Dangerous Therapy: O'Connor Brothers (Volume 1)

  Dangerous Therapy

  Book 1 of O’Connor Brothers Series

  By: Rhonda Brewer

  This book is dedicated to my husband who gives me the encouragement to follow my dreams. Thank you for your love and support. I love you.

  Acknowledgements

  There are so many people who made publishing this book possible and saying thank you just doesn’t seem like enough. First, I would like to thank my critique partner Amabel Daniels. As a new author she supported me and shared her experiences and ideas with me. Next, I’d like to thank fellow author Zoe York for creating the beautiful cover for this book.

  I’d also like to thank the many authors who helped me along the way with advice, experiences and the pep talks to make this possible. Becky McGraw, Abbie Zanders, Susan Stoker, Kathleen Brooks, Rhonda Carver, Victoria Barbour, Kate Robbins, Eve Jagger, and Lynn Raye Harris. They are amazing authors and amazing ladies.

  I’d also like to thank my beta readers for their time and input. Especially Carolyn Depew, Michelle Eriksen and Mayas Sanders. They gave me great advice.

  Last but certainly not least I’d like to thank my two children. They both pushed me to follow my dreams of being an author and stood by me through every step. I’d also like to thank my parents because nobody could have a better mom and dad.

  This book is fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be taken as real. Any resemblance to people living or dead, events, location or companies are purely coincidental.

  This is the original work of Rhonda Brewer.

  All rights reserved. No part of this work can be reproduced in any way without written permission from the author.

  DANGEROUS THERAPY©2016 Rhonda Brewer

  All Rights Reserve

  Chapter 1

  Constable John O’Connor heard the dispatcher send another cruiser to an accident on the Outer Ring Road and shook his head. Icy roads claimed two more lives today, and all because careless drivers thought they could speed on the highways in winter weather. -- Idiots.

  Horns blared, tires squealed and John made a quick left into the college parking lot. He glanced into the rear view mirror just as a white Hyundai Accent blew through the red light and barely missed an oncoming truck.

  Jesus. After a quick U-turn, he hit the siren and followed. Traffic stops were the worst in this weather, since people liked to argue that they didn’t do anything wrong. That meant being chilled to the bone while he explained why they were pulled over.

  At least the driver pulled over quickly.

  John radioed the dispatcher with the licence plate number and got out of the car. The cold January wind swirled the snow around him, and ice pelted him in the face feeling like knives piercing his skin. Yanking the collar of his jacket up around his neck helped block the gale, but not much. When he neared the rear of the car, a piercing scream caused a chill to skitter down his spine, and John gripped his holstered Magnum as he crept toward the window.

  The petite blonde in the driver’s seat lowered the window but didn’t look his way. He crept nearer and saw a woman in the passenger seat doubled over clutching her swollen stomach. “Breathe, Rina, you can do this! Just breathe, honey,” the driver coached.

  “Are you freaking kidding me, Steph? Oh. God, no!” the passenger replied with a groan.

  Shit! This was just what he needed today, some woman birthing her baby in the middle of a fucking snow storm.

  “I’m so sorry, officer, but my sister’s in labor, and she’s in a lot of pain!”

  John blessed himself and hurried to the passenger side of the car. Figured he’d have another crazy John O’Connor traffic stop at the end of his shift. At least once a week he’d end up with some freaky traffic stop that his co-workers would find funny.

  Making his way around the front of the car, John yanked open the passenger’s door. Sweat covered the woman’s pretty face, as she gripped the dash in front of her with one hand and pressed the other against her enormous belly.

  Fuck! He didn’t know much about pregnant women, but this one looked like she was ready to pop. Why didn’t he just go to medical school like his father, at least he’d know better what to do here.

  First thing’s first. John grabbed the radio clipped to his shoulder.

  “I need an ambulance on Prince Phillip Drive, in front of the Confederation Building ASAP.” The woman needed to see him calm and collected. John tried to control his breathing and heartbeat because if he freaked out, she would too, and that would be real trouble. “I’ve got a woman in labor.”

  Dispatch confirmed the ambulance was on the way as John pulled off his peaked cap and jacket and stooped to throw them on the floor of the car. Breathing is good, and not just for the pregnant lady. He took another deep steady breath. Stay calm! Yeah, that was easier said than done.

  “I’ve got an ambulance on the way,” John announced, his gaze focused on the panting woman. “What’s your name?”

  “I can’t do this!” she wailed, clawing at his arm making John flinch. His father once told him a woman in labor had the strength of ten men, and the vise-like grip she had on his forearm was evidence it was the truth.

  “Her name’s Marina,” the driver said.

  “Okay, Marina, I need you to take short shallow breaths, like this.” John demonstrated by taking a deep breath, and letting it out with short pants; he encouraged her to do the same. He really didn’t know if this breathing worked, but he remembered it from a movie he watched once. He was also impressed with himself for sounding so calm.

  “I need to push!” She screamed through gritted teeth and her nails were digging deeper into his arm.

  Fuck, that hurt! Why women needed long nails was way beyond him, and it was a good thing he had a good poker face otherwise she’d know he was being a pussy right now. Who cared if she was actually breaking through his skin? “How far along are you?”

  “No. More. Questions!” She growled through clenched teeth then doubled over and let out an ear-splitting scream that made his ears ring.

  Please don’t let her have this baby until the paramedics get here.

  “She’s full term,” the driver’s voice was shaky. “‘Rina, you’ve got to breathe like the officer told you.” She brushed Marina’s hair back from her face with an equally shaky hand.

  John didn’t remember his brother’s wife being in this much pain when she went into labor. Marina could be in trouble if the ambulance didn’t hurry which meant, he might have to deliver the baby himself. He’d been trained to help with a normal delivery but if there were complications, he was screwed.

  Damn it, where’s the fucking ambulance?

  “What’s your name?” John asked the driver calmly when he noticed her grasp on the steering wheel had turned her knuckles white. The last thing he needed right now was her to get hysterical.

  “Stephanie….um, Stephanie Kelly.” Her eyes darted to him and the panic on her face worried him. Flashing lights drew his attention and the sight of the ambulance caused all the tension in his shoulders to ease.

  “Okay, Stephanie, the ambulance is here,” He kept his voice steady as he motioned to her. “I need you to get out of the car and come over here with me. The paramedics need room to take care of Marina.”

  He grabbed his hat and jacket and tried to step back, but Marina clung to his arm. He met her eyes and they were wide with fear. He placed his hand on top of hers and smiled. “It’s okay. They’ll help you now.”

  Marina released his arm and he turned as the paramedic walked up beside him. Once he’d given him all the information, he stepped
back and motioned for the driver to step back with him.

  Stephanie surprised him when she put her arms around him and hugged him. She barely came to his chest, but at six foot two it wasn’t unusual for him to tower over most women. He stood there and let her hug him, afraid to put his arm around her because these days even touching her could get him in deep shit, but she was trembling and it was killing him. He decided to hell with protocol and wrapped his jacket around her.

  “Thanks.” He could barely hear her quiet voice over the wind, and he noticed her gaze never left the paramedics.

  With her full attention on the ambulance, John took the opportunity to study her profile. Her nose was what his mother would call a button nose and her long blonde hair swirled around her face like a cascade of gold silk, but what really drew his attention was her full lips. The bottom lip a little fuller than the top. Kissable.

  It was like a quick gut punch to realize that’s exactly what he wanted to do to the woman hugging him right then, a woman he didn’t even know. More than he’d ever wanted to kiss a woman before but he knew better, so he needed to put some distance between them. He pushed her away, she turned to face him and he cleared his throat.

  “Did you want my license so you can write the ticket before I go?” she asked, and he realized with all the commotion, he’d forgotten why he pulled her over in the first place.

  “I’m not giving you a ticket.” John chuckled and her deep green eyes widened.

  Damn, she’s gorgeous. It was hard to breathe, and it wasn’t from the frigid air. John wondered again why this stranger was affecting him this way? It was beyond ridiculous.

  “Oh my God, thank you so, so much,” she wrapped her arms around his waist and her vanilla scent wafted up to him as she squeezed him. Having her pressed against him was a whole lot of wrong but damned if it didn’t feel right. He felt the loss of her warmth deep inside when she pulled away and her pretty face flushed pink.

  “Thank you so much.” She smiled and her sunshine warmed him again. “I really appreciate it.”

  Her wide green gaze held his and John’s mouth went dry. He needed to say something, but forming words seemed impossible and as he fell into her eyes, time seemed to stop. It was as if they were in a trance that pulled him toward her, John took a step forward, but the ambulance door slammed breaking the spell.

  Stephanie pulled off his jacket and practically threw it at him as she ran to the other side of the car. “Thank you again,” she said as she got behind the wheel, but before he could reply, she was gone.

  John didn’t know how long he stood gazing behind her car, but the sound of a horn brought him back to reality. The way he’d reacted to a simple hug was insane so he mentally slapped himself out of his stupor and jogged back to the cruiser.

  Maybe his self-imposed celibacy was the answer to why he’d reacted to a simple hug. His annoying but well-meaning brothers were probably right. John needed a date but getting one wasn’t the issue. He just didn’t trust his judgement with women, not since he’d made such an error in judgement with his ex.

  He yanked open the door to his cruiser, but something on the road caught his eye. He shut the cruiser’s door and approached the object.

  A woman’s purse.

  Snatching it up from the snow-covered pavement, the wind blew and carried a sweet vanilla scent up to his nose, which said it was probably Stephanie’s, but he’d need to check inside to be sure.

  He hurried back to the car because if he didn’t get out of the blowing snow, his ears were going to completely freeze off.

  January weather sucked in Newfoundland because it was either snowing, raining or a combination of both. The only good thing about it was, if you didn’t like the weather, and waited a minute, it was likely to change.

  John jumped in the driver’s seat and tossed the purse on the passenger’s side. He rubbed his hands together to get the blood circulating in them again, as he eyed the purse on the seat. Going through the purse seemed like an invasion of Stephanie’s privacy. Maybe because his mother, Kathleen, always warned him and his brothers that a woman’s purse was her secret and for her own private viewing. Granted she’d said that to keep seven mischievous boys out of her purse but it stuck with him.

  What’s the big deal? He’d searched the trunks of countless cars, searched through houses and closets throughout the years.

  He snatched it off the seat, unzipped it and pulled out the wallet inside. The contents confirmed it was Stephanie’s but the picture on her licence didn’t do her justice. Her heart-shaped face and sweet smile made his heart race again. He didn’t need this, he thought, throwing the wallet back into the purse and zipping it. He was wasting time here because there was no way he was going to talk to her again. He’d just take the purse back to the station and let them contact her like he usually did when he found items.

  John’s shift was over, and all of his reports were completed. All he had left to do was drop them off. He planned to visit his sister-in-law, Sarah, at the hospital after work. So he wasn’t really going out of his way to bring the purse to her. It was as good an excuse as any, he thought with a shrug as he cranked the cruiser.

  It didn’t make any sense, but he had a deep need to see Stephanie. Almost as if he wouldn’t be content if he didn’t and it was a feeling he wasn’t familiar with. He’d never felt the magnetic pull toward anyone in his life and less then five minutes with this woman and he was desperate to be near her again.

  Twenty minutes later, John pulled into the Health Science Centre parking lot. Full as usual. To bad he turned in the cruiser because he could have parked in one of the designated parking spots for the police, but since he was driving his truck, it was a game of seek and find for a parking spot. After driving around for a few minutes, a spot finally opened up and he quickly pulled into it. When he jumped out of the truck he glanced down at himself and realized he hadn’t changed out of his uniform. He’d been in such a hurry to get out of the station so he wouldn’t miss her at the hospital he never changed. To late to worry about that now. He grabbed the purse from the seat, headed into the hospital and straight to the elevators.

  He pushed the button and stood back but felt as if someone was staring at him. An older woman eyed him but quickly looked away when he glanced at her. It probably seemed a little odd for a man to be carrying a purse. His cheeks warmed a little, and he prayed the elevator would get there quickly.

  When it finally arrived, his twin brother, James, stepped off and gave him a forced smile. Jesus. James’ normally bright blue eyes were dull and the dark circles under them were evident he wasn’t sleeping.

  Who could blame him? Sarah, the love of his brother’s life, was fighting breast cancer and worst of all, it was a battle she was probably going to lose.

  James and Sarah hadn’t even been able to enjoy their new baby, Mason. Her diagnosis came three months after he was born. Now, two months later, she’d had a full mastectomy, but the cancer spread. She was undergoing rounds of chemotherapy, but the doctor said her odds weren’t good.

  It was killing him to see them go through this because it wasn’t the way things were supposed to be. They were supposed to grow old together and raise their children not be dealing with all this shit.

  John felt helpless because there was nothing he could do to fix this. All he could do was be there when James, just like the whole family. John and his other five brothers, Ian, Keith, Mike, Nick and Aaron took turns watching Mason or stayed with James to make sure he took care of himself. Their parents and Sarah’s family spent time with Sarah at the hospital so James could get away and take some time for himself.

  At least three times a week, John dropped by with coffee for James and to visit with Sarah. He really planned on seeing her today but since James was on his way out he didn’t feel comfortable visiting. The last time he saw her, he could barely contain his emotions. The beautiful woman James married was now pale, thin and her voice was barely audible at times, but she
still wore a bright infectious smile when anyone walked in her room. It amazed him how she could still keep a smile on her face.

  “Hey,” John stepped back from the elevator so the other people waiting could go around him.

  “You didn’t have to come today,” James replied.

  “I know, but I’m just returning a purse someone lost.”

  “Why are you returning it here?” James raised an eyebrow.

  “Long story.” John wasn’t getting into that conversation with his brother because James was a cop too and knew the protocol. “How’s Sarah today?”

  “She’s okay.” James took a slow deep breath and shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “She’s in good spirits, but you know Sarah, she never lets anything get her down. I honestly don’t know how she’s keeping it together.”

  He gave James shoulder a gentle squeeze and it was filled with tension. John knew James was frustrated because it seemed like the worse Sarah’s health got, the more upbeat she became.

  “Sarah may not be an O’Connor by blood, but she fights like one,” John said with a forced smile. “You just need to keep the faith, bro.”

  “I’m trying.” James sighed. “Ian was here earlier.”

  Ian was a doctor, and the only one of the seven brothers to follow in their father’s footsteps. He worked in emergency, and would spend his breaks with James and Sarah. He also kept the family up to date on any changes with Sarah’s medical conditions since their father worked private practice.

  “That’s good,” John said.

  “Yeah,” James whispered and John waited for him to speak again, but he didn’t. Sometimes a little silent support was what was needed.

  “Where are you going?” he asked after a moment.

  “Out to Mom and Dad’s. I need to check on Mason. Sarah’s mom is with her now and I wanted to give them some alone time,” James said.

  “Okay, give that nephew of mine a hug for me.” John pulled him in for a quick man-hug and stood back, then watched James walk out of the hospital.