Page 33 of Road Trip
Chapter Nine
Abra
This dude needed to get a move on or I was going to combust! He seemed to get caught up sometimes and would just stare at me like he was memorizing a monologue or sonnet. I wondered how much of it had to do with me, or if he was in some far off place thinking about his current predicament. But then he would get this look where his eyelids hung low and his lashes were too heavy to be held up any longer. Soon I’d pry a little and see what was going on with him. Tonight? Well, it seemed he wanted a different type of healing. When I had his pants down, I yanked on his boxer briefs. He sucked in a breath sharply.
“Oh! Your stitches! I’m so sorry!”
He tried to shush me, but I went around him and gasped.
“Oh, babe, you’re bleeding.” I took the bandage off and there was a lot of blood. The stitches looked intact, but one was pulling at an angry spot.
“Let me get the stuff to clean this up and re-bandage it before you shower.”
He exhaled harshly and nodded. I left him in the bathroom, scolding myself for not making him rest. He’d been on his feet for most of the day and after being beaten! He was probably incredibly sore, too. I had to remember this wasn’t about me. I needed to take care of him. I came back in, and he was leaning over the counter with his head hung between his outstretched hands. His body was marked in many places from his attackers. I didn’t know how to help him other than to kiss them all and take the pain away as much as possible, the physical and emotional. So I did, as much as I could. I cleaned up his wounds, one by one, washed him gently in the shower, and then coaxed him into the giant, king-sized bed. I barely noticed the luxurious surroundings as I lay down by his side.
“You need sleep, Kelly,” I whispered, kissing his forehead. His lids were so heavy and he was scowling.
“But I don’t want to sleep,” he said, finally succumbing to the pull. He mumbled some more and then rolled over on his stomach, throwing an arm over me. His face was smushed against the mattress and I giggled at his continued attempts at conversation.
“I love running away with you, Abra,” was the last thing he murmured before he was deep asleep.
“So beautiful,” I whispered, kissing his shoulder. I checked my phone just before turning out the light. I had a text from Jilly asking if I was all right. I also had a voicemail.
“Ms. Moore, this is Sergeant Cavanaugh with the Highway Patrol. I wanted to thank you again for coming to Officer Graham’s aid. I’d like to speak with him tonight, or he can phone my commanding officer tomorrow morning at the number on the card I gave you. I have some information for him. Thank you, and have a good night.”
I didn’t want to wake Kelly up as he was sleeping so peacefully. I texted Jilly instead.
Having an amazing time. I have a stowaway. Going to Pacific Playland with him tomorrow, then who knows? Maybe Vegas? Hope all is well. You missed an amazing show, but I can’t say I’m disappointed I had an extra ticket bwahaha. You did miss Shayla. I’m sure you’ll be heartbroken about that. Lots of love and kisses!
I figured she might be up, so I wasn’t surprised when she hit me back.
WTF? Stowaway? How many times have I told you not to pick up hitchhikers? Unless he/she was hot? OOO, did you find a hot one? I need details…and when you say Vegas, you don’t mean…
Whoa! No way. Well…
No visits to the chapel are planned. Here’s my stowaway…
I couldn’t help myself. I took a picture of Kelly and his smushy face and texted it to Jilly. Her reply was instantaneous.
Holy shitballs! That is one fine specimen you got there! I’m guessing you didn’t really pick him up on the side of the road. I still want deets, but it looks like you both could use some rest. His face looks like he’s been through your treatment ha ha ha. Love you. Be safe and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, which doesn’t limit you at all, whatsoever! Just be careful with your heart. I don’t want you going to that place again. Muah!
I sighed. He was a fine specimen. I was sort of being careful with my heart, but I didn’t have any control over that dark place, not when it came to staying away from this guy. Jilly was referring to my most recent breakup. I’d spent that summer after running away, but ended up in a hotel room in Austin, Texas, bawling my eyes out for a week. I ran out of travel money and had to come home, but it had been the first time I’d genuinely been tempted to keep running.
I gently lifted up the sheet to make sure he hadn’t bled more into his bandage, giving myself a very nice view in the process. Everything looked great. I turned out the lights and snuggled up next to him. It wasn’t long before I was deep in dreamland.
Kelly
I sat up with a start and immediately regretted the move. My bottom was extremely tender. I hadn’t really been thinking of the pain yesterday, but today? It was there in full force. I made myself get up out of bed and use the bathroom, and then I called for room service. I ordered everything she had mentioned she liked, including their Belgian waffles, which were shaped like smiley suns.
I’d slept like the dead until just before waking, when a door slamming down the hall filtered into that space between wakefulness and dreamland. My heart was racing and I had a thin layer of sweat across my skin. I took a moment to do some deep breathing. I needed to find my center. I needed to focus. Then I could think. Then I could get back to the business at hand.
Pacific Playland! I was actually here! I felt like a little kid again. Things were so serious and stern when I was growing up that the two trips I took here with my parents stood out as being some of the only times I got to be carefree. Mother expected straight As in school and hours of practice on the guitar every day. Weekends and summers were spent at the ranch helping Grandma and Grandpa, which was fun, but a lot of work. Dad worked long hours at the bank and wasn’t around much. We had sports in common, that was about it, and I loved watching baseball games with him on TV. He only made it to one of my games in high school, none in college, and I used to get upset about it, but I understood now just how driven he was. I was exactly the same at my job. It made me worry about having kids. I didn’t want to be an absent father, but how the heck was I supposed to be at all the activities and help coach with the kind of schedule I had? I almost thought it wouldn’t be fair to a kid, or even a wife, to expect them to share in my dangerous occupation, despite the fact that I wanted the chance to be the kind of father mine never was. I was really torn. My thoughts returned to the trial and how much I hated putting kids in jail for life because of their crimes they committed trying to be like their fathers, or committed because they had no fathers. Could I keep doing that? And then the assault came back to me and I felt that anger again of being targeted for trying to do my job. I’d always have to watch my back if I continued. I thought about doing something else, something—
“Are you going to answer the door, or just sit there with those gears grinding all day? I swear it’s almost audible!”
Abra flopped over on the bed and pulled the covers up over her head. I shook myself, grateful for the distraction from my line of thinking, and got up to answer the door.
“Greetings, Mr. Graham. May I bring this inside for you?”
