On A Wing And A Prayer Part 19

"I'm going to speak my heart, Nikki," Rox replied. "But it is a long road from here to California. That's a road I will not travel at breakneck speed. I did that with Chris and look where it got me. No ... I will take baby steps, and sooner or later, if Ca.s.s truly is the light, his beacon will lead me to him," she explained.

"And just what do you mean by baby steps?" Jerri asked, eyebrows raised into her hairline.

"Chat," Rox said.

"Chat?" the ladies said at the same time.

"Chat," repeated Rox.

CHAPTER XIX.

9:05 P.M. ROCKFORD, MAINE ...

Nikki and Jerri went upstairs to their room to give Rox some privacy after Rox insisted that she would be able to type relatively fast with her left hand.

"Rox, you know you're supposed to be resting. I know how addicting chat can be. h.e.l.l, Jerri spends hours at a time in there. Promise me you'll keep it short and get some sleep, okay?" Nikki insisted before kissing Rox good night and followed her wife to bed.

Rox distractedly mumbled her concurrence, then turned her attention back to the computer screen after wis.h.i.+ng her friend a good night.

Once she was alone, Rox slowly and awkwardly composed a note to Ca.s.s inviting 'him' to into a chat session.

"Dear Ca.s.s, Are you free right now to join me in chat? My heart is overflowing with emotion as I read your note. I want desperately to talk to you. If you are able to, please meet me at www.alienchat.com.

Rox"

After clicking on 'send', Rox brought up a host Internet session and typed 'www.alienchat.com', then sat and waited nervously. It wasn't long before 'flyboy' entered the chat room.

"Hi!" typed Rox.

"Hi yourself," came there reply.

"Ca.s.s, I have been touched deeply by your notes. It is as though you can see directly into my heart," Rox typed awkwardly, having to back up several times to correct mistakes she had made trying to type one-handed.

"I too have been touched by yours. Rox, I feel as though I have known you my entire life. In such a short time, you have become an irreplaceable part of my heart," Ca.s.s typed.

Rox gasped when she read the incoming note, then typed a reply. "My heart is in my throat right now, Ca.s.s. I am a nervous wreck sitting here composing this note. I have never felt this way before."

"Rox, you are going to think I'm crazy ... We have only known each other for a couple of weeks, but I feel so close to you," Ca.s.s said. "I have had dreams of you, Rox. I see your face every time I close my eyes, like it was imprinted on the inside of my eyelids. I have never felt this way before either." she confessed.

"Ca.s.s, you mentioned that the woman you were involved with died three years ago. I am sorry ... that must have hurt you terribly," Rox baited.

"Yes, she died from a drug overdose. I loved her very much, but the situation between us had degraded badly just before she died," Ca.s.s admitted.

"I am sorry to hear that. Have you dated much since?" Rox asked.

"Very little. No committed relations.h.i.+ps. Patti left some deep scars on my heart ... some of which still bleed," came the reply.

"Ca.s.s, Why me? Why now?" Rox typed.

"I don't know Rox. For some reason, I feel safe with you. My heart is willing to take the chance," Ca.s.s replied.

Rox sat and looked inward, asking herself if she truly felt safe with Ca.s.s. Left hand poised over the keyboard, she typed, "I have looked into my own heart and have seen the truth of your words there, Ca.s.s. I too feel safe with you. Heavens knows, I have had reason not to, but I do."

"Rox, I sense there is something wrong. You mentioned in your last note that you are in a dark relations.h.i.+p. Talk to me Rox ... please tell me you are safe," Ca.s.s pleaded.

"For the time being, I am safe, Ca.s.s. I have two very dear friends staying with me right now. Please don't worry," Rox replied.

6:15 p.m. San Jose, California ...

Something is wrong here, E. I can feel it. Ca.s.s said to her alter ego.

I hear ya, Ca.s.s. I feel it too. Go ahead and ask her. Enforcer encouraged.

I don't know E ... I don't want to scare her away, but yet, I'm afraid for her. Why would she need her friends to say with her to keep her safe? she questioned herself.

Ask her, Ca.s.s. Notice how long it takes her to reply to your notes? I wonder why. It doesn't feel right to me either. Enforcer said seriously.

"Rox, I am worried about you. If you need your friends to stay with you, you must be in danger. Please talk to me," Ca.s.s urged nervously.

Pressing the enter b.u.t.ton, she watched her note appear at the bottom of the c.u.mulative list of correspondence between them then waited. After almost of full minute without a reply, she realized that Enforcer was right. It was taking an inordinate amount of time for Rox to reply to each line of dialogue. What the h.e.l.l is going on here? Ca.s.s asked herself.

"Rox are you there?" she typed.

"Ca.s.s, please don't worry. I am safe. I will tell you about my relations.h.i.+p soon, I promise," came the immediate reply ... so quickly, it had to have been in transit as Ca.s.s was sending the last note.

Ca.s.s stared at the screen intently and waited. About thirty seconds later, another reply came across the screen.

"Yes, I am here. Wait...." it read.

Ca.s.s waited. A full minute later, another message appeared.

"Ca.s.s, I owe you an explanation..."

Yes ... Ca.s.s said internally as she waited for more.

"I am typing one-handed ..."

One handed? She's hurt, Ca.s.s! Enforcer concluded.

"My wrist is broken ..."

Son of a b.i.t.c.h! "HOW!" Ca.s.s typed.

Staring at the screen for long moments without a response, Ca.s.s once again poised her hands over they keyboard.

"Rox, how did you break your wrist? Rox, please talk to me. My stomach is in knots here. Please talk to me," she typed.

Again she waited.

"Please Ca.s.s, I'm all right. Really, I am," came Rox's reply.

Ca.s.s was becoming very agitated.

"Rox, I am sitting here imagining all kinds of horrors. Now, tell me how you broke your wrist or I will book myself on the next flight to Maine and find out for myself!" she typed.

9:25 p.m. Rockford, Maine ...

Oh my G.o.d. I can feel his anger right through the screen, thought Rox. What have I gotten myself into here? I don't need to leave one abusive relations.h.i.+p just to enter another.

Such were the thoughts that were running through Rox's mind as she read the last line of dialogue from Ca.s.s.

"Ca.s.s, please don't be angry. I have dealt with enough anger over the past several months to last a lifetime," she wrote.

"Rox, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I am not angry with you. Sweetheart, please believe me," Ca.s.s replied.

Sweetheart? Rox thought, her stomach doing flip-flops at the endearment.

Before Rox could reply, another line of dialogue came across the screen.

"Rox, talk to me. I am sick with fear for you. Please talk to me," the note read.

"Ca.s.s, I'm sorry to have upset you. I fear that if I tell you how I was injured, you will become even more so. Know that I am safe ... please," Rox sent.

"Rox, please ..." Came an almost immediate response.

Rox sat back and stared at the screen for several moments.

"Rox?" Ca.s.s said.

Rox reached over and typed, "I'm here."

"Are you all right?" asked Ca.s.s.

"I'm okay, Ca.s.s. I am sorry for worrying you," Rox said.

"You've been beaten, haven't you?" Ca.s.s boldly demanded.

Tears came to Rox's eyes ... tears of hurt, anger and indignation. Soon, she was sobbing openly.

"Sweetheart, please talk to me!" Ca.s.s said in an urgent tone.

"I'm o...," Rox started typing, nearly blinded with tears.

"Rox, honey, what's wrong?" Nikki said as she came up behind her friend. She had been on her way to the kitchen for a gla.s.s of milk when she heard Rox crying. Wrapping her arms around her injured friend, she looked over Rox's shoulder at the monitor screen and read the last few lines of dialogue. "Looks like he guessed, huh?"

Rox nodded, unable to speak.

"May I?" Nikki asked, coming around to sit next to Rox and reaching for the laptop.

Again, Rox nodded.

"Is it okay for me to tell him what's going on, Rox?" Nikki asked her friend.

"Rox! Rox honey, please answer me!" flashed onto the computer screen.

"Nikki, he called me Sweetheart - twice! I ... I ... Nik, I'm afraid," Rox said, dissolving into tears against her friend's shoulder.

"I understand, love. Let me talk to him," she said. "He needs to know, okay?"

Once more, Roxanne nodded.

Nikki took the laptop from Rox and placed it on her own lap. Hands poised over the keyboard, she wrote ...

"Hi Ca.s.s, this is Rox's friend Nikki ..."

6:37 p.m. San Jose, California ...

Nikki? Ca.s.s thought. Rox mentioned her in one of her e-mails. Suddenly excited that she had someone on the other end that would tell her what was going on, she quickly typed her next line of dialogue.

"Nikki, where is Rox?" she asked.

"Rox is sitting right here next to me. She's too upset to type," Nikki replied.

"Nikki, talk to me, please. I am worried sick about her. What happened ... how was she injured?" Ca.s.s asked.

"Ca.s.s, for the past couple of years, Rox has been living with and abusive a.s.shole. Things were fine between them for the first hear and a half or so, but lately, the beatings have been pretty d.a.m.ned regular, " she typed.

Oh my G.o.d! Ca.s.s thought.