by Brook Greene
****
It seems like everywhere I go now, if I hear the loud rumble of pipes, I turn and search for him. If I see a black car, my mind registers it as a Camaro, Leo’s black Camaro.
Dalton had give me a funny look when I had left for work, the two to ten shift was not my favorite but it was always the most uneventful. Due to the prisoners being locked down in their cells. Mostly just running through the usual cold, fever or having to change a bandage or two.
I walk through the door and I am greeted by Manny, ‘hey girl, pulled the late shift uh?”
Smiling at him, he was older as his dark hair was peppered with white and a little grey, ‘yeah, been busy today?” I sign in and take my badge.
“No but who knows,’ he turns and points out of the window, ‘full moon is when the crazies come out to play.”
“Yeah, see ya later.” I am buzzed through and follow Zach, as he leads me down the lime green hall to the infirmary. There was one patient waiting for me as an uneasy feeling engulfed me.
“You have one tonight, girl I will be right outside. Holler if you need anything.” He turns and walks to the door, I appreciate the view as he walks to the windowed door.
“Night Zachy.” I give him a curt wave stopping him, he turns and comes back to me.
“Avery baby just say the word and I will be all over you.” His hand has found my waist and is tugging on my scrubs. I had considered him months ago to but, Leo has ruined me for anyone else plus the fact I am at least five years older than him gives me pause.
“Zach, thank you but honey workplace romance is frowned upon.” I can feel his hot breath tickling my cheek.
“Romance isn’t what I want to do to this body.” The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as Leo’s voice rings through my ears.
Pushing him away, ‘and ruin our friendship, not ever.” I turn taking the chart for the patient hoping Zach can see that his window of opportunity has closed.
Lightly laughing, ‘babe just say the word, is all you gotta do.” He tugs one more time on the side of my shirt and then he is out of the door.
“Nurse.” A gruff voice from behind the curtain calls.
“Just a sec let me-“ but before I can get the words out I am pushed face first up against the wall. There is a large hand holding the back of my head so I cannot turn to see who it is. My legs are kicked apart them my arms are restrained to either side of me.
Then the hot smelly breath is at my ear, ‘you scream,’ I feel a sharp poke at my side, ‘I will end you.”
I feel as a rough callused hand tugs my shirt up and is on the soft skin at my side, ‘um do you know how long it has been since I felt a woman’s soft skin?”
I whimper, ‘please don’t, I want tell anyone if you just st-“
“Shut up bitch, this has nothing to do with you. I need to get a message to that asshole boyfriend of yours.”
Shaking my head the best I can, ‘we aren’t together anymore, I swear.” I press my eyes together as the hand travels down under the waist band of my pants. His gruff fingers tug at my panties, another whimper escapes my throat.
“Shut up, I would hate to have to hurt pretty boy out there,’ his hand travel further down under my panties. I winch as he breaks the folds as he does he licks my ear, ‘um god I had forgotten, so fucking sweet especially the ones that take care of themselves like you do.”
I feel the tear leave the corner of my eye and concentrate on the trail that it makes down my cheek. His hand has forced its way in and is roughly making me jerk with each harsh thrust.
“You don’t have to do this, please.” I beg as I strain against the hands that are holding my wrists.
“He has to know shit will not be let go, you can't make a deal and then go back on it. So I have decided to make you my new plaything. Taking what is his as mine, then sending you back used up.” His gruff nasty smelling laugh makes me gag, I didn’t not know what I done until after I hear him cuss. The vomit had run down his left leg and pooled around his foot.
“You stupid fucking cunt.” He slammed my head into the wall, ‘now you fucking listen, tell Leo boy that if the shit doesn’t show up there in two days, there is no where he can hide you from me.” This time he takes a hand full of my hair in his hands shoving my face so hard into the wall it knocks me out.
****
Leo
It had been five days since I had sent Avery packing, for her own good. Dalton had been spending every moment possible at the girl’s apartment keeping me up to date on Avery. I know it was a shitty thing to do but I had to know every detail, what she said and how she was doing. According to Dalton she was doing about as good as I was.
I was sitting at my desk in the shop staring off into dead air when my phone rang, looking at the screen the caller id announced it was Dalton with another update, ‘hey man, what’s up?”
“Uh, not much just Avery pulled the night shift at the pokey tonight. She left about forty five minutes ago.” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“Really? That is unusual,’ I could hear the sound of water running in the back ground, ’are you taking a piss while you are on the phone with me jackass?”
“Um yea, I have to have an excuse to be alone somehow.” The toilet flushes and then the sound of him washing his hands fills the air.
“It's still disgusting,‘ I pause taking in a deep breath, ‘but thanks man, I owe you one.”
“Yea you do, Piper finds out I am here spying, she will have my nuts in a vice.”
“What and she doesn’t already?” Dalton and his lovesick antics have been fuel for the constant ribbing from the guys around the shop.
“Fuck you because I do believe you are the one who sent me here to spy on a girl you kicked out of your bedroom.” His voice laced with smugness because he knows he has me on this.
“Yea well-‘ I am interrupted by Roman throwing open my office door in a panic.
“Avery is at the hospital, she was attacked at work tonight by one of the inmates.” I don’t know what happened between the shop and the hospital, the only thing on my mind, was getting to her. Thank the people above Roman was driving. After raising the fucking roof in the emergency room I was let back to see her. When I walk into her room my pulse raced and I had to wipe my hands down my jeans to dry them. My heart stopped when I saw her, the soft delicate skin of her face is a mess. Her left eye is swollen shut and her hair is a tangled mess of blood.
I turn and go back out and flip open my phone to call her Dad.
“I did what you ask and now Avery is at the fucking hospital because I wasn’t around to keep an eye on her, are you fucking happy?” I hang up before he can get a chance to reply to my statement, knowing I couldn’t have done anything about what happen but I can now so my next call is one way over due to the prison informing them Avery will not be back.
****
Avery
The slight humming noise is what I heard first then Piper screaming, ‘Leo! No wait!” The door slamming into the wall jolts my eyes straight up.
“Fuck! I am going to kill the mother fucker.” His voice is unrecognizable.
“Leo man, calm down, you are in the hospital. Let’s just see how bad it is.” Roman’s voice of reason breaks through his rage only a small bit.
“I fucking warned her, I told her they would do this.” The fuzzy figure of Leo is pacing at the foot of my bed and no one in the room has noticed I am awake.
“Um guys.” I mumble feeling like I have sandpaper for skin in my throat.
“Oh shit, Avery!” Piper shrieks and is at my bedside in a millisecond. I close my eyes as her hand strokes my forehead, ‘you feelin’ any pain?”
Nodding my head I watch as Piper is plucked from my side and the space filled with Leo, ‘baby, are you okay.” His eyes scan my face and he winces when they land on the knot above my eye, his fingers ease over it and then he kisses me, ‘Damnit Avery why can't you listen baby?” Instead of anger being behind his comment
his eyes are soft and full of regret, ‘this is my shit not yours but I will fix it and he will know who he is fucking with. I promise you.” His jaw is set and tense, the muscles jerking from the pressure he is putting on his teeth.
“Did he say anything to you Avery or just knock you out?” Piper ask as she has circles the bed and has propped herself up beside me. Oh god they don’t know, they didn’t do a rape kit because I was fully dressed when they found me.
I turn to the room filled with all of Leo’s men, ‘I need to speak to Piper for a minute if you guys don’t mind?” Confusion covers Leo’s face as he orders the rest out, ‘you too Leo and take Dalton with you, just me and Piper please?” My voice is unrecognizable as Piper offers me water through a straw.
She stands eyeing Leo, ‘it's all good, I will fill you in later.” I wince at the thought when Leo finds the man had his hands on me.
With the room cleared and the door secured, ‘okay chicky spill it, what did he say to you?” Piper slides up on my bed next to me.
I shift on the bed and wince in pain my head was busting and my body was one continuous ache. I can't tell her; because she would then tell Leo and he would run off and get himself killed or worse on death row for murder so I decide to omit certain parts.
“Piper he told me,’ I pause and take a breath, ‘he told me Leo has something of his and if he doesn’t produce it in two days, he was going to-.“ A sob leaves my throat, ‘Leo will never be able to hide me from him or his men and then-.” It is on the tip of my tongue but I can't bring myself to tell her. I leave it at what the prisoner told me.
“That’s all, nothing else?” I nod yes Piper leans in and kisses my forehead and skirts the bed and leaves the room in a hurry. Five minutes later Leo reenters and crosses over to me.
Taking the seat beside me he takes my hand in his, ‘babe was this guy’s name Max?”
I close my eyes and envision the chart I had been holding in my hand the moment before, ‘um Maxwell Cain, I believe, does the name ring a bell?” He sits quiet for a moment his elbows prompt up on his knees.
He turns his gorgeous gaze to me, ‘did he do anything else to you Avery?”
I flinch but quickly regain composure, ‘no, uh no just slapped me around a bit, that’s all.”
His eyes glaze over and I know he can never know Max laid a hand on me. Much less what he had done to me, it would kill him and then in turn Leo would kill Max and be sent to prison for the rest of his life, ‘is that all, you would tell me if he did anything else wouldn’t you baby?” He pleads.
“Yes Leo, that’s all he did.” I bring his hand up to my cheek, ‘you didn’t call me.” changing the subject.
He sighs heavily, ‘I told you we would play the game your way, so you were the one who didn’t call.”
I didn’t feel like fighting about this right now, ‘when do I get to leave this place?” I shift again under his humorous gaze.
“You are a nurse who doesn’t like hospitals? That is the funniest shit I have heard in a long time babe.” His shoulders move with the roll of his laugh.
“I like them just fine, except for when I am a patient in them.” Sound reasoning.
“They are saying tomorrow, but there is something else we need to talk about babe.” He takes a deep breath and runs his hand through his hair yet again, ‘but it can wait until later, you need to get some rest and I need to go to work.” He stands and leans into me with his lips softly touching my ear, ‘get better fast baby, I miss you.”
He turns to leave as I quickly grab his arm immediately consumed by fear, ‘Leo don’t do anything stupid please?” I beg him.
“Honey in my world what happen to you cannot be let go, there are some people I need to talk to. Don’t worry, all in a day for me baby.” His movements say calm but the sea rolling in his eyes say retaliation.
He opens the door letting Piper know she can return to me. I see him stop and whisper something into Roman’s ear then continues past him out of my sight. Roman and Dalton peek their heads in offering their goodbyes, Dalton plants a kiss on Piper and then they too disappear.
The room falls into an eerie uncomfortable silence, Piper cannot sit still as she fidgets with everything sitting around her. Then she is up pacing the room and then back to her seat.
“Okay Piper what is wrong?” I huff and adjust so I can see her.
“Oh just all this mess, I don’t like how this is going down.” She dust imaginary lint off her jeans, she knows something I don’t.
“How bad is this, what have I done Piper?” I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingers.
She leans up and pats my leg, ‘Oh baby it is nothing you have done, tell you what why don’t you rest and we will deal in the morning ok?” She tries to plaster a chipper face on. The nurse enters and introduces a liquid filled syringe into my IV.
I feel my stiff muscles lighten as the wave of pharmaceutically induced haze flows over me.
****
I have had a guard at my door all night, his name is Eno. He is a clone of Leo and by the name I am guessing he is somehow genetically linked to him too.
When he sees I am awake, ‘hey baby girl, you feeling alright this morning?” He ducks his heavy black haired laden head into my room. He is a large man, cute with his dimples and dark hair.
I nod, ‘yes, you must be Eno?” I push myself up slightly.
His big frame clears the door and with his long strides he closes the distance to my bed, taking the chair Piper had vacated, ‘I am and you must be my brothers Avery.”
The sound of the words he spoke warms my heart, ‘I don’t know about belonging to your brother but yes I am Avery.” I sheepishly look away from him as I feel the heat of a blush coming on.
“You might not think so but my brothers mood says different, anyway you get to go home today.” His voice is chipper which doesn’t at all go with his physique.
I look at him and raise my eyebrows, ‘yeah me!”
Leaning into me he makes eye contact, ‘and just so you want be givin’ my boy any grief, I tell you this so you can go ahead and get over it, he has done and called the prison letting them know why you have resigned your position there.” He stands before the information can completely sink in, ‘I will get a wheel chair for you.” My stunned silence says it all as Eno walks out of the door.
Leo has bulldozed his way through my life once more taking from me something which was solely mine. How am I going to find another job, I didn’t work a notice and I am sure the prison will not be a great reference, Eno was right I am livid.
Eno reenters with a wheel chair, ‘you ready?” His face plastered with a smug smile.
Waving his offered away, ‘Eno, I can do this myself and besides I have to change out of this gown.” I turn throwing my legs over the side of the bed and wince slightly at the pain the sudden movements cause.
“All fire just like Leo said, don’t shoot the messenger. I will get a nurse to help okay?” After he leaves I kick myself for being rude to him, he seems like an alright guy who has an asshole for a brother.
After I had dismissed Eno, Leo showed his face I was not pleased when he did either.
“You ready baby?” He ducked into the room gently shutting the door behind him.
“Yes.” I was not in the mood to deal with his shit or him for that matter, ‘why are you here, I think I asked Piper to come and get me.”
“You did but I came instead.” The bemused look on his face is only adding to my anger.
“Oh joy.” My sarcasm was wearing on his nerves, the heavy sigh and then the kick of the chair were my clues.
“What the fuck now, Avery?” He is standing with his hands on his hips.
“Oh nothing, nothing at fucking all, just you ruined any chances of me ever getting another job, ever.” I jerk my bag Piper had brought me free from his hand and head for the door, ‘don’t bother following, I can call a cab.” Before I can breach the doorway Leo has me by the arm and tu
rned into him.
“Not today, not ever are you to go out alone till I get this shit taken care of you understand?” His smoldering eyes are melting with the heat of his stare.
I push against him with my free hand as he has yanked the bag from me again, ‘get the fuck off of me Leo.” I demand.
“Don’t do this to me today Avery.” He was like an unwavering wall I could not move and his hands were a vice grip around my upper arm.
“Do what to you today, let you know how I am over the whole Neanderthal shit or basically you telling me what to do. Or how your fucked up life has bleed over into mine which landed me here!” The slightly opened door was letting our conversation flood out and down the halls making the staff notice.
His eyes narrowed and he lowered his voice, ‘either you can sit your cute ass down in the wheelchair,’ he kicked the vacant wheelchair to bring my attention to it, ‘or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here. Which I don’t think the hospital will see it as a turn on as much as I do, as in they might call the cops on me and take me to jail.”
“Good because from what I have been getting here lately that is where you belong.” I am still struggling to free my hand from his.
“Have it your way baby,’ with a quick jerk and a flip of his arm I am flying through the air and landing belly down on his big shoulder. He strides the rest of the way out of the door he flicks his head back, ‘Eno get her bags.”
Eno looks befuddled but hesitates only for a second, ‘brother not really the best way for her to exit the hospital after she has been here for being assaulted?” Eno’s expression is soft as he tries to reason with his older brother.
“No lip, get the bags.” His short clipped answer was all Eno needed to duck into my room and finish up packing me and following us out.
The looks we got as we traversed the halls of the healing institution were, I must say, amusing because by this time I had quit fighting him and let him have his way.
“Excuse me Mr. Tucker, I don’t think after a head trauma you should be carrying Ms. Delany upside down.” The doctor who had been treating me called after us.
