Katherine’s fingers played with the top edge of Sophia’s silk panties. Panties that were, by now, soaking wet.

  Sophia moaned. She wanted this so much. She stood like jelly in front of Katherine, knowing that she needed to wait and that Katherine enjoyed teasing her like this. She liked watching Sophia vulnerable and ticklish, drowning in lust right in front of her.

  Katherine’s hand slipped inside Sophia’s panties and Sophia nearly came apart there and then. Her whole body shuddered. Katherine’s fingers played with the soft hair she found, entwining themselves in it before releasing the curls and pushing her hand lower.

  Sophia leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes as Katherine’s fingers became slightly more insistent, pushing between her legs. Sophia opened her legs as far as she could while standing. She desperately craved more from Katherine--the teasing and the slow pace was driving her crazy. Sophia knew how much Katherine enjoyed watching her like this though, so she tried to be patient.

  Katherine’s fingers ran between her legs, through her wetness. Sophia groaned loudly at the brief pressure against her clitoris and pushed her hips towards Katherine.

  “Oh, you are so wet for me, baby.” Katherine said, beginning to stroke her insistently.

  “Uh-huh,” Sophia gasped as she agreed.

  “Tell me how much you want me.”

  “I need you, Dr. Ross. I need you inside me so badly.

  Please, fuck me. Please! I’m so so wet for you.”

  Katherine took Sophia’s wrists and pinned them to the wall above her head.

  “Whatever you want, my darling,” said Katherine firmly.

  She pushed her body against Sophia, pressing her back into the wall. Sophia felt the weight of Katherine’s body against

  her and delighted in it. She loved that Katherine was just a bit bigger and stronger than she was.

  For a second, Sophia imagined the strong, butch Dr.

  Roman pinning her there, then she smirked and shook the thought straight out of her head as Katherine’s honey-gold hair swept across her face. Katherine bit Sophia’s neck, lighter this time, so as not to mark it. But Katherine was less kind on her collarbone and shoulder, biting with the intention of marking Sophia’s skin and claiming her.

  She was everything Sophia had ever wanted. Katherine’s fingers pushed inside her, hard, and Sophia moaned loudly.

  Her legs parted further as Katherine began to fuck her roughly up against the wall. Katherine thrust into her repeatedly and Sophia lost herself to the fucking. Suddenly the only thing in her world was Katherine’s hand moving quickly and skillfully inside her, not to mention Katherine’s hot breath in her ear.

  “Come for me, baby. Come for me,” Katherine whispered in her ear. Katherine’s thumb brushed Sophia’s clit as her fingers continued to thrust inside her. Sophia felt the heat rising to her head while Katherine murmured to her.

  Sophia’s body began to tense and a kaleidoscope of color shattered in her head when she orgasmed. Katherine’s fingers stopped moving, but stayed inside her. Sophia felt her own pleasure running down the insides of her thighs. It felt like Katherine was the only thing holding her up.

  Sophia’s legs were jelly now. She opened her eyes and felt Katherine’s soft kiss on her lips. She looked into Katherine’s deep grey eyes and knew that this woman was incredible.

  “I love you so much, Dr. Ross,” Sophia whispered.

  10

  “M edstar Alpha. Respond to this call—do you copy?

  It’s a thirteen-year-old female, been cutting and

  taking pills, probable suicide attempt. She has rung it in herself.

  Not sure what the pills are. The girl is very distressed and we are

  struggling to get the information out of her. Over,” said the voice on the radio.

  “We copy. En route,” Lisa replied, as she revved the engine and put the sirens on, yet again. This time, however, she didn’t complain about her job. Nearby, Ava got the first-response kit ready. They approached the location.

  “God. I tell you—teens these days. What is going on with them?” Lisa complained, while guiding the ambulance through tra c.

  “It’s not the girl’s fault, Lisa.” Ava disagreed. “It’s tragic, the rate of self-harm in teenage girls these days. I think social media and a society that demands perfection have a lot to answer for, ” she continued.

  “Hmmm,” Lisa grunted.

  Ava watched the GPS screen. “Left here,” she said, and Lisa made the turn, pulling along a tree-lined road in a lovely part of town that had some big, expensive houses.

  “Always the rich kids are the most troubled ones,” Lisa sighed, as she pulled up at number sixty-two.

  Ava grabbed the response bag and exited the ambulance with Lisa. Upon trying the front door, Ava found that it was unlocked. She pushed it open. “Hello,” she called. “It’s the paramedics. You called 911.”

  Ava noticed that the hallway was big, with a beautiful, ornate staircase. Hearing a sound to her right, she pushed open a door to reveal a large, pristine kitchen. A brunette sat on the floor with her back against the units. There was blood on the white, tiled floor, but at least the girl was conscious.

  Lisa stood in the kitchen doorway as Ava cautiously approached. After years of working together, they each understood the other’s strengths. Empathy was one of Ava’s, plus she was wonderful at helping teenagers.

  “Hey,” said Ava gently, as she carefully approached the girl. “My name is Ava. I’m a paramedic. What’s your name?”

  The girl looked up with big scared eyes and tears running down her cheeks. A kitchen knife lay on the tiles next to her.

  “Vivienne,” she responded. Her hands flew up to try to cover the cuts she had made on her wrists. Because she wore a t-shirt and shorts, Ava could also see cuts on the girl’s thighs.

  “Hi Vivienne,” Ava said with a smile. “Mind if I sit down here with you and take a little look at these cuts?”

  Vivienne shook her head. “I don’t mind.” She seemed to settle just a bit. Ava saw that none of the cuts were life-threatening. The marks were tentative and scared—the sign of a girl hurting too much inside. There was blood and it was messy, but the cutting episode wasn’t going to kill her.

  “Okay. Let’s clean up some of these cuts and stop the bleeding. Did you take some pills, Vivienne?” Ava asked, as she took the dressings out of her bag and started applying pressure to the worst of the cuts on Vivienne’s wrist. The girl

  suddenly looked wide-eyed and scared again. “It’s okay,”

  Ava said gently and smiled. “You can tell me.”

  “Five aspirin, or it might have been Tylenol. I thought I was maybe going to take more, but I didn’t. I only took five.

  I’ll be okay, won’t I? I won’t die?”

  “You’ll be fine,” Ava smiled. “We’ll take you into hospital just to get you cleaned up and properly assessed, but it will take more than five aspirin to kill a big, strong girl like you!

  Don’t worry. I’ve got you now. I’ll look after you.”

  Vivienne smiled weakly in response.

  WHO IS THE PATIENT?” the admission nurse inquired.

  “Vivienne, thirteen years old. That's all I’ve got at the moment,” Ava told her, as the nurse scribbled down the information.

  “Send her blood for cross-matching and put her on normal saline. Report when the orientation improves,” the resident doctor ordered.

  “Oh my God! Vivienne! What happened?” Sophia called to Ava from across the ER. She headed straight over.

  “Dr. Wells, do you know Vivienne?” Ava asked, as she looked at the intern.

  “No, but I know who she is. She’s Vivienne Roman. Dr.

  Roman’s daughter.” Sophia told them. “How did she get here? What happened to her?” Sophia continued, her face worried.

  “Self-harm.” Ava mouthed almost silently to Sophia.

  “Is it bad? Does Dr. Roman know?” Sophia asked.

  “The cuts are superficial. We are just going to run some bloods to check that she hasn’t taken more pills than she said. She’s distressed and seems a little disorientated.”

  “Dr. Roman is in a meeting. We’ll let her know when she’s out,” the resident doctor interjected.

  “Where . . .a-am I? What happened?” Vivienne spoke, her voice faint and feeble. Those around her immediately focused on the girl and a hush fell over the room.

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. You’re fine. Remember me?’

  Ava looked into her eyes. “You called 911 and we got you to a hospital. You were probably a little shocked, but you’re okay now. You just need to rest, okay?” Ava responded kindly.

  Vivienne relaxed a bit, letting her eyes roam around the room.

  “Isn’t this where my mom works? Does she know I’m here?” Vivienne asked, beginning to panic again.

  “Yes, she works here. Don’t worry, she’ll be here soon,”

  Ava replied with a small smile as she held Vivienne’s hand and squeezed it.

  “Will she know what I did? Please, don’t tell her what happened!” Vivienne looked scared and her eyes filled with tears. “Can we just say it was an accident?”

  “Don’t worry, Vivienne. I will talk to your mom for you,”

  Ava said to her, as Vivienne’s grip tightened on her hand.

  “I’m your friend now, remember. I’ve got you.”

  11

  “Oh baby, what happened?! Who did this? Who

  brought you here?” came Hollis’s panicked voice as she rushed toward her daughter. Years of experience working in warzones hadn’t unnerved Hollis even once, but seeing her daughter like this sure had.

  “Relax, Dr. Roman. Vivienne is fine now. Her physical injuries are superficial. She has had some sedatives to help her sleep,” Ava said, looking at the resting girl. Vivienne’s face was stained with tears and she was pale with shock. Ava felt her heart clench at the sight, and sadness filled her.

  What could have caused the girl to be so troubled?

  “Did you bring her here? What happened to her?” Hollis asked Ava, her eyes narrowing before speaking again. “Do you have authorization to administer any treatment?! You are not a doctor,” Hollis said, rather sharply.

  Ava felt her blood boil with anger. “I did bring her here, responding to a 911 call. Your daughter harmed herself and called 911, Dr. Roman,” Ava responded calmly, ignoring the bitterness in Hollis’s voice. “And all the treatments were ordered by the resident doctor. I know I am not an M.D., but Vivienne’s real problems are not physical. I was kind to her

  and she likes me. I just came to see how she is doing,” Ava spat out, refusing to back down.

  Hollis felt rage at this feisty paramedic. How dare she suggest that Hollis wasn’t a fit parent? “That’s bullshit! Why would Vivi try to kill herself? She is so happy. She was perfectly well when I made her breakfast this morning,”

  Hollis said, angry and on the verge of breaking down. But deep down she knew all wasn’t well with Vivienne. Ava Rodriguez was right.

  “I understand this is painful for you to hear, but nobody else did this to her. I spoke to Vivienne. She hurt herself. I didn’t know she was your daughter and I am sorry about what happened. But please believe me; Vivienne is hurting inside. She needs help,” Ava explained calmly, as Hollis settled down in the chair next to Vivienne’s bed. She gingerly took her sleeping daughter’s hand in her own and kissed it.

  “And Dr. Roman,” Ava went on, seeing the softness and pain in Hollis’s green eyes as she looked up at Ava,

  “sometimes these things are hardest for those closest to the patient to see. Vivienne is a strong, brave girl. She has probably been hiding her pain from you for a long time. This isn’t your fault.” Ava suddenly felt deeply for the big, strong doctor. She leaned over, put her warm hand on top of Hollis’s, and squeezed. “Vivienne likes me. I would love to speak to her when she wakes up, and to help you both in any way I can.”

  Hollis nodded weakly. Ava’s kind dark eyes and smooth brown hand were more of a comfort than she had imagined.

  As Ava left, Dr. Rebecca Miller, Chief Medical O cer, breezed into the room. News about Vivienne Roman had spread quickly through the hospital and Rebecca was concerned about one of her best doctors.

  “Is she okay?” Rebecca asked gently, coming to stand on the other side of Vivienne’s bed.

  “Dr. Miller. Thank you for coming to see her. Yes, Vivienne has harmed herself. It’s superficial, but I am so worried about her. What would make her do something like this?” Hollis asked, her eyes wide with fear.

  “Well, relax, Hollis. All her vitals are stable and she will be out of here in no time.” Rebecca placed a hand on Hollis’s shoulder. “Then we can send her to the best Psychotherapy unit there is. And I know you don’t get along with Ava. Still, she is the best paramedic we have, even though she’s a bit outspoken. You can trust her,” Rebecca continued, reviewing the charts.

  “I’ll try my best,” Hollis said, a bit zoned out. Her mind was racing. Vivienne looked so vulnerable and pale, lying in a hospital bed.

  “It’s not your fault, Hollis. These things happen; you know this. Stop beating yourself up for something that’s not in your control,” Rebecca said to her softly.

  Vivienne opened her eyes as the monitors beeped again,

  “Mom!” she called out weakly. Hollis instantly engulfed her in a hug—trying not to hurt her in the process—and then moved to kiss Vivienne’s forehead. She avoided the bandages around her wrists.

  “Yes, baby. I’m right here. Mommy’s right here,” she said in a desperate voice, clutching her daughter’s hand.

  “Can I see Ava?” Vivienne asked unexpectedly, while Hollis frowned.

  “Ava?” Hollis asked, although she knew exactly who Vivienne was asking about.

  “The paramedic. She looked after me. She has the kindest eyes,” Vivienne replied sleepily, a yawn escaping her.

  “Sure, baby. Of course.” Hollis summoned the attention of a passing nurse. “Will you page Ava Rodriguez for me?

  Vivienne wants to see her, if she isn’t out on an emergency.”

  AVA APPEARED TEN MINUTES LATER, pulling her long tangle of dark hair up into a ponytail, her breasts still fighting for freedom from her shirt. Hollis couldn’t help but notice again that Ava should have been wearing a bigger shirt. Still, Ava’s face broke into a wide smile as she saw that Vivienne was awake. Her dazzling smile made Hollis smile too—just for a second. Before she caught herself.

  “There you are! Ava!” Vivienne cried, trying to sit up a little in bed, her voice still feeble.

  “She wanted to see you,” Hollis said, eyeing Ava as she walked to the other side of the bed and greeted Vivienne, helping her up to a fully sitting position. Vivienne was smiling widely. This was the first time in forever that Hollis had seen her daughter react like this to anyone.

  “How are you doing, my darling? Did you sleep well? Your cuts don’t hurt too badly?” Ava asked Vivienne, as if she had merely woken up from full night’s sleep at home.

  “I am fine, just a little sick to my stomach,” Vivienne replied, subconsciously touching the bandages on her wrists, her eyes getting teary. She shook her head and looked at Ava.

  “But thank you for coming to see me. Mom, this is my new friend, Ava. She saved me!”

  “Nice to meet you, Ava,” Hollis said drily. “Thank you for saving my daughter, and thank you for being her friend,”

  she added more genuinely.

  “The nausea is normal, darling. It will be good to get you away from here soon. You can have some nice stu in the nearby food court, for the time that you’re here. I’m sure your mom can pick you something up. They do a mean pizza slice at the food court, with LOADS of cheese! ”

  “I LOVE pizza! Can I have some? Please, Mom? Would that be okay?” Vivienne was excited and happy. Hollis

  nodded.

  “It’s fine to stay here a bit. I don’t like home a lot anyway.

  I’m lonely there,” Vivienne said quietly, as the expression on Ava’s face changed. She briefly looked at Hollis, seeing her tense at Vivienne’s words. Then she looked back at Vivienne.

  “Oh, why not? The neighborhood you live in is SO nice. I wish I lived there! You have a loving mom and a beautiful home.” Ava smiled, trying to di use the situation.

  “Really? You liked it?” Vivienne had rare warmth in her voice, though she ignored the latter part of Ava’s sentence.

  Vivienne sat up completely in the bed now, alert to everything Ava said.

  “Of course.” Ava replied, smiling.

  “I always wanted to live in the suburbs. It’s so peaceful and I bet you have a lovely, big backyard,” Vivienne said, looking at her hopefully. “We have a swimming pool, too!

  Did you know? It’s so great in the summer. I just wish I had friends to show it to,” Vivienne said, thoughtfully.

  “I would LOVE to come and see your pool sometime. We could play water polo? Are you any good?”

  “We have a net and a ball!” Vivienne answered.

  “Amazing!”

  “It would be great if you lived close. My mom is almost always out anyway,” Vivienne said, rather innocently, as she spared a glance at Hollis. Hollis’s hands were clenched in fists, torn between her joy that Vivienne was happy and the stabbing pain that Vivienne’s words had caused her.

  “Oh sweetie, she would love to be with you all the time, but you must understand that a doctor’s job is extremely tough. And your mom isn’t just some ordinary doctor—she’s one of the finest in the country and she heads an entire department here. She saves so many lives,” Ava said, defending Hollis after sensing that she was hurt. Hollis was

  still quiet, although she reviewed Vivienne’s charts again, trying to seem busy.

  “Mm-hmm,” Vivienne replied, playing with the hem of her hospital gown before looking up again. “Are you and my mom friends?” Vivienne asked.

  Hollis was all ears, although she made herself seem busy by looking through the reports.