Calvin’s laughing eyes met Caledonia’s.
Crystal went on, “The funny thing is–He really is a therapy dog now. I’ve been bringing him with me the past few days and they asked me to visit the kids in the pediatric ward a couple of times. You should see how sweet he is with them!”
“He’s a good boy,” Calvin said proudly, ruffling his fur. Poddy tipped his head back with a big doggie grin in response.
“He kept trying to wake you up when they had you knocked out,” Crystal said. “He wouldn’t stop licking your face. For a three legged dog, I sure had a hard time keeping him off the bed.”
Jarod’s phone buzzed in his pocket and he stepped out in the hall to answer it. “I have to get back to the shop,” he announced when he returned.
“I guess we’ll leave you two alone then,” Crystal said. “Let us know when they release you and we’ll come pick you up.”
“Can you keep Poddy ‘till they let me out of here?” Calvin asked.
“Gladly! I’d keep him if you let me,” Crystal said, picking him up and cuddling him in her arms.
“No way,” Calvin said.
“You’ll have your hands full in no time, “ Cali said, getting up to give her a hug goodbye with a pat on the belly.
“Do you think I could borrow him once in a while to bring him around here? It’s so good for the kids to see how he overcame bad stuff like losing his leg–you know?”
Caledonia smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”
When they left the nurse came back in, and Caledonia wasted no time informing her that she’d be staying until Calvin was released.
“When can I go home?” Calvin asked the nurse.
“The doctor will release you once you can get up and walk around without feeling lightheaded. He’ll be making his rounds in a couple of hours.”
Caledonia looked over the cart the nurse had wheeled in. “I think I can handle his bath myself,” she told the woman.
The nurse considered her request, her eyes evaluating the determined girl. “You must be Cali,” she said.
“Um, yes. How did you know?”
She nodded her head towards Calvin. “This one here has been muttering your name since he started coming around.” She nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, go ahead. Leave the cart in the hallway when you’re done.”
When she left Calvin breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
Caledonia went over to the cart, taking inventory and moving it closer to his bedside.
Calvin raised his brows at her. “I think I can get up and take my own shower.”
“Not if you’re feeling dizzy. What if you fall and hurt your head again?”
“I’m fine,” he protested.
She ignored him, taking a basin behind the curtain to fill it with warm water.
“Cali?” he called out. “What are you doing?”
She came back to the bed, lowering the rail and sitting on the bedside. “Did I ever tell you that I used to play doctor with my pets when I was a little girl?”
He grinned at her. “You wanna play doctor with me?”
She reached over to untie the strings on his hospital gown. “Lets get this off of you. Doctor’s orders.”
He let her undress him, watching her as she sponged off his arms and chest, careful to avoid his bandaged shoulder.
“So what happened?” he asked.
She began with the kidnapping, haltingly telling him about being taken to the cabin with Michael. Once she got past the part where Michael was mutilated it got easier to talk about, and she recounted everything she remembered, right up to getting on the airplane.
Calvin listened without speaking, his heart breaking at the thought of all that she’d been through while he was sedated, completely oblivious to her suffering. “Cali–” his voice cracked. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there–”
Her eyes flashed with terror at the thought. “I’m glad you weren’t! I don’t think I could have taken watching you go through that!”
“But I might have helped! I was completely useless,” he said ruefully.
“That’s not true. The worst part of the whole thing was not having any idea how you were doing … Or if you were even alive.” She whimpered at the thought, crawling on top of him to erase the memory with a long, sweet kiss.
When their lips parted he smiled, pulling the hair back from her face. “I have one more question.”
“What?”
“I still really want a shower. I’m pretty sure I’m up for it. Will you help me get in?”
She looked at him skeptically. “Are you sure?”
“I really feel much better.”
“Okay.” She helped him up, and with her arm firmly around his waist she steered him to the small bathroom at the back of the room. “You have to make sure to keep your bandage dry.”
When they got to the shower door he reached around to pull her body close. “I’m still feeling a little dizzy, so you’re going to have to come inside with me,” he said. “You know, to make sure I don’t slip or something.”
She looked up at him with suspicion, not at all surprised to find him smiling down at her with a familiar look in his eye.
“I guess you are feeling better.”
~
Chapter Seventeen
REDEMPTION
~
Layla and Ramon’s first stop was Venice Beach, and they walked along the boardwalk holding hands, taking in the vibrant atmosphere and stopping every so often to watch the street performers. Vendors called out for them to buy things they didn’t want, and the pungent smells of suntan lotion, smoke and frying food combined with the swirling sea breeze.
They stopped to watch a group of people playing drums in a circle on the sand while a solo girl danced wildly in their midst, spinning her hair in circles. Layla watched her with fascination, impressed by the almost trance-like state she had worked herself into.
“I think there’s a rule that there has to be at least one hippie chick dancing,” Ramon chuckled into her ear.
“I see,” she nodded, not really sure what he meant.
Layla observed the crowds of people with a new awareness, continually surprised by what she saw. There were troubled people all around, and it seemed as though every out of the way corner had someone sprawled out in it.
Layla had always seen people’s colors, but the places she’d been to had never contained so much desperation. Cheerful tourists wandered side by side with drug-addled drifters, and there were hollow, broken people everywhere. In the span of just a few minutes Layla saw happiness and hostility, fear, excitement, and sorrow. Emotions swirled and blended into a crazy quilt of colors, making her dizzy.
Bored people sat smoking cigarettes next to signs begging for money, and more than one would-be thief scanned the crowds of tourists with such malicious intent that it took her breath away. Layla found the bizarre colors radiating from the unusual mix of people distressing, and drew closer and closer to Ramon as the day wore on.
“You okay?” he asked, keeping his arm around her waist.
She nodded yes. “Why are so many people sleeping on the ground?” she asked.
“You mean the homeless?” he asked.
“I guess. Why don’t they have homes?” she asked.
“Mostly drugs,” he said. “Some of them are mentally ill, some are runaways.”
“What are they running away from?”
“Oh Layla,” he sighed, “Not everyone comes a happy home.”
“I know that,” she said, thinking about how the professor had kept her and Michael locked away from society for so many years. Had this been what it was really like the whole time? The sheer variety of people on the street was a revelation to her.
They would pass an artist or street performer and join the crowds of tourists that stood and watched, but Layla’s eyes would always stray to the shadowy figures wearing dirty rags and pushing shopping carts in the background. She wondered why she’d never no
ticed them before.
They dodged rollerbladers with boom boxes balanced on their shoulders, skateboarders doing tricks on unattended curbs, and families walking with dripping ice cream cones. They stopped for a moment at the muscle beach area to watch a few men lifting weights, their oily bodies bulging with muscles.
“Would you like me better if I looked like that?” Ramon asked.
“No!” she exclaimed, not realizing that she was being teased until she looked up into his amused eyes.
Ramon had wanted to visit Venice Beach for a long time, but the place was grungier and grittier than he had imagined. After one too many belligerent panhandlers hounded them for spare change he turned to ask Layla, “Have you had enough?”
“Yes,” she said emphatically.
“Lets get out of here.”
Their next stop was the Hollywood walk of fame, and they started with the famous Chinese Theatre. It was crowded, with throngs of people jockeying for position as they searched for their favorite celebrity’s handprints and footprints in cement. More aggressive salespeople worked the crowd, pushing tickets for maps and tours of the star’s homes.
People dressed up like movie characters roamed among the tourists, offering to pose for pictures with them in exchange for a fee. Layla saw all sorts of superheroes and monsters, two Michael Jacksons, and at least three Marilyn Monroe impersonators competing for attention and dollars.
It was a carnival-like atmosphere, with snack and souvenir stands lining the streets. The stars in the sidewalks went on for blocks, so Ramon and Layla walked arm in arm, looking down to see how many names they recognized. The further they got from the theater, the more obscure the celebrities grew, and the more names Layla recognized. Ramon was surprised, impressed by how much she knew about all of the forgotten film stars.
“Teddy liked old movies,” she explained, rattling off lists of films that the unfamiliar names appeared in.
The crowds thinned as they kept going, and the storefronts grew shabbier and shabbier. Porn shops replaced souvenir stands, and the pungent smell of urine wafted from every alley. Now when they encountered aggressive panhandlers or salesmen Layla repelled them with a quick blast of fear, tired of being harassed.
Scantily clad women strutted in frighteningly high heels, pouting and preening for any man that crossed their paths. They smiled when they spotted Ramon, calling out to him, their hopes fading when their eyes landed upon Layla.
“They’re working girls,” Ramon murmured into her ear, but he didn’t need to explain to her what kind of work they did. Layla knew all too well.
“Have you seen enough stars?” Ramon asked her.
“Yeah,” she said.
“What do you want to do now?” he asked.
“I want to go home,” she said, surprised to have a vision of the Redcastle ruins appear in her mind. She had a strong urge to be there, to breathe the fresh wild air, to see the unspoiled land. Cali was always right about it, she thought. It was their heritage, and it was worth fighting for.
They turned to head back the way they came, nearly colliding with a pair of girls. Layla’s eyes immediately fell upon the younger looking one, focusing on her tear-streaked face. Her smeared makeup was not nearly as alarming as the deep purple anxiety that radiated from her.
“Layla?” her companion blurted out, “Oh my God! It is you!”
Layla searched her face, surprised to see a slightly more shopworn version of the girl she’d last seen walking out of Max’s house in a huff on the night everyone was killed. It was one of Michael’s old girlfriends.
“Sugar?” she asked.
The raven-haired girl threw her arms around Layla while Ramon stood watching in shock. “I thought you were dead! The last time I saw you was–”
“I know,” Layla cut her off, not wanting to re-visit the memory.
“What about Michael?” Sugar asked, “Did he make it out of there too?”
“Yes.”
“Where is he? Can I see him?”
“We moved away,” Layla told her. “I’m only here on vacation.”
Sugar started to ramble on about what a sweet kid Michael was, and how they’d had such good times together. Her breath smelled like alcohol, and she slurred her words a little as she spoke. Layla’s eyes kept straying to the frightened girl by her side. She didn’t look much older than fourteen or fifteen.
“Who’s your friend?” Sugar asked, eyeing Ramon with a smile.
“Sugar, this is Ramon,” Layla gestured. “And yours?”
“This is Penny,” she leaned forward to blow her fetid breath in Layla’s ear. “She’s a newbie. I’m just showing her the ropes.”
Layla looked to the frightened girl, holding out her hand with a sympathetic smile. “Pleased to meet you.”
The girl took a step back with a scowl, wary of her kindness. She had the outwardly tough act perfected, but Layla could see straight through it to the frightened child that she really was.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Same here.”
Sugar pulled Layla aside, walking her a few steps away. “Hey–Can you help me out? Do you have any money I can borrow?”
“I’m sorry,” Layla told her. “I just found out that I’m completely broke.”
“What about the hottie?” Sugar asked, her eyes trained on Ramon. Layla turned around to see a man rush up to him, menace in his step.
“You buying or what?” the man asked Ramon, grabbing hold of Penny’s arm and thrusting her towards him. Layla saw the girl cringe with sour green fear.
Sugar looked up with alarm, scurrying back over to Penny’s side. “Sorry Danny–We were just talking to my friend Layla here.”
When Layla returned to Ramon’s side the man sized her up with a scowl. “I told you to get busy!” he snarled at Sugar, “You’re wasting my time.” He grabbed Penny by the arm, starting to lead her away from them. “I got someone who wants to meet you.”
Penny resisted, looking back to Sugar desperately, as if she wanted her protection. Sugar just shrugged. “You’ll be okay,” she told her.
“Wait a minute!” Layla called out, rushing around him to plant herself squarely in the man’s path.
“What the hell do you want?” he asked, his scowl deepening.
“I want to talk to Penny.”
“What for?” the man asked, thrusting the girl behind him and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
“I’d like to ask her something.” Layla dosed him with a momentary confusion, and he dropped his arms, staring off into space.
She went around him to take Penny by both hands, blasting her with enough peachy pink trust to get the truth out of her. “Do you want to go with him?” Layla asked.
The frightened girl shook her head from side to side. “No.”
“Then what are you doing here?” Layla asked.
“I dunno … I have nowhere else to go. I was sleeping on the street when Danny found me. He gave me some food and a place to stay. He was real nice to me at first.”
“And now?”
“He says I owe him–”
Layla’s eyes flashed with indignant anger. She remembered all the times that Max had told her the same thing, and failing to get his way, went on to threaten Michael with physical violence. The way Danny treated the both of the women told her all she needed to know.
“You don’t owe him a thing. Do you want to stay with him?”
Her eyes darted over to where he stood, rubbing his temples. “No,” she answered honestly.
Layla’s voice was urgent, “Listen. I know a safe place I can take you. A place with people who’ll help you. Do you want to go?”
Penny nodded yes, speechless.
Danny recovered from his temporary daze, making the mistake of returning to brutally yank Penny away from Layla.
Ramon stepped forward. “Hey!” he said, “Leave her alone!” Now it was Ramon’s turn to remember his sister’s abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, and his anger flared as brig
ht as Layla’s.
Danny balled his fists and advanced on Ramon. “Stay the hell outa my business.”
Threatening Ramon would end up being his last mistake of the day, because before he knew it the redhead was in his face again, and when he looked into her eyes he was suddenly overtaken by a terrible, all encompassing dread. He staggered backwards, tripping over his own feet as he fell to the ground.
“Baby!” Sugar squealed, rushing to his side.
“Get her away from me!” Danny shrieked like he was on fire.
Sugar looked up at Layla with a vicious twist to her face. “You bitch! What did you do to him?”
Layla ignored her, speaking to Ramon in a perfectly calm voice, “Penny is going to be coming with us. I know a place to take her.”
~
The women at Shepard’s house welcomed Penny with open arms, and Layla left her with a shot of courage, hoping that she’d find the strength to overcome whatever demons had driven her onto the streets in the first place.
Ramon stood back and watched Layla in action, incredibly proud of the way she took charge of the situation. Helping Penny made Layla feel better than ever, and Ramon recognized the same satisfied glow in her eyes that she’d had the night they’d rescued the kidnapped girl.
“Let’s go home now,” he said.
Layla could see the admiration shining in his beautiful dark eyes. “Let’s.”
By the time they returned Mina’s car to her and got a ride to the airport it was late, and they were both tired. After they boarded their plane and took their seats Ramon heaved a deep sigh, rubbing his stiff neck. “I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.”
Layla realized that he’d had nearly as traumatic a time as she had, and flushed hot with guilt for being so self-centered. He’d dropped everything and come for her, and she shivered to imagine what might have happened if he hadn’t have been so determined to find her.
She reached over to take his hand. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”
“You are kind of a pain,” he squeezed her hand, a twinkle in his eye.
“You didn’t have to do what you did,” she said, her face grave.
The Redcastle Redemption (The Athena Effect) Page 15
