Free Freeing Her by A. M. Hargrove Page B

squishy shoes.
She hoped they weren’t ruined. They’d taken a good drenching and a
new pair was simply not in her budget right now. Her clothing stuck
to her like glue and made her skin clammy. What she needed was a
hot shower.
    The warm water felt divine as her body
returned to its normal temperature. The shower relaxed her tension,
but then her thoughts soon took her back to Kolson’s sensual kiss.
It fired her up, making her hyperaware of the fact that she really
couldn’t remember the last time she’d had an orgasm. She would have
to remedy that by taking matters into her own hands, and soon.
    She opened the shower door and the cubbyhole
bathroom boiled with steam. Bumping against the door, she flung it
open and went to get dressed. A thrill passed through her as she
thought about working at the clinic. She adored the nurses there
and while other people mentioned that it seemed depressing, she
didn’t look at it like that. Gabby thought of it as a way to give
back to the community and help others in need. The patients there
were resistant to her help for the most part. Most were forced to
see her. But if she could get through to one or two, then she
walked on cloud nine for a week after.
    After a quick dinner of the remains of her
earlier lunch, she grabbed her purse and coat and headed out. It
was dark, but she took the subway anyway. The cost of a cab made it
unaffordable for her. Constantly scanning for any sign of Danny,
she was happy when she exited the train station.
    The security guard scanned her badge and she
passed through the metal detector when she entered the hospital.
This was a huge medical center in New York City, so they didn’t
take chances.
    She found the clinic standing room only.
Roberta, the head nurse on duty, said, “Hey, Doc, I hope you wore
your comfy shoes tonight ’cause it’s gonna be a rough one, I’m
afraid. We got ’em coming in from everywhere.”
    “ We’ll get it done. Just
like we always do, Roberta.”
    Gabby hoped they would
find a way for a better intervention. She knew that many of these
patients needed help before they started on drugs. And there wasn’t a way to
make that happen. You could preach until there were no more words
left. Even when she counseled teens whose friends had died of
unintentional overdoses, they still went out and did recreational
drugs. And most drug use started in the teen years. Most, but not
all.
    Some of the patients she would see tonight
would’ve started using because they’d been in an accident and
couldn’t get off the pain medication. Whatever the initial problem
was, Gabby’s focus was to get those patients clean and into
therapy. There was usually one big underlying issue that kept them
involved with the drugs: escapism. She was surprised she hadn’t
gone down that path herself.
    By midnight, Gabby’s replacement had taken
over and she was finalizing her paperwork.
    “ Dr. Martinelli, are you
about finished?”
    Gabby looked up at Roberta. “Yes.” She
sighed.
    “ Told ya it was gonna be a
bad one.”
    “ You know, I think I
persuaded one patient to go to NA. So it was a success for
me.”
    Roberta smiled. “That’s what drives you,
isn’t it?”
    “ Yep. Gotta get ’em
cleaned up before anything else. It’s the same with sexual abuse
and domestic violence victims.”
    “ Anyone ever tell you how
much we appreciate you around here? You come because you want to, not because
you have to.
That’s a huge difference.”
    “ Thanks, Roberta, but I
come because I want these people to get better. That’s it. I can’t
imagine living my life dependent on any kind of substance, day
after day.”
    “ Sad, isn’t
it?”
    “ And that’s only the tip
of the iceberg. What about those poor patients with schizoid
personality disorder? People are so frightened of them because they
don’t understand them. Mental illness is a terrible disease but
there’s just not enough help for sufferers.”
    “ Tell me about
it.”
    “