Cocky Flyboy by Susan Horsnell

TIM

I was jolted from a light sleep when my cell phone began ringing loudly. I snatched it from the coffee table and connected the call.

“Tim Reisher.”

“Mr. Reisher, this is Dr. Nicole Jones calling about Miss Melissa Hansen. I apologize for the late… or rather, early hour.”

I glanced at the television to see it was a little after two in the morning.

“That’s fine. How is Melissa?”

“Her surgery went very well. We inserted two rods to stabilize the bones, so it took a little longer than anticipated. The scans show bruising and swelling around the ribs but no breaks. Her sinuses and eye sockets have been damaged, which caused the blood in her throat. She’ll heal fine with rest and time. We have her on pain medication, and all being well, she can go home tomorrow. She will need someone to stay with her for a few days since we consider she has had a head injury.”

“Thank you. There will be someone with her at all times. Can you please ask the nurses to tell Melissa I’ll be in later this morning? I think it would be best to let her rest for now.”

“I agree, and I’ll inform the staff. Goodnight, Mr. Reisher.”

“Night, Doctor.”

I disconnected the call, grabbed the remote, and switched off the television before standing. I was wiped. A few hours of sleep would do me a world of good. I headed to my bedroom, stripped, and crawled between the crisp, cool sheets. My head hit the pillow and I was out like the proverbial light.

****

I woke when I heard movement out in the living area of the penthouse. Heavy boots clicked on the marble-tiled floors. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, I saw it was six in the morning.

Dragging myself from bed, I pulled on a pair of sweats and took care of business before heading down the hallway to where I could hear muffled voices.

Roslyn had sent Kathy and Arthur–they were the couple who looked after the café, and I knew them both well. I located them in the suite next to mine. They were folding and hanging Melissa’s clothing before putting them away in the large walk-in closet.

“Kathy. Arthur.”

The pair swung toward me; Arthur extended his hand.

“How’s it going, Tim? When are you coming in again so I can kick your ass?” Arthur kept me conditioned in Jiu-Jitsu, a sport I had been involved in since childhood.

I laughed; Arthur had not yet defeated me on the mat. “I’m busy on these days off, maybe in a couple of weeks?”

Arthur sighed his displeasure, which I ignored as I shook Kathy’s hand.

“How are you, Tim?” she asked.

“Things have been better. Did Roslyn fill you in on my new work colleague? She took a hell of a beating.”

“Yeah, she said you thought it was someone she knew. Anthony asked Roslyn to look into it today.”

I dragged a hand over my sleep-mussed hair. “I can’t shake this gut feeling that it wasn’t a random attack, but Melissa was tight-lipped with the police. She told them it was a random break and enter. That’s the reason I want her here at the apartment. Mrs. Pearson will fuss over her, make sure she is cared for, and she’ll be safe here from the asshole.”

“Does Melissa know? Have you told her she’s coming here?”

I shook my head and Kathy raised her eyebrows.

“Man, you’re gonna be in a world of trouble for taking things that concern her into your own hands. Good luck.”

“I’ll probably need it; I know I’m being an asshole, but hopefully, she won’t fight me too hard. I’m going to shower and dress so I can get to the hospital. Thanks for your help.”

“We won’t be here for much longer,” Arthur responded.

They returned to putting Melissa’s belongings away while I headed back to my bedroom.

****

I entered the private hospital room to find Melissa resting against the pillows, her eyes closed, and her broken arm in a brace resting on a pillow beside her.

Bruises, every color of the rainbow dotted her face, and it was swollen and puffy. She looked pale. Vulnerable. My heart ached for how she had suffered.

As I approached the bed, her eyes fluttered open—sort of. The left eye opened halfway; the right remained closed due to swelling.

“Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi, yourself.” I brushed stray hairs back from her forehead. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I was hit by a Mack truck.”

I sat in a chair beside the bed, noting the IV was gone. That was a good sign. She stretched her arm toward me, and I gathered her hand into mine.

“Thank you for coming last night, Tim. I’m sorry I bothered you, but I had no one else to call.” Tears slid from the corners of her eyes, and I dabbed them away with a tissue I’d removed from a box on the small cupboard at the side of the bed.

“I’m glad you called me, and I was able to help. Have the police been in yet?”

“Yes, not long before you arrived. I didn’t have anything different to tell them.”

I drew in a deep breath and chewed over what I wanted to say next. “Why won’t you tell them who attacked you?”

Melissa’s hand flinched in mine, and from the way her body stiffened, it was obvious I was on the right track.

“Melissa, you need to tell them. He’ll be back and next time you might not be lucky enough to survive.”

Tears rolled over her cheeks; once again, I dabbed them away.

“I can’t tell you; he would kill me if I did. He won’t be back. Please, I just want to leave things alone.”

I hated that she was so obviously terrified of whoever the man was, but I couldn’t force her to give me the information I wanted. She was upset and suffering enough, and I wouldn’t push.

“I will respect your decision, but I would like you to move into my apartment where I know you will be safe. This time it was someone you knew, next time, it could be some drugged-up lunatic looking for money.”

“I can’t pay you, I have less than one hundred dollars to my name.” She held her injured arm in the air. “With this, I won’t be able to work, so I’ll lose my job.”

I settled onto the side of the bed and placed our joined hands on my thigh. “I called National. They will cover your medical expenses and have agreed to hold your job. Unfortunately, it will be without pay, but it will be there when you are ready to return.”

“Even so, I can’t ask you to keep me, Tim. I’m a stranger.”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering. If not with me, where will you go? Do you have somewhere you can stay? You won’t be able to do much with that arm.”

She shook her head and more tears spilled. God, I hated seeing women cry; it made me feel helpless. I carefully drew her into my arms. She rested her head against my chest and softly cried as I soothed her by running a hand over her back. After a few moments, she moved back, swiping away the tears with her uninjured hand. I gazed into her eyes.

“Will you allow me to take care of you, Melissa?”

I felt relief when she nodded. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can and thank you.”

“I’m not worried about you paying me back, I’m just glad you agreed to stay. I’ve had friends move your belongings to my place as yours wasn’t secure with the door broken. Is there anything, in particular, they should have brought?”

“My clothes, phone, and purse, which had my iPad inside. Everything else can stay there.”

“I have your purse and phone; they are at my apartment. I picked them up last night after you left in the ambulance.”

“Thank you. I…”

When a nurse entered the room, Melissa stopped speaking. The young woman looked me up and down before smiling and turning her attention to Melissa.

She stepped up to the side of the bed, and I stood while she took Melissa’s vitals and recorded them on a chart.

A young man in a white coat knocked on the door frame and stepped through the open door. The nurse handed him the chart; he scanned the figures and handed it back before speaking.

“How are you feeling, Melissa? Your vitals are all within normal range.”

“I’m sore but the pain isn’t too bad this time.”

Alarm bells were going off like a dozen fire vehicles were rushing through the streets to a blaze. This time? How many fucking times had she been beaten? I wanted to find the man and tear him limb from limb.

“Do you feel up to going home?” The doctor spoke while checking her broken arm. He then turned to face me. “There will be someone to assist her for the next few weeks? She will need to be watched carefully over the next forty-eight hours as we consider her a head injury patient, although we don’t expect any issues.”

“Yes. My housekeeper will be able to watch over Melissa and assist her with anything she needs.”

Thankfully, Melissa accepted what I had said, and I suspected she was focused on getting sprung from the place.

“Very good. You can go home as soon as you have had lunch. The nurse will help you to dress, and you will be given pain medication to take home. If you have any concerns, return immediately.”

The doctor wished Melissa well and left the room.

Melissa and I spent the rest of the morning discussing my reasons for being a pilot and some of the countries I’d had the good fortune to visit. I also regaled her with some of the stories about Carter and me when we’d been together.

Lunch arrived at exactly midday. It consisted of a sandwich, fruit, and weak tea. I couldn’t blame Melissa for scrunching up her nose.

“How about I go down to the cafeteria and get some chicken nuggets and fries?”

She placed a hand to her chest in a dramatic manner. “Please, and coffee. Must have coffee.”

I laughed at the feigned desperation in her voice. “Consider it done.”

I returned a short time later with requested food in hand and a large coffee, which had looked more like thickened mud as it was being poured.

After moving the tray with the unappetizing lunch to one side, I placed down what I had purchased downstairs and we both devoured the lukewarm food.

The nuggets were rather chewy, the fries limp, and we both managed only to eat a few mouthfuls. Melissa took a sip of the coffee and I burst into laughter at the look of sheer horror that crossed her bruised and swollen face.

“Oh my God, please, please get me out of here.”

The nurse chose that moment to arrive and looked at the food on the tray before raising an eyebrow. “Let’s get you dressed and out of here.”

I excused myself, saying I would bring the car up to the front doors while the nurse readied Melissa to go home. While I made my way to the car, I took the opportunity to call Gary. I hoped he might have been able to find something more on where Melissa had been living in Springfield and who she was with there. Unfortunately, he was still digging into her background.