Heart of The Trident

Four ~ Cade

Nia’s gone.

Staring at her empty bed, her pillows in disarray and half of her blanket on the floor, I know for a certainty that she’s not here anymore.

The question is: Where has she gone?

Returning to my room, I grab my phone, calling one of the doctors at the hospital.

“Dr. Price speaking.”

“Randy, it’s Cade.” I begin pacing the room. “Is there a patient named Nia there?”

“Nia? What’s the last name?”

“I don’t know yet but she’s slender, has red hair and blue eyes…”

“Red hair and blue eyes, huh? Rare combination. She sounds like a beauty.”

“Randy…”

“No, I haven’t seen her. Why?”

“She’s my patient and she seems to have gone missing. Anyway, call me if you hear anything about her.”

I end the call then open my closet to grab a shirt and jeans.

At least, she’s not in the hospital. That’s a good thing. Now, I’ll just have to look for her.

As I put on my clothes, I remember some of our conversation from last night.

Why, indeed, am I helping her?

Yes, it’s partly because I’m a doctor and I can’t ignore someone in need. It’s also partly because I myself am an orphan and I know how it feels like to be alone. But there’s also something else.

I can’t quite put a finger on it but there’s something about Nia. It’s like there’s something inside her calling out to me. I just can’t leave alone.

I feel something soft against my legs and I look down, smiling as I see Maggie.

“Like I said, I only bring home the irresistible ones,” I say as I pat her on the head.

With Nia, I guess I have to do it more than once, which is fine by me.

Grabbing my keys and slipping on my shoes, I head towards the door.

I’m going to find her.

Thankfully, I already have one place I know where to look.

--

The ruins of the house where Nia said she grew up in look the same as we left them yesterday, bricks and pieces of the roof still scattered everywhere, except now there’s a yellow line around the perimeter.

Normally, I’d stay away from it but knowing Nia, she wouldn’t, so after taking a quick look around to make sure there are no cops, I go under the line and into the rubble, watching my step so I don’t fall.

There’s no sign of her but at least, I don’t see any blood or any white lines on the floor.

No bodies. No casualties.

That’s good.

I decide to look around, heading into the garden, which, apart from the broken fountain, looks relatively unscathed. The tree there still stands, the wooden bench still under it.

I can almost imagine Nia sitting there as a little girl, her feet dangling above the ground. She must have come here to the garden a lot. I know because I spent a lot of time at my uncle’s garden myself, whenever I felt lonely. Next to the ocean, I find a garden the most soothing.

Suddenly, I see one of the potted plants stir and looking behind it, I catch a glimpse of fiery hair.

“Nia!”

I run after her, following her as her cape billows behind her, but after turning a corner, she’s gone.

Just like that, she’s vanished without a trace.

“Nia?”

No answer.

I scratch my head, puzzled. Was that even her? Was that even a person or did I just see a ghost?

I’m still feeling confused when my phone rings. I pick it up.

“Dr. Lennox.”

“Dr. Lennox, it’s me, Sarah. Dr. Price said earlier that you were looking for a patient with red hair. I remember Cynthia told me about her. Anyway, my friend was walking her dog earlier by the bay and she said she saw someone like that who looked lost and all. She was trying to rent a kayak but she didn’t have any money.”

I feel my mind clear a little. Of course, she’d go near the ocean. She did say she loved it.

“That sounds like her,” I say into the phones. “Thanks. I’ll go get her.”

I hang up and run to my car as fast as I can.

I sure hope she’s still at the bay.

--

When I arrive there, there seems to be a commotion, a small crowd on the beach. Through a gap, I see some men carrying a woman’s body from the sea.

The moment I see the woman’s red hair, I know what’s happened.

“Excuse me.” I make myself through the crowd. “Doctor coming through.”

As they lay Nia on the sand, I kneel over her, checking her vitals. She still has a pulse. Good.

I check her airway. No obstruction.

She just needs to breathe.

I start CPR, pumping her chest and breathing into her mouth.

Come on, Nia. Come back.

Finally, she takes a big gulp of air and then starts coughing, sputtering. I help her sit up so she can throw up some of the water, rubbing her shoulders.

“Nia, thank goodness, you’re alright. For a moment there, you scared me.”

She looks at me, blue eyes wide. “Dr. Cade?”

I nod, squeezing her shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re alright now.”

“Is she alright?” one of the men who carried her asks. “I saw her earlier. She wanted desperately to rent a kayak and when she couldn’t, she climbed a cliff and just jumped off. Do you have a problem, lady?”

Nia doesn’t answer.

“Because if you do, I suggest you deal with it some other way, you know talk to your friends, maybe not get other people you don’t know involved.”

“Hey.” I stand up, squaring my shoulders. “I’m thankful that you helped save her life but if you’re just going to whine about it…”

“I’m not whining, Doctor. Just saying that she might need…well, a different type of doctor since she was so eager to get herself killed and all.”

“Well, thanks for your opinion.” I pat his shoulder. “And for your concern. But I’ll take it from here.”

He scoffs. “Are you really a doctor or did you just want to kiss her?”

The words sting and my jaw clenches.

“You kissed me?” Nia asks behind me.

Great.

The man in front of me laughs. “Ooh. Looks like someone’s in trouble.”

I ignore him, going to Nia and helping her to her feet.

“Don’t mind him,” I say as I usher her away from the beach and the crowd. “He’s a jerk.”

“But you said he saved my life.”

“I said he helped save your life,” I correct. “I…saved your life.”

“By kissing me?”

“That was mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. That wasn’t a kiss. Not nearly.”

“Oh.”

She looks so confused that I want to kiss her right now just to let her know what a real kiss is. But no, it wouldn’t be right. Plus, I’m mad at her.

“Tell me, how many times do you intend to try to kill yourself, hmm?”

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself,” Nia argues. “I was just…”

“Listen, Nia.” I hold her hands in mine. “I know you feel lost right now and confused and lonely but that’s no reason to throw your life away.”

“I am not throwing my life away!” Nia wrenches her hands away. “You don’t understand. I don’t have a life. Not here. And you don’t understand how I feel.”

“Nia…”

“Why did you come after me? What do you care?”

“You’re my patient.”

“Bullshit.”

The curse, the first that I’ve heard from my lips, sounds so unexpected that I fall silent.

“You’re the same as that man earlier. You don’t really want to be involved. You just don’t want me to be a problem. Well, I’m not your problem.”

I sigh. “Nia, I’m sorry if I said the wrong things. Let’s just go home, okay?”

I reach for her arm but she pulls it away.

“That is not my home!”

“Fine. Let’s just go back, okay? You can’t stay out here alone.”

Her eyes narrow.

“Besides, I promised Maggie I’d bring you back.”

She scoffs. “Fine. But I’m still mad at you.”

Watching her march to the car, I frown.

Great. I’m the one who’s supposed to be mad at her but now, she’s mad at me. And they’re right when they say redheads have a fiery temper.

Well, at least, she’s coming back to the apartment with me. Hopefully, she won’t stay mad long.

--

Nia’s still mad, I realize with a sinking heart as I try to open the door to her room that evening.

It’s still locked and it seems like she has no plans of going out.

Well, there’s no helping it. I guess I’ll just have to leave her alone for now.

“Nia.” I press my cheek to the door. “Are you there?”

“Go away,” she answers.

I sigh. At least, I know she’s in there.

“I’m leaving for work, okay? My number’s on the fridge. Call me if anything’s wrong. Also, there’s food inside the fridge for you and cat food in the pantry for Maggie. Don’t forget to feed her.”

No answer.

I walk away, grabbing my coat, bag and keys. At the doorway to the apartment, I pause.

Is it really okay to leave her here alone? What if she runs away again?

I look at the knob, thinking of locking it. If I do, she won’t be able to leave but if she discovers it, she’ll get mad at me.

Oh, well. She’s already mad at me anyway. Besides, this is for her own good. I can’t have her running off and trying to kill herself again.

Stepping out of the apartment, I lock the door behind me and walk down the hall.

I sure hope she’ll be alright.

--

“So, how is she?” Dr. Catherine Russell, one of my colleagues, asks, coming over to my table while I’m having my third coffee break at the hospital cafeteria.

“How’s who?” I ask, taking a sip from my cup.

“Don’t play dumb. Everyone at the hospital knows you’re not dumb.” She pulls out a chair. “I meant her, that patient of yours that the nurses are talking about and that Dr. Price said you were worried about.”

“Wow.” I shake my head as I set down my cup. “Dr. Price seems to be talking more than usual lately.”

“He’s concerned about you. And so am I.” She lifts her own cup to her lips. “I know you can’t draw the line between your personal and professional life.”

I look at her with creased eyebrows. “Is that an insult?”

“I’m just saying you care too much about your patients sometimes and it looks like this is one of those times.”

“You can never care too much, Catherine.”

“Ah, but you do, Cade, too much that you hurt and you don’t even know it.”

I lean forward. “Wow. I didn’t expect that.”

“What? You don’t think that after five years of working with you that I’d know you? The problem with you, Cade, is that you don’t know yourself.”

I shrug. “Guilty. But that still doesn’t mean I shouldn’t care about my patients.”

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t care,” Catherine says. “I’m just saying you should distance yourself a bit for your own protection. I mean, leave some of yourself to yourself.”

“Looking after Nia doesn’t feel like taking away from myself.”

“Aha.” She takes a sip. “Her name is Nia.”

I nod.

“Is she as beautiful as they say?”

I don’t answer, looking at my cup, though my mind has already conjured a different image – one of her lying beneath me with her hair fanned out around her head, sapphire eyes wide and mouth gaping, which has happened twice now, more recently this morning.

Speaking of her mouth, I can still remember how soft hers felt against mine.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Catherine says.

“What?”

“And where is she now?” she asks.

“At my apartment.”

She coughs, setting down her cup. “You brought a patient home to your apartment?”

I hold a finger to my lips. “Not so loud.”

“Cade…”

“She has no one, nothing. I can’t just leave her alone.”

“You didn’t have to bring her home. Haven’t you heard of social welfare?” She exhales. “And to think you’ve never even brought me to your apartment.”

I take another sip from my cup. “Oh, is that what this is all about? You’re jealous?”

Catherine rolls her eyes. “Now, he notices that I’m interested in him.”

“You are?” My eyebrows go up.

“For someone so smart, you can really be so naïve.” She pats me on the shoulder and gets out of her chair. “Just take care of yourself, okay?”

She walks away, leaving me still confused.

I sip the rest of my coffee, frowning. Suddenly, my phone rings in my pocket. I grab it, holding it to my ear.

“Dr. Lennox.”

“Dr. Cade?”

The sound of Nia’s voice and the obvious worry in it makes me put my cup down and sit up straight.

“Nia, what’s wrong?”

“Please help me,” she answers, sounding like she’s about to cry. “I think you have to come home at once.”