On A Wing And A Prayer Part 4

Ca.s.s smiled. She's curious about me, she thought. Cool! For some reason that small spark of interest from someone she didn't even know filled her heart with a giddiness she couldn't explain.

"All right, you asked ... I deliver," Ca.s.s said as she selected 'reply' at the top of the screen.

"Hey Rox!

Thanks again for replying. I really appreciate it.

You are right ... I am a pilot. I work for Southern Lights Airline out of San Jose ... I fly mostly into Central and South America ... occasionally a domestic flight. I was flying a domestic flight when I found your book in Dallas.

As far as the book turning out to be c.r.a.p ... not a chance. How could someone as beautiful as yourself produce anything but perfection? I was not disappointed by the book, nor the picture. I was captivated by both.

The book cover says you are from the seacoast of Maine. If you don't mind sharing, what town do you live in? Are you directly on the ocean? I love the ocean, especially at night ... especially in the rain.

Anyway, thank you again for replying. I really do appreciate it, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Ca.s.s "

Pressing the 'send' b.u.t.ton, Ca.s.s sat back and smiled, then frowned. Why are you constantly in my thoughts, Roxanne Ward? she asked herself. Sighing deeply, she reached over and selected the shut down routine for the computer and watched as it slowly went to sleep. That's exactly what I need to do... I have an early flight tomorrow, Ca.s.s thought as she dragged herself to bed.

CHAPTER VI.

ROX OPENED HER eyes and peered into the darkness. Her cheek was lying against something hard and cool. Total silence enveloped her. Slowly lifting her head, she felt the skin on the back of her neck crinkle into painful folds, sending bolts of fire down her back. She stopped all movement, body frozen in statuesque stillness as she allowed the wave of pain to pa.s.s. Rox, you have to get up. You can't spend the night on the floor. Come on, you can do it, she told herself as she once again put her body into gear.

The skin on her back felt like it was ripping, shredding like a linen sheet stretched too far, as she slowly climbed to her feet. Holding on to the edge of the kitchen table, she stood there for several long moments, praying that the fire on her back would soon be extinguished. She nearly lost the contents of her stomach as she stood there weak kneed, white knuckles gripping the edge of the smooth wood surface, while tears streamed down her face and puddled on the table below. Several moments later, her stomach settled as she slowly righted herself and moved carefully into the living room. There was no sign of Chris. She a.s.sumed her abuser had gone to bed.

Making her way to the downstairs bathroom, she turned on the light and immediately winced as the bright light caused her to tightly screw up her face ... a gesture she found extremely painful through the bruises and cuts she found there when she looked into the mirror. The first thing that crossed her mind when she saw the state her face was in, was how she could possibly explain what had happened to her parents. There was no way they could find out about this. They loved Chris ... they thought Chris was the best thing that had ever happened to their little girl. She couldn't disappoint them with the truth ... not when her father had so little time left. She refused to send him to his grave with the knowledge that his little girl was living in an abusive situation. No, she would live with it ... make her excuses to get out of dinner next weekend ... then make it up to them ... somehow.

Knowing there was no way she could navigate the stairs, she moved slowly across the living room carpet and sat gingerly on the edge of the couch. Very carefully, she lowered herself down and lay on her side, placing her bruised face on the throw pillow. Reaching up, she pulled the quilt off the back of the couch and haphazardly arranged it over her hips and legs. Finally, she forced herself to relax, slowly releasing the tension, one body part at a time. The pain slowly eased as she committed herself to sleep.

Rox was startled awake the next morning by the phone. Jumping up suddenly at the sound, she quickly crumpled back into a painful heap on the couch, trying hard to catch her breath and answer the phone before the caller hung up. Fighting tears and gasping for air, she picked up the receiver.

"He... h.e.l.lo?" Rox rasped into the phone.

"Hey Rox! Are we still on for shopping today?" the caller asked.

"Nik...." Rox cleared her throat, "Nikki?" she answered.

Several long moments of silence.

"Nikki?" Rox asked again in a weak voice.

"Oh G.o.d ... Rox ... not again! I'll be there in five minutes, love ... don't move, okay?" Nikki said desperately.

A dial tone came from the phone long before Rox could take another breath to answer. Looking at the receiver and fighting back tearful memories from the night before, she shakily reached out and placed the receiver back in its cradle. That's when she noticed the note by the phone.

"I'll be out of town for the next few days on a job. C," was all it said. No apology, no explanation. If truth be known, Rox was surprised there was a note left at all. It was unlike Chris to show even that much consideration for her feelings.

Rox took a deep painful breath and closed her eyes. Minutes later, the front door burst open, admitting a 5'2" fireball.

"G.o.d d.a.m.ned, son of a b.i.t.c.hin' b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Nikki cursed when she saw the state her friend was in. "Chris, you mother-f.u.c.ker ... where the h.e.l.l are you?!" she yelled into room.

Rox looked up from her position on the couch, tears clouding her vision. "Gone ..." was all she could say.

Going immediately to her side, Nikki sat next to Rox on the couch and took her into her arms, holding her tenderly as the red head cried out her sorrow into her friend's shoulder.

"It's okay, Baby ... cry it out, love," she said, placing light kisses on Rox's forehead. Tears were pouring down her own face and she rocked her friend back and forth. Several moments later, Rox 's breathing stilled as she fell into a light sleep against her friends' shoulder.

Nikki was shaking with anger as she silently examined her friend. Reaching over, she brushed Rox's golden bangs off her forehead, noting multiple cuts and bruises on her face and neck. "Sweetheart, why do you stay in this relations.h.i.+p?" she whispered to the sleeping woman through her own tears.

Nikki closed her eyes and rested her head on the back of the couch, remembering the first time she met Rox. She was very different than she was today... eager, bright, a.s.sertive, independent, dedicated ...

Rox was very much an advocate of women's rights. As a journalism major, and reporter for the campus newspaper, she made a point of giving women's issues a lot of press, which didn't always sit well with certain groups on campus. One group in particular, called 'The Gentleman's Club' took offense to what they considered her anti-male campaign. One evening, while crossing campus at dusk, Rox was accosted by a member of the club. Cornering her in a secluded alcove of the fine arts building, he proceeded to teach her a lesson by attempting to rape and sodomize her. Before he had the chance to do anything however, he found himself the recipient of a two-by-four across his back.

Rolling off a still struggling Rox, he looked up and exclaimed ... "What the f.u.c.k!?"

"I'll what the f.u.c.k, you ... you filthy son of a b.i.t.c.h!" shouted the short blonde as the two-by-four landed once more across this chest.

Rox rolled to her feet and straightened her clothing as she watched this pet.i.te wild woman demolish the would-be rapist with the board. Finally rolling away from her and scrambling to his feet, he hurriedly limped away.

Throwing the board down, she looked at Rox. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I am now, thanks to you," Rox said, extending her hand. "Roxanne Ward," she said, introducing herself.

"Nicole Davenport. Nikki for short," the blonde replied, breaking into a big smile while reaching out to shake Rox's hand. "I don't think he'll be bothering anyone else tonight," she added, watching him limp across campus.

Rox followed the direction of her eyes. "No, I don't think he will." Looking back at the woman she added, "Can I buy you a coffee Nikki Davenport? It's the least I can do to show my appreciation."

Nikki smiled. "Sure!" she said, as she walked away with Rox, and into a secure friends.h.i.+p that would still be strongly intact six years later.

"Rox, when Jerri finds about this, Chris is toast, you know that, don't you?" she whispered to her sleeping friend, while she reached up and wiped the tears off her own face with the back of her fist.

Jerri was Nikki's partner of six years, having met immediately after Nikki graduated from college. They were as different as night and day. Where Nikki was pet.i.te, with short blonde hair, light green eyes, and a fiery temper, Jerri was tall ... about 5'9" with dark shoulder length hair, olive colored skin, brown eyes, and a mild mannered disposition -- except when the people she loved were in danger. Jerri would NOT take kindly to the treatment Rox suffered at Chris' hands.

Jerri liked to say that she and Nikki 'completed' each other. Their love was so real and so strong, that it was almost tangible. Rox liked to tease them about how much time they spend in each other's 'personal s.p.a.ce', kissing, caressing, holding each other ... not to mention that nearly ever time Rox called them, they seemed to be in the middle of playtime. If truth be know, Rox was very envious of the intense, devoted love her friends had for each other, and she could only hope that some day she too would be lucky enough to find someone to love and who would love her with the same intensity.

For the next couple of hours, Nikki sat there holding her friend, humming lullabies she had heard as a child, and lightly rubbing her hand up and down Rox's arm, while plotting her revenge on Chris.

"Mom ... Mom, I'm sorry. I know you and Dad were looking forward to dinner this weekend, but we just can't make it. Chris is out of town on a job, and it will be the perfect opportunity for me to catch up on my writing. My publisher is sending me e-mails daily, asking for status reports," Rox explained. "Yes, I know it's only Monday, and I suppose things could change before the weekend, but please don't plan on it. I know we promised, Mom, but it can't be helped. Maybe next weekend, okay? I'm sorry. Kiss Daddy for me, okay? All right Mom, I'll talk to you later, bye," Rox said, slowly placing the receiver back in the cradle and staring at it for long moments before looking up at Nikki, who had been pacing back and forth beside her.

Nikki stopped pacing and opened her arms to her friend, who went into them willingly. Wrapping her arms tightly around her injured friend, she noticed Rox stiffen. Nikki pulled Rox away from her and held her at arm's length by her upper arms. Narrowing her eyes, she reached up and unb.u.t.toned Rox's night s.h.i.+rt. Too tired to fight her, Rox let her do it. After several moments, Nikki had the baseball jersey unb.u.t.toned and pushed off Rox's shoulders, never breaking eye contact with the red head during the whole unveiling. Finally, Nikki broke contact by turning her friend around.

"Oh my G.o.d!" Nikki exclaimed as she ran into the bathroom to throw up.

While her friend was relieving her stomach of it's contents, Rox slowly and silently pulled the jersey back up and b.u.t.toned it, keeping her eyes downcast through the entire process. Moments later, Nikki was once again standing in front of her, lifting her chin with two fingers and looking into her face with such sympathy and love that Rox fell once more into her arms and just stood there, allowing her friend to hold her for long moments. Finally, Nikki kissed Rox's cheek then led her to a chair at the kitchen table and proceeded to go through the refrigerator looking for omelet ingredients.

"Nikki, I'm really not hungry," Rox protested.

Turning to face her friend, the little blonde answered, "Rox, you've got to eat. Look at you! When's the last time you ate a decent meal? For Christ's sake girlfriend, you're killing yourself. Between your job, your starvation diet, and that brute you're living with, you look like a third world refugee!" she exclaimed.

Rox cringed at the description. "I love you too, Nik," she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Nikki placed the bowl of beaten eggs on the counter and went over to wrap her arms around her friend's neck. Rox's hands came up to grasp Nikki's arms affectionately, as she leaned her head against her friend's.

"Rox, sweetheart, I am so worried about you. I half expect to see your name in the obituaries some morning," she said in a raspy voice. "Please walk away from this ... please!" Nikki pleaded.

"I can't Nik," she whispered back. "I won't break his heart like that. He's dying Nik ... the doctor's don't give him another six months. He thinks we're happy ... I can't shatter that illusion for him," she cried, more broken hearted at the prospect of losing her father to cancer than at the abusive situation she was living in.

"You will die before he does if something doesn't change soon, my friend," the pet.i.te blonde warned, drawing a startled look from her friend. "I'm sorry to put it so bluntly, Rox, but it's true. It's only a matter of time before Chris kills you."

Rox just stared at her hands clasped in front of her on the table as Nikki went back to cooking breakfast.

It was nearly dinner time before Rox could convince Nikki to go home, a.s.suring her that she had recovered enough mobility throughout the day to take care of herself. Besides, she really was receiving e-mails from her literary agent asking for status reports ... just not as often as she lied to her mother about ... so she really had to get back to her writing. Kissing her soundly, Nikki made Rox promise to call her if she needed anything.

Finally alone, Rox sat down in front of the computer and rested her bruised forehead against the monitor screen while she patiently waited for the system to boot up. While she waited, the phone rang.

"h.e.l.lo?" she said into the mouthpiece.

"Rox, this is Jerri. Rox ... I'm gonna kill that... that..." she sputtered.

"Jerri ... you'll do no such thing, do you understand?" Rox said to her friend. d.a.m.n it Nik ... did you have to get her all riled up too? she thought.

"Rox ... Chris can not get away with this ... it won't stop, you know ... until it's too late!" she warned.

"Jerri, please ...," she interrupted.

"No, Rox... you can't sacrifice yourself like this ... not even for your father!" Jerri said angrily.

"Jerri, I think that's my decision to make, all right? Now I love you dearly for worrying about me, truly I do, but it is my decision," she finished angrily.

Silence.

"Jerri?" she asked.

More silence.

"d.a.m.n it Jerri, answer me ... I don't need this s.h.i.+t from you too!" she yelled.

A slight pause ... "I'm sorry, Rox," came the reply. "It's just that ... well, it's killing Nikki and I to see this happening to you ... you don't deserve it," she said.

"No one ever does, my friend ... no one ever does. I'm okay, Jerri ... I'll be fine in a few days. Chris won't be back at least before Wednesday or Thursday. That will give me plenty of time to recover, and to figure out how to prevent this from happening again," she explained.

"The only way to prevent it, Rox, is to get rid of that good for nothing creep!" Jerri exclaimed.

Rox smiled at the fact that Nikki was so much more colorful in her expletives than her partner. "In time, Jerri ... in time," was all she said. "Goodnight my friend ... kiss Nikki for me, okay?"

"All right, Rox ... take care of yourself ... bye," Jerri said, hanging up the phone.

Replacing the receiver, Rox sat back and took a deep breath, and decided to read her e-mail before beginning to write. Clicking on 'get messages', she waited patiently as five new posts flooded in. Third on the list was ''. Deciding to save that one until last, Rox quickly read and replied to the remaining four, most of which were short blurbs from her writers' chat room buddies. That out of the way, she clicked on the last remaining e-mail, then gingerly rested her sore back against the chair to take her time reading the post.

"Hey Rox!

Thanks again for replying. I really appreciate it.

You are right ... I am a pilot. I work for Southern Lights Airline ... I fly mostly into Central and South America ... occasionally a domestic flight. I was flying a domestic flight when I found your book in Dallas.

As far as the book turning out to be c.r.a.p ... not a chance. How could someone as beautiful as yourself produce anything but perfection? I was not disappointed by the book, nor the picture. I was captivated by both.

The book cover says you are from the seacoast of Maine. If you don't mind sharing, what town do you live in? Are you directly on the ocean? I love the ocean, especially at night ... especially in the rain.

Anyway, thank you again for replying. I really do appreciate it, and I hope to hear from you soon.