Chapter Three
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
The loud rap on the door jolts me from my thoughts. The sudden sound ringing through the quiet building has my heart racing in overdrive.
Moving quickly to the door, I swipe open the blinds on the sidelights to see who is beating down the door.
A second after I do this, I realize I should probably have asked through the door who was there. What if it was the crazy man out there? What if he had a gun to the window ready to shoot me the minute I opened the door?
Think before you do, Mattie.
It seems I tell myself this on a daily basis, but I don’t listen.
Luckily enough, it’s the Chief standing there.
I swiftly move the chair I positioned under the door handle and then unlock the door.
The Chief is standing there looking impatient, however most every day that is how his aging face is set and right now, he is looking far older than his 63 years of age.
“Chief,” I say as I swing the door open further to allow him into the clinic.
“Matoaka,” he mutters as he passes by me and walks into the clinic. The only one to ever call me by my given name.
“Shouldn’t you …” I start, but he halts my words with his own.
“That man, who is he?” he asks.
“What man?”
“The man who was in your clinic,” he hisses.
“I don’t know anything other than his name. He wasn’t very forthcoming with information about himself.”
He gives a curt nod as if he knows exactly what I am talking about.
“Did something happen?” I ask.
“He caught the man who was loose on the reservation.”
This doesn’t seem like a bad thing unless people were injured.
I prod more, “Did anything else happen?”
He shakes his head. “We found him walking down the street three blocks from here. He handed the guy over willingly. But the man,” — he gestures to the exam room, clarifying he is talking about Neo — “wasn’t uninjured. He was pretty messed up, bloody face and he was holding his side.”
That’s not good. Neo could have reopened his wounds. I need to get to him to make sure he hasn’t cased further damage.
I move to the exam room to grab my bag.
“Matoaka,” the chief calls.
I turn my head to him.
“The other man was dead,” he mutters as if this might deter me from my intended path. He’s not wrong. The chief’s words circle me in a tight grip. I stop all movement and turn fully to him.
“H—he… he,” I stutter. “He was dead?”
“Yes,” he affirms.
“And Neo killed him?”
He nods.
“I need to check Neo out, make sure he didn’t reopen his wounds.”
The Chief nods again. “He’s at the station.”
I grab my medical bag and move out of the clinic in a hurry. It momentarily crosses my mind that the chief doesn’t stop me from doing this. He knows it’s a losing battle with me.
The station is a few blocks away and to save time I jump in my Jeep to drive there. The whole time I don’t let my mind wonder to the fact Neo killed the man. I don’t know what he is, or who he is, but there had to be another way to bringing the man in.
I park in front of the police station and hop out. Neo is strutting out just as I hit the sidewalk. His face bandaged with butterfly stitches from the fight I am assuming he had.
“Oh, uh, they aren’t keeping you?” I ask, completely blindsided seeing him standing there. I expected he would be in a holding cell.
He narrows his eyes. “Why would they?”
“Well, uh, you know, you killed … .” I don’t finish my sentence.
He moves closer to me, but I don’t back away. Weirdly, I’m not threatened or afraid of this man.
“Who do you think I am?” he asks me the same question from earlier.
I shrug my shoulders and admit honestly, “I don’t know.” I only know what he’s told me, I can’t help it if my mind assumes the rest. I’m not threatened by him but that doesn’t mean he’s not a bad guy.
“Well, Doc, I’m not the bad guy.”
I raise my eyebrows and widen my eyes. “You’re not?” I ask a little too relieved.
He shakes his head.
“Oh, I guess that’s a good thing.”
He smirks. And standing there in the middle of the sidewalk, I take in Neo for what seems like the first time. He’s not sloshed with pain like he was when he first came in to my office. He’s standing tall and looking remarkably handsome. He’s the type of man who could garner attention casually sauntering into a room. He’s not a pretty boy who demands attention; he’s precisely the opposite. There’s something about him when you look into his eyes you want to know everything about him. You want to meet the demons he keeps locked inside, barely skimming to the surface, but just enough to see them floating behind those dark eyes of his. You want to know how he talks to a child who stops him on a busy street. All the while you consciously know whatever makes this man tick would be worth whatever battle you had to win to get that. There’s far more to this man than just his beautiful face.
“Doc,” he calls.
I shake away my thoughts and focus back on Neo. “Yes?”
He chuckles. “Asked why you were here.”
“Oh, uh, I came to see if you need your stitches redone.”
His left eyebrow raises in question. I stand firm that this is the only reason I came here. I’m a doctor. I’m looking after my patient.
“I’m fine.”
I look down to where his wounds are and see the smaller one just above his hip is fine, or rather there is no bleeding soaking his shirt. I can’t say the same for the larger wound on the other side of his abdomen just below his rib cage.
“You’ve opened the wound back up. I need to see if you’ve ripped all the stitches,” I tell him as my eyes travel back up to his. His face hardens. He obviously doesn’t like the idea of me tending to his injuries.
He shakes his head, but not in a way where is telling me no. More so in a way he can’t believe I’m telling him this.
“This shit again?”
“Yes,” I reply, my tone becoming impatient.
His demeanor changes, his body relaxes and then he shocks the hell out of me and smirks. “Right. Lead the way then, Doc.”
“My name is Mattie,” I snip.
He chuckles. “Then lead the way, Mattie.”
I don’t smile nor do I laugh at his obvious mocking of me. I spin around and saunter back to my Jeep. Hearing his footsteps heavy on the ground behind me gives me indication he isn’t going to run in the opposite direction.
We both climb in. I buckle up and start my vehicle up. Neo sits in the passenger seat, his upper body half resting on the door frame and chair, I’m guessing so he can look at me better. I guess this because that’s exactly what he’s doing now and he still has that damn smirk on his face.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing, babe.”
“It’s your own well-being you’re fighting with.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he snickers and turns his head so he can look out the front windshield.
I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. “Whatever. Buckle up.”
I don’t wait for him to do this. I turn the engine over and put my baby in reverse. In the midst of all this, Neo puts his seatbelt on. He does it laughing.
Bang.
Bang.
The loud rap on the door jolts me from my thoughts. The sudden sound ringing through the quiet building has my heart racing in overdrive.
Moving quickly to the door, I swipe open the blinds on the sidelights to see who is beating down the door.
A second after I do this, I realize I should probably have asked through the door who was there. What if it was the crazy man out there? What if he had a gun to the window ready to shoot me the minute I opened the door?
Think before you do, Mattie.
It seems I tell myself this on a daily basis, but I don’t listen.
Luckily enough, it’s the Chief standing there.
I swiftly move the chair I positioned under the door handle and then unlock the door.
The Chief is standing there looking impatient, however most every day that is how his aging face is set and right now, he is looking far older than his 63 years of age.
“Chief,” I say as I swing the door open further to allow him into the clinic.
“Matoaka,” he mutters as he passes by me and walks into the clinic. The only one to ever call me by my given name.
“Shouldn’t you …” I start, but he halts my words with his own.
“That man, who is he?” he asks.
“What man?”
“The man who was in your clinic,” he hisses.
“I don’t know anything other than his name. He wasn’t very forthcoming with information about himself.”
He gives a curt nod as if he knows exactly what I am talking about.
“Did something happen?” I ask.
“He caught the man who was loose on the reservation.”
This doesn’t seem like a bad thing unless people were injured.
I prod more, “Did anything else happen?”
He shakes his head. “We found him walking down the street three blocks from here. He handed the guy over willingly. But the man,” — he gestures to the exam room, clarifying he is talking about Neo — “wasn’t uninjured. He was pretty messed up, bloody face and he was holding his side.”
That’s not good. Neo could have reopened his wounds. I need to get to him to make sure he hasn’t cased further damage.
I move to the exam room to grab my bag.
“Matoaka,” the chief calls.
I turn my head to him.
“The other man was dead,” he mutters as if this might deter me from my intended path. He’s not wrong. The chief’s words circle me in a tight grip. I stop all movement and turn fully to him.
“H—he… he,” I stutter. “He was dead?”
“Yes,” he affirms.
“And Neo killed him?”
He nods.
“I need to check Neo out, make sure he didn’t reopen his wounds.”
The Chief nods again. “He’s at the station.”
I grab my medical bag and move out of the clinic in a hurry. It momentarily crosses my mind that the chief doesn’t stop me from doing this. He knows it’s a losing battle with me.
The station is a few blocks away and to save time I jump in my Jeep to drive there. The whole time I don’t let my mind wonder to the fact Neo killed the man. I don’t know what he is, or who he is, but there had to be another way to bringing the man in.
I park in front of the police station and hop out. Neo is strutting out just as I hit the sidewalk. His face bandaged with butterfly stitches from the fight I am assuming he had.
“Oh, uh, they aren’t keeping you?” I ask, completely blindsided seeing him standing there. I expected he would be in a holding cell.
He narrows his eyes. “Why would they?”
“Well, uh, you know, you killed … .” I don’t finish my sentence.
He moves closer to me, but I don’t back away. Weirdly, I’m not threatened or afraid of this man.
“Who do you think I am?” he asks me the same question from earlier.
I shrug my shoulders and admit honestly, “I don’t know.” I only know what he’s told me, I can’t help it if my mind assumes the rest. I’m not threatened by him but that doesn’t mean he’s not a bad guy.
“Well, Doc, I’m not the bad guy.”
I raise my eyebrows and widen my eyes. “You’re not?” I ask a little too relieved.
He shakes his head.
“Oh, I guess that’s a good thing.”
He smirks. And standing there in the middle of the sidewalk, I take in Neo for what seems like the first time. He’s not sloshed with pain like he was when he first came in to my office. He’s standing tall and looking remarkably handsome. He’s the type of man who could garner attention casually sauntering into a room. He’s not a pretty boy who demands attention; he’s precisely the opposite. There’s something about him when you look into his eyes you want to know everything about him. You want to meet the demons he keeps locked inside, barely skimming to the surface, but just enough to see them floating behind those dark eyes of his. You want to know how he talks to a child who stops him on a busy street. All the while you consciously know whatever makes this man tick would be worth whatever battle you had to win to get that. There’s far more to this man than just his beautiful face.
“Doc,” he calls.
I shake away my thoughts and focus back on Neo. “Yes?”
He chuckles. “Asked why you were here.”
“Oh, uh, I came to see if you need your stitches redone.”
His left eyebrow raises in question. I stand firm that this is the only reason I came here. I’m a doctor. I’m looking after my patient.
“I’m fine.”
I look down to where his wounds are and see the smaller one just above his hip is fine, or rather there is no bleeding soaking his shirt. I can’t say the same for the larger wound on the other side of his abdomen just below his rib cage.
“You’ve opened the wound back up. I need to see if you’ve ripped all the stitches,” I tell him as my eyes travel back up to his. His face hardens. He obviously doesn’t like the idea of me tending to his injuries.
He shakes his head, but not in a way where is telling me no. More so in a way he can’t believe I’m telling him this.
“This shit again?”
“Yes,” I reply, my tone becoming impatient.
His demeanor changes, his body relaxes and then he shocks the hell out of me and smirks. “Right. Lead the way then, Doc.”
“My name is Mattie,” I snip.
He chuckles. “Then lead the way, Mattie.”
I don’t smile nor do I laugh at his obvious mocking of me. I spin around and saunter back to my Jeep. Hearing his footsteps heavy on the ground behind me gives me indication he isn’t going to run in the opposite direction.
We both climb in. I buckle up and start my vehicle up. Neo sits in the passenger seat, his upper body half resting on the door frame and chair, I’m guessing so he can look at me better. I guess this because that’s exactly what he’s doing now and he still has that damn smirk on his face.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing, babe.”
“It’s your own well-being you’re fighting with.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he snickers and turns his head so he can look out the front windshield.
I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see me. “Whatever. Buckle up.”
I don’t wait for him to do this. I turn the engine over and put my baby in reverse. In the midst of all this, Neo puts his seatbelt on. He does it laughing.