typea_all (29 page)

Chapter 27

     I didn't hear the alarm go off or feel the bed move when Ryan got up. I didn't smell the coffee or hear Ryan change into his gym clothes. The first thing I remember about that morning was the kiss and Ryan's warm hands on my bare arms.

     When my brain kicked into gear, I turned my face around so he couldn't see me.

     "God, how can you kiss me in the morning?"

     "How can I not? You look so cute with your head on the pillow."

     "But I've been slobbering, and my breath must be terrible."

     "Like Roses." Ryan and I have this standing joke. No matter how bad we smell doing anything, if you know what I mean, we say the other smells like roses. "Wake up, you have to go to work."

     "What time is it?"

     "About 7:30.”

     "That was so wonderful of you yesterday, being Elvis. I love you, you know."

     "Yes, I know. Now why don't you get up? I have coffee ready, and I have to drive home and bring back my license and registration so your policeman friend doesn't arrest me."

     "How did you sleep?" I asked him. "We got to bed so late."

     "Not too bad. You tossed and turned so much that I needed a Dramamine, but otherwise okay."

     "I'm sorry."

     "No, don't worry about it. You've had a rough couple of days."

     Later over coffee, Ryan said, "Listen, will you come up to my place for the weekend? I have another surprise for you, on Sunday."

     "What kind of surprise?"

     "You'll see. Just bring something nice to wear."

     "Well, I haven't watched my soap operas for two nights now, and the tapes will start piling up," I teased him. "Is the surprise worth it?"

     "I would say so."

     "Any other incentives to get me there?"

     "How's this?"  He got up from his chair and walked over to me. Holding my cheeks, he tilted back my head and gave me a warm, passionate kiss that made me dizzy and wanting more. Then he took my hand and put it between his legs so I could feel his hardness, and he whispered something sexy in my ear.

     "Okay, I'll be there early Saturday morning."

     Once Ryan left for home, I had time to calm down from everything that had happened and get ready for the day. My head was spinning; from the trauma of the mammogram, the wonderful sight of Ryan singing a love song as Elvis, and his tender question about a more permanent relationship.

     I hope that I hadn't upset him by my answer, or my non-answer actually. He took me by surprise and I really wasn't ready for that talk yet. I honestly didn't know how I felt about it. I loved Ryan enough to get married, but with his history and mine, was love enough?

     There was also my clean thing. The only reason I wasn't driving to his place after work today, but waiting until the next morning, was that I had to clean. Ryan had been all over the house, and while I adore him and will happily share his bodily fluids, I'm not ready for his dirt. It's not his dirt exactly, but you never know where he sat or walked, or if he picked up dog or cat dander.  So maybe I am a little crazy but it just shows how complex the brain can be.

     It also worried me that I hadn’t confided in Ryan, hadn't told him everything that was happening to me with Reynolds, Big Jimmy, and Jerry Odem. I've always found it difficult to ask for help, and I hate getting people involved in my problems, but the situation was getting a little beyond me. If we could get married, I shouldn't have to hold anything back from him, and I was a little ashamed that I had. I don't know for sure how Ryan would react, but I knew two things: he'd be angry with me for not telling him sooner, and he'd want to come to my rescue. I wasn't ready for either of these yet.

     I looked out the window for any sign of the FBI and Big Jimmy, but the streets were clear of lurkers. Maybe it was all over, I hoped.

******

     "That's some guy you got their, Brooke," Joan said as I walked into work.

     "Yes, I know. How's everything with Steve, by the way?"

     "Couldn't be better. I met his parents the other night, and we told them we planned to marry. We didn't tell them about the baby, yet. They'll find out when I walk down the aisle in a maternity wedding gown. Tell me more about Ryan."

     I gushed on and on for about ten minutes, then noticed that Joan had this big Cheshire grin. "What are you smiling about?" I asked her.

     "You're really in love, aren’t you? Is that why you're wearing those earrings?" I had on my Wings of Love earrings, about three inches long, each with one large heart on the post, with hanging hearts and cupid's arrows.

     "I guess so. You know, last night Ryan brought up the M word."

     "Marriage?"

     "Yep."

     "Congratulations!" She gave me a hug.

     "Well, not that fast."

     "Don't tell me you turned him down. After the Elvis thing and all."

     "I didn't actually turn him down, we just agreed that maybe we weren't ready for it yet."

     "Sounds like you turned him down to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"

     Joan stayed in my lab most of the morning. As usual, it was a busy Friday, and I really appreciated her help. Just before lunch, Mr. Peck came in again. He was wearing a denim jacket making it hard to tell that both arms were prosthetic.

     "Want to take more blood from my arm again?" he joked.

     "What are you doing here?"

     "Forgot to give a urine sample the other day. I got a call back, and this is the first chance I've had. There's a service that drives me here and I had to schedule them."

     "Well, I was just about to head for lunch, but here's the cup, there's the bathroom, and you can go to it."

     "Where you going for lunch?"

     "Smitty’s, down by the bay. They have a great breakfast."

     "How about if I join you? I feel like a cup of coffee."

     "Well..."

     "I got two fake arms, how much trouble could I be?"

     "Okay, pee first, breakfast second."

******

     It was a nice day, so Peck and I walked to Smitty’s, which is only a few blocks away on the bay. He was a nice enough guy and it felt good to have a little company. In the few minutes we spent getting ready to go out and walking a few blocks, I found him to be warm and sincere, and easy to talk to.

     We were about two blocks away from the lab, on a lonely narrow road heading toward the bay, when a car stopped by the curb next to us and two guys jumped out: Chester with both arms in casts, and the younger goon who I threw Wright's stain on in the lab.

     "Hold it right there," Chester yelled.

     "What do you want now? Haven't I broken enough of your limbs?"

     Peck looked at me with an amused smile on his face; he was used to limb jokes by now.

     "Time for me to break a few of yours. And Fred over here wants some of it too." So at least now I knew his name.

     "My pleasure," Fred added. He still had purple stains on his face.

     "Can't you guys leave me alone?"

     "Big Jimmy said you were thinking about doing something that he doesn’t like."

     I had forgotten all about Jimmy's conversation with Julie the other day. Now I remembered what she told him, that I was thinking about faking the blood test for Reynolds.

     "That's a lie. I just said that to get Reynolds off my back. You tell Jimmy there's no way I would do that."

     "Well, Jimmy figured you needed a little reminding." From out of nowhere, Fred pulled out a knife and came toward me. Peck stepped between us. "You better just cool off, fella, and put that toy away."

     "This isn't any of your business mister, so take off."

     "No way am I leaving this gal to you two monsters."

     "Mr. Peck, you shouldn't get involved in this."

     "Call me Charlie, honey. I'm a union man and I don't run away from a fight, even if it's not mine."

     Fred ran up to him and started slashing back and forth with his knife. Charlie held up an arm in defense and the knife sliced right through the jacket. Fred stopped slashing, expecting to see blood and hear Charlie scream in pain, only Charlie can't bleed or feel pain in a prosthetic arm.

     "Not much good with that knife, fella."

     Fred didn't know what was going on so he started slashing again, hitting the arm two, three more times until the sleeve of Charlie's shirt was a rag.

     "I'm getting tired of this," Charlie said, and he whacked Fred straight across the face with his arm, breaking Fred's nose.

     While all that was going on, Chester worked his way around behind me but he just stood there trying to figure out what to do. I guess he never thought it out very far in advanced. Since both arms were in casts, there wasn't much he could do, but he was close enough for me to kick back and hit his leg. When Charlie and I turned to face him, Chester just started running away towards the bay.

     "Shit!" Charlie yelled. Fred had recovered enough to get up and stab Charlie in the left shoulder. Charlie tried to move his left arm but it just hung there limply. "The bastard hit a wire."

     "Use your other arm!" I yelled.

     Charlie tried to swing the other arm at Fred but it didn't seem to have much effect. "Battery's a little low on that one."

     Fred now saw his opening and slowly walked toward me, waving his knife. I started backing up, not knowing what to do, and looking at Charlie who was probing some wires sticking out of the slashes in his jacket.

     I was wearing a light jacket, which wouldn't give much protection, but I remembered a fight scene from one of my soaps. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around my lower forearm, then held that arm out in defense. They always did that on television, but I now know that it doesn't work. Fred slashed once, the knife went through the jacket and I felt a stinging sensation on my flesh.

     You'd think that I would be frozen in fear, but all I thought about was Ryan. I should be dying as someone's fiancé rather than the girl who turned down Elvis.

     Fred shifted the knife in his hand and drew his arm back preparing to stab me, when Charlie slammed his arm directly into Fred's face from the side.

     "Just a loose wire, the battery was fine." The blow must have hit Fred's already broken nose because he dropped his knife and grabbed his nose.

     Charlie swung his arm for another blow but it fell limp before striking Fred. "Damn wire's not making contact again. I really have to get that fixed."

     Evidently, by that time Fred has recovered enough to get to his car and drive away, leaving a trail of blood from the sidewalk to the curb.

     "Charlie, that was wonderful. You're so brave. Did Fred stab your shoulder? Are you bleeding?"