Alyssa thought about Alicia’s last words as she pulled her car into the driveway of her parents’ long, lovely ranch-style home. She too, had taken a liking to Alicia. Okay, so maybe not immediate, but each time she saw her, the more she liked her, despite how wound up she seemed. All problems aside, she seemed to have a good sense of humor, and Alyssa liked how open-minded she appeared as well. Alicia had mentioned being a writer who wrote in support of equality. Alyssa wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but it was enough to tell her she was on the more tolerant and accepting side. This appealed to her in a person. It was important to her when dealing with people up close and personal. She couldn’t stand those who judged others based on skin color, where they were from, or who they loved.
Alyssa wasn’t sure whether Alicia was a lesbian or bisexual. She knew she could be, seeing as Alicia had mentioned a crush on a cyber friend in Germany who had sent her a postcard while vacationing in Greece, but Alyssa didn’t care. She was what she was, and as long as she didn’t hurt anyone—or herself—her sexuality didn’t matter.
While Alyssa considered herself a compassionate and caring person, she wasn’t normally drawn to those who seemed high-keyed and troubled. Maybe describing Alicia as “troubled” was stretching it a bit—at least until she’d become homeless. That would make anyone troubled. Maybe Alyssa herself would prefer death to succumbing to life on the streets if she were ever, God forbid, faced with such a situation. As a doctor, she didn’t expect to be, but she also knew bad things happened to good people—even those you’d least expect.
She’d only been practicing independently for four years, and she knew some would consider it unwise to go from doctor to friend, and even personal caretaker of sorts, to a former patient. She knew she was taking a risk, but she felt compelled nonetheless to follow through.
The night had turned chilly, and Alyssa found the warmth of her parents’ home comforting. The warm air felt good, as did the smell of whatever baked goods her mother had cooked up for the weekend ahead.
She made her way through the utility area and into the kitchen.
“Hey, you’re home,” her mother said as she placed a tea towel on the counter.
“It’s been a long day,” Alyssa said, glancing at the clock. It was now after 9 PM.
Her dad was sitting in the living room off the kitchen, reading a magazine. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes, but I need to ask you guys a huge favor.”
“Of course,” her mother said.
“I’ll make other arrangements for this girl—or better yet, I should say lady or woman, since she’s older than she looks—but how do you feel about me having a woman I was treating stay here for a while?”
Her mother blinked, apparently caught off guard. She exchanged a look with her husband and then said, “Well, I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on and what you have in mind?”
Alyssa spent the next several minutes filling her parents in on what she knew about Alicia Falkenberg.
“Hmm… she’s in her late forties, huh?” her mother asked.
“Yeah. Looks late twenties, though,” Alyssa said with a laugh. “She’s small.”
“What’s this?” her mother asked, picking up the papers Alyssa had placed on the counter.
“Copies of her hospital papers.”
“Alicia Lora, huh? Interesting how close that is to Alyssa Lara.”
Alyssa smiled.
Her mother’s tone turned serious. “I trust your intuition, Lys, but what do you really know about her other than that she’s anxious and down on her luck right now?”
“I’m going to call Cami and have her run a background check, but honestly, I don’t know much more than that she seems like a real sweetie, and I feel really bad for her. I’d just like to help her get back on her feet if I can.”
Cami was a longtime friend who had briefly entertained the idea of becoming a medical professional before deciding to let Alyssa heal bodies while she helped rid society of criminals.
Her father let her mother do the talking. “Well, while it isn’t like you to get involved with a patient, I trust your intuition.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Alyssa said, kissing her cheek. “And as I said, she’s not my patient anymore. That way, no code of ethics is being violated. As soon as she’s released and I bring her home, if either of you feels uncomfortable at all, I’ll make other arrangements.”
“Okay. As long as you’re comfortable, we’ll be comfortable too—unless that background check turns up something nasty.”
Alyssa smiled. “Thanks, you two. I’m going to head to my room and give Cami a call before I shower and crash. Love you.”
“Wait a minute,” her dad said. “Where is this girl—or woman—going to sleep?”
Damn, Alyssa thought. She hadn’t considered that. “How about the long velvet bench at the foot of my bed?”
Her mother laughed. “The long velvet bench? She really is small.”
“Yeah. Worst case, I buy her a cot.”
After wishing her a good night, Alyssa headed down the long hallway into her spacious room. Before it got any later, she called Cami and filled her in on what she knew about the petite brunette in the hospital.
“She’s got no friends or family?” Cami asked as Alyssa Googled Alicia’s name on her laptop.
“Not really. She’s sweet, but a loner. Most of the people she knows are either out of the area or not in a position to help.”
“Why do you think she’s a loner?”
“I don’t know her well enough to say. Probably because she didn’t work outside the home and she—oh my God.”
“What?”
“She’s an author.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I just found a couple of her novels on Amazon. She told me she was a writer months ago, remember? She said she wrote in support of equality.”
“So what does that mean?”
“Her lead characters are lesbians.”
“They digital?”
“Yeah.”
“Romance novels?”
“More like romance with a suspense twist.”
Cami laughed. “All romance has suspense. Even real life. So—is she a lesbian?”
“She mentioned a crush on a female cyber friend overseas.”
“Well, make sure she’s not hot for you—and if she is, make sure it’s mutual.”
Alyssa cleared her throat. “What are you talking about?”
“If she likes you, don’t lead her on. Who wants to live with something right under their nose that’s off-limits?”
“There’s been absolutely no indication of that, Cam.”
“I’m surprised. I mean, what lesbian, straight man, or bisexual human wouldn’t be hot for the hot doc?”
Alyssa laughed. “Thanks, but not everyone likes the same thing.”
“No, but I sure like the man at work lately.”
“Thought you didn’t mix business with pleasure?”
“I thought you didn’t either.”
“I don’t. I stepped aside as her doctor. Anyway, thanks for checking into her. I’ll do some digging myself.”
They chatted a bit longer before Cami promised to call back once she had information—or lack thereof.
Alyssa changed into a sleep shirt, propped herself up in bed with her laptop, and Googled Alicia again. Then she clicked through to her Facebook profile. There wasn’t much to see; Alicia seemed private.
Then she remembered Douglas mentioning a blog link. She found it in the ‘About’ section and clicked through.
The blog had a colorful background of animated stars that twinkled and sparkled. It was tasteful—colorful without being distracting.
She was surprised by how extensive it was. It went back nearly three decades. Curious, she clicked the very first entry, dated fall 1987.
She lost track of time entirely, unaware of the hours ticking by until the sky brightened with the cool, crisp promise of dawn.
ns216.73.216.236da2
and then Add to home screen.