“That was the plan,” I said weakly. “I don’t know what happened, Steph.”
“You two just can’t be trusted together.” Stephanie sighed. “How do you feel about it? Do you want it to happen again?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s my patient. It can’t happen again.”
“Patient my ass,” Stephanie said. “You didn’t care that he was your step brother, so why should patient matter?”
“This is my job,” I said. “It’s serious.”
“I know,” Stephanie said. “Which is why you need to pull yourself together and get a fucking grip. You can’t do this, Tara. You can’t lose yourself in this boy all over again. You just can’t.”
“I know,” I said. She was right. Her advice was harsh but also exactly what I needed to hear. No matter what happened with Caleb, I’d worked hard to get where I was. My career was just getting started, and I couldn’t let my feelings for Caleb cloud my judgment.
“It’s going to be okay,” Stephanie said. “I know how much he means to you. If things keep going like this, maybe you should have someone else take over his case.”
“I tried that,” I said.
“Try again,” Stephanie insisted.
“I will,” I said.
We hung up, and my head was pounding worse than ever. As I pulled up to my apartment, my phone rang sharply. It hurt my ears, so I answered quickly to quiet the ringing.
“Hello?” I asked, my voice soft.
“Are you okay?” My dad’s voice sounded through the phone. “You don’t sound good.”
“My head hurts,” I said.
“Again?” Dad asked. “How bad this time?”
“Pretty bad,” I said honestly. “I just got home, so I’m going to lie down for a while.”
“Have you made an appointment yet?” he asked. “You need to get that checked out, Tara. Headaches like that shouldn’t keep happening.”
“It’s probably just stress.”
“You don’t know that,” Dad said. “I’m serious, Tara. Call and make an appointment.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I’ll call first thing in the morning.”
My dad was relieved. We hung up, and I hurried inside, shutting all the blinds and falling into bed. I told myself the headaches were nothing. Despite my dad’s worries, I was sure they didn’t mean anything. I decided to call in the morning, just to be sure.
CHAPTER NINE - CALEB
I thought my mom was a fucking idiot for suggesting this family dinner. After all these years, Darren and I still weren’t on good terms, and now that Tara was back in town, it made even less sense to try to be a regular family. Mom knew how strong my feelings for Tara were when we were kids. She watched us fall in love, and she played a huge part in keeping us away from each other. How the hell could she possibly think a family dinner was a good idea?
Still, she insisted, and I wasn’t in the position to argue. Saturday night rolled around, and at exactly six o’clock, there was a loud knock on my door. I sighed and stumbled over, not bothering with my crutches. I pulled open the door and did my best to smile while Mom, Darren, and Tara all stepped inside.
Tara looked just as uncomfortable as I felt. Our parents had been married for eleven years and still, our family time was sorely limited. She smiled at me weakly when she walked in. Her eyes found mine, and I knew she was thinking about the kiss we shared. I could practically feel her lips pressed against mine all over again.
Clearing my throat, I looked away and stumbled over to the kitchen.
“Where the hell are your crutches?” Tara snapped.
“I’m not using them,” I said. “I hate those damn things.”
“You can’t not use them!” Tara said, her eyes wide with frustration. “You’re going to screw up your leg even more, Caleb.”