"I promise!" Kit said, raising the carton in offering, "more orange juice?"
Chapter 31 - Kidnapped!
David woke to find Kit, already awake, lying beside him, gazing into his face.
"Morning Cowboy, you sleep well?" Kit asked him. David rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted to bring her face into focus.
"Good morning Baby, have you been awake long?" he asked her.
"Long enough to finish my shower and fix my hair," she replied.
"Yeah, I could use one of those myself," he said, as he sniffed under his armpit and made a sour face.
"Go ahead," Kit told him, "the bathroom's all yours. I left a new razor on the sink if you feel like shaving."
"You know this is weird, don't you?"
"What's weird?" She asked.
"We slept together in your bed last night, and we didn't do anything. I have to tell you though; your bed is a lot more comfortable than the couch. But it's still weird."
"You wouldn't want me to do anything I wasn't ready for, would you?"
"No, of course not; it's just that couples don't usually sleep together until they're ready to ...," he left off the last word.
"Ready to what?" she teased, knowing perfectly well what he was saying.
"You know what!" David said, a little annoyed with her coyness.
"Oh, you mean, screw, have sex, have intercourse, make the beast with two backs. Should I say the f-word?"
"I'd rather you didn't,"
"I don't know who made up the rule that just because a boy and a girl want to sleep together, that it automatically means they're going to have sex. That's just dumb!"
"There's a good reason for it, Kit. People have desires and urges that they feel the need to satisfy."
"Do you find me desirable, David? Do you have urges?" she teased.
"You know I do."
"What if we do it, and I'm no good at it?"
"Like that's going to happen!" David replied.
"Well, not to change the subject, but" Kit said, "you need to jump in the shower. We still have to take those movies back."
"Yeah, I think I need a cold shower.”
"Where'd you say Julia went?" David asked.
"She went to the Guggenheim in Chicago yesterday, some of her artwork is going to be part of a new exhibit there. She flies back today. Her flight leaves O'Hare around 2:00, and gets to JFK around 4:30."
"And she knew I was staying over?"
"Of course, silly! I told you, we don't keep secrets. She even said she was glad you would be here. She didn't want me to have to stay here by myself."
"Or sleep alone?" David added, as he went into the bathroom.
Kit heard David get out of the shower, and then heard the water running in the sink. She noticed that the bathroom door was open slightly. David had unintentionally left it ajar, where Kit could peer in. She saw him, standing naked in front of the mirror, and shaving. It was her first time actually to see his entire body unclothed, and she could not stop staring at his beautiful rear.
It made her want to paint him in that natural state. She wondered if he might ever consider posing nude for her. Then she thought that maybe she should learn to sculpt. What might it be like to sculpt David's perfect body, out of a single block of marble? Maybe my statue, of my David, could actually rival Michelangelo's same namesake. David heard the door creak lightly and noticed Kit spying on him.
"Enjoying the view?" he asked, turning fully toward her. Kit could not help herself. Her gaze fully explored every aspect of his impressive musculature.
"Actually yes," she said, as she swung the door open wide, then leaned against the opening.
"Not fair!" David protested, “I haven't seen so much as a nipple from you.”
She considered his words for a moment, then lifted her shirt over her head, tossed it to the floor, and unhooked her bra. She removed it, twirled it around, after that, tossed it aside and cupped her breasts in her hands.
"They're not too big yet, but they are growing. I'm hoping they'll be like the Grinch's heart."
"Well I think they're beautiful!" he said, leaving no doubt as to his sincerity.
Kit unbuttoned her shorts and let them fall to the floor. She followed by sliding her white cotton panties down and stepping out of them. David's eyes went wide. She then walked to him, put her arms around his neck, and kissed him with fiery intent. David's reflex response was now pressing hard against her flat stomach.
Looking down, she told him, "Put your shooting iron away, Cowboy, I'm still not ready to be roped. Even so, I did think that you at least deserved a look at what you're waiting for."
The two men sat parked in the green van down the street from Kit's apartment building. The driver, a tall, thin blond man, chain-smoked and continuously changed the radio station. He adjusted his outside rear-view mirror again to insure that the entrance to Kit's building was in his field of view. The large black man with him sat cleaning under his fingernails with his small pocketknife.
"Where the hell is she?" the driver said, annoyed.
"You sure we got the right address?" the black man asked him.
The driver took a small piece of paper from the console and rechecked the address.
"Yeah, this is the right place alright."
"Maybe she's not home," the black man said, as he put his pocketknife away, opened a brown sack of peanuts and began shelling and eating them.
"Bennie, do you have to do that right now?" The driver yelled at him, "You're getting peanut shells all over the floor."
"But Max, I like peanuts, and it gives me something to do while we're waiting.”
"I swear Bennie, if you screw up this job, like the one in Cleveland; I'll never take you on another one again."
"But Max, that wasn't my fault," he protested.
"Never mind that! This is a simple grab. We get the girl, and take her back to Manuel. Anybody gets in the way; you take em out! Got that?"
"Then we get paid, huh Max?" Bennie said, smiling brightly.
"Yes, Bennie, then we get paid," Max Harding nervously ran his hands through his greasy hair while he checked his rear-view mirror again.
Max Harding was a, down-on-his-luck, career criminal. Mostly collection work and breaking and entering; but on his last job, he was talked into an armed robbery. That job had badly gone sideways, and he was apprehended. He was convicted, did eight years, and it had just been six months since he was released from Joliet. He was already back to his old ways.
Bennie Burgess worked in Max's apartment complex doing odd jobs, sweeping up, and simple maintenance. Despite having the IQ of a goldfish, Max found ways to use him. Max brought Bennie along because of his intimidating size and strength. He frequently took him on collection jobs, often telling him, just stand there, try to look mean, and don't say nothing. Bennie was a gentle soul, by nature; however, Max had done his best to corrupt the simple man.
"So when we get paid, can I get a kitten?" Bennie asked him, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah," Max said, losing his patience with Bennie, "I don't care if you get a hamster!"
"No Max, I couldn't get a hamster, because when the kitten grows up, he might eat it. He might think it was a mouse."
Checking his rear-view again, Max saw a young couple exiting the building. He checked the image of the girl in his mirror against Kit's photo in the newspaper clipping.
"Bennie, that's her. Now get ready! Remember, when she walks past, you grab the girl and pull her inside the van. Got that?"
"Yes Max, I got it. I won't make a mistake this time."
"You better not!"
Kit and David walked down the sidewalk on their way to return the movies they watched the previous evening.
"Now, Bennie, now," Max called to Bennie, "do it now!"
Bennie slid open the door on the van and his massive arms grabbed Kit and pulled her inside. David reacted immediately and jumped into the van. David had a hold of Kit's waist and tried to pull her
out. Max stepped on the accelerator as the van lurched forward. Bennie had his left arm encircling Kit and held her fast to his chest. David punched Bennie twice in the face, but his blows had little effect on the big man. Kit struggled against his grip with futile effort. Max yelled instructions to Bennie as he careened down the street.
"Hit him, hit him now!" Max yelled.
Bennie struck David in the face with his massive fist. David fell back from the force of the blow and fell backwards out of the still moving van. David's head struck the pavement at forty miles an hour. He rolled like a rag doll down the street.
Seeing David fall out of the van, Kit screamed his name. Still roaring down the street, Max yelled again to Bennie."
"Close the door, you retard!" Max called out, glancing over his shoulder.
In one motion, Bennie lurched forward and thrust the sliding door closed. Kit tried biting his arm as she struggled, Bennie just squeezed her tighter, restricting her breathing.
Kit managed to get her right hand in her pocket and retrieved the derringer that Jessie had given her. She had no hope of turning toward Bennie to use it, so she pressed the muzzle tight against his upper thigh, released the safety, and fired. Smoke curled out of the hole in Bennie's leg as he released her and fell on the floor of the van.
"Max, she shot me!" Bennie cried out. The big man reverted to the child as he clutched at his wound. Tears streamed down his face.
Kit got to her feet and moved forward to the man driving. Having heard the gunshot and now seeing Kit holding the derringer, he attempted to knock Kit off her feet by veering madly, left and right. Kit braced herself behind the driver and pointed the gun at his head.
"Stop now!" Kit commanded, as her words went unheeded. Max just redoubled his efforts to dislodge her.
"I said, stop; stop now, or I will shoot." She ordered again.
Max veered to the right, causing the van to strike a glancing blow to a parked car. Kit lurched forward from the impact, and lost her derringer in the process, as it flew forward onto the front passenger floorboard. Max, seeing the gun threat neutralized, accelerated.
Kit reached for the steering wheel and pulled hard to the right. The van surged and struck a low, sleek sports car parked on the side of the street. The sports car acted like a ramp, sending the van's right side up into the air. It came down on its left side with a crash, and slid another fifty feet before coming to rest.
Max was trapped against the driver-side door and couldn't move his legs. Kit regained her feet. Looking back, she saw Bennie, lying prone in the back, the great man-child still sobbing and holding his leg. Kit struggled forward, then seeing her derringer lying against the engine cowling, grabbed it and returned it to her pocket.
"Help me," Max cried out to Kit, "I'm bleeding!"
Kit climbed up and through the passenger window, and looked back down on the man.
"Tell Manuel not to bother looking for me," Kit said, anger in her tone, "I'll find him!"
A crowd started to gather as Kit jumped down off the van and began running back to where David had fallen. Only a block and a half separated the place he fell and the final resting place of the van. As Kit got to him, a few people were trying to help. A man had placed his jacket to elevate David's head; another had called for the paramedics. Kit knelt next to him and took his hand. The sirens of the aid vehicles got louder and soon the EMTs arrived. Coincidentally, the same EMTs that had worked on Kit's mother, took over David's care. One EMT glanced over and recognized her from their previous meeting.
"Man, you just can't catch a break, can you girl? Who's this, your boyfriend?"
"Yes," Kit said, crying, "please save him!"
The EMT spoke into a radio and relayed David's condition.
"We have a white male, aged... (he looked at Kit), she said, "seventeen," "aged seventeen," the EMT continued, "with severe head trauma, multiple contusions and abrasions," The EMT said. He continued with blood pressure, respiration and all the other vital signs. Finally, David was placed in the ambulance for transport to the hospital. Again, Kit got into the ambulance, with someone she loved, held their hand, and pleaded, again, for them not to die!
The ambulance arrived at the ER, and David was rushed inside. Kit struggled to stay with him as he was wheeled down the corridor. A nurse grabbed Kit by the arm.
"What's your relationship to the patient?" she asked.
"He's my boyfriend!" Kit pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Miss, family only, beyond this point! Have you notified his parents?"
"No, I'll call his Dad," Kit said, worried that Joel might be difficult to reach.
"Joel, this is Kit," she told him, "David's been hurt, and he's at the hospital. Where are you?"
"I'm at Jessie's place, Kit." Joel said, "How bad is it?"
"I don't know, Joel. They're checking him out now, but they won't let me come in, because I'm not family," Kit said, between sobs.
Jessie was with Joel when he received the call. He passed the information on to her.
"Let me talk to her," Jessie insisted. Joel passed the phone to Jessie.
"Don't you worry, Honey," Jessie said, "I'll have Joel there shortly."
"But how, Jessie, you're so far away."
"Carl ain't the only one that knows how to fly that damn eggbeater. Have courage, Dear; we'll be there soon."
Jessie hung up and she and Joel jumped into the helicopter. Jessie took her place in the pilot's seat and started up the Jet Ranger helicopter.
"Hold on to your hat," she said, "I may be a little rusty."
The aircraft rose, unsteady at first, then cleanly gained altitude and headed south towards the city. Less than an hour later, Joel and Jessie were in a police squad car headed to the hospital with sirens blaring. As they rode, Jessie said something about how sometimes, it was good to be rich, and how many favors people owed her, she had cashed in that day.
Kit called Julia's cell phone and was relieved to find that her plane had just landed at JFK. Kit told her what had happened, and she promised to come to the hospital straight from the airport. Joel and Jessie arrived just as Kit was saying good-bye to Julia.
"How is he, Kit?" Joel inquired, as Jessie placed her arm around her.
"I still don't know," Kit said, sick with worry.
A nurse came into the waiting room. The same one that denied Kit's entry into the treatment area. Spotting Kit, she came over to talk to her.
"Have you located your boyfriend's parents?" she asked Kit.
"I'm David's father," Joel interrupted, "how is he doing?"
"The doctor will be out to speak with you in a moment,” the nurse said.
A few minutes later, the Doctor came out with an assessment of David's condition.
"He's had a severe head trauma, and I'm afraid there's some serious swelling of the brain. We have to go inside and relieve the pressure, or the damage could be permanent. With your consent, I'd like to take him straight into surgery."
"Of course," Doctor,” Joel replied, "do whatever you have to do to help him."
Kit called Alicia and filled her in as well. Alicia agreed to call the rest of Kit's friends. Within an hour, all of her friends were there to lend their support.
"I'm here, Kit," Julia said, as she came into the waiting area, walked over and hugged her.
The day's events were beginning to take their toll on Kit. A few weeks after her mother's death, in this very same hospital, David now was fighting for his life. The worst part to Kit was, like with her mother, there was nothing she could do to help, nothing to do but wait. That was the bad part. The feeling of helplessness, and the waiting; the never-ending waiting.
Kit walked over to where Joel was sitting. He looked lost in thought. He noticed Kit, and smiled weakly.
"I was just thinking about when David was eight, he got a bad fever. He was so little then. His Ma and I really thought we might lose him for a while," Joel said, now breaking down and crying.
"I'm sorry Joel," Kit cried,
"It's all my fault. He was just trying to protect me. I'm so sorry," Kit repeated, tears running down her face.
"No Missy," Joel assured her, "that's just the way he was raised, to protect the people he loves. He wouldn't be David, if he was any other way."
At last, the Doctor came out with the news.
"Mr. Tyson, I think we've relieved the pressure, but I'm afraid that David has lapsed into a coma."
"What?" Kit asked, "How long will he be in a coma?"
"I'm sorry, young lady, we have no way of knowing," the doctor said, "it may be just a day or two, but it may be much longer. For now, he's stable, and I think it would be alright if you saw him.”
"Come on Kit," Joel said, taking her hand, "lets go see our boy."
Kit and Joel stood at David's bedside. Kit looked at all the medical apparatus and at the bandage wrappings that covered his head. She took his hand in hers, bent, and then kissed it.
"Don't you worry, Kit," Joel said, encouraging, "he's a Tyson, and it takes more than a bump on the head to knock us out of the saddle."
Kit had to admit, that she did take comfort in Joel's assurances, and like him, could not conceive of David not surviving. He was like a God to her, and Gods can't die. Still, she said a prayer asking her mother to watch over him. She thought about asking Emily too, but reasoned that her guardian angel wasn't doing such a hot job looking out for her even. Still, she reasoned, she had escaped the clutches of her kidnappers. How much worse would it be, worrying about David, if she were in Manuel's hands right now?
Chapter 32 - Ghost Coma
"I'm afraid I got bad news, boss," Lupe said.
"What is it now?" Manuel groaned.
"That was Max on the phone calling from his van. He said the girl grabbed the steering wheel and crashed the van. He says the cops are there now and they're trying to get him out of the wreck."
"So the girl's dead?”
"Afraid not, she got away clean. Max said she gave him a message for you. Said to tell you not to bother looking for her, she'd find you!"
"What the hell," Manuel said, "what happened to the big guy that was supposed to grab her?"
The Ghost Locket Page 20