Out Of The Smoke

by Becca Jameson

  With a gentleness he didn’t know he was capable of, he lifted Liz off the couch and carried her through the house. He stopped only to bend his knees enough to grab his keys from their spot by the door and blindly slipped on his flip-flops. He was equally glad were coincidentally located in the front hall.

  He drove straight to the nearest hospital. Liz lay back reclined in the seat next to him and moaned in her state of semi consciousness.

  Alan frowned all the way there and prayed that whatever God brought her into his life would watch over her now. What the hell was the matter with her?

  When he carried her limp body burning up with fever into the emergency room, several attendants rushed to help him get her on a gurney and wheeled her down the hall while asking a series of endless questions.

  They skidded to a halt in a small examining room as a nurse asked if she’d complained about any pain.

  Alan froze and glanced up from his perch by her side. “Yes, as a matter of fact. A few hours ago, she accidentally knocked a trophy off the top shelf in my office and it hit her in the back on the way down.” He pointed to the side where the injury was located. “I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now that you mention it, it did seem to really bother her.”

  God, had the tiny little accident in his office caused all this? What if she was truly injured, bleeding internally or something serious, while he’d forced her to bare her sole and then seduced her on his sofa? He’d never forgive himself for not paying more attention to her when she’d been struck by the stupid hunk of sentiment in the first place. She’d darted away from him so quickly, he hadn’t even had much of a chance to see the injury. In fact, he hadn’t seen it at all really, his vision riveted on the long scar that could only have been caused by a welt, undoubtedly from a beating.

  Alan stood back in horror while two medics rolled a nearly unconscious Liz to her side to examine the injury better. And his horror increased to unimaginable proportions when the doctor across from him glanced up at him with questioning eyes. “How did you say this happened?”

  Alan immediately realized what the situation must seem like to these men leaning over her battered body. God. They thought he’d done this to her—a woman he was falling for.

  “A trophy fell from a shelf, striking her low in the back.”

  “It hit her? Or did it have help?” Dr. Clancy, his nametag read, received a warning look from the other medic. Obviously, it wasn’t their practice to accuse someone of abuse in such a blatant manner.

  “I would never lay a hand on a woman,” he growled defensively. “As you can see for yourself, her other wounds are old. I only met her two weeks ago. As to how she obtained her injuries or who is to blame for them, that is her story to tell, not mine.”

  The weary expression on the primary doctor’s face barely waned. He returned his attention back to examining Liz without commenting further.

  “We are going to have to do an X-ray first and a few more tests to determine the severity of the injury.” He began to wheel Liz out of the room.

  When Alan moved to follow them, the other medic stepped into his path and blocked the door. “We don’t allow other people in the X-ray lab. You’ll have to wait here.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

  Liz was long gone and Alan resigned himself to sitting in the lone chair situated at an angle in the tiny cubicle in the emergency department.

  Thank God his cell phone was in his pocket. With a sigh, he pulled it out and dialed the number at the top of the list, praying she would pick up.

  “Hello?” No voice had ever sounded sweeter to his ears.

  “I need help.”

  “What’s wrong?” Concern edged Renae’s question.

  “Can you get away?”

  “Of course. But Alan—”

  “Come to the hospital.”

  “Hospital,” she gasped. “Are you sick? Hurt?”

  “I’m fine. I’m in the emergency room with Liz.” He heard his sister’s exhale of relief, before he continued. “And, Renae?”

  “Yes?”

  “Bring Jake with you. Try not to alarm him or Meredith. You won’t have any trouble finding me. I’ll be in the cubicle with the police stationed outside.”

  He needed his sister for her unfailing moral support, and Jake for his legal help.

  Chapter Seven

  True to his thinking, only about sixty seconds went by before an officer stepped into the room. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you some questions.”

  Alan glanced up at him, resigned to the facts. “Of course you do.”

  Officer Brown whipped a pad and pencil from his back pocket and leaned casually against the only actual wall in the room. He was stoic.

  “Tell me precisely what happened in your words.”

  Alan repeated the same story he’d shared with Dr. Clancy less than ten minutes ago with all the calm he most certainly did not feel in his bones. He could have waited on Jake, insisted that he have a lawyer present, but what for? It wasn’t like Liz couldn’t collaborate. Might as well get it over with.

  Please God let her be okay. He didn’t care what sort of hell he went through to prove his innocence as long as she came out of it unscathed.

  “Okay. Do you have anything else to add?”

  “No. As I said, we only met two weeks ago. I don’t know enough about her previous relationships to give you any more details.” Now he knew how his clients felt when they were accused of something they didn’t do. Even though the officer didn’t add much to the conversation, Alan had the feeling he was considered guilty until proven innocent.

  Fifteen minutes later, Alan was still sitting in the same chair with his arms folded across his chest and a headache that was growing by the minute. What was taking the doctors so long? What was taking his sister so long?

  “Alan?” He opened his resting eyes to see his best friend and sister standing over him, concern etched into their expressions. “What happened?” Renae reached out to touch Alan’s arm.

  He rattled off the details of the day’s events, omitting some of the personal details Liz had shared with him. They didn’t need to know all her business, but there was no way to avoid telling them about her prior abuse.

  He reached to pinch the bridge of his nose and hopefully alleviate the increasing pain in his frontal lobe.

  Jake took a deep concerned breath. “Don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be okay.”

  “I’m worried about her. What could possibly cause so much pain?”

  “I don’t know. All we can do is wait and see.” He smiled and patted Alan firmly on the back. “Did you already speak to the officer?”

  “Yeah, I didn’t figure it could hurt, but I appreciate you being here…just in case.” Hell, if she didn’t wake up quickly, or ever, for some reason, Alan would have some serious questioning to undergo. He gripped the arms of his chair until his knuckles hurt.

  “I’m right here, man. Won’t go anywhere.” For all the jokes and comedic relief Jake was capable of, when push came to shove, he was the best friend in the world.

  “How about if we go get some coffee?” Renae’s brow furrowed with concern. “Have you eaten?”

  “We had lunch just before…yeah, coffee would be great. And Renae…” she turned back to face him from the door frame, “…thanks.”

  While they were gone, Alan paced the width of the cubicle until he was sure he’d worn a hole in the linoleum.

  A nurse finally entered the room with a clipboard and quietly asked Alan to fill out some forms. “Are you her husband?”

  “No. I’m her employer. She…she isn’t married,” he lied.

  “Can you get in touch with her next of kin?”

  Next of kin? The woman spoke as though Liz had died. Alan gasped and stared at the woman wearing light-blue scrubs and a smile.

  “Oh, I didn’t mean… She’s fine. She’ll be back here in a few minutes. It’s just that someone who knows her needs to fill out
all these forms.” She held up the clipboard.

  “Well, no one who knows her lives around here, so you’ll have to wait until she’s capable,” Alan stated as gently as possible. He was more concerned with Liz than some damn paperwork.

  The nurse handed Alan the stack of papers with pursed lips and left. He felt like a dolt. There’s no reason to be rude, you asshole.

  When Alan glanced down, he realized he could no more fill out the forms in front of him than the officer in the hall. What did he know about her? Her name was Liz. He didn’t even know her last name. Not even her age. Was her name even Liz? Shit.

  He set the forms down on the edge of the bed, resumed his fidgeting and stepped out into the hall. Jake and Renae were sitting in chairs across from the little room, next to the cop.

  “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stay nearby,” Brown said. He stood guard outside the door and drew the attention of everyone who passed by.

  “I’m not going anywhere.” Alan pointed at his friend and sister and took the two steps to their side of the hall, eternally grateful that one of them had gone for coffee and handed him a cup.

  They smiled warmly at him but didn’t say a word.

  “Is it possible to fall totally and completely in love with someone in just three days?” he whispered, running his free hand through his hair.

  Jake laughed. “Yes. I did it in about thirteen minutes. I knew Meredith was mine before she even approached me to speak.”

  Alan leaned against the wall next to Jake and dipped his head into his hands.

  “Sir?” Another female voice interrupted his thoughts when she came through the cubicle door. “We put your girlfriend in room eight so she can get some rest.” She pointed a few doors down.

  “Is she okay?” The word girlfriend rolled through his mind. How he wanted that to be the reality.

  “Someone will be back to talk to you in a few minutes. I really don’t know the details.” She walked away with an apologetic smile.

  Alan approached the indicated room and pushed his way through the swinging door. A nurse was arranging a sheet over Liz who was still dressed in the same clothes she’d come in wearing with her shoes tied in a bag to the foot of the bed. She looked pale. Alan angled over to her side and took her limp hand in his own.

  “We gave her an antibiotic for the infection. She just needs rest now.” The voice behind him belonged to Dr. Clancy. When had he snuck in?

  “What infection?” Alan didn’t take his gaze off Liz’s peaceful face.

  “The object must have struck her kidney just right. It’s badly bruised. That’s what’s caused the fever.”

  “Will she be okay?” Alan turned his head to look at Clancy’s face for any sign the doctor wasn’t being completely forthcoming. He couldn’t read his expression.

  “She’ll be fine in a few hours. Bruised kidneys aren’t that uncommon and they usually heal in time on their own. I’m sure she’ll wake up feeling much better, although a little sore.”

  Alan noticed for the first time the IV reaching from a pole to Liz’s other arm across from him. “Will she need to stay overnight?”

  “Oh, no. That won’t be necessary. Let’s just give her a few hours and then see what happens. We’ll watch and wait for signs of improvement.” Dr. Clancy turned to leave. “Oh, Mr… I didn’t catch your name actually…”

  “McCarthy,” he stated bluntly.

  “McCarthy,” the doc repeated. “You can stay here with her, but the officer will want to speak to her when she rouses. And she’ll need to fill out the forms the nurse brought in.” He pointed to the clipboard that had mysteriously appeared in the newly assigned room.

  “I’ll pay for everything. Can you have them bill me?”

  The doctor raised his eyebrow. The extensive tests would undoubtedly be expensive. Alan didn’t give a rat’s ass.

  “I’m sure she doesn’t have any insurance,” he explained, hoping that would put a period on the issue.

  “I’ll let someone know.” With that, he left.

  Alan turned back to Liz, laid his head on the sheet beside her and loosely held her hand while his eyes drifted shut.

  * * * *

  “Excuse me, ma’am, have you seen this woman?” Matthew had resorted to asking anyone he saw at each stop. He’d stand a better chance of finding Beth door to door than in the offices. This was his fifth apartment complex today and he was growing surly.

  “Who’s asking?” Bingo. The tall slender gum-chomping woman was probably much younger than she appeared. She glared at him with furrowed eyebrows and fidgeted with her purse slung over her shoulder.

  “I’m her brother, ma’am. Look, it’s really important that I find her.” He’d thought this through, just what he might say in the event someone seemed to know her. He had several stories in mind ranging from abduction to amnesia to a family squabble. This particular woman looked like she’d appeal to an estranged family situation. “We’ve been apart for some time, but our mother is very ill and asking for her. I told her I’d try my best to look for her.” He pasted on his woeful expression, lowering his eyelids and drooping the corners of his mouth. He thought about adding a few tears, but that seemed overboard.

  “Listen, I’m not comfortable giving out Liz’s personal information, but if you want to leave your name and cell with me, I’ll see that she gets it.”

  “Of course. That’d be great. I really appreciate it.” Liz. He should have known she’d change her name. “Do you happen to have a paper and pen?” It didn’t matter what he wrote down, any name, any phone number, would do. He wasn’t going to leave this spot until he had that bitch in his clutches anyway. If she got the note first, it would just instill the fear of God in her. If not, well then the surprise would be all his to witness.

  The gangly stick woman stuffed the written note into her purse, climbed into her dilapidated car, and sped away making enough noise with the muffler to wake the dead.

  Matthew, on the other hand, eased into his own rental and leaned the seat back to keep passersby from noticing him as he sat there watching every person who came and went from the apartment complex. Eventually one of them had to be Beth. Liz. She most likely worked and would be home this afternoon.

  He smiled at his good fortune. It wouldn’t be long before he had her in his grasp. As soon as he saw her, he’d follow her to whichever door was hers and then press his way in behind her. A flutter formed in his stomach just picturing the look on her face when he slammed her against the wall, holding her by the chin, just high enough off the floor that she could barely breathe.

  * * * *

  “Stop! Please! I promise I’ll do better. I promise I won’t forget again.” Beth huddled in the corner, covering her face from the blows landing on her back.

  This time he’d whipped off his belt and beat her in the living room as soon as she got home. She hadn’t remembered the dry cleaning after working late. She hated working late. It always threw her day off. She still had so much to accomplish when she left and Matthew didn’t care if she worked late or not. He still expected his hot meal at six-thirty sharp, his house spick and span, and his clothes ready for tomorrow.

  “You careless bitch! What’s the matter with you? Can’t you do anything right the first time? It’s Tuesday. You know the dry cleaning has to be picked up on Tuesday. Same as every other Tuesday. What the hell am I supposed to wear tomorrow?” The blows continued to fall across her shoulders and back. Some of the welts would need ointment this time. She could feel the wet oozing sensation caused by blood.

  Begging never helped. She didn’t know why she even bothered. It was probably best to just keep quiet and let him blow off his steam.

  “What? You don’t have anything to say? You’re just going to lie there like the whore you know you are?”

  Sometimes his words stung worse than his hand. He knew good and well her mother had been a floozy. It was the best way to get at her.

  Tears stung the corners of her
eyes. She didn’t dare reach for them and let him know he’d gotten to her.

  “Fine. If you want to play that way.” Matthew grabbed her by the hair and pulled her across the room.

  “No. Please!” She knew what was coming. The cold dark basement. His favorite form of punishment when he deemed her especially bad.

  She tried to kick her way free, but only succeeded in making him laugh.

  “Not so strong are ya?”

  Her head ached where he tugged. Her back hurt everywhere her shirt touched her skin. If she didn’t stand up and follow him nicely, she’d have bruises all over her body from being dragged down the stairs. But she couldn’t get her footing in time before he whipped open the door and pulled her through.

  Horror filled her as she approached the small closet. It wasn’t big enough for a person even her size. She could barely sit down inside and she screamed in extreme discomfort when he laid both hands across her back to shove her inside.

  Moments later the lock slid into place and Beth was left alone in the pitch-dark basement with her tears and her thoughts. She knew from experience he wouldn’t come back until early morning. By then she would have wet herself and he’d make her clean that up before he’d let her get to work on the rest of the house. She’d have to do all the chores assigned for last night at about four in the morning before work.

  Lastly, she’d be allowed to shower and change under his supervision. As usual, she knew he’d have her clothes laid out for her—huge cotton briefs that itched, a plain white bra, panty hose, skirt and modest blouse.

  The worst part was that even though he clearly sent her out into the day with the ugliest attire imaginable, he’d still demand to see her panties as soon as she walked through the door to “make sure she’d behaved all day”. If there was even the slightest wet spot inside them, he’d accuse her of everything imaginable from sleeping with the mail boy to fondling herself in public like the whore he knew she was.

  “Please…” Her voice was futile. No one would hear her. Even if they did, she’d just get into even more trouble than she already was.