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Chapter Three

"I'm waiting for an answer, little one." He growled from beside me.

"No." I shrank back meeting his eyes. I let out a breath he'd been holding. Rage crossed his face. "I don't need help, I've got this." I said trying to take over holding the gauze.

"I'm helping you, stop moving. It's almost stopped. Once we get you cleaned up, I want to take you back to the clinic. I want to check you over and see how bad your injuries truly are. I noticed the bandage on your hand. How bad is it?" he asked, nodding to it, while looking at my nose.

"It feels like it did when I broke it last time." I said, wincing as he felt over my nose.

"You've broken it before?" He asked, his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yes." I replied quietly, not meeting his gaze.

"I'm just going to get this wet and wash off the blood. Then we'll head out." He said washing my face, trying to be as gentle as he could.

"I have to pay." I said.

"It's covered," he said, finishing up, and closing his bag. "Let's go."

He held the door open for me, and I stepped out. I saw Sean leaning against the counter smiling, talking to Sarah. As soon as he saw us he stood up straight and his face became serious again. I reached out for my purse, my hand brushed against Oliver's as he reached for his boxed meal. I withdrew it quickly. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised, but gathered the box up and my purse and walked out.

I walked to my car, opening the door. I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned and saw Oliver.

"I'll drive you, you shouldn't be driving." He said, placing his hand on the door.

Too tired to argue, I walked around the car and sat in the passenger seat. He got in and shut the door.

"The Josie I know would have argued with me, and been upset at being driven around." He glanced at me while he focused on driving.

"The Josie you knew was never as tired as I am, or as sore." I muttered under my breath.

"We'll get you better." he said, reaching over the console, but then pausing with his hand in the air. He glanced over at my face as I stared at his hand, signed and returned his hand to the steering wheel.

We drove in silence as we pulled up to the clinic. It was a light beige building and had Sweet Haven Clinic written in a script font on the sign in front of it. Oliver got out of the car and walked around and held my door open. I slowly got out and paused once upright to let my head catch up.

I saw him look at me, but didn't meet his eyes. I stepped away, letting him close the door, and following him inside. Once inside, a bouncy brunette behind the counter greeted Oliver, then turned to me. "Checking in?"

"No, she's with me." Oliver said, walking past the counter. He held a door open and I stepped through. We walked back and he grabbed a gown off a rack and a blanket. He turned the corner, and opened a door. A light flickered on. He threw a sheet over the bed and gestured to it. He set the gown and blanket on the counter. He leaned against the sink, looking serious.

I sat on the bed, facing him but looking down. I could feel the anger rolling off him and it made me uncomfortable. After a few deep breaths, and an uncomfortable silence, he rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Josie, what the hell happened?" He asked, finally looking at me.

"I thought that was pretty clear." I said looking him in the eye.

"Not what I meant. We'll come back to that, but I'm talking about ten years ago. I got a text message saying that you couldn't handle the long distance and no talking while I was at boot camp. You said you weren't ready for that type of relationship." he said sitting down in the chair.

"I never sent that. YOU sent me a message, after I had been at the school for an hour. YOU told me that I wasn't what you wanted and that you had left early. YOU told me not to contact you. I tried to reach out but YOU never responded." I said growing angry, and sitting up straight.

"I left early-after I got your message. I didn't want to stay in a town where you didn't want me." He said, sighing. "I don't understand what happened, you didn't send the message?"

"No, and I'm guessing you didn't send yours." I replied.

"Nope."

"Well this just got weird." I said leaning against the wall, wincing when the bed railing behind me hit a bruise on my side.

I sat forward again. Oliver noticed, and stood up. He grabbed the gown and blanket.

"Change into these, let me look you over. I want to see if you need X-rays for anything besides your hand." He said handing me both items. He made no move to leave.

I opened my mouth, but he cut me off.

"I'll turn around, but I'm not leaving. You're too unsteady, unless you want me to grab the nurse." he stated pointing over his shoulder.

"No, just don't look." I said standing and turning around.

"It's not like I'm not going to be looking in a minute" he said, over his shoulder.

I turned my head to look over my shoulder at him and lost my balance. I reached out with my hands, hissing when my hurt hand barely touched the bed to catch myself. I felt a strong band around my waist, realizing he had caught me.

"Told you." he said in a scolding tone.

He steadied me and held the gown open while I slid my arms in. He kept his gaze averted as much as he could. I sat back down on the bed.

"So now that we have determined that neither one of us broke up with the other, and someone must have interfered, I'm going to ask what happened two days ago." he said, sitting on the stool in front of me. Clearly, enter clinician mode.

"When did you become a doctor?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Realizing what I'd done, my eyes shot back to him, I opened my mouth to apologize, but he cut me off.

"Do not apologize for that." he said, coming closer. "I like these little glimpses of the sassy girl I used to know. Maybe after you learn that I'm not going to hurt you, I'll see more of her." he stated with a small smirk as he touched my chin. "What happened, little one?"

"Josh happened." I said looking at my lap.

"Carter? Josh Carter?" he asked confused.

"Yes, after you left he came to check on me, and we started hanging out. He picked up the pieces I thought you left. A year later we were dating, and a year after that we got engaged and then married." I felt him stiffen in front of me but couldn't tell him this looking at him. Not after finding out he only left because he thought I didn't want him, when really I'd never stopped loving him.

"And he hit you?" he growled.

"Not at first, it was like someone flipped a switch in his brain. It happened and he instantly apologized and it didn't happen again for a long while. Eventually the time between shortened and damage got worse." I said as I was still focused on the pattern of the gown on my lap.

"No one noticed?" he asked.

"He was good at hiding the bruises, and I got good at make-up fast." I explained, moving my hands to my lap and playing with my fingers.

A warm hand covered my hands. I heard the stool move, and his legs came into view, one on each side of mine. His hand came and rested under my chin, raising my gaze to his.

"Don't hide from me. I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with him, at myself. I should have known it wasn't you texting. I should've followed up, instead I ran with my tail between my legs. I know it's hard revisiting this. This last time, what did he do? Then we can move on, and come back to this later." he said, looking at me like he did ten years ago. A thumb swiped at my cheek, wiping a tear I hadn't realized was falling. I nodded, and sighed. Then I started the story of what happened last time.

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