by Terra Kelly
Vikki was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital with Miles and Finley. She was being questioned by Finley about her knowledge of David.
“You and Preslie seem close,” Miles said after about twenty minutes of questioning.
“We are. I call her my sister.” She was trying not to be a blubbering idiot. Unfortunately, her emotions were a complete mess. “We met in college over fifteen years ago. We're from Newfoundland, our families are still up there but we both love Toronto too much to leave. It's a small world. We didn't know each other when we became roommates in college. Ever since the first day we met, we’ve been inseparable. I love her so much.” Vikki couldn't hold the tears back anymore. Bending her head down, she placed her hands over her eyes. This day started off so perfectly. Why did it have to end so horribly?
They all sat there in silence. A few minutes later a doctor in surgical scrubs, a hat, and booties came walking into the waiting room. “Are you Preslie’s sister?” The doctor was looking in Vikki's direction.
Vikki stood up on shaky legs. “Ye...Yes. Is she okay?”
“She’s stable and expected to make a full recovery. She had a lot of blood loss, so we had to give her several pints of blood. The knife wounds did not hit any vital organs. We had to patch up a few areas on her small intestine. Otherwise, she was very lucky. We sutured up the cut on her face. She may need to talk to a plastic surgeon later if she wants to.”
Vikki exhaled, not realizing she had been holding in her breath. “Thank you so much," she said wiping a tear away. “I don’t know what I would do without her in my life?” She admitted. “Can I see her soon?”
“She may sleep for several more hours but you are welcome to go see her now,” the doctor said and turned to leave.
“Okay. Will she be moved to ICU?” she asked the doctor before he left. “We both are nurses and work in ICU.”
“Ahhhh, yes. I believe a nurse recognized her when she was brought into E.R. Let’s have her transferred there as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, doctor.” She went over to sit down. She was trying to hold back the remaining tears by taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly. “I need to go call her family. I wanted to wait until I knew her status.”
Finley waited until Vikki left the room. “Preslie is very lucky to be alive.” He said shaking his head. “That asshole will be pissed to find out she is still alive. She may need extra security around the clock.”
“Damn lucky." Miles wanted to punch something, or better yet, someone. "I know Vikki plans on staying with her and she has another close friend in ICU that will help. Once she's home, I’m not sure what they will do. I guess I could stay at their place? But that may be too weird since I don’t know them.”
“Miles, you’re offering to stay at our victim’s place? You've never tried to intervene in a case.”
“Yeah, I know. There’s something about her but I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Besides the fact, she's stunning?” Finley slapped his friend on the back. “I’m fucking with you. At least she’s here for a few days. Maybe we’ll find him before he can even try to strike again.”
“Let’s hope.” Miles stood and headed out. He saw Vikki on the phone outside, so he walked over and said, “We need to get back to the station. Please call if you need anything?”
“Thank you both for everything. If you need any more information, I’ll be here," she winked and turned to continue talking to her family.
Six
Preslie heard whispers as she opened her eyes. She squinted and could make out two figures sitting in chairs close to her bed. She noticed a bouquet on a tray in front of her. Clearing her throat to get the two figures attention. Vikki was the one that came into focus first. “Viks. Water?” Her voice was raspy and her throat was dry.
“Oh sweetie, it's so good to hear your voice. Hold on.” She poured a small glass of water and put a straw in the cup. “Here you go, just take small sips.”
“Yes, ma’am," Preslie said and winked.
“Oh, hush woman and drink your water.”
Preslie glanced toward the second figure. It took her a moment to get the person into focus with the intensity of the light above her head. Then there he was, Miles. “Hi.”
“Hi. How are you feeling?” He said and stepped up closer to the bed.
Preslie took another sip of water. “What were you both just whispering about?”
“Nope, you don’t get to know all the secrets," Vikki said. "You only get to think about getting better.”
Preslie had been in and out of consciousness for the last twenty-four hours. She was taking a lot of pain meds and a special medication to prevent any infections. The doctor had indicated the knife had just missed her kidney by millimeters.
Preslie rolled her eyes. “See how she treats me?”
Miles put his hands up in surrender. “Keep me out of this one.” He laughed and grabbed his coat. “My team wanted me to bring you flowers. We are all working around the clock to catch the guy who did this to you.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and turned her head toward the window.
“I plan to stop by tomorrow.” Miles stepped up beside Vikki. “If you need anything, let me know.”
As the door closed behind Miles. “Whew, that man is delicious," Vikki said fanning herself. “He’s so sweet. He offered to stay at the house when you get released.” She grabbed the cup and held the straw on Preslie's lip. “Drink more. I'll grab you some food soon.”
“Why would he stay with us?” She tried to shift up in the bed but moved the wrong way causing a sharp pain to shoot down her body. “Guess I'm not ready for that much excitement yet.”
"Here, let me help." Vikki adjusted the pillow behind Preslie's head. “Pres, David is still on the loose. We can’t have a cop at our door 24/7. So, he offered to help.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m going on leave for two weeks." She pointed a finger at Preslie. "And you don’t get to argue.”
“If you're sure.” She combed her hands through her snarled hair. “How are my parents?”
“Um, freaking out. They will be here tomorrow.”
“They didn’t have to make the trip.”
“Sweets, their daughter was stabbed," Vikki said trying to hold in a laugh. "I’m guessing they wanted to hop on the next flight out after they hung up the phone.” She stood and headed toward the door. “I’ll grab you a few things to munch on. We need to get actual food in you.”
Preslie watched the door close behind Vikki. Her mind was wondering. This whole crazy situation felt like a movie playing out in real-time. She wasn't ready to see her parents. Her mom tended to coddle, something she was not in the mood for right now.
If David was still out there somewhere, did that mean another woman was in danger, too? Her mood changed from confused to anger in a matter of seconds.
“Nothing exciting but you need to be on a bland diet," Vikki said walking back in the room carrying jello, soup, and crackers. “You okay?”
Preslie's fingers were moving over the gauze covering the side of her face. “How bad is the wound on my face?”
“You sure you want to talk about it?”
“Viks, talk.” She reached forward and grabbed the soup. Peeling off the lid, she inhaled the smell of chicken soup.
“You have fifty stitches. The doctor said it was not deep but would need to be looked at by a plastic surgeon.”
Preslie sat her soup down. “Fuck that. This wound means something. I want people to know I fought back. That he didn’t win.” She held back tears threatening to fall.
On Friday, Preslie was itching to get out of the hospital. Her doctor had kept her for a few extra days for monitoring. The cut on her face was causing her some intense headaches which was a concern. She also had PT every day after lunch. Her parents ended up staying for two days and her mom was a basket case when it was time for them to leave. Miles stopped by one of the days her parents were visiting.
He mentioned to her mom how he would stay at Vikki's house with them. The moment her mom heard, she lunged forward and hugged him.
The door creaked open and Vikki walked in. “Hey, sweets. What’s up?”
“Oh you know, about five feet eight inches. You?”
Vikki grabbed Preslie’s big toe and squeezed it. “Ha ha...but since you’re asking, five feet six inches today.” She walked over to check the monitors. “Looks like you have an all clear and will be released in an hour.”
“Do you have all my favorite treats stocked in your cupboard? Oh, and we need board games.” She laughed and placed her hands on her stomach. “I may gain weight on this medical leave.”
“We have board games. Plus, I grabbed chocolate sandwich cookies and milk. I hope you have enough of both.”
“I know. What if I run out of chocolate sandwich cookies before the milk is gone or vice versa? We would need to do a late-night grocery run.” She smiled.
“Oh Preslie, what’re we going to do with you?” She went over to Preslie’s little closet. “Are you okay with me packing up your stuff?”
“Only if we can escape now?”
“I wish, love.” Vikki sat down on the edge of the bed. “Miles will stay in the guest room for awhile. It may be weird but it's for the best. He has been amazing and always checks on you. There is no word on the whereabouts of David and they have no clue to lead them to his hiding place. Which is pissing his whole team off but they’ll get there.”
“I know. I keep trying to figure out where he went. I heard Miles mention drugs. I was curious if he was on something that night, he seemed so different. Scary different.” She reached for Vikki's hand. “I feel bad uprooting his life, we could handle it. We have a peep hole in the door and three separate locks.”
Vikki leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’re so cute. Nope, not up for discussion. He'll be working and will come over after his shift. He’s in the process of renting his own home. He said during the interim of getting the new place this will be a perfect distraction.”
“New place?”
“Ahhhh, yes. You caught that, eh? He said he’s getting a divorce. You will never believe this shit. His wife asked for a divorce the day she brought him home from the hospital. What a bitch, right?”
Preslie’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding me, right?” She couldn’t imagine asking for a divorce. Let alone asking for a divorce after your husband is almost killed and you brought him home from the hospital. "What a horrible human being."
“Yeah, it's bad.” She stood back up. “We’ll keep it more entertaining and less awkward.” As she pulled out Preslie’s duffel bag. “Hopefully he doesn’t eat all your chocolate sandwich cookies.”
“Oh no, no, no, we need to set ground rules.”
Preslie was resting on the couch at Vikki's house watching reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was a sectional couch with a lazy boy chair on one end. She was surrounded by all the pillows and had both remotes hidden under a blanket. It was around 3:00 p.m. and Vikki had run to the grocery store for a couple of items. When the show ended, she stood and headed into the kitchen to grab herself a glass of water. It was still a challenge to walk, her PT sessions were working on rebuilding her core muscles. She wandered over to the refrigerator and rested her arm on the door trying to decide on a snack when she heard a light knock. Her hand was on the refrigerator door and she stood still. Then she heard Miles say her name from the other side of the door. She walked over and peered through the peep hole. Yup, it was Miles. Mr. tall, dark, and handsome himself. Before opening the door she glanced in the mirror on the wall. She wouldn’t win any beauty contests with no make-up, hair in a messy bun, and comfy pj’s. She swung the door open. “Hi, Miles.”
“I worked the early shift today. I hope it was okay to arrive here a little earlier than planned? ”
“I didn’t even know your original plan, so it's fine by me.” She stepped back to let him in. "Do you want to set your stuff in the third bedroom at the end of the hall? Vikki has her office set up there but you can take over her personal space.”
“I don’t need much, just a place to crash." He smiled and headed in the direction Preslie had just pointed. "I do plan to be here every evening.”
“I was just grabbing a snack. Are you hungry?” She moved past him and brushed against his side. Her body reacted at the light touch. She reached into the refrigerator and grabbed a block of cheese, some olives, and two different crackers. She cut up the cheese and placed the cubes on a plate. As she was munching on a few pieces of cheese, Miles walked back in the room.
“Vikki lives alone, yet has this huge house?”
“Well, she is a planner. She told me, with this gorgeous house she's set for her future marriage. Weird, right?”
“Um, maybe a little.”
They both turned when they heard the front door open. “Is there a handsome man in my home?” Vikki asked juggling too many grocery bags. “I believe we have enough food to feed an army.”
Preslie grabbed another olive and walked over to the table and peeked into each bag. “Looks perfect. Did you get extra chocolate sandwich cookies?”
“Yes, but you need to share with your knight in shining armor.” Vikki turned to Miles. “Preslie doesn’t share well when it comes to chocolate sandwich cookies.”
“Noted.” He walked closer to the table. “Did you grab extra milk, too?”
Preslie and Vikki both glanced at each other and laughed. Preslie nodded. “See, he understands the chocolate sandwich cookie to milk ratio issue.”
“Uh huh.” Vikki giggled. She was going to like this living situation for the next few weeks. Vikki still couldn’t believe two people could have a near death experiences only weeks apart. How was that even possible? They both were amazing. Hopefully they could move past what happened and maybe help each other heal.
The rain was coming down hard and the temperature had dropped ten degrees in the last four hours. Preslie shivered and pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders. They had made dinner which consisted of lasagna, garlic bread, and a veggie salad. Now they were all sitting on the couch together. She was in the lazy boy with her legs stretched out.
“I’m bored. Up for a game?” Vikki leaned up and asked.
“Sure.” Preslie turned to Miles. “What about you?”
“I may be out numbered.” He winked and glanced down at the message flashing across his screen. “I need to make a call to the station.” He stood and walked down the hall to Vikki’s office. Finley sent a cryptic message. “Hey. What’s going on?”
“There’s a potential that David’s outside Vikki’s house right now. He was spotted by a couple unidentified police officers, so they followed him. They’re a few houses down now. Tell me you're there with them?”
“Fuck. Yeah, I am. Should I get them to safety or act like everything is okay?”
“Just keep things low key for now. It’s possible he’s just trying to see if she’s home. If he sees you through the windows, I'm hoping he will bail.”
“Me, too. Just send me a text with updates.” Miles sighed and hung up the phone. He took in a deep breath and let it out as he headed back into the living room. This situation was becoming difficult because somewhere along the way he started to have feelings for the victim.
As he walked into the room, Preslie looked up. “Everything okay?”
“Perfect. What game are we playing?” He sat down on the floor in front of the couch. Preslie was only inches away, he could smell lavender and citrus. He closed his eyes and counted to five.
“You tell me, Life, Sorry or Clue?” Vikki watched as Miles closed his eyes. This new setup just got interesting.
“Clue," Preslie said excitedly. “What? It was my favorite game growing up and I want to be Mr. Green.” She reached for the game.
“Didn’t you know, Mr. Green is always found in the library with the candlestick?” Miles teased.
“Nope, that’s Pro
fessor Plum.” She shrugged her shoulders and reached forward to grab Mr. Green from the box.
They were on their second round of Clue when they heard a light tap on the front window. They all looked over at the same time and saw two beady eyes staring right back. Preslie screamed. Vikki somehow bumped the table and knocked the game pieces to the floor. Miles stood and reached for his gun sitting in a bag next to the front door. He handed his phone to Preslie. “Go to my messages and let Finley know what’s going on.” Miles ran out the front door.
Vikki helped Preslie up, and they went into Vikki’s bedroom. The windows were covered by dark red curtains, so no one could see in. The phone in Preslie’s hand buzzed causing them to jump. It was an incoming text from Finley. "Go hide in the closet. Miles and the off duties cops will find him."
About a half hour later, Miles walked back into the house and glanced around. He knew he couldn’t yell out their names, so he walked into the first bedroom and whispered, “Preslie, Vikki?” They made a sound, and he realized they were in the closet. “Why are you in here?” Miles asked and turned on the light.
“Well, not by choice." Preslie sighed. "This whole getting up and down thing is bloody painful. Finley told us to hide in the closet.”
Miles walked over and crouched down; he put his arms under Preslie's body and picked her up. “I need to remind my partner about your stab wounds.” He sat her down on the bed.
“Thanks. I was kinda dreading the whole getting up process," she smiled and then went serious. “Okay, fess up. What’s going on?”
“They spotted David at a convenience store," Miles said and leaned up against the dresser. "Two unmarked officers recognized him and called it in and then followed him here. We decided it was a good idea to continue following him. He thinks we lost him, but the one officer has been on foot staying back several yards. We need to see where he goes because there’s a potential he’s linked to a few crimes we are already investigating.”