room a short time later. She smiled as she glance down at the detectives medical chart.
"So I understand your back injury was caused by a car accident that occurred five years ago?" She asked the detective.
"Umm, yes. That's correct." She answered quietly.
"Do you remember what happened?" The doctor asked, sensing the detectives discomfort with the topic of the accident.
"Yes. In vivid detail." Demi answered, frowning. "I was driving through an intersection and a truck slammed into the passenger side of my car. The impact caused me to be slammed into the driver side door. I sustained a head injury and was knocked unconscious. My back has hurt since then." She finished swallowing a lump in her throat.
"Ok. I'm going to take some x-rays and we will go from there." Selena stated, sensing the tension radiating from the woman sitting in front of her. The darkness in her eyes was chilling. She'd never seen such raw pain before. She quickly looked away."Come with me." She said gently.
Once the x-rays were complete, Selena met with Demi in her office. "So doc, am I gonna live?" The detective asked with a smirk.
"I don't know, it's too soon to tell." Selena joked back. "In all seriousness, we should be able to operate with no problem. You have some slipped disks which is causing some swelling and putting pressure on your nerves." She informed the detective. "I can operate this Friday if you like."
"Are you trying to get out of making me dinner?" The detective teased. She smiled when Selena laughed.
"No. I just want to help you. I know you're in a lot of pain." She said concern evident in her voice.
"I'm going to have to notify the department. I'm assuming I'm going to be out of commission for a while?" She asked the doctor.
"Yes. It will be a couple months." She informed the detective.
"Ok. I have to make some phone calls, so I should have an answer for you in the next couple of hours." Demi informed her.
"Here." Selena stated as she scribbled on a piece of paper. "It's my cell phone number. Call me when you know for sure." She said smiling shyly.
"I will." Demi replied as she left. As she climbed onto her motorcycle and placed her helmet on her head, she chuckled slightly. There was something about Selena Russo that she couldn't shake. She wanted to know more about her. She knew that the doctor was probably as damaged as she was. Perfect match, she thought sarcastically. She started up her bike and revved the engine. She glanced at the hospital before placing her aviators over her eyes and driving off. She listened to roar of the Harley's engine as she headed home.
Once Demi had left the hospital Selena had several more appointments to get through. She was distracted the entire time. She wa intrigued by the detective. He wanted to know what caused all of that pain she saw in the shorter woman's eyes. She wanted to know about the wedding band she noticed on her finger. She just wanted to know everything about her. She had knots in her stomach, from thinking about the detective. She was attracted to her, and that in itself was a very odd thing. She considered several times sending her a text, but chickened out each time. She glanced at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief. Ten more minutes, and I'm outta here, she thought. Without thinking she pulled out her phone and called the detective. She answered after three rings.
"Torres." She stated, gruffly.
"Umm, hi. It's me Selena...oh I mean Dr. Russo." The doctor stammered out nervously.
"Hi." Demi replied, her tone much softer. "Are you ok?" She asked, concerned.
"Yes. Umm, wow, ok. I'm sorry. I feel like an idiot right now." Selena laughed. "I called because I was wondering if you'd like to come over on Thursday for dinner since Friday isn't an option?" She said speaking quickly.
She heard the detective let out a loud laugh. "You totally just sounded like a love sick boy trying to ask me to prom or something!" Demi exclaimed laughing even more.
Selena smiled. "I'm so embarrassed right now." She said softly.
"Yes. I'd love too." Demi answered letting the embarrassed woman off the hook.
"I just want you to know that I really do appreciate everything you have done for me." She told the detective. "Be here at 6pm." She added.
"I'll see you tomorrow night." Demi said before hanging up.
Thursday night arrived much faster than she had anticipated. She was extremely nervous and excited at the same time. She felt kind of ridiculous. She didn't even know this woman, yet she was constantly thinking about her. She heard the light knocking on her front door as she put the finishing touches on the meal she was preparing. She loved to cook. She hoped that the detective liked Italian food.
"Cam, can you get the door!" She called out to her sister.
"Yeah." The teenager answered. She walked to the door and looked out the peep hole. "Hey detective." She greeted the older woman as she opened the door.
"Demi. Just call me Demi." She told the girl as she walked in.
"Ok." She smiled. "Sel is in the kitchen. Can I take your jacket for you?" The dark haired girl asked.
"Umm sure. Here you go." Demi answered as she removed the leather jacket. Camila took it and hung it on the coat rack.
"Follow me." The teenager said. Demi did as she was asked and headed toward the kitchen with the young girl. Whatever Selena was cooking smelled amazing.
"Would you like some wine?" Selena asked.
"How about a beer?" Demi responded.
"Beer it is." Selena answered signaling for Camila to grab Demi a beer. The teenage girl reached into the fridge and popped the top off of a local IPA.
"Thank you." Demi smiled at the girl. "I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be drinking before having major surgery." Demi said, teasing the doctor.
"One beer won't kill you." Selena answered.
"If you say so, Dr. Death." Demi said chuckling.
"You're quite a mischievous one aren't you." She said smiling at the detective.
Demi winked in response.
"Tell me about you." Selena said. "You are very intriguing." She added.
"What do you wanna know?" Demi asked her eyes gleaming.
"Everything." Selena answered making eye contact.
They talked for a few minutes as Selena finished cooking. Once dinner was served, they all sat together in the dinning room. Demi felt extremely at ease. It had been a long time since she had spent time with people that weren't Dominik and his family.
"Have you always been a cop?" Selena asked.
"No. I spent four years in the Marine Corps before I went through the academy." Demi answered.
"Wow." Selena exclaimed. "Did you always want to be a cop?" She asked.
"No. The desire didn't really strike me until after I came home from my second deployment. I was home for barely a week and my parents were killed. Some thug wanted my dads wallet and shot both my parents in the process." She stated.
"I'm sorry." Selena said softly. "I didn't know..." She trailed off.
"It's ok." Demi said, giving her a reassuring smile. "It was a long time ago."
Once they finished dinner, Demi helped with dishes and spent some time showing Camila how to play guitar. The teenager revealed during dinner that she wanted lessons when Demi inquired about who the guitar belonged to when she noticed it in the corner. After a while, Camila stated that she was tired and was going to call it a night. Demi sat strumming the guitar while Selena listened.
"So, you have a husband?" Selena asked the detective.
"No." She answered laughing. "Not quite. I had a wife."
"Had?" Selena asked, curious.
"Yeah. She died about five years ago." Demi answered sadly. She watched as the doctors face immediately fell.
"I'm so sorry. I don't mean to keep making you talk about these things. I feel awful."
"Selena. It's ok. You didn't know." Demi said trying to make Selena feel better. "I don't really talk about it all that much either. She was in the car with me when I hurt my back. They tell me she died instantly. Her neck was broken, severing her spinal cord." Demi stated softly.
Selena didn't know what to say. Demi continued to play guitar and all Selena could do was just watch. She could feel the detectives loneliness in each note she played. It was one of the saddest songs she had ever heard. She didn't need to hear any words to know that song was written out of heartbreak and loss. Selena had to fight the urge to take the detective into her arms. She found herself wanting to kiss her pain away. Once Demi had left, an emptiness began to creep into the doctors heart. She closed her eyes as a single tear escaped. She could feel her heart falling slowly.