by Christina OW
Maria couldn’t handle the callous air hanging around her. Yes their anger wasn’t towards her, and yes she was glad Ricky was dead, but after the nightmare she just went through she just wanted peace and quiet.
“When do I get to go home?”
“Maybe after a week or two, the bastard punctured your lung!” Dave fisted her covers in his hand. It was going to take him a very long time to get over the resentment and anger he had for himself and Ricky.
Maria wasn’t up for this, she wanted peace and quiet and had no intention of giving Ricky any more attention now that the animal was dead. He was finally dead and rotting in a sewer like the waste he truly was.
But who saved her?
“If you ever find the dark knight, thank him for me.” she sank into her bed, “because of him, I can finally live my life without fear.” She laughed and it felt wonderful and relieving. She was finally free and she intended on enjoying her freedom completely.
No more hiding or looking over her shoulder. She didn’t need to look around a room or a store just to see if she could spot him before she went in. She could finally lock the doors to her home and feel secure, without worrying Ricky would break into the house and steal her son. She could relax when she went to the park or the zoo with the kids. Her children were safe, and Ricky’s threats against them were as cold and dead as he was.
And when she looked at her scars, she wouldn’t think of the many more to come and the man who would bring them, instead they would mark the end of a struggle and that she was the one who lived.
Dave saw the tears swell and spill out of Maria’s eyes and worriedly leaned forward and placed a hand on her wet cheek, “Maria what’s wrong? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?”
“No, I’m just happy that it’s finally over.” she pulled the covers around her shoulders with her free hand, “And now I can finally have a full night’s sleep.” she giggled tearfully, “I can’t remember the last time I closed my eyes and just slept soundly. From today on, I don’t have to wake up five times a night to check the locks or to make sure Michael was still in his bed and alive.” she chuckled louder, “I might still wake up to check on the kids, but only twice a night.”
Dave smiled down at her, sharing the same relief she had. Her bright happy face made the bruises barely noticeable. She and Michael were finally safe, no thanks to him, but they were safe and they could finally live in peace. He admired how selfless she was putting Michael first before herself. This was exactly how a mother was supposed to be, “Michael isn’t the only one who’s safe, you are too.”
“I know that, but Michael is my life.” she smiled, “Let me rephrase that. Michael and Izzy are my life, and as long as they are alright, I’m fine too.”
“You are the mother I want for my daughter. You can teach her to be just like you, selfless and wonderful.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.” Maria closed her eyes, and for the first time she happily welcomed sleep.
Dave sat by her side for a while and watched her sleep. She looked so peaceful and her lips were still smiling. He kept waiting for a sob, or her face to crease like it happened every night they slept in the same room, but nothing happened. He always watched her when she slept and she constantly had nightmares which always made her wake up and make her rounds around the house. He didn’t ask her about it nor try to stop her, it was how she felt safe and he let her do it.
Dave and Edna took turns staying at the hospital, ignoring Maria’s protests. She wasn’t scared anymore, the boogie man was dead and there was no need for Dave and Edna to keep guard and watch over her.
The kids had only come to visit her once since she got confined. Michael had grown tired of the excuses why he couldn’t see his mother, and was determined to do everything possible to see for himself that she was alright. After an hour of issuing ultimatums and threats that Edna and Dave knew he was serious about, he finally got to see her. Izzy of course had no idea what was going on, but she diligently repeated the words Michael had instructed her to say and had his back in their little revolt. Dave has always been looking forward to the day his daughter would start speaking full sentences, but he never expected them to be boycott chants.
Maria thought it best to keep the whole incident from Michael, so they told him she had an accident. Maria only accepted to see them when the bruises on her face had yellowed. The suspicious little boy didn’t completely accept the story, but he didn’t ask about it. He’d seen those bruises before, and it scared him to think someone hurt his mother again.
After the kids left with Edna, Dave and Maria talked and laughed about the revolt until she fell asleep. She felt content and at ease that Michael hadn’t probed for more information about the accident, it only meant his mind wasn’t running like a grown up anymore, he was a kid again.
Dave was watching her sleep when a loud crash and Miguel’s yelling made him turn to the door. Miguel was choking Johnson and yelling at him in Spanish, all curse words. He looked at Maria to see if the commotion had disturbed her, but she was still peacefully asleep. He carefully moved out of the bed and rushed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
He pulled Miguel off Johnson and held him against the wall, “What’s wrong with you?”
Miguel was red with fury, his lethal eyes glued on the gasping pale Johnson, “Why don’t you ask him?”
Johnson stood up straight, his hand still rubbing his sore neck. He knew what would happen once Dave found out, he was definitely a dead man. Why the hell did he get involved with this family? Oh right, the money was good, and now he might not be able to enjoy it.
Dave turned to him, his hold still on Miguel, “What is he talking about?”
“Well...” Johnson started.
“How hard is it to just aim and shoot?” Miguel yelled, trying to fight off Dave’s hold.
“I did! And I didn’t say the man was alive, I just said I couldn’t find his body!” Johnson yelled back, taking a step behind.
“Yeah, because a corpse can stand up and walk away!”
“What?” Dave let go of him and turned to Johnson, “What are you guys talking about?”
“Ricky,” Johnson started taking a few steps away from them, “He might, and I mean maybe,” Johnson prepared himself for an attack, “still... be alive.”
Chapter Twenty
Dave could feel his anger surge through him as he lurched at Johnson, grabbing his neck and pinning him hard against the wall, “You idiot!” he yelled, “It’s been over a week, and now is when you decide to tell us!”
Johnson held Dave’s wrist, “I have people looking for him and there are some in the hospital now.” he choked out, “He won’t be able to come anywhere near here if he’s still alive. I promise.”
“No, I’ll take care of this. Maria is not to know about this fool’s mistake.” Miguel marched down the hallway leaving Dave alone with Johnson.
Dave let go of him and turned to the door, his fingers in his hair. This was going to destroy Maria, she was finally free and if she found out that her freedom was elusive, it would crush her. She was going to be even more scared and she was going to run again, that he was sure of. She couldn’t find out about this. Miguel said he was going to take care of it, and Dave was sure he would. How long do they have to wait until the nightmare is finally over?
“How is it he keeps resurrecting from the dead?” Dave half yelled, punching the wall.
“That’s what I said.” Johnson spoke behind him, “But why do we keep assuming he’s alive, maybe he had an accomplice or someone was kind enough to get rid of the body for us.”
Dave turned and looked at him, restraining himself from jumping him again, “Why are you still standing here and not looking for that bastard?”
Johnson took the cue loud and clear. Without a word, he rushed away. Dave took a deep breath before he went back into the room. Maria was wide awake with a confused look on her face, “Why are you guys shouting?”
“It sounded like you and Miguel were shouting at someone and not each other.”
“One of his men.” Dave began a swift lie, “came into the building armed.”
Maria exhaled, “I understand why he feels the need to be here, but why do his thugs have to be here too?”
“Are you ever going to forgive your father?” Dave asked, glad the subject had changed.
“I have.” she leaned against him, “It’s just, I don’t know what the next step is.”
“A hug and an ‘I love you daddy’ would be nice.” He put an arm around her, careful not to press down on her injured side.
“After crawling comes walking, then running, so how about we cool our jets?” It would be easier to do that, forget everything and start calling the man papa. Dave, Michael and Edna would love that, but she wasn’t there just yet. She had accepted he was now a constant in her life, but she didn’t trust him yet.
“I know it’s going to take some time to trust him, but you can be nice to him in the meantime.”
Maria turned to look up at him, “What do you mean?”
“Your words to him are always less than five, when he comes next to you, you freeze or make an effort not to pull away and you pretend to be asleep when you’re alone with him.”
Maria felt embarrassed that Dave had noticed all that, but she wasn’t going to force herself to like him, “Okay Sherlock Holmes, what do you suggest I do?”
He kissed her lips lightly before he leaned back on her bed and pulled her against him, “What you did with me. I could see you were uncomfortable sometimes when I was around you without the kids, but we still had long, fifteen word conversations.”
“That’s different, I liked Izzy and Michael liked you and you were funny.” she weaved her fingers with his then brought them up to her lips for a kiss, “And the lost look in your eyes was familiar to me and yet you still made me feel safe around you.”
“What lost look?” Dave asked, perplexed.
Maria laughed, “You might have everything in your life under your control, but when it came to Izzy, you were always scared and lost.”
“That’s true, but you handled that situation for me like a pro.”
“Well, it’s the least I could do. You’ve done so much for me and Michael. You put him in school, gave us a home and kept us safe and happy.”
“Not exactly.” The cheer in Dave’s voice was completely gone. Was there an accomplice or was Ricky still alive? Which of the two was worse to deal with, the devil they knew or a stranger they had no idea was in the picture in the first place. For all he knew, he could be someone close to them just waiting to pick up where Ricky left off.
This nightmare was never going to end.
Maria raised her hand and placed it on her cheek, “I shouldn’t have run off alone, so what happened isn’t your fault.” she rubbed her slung arm gently with her fingers before she weaved them with his. She remembered how she got the gash on her hand, but she couldn’t remember how her shoulder got dislocated, “And besides, if you were there, he would have killed you. I’m happy how things turned out, I may be bruised and broken, but what matters is that I’m safe and happy.”
Dave’s jaw tightened at the thought of Ricky and his side kick. He would gladly trade places with Maria, but the only card left to play was killing Ricky and making sure he stayed dead this time. He placed his head on top of hers and put both arms around her, “You’ll always be safe and happy, and that I promise you.”
“So, does that mean you’ll take care of my ‘papa’ situation?” She asked hopefully. Whatever solution he had to make her comfortable around Miguel and keep everyone happy, she’d take it.
Dave laughed, “There is nothing I can do to fix that for you and anyway, you are the only one who can take care of your ‘papa situation’.”
Dave stared blankly at his laptop screen. His work seemed very insignificant, considering what was going on in his life. With Ricky out there just waiting for another opportunity to try and kill Maria, and Maria still in the hospital under the illusion that she and Michael were finally safe, why the hell should he be worrying about someone else’s problems!
“Dave.” Carol started cautiously.
“Whatever it is, I’m not in the mood for it!” He yelled banging his laptop shut and shoving his chair back as he stood up.
Carol stood half in the door, deliberating how much of a risk taker she was, going into Dave’s office when he was in that state, ready to take out his aggression on anyone dumb enough to go near him. “It’s just that,” she took a step in staying close to the door, “there is a man out here who says he has information on Ricky.”
Dave turned sharply to Carol, surprised and relieved. Finally, Jackson was beginning to be worth all the money he was paying him, “Show him in.” he said, anxiously crossing the room to stand in front of his desk.
Relieved, Carol smiled and opened the door wide so that the man could come in. The man had a hat on that sat low, covering his face and he wore a long trench coat and its collar stood up high, covering his cheeks, leaving only his lips visible.
Dave stared at him suspiciously. He never trusted anyone who found it necessary to hide behind anything, and Humphrey Bogart here was sending off all the warning bells.
“Carol, shut the door behind you.” Dave spoke, his eyes fixed suspiciously on the man, “How may I help you, or better yet how can you help me?”
The man waited for the door to close behind him before he spoke, “You are the complete opposite of what I thought you would be.” he said with a laugh, pulling the collar of his trench coat down and taking his hat off, “but trust Maria to bag the whole package, young, handsome, rich and a name equated to Big Foot or Elvis depending on how one looks at it. You are one hell of a bad ass Dave Greer.”
He looked at Dave and cursed the fact he wasn’t an old man as he’d hoped. He looked rich and he looked way more attractive in his expensive clothes, which made Ricky’s resentment towards him grow even bigger. It was no doubt Maria fell into his lap, the man looked like he had some serious money.
Dave’s shock quickly developed to a fiery boiling rage that flowed through him like lava. “Ricky!” He uttered the name with such venom he could taste the bile on his tongue.
“The one and only!” He said, with a wide grin, raising his hands to show himself off.
“What do you want?” Dave spoke through a clenched jaw. He clenched his hands in tight fists as he approached Ricky slowly, ready to beat the crap out of him.
“I just want what is mine.” Ricky said, seriously, “My woman. You can keep the brat, but not Maria.”
“Considering you just escaped death, why on earth would you come here to get killed?” Dave said, taking two more steps towards him.
“I like some excitement in my life. Speaking of excitement.” Ricky pulled a picture of Izzy from his pocket and held it up, “Doesn’t she look...”
Before he could finish, Dave’s fist took the rest of his words right out of his mouth. But the punch was quickly returned by Ricky. They scuffled for a few more seconds before Dave charged him. He hit him squarely on his lower torso, where he had been shot. Ricky screamed and stiffened, paralyzed in pain, which was only made worse when Dave carried him through the window and on to Carol’s desk, breaking it with both their weight.
Carol stood there shocked, looking down at the two men on what used to be her desk. When the man looked at her, and she saw the scars on his face, she got scared, knowing very well who it was. Carol knelt down and picked up her phone. Ricky pulled himself up and ran, pushing his way past the crowd that had already gathered.
Dave turned to her, his head spinning, “Where did he go?” He asked, shaking his head clear.
“He ran out of here.” She answered, panicked
.
Dave stood up. He was about to go after Ricky, but Carol held on to him, “What are you doing?”
“You are not going anywhere, the police can handle it from here.”
Dave yanked the phone away from her and turned it off, “No police!” He said, placing his hand over his panging temple.
“Then what are we supposed to do? The man just tried to kill you!” She pulled away his hand from his temple and pressed the sleeve of her shirt on the cut.
“I need to go home, now!”
Edna paced in the living room, already feeling the weight on her shoulders. She couldn’t believe it was happening again. Did the man have nine lives or just a great deal with the devil? All the joy and peace had been drained out of her the second Miguel called with the news. All she could hope for was that Miguel found him, or his body or his accomplice. She didn’t care which and she didn’t care how, she just wanted the horror in her daughter’s life to be over.
Maria was right, Ricky did find her and he did try to kill her, and now that he might still be alive, he was surely going to come after her grandson. What was she going to do? Take Michael and run, and then have Maria catch up when she was better?
But she knew her grandson well, he wouldn’t leave his new sister or his mother behind, he was as stubborn as his mother like that. Okay, she’d take both kids, go to the hospital, take her daughter and give Dave his and then they would run away. Miguel would help them cross the border and hide them in Mexico.
But Dave wouldn’t let them go, he’s too in love with Maria to do so. She needed to do something, she wasn’t just going to sit and wait for her daughter to get killed by that monster. Edna felt frustrated, all her options ended with consequences she knew her daughter wouldn’t take or if she did, it would hurt her. If only she hadn’t formed a new family with Dave, then everything would be easier.
Edna dropped on the couch and dropped her head in her palms. There was nothing else for her to do, but cry and pray for the best, “When is this going to end?”