an. I'm not even sure what to say. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, you guys are truly awesome. & thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read this. I am glad you like it! A special thank you to Cristi for making the cover for this story…. I think I forgot to add this in one of my previous author notes. . . I'm sorry. Thank you so much, Cristi. Now, Let's keep things rolling here.
disclaimer. I own several cats but, no hunky men.
How to Fix a Heart
The Discovery
Caroline bolted upright, breathing heavily, and looked around the room. It was empty except for Seth and her. She inhaled deeply, attempting to calm her frazzled nerves.
Lydia had never returned? She hadn't meant to fall asleep but by two in the morning she was exhausted. She ran her fingers through her long black hair. She was surprised the nurse's hadn't asked her to leave after visiting hours ended.
She had decided to stay and wait for Lydia to come back. After Seth responded to her she did not want to leave him. She did not want him to wake up alone.
She moved closer to the bed and took his hand once more. "Good morning Seth. I know you are going to be back with us soon. I just hope your sister is here when you wake up." Caroline looked at the watch on her wrist and sighed. She had to be to work in three hours.
Hopefully Lydia would come back soon. She had no way of getting in contact with her to see when she would be coming back.
Caroline grabbed her purse and pulled out a large hardcover book. She leaned back, propping her feet up on the chair opposite her and opened the book and began to read. "There was someone in her room, she thought. Someone with a kind, handsome face staring down at her, eyes filled with great concern. Then the face was gone and she was instantly wide-awake. And she was scared. " (*)
Caroline looked up when someone cleared their throat. A man stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his muscular chest. His curly, dark hair was long, past his broad shoulders, and he was smirking as he watched her.
"I'm sorry to interrupt. I'm Roman." His voice was rich and deep. He crossed the room and held out a hand to her.
She sat the open book on her lap and slowly shook his outstretched hand. "Caroline. I work with Seth at the police station."
"Where is Lydia? I am surprised she's not here."
Caroline shrugged her shoulders, "I'm sorry. I don't know."
Roman frowned but, nodded, "So, you like Mysteries?" He pointed to the book on her lap.
Caroline nodded. "Yes, they are my favorite . . . I'm sorry. I am being so rude." She took her feet off of the second chair and sat up straight.
"It's okay. I won't be staying long. Seth always liked mysteries and thrillers." He smiled at her, "I should be going I was just checking in to see how Seth was doing. It was nice to meet you Caroline."
"You too." She watched as the man made his way toward the door. "Oh wait! Roman." She snapped the book shut and stood up.
The man stopped and turned to face her. He stood in the open doorway, clearly surprised she had called him back.
She walked up to him, "I'm sorry but, are you going to be talking to Lydia?"
"Yea, at least I hope so."
"Good. I don't have a way to contact her. She needs to get back here as soon as she can. I'm pretty sure Seth is going to wake up soon and I think she would want to be here with him."
Roman nodded, "I'm sure she would." He eyed her with mild curiosity, "Did the doctor's tell you he is going to wake up soon?"
"Well no. It's just…. Last night when I came in, I was talking with him and he responded – he squeezed my hand. He had to have heard me."
Roman smiled, "I'll be sure to tell Lydia to get over here. She wasn't here last night either?"
"She was gone all night." Caroline shrugged. "I stayed and waited for her but, she never showed up. I was surprised."
Roman frowned, "That is definitely strange. I will check on her and let her know what you said. Thanks Caroline."
"No; thank you Roman." She smiled at him and he smiled back before disappearing through the doorway. She returned to her chair by Seth's side and, opening the book again, began to read to him.
-x-x-x-
Ebony dropped a cup full of dry dog food into Smokey's bowl and scratched him lovingly behind the ears. She hated leaving the little guy all alone when she went to work. He always gave her the saddest eyes when she went to leave.
He wagged his tail and licked her face before trotting over to his food bowl.
Deciding that this would be the best time to leave – she grabbed her briefcase and car keys and made her way to the door.
It swung open, just as she reached for the door knob. Lydia stepped inside, cheeks flushed and tears streaming down her face. Ebony's stomach clenched. She dropped her bag and keys and walked over to her friend, "Lydia, what's wrong? Oh God! Did something happen to Seth?"
Lydia shook her head "Seth's okay. I. . . I haven't been to the hospital yet. "
Ebony frowned with confusion and guided her friend to the sectional in the living room. She gently pushed her down and then sat down beside her. "Then where have you been?"
Lydia shook her head and ran her fingers through her thick, brown hair. She took several deep breaths. "With Ambrose."
"Oh." Ebony wasn't sure what else to say, "Then what is wrong?"
"Dean came by the hospital yesterday. He said I needed to get away from the hospital for a bit."
"Yea. He is probably right. You have been up there a lot. Not that I blame you. I would do the same if I was in your situation."
Lydia nodded, "Well he asked me to go to dinner with him and I agreed….well one thing led to another and I – well, I slept with him."
Ebony was shocked. She knew Lydia had known Dean for a long time and knew him well but, as far as she was concerned, she had never heard of any romantic involvement between the two. She blew out a small breath and gently rubbed her friend's back, "Okay…so now you are worried that things are going to get awkward between you now. . . seeing there has been this change in your relationship? Did he say something that –"
Ebony was cut off by an angry huff from Lydia. Her body went rigid and her eyes darkened. "I know things are going to get awkward."
"You don't know that. I mean he probably has feelings for you. He –"
"I caught him doing drugs, Eby."
Ebony frowned as fresh tears streaked down Lydia's cheeks. Dean was doing drugs? "Lydia if that's true. .. "
"It is. I saw him. I caught him this morning." Lydia shook her head. "How could I be so stupid? I should have noticed."
"Lydia you are not stupid. He has probably been very careful about covering his tracks. There was no way for you to know." Ebony rubbed her back reassuringly.
"I thought, maybe, he started to cope, with Seth… you know. It still not right but I could understand. . . . but, no. He told me has been doing drugs for a long time." Lydia sighed and wiped at her eyes with shaking hands. "There is a detective investigating him. The other day when he asked if I thought Dean could be doing drugs I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. . . now I find out it's the truth."
"You have to tell the detective Lydia. If he finds out and thinks you were lying to him. . . "
"I can't do that. . . " Lydia let out a frustrated noise and flopped back against the back of the couch. She tapped her fingers on her lap, " I know I should but, he is Seth's friend. I've known him for years. I just can't do it."
Ebony nodded her head in understanding, "It's okay. Just relax everything is going to work out." Ebony couldn't help but wonder if her friend harbored some kind of feelings for Detective Dean Ambrose. This revelation had really upset her and Ebony felt a twinge of sadness for her roommate. What a position to be stuck in. "I'm going to go make some coffee. Just sit here and calm down. Okay." Ebony got up and made her way down the hall to the kitchen.
She knew what she had to do. She, unlike Lydia, did not have the grace of a choice. She had to report Dean.
-x-x-x-
Roman pulled into the driveway behind Lydia's black sedan. He got out and jogged the short distance up the sidewalk and stairs to the front door. He knocked loudly on the door and shoved his keys into his pockets, waiting patiently for Lydia to answer.
The front door opened and the brunette stood before him, hair disheveled and her eyes red and swollen. She took a few steps back and gestured for him to step inside.
"Dia, what's wrong?" He had just left the hospital and knew that Seth was okay. He frowned in confusion. He followed Lydia to the couch where she flopped down.
"It's nothing Roman. Don't worry about it."
Roman opened his mouth to protest when the sound of heels on hardwood caught his attention. He looked in the direction of the new arrival. His eyes widened as he stared in shock.
Her dark hair was up in a perfect bun and she wore a black pencil skirt and white blouse. She was carrying two coffee cups. She froze at the sight of him. They locked eyes for a moment before she regained her composure, looked away, and continued her long strides to the couch. ""I made you a cup of tea. I thought it would be better, under the circumstances."
"Thank you." Lydia smiled at her as she took the mug and Ebony took a seat beside her. "Ebony this is my friend Roman – he is a good friend of Seth's. Roman, this is Ebony."
Roman nodded, too surprised to speak. His parole officer was friend of Lydia's?
"It's good to see you Roman," Ebony answered lightly and held out her hand. Roman took it and smirked, shaking it lightly.
"You too." He turned his attention to Lydia, relaxing slightly. "I was just at the hospital Dia…and there was some girl named Caroline there. . ."
"It's okay Ro, she is a friend of Seth's."
"Yea that is what she said. I guess she showed up last night to visit and you weren't there. But she says you need to get up to the hospital quick."
"Why, is something wrong?" Lydia asked, eyes growing wide with concern."
"No, no. Actually she said she was talking to Seth last night and he responded. He squeezed her hand when she was talking to him."
"So he could hear her?" Lydia smiled brightly.
"That's what she's thinking. . . and I would have to agree with her. She said she waited for you to come back but you never did. She ended up staying there with him. She was still there when I left."
"Yea something came up. I better get up there. I need to go change." Lydia sat her half-full mug on the coffee table and got up. "Thanks for the tea Ebony. Thanks Roman." She left before either could respond, crossing the room and darting up the stairs.
-x-x-x-
Roman and Ebony sat in awkward silence for a few short moments before Ebony offered him a drink. He denied the offer and sat down on the couch beside her. "So, you are friends with Lydia?" He looked at her expectantly and she felt a little pang of guilt for not bringing up the situation after she found out about it. She watched, with great surprise, as Smokey entered the room and walked straight up to their new guest. The puppy was typically weary of strangers, especially males. The only man the lab-husky mix really liked was Seth. She smiled when Roman leaned forward and scratched the dog's ears.
"Roommates, actually."
"Good to know. " Ebony was surprised by his lack of concern about the situation. Did it not bother him? It certainly bothered her. "So what's going on with her? She was so upset when I got here. She is never like that."
"That's not really my place. . ."
"Please. She isn't very open and with Seth where he is… I just want to make sure she is okay." Smokey managed to climb up onto the couch without assistance and sat beside Roman, who gently stroked his back as the dog curled up in the center of the sectional and drifted off to sleep.
"She went out with Detective Ambrose last night and things. . . escalated quickly and, from what I understand. . . things did not go so well this morning." Ebony watched Roman, curiously.
His features darkened and he frowned, brows furrowing. His anger surprised her. Wasn't he friends with Dean? "What happened?" He rubbed the heel of his hand forcefully against his dark denim-clad thigh. He looked at her expectantly.
"This really isn't right Roman. It's not my place. . . "
"Please?" His features softened as he watched her.
Ebony nodded, "I guess she found him doing drugs. She didn't tell me much but, I am guessing there were probably words exchanged. She was very upset."
Roman shook his head slowly, "That idiot." He sighed. "Thank you for telling me."
Ebony didn't respond. She watched Roman with avid curiosity. She studied him, the rigidity of his shoulders, the furrow of his brow, the frown that shaped his full lips. . . if she didn't know any better she would have guessed that he had unshared feelings for her friend. Had she only added fuel to the fire? Would Roman confront Dean about what had happened with Lydia? Was it possible that he had feelings for Lydia, feelings that could lead him to do something rather stupid?
And why did the idea of Roman having feelings for her best friend leave her with the feeling that a ton of lead had settled in the pit of her stomah?
-x-x-x-
Lydia showered quickly and slid on a pair of black jeans and a grey long sleeve shirt. She slid on her favorite flats and ran a brush through her damp hair before running down the stairs.
Roman had joined Ebony on the couch and the two were sitting quietly, Ebony occasionally sipping her coffee.
"Thank you so much for coming by and letting me know what was going on Roman. I never should have left the hospital last night."
"It's no big deal, Dia. You needed to get out of there for a little bit." Roman replied. He stood up, "I should get going. I need to go home and get to work."
"I need to go too. I need to get to the hospital. Thanks for everything Ebony. You are the best."
Ebony smiled sweetly and stood up, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "What else are friends for? I will stop by the hospital after my meeting at the courthouse this afternoon."
"Okay." Lydia smiled, feeling much better. Dean still weighed heavily on her mind but, nothing could damper her mood; not even the memories of her little indiscretion the night before. Seth was going to wake up soon.
She happily grabbed her handbag off of the stand by the door and cussed loudly when she dropped it. . . spilling the contents. She sighed and bent down to scoop up all of her belongings. Roman stopped by the door and crouched down to help her.
She gasped when she saw it. She reached out and seized it from it's hiding place, between her datebook and her wallet. Ebony and joined them and was now watching her a stunned expression on her face.
"Is that what I think it is?" Ebony asked.
"Yes, yes it is." Lydia clutched the bag tightly as a fresh wave of anger washed over her. "That bastard slipped his drugs into my bag."
"But why would he do that? Wouldn't he want to keep them to take them?" Ebony asked, confused.
"He must have done it when Detective Farrelly showed up." Lydia said, more to herself than her friends, who were now staring at her. The stray contents of her purse were still lying scattered on the floor, long forgotten after her discovery.
"That detective who is investing Dean was there?"
"Yea, he showed up right after Dean and I fought about the drugs. He let him in. He was still there when I left. He must have put them in there to hide them from him while I was changing."
"That bastard." Lydia and Roman both turned to look at Ebony, who had the grace to look slightly embarrassed by her outburst.
Roman seized Lydia's wrist and took the baggy out of her grasp. "I think I am going to have a little talk with Detective Ambrose." Roma said with disgust.
"Roman, you can't go anywhere with that." Ebony said harshly.
"What, you think I'm going to snort it or something. Don't worry. . . I don't do coke." Roman frowned, clearly hurt by her assumption.
"We know that Roman." Lydia said reassuringly. She touched his arm lightly.
"But if you leave with that and get caught, it's not only a parole violation. . . it's more jail time. . . " Ebony added, she held out a hand for the bag.
He sighed and dropped the baggy into her waiting hand. "Fine. . . but I am still having a little heart to heart with him."
Lydia frowned, "Roman don't upset him . . . you know how he can be. . . "
"I can handle Ambrose." Roman scooped up another pile of her possessions and dropped them into her open handbag. "I know how to deal with him. You just get to the hospital and take care of Seth. I will handle Dean."
Lydia decided it best not to argue and finished picking up her belongs. She thanked her friends and followed Roman out the front door.
an. Okay I am going to leave it like that for now. I am hoping to get another chapter up sometime this week but you never know. It all depends on how busy things get.
next chapter – Roman confronts Dean. Ebony does a little research at her office.
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Thank you so much for reading!