Human Hieroglyphix - Dex & Leila (33 page)

"You'll need a couple of stitches," the paramedic, identified as Roy, said.

Crys slowly turned her head his direction.

"Wha'?"

"Said you'll need stitches for a couple of these cuts," Roy repeated.

I raised my eyes to Roy.  He looked my way and I shook my head.

This wasn't right.  Crys wasn't right and I needed to let him know without coming out and saying it in front of her.

Roy pulled out a penlight and checked Crys' pupils.  "Ms. Armstrong, did you fall or hit your head?"

Crys just looked at him, then slowly turned to look at me before her eyes rolled up in her head and she fell back on the gurney,  her limp fingers sliding from my hand.

Oh my God
.

My heart rate picked up as I watched Roy begin to work on her as he spoke with the hospital.

Dex's arm went around me pulling me into his side.

"How's she doing?"

"Don't know, honey.  She wasn't tracking well and then she fainted."

We both watched Roy as he continued to work on Crys and kept communicating with the hospital as he worked.  

"Mike!  We gotta hit it," we heard him yell and watched as the other paramedic that had been talking with Pierson and the Chief come running back to the van.  Dex and I stepped back as the doors were closed and the Paramedic van took off with sirens wailing.

My heart was thumping hard and I could feel Dex's heart doing the same.

"Dex?"  Pierson came up to us.  "Need to get the tape from the cameras."

"Sure," my man replied, giving me a squeeze before he let go and walked inside the shop.  They were about three steps in and Dex turned back to me.  "Babe, call Jake.  Need to get the front boarded up."

I nodded and tagged my cellphone.  I didn't have Jake's number but I knew if I could get Caitlin on the line then she would ensure Jake would be involved.

"Cait?  Hey, honey.  Got another problem and need Jake to help."

"Oh my God, Leila.  Are you alright?"

"Yeah.  Uhm, someone took out the windows at Hiero.  Dex asked me to call so Jake could help find someone to board them up."

"On it."  I heard her say as I heard her moving swiftly.

"Also, honey," I swallowed thickly trying to speak around the lump in my throat.  "Crys was taken by ambulance to Grantham General."

The phone was silent and I pulled it away from my ear to see if we had been disconnected.

"Will let the girls know as soon as I get hold of Jake."  Her voice sounded as if she was fighting tears, too.

"Thanks, honey," I said whispered.

Dex was just coming out of the shop when I disconnected. 

My man was
pissed
. 

His whole body was tense and as he walked through the broken glass towards me, I could see a muscle moving in his jaw and the hell-fire that was in his eyes.

"Cait's calling Jake," I said when he got to me.  "Think I'm going to go to the hospital, honey, and see about Crys, alright?"

"Yeah, baby.  Good idea.  But I gotta stick here until the window stuff is done."

I nodded and went up on my tippy-toes to kiss his cheek.  Dex turned his head and wrapped his arms around me, tucking me against his chest.  His heart was still thundering beneath my cheek.  He held me for a few seconds then did the nose slide.

"Call and let me know what the hospital says, 'kay?"

"Will do, baby."

*.*.*.*.*

I decided to run by my house and get the mail and change into jeans and flats as the clothes I had on were the same ones from yesterday.  I had been so up in my head after seeing the paint on my garage that I only took toiletries and hair stuff to the hotel.  Totally forgot clothes including my nightgown.

There was a guy just finishing up the paint on the garage as I pulled into my driveway. 

"Hey Dr. McCarthy," the young man said as I got out of my car.  I recognized him and his red hair from my classes a couple of years ago.

"Hey, Skip.  You still working for your dad?"

"Yeah.  Pays too good to pass up and I like the work," Skip said with a shoulder shrug. "But I got my B.A. which is what my folks wanted.  Think they're thinking I'll take over the business one day."

"You've done a great job on this," I said waving my hand in the direction of the garage door.

"Just another coat and it'll be good as new," Skip said bending over his bucket of white paint.

"Thanks, Skip," I said pulling my tote out the Mustang and using the walkway to get to the front door.  I was reaching for my keys as I walked up the front steps to the porch and saw it when I raised my head.

The door.

My front door was
open
.

I know that I stood there on my porch, two-steps away from the door and just stared.  For how long, I couldn't tell you.  But finally I turned and went back out to the Mustang on stilted legs.  I was shaking so hard I could barely get my fingers to work as I pulled my phone out.

Grantham P.D. was
so
going into my contact list.

I don't remember the exact details of the call.

And I don't know how long I waited, standing there leaning up against the Mustang, my cellphone in my hand.

"Leila? Ms. McCarthy?" I heard a gentle deep voice say and I lifted my head back up.

"I hope you remember me.  Detective Paul Adler.  I was Marianne Gibson's dinner date at Luigi's.  You were with Dex Nelson?   Detective Pierson is still working the scene at the tattoo shop and asked me to stop by.  Can you tell me what happened?"

"My front door is open."

"Your front door is open?  Did you forget to lock it or does someone else have a key?"

"No."

"Let me have a look.  Are you okay out here?"

"Yeah, I think so."  I glanced over at Skip who was putting the lid on the huge tub of paint. 

"Okay, I'll be just a minute," the detective said as he patted my shoulder.

"Dr. McCarthy?" I heard Skip say.  "You want me to stick around?"

"Think I'm alright, Skip, but thanks."  I wanted my man with me but he was dealing with his own shit at the moment.

I heard the siren before I saw the black and white police vehicle as it came barreling down our street and parked at an angle, effectively blocking any traffic.  The two policemen jumped out of their car and rushed inside my house.

I turned my eyes to Skip.

"Think I'll stick around Dr. McCarthy if that's okay," I heard him say over the roaring in my ears.

I just nodded and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Finally the detective came out of my house.  As he walked towards me I saw that his jaw was clenched and he was looking everywhere else but at me.

"Ms. McCarthy," Detective Adler started.

"Doctor McCarthy," Skip broke in.  "She's Doctor McCarthy."

"Oh.  Sorry.  Dr. McCarthy, do you have someplace to stay?"

"What?"

"You're not going to be able to go in the house for a while. So I need to know if there is someplace else you can stay for a couple of days."

"Yes, I do, I mean, I can.  But what's going on?  Why can't I go in?"

"We'll be able to tell you more later but for now you need stay away from the house."

"Okay."   What could I say?  I gave him my contact info along with Dex's cellphone number and address.

"We'll call you, Dr. McCarthy, and give you an update later." Detective Adler said, again squeezing my shoulder before he moved away.

I turned to Skip.  "Are you going to be painting Dex's house too?"

"Naw, my brother was sent out to do it the same time I was sent here.  Is there anything I can do, Dr. McCarthy?"

That was sweet. 

Why was it I was only now noticing how much people cared for me and how much I cared for them?

"No, Skip," I said softly before opening the car door.  "Appreciate it, though."

"Anytime, Dr. McCarthy."

"You're no longer my student, Skip.  Why don't you call me Leila?"

"Okay," Skip said.  "See you around, ah, Leila."

I did a two-finger flick without even thinking about it as I peeled out of my driveway in a  1970 muscle car and made my way to Grantham General.

*.*.*.*.*

Dex watched the workmen as they fitted the last piece of boarding over the window opening at the shop.  Jake, as always, acted fast and the workmen had been at the shop within a half hour of Leila's call to Cait.

They were just sweeping up the glass on the outside of the shop when Detective Pierson made his way back over to Dex. 

"Did a good job," the detective said.  "Fast, too."

Detective Ted Pierson took a deep breath.  "Dex. There's something else that you need to be made aware of."

Dex turned his head and did a chin lift.

"When Leila stopped by her place earlier, she ah, found her front door open."

"What the
fuck
?"  Dex had moved from stoic silence to absolutely, through the roof, anger.

"She didn't go in.  She called the station from outside.  Detective Adler went to check it out."

Dex seemed to calm a bit at that, so the detective continued.

"But, someone had been inside the house, Dex.  Someone that, uh, didn't touch anything downstairs."

Dex eyebrows shot together.  "What the fuck, Pierson?"

"They tore up her bedroom, pretty bad.  And they, ah, piled her underwear in the middle of her bed.  Detective Adler said that the intruder or intruders, ah, masturbated all over her bed especially her underwear."

Dex raised his hands to rub his temples.  "Does Leila know?"

"Not at this time.  Adler asked if she had somewhere else to go and she said she'd go to your place  -- even after he reminded her that she couldn't go in her house for a couple of days."

"This is getting to be too much," Dex said on a whisper.

"I know, Dex," the detective said grabbing one of Dex's shoulders.

"You got any idea who's behind this yet?"

"No, but the security tape should give us something and we will be collecting, ah, the evidence left behind at Leila's house which should give us a whole lot more.  We won't stop, Dex, until we get them, 'kay?"

Dex nodded.  "I'm thinking you don't want Leila to know about her bedroom."

"Yeah.  I know that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed from these attacks and can only imagine what the two of you must be going through.  Think it would be better if Leila didn't know that the person or persons behind this decided to use her panties to get themselves off."

"Gotcha," Dex said on a sigh.  "Have you seen Benny?"

"Think he said he was heading to the hospital to see about Crystal.  He was lucky to have been in the back when this happened."

"Yeah, lucky." Dex repeated in a dead voice.  "Gonna lockup and take off unless you need anything else from me."

"Not at the moment, but I'll stay in touch Dex."

When Dex got to the hospital the waiting room was mostly taken up by people that knew Crys.  His eyes roamed until he found Leila sitting between Marianne and Caitlin and all three of them were holding hands, talking softly.  He saw Ben and his son Gabe in another huddle in the corner of the room and a couple of the dancers from Fuego's that Crys hung out with occasionally.

He made his way to Leila and watched as she stood and turned to him, eyes red-rimmed and swimming with tears.  He brought her close, feeling her forehead tuck into his neck.  He breathed in the scent of her hair as he held her close.

"Any news, babe?" He whispered against her hair.

"No."

"You okay?" He again whispered.

"No."

Dex tightened his arms around his girl and stood with her, creating a quiet place for the two of them. 

After a few minutes, Leila raised her head.  "The lady at the desk asked for next of kin information.  I didn't know.  I mean, you told me her dad had passed.  But none of us knew, honey."

"Her mom skipped out when she was about five or so.  Don't know if anyone even tried to find her.  Max wouldn't talk about her hardly at all and when he did, he just referred to her as 'the bitch'."

"So she has
nobody
?" Leila asked, her face stricken.

"Look around, babe.  This look like 'nobody' to you?"

Leila turned slowly and saw that Frank-kay had taken her seat between Marianne and Caitlin.  Jake was there talking soft with Benny and Gabe.

"Oh."  Leila looked around again before turning back to Dex.  "This
is
her family. 
We
are her family."

"Yeah, babe.  We are her family and she is part of
ours
," Dex whispered.