Scrapper

by Privette, Valerie

  He turned slowly and Eddy was there on the bed lying down wearing the same gown she’d had on before, her hands were bound to the bedposts but her legs were free. She stared straight up at the ceiling with unseeing eyes and Gavin was almost afraid to touch her as he approached the bed. Despite her performance in the boxing ring she looked weak and pale, and when Gavin untied her hands her arms flopped onto the mattress. She was out of it and he wasn’t sure if it was some level of psychosis or if she had been drugged, or even both. He searched the closet and the drawers of the single dresser and found a pair of boy’s pajamas and he gently removed the gown she wore and put them on her, his hands shook and tears sprang to his eyes at the condition she was in and what she had been through, but he knew he had to get hold of himself because her life was in his hands and if he let his emotions over ride him they would both die here tonight.

  Gavin’s phone beeped heralding a text message, he took his phone from his jacket pocket and opened the message, and it was one word, ‘GO’. He sprang into action lifting Eddy and placing her over his left shoulder in a fireman’s carry and headed to the door, he eased the door open and looked out into the empty hall before exiting. The door to the stairwell was just down on the left and he went for it after engaging the lock on the bedroom door and pulling it closed quietly. He opened the door to the stairs and stepped inside onto the small landing and shut the door behind him. The passage was narrow and dark and he crept down allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he carried Eddy on the left and his gun in his right ready to fire if necessary. He came to another landing and there was a door to his right, he turned the knob and pushed, the door creaked loudly in the silence and he looked around swiftly to see if anyone was close by but the kitchen was empty and he stepped out looking for the back door. The door was there not ten feet to his right and he made it out and stood for a moment breathing deeply, then he heard a loud commotion from the inside and hurried to his left around the side of the house. Gavin almost ran into four men all with guns drawn and raised his to fire.

  One man held up his hand, “Mr. Blackhawk?” at Gavin’s silent nod he identified himself, “Special Agent Cooper sir, head up to the drive and you’ll find Agent Reynolds” he gave a brief description, “She’ll show you were to go from there sir” and before Gavin could thank him he left to join the rest of his men at the back of the house.

  Finding Agent Reynolds was easy and she escorted Gavin to a waiting ambulance where he lowered Eddy gingerly down onto a gurney. With gentle hands her brushed the hair back from her face and looked into her flat lifeless eyes, “Eddy, baby, it’s Gavin can you hear me” she didn’t even blink and the paramedics moved him aside so that they could check her. Gavin explained to them that she had been raped and that she had had a miscarriage, and that she was probably drugged. He watched as they inserted an IV and checked her vital signs, and then he heard a familiar voice and turned his head towards it, Liam Garrett was being led by two agents out of his home as he ranted and raved about lawyers and lawsuits, after all he was a very powerful man.

  Gavin checked to see what hospital Eddy would be taken to and turned and began walking until he stopped in front of Liam, he looked at the man who had suddenly gone silent and before anyone knew what was happening Gavin had both hands around the mans throat. Liam Garrett struggled, choking and gurgling, his feet kicking as he was lifted from the ground.

  “You are the worst kind of scum on the planet” Gavin said consumed by his rage, spittle collecting at the corners of his mouth, “I should put you out of your misery here and now”

  Agents surrounded them and pulled at Gavin’s arms, yelling at him to release the prisoner, but no one could stop him. Then Holt was there and Rundleman beside him, “Gavin no don’t do this” Holt said as he tugged on Gavin’s left arm, “Let him go Gavin, we’ve got him now, he’ll be going away for a very long time, but you have to let him go”

  Garrett’s face was going from mottled red to blue as Gavin maintained his grip, “Gavin, Gavin” this time it was Rundleman, “You have to let him go Gavin, think about Eddy, Gavin Eddy needs you, let him go and go to Eddy Gavin she needs you”

  Gavin lowered Garrett to the ground and eased the grip he had on his throat and leaned close to whisper in his ear, “I am every bit the man that you assumed I was and you took what was mine and abused it, every day in jail, in prison, or even in the courtroom you had better be looking over your shoulder because I’ll be coming for you and you won’t live to tell about it” Gavin released him and he fell to the pavement gasping for air as Gavin raised his arms in surrender. Gavin was led away by Rundleman and Deavers who placed him in a squad car and gave the officer at the wheel instructions to drive him to the hospital.

  Waiting in the ER was driving him insane but there was nothing to be done for it as the Doctor was examining Eddy. Gavin held a cup of bad vending machine coffee that had gone cold in his hand as he leaned back with his head against the wall and closed his eyes and waited some more.

  After more than two hours someone finally approached him and introduced herself as Dr. Silverman, “I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you Mr. Blackhawk but I called in an OB/GYN consult in Ms. Garrett’s case due to the conditions surrounding her rape and miscarriage. Physically she will be fine, the drugs will be out of her system in the next 24 to 48 hours and she should recover nicely. It’s her mental status that concerns me at this time because she is non- reactive, but in these types of cases it takes time” She paused and looked at him, “I understand that you’re not from around here?”

  “Seattle Washington” Gavin said offhandedly, “When can I take her home?”

  “We’d like to keep her for a day or two for observation before releasing her and in the meantime I’ll look into finding a psychiatrist that you may take her to once you get her home, of course we do have one here on staff that will be speaking to her as well” Dr. Silverman explained

  Gavin thanked her and asked, “When can I see her?”

  “They’re preparing a room for her now, a private room as you requested, and will take her up shortly, I’ll be sure to have someone come and get you once we have her settled” Gavin thanked her again before she left him and then got out his phone to make some calls.

  CHAPTER 12

  The flight home seemed endless to Gavin who sat across from Eddy who lay in her reclined seat curled in a tight ball sleeping. He had hired a private jet to fly them home and had made arrangements to have his truck driven cross country to his home. The past two days had been a hectic mix of bedside vigils and FBI interviews that left him tired and worn, but he couldn’t sleep, not more than snatches of rest anyway due to his concern for Eddy. The hospital Psychiatrist had explained to him that her case was not unique and she could come back to herself slowly or suddenly, each case was different. She was suffering from a trauma induced psychosis similar to PTSD and in her case she had retreated to a place in her mind where she was protected from the outside world and needed to be made to feel safe and secure in a non threatening environment. The Doctor had urged him to have her committed short term for treatment but Gavin had refused, adamant about taking her home to care for her himself.

  Kevin and Charley picked them up from the airport and took them to their house so that Charley would be able to help care for Eddy. They fell into a routine where Gavin bathed and dressed Eddy each day and led her to the table for breakfast. She ate on her own simply by being told to do so, just as she did any other regular function, but she never spoke and her eyes remained unfocused as if she were far away. Gavin had taken her to see the recommended psychiatrist but he felt it wasn’t doing any good right now since Eddy never spoke a word any of the three times they had been.

  Then the nightmares and singing began. They had been back for a week and Eddy slept in the spare room as Gavin slept on the couch in the family room, he had just dozed off when loud screams rent the air and he ran up to her room where he met Kevin and Charley. Gavin gath
ered Eddy in his arms and held her close trying to calm her and stop her terrified screams, and she spoke repeating the same words over and over in Gaeilge that he did not understand, so he turned to Kevin.

  With tears glistening on his lashes Kevin cleared his throat, “She’s saying, ‘my baby, my baby, give me back my baby’” Kevin sniffed and wiped his eyes, holding his wife who cried softly in his arms.

  Tears ran unheeded down Gavin’s face as he rocked Eddy back and forth whispering in her ears as he did words that the others could not hear. Eddy calmed and Gavin laid her in the bed and got in with her refusing to leave her by herself, Kevin and Charley quietly left the room.

  In the morning Gavin woke up alone and jumped up throwing open the bedroom door not sure which way he wanted to go, and then he heard her and he turned to go to the family room, Eddy was there in the corner of the couch where he had been sleeping. She was staring out the glass doors and she was singing, her face wet with tears. Her voice was soft, beautiful, and haunting, but she was singing in English and tears gathered in his eyes as he listened,

  Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry

  Go to sleep my darling

  When you wake, you shall have

  All the pretty little horses

  Blacks and bays, dapples and grays

  All the pretty little horses

  In the heavens, not so far away

  Sleeps your lovely little baby

  Deep blue skies, they are his eyes

  Worlds of wonder are yet to be

  Hush-a-bye, don’t you cry

  Go to sleep my darling

  When you wake, you shall have

  All the pretty little horses

  All the pretty little horses

  Kevin and Charley stood behind him on the stairs, Charley weeping openly as Kevin sniffed and told Gavin, “Tis’ a lullaby Gavin, for the loss of a child”

  Gavin went to her and held her as she continued her singing and then unable to control himself any longer he broke down and cried like a baby, he cried for the loss of his child and he cried at the pain and suffering that Eddy had endured at the hands of a mad man, and he cried at the pain he himself had inflicted upon her and for not being there to help her when she had needed him the most. In the end it was Eddy who held him to her breast as he cried and she continued to sing softly, Kevin and Charley together held both of them and tried to console them in their grief, Gavin because he was their much loved friend, and Eddy because they loved her as well and because she loved Gavin who they knew needed to be loved by this woman.

  Later that day Gavin left Eddy in Charley’s hands as he left with Kevin to pick up his truck, collect his mail and check on his own house. Eddy still did not speak but she seemed more aware of her surroundings and occasionally she would begin to sing again.

  Charley had Eddy settled on the couch and was cleaning the room, when she finished she told Eddy, “Eddy, honey I’m going upstairs to do some cleaning now ok, I’ll put the TV on for you while I’m gone and if you need anything I’ll be right upstairs” Charley turned on the TV and put the remote on the table in front of Eddy not thinking about the channel that it was on and went up stairs.

  Later as Charley walked into the kitchen for a drink, fresh from the shower, her house work finished she heard crying and screaming from downstairs. Before she could react Gavin came through the front door and heard it as well.

  “What the hell’s going on” he said and headed for the stairs

  “I don’t know she just started and I was on my way down when I heard you coming in” Charley told him as she followed him.

  Eddy was standing in front of the television screaming at the face of Liam Garrett on the big screen, Gavin snatched up the remote but stopped as he heard what the reporter was saying,

  “In breaking news today suspected drug dealer and operator of a sex slave organization Liam Garrett of Long Island New York was found hanged in his

  Jail cell early this morning where he awaited trial after being denied bail as a flight risk. Investigators are saying that although it appeared to be a suicide foul play has not been ruled out and their investigation will continue.

  Among the charges against Garrett were, drug dealing, prostitution, illegal weapons procession, sex slavery, and tax evasion.

  One of Garrett’s victims was his 23 year old niece Eudora Louise Garrett from Nenagh Ireland who came into his custody at the age of 15 when her parents where killed in a roadway accident, the raid on the Garrett home…”

  Gavin turned off the TV and turned to take Eddy in his arms, at first she struggled and then she clung as she cried inconsolably and muttered about all that her uncle had done to her.

  “It’s alright Eddy”, Gavin consoled, “ shhh, it’s alright we’ll get through this together I promise you everything will be ok, I love you Eddy and I’ll take care of you”

  Eddy pushed hard against his chest and looked up at him, “What did ya just say ta me?” She asked angrily, “What did you say!” she screamed when he looked at her blankly.

  Gavin frowned at her not understanding her upset, “I said I love you and I’ll take care of you Eddy” She had backed away and he reached for her but she slapped at his hands.

  “Nay Gavin nay, you do na say that now, not now when I’m ruined, not now when I’ve lost everything” she screamed at him, “All the time ya had ta tell me and ya wait till I have nothin, nothing at all, even the clothes on me back do na belong to me” she jammed her fingers into her hair and held her head as she cried, “Why could ya na tell me when it would have mattered, before he put his hands on me, in me, before he killed me babe and he and his friends defiled me, why Gavin, why”

  Gavin didn’t know what to do and again he tried to pull her into his embrace, “I’m sorry Eddy, I don’t know what else to say, but I do love you and I have for a very long time”

  She launched herself at him screaming and slapping like a mad woman until Kevin came into the room and grabbed her from behind pulling her away from Gavin who had not defended himself against her attack and had the welts and scratches across his face, neck, and chest to show for it.

  “How long Gavin?” she screamed, “How long have you known?” she shook herself from Kevin’s hold, “In Baltimore, or was it Nashville, did ya know when we were in the mountains Gavin, in St. Louis, or Kansa City”

  “Eddy that’s enough” Gavin shouted, his brows down low over his dark eyes

  “Or was it when we were here Gavin” she saw a flicker in his eyes that gave him away, “Aye it was here wasn’t it all those months ago when all I wanted was fer ya to say those words and instead ya treated me like so much garbage” she was panting now in her anger and pain and all she wanted to do was lash out and hurt him in return.

  “Damn it Eddy I said that’s enough!” Gavin yelled furiously

  “Nay, nay, nay!” she screamed and pounded his chest with her fists, “Ya don’t get ta tell me what’s enough, ya don’t get to tell me anything, did it not occur to ya that if I had known I would na have gone to Liam? Did ya na think that it would make a difference?” she walked to the door and looked out, “Ya waited for me to be reduced to this and then ya tell me like I should be grateful to ya, what so ya could take care of poor little Eudora who has nothin”

  “Damn it Eddy it’s not like that, and you don’t have nothing, here” He took a large manila envelope from the inside of his heavy coat and tossed it to the table, “That is the money that was stolen from you as well as the money you gave to Liam and your papers, you have over $100,000 there you’re not exactly a pauper”

  She looked at him frowning, “How did ya get it all back Gavin” she asked in a low voice.

  “The money from Liam and your papers I got from a friend in the FBI and the stolen money was recovered” he explained without meeting her eyes

  “Recovered how Gavin” and when he did not answer she yelled, “Recovered how Gavin!”

  “I had a man helping me watch you for a friend in
the FBI and when you were robbed he got a tag number and tracked him down for me” Gavin said flatly

  “So we did na meet by chance at all, the whole of it was a lie” She turned back to him, “And ya had me money before I left?”

  “No, no, I got a call from Tom when we were in St. Louis about the money”

  Eddy started laughing, she laughed until she cried in great wracking sobs, “I could have sent him me money, I could have sent him me money and never had to go ta his home, those FBI people had spoken with me before wantin ta use me ta trap Liam and I told them nay, nay I did na want to get so close ta him and then ya come along and hand me ta them” she laughed some more, “Tell me Gavin how much did they have ta pay ya ta fook me or was that just a perk of the job?”

  The slap across her face came unexpected and nearly knocked her to the floor, “Maybe I fucked you because you were so God Damned easy” he said softly through his clenched teeth

  “Aye Gavin” she cradled her swelling face and bloodied lip, “I was easy, especially for an experienced man like yerself set ta seduce a virgin