Calamity Rayne II: Back Again

by Lydia Michaels

  Her hand lifted to her shorn hair. “I can’t believe they saw me like this. I look like Frankenstein.”

  “You do not look like Frankenstein.”

  Elle sighed. “I feel gross.”

  “You were in a coma,” Tyler reminded.

  “You’re a guy. You wouldn’t understand. Ray, can you bring me some stuff from home?”

  “Whatever you need.”

  I’d make Hale go with me because I wasn’t dealing with Chris again. God, going to her house meant her brother would find out she woke up. Maybe that would get him out of there. He was worse than a termite infestation.

  “I need clothes and some toiletries. Grab my…” She pointed to her eyebrows.

  “Tweezers?”

  “Yes.”

  I made a list and promised to have everything back in an hour. Tyler stayed with Elle and Barrett stayed with the food. It was a strange comfort having Hale’s brother there. Sweet that he didn’t mind keeping Hale company when Tyler and I were with Elle. Plus, he could call if anything changed.

  The day felt a hundred years long and it was only seven o’clock. As Hale drove, I rested my eyes.

  “You okay?” he asked, taking my hand in his.

  I nodded and turned my cheek to face him. “Never in a million years would I guess this was how the day would go.”

  He smiled. “It’s a great day.”

  Yes, it was. The GPS directed him toward Elle’s. “You know how I told you about Elle’s brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, he’s back. I saw him this morning when I went to check on her house.”

  “Why wasn’t he at the hospital?”

  “Because he’s Chris. They don’t talk.”

  It was no wonder Elle had a difficult time remembering him. Chris had segmented personas we all recalled. The man he’d become was totally different from the person he was as a child.

  I watched Hale’s face carefully as I explained more. “He’s staying at her house and he doesn’t plan to leave.”

  Hale was a problem solver, very solution oriented. He’d know how to get Chris out.

  His face remained blank as he focused on the road. “Does he have a legal right to be there?”

  “It’s fifty percent his, but Elle threw him out years ago.”

  Chris had wanted his share of the property, but she was in no position to buy him out. That was part of the reason he felt entitled to take whatever he wanted and why no charges had ever been filed when he robbed the place.

  “There’s nothing we can do tonight, but tomorrow I’ll give her bank a call and see what’s what. She has no authority over him so long as his name’s on the deed.”

  “I just wanted to give you a heads up that he might be there. I don’t expect you to get involved.” That was sort of a lie. I didn’t want to involve him, but I hoped he’d tell me how to fix this.

  He gave me a sidelong glance. “She’s your friend, Rayne. It’s no problem for me to help.”

  But to what degree? I couldn’t keep leaning on him to fix all my problems, let alone my friend’s. I’d much rather he guide me in the right direction because right now I felt like a clueless child doing very grown-up things.

  I wondered if this changed his offer about living together. Now that Elle was awake, she’d likely have something to say about it. Her life was here in Oregon. Mine was divided. I’d have to talk to Tyler about helping her out because she was definitely not her usual self. Either way, I wasn’t ready to leave.

  When we entered Elle’s house it was quiet. I didn’t announce myself because part of me hoped no one was home. But life didn’t work that way. Chris was sleeping on the couch, an overflowing ashtray wedged between cups and plates on the coffee table. Hale arched a brow and stepped closer.

  “Don’t wake him up,” I whispered. “It’s better if he’s unconscious.”

  He reached over the table and lifted a little baggie full of what looked like meth. Great. Hale tossed it back into the mess and quietly followed me up the stairs. “He looks like a real winner.”

  “He’s the best of the best when it comes to bleeding people dry.” That applied to both emotional and financial bleeding.

  I opened the closet and picked out a few of Elle’s favorite clothes. Then I went to her vanity and filled a shoebox with personal items. I didn’t wear makeup or know how to coordinate colors, so I grabbed a little bit of everything.

  Chris never moved while we were there and we left the house as we found it. When I returned to the hospital a nurse was helping Elle in the bathroom. She emerged dressed in a fresh hospital gown, her hair slicked to one side.

  “Look at you walking around,” I said, chest tight with pride.

  “I’m so weak.” She eased into the bed and the nurse left us. Once she was situated, she studied me. “I’m sorry, Ray. I can’t imagine what this must have done to you.”

  “Please don’t apologize.”

  She gave a sad smile. “I’m so foggy. What’s going on at my job? Have any of my co-workers been by?”

  “Cassandra visited a few times.” That was her boss. “And the other girls sent flowers.”

  She frowned. “My clients probably went to someone else.”

  “I’m sure they’ll come back to you when you’re ready to return.”

  She folded her legs and I sat across from her on the bed.

  “Elle, you can talk to me about what you’re feeling. I’m here.”

  Her lashes spikes as her eyes glazed with tears. “Talking’s hard.” She reached for my foot, which was under my knee. “Like these…”

  “Shoelaces?”

  “Yeah.” Releasing my laces she turned. “I know what they’re called, but I can’t say it or think it. I don’t know.”

  “The doctor said your words might be misplaced for a while, but you’ll get them back.”

  “I want to go home.”

  “You will.” I hesitated, not sure if this was the time to bring up her brother, but I wanted her to be prepared. “Chris is at the house.”

  “Okay.”

  That wasn’t the response I expected. “I don’t think he plans to leave.”

  “Ray,” she whispered. “How old is Chris?”

  Worry tightened my stomach. “He’s thirty-six, I think.”

  “Why can’t I remember him past high school?”

  I sighed. “Because you hit your head and he’s changed a lot.”

  I could tell she was trying to piece everything together by the way her gaze flicked around the room but never really focused on any specific item. “Why isn’t he here?”

  “Oh, Elle.”

  I spent the next hour telling her about her brother and how he’d changed. She cried but accepted the truth. There was little consolation, with a brother like that. The asshole didn’t even care she’d been in a coma, but I didn’t tell her that.

  When she laid down, I lingered but knew she was emotionally exhausted, so I let her sleep. I didn’t want to leave the hospital, but Hale insisted I needed rest as well, promising we could come back first thing in the morning. It was my goal to be there before Elle awoke.

  We didn’t talk much or make love that night, but he loved me in a different way. He was there, a solid wall of strength for me to lean on as I tried to sort out my thoughts and discard the worries that no longer applied in order to make room for the new ones.

  The next morning I returned to the hospital and Elle was wearing regular clothes. It was so wonderful to see her walking around. Her steps were slow, but she was able to move without much assistance, which was good.

  Word got out that she’d opened her eyes and people came to visit. First my mom, then her co-workers, followed by some other friends, but never her brother. I didn’t mention Chris again, because why bother? There was plenty of time to think about that later.

  Over the weekend, Barrett and Hale kept the hospital staff well fed and my appetite slowly returned. The doctors ran a slew of tests and
Elle continued to stress over her hair.

  Every few minutes I took note of some deficient part of her mind. These weren’t things the doctors would recognize, but Tyler and I often passed worried looks. Elle was a hairdresser, but she didn’t know what a curling iron was called and despite requesting tweezers, she couldn’t figure out how to use them.

  She was put on a certain medication to help with her anxiety, which stemmed from her frustration at not being able to recall simple things. Sometimes she got moody, asking where we’d been when we specifically told her we’d be back in a few minutes.

  “This isn’t good,” Tyler whispered when Elle had gone to use the bathroom.

  “It’ll get better with time.” That’s what the doctors had said, what I wanted to believe.

  “How is she going to go back to work or take care of herself, Ray? I don’t trust her not to burn the house down.”

  “It’s not that bad.” But it wasn’t that great either.

  The bathroom door opened and Elle stilled. “When did you guys get back?”

  Okay, it was that bad. Leaving Tyler with her for a bit, I went to find Hale who had gone to speak to the billing department about having Elle discharged. He recognized my worry as soon as I found him.

  “She can’t stay alone,” I told him. “It’s not just missing words or forgetting little things. It’s like she has Alzheimer’s.”

  “They said that might happen on occasion. This is overwhelming for her.”

  I nodded, but deep down I knew this wouldn’t resolve any time soon.

  The following day was discharge day. I rode with Elle in the back of Hale’s rental as he and Barrett took up the front. Elle kept smirking and mouthing dirty things about Hale’s brother to me. Her libido clearly wasn’t affected by the accident.

  When we reached her house I unlocked the door as Hale carried in her bag. She stepped inside and stilled. “What’s that stench?”

  Chris was obviously still here. “Smoke. Your brother’s here.”

  “He smokes?”

  “You smoke.”

  She drew back. “What? No, I don’t.”

  Well, there was a bonus. She’d been struggling to quit for three years. This was much easier.

  She scoffed and walked into the living room, coming up short when she saw her useless pile of shit brother lounging on the couch. She staggered back a step and my hand caught her weight.

  Chris watched his sister but didn’t hold enough concern to put out his cigarette or even stand up. “Holy shit. You’re alive.”

  Elle continued to frown. “Chris?”

  His brow lifted, mocking her inability to recognize him. “Yeah?”

  “You can’t smoke in here.”

  He scoffed and took a long drag of his cigarette. “Really?”

  Barrett stepped forward and plucked the cigarette out of his mouth and chucked it into a bottle of beer. “Have some respect,” Hale’s brother snapped and quickly returned to our side. He immediately went up ten points in my book.

  “Who the fuck are these guys?”

  I just stared at him, but Hale leaned close to me and whispered, “Why don’t you help Elle get settled while we have a talk with her brother?”

  Unsure what they could possibly have to say to him, I nodded and shuffled Elle into the kitchen. “We can get you some food once you’re settled. I think there’s some soup in the cabinet. Are you hungry?”

  When she didn’t answer I turned and found her staring at the cabinets from the doorway of the kitchen. “Who painted the walls yellow?”

  “We did.”

  “They’re supposed to be blue.”

  I was glad to know her colors were coming back, but in the absence of one issue came another. “Why don’t we eat and then we can go to the store?” I couldn’t leave her there with Chris.

  She sat at the table as I heated up soup. When Hale and Barrett came into the kitchen they looked irritated.

  “Can you sit with her for a few minutes?” I quietly asked Barrett, who nodded. Taking Hale into the dining room, I whispered, “What happened?”

  He grimaced. “He’s not going to leave, Rayne. And he has every right to be here. I don’t think she should stay and I don’t like the idea of you being around a guy like that.”

  “I can take her to my house.”

  I was sure my mom wouldn’t mind if Elle crashed for a few days. It wouldn’t be permanent. She could sleep on the couch. But who would watch her when my mom and I went to work? What if Tyler was right and she burned the place down? I couldn’t risk my mom’s home—or Elle’s safety—like that.

  Hale’s eyes creased with worry. “I think you need a better plan. I think it’s time to start considering what she needs long-term—what we all need.”

  There comes a moment when the road of life forks and you know you have to make a turn, but I just stood there.

  Call me Cleopatra, because I was queen of d’Nile and I refused to accept we had no other choice but the two huge decisions before me.

  “You want us to go back to Florida with you?”

  “I honestly think it would best for everyone, baby.”

  My head lowered. “I can’t make her go.”

  “Ask her.”

  “She won’t want to. Her life’s here.”

  But where did that leave me? I was trapped between two worlds, my heart ripping in two. And no matter how much I wanted to deny this was my only option, there were no other solutions jumping out at me.

  “Just ask and then we’ll see what’s best.”

  Sighing, I returned to the kitchen. Elle was smiling as Barrett told her a story about sailing along the coast of Spain. It was the first time I saw her truly happy since waking up. I sat at the table and listened as Barrett finished his tale, in no rush to interrupt the moment.

  Chris could be heard shuffling around the house, but he never bothered us. As I watched Elle’s captivation with Barrett, I realized I had a weapon at my disposal.

  I didn’t like manipulating people, but Hale was right. Getting out of here was for the best. At least right now. When she was more equipped to deal with regular life she could come back—if Chris didn’t blow up her house in the meantime.

  “Elle, how would you like to come back to Florida with us, take a little time to recuperate? Hale and Barrett will be there.”

  Her lips pursed as a flush worked over her cheeks and she shyly said my name. “Ray...”

  Barrett glanced at me, his expression confused. I’d explain my logic to him later. I just needed to borrow his potent sex appeal for a minute to get Elle to agree. I didn’t want him to do anything. That would be a huge mistake. Elle was fragile. I just needed him to keep her interested enough to follow us back to Florida.

  “Would I stay at Remington’s?” Elle asked.

  “You’d stay with me,” Hale explained.

  “We all would, you, me, Hale, Elara, and Barrett.”

  Barrett frowned but kept his mouth shut. He’d been staying with Remington, but now that his father was in Maine, there was no point in him being at the other house all alone. Or maybe there was. I didn’t presume to tell a man in his thirties where he had to sleep.

  “For how long?” Elle asked.

  “Until we’re ready to come back.” I might only be able to keep her there a few weeks, but she couldn’t return to work or stay on her own until she was back to her usual self. “It’ll be like a vacation.”

  She glanced at Hale’s brother and back to me. “I might be confused, but there’s no way I’d give up that chance.” She nodded. “Show me how the rich and famous live.”

  And we had lift-off.

  Chapter Nine

  Who doesn’t like Bon Jovi?

  All of my life—it didn’t matter where I was—if Bon Jovi came on I was halfway there. Can I get a whoa-oh? Because I was living on a prayer. But apparently, those rules didn’t apply to today, as Elle flipped off my stereo and submerged the car in silence.

  �
�You don’t want to listen to music?”

  She frowned and folded her arms over her chest. “That’s just noise.”

  I gaped at her. “You love Bon Jovi.”

  “Who?”

  Right. Another familiar part misplaced and severely missed.

  Distressed, I tried to comfort myself and muttered, “We got each other. That’s a lot.” But Elle didn’t get my joke.

  When we reached my house I left Elle with my mom so I could pack. Once again, I had no idea how long I’d be gone, but this time I wasn’t messing around. I packed everything.

  On my last trip to Davenport headquarters, I’d had a little mishap with the luggage department, but Hale was having our things sent ahead of time, so there would be no tedious interactions with baggage claim. Good thing, too, because I had way more than the seventy pound limit of luggage.

  My mom was taking all these changes in stride. I knew she was sad to see me go, but Oregon no longer felt like home. Florida wasn’t home either, but Hale… Hale was where I wanted to be.

  I’d contacted the restaurant and picked up my last paycheck. This time was a little more emotional than the last because I didn’t know if I’d ever work there again. My bosses were good peeps and they’d always been there for me when I needed them, so it was hard to say goodbye. Even Mel, our grumpy chef, gave me a hug.

  Barrett came to pick up my car and drove it to wherever one drove that much stuff to be shipped. Hale was having dinner with Elara and his mother, who was returning to New York rather than joining us on the trip home. Okay, yes, I’d started calling Hale’s place home, but only in my head where others couldn’t hear, so it didn’t count.

  Since we were leaving in the morning, I told Hale I was going to spend the night at my house so I could have some time with my mom before our trip. I also needed to keep an eye on Elle. But once they fell asleep, and it was just me awake, I couldn’t ignore the thoughts running through my head.

  I was nervous. This was a bigger move than any of us were willing to admit. I was going to live with Hale, like, in his bed and have a drawer—many drawers—in his house. I couldn’t talk to him about why this made me nervous because it would come out wrong and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.