Chapter 6
Pretty.Shaken
Pain tore through her knee and she would have to get to her feet soon but shock held her back against the face boards where she had managed to sit up. She went over what just happened, trying to remember any distinguishing features.
Something touched her shoe, she pulled back her breath like a child who thinks their stillness won't give them away to the ghosts of night.
“Are you okay?”, the darkness asked, “It’s okay, your safe now, I won’t hurt you”. The warm voice started her breathing again.
“ Hi, I work with Steve who’s here somewhere. You might want someone you know to help, I can get someone for you”
“It’s okay, I live here. If you could just help me inside”, she whispered, her voice was husky from yelling.
“Sure, where are you hurt?” he asked, then revoked “Sorry, don’t answer that”.
“He didn’t get to do that, but I think my knee is twisted and my arm is cut up”, she answered.
He immediately pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around her arm to stem the blood flow.
“let’s get you inside and get some ice on your knee”,
“Sorry,” his voice was genuine, his body was warm but she couldn’t help the shaking that came over her. Fire ripped through her knee and the shards of glass buried themselves further into her arm but she insisted on not wailing dramatically. “It’s okay, I’ll suck it up”.
He picked her up effortlessly and took a step towards the dull haze of the party, “No” she said in alarm.
“What, what’s wrong?” he asked, gripping a little tighter.
“The front door, please” she answered not wanting to ruin Lindy’s party with a fuss. Miller turned and stepped cautiously down the cracked foot path.
There was no one inside; relieved, Anita pointed to her bedroom and he carried her inside the warm comfort of her mismatched haven.
“I’ve only known you a minute and you’re carrying me over the threshold” she joked, he didn’t laugh.
He sat her on the bed and she was struck by the contrast between his dark cropped hair and arcane green eyes. He pulled off his singlet smudged with her blood and stood, half naked in her bedroom, catching her completely unexpected and causing her breath to escape again.
‘Not the time to perve Anita’ , she told herself and dropped her face, keeping it down as he walked out the door, ‘pretty effective anaesthetic though’, the pain returned.
She began removing the pieces of glass from her arm and hoped Miller hadn’t gone to get help. She could handle it herself, but didn’t blame the poor guy if he didn’t want to be there.
He returned to Anita plucking pieces of glass from her arm. “Did anyone see you?” she asked, more concerned about that than the gore she that was taking place on her arm.
“Steve and his girlfriend” he answered.
“What did you tell them?” she panicked.
“I said that you hit your head and they got the wrong idea” he placed the cold bundle on her knee and gently held it there. ‘They think he hurt me, but they wouldn’t have let him come back in here alone’ Anita thought, puzzled and her face must have conveyed it.
“They think we are getting to know each other” he hinted further.
“Oh”, she understood now and the anesthetic took effect, “sorry. Steve and Lindy have a very annoying habit of playing matchmaker and…”
“And you’re Anita, but don’t worry about that now, you’re bleeding and hurt. Let me call an ambulance and the police”.
“It’s okay, I’m a nurse, I can handle this and I don’t want the police to crash Lindy’s party. Please, I’ll tell them in the morning and then you’ll be off the hook”. She was angry that Lindy had broken her promise, giving this poor guy a lot more than he had bargained for.
“I’ve seen you at work, you hit me with the apple remember”, he smiled and his smile was mind numbingly, heart meltingly endearing.
“Sorry, I hope it didn’t hurt”
“If it did, I would have taken revenge from the roof”, he smiled again and she felt like a marsh mellow over fire.
She wound his singlet back around her arm and asked him to get the first aid kit from the bathroom.
“Wait” she said, looking up to him before he left the room. His back was smooth from his waist into strong broad shoulders and she saw a hint of a dark tattoo on his inner left arm. He turned to face her and she was struck by the colour of his eyes reflected by her lamplight. Her trace was only broken when a drop of blood landed on her leg, she looked away and uttered, “can I ask your name, seeing as we’re meant to be getting very close in here” she blushed.
“Miller” he answered, “ So you’re not in the habit of dragging strangers to your bedroom then”, he seemed to be the one regretting the joke this time but she laughed, “no, not usually".
Back in Anita’s room, Miller sat silently beside her. She watched the way he dressed her wounds, winding the bandage around her arm fluently, his worn builder’s hands so gentle, it hinted practice. He fastened the clip on the end of the bandage and on pulling his gaze towards her face he noticed blood through the holes in her lace caplet, dry blood that was not her own. She followed his stare to the foreign blood stain and pulled at the caplet to remove the blood beneath it. The clasp refused to give and Anita’s breath became rapid as if it were strangling her.
Miller held her shoulders still between his hands and looked into her eyes to find permission, she allowed him with a slight nod. He unhooked the delicate diamante clasp and guided the short sleeves from her shoulders, allowing it to drop so she could bring her arms out.
He ran from the room and came back with a warm wash cloth. As he wiped her shoulder softly, Anita studied his face. She was confused thinking that if anything, she should recoil from a man’s touch, she should abhor men right now but she felt complete ease.
Anita noticed small round scars dotted informally on his ribs at the side of his body, even more on his inner arm when he lifted his elbow to reach some blood on her back. Her nursing experience recognized them as cigarette burns and wondered what monster had done this to him.
‘This is why he’s being so good to me, he knows’. She didn’t say anything to him about the scars but her heart broke for him. All of a sudden she felt a protective instinct, no longer feeling like the victim.
“How’s your knee feeling?” he asked.
“I think it’s just twisted, the ice is helping, thank you, but I don’t know how I’m going to get this dress off. Lindy’s going to kill me because of all this blood”. She put her hand through a rip the size of a coffee cup on her thigh.
“Would you like me to get someone to help you?” He asked.
“No, then everyone will know”. She stood up with the weight on her good leg and turned around for him to unzip the back of her dress. He stood, trying his hardest not to touch her and pulling the zip down he said, “my eyes are closed, you can let it drop now”. She turned around and he was true to his word as the soft satin dropped to the floor.
“Could you get me my pyjamas from off my chair?” She asked meekly; fully aware that she was standing in a room alone with a half naked man and she was almost completely naked herself. He fumbled in his own darkness and found the soft well worn flannelette pyjamas. “Here you are” he said, passing them around her body to her forehead, his arm brushing the side of her face. She climbed into them awkwardly, almost losing balance but Miller steadied her with blind hands hovering either side of her waist.
“Are you hungry? I’m hungry, I’ll get something to eat”, he left the room without her answer. When the room was empty she realized he was probably trying to find a way to escape and knowing he wouldn’t be back, she began to cry.
She cried because of the pain, she cried because of what the attacker made her remember, she cried because she let him get away, she cried for the next girl he would do this to and she cried in hope that her tears would run dry. The tears only stopped flowing when she became too tired to stay awake.
Anita woke through the night and each time Miller was there to get whatever she needed. She was too tired to disagree. Most of all, she needed him to be there so she would feel safe. Her sleep was restless, from waking to dreaming and back again, all seeming to roll into each other; except for one dream. It was as vivid as the first time she’d dreamed of it.
She found herself on the same muddy path in the green rainforest. The mystery woman was still out of reach and when Anita called her, expecting the dream to end, her face turned and her beautiful porcelain complexion shone in the moonlight. Anita felt a yearning for the woman, her body may not have been solid but her emotions were more powerful than she had ever felt. She was mesmerized by the woman’s green eyes, they were so similar to her rescuers.
She woke shivering. “I want to take you to the hospital” Miller said from beside her bed.
“I’m okay, really, just cold”
He picked up her quilt, it was still warm from his heat. Anita’s eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight streaming in from the window to find Miller’s eyes. They were just as she remembered from her dream and put the coincidence down to her infatuation with him.
She pretended to sleep and waited for Miller’s deep breath of sleep. She struggled out of bed and cast the blanket over him, just as he had done for her. When she woke, it had been cast back over her. “Ow” the soft light globe had been replaced with the bright morning sun.
“Whats wrong?” He woke to attention.
“My head hurts, I shouldn’t have drank so much”
“After all that’s happened, you’re angry at yourself for drinking so much. Your angers in the wrong place”
She was shocked that he was still in her room, she was certain he was going to leave. He proved her wrong again as he carried a bowl of cereal and a mug of tea to her. “Lindy said you like these”
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to” She took a mouthful, “really, I’m fine”.
“well, you really shouldn’t do that”
“do what?” she asked surprised.
“Talk with your mouthful”.
“Sorry” Anita said once her mouth was empty, “I should get up and tell Lindy”.
She flicked the cover back and swung her legs off the bed without thinking, sending a bolt of pain up her leg.
“I’ve explained everything, she said she wanted to see you, if it’s ok”
“it’s ok” Anita nodded and before her head stopped moving Lindy burst through the door.
“Oh my god” said Lindy, shocked.
“You should have got me, I could have, I would have, the quads could….” She cried holding Anita.
“It’s nothing really, looks worse than it is, the attacker didn’t do this, it was me reaching for glass”. Lindy still sobbed while Anita tried to console her. “He didn’t do anything, he must have heard Miller coming”.
“He was halfway up the road before I got there, you fought him off yourself”, Miller corrected her.
“Remind me never to make you angry” he added.
“Don’t worry, usually she bakes cupcakes” Lindy chimed in, patting Anita’s hair.
