Part 20 PG-13

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Quinn looked up from lunch in the hospital cafeteria to see Paul standing there with a tray in his hand.

"Yes," she said.

He sat down anyway. "I was wondering if you could consider coming to the wedding," he said. "You and Smith could come, you know, he's a friend of Elizabeth, more or less."

"Sure," she said. "I'll come to the wedding with Smith."

"Good!" he said. "Gee, I didn't think it would be that easy," he said. "What gives?"

"Sean is here, and you're less irritating than he is."

"Oh, yeah, dating Smith's ex-girlfriend, too, huh? Well, that should keep them busy and out of your hair."

"Somehow it doesn't," she said.

"Is it the DUI case?"

"Yeah. I'm beginning to wish I'd never said anything. But then that's the way she wants it, I guess. Though I guess you're on her side, Elizabeth being her best friend and all."

"You know how Elizabeth feels about that! And for the DUI, if she did it, she did it. Don't be silly, Quinn! This is not like you. Sean must be very irritating indeed."

"I'll call you if I need therapy," she said, getting up.

"Try to get more sleep," Paul advised. "It's tough to do with shift work, I know."

A little tired, Quinn walked down by the docks after work, thinking she would stop and pick up something for dinner.

"Oh great," she thought, seeing Emily there, with a drink from Kelly's in a cup. She had taken the lid off and laid it on the railing.

The wind kicked up a breeze and blew the lid away.

"Whoops," Emily said, seeing Quinn and stooping down to pick up the plastic lid. "Wouldn't want to get caught littering in front of a tattle-tale witness."

"You would expect to be able to get away with it," Quinn retorted. "You've got some sort of right to have the witnesses just keep it to themselves, don't you?"

"Most nurses take care of their patients rather than looking at them for evidence."

"Taking care of them involves noticing everything about them, including bruises in the outline of a steering wheel."

"But you didn't go running to the doctor with that news. You went running to the cops."

"I wouldn't put it that way."

"Of course not. Well, you didn't need to go to all that trouble to try keeping me away from Zander. I'll do that myself. I could have told you that."

"I'm not worried about that," Quinn said. She realized it would be better to leave, and started walking on.

"But of course you are," Emily said. Quinn froze. She knew she should leave and that she was never going to prove anything by arguing with Emily. She could tell she was getting angry, if she wasn't already. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "You know for sure you wouldn't have him to play around with if I hadn't broke up with him," Emily went on, "and you know I wouldn't have if I had known the truth."

"Well," Quinn said, through her teeth, "you wouldn't have Sean to play around with if I were married to him."

"You wouldn't be. You can't commit to anybody. There's plenty of evidence for that."

"I don't know why Sean puts up with you. He's a grown man. Have you ever wondered?"

"He's not here for you!"

"He's not here for you either!" Quinn retorted, losing her temper. "I bet you aren't even sleeping with him, either. Too bad for you, because he's not half bad, and - "

"Shut up! How would you know! What do you mean, either, if Zander denies making love to me, he's lying!"

"He doesn't deny it, but told me enough for me to know you're - well there's a clinical word for it - but Sean's not going to do much for you either if someone that passionate can't."

"He's a liar!"

"Oh, you didn't get up with this hot-blooded passionate guy all over you to answer your cell phone!"

"My grandfather was hurt!"

"He was not. And then you sleep with him once and then hung out with him a whole summer without ever being with him again? Well, if he's not going to do it for you, nobody can, so - "

"There was too much going on! I had to run from a mobster! He did! It was his fault too, with all the crime he had himself involved in."

"He could be alone in his room with you without ravishing you. Trust me, he can't do that for anybody else, and certainly not me! You're the only one frigid enough to manage that!"

"Shut up!" Emily struggled not to cry. She flung her drink at Quinn. The iced tea and the ice splashed all over her. Then Emily ran off.

Quinn stared after her. She felt a little cooler, as if the iced tea had literally cooled her temper as well. But she also felt guilty. She'd been pretty hard on the young girl. Who'd been through so much, and who knew but that Sean was playing with her emotions.

Then she remembered. "That's how she manipulates everyone, somehow," she thought. She gets you feeling guilty. Somehow she contrives to become your victim."

Quinn felt angry and tired, but just stood there for a minute. "I really lost it," she thought. "Better tell Zander about this before she does," and she took her cell phone out. Then, to her greatest possible annoyance, she heard a voice behind her, saying "Hi, Quinn! How's the little nurse?"

It was Sean.

"Were you listening?"

"Listening to what? No."

"How long have you been here?"

"One second. How come you're all wet?"

"What do you see in that little brat? What did Zander see in her?"

"Emily annoyed you, did she?"

"Quite."

"Well, not to worry. You're cute when you're mad."

"I hate it when you say that. And by the way, I hate the little nurse remark."

Suddenly, he had both arms around her and leaned down and was kissing her. She was absolutely pinned to him and couldn't do anything. Her arms were crushed in front of her against his chest and her head was practically immobile. All she could do was try to yell.

When he finally released her she stepped back. Then she went at him and pounded his chests with both of her fists in a fit of fury. "Don't ever touch me again!" she yelled.

"Whoah!" he laughed, and his attitude infuriated her further. He picked her up, crushing her arms so they were immobilized and useless again. He carried her to the end of the dock.

"Shall I drop you in?" he laughed. "Maybe that'll cool the Irish temper better than a little ice water, or whatever that is."

His calm amusement was more infuriating.

"Let me go before I kill you," she yelled.

He let go, then.

"I like 'em with spirit," he said.

"Then you're not really interested in her, then," Quinn retorted. "You should leave her alone."

"So concerned about Emily's well being, are you?"

"Yeah, well it seems to be everyone's concern, as she's not into looking out for it herself." Quinn walked off, even running when she thought he wasn't looking.

Sean looked after her, smiling to himself.

In a moment, he heard footsteps. He saw Zander Smith passing down onto the dock.

"Hey, Smith, I see you're on your way back from a class."

"Yeah," Zander said, rudely, passing him.

"Run faster and you might catch up with Quinn," Sean said. "I just had a nice little conversation with her."

"Sure she loved that," Zander said, walking on.

"Got her to kiss me, too," Sean said.

"Oh, shut up, you did not."

"You don't believe me? Now why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know why you do anything you do. But you're a born liar, that's for sure."

"Well, I kissed her. You don't think she'd ever kiss me back? Maybe it was for old time's sake."

"Leave her alone," Zander said, trying to back away.

"Why? Afraid I'll succeed?"

"You had four years before and you didn't!"

"I know, but now she knows what she's missing."

"I doubt that."

"Well, she did kiss me back, I'll tell you that much."

Zander dropped his back pack, unthinking, and pushed Sean. "Hey, watch out," Sean said, "I'm bigger than you, you know. Though maybe we should ask Quinn who's really bigger."

His nonchalant tone was so annoying that Zander couldn't think. He took a swing at Sean and his flying fist landed right in Sean's jaw.

"Ow! Wait a minute! There's no reason to go beyond any verbal altercation!"

"You know you're asking for more than that!" Zander yelled, taking another punch. Then he realized Sean was not punching back. He stopped, realized what he was doing, and the implications. Legal implications floated through his mind. He saw the personification of evil in front of him, deliberately taunting him but not fighting back himself. And a liar.

Zander grabbed his backpack. "You're not worth it," he declared as calmly as he could. He walked off.

Sean sat rubbing his jaw for a minute, looking after Zander, a smile spreading slowly over his face.