Check out my full novels on Kindle. Follow Your Heart and Game Changer. I hope they are enjoyed as much as my fanfiction. :D


Disclaimer: The characters in my stories are completely made up characters and have temporally been given borrowed names for the sole purpose of satisfying the qualifications for posting on this fanfiction site. These stories are fiction and should be perceived as such. They in no way reflect the lives, beliefs or views of any persons living or dead and any similarities are coincidental. I am not affiliated with any company or professional wrestler in any way. No disrespect or copyright infringement intended. And if any of my favs happen upon my stories, I hope your not offended because this is not


New Story. This is going to be an AU fic.


Chapter 8

I watched her sleep. The comforter pulled up to her chin, her hand resting on the pillow beside her. I wanted to be that pillow. Gossip spread quicker than wild fire in this new town and then I found out about Daniella's break up possibly before she'd fully grasped the knowledge. I felt bad for her. She'd been with this Jake guy a really long time and in seconds – he ended it.

What bothered me most was the reasons he told someone in town who then told someone else … and so on. These reasons were lies and worse … he didn't even tell her the reason. He couldn't have or she wouldn't have come to the clinic that night. He said she'd slept with the new doctor. She'd laid down with a man she just met … she'd been with me? How in the hell was that even possible? We hadn't had time to hook up … well maybe the night beofre, but he'd already dumped her then. So, because we'd shared a table at the diner … because we ate a meal together … we were screwing? I didn't get it.

And worse, I didn't understand how the town's people could be so quick to believe it. I didn't know her very long and if it hadn't been me they named as the guy, I would have questioned it. She was a giving soul. She went out of her way to help people. And if she did want to be with a guy she'd just met … how was that anyone's business? Why would she deserve to have everyone literally turned their backs on her over something like that?

It was early when I decided to get up for the day. Actually it was still the middle of the night. It had been an uneventful night. No one got worse. No one needed my attention … maybe that was because all the rooms were empty.

"Good morning." I addressed Sara. "Where's all the patients?"

"Oh, Doctor they all just started leaving. They said they would rather get help at the hospital. I didn't think I should wake you. They weren't asking for discharges."
"It's fine. They're grown and more than welcome to make their own decisions. I just hope they really get the help they need and don't go home untreated."

"There's only one left and her daughter is coming to get her."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth a middle aged woman came stomping up the hall and into the room across from the desk. Moments later she wheeled out her mother.

"Homewrecker." The old woman snapped at me.

"Excuse me, Maam? But do you mind if I ask you what you mean by that?"

"You know what I mean." The seventy-five year old sneered. "How dare you come to this town and lay down with a married woman. You broke up a wonderful young couple."

"Lady. With all due respect, you don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"She spent the night with you." She pointed at the lounge. "IN that room!"

"That, Maam. Is the employee lounge. And it is there for employees to rest and still be here to tend to you if you need us."

"She's not on duty."

"What should we have done? Thrown her out on the street when she had nowhere else to go?" I narrowed my eyes. "I'm new in town and to be honest I didn't think I would learn so much about the people here so quickly. I know you were wild in your younger days. I know your daughter here used to be a stripper in the city … yes everyone's dirty laundry has been laid on my ears in the last forty-eight hours."

"You should move on. You're not wanted here."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"No one will come here to be treated by you."

"That's there loss, or inconvenience, I guess. I've done nothing wrong and neither has Ella."

"You know, Mrs. Winterborne." Sara spoke up. "I can understand how you can be upset that Jake and Daniella have broken up, but what I don't understand is how you can turn your back on someone who has given her entire heart to anyone who's ever needed … well anything. Personally, I'm angry at Jake and he's shown me just how cold hearted he is. He threw her out with nowhere else to go."
"You just heard her side. You shouldn't believe a sob story from the likes …"

"I heard that from Mr. Nelson." Sara retorted. "Daniella hasn't said anything about Jake or their breakup, but I do know she's upset and she doesn't even know why you are all being so hateful to her because she didn't do anything."

"You don't …"

"I do know because I was here all night too. Dr. Reigns didn't share that room with her … he was too busy make sure the people of this town lived to see morning."

"Get me out of here. Things like this shouldn't take place in a place of business. You could have at committed your sin at the cabin."

I shook my head. People like that were just stubborn. Too stubborn to admit the truth even when the proof was right in front of their noses.

"They'll come back." Sara said sweetly. "They'll get tired of driving an hour just to get a simple infection cleared up."

"I'm not worried about that. I'm more worried about losing good help." I sighed as I saw the door to the lounge open. Daniella didn't even look up. She went through the door to the waiting room and I heard the chime that alerted us to the front door being opened.

I didn't know if she overheard the old lady or not. I hoped she didn't because it was all so rude. That poor girl needed comfort. Not shunning and I knew I wasn't the best person to do that.

"This job is Daniella's entire life." Sara told me. "She loves this place and she was already upset when Doctor James told us that the hospital bought land in town. They are planning on building an urgent care center here. Doctor James said when it was open he was closing the clinic. Daniella took it hard."

"He was going to close it?" I didn't know that.

"He said he had other plans for it … you like her."

"Excuse me?"

"You're still staring after Daniella. You haven't been here long enough to call any of us close … not close enough to worry over us."

"I'm not going to wait around if that's what you mean." I admitted. "I know how these long time relationships work. They break up. They get back together. I'm hoping to interfere with that tradition. He doesn't deserve her."

"and you do?"

"Probably not."

With that I copied Daniella's path. I found her in the rocking chair on the front porch. I sat in the one beside her and I was suddenly nervous.

She was staring off into the distance. The sun was rising.

"I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. I guess you'll be moving on now."

"Nope."

"But you have no patients. Because of me."

"That's probably a good thing."

She gave me a vacant stare.

"I can't just leave." I admitted. "Dr. James … well he was my dad and he left everything to me."

"So you want to stay?"

"I'm closing the clinic."

She nodded, gazed at her hands and wiped away a tear."

"I think this place is better off as something else."

"People say it would make a nice restaurant or wedding venue."
"I just wish I knew what my father wanted."

"He used to say it would be a wonderful place for folks his age to retire." She sighed. "I got offered a job in the city a few times. I guess moving there would be a good idea now."

"If you like the city life." I didn't want her to go, but I really didn't know her. I didn't feel like I had any right to beg her to stay.

"So, you're the son." She smiled. "The doc talked about you a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah. 'My son is passed his exams. My son is a brilliant doctor just like his old man. When I get done transitioning this place, we're going to work side by side." She said in a mocked deep voice like she was trying to sound like my father.

"That would have been great."

"I'm sorry you didn't get to spend more time with him."

"I never knew he wanted that."

"You were his world besides this place. We all knew that. That's why he took every third weekend of the month off. To go see you."

"I never saw him." I guess my father watched me from a distance. Oh, I wished he had just knocked on my door. I understood why he stayed away, but when I was older? Why did he still stay away? "I would like to take you out sometime, Ella." I blurted it out.

"I'm not ready. I don't think I'll ever want to try again." She stated. Then got up and walked back inside.