Ocean breeze, p.19
Ocean Breeze, page 19
“You were right. He was upset by the truth, but he was glad I told him,” she said softly, rubbing her temple.
“You did the right thing,” he assured her. “Does your head hurt?”
“Yeah, it’s starting to throb,” she said softly.
That shouldn’t be, Jay thought. He gave her a pain pill a little over two hours ago. They were supposed to last a lot longer than that. He had so many questions, but they could wait. He could see that what little energy Jamie had when she awoke was now gone.
“I’m so tired,” she murmured.
“You’ve been through a lot. The doctor said you’re suffering from exhaustion. You haven’t been eating right and you haven’t been getting enough sleep,” he told her gently. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep?”
“I think so.”
“I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll be right over there on the couch if you need me. Would you like me to help you get into a more comfortable position so you can sleep?” he asked, getting up.
Jamie was suddenly alarmed. “No! Please don’t go,” she pleaded, reaching for his hand, her eyes filled with fear.
Surprised, Jay grasped her hand tightly.
“Please sleep here in the bed with me. I know you’re being chivalrous and I appreciate that, but I trust you,” she pleaded.
Then, in a soft voice, barely above a whisper, she explained, “It’s just that, the night scares me. Not so much the dark, but the night.”
She paused. “He attacked me at night.”
No sooner had the words escaped her lips than Jay was sitting beside her, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her.
She leaned against him. “You make me feel safe,” she whispered.
“You are safe,” he whispered into her hair, holding her tighter.
She slowly turned to face him. “Are you sure you don’t mind sleeping here with me?”
His expression turned very serious. “Well, let me think about that for a minute.” He extended his arms on either side of his body, bent his elbows and faced his palms upward, moving his arms alternately up and down as if he were weighing two objects on a scale. “Sleep in my comfortable bed with my beautiful girlfriend in my arms or sleep on a lumpy couch by myself. Hmm, that’s a tough one.”
She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling.
And there it was! Just what he was hoping for - his smile.
He lay down next to her on the bed and helped her slide down so she could lie down next to him, being extremely careful not to aggravate her head. She laid her head on his chest and curled her body in toward him. He wrapped his left arm around her and pulled the comforter up over her with his right.
“You can lie under the covers too,” she murmured sleepily. “I trust you.”
He pulled the covers up over himself as well and wrapped his right arm around her too, pressing her against him. He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair, enjoying the warmth and closeness of her body. He felt the softness of her skin as he stroked her cheek.
“What am I going to do, Jay?” she murmured as she began to doze. “How am I going to rebuild my life?”
“You’re going to let me help you,” he whispered firmly.
She snuggled against him.
He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her beautiful blond head. She fell asleep instantly. Jay wasn’t far behind.
NINETEEN
Temporary Custody
b
Jamie awoke to long rays of sunlight streaming in through the bedroom windows. She blinked her eyes and looked around. It must be a nice day outside, she thought, not missing the torrential rain that had plagued them for the past two days. She glanced at the clock radio next to the bed – 6:55. This time she was positive it was morning.
Jay was asleep, still holding her protectively in his arms. She needed to use the bathroom. She wasn’t sure whether she would be able to walk there by herself, but she was willing to try. She didn’t want to wake Jay up and ask him for help. That would be really embarrassing.
Carefully, so as not to disturb him, she slid herself out of his embrace and edged to the opposite side of the large bed, reminding herself to move slowly. When she reached the edge, she sat there for a moment, her legs dangling over the side. Now she was upright, her head was spinning. She closed her eyes and massaged her forehead. She knew the dizziness would subside in a few minutes – it did yesterday anyway.
When she felt better, she opened her eyes and gingerly placed her feet on the floor. She slowly stood up, holding tightly to the bed with her right hand. A sudden wave of nausea ran through her. She quickly closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe deeply until the unpleasant feeling passed. She opened her eyes again and, holding onto the bed, began slowly walking around to the other side of the bedroom. Her legs felt stiff and weak. Her entire body was very sore.
She didn’t know where the bathroom was, but guessed it was somewhere beyond the arched doorway on the end of the main wall in the living room. It was very close to the bedroom. All she had to do now was step down one step, because she was currently in the raised bedroom, walk a few steps and she’d be through the doorway. She held on to the wall for support. Stepping down was tricky, but she managed to coax her knees to bend and her stomach muscles to tighten in order to make it into the living room. After the step, she stopped and caught her breath, still holding onto the wall for support. When she felt she could proceed, she ventured forth through the doorway.
Jay’s house was considerably larger than it first appeared. The doorway led to a hallway running behind the main wall of the living room and the far wall of the kitchen. Jamie walked to the first open door on the right side of the hallway. This had to be it, she thought.
She walked through and sure enough, it was the bathroom, but it was unlike any bathroom she had ever seen before. The room was massive. Most of her apartment could fit inside this one room! A huge vanity with double sinks took up the entire length of one wall. A large mirror above it covered most of the top half of the wall, topped off by an ornate light fixture. Directly in front of her, opposite the door, was a full-size Jacuzzi tub underneath a semi-circular window. To the right of that was a separate shower so large it could easily accommodate a family of four. The bathroom was tastefully decorated in the same beach colors as the bedroom. The walls were decorated with colorful replicas of ocean life and sandy colored marble covered many of the surfaces. Apparently there was way more to Jay than he let on.
There was an open door to Jamie’s right. She peeked inside. It was a gigantic walk-in closet. Shelves and clothing racks lined the walls and reached all the way to the ceiling. Jay had a fair amount of clothes in there, some neatly folded, some not so much, but it was by no means full. A few articles of clothing lay hastily thrown on the closet floor.
Jamie walked to the vanity and looked in the mirror. She let out a little gasp. What she saw almost made her fall over. She quickly grabbed the edge of the counter and closed her eyes. When the dizziness passed she slowly opened her eyes and cautiously looked in the mirror again. There were dark circles under her cloudy eyes. Several purple bruises were scattered in various places on her face. She now understood why when Jay touched her cheek it was always the left one. Her right cheek bore a large, angry looking scrape. Five distinct bruises belittled her neck.
The image of him wrapping his huge hand around her neck and lifting her up off the floor, her feet feeling nothing but air beneath them as she struggled to breathe and to free herself from his grasp, the curio cabinet, instant pain, the sound of breaking glass, April screaming, everything turning red, filled her mind in an instant flashback so brutal she felt her knees buckle. How could he do this to her? He would have done the same to April! How could he be so cruel? She grabbed onto the edge of the counter and held on tight. She felt like she was going to be sick. She battled the waves of nausea and dizziness, refusing to give in. She refused to allow herself to think about it. She refused to allow herself to get upset about the damage he did and the pain he caused. She and April were both alive. That’s what was important. There was no permanent damage, or so she hoped. She willed herself to think positively. She was grateful she and April were alive.
She took a few deep breaths then forced herself to look back in the mirror. She barely recognized the person staring back at her. It will heal, she told herself. It will all heal. Her waist length hair was a tangled, knotted mess. She tried to comb through it with her fingers and discovered it was caked with dried blood - her blood. She gave herself another moment.
She really wanted and needed to take a shower, but her head was extremely sensitive and she was very weak. She didn’t think she could shower by herself without falling. She couldn’t ask Jay to help her. They weren’t at that point in their relationship yet. She found a washcloth and towel and washed and dried her face. Her skin felt clean, but tight. She usually put moisturizing lotion on her face after she washed it. She didn’t suppose Jay had any lying around. Next, she dampened her hair with the wet washcloth, attempting to tame it a bit. She didn’t have the energy to brush it.
She looked at the clothes she was wearing. She had been extremely cold when they arrived there from the hospital. Jay warmed her by dressing her in his clothes. She smiled as she remembered him buttoning the shirt for her that she was now wearing. She was also wearing his sweatpants and socks. All of his clothes were too big for her. She laughed at the sight of herself. She looked like a bag lady.
Her legs were actually hot in the sweatpants. She saw she had her shorts on underneath and decided to remove the sweats and socks. She sat on the padded vanity chair and slowly took them off. She was not prepared for what she saw beneath. She was glad she was sitting down because she most certainly would have fallen over had she been standing. Her legs were absolutely covered with cuts and blue and purple bruises. No wonder they felt so sore and stiff, she thought. She looked away, taking a few deep breaths and willing herself to focus on the fact she and April were lucky to be alive. All this will heal, she told herself over and over again. All this will heal.
Next, she unbuttoned the long-sleeved flannel shirt revealing Jay’s short-sleeved surfing shirt underneath. She was pretty sure she could manage to remove the sling on her left arm by herself so she could remove the shirt. She thought better of it. Seeing her face and legs was enough for now.
She stood up and looked around for a laundry basket where she could put Jay’s sweats and socks. Walking on the tile floor in her bare feet was easier than it was in the socks. She was less likely to slip and fall now. She noticed a door at the end of the long vanity, walked slowly toward it and looked inside, discovering not only a laundry basket, but an entire laundry room. The room was about a quarter the size of the massive bathroom. It must be so nice to have your own washer and dryer, Jamie thought. She placed Jay’s clothes in the laundry basket.
There was a soft knock on the bathroom door. “Jamie? Are you in there? Are you okay?” came Jay’s worried voice.
“I’m okay,” she called. “I’m just trying to freshen up a bit. I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
“No, it’s fine. I just woke up and you weren’t there,” he answered anxiously.
“I’ll be right out. Do you have a toothbrush I can use?”
“Yeah.”
Jay told her where to find an extra toothbrush and she brushed her teeth. When she opened the bathroom door, he was standing just outside, his unshaven face creased with worry.
“I’m okay,” she assured him, grasping his hand. She would have loved to wrap her arms around his neck and hold him close, but she was sure her aching ribs and stomach muscles would protest violently.
He smiled broadly at her. “You’re getting around pretty well,” he commented as she shuffled into the hallway toward him.
She angled her head and gave him a look.
“For someone who’s as injured as you are, I think you’re doing great!”
She beamed at him as he carefully slid his arm around her waist and guided her down the hallway.
“I promised you the grand tour. Are you up for it?” he asked hopefully.
“Absolutely.”
“You’ve already seen the bathroom.”
They were passing another door on the right side of the hallway.
“This is another entrance to the laundry room.”
They continued to the end of the hallway. Jamie admired the beautiful framed photographs of the beach lining the walls. On the right hand side was yet another door.
“This is the office.”
Jamie peeked inside. The room was quite large, with a cherry desk and shelves taking up three of the walls. Framed surfing posters decorated the fourth. Jay’s school books, laptop, printer and fax machine littered the desk.
On the left side of the hallway, directly across from Jay’s office, was an arched doorway. Jay led her through and they ended up in the spacious kitchen. There was a large island in the middle, with granite countertops, cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances throughout. Beautiful earth tone tile covered the backsplash. The floors were the same knotty pine as the rest of the house. A long counter made up the fourth wall of the kitchen, overlooking the living room. Bar stools lined the counter on the living room side.
Something magnetized to the refrigerator caught Jamie’s eye. She moved to get a better look. It was a drawing of some sort. She walked closer and stopped in front of it, staring in amazement. Jay stopped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Jamie leaned back against him. There before her, magnetized to the refrigerator, was a colored drawing of two people walking hand in hand down a narrow, winding path. At the bottom, scrawled in a young child’s handwriting, was the name April. Jamie turned around to face Jay.
“April gave you that picture weeks ago. You didn’t even know she was my sister at the time,” she blurted, her eyes searching his face for some sort of explanation.
“April is a sweet kid. I told her I’d hang it on my refrigerator. That‘s what my grandmother used to do with the stuff I made when I was a kid,” he explained, his cheeks turning red. “Besides, it’s the only picture I have of you and me,” he added with a grin.
The kids at the Kinder College were forever making pictures and giving them to their parents and the staff at the facility. Jamie knew for a fact most of the staff threw the pictures they were given away at the end of the day, after the children went home. They always thanked the kids for their art work, promised to hang it up in their homes and usually promptly threw it away when the children weren’t around. Jay barely knew April when she gave him her picture and he certainly hadn’t known she was her sister. Yet, he promised to hang it up in his home and he actually did.
Jamie kissed his cheek, pulled him close and hugged him.
They decided it would be too uncomfortable for Jamie to sit at the counter and eat breakfast, so they settled for the couch. As they slowly made their way over to it, Jamie admired the large, overstuffed furniture and tasteful decorations. She stopped to study the three large surfing posters hanging on the wall behind the couch, easily picking out the pictures of Jay on each poster. He looked so happy in all the pictures, as though he was where he was meant to be, doing exactly what he was meant to do.
“I love your house,” she commented as Jay helped her sit down. “Who’s your decorator?”
“My grandmother decorated most of it. I just added a few things here and there.”
“Let me guess,” she said playfully, looking around, “the two surfboards by the front door, the surfing exhibition posters hanging behind us and the beanbags over there in the corner.”
He smiled. “You don’t miss a thing, do you?”
"
Jay brewed a pot of coffee, boiled water for tea and smoothed cream cheese on bagels while Jamie called her grandmother. He overheard her speaking cheerfully on the phone. She was trying to reassure the elderly woman she really was okay.
“The doctor just says I need a lot of rest and then I’ll be fine,” she said reassuringly.
“No, Gran - I’m at Jay’s house.”
There was a long pause.
“I couldn’t stay there - it wasn’t safe.”
Jay guessed she was probably referring to the hospital.
“There was no reason for me to stay there anyway,” she lied. “Jay’s been wonderful. He hasn’t left my side.” She spoke with pure admiration.
Jay grinned to himself.
“He said I can stay here as long as I want, so I’m going to take him up on his offer. Can you keep April for a few more days?”
She paused.
“Thanks, Gran. How’s she doing?”
There was a long pause while Jamie listened to her grandmother’s answer.
“Can you put her on?”
There was another pause while Jamie waited for April to come to the phone.
“Hi, sweetie!” Jamie said excitedly, her face bright with happiness.
Jay smiled at the sudden excitement in her voice. He busied himself in the kitchen while Jamie and April spoke happily for several minutes.
Jamie motioned to him. “April wants to talk to you.”
She handed him the phone. Jay spent the next few minutes listening while April excitedly told him all about her day at the neighborhood park yesterday, including the pet dogs she met there and the various children she befriended and played with. When their conversation ended, he handed the phone back to Jamie.
“Sweetie, I need you to listen to me for a minute,” Jamie began in a motherly tone. “I’m not feeling well, so the doctor says I have to get lots of rest. I can’t take care of you like this, so you’re going to stay with Gran for the next few days. I won’t be able to visit you for a while. I’ll call you every day and I’ll come see you as soon as I’m feeling better,” Jamie’s voice faltered.
Jay thought April probably didn’t notice, but he sure did. He wondered if they had ever been apart before. Even though that maniac who attacked her was probably long gone by now, he was still hurting Jamie and April. Jay clenched his hands into fists.
