Handled: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Heather Slade

  “That’s how memorable I am? The only way you won’t forget about me is if you almost sit on a big black box?”

  “It would just be a precaution.” When she shrugged, I knew I had her. “I’ll even get coffee for the road.”

  “What else?”

  “For the road?”

  She nodded.

  “Um…” I’d already delivered the gyro salad; that wouldn’t be good in the morning, anyway. “Yogurt with granola and fruit.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay, you’ll ride with me tomorrow?”

  She covered her mouth with her hand, yawned, and nodded.

  “Goodnight, Ali,” I said, walking over and standing right in front of her. “We’ll leave at six. That will give me time to look at your car before I have to be at the courthouse.”

  “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I want to.” She looked dead-on-her-feet tired and so fucking beautiful I wanted to pick her up, carry her into the bedroom, and…tuck her in.

  “Stop looking at me like that.”

  I smiled. “Like what?”

  “You know.” Ali took a step to the side and walked around me. “Goodnight, Cope.”

  I got on the elevator, feeling like I’d just won some kind of prize. Why did I feel so elated when I was the one doing her a favor?

  The next morning, when I got in the car after Ali did, I wished I hadn’t brought coffee. She smelled so damn good when she stood next to me while I unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. It wasn’t perfume; it was just her. The smell of coffee, though, overpowered the smell of her. I smiled and rolled my eyes, remembering the conversation we’d had the night before.

  “Last chance if you want to change your mind about our bet.”

  “No, thanks.”

  I pointed to the two stainless steel travel mugs of coffee sitting in the holders. “One’s black, one has cream and sugar.”

  “Which one is yours?”

  “Whichever one you don’t want.”

  She picked up the one closest to her, opened the lid, closed it, and took a sip.

  “Black, huh?”

  “I don’t like sugar in my coffee.”

  “Noted.”

  She turned her head away and looked out the window. “I doubt it’s knowledge you’ll need in the future.”

  “There’s food in a bag on the back seat,” I said as I pulled out of the garage and onto the street. This early in the morning, it would only take us a little over an hour to get to the area where the garage and courthouse were. My guess was it would take me thirty minutes to switch out her battery. The courthouse didn’t open until nine, so we might have time to kill.

  “Everything okay?” I asked when we’d been on the road for a half hour and she hadn’t said anything.

  “It’s nice to be able to look at the scenery. This is a prettier drive than the one back yesterday.”

  “This is my favorite way to go when I have time.”

  “Do you have to drive to the courthouse often?”

  “Not the courthouse, but the area.”

  “What’s there?”

  “Lots of cool things.”

  She turned and looked at me for the first time since we left the parking garage. “Like what?”

  “A few museums, stuff like that.”

  “What museums?”

  “One is a Civil War museum.”

  “That does sound cool.”

  It was one of my favorite places. My grandfather used to take me there when I was a kid. Now, when the stress of my job got to be too much, I’d jump in the car and drive down there. Just sitting on a bench and people watching, like my gramps and I used to, was enough to melt my tension away.

  “I’d like to see it sometime. It sounds interesting.”

  “Yeah?”

  “There’s nothing like that in California.” She laughed. “Lots of Spanish missions, though.”

  “I’d like to see a mission sometime.”

  “Yeah?” she asked like I had.

  We spent the rest of the drive talking about the places where we grew up. They couldn’t have been more different.

  The mechanic wasn’t open when we got there, but we only had about fifteen minutes to wait.

  “I shouldn’t have drank so much coffee,” I heard her mumble.

  I started the car back up and drove down the road to a diner I knew was open. “I need to use the facilities too,” I explained when I parked near the front door.

  I waited for her by the entrance after I’d used the men’s room.

  “Hang on,” she said, holding up a finger when I opened the door to go out.

  “I was wondering if I could get a piece of that pie to go,” she said to the waitress behind the counter.

  “Of course, darlin’. You want that warmed up?”

  “No, thank you. I’m not going to eat it until later, anyway.”

  “Here you go, doll,” said the woman. I watched Ali hand her a five-dollar bill and turn to walk away. “Miss,” called out the woman, “don’t forget your change.”

  “That’s okay. Please keep it.”

  “I brought yogurt,” I said once we were back in the car.

  “I know. I just think it’s rude to use the restroom and not buy anything.”

  “I think they’re used to it.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll be hungry later. Or you will.”

  There was something about her simple act of courtesy that shamed me. I doubted I’d ever be able to use a restroom again without buying something.

  When we got back to the mechanic’s, it was open. “Wait here. I’ll be right back,” I said, parking in an open space near her car.

  I told the kid behind the counter why I was there and that “my girlfriend” and I had had a miscommunication the day before. She didn’t realize I’d already purchased a new battery when she had the car towed.

  “You want us to put that in for you?” he asked.

  “I can do it, since I didn’t purchase it from you.”

  “Have at it,” he said, handing me the keys.

  There were at least five things wrong with what the kid had just done, but rather than lecture him, I took care of Ali’s car. The sooner we were on our way and this was behind us, the better.

  As I’d predicted, after I put the new battery in, the car started up just fine. I closed the hood and walked over to her window when she rolled it down.

  “Oh, no!” she gasped.

  “What?”

  “Your shirt!”

  I looked down and saw a big black slash of grease on my crisp white dress shirt. “Not a big deal. I’ve got my jacket.”

  “I’m so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

  My imagination could conjure up all kinds of stuff Miss Ali could do for me. None of them had anything to do with my shirt…unless it involved removing it. “I’ll tell you what you can do. Climb out. I’m going to drive your car and make sure it’s running okay. You can take mine.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I can figure out whether my car is running okay or not, Cope.”

  “Humor me. Consider it atoning for my ruined shirt.”

  She sighed, but she got out, and I handed her my keys.

  “Don’t forget your pie,” I said, motioning to the box she’d left on the front seat after grabbing her bag.

  “Actually, I got it for you since I wouldn’t let you have any more baklava last night.”

  She was so damn cute I wanted to take her lips instead—they had to be sweeter than any dessert I’d ever tasted.

  “I’ll see you over there.”

  “Cope, wait.”

  “Yeah?” I said before climbing into her car.

  “Thank you for doing this for me. I want you to let me reimburse you for the battery and the shirt.”

  I wouldn’t tell her that my shirt was a gift from my mother, that it was monogrammed, or that it cost five-times what the battery did. “Tell you what, instead of
reimbursing me, walk over to where that bike sits near your window and give it a go.”

  Her cheeks flushed. “Why is that so important to you?”

  “I don’t know. It just is.”

  When Ali shook her head and got in my car, I backed hers up and pulled out of the lot.

  Seven

  Ali

  By the time I backed Cope’s car out to follow him to the courthouse, the light had turned red, and I was glad. I needed a minute to remind myself who I was dealing with. I knew better than to fall for Cope’s charm, but he sure as hell wasn’t making it easy. He worked the handsome-enough-to-be-a-politician thing like a pro.

  Add in how considerate he’d been, and before I knew it, I’d be convincing myself he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. Again, I knew better.

  I pulled partway out of the lot and glanced in the rearview mirror while I waited for the light to change; I needed to put on some lipstick when I got to the courthouse. I also reminded myself to make sure I had my press credentials around my neck before I went upstairs.

  When I looked up to make sure the light hadn’t turned green, I saw a car barreling toward me out of the corner of my eye. “Please stop,” I begged out loud seconds before it slammed into the side of Cope’s car.

  I felt the crunch of metal as though it was inside my body. My teeth gnashed hard. I heard a sound so loud it hurt my ears milliseconds before the car’s airbags deployed. They slammed into my body, both from the front and from the side.

  That was the last thing I remembered.

  I knew I was in a bed. I could hear lots of beeping sounds…and voices. One in particular sounded familiar. My eyes fluttered open, but it was too bright, so I closed them again.

  My body hurt, and it was hard to breathe.

  “We’ll get her up to X-ray and see if anything’s broken,” I heard another voice say. “Have you managed to reach her next of kin?”

  “I’m working on it,” said the familiar man’s voice.

  “Cope, what can I do?” I heard a woman ask.

  “Get over to the courthouse. Explain there’s been an accident and that I need a twenty-four-hour continuance.”

  “Wouldn’t it be easier if you went and I stayed with her?”

  “No,” I heard the voice snap. It was Cope’s. That’s what the woman had said. “I’m not leaving her here alone.”

  “She won’t be alone. I’ll be with her.” The woman’s voice sounded more soothing.

  “Please, Stella, just do as I ask.”

  I felt a hand on my arm and tried again to open my eyes. Why did the lights above me have to be so bright?

  “Hey, Ali, how are you doing?” said the woman.

  “Too bright,” I groaned.

  “Cope, she’s awake. Get a nurse, and turn those lights off.” I felt her squeeze my arm. “I’ll let you know when you can open your eyes.”

  “I need you both to step outside,” someone else said.

  “She wants the lights off.”

  I heard movement.

  “Go ahead and open your eyes now, sweetheart.”

  When I did, someone I didn’t recognize was standing over me.

  “What’s your name, miss?”

  “Um…Ali Graham,” I murmured.

  “Do you know what day it is, Ali?”

  It hurt to talk. “Tuesday?” I whispered.

  “That’s right. Do you know why you’re in the hospital, Ali?”

  “No.” I couldn’t say anything else; my chest felt like a ton of bricks was sitting on it.

  “You were in an accident. Do you remember anything about it?”

  “No,” I said again, wishing I didn’t have to talk.

  “We’re going to get you up to X-ray in a few minutes. Is there someone we can call? Do you have family who lives close by?”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head but just barely. It hurt too much to try to move it more than that.

  “Sir, I asked you to wait outside.”

  I felt fingertips brush my hair from my forehead, opened my eyes, and looked into Cope’s.

  “Hi, there,” he murmured.

  I blinked a couple of times; I was in too much pain to talk.

  “I’m going to ask you a couple of questions, sweetheart. Blink once for yes and twice for no.”

  “Do you mind?” the nurse growled.

  “Ali, do you have family I can contact? Someone in your phone? Mom? Dad?”

  I blinked twice, fast.

  “Okay. Siblings?”

  I repeated the movement.

  “Got it. How about a contact in case of emergency?”

  This time I blinked once. “Desi,” I whispered.

  “Desi. Great. Last thing, what’s the password to your phone?”

  “Desi,” I repeated.

  “He needs the password,” said the nurse.

  I looked at Cope, who punched the name into my phone. “Got it. I’ll give her a call, and then I’ll be back.”

  “You can wait outside until I’m finished,” said the nurse, but Cope was already gone. “Sit tight. The doctor will be in to talk to you in a few minutes.”

  As if I was going anywhere. Once she was gone, the reporter I’d met yesterday came in.

  “You’re a mess, sis,” she said with a smile. “But I think Cope’s a bigger one. I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”

  “Don’t,” I whispered.

  “You in a lot of pain?”

  I slowly nodded my head.

  “Well, shit, they haven’t even started an IV to get you meds. I’ll get on that, and then I have to get to the courthouse. Not sure anyone is going to grant a continuance because I ask, but Cope refuses to leave the hospital, so…”

  I closed my eyes. I wanted to tell him he could leave, but those were too many words for me to try to string together.

  “Why are you still here, Stella?” Cope said when he came back in, carrying my phone.

  “I didn’t want to leave Ali alone. Isn’t that what you said?”

  “Right. Well, I’m back.”

  “You go,” I said with enough force that my insides seized. I squeezed my eyes shut.

  “Seriously, Cope, go. I’ll stay here. I want to make sure someone comes to start an IV, anyway.”

  I pleaded with my eyes, and he brushed my hair away from my forehead a second time. If I could talk, I’d tell him it was a losing battle. My bangs always fell forward.

  “If you’re sure. I won’t be gone long. Just until I can get the judge to grant a continuance.”

  I didn’t have the strength to argue or stop myself from falling to sleep. Even breathing took too much energy. I closed my eyes and let the darkness engulf me, dreaming that he leaned down and kissed my cheek.

  I woke again when someone came in to start the IV. “You’re going to feel a lot better really soon,” a different voice said. I didn’t care enough to try to open my eyes. I just hoped she was right. “Here we go,” she murmured. A warm, happy feeling blanketed me, and I went back to sleep.

  I had no idea how much time had passed when a man came in and introduced himself as the doctor. He asked me many of the same questions the nurse had. At some point later, I felt the bed moving. “Taking you to X-ray,” a soft male voice said.

  I slept off and on as they moved my body around. Whatever was in the IV definitely did its job, because I was feeling no pain.

  When I opened my eyes again, I was in a room and Cope was seated in a chair next to the bed, looking at his phone.

  “You’re awake,” he said, setting his cell down and leaning forward.

  “Why are you here?”

  “Nice to see you too, Ali.”

  I smiled. Thank God I could without feeling like my body was going to crack in two.

  “To answer your question, I’m here because you were in an automobile accident this morning. Do you remember what happened?”

  I closed my eyes. I remember sitting at the red light, waiting for it to change so I
could pull all the way out into the intersection. After that…nothing.

  “Why am I here?”

  “They want to keep you for observation, given you can’t remember the accident. As far as injuries, a broken arm is the worst of it.”

  I looked down at the cast wrapped with bright-pink fabric on my left arm.

  “They’ll have to see how well you heal before they decide on surgery. By the way, Desi is on her way here.”

  “She is? Why?”

  “You’re going to need help, Ali. She also has your medical power of attorney, not that it’s needed now. I strongly encourage you to appoint someone here as her second, just in case.”

  I closed my eyes. “I wish you hadn’t asked her to come.” I turned my head away.

  “Hey now.” He waited for me to look at him before he said anything more. “You were in a serious car accident. You aren’t going to be able to function on your own once you’re out of the hospital. I didn’t ask Desi to come. The minute I told her what happened, she said she’d be on the next flight out.”

  I turned my head away again so Cope couldn’t see my tears.

  “Ali,” he said with a soft voice. “What’s going on?”

  “Your car.”

  Cope stood, came around to the other side of the bed, and sat in a different chair. “The last thing I care about right now is my car. Yours is running fine, by the way.”

  I laughed, and my eyes almost rolled back in my head. “Jesus,” I groaned.

  “Best not to try to expand your rib cage. That’ll hurt. Your ribs aren’t broken, but they are bruised.”

  “Bruised? I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure every one of them is shattered.”

  “It’s because of the airbags. Happens a lot to people who are as small as you are.” He picked up my cell phone that was sitting on the table by the bed. “By the way, someone named Jessica has called several times.”

  “My boss.”

  “I can step out if you need to call her back.”

  I shook my head. “I can do it later.”

  “At least you didn’t break your right arm.”

  “Why?”

  “Might be hard to write.”