Reprisal (20 page)

When I finally get my balance, I slowly move to the bathroom and I gaze at myself in the mirror. I’m a hot mess for sure. My eyes are swollen with bags underneath. A scab just above my lip and traveling up towards my nose, and a right red patch of skin below my ear, where my fingers found tender tissue.

I pull my hair back and turn my head and my eyes spot the jagged black lines. “Fuck.” I whisper. He fucking marked me. I angle my head to get a better look and that’s when it hits me.

My mind flashes back to the moment he pressed the needle in to my skin. “Son of a bitch!” I say in a slightly higher voice.

“What are you doing?”

I jump at the sight of Gabe standing behind me looking like he wants to kill someone, possibly me.

“Shit, you scared me.”

“I asked you a question, what are you doing?”

“What are you my father?” I say and immediately realize what I’ve just said. I know I can’t unsay it, but the pain in his eyes tells me I’ve fucked up. “Gabe, I’m sorry.........”

He turns away and leaves the bathroom, the door to the hospital room clicking as he closes that too.
“Shit, nice going Syd.” I say to myself as I look back to the mirror. The tattoo is a smaller version of the creepy one that snaked up Stephan’s neck. I get closer to the mirror and focus on it, the serpent behind my ear.

My knees give out on me and my body falls in slow motion to the floor of the bathroom, the IV stand tumbling over and yanking the tube out of my arm. The sound of metal clanking on the floor and blood spurts across the wall. The sight of it makes my stomach churn and I close my eyes to avoid the images. But once I do, the images are much worse. I shake them off and take a deep breath. The tile floor is cool, but the room is spinning and nausea waves over me. I take a deep breath and do my best to relax before the dizziness takes over, darkening my vision.

Gabe

“How could she say that?” I say to myself as I storm down the hallway of Mercy Hospital.

“Mercy? Lord, have mercy on me please.” I continue the conversation to myself as I exit the front door into the bright sunshine. I lean my head back, taking a deep breath and focus on the warmth on my face.

As I pace the entryway to the hospital, I continue my self-argument. “Damn it! I sat with her for two solid days while I waited for her to wake up. Then she accuses me of acting like her father? God, how could I be so stupid?”

“Gabe?”

I turn and see
Mo walking towards me. “Hey Mo,” is all I can muster before turning my back to him. I start to pace again when Mo claps me on my back.

“You still here?” He asks me.

“No, I’m a figment of your imagination.” I spat back at him, but he chuckles.

“Sydney doing better?” He asks, cutting to the chase.

“She’s awake, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Yeah, that’s good. How is she?”

I scrub my hands down my face, realizing I need a shower and to shave, but I turn back to Mo. “I guess she’s all right. The doctor was seeing her a little while ago and then.......”

“Then what?”

“Nothing, just drop it okay?”

“Gabe, we’ve been friends a long time. And, you work for me now, so spill it.”

“Shit, I’m probably over reacting. It’s nothing, I’ll figure it out.”

“Gabe.” Mo says with a warning hinted in his tone.

“Really, just something she said. I’m sure she didn’t mean it, but it hit me the wrong way and I walked out on her. I really can be an ass sometimes.”

“Yes you can, but you need to think about what you’ve both just gone through. Hell, you were shot for Pete’s sake.”

“A flesh wound, Mo. I wasn’t
really
shot.” I smirk at him.

“Well, you were still hurt. And on my watch, so that is unacceptable. Now, tell me what’s really
bothering you.” He says as he nudges me over to a bench to the side of the door. “Sit.”

I do as I’m told with a growl and Mo chuckles beside me.

“Tell me what happened.”

I look at him like he’s grown horns. “You were there, Mo. You know what happened.”

“No, I mean in the last few minutes. What did she say?”

“She accused me of being like her father.” I say as I lean back.

“Surely she didn’t mean that.”

“No, I’m sure she didn’t, but it hit me the wrong way I guess. Then I walked out on her. Shit, I’m so stupid.” I say as I stand up to go back to her room. “I have to fix this.”

“Wait, Gabe. Sit back down and take a breather. Think about what to say before you go back in there. You both have been through hell and your tempers are short right now.”

I know he’s right, so I sit back down taking a long pause.

“She saved my life, Mo.”

“And you saved hers Gabe.”

“But I was angry that she ran off so quickly.”

“Sounds familiar.” He says.

I look at him in shock, “What do you mean?”

Mo
rests his elbows on his knees and stares at a crack in the sidewalk.

“You did the same thing, Gabe. I gave you a strict order NOT to enter that hotel room without backup, but you charged along and busted in that door before anyone could stop you.

How is that different?”

“It isn’t.” I respond shaking my head, knowing he’s got me by the balls.

“You two are two peas in a pod, Gabe. But you need to give her some time to sort all of this through. She probably woke up confused and in self defense mode, so cut her some slack.”

“I know, I know. But when she......damn it, I know she didn’t mean it. But fuck if it didn’t slash me right down my chest.”

He places his arm on my shoulder. “Go to her, Gabe. Don’t let her down like her own family did.”

“Speaking of, any word on her brother, Franco?”

“Yeah, he’s gonna be fine. Though it may take some time for him to heal.

“Okay, and her mother and sister?”

“Sister is good, mother still in hospital on suicide watch. You didn’t tell Syd what happened did you?”

“Not yet, but I will as soon as she’s strong enough. Right now, I think she’d retreat so far into her shell that she might not recover. Once things have calmed down a bit, I’ll tell her.”

Mo nods and stands up, “Well, I’ll let you two work this out and come back later to talk to Syd. Call me when she’s rested up.”

“I will.” We shake hands and Mo strides off to his car. I stand and stare at his back as he walks away, my mind going back to yesterday when I found
Syd in that room, her brother’s grimy body over hers. I shiver at the thought of what he was about to do. I know I shouldn’t have barged in there without back up, but when I heard her scream I knew I couldn’t wait. And I would do it all again the same way. No regrets. But when she finds out about Franco, God help us all.

I shove my one good hand
in my pocket as I head back into the hospital. I need to get back to Sydney and apologize for walking out on her. I know she didn’t mean what she said, it was just a phrase that we all use at times. But coming from her, knowing what her father did and the man that he was made it feel like a stab in the back.

I take the elevator back up to the fourth floor and make my way down the hall, only to stop dead in my tracks as I see the cluster of people outside her room. Press? No, couldn’t be. This hasn’t gotten out yet, so it can’t be there. I made sure last night that no press were to become involved, at least until all the puzzle pieces were put together.

My feet start moving faster and as I approach her room, I’m stopped by Doctor Kane.

“What’s happened?” I ask, my breath short from running.

“Doctor DeCarlo collapsed in the bathroom, she hit her head again and we had to stitch her back up.”

“Shit, I shouldn’t have left her. I saw her in the bathroom and.....never mind. Can I go in?”

“Yeah, but help me keep her in bed please? She’s still dehydrated and needs to rest.”

“I’ll do my best, but she’s hard headed. When she wants something, she goes after it. She might not like me trying to stop her.”

“I know, but try. Yeah?”

“You got it Doc. Thanks.”

I slowly and quietly open the door, peeking in on Sydney back in her bed. I knock loud enough for her to hear me, before I step into the room. She looks up at me and attempts to smile, but I see she is upset.

“Hey. Can I come in?”

“Of course. Gabe, I’m sorry.......”

“S
HHHH, no need to apologize, Syd. I shouldn’t have walked out on you like that. It’s just.....”

“Gabe, sit.”

“Demanding aren’t we?” I chuckle as I pull the chair up beside her bed.

She lifts her hair, showing me the ink that has been printed on her neck, something I hadn’t seen yet. “Did you see this?” She asks.

“No, I didn’t” I say as I lean in closer to her to get a better look. “Fuck.”

“Yeah, fuck is a good word.” She giggles.

“You’re laughing at a time like this?” I ask her, confusion written all over my face.

“Sure, what else am I going to do? Like father like son, eh? Angry, evil men feeling it necessary to mark their territory. I remember him doing this while we were still in the dungeon. I didn’t think he finished before
he drug me out to his car.” She laughs. How she can be humorous during a time like this is beyond me. But it doesn’t last long, before I can sit back down she’s crying.

In between sobs she starts to talk. “I’m starting to remember everything, Gabe. Something I’m not sure I want to do.” She looks up at me, her eyelashes glistening with tears. “You said earlier there was more, what is it?”

“Sydney, I will tell you everything, soon. But not now, you need to rest, and so do I. I’m going to check into a hotel and have a shower, I’ll be back in a little while, okay?” Her eyes are angry, but also tired. I know she wants to know everything and I plan to tell her, just not yet.

“Get some sleep babe, I’ll be back before you wake up.”

She nods and lays her head back, closing her eyes, her long lashes resting on her high cheekbones. She’s beautiful, even beaten up and torn apart. I want to stay close to her, keep my hands on her to make sure she doesn’t vanish on me again, but I need a shower and a nap myself.

If I am going to be taking care of her, I need to get my own strength back. And, I need to figure out the best way to give her the news about her family. At least they are all okay, but she’s not going to like what I have to tell her.

I kiss her on the forehead and she doesn’t open her eyes. So I leave the hospital and make my way to my rental car in the parking lot. The Hyatt is just around the corner, so I’ll head over there and see what they have available.

Thankfully
, they have a suite available, something that Sydney can come to once she’s released, which will hopefully be in a few days. I know she’s probably going to want to get home as soon as possible, but at the same time she’s gonna want to be near her family, her mother and sister, when she finds out. Or maybe not, knowing their history. I hate keeping things from her, but she’s just not strong enough to take this right now.

I walk in
to the room and glance around, moving straight for the bedroom. I drop my bag on the floor and crawl slowly on to the bed, not even pulling the covers down. As I relax, my shoulder starts throbbing and I know right then, I will not sleep without assistance. I reach over the side of the bed to my bag and retrieve the pain pills I got at the hospital. Typically, I would work through the pain, but I need rest right now, so I pop a pill and swallow tightly without water.

I lay my head on the pillow, but not before setting the alarm on my phone. I don’t want to sleep long, as I need to get back to Sydney. I set it for two hours and lay back, closing my eyes.

My mind flashes back to the events of the past few days, and then focus on the pain in Sydney’s eyes when I walked out on her in the bathroom. For as long as I live, I never want to see that kind of pain in her eyes again. I realize then, that I want to be the one to take away her pain. I want to be the one to love her unconditionally, without regret. I want to be the one to stand by her, to help her love again. To bring her back to the here and now, and show her that there’s still good in this world, in light of all of the pain. I just hope that she can forgive me when she finds out the truth.

Hours pass and I’m still lying in this damn bed, alone. “Where is Gabe?” I ask myself as I glance at the clock on the wall. “He said he’d be right back, but it’s been five hours.” I shake my head. “Guess I scared him off. No man wants to get involved with a woman like me. I put him in danger and he ran. Can’t blame him I guess.”

The nurse comes in to check on me like she does every hour, on the hour, driving me bat shit crazy. I did manage to get some sleep, so it was probably good that Gabe wasn’t here. He needs rest too, so I try and calm myself down and relax some, though I’m starting to worry. Gabe holds to his word and......no, never mind. I scared him off and that’s probably better for us both.

I grab the remote control and turn the television on, searching the stations for something interesting. Something to keep my mind off of things. I come to a halt on one of the local news stations, because something catches my eye......oh shit. Flashing lights and crowds of people fill the screen. My body tenses as I turn the volume up.

We are on scene at the One Stop Motel on Pulaski Street where two men, one believed to be a
police officer, have been shot. A man was holding a young woman hostage and she was found
lying under the victim’s body. The woman gained control of the officer’s gun and fired at her
captor. The captor was found and pronounced dead on the scene. The officer, Agent Gabriel
Torres with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, was wounded in the shoulder, but was said to
be in stable condition at a local hospital. The female victim, Doctor Sydney DeCarlo, is also said
to be in stable condition at a different area hospital. The name of the deceased has not been
released yet.

Doctor Sydney
DeCarlo was kidnapped, beaten and raped by her own father twenty years
ago, right here in Lincoln Park. It was determined then, that the then thirteen year old girl, fired
the shot that killed her father, Luis DeCarlo. When asked if the two cases were related, we were
told “no comment at this time.”

We’ll be here on the scene through the evening and will provide updates as we have them.

Shit, Gabe told me he kept the press out of this. But realistically, I know he couldn’t do that on his own. The people of the press are vultures and will dig and dig until the........wait, what’s that? The reporter on scene at the motel is back on, what the fuck?

We have just found out that a Lincoln Park woman and her daughter were found bound to
each other in their home early yesterday. Fifty-three year old Gloria Watkins and her daughter,
twenty-five year old Sylvia DeCarlo, were tied back to back in the basement of Ms. Watkins
home. The woman’s son, Franco DeCarlo was found a mile away with a gunshot wound to his
back. It is believed the son was shot by Agent Gabriel Torres, the man found wounded in the
motel room early yesterday. We will continue to update you as information is received.

“Son of a bitch! He shot my brother? What in the hell was he thinking? How could he shoot him? Fuck! I need to get out of here.” I say out loud as I slowly lift my body out of bed. I move slowly towards the small cabinet in there and pray my clothes are in there. I exhale a breath as I see a plastic bag full of my personal belongings. “Thank God.” I say as I grab the bag. The clothes are dirty and bloody, but I sure as hell can’t leave in a hospital gown. I pull the stiff jeans on and carefully remove the gown, pulling my tee shirt
over my head. I can’t even think about putting a bra on right now.

Once my shoes are on, I look around the room to make sure I’m not forgetting anything, cause I damn sure don’t want to come back to retrieve anything. “My purse, shit. I need my purse.” I open the other door to the cabinet and sigh in relief that my bag is right there.

“Whew!” I say as I grab my bag and carefully secure it to my good shoulder.

Quietly, I open the door and peek out into the hall way. At this particular second, the coast is clear so I scan the hall looking for the elevator. Great, I have to go right by the nurse’s station to get there, so I quickly walk
in that direction. They must be on rounds, cause there is no one behind the counter. The elevator doors open and I freeze. An elderly gentleman exits and I jump in before the doors close. “That was too easy.” I say as the doors close.

As the elevator descends to the first floor I start to panic. What if Gabe is there waiting when the doors open. I don’t want to see him. I need to get out of here quickly. The doors open and I peek out, not seeing anyone of importance. So
, I start digging in my purse for my phone, but it’s not there. Crap. But I spot a pay phone in the corner and I smirk, cause I didn’t think those existed anymore. I dig out a quarter from my bag and place it between my lips while I grab the phone book hanging from the bottom. The front door opens and I glance over, and there he is, marching in here like he owns the place. I turn my back to him and dial the first cab company I see in the book. Ten minutes, shit. “I’m sorry, I can’t wait that long. Thank you.” I hang up. A golden light reflects off of something outside. I peer around the corner and a yellow taxi has just pulled up. I bolt out the door and almost plow over the passenger that just got out. “Go!” I tell the driver as I climb in the back seat. “GO NOW!” I scream again.

“Lady, my last passenger hasn’t paid me yet.”

“Don’t worry about that, keep the timer running. I’ll pay their fare if you can get me to the airport in ten minutes.”

“Which airport, lady?” He asks, pulling out in to traffic.

“O’Hare.” He groans, but he continues.

I know inside I need to be going to my mother and brother, but I just can’t. Not after all they’ve put me through over the years. While we still talk occasionally, I haven’t been to visit in years and I plan to keep it that
way. They blamed me for our father’s death, not even caring what he put
me
through. All they can think about is the fact that I killed him. My life was never the same and to have my own family blame me, sent me over the edge. Once I finally was able to leave home, I never looked back.

I pull myself out of my thoughts as he pulls in to the drop off lane and I grab a hundred dollar bill from my purse, silently saying a prayer of thanks that no one stole my money. I toss it over the seat and jump out of the car.

“Lady, your change!” The driver calls out of the window.

“Keep it!” I
say and keep running towards departures and make my way to the Delta counter.

As I approach, the clerk behind the counter looks me up and down. I know I’m a mess, but I need to get a ticket and get moving. “One way ticket to New York, any airport. Whatever is closest to
departure.”

She nods and views her computer screen. “There’s a four o’clock to LaGuardia.”

I look at the clock on the wall, two forty five. “Perfect.”

“Seat preference?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you have a preferred seat? Aisle, window, first class?”

“Doesn’t matter, but preferably an empty row if you have it.”

She gets quiet, searching. “OK, row 23C. As of right now, the seat next to you is vacant, but that could change.”

“I’ll pay for that seat too, just to keep it empty.”

She stares at me for a moment. “Just do it, please.”

She nods and I hand her my credit card. I’m starting to sweat, because this has taken too long and I half expect Gabe to come running in here.

“Bags?”

“Um, no. I don’t have any bags.”

She keeps a straight face, and I know she’s probably going to call security on me. But I can’t think about that right now. She hands me my boarding pass and I make my way over to the X-ray machine. I scan the corridor looking for a shop or something where I can pick up a change of clothes, but I have zero luck.

So I get in line and wait. As I approach the metal detector, the TSA agent looks me up and down. Great, nothing like a body cavity search after all I’ve been through. I kick my shoes off and place my bag in the rubber bin and watch it travel down the belt.

I walk through the metal arch and hold my breath. I know I don’t have any metal on me, but I’m paranoid by this time that I can’t be sure.

The light turns green and I grab my shoes and bag. After I’ve tied my laces I head towards Terminal Three. “Ma’am?” I hear from behind me. I don’t turn back, pretending not to hear him.

“Ma’am! Wait!”

I stop and turn back towards the TSA agent coming towards me. “You left this in the bin, ma’am.” I look down and she is handing me my watch.

“Oh, thank you so much!” I say as I continue my way to the terminal. As I round the corner I spot a Brooks Brothers store. “Thank God.”

I quickly grab a pair of khakis and a cute top and make my way to the restroom to change. I glance at my tennis shoes and shake my head. Shoes will have to wait. I splash cold water on my face and run my fingers through my hair. What I wouldn’t do for a hot shower and a hair brush right now.

I make myself as presentable as I can and detour back to Terminal
Two where my flight will depart from. I pass a store that stocks cell phones and accessories. But before I go in, I spot the clock on the wall. Three fifteen. Shit, I don’t have much time.

“Do you have any prepaid cell phones?” I ask the sales person

“Yes ma’am. What kind are you looking for?”

“I don’t care, something cheap and quick. My flight boards soon and I forgot my cell at home.”

“No worries, ma’am. Let me show you what we have.”

I quickly select a Motorola flip phone and giggle internally. A flip phone? Well, it’s better than nothing and
it’s temporary. I need to call Mom and Leslie and let them know what’s going on, before Gabe sends a search party out for me.

He shows me how to use it and hands me a slip of paper with the phone number on it.

Thanking him, I leave and get to my gate, which thankfully has just started boarding. I find my seat and sit down, totally exhausted. As the plane loads, I call my mother’s house, but there’s no answer. “Damn it.”

So I try Leslie and thankfully she answers.

“Doctor Phillips.”

“Les, it’s me
Syd.”

“Sydney? Oh my God, what’s going on? I
JUST SAW THE REPORT ON THE NEWS!” She screams in to the phone and I have to hold it back from my ear to keep my ear drums from blowing.

“Relax, Les. I’m fine. I’m on a plane coming home, I need you to pick me
up at LaGuardia in three hours. Can you do that?”

“Sure, but Gabe just called me.....”

“Do NOT tell Gabe where I am. As far as you know, you don’t know anything. Got it?”

“Yeah
yeah, okay. But why?”

“I can’t get in to it here, the plane is taxiing and they’re announcing for us to turn off our phones. Write down this number, okay?”

“Okay, go ahead.”

“630-555-9834,
that’s my mother’s number, I need you to keep trying to call her for the next three hours. Can you do that for me, too?”

“Sure, but why? What do I need to tell her?”

“Just tell her I’m okay and I’ll call her when I get home. No need to go in to any other details.” I tell her, unsure why I’m even bothering updating my mother.

“Well, considering I have no idea what in the hell is going on, I think you’re safe.”

I laugh, “I’m sorry. But I promise, I’ll fill you in on everything when I see you. Flight lands at seven thirty or so. I’ll call you when I’m off the plane and heading towards the exit, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

I snap the phone shut and cut an evil eye at the flight attendant motioning me to turn off my phone. I press and hold the off button and put it in my purse. The plane is moving, so I know no one else can get on, so I close my eyes and rest a little. I just hope I can sleep a little without having a nightmare. That would be all I need do is to wake up on this plane screaming and the TSA hovering over me thinking I’m a terrorist.

We finally get to our cruising altitude and the ‘fasten your seatbelt’ light has been turned off and I feel my body relaxing. I stare out of the small window and imagine faces in the clouds. I see Gabe in one and I blink to make the image disappear, but it doesn’t work. So I close my eyes and lean my head back, the rocking of the plane luring me to sleep.

“Ma’am? Would you like peanuts or pretzels?”

Opening my eyes, I look at the flight attendant. “Umm, pretzels, please. And a Coke?”

“Sure.” She says as she hands me two small bags of pretzels that could never fill up anyone’s stomach, but I’m so hungry right now, this will have to do. She hands me a clear plastic cup full of Coke and as I take a sip, the bubbles tickle my nose. But the cold, carbonated drink is a relief to my dry and parched throat. I try not to gulp it, cause I’m not in the mood for the hiccups.

I deposit my trash in her bag as she comes back around and put my tray table back up. I glance at my watch and see we should be landing soon. So I make my wa
y to the restroom, squeezing into the small room and do what I need to do. I glance at myself in the small mirror and wonder how anyone let me on this plane looking like this. My face is swollen and bruised, my skin pale and gaunt. I look like I died three times already. I chuckle, cause I got lucky I guess.