The REASON Series - the Complete Collection (13 page)

Nyssa laughs a little. "I can't imagine Vivienne hurting a fly, let alone committing some random crime." Nyssa is about the same age as I am, maybe a couple of years older. I know that she works here because she enjoys the job. She is sweet - overly so sometimes, but we get along well. I don't get the motherly vibe from her, but she definitely seems protective.
 

"Thank you, Nyssa."
 

"It has to do with the girl that was in here yesterday, doesn't it?" Nyssa says.

My eyes widen as she puts two and two together. "What makes you say that?"
 

"It was in the
Trib
today. There was a picture of a girl that looked a lot like her. It said something about her being found dead this morning near a dumpster by that old motel down the street."

Oh God. I know my face starts to turn green because the idea makes me want to vomit. "She and I have an old mutual friend. A friend known for beating women," I say quietly.
 

Laura's shock is almost palpable. "Is this mutual friend why you were in the hospital last week?"
 

I shake my head, not sure how much I want to tell them. I work with these ladies. Their need to know about my personal life is severely limited, and it already bothers me that Dr. Alston and Mikah know so much. My past is my past and not something that everyone needs to know.

"You know, Vivienne, you can trust us," Nyssa says with sincerity.
 

I toy with the idea of telling Laura and Nyssa about my pregnancy. I don't want to be sympathized upon, and these two are exactly the two that would do it. Laura in particular will take it upon herself to mother me or find some way to try to take care of me, which would be no different than what Mikah is trying to do. If I knew that their concern would only extend to asking how I was doing, I might feel a little different about telling them more about me. But I realize quickly that explanations might be necessary in order for them to better understand, and the head off future questions.

"Laura, do you remember when I first started working here, and you noticed the bruise on my shoulder while I was changing in back?" She nods. "That was the remnants of an argument between me and the man I mentioned earlier.”
 

They both gasp. This is exactly the kind of reaction I didn't want.
 

But now that I’ve started, I find that the words just keep pouring out of my mouth. I tell them about Amber’s Place and the social worker who hooked me up with this job. I tell them about Detective Stevens and Rebecca. When I’m finished, I add, “Rebecca’s death tells me she made the same mistake I did."

"Which was what, exactly?" Nyssa asks.
 

"Rather than getting away from him, like I told her to, she went back. I made that mistake too many times, and it put me in the hospital. Nearly killed me."

Both Nyssa and Laura gasp again.
 

"Stop, both of you. I don't need sympathy or pity. At least that got me out of his grasp and finally on my way to moving on. It’s helped me become a stronger person than I was before." I wish I could say the same for Rebecca.

 
"If you need anything - anything at all - you tell me. Okay?" There is the mother in Laura again.
 

"Thanks, Laura, but I'm alright.”

“So then why were you in the hospital last week?” Nyssa asks.

I sigh. I don’t want to go into all the details regarding Mikah and his money, so I just say, “Because the day after I fainted here, I turned around and vomited in a public place. Someone there was worried enough about me to take me to the hospital."

Nyssa was the first to say anything. "I’m glad you went. You were wasting away in front of us. No matter what we did, you wouldn't let us help you."

I blush, sheepish. "You're right. I realize now that I was doing a pretty poor job of taking care of myself, but I’ve been able to get some more permanent help that’s making a difference, and that’s what I need right now. But I can’t in all honesty say I’d let you help if I needed it. I don't like to be taken care of."

She nods, but I can tell it upsets her. "Nyssa, please know, I've done this my whole life. I've struggled and survived. It's all I know. It's very hard for me to take a handout."

She nods again. "I understand, and I will try hard to remember that." She gives me a hug.
 

I smile, then frown. "I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Alston tomorrow morning. She’s the one who set me up with food stamps. I've been eating like a pig." I laugh.
 

"That explains why you've gained so much weight," Laura says.
 

"Ha! Not that much weight," I retort. Again the idea of telling them about the pregnancy comes to mind, but right now, I’m just not ready to do so. When it’s necessary, I will tell them.
 

"Enough to fill in all of your beautiful features," she says as she squeezes my arm.
 

"Thanks. Now can we get back to work?" I ask.
 

And then I realize that Nyssa’s shift has been over for a while; she should’ve been gone when I got here. "Nyssa, are you staying tonight?"

"I stuck around just in case you didn't show up. You know, after the cop was here and all, I wasn't sure what was going on. I'm more than happy to stay if you want to go home."

"No, I'm good. I feel safer here than at my own apartment right now." I shudder slightly. Talking with Nyssa and Laura has been a good distraction from the Riley situation, but now it’s at the forefront of my mind again.

Suddenly the bells on the door clink against the glass. We all turn.

TWENTY

When I see Detective Stevens, followed by two cops in uniform, I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
 

"Hello, Detective. Who's your friends?"
 

"Hello, Vivienne. Ladies." He nods his head in their direction, almost like he's tipping his hat to them. "This is Officer Ruiz and Officer Hoffman," he says, pointing to the man and the woman in turn. "We were in the area and thought we would pop in for a bite to eat."
 

"Wonderful," Laura says, grabbing three menus from the stack. "Follow me."
 

They dutifully follow her to the one of the tables in the center of the diner. I head behind the counter to wash my hands.
 

Nyssa follows me over and asks again, quietly, "Are you sure you don't want to go home?"

"No, Nyssa, I'm good. I'll be fine. And besides, you've already been working all day."
 

She sighs. "I know, but I really want to help you out. Any way I can. I like you a lot, Vivienne, and I..." She trails off. "I just wanted you to know that."
 

I dry my hands off. "Thanks, Nyssa. I appreciate your concern and your willingness to help me out when it comes to work,” I say, remembering that Nyssa saved my skin two weeks ago when Mikah took me to the hospital. I have no doubt that she would do the same again, if needed.

"Vivienne,” Laura says, coming behind the counter and reaching for a tray. “I'll grab their drinks, but it's your table."

"That's not necessary," I say back. I’m more and more certain that Laura’s been giving me the tables to be nice. Now that the financial burden is not as great as it was even a week ago, I feel self-conscious about continuing to accept all the tables.

"I know dear, but...you know," she says as she scurries off with their drinks.
 

After the cops are done eating, I take the bill over. "Can I get you anything else?" I say as the door chimes again.
 

All heads turn in that direction except for mine. The presence of the three cops in front of me is a comfort. If Riley were stupid enough to walk in here right now, these three would protect me.

I look over in Laura’s direction. She’s smiling toward the door. I look up then, my heart fluttering at the prospect that Mikah might’ve walked in the door. But it’s not Mikah - it’s another regular that Laura is friendly with – and my heart sinks.

"No, I think just the check will do," Detective Stevens says.

"Did you guys want it split or all on the same?"

"It's my turn to pay, so just one, thanks," Officer Ruiz says. I hand him the bill. The scowls on the other two's faces are almost comical. Officer Ruiz looks it over quickly, then hands me a fifty dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"Oh no, that's way too much," I say before I can stop myself. I purse my lips, feeling like I’ve been rude.

"You did a fabulous job, and you had to put up with us. It's not too much." He is smiling warmly at me.
 

"Thank you." I nod in his direction. "Would you guys like some more coffee?"
 

They all shake their heads and stand.
 

"We're good,” Detective Stevens says. “Need to get back at it. That was good. Thank you, Vivienne."
 

"Anytime, Detective. And thank you."
 

After a short while, we start to get busy. Several tables fill up with customers, and once again we’re met with some of the better-dressed, don't-belong-in-this-neighborhood type.

Once the crowd dies down, I tell Laura, "I'm going to go help BJ with the dishes. Holler if you need me."
 

She scowls at me. I don't normally do the dishes in the back, but I kind of need a break from running around. My feet are a little sore tonight. Plus, washing dishes means that I can stay out of sight for a bit. Each time the bells chime on the door, I jump slightly. I’ve been getting edgier since Detective Stevens and the officers left, and going to the back will - with any luck - help me relax just a little bit.

After about fifteen minutes, Laura calls back for me and I dry off and head out front. When I come through the door there are five more tables with new people at them. I look at Laura and shrug. Back at it we go.
 

Around eleven thirty, the diner is finally empty and BJ is out mopping the floor while Laura and I clean up the counter. Filling bottles and sugar containers is boring work, but somebody has to do it.
 

"Sit," Laura demands.
 

"I told you, I'm not made of glass and I'm the same person I was yesterday."
 

"I know, but there is no reason to stand up while you're filling up containers."
 

"Alright." I take a seat on one of the stools and she slides all the containers my way. I start to marry the ketchup bottles together, then work on the mustard bottles, topping them off and putting them back in the wire baskets that go on the tables.

At some point I realize I’m inadvertently working a little slower than I normally would. Going home is not a high priority tonight like it normally is; the prospect of being at home alone makes my flesh crawl.

TWENTY-ONE

It's a quarter to midnight when Laura says, "Screw it, let's lock up."
 

I shrug at BJ and head to the door to turn the deadbolt.
 

I look out the door. No one seems to be anywhere in sight. Not even the cops. As I turn the deadbolt, my eyes spot something across the street in the small space between two shops. It looks white, almost like a t-shirt. It's unmoving. Goose bumps crawl up my arms. I try to shake it off; it’s probably just my eyes playing tricks on me.
 

After we pull down the chairs and BJ shuts down the kitchen, we grab our stuff and head out as a group.
 

"How long until the next bus, Viv?" BJ asks.
 

I look at my watch. "About three minutes," I say, heading in that direction. He follows right behind me. On instinct I know that Laura has told him about the detective today. I'm not going to argue.
 

When I get to the bus stop and turn to BJ, I see that Laura has followed, too. I want to roll my eyes, but I can't deny that I feel safer knowing they're here with me.
 

I look back to the crevice between the buildings, and the white shirt I thought I saw earlier is gone.
 

I hear the bus approach from my left. It stops, and the doors swing open. It's Al.
 

"Hi, darlin’," he says as I climb up. I place my money in the box. "How you doing, sweetheart?"

I smile at him. "Good. Tired, but good."

I look over my shoulder. "Thanks, guys," I say to Laura and BJ. They smile and turn to leave.
 

I scan the bus, terrified that Riley might be on it. When I realize he isn’t, the tension in my shoulders eases by a fraction. Then I noticed a gentleman sitting toward the back. Buzz-cut, dark blond hair, black t-shirt, good looking. Not the type to normally be on this bus this time of night.
 

I grab the sideways seat behind Al instead of the forward-facing one opposite him. If I need to, I want to be able to make a quick escape.
 

I look back to the gentleman and he smiles at me. Warm, friendly. Then his hand slides out from behind the seat.
 

My heart pounds.
 

I see what's in his hand.

A shield. He's a cop. I start breathing again. He smiles again and nods in my direction slightly. I give him a half-smile in return as my heart rate returns to normal.
 

A few minutes later, the bus stops to pick up another passenger. I hold my breath again, but it’s only a female cop in uniform. "Hi, Al," she says as she climbs up. "How we doing tonight?"
 

"Great, thanks. Don't usually see you guys this time of night," he says as she slides past the box.

"I'm just taking a ride down the street, back to my car. Had some vandalism at one of the stops, so I've been checking some other ones. No biggy."
 

She acknowledges me with a nod as she takes the seat I usually sit in, but it’s not clear that she knows who I am. Whether she’s been assigned to me or not, I feel safer with two cops on board to protect me.