by Kimbra Swain
“Yea, I never liked paperwork either,” Jay said.
“Bloody hell, what are you doing here?”
“Leaving you the number for the shop where your car is at. I thought you were already gone. What’s wrong? You look terrible. I mean, I can tell something is wrong,” he stood in front of me to keep me from going to the portal. “I thought you were going to Paris with Duarte.”
“I am. He’s a little busy right now, and I’ve got to get back home to get things ready to go.”
“He’s with her,” Jay said. There were days I really like his frankness on things, but right now I just wanted to go.
“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. He will be along in a bit, and we will get to work.”
“It does matter. I can tell that it matters,” he said still preventing me to getting to the portal.
“Move Jay. I’m not talking about this right now,” I yelled at him.
He put his hands up in surrender and moved out of my way. I reached for the door and stopped. “I’m sorry. I’m not angry at you. I just can’t talk about it right now.”
“When you are ready, I’m here,” he said.
I pulled the door open and stepped through the portal. George waited on me as if he knew something happened.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m going to get some stuff ready downstairs,” I said. I had to find something to keep my mind busy until Tadeas showed up. If Tadeas showed up.
I woke up in my own bed. I was groggy, and felt dazed. I reached for my phone. I picked it up and the screen was smashed. “Crap.” I didn’t remember laying down. I rolled out of the bed, and I heard her.
“Tadeas, come back to bed,” Meredith said.
“What?”
“Stay with me a little longer,” she said.
I closed my eyes, and tried to remember. I remember coming to my room. I remember her being here waiting. She wanted to talk. She made coffee. We talked about the gunshot, and the job with Abigail. She apologized for being stupid. Then that’s it.
“Why are you in my bed?”
“Stop playing games, silly.”
“I’m not,” I started to walk across the room and everything started to spin.
“You should really lay back down,” she purred.
I leaned on the door to the bathroom. “I don’t remember.”
“I can’t believe you are doing this to me, Tadeas. We finally get together, and you are claiming you don’t remember being with me,” she pouted.
“What did you do to me?” I turned and looked at her. Her face was not sad or upset. She smiled.
“I told you that woman would be the end of you, and I will do whatever it takes to get you away from her,” she said.
“Get out! Leave,” I shouted. But every time I spoke my head pounded. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was 6pm. I just hoped it was 6pm on Saturday. I had to get to Abby. Why hadn’t she come looking for me by now? Maybe she did, and I didn’t remember. Dear God help me.
“One day you will thank me for this, Tadeas,” she said as she got up and put clothes on.
“I never want to see you again. You will be fired,” I said.
“I don’t care. I quit. It was worth it to see your face,” she said and walked out the door.
I put on jeans and a shirt as fast as I could. I splashed water on my face. I looked at myself in the mirror. The car accident left me bruised all over. My eyes were bloodshot. Maybe I shouldn’t go. I sat down in the bathroom floor. It felt cool and good. I leaned my head back against the wall. If I didn’t go, I’d let her down. I’ve already let her down. What happened to me? My mind raced and traced my steps. Gaps filled my memory. I got up and went into the living room, and then the kitchen. The coffee cups were washed. Maybe Ichiro could find something in my blood. With my head still spinning, I ran as fast as I could to the elevator. I leaned my head against the doors until they opened. I stumbled in, and hit button for the floor of Ichiro’s lab.
The elevator doors opened, and I tripped into the lab. Ichiro and Ashley were mid-make out session. I started to turn back out.
“Tadeas, what’s wrong? Aren’t you supposed to be with Abby?” Ashley said.
I turned and looked at them. “He’s sick,” Ichiro said.
They both rushed over to me, and Ashley guided me to the couch.
“Something happened. My phone is broke. I need to call her,” I said.
Ashley produced her phone and dialed. She handed me the phone. It just kept ringing. I looked down and hit the button for it to redial. Ichiro looked in my eyes. “Did you take some drugs?” he asked.
“No, but I think someone drugged me,” I said. Ashley gasped, and covered her mouth like she knew who had done it. “I need help. I need Abby.”
Ashley said, “We will figure it out.”
The phone kept ringing. I looked at Ashley and shook my head. Ichiro drew blood and hurried away to his equipment. “This might take a little while. Ashley, get him to the portal. I’ll call when I have the results.”
I kept dialing, “Abby, please answer.”
“You can dial and walk,” Ashley said and pulled me toward the door.
We stepped into the hallway, and the elevator doors opened. Jay came out and his jovial face turned to pure hatred. He swung at me before I could react. His fist hit the side of my face, and I went to my knees. Blood poured out of my nose. Every nerve in my face screamed in agony. My dizziness returned with vigor.
“You sorry son of a bitch. How could you do this to her?”
Ashley jumped between us. “Jay, have you lost your mind? Stop it right now.”
He kept yelling. The room kept spinning. Ichiro came out of the doors, and got in front of Jay, “Help him.” Ashley turned from Jay and helped me stand up.
“You didn’t tell them, did you? You didn’t tell them what you did! Tell them Duarte, tell them what you did to her? I should kill you!” Jay kept yelling.
Big Tony stepped out of the lab. “Shut up now!” His big voice boomed in the room, and I covered my ears. It worked. Jay stopped shouting. Everyone was quiet.
“He’s right,” I mumbled. “It’s my fault.”
Ashley turned to me, “What is he talking about?”
“I woke up a little while ago, and Meredith was in my bed with me.”
Ashley had been steadying me, but she stepped away from me like I had the plague. Tony cracked his knuckles. Ichiro barely restrained Jay. The doc saved me in that moment. “He has been drugged. His pupils are dilated. If she drugged you, we need to get her out of the compound or into containment.”
“Tommy and I will find her,” Tony said and went back into the lab to find his brother.
“You done, Jay?” Ichiro said, not really asking.
“Not even close, but I am for now,” and he stormed off into the lab.
“Get him to the portal now,” Ichiro told Ashley.
I stumbled into the elevator, and Ashley followed. I leaned against the wall and let her push the buttons. My hands were covered in blood. She would not look at me. “I swear to you, Ashley. I did not sleep with her. I couldn’t have. I don’t remember anything. She’s never going to forgive me. What am I going to do?” I slid down the side of the elevator wall and sat down. My head pounded.
“You are going to suck it up and do your job. If you think this is the first time a partner has let her down, then you are wrong. Lincoln had his faults. She’s faced all kinds of things. She will forgive you eventually. My advice is to not lie to her.”
“How did Jay know?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I’ll find out. Let us handle this end. Take my phone. I’ll call you from Ichiro’s,” she said.
“Thank you, Ashley,” I said. The doors opened, and I went straight to her door. I still felt dizzy, but it started to clear. I had blood all over my shirt. We went into her office. I hesitated before opening the closet door. I looked back at Ashley.
“You can do i
t, just go. She will forgive you. You owe it to her to go. You have to at least try,” she said.
I hoped that she was right. I opened the door and stepped through the portal. I came out the other side and a wave of nausea hit me. I tried holding it back. I hit my knees. I barely choked out her name, “Abby!”
I heard running footsteps from the front room. I looked up and saw her running to me.
“Good God, you are bleeding,” she hit the floor next to me and George handed her a handkerchief. She held it to my nose and squeezed.
“I’m going to puke,” I said. She stood up, and she and George hoisted me up and dragged me to the bathroom in my room. As soon as we got to the toilet, I could not hold it any longer. I hugged it, and heaved into the bowl. I sat back on the floor, and she had a cold washcloth wiping my forehead and face. It felt good.
“You done?” she asked. I looked at her eyes. They were cold. She already knew. My heart sank.
I just nodded to the affirmative. She pulled me up off the floor and guided me to the bed. I laid down on my back. The room did not spin in here. She walked back into the bathroom, and came back with another cloth.
“Here, this is for the blood on your face,” she said dryly. “I’ll be down in the bourbon room when you get cleaned up.” She got up and walked out. George stood there just inside the door. I looked at him, and he shook his head.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” I muttered. George left. I sat up on the bed. My blood covered my shirt. I had no choice, but to tell her everything. She was extremely upset. I saw her pain. I could feel it as if it were my own pain. I had to convince her that I did not do this on purpose. I walked over to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. Gargled mouthwash to get the acid taste out of my mouth. I went into the closet and got out a pair of shorts and a tee shirt. I didn’t put on shoes because the tile floor felt good on my feet. I looked at myself in the mirror. I had a huge bruise forming on the side of my face where Jay hit me.
I walked slowly down to where I knew I’d find her. George hovered out in the hallway. He handed me an ice pack as I walked by. “Give me some space George, please.” He nodded and headed off to the kitchen. She stood in the doorway looking out into the tiled patio. She had a glass of dark liquid in her hand. She stood tall and straight. She looked like the statue of a goddess in blue jeans. Her heartbeat seemed distant. Steady, but weak. She had been preparing herself for this conversation.
“Abby, something happened. I’m waiting on a call from Ashley, but I need to tell you what happened. What I can remember of it anyway,” I said as plainly as possible. I tried to leave my emotions out of it.
“You don’t have to explain anything to me Duarte. What you do on your own time is your own business,” she said coldly. She used my last name. It stung. I swallowed, and armored myself for I knew this would be painful for us both.
I walked up next to her. “Please listen. I know you are hurt. I know you are upset. I can feel it coming off of you waves, Abby, but I need you to listen to me.”
“Doesn’t matter. We have work to do,” she said, “unless you are bailing out on me.”
“No, but I need to talk about this. I need you to listen. Even if you don’t want to,” I said firmly. The phone in my pocket started ringing. I pulled it out. The caller info said Ichiro. “Hey doc, what did you find out?”
“Tadeas, its Ashley. Give her the phone please,” she insisted.
“But…”
“You aren’t getting out of this without my help,” she said, “Give her the phone.”
“It’s Ashley. She wants to talk to you,” I handed Abby the phone. She took it and walked out into the twilight.
“Hello,” she said. She walked in circles as she listened to Ashley talking. I stood back and watched. If Ashley could help, then maybe I would have a chance to work this out. She mumbled back to her several times, and she went over to one of the benches and sat down. She looked up to me. Her eyes were still cold. Whatever Ashley said, it didn’t work. I walked over and sat down. She handed me the phone.
“Hello,” I said.
“I did what I could. You have Ketamine in your blood. She drugged you. Tony and Tommy have her locked up for you guys to deal with after the trip to Paris. Be honest. Tell her everything. Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” I mumbled.
“We have the security tapes from your room. You probably didn’t know we record everything down there. But I would not let them watch it unless you gave us permission. You are one of us now. I won’t break that trust,” she said.
“Thanks, Ashley. Please look at the tapes. Let me know what you find,” I said. They knew everything anyway. Might as well know the truth. I shut off the phone and laid it on the ground. I put my head in my hands. I should have known with the way Meredith talked that she had done something to me. I growled in frustration, stood up and paced around the patio. The fountain splashed a quiet rhythm. I tried to focus on it. Tried to calm my mind. I finally got the courage to look at her. Her eyes were distant and removed. I didn’t even know where to start.
“When I got to my room, right after I left you, she was already in the room. She had made coffee. She wanted to talk. She apologized for being angry at me, and all the things she said about you. She said she was happy for me. The drugs must have been in the coffee. I don’t remember anything else, until I woke up. And when I woke up, she was….” my voice trailed off.
“She was in your bed,” she said. “I told you before, Duarte. You can fuck whoever you want to. It’s none of my business.” None of it swayed her. Not even that Meredith drugged. I was the victim.
I gritted my teeth and tried to remind myself that she was hurt. I knew that she had a sharp tongue. If we fought now, it would be over. “I did not want that. There is no way in this world I slept with her. If I was drugged, and Ashley said I had Ketamine in my system, then there is no way anything going to happen. Things don’t function when you pass out. I hope.” I added.
“It doesn’t matter,” she insisted.
“It matters to me. That woman drugged me. The woman I’ve considered my closest friend for many years drugged me. She said she did it to break us apart.” My words were impassioned now. Desperation slithered and settled in every single word.
“You knew she drugged you before you went to Ichiro and Ashley?”
“No, when I got out of the bed, I was dizzy and my memory was foggy. It still is, but she was happy I kicked her out. She told me she would do it all over again if it meant getting me away from you.” I stopped and took a breath. The dizziness returned with my adamancy, and I sat down on the edge of the fountain. “Abby, please, I went down there to try to talk to her one last time. I did not go down there to be with her. I’ve never wanted her like that, ever. I don’t know how you even knew, but it’s obvious you already knew before I ever got here. How? How did you know?” If I sat here in desperation, she would have to explain herself as well.
“Because when I came looking for you, Samantha stopped me at your door, and said she came up to talk to you. When she knocked, Meredith answered the door naked. She said you were busy. Meredith implied very clearly to her what the two of you were doing. Samantha waited to tell me in case I came looking for you She thought we were dating, because our charade in Boulder. She is the one that told me. I never even knocked on the door. I just went to my office and through the portal.”
“Jay knew too. He hit me.” Finally, she looked up at me with a twinge of sympathy.
“He sat in my office when I got there. I was upset. He was dropping off the number to the shop where they took my car. He asked where you were, because they all knew we were going to Paris. I told him you were busy with a friend. He guessed, because of the way I acted. I didn’t talk to him. I just went through the portal. It’s my fault he hit you. I’m sorry,” she said giving me the tiniest bit of sympathy.
“I probably deserved it,” I said and put my head in my hands. “Wait, you said ‘were’ going to Par
is. Are we not going?”
“You’ve been drugged and beaten up. Add that to the car accident. I think I should just call Paris off and think of something else,” she said.
“No. I want to go. It’s a good plan, Abby, please,” I pleaded with her. I got up and went back to the bench. She didn’t turn to look at me. She just sipped her drink.
“I’ll sleep on it and decide tomorrow,” she started to get up.
“Where are you going?”
“Somewhere you aren’t,” she spouted. She needed to get angry. She needed to let it out. I could not believe I was about to do this.
“Fine then. Just run. Leave me here when I’ve been drugged, and I’ve done nothing wrong. Who knows what she did to me! From the moment, I woke up all I thought about was you, and getting back here,” I said.
She paused and didn’t speak. She walked into the room, and put her glass on the bar. Her wall stood firm. I had to push more.
“Wow! You know Abby, you have wanted me to trust you. I came here, because I trust you. Your friends jumped to my aid. Ashley immediately believed me. Ichiro took my blood. They even got between us when Jay tried to beat my face in. I never took a swing at him. I knew you wouldn’t want me to. I just sat on the floor like a weakling and bled. Maybe what Meredith said about you was true. You turned me into a toy soldier to line up and do with as you wish!” That did it.
She spun around. Her eyes lit up like green flames and stomped toward me, “How dare you! I have endured your whining ass for a week now. Finding every excuse not to be my partner. You want to leave? You think that’s what I think of you? Then fucking leave, Duarte. Then I won’t have to worry about you anymore. I won’t have to care. You can train canvas crews in the basement for the rest of your life. I will not bother you ever again. I will never speak to you ever again. Is that what you want?”
“You know it isn’t,” I said.
“You could’ve fooled me. You should have never gone back down there with her. She is messed up in the head. She’s been an irate idiot ever since I became a part of your life. She wanted you, and she got you. You can go right back to her.”