Starting Over Trilogy Boxset

by Kennedy, Brenda

  Maria and Raúl walk in; Maria is carrying an overnight bag.

  I lean in, kiss Angel, and tell her I’ll be downstairs while she gets all beautiful.

  I ask Raúl would he like to join me as I grab my cell phone and prepare to leave. We walk down the hall and catch the elevator to the ground floor. Raúl and I order coffee and breakfast, and I get a cranberry juice for Angel. I call the police detective and let him know that Angel has been moved to a regular room and to call before he comes to speak to her. I want myself or Raúl to be there.

  Raúl gets a phone call and takes it in private in the hallway.

  I get a text from Vincent:

  V: Donovan and I will be up later if that’s all right?

  M: Sounds good. She’s doing so much better.

  V: That’s great news, man. Do you need anything when we come?

  M: No, I’m good. See you soon.

  I can smell her before I see her. Cinnamon and Peaches, my new favorite scent. I walk in and she is applying ChapStick. She looks better, and I know she must feel better. She still has on a faded hospital gown because of her cast, and her right leg is still in traction. The gauze is off her head, and her hair is in a loose ponytail. Her eyes and face are still bruised but the bruises are fading.

  I smile at her from the doorway. Raúl is heading over by her bed to kiss her. They speak Spanish for a few minutes. She looks at me periodically and I smile when she does. The nurse leaves and I walk out with her. I ask how Angel did with her bed bath and if she has been medicated. I walk back in her room and head over to Angel. Raúl is now over by the window. She reaches her left hand up for me and I take it eagerly. I bend down and whisper in her ear, “You’re absolutely breathtaking.” And I mean every word of it.

  She turns her head and wraps her left hand around my neck and into my hair and kisses me. She tastes like mint from her toothpaste. I kiss her back, wanting to deepen it, but don’t. I move my lips back to her ear and whisper, “You taste delicious,” before kissing the shell of her ear.

  Then I ask, “May I see the staples to your head?”

  She leans up as far as she can, being very cautious of her broken ribs. I lean in to get a look and she turns her head to the right. I part her hair with my fingers and see the eight staples at the back of her head. I smooth her hair back in place and kiss her on top of her head.

  I open the cranberry juice and place a straw in it for her. She takes it and takes a big drink. I put it in my memory that Angel likes cranberry juice. We all sit and visit. Sara and Brea stop in and are shocked to see how good Angel looks. They don’t stay long; they need to head to the office so they can catch up on some work. They leave, but say they’ll be back after work.

  Angel falls asleep before lunch and Raúl takes Maria home to rest. I get a call from the detectives that they will be here at 2 to talk with Angel. I text Raúl to let him know so he can be here. I also text Dad to let him know. I know he has been keeping up with the news although I have yet to turn the TV on. I don’t want to catch any footage of the accident or any updates they may be posting. It’s 1:38 when Angel wakes up. I get her some soup that Maria left for her, and I tell her the detectives will be here at 2. Dad and Raúl walk in together, and it catches me off guard. I’m surprised to see them together. Coincidence? Maybe. I’m not sure. Dad walks over and hugs me and hugs Angel.

  I ask the nurse to bring in a couple extra chairs for an hour or so. They do. Angel appears to be getting anxious, and the nurse gives her something to calm her.

  The detectives walk in, and I stand to shake their hands. They introduce themselves to Dad and Raúl.

  I lean in near Angel and whisper so only so she can hear me, “You all right?”

  “Yes, but I’m so nervous.”

  “If it gets too much, you say something. I’ll be right here. I’m not leaving you for a minute.”

  “Ok, will you sit beside me?”

  “Angel, I will be right here with you. You have nothing to worry about.

  I stand up and introduce Angel to Detective Evans and Detective Farmer. I offer them the two empty chairs while I take the one nearest to Angel. Dad and Raúl take the chairs farthest away, but scoot them closer. Dad stands and closes the door so we won’t be interrupted.

  Detective Farmer pulls out a small audio recorder from his jacket pocket and asks, “Do you mind if we record this conversation, Miss Perez?”

  “No, that’s fine,” she says, clearing her throat.

  I reach up and hold her hand. She loops her pinky around mine. Detective Farmer leans up and sets the recorder on the table in front of Angel.

  They ask a series of questions about her relationship with Jim and about how long she has been in town. I can feel Angel tense up and I squeeze her finger to let her know she’s doing great. They ask when she last saw Jim or talked to him. They ask her about the black SUV she has been seeing around her house and anything suspicious she has noticed at work or at home. She tells them about the outside light being burned out and then the next night it was on. She tells them about the lamp that was on in her house, although she didn’t remember having it on. This is all new to me, and I feel sick hearing it. To think that sick fuck may have been that close to her makes me furious. They tell her they have some leads on the SUV, and as soon as they have something concrete to share, they will. I look over at Raúl and Dad, and they are both looking at each other and taking their own notes.

  The detectives stand, thank Angel for her time, and tell her that if she remembers anything to call them. They exit the room, and I kiss Angel and tell her she did great. The doctor comes in to check on her and to see if she needs anything for pain. She is beginning to become very uncomfortable being in the traction.

  Alec tells her that the orthopedic surgeon will be in later to discuss surgery with her to repair her badly fractured femur. He adds, “If you are able to keep your dinner down, we will remove the IV from your hand later today.”

  Her dinner tray comes, and the nurse offers to assist her with it. I decline for Angel and help her with it myself.

  “Well, Beauty, today you have applesauce, fruit juice, beef broth, chicken broth, and look, there’s cherry Jell-O. What would you like?”

  “The Jell-O, please.”

  “Try again, what else would you like?”

  Dad starts laughing quietly.

  “The fruit juice, please.”

  “Beauty, don’t make this so hard.”

  Raúl starts laughing.

  “Why do you give me a choice when I don’t get to choose?”

  She sounds agitated, and I laugh.

  “You get to choose, but you have to choose right. Let’s try this again. Angel, what would you like?”

  “Well, doctor, since I can’t have what I want, I guess I’ll have what you want me to have. May I please have the yummy and delicious chicken broth in the beautiful Styrofoam cup?" she says, batting her long eyelashes at me.

  We all laugh, including Angel, but she winces from the pain of her fractured ribs. It is obvious that she does not like either Styrofoam or the chicken broth.

  “Great choice, Beauty. Either you’re heavily medicated or you are feeling better. I’m glad to see your spunk is coming back.”

  I remove the lids from her dinner cups and bowls. I hand her the soup without a spoon and she smiles. I place the Jell-O with a spoon near her on the table next to the fruit punch.

  Dad and Raúl stay through dinner and talk about everything and nothing. I’m glad to see they are getting along. Angel naps after her dinner, and Raúl leaves to get Maria and bring her back to visit. Dad remains quiet and is on his phone texting back and forth. I stare out the window and pray they find the bastard who did this to her soon.

  Mom, Madison, Brea, and Sara walk in carrying large bags of soups, mashed potatoes, noodles, Jell-O, and ice cream from Mom’s favorite restaurant. Everything is soft foods that Angel can have but enough for us to share a dinner with her. Mom even picked up cle
ar plastic plates, bowls, and cups that resemble glass dishes. Angel wakes up and smiles at all the company in the room, or at the smell of food, I can’t be sure which. She can’t move, but she tries to straighten herself. I swear, I love her. She is absolutely radiant with her messy hair and faded hospital gown. She catches me looking at her, and I wink.

  I catch Mom alone and thank her for bringing Angel some real food. She tells me Dad texted her earlier and explained about what happened with her dinner tray. Angel didn’t find the Styrofoam dishes or broth appealing. I look at Dad and he winks at me. He knows the conversation we are having even without hearing a word of it.

  Vincent, Donovan, Maria, and Raúl all show up together. The nurse brings in a table big enough for all the food, and we all eat together, talking and laughing. Angel smiles and eats more this night than I have seen her eat in the last couple days.

  “This is just what the doctor ordered,” Angel jokes and everyone laughs.

  I raise my clear plastic cup and say, “Smart doctor.”

  “Don’t let this doctor try to starve you, Angel,” Madison jokes. “Just call Mom or myself and we’ll bring you whatever you want.”

  “As long as it’s nutritious soft foods, you can bring anything.”

  “I was thinking something fattening and greasy. Cheeseburgers and fries or something.” Madison laughs.

  “Not yet Madison, but maybe next week,” Mom smiles.

  We all help with the cleanup, and the girls sit and chat. Brea brought in a movie. The Notebook. Classic movie for girls. They all sit around and watch it. Dad, Raúl, Vincent, Donovan, and I all leave the room. We follow Dad into a waiting room where two men are sitting in suits and ties. I look at Dad, not sure what is going on. Enough chairs are around a table for everyone to sit. Dad instructs everyone to sit.

  Raúl introduces his work partner to everyone as Police Detective George Walters. Donovan stands and introduces his private investigator to everyone as Frank Medley.

  Dad stands and looks at me.

  “Mason, I didn’t want to worry you. I wanted you to be able to care for Angel without any added stress. George and Frank have been in town for a few days conducting their own investigation into Angel’s accident.”

  Dad looks around the room and makes eye contact with everyone.

  “After listening to the detectives from this afternoon, I feel certain that we are doing the right thing by investigating this on our own. When we find something concrete, we’ll certainly share it with the Sarasota detectives.”

  “These two men have more than 30 years of combined experience in this type of case. I have some pull and I will utilize them when I need to.”

  I nod. I don’t say anything.

  “The car that hit Angel was abandoned at a nearby wreckage yard — the same one they towed Angel’s car to. It was reported stolen three weeks ago from Fort Myers, Florida.

  Dad stops and look around the room.

  “We were able to swab for prints before the police were called. Vincent has some friends who gave us access to the vehicle. It was unlocked, so we didn’t do anything illegal to gain access. We also took some prints from inside Angel’s house and outside around her front porch lights. Her back door had been tampered with, and we believe Jim was inside her house. We didn’t find any fingerprints, but we did find some footprints in her bushes and around her house.”

  He looks at me and asks, “Are you all right, Mason?”

  I nod.

  “We believe Jim is still in the area. The yellow rose that was sent to Angel without a card we believe was from him. Jim used to send Angel yellow roses while they were together for special occasions. Raúl got rid of the rose before Angel woke up and saw it. She doesn’t need to know about this. She needs to focus on her health and getting well.”

  I stand up, pulling on my hair, and say, “I totally agree. She doesn’t need to know about that psychopathic bastard. He wants her dead! He won’t stop until he succeeds. He’s studied law and criminal behavior.”

  I pace the floor, cracking my knuckles, and add, “He knows all about forensics and how to cover evidence up. He beat her for two years and got away with it. He’s the perfect fucking criminal.”

  I continue pacing the floor, trying to figure out what to do.

  “Mason, look at me. This is what we do. We are going to find this lowlife, and we are going to keep her safe. Do you hear me?” my Dad says sternly.

  I nod, sitting back down.

  “We aren’t going to alarm the girls and you are going to do exactly as you have been. She needs you and your stability.”

  “I know, but I feel like I should be doing something.”

  “You are doing something. You are doing what you do best. You are keeping her healthy and her strength up. You stay with her and focus on her health, and we’ll take care of finding him. George and Frank are focusing solely on finding him before he can do any more damage.”

  “The surgeon is going to schedule her surgery for her fractured leg in the next few days,” I say. “She can’t stay in the traction too much longer.”

  “What kind of recovery time are they talking about?” Raúl asks.

  “Months, she’ll need rehabilitation and she’ll be in a full leg cast. She’ll be completely immobile for a while.”

  “Has anyone considered where she’ll be staying while she recuperates?” Donovan asks.

  I turn to look at Vincent and ask, “Do we have a completion date for the beach house?”

  “We are right on schedule. Everything inside is done, and we are doing the landscaping now.”

  “Can we get a security gate and fence installed within the next week or two?”

  “I’ll have to check with my suppliers and see what’s in stock and when they can get it to me. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Dad shakes his head and says, “Mason, you’ll never get it furnished in time. We’ll need another plan, I’m afraid.”

  “Angel and I went furniture shopping last week. I have furniture being delivered next week. The house is spacious enough to accommodate any medical equipment she’ll need.”

  “Do you think she’ll stay with you?” Vincent asks.

  Raúl says, “They are damn near inseparable as it is. I have no doubt that she’ll stay.”

  “Good, so Vincent, you’ll check on getting the fence and gate installed?” Dad asks.

  “I’m on it. I will know something tomorrow.”

  We all stand up and George says before we exit the room, “Be cautious of your surroundings and text Frank or myself if you suspect something. No need to upset the girls, until we know more. We’ll be in touch. There’s no telling how far this nut job will go.”

  George, Frank, and I all exchange business cards, and I start to leave.

  “Mason?” my Dad says, reaching out for my arm. “Be careful, he may be stupid enough to come to the hospital.”

  “I will, thank you.”

  I walk back into Angel’s room with a fake smile plastered to my face. Angel is sleeping and the movie is halfway done. I look around the room and the yellow rose that was in the window sill is gone. Angel’s IV is gone from her hand, and in its place is a Band-Aid.

  Mom stands and says, “The surgeon was in and wants to operate on Monday.”

  Today is Thursday.

  “He left his card if you want to speak to him. Angel told him you may have questions for him.”

  Everyone is getting ready to leave, and I ask Dad to stop by my condo and grab me some clean clothes, my laptop and some other things. I write a small list of items I think I’ll need and give it to him. I say my goodbyes and Angel doesn’t stir. I slip into a pair of gym shorts and a tee shirt and turn off the TV and the lights. I look out the window before closing the blinds. I bend down and kiss Angel on her head and whisper in her ear. I pull the chair up to Angel’s bed as close as I can get and rest my head against her torso, while I hold her hand. Something is in the bed with her. I pull the stuffed M
onkey from beneath the quilt and smile. She must have been holding it when she fell asleep. “I wuv you,” it says. I’m a dork for buying such a stupid gift. I put the monkey next to her injured arm and place her left hand back in mine.

  Angel

  I wake up breathing heavily. My arm, leg and head are killing me. I look around, and Mason isn’t here. The bathroom light is on, so he must be in there. Why am I having nightmares? I can’t remember them, but they feel so real. The hallway door opens, and I think it’s the nurse. It must be time for my pain medication. In the doorway is a silhouette of a man. I blink as I try to focus in on him. He stands there without moving.

  “Mason, is that you?”

  This figure is shorter than Mason. Am I dreaming? My breathing picks up and I can’t breathe. I watch carefully. The figure who steps into the muted light, holding a yellow rose, is Jim.

  Chapter Five: Protecting Angel (Saving Angel)

  “Hello, Ang,” Jim says, walking over to me and holding out the yellow rose for me.

  I try to scoot away from him in the bed, but I can’t move. My leg is in traction, and I am completely immobile. “What do you want?” I try to say, but the words get caught in my throat.

  “Is that anyway to talk to the love of your life?” Jim says as he bends down and kisses me on my lips. He holds my face still by squeezing my chin with his hand.

  I turn my head to try to get away from him and close my eyes as tight as I can. I will myself to wake up. This can’t be real, please be a dream, I beg.

  “Ang, what’s wrong? You seem upset — you’re not glad to see me?” Jim says, placing the rose on my chest and straightening up from the bed.

  Mason walks out of the bathroom, steps into the view of me and Jim, and stops dead in his tracks. Jim steps away from the bed slightly, looking at Mason. I lie there, wiping the remnants of Jim’s kiss off my lips.

  Mason, not entering the room any further, asks, “Jim?”

  I nod. I look out into the hallway behind Mason to see if a nurse is coming. The hallway door is still open from when Jim entered, and the muted light is coming from the bathroom next to the hallway to Mason’s left.