Cuts like a knife

by Dana Monahan

  “Brad was an easy conquest, but she didn’t have the heart to tell you about it, the dumb bitch. She would have loved me until James got in the way. When he wouldn’t go for it, she got obsessive. Did she think I wouldn’t care? We could’ve been so good together.”

  Mandy was breathing heavily and sweat began to bead on her upper lip as the memory brought back all the anger. For a second her eyes misted, “I might have forgiven her, but she laughed at me, as if I were nothing. She wasn’t laughing when I stabbed her.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Billie asked shakily, ignoring the tears falling freely down her face. She was so scared it was hard to focus. “You’ll never get away with it.”

  Mandy shook her head, as if Billie were a stupid child. “Who, me? Timid little Mandy.” Suddenly, Mandy changed her expression of hate to one of sadness. “Poor Billie. How could anyone do such a thing?” With a smug smile, Mandy cocked her head to the side as she regarded Billie. “How was that? I can cry on demand if the need arises. You thought I was too meek and shy to talk to you, but the fact is, I just couldn’t stand you. I think when I leave I’ll give James an anonymous call. Tell him to come here alone. It wouldn’t look good for him if he finds the body. Now stand up!“

  As Billie braced her hands on the table to pull up, Mandy lifted up her arm and thrust the knife towards her heart. Billie saw the movement and lunged to the right, knocking over her chair. The knife sank in just above her left breast and Mandy yanked it out again. Crying out, Billie brought up her hands to place over the wound. Blood oozed through her fingers and she felt its stickiness seep down her side. A searing heat exploded in her chest and she leaned against the counter for support. Shock, she was going into shock, she realized, as Mandy started towards her again.

  “This time I won’t miss,” Mandy hissed through clenched teeth, raising the knife.

  Billie watched, as if in slow motion, as Mandy’s nostrils flared and anticipation glinted in her eyes. Like a deer caught in a headlight, she was immobile with fear. An intense will to live pulled Billie out of her trance and she rushed forward, shocking Mandy and knocking her off balance. When Mandy stumbled over the fallen chair, Billie made her escape. Agony ripped through her upper body and her left arm was limp, but Billie stumbled towards the front door with Mandy close behind. As she twisted the knob, a gust of wind caught the door and it flew open before her. She sidestepped, hearing Mandy grunt in pain as the door slammed against her. Rain pelted against Billie’s face as she struggled to make her legs keep moving. She must get away before she blacked out again. She was starting to feel dizzy, weak.

  As she started down the stairs, thunder rumbled in the sky blocking out the sound of Mandy’s steps behind her. She screamed when a hand snaked out and grabbed her arm to yank her around. Losing her balance, she fell backwards off the porch. Laying in the mud and looking upward, she could just make out Mandy’s dark form looming above her.

  “No. Please don’t,” she whimpered, and screamed, only to have it drowned out by another loud clap of thunder. Then it happened. There was a low growling sound and out of the shadows emerged another form, a smaller one. In one leap, it landed against Mandy, knocking her to the ground onto the side of the house. There was muffled snarling, like an animal attacking its prey, just before a high-pitched scream was cut-off abruptly. Then there was only the sound of rain and the wind whistling eerily through the trees.

  Billie felt her senses getting weaker. A sort of numbness settled in her body and she no longer had the strength to lift herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow take form and she realized it was moving towards her. There was nothing she could do. Lightening crackled across the sky and in the brief moment of light Billie saw that it was Scamp and she laughed, as if hysterical. For a brief second, their gazes locked, and Billie knew Scamp had saved her life. She was no longer able to keep her eyes open, but she could feel Scamp’s presence beside her. Just before everything went black, carried away on the howling wind, Billie could swear she heard Sierra’s voice utter her name.

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  Billie couldn’t make her body move. It felt as if she were weighted down, even her eyelids were too heavy to lift. She was lucid, knew she was dreaming, but still could not wake up. There had been a voice, a familiar tone, speaking her name. Why couldn’t she answer? Something was wrong. Everything was a blur. She vaguely remembered images of men dressed in white, Brody staring down at her with such fear in his eyes, and so many voices. Again, Billie struggled to open her eyes and finally she was able to see. Rapidly, she blinked as her eyes adjusted to the light.

  Moving very slowly, she turned her head a little to the side and saw Brody with his head slumped forward on his chest, sitting in a chair next to her bed. His eyes were closed, but she could make out the dark shadows beneath them. Dark stubble covered his jaw and chin and his clothes were rumpled and unkempt. Even in sleep, his brows were drawn together in a frown and Billie longed to see him smile. Reaching over to touch his face, she cried out when a sharp pain seared her upper body, causing Brody to jerk awake.

  “Are you okay?” Her voice slurred, but she smiled tenderly. “You don’t look so good.”

  Brody’s eyes watered, but he smiled crookedly and took a deep breath. “I was afraid you wouldn’t wake up.” Surgery had taken care of her knife wound, which luckily didn’t sever anything vital, but there was a slight chance she might fall into a coma from the blow to her head.

  Billie frowned, trying to understand what he meant and tried to fight off the effects of her medication. Then it came back to her, Mandy threatening her with a knife. Her aqua eyes turned glassy as she started to panic. “Mandy, she killed Sierra. She tried to kill me.” She wanted to explain, had so much to say, but she was so tired. “I love you.” she whispered, yawned, and drifted back to sleep.

  Wide awake now, Brody wiped the wetness from his eyes and stepped out of the room. He had waited so long to hear her say those words he was afraid he might have imagined it. It had been almost forty-eight hours since he’d had any sleep. Trent and Brad had offered to take over his bedside vigil, but he wouldn’t leave her side. He would not rest until he knew she was okay. The memory of finding her in a puddle of blood haunted him, and he could not get the image from his mind.

  After driving home from his father’s place, Brody had decided he couldn’t wait any longer to get things straight with Billie. It had been late, but he was determined and walked over in the rain. And there she was, lying on her back in the mud, the whole front of her chest saturated in blood. Her face had been so pale and her hands so cold, he feared she was already dead. His tears mingled with the rain as he crouched beside her, lifting her in his arms to bring her in the house. An ambulance and two police cars arrived shortly after with sirens blaring, and it was then that Mandy’s body was found, her throat ripped out, and the knife still gripped in her dead, cold hand.

  Brody pushed the memory aside. Before walking forward, Brody surveyed the small waiting room consisting of two long couches and a glass table littered with coffee cups. Brad and Trent had finally fallen asleep with their heads lolling back against the couch cushion. James and Kelly were sitting together, hands entwined, talking quietly. Rubbing his blood-shot eyes, Brad woke up to see Brody. In his haste to get up, he fell back on Trent, stood up and leaped over the coffee table. Trent grunted, opened his eyes, and jumped up so fast he bumped his knee on the glass table. Kelly and James, startled by the commotion, looked over and saw Brody, too.

  “What happened? Is she awake?” Brad asked anxiously when he reached Brody.

  Still half asleep, Trent stumbled forward, bumping into Brad. “What’s going on?”

  “She was awake. She’s going to be okay!” Brody said and Kelly rushed forward to give him a hug.

  “Yes!” Trent slapped Brad five and the four of them huddled together with their arms around each other.

  James watched the group hugging, but stood back a little. Growin
g up a loner, it was strange to watch such an open display of affection between men, but he found that he envied their closeness. Feeling like an outsider, he turned to go back to the waiting room.

  Trent noticed his retreat, pulled him forward into their intimate circle and patted him heartily on the back. “You’re one of us now, Bro. Don’t be shy.”

  Draping his arm around James’ shoulder, Brad placed his palm out in front of his face. “He needs a scar. Somebody get a scalpel.”

  “No way, man.” Trent shook his head. “That’s too easy. He’s got to toss back a couple and use a dull pocket knife.”

  “Sharpen your pocket knife and I’ll buy the beer.” James joined in, feeling at ease. It felt good to belong.

  Chapter 23

  James was sitting on the couch, drumming his fingers on the armrest to pass the time, while Kelly visited with Billie. Matt was asleep, sprawled out next to him with legs spread-eagle, snoring. With large tears streaming down his face, Matt had begged to go with his Mom to visit Aunt Billie and make sure she was all right. He would simply hug her and make her better, he announced. Even though it was past his bedtime, Kelly gave in to his heart-felt plea, so James came along to help keep an eye on the little squirt. On the trip up the elevator, Matt had fallen deeply asleep in James’ arms.

  When the elevator dinged, James glanced up to see Brody step out with an older couple. He assumed the man with the silver hair was Brody’s father, not because their facial features resembled each other in any way, but the way they carried themselves was identical. They passed without seeing him. James watched them, Brody’s laughter at a remark his father made, and wondered if he would ever share that easy camaraderie with his own father. It took him a moment to realize the woman was no longer with them. He turned his gaze back to the elevator where she had stepped out and was surprised to find her watching him. She gave him a timid smile and started towards him. James stood at her approach.

  With a worried frown, Sam called her name from Billie’s doorway, and she turned, giving him what James considered a reassuring smile and waved him away. Her expression serene, she turned back to James. In contrast to Mandy’s homely looks, he found her delicate features appealing.

  “Hello, James. I’m Paula, Mandy’s mother.” She reached out a slim hand and touched his elbow. “I was hoping to find you here. I wanted to speak to you before we left to go home.”

  “Me?” He asked, confused.

  “I have something for you.” She reached into her purse and retrieved an envelope. “I’m Mandy’s only living heir, so I received the savings from her father’s insurance money.”

  James started to protest as she handed it to him, but she stopped him by a firm shake of her head. “Please don’t refuse me. I need to do this. I can’t help erase what my daughter did to you in the past, but I can help with your future. You deserve this money for all the pain you and your family have had to endure. It’s my way to atone for the grief she caused. Please don’t deny me that.” Her voice was shaky and James noticed the tell-tale signs of moisture in her eyes.

  She glanced down, as if ashamed, and James did something he had never done before. He opened his heart to a virtual stranger, and embraced her. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  His compassion moved her, and she reached her hands around his neck and hugged him to her. For a second, she held on tight, then briskly let go to be composed. “You’re a good man,” she told him, then walked away.

  Sitting down, James opened the envelope and pulled out a check. An audible gasp wheezed through his teeth when he saw the generous amount and he shook his son’s sleeping form. “You’re going to college, Junior.”

  Matt stirred in his sleep, rolled over, and mumbled “I didn’t do it, I swear.”

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  Just before noon the following day, Billie grunted when her father pulled the tape off the bandage. “Ouch, that hurt. Your bedside manner could use some TLC.”

  “Your stitches are healing nicely.” He pointedly ignored her outburst, while checking the wound. “Make sure you keep the area clean and put a fresh bandage on every day. I’ll send my nurse in with a prescription for you. Make an appointment in two weeks and we’ll take those stitches out.” His eyes barely touched on her face as he spoke in his short, precise sentences.

  Billie felt her temper rise at his detached tone. She was his daughter, for Christ’s sake, had almost died, and he was treating her like just another patient. Maybe it was from being cooped up for three days or maybe she just had a simple case of raging hormones, but Billie was tired of being overlooked by her own father. “I’m your daughter. Talk to me. We can start off with something simple. Like, how about telling me you’re glad I’m alive. Or if that’s too emotionally straining for you, ask me what I’ve been up to lately.”

  Dr. Braddock glanced up from her chart, noticed her mutinous expression, and sighed with irritation. “Excuse me?”

  “There’s no excuse.” Billie threw up her arms in exasperation, winced at the pain it caused, and then continued her tirade. “Why is it so easy for you to ignore me? Don’t you care about me at all? Did you even care that I almost died? No!” she answered herself.

  When she finished, Billie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the good doctor. A heavy silence settled between them as he regarded her with an inquisitive quirk to his brow. “You’re distraught, that’s understandable after the ordeal you’ve been through. I assure you that I was to be notified immediately of any change in your progress.” He paused when a page for him came across the intercom instructing him that he was needed elsewhere. “A nurse will be in shortly.” He stated, looking uncomfortable for a moment, and then he cleared his throat and mumbled. “I love you.”

  “Wow that was quite some display of affection. I’m feeling a little choked up.” Trent entered the room with a thin box in one hand; the other was placed firmly over his heart.

  “You were eavesdropping?”

  “Yep, besides, I didn’t want to interrupt the big declaration of love. Such depth, he should be on Broadway.”

  “Is that food for me?” The smell emanating from the box had her mouth watering.

  “Yep! I wasn’t sure how long you’d be.”

  “I’m just waiting for the nurse to bring my prescription for pain pills and I’m free. It’s still hard to believe everything that’s happened.”

  Sitting with legs crossed on the end of Billie’s hospital bed, Trent took a bite of the pizza he’d picked up on the way over. After getting a full night’s sleep, when Billie was taken off the critical list, he was back in form with his baseball cap turned backwards, clean-shaven face, and blue eyes crinkled in humor. “Stabbed by a dike,” he said between bites, shaking his head, “And then Super Dog comes to the rescue, the mysterious canine that no one has seen but you. Unbelievable!”

  Billie, who was leaning back with her left arm behind her head, the right arm was still too sore to lift, grinned, “Don’t laugh, but I think Sierra came back as Scamp.”

  “Is that right?” Trent managed to look serious for all of two seconds before he burst out laughing. “I’m choking, really. This is not laughter.”

  Trent sobered and Billie sighed in relief when the nurse appeared. She handed Billie a prescription, giving a brief summary of how to change her bandage and when to return to get her stitches out, all the while looking at Trent. When he flashed her one of his heart-stopping smiles, her cheeks stained crimson, and she almost bumped into the door on her way out.

  “You have another fan. I think every nurse on this floor and the next has popped in to see if I need anything since you got here.” Standing up, Billie stretched and grinned cheekily. “I guess they just don’t know you as well as I do. Come on, it’s check- out time. I hope Brad didn’t have any wild parties while I was gone.”

  “Don’t worry. We hid the girls in the closet and cleaned the place. All the flower arrangements we took out of here wilted in the heavy smoke, but I
watered them with beer this morning and they’re okay now.” As they walked down the corridor, Trent gave Billie the once over and groaned. “Christ, Billie, didn’t you used to wear that outfit when we were in eighth grade?” He eyed her tattered sweats with mock disgust. “I give you the chance to drive in my Porsche and you dress like a slob. There goes my image.”

  “You’re one to talk. You did a commercial in your undies.”

  “Yeah, but I looked good. And they weren’t just undies, they were Hanes.” Trent ruffled her hair before dropping a friendly arm around her shoulder.

  They continued their playful banter on the short drive home. When they arrived, Brad came out of the house and met them at the car. Because she had insisted, he had stayed at Billie’s house while she was in the hospital. Although they had never discussed it, they both were in agreement over restoring their friendship. Just seeing him made Billie so happy and, ignoring the soreness in her right shoulder, she threw her arms around his neck.

  “I’ve really missed you.” When he wrapped his arms around her waist, displaying those dimples that made him look so boyish, she kissed his cheek.

  “I’ve missed you, too. More than you can imagine.” For a long moment, Brad just stared into her eyes.