Blayne reached behind him and grabbed Kaylee’s hand, pulling her after him. Keeping his body between hers and the viaduct pirates. She held tight as her adrenaline kicked in and her pulse skyrocketed.
“Now wait a minute.” The guy shoved the tip of the tire iron in Blayne’s chest. “What do we have here?”
Blayne stood his ground. One of the guy’s cohorts rushed around and grabbed Kaylee’s coat, pulling her away from Blayne. The scent of body odor, urine, and alcohol attacked as she drew in a sharp, frightened breath. Fight or flight, she thought. She twisted away from his grip on her coat and came face-to-face with the third guy. She slammed her knee into his groin and backed up as he buckled over in pain. Blayne had somehow taken control of the tire iron and wielded it out in front of him.
“Just let us go and you can have everything,” Mama C shouted.
“Shut up old lady!” the guy facing off with Blayne yelled. “We found something else we want.”
Blayne’s eyes flashed anger and his grip tightened on the iron. He swung but didn’t connect as the mouthy pig jumped back just in time.
An arm wrapped around Kaylee’s neck and a body pressed up against hers from behind. A glint of light reflected off a rusty blade as her assailant pushed the knife against her cheek. “Better back off, Romeo. Drop the tire iron.” His rancid breath brushed her face, and she gagged.
Kaylee’s eyes met Blayne’s for a split second and she knew he wasn’t going to drop it. Blayne swung up, catching the shorter man right across the jaw with a crunching blow. In the same motion he slammed the weapon down on the shoulders of the man Kaylee had kneed as he tried to stand. Taking her cue from Blayne, Kaylee pulled down on the arm around her neck with both hands, using all her weight and twisting out of his grasp in time avoid the brunt of Blayne’s tackle. The tire iron flew out of his hand and skittered across the gravel as both Blayne and the knife-wielding man crashed to the ground. The blade plunged into Blayne’s left shoulder. He grunted and Kaylee’s hands flew to her mouth. “Blayne!”
Blayne sat up, straddling the man, and slammed a fist into his face. The knife dropped from his now limp hand and clattered to the ground.
“Blayne!” Mama C shouted.
Guy number four rushed toward them with his bat up and ready to swing. Kaylee jumped and grabbed the tire iron, tripping the man with a swing at his knees. “Let’s go! My car!” She held tight to the tire iron in one hand, grabbing Blayne’s arm with the other as she urged him to stand. The three of them, Mama C clutching a small duffle bag, hurried to Kaylee’s car parked behind a dumpster a dozen yards away. As they neared it, she handed the tire iron to Blayne and reached into her coat pocket for the keys. She pushed the door unlock button twice and risked a glance behind her as she reached for the driver’s door handle. The only pursuer was the guy with the bat, but she must have knocked his knee a good one, because he limped along at a much slower pace than even Mama C. Blayne opened the back door and ushered Mama inside, slamming it before running around to the passenger side. He slid in with a grunt and closed the door. Kaylee hit the lock button and tangled with the keys, trying to get the right one in the ignition with her shaky hands.
She started her car and pulled away as the bat flew through the air and bounced off her trunk. She accelerated onto a main road and risked a glance at Blayne. The part of his face she could see between long bangs and facial hair was pale. He reached his hand around to his left shoulder and pulled bloody fingers away.
“I need to get you to the hospital,” Kaylee said.
“No.”
“But you’ve been stabbed!” Her stomach lurched.
“It’s not that deep. I’ll be fine.” Blayne leaned his head back.
“How do you know how deep it is?” She met Mama C’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Mama C. Talk some sense into him.”
“Blayne,” Mama C leaned forward, “maybe she’s right.”
“I’m fine. No hospital. I don’t have insurance or an I.D. or money. We can just go somewhere and clean it up a little.”
“None of that matters,” Kaylee argued. “They have to see you in the ER, it’s a law.”
Blayne shook his head. “No, Kaylee.” He grimaced as he lifted his left hand to lay it on top of her right. “No hospital.”
Kaylee bit her bottom lip. “Okay. But at least let me take you to my roommate’s boyfriend. He’s a medical student, and I’d just feel better if he took a look at it.” She squeezed his hand. “Please.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “Okay. Fine.”
“Well, now that that’s settled,” Mama C Said. “Could you please drop me off downtown, near the shelter. I need to find the other kids before they head back to the viaduct.” She turned to look at Blayne. “Meet us there, at the shelter, and we’ll find a new place together.”
Blayne nodded.
“Which shelter do you want me to drop you at?” Kaylee asked Mama C.
“The one over on Park Ave. Do you know where that is?”
“I think so. It’s a few blocks away from Coors Field.” Kaylee pulled her phone out of her pocket and held in the home button before saying, “Call Allie.” She held the phone up to her ear as she turned onto Broadway. “Hey, Allie. Um, what are you and Max up to?”
She waited while Allie’s app translated her speech into text.
“Nothing much. We’re at Max’s place. He’s studying and I’m watching T.V. Why?”
“I’m, uh…” she glanced at Blayne then back at the road, “bringing a friend over that needs some medical care. Maybe stitches.”
Pause.
“Is it that hot homeless guy?” Allie said it loud enough that Kaylee was sure Mama C and Blayne both heard her.
“Be there in about fifteen minutes. Bye.” Kaylee hit “end” before Allie could say anything else. Heat rushed up her neck and face as she concentrated on the road ahead.
She pulled up to the curb in front of the shelter. Blayne got out, wincing as he did, and helped Mama C out of the back seat. “I’ll come find you here when I get done. Stay safe.”
Mama C patted his face and smiled a sad smile. “I will. You cooperate with Kaylee’s friend. I need you to be okay.”
He nodded as she stepped up onto the sidewalk. He slid back in, glancing at the blood on the backrest of the passenger seat. “Sorry about the blood.”
Kaylee rolled her eyes. “I’m not worried about my seat, Blayne.” She turned to face him. “Are you sure Mama C is going to be okay here?” Her eyes flicked to the rough-looking men and women loitering around the shelter.
“She’s just as safe here as anywhere else. But she’ll be a lot safer when I get back to watch over her.” He looked pointedly into her eyes.
With a big sigh, Kaylee put the car in drive and pulled out onto the road.
Allie met them at the door to Max’s apartment with a smile. “You must be Blayne. I’m Kaylee’s friend, Allie. Come on in.”
Blayne raised an eyebrow at Kaylee and followed Allie inside. Allie gestured to a couch and said, “Have a seat. I’ll go get Max.”
“Oh,” Blayne said. “I don’t want to get your couch dirty. Or bloody. I’ll just stand, thank you.”
Allie crinkled her forehead and opened her mouth, she turned to Kaylee and signed.
Looking from one to the other, Blayne stammered, “I…oh…is she…is she deaf? I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay.” Kaylee laughed nervously. “I should have told you. She is really great at reading lips, but she can’t read yours because your facial hair is in the way.”
He reached up and stroked his beard. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Let’s go in the kitchen,” Kaylee said. She led them to the small kitchen area and pulled a chair out, gesturing for Blayne to sit there. “Let me help you take your coat off.”
“I can get it.” Blayne unzipped his coat and shrugged his shoulders, wincing.
“Oh, just let me help.” Kaylee tugged gently on the sleeves, pull
ing the coat off. She hung it on the back of the chair.
“Thanks.”
Max entered the kitchen, carrying a medical bag, and held his hand out to Blayne. “I’m Max. It’s nice to meet you.”
After a slight moment of hesitation, Blayne pulled the tattered glove off his right hand and shook hands with Max. “I’m Blayne. Thanks for helping me out.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked Blayne over. “Where is the injury?”
Blayne pointed over his left shoulder. “Back there.”
“Let’s get these shirts off so I can take a look.” Max moved around to the back of the chair.
It took a few minutes for Blayne to remove the button-down flannel shirt and three T-shirts beneath. Kaylee stepped forward to help, but stopped at the narrow-eyed look he gave her. She backed up and stood silently behind him.
Allie grabbed the pile of worn shirts and his coat. “I’m just going to throw these in the washer for you.” She didn’t wait for a response—she rarely did.
“But…” Blayne turned to watch her bounce down the hallway. “I’m kinda in a hurry,” he mumbled under his breath.
Max laughed. “Even if she could hear you, she’d still ignore you. That girl has a mind of her own.” He pulled a chair over behind Blayne and fished some gloves out of his bag, snapping them as he fit them over his fingers. “Let’s take a look at this laceration.”
Blayne gritted his teeth as Max poked around the injury.
“How did this happen?” Max pulled the gloves off and dug around in his bag.
“He was—” Kaylee started.
“I fell,” Blayne interrupted. “Landed on a sharp piece of metal.”
Max raised an eyebrow but didn’t question any further. “Well, it definitely needs sutures, and you’ll need a tetanus shot. I’m going to numb it up before I clean it out. This is going to sting.”
Kaylee winced and turned away, suddenly finding the pattern on the counter-top to be fascinating.
Clouds covered the light of the stars and moon as Kaylee pulled up to the shelter. She didn’t know how Max had gotten his hands on a tetanus shot, but she was glad he had. Besides being rusty, that knife likely had some other deadly germs on it. The wound took six stitches and luckily wasn’t very deep. They’d all sat around talking when Max was done, while they waited for Blayne’s coat and shirts to dry. Max gave Blayne a t-shirt to wear while they waited.
“Do you want me to help you find Mama C?” Kaylee asked as she put the car in park.
“No. I know where they’ll be.” He opened the door. “Thanks for everything. You have some great friends.”
She smiled. “I do.”
He hesitated. “Well, see you around.” He moved to get out of the car.
“Wait!” Kaylee grasped his arm. “How am I going to know where to find you?”
Blayne sat back in the seat and frowned. “I had hoped that the events of tonight had convinced you of the danger of hanging out around us. Are you seriously going to keep this up? Don’t you have enough information for your paper?”
A lump formed in Kaylee’s throat. She swallowed it down. Did she have enough information? Why did she so desperately want to continue this quest? Was it to learn more about Mama C? Or more about Blayne? She stared at his cool blue eyes. “I don’t have enough yet. I…I need to do some more observation.” And this is more than just a thesis paper now.
“Hmm.” He looked away from her gaze. “It might take us a day or so to find a new place. I’ll meet you back here day after tomorrow. Noonish.”
Kaylee smiled and squeezed his arm. “Thank you!”
“Mmff,” he grunted. Kaylee thought she saw just the hint of a smile hiding beneath his mustache. Just a hint. He didn’t look back at her as he shut the door and trudged off to find Mama and the others.
As she unlocked her door and stepped into her warm apartment, a wave of guilt washed over her. Mama C, Blayne, and the others didn’t know where they’d be sleeping tonight. Their sleeping bags were gone. It was below freezing out there.
She shut the door behind her, then slumped to the floor. The tears came hard and fast—and unexpected. She cried out of fear for her new friends. She cried for the chilling experience with the thieves that night. She cried for the unfairness of the world. And, mostly, she cried because she felt so helpless to do anything to change it.
Christmas had snuck up on Kaylee. As she wandered through the mall with Allie, Christmas music playing throughout the decorated stores, she realized it was December 22nd already. She stopped at a kiosk and looked at the portable media players. She picked one up and turned it over before quickly setting it back down. Way too much money for her meager budget.
Allie sidled up alongside her. “Don’t buy that. I have a brand new one that you can have.” She grabbed Kaylee’s hand and pulled her away. “Let’s go check out the big shoe sale.”
“Wait.” Kaylee pulled on Allie’s hand to stop her mad dash through the crowded mall. Allie turned to face her. “Why do you have a media player?”
Allie’s mouth twisted up into a grin. “I got it for free when I opened my bank account.”
Kaylee laughed and shook her head. “Are you sure you want to give it to me? Maybe someone in your family could use it.”
“Nope, I want you to have it. It’s still in the package. It comes with earbuds and everything.” The conversation ended when Allie turned away from Kaylee and dragged her forward into the crowd.
After visiting several second-hand stores to buy some sleeping bags, Kaylee spent the rest of the day holed up in her room, downloading music, thankful she’d saved the multiple gift cards she’d received for birthdays and Christmases.
The next day, she loaded up her car with the sleeping bags, grabbed some five-dollar pizzas, and headed to the shelter where Blayne said he’d meet her. The winter sun shone bright, beating away some of the chill, as she pulled up to the same section of sidewalk where she’d dropped him off two days ago. She checked to make sure her doors were locked, then sat in her warm car watching the people gathered on the sidewalks there. Two men and a woman fighting over a shopping cart; a man slumped over, back against the brick building, a shivering dog lying next to him; a woman half hidden under a threadbare blanket, injecting drugs into her scabbed and scarred arm; men and women drinking out of bottles hidden in paper bags. Mama C and her group seemed downright put-together compared to these people. They used to be these people, though—until Mama found them.
A sharp rap on her window startled her, and she whipped her head around to see a mischievous grin on Blayne’s face. She scowled at him and motioned for him to go around to the passenger seat as she unlocked the doors.
He slid in and shut the door. “Whew. It’s warm in here. It was a cold night without any sleeping bags.”
Kaylee’s gaze fell to her lap. “I bet it was. Did you guys find somewhere to…to stay?”
“We did. Head that way and I’ll show you.” He pointed straight ahead.
She pulled out into the street. “How is your shoulder doing?”
“It’s fine. The arm where he gave me the tetanus shot hurts worse.” He rolled his shoulder. “Do I smell pizza?” He looked in the back seat.
“Yes, you do. Do you want a piece now or do you want to wait until we get to the others?”
“I’ll wait.” His stomach disagreed loudly with a growl.
He directed her to a bridge a couple of miles away from the shelter. Weeds and scrub bushes lightly covered in snow dotted the area beneath the bridge. No barrel for a fire here. Kaylee frowned.
She popped the trunk and reached into the backseat to grab the pizza. “Can you help me grab some stuff from my trunk, please?”
“Umm, sure.” He raised an eyebrow at her before getting out of the car. He met her at the trunk. “What is all this?”
“I just picked some stuff up from some second-hand stores. Think of it as an early Christmas present for Mama C’s gang.” She didn’t look at
him, afraid he wouldn’t appreciate her gifts. She knew he didn’t like to be pitied.
“Hmm. That was very thoughtful of you.”
She dared a glance at him, surprised to see sincerity mixed with a touch of—confusion, maybe?—in his eyes. “It’s just some sleeping bags and blankets and stuff.” She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. He broke first.
“Well,” he cleared his throat and reached for one of the bundles in the trunk, “let’s get these over there, get Mama C warmed up.”
The smaller package tucked away in her coat pocket would have to wait until later. She balanced the pizzas in one hand and grabbed a sleeping bag with the other and set out to follow Blayne over to the small group.
As they neared the new encampment, Mama C stood and smiled. “You three go help carry that stuff. College girl looks like she’s going to drop those pizzas right into the dirt.”
Demarcus and Clint strode forward and took the items from her. Hannah stood slowly, shrugged, and said, “It looks like they got it all.”
“There’s more in the trunk if you want to come help me get it,” Kaylee said.
Hannah sighed and trudged toward her.
Altogether, Kaylee scraped together five sleeping bags and a couple of old quilts. Mama C grabbed her hands after she dropped her last load. “Kaylee, sweetie, thank you so much. These will be lifesavers for us.”
Kaylee squeezed her hands and whispered, “Merry Christmas, Mama C.”
The old woman furrowed her brow. “Is it Christmas already?”
Kaylee laughed nervously. “No, but almost. Today is the twenty-third. I didn’t think you’d want to wait two more days for a little warmth.”
“Oh boy, you’re right there. We’re sure missing our barrel o’ fire.”
The others had already started on the pizza. Kaylee and Mama walked over to them and each grabbed a slice. “Sorry it’s pizza again,” Kaylee said with a shrug. “It’s cheap, and it feeds a lot of people.”
Under the Viaduct Page 5