The next morning, Dana arrived with two maintenance men to switch our bed with the adjustable one. We were expecting a double, but they brought a queen sized bed. Our beds at home are queen, but we started out with double. Double is enough for us as we sleep cuddled up, but at home, we also have a dog in the bed. If any of my readers are dog lovers, you know how they can take over the bed.

“Oh my, double would have been fine”, I said to Dana.

“This is the only one we have, it beats keeping one of each size.”

She took the list we had made from Doc. “I’ll see that you get these things as soon as possible.”

“What about clothes?” I asked. “I only have this one outfit. Julian has 3 changes of clothing, I think, so he doesn‘t need any.”

“Give me your size and preferences, and I’ll get some for you”, she replied.

“Take my credit card”, Doc said, reaching for his wallet.

“Don’t worry about that. Clothing for the people we protect is included in our budget.”

I was glad it was going to be another woman shopping for me. I’m not sure I’d have been comfortable giving a man I didn’t know my bra size.

“What about sleepwear?” she asked me.

“I don’t need it”, I replied, “though a cheap bathrobe would be great. Don’t spend too much money on it, I’m sure the police budget has more important items. I only need the clothes for while I‘m here, so there‘s no point in going anywhere but WalMart to get them.” I think I saw Doc cringe at me mentioning Wally World. He’d never stepped foot in one and still hasn’t to this day.

“Don’t worry about cost, Meredith. The police department gets discounts at many clothing stores for people under protection. And I’m a good shopper, I look for sales.”

Even though I never have to worry about finances again, I grew up in a household that had to budget very carefully and I’ve never been able to shake that ingrained need to do things such as look at sale flyers, use coupons etc. Doc keeps telling me I do not have to worry about it and not to waste my time. He’s never known what it’s like to have to stretch one’s dollar as he grew up in a privileged family. Even in residency, his parents helped him out. He is not frivolous, but he doesn’t look at price when he is shopping.

When the guys had taken the bed out and replaced it with the adjustable one, Dana said she would go get the guards and their dogs. Steven and Sam came in and introductions were made. I let the dogs, Sheba and Ziggy, sniff my hand. They wagged their tails and let me pet them. Doc was a bit more reserved.

“Don’t worry, they won’t bite you”, Sam said to him. Doc looked wary. He had grown up in a household with no pets. His parents did not like animals, so he had very little exposure to them as a child. My dog Jessie was the first dog he’d been around for any length of time. He wouldn’t admit it yet, but he was getting attached to her. However, he still didn’t trust other dogs, except maybe Karen’s.

“Julian hasn’t been around dogs very much”, I said to Sam, explaining why Doc was so hesitant.

“They won’t hurt you unless they are commanded to attack or if someone is harming their handler. Let them sniff you and get your scent and you will be fine coming outside. Doc followed my lead and let the two German Shepherds sniff his hand, then Sam and Steve took them back outside.

“Let me know if there’s anything else you need”, Dana said as she was leaving. I’ll be back this afternoon with clothes for Meredith and the other things you asked for.”

“Could you call first, please?” Doc asked her. “Meredith will be sleeping this afternoon.”

“Sure. It won’t be until later in the afternoon.”

Doc made up the bed and then it was lunch time. After we ate, he said “I want you to lie down for a while, hon.”

“I don’t want to lie down.”

“You need to. I know you had a restless night last night, Meredith. You didn’t sleep much, did you?”

“No”, I admitted.

“Get your butt to bed. I’ll be in after I do these dishes.”

“Doc, there aren’t enough dishes to justify the soap.” We had had sandwiches, so there were just a couple plates, utensils and glasses. He looked at the sink. “Come on, honey, you can wash them with the supper dishes.”

“Okay”, he finally relented and followed me down the hall. I got undressed and into the gown.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom?” he asked. I shook my head no. “I’ll leave the catheter bag off since you likely won’t sleep more than a couple hours or so.” He took his pants and shirt off and crawled into bed in his undershirt and shorts. Cuddling up to me, he asked “Why didn’t you sleep well last night, sweetie?”

“I did at first. I fell asleep right away, but then I woke up and started thinking about things. I know I should feel safe, and I did when we got here yesterday, but I don’t trust Jane at all. I’m scared she will find us. And I miss the horses and Jessie.”

Doc started stroking my hair. “I know you miss your animals. You did the right thing, though, in sending them to safety. And you have to trust the police, hon. They are doing their best to find her and they will let us know if they think she’s found us. I would imagine they would get us out of here and put us somewhere else.”

“I know, Doc. I can’t help it, though.”

“Try and get to sleep for a bit.”

I did fall asleep and slept for a good part of the afternoon. The sound of Doc’s phone vibrating woke me up. He took the call then said that Dana was on her way and would be here in 10 minutes. We got up and dressed and Doc put a pot of decaf on since it was after 4pm.

Dana arrived with the things we had asked for. She handed me some bags. “Here, hon, I’ll get those”, Doc said as he took them from me. “You should be sitting down.” He was really worried about my cardiac readings and insisted I be on the portable monitor when not in bed. He also insisted I take it easy and rest as much as possible.

I sat down. Doc offered Dana a cup of coffee and she accepted. “Meredith, why don’t we go to the bedroom and you can try the clothes on to make sure they fit?”

“I’ll put these things away while you’re doing that”, Doc said, heading to the kitchen.

Dana and I took our coffee to the bedroom. I was a little hesitant to take my clothes off in front of her. Normally, I don’t have a problem with another woman seeing me undress, but I don’t usually have a catheter in. “Dana, I just want to tell you I have a catheter in so don’t be too shocked.”

“Oh, that’s okay, it doesn’t bother me. But why do you have it?”

“I haven’t been able to pee since my surgeries. Julian says it can take awhile for the bladder to ‘wake up’ after anesthesia. I hope it hurries up.” We both laughed.

I began trying on the clothes. “I wanted to get you alone to ask you something”, she said as I pulled on a pair of pants. I’d asked for loose fitting clothes that would be more comfortable with my incision and also the catheter tubing. “How are things between you and Julian?”

“They are fine”, I answered. “We are very much in love.”

“Is he abusive to you in any way?”

“No, absolutely not. Why would you ask that?”

“I just got a vibe that he’s the one in control in your relationship. Last night, he said you were tired and you’d be going to bed early. Then this morning, he said you were going to be sleeping in the afternoon. And he wouldn’t let you carry the bags I brought.”

“That’s the doctor coming out in him. I’ve had a real rough time lately, and he’s just taking care of me medically. He didn’t want me carrying the bags because he doesn’t like my cardiac readings. I have mitral valve prolapse and it seems like it’s been made worse by the surgeries and the stress I’ve been under.”

“Ok, if you are sure ….”

“Yes, I am sure - but thanks for the concern. And btw, if I really don’t want to do something, he can‘t make me. I held my ground refusing surgery for months.”

I tried on the clothes and most of them fit. Dana took the ones that didn’t and said she’d exchange them the next day.

After she left, Doc made our supper. I sat in the kitchen and talked to him while he worked. I wrestled with whether to tell him what Dana had said. I didn’t want to upset him, but on the other hand, if he found out later, he wouldn’t be happy.

“What did Dana want, hon?” he interrupted my thoughts.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t buy that she wanted to see you try on the clothes.”

Why, oh why, did I pick someone so intelligent to fall in love with? I guess he made my choice for me. “Will you promise to not tell anyone?”

“Ok, hon.”

“She was concerned that you were bossing me around.”

“What??? Why would she think that?”

“Because you took the bags from me today and said that I would be sleeping this afternoon.”

Doc sighed.

“Honey, she’s seen a lot of abuse in her job. Cut her some slack. I told her that that wasn’t the case, that I’ve been through a lot medically and you are just doing your job as a doctor.”

“I hope that is the end of it.”

“I’m sure it is. Please do not say anything to her about it.”

Just as we were finishing supper, there was a knock at the door. It was the night guards, Zack and Case with their dogs Turner and Hooch. Doc and I let the canines sniff us and we chatted a bit with the guys. “Chances are, Meredith and I won’t be walking outside but if we end up being here a while, we may as her health improves.”

“You won’t have to worry about these guys”, Zack said. They are here to protect you, not attack you.”

When they had gone back outside, I turned to Doc and said “I need a shower, I haven’t had one all day.”

“Hold on while I do the supper dishes, then I’ll help you, hon. Come back to the kitchen and keep me company while I do them, then we’ll have our coffee before a shower.”

I hobbled back and sat down. Doc put the coffee maker on before he started cleaning up. I felt awful for not being able to help. He said he didn’t mind doing it alone, but I wanted to do my share. “Meredith”, he said “if it were me that had had surgery, would you let me do any work?”

“Of course not, Doc.”

“Then don’t be wanting to do any yourself. Rest and get better.”

“I know you are right, Doc.”

“Of course I’m right. I always am. Hey, how about making us a cake tomorrow? You can sit at the table and mix it. I can get out everything you need and then put it away later. We can have some after supper while we play Scrabble.”

“Sounds good, honey.”

After he finished cleaning up, Doc helped me into the shower. Even though I’d slept almost all afternoon, I was still tired and didn’t have a lot of strength. As he was washing my hair, he said “I think you should go to bed right after your shower, hon. You seem tired and I don’t want you to get run down. You need all your strength for healing.”

“I agree, Doc. Bed sounds good.”

Back in the bedroom, he put me on the monitor and checked my incision. “I don’t like the fact the redness is still there, Meredith. You aren’t getting worse but you aren’t getting better either. I think I may put you back on the IV antibiotic and on a stronger one.” I sighed. “I know, hon, but we need to get rid of that infection.” After dressing the incision, he attached a catheter bag and then got undressed and into his scrubs before getting into bed with me.

“You don’t need to go to bed early, Doc”, I told him.

“I’m tired, too.”

The next few days went by without incident. Doc and I spent our days reading, watching tv, playing Scrabble and just sitting and talking. Much as I don’t like being idle, I did enjoy the time with just the two of us. I talked him into waiting a bit on the IV antibiotic and continued to take the oral one he’d put me on after I’d had 3 doses of the first IV drug. I was feeling fine, except for being more tired than usual. Doc was monitoring my temperature and it was just slightly above normal.

There was no word from Scott Fletcher. We could only take that to mean that Jane had still not been caught. I wondered how long they would keep us here if she continued to elude them.

On Monday, when we’d been there five days, Randall came to see us. We invited him in and offered him a coffee, which he accepted. “I wanted to give you an update and tell you what happened on the weekend. First, Jane still does not know where you are. She’s sent a couple more emails to Meredith, but has not phoned either of you.”

“What did the emails say?” I asked.

“She’s getting more frustrated at not being able to find you. The police in Williams Lake have put out an internal memo alerting everyone, uniform and undercover, that she might try to bribe them into giving her information. Anyone found accepting such a bribe will be dealt with severely.”

“What else?”

“She called you a coward for hiding and dared you to come out.”

“Uh-oh, Meredith doesn’t back down from a dare”, Doc said, half serious, half joking.

“She needs to this time.”

“Don’t worry, guys. I have no intention of contacting her.”

“Good”, Randall said. “The next thing involves your apartment, Julian.” Doc gave him a puzzled look. “A fire was started just outside your door in the early hours Sunday morning. About 3am. There was wood, and the police there suspect kindling, in a wooden box and he or she poured something flammable on it and set it on fire. Fortunately, someone who lives on the same floor was coming home late from a party. He pulled the fire alarm and got the extinguisher that’s on the wall and tried to put some of it out before the fire department got there.”

Doc’s face was white as a sheet. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Fortunately, no. There’s damage to the floor, your door is gone and there’s some damage to the inside of your apartment just inside the door. Most likely, there is also smoke damage.”

Doc looked like he was going to be sick.

“Was it Jane?” I asked.

“She is their number one suspect. They looked at the security tape from the camera that was installed in the lobby after she attacked you and a woman with an apparent wig and sunglasses followed a tenant through the door. The building owner is furious as signs were put up after the attack asking tenants to not allow strangers to follow them in.”

“I have to go back”, Doc said with a sigh.

“You can’t go back”, Randall said.

“I have to. She’s escalating, I can’t let this go on. I have to stop it before she hurts someone else or even kills them.”

“How do you think you can stop her?”

“She wants me. That is why she’s doing this - to bully me into going back to her. She wins. I have to do it.”

My heart sank. “Julian”, I said with tears in my eyes. “I can’t stop you, it has to be your choice. But please think about this - what do you think will happen if you go back to her?”

“She will stop all this.”

“But what will you two do? Do you think you could ever have a normal life with her?”

“Do you mean because of….?” He didn’t finish the question, but I knew he was referring to the abuse.

“Not just that. Jane has committed crimes, some of them very serious. Besides threats, she’s wanted for assault causing bodily harm and attempted murder. She can never have a normal life, even if she creates a new identity. How will she find a decent job? She can’t put her past jobs on her résumé if she is no longer Jane Patton. She will always be looking over her shoulder, wondering if the police have found her. If you go with her, you will be giving up your career, not to mention you will face charges of being an accomplice if you two get caught. With a criminal record, you won’t be able to work as a doctor again.” I paused. “And, obviously, you and I wouldn’t be together again.”

“Listen to her”, Randall said to Doc. “She’s right on all points.”

“I didn’t think of that. But what if she hurts someone else or kills them?”

“That would not be your fault at all, Julian!” I exclaimed. “Everything that she has done is on her, not you or I.”

“I know you are right, hon. I just can’t help but feel guilty.”

“That’s because you are a good man. You don’t want to see anybody harmed, even if that means you giving up your happiness.”

“I’m going to give you something else to think about”, Randall said. “What do you think it would do to Meredith if you left her? I only met you two a few days ago, but I am good at reading people - which comes in handy in this job. And I can tell that you are madly in love with each other. In fact, I’m surprised that there isn’t a ring on Meredith’s finger.” Both Doc and I blushed. “I see it in the way you take care of Meredith, Julian. She’s been through a lot and you are standing by her. And Meredith, I see it in your eyes when you look at Julian and I see you hurting because he’s hurting emotionally. I see it now when you didn’t beg Julian not to go to Jane - you gave him the choice, even if that meant losing him.”

Doc moved closer to me on the sofa and put his arm around me. I leaned into him. “I’ve made my decision. I’m not going anywhere.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Meredith, I’m sorry that I even considered it. Will you ever forgive me?”

“Already done, honey.”

“Randall”, I asked, “What if Jane continues to elude the cops? How long do we have to stay here?”

“Until she’s caught or the police back there have reason to believe she’s either dead or left the area.”

“Even if it takes weeks?”

“Yes. Or months. I think the longest we’ve had someone was just over a year.”

“Oh, wow.” A year here? I can’t handle that, I thought. Even though it’s comfortable and everything is provided. We did not have freedom to go anywhere and I missed my animals and friends terribly.

“Let’s hope they catch Jane long before a year is up.”

“Yes, let’s!”

That night, as we were getting ready for bed, I said to him “Well, Doc, you got your revenge!”

“Revenge? For what?”

“For the time just before we became a couple when I suggested backing off on our friendship.”

“Hon, that didn’t even enter my mind. I just wanted to put an end to Jane’s rampage.”

“I’m teasing you, Doc!”

“Oh. Sorry, hon.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

“Meredith, you tease me. It’s who you are and part of the reason I fell in love with you. Don’t ever change.”

“I don’t plan to, honey.”

“Good. Now, come over here and I’ll get you on the monitor after I listen to your heart. I also want to take your temperature. So, don’t put your gown on just yet.” I sat on the bed and he got his stethoscope and, putting the diaphragm over my left breast and listening carefully, he began what had become our nightly routine since coming here. Next, he placed the diaphragm over my right breast, in between my breasts and finally, under the left one. For that, he had to lift my breast with his other hand. I found myself being glad of the fact I was not on the monitor yet as I’m sure my heart rate increased. Then I remembered that he was hearing it and could hear it speed up. Which probably made it speed up more.

“Ok, hon”, he said to me when he was done. “Lay down so I can check your incision. But first I‘m going to wash my hands.” A couple minutes later, he was looking at it. “Hon, I’m going to take most of these stitches out in a couple days but there are 3 that need to stay in. I don’t know what to make of it, it has not healed at that end. It’s still red around the incision, too.”

“What if it doesn’t heal?”

“I may take the stitches out and let it heal by second intention.”

“Oh, okay.”

“You know what that is?”

“Yes, I’ve had situations with some horses where it had to be done that way.”

“I keep forgetting that there are so many similarities between human and veterinary medicine.” He finished putting on a fresh dressing, then attached the cardiac leads and turned on the monitor. “Now, I will take your temp and then put the night bag on your catheter. Tomorrow, I will take it out and see if you can go on your own. On your tummy, please.”

This was different. He almost always took my temperature with me on my left side. I turned over. “Let me know if it hurts your surgical area to lie on it, hon”, he said as he put a glove on his hand.

“It doesn’t, Doc.” He pushed the thermometer through my sphincter and we chatted while we waited for it to register. “Doc, I hope you are at ease with the choice you made today.”

“To not give in to Jane? Yes, for the most part I am.”

“Remember, honey, whatever she does is not your fault. It’s on *her* and nobody else.”

“Hon, can we make a deal?”

“What’s that, Doc?”

“That neither one of us will ever talk of leaving again.”

“Yes, Doc, let’s make that deal.” He took the thermometer out and read it. “Still the same, Meredith - a bit high, but not really alarming.”

“Maybe it’s my new normal.”

“That would be nice if that’s all it is.” He took his glove off and put it in the wastebasket. I started to get up. “Stay right there, Ms Hottie.”

I lay back down and he got on the bed beside me. He ran his hand down my back and caressed my butt cheeks. Then he gently pushed my hair away from my neck with his other hand and began kissing me there. He reached under me and caressed my left breast. “Doc, you’re going to get me aroused.”

“That’s the plan, Meredith.”

“I thought sex was off the table?”

“You seemed to do fine last week, hon.”

“Oh, I did - but you said you should not have made love to me so soon after my surgeries.”

“I probably shouldn’t have, but you are doing so much better now, even despite the bit of infection that is left and the slow wound healing. Your pain is much, much less.”

“Thank God for that.” I turned to face him and he kissed me passionately. That night, I experienced sex with a catheter in for the second time and it was every bit as hot as the first.

The next morning, I was sitting in the living room having coffee after breakfast when there was a knock at the door. Doc was in the bathroom, so I got up and hobbled to the door to answer it. It was Randall. “Hi Meredith”, he said. “How are you doing?”

“I’m getting better by the day”, I said.

“That is good to hear. It’s my understanding that you have horses at home.”

“That is correct.”

“Do you know anything about birthing problems in them?”

“Yes, some.”

“The farmer closest to here is at the front gate. He says he has a horse trying to give birth but the baby can’t get out. His veterinarian is on another emergency call and can’t get there for at least an hour. He was hoping someone here could help. I was at the gate talking to the officer on duty when he came and I thought of you.”

I didn‘t hesitate. “Take me there.”

“I need Julian to clear it, since you are under his medical care.”

Doc had come up behind me and caught the last bit of our exchange. “Clear what?”

“A horse is having a difficult birth. The vet can’t come due to another emergency call.”

“I wouldn’t even think of trying to stand in the way of stopping her from helping an animal in distress”, Doc said. “I’d be sleeping on the sofa for the next six months.” I looked at him and he winked at me. “She can go, but I’m going, too. I want to make sure she doesn’t endanger herself.”

“First, let me make it clear that I can’t guarantee your safety. We do not believe that Jane knows you are here, but there’s always a chance we could be wrong.”

“I’ll take that chance, Randall. A horse needs help and I’m going.”

“I’ll go get a car and bring it up here so you don’t have to walk far.”

Ten minutes later, I was hobbling into the stall. I could see that the chestnut mare was in distress. Her owner, a man named Jim, walked up to her and took her by the halter. I went over on my crutches and talked to her for a moment so I didn’t startle her by going straight for her hind end.

I could see the problem as soon as I walked around to her back. The foal was trying to come out with just the head and one foreleg visible. They are supposed to be in the “diving” position, with both forelegs straight out and the head resting on them. It was only partway through the birth canal. If that leg was caught on the pubic bone - and I suspected it was - it would never get out like that.

“Do you have a large animal glove?” I asked Jim. His wife, Penny, approached and handed me one. I handed my crutches to her and asked her to hold on to them for me. Doc, who was watching from outside the stall called out “No, Meredith, stay on your crutches.”

“I can’t do it holding on to them, Julian”, I said as he entered the stall. “Don’t worry, I’m putting most of my weight on my other foot and holding on to the horse for support.”

I gently pushed the foal back into it’s mother’s uterus. The plan was to straighten the leg and then the mare should be able to push it out. But I couldn’t get it to stay back in there. “I need to put her on an incline with her front end down so that the foal stays in the uterus long enough for me to straighten the leg”, I said to Jim. Is there anywhere outside that is sloped?

“There’s the grassy ramp up to the other end of the barn, where we keep the hay.”

“Let’s go.” I got my crutches from Penny and followed Jim as he led the mare out and around to that part of the barn. He turned her around on the ramp so that her head and front end were lower than her rear end. I got in position again and pushed the foal back into the uterus. This time it stayed.

“Do you think it’s alive?” Penny asked.

“I *know* it’s alive, it just bit me.”

“It bit you?” Doc asked with alarm.

“Just a little nip, honey. I had my fingers in it’s mouth to see if it tried to suck on them, which would tell me it’s alive.” I gently eased the foal’s leg into position. The mare was quite tall - I estimated 16 hands at least. I’m not so tall and I was on tiptoe. I felt my blouse ride up as I was reaching inside the horse, but was too preoccupied to care or to think of my incision while my abdomen was rubbing up against the back of her leg.

Once the leg was straightened and I took my hand out of the mare, she pushed the foal out and it landed on the ground. I reached down and cleaned the fluids out of it’s mouth. “I need clean towels”, I said and Penny went running back for some. She brought them out a moment later and I began rubbing the chestnut filly - we’d looked to see what she was while Penny was getting towels - to stimulate breathing. Jim joined me with a towel. Soon the little girl was trying to stand. I felt it was okay to leave.

Doc handed me my crutches and commented on my front. It was soaked with fluids from the sack that had been around the filly. I was filthy. “I’m going to have to walk back”, I said. “I don’t want to get Randall’s car dirty.”

“Don’t worry about my car”, Randall said. “You can’t walk back on that bum foot.”

We said goodbye to Jim and Penny, who were very thankful I’d been able to save their foal. Back at the safe house, the first thing I did was take my top off. “Meredith, where is your dressing?” Doc asked. I looked down and the gauze was nowhere to be seen.