There was definitely a different vibe in the house. While me and Jeanine had sex when I got home from being called out last night, something was different. She was looking at me like she didn't trust me, and that was probably the worst part of all. I wanted her to trust me, needed her to and that meant that I was going to have to tell her more than I wanted to. I just didn't know how to do it. It seemed like the secrets and lies were stacking up between us, and I wasn't sure how to fix it.

We drove back to the main house the next morning and Jeanine didn't say a lot on the way there. She was very quiet, and I could tell that she had something on her mind. But unlike before, Jeanine was keeping it to herself. I don't know what it was, but I knew that it wasn't good.

“So how do you like it here so far?”

“It is definitely different Craig. I'm glad I came.”

Her answer was reserved, and of course it wasn't the one that I wanted. I wanted her to love the place like I did, so that she wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. I had a feeling that was the only way I was going to get her to.

“I have been many places Jeanine, but I've never found a place like this. I fall in love with it every time I come back home.”

“I can see that, it's beautiful. It would be easier if I grew up here, and I knew the culture and the way people were. but I have a feeling that I was not prepared for the culture shock when I got here. It is far different than I'm used to, as you know from being in America before.”

She did not allude to what those differences were, and I wasn't stupid enough to ask her. I thought that she wanted me to comment on it and that kind of made me nervous. I didn't want to have one of those talks today, because it didn't turn out well. I was still under the impression that everything would get swept underneath the rug, like it always did. That's what I was used to.

“Well. I guess I will just have to show you some more bits of the island to make you fall for this place. Then maybe I can get you to stay.”

She didn't answer me, but she didn't do a quick glance over at me. I was biting my tongue again, sure that she was going to shut me down quickly, but she didn't. I didn't think that that was a good sign, but it was a sign that she was holding more in.

I don't like this tension between us, so I knew that I was going to have to say something. There was always a chance that it was going to turn out to be the wrong thing, but I had to try. I had to bite the bullet.

“If you have something that you need to ask me Jeanine, I wish you would. I feel this tension between us and I don't like it at all. I know you can feel it too.”

She sighed in relief and I knew then that she did have something to ask me. I wasn't sure if I had set myself up for failure or not, but I knew I was about to find out.

“I just want to know where you went last night. That is two nights in a row that you just took off, without telling me anything. It is certainly not something that I'm used to, and I don't think that I’m going to ever get used to it. It would be one thing if I knew where you were going, but I have no idea what you were doing or where you even were last night. You had blood on your shirt...”

I put my hand on her hi knee and tried to reassure her that it wasn't that big of a deal.

“I was just going up for work, I told you that. When somebody calls and they need help, how can I refuse them? Would you really want me to?”

“I am not saying that you should, I just don't understand why you can't tell me anything. If that is what you were out there doing, why do you come home in the state you are in?”

“People get hurt around here Jeanine, and they bleed. I promise you that I am not lying to you. I was taking out a bullet from someone’s chest after I left you last night. A person's life was in the balance, or nothing would have pulled me away from you. You have to believe that.”

That seemed to open up the door for more questions. She wanted to know why they hadn't went to the hospital, or why they were calling me. She also wanted to know why no one else can take care of it.

“I mean, it isn't like you are the only doctor here right?”

“No, I never said I was. There are a couple of surgeons on the island, but some still call me. “

I didn't know what she was getting at, but I didn't like it either.

“Why don't you tell me what you really want to know?”

“It just doesn't make any sense Craig. You can see that right?”

I could see that she was not taking it like I wanted her to. I wanted her to just believe me and not think twice about it. I knew that was going to be hard for her, and I knew that it was going to be an impossible task. It was like the ring and the marriage, I didn't think that she was ready for all those answers just yet.

“Let's just say that some people can't go to the regular hospital and they need somebody that is going to take care of them, but at the same time be discreet. Discreteness is very valued in my country. I just happen to be that way. I am just here to help people, I am not here to get anyone in trouble.”

“So they don't want the cops called?”

For a woman that was so far removed from this lifestyle, she was very quick to you pick up on it.

“Yeah, basically. Everyone knows that I will help them, with no questions asked. This can be very valuable for some people kinds of people for various reasons, but it can also be helpful for other people as well. Hospitals cost a lot of and a lot of people can't afford it. My emergency calls are a mix of both. I get some people that can’t afford it and then I get some people that should be in jail. I figure the two outweighs each other most of the time.”

“And last night?”

“Last night was the latter.”

“I see.”

I don't think she understood at all, but I wasn't going to argue with her. It seemed like at the moment, she was starting to understand what I was talking about. At least it was going to keep her off my back for a little while, and hopefully she would trust me a little bit more. It was far more than I thought I would tell her, but I was starting to get a little desperate because of how hard she was pulling away. I didn't want to lose her. I couldn’t let it all slip through my fingers.

“Are you disappointed?”

She told me that she wasn’t.“ Criminals need to get medical treatment as well, don't they?

I wouldn't necessarily call them criminals, I really didn't like that term, but at least she was starting to wrap her mind around it a little bit. We had never talked about that side of my life, for obvious reasons, because Jeanine seen the type of person that didn't even want to jaw walk. I didn't think she would be so understanding of it, and I still wasn't sure if she believed me or not. I had found that little bit of truth, went a long way in a situation like this, and I was hoping that this was the case as well.

Why couldn't she see that none of this really mattered? None of this mattered at all. All that mattered was that she was finally here and she was mine. She could find out the rest of it later, as our lives went on. I had really been wrong about this situation, extremely wrong.

“Yes, everyone needs some medical treatment from time to time. I work in the hospital, but I also do my fair share in the community as well.”

“So that is why everyone loves you?”

I agreed that that was most likely the reason. That was enough truth for one day, as far as I was concerned. I don’t think either one of us could take any more of it.