Cain (4 page)

“
Look at me. Damn it,
Julie, look at me. Breathe. In and out. That’s it, in and out.”
Cain, Dr. Waite, was yelling at her. Again.

When she closed her eyes, Julie heard
him say something sharp to her. “Stay with me, damn it!”

“
You know you have a
really shitty bedside manner. Let go of me, you oaf. What the hell
am I doing in someone else’s room?” When Cain laughed at her, she
glared at him. She didn’t find any of this the least bit funny.
When she looked at the chair, the woman Ronnie was sitting down
again. Julie flushed with embarrassment.

“
You are in your room. Are
you hungry? I still have you on a clear diet, but if you do all
right with it, I’ll upgrade you to more tomorrow.”

When Cain reached out and took her
wrist, she tried to pull away, but he was stronger. It was then
that she realized he was taking her pulse. She figured it would be
back to normal in about a month.

“
When can I leave?” Julie
asked when he was finished. “I’m not going to be able to afford
this room, so whoever authorized this is going to be in big
trouble.” Julie was already paying the hospital all she could
afford each week, but this room was way more than she could
manage.

“
The room isn’t costing
you anything, Ms. Julie. That’s what I was saying before. I have a
form here for you to sign.” The papers were suddenly in front of
Julie from Ronnie. “This says that you won’t sue the hospital for
damages and they won’t charge you for staying here. Ever. Or I come
down on their asses so hard you’d never be hurting for money
again.”

“
I don’t need their
charity. And I certainly am not hurting for money. Thanks, but no
thanks. I’m not buying whatever it is you’re selling.” Julie looked
at Cain, who as still sitting on the bed. “I asked when I could
leave. You didn’t answer. That’s a really bad habit you have, by
the way.”

When Cain laughed again, she wanted to
hit him. She had no idea why he got on her nerves. Before she could
tell him anything, Ronnie spoke up. Julie wasn’t happy with her
apparent humor either.

“
This isn’t charity, Ms.
Julie, I assure you. It’s compensation. They don’t want you to sue
them for the mistreatment you received four days ago. Ms. Noose
attacked you and the hospital feels responsible. This is their way
of saying they’re sorry.”

“
Look, I just want to—four
days ago! I’ve been here four days? Are you flippin’ kidding me? I
have to get out of here. Where are my...why are you constantly
laughing at me?” She asked Cain. “Do I have a sign on me that you
find particularly humorous?” She couldn’t seem to make this man
understand she was pissed without him laughing all the time. Though
she had to admit, he was beautiful when he laughed.

“
No, not that I can see.
But you are a delight. You will be here another few days at least.
When Noose sat you in the—”

“
Are you nuts? I need to
leave. I have...there are people who depend on me to be there for
them.” When Ronnie and Cain exchanged looks, Julie knew something
had happened. “Tell me. What is it? Something happened and I demand
you tell me.”

“
I’m sorry, Julie, there
isn’t a nice way to tell you this. Rodney Kincaid passed away
several days ago. There wasn’t anything you could have done. He was
old and he died in his box. The police found him yesterday. Molly
came to tell me last evening,” Cain told her.

Rodney. Her very good friend Rodney was
dead. Julie leaned back against her pillow, tears running unchecked
down her cheeks. “He helped me. When I first got...he helped me to
become nothing. I never would have made it without him. He was my
friend.” Julie took a tissue that was thrust at her. “I’d like to
be alone now, please.”

Julie didn’t look to see if they left.
She knew when she was alone again. Julie had been on her own for a
long time and enjoyed the quiet and the feelings it gave her. She
looked at the basket of fruit and thought of her first day of
hiding.

“
You let anyone know you
got yourself a fancy phone and somebody will slit your throat for
it. Best if you take it apart and trash them parts around to
different dumpsters if you don’t want anyone to find you for a
time,” a voice from a nearby box said.

Smiling, Julie remembered for the first
time in years that her name wasn’t Julie at all. Her name was
Alyssa, Alyssa Marie Howard.

The phone in her hand had rung as she
talked to the man who’d just rolled out to look up at her. They
were just outside the restaurant her mother, uncle, and brothers
were eating at. She’d staggered out the back door through the
kitchen. She looked at the caller ID then at the man. She could
barely focus on either.

“
It’s my mom.” Julie
looked at the ID again. “I can’t do it. I won’t do what they want.
It’s sick. Not anymore and not ever again will I answer to them.”
She broke the phone in half and took out the battery. But before
she could do much more than that, she staggered again and fell to
the ground. She wasn’t sure what happened after that. The man,
Rodney he’d told her at one point, took the broken pieces from her
and pulled her into his box.

“
Come here and sit with
me, kid. I’ll tell you how to become nothing.”

Julie remembered not feeling any fear
of the older man. She’d felt safe and secure for the first time in
two weeks. Since her father had died. And now, ten years later, she
was alone again.

Julie woke sometime later and realized
she wasn’t alone in the room. Before she could call out, she
smelled the familiar perfume.

“
I’m so sorry about
Rodney, Molly. He was...he was my best friend. I’m so
sorry.”

“
Thank you. He loved you
very much too. He was so much better with you around to care for.
Though I’m not sure who cared for whom. I feel like you gave him
back to me. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Julie nodded. Tears hot and fresh
trailed down her cheeks. “Rodney said you were his one true love.
He often told me he wished he could have done better by you. I have
some of his things. Nothing that he wouldn’t want you to have, I
assure you. We each...we kept things for each other. Just in case
something happened to either of us,” Julie told Molly.

Molly got up and walked over to some of
the flowers in the window shelf. She was fingering a small flower
when she spoke again.

“
I know who you are and
what you are. He said, Rodney said that someday you’d have to
remember that too. He said thet you’d be a better woman than the
child you were.”

Julie felt the room closing in again.
If Molly knew, then who else knew? And most importantly, how had
Rodney found out?

“
What do you want? I
assure you, I have no money. Since I left, all I had is long gone.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Julie regretted them. Molly
turned and looked at her. Julie could see that she had hurt her.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...I’m so very sorry.”

Molly sat back down and pulled her
purse into her lap. She got up and handed an envelope to Julie. She
didn’t say anything for a few minutes then looked at Julie in the
eye. “Rodney wanted you to have that. He brought it to me about a
month ago. He asked me not to look at it, but he did give me a file
on you. Did he ever tell you what he did before he decided to go
into the streets?”

“
Yes. He said he was a
cop. He told me that he’d killed someone and though it was ruled
justified, it wasn’t to him. He said it was a small boy. That he’d
pulled a gun on Rodney and fired. Rodney returned fire before he
saw who it was. He said the little boy was eight.”

Molly wiped at her tears. “Yes. He’d be
your age about now. Rodney was a good man. He just couldn’t forgive
himself.” She walked to the door, but stopped and turned back to
Julie. “The funeral is day after tomorrow. Dr. Waite said you could
go, that he would release you by then. It’s a graveside, Glenview
Cemetery at one o’clock.”

The door closed quietly behind her.
Julie rolled to her side, buried her face in the pillow, and sobbed
for her friend and mentor. Holding the envelope close to her chest,
Julie fell into a fitful sleep.

~CHAPTER FIVE~

Cain watched his mother preen. He
hadn’t ever used that word before, but knew without a doubt that
was exactly what she was doing. He’d been in her room for nearly
twenty minutes now waiting to take her to her small apartment. He
didn’t tell her he’d bought Devin and Ronnie’s house. He looked at
his watch again. Just as he was about to say something to her about
his schedule, the door behind him opened.

“
Hello, son. How are you?
I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for a month now. You too
good to come and see your old man? A man has a right to his family,
you know.”

Cain looked at the man who was his
father and then to his mother, who was smiling at him. His mother
hadn’t been getting ready to leave, she’d been stalling.

Cain slipped his jacket on. He walked
to the door when his father stepped in front of him. Cain had to
take a step back.

“
Don’t touch me,” Cain
growled between his clenched teeth. “I’m not six anymore and I will
fight back. Get the fuck away from me and don’t contact me
again.”

“
I paid my debt to
society, son. I’m a—”

“
Don’t call me son. As far
as I’m concerned, you’re dead to me. Mother, when and if you get
smart and he’s gone…” Cain pointed to his father. “Give me a call.
But not before then.”

Cain stood outside his mother’s room
and leaned against the wall. He couldn’t believe she’d done that
again. But then, his mother had always been blind by Roscoe Waite.
Not even thinking about where he was going, Cain found himself
outside of Julie’s room. Before he could change is mind, he walked
in.

“
Julie,” he heard Molly
say to what appeared to be an empty room. “I doubt anyone is going
to care if you smell like a ‘shit hole,’ whatever that might be.
You told me you took a shower. What the problem?”

“
I smell like sick people.
I did take a shower, though that stupid hose thingy fell on my head
twice.” Cain didn’t say anything when Molly put her fingers to her
lips. “Where did you get this dress anyway? It’s really...I know
it’s supposed to be, but it’s very girly, isn’t it?”

“
It’s my daughter’s. And
yes, it’s supposed to be girly. Are you about done in there? We
need to get going.”

The funeral. Cain had forgotten it was
today. He’d signed Julie’s release papers last night thinking he’d
be too busy with his mother today to get her out on time. Now he
found himself suddenly free to go. When the door opened from the
bathroom, he wasn’t sure who was more shocked, Julie at finding him
there, or him. Christ! She was a beautiful woman.

“
You’re lovely,” was all
he could say. When she turned to look behind her, Cain was suddenly
standing in front of her. He brushed her hair from her damp
cheek.

“
It’s the dress,” she
explained huskily. “Molly lent it to me. I’m going to Rodney’s
funeral. I can still go, can’t I?”

Cain ran his finger down her cheek to
her jaw. She was so soft. He watched as her blue eyes darkened and
fluttered close. Lifting her chin slightly, Cain leaned down and
brushed his mouth over hers. Gently. When she didn’t stop him, he
slid his hand to the back of her head and brought her to him, her
mouth lush and wet, just inches away. Molly clearing her through
startled him. He took a step back, but he didn’t let her go. He
found that he couldn’t and didn’t want to examine that too
closely.

“
I’m so sorry, Cain...Dr.
Waite, but we’re running behind as it is. Dr. Waite...if you’d like
to go, I have plenty of room. I’m not sure who all will be there,
but—”

“
No! I mean no, he can’t
go, and he has things he has to do...no way. I’m free after this
and I don’t...you need to let go of me. Please.”

Cain looked at the woman in his arms,
well, not quite in his arms, but she was close. Julie really was
very beautiful. He wanted to kiss her.

Dark hair, damp from her recent shower,
was loose and about to her shoulders. He’d never seen it down, but
he could see the curl just waiting to take over her face and head.
Her eyes, a blue that defied description, were dark as the deep
ocean with hints of purple and gold in them. Right now they were
sparkling with her embarrassment. Her lush mouth had him thinking
of dark nights with silky sheets crumpled on the floor and moans,
deep and sensual. Before when he’d seen her, Julie was dressed in
baggy, torn clothes that were clean but ill fitting. Now in a black
dress that hugged her body, he could see that her breasts were
large and full, her waist tiny. So much so that he was sure he
could span it with his fingers touching around her. Her long legs
were muscled and well-formed. And long, he thought, long enough to
wrap around him when he took her hard and fast. Not taking his eyes
from Julie, knowing that she could read the lust, the need in his
eyes, and wanting her to, he answered Molly. “I would love to go,
Molly. And please, call me Cain. If you ladies are ready to go,
I’ll get the wheelchair.”