On A Wing And A Prayer Part 12

"Rox!" Nikki exclaimed as she and Jerri approached Rox's bedside.

Rox's eyes darted to the left ... at least the eye she could open. Her left eye was nearly swollen shut from the impact of Chris' fist. Rox immediately teared up and reached out to Nikki with her left hand. Dr. Syverson took Jerri aside to ask her about the procedures done at the scene, giving Nikki and Rox a few moments of privacy.

Nikki reached over and touched the right side of Rox's face, cradling her bruised jaw in a tender caress. Making no attempt to hide her tears, she leaned over and kissed Rox on the unbruised side of her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispered to her injured friend.

Rox's brow furrowed in a frown, not understanding why Nikki was apologizing.

"Roxanne Ward?" the x-ray technician said from the doorway.

Nikki turned to the man, wiping her tears away at the same time. "Right here," she said, calling the man over to Rox's stretcher.

Moments later, Rox was wheeled to x-ray, where the necessary films were taken. In no time, she was returned to the ER where she found Nikki still waiting for her.

"Where's Jer?" Rox asked as Nikki once again took her hand.

"She's gone on another call. Rox, Chris did this to you, right? Chris was waiting for you in the house ... G.o.ds, Rox, I'm so sorry," she said, starting to cry again.

Rox squeezed Nikki's hand. "Nik, Chris did this, not you. You have nothing to be sorry for," she said through clenched teeth, fighting hard to ward off the pain in her side, jaw, and head.

"But I left you there, Rox," Nikki explained tearfully.

"Nik...." Rox began before Dr. Syverson interrupted her.

"Okay, while we're waiting for those films, let's take care of this gash near your eye," he said. Looking up at Nikki expectantly, he asked, "Are you here to help, or hinder?"

Shocked into action, Nikki replied, "To help, of course!"

"All right then," he said grinning. "We'll need to put a few sutures in this wound."

Nikki immediately went after the supplies needed to st.i.tch the gash in Rox's face, returning moments later with suture materials and Lidocaine.

Rox took one look at the needle of Lidocaine and pa.s.sed out.

Nikki smiled at her friend. "You big baby," she said, under her breath as she a.s.sisted Dr. Syverson with closing the wound.

"It shouldn't scar too much," the doctor said as he placed four tiny sutures along the length of the split. Glancing up at Nikki, he added, "You seem to know her. Do you have any ideas about what might have happened here?"

Nikki nodded. "She's my best friend," she said, her voice cracking. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "She lives with this a.s.shole that brutalizes her whenever the mood is right ... which happens to be more and more frequently these days," she said sadly.

"Why doesn't she just leave?" the doctor asked, putting in the last st.i.tch.

"I can't tell you how many times I've asked her that very question ... it's a long story," Nikki replied.

"Ah, excuse me, I'm looking for a Roxanne Ward," a voice said from the doorway.

Dr. Syverson looked up at the uniformed police officer standing there. "This is Roxanne Ward, but I'm afraid she won't be able to answer your questions right now," he said.

"All right then, are Mike Schmidt or Jerri Lockwood around? I understand they were the EMT's who responded to the domestic violence call?" he asked politely.

Hearing Jerri's name, Nikki stepped forward. "Jerri's my wi.... my friend, but she and Mike are on a call right now. They should be back soon if you'd like to wait in the lounge," Nikki said nervously. d.a.m.n, I almost blew it there, she thought. Nikki hated keeping her relationship with Jerri a secret, except from a select few, but Jerri preferred it that way ... it made things at work less complicated.

Rox's x-rays arrived just as Nikki was finishing up washing the blood from the red head's split lip.

"Okay, let's see here," Dr. Syverson said as he examined the films carefully. "Lungs look all right, however two of the ribs are fractured. No fluid buildup in the abdomen. No obvious fractures in the vertebrae. Good. Looks like she was lucky this time," he said, taking the films off the light board. "We will have to set and cast that wrist, though," he added, "... after the CAT scan."

Nikki cringed at the doctor's choice of words, 'she was lucky this time.' He's right, Rox. One of these times that maniac is going to kill you, she thought.

About an hour later, the CAT scan was done, and Rox was once again, returned to the ER until the final diagnosis was made. This time, Jerri was there waiting for her while Nikki returned to work. She had returned about a half hour earlier and met with the police officer waiting in the lounge to provide details of what they found at the scene. Jerri suggested that he return later to interview Rox.

Rox had finally regained consciousness after fainting at the sight of the Lidocaine needle, and smiled at her friend as they once again parked her in one of the examination rooms to wait. She felt miserable. Never before had her entire body hurt so much, not even after the whipping she had received earlier in the week. She was glad Jerri was with her. She hated hospitals. It reminded her that it wouldn't be long before her father would live out his final days here ... take his final breaths. Tears formed in her eyes at the prospect.

"Hey, I can ask for some painkillers for you if you'd like," Jerri said, leaning in close to her friend.

"Drugs? Drugs are good!" Rox replied fighting tears. She didn't know what it was about her tall friend, but when Nikki was around, all she wanted to do was cry and be held, but when Jerri was with her, she had this driving need to put on a brave front.

Jerri bent over her friend again and whispered in her ear, "You know, Rox, you can cry in front of me ... I won't tell, okay?" she said, grinning and winking conspiratorially at her friend.

Rox chuckled, grabbing her ribs in the process. "Oh G.o.ds, don't make me laugh," she said. After a moment, she caught her breath and looked up into the concerned face of her friend who was sitting in a chair to her left, resting her elbows on the edge of the gurney while she leaned forward.

Reaching up with her good hand, she touched the side of Jerri's face and said, "I'm sorry Jer. It's just that I'm so used to being the caretaker, its tough to be the one who needs taking care of. It feels so weak to cry," she tried to explain.

"I know. Nikki is such a girl when it comes to crying. Me on the other hand ... well, I avoid it when I can, but sometimes its necessary ... like now." she said softly, reaching across Rox's body to brush the bangs away from her friend's eyes, which were now closed.

Jerri watched Rox's face and played with her hair affectionately as she cried, tears escaping her closed lids and running down the sides of her face to spill over onto the bed.

"That's it, love, let it out, " Jerry cooed softly as she continued to run her fingers through Rox's hair. Rox grasped Jerri's other hand and squeezed it tightly as she cried.

Soon, the crying subsided as Rox took a semi-deep breath, gasping at the pain in her side.

"Feel better?" Jerri asked.

Rox nodded.

"Good," came the reply as they were interrupted by the orthopedic surgeon.

"Okay, I understand we have a wrist to set," he said, looking at the patient lying on the gurney.

Jerri followed them into the cast room and held Rox tightly as they first numbed and then set the wrist. Rox came right off the gurney as the pushed and prodded the bones back into place, screaming out in pain during the procedure. Finally, the fibergla.s.s cast was applied, with Rox insistence that all of her fingers and her thumb remain as free moving as possible. After all, she still had a book to write, and a dead line that wouldn't wait the six weeks she would have to wear the cast.

Finally, they returned to the ER where Dr. Syverson was waiting for them with the results of the CAT scan.

"Okay, you have a small subdural hematoma beneath the skull, near the point of impact. It's minor, but the risk remains for a cerebral hemorrhage or embolism. Several days of complete bed rest should take care of it ... most of which can be done at home ...," he said, seeing the panicked look on Rox's face at the mention of several days in bed, "... as long as you have help," he added.

"She has help," Jerri said immediately, drawing a teary smile from her friend.

"Good. I would like to keep you overnight for observation. If things look good in the morning, we'll release you and send you home. Okay?" he said.

Rox just nodded and thanked the doctor as he left the ER, saying that a nurse would be by shortly to escort her to her room.

CHAPTER XIV.

Ca.s.s RAN FROM her car to the terminal, cursing herself for leaving her umbrella at home, and cursing the weatherman for a bad prediction of the morning weather. Now I'm gonna have to sit in that c.o.c.kpit in damp clothes for next few hours, she grumbled to herself as she shook the excess rain off her clothing once inside the terminal.

"Nice day for travel, huh?" a voice laced with sarcasm said to her right as she stood at the control desk filing her flight plan. Glancing over, she saw her co-pilot, Brian Anderson, standing there, also a little damp around the edges.

"Forgot your umbrella too, huh Brian?" she asked chuckling.

"d.a.m.ned weather man couldn't predict rain while standing in the middle of a thunder shower!" he exclaimed irritably.

"G.o.d, I hate to fly in this kind of weather," Ca.s.s said, handing the paperwork over to the flight controller. Looking at Brian again, she asked, "Have they loaded the cargo yet?"

"Just about done," he said. "You know, Ca.s.s, these goodwill missions are starting to wear thin. All cargo and few pa.s.sengers. Not a lot of action on board, if you know what I mean," he said, winking at his ranking officer. Brian was tall, dark and handsome and considered himself to be a real lady's man, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why Ca.s.s wasn't interested. "But then, if I could just convince you to take the bait....." he said grinning, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging.

Ca.s.s reached up and patted the side of Brian's face. "In your dreams, Brian," she said, before turning and heading out to the runway.

Brian threw his hands up and whined, "Awww, come on, Ca.s.s. How can you resist this handsome face?" he said, half in jest.

Ca.s.s was very tempted to spill the beans, but decided against it. The fewer people that knew, the fewer questions she would have to field. "Let's just say, you're not my type, and leave it at that, okay?" she said over her shoulder as they dashed from the terminal to the plane.

Brian boarded the plane before Ca.s.s did, and went directly to the c.o.c.kpit to start entering their flight information into the computer that controlled the auto pilot, while Ca.s.s checked the cargo status with the rest of the flight crew. As she climbed the last two steps and boarded the plane, she was met by Ginny, the attendant from her flight to Veracruz the previous week. Stopping just inside the entryway, she looked at the woman and smiled.

"Hi," she said, smiling broadly.

"Hi yourself, Captain Conway," Ginny replied.

"Ca.s.s ... call me Ca.s.s," she corrected, thanking the flight attendant for the towel she handed to her to wipe off the excess rain.

"Ca.s.s ..." Ginny repeated.

"I missed you on last week's flight home. I trust things are all right with your family?" Ca.s.s asked sincerely.

Ginny smiled. "Yes, thank you. My Mom rushed Dad to the hospital with chest pains ... turned out to be heartburn," she explained, blushing slightly under Ca.s.s' gaze.

Ca.s.s reached out and placed her hand on the woman's arm. "Good. I'm glad things worked out," she said as she turned to head to the c.o.c.kpit.

"Ah ... Captain, could I get you anything once we're airborne?" Ginny asked hopefully.

Ca.s.s smiled disarmingly. "Coffee would be great," she answered.

"Black, right?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows innocently.

"Black," Ca.s.s said, answering with her own dancing eyebrows.

Ca.s.s stood there for a moment watching Ginny's hips sway back and forth through the tight dress as she walked away. With an uncomfortable ache in her groin, she turned away and entered the c.o.c.kpit.

Ca.s.s old buddy, old pal ... we are gonna score tonight! Enforcer said with glee.

"Flight 203, you are cleared for take off," came the crackly voice over the radio.

"Well it's about time," Brian complained as Ca.s.s taxied the plane into takeoff position.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking," Ca.s.s said into the microphone to the small group of pa.s.sengers on board. "We have been cleared for takeoff. Please be sure that your seat belts are fastened securely and that the trays in the seat in front of your are locked in their upright position. Be advised that when flying through a storm we will expect to hit a little turbulence, and highly recommend that your seat belt remain fastened throughout the flight or at the very least, while the seat belt sign above your heads is illuminated. The flight attendant will review safety and evacuation procedures with you in the unlikely event of an emergency. As always, thank you for flying Southern Lights Airline and have a nice flight."

"Th...th...th...that's all folks!" Brian said in his best Porky Pig voice.

"Let's Rock and Roll, kiddies!" Ca.s.s added as she opened the jet engines to full throttle and propelled the airplane down the runway. Within moments, they were airborne.

The ascent into the clouds was a rocky one. The 737 was considered a mid-sized plane and not as immune to the turbulence caused by storm fronts as the larger jumbo jets were. Soon, however, they were at a safe alt.i.tude above the storm, dramatically increasing the comfort level of the ride. When they were finally at cruising alt.i.tude, Ca.s.s turned control of the plane over to Brian, and left the cabin to use the ladies' room. Coming out of the washroom, she ran into Ginny.

"Captain," Ginny said shyly as she prepared the snack cart.

"Hi," Ca.s.s replied.

The two ladies stood there for a few seconds in awkward silence. Shifting from foot to foot, Ca.s.s finally spoke. "Ah ... Ginny, Would you be interested in having dinner with me when we land in Durango?" she asked.

Ginny smiled and reached up to push an errant lock of hair behind her ear. "I'd be happy to, captain," she replied.

"Ca.s.s. Please, call me Ca.s.s," she reminded the flight attendant again as she reached forward and pushed that same errant lock of hair away from Ginny's face.

Fl.u.s.tered at the almost intimate gesture, Ginny giggled and blushed.

"All right then," Ca.s.s continued. Knowing the airline would have booked the entire crew in the same hotel, she asked which room she was staying in.

"304," replied Ginny.

"304. Okay. I'll pick you up at ... 6:00 p.m. Is that all right?" asked Ca.s.s.

"6:00 p.m. is fine, cap ... I mean Ca.s.s. I'll see you then," she replied.

"I'm looking forward to it," added Ca.s.s.

"Me too." Ginny said.

The two women stood there awkwardly again, just looking at each other for a few moments. Finally, Ginny excused herself. "I ... I've got to get back to the pa.s.sengers. Until tonight?" she asked.

"Tonight," Ca.s.s replied, heading back to the c.o.c.kpit, very proud of herself.

Settling back down into her seat, Ca.s.s checked on the weather conditions on route to Durango and realized that they were in for a b.u.mpy ride. It appeared that the west coast from Washington, through Central America was being hit by a severe storm front, and that they were about to fly into the worst of it.

About an hour into the flight, they hit an especially bad patch of turbulence which rocked the mid-sized plane side to side.