INK: Abstraction

by Roccaforte, Bella

“There’s an issue down at security and they asked me to send you down,” she says with a smile.

  “Of course,” he answers then looks at me, realizing his misstep. “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I’ll be fine. Besides, Rebecca will be here.” I motion toward the nurse.

  “Okay, I’ll back as quick as I can.” He passes the nurse.

  “So let’s get your vitals again.” She takes my temperature and pushes a button on the blood pressure machine. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m feeling better, sore and tired though,” I answer.

  “Well that’s to be expected.” She puts her hand on my forearm. “You’re very lucky, you know.”

  “I’m not feeling very lucky and I’m sure I wouldn’t waste a dollar playing the lottery right now.” I laugh.

  “Well, you are alive. There’s a lot good to say about that, and clearly you have a lot of people that care about you. Look at all this stuff!” She motions to the balloons, flowers and gifts that are cluttering the entire room. “We still have some stuff out at the desk because it just won’t fit.”

  I’m feeling very humbled. “Yeah, being alive is pretty cool.” I really don’t believe the words when I say them. But looking around at all the things I’ve received from fans leaves a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Even though I know that I did the work to create the comics, the root of my success is from the Specter and it feels wrong being glorified for it. Also, the smell is overpowering, almost like a funeral home. “Hey, um, is there a way I can send this to other people here in the hospital?”

  “What do you mean?” she asks with a puzzled look.

  “Like, can I send some of this stuff down to a cancer ward or the balloons to the children’s floor? Maybe to some folks who don’t have family or friends sending them flowers?” I ask, hoping she gets what I’m trying to do.

  “I’m sure we can, but do you really want to do that?”

  “Yes, please.” I hang my feet over the bed and slide into my slippers. I want to keep the cards on the flowers and read the well wishes. Maybe even track some of these folks down and send thank yous. I take the rest of the cards from the flower arrangements and start loading them on the cart. “Whoever doesn’t have something to brighten their room, please give them these. If you find any cards in the arrangements, take them out. I really don’t want folks to know where they came from.”

  “Sure thing, I’ll make sure they all get a good home.” She wheels the last cart out and I’m alone in the room again.

  It’s very quiet. I’m waiting for the Specter to talk to me again, but it doesn’t come. I get back into the bed, pick up the pens and sketch pad and start working on a dream I had while Glass still had me. My mind is wandering wildly with rampant thoughts of Glass, the Specter and Eli. I ponder what in the world my father could have gotten himself into with this organization, whatever it is. All of the thoughts become overwhelming and I know that all I’m doing is trying to fill the loneliness like I did in the shed, when I was tied up. When there was nearly no hope.

  “Where the hell is Carl?” It occurs to me that he’s been gone for quite a while. I’m not expecting Eli back right away, but Carl should be back by now.

  The door creaks open. All I see is a huge spray of flowers being carried by someone wearing a “Fran’s Flowers” polo shirt. He puts them by the sink and turns around. My heart stops beating, my mouth goes dry and for a few seconds I’m absolutely paralyzed. I start pushing the nurse’s call button frantically.

  “Shay, aren’t you happy to see me?” The words bleed from his mouth like a threat.

  “Bailey, what are you doing here?” My voice is quiet and quivers with fear. I feel all of the blood flow from my face.

  “I’ve been worried about you.” He walks closer to the bed and I continue to press the call button.

  “Really?” Fear has tightened my vocal cords, causing my voice to be an octave higher than normal.

  “Yes, of course.” His slow steps halt beside my bed. He takes up my hand and examines the rope burns and tsks, shaking his head. “Such a shame this had to happen.”

  “Bailey, I need the nurse. Can you get the nurse for me?” I ask, praying that he’s really just a creepy kid and not really a stalker, or worse.

  “I can help you with whatever you need.” He gently pulls my arm straight and runs his finger down one of the cut lines. I’m too terrified to feel shame, though I know I will later. “Did you need help tending to your wounds?”

  “No, I need some water.” He walks to the counter, never taking his eyes off of me, and pours a cup of water and brings it to me.

  My hands are trembling. I take the cup and sip from it. Terror is coursing through my veins like venom paralyzing my body and my voice. He reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out a pen. My pen, what the hell is he doing with my pen? Bailey takes my arm again and begins to trace the cut marks, leaving streaks of blue ink on my skin.

  The feel of the metal against my flesh brings everything back that I was feeling in the shed. I reach to press the call button again, but he grabs my hand. "Uh, ah, it's just us for now. I like it that way."

  Bailey changes from drawing simple lines on my arm to intricate swirls and symbols. My trembling is making it hard for him, he can't hold me still. "Shhh, it's going to be okay. I just want to make you pretty again."

  Darkness threatens at the corner of my eyes. I fight it with all that I have in me. Without realizing what I'm doing I take a swing at him and land a stick-arm punch square upside his head. It barely moves him physically, but the fury in his eyes burns through me.

  All of my training with Sifu Adams becomes an unconscious part of me and I jump up, fighting him, pushing him further back into the wall and bringing tables and chairs crashing. I finally find my voice. "Why are you doing this to me?"

  His confidence leaves him as though it were never there. He stutters a few times. "B-Because I love you, Shay."

  "You can't do this," I yell as loud as I can. Hysteria takes me over and I start screaming and punching him wildly until he's cowering on the ground.

  The two security guards and Carl rush in, creating even more confusion and chaos. "Shay?" he yells, rushing to me.

  Bailey grabs onto me as Carl tries to pull me off of him. He whispers in my ear, low so only I can hear him, "I will have you, you will be mine, Shay."

  I watch as his eyes grow smaller as Carl lifts me back to the bed. His gaze is still penetrating and there is something hauntingly familiar about his voice, his breath and the words he whispered. "Let go of me," I yell.

  One of the security guards picks Bailey up off the floor. Bailey brushes himself off and looks up at me then Carl. "I was just bringing in those flowers. Whoever sent them should have sent chocolates."

  Carl looks at me, confused, and oddly enough I guess the polo shirt and baseball cap is enough of a disguise to fool him. Carl squints hard at Bailey again and his demeanor changes as he realizes who it is. He takes Bailey by the arm, leading him toward the door. "Look kid, you've got to stop this." Carl stops short, looking hard at Bailey and peering into his eyes with a puzzled yet determined expression. He inhales a deep breath then grabs Bailey by the collar. "If you come around her again I'll rip your fucking head off."

  Bailey puts his arms up in surrender. “Hey man, I was just bringing the flowers.”

  “I know exactly what you were doing. There won’t be another warning, son.” Carl shoves him out the door. He turns to the two security guards with an intense anger in his eyes. “What part of 'must be on the approved list to get in' did you not understand?”

  “Sorry, he was just bringing flowers, we thought it was okay,” one of the guards defends.

  “Approved list only, are we clear?” He towers over both of them and you can see the dread in their eyes.

  “Clear,” they both answer, heading for the door.

  Carl sees me staring at the flowers and picks them up. “And take these with you.�
�

  I stand beside my bed feeling afraid and weak. I can’t blink, I can’t move. I can only stare blankly at the sheets as though there’s some sort of answer in them.

  Carl joins me in staring at the bed. He doesn’t say anything at all. I can’t care how weird this must seem or how awkward it is. He picks up my arm and examines the new markings Bailey put on me. “Blue ink.”

  “Yeah.” I’m not exactly sure what the significance is there, I just want to get it off.

  He holds my arm a little tighter. We both look at the ink and see it start to move.

  “Holy shit, Carl. What the actual fuck?” I retract my arm quickly, trying to hide it as though it will make it stop.

  “This is the same ink from the drawings that were delivered to Eli’s.”

  “Well, all I know is I want it off me.” I get some alcohol swabs out of one of the drawers and start cleaning it off. The burning on my cuts barely fazes me; I just want this shit off of me.

  We go back to staring silently at one another then down at the pile of blue-stained alcohol swabs, waiting for some amazing breakthrough that will kill the tension. We barely notice Doctor Green standing in the room. He’s watching us, probably trying to figure out what we’re looking at. I don’t react to his presence, I don’t react to anything.

  What the fuck is he doing? I think to myself for Carl to hear.

  “I was just wondering the same thing,” he answers, but not out loud.

  Do you think he’s trying to figure out what we’re doing?

  “Probably, shrinks can be weird.” Carl’s voice in my head has a slight upbeat to it, like he may laugh.

  What the fuck are we doing, Carl? I’ve forgotten what I was doing and really hope he remembers.

  “Not sure, I was just going to ask you.”

  I lift my head slowly from the bed to look at Carl and say out loud, “Fuck if I know.”

  Doctor Green is startled by me speaking. “Excuse me?”

  Carl and I share a laugh. He takes the alcohol swabs and places them in a bag. I climb into bed. “We were just sharing a moment.”

  “Well it would seem as though I may have missed all of the excitement…” Dr. Green keeps speaking, but I can’t really hear what he’s saying. It’s as if his voice is coming through a long tunnel and I can’t quite make out the words. Everything in the room feels fuzzy and unclear. But I can hear Carl’s voice loud and clear. “She’s got some moves, I’ll give her that. She had him on the ground. Shay might have hurt him if I hadn’t come in.”

  “Thanks,” I say out loud with a prideful smile. Maybe I did know what to do with all those years of training.

  Carl and Dr. Green both look at me confused. Carl asks, completely bewildered, “What?”

  “Thanks for the compliment about my moves.” I make a dynamic little karate chop move.

  Carl gives me a good long stare, squinting one eye, then nods his head toward Dr. Green when he says, “Miss Baynes?”

  “Oh, sorry about that, I was just lost in thought,” I answer, as Carl continues to eyeball me suspiciously. I don’t quite understand, but I’m sure he'll explain later.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bleach, It Does a Body Good

  Eli

  Wow, Glass really lives way the hell out in the boondocks. Although, he did used to say he wanted to live somewhere he couldn’t hear the hum of the city. The GPS in the car alerts me that my destination is up ahead on the right. There’s a mailbox, but there’s no house, at least not that I can see. Coming to a stop I take a look at the drawings Shay did.

  There’s a long driveway just like the drawing indicates. The car rocks when the wheels make contact with the dirt road. No one's here, Glass lives alone and is at work today. My car bottoms out on a huge bump, which pisses me off. “Damn it!”

  I get closer to the house and stop at the end of the driveway. Stepping out, I slide my sunglasses up my nose. The sun is hot and beating down on me like a drum. You’ve got to love May in Florida, it’s only going to get hotter.

  Around the back of the house my feet are frozen momentarily when the shed comes into view. The drawings are a match. Either she’s psychic or she was here. I walk closer and contemplate opening the door. First I listen, then I notice there’s a heavy scent of industrial cleaners and gasoline. I rest my hand on the door handle and see the padlock. “Shit.”

  Shay's picture indicates a window on the left side, and sure enough there it is. It’s very clean, so I have no trouble peeking inside. Cupping my hands around my eyes to shield the light reveals that it’s completely empty. I don’t know what to make of it. Really, who has an empty shed that’s padlocked? Who has a shed that’s so clean you could eat off the floor? Someone who’s guilty, that’s who.

  “I sure would like to know what you’re doing trespassing on private property.” Glass’ voice travels through the yard. He’s not calm, though he sounds like he’s definitely feeling the pinch of panic.

  “Hey Glass.” I’m caught.

  “Answer my question, what are you doing here?” He walks toward me at a quickened pace with his hand on his service weapon.

  “Whoa, easy! I was just checking out a lead that came in.” I put my hands up in surrender, hoping to diffuse him.

  “What lead?” he asks, still resting his hand on the gun.

  “Just something someone called into the law office. Did you get the same lead? Is that why you’re here?” I’m hoping to throw him off; if he thinks that I don’t know this is his house I could possibly walk away from this.

  “I didn’t get a lead and you know damn well why I’m here,” he says, flipping the snap on his holster. Holy shit, I think he intends to shoot me.

  “No, I really don’t. You have me at a loss.” How do I diffuse this?

  “This is my house and you know it.” He squints at me.

  “I had no idea this was your place.”

  “Well you know now, so why are you still standing here?” I’m not quite sure if it’s safe for me to move, he’s very sketchy. My cell phone rings. Saved by the bell…maybe.

  “I’m going to answer this.” I don’t allow him time to give permission. I touch my earpiece. “Eli Walker.”

  “Hey, are you okay?” It’s Shay and she sounds very concerned.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I was about to head back to the hospital,” I answer, trying to sound very casual.

  “Did you find it? Did you find the shed at Glass’?” She asks eagerly since she knows it’s here.

  “It was a bogus lead, turns out this is Detective Glass’ place.”

  “Oh God, he’s there, isn’t he?” She sounds like she’s whispering to control her fear.

  “Yeah, but I’m heading back. I’d rather be doing something useful. How are things there?” I continue to make conversation and start to walk toward my car. Glass doesn’t know who’s on the other end and I doubt he’d shoot me while I was on the phone with someone. “Hold on a sec.” I turn to Glass. “Hey, I’ll catch up with you later. I’d like to compare notes, but I’ve got to get back. Call me.”

  He nods slowly and I get to my car as quickly as possible without seeming alarmed. Once the door is closed I start the engine and get out of there.

  “You’re in the car?” she asks anxiously.

  “Yes, I’m backing down the driveway.” What I don’t mention is Glass standing with his gun drawn pointed toward the ground watching me until I’m out of sight.

  “Oh thank God.” She expels a breath. “Tell me when you are on the road; I’ll feel better when you are away from that place.”

  “I’m on the road now and heading back. I’m okay.” Now that I believe it I can say it.

  “It was there, wasn’t it?” there's a hint of terror in her voice, like she still isn't sure what she remembers is true.

  “Yes, there was a shed in the back yard.” I say it simply.

  “Did it look like the drawing?” she demands.

  “The outside did, but the i
nside…well it was empty.” I hesitate to tell her, but I know I have to.

  “Empty?” She says it in a whisper.

  “Yeah, empty as in nothing was in it.” There are two possibilities. One, it’s not the same shed, or two, he cleaned it to get rid of all the physical evidence.

  “He’s trying to cover it up, Eli,” she says in anger.

  “We’ll get to the bottom of it, I promise you that. I’ve got to go. I’m going to call Jason and get back to the hospital.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you soon?” Her tone is childlike.

  “Yes, very soon.”

  “Good.”

  “I love you.” I can’t stop the words from spilling out.

  She inhales a deep breath, sounding relieved. Her answer, though small, makes me feel like the luckiest man alive. It’s like I’m taking my first breath, tasting life for the first time. “I love you too.” Feeling her love, hearing her say those words, means everything.

  I hang up and tell my phone to make the next call. “Call Jason Eddins.”

  “This is Jason,” he answers, sounding somewhat preoccupied.

  “Hey Jason, we’ve got a problem.” I get right down to it.

  “Eli? What’s up, is Shay okay?” I have his attention.

  “She’s alright. But I went out to check Glass’ yard for a shed.” I know he's going to be upset. I honestly had no business going out there. I did it for her, I had to, and now I’m glad I did since getting confirmation that she’s not crazy, well at least not about this. Knowing that she still is dealing in reality is important to what our next steps will be.

  “Okay, well what did you find?” Thankfully his curiosity outweighs his disapproval.

  “I found the shed,” I answer simply.

  “Okay, well having a shed in your yard isn’t going to convict anyone,” he says with a huff.

  “I know.”

  “Did you find anything in it that could incriminate him?” Jason asks the obvious.

  “Yes and no.”

  “It’s either yes or no, Eli, it can’t be both. Is there something that indicates he was the one holding Shay?” His irritation rides heavy on his tone.