"Howie, can we leave now?!" AJ groaned with emphasis, sliding further down in the hard plastic seat of the Emergency Room like an obstinate child. He had been bouncing around in the chair for the last several hours, wanting to get rid of the overpowering medical smell that caused his stomach to churn. He hated hospitals, especially since Brian’s heart surgery. Besides, they had already dropped off the broken women into the hands of capable medical staff, yet Howie refused to budge from his spot, staring at the nurses’ station. It was starting to drive AJ insane, knowing they were going to be late for a meeting at eight if Howie didn't snap out of his daze. Not that AJ minded being late for a meeting, because he usually always was, but, damnit, he didn't want to be involved with what went down several hours before. Those goons could devour his scrappy form in a moment. Howie was too naive sometimes. "We are going to be late and Kevin is going to have our asses for breakfast! Y'know I don't have much left from the repeated chewing’s!"
"Like you even care about being late," Howie rolled his eyes, finally glancing over at AJ. It amazed him how selfish the man could be sometimes. Not even wanting to help someone in need no matter what they did for a living. "You're so full of yourself and couldn't give two shits about anyone but you."
"D, do you realize how many prostitutes get beaten, raped, and killed in the heat of one Florida night?" AJ exclaimed, leaning to hiss at Howie's stupidity.
"And we saved two of them. That should make you feel good," Howie scoffed, turning away.
"No, it makes me nervous because those three jackasses that plowed us over in the street were obviously teaching them some kind of lesson. A lesson they would gladly teach us if they realized we helped them!"
"They didn't even realize who we were, so calm your ass down!"
"Word gets around, D!"
"Just shut up for once," Howie groaned in annoyance, standing up.
"Where are you going?"
"I've got to find out what's happening to them."
"You're not family, D, they ain't going to tell you shit."
"Just watch and learn," Howie walked to the nurses’ station, immediately getting the attention from a young nurse. She looked to be right out of college.
"Can I help you?" the sweet nurse piped, immediately standing from her charting to lean over the desk. She held a large smile on her face, obviously eager to help with whatever Howie wanted. She was different from the older nurses, not jaded with years of painful experiences of large city life.
"Yeah, I brought in those two girls that were beaten pretty bad..." Howie trailed off, a pathetic look adorning his handsome features.
"Oh my goodness! That was so nice of you to help someone in need," the nurse nodded sympathetically.
"Yeah..." Howie trailed, glancing down at his bloody clothing for a moment of reflection. "I was just wondering... Could you tell me how they're doing? I have an important meeting in a few and I don't think I could concentrate properly without knowing... Please?"
"I..." the nurse paled dramatically at the simple request, shaking her head furiously. “HIPPA says I can't tell anyone that isn't family about... I'm sorry, but--"
"I know, and I respect you for going by the medical ethics," Howie agreed. "All I need to know is if they're going to be alright. Wouldn't that be doable?"
"Legally? That's an invasion of privacy," the nurse squeaked in disbelief.
"Miss, please--"
"I can't, sir," she emphasized as her charge nurse appeared by her side to flip through some charts. The charge nurse hardened her glare toward the young nurse, causing her to shift uncomfortably. She attempted to step away from her boss, motioning with her bright blue eyes toward the side of the large room, concealed away from the station. "I'm sorry that I can't be of more assistance. But family members only."
"I understand. Thank you," Howie nodded, walking over to the area she had looked at.
The nurse smiled toward her Charge Nurse as she hurried from the nurses’ station. The clipboard of her patients, including the two Howie had inquired about, was hugged tightly to her chest as she approached him. Carefully, she guided him to a secluded portion of the room as AJ followed silently. "I shouldn't be doing this, but those women don't have anyone listed as Emergency Contacts, only each other..."
"Yes, but you don't have to worry. Only the three of us will know about this, Howie replied with understanding. "Like I said before, I just want to know if they're going to be alright."
"Okay..." she trailed, glancing down at her patient list. She glanced around for the names, obviously making a silent prayer for God to forgive her. "Kitra Carlisle... She had a lot of facial trauma and a large laceration to her right temple. She suffered a moderate concussion and a knife wound above the right breast that required stitches. Her rape kit tested positive for fluids, also..."
"That's your waitress friend," Howie muttered to AJ, watching his face pale at the description of injuries. "But Miss Carlisle is going to be fine?"
"She's a frequent flyer of this ER... We'll keep her for a few days and get some good food put into her, and then she'll be released. They're shouldn't be any complications from this visit," the nurse assured.
"That's good... what about the other woman?"
"Grace Thompson... Her right hand and wrist was fractured in several places which required the need to physically set the bones before a cast could be applied. Her entire body is one large bruise unfortunately... The markings look as if they were inflicted with the butt of a gun, but we'd have to wait for her to verify the information. She received several deep lacerations to her genital area and inner thighs, which required some heavy stitching. She didn't lose a great deal of blood, which is good... Her rape kit also tested positive for fluids..."
"Oh my God," Howie's jaw dropped open as AJ gagged quietly. "Will Gr--I mean, Miss Thompson, recover?"
"Of course, her injuries aren't life threatening... I haven't really seen her in the ER that much to be honest with you, unless she's with Ms. Carlisle... The physical pain will have to be managed, but the emotional trauma, for both women, will probably be worse than the physical..."
"Why?" AJ blurted.
"Being attacked and raped is very traumatic for a woman. She feels violated... afraid... most will blame themselves, though they did nothing to deserve it."
"They're hookers, though," AJ explained in confusion. It wasn't as if they were pure virgins being violated for the first time. It was an atmosphere that they were both familiar with. They sold sex for a living.
"Prostitutes give sex willingly. If it's forced upon them, it's entirely different," the nurse grew more somber at AJ's comments. "They lose the little dignity they have left and I don't mean to offend you but it's very hard to understand unless you've been raped yourself."
"He gives it up freely more than a prostitute does," Howie murmured dryly.
"I beg your pardon?" the nurse gasped as AJ scowled.
"I'm sorry, that was rude of me to speak like that in front of you when you're doing so much to help me," Howie apologized, offering her one of his trademark smiles.
"That's okay..." she trailed, shrugging simply.
"Can we go now, D? Your hard-on can continue as always because your precious STD is safe and sound. But, damnit, we're going to be late," AJ growled, folding his arms sharply across his thin chest.
"Don't be so crude in front of women," Howie growled back as the nurse's eyes grew wide at AJ's statement. "Go to the car, I'll be right out."
"You can't order me around--"
"The Hell I can't. I'll be right out, just go to the damn car."
AJ looked as if he might fight Howie's order, but at the slightest second he turned. Cursing under his breath, he stomped out toward the exit of the Emergency Room, leaving the nurse in a state of bewilderment. "I wish I could prescribe medication... Because I'd give you a free trial of Ativan for that man..."
"Horse tranquilizers would be best for him," Howie shook his head in disappointment. It was times like these when AJ's attitude and mood swings were hard to handle. "I'm sorry about his behavior. He shouldn't have been talking like that in front of you, especially when you're doing us such a huge favor. I don't know what's going on in his head lately."
"Well... Think nothing of it... Especially when you did so much for those women... I don't know their backgrounds, just what the other nurses tell me. They can be so callous and cold... But, you get such a different perspective taking care of them... They deserved someone like you to help them..."
"I just couldn't leave them out there to die," Howie shrugged his shoulders lightly as they stood. "I know a lot of people out there would, but I don't think I could ever forgive myself if I did that."
"I understand--"
"I don't mean to interrupt, but I am going to be late to the meeting... do you think you could give the women a note from me?"
"Sure, need a pen and paper?"
"Glad to see you're up!"
Grace groaned at the chipper voice invading her head, squinting against the bright lighting of her room. She attempted to raise her right hand to rub her face, but grimaced when the thick plaster of her cast scratched her face. The groan thickening in her throat, she attempted to shift away from the light instead, but her body protested loudly. Every muscle fiber within her body screamed with pain, causing her to stiffen dramatically, practically into that of a board so the pain would cease. She glanced to the white board on the wall, noticing it was three days later since the last time she remembered being awake. She hazily grimaced in attempts to collect her thoughts. Until, she felt a hand on her thigh and she physically winced.
"I'm sorry, Sweetheart," the nurse immediately yelped.
"She needs some food," Kitra mumbled from the opposite bed, catching Grace's attention.
"Kit..."
"Hey, Racie. I was beginning to wonder when you would finally wake up," Kitra offered a small smile as to not rip at the scab on her bottom lip.
"I needed my sleep..." Grace attempted to tease, biting hard on her bottom lip as the gauze was lifted from the heavy wounds between her inner thighs. She immediately stared up at the ceiling, refusing to move an inch as the nurse did whatever she needed to do to treat her. The memories of Evan's brutal attack swept back into her mind with every fresh bite of pain, causing Grace to tense dramatically. She didn't want to say anything though as the nurse stood right there. It wasn't her business.
"You sleep too much--"
"Kit, you slept for an entire twenty-four hours once. You don't have room to talk," Grace replied as the nurse finished her assessment.
"I know that was uncomfortable," the nurse assured as Kitra went back to practically shoving every morsel of food into her painful mouth. She carefully recovered Grace's lower half, moving to gently pat her shoulder.
"I have a letter for you."
"Why don't you get her a plate of food now?" Kitra suggested with a mouthful of pudding.
"Yes, I'll be getting her some food, but the man who left this note said it was imperative that I give it to Grace as soon as she wakes up," the nurse replied, pulling the piece of paper out and handing it to Grace.
"What can I get you for lunch, Sweetheart?"
"Anything Kit wants me to eat," Grace whispered as she eased herself into a somewhat upright position, knowing Kitra would end up meeting her food anyway. Her breath labored at the pain, remembering the feel of Evan's pistol biting against every inch of her flesh as he laughed with delight. She mustered some kind of smile toward the nurse, reaching to take the note. "Thank you."
"Get her meatloaf, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chocolate pudding and a bowl of cherries," Kitra rattled off a menu for Grace, knowing she would at least eat the cherries if not everything else.
"It'll be right up," the nurse promised, collecting her trash from the dressing change before scurrying out of the room.
"God..." Grace breathed in agony when they were finally alone, turning to gaze at her best friend. Sure enough everything Grace felt from the neck down was emblazoned on her friend's bruised and swollen face. A square piece of gauze was plastered to her right cheek from where the knife had bit into her flesh, causing Grace to frown softly. Evan had been brutal, yet neither seemed too fazed by the idea or the vicious rapes. It was just another notch in their belts. Another reason for them to hate men.
"It's been worse, Racie... at least we're not dead," Kitra sighed heavily, taking a large spoonful of potatoes.
"Have you looked under my gown, Kit?" Grace sighed, taking the time to lift just a small portion of material to stare down at her badly beaten body. There wasn't one inch of peach-and-cream flesh amongst the varying degrees of bruised colors - pink, red, green, black, blue, yellow...
"I snuck a peek when your bandages were changed yesterday," Kitra replied softly, fighting the urge to bite her upper lip in apprehension.
"The Devil isn't going to let me dance for weeks until every piece of my skin is back to it's original coloring... Not to mention when the cast comes off..." Grace seethed softly, fingering the piece of paper with her good hand. "How bad are my legs, Kit?"
"Racie..."
"Just tell me."
"They're... they're bruised really bad. I heard the nurse say something about broken capillaries or veins or something."
"The knife he used... Kit... I need to know about that... Not the bruises..."
"Racie, I can't--"
"You have to, I can't see down there right now."
"Evan had a wonderful time with you, Racie," Kitra explained, bowing her head to play with the small portions of food that remained in her plate. She hated thinking about how it had happened just three days ago. How Evan had toyed and played with Gracie, making Kitra watch. The blood had made her vomit several times, which had given her a sound lashing for.
"I'm going to be walking like a duck for a few days, that's for sure," Grace attempted to joke, brushing away the thoughts of pain. She shifted to release an amount of pain reliever to ease her pain, smiling toward her best friend. "Looks like you've been stuffed like a pig for three days, huh?"
"As much as my mouth will let me eat," Kitra tried to smile but yelped softly as her lip tugged.
"I'm sorry I didn't protect you better, Kit..."
"Racie, no... Don't blame yourself. For once I'm taking the blame."
"You're going to go back to work for him when you're better, aren't you?"
"Racie..."
"Right..." Gracie trailed, already knowing the answer to the question. She allowed silence to slowly grow between them, dropping her gaze back to the note that had been left for her. For a moment, curiousness got the best of her. She distinctly remembered the familiar scent of handsome cologne lingering against the paper, causing her to think back to the assault. A faint hazy voice echoed inside her brain as she outlined the gorgeously handsome features of a man she had only met briefly. A man who had had offered her pleasure in her job. A man who had saved her life.
"What does the note say?" Kitra finally spoke after a couple of minutes just eating the rest of her food, though it had begun tasting like cardboard.
"I haven't read it..."
"Well then read it out loud."
"You're so demanding," Grace opened the letter and began reading the scrawled message:
Grace and Kitra,
I am thanking God right now for watching over you when I brought you into the hospital. It was so scary walking into that abandoned shelter and finding you both lying on the floor in pools of blood... I didn't think a man could be so cruel to women.
But I'm not going to dwell on that. You're both going to recover, though I know it will be painful and hard. I can tell you're both very strong. This note does have a purpose, but more like a proposal.
I was always brought up to believe anyone can be anything as long as they have faith in themselves and work hard. Some stumble along the way and give up, and that is true with you two. It kills me to see beautiful women who could have a decent job and make good money without having to lower their standards.
I would like you both to stay with me after you are released from the hospital. It's a large house with enough room and plenty of warm food. I can help you find a good job with health benefits, nice wages... the whole nine yards.
You can turn down the offer if you're not interested, I just wanted to put it on the table. However, if it sounds like something you want to do, please call me. My cell phone number is on the bottom. Please think about it.
God Bless, Howie "Stranger" Dorough
"Who the Hell is that?" Kitra spoke freely with interest.
"McLean's friend that got the expensive lap dance..." Grace murmured, somewhat floored by the beautiful words scrawled across the somewhat small piece of paper. But, her broken soul refused to be swayed. She could see the potentials for danger in every sentence, no matter how decent he was that night at the club. No man would be willing to make such a great sacrifice.
"You mean the one who was embarrassed as Hell?" Kitra nodded with approval. "He was really sweet and very handsome."
"No handsome guy is ever sweet," Grace disagreed, crumpling the note and tossing it toward the trash can. Only, it missed by a few inches, rolling onto the floor near Kitra's bed.
"Hey! That was a good offer he gave us!" Kitra exclaimed, carefully climbing out of bed to grab the paper.
"Filled with conditions that we're far too drugged up to comprehend right now," Grace scowled.
"Oh, stop. Do you want to work at Devil's the rest of your life?" Kitra smoothed the note and folded it nicely before getting back into bed.
"No--"
"Then I think we should call him when we get out of here."
"I am not relying on another man, Kit. I refuse."
"You're so freaking bullheaded--"
"That's funny, considering the shit you gave me for that expensive lap dance."
"Racie, why can't we stay there for a week? By then we can tell if he's legit," Kitra avoided Grace's statement.
"No man is ever legit and you should know that by now."
"You two were late."
"Talk to the hero Romeo over there," AJ scoffed, avoiding all eye contact with the eldest member as he slunk further in his seat. He nursed the lukewarm coffee, attempting to remove the memories of the pitifully disgusting night. He had at least hoped to meet up with the waitress under different circumstances, only to discovering her other job. It had thrilled him for a moment, till he considered the fact that he might have been charged for his wonderful night. Anger just seemed to seep deeper into his core now as he watched Howie, annoyed with his friend's golden heart. More so, he was disgusted with the fact that Howie was probably still thinking about his lovely Fallen Angel as Kevin spoke.
"Shut your damn mouth already. I'm getting tired of you whining," Howie snapped over at AJ before glancing up at Kevin. "I'm never late to meetings, is it really a big deal that I was late once?"
"The big deal is that you were late with AJ. And considering your current state of affairs with AJ... What were you two doing?" Kevin critically answered, seating himself at the large table with a fresh cup of coffee. It was embarrassing that they had to wait for Howie and AJ to arrive. It made them all look haphazard and foolish, pricking Kevin's pride with a sharp pin. But, more so, Kevin was concerned about what happened last night, especially when Brian bowed his head to avoid looking.
"Nothing to ruin our reputation, so calm down."
"Thank God for that, but I'm worried about you, D."
"Nothing's wrong, just back off."
"Then why can't you tell me where you were?"
"Because you'd have an absolute shit fit," AJ murmured.
"Excuse me?"
"You can never keep your mouth shut, can you?" Howie groaned, reaching over to smack AJ upside the head.
"Thought it was a noble and grand thing that we did, D?" AJ scowled, immediately covering the portion of his stinging skull. He sneered toward Howie, deciding to wound Howie back. "You should be so proud! You should share it with the world!"
"Fuck you!"
"What is with you two?" Kevin growled with annoyance, separating them before anything further could happen. "Damnit, Howie! What's your problem?!"
"AJ's a damn prick, that's my problem," Howie muttered, glaring towards AJ.
"Heaven forbid that I actually give two shits about you trying to get yourself killed by playing with dead animals," AJ sneered.
"They're human beings, unless you've decided to fuck animals because they had the profession you seem to like--"
"Would you two stop acting like children?" Kevin growled, pushing AJ's chair toward the far wall near Nick. AJ bumped hard into the wall, which brought on a string of curses, but he remained still as he glared sharply at Howie. Kevin rolled his eyes with annoyance and then took a seat beside Howie, pulling his chair closer. "Start explaining now, D."
"There's nothing to explain--"
"No, D, tell him about how you made us bring two whores to the hospital after their pimp beat the shit out of them and left them for dead," AJ interrupted.
"You did what?" Kevin choked as Brian and Nick paled.
"What did you expect me to do? Walk away?" Howie defended himself, making a note to throttle AJ later.
"Are you stupid?" Kevin spoke freely.
"I did what was right. J may not give a shit, but I helped save two lives! I don't think it's stupid."
"Howie if that man would have seen you--"
"He didn't come back, did he? I would be dead right now if that happened."
"Oh! But it gets better," AJ taunted from his spot, deciding to make Howie's life a living Hell - just as the boys seemed to do to his. "The whore he picked up is the stripper that he has a hard-on for. He was taking back her cowboy hat so he could see her again--"
"You fucking asshole, shut up!" Howie growled as he lunged over at AJ.
"Holy shit!" Nick squeaked as he dove out of the way, fully insistent that he wasn't going to be in this blood bath. He quickly crawled underneath Brian's chair as Kevin jumped, hurriedly pinning Howie to the wall.
"Jesus Christ Almighty, Howie! Would you get a fucking grip on yourself?!" Kevin hollered, slamming Howie against the wall for further emphasis. "This stripper is making you crazy and it's not good! You need to leave well enough alone! You hear me?!"
"You can't tell me what to do! You don't know shit about what happened! You know who you should be worrying about? That fucking asshole right over there!" Howie pointed to AJ viciously. "He parties every single night, fucks any girl who crosses his path, doesn't use a damn condom and can't remember what he did the next day! If anyone needs help, it's him!"
"And do you think you're helping matters by always pointing that out?" Kevin hissed at him as all expression left AJ's face. It was obvious that the wayward man's heart had been cut from Howie's violent words. They had done their best to keep AJ on the right path and were at odds about how to deal with it. The harder they pushed, the harder AJ fought. So, they tried to loosen around him, but Howie was blowing that to pieces.
"No one else will say it. Walking on eggshells around him makes it worse!"
"You need to calm down."
"You need to let go of me."
"And what happens when I do that?"
"I'm getting the Hell out of here before I do something I regret."
