by Terra Kelly
“Boy does that man have a perfect set of buns.” Vikki sighed and rested her head in her hand.
Preslie burst out laughing but covered her mouth to mask the noise. “Only you would say that.” She reached over and hugged her friend. “Thanks.”
“For what, protecting my girl? That’s my job.” Vikki tightened her hold on Preslie. “No, admit it, that man has a fine ass.”
Preslie shook her head and kissed Vikki on the cheek. "I need to deliver lunch." The trays were being brought in and she needed to grab a banana cream pie.
As Dr. Kymanski walked away from the nurses’ station, Preslie stood to head to Mr. Callahan’s room. The doctor had put Miles on bed rest for another week; then he needed to start physical therapy immediately after. His leg was a concern since the bullet had lodged in the bone. Plus, he needed to build up his abdominal strength after the injury he sustained from the gunshot wound. She had the release papers for him to sign as she entered his room. His two little kids were sitting on the end of the bed. Angie, his wife was looking solemn and sitting in a chair beside the bed. Miles had a smile on his face as he watched his kids draw pictures. “Well, good news, you can go home today.” The kids looked up and cheered! “I need to go over your paperwork, then we can get you all set to go.” She walked over to the other side of the bed. “Dr. Kymanski wants you on one more week of bed rest.”
As Preslie was going over the papers, Angie was screaming inside. She had one more week before she could say anything to Miles. She knew this next week would require help, maybe from chocolate and wine.
When Preslie finished, she handed the papers to Miles to sign. “Thanks for everything," Miles said and handed the pen back. "You all have been great. Do you know if PT is here in the hospital?”
“I’m glad we could make you comfortable during your stay. Yes, PT is downstairs close to the main entrance.” She touched his shoulder. “I will get an assistant to take you to your car. Mrs. Callahan, you can bring your car around to the front entrance.”
Angie nodded. “Sounds good. Should I go now?”
Preslie shook her head. “No, give us about an hour. We need to unhook his monitors and I.V.” She smiled and turned to head out. “I’ll send someone in to help you get dressed, Mr. Callahan. Plus, lunch just arrived if you want something to eat while you wait.”
“Okay, sounds good,” he said. “Finally, I can get out of this place.” He looked at Gracie and Jack. “Are you both going to keep me entertained while I’m on bed rest?”
Jack raised his hand high. “Yes me, Daddy.”
Gracie shook her head. “Yes, we can color and play games.”
Miles laughed. “That sounds like a perfect plan.”
Three
They had arrived back at home about an hour ago, Angie was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of wine. Miles had a brace from the top of his leg all the way down and only needed to use one crutch. The injury to his abdomen was still tender, so he carefully made his way to the kitchen. When he reached the doorway, he froze. Angie was standing at the kitchen island with a wine glass in her hand and tears flowing down her cheeks. “Angie, baby, what’s wrong?”
She wiped away her tears. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
Miles made his way to the kitchen island. “Like what? I don’t understand? You know I’m okay, so why the tears?”
“It’s just been a long week.” She took a sip of her wine. “Should you be up and walking?”
Right as Miles went to say something there was a knock at the back door and his band mates all piled in one by one. Seth was the drummer of their band Torn Pieces, Julian was the bass guitarist, Ricky was the lead guitarist, and Frankie played on keyboards. Miles was the lead singer and could also play the guitar and piano. They had been together for over twenty years and mostly played at clubs and sometimes opened for smaller bands when they were in Toronto. Miles had decided a long time ago that being a cop was his number one goal. His father and grandfather were both cops, but it was nice to take your mind away from the intensity and just sing.
“Hey guys.” He looked over at Angie and had an apologetic look on his face.
She shook her head, grabbed her wine glass and headed out of the room. “How's it going?” He knew something was wrong with Angie but now was not the time to talk about it.
“How are we doing?" Ricky said laughing. "It’s more like, how the hell are you?”
Miles walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. “I think okay. I’m still not sure what happened, Cooper hasn’t filled me in yet.” He shook his head. “I need to go see Eddy’s family. I’m pissed I missed his funeral.” Eddy had been a part of the team for over ten years. They had worked closely together. Their families were close. Eddy’s niece Kylie babysit Gracie and Jack. Miles didn't know how to process the last several days. One thing was for sure, he planned to catch the son-of-a-bitch who killed his partner.
After about thirty minutes. “Listen guys, I think I better go talk to Angie." He turned to Ricky. "Did you cancel the shows for the next few weeks?”
“Yup, all taken care of.” Ricky walked forward and placed his hand on Miles' shoulder. “We'll stop back by later this week.”
Miles lived in a one-story home, thank fuck. If they had a two-story home, he had no clue how he would get around with the damn crutch. He made his way to their bedroom at the end of the hall and found Angie sitting with her back against the head board. She looked lost and was still crying. He sat down beside her. “Baby, I’m worried about you.
She sat her wine on the end table next to the bed. “Miles, we need to talk.”
The “we need to talk” line was never a good sign. “Um, okay.” He placed a hand on her thigh. “What is it?”
She moved away from his touch, needing the space and took in a deep breath, “We have been together for ten years now. I can still see the day you asked me to marry you. It was the best day of my life.”
“It was the best day for me, too,” he said feeling confused.
“I thought I knew what I was getting myself into when I married a cop, but I think I was lying to myself. Every time you leave the house I worry what will happen. Will this be the day he gets shot?” She sat up and placed her hand on his leg. “For ten years you never got hurt and I’m thankful for that. When I got the call from Cooper, it was like a dam broke. I realized at that moment I couldn't do this anymore.”
Miles was feeling light headed. Could this be happening? He gets shot, loses his partner, and now getting divorced possibly. What next? He tried not to think about a what next. “Let me get this straight.” He stood up needing some distance. “You married me ten years ago and seemed happy. We had two kids together. Again, you seemed happy about the kids and our life.” He noticed he was yelling, so he took in a deep breath and let it out. “Yet, you were never happy.” He knew yelling would not help and the kids were right down the hall. “Help me understand, Angie?”
“I know this doesn’t seem fair or make any sense. Hell, I’m trying to process it myself. I try every day to be the best wife and mother. I love you and I always will, but I can’t live like this anymore. The stress is affecting my health.” She stood and moved closer to Miles but he stepped back. “When I went for my physical the other day, the doctor said I have the beginning stages of depression. When you got shot and we lost Eddy that was my breaking point.” She sat back down on the bed and put her hands over her face.
Miles had no emotion for his wife, no desire to console her at the moment. His wife of ten years just told him she was never happy. How was that even possible? He saw her face every morning. Made love with her most evenings. They would play games with the kids and she would laugh. Her smile would give him the strength to go deal with the craziness of his job. What the fuck was happening? “When I asked you to marry me, I also said you were marrying the cop life. You said you were okay with that as long as I was there. Now, today, you tell me that was never how you f
elt? You were scared the moment we got married? Why did you marry me? Why did we have two kids together? Why wait ten years to tell me all this bullshit?” His voice went up a few octaves. “Angie, what the fuck?”
“Please, don’t raise your voice, you will scare the kids. I thought the feeling would go away. I thought feeling scared was just part of the marriage process. Hell, I was giving up my freedom. I had lived on my own for so long.”
“Bullshit. Angie, be honest, did you ever want to marry me? Were we living a lie all this time? Because here’s the thing, I love you with every fiber of my being. I love our kids. This life we created, it’s been fucking fantastic for me. So, imagine what I must feel right now hearing your bullshit, and please try to understand why I feel betrayed and fucking furious right now.” He headed for the door. If only he could walk faster, goddamn brace on his leg.
Angie ran over to him and grabbed a hold of his arm. “Miles please, I tried.”
Miles moved her hands off his arm. “You didn’t try hard enough.” He walked out the door, but stopped with his back facing her. “I love you. I’m sorry that was never enough.”
Miles headed to the kitchen to grab his phone to call Ricky. “Hey man, can I stay at your place for a few nights?”
“Um, sure. I'll be right over to grab you.” When Ricky arrived a few minutes later, Miles was sitting on the porch. He walked up the couple steps. “Everything okay?”
“Not here," he said and stood up. "Will you help me get down these damn steps?” He grabbed a hold of Ricky around the waist, “I need to get out of here.”
“Should we let Angie know you're leaving?” Ricky asked taking each step down slowly.
Miles was silent for a few beats. “Have you ever wondered why people can’t be honest? Or are the marriages you see real? I mean, when we look at a couple they look happy on the outside, but are they really happy?”
As Miles was getting in the car, the front door opened and Gracie ran out. “Daddy, where are you going?”
“Hi baby girl, your uncle Ricky and I were just going out. I’ll be back later, okay?”
She ran up to him and hugged him around his waist. His injury on his abdomen was still tender, but he didn’t react to the pain that shot through his chest. He bent down and hugged her back. She smiled. “I love you, Daddy.”
He wanted to punch something, anything. His little girl's beautiful smile made this whole situation harder to deal with. He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face. “I love you, too, sweet angel. Now head back inside before your Mom gets worried about where you went.” He patted her behind and she scooted off toward the door giggling. He slid into the passenger seat. “Think the guys would be up for a practice session? I need to blow off steam.”
“They all went their separate ways earlier, but let’s see what they’re doing.” He pulled out his phone and sent a group text. “Studio? Fifteen minutes?” They all replied about the same time. “Yes.”
Miles didn't say anything for most of the car ride. When they were almost to the studio, he blurted out. “Angie wants a divorce.”
“What? You’re kidding, right?” Ricky swerved to the right.
“Easy there. I wish I was kidding. She said my injury was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I guess she has always felt scared about my job. Living with a cop was too much for her to handle. She said she hoped the feelings would subside but instead they got worse. What the fuck, Ricky?”
Ricky pulled into the studio driveway. Seth was standing outside smoking a cigarette. He threw it to the ground to step on it and go help Miles out of the car. “We thought you would want lady time?”
“No, no lady time tonight. Singing sounds like more fun.”
Seth looked confused, so Ricky spoke-up. “Hey guys, how about we head inside?” He patted Seth on the back. “Let’s chat about the music tonight.”
Preslie was sitting at her computer entering patient notes. She placed her hands on her belly as her stomach continued to rumble. “I guess it’s lunch time. You hungry?” She was tiring of always having a chaperone but her ex could still be lurking. “Want to just eat here today? I have tons of notes to enter.”
The young nurse in her mid-twenties nodded. “I have been craving a big salad. Let’s go make a dent in their salad bar,” Ella said.
Preslie worked with Ella or Vikki for every one of her shifts. “Who needs green leafy stuff when you can have a big burrito.” They both were laughing as they headed to the cafeteria. Ella didn’t live far from Vikki, so they would car pool to work. Preslie was still living with Vikki for the time being. As they made their way down the long hallway. “You want to hang with Viks and I tonight? It's wine and movie night.”
“Isn't it always wine and movie night at Vikki's house?" Ella teased. "I need to take a rain check though. I have a date with the new guy.”
“Things are going well then, eh?” Preslie asked not paying attention to who was around them. For some weird reason she felt before she saw him. The guy with the gunshot wounds who was brought in a few weeks ago. What was his name? Calla something? She looked over and noticed he was ambling with one crutch. He glanced her way and caught her staring right at him.
Miles had only stayed with Ricky for one night and then decided it was his home, too. Angie stayed in their bedroom and he crashed in the spare room. The kids were confused, but they both tried to act like everything was normal. He had PT three times a week at the hospital. It had been three weeks since the shooting. His abdomen felt better. Physical therapy was helping but slow poke was still his nickname for now. As he made his way toward the entrance, he caught a whiff of lavender and citrus and turned to see where the mystery person was standing. It was the nurse with midnight blue eyes. What was her name?
“Hi, Mr. Callahan." His name popped in her head. "It’s good to see you up and about. Are you feeling better?”
“Um...” He looked down at her tag. “Preslie. Doing great. Just heading home after a grueling round at PT.”
Ella placed her hand on Preslie's shoulder. “Hey Pres, I will go on ahead and grab us a seat.” She then smiled at Miles and excused herself.
Preslie didn’t feel comfortable being left alone with a man, but this man was different, he had a leg injury. After the incident in the parking garage, men were not high on her must-have list these days. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.” She didn’t know him, so she didn’t know what else to say. "Well, it was good to see you. I better go find, Ella.”
“Yeah, I need to get home. All My Children starts soon,” he teased. They said goodbye and turned in opposite directions. Miles stopped. “Preslie?” This was crazy, what was he thinking. His mouth was talking before his mind could stop him. “My band plays at the Flying Monkey Bar next Friday, we start at 9:00 p.m. You should come watch the show and bring your friend. I can leave two tickets in the will-call.”
“Um, sure. I'll have to see what my schedule is next Friday. Thank you for the invite.” She nodded and continued making her way toward the cafeteria. She had to hold in her grin. The image of Miles a cop in a band was sexy as hell.
“Who the hell was she talking to? She better wipe that smile off her face or I will do it for her.” David was standing off in the distance, watching Preslie talk to some guy. She was supposed to be with him. He waited for six long months but she never contacted him. So, he had to take matters into his own hands. When he meet her by her car, he was only going to scare her. Then it felt good to hold his hands around her neck and just squeeze. Fucking cop that showed up. If he would’ve been a few minutes later, she would not be an issue anymore. She deserved what she got, leaving him was unacceptable. They were supposed to get married and have kids together.
Now he knew where she would be next Friday evening. Perfect. He needed to plan things out, approach her at just the right moment when the crowd was focused only on the band. Then no one will hear her scream. She knew way too much, it was time to end this and now.
Four
“You remember the cop that came in for gunshot wounds a few weeks back?" Preslie asked pouring wine. "I saw him today when he was leaving the hospital.”
Vikki was in the other room watching the end of a show. The moment Preslie mentioned the cop, she hit pause and went into the kitchen. “What? You saw that cop today? Does he still look hot? I bet he looks even more delicious in the standing position.”
“Only you would say that.” She took a sip of her Cabernet Sauvignon. “He's in a band. He invited me and “my friend” to their show next Friday.”
“Oh, we are so going. You know that, right?” Vikki walked over to grab Preslie’s wine and took a big sip. “Where’s the show?”
“Flying Monkey Bar?” She knew of the bar but had no clue where it was located. “Have you ever been there?” She snatched her glass back. “Wine thief.”
“I have, it’s a huge bar. More for bikers but there is a mixed crowd.” She walked over and grabbed another wine glass out of the cupboard. “Let’s look up the music schedule for Flying Monkey, then we can figure out if he’s the singer.” She poured her wine and went over to her laptop sitting on the kitchen table. When she searched, her eyes were glued to the screen. Then a smile inched across her lips. “Oh, yum, he is the lead singer. Holy shit, his band is Torn Pieces.” Vikki looked up at Preslie. “You know them. Do you remember that concert we went to our junior year in college? It was like ten different bands and we had seats on the lawn. There was a huge group of us that went. I believe they were one of the first bands to play.”
“Wow, yeah, I do. It has been forever, but I remember that night was crazy. We enjoyed way too much alcohol.”
Vikki grabbed Preslie's hand. “Oh my god, if I remember, he has a fucking killer voice.” She opened her web browser. “Let’s see if there are any YouTube videos of their live performances.”