On A Wing And A Prayer Part 11

Sighing deeply, Ca.s.s lifted both hands to her face and rubbed vigorously. Get hold of yourself, Ca.s.s. Maybe E is right. Take a chance ... she's almost 3,000 miles away -- she can't hurt you.

Resolving to stop looking back, Ca.s.s stepped into the shower and washed the sweat from her body. The two day flight to Durango would allow her time to think. By the time she returned Friday afternoon, she should have some reaction from Rox to her last two posts ... she should have some indication about whether to pursue the relationship or not.

Freshly showered and dressed in her airline blues, she headed out the door, with higher spirits and a determined heart.

Rox made herself a fried egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast and sat curled up on the corner of Nikki's couch watching the weather channel as she ate. She watched with interest at the weather for the west coast, specifically California, wondering what Ca.s.s was doing at that very moment. Glancing at the digital time displayed at the bottom corner of the screen, she noted that it was 10:30 a.m. She's probably on her way to work, Rox, she said to herself ... just like YOU should be doing. That story will never be finished if you keep allowing interruptions like this, she scolded herself.

After finishing her sandwich, she stood up and stretched, then went into the kitchen to clean up after herself. Wiping her hands on a dishtowel, she looked at the clock once more and noted that it was only 11 am. Rummaging through the refrigerator, she found the fixings for salad and went to work throwing something together to feed Nikki for lunch. Opening a can of chicken noodle soup, she set it on the stove on low, and then looked once more at the clock. "Looks like I have time for a shower," she said out loud as she headed to Nikki and Jerri's room to find something to change into. She and Nikki were basically the same build, except she had a couple of inches in height on her friend.

Walking into their room, the first thing she noticed was the state of disarray their bed was in. The pillows were pushed up against the headboard and were nearly on top of one another. Her friends obviously slept very close together. For some reason, that simple arrangement of pillows struck a pang of loneliness in Rox's heart as she imagined her friends spooned together, wrapped around each other in a braid of love. Her bed had never looked like this. Chris simply retreated to the far reaches of the mattress after satisfaction was taken. No tender caresses, no vows of love and devotion. Just 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am', then roll over and go to sleep. Rox took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts from her mind as she made her friend's bed, then found clean underclothes, T-shirt and shorts to wear after her shower.

Rox was towel drying her hair when Nikki arrived home for lunch.

"Rox?" Nikki shouted as she came into the house through the kitchen door.

"In the bathroom, Nik!" Rox called out.

Nikki walked through the living into the downstairs bathroom and leaned against the door frame to watch her friend run her fingers through her short strawberry blonde hair, loosely combing it into place.

"I like your outfit," Nikki said, noticing the familiar clothing.

Rox grinned. "Thanks. I've got good taste in clothes, huh?" she said.

"Very good ... looks like something I would buy for myself," she quipped back.

"Are you hungry?" Rox asked, brushing the last errant lock into place.

"Very," Nikki replied as Rox threw her arm around her friend's shoulder and led her back to the kitchen, sitting her down in a chair. Moments later, Nikki had a bowl of hot soup and a crisp garden salad sitting in front of her.

"Wow!" Nikki exclaimed, looking at her friend. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"No, believe it or not, I just finished an egg sandwich for breakfast less than two hours ago. I'm really not hungry," she replied.

"Don't tell me ... you slept until, what -- 9:00 a.m.?" Nikki asked. Seeing her friend nod her head, she added, "Jesus, Rox, how can you sleep so late? You fell asleep on the couch about 10 p.m. last night. Do you realize that's 11 hours sleep?" she exclaimed.

"I don't know, Nik. I've always been a late sleeper," Rox said in her own defense.

"Bulls.h.i.t. You slept so late because you don't take care of yourself. Rox, you are so torn between your work and your home and Chris, that you don't take the time to really take care of your physical needs. You are going to run yourself right into the ground if you're not careful," Nikki lectured.

Rox just looked down at the table and endured the lecture. She knew her friend was right.

Nikki set her fork down and reached over to take Rox's hand. "Rox, honey, I'm sorry for yelling, but d.a.m.n it girl, I care about you, and I know you're not taking proper care of yourself. You need to make some changes, before you become seriously ill ... okay?" she said tenderly.

Rox just nodded, avoiding her friend's eyes.

A short time later, with lunch out of the way Nikki and Rox were in the car, heading toward the ocean. Rox was very animated as she filled Nikki in on some the ideas she had for her next chapter. Nikki enjoyed watching Rox's face when she talked about her work. It was the only real time she saw any pa.s.sion there of late. She was grateful that she at least had that escape from her nightmarish life with Chris.

Nikki looked around carefully as she pulled into the driveway of Rox's home. No car other than Rox's. Thank G.o.d Chris isn't home yet, Nikki thought as she kissed her friend goodbye then drove away. There was no telling what would happen if that b.a.s.t.a.r.d came home to an empty house.

Rox waved to her friend and then climbed the front steps to her Victorian home and unlocked the door. The moment she stepped into the house, she felt a hand circle her throat and found herself slammed up against the wall next to door, looking straight into the brown eyes of a very angry Chris.

"Where the f.u.c.k have you been?" Chris said between clenched teeth.

Rox could barely speak, Chris was constricting her throat so tightly. Grabbing her attacker's hands, she tried desperately to pry them loose as she started to lose consciousness from a lack of oxygen.

Realizing that Rox was about to go down, Chris relaxed the death lock on her throat and watched her slide down the wall to the floor.

"Answer me, b.i.t.c.h!" Chris screamed, standing over the defenseless woman.

"I ... I wwaas at Nikki aaand Jerri's. They invited me to dinner last night. I ... I fell asleep on their couch," Rox explained in a raspy voice.

"Liar!" Chris yelled as a booted foot landed against Rox's left side, doubling her over in pain. "You were s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g around with them, weren't you? I saw you kiss that b.i.t.c.h before you got out of the car. You wh.o.r.e!" Another boot to the side.

"No ... Ch...Chris, please," Rox tried to protest between gasps. "No..."

Chris reached down and grabbed Rox by the front of her shirt, pulling her back to her feet. Rox could barely stand, her side ached so badly. Slamming her back up against the wall, Chris got right into her face. "Don't you f.u.c.king lie to me, b.i.t.c.h ... You couldn't wait until I left, could you. I'll bet you've been there f.u.c.king their brains out for the last four days, haven't you? I've seen the way you look at them, Rox... don't you dare f.u.c.king lie to me!" came the accusations. "You didn't think I was home, did you? DID YOU!!! No ... You didn't see my car, so you thought it was safe. Well, I've got news for you, Miss High and Mighty ... my car is at the job site, broken down ... I had to catch a ride home with one of the guys yesterday because my girlfriend wasn't home to answer the G.o.d d.a.m.ned phone!" The last few words were said in a near scream as hatred and disgust poured from Chris' dark brown eyes.

Rox was terrified as tears poured from her eyes. She could hardly see straight through the pain in her side, her breathing came in painful gasps, her left arm held in a sling-like position at her side to guard her bruised ribs from further injury.

"Chrris... I've been h..home wr....writing since you've bbbeen gone ... except for last night," she tried to say through her tears.

Chris drew back and hit her across the face in a backhanded swing, sending her sprawling across the floor.

Rox curled up into a fetal position on the floor, protecting her ribs, as blood poured from her mouth and nose. "Oh G.o.d ... Oh G.o.d," she moaned as Chris attacked once more.

Reaching down, Chris grabbed her right wrist and twisted, lifting her off the floor in the same motion. An audible snap could be heard as Rox cried out in pain.

"Shut up, b.i.t.c.h, before the whole neighborhood hears you!" Chris shouted in her face.

Rox continued to cry.

"G.o.d d.a.m.n it, I said shut up!" came the next command as Chris once more hauled back and punched her in the face. This time, she fell against the stairs leading to the second story, and hit her head on the newel post, knocking her unconscious.

CHAPTER XIII.

JERRI'S WAS RELAXING in the ER lounge, enjoying her lunch, when her partner motioned her over. He was on the phone taking an emergency call from his dispatcher.

"What is it, Mike?" she asked.

"Domestic battering -- woman unconscious ... 1163 Oceanview Terrace. Let's go," he said.

Jerri thought she was going to lose her lunch. "Oh my G.o.d ... Rox," she said, recognizing the address.

Moments later, Jerri and Mike were on their way to the ocean. As Mike pulled up in front of the three-story Victorian, Jerri jumped out of the ambulance even before it had stopped, and was running up the steps to the house.

"Rox!" she called frantically, pushing her way through the policemen who where at the scene. "Rox," she said again as she threw herself to her knees on the floor next to her friend, who was obviously in shock. Looking up at the policeman closest to her, she said, "Get me a blanket, quickly."

Moments later, Mike arrived on the scene carrying their equipment from the ambulance. He looked at his partner with deep concern in his eyes. "You know her, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

Jerri's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Mike, nodding her head yes. Looking back down at Rox, she reached over and cupped the side of her friend face with her hand. "Rox ... Rox, honey, can you hear me?" she asked.

Rox's eyes fluttered open and she tried desperately to smile as she saw her friend's face. "Jer," she said in a faint voice.

"Don't talk yet, sweetheart. Try to relax, we'll have you taken care of in no time," she said, tucking the blanket in around her friend as she and Mike went to work taking her vital signs.

Jerri noticed the bruises around Rox' neck. Four parallel lines on the left side, one line on the right. The attacker was right handed. The purple bruise around her left eye was further testimony to that fact, as was the split lip on the right side of Rox's mouth, which was consistent with a back handed blow from a right handed person. Chris was right handed.

Jerri reached under Rox's head and felt around. Rox moaned. The call from dispatch said that the victim had been found unconscious by the mailman. As suspected, she found a large lump on the back of her friend's head.

"Where was she found?" Jerri asked the police officer by her side.

"She was laying half on and half off the stairs right behind you," he replied, pointing to an obvious pool of blood on the bottom runner of the carpeted stairs.

The injury Jerri found on her friend's head was consistent with a potential impact with the newel post at the bottom of the stairway, and with the bloodstains found on the bottom runner.

"Jer, she's going into shock," Mike noted as Rox began to visibly shake.

Jerri turned her attention back to her friend. "Okay, we need to get her transported to the hospital as soon as possible. Mike, I'll need a c-collar and backboard, stat." As Mike ran to the ambulance to retrieve the requested items, Jerri leaned in close to Rox. "How are you doing, my friend?" she asked.

"My wrist ... ribs ... hurts to breath. I'm so cold," she muttered as Jerri looked at the large welts on the left side of her chest, then tucked another blanket around her.

"Rox, your body is going into shock." Lifting her head to look out the open front door, she called loudly to her partner, "Mike, bring a straight board and ace to secure her wrist." Turning back to Rox, she tried hard to smile as she a.s.sured her friend that she was safe. "We'll be on our way in no time, love. Hang in there, okay?"

"Chris ..." Rox whispered.

"Chris ... Chris did this to you, right?" Jerri said, trying her d.a.m.nedest not to lose her temper in front of Rox. "Chris was here when you got home?" she asked, looking around an empty house. Chris obviously split after knocking Rox out. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d probably thought you were dead, my friend, Jerri thought.

Rox just nodded and allowed a single tear to escape her eye.

"Well, you're safe now, Rox. I'll be by your side the whole way, okay?"

Soon, Jerri and Mike had Rox strapped down to the backboard, her neck in the c-collar, and her head taped securely to the board. Jerri took special care to be careful of Rox's ribs as she tied her down, effectively immobilizing the injured woman for the ride to the hospital.

Nikki felt her pager vibrate as she was going on break. Stopping at the nearest phone, she checked the number and dialed the emergency room. She had a standing agreement with the dispatcher that she'd page Nikki whenever she knew Jerri was incoming with a patient. Depending on how much time they had, she liked to meet Jerri for a coffee before she headed back out, or at the very least, a quick trip into a broom closet for an impromptu make out session. Nikki smiled as she thought about how good the timing was ... it was rare that they actually had a real break together.

Mike backed the ambulance into the emergency room bay just as Nikki was coming through the swinging doors into Triage. Jerri spotted Nikki in the corner of her eye as they rushed the stretcher in, containing a very battered Rox. She quickly gave Rox's status to the attending physician, and then attempted to intercept her wife before she saw the condition their friend was in. Unfortunately, she was too late.

Nikki lunged forward when she saw the red-gold hair of the person on the stretcher. "Rox! Oh G.o.d no ... Rox!" she cried as Jerri grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her in for an embrace, blocking her view of the battered woman..

"Nikki ... no -- you don't need to see her just yet ... she'll be all right," Jerri whispered into Nikki's ear as she fought to keep the smaller woman from looking over her shoulder at their friend.

"Jerri, please. She needs me!" Nikki cried, fighting against her much bigger and stronger wife. "Please let me go," she begged.

"Nikki, please don't fight me on this. Let them do their jobs, sweetheart," she said, pushing Nikki away from the scene.

Nikki continued to fight her. Finally, Jerri just took her by the arm and dragged her out of Triage and into the nurse's lounge. Sitting her in a chair, she placed her hands on the armrests and leaned in until her nose was within an inch of her wife's. Jerri looked into green eyes that were filled with such pain she had a difficult time composing herself.

"Nikki," she said, "Rox will be all right. As far as I could tell without X-rays, she has a broken wrist and maybe some fractured ribs ... possibly a concussion ... but she will be all right. Okay?"

Trying hard to fight back tears, Nikki nodded, then rested her forehead against Jerri's. Without looking at her wife, she said, "Chris?"

"Yes," Jerri said.

Nikki started to cry. "It's my fault," she said.

Jerri dropped to her knees in front of Nikki and took the smaller woman into her arms. "No, Nik. How can this be your fault?" she asked.

"I left her there, Jerri! Don't you see ... Chris must have been hiding in the house. The only car in the driveway was Rox's ... I didn't know!" she said between tears.

Nikki felt Jerri stiffen at that revelation. Sensing the change in her wife she pulled her head back and looked at the hard set of Jerri's face as the taller woman stood erect and started pacing. "Jerri?" she asked.

Jerri was clenching her jaw and her fists over and over, as she paced. "Nikki, you could have been in the house when all this happened. You could be out there lying next to Rox right now," she said, pointing to the door to Triage. "I'm going to kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Nik. There will be no hiding from this. Chris will rue the day Rox hired the construction outfit that son of a b.i.t.c.h works for. Chris will not get away with this," she ranted, her voice becoming louder with each word she spoke.

Nikki rose to her feet and approached her wife, intercepting her pacing midstream. Taking her by both arms, she forced Jerri to look at her. "Now you listen to me. You are not going after Chris. I need you with me, not rotting away in some jail cell. Do you understand? Look, you want me to let the triage crew do their jobs - right? ... well then you let the police to theirs. Promise me, Jer," she demanded.

Jerri looked over Nikki's head at the wall behind her, a stubborn set to her jaw, her hands on her hips, refusing to meet Nikki's eyes.

Shaking her lightly, Nikki demanded an answer. "Promise me, Jerri!" she said forcefully. "Please," she added in a soft voice.

Jerri took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and lowered her chin to her chest. Dropping her hands from her hips, she wrapped them around Nikki and held her close. "All right, I promise," she whispered in her wife's ear.

"Thank you," Nikki whispered back. "Now do you think we can check on Rox?" she asked.

Jerri nodded her head and took Nikki's hand before heading back to Triage.

"We'll need a cross table and lateral c-spine x-ray, abdominal x-rays and chest films here. I don't like the looks of that bruising on her side ... oh, and a CAT scan of her head too," ordered the attending physician as he removed the c-collar from Rox's neck. "What's the name of the brick wall you ran into?" the doctor joked as he looked into Rox's bruised face. Being careful not to move her neck, he examined the bruising pattern on her throat before meeting Rox's eyes once more.

Rox was silent, knowing she would cry if she tried to speak. Her ribs were killing her. She was already in enough pain ... she didn't need to add more by sobbing.

"What's your name, young lady," the doctor asked as he replaced the collar.

"Roxanne Ward," she said in a voice just barely above a whisper.

"Well, Roxanne Ward, I'm Dr. Syverson. You want to tell me what happened?" he asked.

Rox started shaking her head, causing the doctor to reach out to stabilize it. "Don't move your head, okay? We need to see if there is any spinal damage in your neck first. The technician should be here in a moment to take you to x-ray. Now, I'll ask you again ... do you want to tell me what happened?"