“Empathy. I didn’t ask him what happened. I told him about my rape. It sucked. I felt my chest tighten.”Troy shook his head.
“Troy, where was the pain?”Tim’s voice turned professional.
“Sorry, wrong choice of words. Relief and fear.” Troy sighed.
“Was it a memory?” Tim asked.
“Muscle memory. It’s been a long time since I’ve interviewed a victim. It always leaves an ache.” He knew some of James’s pain firsthand. Troy’s family didn’t know the whole truth either.
“Close your eyes, inhale and hold. Control the outcome. Exhale and let it go.” Tim led him through a relaxation exercise a couple of times.
The tightness released from being with James Richmond, only to be replaced by the fear of telling Gwen the entire truth. The universe that knew the entire story of his attack was growing. “Okay, here comes that trust thing. Why is even theideaof telling Gwen so hard?”
“I think you know the answer,” Tim said.
Troy glared, his shoulders rising. “More psychobabble?”Easy, asshole, you don’t want her to feel sorry for you because she matters to you.“I apologize.”
“Not necessary.” They pulled into the underground parking area for the building. “She’s good for you,” Tim said.
Troy nodded. “Too good.” He couldn’t count how many times she anticipated his needs. “When Wes was hospitalized, everyone was on edge. Ellie West was recovering. I was crashing emotionally. Aaron Bain and Brandon Finch provided some stability, but Gwen was there every day, riding the horses, working through my anxiety with me. Helping me regain my physical and emotional sense of balance.” Troy shook his head and shuddered.
“The night Ellie hemorrhaged, Gwen came to me. Ellie confessed to her about the babies. Gwen was with her as a friend, but as a superior operator, she also recorded her.” Troy blinked slowly. “She was distraught—she was breaking a friend’s confidence. I didn’t think; I reacted—and kissed her. Then I told her I could never be the man she deserved. I’m screwing with her. I should’ve let her escort me here and then ask Martin to reassign her.”
“I call bullshit,” Tim said. “You arenotlimited.”
“You read my chart. I don’t function,” Troy huffed.
“You need to give your new medical team a chance.” Tim adjusted his glasses. “I don’t like speaking poorly of other medical providers, but your therapy team in Denver worked toward different goals than the goals the team has here. Not because they had poor skills; it was just another approach. Their goal was to get you functional. Your team here wants to get you living life.”
“Life…new life or the old one?” Troy asked.
“A bit of both. You can’t erase what happened, but you can enjoy your life. Friends. Love. Family. And youcanhave a sex life. The fact you can’t sustain an erection doesn’t prevent you from being able to satisfy a woman.”
“I don’t know…but you merit a chance,” Troy chuckled.
“That brings us back to where this conversation started—telling Gwen. Will telling her change your relationship? Probably yes, but I don’t think it will be in a bad way. I think it will build trust. I’ll help you tell Gwen, if you want me to.”
“I need another day,” Troy said and answered his phone. “Bremen.”
“She’s beautiful,” his caller said.
“You stay away from her,” Troy roared. He signaled to Tim to report the call.
“Ah, touchy. Now I’m having fun,” the caller said. “Maybe I can teach her a thing or two. I’m very good at that. I’m sure she’ll remember.”
“What do you want?” Troy asked.
He laughed. “You know, I touched her before. You may want to check her for diseases. How do you feel, Greece? Uncertain?” The call ended.
Was this another voice?“Damn it.” Troy tossed his phone at the dashboard.He touched her before?
Tim opened his door. “The call pinged off a tower in San Diego. Are you up to tonight? I can push it until tomorrow,” he offered.
“No, I’ll keep to your schedule after I make a couple of calls. Are you hanging around?” Troy asked.
“I have no intention of leaving your side. I’m walking to, through and out of this tunnel with you,” Tim said.
They entered the basement entrance for the medical building. Taking the elevator to the executive floor, they exited into the empty lobby and walked down the corridor to Russ Sommerfeld’s office.
