Bastien can. But the ride over here was a long one.”
Emma led her into the house. “Do you need a bandage or something to wrap it?” She was pretty sure her first aid supplies consisted solely of rubbing alcohol, antibiotic ointment, and a single box of Band-Aids.
“No, thank you. I’ll be okay.”
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Yes, please.”
“Would you like water? Or maybe tea? I also have some—”
“I’ll take water, thank you.”
Emma filled two glasses with cold water from the filtered pitcher in her fridge, then sat with Melanie on the sofa. “Does Bastien know you’re here?”
“Yes.” After downing several swallows, Melanie smiled wryly. “I had a hell of a time convincing him not to accompany me.”
“How did you manage it?”
“I told him we were going to talk about…” Widening her eyes, she intoned dramatically, “…woman stuff.”
Much to her surprise, Emma found herself laughing. “And that entails?”
Again Melanie widened her eyes and intoned meaningfully, “Female issues.”
Emma laughed. “I guess immortal men aren’t so different from mortal men then.”
Melanie grinned. “Not when it comes to stuff that might drive one to seek the aid of what Bastien would call a vagina doctor.”
Emma damned near spat her water across the room at that. “A what?”
Melanie laughed. “A vagina doctor. Once when Bastien and I were talking about a mortal friend’s pregnancy, he couldn’t think of the term OB/GYN, so he just said vagina doctor.” She shrugged. “Immortal Guardians aren’t real big on physicians. Most were raised in times when medicine was still in its infancy. Or even before its infancy.”
Emma shook her head. “Being married to a man who was born two centuries ago must be a trip.”
“It is.” She grinned. “But it’s a very fun trip.”
The rest of the visit went well. As it turned out, Melanie really was there to discuss female issues. As a physician and newly proclaimed friend, she wanted to ensure Emma understood the consequences of getting pregnant.
Learning that any baby she conceived by Cliff would most likely be infected with the virus and—if it matured mentally—might forever remain trapped in the body of an infant sobered things quickly. But Emma appreciated Melanie’s candor and the matter-of-fact way she offered up information that Emma admitted she did need to know and hadn’t let Cliff impart the previous night. She’d even come prepared and gave Emma a shot since Emma wasn’t currently on birth control. Once Emma had met Cliff and fallen hard, the idea of sleeping with another man had just been too unappealing, so she’d stopped taking it.
Melanie also walked Emma through what she could expect if she continued to see Cliff. The mental decline that would take place. The guilt and more he would suffer once the psychotic breaks began to strike on a regular basis. Though she tried to remain clinical, tears glimmered in her eyes by the time she finished.
Throat thick, Emma drew the woman into a hug. “Thank you for helping him.”
Melanie shook her head. “I can only try my best to address the medical side of it. I can’t make him happy. Not the way you do.”
Hearing the difference she made helped Emma feel better. “Does Cliff know you’re here?”
“No. And he doesn’t know Bastien and I are aware of his coming here last night.” Leaning back, Melanie brushed a tear from her cheek. “But Emma, I also want you to know that Cliff won’t blame you if you decide it’s all too much. Whether you conclude that now that I’ve laid everything out for you or at some point in the future. He won’t blame you.”
Emma shook her head. “I love him too much. I want every minute I can have with him, good or bad.” She covered Melanie’s hand where it rested on the sofa between them. “Wouldn’t you want the same with Bastien?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. “Just know that Bastien and I are here for you. If you ever need to talk or are concerned about anything, you can call us.” Taking out her cell phone, she exchanged numbers with Emma. “And if Cliff ever inadvertently hurts you, call me immediately.”
“Cliff would never hurt me,” Emma declared and braced herself for a denial rife with warning.
But Melanie surprised her. “I don’t think he would either.” Tilting her head to one side, she seemed to consider it. “Even during their psychotic breaks, the part of Vince and Joe that cared about us seemed to linger and kept them from injuring Linda or me.” A flush crept up her