Cocky Flyboy by Susan Horsnell

TIM

I arrived at Melissa’s in a little over five minutes, my foot had been close to flat to the floor, and fortunately, the back roads I’d taken were quiet. I found the door to her apartment pulled closed, but the damage caused by someone having forced their way inside was obvious. I wrapped my shirt around my fist so as not to obliterate any evidence. Applying pressure to the splintered door caused it to swing open.

I glanced around the apartment, and when I was unable to find Melissa in the living area, dashed to the small hallway. A door to my right was ajar, so I shouldered my way inside. When I caught sight of Melissa’s battered, naked body on the floor, my heart leaped into my throat.

Dropping to my knees beside her, the first thing I noticed was the strange angle of her left arm. It was obviously broken. Her face was swollen beyond recognition, as was her chest, but what concerned me the most was her intermittent breathing and the gurgling sound in her throat. Hoping I wouldn’t cause any further damage, I scooped her into my arms and laid her down on the bed. A sound came from the doorway.

“Paramedics. Hello!”

I hurriedly threw Melissa’s work skirt over her torso before crossing to the bedroom door and stepping into the hallway where I could be seen.

“In here.”

The two paramedics, with medical equipment in their hands, hurried toward where I stood. I stepped back and they entered the bedroom. As soon as they saw the state of Melissa, they sprang into action. I stood off to one side, out of their way, and watched as they assessed her injuries.

Once initial checks were done, the female of the pair pulled a pair of sweats and tank top from a small chest of drawers, and with the help of her colleague, dressed their patient. I felt better seeing her covered.

While the male took care of fitting a temporary cast on Melissa’s arm, the female started an IV. Once she had it running, something was injected into a valve off the side.

“Police!”

I hurried back to the door and found two officers standing in the doorway. When the damaged door was noted, they pulled on latex gloves and began studying the splintered wood. I crossed the short distance to join them.

“My name is Tim Reisher. I’m a friend of the victim.”

The shorter of the two officers pulled a notebook and pen from her pocket. “I’m Officer Sharon Bartlett and this is Officer Robyn Cassidy. Victim?”

“Melissa Hansen, she’s in the bedroom; paramedics are tending to her.”

“You found her?”

“Yes, she called me, and I came straight over after calling 911. I found her on the bedroom floor savagely beaten and unconscious.”

“Did you touch anything?” It appeared Bartlett was the senior of the pair.

“No. I was very careful not to disturb anything and used my shirt over my fist to open the front door. I guess my interest in crime shows has paid off.”

“Robyn, can you take photos and check for anything that might give us a clue as to who was here. I’ll check on our victim.”

I followed Officer Bartlett back to where Melissa was still out cold on the bed. Moving to her side, I gathered her hand in mine, being careful not to jar the IV. Leaning over her, I brushed her silky hair from her face.

“Melissa! Melissa! Can you hear me, honey?”

She blinked her eyes open as far as she could, the swelling preventing them from being much more than narrow slits. Tears flowed from her eyes as she struggled to breathe.

“Thank God.” I heard the relief in my voice. “Paramedics are here, honey. They’ve inserted an IV and are giving you something to help with the pain while they examine you.”

I moved back a little to give one of them room to speak with Melissa.

“Hi, Melissa. My name is Marjorie, I’m one of the paramedics. My partner’s name is Christopher. We have immobilized your broken arm and suspect you have broken ribs. You are badly bruised in that area. We won’t know for sure until we get you to the hospital and run some tests. Are you having trouble breathing?”

“A little… blood.”

“You taste blood? You’ve sustained a terrible beating, and it’s not unusual that you would taste blood. It’s probably caused by injuries behind the nose. Do you feel up to speaking with the police?”

“Yes.”

While the police officers questioned Melissa, Marjorie packed up the paramedics’ equipment, and Christopher left to get the gurney from their vehicle. When he returned, Melissa was moved onto the stretcher. She screamed out in pain and my heart broke on hearing her anguish. Thankfully, after begging for something more for the pain and Marjorie having administered it, she lapsed into unconsciousness.

Anger bubbled deep within—anger at myself. I had known the place wasn’t safe. Why the hell hadn’t I insisted she return with me to my apartment?

As the paramedics began pushing the gurney from the bedroom, I followed. “Where are you taking her?”

Although I wanted to climb into the ambulance with her, my car was parked out front. I would meet them at the hospital.

“Brooklyn, Presbyterian, Methodist.”

I knew the location well; it was less than ten minutes from where we currently were. As they pushed Melissa from the bedroom, I noticed her purse and phone on the floor and reached down to retrieve them so they wouldn’t be stolen from the unsecured apartment.

“We’ll drop into the hospital tomorrow and see if she remembers anything else.” Officer Bartlett took one last look around before she joined her fellow officer and me in leaving.

After allowing both officers to leave first, I stepped out and pulled the broken door closed as far as possible. The officers secured it with crime scene tape, hoping it would deter others from entering.

“That should hold it in place until you have it repaired,” Bartlett stated.

I had no intention of repairing the door. I would do my best to dissuade Melissa from returning. After saying goodbye to the officers, I got into my car, started the engine, and pulled out into the road, which led to the hospital.

I placed a call to my brother as I drove. We had a good friend, Roslyn, who owned a security company. She looked after security for Anthony’s café as well as our other business ventures. I wanted him to call her on my behalf while I raced to Melissa.”

“Yo.” I smiled at my brother’s answer.

“Anthony, I need you to organize something for me. It’s urgent.”

“Listening.”

I explained about Melissa being new to the city, her apartment, and what had happened.

“Shit, is she okay?”

“No, but she should be after treatment and rest.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I’m on my way to the hospital. Can you contact Roslyn for me and ask her to send someone around to get Melissa’s clothes and personal belongings? I want her relocated into one of the suites in the penthouse.”

“Does Melissa know about this?”

“Not yet, but I can’t let her stay at her apartment. Earlier in the evening, we talked about her moving in with me until she has the money to get somewhere decent. I want her somewhere safe.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing. I’ll take care of things with Ros. Do you know who attacked her?”

“She told the police she didn’t know the man, but my gut tells me it wasn’t a random attack.” I eased the car into a parking space at the hospital and shut off the engine. “I only have a minute or so, I’m at the hospital. Tell Roslyn I’ll speak with her in the next day or two. I want to put someone on her even though she’ll be at the penthouse.”

After leaving the car and locking the doors, I headed toward the glass entry doors, the cell phone held to my ear.

“Does Melissa have any family?”

“She told me she doesn’t, but to be honest, I don’t know. She joined the airline from Chicago but is from Springfield, or so she says. I’ll check with National when I call them. Even if there is someone, they won’t be able to get here tonight.”

“Be careful of how involved you become.”

“I can’t stand back and do nothing. She’s a colleague who seems to be alone.”

“I understand. Just be careful.”

“You worry too much. I’ll speak with you tomorrow.”

After giving him Melissa’s address, we said goodbye. I hung up and slid the cell into a pocket of my sweats. As I approached the doors and saw my reflection in the glass, I realized how casual… sloppy, I looked. I usually prided myself on dressing well but hadn’t anticipated leaving the penthouse when I’d thrown on sweats. There was no point in worrying about my attire, I had something much more important to concern myself about.

Once inside, I strode to a window where there was staff to take inquiries.

“Can I help you?” A young man asked as I approached.

“I’m here for Melissa Hansen, she was just brought in by ambulance.”

The young man, whose name tag read Jacques, keyed in Melissa’s name. He must have been told the reason she was brought in, and when he turned his gaze back on me, it was with an expression on his face that clearly showed he’d like to give me a beating.

“I didn’t hurt her; it was a break and enter.”

The scowl on his face melted away, leaving a sheepish expression. “Sorry. She’s here in ER. Are you family?”

“No, a close friend. She has no one here in New York.”

“I’ll key you in as her partner so you can stay with her. Name?”

I didn’t give a fuck what he entered me as; my priority was being with Melissa. It was puzzling why I felt such an overwhelming need to protect someone I barely knew.

“Tim Reisher–R.E.I.S.H.E.R.” I also gave him my cell number.

He keyed in the information before standing. “Go to the door on your left and I’ll bring you through.”

I did as he asked, and he opened the door. I stepped into the ER area and followed him until we reached where Melissa lay sleeping in one of the beds. Several staff members hovered around her, monitoring how she was doing.

“Janice.” A nurse turned when Jacques spoke. On seeing me, she left Melissa’s side and came forward.

“This is Melissa’s partner, Tim. He said she is the victim of a break and enter.”

“Yes, the paramedics let us know when they brought her here. Hi, Tim.”

“Hi.”

Jacques left to head back to his desk, and Janice continued updating me on Melissa’s condition.

“Melissa has been given some strong pain medication and is sleeping peacefully. There will be someone here shortly to take her to x-ray for scans on her ribs. There is some serious bruising, and we suspect a couple could be broken. Her left arm has a bad break and theater has been readied to reset the bones. The doctor has also ordered a scan of her head to check for any unusual swelling or bleeding.

She had barely finished explaining when two men dressed in hospital scrubs walked into the space. Justine nodded their way.

“These men will take her now. She’ll be gone for a couple of hours, so I’ll make sure someone gives you a call when she’s out of surgery.

“Thank you. I’ll go home and get something to eat while I wait for your call.”

“Try not to worry. Initial checks show she looks worse than the injuries actually are. She’ll be in pain for a while but will make a full recovery.”

I nodded, and as the men released the brakes on the bed to be on their way, I allowed Justine to show me out.

****

When I reached home, I dropped my keys and wallet, along with Melissa’s purse and phone, on a table in the foyer and headed through to the kitchen. I grabbed the meal Mrs. Pearson had left in the refrigerator and set it to heat in the microwave. I then took a seat at the breakfast counter to make a few calls.

The first was to a supervisor at National, and after explaining what had happened, Melissa was given eight week’s leave from her job to recover. Without pay. She hadn’t been with the company for long enough to have earned leave with payment. Thankfully, she did have insurance to cover her treatment.

I had a feeling she would be devastated when she found out she would have no income for the following eight weeks. I was informed there was no next of kin on her employment information, so she had told me the truth. Or so it seemed.

My next call was to an old school friend, Gary Arkness, a detective on the New York police force. We often caught up for a game of golf and a beer on my days off.

“Detective Gary Arkness.”

“Gary, I need a favor.”

“Has your dick finally got you in trouble?”

I laughed before I became serious and explained Melissa’s situation. “I have a gut feeling this wasn’t a random attack. I think it’s someone from her past.”

“You seem awfully interested, considering you only met the lady a few hours ago.”

I dragged a hand through my hair. “I know it’s strange, and I can’t explain why I care so much. She has no one else. Can you help me?”

“I’ll make some inquiries with Springfield P.D. and get back to you. Be careful, Tim. You could be dealing with a violent and jealous ex-lover.”

“You know I can take care of myself.” I worked out in my gym regularly, was a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, and was proud of my fitness and strength. “Thanks for helping.”

“I’ll do what I can and be in touch.”

“Thanks.”

I disconnected the call and removed my meal from the microwave. After grabbing a soda from the fridge, I perched on a stool at the breakfast counter and ate, keeping my cell phone close.

After cleaning up the kitchen, I showered and dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a blue button-down shirt, then slipped my feet into a pair of navy-blue loafers.

I headed back to the living room, dropped onto the couch, and pressed the remote to power up the large flat-screen television on the wall opposite. After surfing a few channels, I settled on a replay of the previous night’s ice hockey game.

Resting my head against the back of the couch, I closed my eyes and attempted to analyze my unusual feelings for Melissa.

Why was I feeling such an overwhelming protectiveness for the lady? I had no interest in taking her to bed for a one-night stand, and she wasn’t my type. I preferred tall, leggy, curvy blondes with blue eyes. Melissa was a tall, slender, flame-haired beauty with bright emerald-green eyes.