Jillian looked at herself in the mirror, turning and twisting to check her figure. The one-piece swimsuit was a perfect fit, but she thought the bright blue color with green flowers too juvenile for her tastes. She sighed as she opened the dressing-room door and walked out, pre-empting anything Julia would say with, "I know - I look like I'm in junior high." Her good friend and primary assistant in the surgery room squinted, giving her an appraising once-over before clicking her tongue and twirling her index finger. "Give me a three-sixty." The doctor rolled her eyes and tried not to be embarrassed as she spun around, putting her index fingers in the elastic of the legs and gently tugging it to better cover her backside.
Julia exhaled and smiled with her verdict. "I actually like it on you. There's just enough cleavage to keep him interested, but not so much to make him want to cover you up."
"But the flowers..."
"Yeah, they make you look like you're late for homeroom." Jillian started to say, "See, I told y..." but her friend cut her off. "Jillian, it looks great. No one is going to say, 'That woman looks fantastic in that swimsuit except for those flowers.' From ten feet away they're invisible." Jillian laughed, "Yeah, and Chris probably won't let another man get closer than that to me."
"See? No problem then. This one and that burgundy number are perfect. The Caribbean will love the look. Now, how about a two-piece...?" The surgeon interrupted immediately, "Absolutely not! I think my body looks pretty nice, but it's not 'two-piece nice'."
Julia shrugged. "I think it is, but at least Chris will see this as one less piece of clothing to try and remove when you get back to your room..."
"Julia Griffith!" Jillian said with eyes that widened and a face that turned crimson. A quick glance across the boutique revealed two older women looking her direction, so she lowered her voice. "I can't believe you said that out loud! Now we have to leave..."
"...to get some sexy 'fine washables' to wear for your man..." Julia laughed out loud and leaned into her as they walked toward the cash register. Dr. Dupree lightly pushed her away, shaking her head again and mumbling, "You're impossible..." because it was all she could come up with in the moment.
"Are you getting excited? In..." Julia paused a moment to do the math. "...in twenty-four days you and Chris will be getting on a plane - just the two of you." They walked toward the lingerie shop, sipping iced coffee they ordered at the bistro. Jillian looked toward the street, smiled and said quietly as she exhaled, "Yeah, just the two of us..."
"Have you two picked a hotel? I'm jealous and need to live vicariously through you two." The surgeon laughed and shook her head as they walked toward the next store. "Yeah, Chris took care of the reservations over the weekend. It's a beautiful hotel that overlooks a beach - palm trees, a pool, a great restaurant,..."
"...and the option for room service?" Julia threw in.
"Yes, they have room service." Jillian dragged out the 'yes', hoping her good friend would get the hint and stop with all the sexually-themed suggestion. She and Chris would have a romantic time, no doubt about it, but all this "shag-and-bag" conversation was a bit over the top. Not every activity on their vacation needed to be reduced to what might happen between the sheets.
A half hour later they finished shopping and prepared to separate, Julia to meet her husband for dinner out and Jillian to Chris' for dinner in. They hugged and as Jillian turned to go, Julia couldn't help but get the last word, "Don't let Chris see what's in any of those bags before St. Barthelemy does..." Jillian didn't turn around but laughed and replied with a wave of the bag she held in her right hand as she walked away.
By herself now, she focused on the end of a great day away from the hospital and her evening at home with Chris. A little dinner, a little wine, maybe an hour of TV, and then bed. She was very much looking forward to their island vacation. It would be the first time since she met Christopher Lorenzo that she would have him to herself. What's more, it had been nearly eighteen months since she had been away from work for more than forty-eight hours. The relaxation would be wonderful, the sight-seeing equally wonderful, and if she admitted it, room service and a bit of pampering would be perfect. St. Barth's would be a dream come true, and not just because the two of them would be together.
There would be no late-night phone calls, no pagers going off, no missed dinners or cancelled dates, no office calls or dead bodies washing up on beaches. There would be no surgical paperwork, no bad news to deliver to parents or husbands...and most of all, no Rita Lance.
Jillian Dupree didn't really have anything specific against her boyfriend's partner, but it was pretty much everything. The first time she had been introduced to Chris, it had very nearly been her last encounter with him. Rushed into surgery with a bullet in his chest that should have killed him, Chris died in front of her, only to be paddled back to life moments later.
Those first days had been touch-and-go, but he had pulled through. She knew she was partly, well...mostly, responsible for that. She was an expert in trauma-room procedures, and while the hospital was staffed with other talented and experienced doctors, she knew she was the best. Chris' life had been spared largely because she was the one on-duty the awful night he was wheeled in. Her deft hand and ruthless attention to detail had saved him.
Jillian's first introduction to his partner had been when the surgery was done and she walked out to give Chris' family their first post-op update. The woman sitting there was so devastated, so obviously crushed under the weight of emotion, that she could only be Lorenzo's wife. How surprised the doctor was to learn that the woman who stood up was instead his partner.
Jillian realized she was sitting in her car and her hand was on the key that was in the ignition. How powerful the mind was!...to move her to her vehicle without thought while simultaneously poring over these remembrances of things past. She tapped the key as her mind took over again.
As Chris lay unconscious, his life still in the balance, Jillian began to sense that this woman - Sergeant Rita Lance - had feelings for Chris that went far beyond what she expected from a pair of partnered homicide detectives. Rita refused to leave Chris' side. She wept openly for him. She held his hands. She prayed. When he regained consciousness, Rita was the first person greeting him. Most nurses on the floor just assumed the two of them were married or, at the very least, deeply involved, and all of them were surprised when they learned that was not the case.
As Jillian drove toward Chris' place, she laughed at the vicissitudes of life. After being convinced that Chris and Rita were husband and wife, how strange it was that Rita ended up involved with an ex-cop and author and, she - the doctor - ended up with Chris. The fact that Chris pursued her was even more unexpected. But even that had not stopped those init...
Jillian's thoughts were interrupted by her pager beeping. Picking it up off the seat next to her, she looked at the number. Oh no...
Five minutes later she dialed Chris' number, having already changed direction and begun driving toward the hospital. When he answered, she asked, "Hey Chris, have you already started dinner?" He hesitated for a split second before answering and she knew he realized he was about to be stood up...again. "Yeah, I just finished the meatballs, but that's it." Jillian took a deep breath, "Chris, I'm so sorry, but the hospital called and Dr. Logan has the flu." Chris only got an "oh" out before she quickly continued. "He's the secondary ER surgeon, the ER is swamped, and the primary is already working a knife wound. I'm next in line and I have to go in, just in case another surgery is necessary. I'm so sorry, but tonight will require a raincheck."
"That's alright, I can put it up until tomorrow or something..." came his response and she smiled. He was so easy-going and flexible, but she had to be sure. "Chris, I am sorry. Are you absolutely s..." Before she could even finish, Chris replied with, "Yeah, no problem at all." She could hear him smiling through the phone and it was comforting. He was always comforting. "Thank you for understanding, Chris, but I'm almost to the parking lot." His voice came back, "Ok, I'll talk to you tomorrow." She told him to have a good night, which repeated back to her, before saying goodbye and hanging up.
Another ruined evening. She shook her head in frustration one last time as she looked for a favorable spot in the doctors' section of the parking lot, and her mind focused again on Rita. Jillian was glad Chris' partner was dating someone else. It took a primary worry away from the back of her mind, sort of. Rita had a boyfriend, Eric Russell, but the time spent with them had left a bad taste in her mouth. She and Chris had double-dated with them two different times and on both occasions, she got the distinct feeling things weren't right. Eric seemed infatuated with Rita, even more than the somewhat excessive amount of alcohol he consumed. But truthfully, Rita seemed far more comfortable in Chris' company than Eric's. They laughed with each other, talked more with each other - they finished each other's sentences, which was scary - to the point that Jillian felt like something of a third wheel with her own boyfriend. She wondered if Eric could sense that with his girlfriend, too.
So when she first brought up the idea of a vacation, she half-expected Chris to shy away, or make an I-have-to-work-so-I-can't excuse, or just flat-out say no. But instead, he instantly warmed to the idea, which caused her to breathe a huge sigh of relief. He worked with her to select a location, immediately put in for time off - which was approved - and even purchased a couple pieces of luggage the following Saturday. Her concerns about Chris began to wane, but Rita was a different story. Her initial feelings...
That's what she was thinking about when the pager interrupted - her initial feelings. They were not wrong. Her impression of Rita at their first meeting still held true, despite everything that happened since the night of the shooting. It was why she didn't completely trust Rita's motivations as they pertained to Chris. It was why, despite everything Chris said to assure her that he was hers only and Rita was with Eric, she struggled so hard to believe him. It was why, every time Chris had to be out late with Rita, she fretted. Chris and Rita were not married, that was true. But their relationship was no ordinary friendship, and Rita's actions toward Chris in the hospital ran contrary to everything they both claimed. And the two detectives were simply far too comfortable with each other. Jillian was convinced that, in spite of any evidence to the contrary, Rita was after her man. She was less worried about Chris' fidelity - if one could truly place such demands in a dating relationship - but even that nagged at her.
Jillian walked through the doors of the hospital to bedlam. She quickly changed into her scrubs, forgot about Rita - and Chris, if she realized it - and zoned in on her work. Emergency Room work was riveting - varied and interesting almost beyond belief. Though her specialty was trauma-room surgery, she certainly had the skills to treat other issues, and tonight she needed those abilities. There was a dislocated shoulder to set. A man crashed while cycling, fracturing his jaw and two fingers in his right hand. "You're very fortunate to have been wearing a helmet," she commented as she cleaned the road rash and another nurse prepared a splint. The man could only nod in response - the pain-killing drugs had numbed his mind some - and he was an obvious candidate for hand surgery once the scrapes scabbed over and the swelling subsided.
There were two cases of stomach flu, a girl who cut her forearm on some broken glass, and the cutest little three-year-old boy with a bright smile and a bright green tongue that had somehow managed to suck all the ink from a magic marker. Each needed Jillian's attention and each got it. And then, suddenly, it was quiet. For all the drama when she first received the call, the cases petered out just as quickly. Dr. Williams' patient was recovering from his stab wounds in ICU and less than three hours later, the waiting room was empty.
Willams stopped her in the hall, looking at his watch. "Jil, I think we have things under control here, and the overnight is getting dressed now. If you want to take off, feel free to do so. I'll probably be out of here in less than two hours myself." Jillian was grateful and said as much. "I stood up my dinner with Chris tonight, so I'll pop over for a late dinner or something. I think he'll be glad to see me." Her co-worker smiled. "Sounds good...so, how is Lorenzo doing? Fully recovered now?" She nodded and expounded a bit on her boyfriend's condition and their upcoming trip. He smiled, "Well, vacation can't get here early enough. You've certainly earned it. Thanks for upending your evening to give us a hand." She smiled in return, said her goodbyes to the doctor and several of the staff, and quickly showered and dressed before heading for the loft, glad that she would be able to spend the rest of the evening with him.
The last of the setting sun was disappearing behind Jillian when she parked just down from Chris' place. She smiled to herself, having already figured out how she would show Chris she was sorry for messing up dinner. She felt a twinge of excitement, knowing even Julia wouldn't want to hear that description. As she approached his door, she stopped and stared. Two cars down sat Rita's convertible, its top down and light blue paint glowing in the lamppost light. What was sh...?
In that moment, panic seized her like a vise. She looked to the right. There were no lights on inside Chris' place. "Oh my g...!" she began to exclaim, quickly walking to Rita's car and touching the hood, which was ice cold. Her fear was overtaken by anger. "You home-wrecking little bi...!" she started to say under her breath as she turned and even more quickly walked to Chris' door. Jillian gently inserted her key, the rage beginning to build. She could almost hear the grunts and groans coming from the top of the loft. She entered quietly, listening but not hearing anything. With a flick of the switch, she flooded Chris' place with light and ran up the stairs, fully expecting to see two writhing naked bodies desperately trying to cover up the obvious.
What she saw was - nothing. The bed was empty and composed, without so much as an accusatory wrinkle. She quickly checked his closet and bathroom areas, but no one was hiding there. She gripped her hair with both fists. They had to be together someplace. Had they snuck off to a motel or som...why was she thinking this way? Didn't she trust her boyfriend? Wasn't Rita involved with Eric? She looked around his bedroom - where she had spent numerous nights in his arms - and wondered if she was crazy. She looked in the closet again and saw some of her things hanging on the bar, exactly where they had been. She shook her head. Still her lack of trust forced her to, so she walked to the window overlooking the fire escape and looked down. It was nearly dark now in the alley, but she could see, in the fading light, Chris' old Charger parked in the tiny spot that was his.
Jillian walked down the stairs and back out to her car, careful to lock the door and turn off the lights, but not before first checking the refrigerator and then the freezer. There were the meatballs he said he was making, so that was at least true. He and Rita had gone somewhere, and they would be back. And now she would be here as well. She sat down in her car to wait, angling the passenger-door mirror to give a good look down the sidewalk behind her, while she looked down the street ahead. The anger she felt a few minutes ago had subsided a fraction, but if they were actually together...she could feel her blood beginning to boil.
Then a thought materialized in her brain, and she laughed out loud at her own stupidity. Sure that was Rita's car, because Eric had not yet replaced the car he wrecked. Eric and Rita must have come over and taken Chris to dinner. After Eric split Chris' eyebrow open in a bar, Jillian wanted nothing more to do with Eric, and she made that perfectly clear in no uncertain terms. Rita's boyfriend or no, Eric Russell was persona non grata. And she was angry with Rita, unable to understand how she could continue in a relationship with someone as volatile as Russell - someone that had sent Chris to the Emergency Room. But if Eric and Rita had come over so he could apologize to Chris and take him to dinner as an olive branch...that made perfect sense. That could be really good. The doctor began to calm down now that she understood what was happening.
Fifteen minutes later, she glanced in her mirror, then looked more closely, squinting as she could feel her anger building all over again. The two of them - just Chris and Rita, but no Eric - were approaching on the sidewalk and as they passed under a streetlight, she could see their hands locked. She shook her head with her eyes closed, forcing herself to count to ten as a check to the emotions building. Then she got out of the car and waited. She couldn't wait to hear this story...
"Hello, you two. Out for an evening stroll?" She waited until Chris and Rita were fairly close before speaking, and she saw them both jump a tiny bit as they looked toward the shadows in her direction. Jillian stepped into the light - it was going to be fun to watch them squirm a bit. She fixed her gaze on her boyfriend, but saw Rita break her handhold with Chris from the corner of her eye.
Chris spoke almost immediately, reaching to take her hand - with the same hand he had just been holding Rita's. "Hey, Jillian. This is a surprise." As he pulled her into an embrace, she looked at Rita, not making much of an attempt to hide her anger. In that moment, she wanted to slap Rita. Chris' partner, despite her sweet persona, was treading on dangerous ground. Did Eric know where his girlfriend was this evening? She doubted it.
In the next moment, she mastered her emotions as her man kissed her, though she let her sarcastic side ride free. "Clearly it is," she replied with a smile, wanting so badly to finish with, "...and what in God's name is she doing here?" What came out instead was, "The early rush at the hospital petered out, and I was subbing for the second doctor, so I was first cut."
Chris responded. "Rita and I grabbed a burger at Duffy's. She's had a rough day. Eric packed up and vanished today...not a word, just gone without a trace."
Well, great. If Eric was out of the picture, it was likely they would be seeing a lot more of Rita. That was awful and Jillian was really sorry he was gone. What came out was, "I'm so sorry, Rita. That's awful!" She looked back Chris and wrapped her arms around him. "I hope you're not planning to leave." She kissed him, despite her fierce anger. Her plans for him this evening were now little more than a carcass on a table, but no way she was letting 'the other woman' know it.
And then Chris nearly ruined it when he said, "Let's all go inside, and I'll put on some coffee." That was it! Her blood was starting to boil again. It was supposed to be her night with Chris, and not only had he gone to dinner with someone else when duty called her away, he was inviting that woman in to share the rest of the evening with them. Just the three of us - how perfectly awful. But before Jillian could vent, Rita's eyes met hers and she sent his partner a message. Rita smiled and quickly said, "Thanks so much, but I should get going." Message received.
"Rita, you sure you're alright?" Jillian knew Chris would insist, but it still gnawed at her. He was giving her every possible chance to stay, which was infuriating, but she knew Rita would leave. Good thing...
"Yeah, I feel much better now. Thank you!" Rita quickly hugged her partner and pecked his cheek, then looked at her. "Thank you for letting me borrow Christopher for just a bit this evening." Jillian nodded with a slight smile as she walked away. Yeah. Whatever. Goodbye and get lost. It was time to deal with Chris.
He opened the door and let her in, smiling as he did. "This is a pleasant surprise. It's great that you got off early."
Really?! It was great? He wasn't really this clueless, was he? "How great is it, Chris?"
He looked at her, a bit puzzled. "Well, it's 'great' great."
She loved Chris, but he was such an idiot sometimes. Any number of crimes against her could be forgiven, but going out with Rita without her - even as friends - was a real test. All she could see was 'the crying wife in the hospital'. It was time to level with him. "It looked like you were having a pretty great time already, and I wasn't even here."
"Jillian..."
Here came the excuses, and she cut him off. "You two were holding hands in public, after dark." She was warming up again.
"Jillian, she and I have held hands before. We're best friends, and she had a terrible surprise a few hours ago. She took my hand just a minute before down the street. She thanked me for helping her work through her anger."
When he said 'thanked', her mind flashed back to that race up the stairs and the image of Rita's naked back, the bed covers hiding her naked thighs as she gently rocked on him..."I bet Rita wasn't done thanking you...", she said quietly, her anger and jealousy beginning to spill out.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She could sense he was getting defensive, even though he was clearly in the wrong.
"Chris, how long did you wait after hanging up with me before calling Rita?" She knew it was an unfair question, but she knew her heels were dug in and she wasn't walking away from it.
His response was immediate. "Jillian, is that really what you think of me...and Rita? I don't need to defend myself here, but I didn't call her, and Rita didn't call me. She just drove over." Sure she did, Jillian thought as he went on. "She told me what happened, and I suggested Duffy's since I was headed there anyways. We walked there, ate, talked for a couple of hours, and walked back here. Same thing we've done a hundred times as partners...five hundred times."
"And what if I hadn't shown up? What would you be doing now?" It wasn't lost on Jillian that just an hour ago, she had chided Julia for reducing everything to sex, and now she was doing the very same thing to Chris, but this was different. Rita may not be after him in this moment, but with Eric gone, all bets were off. She was now a real threat, and the doctor needed Chris to emphatically talk about Rita in a negative way. He needed to start seeing her as a bad option. She was trying to drive him to that and, so far, it wasn't working.
Chris glared at her when she asked her questions. "What?" he asked in return. She could tell he was getting angry. Good. She needed to redirect that anger toward his partner.
"Yeah, Chris. Your girlfriend called to work for the night, a vulnerable partner all broken up by a break-up, and you there to bring her back to health. Pretty perfect, and any number of possible conclusions to the evening come to mind."
"And all of them wrong, Jillian...dead wrong! I've explained my relationship with Rita to you - I've hidden nothing from you and I'm not hiding anything now. Nothing happened...and nothing would have happened." She smiled inside, exactly the direction she wanted him to go. He continued, "If you want to know, I probably would have invited her in for coffee, just like I did." No, no, no! And just like that, he ruined the moment. He simply couldn't keep his distance from her. Jillian rolled her eyes and looked away as he went on. "Yeah, coffee, maybe she would have talked some more and then gone home. That's it, and that's the truth."
Ok, so no sex with Rita...tonight. But there would be another time, then another, and still another. Her greatest fear was that, at some point, Rita's hold on him would eventually win him over. A lonely evening, like tonight, and Rita would get emotional. Chris would be soft toward her, and she would move in close to him. Things would just naturally progress to a devastating end.
Chris smiled. "Look, she and I have been partners for a long time - we're used to being together - daytime, nighttime, anytime. Let's forget about all that. I got some more brochures from St. Barth's...want to look at them with me?"
She considered it for a moment, but her desire to be with him tonight had vanished. When she left Julia, her plans for him seemed very romantic - downright trashy if she was being honest. But Rita had - yet again - interfered and spoiled the evening.
Her best tactic was to simply leave. Chris enjoyed their physical relationship, and denying it to him tonight, and maybe for a few more nights, would accomplish two things. First, they would make him hungry for her and second, he might start realizing that his predicament was of Rita's making. Maybe he would pull away from her a bit, maybe be a little frustrated with her. Her decision made, she walked over and kissed his cheek without a smile. "Goodnight, Chris. I'm going home."
"Come on, Jillian..." he pleaded as she walked toward the door.
"I'll call you..." she said without a backward glance as she closed the door behind her.
Jillian looked outside her car window as she twisted the key in the ignition. She hoped Chris might come out the door and ask her to stay again, just so she could say no again and drive away, but he didn't. She knew his stubbornness wouldn't allow it. But she had made her point and Chris was probably feeling pretty guilty right about now. He wasn't likely to spend an evening with Detective Lance anytime soon.
Their vacation really couldn't get here quickly enough. She knew she would forgive Chris and they would reconcile in a few days. They would pack in three weeks and head for the Caribbean. And she knew they would have a terrific time. But Rita was a problem. A real problem. Jillian couldn't force Rita away. She could, however, maybe get Chris away from Rita.
An opening at a surgical center in Jacksonville had caught her eye the other day, but an even better opportunity up the coast in Boston beckoned. It was a position for which she was qualified, but it was a highly-desired, high-profile job that would grab the attention of doctors all over the country. Her chances of landing it were practically non-existent, but there was no harm in trying. If she somehow managed to land it, it would serve the dual purpose of providing an incredible boost to her career and getting her boyfriend out of Palm Beach and away from his partner. She decided to apply for both. She smiled as she drove, already less angry with Chris...and with Rita.