Perfecting the Odds (31 page)

Karis
threw her phone into her purse as she scrambled to pull on her clothing.

Michael roused from his deep sleep. “
Karis, what’s going on,” he asked, one eye open.

“It’s
Eve. She’s at the hospital. Something happened. I have to go,” she shouted, frantic and disoriented.

Michael
bounded out of bed and gripped her shoulders. “Karis, take a deep breath. I’ll get dressed and drive.” He ran and pulled on jeans and a shirt.

Karis
was waiting at the passenger side of his truck when he finally made it outside. Once seated, he turned to Karis as he started the engine. She looked stone cold, unreadable.

“
Karis, everything will be fine.

She nodded
, still staring out the windshield. “Just get me to the hospital, Michael. Fast, please.”

***

They scrambled through the emergency room doors twenty minutes later and gave the receptionist Eve’s the name. Almost immediately, a middle-aged nurse strolled toward them, donning the typical all-white garb and thick white shoes. Her light brown hair was tucked neatly into a bun, and her blue eyes were ones of a nurturer. Karis stared at her expectantly, willing answers. Her chest was tight, constricting the breath from her lungs, and if she were in any other location, within any other situation, she would have sworn she was in cardiac arrest.

“M
rs. Bennett, I’m Eve’s nurse. Please call me Angela.” The nurse drew a deep breath.
Shit, that’s not good
, Karis thought. “An off-duty officer found Eve in an alley near her office early this morning. She was beaten badly. The officer thinks she was lying in that alley for several hours before he found--.”

“Is she alive?” she
whispered. Karis felt Michael’s feather-light touch on her lower back.

“Yes.” Relief expelled from
Karis’s lungs as a loud whoosh of air. She clutched her fist to her chest as the constriction loosened a bit. She felt the rapid tap of her heart against her fingers. “But she’s been in and out of consciousness. We’ve also given her a strong analgesic for her injuries, which will make her even more tired.”

“I need to see h
er. Please.” The nurse couldn’t deny the look Karis threw her way.

“Right t
his way, Mrs. Bennett.” The nurse stopped. “He can’t come…unless he’s your husband.”

Without a second thought,
Karis said, “He is.” She didn’t bother to look Michael’s way as she walked down the long corridor and into the all-too familiar room. When she saw the figure in the bed, her knees weakened, and she felt Michael’s strong hands clutch her waist to steady her. A violent shiver shook Karis’s body before she closed her hand across her mouth to stifle the cry begging to unleash itself.

She rushed to the bed and placed her hand on
Eve’s battered arm. Tubes jutted in all directions. Machines beeped as annoying reminders of her vulnerability.  Shrouded with bruises and cuts, Eve’s face was almost unrecognizable. Covered in dried blood, her blonde hair was matted and tangled. Both eyes were swollen and weepy with tears and antibiotic ointment. Karis lightly stroked her right cheek which displayed a distinct outline of a hand print, red and raised. Large bite marks trailed down her neck, the teeth depressions distinct, some congealed with deep red blood.

What kind of
fucking monster...

Without turning,
Karis asked, “Angela, will she have any permanent damage?”

“
I would like to tell you we expect a full recovery, Karis, but I can’t. Not yet. As you can see she is badly bruised and cut. Her attacker used a knife to make shallow lacerations in her thighs.”
Jesus
. “He must have bitten her at least five times. She may have some scarring from those cuts and the bites. She has some skull swelling, but the doctor is confident it’s manageable. We think he kicked her numerous times, bruising at least three and breaking one of her ribs. She also has a sprained right ankle, presumably from the same fall that injured her head and face.” The nurse cleared her throat. “She’s a fighter, Karis. The officers found the attacker’s skin and some blood underneath her fingernails. We also have some DNA from the bite marks... Not only is he a sadistic monster, but he’s also stupid.”

Karis
simply nodded in agreement then added, “Eve would fight. He probably beat her more--.” And that was it. The sob choked her as tears streamed down her face. Why in the hell did shit like this always happen to the ones she loved most? Eve had gone to work hundreds of times, stayed late umpteen times, had taken the same route, and parked in the same spot
. Who the hell would do this to her?

“She’ll need you here when she wakes. I’ll be at the nurses’ station. Please
press the red button if you need anything.” Angela exited the room, giving a brisk nod to Michael still standing by the door.

Karis
shook her head then turned to look over her shoulder at Michael. His eyes were wide, clearly stunned by the damage to this tiny woman. Karis looked away then bent down and whispered into Eve’s ear. “Don’t you dare leave me, Eve.” The realization that her best friend wasn’t able to answer her demand threatened to send a wrecking ball smack into that already fragile resolve. Another choked sob escaped before she pressed her lips together to erect a rigid emotional wall. She had to be strong for her.

Then as if she’d been performing the act for years, Karis
pulled up a chair, sat down, and began to stroke Eve’s hand. And as routinely as any menial task, she separated herself from the trauma and focused on Eve.

An eerie air whirled around
Karis. She couldn’t lose her, too. That much loss just wasn’t possible in one person’s life.  No one could endure that much pain and make out in one piece. Karis was far overdue for a blessing and growing angrier with each passing second. And now she was in her own shitty world and completely unaware of Michael’s presence. She barely noticed when he kissed her head before stepping out into the hall.

***

Michael had to leave the room before it damn near suffocated him. He knew Karis needed her space, time with Eve and her own thoughts, but he wouldn’t be far. He had already made a promise to himself that she would never be lonely again.

As h
e made his way to the nearest waiting room, he thought about his father’s death and his own cancer treatment, both well in the past. He realized he had never truly understood what it felt like to watch someone you love suffer. Damn if wasn’t more painful than battling an illness itself. His stomach lurched thinking about Karis having to cope with trauma for the third time in her life. But Karis was strong, so much stronger than he was, and if anyone could cope, she could…unfortunately, that acknowledgement stormed forgotten emotions through Michael’s composure and settled them heavily in his gut. For the first time in a long time, those emotions threatened to release the burning tears.
Fuck
! She shouldn’t have to deal with this. With a deep breath, he shut his eyes tightly, trying to conceal the torture behind them.

“Michael
?”

He jolted
and rubbed his eyes before seeing Karis’s face, slightly puffy from crying but set with tenacity.

“Yes,
sweetheart?”

“Would you call
Jason and ask if he and Diane can watch Robby and Grace for another day? Please explain the situation. I’m afraid I’ll just start crying if I call.” She gave him a weak smile that nearly broke his tears free. He nodded as watched her trembling hand place the small sheet of paper, containing the number he already had, into his palm. Without another word, she then turned and made her way down the corridor to Eve’s room.

***

“Eve, wake up. I know you can hear me.”

Just an hour later,
Michael stood just outside the doorway, listening to Karis’s cryptic murmurs, waiting patiently for the opportunity to update her on her children.

“Dammit
—babe, just wake up
.
You’re strong. I know you can get through this. The bastard who did this to you will pay. I promise we will hunt him down. Just. Wake. Up. I need you.” Her voice cracked, providing him the opening to go to her. He moved from the wall and walked toward the room’s entrance. But what he heard next, in no louder than a forced whisper, halted his steps just outside the door.

“
A benevolent, loving God, my ass,” she choked out. “What did Eve do to deserve this? That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I call bullshit. I’ve never felt weaker in my entire fucking life.” She blew her nose softly and seconds turned into minutes. “Please. Please, I’m begging. Please bring her back to me. I’ll do anything.”

By the end of her
declaration, Michael was sure she wasn’t speaking to a greater good, but rather a more dangerous adversary who could be bargained with. Michael’s finger pads gripped the walls, grasping at every bit of tangible fortitude not to walk in there and tell her everything would be okay because he honestly didn’t know if that was true. Deja-fucking-vu. Tears burned his eyes, and for once, he didn’t give a flying fuck who saw them. The woman he loved, his woman, was literally dying inside, and there was nothing he could do to help her. And all he could do was clench his fists and witness her heart and soul lose pieces of itself. Again.

A light tap
on his shoulder yanked Michael from his eavesdropping. He met Scott McCann’s eyes, silently explaining to him all he needed to say. Scott gripped his shoulder then entered the room with Michael on his heels. Karis jumped up from her chair, frantically swiping away her tears. She placed herself in front of Eve, forming herself into a makeshift barricade from the approaching male. Absolute confusion filled her eyes as they darted over Scott’s form.

“Hello, M
rs. Bennett, I’m Detective McCann. I work for the Special Victims Unit of Baltimore City.” He extended his hand; Karis reluctantly shook it.

“Detective
McCann, please call me Karis,” she answered, her eyes lighting with relief before darting to Michael. “You’re Scott, Michael’s friend.”

“Yes,
ma’am.” She cringed at ‘ma’am’ and caught Michael’s slight smile.

“You’ve been best friends a long time?”

“He hasn’t talked about me?” He turned to Michael and mouthed, “asshole.” Michael flipped him off in return. “Yes, we’ve been friends for a very long time, since the first time he beat the crap out of me in high school.”

T
he first time. Michael snorted, and Karis’s lips curved a bit before her shoulders relaxed. She returned to her chair and commenced stroking Eve’s hand. “Who did this to her, Scott? Do you know?”

“No,
not yet. We have the DNA samples, but we’re hoping when she wakes, she can give us the physical description we need. We ran the preliminary samples, but nothing’s coming up. Seems to be a first time offense for the bastard.  That, or he hasn’t been caught yet.

Surprising
him, she met his eyes and smiled. “Eve talks about you.” He stared blankly at her. “She’s never talked about anyone before. I thought you should know.” Her voice cracked, and she swiped a single tear.

Scott
breathed in and out slowly, clearly trying to separate himself from the personal connection he had forged with Eve. “It’s important that we get as much information as possible so we can catch the predator.”

“Predator
”-- she winced with alarm—“That sounds like…god, no!” Karis heard Michael’s hushed “fuck” before she clasped her hand over her mouth.

Scott paled
instantly. “Shit, Karis, I thought you knew.”

“
The nurse said he beat her. He
raped
her, too?” Michael had no idea why she hadn’t made the assumption; perhaps she was blinded by the physical damage. Or perhaps her mind wouldn’t allow herself to enter that dark cavern in her brain.

“Yes,
Karis, that’s what the officer said. He found her beaten and it was obvious...” Scott looked down and swallowed twice.

“Why was she out there
alone, Scott?”

Because
Michael knew his friend well, he caught the hint of guilt in his expression. There was no doubt Scott had more than just a fuck-buddy relationship with Eve. Knowing the feeling well, Michael was sure Scott felt responsible for not protecting her.

“
I really don’t know, Karis. They found her in the alley near her workplace. Do you know if she worked often on the weekends?”

“Of course she did,” she said, clearly irritated with the question.
“She’s a prominent attorney in this city. It comes with the territory.”

“
We’re still trying to confirm her last known location. Here’s my card. Please text me when she wakes. I--.”

Before he could continue,
Karis rushed into the room’s bathroom, violently emptying her stomach.

***

Slumped on the floor of the bathroom, a good twenty minutes passed before she could walk back into the room. This was time she realized how sore her body was, and how completely insensitive it was to even have a thought like that. She cried shameful tears again as she grabbed the travel toothbrush she had packed for her night with Michael and returned to the bathroom. God, it didn’t even seem like the same day anymore.
While I was having the sexual awakening of a lifetime, my best friend
….She stopped the thought with a splash of ice cold water to her face. After several douses, she glanced into the mirror and spotted Michael standing in the doorway. Once she’d met his eyes, she couldn’t prevent the flood. He strode to her and wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her into the crook of his neck.