Jaq With a Q (Kismet) (9 page)

Silas and I would lay on each side of him, a sky filled with fluffy white clouds, or a dark night full of twinkling stars. Sometimes for hours. No words, but a peaceful knowing that isn’t explainable, not without getting into quantum physics, complicated formulas, and debatable philosophies. I forgot how serene it was to just be still, promising to practice it again once I made it back to the lake with Jaq.

It wasn’t until after Jaq’s late morning call that my mind started to think about all that I had to do. Of course she changed her mind about me coming for dinner, but that didn’t worry me. She promised I could come up after work the next day, but I wasn’t holding my breath. At least, it was something, more than I had gotten so far.

Jaq seemed to be little bit better every day, with me anyway. She became very comfortable about calling me, very quickly. The last time I spoke to her was just before ten. She called me right after Silas called to tell me the good news. He’d just gotten involved with another merger, a business he couldn’t wait to dig his hands into. I was interested, and I was excited for him, but I was exhausted, tired from working all weekend, driving, and talking to Jaq all hours of the night.

I felt bad for rushing our call, but I honestly couldn’t help it. I was beat. Jaq said she understood and sadly said goodbye. She promised again to let me come up the next morning, but I wasn’t holding my breath, sure she’d change her mind by morning.

She didn’t. I was beginning to feel my nerves twitching by lunch time when she asked for Italian and cheesecake. I hadn’t thought about it really happening. It kept my focus the entire day, quick bouts of adrenaline rushing through my veins every time I thought about it. Would she talk to me like she did on the phone or would she clam up like she did when Wallace came in? I’d already decided it didn’t matter. I would still talk; I would talk and try like hell to get her to talk back, but it didn’t matter whether she spoke or not. Just being there with her was enough, a huge breakthrough.

I had just decided to give my notice after my last break when I was called into Martin’s office. Might as well get it over with, I decided, taking a seat in front of his desk.

“I had a lot of hope in you when you started here, Oliver,” he began, two fingers splitting the blinds behind his desk. “You’re very good at what you do, but I’m a little concerned about your attendance over the past month or so. Is there something going on you need to discuss with me?”

I barely heard what he said. Wallace’s number strolling across my phone had my attention. Why would he be calling me? Wallace didn’t call me, I called him. “Excuse me, I have to take this.”

“Oh, well, sure, go ahead.” Martin sarcastically replied, giving me permission with an open hand.

“Wallace?”

“Dude, they just take Jaq outta here in a squad.”

For a brief second, I was stunned, all the blood in my body dropping to my feet. “What do you mean? Why?”

“Jake say she went crazy because the landlord busted the door in.”

I walked out the door, uncaring of Martin’s threats to fire me if I left, extremely pleased that I’d driven, yet pissed off that it would take me twenty minutes to get it out of the parking garage and with the way traffic was, another hour to get to her.

“Why? Why did he do that?”

“She overflow the toilet and locked herself in the bathroom. She freaked the fuck out.”

“Where is she? What hospital?”

“Lower Manhattan.”

Chapter Eight

“Jaq Tarantino, where is she?”

“Calm down, sir. Give me the first name,” the lady behind the window calmly said.

“Jaq with a q, J-A-Q.”

“And the last name?”

“Tarantino, I just told you that. She was just brought in.”

The lady dropped her arms, stopped what she was doing, and gave me a dirty look. “This is a big hospital, there are lots of people in the ER today. I’m trying to find him for you.”

“Her, she’s a her, and I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted. Now, are you a relative?”

“Not exactly. I’m a doctor. Psychiatrist,” I added, not telling the whole truth. I did have that degree, I just hadn’t taken the politically correct, continuous education to keep my license, nor did I take the mandated sate testing to legally practice. That job became boring very quickly, and I gave it up by the time I turned twenty-one.

“Oh, well, next time tell me that up front. This way, Dr.?” she questioned over her shoulder.

I anxiously followed, my nerves jumping out of my skin. “Benson.”

The emergency room was busy, as busy as the rushing adrenaline, flooding my veins. I was about to see her for the first time, and I didn’t know how she would react, how I would react. What if she freaked out on me, too? What if she—.

For a brief second, I froze. I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t explain why. Jaq was asleep, her wrists and ankles bound with leather straps. She looked so—so perfect.

“I’m sure someone will be in as soon as they get a moment.”

I didn’t respond to the lady walking out, back to her demanding job. Instead I slowly walked to her, my heart beating too fast in my chest. This was as close as I had been, and it felt surreal, like I suddenly had a purpose.

To prevent ambiguity, I softly spoke her name. “Jaq?”

Of course she didn’t answer, she was out. Way out. For five whole minutes, I observed her, spoke in quiet words, and I touched her. First her hand, bound by the wrist. Her nails were bitten so low a couple of them had a trace of blood at the tips. “I’m here, Jaq. You’re okay. You’re fine, and I’m not going to leave you,” I promised, my eyes shifting to her moving fingers. Even though she was in a coma state, I believed she knew I was there. Her fingers danced with mine and then relaxed.

I took in every single bit of her. Her frail body, her perfect, soft skin, her flawless complexion, her soft curly hair, and her lips. She looked taller than I had alleged on camera, and she had a long scar going down her left thumb I hadn’t noticed before.

“Michael Williams? Oh, Sorry,” a doctor said, looking to Jaq and then to his chart, realizing he needed to be over one curtain.

“Wait, has anyone seen her yet?”

“I’m not sure. We’ve got patients in the halls. Someone will be with you soon.”

“Can you at least tell me what they gave her to knock her out?”

The guy shook his head, his reaction asking me if I could hear. “I don’t know. Excuse me.”

I turned back to Jaq, happy that I didn’t choose that route as my career, and spoke sarcastic words to my sleeping Jaq. “I’m glad you’re in good hands.”

Anxiously waiting for her to wake up or our turn to see a doctor, I concentrated on her. Every single feature. Fifteen minutes of nothing but staring feeling like seconds. I could stare at her all day.

“Excuse me, we’re going to move her out to the hall. We need this room. We have a gunshot coming in the squad.”

I looked up to the two nurses, wheeling Jaq out, protesting their priorities. “Whoa, seriously? We’re getting kicked out of the emergency room? What kind of hospital is this?”

The Doogie Houser looking nurse stopped rolling her out, his deadpan expression on me. “So you want us to let someone else die because you want your turn? That it?”

I took a deep breath and waved for them to continue. Of course, that’s not what I wanted. “Can you at least tell me what they gave her?”

The same nurse looked at the identity on her wrist and then the chart below his arm. “Acute mania, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, and lithium. She could be out for hours.”

At first, it pissed me off. Acute mania, my ass. They didn’t know her, but then—the wheels started to turn. The nurse was right. That was enough to put an Elephant to sleep. With a little help, Jaq could be at the lake house before she woke. I followed them to the hall, my finger already on Silas’s number. This was so crazy, yet I knew it was about to happen.

Watching them just leave her there in the middle of the busy hall, I begged for a favor.

“Hey, Oliver. I’m going to have to call you back, getting ready to jump on a plane.”

“Silas, I need your help. Right now.”

Of course the desperation in my tone stopped him in his tracks. The worry was heard in his tone.

“What’s wrong, Oliver?”

“It’s Jaq. I need you to come here and help me, and, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I need your plane. Can you get it here? I have four to six hours.”

“Four to six hours for what, Oliver? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Please just trust me, Silas. Can you do it or not? I don’t have time for this. Can you do it or not?”

“Jesus, Oliver. Now? Are you serious? God. Yes, yes. I’ll figure it out.”

Silas hung up without another word, and I wondered what the hell to do next. I needed to go to my condo, pack a bag, and grab a few things, but I didn’t want to leave her there alone. What if she woke up?

Knowing my only option, I dialed his number.

“She okay?” Wallace answered.

“She will be. Can you get a ride here? To the hospital? I need you to hang out with her while I go to my house for a few things.”

“I’ll be there.”

“Sweet, can you run by her place, look for her phone and her medication? Oh, and her laptop. Grab that and anything else you think she might want.”

“On my way.”

It took nearly twenty minutes for Silas to call me back, and forty for Wallace to finally get there. And yes, we were still hanging out in the hall. Nobody even paid attention to her, nobody cared.

Silas would be on the ground in an hour and a half. All I had to do was grab a few things from my house, and get Jaq there. After making Wallace promise not to leave her side and call me if a doctor happened to take time to see her, I dashed out, deciding a cab right out front was quicker than fetching my own car.

I gave him directions, offering an extra fifty to get me there in ten minutes. It wasn’t the safest idea, and I may have prayed for my life a couple times, but it worked. I made it there in nine minutes, took five to throw things in two oversized duffle bags, and be back within thirty-minutes.

“They come and see her yet?” I panted, my hands on my knees while I tried to catch my breath.

“Nope, not a one. Watch you gonna do?”

“I’m taking her back home to Maine with me. Can you help me get her out of here?”

“We gonna steal her?”

I came to an upright stand, shooting daggers at him with my expression. “No, it’s not stealing. Do you think anyone else is going to take care of her? Are you in or not? I don’t have much time.”

“What we gonna do?”

I looked around the busy hall, and gave Wallace directions. “Go grab that wheelchair over there.”

Wallace walked away and I unbuckled the straps, holding Jaq to the bed. “Stop looking like we’re doing something wrong. You look way too suspicious.”

“We about to steal a person,” Wallace reminded me in a loud whisper.

“Shhh, shut up. We’re not stealing her. She’s mine.”

Jesus, what the hell was wrong with me?

“Can you drive?” I questioned, my hand covering Jaq’s wrist as a nurse passed, her eyes meeting mine.

Wallace took the keys from my hand, wearing a smile. “’Course, where’s it at?”

“L3, in the parking garage.”

“I’ll be out front in five minutes.”

I took a deep breath and watched him scurry down the hall, a ball of nerves stuck in my throat. With a deep breath, I looked around and scooped her up, knowing with everything in me this was right. Her head dropped to my chest and I kissed her forehead, soft curls tickling my nose. “I’m going to take care of you now, Jaq. You’re okay. You never have to worry again. I’ll take care of you, I promise.” With another kiss to her soft skin, I placed her in the chair, propping her hand below her chin to make it look more natural, and wheeled her out. Down the hall, past three nurse’s stations, and right out the double doors, my anxieties jumping clean out of my skin, and nobody caring. Not one.

Wallace jumped out and opened the back door and I slid Jaq into the back seat, a deep sense of relief taking over my body when I closed the door and looked around.

I smiled at Wallace and pulled a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill from my wallet, slapping it to his hand. “You’ve got a lot of potential, Wallace. Stay away from that gang and make your mama proud.”

“Nah, man. You keep it.”

Wallace tried to shove the bill back into my hand, but I wouldn’t take it. “You keep it. Thanks for your help, and I mean what I said. Don’t be a thug. You’ve got too much possibility. You already know how good it feels to help someone else. That’s you being true to you. Keep doing that, you’ll be way happier.”

Had I had more time, I would have tried to talk to the kid more, maybe even befriended him, taught him a few things, but I didn’t. I didn’t have the time and I had someone else to take care of, someone not tough and rough around the edges like Wallace. He could take care of himself, Jaq couldn’t.

Wallace stuck the money in his front pocket and walked backwards toward the approaching bus. “She ever gonna come back?”

“Never. You take care.”

“See, ya, man.”

I repositioned Jaq in the backseat, making her more comfortable, before jumping into the driver’s seat. The nerves weren’t from kidnapping a girl in broad day light at all. It was the stupid plane. Silas would never agree to take her without me. I had to get on it. On a plane.

Traffic was horrible. Of course, it was; it was New York. Thoughts bounced in and out of my mind, causing quick bouts of adrenaline to shoot through my veins, over and over and over. A girl wearing a hospital gown, knocked out cold, slept in my backseat, my brother was headed my way to pick her and me up in a plane, I was taking her to the lake house and keeping her like she was mine. Like she belonged to me. Yes, my mind had been lost. Jesus, what the hell was I doing?

Silas walked out of the ginormous garage dressed in a suit minus the jacket, his tie hanging out of his front pocket, his shirt unbuttoned, and his eyes covered with expensive shades.

I looked back to Jaq and got out of my car, anxiously worrying. I didn’t have time for this. I wanted her in her tranquil room, with soft white linen and calming lavender scent. “Where’s the plane?”

Silas pointed out to the cloudy sky to a small plane a few miles out. “I flew commercial. What the fuck are you doing, Oliver?”

For an odd moment, I felt like a kid again, defending myself for my wrong doing. “I had to, Silas.”

With his hands in his front pockets, Silas looked into my back glass. “A hospital gown. Why is she in a hospital gown? Are we kidnapping this girl?”

“No. It’s not kidnapping.”

Silas walked around two quick circles, his fingers running through his hair and a muffled groan coming from deep in his throat. “Did you take her from a mental hospital?”

“No.”

“Thank God.”

“It was a regular one.”

Another two spins around the blacktop, the same moan, but this time his tie went around his throat and he pretended to tighten it, taking himself out of the picture. Silas walked toward me closing the distance between us in three quick steps. He scratched his chin like he had some sort of horrible itchy rash, a nervous gesture to calm his nerves. I knew exactly how he felt because I felt it, too.

“We are. We’re fucking kidnapping a human being. We’re both going to spend the rest of our lives in prison.”

“We’re not going to prison, Silas. Nobody even knows this girl exists.”

Silas walked away, spun on his heels, and walked right back, stopping right smack dab in my face. “She came from somewhere, Oliver. She didn’t just fall out of the sky. She’s someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s cousin.”

It was hard to be strong and stand up to Silas when an airplane was moments away from landing, taking us high up in the sky, but I did manage. I achieved in spouting off reminding words of where we came from. “Like us?”

“If we get caught, so help me, God,” he warned, a wagging finger right to my nose.

“We won’t, but listen. Do you think you can get her there in the plane? I’m going to need my car once I get there.”

Silas smiled with a cocky smirk and dialed a number. “Yeah, I’m going to need you to deliver a car from New York to Maine for me. Great, sure, no problem. I’ll text you the details.”