Walker and Valerie

by Annette Stephenson

  I got to Forces and headed to the command center. I handed the pictures to Binary. Then I slumped into a chair and stayed there, unmoving. My heart rate returned to normal, but I felt horrible.

  “She is home, Walker. That’s all she said,” Binary knew I was worried about Val. I was glad to know she got home. Binary laid out all the pictures on the table before us.

  “Tell me the whole story,” Officer Bolen said from across the table. I started with meeting Jessica in the bar over three years and then finding out she’d moved here once she was released, then today’s meeting.

  I stared at what was before me. I couldn’t believe what was in the pictures. No wonder Val wanted nothing to do with me. Jessica was all over me, and I just lay there. I was being sexually assaulted and I had no idea. I felt the bile raising in my throat. It didn’t look like I was remotely hard in any of the photos, but she ground herself into me. I would never have let her in my place, in my bed. I would never just lie there. Just lie there with my eyes closed, my hands doing nothing. No, that was not me. I never just laid there; I was always participating in some way. “Binary, are there cameras on the apartment, in the apartment?”

  “Yeah, why?” She was scanning each one into her computer program.

  “Pull everything from Wednesday.” I had a bad feeling what we would find. It would explain why I was just lying there.

  Binary and I looked over all the footage we could. Around 2:00 on Wednesday afternoon we saw Jessica enter my apartment and dump something into my pitcher of water in the fridge. She then crawled out the bathroom window. There was a tree there, so she must have camped out in that tree, waiting to pounce on me once her drug had taken effect.

  “Is this the only time this happened?” Officer Bolen asked.

  “I don’t know. This was the only time that Val said I fell asleep on her when we were talking. I see why I did now.” I felt like I was going to throw up.

  Officer Bolen and Binary worked on getting everything together and ready to go into evidence. I was sick of sitting there looking at all of it. I went to the clinic and found Lach. I would never want to put Val at risk. I had to know if Jessica had given me anything.

  After Lach told me he would rush everything and I would have all the test results Monday I went to the bunk room and threw myself on one. There was no way I would ever go back to that apartment knowing Jessica had violated me in it. I started looking through pictures of Val on my phone. I had snapped some of us paintballing, and of her and Tabby-Girl. I missed her. I even missed her cat.

  Binary walked in. “Did you text her?”

  “Yeah, no reply.”

  “Why don’t you go see your parents tomorrow?”

  “Not in the mood to drive. Binary, I just want to be alone.”

  She gave me a sad smile. “I just wanted to let you know that everything is in Officer Bolen’s custody. We will get her.” And she left after that.

  I sent one last text to Val, hoping she might answer. “I love you; I miss my girls.” I sent the pictures of us I kept looking at. I rolled over and went back to looking at the few pictures of us. No response. I held a pillow to my chest hoping it would ease the ache. It didn’t. Fuck, this shit sucked.

  About 6:00 a.m. I got an idea. It was probably a terrible idea, since I had been awake all night, but I didn’t care. I was going to do it. I knew Val would be replaying everything that Jessica said in her head. I knew she would add her own negative thoughts to it. I knew she would make herself sick from it all. I was going to force her out of it. I organized everything I needed to do and at 8:00 I went down to Domino’s to tell him what I was going to do.

  Chapter 22

  Valerie

  Life without Walker sucked. I missed him so much. But everything Jessica had said hit me too close to home. I could not walk by his side. I could not do everything that she did in those awful pictures. She brought all the doubts I had to the surface, in force. After I left them, I went to my office got my jacket and left. I texted Tony to take care of it and said that I would ask Ron to help cover my shifts. I didn’t want to bother with work for a week.

  I knew what she said was not true, but my brain would not stop telling me that they were. I kept trying to tell myself I didn’t need legs to make him fly. Trying to remember how I felt when he told me he loved me, that I was his Valkyrie. But the doubts kept coming back. Josie had Nessa texting me. She said I should talk to Walker. She kept encouraging me to, but I couldn’t. He didn’t need to deal with me or my thoughts. He needed to get Jessica out of our lives.

  And the doubts would come back, the little voices telling me the doubts were true. That he did think that I wasn’t woman enough because I couldn’t walk. That he would grow tired of helping me, carrying me. That he would get bored with limited sex positions we could do because of my legs.

  I never made it into bed. I slept in my spot on my couch; it had recliners built into the ends. I shouldn’t have called it sleep. I didn’t really sleep at all. Tabby-Girl barely left my side. I had gotten Walker’s text telling me he loved me and missed us. The pictures he took of us. I knew he took them because he had sent me a few, but I didn’t realize just how happy we looked until seeing them again. It made me cry and cycle the thoughts all over again. At 9:30 I finally decided to get something to eat. I was hungry. I had a grapefruit left; that would do. I didn’t feel like making anything.

  I had just made it off the couch when the doorbell rang. I looked at the camera feed in the Forces App and saw it was Walker. He was the last person I wanted to see. But his go-bag was sitting in my bedroom and he might need it. I opened the door and let him in. I didn’t look at him or say anything.

  “Val.” He came in. “Go shower …”

  “I don’t feel like it. Just get your bag. I am sure that’s what you came for.” I went to the kitchen to eat.

  “Val, that’s not what I came for. I came for you.” He saw me getting the grapefruit out. He took it from me and started to cut it for me the way I liked. Damn him.

  “Walker, why are you here? I’m sure you have better things to do.” He placed the fruit in my spot, and I started eating. If I was going to take a shower, I needed something since I didn’t eat last night. Plus, I really was hungry.

  “I have something better for us to do than be miserable apart. We can be together and decide if we want to be miserable or not. Eat. Take a shower, I’ll leave your clothes in the bathroom.” He turned and left. I had no idea what he was doing, but his high-handed bossiness was pissing me off. I just wanted to be alone and miserable.

  I heard him in my room, in my bathroom. I finished and went to the bathroom. He had the black stretchy pants I favored, a T-shirt, and a hoodie that Tabby-Girl liked. She would burrow in the front pocket. “Take your shower, Val.” He came up behind me. I was still in my uniform from work. I smelled like popcorn. I stripped and got in. Walker was moving stuff and moving through my place. What the hell was he doing?

  I felt so much better after my shower, well, physically better at least. I got dressed and went back to my living room. Walker had passed me in the hall. He had a small purple canvas bag in his hands. He took it to the bathroom. Tabby-Girl saw me and hopped up into my lap. “Yeah, girl, he’s lost his mind. I have no idea what he is doing.”

  He came back. He now had three purple canvas bags, a big one and a small, filled with my things. He handed me the third bag. “Fill it with your crochet stuff you want to work on.” He took the bags out to his Jeep.

  “Tabby-Girl, did you hear him? He is super bossy. Should I listen to him? What do you think?” She looked at me and meowed. What a great help she was. I went to put the yarn and hooks I wanted in the bag, and I noticed my phone and charger were gone. What the hell was he doing? I finished putting the stuff in the bag and waited for him to come back.

  “All right, you ready?” he asked, looking at me.

  “Ready for what? Walker, I don’t know what you are doing! And where’s my phone?”
I was getting upset. Wasn’t everything that happened yesterday enough? What did I need to be ready for?

  He looked at me. “Val, you know I love you, right?”

  What did that have to do with anything! I nodded.

  “We are going to go on a little trip. It’s going to take us about two hours to get there. I know you are miserable. I am miserable too. But I think this might be the best thing for us. Will you come with me?”

  I didn’t know what to think. Could anything really be worse than it was now? I mean could it really? Probably not. Maybe being miserable together wouldn’t be so bad. I nodded.

  “Is Tabby-Girl in your hoodie?” When she heard her name, she popped her head out. “Hey, Tabby-Girl, you and Mom are coming with me on a trip. Be a good girl and hang onto Mom, okay?” He scratched her head. She settled back down, purring. All was right her world, I guessed. “Then we are set. Let’s go.” He let me go out, then took out his keys and locked my door.

  “Walker, how do you have a key?” I had never given him one.

  “Domino gave it to me. He knows what we are up to and knows how to get ahold of us. He said I could have this as long as I took you home if it didn’t work out. But he thought my idea was good and would be surprised if it didn’t work. Is it okay if I keep it?” he asked.

  “I guess, though I would have liked to have been asked first. It is my house and all.” I shrugged my shoulders. I guess everyone was going to make decisions for me.

  Chapter 23

  Walker

  I had made it to the Eisenhower and headed out of the city. I really didn’t want to have this conversation with Val. There was no way around it though. “Val, those pictures. Did you look at any of them?”

  She looked straight ahead. “Just enough to be reminded of what I can’t do, and to know it was you and her. I could not tell where you were or more than she was on top. But I didn’t think they were real. You would never let her in your bed after all that she did to you.”

  “Val, that was my apartment at Forces. She drugged my water Wednesday night, and waited for me to pass out. Once I did, she tried to have her way with me, but she could not get it to work.” I kept my voice steady and devoid of emotion.

  “She drugged you and tried to rape you?” Val turned in her seat and looked at me. “Jesus Christ, what is that fucking bitch’s problem? Are you okay?”

  “I am fine. I remember nothing. I saw Lach the doc yesterday. He will have the results Monday. What has me the most pissed is that this has hurt you.” I reached for her hand. She instantly put hers in mine. I took a deep breath. “All the evidence we have is in police custody. They will review it, and verify everything, and then I should be able to press charges.”

  “How long with that take?”

  “A week or two.”

  “That’s too long.” She was looking at me again. I merged us onto I-90, heading north.

  “I know. That was also part of the reason for this trip. Before we left, I checked everything to make sure there are no trackers on them so she cannot follow us. Our new phones are in the cup holder, same numbers but protected so she can’t find us.” I was waiting for Val to rage about her phone. She had said they were a necessary evil; I knew she would not be happy learning a new one, no matter how similar it was to her old one.

  “Thank you for making sure I’m safe.” She turned and looked out the window.

  “I love you, Val. Your safety, your health, and your happiness are my priorities. Thank you for understanding that.” I kissed her hand. She continued to look out the window.

  “You know, Walker, you were practically raped, and I’ve been crying over if I am woman enough for you. I’ve been beating myself up over not being able to walk, and you were raped.” That came out almost as a whisper and she was crying now. I let go of her hand and pulled some tissues out of the center console.

  I handed them to her. “Val, I do not remember any part of it. At this point it just pisses me off.”

  “Well, that’s better than what you could be feeling, I guess. Ugh, this woman. I want to scream at you what did you ever see in her, why would you pick her up in the first place. But I can answer those. There is no way to know who is crazy. They present you a very normal-looking package, but over time you find out the gift wrap comes off. You got a psycho; I got a necrophiliac.” She went silent for a time.

  “Walker, does it bother you that I cannot walk? Do you think that over time you will resent me for it?” she asked.

  I took a deep breath. If it were any other situation, I probably would have given her an earful about the nonsense she just spewed. But Jessica had put these thoughts in her head, and I had to get them resolved. “How about we shelve those two questions until we arrive at our destination?”

  She looked at me. “Will you get bored in bed with me?” Her voice shook a little and she sounded so broken. Fuck Jessica for doing this to her.

  I pulled over onto the shoulder and shifted into park. I turned to Val, taking her face into my hands. I looked into her eyes. The gold flecks looked dull; she was full of pain. I would do anything to make it go away. I brought my lips to hers, kissing her with everything that I had. I loved her; I didn’t care how we made love. As long she loved me, it didn’t matter. I pulled back and looked in her eyes again. “I love you, Val. I have never loved anyone like I love you. If we can only do missionary for the rest of our lives, fine. If you were to tell me you never wanted to have sex again, fine, as long as I have you. You are all that matters, Val.”

  She closed her eyes and a few tears fell down her cheeks. “I love you, Walker.”

  I wiped her tears away. “You gonna be okay?”

  “Yeah, this was just a blow. It bruised me a little, but I will be okay. I have a great partner to help me.” She smiled; the gold flecks were starting to shine a little.

  “All right, we’ve still got quite a ways to go.” I let her go and got us back on the road.

  “I am kinda surprised with Tabby-Girl. She’s barely moved, just purring away.” She had reached in the front pouch of the hoodie and was petting the little cat.

  “I’m glad. My mom’s cat, Muffins, screams in car rides. Missy doesn’t care, but Muffins is horrible. I am glad Tabby-Girl likes it so far.”

  “Where are we going?” I hadn’t told her and didn’t plan to.

  “Somewhere.” She whipped her head around and glared at me. I laughed.

  “How long are you planning on staying?”

  “No less than three days, no more than a week. I already know you worked it out with Tony and Ron. They told Gabby, who I found out from.”

  She nodded at my answer. “I am assuming the place is cat friendly since we have Tabby-Girl?”

  “It is.” That was the trickiest part of this whole thing. I was hoping it would work out.

  We crossed the border into Wisconsin. We still had a good forty minutes left to the drive. Val had fallen asleep. I was glad. I wanted her to be surprised. I was hoping it would shock her enough so she could forget all the crap that was said. I had never taken a girl home before. My dad had switched out my twin with a queen-sized mattress and set up a spot for Tabby-Girl’s litter box. He’d said there was not much room in there now, probably not enough for Val to move around on her own. I hoped she would be okay with it for a few days. I was also hoping Tabby-Girl and my mom’s cats would get along. If not, we could close her off in my room.

  I reached over and rubbed Val’s arm. “Honey, time to wake up. We are almost there.” I was pulling into town. I still had to drive through town, but I figured she would like to see it.

  “Where are we?” She rubbed the sleep from her eyes then looked around.

  “Where I grew up.” I waited for her to glare at me.

  “Walker, are you kidding me?” She was looking at me; the look on her face was so cute. I smiled.

  “No, there’s the hardware store, the butcher shop. The baker is around the corner.” I was pointing out a few places that
we passed.

  “Walker, are you taking me to your parents’?” She sounded horrified.

  “Yup, they are going to love you.” I left the town and went on the road that would take me to my parents’ land. They rented the farmland out to a local farmer but kept eight acres for the houses. I turned onto the tree-lined drive. The sun barely made it through the tree canopy. She sat back, looking all around her.

  “That’s the farmhouse. It was built in the 1890s or 1900s. I forget. My sister and brother-in-law live there now.” I drove past it, heading to the newer ranch-style house farther back. “My parents built this five or six years ago.” I pulled up on the drive to where the sidewalk to the front door hit the driveway. I wasn’t sure if Val noticed yet, but there were no steps. “You ready?”