Grabbing her keys, Schooner headed down the hall to Rosie’s room. Aware that it was now after 4:30, he knew this was not going to be a pleasant greeting when he knocked on her door.
Rosie opened the door, looked at Schooner and sneered, “What the fuck?”
“Good morning to you, too. Throw on a robe Rosie, we need to go grab Henry and talk.”
“What are you high?”
“I wish I was. Get your robe on.” And he leveled her a “Do what I say now” glance. He was beyond taking her shit tonight.
Schooner was three steps in front of Rosie when she started following him down the hall, into the stairwell and downstairs to Henry’s room.
He began the process again. Although Henry was a little more civil. “Hey, sorry to wake you. Throw on your robe. We need to talk.”
Henry emerged from his room and Rosie just shrugged her shoulders at him as Schooner started walking toward the study lounge, the room where they had spent many hours together laughing and creating their masterpiece. They just followed him silently.
Flipping on the lights, they entered the room and Schooner motioned for them to sit, before closing the door.
“Nice outfit.” Rosie snarked. His blue bow tie was still hanging open around his neck, but now the top few buttons of his shirt were open.
“Yeah, well it’s been a long night,” he ignored the snark. “Mia is upstairs in her room and she’s asleep. She’s ok, she’s safe in bed, but she wanted me to talk to you guys.” He could see the immediate alarm on Henry’s face. Rosie was too pissed off to register any emotion other than, well, pissed off.
“I ran into Mia a few hours ago walking on The Quad and she had been attacked.” They both screamed “What?” and “Oh my God!”.
“What do you mean attacked?” Rosie was yelling and Henry put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
Schooner sighed, “She was roughed up pretty bad. And she was raped.”
Rosie burst into tears, her tough resolve evaporating at the mention of the word rape, “No. No. No,” she moaned. Henry put his arms around her and Schooner could see the anguish in his eyes and the pulsing tension in his strong jaw.
“I took her to the hospital and she received medical attention. She needed a few stitches because they busted her lip.”
“They?” Henry’s eyes flew open wide.
Schooner just nodded, the sick feeling rising up again, tears springing from his eyes. He took the heels of his palms and wiped away his tears. When he could get control of his voice, he continued. “There were two,” his voice cracked, despite his best efforts to hold it together.
“The doctor gave her some hormones to help mitigate the chances of pregnancy,” his voice broke on the word pregnancy, “and pain killers and anti-anxiety medicine.” He sat down and put his head in his hands.
“She doesn’t want to bring in the authorities, because she’s afraid she’ll get sent home. She was adamant about it. And I understand her not wanting to go through all that shit, but those fucking animals are out there,” his anger was flaring, “And I just want to kill them.”
“What can we do to help her?” Henry asked, softly.
“She doesn’t want anyone to know about this,” they nodded and agreed. “If you can bring her meals to the dorm and get class assignments and stuff. I don’t think she’s going to want anyone to see her just yet.”
“Are you going to stay with her?” Henry asked.
Schooner nodded, yes.
Rosie flashed him a look filled with venom. “And what are you? The fucking white knight? You blow in playing big man savior and then you break her heart to pieces again. Don’t you fuck with my girl.” She was out of her chair and wagging a finger in Schooner’s face.
He surprised her by taking her finger and kissing it. Her big brown eyes wide and confused.
He began softly, “I know I’m not your favorite person, Rosie. As a matter of fact, I haven’t been my favorite person either. Something happened, and it’s not what you think happened, but I didn’t want to hurt Mia and I didn’t want her to tell me goodbye, and I fucked everything up. I just fucked up.” He looked up at the ceiling, as if to stop a torrent of tears and then he looked Rosie straight in the eyes, “But I never stopped loving her for a single second. I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving her.” And the tears he tried so hard to stop, fell freely from his beautiful eyes.
“We’re going to need to tell Caroline when she gets back.”
“Caroline can stay with me, if she wants to, so that you can stay with Mia.” Rosie offered and Schooner nodded.
“Schooner,” Rosie began, “you look like shit.” He knew she was referring to his new “haunted” look.
“I think he looks hot!” Henry countered, putting his arms around Schooner and giving him a much needed hug, which Schooner gladly accepted.
They walked Schooner up to Mia’s room. “We’ll bring you guys breakfast.”
Schooner quietly opened the door and he knew they wanted to come in and see their friend and make sure she was really ok. Mia was on her back snoring loudly and that gave them all a relaxing chuckle. Seeing her pretty little face bruised up was heartbreaking.
Rosie took Schooner’s hand on the way out of the room and gave it a squeeze. No words were needed.
He sat down in the desk chair across from her bed and stretched out his long legs and tried to start processing everything, but his mind was just too jumbled. He knew he needed sleep and maybe things would be clearer after a few hours of rest, but he just wanted to look at her for a few minutes more. Watch her sleep. Know that she was safe.
He finally took off his dress shoes and socks, they had been on his feet way too long. Hanging his shirt (with the bow tie still dangling from the collar) and suit pants over the back of the chair, Schooner crawled into Caroline’s bed in his boxers. He hoped she didn’t mind.
Laying there, listening to Mia breathe for a while, he drifted into a fitful sleep, dreaming of the hospital and the Sheraton, searching hallways for Mia where hotel rooms had hospital beds with green curtains on tracks. He felt her climb into bed next to him, but wasn’t sure if it was a dream, until she rested her head on his chest and he pulled her close into him.
“You ok?” He asked, nuzzling his face into her curls.
“Mmm-hmm,” her arm tightened around him.
“It’s going to be ok, Baby Girl,” he kissed her forehead. He just had to believe it would be ok. There was no other option. They would get through this together. He would help her. He’d be her strength, her guide back from Hell. Her love. And when she was ready, her lover.
“Don’t let me go, Schooner.”
“I won’t, Mia.”
She nuzzled into his chest. “Promise?”
“I promise.” He tightened his hug around her and the irony did not elude him as to how easy this promise was to make.
“They really hurt me tonight. I wanted to die.” His heart ached. It ached for her, it ached for him and it ached for everything he’d never be able to change.
“I’m so sorry, Baby Girl. I am so sorry this happened to you. I wish I could change it for you.”
“Me too. It was horrible.”
“I’m here for you, Mia.” He threaded his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips. She was silent, so he went on. “I never stopped loving you, Baby Girl. Not for a minute.”
“Don’t make me smile, Schooner, it hurts.”
He laughed. “Ok. Sleep,” and she nuzzled back into his chest and fell back to sleep, while he gently stroked her hair.
As he held her tight, he knew that he would get her through this. He would get them both through this — together. This was the start. And this time, he was ready for it. She was his and he would do whatever he needed to protect her and to help her heal. He would always take care of what was his and that would start now.
He wondered if maybe he had been wrong earlier that evening. Maybe a restart could be a good thing after al
l.
CHAPTER 28
He felt her stirring in his arms and looked at his watch. 8:45 A.M. His head ached from lack of sleep and tension. He closed his eyes and tightened his muscular arms around her.
“Schooner?”
“Yeah, Baby Girl?” He looked down at her on his chest, looking so sweet and so young.
“Nothing. I just felt like saying your name.” Schooner smiled and kissed her forehead.
“How are you feeling?” She looked up at him, as he pushed her hair from her face, and his heart brimmed at the sight of her ombre green eyes.
“I feel like I got hit by a Mack truck.” Mia moved off of his chest and up to the pillow, looking into his eyes, which were now a mere few inches away. “I dreamed you told me that you never stopped loving me. Not even for a minute.”
He gently ran a finger down her swollen, bruised cheek. “It wasn’t a dream, Baby Girl.”
A tear squeezed from her eye, “I thought you’d stopped. Then, I just thought that maybe you never really did.”
He wiped her tear away with his thumb. Shaking his head, he whispered. “Never stopped. Never will.”
“Me neither,” she tried to smile, but the pain and the swelling stopped her.
“Awww, poor baby,” kissing the tip of her nose, he could see the smile forming in her eyes.
“Mia, I want to talk to you about something,” he paused to stare into her beautiful eyes for a moment, “I don’t want to upset you, but I also don’t want to fuck up. And more than anything, I don’t want to lose you. Ever.” He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “I will do this anyway you want to, my only concern is you, keeping you safe and making sure that you don’t have to deal with any shit.”
Schooner could tell by the confusion on her face that she wasn’t following. “I’m not leaving your side Mia, from now until the end of the semester. And maybe not even then,” he smiled and ran his thumb down her cheek. “So, I know I am going to get some flack and I want to make sure I handle it in a way that there isn’t fallout for you.”
“You’re talking about CJ,” she whispered and he nodded.
“I don’t want her or any of her bitchy little friends bothering you. She still wants a relationship and…”
“ … and you were at the Spring Fling with her last night.” Mia interrupted, her eyes starting to fill up.
“Yes, I was.”
She thought for a moment. “So, it will be a shock to her for everything to just be different.”
“I could tell her I love you and she just needs to deal with it. I just want to do what’s best for you. And I want to protect you from any nastiness that you don’t need to deal with.”
“You could tell her we’re friends and you’re helping me deal with something. That’s not a lie.” His brows furrowed and she continued, “and then maybe that way she’ll feel less threatened and won’t act out. I’m ok with that. As long as she doesn’t know what happened to me.”
“She’ll never know. It’s not her or anyone else’s business.”
There was a knock on the door and Schooner got up to answer it. Rosie and Henry had trays of food.
“Nice outfit.” Rosie reprised her remark of the night before, gesturing at Schooner’s plaid boxers.
“Very nice outfit.” Henry concurred, taking in Schooner’s bare broad chest and tennis player arm muscles.
Henry bit his lower lip and made a hand motion fanning himself to Mia, who attempted to smile. “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts,” she scolded.
“Oh Girlfriend, you are rocking some poufy lips.” Henry kissed her cheek, softly.
“You just watch, they’re going to come into vogue. You know what a trendsetter I am,” Mia countered, “it’s a New York thing.”
Schooner looked through the food offerings. “Good job, guys. Mia, there’s a bunch of things that are soft. Scrambled eggs, grits, oatmeal, applesauce.”
“Ok.”
“Ok to all?” Schooner was surprised and thrilled as Mia nodded yes. Her resilience and spirit were just a marvel to him. A good appetite was a good sign, he thought and as soon as he got food into her he would make sure she took her meds.
Schooner was sitting in the middle of Caroline’s bed with his back up against the wall and after eating her entire breakfast and taking her meds (at Schooner’s insistence), Mia came and sat down between his legs, leaning back against him. His arms were around her and she was holding onto his hands. It was then, in the safety of Schooner’s arms, that Mia began to open up about some of the details of what had happened to her. Schooner was learning along with Rosie and Henry of her ordeal. They sat silently listening, not a breath taken between them.
She had been working late in the darkroom, which had been virtually empty all evening with many people off-campus for the Spring Fling. As the last person to leave, she locked up the darkroom for the night and left to come back to the dorm. Shortly after exiting the Fine Arts Building, she was jumped by two guys and dragged to the park across from campus.
When they were done, they left her there on the ground, casually walking out of that park as if nothing had happened. Mia was choking on her tears as she finished recounting the details. All Schooner could do was hold her tighter to him. She felt very small and defeated in his arms.
Schooner could feel his intense anger building and he knew that Rosie and Henry saw it on his face and in his eyes. He was glad Mia’s back was to him and that she could not see his rage. It scared him to realize of what he might be capable.
He felt very close to the Animal Kingdom.
CHAPTER 29
This is really not going well, Schooner thought. He hoped she would be cool about it, but there was nothing cool in her demeanor at the moment. CJ MacAllister was spitting mad.
“I don’t understand why you are going to be spending time with her and not with me.”
He tried to stay calm and appeal to reason. “CJ, if there was some shit going down in your life, wouldn’t you want the people you consider your friends to be there to support you? Mia is my friend. I know you don’t get that, but she is a really sweet kid and she needs my friendship right now.”
“And you’re not going to tell me why?” Her hands were now firmly planted on her hips.
“Would you want me sharing your shit with other people?” He just shook his head. She didn’t answer, so he continued, “No, you wouldn’t. And I wouldn’t share your personal business with other people.”
Then he had a stroke of brilliance. “This is really important to my dad, CJ.”
“Your dad? What does your dad have to do with this?” He had her listening now. CJ labored overtime at Christmas working her magic in an attempt to ensure Gavin Moore liked her. She wanted Gavin as her father-in-law and now her curiosity was piqued.
“My dad and Mia’s dad became friendly. And my dad asked me to take care of this. I don’t want to let him down, CJ.” Ok, it was a stretch on the truth, but it was based in reality and it seemed to be doing the trick.
She sighed, “Oh, I didn’t realize that.”
“Look, there’s only a few weeks left of school here, just let me do the right thing.”
She nodded her head ok, but it looked to Schooner as if her wheels were still spinning.
“And I’m telling you now, CJ — Mia gets no shit from you or any of your friends. Is that clear?”
“We would never,” she began her protest, and he cut her off.
“I am dead serious, if anyone fucks with Mia in any way, shape or form, I will be so fucking pissed. Clear?”
“Clear,” her wide-eyed, tight-lipped response belied her words. CJ was not happy.
What he really wanted to tell CJ was that there was not a shot in Hell that they were ever getting back together again. He wanted to tell her that Mia was the love of his life and that all he cared about was Mia’s happiness and well-being.
But he knew if he did that, CJ and her evil minion would do something heinous to hurt Mia and all h
e really wanted to do was keep them all away from her through the end of the semester.
As he left CJ’s dorm, he thought, crisis averted for now and by the time fall semester comes, he and Mia would be old news and CJ would be moving on.
Protecting Mia was his utmost concern.
CHAPTER 30
Schooner was laying in bed holding Mia in his arms. “So, tell me about New York beaches.”
“They are wonderful.” Mia’s smile was back to its adorable state now that her stitches were out.
Schooner made a face at her. “I’m from Newport Beach, California — it’s going to take a lot to impress me.”
“Ok, well we have different kinds of beaches.” He loved seeing how excited she would get talking about home. “Up on the North Shore we have rocky beaches. That’s on the Sound and there are great harbors and little 300 year old whaling towns and the sailing is great up there. And on the South Shore we have ocean beaches, so it’s just miles of dunes and sand and good waves. The east end is really nice with Montauk and the Hamptons.”
“That’s where the Hamptons are?” Schooner asked and Mia nodded. “I’ve heard my dad talk about ancestors that were in Southampton, Long Island in the 1600’s. Does that sound right? 1600’s? Could that be possible?”
“Yes, absolutely. That is when those towns were first settled. We could research your family. Maybe find some old family graves. And maybe some living relatives, too. Wouldn’t that be amazing. I can’t believe your family was in America in the 1600’s. That is so cool.”
“That would be a fun thing to do,” he kissed her lips, softly. He was loving being able to kiss her lips again and was treating them as if they were made of porcelain. “What are you thinking?” He was looking at her dreamy face.
“I was thinking about after a day on the beach, when the sun goes down and it gets chilly and you’re even colder because you’re all sunburned, so you throw on a sweatshirt with your shorts. And I was thinking about us doing that and going to one of the lobster places on the water and picking out our lobsters from the tank and getting steamers and corn and just sitting out at a picnic table by the water, having the perfect night, after having the perfect day.”
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