Beautiful One

by Mary Cope

Me: I’m ready to listen.

  Aidan: Now?

  I was surprised Aidan texted me back so quickly, it was only 7:04 a.m.

  Me: Coffee place in the harbor at ten-thirty.

  Aidan: Great. Thanks, Liz.

  The guilt was gone, and I immediately felt better. With this renewed sense of freedom, I surrendered myself to the run. The fog had lifted, and sweat was beading down my forehead. I was running in sync to the music, like a well-oiled machine, but then, I stopped.

  Ahead in the distance, I saw a black and tan mangy dog sniffing around some trashcans. I removed my ear buds and slowly backed away, whispering Maggie’s name. I silently prayed the stray dog didn’t see us, but my prayer was unanswered. The dog glanced up and was headed our way.

  I watched in horror while this raging animal charged with angry eyes fixed on my sweet Maggie. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, and my heart pounded. My eyes darted around, nervously looking for a place to run.

  The dog was bearing down fast, but I knew I couldn’t outrun it. My trembling hand reached in a frantic attempt for the pepper spray. My efforts were met with no avail as the impact of this unprovoked aggressive dog collided with me. The force of the blow knocked me to ground, causing me to drop the leash. Pain exploded from the back of my head as it slammed against the concrete. I staggered to my feet, clutching my head. I could feel blood trickling between my fingers. Maggie let out a yelp then rolled on her back in submission.

  The snarling mongrel lunged forward, latching onto the soft fleshy fur at the base of Maggie’s neck. Maggie cried out and rolled to her feet, then I grabbed the leash and yanked her back. Maggie’s instincts kicked in, and she savagely attacked the aggressive animal. Tears streamed down my face, and I screamed for somebody to help me. Maggie’s yellow coat was covered with splotches of red blood. I was vaguely aware a few cars had pulled to the side of the road.

  Someone was yelling to call an ambulance. The sound of stomping feet ran past me toward the vicious dog. I heard the dog yelp as it ran toward the creek bed. Maggie was lying limp a few feet away, whimpering. I tried to reach her, but I stumbled. A strong warm arm caught me before I fell to the ground.

  “Be still, darlin’, you’re hurt.” I was wrapped in the arms of a soft leather jacket, looking into the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen.

  I choked out the words, “My dog, Maggie,” before I slipped into the darkness.

  Chapter Nine

  My eyelids fluttered open to the tearstained face of my mother.

  “How do you feel, Liz? Does your head hurt?”

  I lifted my hand to silence her before I turned my head toward the floor and violently threw up. Mom ran out of the room to get the nurse.

  My head ached, and my body felt heavy. My left arm was bandaged from forearm to elbow, and my right arm was stuck with an IV. I was wearing an itchy hospital gown, covered with a thin blanket. Surveying the sterile environment, tears rolled down my cheeks. My immediate thought was of Maggie.

  Mom hurried back to my bedside, a nurse followed behind her. I wiped my tears away before the nurse reached the bed.

  “Hi, Elizabeth, I’m Katelyn.” Nurse Katelyn seemed to be in her mid-twenties, with wavy red hair pulled back in a ponytail and kind blue eyes. She checked my vital signs, told us the doctor would be in shortly, and cleaned up the vomit.

  “Mom, what happened to… Maggie?” I could barely get the words out. I held my breath and waited for her to respond.

  “Melissa and Mason took her to Dr. Wheaton. He’s stitching her up now. He said she’s going to be fine.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief followed by tears.

  “Oh, Mom, I was so scared. I thought she… was…”

  “Sh-h-h, sweetie, she’s hurt, but she’s gonna be okay.” Mom glanced toward the door as my dad anxiously walked into the room.

  “How’s my girl?” Dad rubbed my blanket-covered leg as his eyes narrowed in concern.

  “My head hurts, and I feel dizzy. What’s wrong with me?”

  As if on cue, the doctor walked through the door. Dr. Lee was a soft-spoken man who explained I had a concussion, stitches from the wound on the back of my head, and several cuts and abrasions. During Dr. Lee’s examination of me, I glanced at my parents.

  “How did I get here?”

  Mom glanced to my dad then back at me. “You don’t remember being in the ambulance?”

  “No, not at all. I remember screaming and trying to get Maggie away from that dog.”

  “You were so brave. We’re just so thankful you’re okay.” She turned her attention to the doctor. “She is going to be okay. Right, Doctor?” Mom seemed anxious as she questioned Dr. Lee.

  Dr. Lee focused his attention on my parents. “We’re going to keep her overnight for observation. I’m sure she is going to be fine. If her night goes well, she’ll be discharged in the morning.” Dr. Lee scribbled a few notes on a clipboard before he exited the room.

  After I relived what I could remember from the dogfight, my parents kept me company for a while. Dad even joked about how I was a little warrior. When I told them I was tired, they each kissed me on my head and said they would be back later that night.

  My sleep was interrupted with the gentle probing of Nurse Katelyn. She checked my vitals and refilled my water jug. I glanced at the clock in the room while she replaced my IV bag.

  It was 4:38 p.m. Aidan!

  “Katelyn, do you know where my stuff is?”

  “Yes, all your personal belongings are in this drawer.” Nurse Katelyn bent down to the table next to my bed. She pulled out a large plastic bag.

  I cringed when I saw my blood-stained workout clothes.

  She glanced at the cell phone and told me it was against hospital policy to use it. She put the bag next to me and said with a wink, “Don’t get caught.”

  When she exited the room, I grabbed the phone.

  Five missed texts. The first four were from Aidan.

  10:28: I’m here. I’ll order you a non-fat latte.

  10:35: I’m sitting outside.

  10:45: Your latte is getting cold.

  11:02: I can’t believe you stood me up.

  Melissa’s text was last.

  4:25: Mason and I are on our way to pick up Maggie. We’ll be at the hospital soon. I love you.

  Several missed calls and messages, but the only one I listened to was Aidan’s at 11:28 a.m.

  “I can’t believe you. You text me and wake me up, tell me you’ll meet me, and you don’t show up? Is this your way of getting back at me? Thanks… thanks a lot.”

  I tried to call Aidan, but the cell service was so bad it wouldn’t go through. I tapped out a text and hoped it had enough power to reach him.

  Me: I’m at the hospital.

  Aidan: What happened?

  Me: My phone’s gonna die. I’ll tell you later.

  Aidan: Saddleback or Mission?

  Me: Mission.

  Aidan: I’m on my way.

  I put my cell phone back in the drawer then I gingerly got out of bed. Clutching the IV stand for support, I rolled my way into the bathroom. I stood at the sink and gasped in horror at my reflection.

  Thin red scrapes covered the left side of my forehead, and I was bruised above my cheekbone. I touched the back of my head and felt a swollen egg-sized lump. My hair was a matted mess. I felt a bandage, and, for a second, I wondered how much hair they’d had to shave off to stitch me up.

  Desperate for a toothbrush, I swished some cool water in my mouth and spit. I tried to untangle the matted mess of hair with my fingers but gave up when the standing became too much. I rolled myself back to bed and carefully climbed back in.

  About a half an hour later, Aidan walked in the door. As usual, he looked amazing. Thankfully, I wasn’t hooked up to a heart monitor, or it would have been beeping out of control. He winced when he saw me.

  Aidan’s eyes were fixed on mine. His voice was soft and soothing while he stroked the bare skin of my arm, car
eful to avoid the IV line. “What happened?” he asked.

  I proceeded to tell him what I could remember. His expression ranged from pained to relief when I told him I was going to be fine, and Maggie was okay, too.

  Aidan moved his chair and leaned in close. He picked up a loose strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. He stared at me for a long time as if he were struggling for words.

  I whispered, “Talk to me…”

  Aidan exhaled before he began. “I was scared, Liz, scared of how I was feeling for you.” Shamefaced, Aidan paused for a moment. “You know me, usually if I hang out with a girl, it ends up as a hook-up. I never told anyone about my mom, my life… it scared the crap out of me.” He reached for my hand and held it while the pad of his thumb swept back and forth. “I’m sorry for being such a jerk at your party. Dancing with that girl. I know I hurt you. After I kissed you in your room, I knew you’d expect things to be different between us. I wasn’t ready for a relationship. Or, I thought I wasn’t ready. I was an idiot, and, like a fool, I pushed you away. I didn’t realize how much I cared about you until I cut you out of my life. I feel like I lost my best friend.” Aidan paused and shifted in his seat, “I know I hurt you, and I hate myself for it. I’m so sorry. I wish I could go back and change every stupid thing I did, but I can’t. All I can do is ask you to forgive me and hope you can.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes. I tried to absorb his words. His gaze met mine and he let out a deep breath. He seemed so vulnerable and stripped bare.

  “I miss you, Liz. I miss everything about you. Do you think we could start over?” The desperation in his voice was undeniable.

  Aidan was still holding my hand when Melissa and Mason walked through the door. I didn’t have time to respond. My eyes focused on a wide-eyed Melissa, and when I glanced at Mason, his stunned expression was locked on our clasped hands.

  “What’s going on? What are you doing here, Aidan?” Mason’s troubled tone was starting to sound annoyed.

  Aidan’s chair screeched as he got up. I felt the warmth of his hand leave mine as he pulled away.

  “I heard Liz was hurt, and I needed to talk to her.”

  Mason ran a hand through his hair as Melissa left his side to stand by me.

  “About what?” Mason’s unblinking eyes were locked on Aidan.

  Aidan approached him. “This doesn’t have anything to do with you, Mason.”

  Melissa and I both watched the tension build between them. Mason took a step forward.

  “Yeah, I think it does. When I walk in here and see you holding hands with my sister? It has a lot to do with me.”

  “I care about her.” Aidan glanced at me then back to Mason.

  “Sure ya do.” Mason smirked.

  “You can be such a jerk sometimes.” Aidan bit back.

  “Me? I’m not the one who sleeps with anything with a pulse. And if you think my sister is going to be the next…”

  “Stop it!” I cried. All eyes focused on me. “I can’t listen to this right now. Please, just stop,” I begged.

  The room was silent. Melissa had to move out of the way when Aidan walked boldly to my bedside. He leaned down, the warmth of his breath against my ear then whispered, “Just think about what I’ve said.”

  The words lingered through my mind as Aidan gently kissed my head. He brushed past my scowling brother and exited the room.

  Mason took a few calming breaths before he approached me. “What the… Liz. I don’t want you with Aidan… you know how he is. He treats girls like crap.”

  Melissa stroked his arm and told him to calm down. Mason didn’t seem to hear her.

  “Tell me what’s going on.”

  My eyes welled with tears. I was in no mood to fight with Mason, especially since I knew he was right.

  Melissa grabbed Mason’s arm harder. “Mason! Leave her alone. You can talk about this later.”

  “I need some air.”

  Melissa and I watched as Mason stalked from the room. She turned back to me and gave my hand a firm squeeze.

  “Are you okay?” Melissa asked as she comforted me with a sympathetic smile. “What happened?”

  Unsure if she was asking about the dogfight or Aidan, I again retold my experience of earlier that day. An awkward silence was between us, but knowing how inquisitive Melissa was, I started in before she had time to ask me any questions.

  “I wanted to tell you about Aidan, but knowing how you felt about him, I just couldn’t. I was trying to figure things out on my own. I was doing pretty good with everything, until now.” I sighed. “Now I don’t know what to do.”

  Melissa was absorbed in my words. I filled her in on every detail leading up to that day. She leaned back in her chair and exhaled.

  “I’m just worried about you, Liz. What if you decide to give Aidan a chance and he hurts you? Do you think he can change?”

  “I don’t know, Melissa. I still need to talk to him.”

  My parents walked in the room. Dad was holding a bunch of balloons, and Mom was holding a bag. Melissa got up, but I reached for her arm, and she leaned in close.

  “Could you fill Mason in on everything? He might take it better coming from you.”

  “I’m not so sure about that, but I’ll do my best.” She said goodbye to my parents and me then left the room.

  A few minutes later Mason came back and approached my bed. My dad was tying the balloons to a table and my mom was pulling out clothes and toiletries from the overnight bag.

  “I’m sorry I lost my temper. I just want the best for you, and I don’t think Aidan is it.”

  A few tears fell from my eyes when Mason reached down and hugged me. “I’m so glad you’re alright,” he whispered.

  I sobbed while my brother held me.

  ****

  The next morning, Dr. Lee examined me one last time and gave me the green light to go home. A nurse I’d never seen before handed my mom discharge papers, information regarding wound care, along with a prescription for antibiotics. By the time we walked out of the hospital doors, it was almost 3:00 p.m. My body ached, and my head still throbbed, but knowing I would be home soon made me feel better.

  Mom helped me walk through our front door. A gimpy Maggie immediately greeted me. Tears fell as I coaxed her back to her bed and inspected her sutures. My face nestled into hers, and I caressed her soft fur and covered her in kisses. She looked horrible, but her injuries didn’t seem to affect her mood. She was still as playful as ever. I told her to stay. My mom helped me up the stairs. We headed straight to my bathroom.

  “Thank you, Mom… but I’m okay now.”

  “Alright, sweetie, I’ll check on you in a bit.”

  When my mom shut the door, I turned the bathtub on full blast. Before the hot water covered the room with steam, I stared at myself in the mirror above the sink. My bruise looked worse today than yesterday. It was an array of colors ranging from a muted yellow to a garish purple. Lovely.

  I removed my clothes, thankful my mom had brought me a front-button shirtdress from her closet. I balanced myself against the wall and placed one pointed toe in the hot water. The other foot soon followed, and I eased down into the water. With a towel rolled up behind my neck, I leaned back against the tub and rested my bandaged arm on the ledge. I closed my eyes and let the hot water envelope my aching body while the steam billowed around me. My thoughts were consumed with Aidan.

  He wants to start over. He misses me. He’s sorry for how he’s treated me. He’s never shared about his life with anyone, but he did, with me.

  A knock at the door freed me from my dilemma. It was my mom asking me if I was okay. I told her I was fine, because I was. Finally, I knew exactly what I was going to do.

  Chapter Ten

  I’d texted Aidan earlier and told him I had thought about what he’d said and was ready to see him. He wanted to pick me up after he got off work, but since Mason was home, I decided meeting him elsewhere would be better. My mom was happy to b
ring me to meet him. Aidan had charmed her months ago during our tutoring sessions and band practice. She adored him.

  “Ouch! Careful, Mom.” I jerked my head away when my mom pulled the brush through my damp hair.

  “Oh, Liz, I can’t believe you got your hair wet when the doctor told you not to!”

  “I couldn’t handle how my hair felt. I had to wash it. It was gross. Besides, I was careful.”

  My mom inspected the back of my head and strategically placed my hair away from the stitches. “Your stitches look good, but still — I wish you hadn’t. You have to be careful.” Mom scanned the floor and picked up my dirty clothes. “What time do you want me to drop you off at the harbor?”

  “How about in an hour?” I handed her my wet towels.

  “Do you need me to pick you up?”

  “No, Aidan can bring me home.”

  “Okay.” My mom took a step toward me. Her anxious eyes roamed over my bruise and the scrapes on my forehead. “Are you sure you feel good enough to go out?”

  “I feel fine, Mom.”

  “Okay,” she muttered. Her arms were overloaded with my dirty clothes as she exited my room.

  I closed the door behind her, put on a green t-shirt, jeans, boots, and my black pea-coat with a red-and-green tartan scarf. Since Christmas was only a few days away, I thought I’d try and make myself look festive. I glanced at my reflection one last time. My hair looked pretty good, considering it had been a matted mess just an hour before. I applied some mascara and eyeliner, hoping to distract from the scrapes on my forehead and bruise on my face, but I still looked a fright. Oh, well. This was as good as I was going to get.

  ****

  I was about to go inside the small café when my phone chimed with a text.