Cain by Kathi S. Barton Page A

talking to someone. When she opened the door, she noticed that
he was still on his phone and Mrs. Webb was gone. Julie made her
way back to the bed, but didn’t sit down.
    Reaching for her shoes with her feet,
she ignored Cain. She felt that was the best way to win an argument
with him. She began working her shoe onto her foot as he
spoke.
    “ This is a house separate
from the main house. I won’t...you can stay here for as long as you
want. No one...I won’t bother you.”
    “ I don’t want anything
from you, including this house. I was doing just fine until you
stepped into my life and tried to take it over. Are you this bossy
with everyone?”
    “ Yes.”
    She looked at him sharply. She could
almost hear humor in his voice, but didn’t know him that well. He
looked like a man who didn’t find humor in much. Then he continued
and she wanted to bash his head in again.
    “ You do remember why I
stepped into your life, don’t you? You were lying in a pool of your
own blood. I couldn’t do anything but help you.”
    “ I want to leave. I
don’t...you just don’t understand. There are things going on that
you couldn’t understand.” There are things going on that even she
didn’t understand, but didn’t think he’d appreciate her knowing
that.
    Cain started pacing. He looked like a
caged lion, all muscles and long limbs. When he stopped sharply and
turned to her, she just knew that she wasn’t going to like whatever
it was he’d thought of. “You could be carrying my child. I don’t
want it to be born in a box somewhere. And before you get pissed
again, Quinn told me you can’t go back to the clinic. What happens
if you’re pregnant, Julie? Would you want to raise a baby like you
currently live?”
    Julie turned her back to him. Yes, she
thought, what if? A baby would make things more...well, more
everything. Not to mention it would be unsafe for them both. And
she wasn’t stupid, no matter what this man thought of her. She knew
she had no choice. She had to stay. “I’ll stay until I know for
sure about your kid. But you need to stay away from me. You aren’t
my boss and I don’t need you seeing after me. The nurse, Mrs. Webb,
she doesn’t have to watch me. I gave you my word. I don’t need a
sitter.”
    “ No, Julie. I’m your
doctor. And like it or not, I owe you. I’ll see you once a day
until you’re healed. Then when the time is right, I’ll take you
somewhere and we’ll have a pregnancy test performed. And Mrs. Webb
is staying. She needs a place to stay as much as you do. She’ll
make sure you’re eating right and taking care.”
    Julie continued to stare out the
window, anywhere but at him. She knew that if she really wanted to,
she could leave. But he was right. If there was a child, she
couldn’t carry it and raise it on the streets. She was too sore
right now to even think about protecting herself, much less a
child.
    Without turning back to him, she
nodded. She waited for him to say more, to say anything, but after
about a minute, he simply left the room. Moving across the room to
the window seat, Julie sat on it gingerly and stared unseeing out
into the night. She wondered how long it would take to figure out
if she was pregnant or not.
    ~~~
    Cain went into the kitchen to find Mrs.
Webb. He wanted to leave the house and scream and howl at the moon.
But he knew that he needed to thank the elderly nurse first. She
stood when he entered the room.
    “ The little miss, is she
all right, Dr. Waite? The poor mite, looked all done in, she did. I
hope you gave her something for the pain.”
    Pain. Cain had been so pissed at her
he’d forgotten to ask if she wanted anything for pain. He doubted
that she’d admit to him that she was in pain, but he still should
have asked.
    “ No, I didn’t...she
is...she and I, we fight more than we talk. I’ll leave you
something if you could please see that she gets it for me. I’d be
very grateful.”
    “ Of course, sir. ‘Twill be
a