Babygirl and the Mean Boss (7 page)

             
Marty cursed the woman that had done this to
Nicole
for the millionth time.  If the cops ever found the woman
--
old motherly type of not—she was going to be sorry!

             
In opposition to his rage, Marty gently lifted her into his arms and carried her upstairs.  He lay her down in the spare bedroom, pulled her shoes off and carefully tucked the covers around her.  Her eyes still stared into empty space; vacant but periodically blinking. 

             
He watched her
for
a while wanting to do so much more to help her…
How many times had he secreted looks at Nicole as they worked the back line together.  Over the last few days
, as she healed,
he had been able to watch her to his heart
’
s content, but there wa
s no joy in seeing her broken
like this.

             
How could this be the same woman that had walked into the restaurant with wild curls held back by sunglasses and a beat up jeans jacket.  He
had
scanned her
application
quickly, appreciating her height and well proportioned thickness. 
And he had thought that she looked enough like that actress
from the movie Love and Basketball that he had taken a second look.
 

             
She was pretty in an understated way.  No make-up, no jewelry, not even a purse.  She walked through the door with her hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans and looked around warily. 
It was like her best friend had run off with the last of her money…
that look in her eyes stayed
with him long after he should have dismissed her.

             
Later, after he had hired her to work the backline, he had
teamed her up with Fred knowing that she had already surpassed most of the people that worked for him by not whining, stealing or trying to fuck him. 
He also wanted her working the backline so that he could monitor that look; identify if it would disappear, if there was another expression that didn’t contain so much pain.  There was. 

             
Her smile.

             
Her smile was few and far in between.
But even fewer was her laughter. One
day Fred had whispered s
om
e
t
hing to her and she had smiled and bells
suddenly
seemed to fall from her lips and it sounded like angel’s were laughing.  He was not prepared for the stab of jealousy when that laugh was directed at Fred.

             
Marty shook his head to clear his thoughts and he realized that he was just standing there staring at her. 
He clenched his teeth. 
He was simply too angry to witness the effects of the accident on her.
  He turned to leave, closing the door softly behind him.

~***~

             
Later, w
hen Nicole awakened she had no idea where she was.  It wasn’t the hospital because she was much too comfortable.  She pushed a wonderful chenille blanket off of her and stood on shaky legs looking around her. 

             
The room was fairly large; double bed, side tables, an armchair and a small antique dresser that had flowers and cards on it. 
Slow
ly she walked over to the dresser and sniffed the flowers.  She picked up each card and read them smiling.  They were from her coworkers wishing her a speedy recovery and addressed to
Baby Girl.

             
She noticed two shopping bags on the floor and explored them curiously.
 
They contained some of her clothes from home.
  When Marty had gone through her wallet he had also taken the key to her apartment
.  She shook her head in disbelief.  Marty had gone to her apartment?  It was thoughtful and disturbing all at the same time. 
Feeling somewhat violated, s
he
slipped on her
shoes
.  Where was
he
, anyway? 
Regardless of his good intentions,
he
was going to
take her home now!

             
She went downstairs
with a purpose but couldn’t help
admiring his spacious home.  He had a fireplace!  This was nothing like her small little efficiency.  Her face tightened
.  She
wasn’t about creature comforts.  She had a mission and that was to get educated and then paid
.  Once she fulfilled her vow to her daughter maybe then she could look at herself in a mirror again.

             
Briefly
,
Nicole closed her eyes.  Alicia was a memory she did not allow herself to often
enjoy
.

             
Something smelled good and she felt her stomach grumble.  She’d had slimy oatmeal at the crack of dawn and dried toast with a pat of congealed butter substitute on it.  She went into the kitchen. 

             
Wow!  It was impressive!  Marty was at the stove concentrating, much like he did when he was at work.  He looked
surprised
when he saw her standing there. 
H
e moved a skillet
from
the burner and turned off the fire.

             
“How do you feel?”

             
“Better.  My head stopped hurting…mostly.”  She sighed.

             
“Sit down.”  He said helping her to a barstool.  “The headache must have been a trigger for the seizure.”  She look
ed at him confused
.

             
“What seizure?”

             
He stared at her with the same con
fused
look
a
bsently finger
ing
the small koko pelle
that he always wore tied around his neck.

             
“
Uhm…d
o you remember what we were talking about…before?”

             
“Yeah.”  Her eyes were wide with the obviousness of that question.  “About me going home.”  Marty sat down on the barstool next to her.

             
“And?”

“She shrugged,
“And what?”

“
And how did you get
from the living room to the bedroom
?
”

“I…”
  Nicole’s brow furrowed. How is it that she had never considered how she’d moved from talking to Marty in the living
room to sleeping in the spare bedroom
?
  As sh
e
tried to remember there was nothing there…just a blank spot in her memory. 
She looked at Marty
, her chest moving up and down
in confused panic
.

“
I was telling you-
”
He stopped short
, not wanting to speak those hurtful words again
.  “You had a seizure and I took you upstairs.” 

             
Nicole’s eyes were
suddenly sharp and frantic
.  “I had a seizure?”  She trembled. 
Seizure, seizure…
that’s right! The head injuries caused blackouts. And maybe it wasn’t the fact that she had been reintroduced to drugs during her stay at the hospital?
Did that mean
she
was
brain damaged?  What if she blacked out at school, riding her bike, walking up the stairs…
She couldn’t remember
doing it…
what other things was she forgetting?  What if she forgot to turn of
f
the stove-
?

             
Marty saw all of these thoughts cross her face.  Nicole probably never realized that her thoughts played across her face like loud speakers and Marty always knew her mood; annoyed, tired, wishful…and very seldom happy.  He
placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she looked at him with frightened
eyes.  He swallowed
back a desire to punch a wall
. 

             
“Nicole.  You
will be alright
.  Give yourself time to heal…and let somebody
help
take care of you, just for the time being.  Baby, what if this had happened while you were alone?”

             
Her mind
latched
on
to
that word
baby. 
It was different
without the word
Girl
attached to it.  He’d called her Baby…and it wasn’t the first time was it?  Something about her head…
and then the entire conversation f
looded back
.

             
Marty could see that she remembered as
her body
shudd
ered.  Her
caramel
complexion suddenly colored red and tears appeared in her eyes. 
He pulled Nicole into his arms
when
those tears spilled down her cheeks
. 
He couldn’t stop himself. He just couldn’t.

Marty found himself planting kisses on her head.  “I’m here.  Sssh.  It’s going to be okay.”  Then he rocked her gently in his arms.  “I’m going to take care of you.  I promise.”

She was so tired
; physically and mentally
.
For once
in a long time
she held onto someone else as if they were a lifeline.
 
It had been so long since someone had comforted her.  Marty’s arms were so big and protective.  As gruff as he sometimes sounded, Nicole
was beginning to understand
that he was equally as harmless.
She hid her
face against
his chest, inhaling the clean smell of his shirt, knowing that her tears were soaking through to his body.  His lips gently pressed
down on her forehead
as
he gently brushed back her wild afro and
murmured assurances.
She gripped him
,
wanting
some of his strength to
transfer into her
but felt him
tremble
instead
. 

             
That brief tremble ignited
a portion of her that had been too long dormant.  Nicole felt a slow awakening throughout her body.  It had been years since she had felt the yearning.  She had thought that part of her was dead, but here
she stood with
her nipples sensitive and engorged as she pressed against Marty’s chest. 

             
Marty didn’t immediately realize how this had so suddenly turned.  One moment he was trying t
o soothe her anguish.  The next, all he could think of is the way her body felt
in his arms as the sobs
went through her. 
His hand stroked her back, recognizing her missing bra and once that happened he couldn’t help but feel her full breast as they pressed against his chest.  Marty had always dealt with wa
i
f
-like
women whose
body style was dictated by the media. He’d certainly thought they were beautiful even when he was alarmed that he could count their
rib bones
.
But holding Nicole in his arms, with her full curves and toned athleticism caused him to become instantly aroused.
He was ashamed that he wanted to move his hands under her shirt and to cup her breasts and cover her mouth with his…

             
Nicole buried her face into that space between Marty’s neck and shoulder loving the delicious feel of his tender skin against her cheeks.  He continued to showe
r her face and head with kisses, even while his breath came out in harsh gusts.