I hope you all enjoy. I will do my best to keep up with posting new chapters but the story is still growing and I have no idea which direction it will take yet. Thanks for reading. Comments and votes are very welcome.
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Ashy hair fell in waves down her back and pearlescent blue eyes showed nothing but sorrow. At a quick glance she seemed little more than a child, petite as she was but upon closer inspection one could make out the soft swell of her breasts and the definite curves marking her as a young woman. The tears that stained her face fell unceasingly down her face and body, feeding the large lake surrounding the small rock of an island she could claim as her home, the only one she could remember.
The tenderness in her face along with her tears brought a fierce sense of protectiveness racing through Braedan. He longed to reach out and gather her in his arms and hold her until her tears ceased falling. For some unknown reason all he could do was watch the captivating woman from a distance as a sigh escaped her lips and she sank to the ground looking utterly defeated.
"Who are you?" Braedan asked out loud, his voice carrying across the water. Her head jerked up at the sound and her penetrating eyes met his.
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The harsh sound of Braedan's alarm jarred him awake. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he wondered yet again how he managed to keep up when he rose every morning well before the sun. It was not the first time he had dreamed of the girl. It was always the same, her delicate beauty masked in sorrow and her ever present tears. There was one change between this night's dream and those of the past. She had seen him. Never in the countless nights he had witnessed her silent torment had she recognized his presence. But as he lay in bed he could still picture her unbelievable eyes meeting his in surprise. He could still clearly see her perfect skin reflected in the lake and he knew it was as soft as it looked. He wished he could hear her voice, knowing it would be as intoxicating as the rest of her. Braedan could feel his cock growing hard as he continued to think of her and knew he had to stop. Groaning loudly, he threw off his covers and flipped off his alarm clock, 3:03am, and headed into his bathroom to get ready for his twelve hour day.
He had recently made resident at Maywood Park Hospital in pediatrics for the emergency room. Maywood was not a large city but with a population wavering around 30,000 there was still a lot of work to be done. Although he was no longer the new guy he always took on the extra hours that were offered; it wasn't as if he had anything else to do. He had spent so much time working to get to this point that now that he was here he realized how much he had given up to get there.
He had lost contact with most of his friends and the few he was still in contact with solely conversed over e-mail. His party days had ended before entering Med School and the last time he had been out to a bar was when his brother came to visit, when was it, a year and a half ago? He had been content with spending his time working between the hospital and the small ranch that ran a therapy program. It was designed to break through the physical and mental barriers of disability and sickness by partnering a patient with a horse. His off days from the hospital were spent on the ranch, Wolf Hallow either assisting with the therapy sessions or tending to the horses. He felt most at peace with himself when he was surrounded by the natural smells of the barn, the whickering of horses and the laughter of the children who visited the ranch.
The shower was exactly what he needed to fight off the remnant of his dream and a quick slice of toast and orange juice saw him out his front door. The morning was quieter than normal and he wondered if a storm was coming in. His small house was at the edge of town, surrounded by the beginnings of a beautiful old growth forest. He was minutes away from Wolf Hallow which made his volunteer time even more enjoyable. Glancing briefly at the tree line, as if expecting to see something there, he sighed.
"I have got to get her out of my head" he growled desperately to himself, pulling his hands through his thick auburn hair. Throwing his bag in the back of his old pickup he climbed in and made his way downtown.
"I can assure you Mrs. Jakobs, that Connor is absolutely fine. The x-ray came back and he is suffering from nothing more than a bruised ego and sprained ankle." Braedan explained to the frazzled middle aged woman sitting in the emergency room waiting room. She was a constant worrier and brought her children at least once a week. He was sure she had paid her insurance deductable for the year in the first three weeks.
"Oh thank you, Dr. Kelly! I am so relieved to hear that. Is there anything I need to worry about for his recovery? Should I excuse him from school for the week, what about giving him something for the pain, and what if" Mrs. Jakobs was off and if Braedan did not stop her soon she would fall into near hysterics.
"He is more than capable of attending school, although I would suggest he use crutches until the swelling goes down; do you still have the pair you purchased for Jasmine a few months ago?" the woman nodded.
"They're in the car, I brought them along just in case he would need them" she responded proudly.
"Perfect, as for giving him something for the pain, three ibuprofen or Tylenol will do the trick and make sure that he keeps his foot elevated and ices it for no more than 20 minutes at a time; again only until the swelling goes down," he smiled down at the eccentric woman. "Now, why don't you wait here while I go and get his ankle wrapped up and start him off on those pain killers. I'll bring him out in just a few minutes."
Mrs. Jakobs nodded and sat down, heaving an audible sigh of relief. Braedan had to stop himself from chuckling as he walked back to where Connor Jakobs was 'resting'. Really he had requested that Dr. Kelly give him some peace and quiet from his mother.
"Alright Connor, do you have your ankle wrapped up how I showed you?" Braedan asked when he pushed the curtain aside. The young man looked up from tucking the end of the ace bandage in and nodded.
"Sure thing, Doc. How long before I can hit the track again? We have our first meet in two weeks." Connor was the captain of the high school track team in Maywood and at 17 and a senior he was really counting on a scholarship to come through because of his ability.
"You should be fine to go in a few days. The sprain isn't very bad. Wait until the swelling goes down and start off slow. Walk the track for a bit, and do those exercises I showed you and you will be good to go by the end of the week."
Connor smiled and sighed.
"I guess it's time to face the music. Just how hysterical is she, Doc? Tell me honestly." Braedan did laugh at that. The boy seemed resigned to face a firing squad.
"I took care of her, Connor, nothing to worry about. Just be grateful she cares so much, even if she does smother you a bit."
"That's the understatement of the year, no wonder Ada left right after high school. God, I can't wait to see her again! It will be nice to have her back in town."
"Ada? Are you saying there is another Jakobs sibling?" Braedan asked. Mrs. Jakobs was the mother of five, Connor, Jasmine, the fifteen year old who had just entered high school, Greg and Steven the twin hellion nine year olds and Gracie, the youngest member at four. Braedan had never heard that the there was an older sibling.
"She is a sibling, but she isn't a Jakobs. Mom found her right after I was born. She was taking a walk and heard someone crying. She found Ada, and took her in."
"How old was she?"
"About seven; old enough to know her name and her birthday. Adelaide Bennett born August 13, 1984. She was even able to tell authorities her parent's names and given them a description but they could not find anyone who matched the names and the profile she gave them. When CPS couldn't find anything out about her family they allowed my mom to take her in as a foster child. After a few years she adopted her."
"And they never found out anything about her?" Braedan loved a good mystery and his curiosity was peaked. Connor shrugged.
"Nothing. There was no missing person's report in the country that matched her description or her name, no birth records. There are so many Bennetts in this country that there was no way to contact them all but from what my mom said she sent out letters to hundreds of them and either heard nothing back or was told they had never heard of an Adelaide. Kinda crazy, I know. But she is a wonderful big sister and oh my god she makes the most amazing cheesecake on the planet!" Connor closed his eyes and moaned in appreciation. "And as soon as she gets back I will her until she make me one, I'll even bring a piece for you, doc." Braedan smiled and the boy's enthusiasm.
"Thanks, Connor. I appreciate the thought. What brings her back to Maywood?" He knew he should be ushering the boy out of the hospital but he could not help his question.
"She just finished her Doctorate in psychology and rehabilitation and is coming to work at Wolf Hallow. She's supposed to be coming in at the end of the week."
"Hold on a second, you said she just got her Doctorate and she's only 24?" Braedan interrupted.
"Like I said, she left right after high school. She has done school nonstop since then. She said she knew she was needed and the sooner she finished the more help she could be. She's always been a little strange."