by Kayt Miller
I open my eyes and look down at Roni. She cut her hair. I forgot about that. I touch her soft locks and run my fingers through it. She’s sexy with this style. I keep running my fingers in and out of her hair until she wakes up.
When she lifts her face, I see the telltale signs of sleep. She’s got those little creases on her left cheek from sleeping on the crumpled sheet. Sleep is in her eyes, and she looks groggy. “You awake?”
“Yeah,” she says in a sexy morning voice. I could get used to hearing that in the morning. “Coffee. I need coffee,” she moans.
My dick twitches at the sound, and that makes me happier than I can tell you. I’ve still got my dick, and it still works. Thank fuck for that.
Chapter 42: Roni
I blink wake up with my face planted on the side of Mick’s bed again and the feel of a hand running through my hair. I don’t remember moving around, but I suppose it’s possible. The nurses came in every thirty minutes to check on him, taking is vitals, checking his I.V.’s. I don’t know how patients actually get any rest. “You awake?” he asks.
“Yeah. Coffee. I need coffee.” I can’t do anything else until I get some java.
“Your hair is so soft,” he says sleepily.
I lift my head off the bed and smile at him. It’s then that I remember. I attempt to keep my happy face, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m in pain. I don’t think that stuff they gave me worked.”
“Oh, it worked.”
“It did?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Remember what?”
“You got really chatty after the morphine kicked in.”
“I did?”
“Oh, yeah. You said…”
I’m interrupted when I hear footsteps. Gladys steps in holding a tray with water, clear soda pop, crackers, and Jell-O. “Are you hungry young man?” she asks cheerily.
“I… a little. I feel like sh… like crap.”
“I’ll check to see when you can have another dose of morphine. In the meantime, I want to see those sutures.”
I excuse myself while the nurses check his stitches and change his gown. “I’m going to run down and grab something to eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I walk to the elevators and press the down button. I haven’t eaten for hours and hours. I feel like I might pass out, actually.
The hospital cafeteria is abuzz with activity. There’s a grill where they’re preparing pancakes and eggs. I avoid that area and head straight to the coffee station. I grab the biggest cup available, and I fill it as far up as I can go and still have room for cream. I inhale the amazing aroma. Even hospital coffee sounds good right now.
Next, I march toward the tall glass refrigerator. I open the door and pull out a pre-packaged yogurt, a small cup of fruit, and a bagel with cream cheese. After checking out, I return to Mick’s room. Stepping back in the room, I see Mick sleeping again. I sit down in my chair and look at my food. I work quietly to open up my packages so I can dig in. I’m literally shaking from hunger.
I pop open the fruit cup and watch as Mick’s eyes open up. “Could you have gotten a quieter snack, woman? Can’t you see I need my beauty sleep?” he chuckles wincing once again.
“Sorry. I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten since Sunday.”
“What day is it now?”
“Tuesday.”
“You haven’t eaten for two days? Roni, you need to eat. It’s not good for you.”
“I know. It just didn’t work out that way. I’m eating now, see?” I say holding up my yogurt. “The breakfast of champions.”
“I can’t sleep,” he grumbles.
“Do you want some crackers?”
He shakes his head.
“Jell-O?”
Nope. “I’d read to you again, but my phone is dead.”
“You read to me?”
“I did. Harry Potter,” I say holding up my phone.
“I love those books,” he says sleepily. His eyes slide shut as he winces in pain.
Chapter 43: Mick
“Dude! You’re alive!” shouts Keith.
I’m literally shocked awake. Normally Keith is the quiet one, but I guess he’s excited to see me. He stomps over to my bed and grabs my hand to shake.
“Holy fuck, Keith. That hurts. Be gentle.” I wish I were kidding, but I’m not. I need some more pain meds.
“Oh, shit sorry, Mick. I was just so glad to see you awake.”
I look over and see that Roni getting ready to eat her food. She looks tired. I don’t think either of us got much rest last night.
“No problem, man. When is everyone else descending on this place?” I ask as I attempt to move to a more comfortable spot on the bed. I raise the back of the bed up and yelp when the pain hits me.
“Soon. Emily is on her way right now, and everyone else will be here later. You need something for pain, man?” Keith asks looking concerned.
Before I have a chance to answer, there’s a knock, and a stunning woman just a little older than myself steps into the room. Hello, I’m Clarice Brookes your Orthopedist. I came to talk to you about the plan for your recovery.” She walks up to my bed and pulls back the sheet.
She proceeds to tell me more about my compound fracture in my lower fibula. There’s also a hairline fracture in my right arm. I’ve still got a splint on my leg due to swelling plus they want to be sure the wound was cleaned out and free of infection before they perform surgery. But, according to her, the bones were reset at Plymouth Memorial, and everything seems to be doing well so far.
“Don’t try to walk or put any pressure on your leg what-so-ever,” Dr. Brookes warns. “We’ll assess the situation and decide on the next step. But you need to plan on being wheelchair bound for several weeks if not longer. Does your home have stairs?”
I’ve got a shit-ton to get up to my place. No elevator in that old building. “Yes.”
“You’ll need to find a place to stay that’s all on one level for you or has elevator access. If you can’t find a place, there are always rehab facilities that will accept you. You’ll probably need rehab down the road.”
I look at Keith then at Roni but not actually seeing them. I’m wondering who has a place like that. Almost everyone I know lives on multi-levels. Emily lives on one level but her place is so small, I wouldn’t get a wheelchair in the door.
Mom and dad’s place could work, but dad would need to build me a ramp up to the front porch and then I’d have to live in the main room. The only bathroom on the main level is a half bath.
Keith and Hank’s places are both out. I’d rather lop off my own limbs that stay with David and Jen. Not that Jen will be around. I just don't want to live with my brother while he’s dealing with divorce drama. So, that leaves friends or Roni. Roni’s place is all on one level; plus there’s an elevator. Sure, her place is small but not so small I couldn’t maneuver around in a chair.
I see movement at the corner of my eye. Roni is throwing away her uneaten breakfast and has her purse in her hand. She’s making her way toward my door. I interrupt Dr. Brookes, “Are you coming back, Roni?”
“Um, I’ll try.” She won’t look at me.
“You’ll try?”
“Yep. See you later, Keith. Dr. Brookes. Be a good patient, Mick. I’ll let Betty know you need more pain medicine,” she adds.
Who’s Betty?
“Okay. See you later.” She steps out of the room, and I get the overwhelming sense that she won’t be coming back.
Dr. Brooke takes the hint and quickly goes over her plan for my recovery. In no time she moves on to her next patient. My mind is racing. I’ve screwed up so badly. I know I have.
“So, when did you finally wake up?” Keith asks drawing my attention from the door.
“Sometime in the night. I’m not sure.”
“Fuck, Mick. You scared the shit out of all of us.”
I focus my attention on my brother because I can’t think about Roni right now, “Any news on m
y car?”
“Toast. It’s toast dude. Dad called your insurance company for you yesterday, and once you he was sure you were okay, he drove out to the accident site to oversee the towing.”
Fuck. It was a sweet ride and all paid up. Maybe I should trade up––get bigger, safer car or an SUV.
Chapter 44: Roni
Stepping out of Mick’s room I take the breath I needed. I’m not ready to live with Mick Flynn. I could practically see the wheels turning in Mick’s head. While I’ve never been to any of the Flynn family homes, I know he has a long staircase leading to his apartment. I also know that mine has an elevator and it’s one level. When he started to turn his head to look at me, I knew I had to get out of there.
If it ends up he’s got nowhere else to go, I’m sure I’ll do it, but until then I’m going to feign ignorance. I hustle out the doors to my rental car. Before I forget, I call the car rental place and extend my rental period for the rest of the week.
I race home to shower and change for my meeting with Bill Phillips. I’m going to be late, late, late. I let my hair air dry on the ride to P&P Advertising, and as I’m walking in the door, I fluff it up with my hands and finger comb it. Having short hair is awesome. It’s wavy and a little messy––in a good way.
I enter the lobby of P&P Advertising right on time. Before I can even announce myself to the receptionist, she says, “You can go right up, Veronica. Mr. Phillips is expecting you.” I thank her and make my way to the bank of elevators. When I step on, I see a few people from the office. We smile at each other tentatively.
Standing in front of Gloria’s desk, she signals, with one finger, for me to wait until she’s done with her call. “Roni! It’s so nice to see you. You look fantastic. I love your hair!”
“Thanks.” My hair is good, but I don’t think I look good. With little sleep and no food for hours and hours, I feel like utter dog shit, but I keep that to myself. I’m glad I opted for slacks and the light pink cashmere sweater my sisters gave me for Christmas last year. I look professional, but I’m also really comfortable. I didn’t want to overdress for this meeting.
“Thanks, Gloria. Um, Mr. Phillips wanted to see me?” I say hesitantly.
“Yes! He certainly did. He’s on a call right now, but he’ll be with you shortly. Just have a seat, and I’ll let you know when he’s free.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Gloria gives me a sincere smile and then turns away from me when her telephone rings again. Five minutes later, Bill steps out of his office, “Roni! I’m so glad you could make it. He opens his arms out like he’s going to hug me. I stiffen my arms in preparation for his embrace, but he just grasps my upper arms and squeezes.
“Come on it to my office. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Soda?”
“No. Thank you.” He rounds his desk and sits in his swivel office chair. I sit in the chair directly in front of his large mahogany desk. His desk would have taken up my entire office. “What did you need to see me about Mr. Phillips?
“Bill. Call me Bill.” He chuckles, “You don’t mess around, do you, Roni? Okay. Well, I’ll cut right to the chase.” He leans forward in his chair and rests them on his desk. “I want you back.”
I was expecting that, but it’s still a surprise. “I don’t think…”
“Hear me out, please,” he says sounding a little desperate. “I made a mistake. I am not one of those people who likes to admit they were wrong but I was wrong about the whole mishap after the launch party.”
I remain silent.
“In retrospect, I can see why you did what you did. I would have been very upset if someone had come in and taken credit for my work.”
I nod. Where is this going?
“I, um, should have reprimanded Chris for all of that,” he says sheepishly.
“Yes. You should have.” I say with command in my voice. Command that is all bluster.
Bill stands and starts to make his way over to his large seating area. “Come. Let’s sit over here. It’s more comfortable.”
I stand up and follow him. He sits in a large, black leather chair while I choose his gray, wool sofa. These two pieces of furniture probably cost more than all of my furniture in my apartment combined.
“The truth is I realized, fairly quickly, what you do… or I mean what you did around here. You were an asset to P&P Advertising and to me. I knew you did good work, I just didn’t realize the scope of your talents.”
I know that’s true. I worked my tail off every day. And not just on my own work.
“Roni. I need you back. EnerSport only wants to work with you.”
And, there it is. One client complains, and here I am. Bill doesn’t want me back. He wants to make sure he keeps his client happy. I suppose that’s good business, but it makes me feel used.
“That’s the only reason you want me back? To keep Frank McCormick happy?”
“No!” He says leaning forward. “I meant what I said. I now know the impact you had on the marketing side of things. It’s obvious you are missed.”
What exactly is he saying? Did something happen? “What happened with EnerSport to make them unhappy?” I need an answer to that.
Looking embarrassed he admits, “Chris Smith happened.”
I chuckle lightly at that. “Yeah, I get that.” I worked with him for a year and a half and watched him struggle with simple marketing concepts. Chris also knows very little about market analysis. I have no idea how he got this job in the first place or a degree for that matter.
What did I ever see in that guy? I guess I thought that his self-deprecating way of asking for my help all the time was sweet. I figured he was just using that as a way to talk to me. I snort, and it gets Bill’s attention. I was such a stupid fool, and that hasn’t changed, apparently.
“What’ll it take to get you back?”
“Bill…”
“Please, Roni. Give me another chance.”
Why do I feel like we’ve broken up and he wants to date me again? “I’m just not sure I want to work at a place that doesn’t value hard work and dedication.”
I’ve shocked Bill. His eyes are huge, and he ‘s opening and closing his mouth like a fish. “What? I value hard work and dedication?”
“No, you really don’t Bill, and I’ll tell you why I feel that way.” Okay, you know I’m exhausted and delirious when I get lady-balls. I start to count using my fingers to emphasize these points.
1) The fact that you reprimanded me and not Chris after the launch party is the main reason I feel this way.
2) You gave Chris that huge office with floor to ceiling windows and never even blinked an eye. Did you ever consider that office should go to anyone else?” I didn’t want to assume it would go to me. There are other worthy candidates for such a space.
Bill interrupts my list, “What? Chris told me you were afraid of heights and didn’t want the big office with the huge windows.”
I stare at Bill. “Did you think to ask me yourself? Chris spoke for me, and you didn’t question him? That can be number 3.” I continue,
4) Chris is able to pull Trisha from her actual boss and her real work, so he has an assistant of his own. And…
5) The only reason I’m here is because a client complained. You never would have asked me back on your own.” I’m sure there are more examples, but five is good.
“Wow, you don’t like me very much, do you?” he says with sadness in his voice.
“I respect you, Bill. I always have. That is until the launch party issues. Honestly, Bill. It’s thanks to having two weeks off and time to think,” and dealing with Mick Flynn, “I realize I deserve better.” There! I said my peace. I take a deep, deep breath and lean back into his comfy sofa. A weight has been lifted off my shoulders that I didn’t realize was there. I had some pent up resentment in there, and now it’s gone. Well, almost.
Bill’s still looking at me with large, round eyes. He’s stopped moving his mouth open and closed, but it looks like he�
��s surprised I said all of that. “You’re right.”
Now it’s my turn to look shocked.
“You’re right about everything. I’ve been neglectful when it comes to seeing the inner workings of this company. I had to question my own staff to find out the truth about you and, um, others in your department. I had no idea the things that were happening there, and I’m sorry for that.”
I nod. I’m glad he sees it, but I’m still not sure returning to P&P is in my best interest. Although, I’m nervous about money and I can’t go on forever living off of my meager savings account. I gasp aloud, and what if I’m pregnant? I’m going to need money. And insurance.
“Is everything okay, Roni?”
“Yeah. Um, I mean yes. It’s just been a hectic couple of days.”
“Let me offer you this. I’ll raise your salary. I’ll pay you half again what you were making when you left.”
That’s not a bad deal but still not sure it’s enough. “I’m not sure, Bill.”
“I’ll double it.”
“Double it?” I say distantly. I should sound elated, but it’s making me dizzy. He really wants me back. “I’ll have to sleep on it, Bill. I can’t make a decision today.”
“I understand. Go home. Sleep on it. But, call me tomorrow with your answer, would you?”
I nod and stand. “I will.” I reach my hand out to shake his and leave. I wave to Gloria and a few other ex-coworkers as I leave. I press the elevator button and wait for it to open. Stepping on, I turn to push the lobby button when I see two people rush on before the doors close. Great.
“Well, Hello Roni,” snarls Trisha. “What are you doing here? Come to beg for your old job back?” she snickers.
I ignore her because my first instinct is to punch her in her smug little face. But I don’t need to be charged with assault today.