Chapter 4

Jocelyne was tired at the end of her shift, but it was more from worry than from any physical exertion. If she had to enter another medical bill, however, she was going to scream. As a doctor, she had known that the hospital had billed the province for services rendered, but she had never understood the intricacies. She had a whole new respect for the admin staff who always seemed so busy. Universal health care was good in theory, but it still involved money, just not money from patient to practitioner. She also wasn't a huge fan of fee-for-service payments. A doctor should be able to spend as much time with a patient as was necessary as opposed to billing for time. Well, she wasn't going to change the system, so there was an end to it.

She was just about at the door when Owen called out to her. "I know I promised you a ride home, but I've been called over to the hospital for a consult."

"Nothing serious, I hope."

He shook his head. "They just want me to consult on a case to see if we can treat it here in Mission City or if the patient needs to be transferred into the city." He took a breath. "So I won't be able to drive you home."

"It's okay, the bus is no big-"

"I'll drive her."

Both Jocelyne and Owen turned to face the newcomer. Seth was wearing his sunglasses so she couldn't see his eyes, but she could read his expression. He was here to do a follow-up and, undoubtedly, he had more questions.

"That would be great, Seth," Owen said with enthusiasm. "It's two buses and takes Jocelyne almost an hour to get home. She's on my way, so it's no big deal for me to take her, just not today."

"No worries, Owen, consider it done." His glaze flicked over her. "Since you're ready to go, why don't we leave?"

Knowing it would be childish and churlish to refuse, Jocelyne simply nodded. She held the door for him and, although Seth stiffened, he acknowledged her and stepped through. As soon as they were out of earshot of Owen, however, she whirled on him. "You had no right to do that. I am perfectly capable of taking the bus."

"Two buses and almost an hour," Seth said. "Look, I don't want to argue. Let's just get in the truck and you can complain all the way to your place."

Jocelyne huffed, but started to move forward. This time, however, she went to the driver's door and held out her hand. "I'm driving. You shouldn't be driving, you know. You shouldn't be doing anything."

"Message received loud and clear, but you're not driving."

"Why not? Afraid I'll damage your precious truck," she sneered.

His grin was quick and incisive. "You show me a valid driver's licence and I'll hand over the keys." He paused. "What, no licence? No licence, no keys, Jocelyne, so get out of my way."

He had said her name with scorn and she supposed she deserved it. "I do have a valid driver's licence," she said weakly, but knew this was a battle she was not going to win. So she held his door open for him and grimaced when his shoulder jostled as he got into the truck.

Stubborn man, she thought, as she went around to the passenger side. She got in and secured her seatbelt.

"Where to?"

She gave him the address and saw him frown. "It's down by the highway," she began.

"I know where it is," he said, rudely cutting her off. He looked like he was going to say something, but instead started reaching for the gear shift.

"Is your foot on the brake?"

"Of course," he sounded a little annoyed.

"Then I'll put the truck in gear." She took his grunt as assent and eased the shifter down to drive. "You're just lucky you don't drive a stick."

He let out a chuckle. "Actually, I do. My brother Ray agreed to switch vehicles with me for the time being. It was his truck you were insulting."

"I didn't mean anything by it," she said defensively. "And you're the stubborn one, not me."

He didn't respond to that and the rest of the ride was made in silence. When they pulled up to the building, however, Seth broke the uncomfortable truce. "You can't stay here."

"Why not?" Joss bristled. "I've been living here for more than a week."

"And you haven't been broken into?"

"I don't have anything worth stealing." Just a little white lie. Her engagement and wedding rings might be worth something to someone else, but they were worthless to her.

"Well you will be robbed if you stay here." His tone was verging on menacing.

She took a deep breath. "This is what I can afford. This is where I'm staying. Thank you for the ride." She hopped out of the truck and was half-way to the door before she realized he meant to follow her. "Obstinate man," she shot out, even as he closed the door with his right shoulder. She felt the pain as if it were her own as it rocketed through him. She went to him and placed her hands on his shoulder, feeling the muscles spasm until she was able to calm them down with gentle manipulations.

"You're good at that," he said through gritted teeth.

"For whatever good it will do," she muttered.

He took a deep breath. "Look, the crime rate in this part of town - in this complex - is unbelievably high. I'm not kidding. You're not safe."

Her expression softened. "It's nice you care about me, but this is my residence. This is going to have to do for the time being."

"What are Marco and Owen paying you?" His menacing look was back. "I'm going to have a word with them."

"You'll do no such thing," Jocelyne spit out. "I need that job. They pay well but I don't have any way to pay for first and last month's rent on another place."

"I'll lend you the money," he spewed. "Now let's go find you somewhere to live."

Jocelyne shook her head. "What about references? Credit checks? Look, as much as I appreciate the help, it is neither needed nor wanted."

She let that sink in.

"Well I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight knowing you're here, and you probably shouldn't either. Now, pack a bag, you're coming with me."

"No." Here, she had to make a stand. "I have nowhere else to go."

"You're coming with me."

And just like that, frustration turned to panic. "I can't stay with you."

Seth's laugh came out as a bark. "I didn't mean stay with me. My sister has an empty in-law suite. You can stay there for the time being."

"I can't afford it."

"You can pay her whatever you're paying for this dump."

"I won't take charity," Jocelyne warned.

"It's not charity," Seth assured her. "The suite has been sitting empty for months. Any rent in better than no rent. If you really feel guilty, you can throw in some free babysitting."

Jocelyne felt thunderstruck. Free babysitting? What would that entail? Her emotions must have played across her face because he hastened to add, "but it's okay if you don't."

"I just..." She cleared her throat. "I don't have a lot of experience with babies."

"That's okay, although the kids aren't really babies anymore." Still, he waved it off as if it were no big deal. "So we're agreed that you're moving. Do you need help packing?"

Jocelyne frowned. This was getting out of hand. "You're being awfully high-handed."

"Whatever it takes," he said mildly, "because you're not staying here."

She relented. The truth was the place was a dump and she had been concerned about her safety. It was just that it was cheap, her apartment was rented by the week, and no one asked any questions. Personal safety had been lower on the list than those considerations.

"You're sure your sister won't mind?"

"Positive." Now he gave her that quick grin which seemed to come so easily. "Now, do you need help?"

"No, give me ten minutes."

She was done in seven.

Not that anyone was counting.

When he pulled up to his sister's house, however, she found a bout of nerves coming to the fore. The house was a large two-story, dove grey with white trim. There was a minivan out front with children's toys strewn across the yard.

It was all very domestic.

A far cry from Jocelyne's former house. Almost ostentatious in its pomposity, it had reeked of money. Large iron gates had been designed to keep the wealthy in and the riffraff out. Needing a staff of three just to run it, it had been in one of the oldest and most exclusive parts of Montréal. She had belonged to one of those venerable families.

And so had her husband.

How far she had come.

How far she had fallen.

"Are you coming?"

Seth's low-timbre voice brought her out of her reverie. He was halfway up the walkway and she was still standing by the protective barrier of the truck. His face was full of pleasure instead of pain, so Jocelyne felt herself relenting. Moving slowly, she told herself that it was just a new experience. These were good people and she would be safe.

By the time Seth was knocking on the door, Jocelyne had positioned herself slightly behind him.

The door flew open and a cherubic young girl opened the door. Blonde curls and big blue eyes which fastened on Seth and then she launched herself into his arms. She giggled in delight and then gave Seth a huge smack on the cheek. Then her eyes moved to Jocelyne. They were knowing eyes, she thought. Eyes which could bore into her soul.

"How's my sweet Candy cane?"

"Good," she giggled.

Seth stepped over the doorway and was about to put his niece on the carpet when his feet squished on the carpet.

"Nancy?"

He listened and was met with silence. An eerie silence. A house with three kids was never this quiet. He took a few tentative steps further into the house when his sister appeared. Her short crop of brown curly hair was sticking every which way and, despite her small stature, she radiated strong emotion.

"Seth! Perfect timing." She turned towards the house. "Roxanne! Douglas!" Within moments a cute little boy and a sulking teenager appeared. "Uncle Seth is going to take you all out for dinner while Mommy deals with the insurance agent." She nudged the kids on to the front porch and handed them fresh socks and shoes. She deftly changed Candy's without missing a beat. She leaned over to give Seth a kiss on the cheek, then she turned to her middle child.

"Douglas, let's be clear. Dinner out tonight is not a reward. You're still in trouble." It looked like she was about to say more when a car drove up. A woman wearing rubber boots exited her vehicle.

"Annabeth," Nancy exclaimed, "thanks for getting here so quickly."

The older woman grinned. "Nothing like a burst pipe to water-log a home."

Nancy sighed. "I wish it was a burst pipe." She glanced over at Douglas. "Someone thought it would be a good idea to shove a whole role of toilet paper down the toilet just as we were leaving this morning. Upstairs bathroom, no less." She took a quick breath. "I came home to a catastrophe. Water everywhere."

Seth noticed that his nephew looked more pleased with himself than actually chagrined. So he put nudged his nephew's shoulder with his hip. "We'll go to dinner and let Mom deal with the mess you've made."

For the first time, Nancy really looked at him. "Oh, put Candy down, Seth, I forgot about your shoulder."

"No big deal, Nancy, she's not that heavy." He was lying through his teeth and his sister saw it, but she refrained from calling him out on it because she was now focused on the woman still hiding behind him.

She held out her hand. "I'm Seth's crazy sister," she said as Jocelyne shook her hand. "I promise you that it's not usually like this around here. Look, do you mind taking the kids and helping Seth?" She was already handing Jocelyne the keys to the minivan.

"Of course not," Jocelyne said, but Seth heard the undertone of panic in her voice.

"Great." Nancy turned to Annabeth. "Shall we?"

The insurance agent stepped into the house and Seth could hear the squishing. Man, what a mess. He moved towards the vehicle with Jocelyne, Roxanne and Douglas trailing behind. He heard when Jocelyne unlocked the door. When she stepped forward, she opened the door. Seth eased Candy into the van where she promptly got into her car seat.

"Roxanne, you're going to have to secure the belt."

There was a huff, but the teenager did as she was bade. Douglas climbed into his seat and did up his belt while Roxie reached for the front passenger door.

"Nice try, Roxie, but Jocelyne is sitting up front with me so she can help me with the controls."

"But I can help you, Uncle Seth," the young woman whined. "I don't want to sit in the back with the brats."

"Brats, brats, brats," Candy chanted.

"Am not a brat," Douglas huffed out. "And anyway, you look like a clown."

Jocelyne looked confused, so Seth explained. "Douglas believes that any woman who wears makeup looks like a clown." He had to admit that his niece's blush was several shades darker than necessary, her eyeshadow was on the dark side and her mascara had been liberally applied. She didn't look like a clown, but she didn't look mature as she had probably hoped she would.

"I can sit in the back," Jocelyne offered and Roxie gave a big grin.

Seth gave his niece a blistering look. "You can't help me, much as I appreciate the offer, so get in the back so we can get going."

She huffed yet again, but got into the back of the van and put on her headphones. Seth turned to Jocelyne. "It's just dinner. I suspect after today's escapades it will be a fairly subdued affair."

If he didn't know better, he would swear she looked scared. How could the woman who had faced down Frank's injuries without blinking an eye be afraid of a little dinner with three kids?

"Are you coming or do you want to sit on the porch and wait for me to get back?"

Her expression turned from scared to wary. "I-"

Seth reached out, snagged her right hand with his left and gently pushed her towards the minivan. "I really do need your help, Jocelyne, so I'm asking."

That seemed to get to her, so she relented and got into the passenger seat.

When Seth eased into the driver's seat, he tried not to wince.

The ride to the restaurant was accomplished quickly. And silently, Seth noted. His normally raucous nieces and nephew all seemed subdued. Of course Roxie rarely spoke if not spoken to anyway, so her silence wasn't all that surprising. Even Candy's normally incessant chatter was missing and, for once, Seth was grateful.

Jocelyne had uttered only a few words since they had arrived at Nancy's. Of course it had been a little chaotic, he thought, as he glanced over at her. She was sitting in her seat, hands folded primly in her lap. He again noticed her posture. He wondered if she ever relaxed. Let her hair down.

He was beginning to doubt it.

Maybe he could be the one to make her do it. His hands were itching to release that flaxen hair from the clip which held it so firmly in place. He couldn't even tell how long it was. There was never so much a strand out of place. He wanted to pull out that clip and see if her hair was really as soft as it looked.

"We're here," Candy announced, her hands clapping together as she was clearly pleased with her uncle's choice of restaurant. Roxie looked bored while Dougie was finally looking chagrined.

Seth was undaunted. Often, he had tackled all seven of his nieces and nephews on one day. He had wanted his three siblings and their respective spouses to have a night off. Most would have called him crazy, but he had been undaunted.

In retrospect, those were some of the best times of his life. Ranging in age from two to eleven, it was just one big party. Of course that had been before Roxie had developed an attitude and she had been willing to help out. Amazing the difference a year could make.

Often, he would plan a special day with each niece and nephew alone. A day where he could bond. Where he could get to know him or her as a person, away from parents and siblings. Each interaction was something he held close to his heart. Because each child was someone precious. He couldn't wait to have children of his own.

Dougie released Candy's restraint and within moments she was out of the van. Dougie followed quickly while Roxie took her time. Candy was tugging on his hand, but she was the only one who looked pleased. Dougie was looking at his shoes. Roxie was leaning against the van and Jocelyne was off to one side.

"This will be fun," he assured them all.

"It's embarrassing to be here," Roxie corrected, clearly unimpressed.

Seth was undaunted.

"We can put on a hat and sunglasses to disguise you."

"Or I could sit by myself," Roxie offered. "Or, better yet, why don't I just stay out here in the van?"

Seth shook his head. "No one stays in the van. I guess it's not cool to be with your family, but you're just going to have to deal with it."

"Everyone knows you're a cop."

That brought Seth up short. He turned to Jocelyne. "Could you take Candy and Dougie in and find us a table? We'll be there in just a moment."

She looked terrified, but something in her eyes told him that she understood. She held out her hands and let the kids take them then she led them into Boston Pizza.

"What's wrong with your uncle being a police officer?" He paused, searching his memory. "Is this because of Lance and Lonnie?"

She didn't say anything, but her expression spoke volumes.

"You shouldn't be involved with those boys."

Roxie shot him a withering glare. "All they did was take their dad's car for a ride. He didn't even report it stolen. At least they have a cool dad."

Lonnie and Lance's father was as much as a reprobate as his sons were turning out to be, Seth thought. Instinctively he understood that his next words would be important. He sensed this was one of those times when things could go very wrong very easily.

"Lonnie and Lance Eagan are thirteen and fourteen years old."

"So? I'm almost thirteen! Stop treating me like a baby!" Her tone was plaintive, but not whiny. Seth felt his heart go out to her, but it didn't diminish his resolve.

"I know this is hard to understand, but this is one of those times when you have to trust that I know what's best for you." Seth took a deep breath, asking for strength. "They only got caught for speeding and driving without a licence. Sounds pretty small, but what if they had crashed the car? What if they had killed someone? Or themselves? They knew better than to take off in their father's car." He paused. "Imagine how your parents would have felt if you had been with them? I know you're in a hurry to grow up, but this isn't the way to do it."

Roxie was silent and looked disconcerted which was slightly better than the mutinous look it had replaced.

"Look, why don't we go see if Dougie and Candy have scared Jocelyne off?"

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No."

"But you want her to be." A statement, not a question.

Out of the mouth of babes, he thought, as they stepped into the restaurant.

When he first located Jocelyne and the kids, everything appeared calm. Too calm. The menus were still on the table and there were five glasses of water. Candy was quietly colouring a paper placemat while Dougie was staring at Jocelyne.

Who was staring right back.

He and Roxie had barely sat before Dougie turned to him.

"She says that we can't go to McDonald's for desert and play on the jungle gym."

"Yes, after dinner we'll go over to get ice cream and you can play on the jungle gym." Seth me Dougie's stare. "And 'her' name is Jocelyne."

Dougie was clearly unimpressed. "She said that I can't play at all...even after dinner."

"Well," Seth said, "Jocelyne doesn't know the rules. I'm sure she was just being careful. Now, what does everyone want?"

"Macaroni," Candy answered blithely.

She was the only one with a smile on her face.

Dinner hadn't been a complete disaster, Jocelyne thought, as she and Seth stood next to the jungle gym. There had been a group of young women sitting on the patio and Seth had given Roxie permission to go sit with them. From their current position, she and Seth could see all three kids.

"I'm sorry I spoke out of turn," Jocelyne offered. "It's just...do you know how many kids get injured on these things every year?"

Seth shrugged. "I have no idea, but that's why we're here supervising." He glanced over at her. "They'll be okay, Jocelyne."

She didn't feel reassured. She knew what could happen to kids. How many had she seen in her ER over the years? Broken bones, concussions, contusions, puncture wounds and worse. She'd lost three kids on her watch, all from accidents on similar apparatuses. That wasn't even counting the inside of the home. The world was a dangerous place for children and it was amazing any of them survived into adulthood.

Seth reached over to take her hand in his and she was so surprised she forgot to pull back. He brought it to his mouth and let out a warm moist breath. Jocelyne felt her breath hitch. "Why did you do that," she whispered.

"Because your hand is freezing. I mean, it's the middle of summer. I know this place is air conditioned, but still, you shouldn't be cold."

"Not cold," she said tightly, "just concerned."

"Watch me, Uncle Seth!" Candy let Dougie push her down the slide. She started screaming and Jocelyne was about to jump forward when she realized it was a scream of excitement, not distress. How did parents do this? How did they walk that fine line?

Seth squeezed her hand. "It gets easier. When Roxie was born, Nancy was a basket case. She worried over every little thing, every bump, every bruise, every scrape. The house was childproofed and then she wrapped the baby in bubble wrap." He grinned. "By the time Candy came along, she had the whole thing down. She still worries, but not about the little stuff. She still cares, but she doesn't wrap the kids up and keep them in the house."

Jocelyne let out a long sigh. "I guess I've seen too much."

"As a medical billing clerk? Where did you work?"

Damn, she thought, marshalling the panic yet again. "At a hospital," she offered lamely. "You hear stories, you know?" She could only hope that he did.

"Yeah, I know. I mean, I work as a cop and we're only called when something bad happens. No one ever calls us because they're having a good day and everything's fine. For some people, we portend nothing but doom."

Jocelyne laughed. "I'm not sure I would go that far. I know lots of cops and they usually don't portend bad things in and of themselves. You're right, though, they just happen to be there on someone's worst day of their lives."

"Like firemen. And nurses. And doctors," he offered.

Jocelyne tried desperately to keep her face impassive, but she wasn't sure she succeeded. "Sure, like most emergency personnel. I haven't asked, by the way, how is Frank doing?" She held her breath.

"Better," Seth said. "They're hoping to move him out of intensive care tomorrow. I'm going to see him on Saturday. I want you to come with me."

Jocelyne tried to pull her hand away, but he held tight.

"His wife, well ex-wife, wants to thank you. If Frank's up to it, I'm sure he'll want to thank you as well."

"Seth, I didn't do anything. It's the paramedics who did the heavy lifting on this one."

"And you learned your skills as a medical billing clerk." She could hear the disbelief in his voice.

"I took some first aid courses," she said, again trying to pull her hand back.

This time, he let her go. "I'll collect the kids and meet you at the van." He didn't meet her in the eye and she wasn't sure whether to be disconcerted or relieved.

After having been with her friends, Roxie was more amenable to helping out and they were soon on their way home. Candy was keeping up a lively chatter about the jungle gym, Roxie had her headset on and Dougie was staring out the window. In the middle of Candy's monologue, he spoke.

"I'm gonna be in trouble, aren't I?"

Jocelyne glanced at Seth who glanced in the rear view mirror to meet Dougie's eyes. "Do you think you should be in trouble?"

The little boy fidgeted. "Yeah, probably. You'll come in with us, right Uncle Seth? 'Cause Dad won't yell as loud if you're around."

Seth chuckled. "You may be right, Dougie, but I can't be your protector. If your Dad thinks you need to be punished, then you'll have to take it like a man."

Jocelyne wasn't liking the track that this was taking. She leaned towards Seth. "Is the father going to hit Dougie?"

Seth glanced over at her, his face clearly showing he thought she was crazy. "Of course not. My parents didn't raise us with corporal punishment and neither does Nancy. Plus, Blaine is the gentlest man you'll ever meet. Dougie's just looking for sympathy from me, but he's not going to get it. He has to face the consequences of his actions."

"Okay," Jocelyne said, feeling somewhat mollified. She'd also seen far too many cases of child abuse. Parents claiming they hadn't meant to hit so hard. Parents saying their children were just clumsy. Unbidden, she remembered a young girl who had been brought in. Barely three, she'd had internal injuries clearly caused by a fist to the stomach. The police had charged the baby's mother and Jocelyne had testified at trial. The woman had been convicted and sentenced to serve a jail sentence - something that didn't happen often enough as far as she was concerned.

"Jocelyne? Are you okay?"

She looked up to see they had pulled into the driveway of the dove-grey house. The minivan door was already opening and the children were decamping. She turned to Seth. "Sorry, just lost in thought."

"Didn't look like it was a pleasant place to be," he said. "We'll talk later." Before she had a chance to respond, he was out of the van and walking to the house.

If all her belongings hadn't been in the back of Seth's SUV, Jocelyne would have walked away right then and there.

Nancy was waiting at the front door with Blaine. Candy launched herself into her father's arms and began a recounting of the evening's events while Roxie stood with her hand on her hip. Dougie was hiding behind Seth and Jocelyne had stepped from the van but had approached no further. It was a very domestic scene she was witnessing.

It was Nancy who pulled away from the group and approached her. "I'm so sorry, I don't even know your name."

"Jocelyne," she offered.

"Well it's very nice to meet you. As they say, any friend of Seth's is a friend of ours."

Did people say that?

Nancy pushed her curly hair from her damp brow. "We've been trying to mop up the worst of it. I really appreciate you helping with the kids."

"They're nice kids," Jocelyne offered up.

"They're hellions," Nancy corrected, "but I love them. Look, I would normally invite you in..."

Jocelyne held up her hand, "I completely understand."

Seth came up behind Nancy and placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Blaine said you guys have moved into the in-law suite."

Nancy nodded. "Because it was two steps up, it didn't suffer any water damage. It's going to be hell for the five of us to live in three room, but we'll manage. We're going to try to make it like a camping trip. In fact I may just take the kids camping during some of the repair work. Annabeth said they can start on Friday, which feels like a million years from now, but she figures we've got several weeks of repairs. Insurance doesn't cover the cost of a hotel, though, so we'll just have to make do. Maybe we'll set up a tent in the backyard, that would be fun when it's not raining, don't you think?"

Jocelyne was amazed the woman had paused to draw breath.

Seth pulled his sister towards him, using his good arm. "I'm sure you'll make do, Sis. Otherwise, just farm the kids out to Beverly and Ray."

Nancy grinned. "Oh, that's not a bad idea. I should go call them and see who can help. I don't know if it's a good thing that school is out or not." She turned to Jocelyne. "It was nice to meet you. Next time, maybe we'll be in some kind of shape to host."

Jocelyne offered her bravest smile. "That would be very kind of you."

"Kids, come say goodbye to your uncle."

Candy ran and grabbed on to Seth's leg while Dougie trudged after her. His eyes bespoke misery. Seth reached out to rub his nephew's head. "You'll get through this and you'll learn from it, right buddy?"

Dougie wiped away the tears. "No X-Box for two weeks. How am I supposed to survive? I'll die," he said dramatically.

"No, you won't, kiddo." Seth grinned. "Try reading a book."

Dougie looked confused, but then slunk away. Nancy leaned over to remove Candy from her death grip on Seth's leg. "Uncle Seth will be back soon." She scooped the toddler into her arms with an ease Jocelyne found amazing. "Now, big kisses."

The little girl placed her hand against her mouth, placed a kiss to the palm, and then flung her arm in the air. "Love you, Uncle Seth."

"Love you too, Candy Cane."

When he backed away, Nancy took her family and headed back to the house. Seth dug out his pockets from his jeans and handed them to Jocelyne.

"You drive."

She was too stunned to speak, so instead she opened the passenger door to the SUV and helped Seth in as best as she could, secured his seatbelt and then closed the door. She tried not to think about how good he smelled or how it lifted her spirits that he trusted her enough to drive his truck. Only because he was in so much pain, she admonished herself. His face was white and lines of pain were drawn starkly.

"You need to go home," she said, after getting in the driver's side and securing her own seatbelt.

"I know," he said quietly. "I'll give you directions."

Her brow furrowed. "And then what? Where am I supposed to go?"

"My spare room for tonight and we'll figure out the rest tomorrow."

Jocelyne shook her head violently. "I'm not going home with you-"

"Look, Jocelyne, I need to get to my painkillers and my painkillers are at home. You'll be perfectly safe with me," he said on a mirthless laugh, "it's not like I'm capable of molesting you."

That hadn't been her first thought, but it was always a concern. "Look, I know you're not going to hurt me. How about I drop you off and go get a motel room for the night? I can come back in the morning."

Seth let out a breath of frustration. "It's your fault I'm in this mess in the first place."

"How do you figure?"

"If you hadn't been speeding then I wouldn't have been with you. I would have been the one in the path of that on-coming pick-up instead of Frank."

Guilt could be a powerful emotion, Jocelyne knew. She lived with it every single day.

"Which way do I go?"

Seth's house was not what she had expected. Well, truth be told, she hadn't known what to expect, but a wood frame log cabin hadn't been it. It didn't look big enough to even have two bedrooms, she thought. It was, quite possibly, the smallest house she had ever seen. Or maybe she had just been too pampered.

"It's not much, but it's home," he said. "Can you grab your bags?"

"Sure." First, however, she went to his side and opened the door. "Let me get your bath started before I bring my stuff in."

"I can draw my own bath," he said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sure you can and I'm sure you're going to be unbelievably bullish and stubborn, but let's get something clear. I'm here to help you. If you don't want that then I'll just take the truck and you can call Nancy to come bail you out."

He looked like he was going to argue, but then relented. "If you're going to shower tonight then you better go first because it's a small hot water tank. It takes the full tank to fill the tub."

Her brow creased. "So you think that I'm going to use up the hot water and leave you with none? Who do you think I am?"

"A pampered princess," he said simply.

Jocelyne took a deep breath. Then another. "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that because you're out of line. I'm going to chalk it up to you needing painkillers. I'm going to go get your bath started while you take your pills." With that, she headed to the house, hoping she could figure out which key opened the front door.

"It's not locked," said a voice behind her.

She whirled on him. "You don't lock your door? Seriously? In this day in age, you don't lock your door? And you were worried about me getting broken into? At least I had a lock and a chain."

"Neither of which are very effective against a juiced up meth head, but we're not going to argue. Just open the door and watch your step."

"Watch my-" But her words were but off by two dogs launching themselves at her. She dropped to her haunches and threw her arms around the husky while the terrier nipped at her heels. "Oh, aren't you two the cutest things I've ever seen? Oh, yes, I love doggy kisses," she said, even as the terrier was giving her face a thorough tongue bath.

She looked to Seth, indicating the cast.

He shrugged. "Well, Charley was actually thrown out of a car the other day - that's how we met."

Her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes watered. "That's horrible. People can be horrible." She embraced the little guy, giving him long soothing strokes. "But now Seth's taking care of you, isn't he? You are such a lucky little dog. And to have a big brother? Sister?"

"Sister," Seth confirmed. "I adopted MacKenzie about a year ago when she was brought into my friend's clinic. The family had lost their home and were moving into an apartment. The new place didn't take pets, so they were desperate. Zephyra thought of me and, voilà, a friendship was born. I was a little worried when I brought Charley home, but it was love at first sight."

"I'm so glad," Jocelyne said, even as she put her arm around the husky's neck.

"I'm just going to go start that bath," she heard Seth saying.

Reluctantly, she got to her feet, looking at two pairs of beguiling eyes. "I promise I'll come back," she said. "And then I'll take you out for a-"

"Don't say it-"

"-walk."

There was a cacophonous eruption of barking and Jocelyn only grinned. She turned to Seth. "Which way is the bathroom?"

He pointed in one direction. "And your bedroom is that way," he said, pointing in the opposite direction."

"And where is your room?"

"I'll bunk up in the loft."

Jocelyne looked at the ladder and space which held a single mattress and dresser. She turned to Seth in horror. "You implied you had a 'spare' room."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, there are two beds in the place and one is behind a door."

"Which is where you're going to sleep," she assured him. "Because you're not going to convince me you've been up that ladder since the accident."

He looked like he was going to try to argue, but then shut his mouth.

"Okay," she said. "So I'll go start the bath."

Obstinate, stupid, stubborn man, Jocelyne said to herself, as she went into the bathroom. And then she saw the bathtub. It was one of those old claw-foot cast-iron tubs that one could really sink into. It was a big tub for a big man, she thought. She turned on the water and let it run as hot as she dared. She turned and almost ran right into him.

"Thanks, Jocelyne, I do appreciate this."

He looked absolutely exhausted. When he reached for his sling, she waylaid him. She nudged him to sit on the closed toilet seat and it spoke volumes that he did exactly what he was told. He ducked his head so she could pull the sling from around his neck. As she watched, he flexed his hand and rotated his shoulder, trying - but not quite managing - to hold back a wince.

So Jocelyne reached down and started pulling the t-shirt out from his jeans.

"Whoa, what do you think you're doing?"

"Undressing you," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Now stay seated so I can do this. Then we'll get your jeans off and you can get into the bath." She turned to turn off the tap, noting that the room was starting to fill with steam.

"Look, as much as I appreciate your help, Nurse Jocelyne, I'm quite capable of removing my own jeans." In fact, he still had a death grip on his t-shirt as well.

She clucked as she tugged the fabric from his hands. "It's not like I haven't seen all this before." Finally, he relinquished his hold of the fabric and helped her get his left arm out of the shirt. It took some manoeuvring, but she managed to get it over his head and then pulled it down his right arm.

Then she got her first really good look at him.

"Damn, Seth, you should be in a hospital."

"It's just a few bruises," he said defiantly.

Jocelyne knew bruises and she knew just how bad this was. "Did they do an ultrasound to make sure there's no internal bleeding?" She reached out to touch his abdomen and was relieved to find it wasn't rigid to the touch. "Did they x-ray your chest?" She ran her hands along his ribs. "Because maybe they missed something."

"Please, Doc, don't touch me. I just need to get into the tub."

"What..." She swallowed convulsively, backing away from him. "What did you call me?"

"I called you 'Doc'," he said. "Because you're treating me like you're my doctor or something." He looked at her squarely. "Get out of here."

She nodded, reaching blindly for the door. She couldn't get out of there fast enough. If was the steam, she told herself, that was stealing her breath, and not the fact that Seth had just casually used her nickname. Once on the other side of the door, she closed it and sagged against it. Had he seen it? The panic, the doubt, the truth?

Feeling her hand being nudged, she found herself facing twin looks of woe.

"Okay, lady and gentleman. Let's find your leashes and take a walk. Then I'll bring in my suitcases and get set up in the loft. How does that sound?"

Charley yipped with clear approval and Jocelyne let out a shaky laugh.