Butterfly Girl

  Butterfly Girl

  Callahan Clan, Book Two

  Greenleigh Adams

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events either are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2021 by Greenleigh Adams

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Wicked by Design

  Published by Greenleigh Adams

  www.GreenleighAdams.com

  To all the brave women I have had the pleasure to know:

  You are fighters.

  Do not be ashamed of your scars—they tell the story of how you slayed the demons and won the battles.

  I admire the courage it took for you to face all kinds of monsters and managed to come out stronger on the other side.

  You have my utmost respect.

  Contents

  1. Alexis

  2. Cameron

  3. Alexis

  4. Cameron

  5. Alexis

  6. Cameron

  7. Alexis

  8. Cameron

  9. Alexis

  10. Cameron

  11. Alexis

  12. Cameron

  13. Alexis

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  GRATITUDES

  Also by Greenleigh Adams

  RESOURCES

  1

  Alexis

  “Time of death, twenty-one eleven,” Dr. Emerson stated without emotion before discarding his latex gloves into the trash can with a loud snap. I shouldn’t say without emotion, but sometimes it appeared that way.

  It was difficult to watch someone die and then move on to the next patient in the blink of an eye. I witnessed death more times than most, so perhaps I moved on easier than others. Sometimes, the transition occurred so quickly that appearing without emotion was a necessary self-preservation mechanism.

  However, tonight felt different. This woman wasn’t a typical emergency department patient who died due to trauma or a medical emergency. She wasn’t surrounded by loved ones crying as her soul departed this earth. She was an elderly woman, probably in her eighties, who had arrived at the emergency room in full arrest with a chest-compression device strapped to her front. It was a barbaric machine that crushed the sternum one hundred times per minute to save emergency medical personnel and first responders from muscle fatigue. They no longer needed to provide manual chest compressions; they would simply attach this machine to the cardiac arrest victim and push a button.

  Many people her age had a living will in place to guide their care should they have an event where they stopped breathing—or their heart stopped beating. However, she was no longer capable of making her own decisions and had no family to help, either. Without a living will or medical power of attorney, crushing chest compressions would continue if a person fell victim to cardiac or respiratory arrest.

  There were no loving friends and family to hold her hand and say goodbye. She’d lived in a nursing home and never received visitors. It was probably a blessing that she didn’t remember anyone or anything. Would she have looked back at her life and wished she had children? Would she have wished she had married? I was wondering those things, and I was only twenty-one.

  It’s not like I’d never met a man who showed interest in me. I certainly had. I just hadn’t had any interest in pursuing any kind of relationship. I had no desire to marry and have children. At least I didn’t think I did, but after this, something in me felt differently. Is this what I really want? To die alone?

  I shook my head to rid myself of those crazy thoughts. I was barely in my twenties, not my eighties. This was not something I should’ve been thinking about. I smiled briefly at my deceased elderly patient and provided her with a little post-mortem care. I washed her face and pulled the intubation tube out of her throat.

  The chest compressions had stopped, so I freed her from the device and pulled the intravenous catheters from her arms. I put a clean hospital gown on her before taking the white vinyl bag that had been placed on the stretcher beneath her and zipping up her lifeless body. I still felt a moment of sadness as the emergency room technician transported her to the hospital morgue.

  “You okay, Alexis?” Charlie, my nurse colleague, asked. I wasn’t facing her, but I heard her empathy-infused voice from over my shoulder. Her whispered tone dripped with concern, which raked me with uneasiness.

  “Yes.” I hadn’t meant to clip my speech so abruptly but given my hasty one-word response coupled with turning away from her approach, she probably assumed I was discourteous. She asked if I was okay, and rather than be polite and speak to her, I walked toward the computer to complete documentation in my patient’s chart. Although I’m not typically ill-mannered, I figured it was okay if I appeared that way at that moment, because I was not interested in having a conversation about my feelings.

  I’d always been a very private person. I never shared my crap with anyone. I didn’t have friends I confided in, and I honestly preferred it that way. I had worked the night shift with Charlie for over a year now, and although I knew she was a genuine person, I still didn’t feel comfortable enough around her to share anything personal.

  Most of the women I worked with were catty and shallow. They swooned over handsome men, talked about themselves, and gossiped more than tabloid magazines. I had to admit, though, Charlie was different. She was friendly and outgoing, just like all the nurses I worked with, but she didn’t have perfect hair or wear full makeup at work. She was definitely into practicality over superficial perfection.

  I moved on to take care of other patients—considering tonight had been slightly busier than usual. After walking out of a patient’s room, I saw Charlie’s brother, Cameron, enter through the sliding glass door into the emergency department holding a cardboard carrier of coffee cups. He regularly visited his sister at work. I assumed they were pretty close. When I’d see sibling relationships, I’d wonder what it would be like to have a bond with someone you grew up with—and lived with. Knowing another person who shared the same mother and father and had the same genetic make-up seemed fascinating. Don’t get me wrong, I was glad that I didn’t have a sibling. Being an only child had worked out for the best, yet I couldn’t help but be curious about something I’d never experienced.

  Cameron had dark hair and piercing hazel eyes. Those were the prominent features I’d seen from a glimpse here and there, but I had never blatantly stared at him. He was attractive, so his mere presence made me feel a little self-conscious. However, the girls I worked with had no qualms about slowly scanning the length of his body with their eyes, drinking him in. He was certainly good looking enough…and charming, except he seemed to enjoy the attention from my co-workers a little too much for my comfort.

  I attempted to observe his whereabouts without appearing like I was watching him as he proceeded to the nurses’ station. As I expected, it only took a brief moment before he found himself sandwiched between Tiffany and Cecilia next to the counter. He didn’t seem uncomfortable being squeezed in by two female ER nurse bookends. In fact, the wide smile he wore for those two made me believe he was enjoying himself. I tried to remain inconspicuous as I continued to survey his movements. However, once he offered coffee to the women attached to his sides, I returned my attention to the computer screen in front of me.

  I didn’t have my eyes glued to the electronic chart for very long before I heard him approac
h. I could always depend on my keen sense of hearing when someone walked in my direction, even if I wasn’t looking. The outline of his figure appeared in my peripheral vision, but I heard his soft footsteps on the linoleum floor as well.

  “Hey, Lex.” Cameron’s raspy voice resonated from behind me. I guess he was able to pry himself away from Tiffany and Cecilia—or as I called them, T and C.

  I wasn’t sure why he’d break away from two beautiful women smothering him to speak to me. Then again, I’d never find out if I continued to ignore him, so I decided to glance over my shoulder, not wanting to appear rude. After all, I had already given off that vibe to my co-worker. I couldn’t do the same to her brother.

  “Here’s a coffee.” Cameron handed me an insulated paper cup of hot, delicious-smelling liquid as if making a peace offering.

  I wasn’t used to taking drinks from men I barely knew, so I trembled slightly when accepting it. “Thank you.” I wasn’t sure how to behave during this transaction, so I briefly lowered my eyes before turning to face the computer again. “I appreciate it,” I added, my voice laden with hesitation.

  Just then, heat covered my back like a blanket, letting me know that he had leaned toward me. “Alexis, do you want to go to breakfast sometime?”

  I could feel my body stiffen in a confused response to his question. What the hell is going on? He has other women literally drooling over his presence and flaunting their assets in his face, and he asks me out? This was all a little too much. I was the complete opposite of his type. He liked busty blondes with perfect hair and flawless makeup.

  “I don’t think so, Cameron. I am not much of a breakfast person.” I swiveled in my seat to look at him.

  “Okay. Then how about lunch?” His lips curled up in the corners as if he could wear me down with his devilish grin. Was this really happening? I had said no to a date, yet he continued to pursue me.

  “Sorry, Cam, I can’t.” I hopped out of my seat with every intention of walking toward Charlie, who stood near the counter. Except he halted my exit when he reached out and touched my upper arm, gripping his fingers around my exposed flesh. For some unexplainable reason, I froze in place. My heavy feet felt stuck to the linoleum tiles as the warmth of his touch enveloped my entire upper body. I couldn’t recall a single time I had ever locked up when someone touched me, and quite frankly, it scared me a little. I must still be a little shook up from that older woman’s death tonight.

  “Why not?”

  I didn’t move. The imaginary glue held me in place on the floor. The only thing I could do was give Charlie a pleading look, begging her to intervene. Obviously, I wasn’t myself tonight. I never had an issue turning men down, but I just couldn’t seem to form words at this moment. Hopefully, his sister could put an end to his persistence.

  “Cam, leave Alexis alone,” Charlie barked out with the hint of a snarl.

  Relief and gratitude infused my muscles as she accepted the assignment of my rescue mission. Her support provided me the courage I needed. I mouthed “thank you” to her as I managed to find a sliver of hidden strength and propelled myself away from Cameron.

  2

  Cameron

  “Why are you asking her out?” my sister asked with a raised eyebrow and a clenched jaw once Alexis was a safe distance away.

  “Because I like her. The same reason I ask any girl out.” I shrugged as if my answer was completely obvious. I could read her like a book, but she wasn’t so good at predicting what was going on in my head.

  “You don’t like her. She just fascinates you because she has absolutely no interest in you.” She actually wagged her index finger in my direction while she spoke, which pulled a rumble of laughter from me. “She’s different than the other girls I work with.” Charlie lowered her voice to barely above a whisper, as if not to offend her colleagues. “She is immune to your charm.”

  I merely smiled and nodded at Tiffany and Cecilia, who were leaning onto their elbows braced against the counter. “No one is immune to my charm.” My glance bounced from the nurses standing several feet away, squeezing their breasts together to accentuate the cleavage hidden beneath their scrub tops, back to my sister, who offered me an exaggerated eye roll.

  “Have you ever stopped to think that a girl like Alexis isn’t going to be interested in someone that flirts with every female in scrubs?” Her assertive attitude came to the surface as she put her hand on her hip.

  “So you’re saying I need to make her feel special?” I assumed she meant I needed to treat Alexis differently than a random female conquest. All this time, I didn’t realize how little my own sister thought of me.

  “Something like that.” A nasally inhale whistled as she took in a deep, exaggerated breath in preparation for a hurtful truth. She often practiced deep breathing through her nose when she had to expel some tidbit of information that I wasn’t going to like. “But she is a very nice girl that lacks the experience you have. Please, just leave her alone.” I wasn’t sure why Charlie was so protective of Alexis, but I had an idea how I could drive the momentum toward the direction I wanted.

  “Challenge accepted.” I clapped to signal that the conversation was about to be over. My sister and I had always had a competitive nature. No matter who it was against, I always wanted to win, but it was especially important when I competed against her. This was a bet I was sure to win. And because I knew my sister so well, I was fully aware that she would do everything in her power to see that I didn’t. It was going to be fun.

  “What are you talking about?” The inflection in her voice changed with an increasing volume. Then, after a slight glance around the area, she motioned me to follow her to the triage area in front of the department. I followed, and when we were out of earshot from everyone else, she turned around and delivered a bona fide scowl in my direction. “There is no challenge, Cameron Callahan. I have never, ever told you who you could or couldn’t pursue, but that is about to change. She is absolutely off limits to you.”

  “Like Louis was for you?” Okay, that was a cheap shot. I lifted my brows, awaiting her response. But I wasn’t past playing unfair when it came to a challenge between Charlie and me. Louis was my childhood best friend. That realization prompted my decision to add an interesting twist to the challenge. “You get Alexis to go out with me, and I will get Louis to go out with you.” I extended a hand toward her.

  “I can get Louis to go out with me on my own.” She rolled her eyes, and I started reconsidering this idea as my hand continued to stick out in mid-air. Her sidelong glance of utter disbelief gave me the impression she was a little annoyed with my suggestion. Maybe she needed more than one date with my old friend.

  “Fine. You get Alexis to go out with me, and I will get Louis to be your boyfriend.”

  A laugh escaped her as she dragged her gaze downward to my extended hand. “And what happens if one of us doesn’t hold up his end of the deal?” Her eyebrows rose high on her forehead, expressing interest rather than the astonishment and repulsion she had just speared me with a moment earlier.

  I scratched my briskly chin in contemplation with problem-solving focus. “How about a hundred-dollar wager?” The amount didn’t seem unreasonable to me. I was willing to pay more than that to go out with Alexis.

  “Make it two hundred.” She thought I wouldn’t be successful at persuading Louis to be her boyfriend. Tsk. Tsk. Her lack of faith in me held a little disappointment.

  “That works.” I accepted the terms without hesitation. Being short in confidence wasn’t a problem I had.

  She reached over and finally succumbed to a pump of my hand, which was still mid-air.

  As she walked with me toward the exit, I could sense her demeanor change. She became too quiet, and her face clouded with uneasiness. Typically, she’d babble about how she would win any game we played, but her shoulders slumped forward, displaying a nagging uncertainty within her posture.

  “Cam, I will help you with Alexis, but I want out of the deal
with Louis. If Louis doesn’t want to be with me, then I need to just accept that and move on.” Glistening tears began to shimmer over the smokiness of her gray eyes. The water droplets hadn’t crossed over the brim yet, so there was still time for me to leave without witnessing her sob. I considered myself a pretty strong man both physically and emotionally, but a crying girl tied me into an uncomfortable knot.

  Recognizing that I needed to make a quick exit if I wanted to avoid any watershed, I pulled her into a brief hug. “Okay, Lean Bean. Have a good night.” Then, with a few quick strides, I slipped out through the sliding glass door into the summer night before any tears spilled over.

  Even though I’d met Louis first—officially making him my friend before Charlie’s—the three of us had become thick as thieves ever since kindergarten. During the morning shift, the elementary school bus driver made the boys sit on one side and the girls on the other. I remembered being pretty annoyed initially because even though my sister and I didn’t share the same gender, we shared pretty much everything else.

  We shared a womb together, for God’s sake. The bus driver wouldn’t budge on the rule, even for twins, so I was forced to sit on the boys’ side, and Charlie sat across from me. A scared and nervous-looking blond-haired boy had climbed the steps of the bus and walked down the aisle that first morning of kindergarten. He halted his gait and stood between Charlie and me with quiet observation.