©2002 Black
Rose Collection
Revision ©2005
Part Three-“She Goes Down”
The distant thunder of a
passing storm woke Calen up in the night.
The darkened room was only illuminated by the occasional flash of
lightning that bothered to streak across the sky. Had this all been another dream? She wondered to herself once more, trying to
recall the events of the past few hours.
Suddenly, she felt something touch her back, something soft and
warm...familiar. It was the light
stroking of fingers running along her spine.
A pleasant voice spoke to her out of the darkness, letting her know to
her relief, that it hadn’t been a dream after all.
“You ok baby?” the voice
spoke softly. She smiled. It was Nikki.
She turned to look at
him as a flash of lightning lit up his face.
“Yeah, the thunder woke me up, that’s all.”
He pulled her down to
rest her head on his chest, stroking her hair lightly. “I remember how you used to get spooked by
thunder. Its ok, I’m here, so just go
back to sleep.”
She sighed. “I know….I’m so glad
you are. I love the sound of rain when
I’m with someone to share it with, but I’ve never gotten used to the loud
thunder.”
“Thought this all had
been a dream didn’t you?” he asked.
“How’d you know?”
“Cause when I woke up, I
wondered it myself.
It took me a second to realize where I was.”
She smiled. “Strange isn’t it? All the times you’ve crashed in my house on
the couch when it was too late or you were too tired to try for home…”
“But never in your bed…”
“True. I wouldn’t have let you. Well, I might have if you’d been persuasive.”
“I wouldn’t have tried.”
“I know.” She sighed.
“Well, I’m not going
anywhere now, so just close your eyes.”
They laid in silence for
rest of the night. The thunder grew less
and less, only leaving the soft rain hitting the window. It was enough to lull them back to sleep.
*******************************************
Sheri woke up early and
immediately wondered why Calen hadn't called to let her know she was back home from
“Hello?” a quiet and
groggy voice on the other end spoke.
“
“Sheri? Hey sis, sorry, I got…uh, busy.”
“Too busy to let me know
you're home? You know how spooked out I
get every time you get on a plane now.”
“I’m really sorry. I knew you would be out with Vince, so I just
figured on calling you this morning.”
“Did you at least check
in with Nikki? I’m surprised he hasn’t
gone hunting for you.”
“Nikki’s here.” She
whispered.
“What in the world is he
doing there so early in the morning? Did
he show up to find you? I bet he was
pissed.”
Calen let out a soft
chuckle and answered, “No, not exactly.”
“Then
what?”
“He stayed the night
again?”
Again, Calen chuckled,
“No dimwit. He’s sleeping here next
to me.”
Finally it sank in.
“WHAT?? What the hell happened?” Sheri
exclaimed, almost spilling her coffee.
“I’ll talk to you
later.” Calen said, hanging up.
“Oh my
GOD!” Sheri said, dancing across her
kitchen floor. She ran into the bedroom
and jumped on the bed, waking Vince.
“Good lord…what's
up? What time is it?” A half-asleep
Vince asked, trying to get his eyes open.
“Nikki spent the night
with Calen last night!” she exclaimed.
“Oh. Ok.” he replied,
laying back down and nodding off.
“Mannnnn…you're
no fun! I’m getting dressed and going
over there.” she laughed, running for the shower. Vince just nodded slightly, rolled over and
went back to sleep.
Calen rolled back over
onto Nikki’s chest and closed her eyes.
She didn't want to get up, but she needed to, she had a busy day
ahead. Nikki slowly opened his eyes,
awakened by the phone and looked down at his sleeping beauty, smiling brighter
than he had in a long time, but he knew he had to soon leave to go home and
face Tanya and he certainly wasn’t looking forward to that. He sighed heavily, stirring Calen. She looked up at him and smiled. “Did the phone wake you up?” she asked.
“Yeah, but its ok…I need
to get up anyway. I really have to get
back to the house and see if Tanya tore it apart.”
“I know. I’ve got a busy day myself. I have to meet with
“Coffee sounds good, so
does the breakfast. I’m starved.” He
said, sitting up.
The doorbell rings,
startling them both for a moment. “Man,
who is that so early?” Nikki asked, getting up.
“If it’s Jeff, I’ll kill ‘em.”
“Stop and get back in
bed, you have no clothes on, I’ll check.” She said, pushing him back down and
getting her robe. She walked out to the
den and checked the monitor. No surprise
to see it was Sheri. She pushed the door
unlock and waited at the bottom of the stairs for her to walk down.
“Who is it?” Nikki
hollered from the bedroom.
“It’s Sheri.” She
hollered back. Out of the corner of her
eye, she could see Nikki in a panic, scrambling for his clothes. She giggled.
“She knows about us Nikki, chill out.”
“So
what!
I still don't want her coming in here seeing my dick hanging out!”
Sheri laughed, coming
down the stairs. “It’s ok Nikki!” she hollered
at him. “I spent the night with Vince,
so if I see anything I don't identify, I’ll shoot it!”
“Cute.” Calen said,
walking over and sitting on the couch, with Sheri in tow. She sat down next to her.
“Well? How was it?” she whispered, her curiosity
piqued. She kept her eyes peeled to the bedroom door so Nikki wouldn’t
eavesdrop.
“And a
good morning to you too.” Calen
replied sarcastically.
“Good morning…now, how
was it?”
“How was what?” She
replied innocently. Sheri wasn't having
any of it.
“You know what I mean,
don't play cute. How did it happen, and
how was it?”
“Nikki found my diary on
the laptop…and it was in-fuckin-credible.” she
grinned. “Man, I was so embarrassed, but
once I let it out, he confessed to me that the feelings were mutual. He just didn't want to mess up our
friendship.”
“Kinda
like me and Vince huh?”
“Yeah, pretty much. It was so intense…fucking maddening!”
“I’m so thrilled for you
and Nikki both. Sorry to be a downer,
but now the question remains, what about the Plastic Princess?”
Calen sighed. “I don't know what's next. He is leaving after breakfast to see if Tanya
trashed the house. They got in a
shouting match last night.”
“Uh
oh.” Sheri said.
“What?”
“Nikki came over here and
the two of you were with each other after he had a fight with Tanya? That’s not good at all. What happens when they make up? Tanya knows nothing about this, so when he
returns home, she will try to make good with him. Where does that leave you?”
“What makes you think its gonna happen that way? Why are you assuming this is the end?”
“I’m just playing
devil’s advocate for a moment. I want
you and Nikki to succeed more than anything, but he has been with Tanya for
half a year and through fight and fight with her, they always make up.”
“But this time it’s
different.” Calen said.
“How?”
“Because I finally got
who I wanted.” Nikki said, walking out of the bedroom. Sheri blushed slightly, ashamed she had taken
her eyes off the door and had been overheard.
He sat down next to Calen and put his arm around her.
“Sorry…I didn't mean…”
Sheri started.
“It’s cool. And you're right. When me and Tanya
would fight, we would make up. I felt
that we could make it work, but not anymore.
She is a child, plain and simple.
I have wanted to be with Calen for a long time now and no one else will
do.” He said with total assurance. Sheri
grinned, but in her mind, she will still not quite convinced. Famous words rang in her mind…a woman
scorned…
*******************************************
Nikki reluctantly pulled
up to his house and found Tanya’s car still in the driveway and his heart sank
into his stomach. He had hoped and
prayed all the way home that she had gotten tired of waiting for him and decided
to go back to her house. He dug down in
his pocket for his key and put it in the lock.
Opening the door, he found what he had feared all along, his place was
trashed. On closer inspection, he
discovered it wasn't as bad as he had thought, mostly finding papers everywhere,
but nothing seemed to be broken. That
is, until he went downstairs.
His relief suddenly
turned to shock when he found his downstairs den turned upside down. All the pictures he had on the wall were
down, the glass smashed and the pictures ruined. Any picture of him and Calen, or just Calen
herself was cut into little pieces. His gold albums, bashed and broken. His shock turned to rage as he found the door
to the music room had been pried open.
Slowly he peeked inside, finding it as destroyed as the den. To his disappointment and despair, his
guitars had apparently been smashed against the wall. He picked up his Blackbird and found it
extremely damaged, but perhaps a bit salvageable with some work. His anger was almost out of control as he
headed back upstairs to find Tanya to have his word with her. He walked through the house, calling her
name, but got no answer. He knew she was
there, so he kept searching. He checked
on his kids’ rooms and to his surprise, found them completely untouched. As he headed down the hallway, he heard music
coming from the guest bedroom at the end of the hall. The door was shut and locked, so he pounded
on it as hard as he could, but no one responded. Standing back, he lunged at the door, kicking
it hard. It flew open and almost off the
hinges. There he saw Tanya, sprawled out
on the bed, her face pasty and gray and her lips were a slight tinge of blue. He ran to her and checked her pulse, finding
her barely alive. He ran into his
bedroom, grabbed the phone and dialed 911. As he was on the phone with the
operator, he spotted a syringe on the floor, partially hidden by the tousled
bedspread. Too many memories came
flooding back of a time in his life where stuff like that used to be a daily
part of his life. He was scared,
disappointed and angry that she brought that shit into his house. When he hung up the phone, he went to her
side once more and began popping the side of her cheek in a vein attempt to
wake her up.
“Tanya!” he called
loudly. “Wake up damn you!” Her face was
red, but she showed no signs of consciousness.
“Shit…” he murmured,
getting up and running for the door to wait on the paramedics.
When he didn't hear the
ambulance in a few minutes, he ran back upstairs, picked up the phone to call
back 911, but hung up when he heard his front door open and a voice call to
him.
“Nikki! Where are you?” the man’s voice called
out. Nikki ran to the top of the stairs
and looked down. At the door was Tim,
Sheri’s brother, who’s a detective for the LAPD, who had come inside and was
looking around, surveying the damage.
“What the hell happened man? The dispatch said there was an overdose
here.”
“Yeah, it’s Tanya, she’s
up here.” Nikki replied. Tim came
running upstairs behind him, and into the guestroom.
“Ambulance is on its
way, about one or two minutes out.” Tim said, checking Tanya’s pulse. “Did you touch anything?” he asked Nikki.
“No man, I know
better. I didn't touch anything but
Tanya.”
“When did she do this?”
he asked.
“I wasn't here all night, I just got home about 15 minutes ago and found her.”
“Did she do all the
damage downstairs?” Tim asked.
“Yeah,
apparently so. There is at least a few thousand dollars
worth, especially downstairs. She
destroyed my gold albums and guitars. My tapes of new music?
She pulled the tapes apart and threw them all over the place.”
“I can tell. She must have really been messed up. Have any idea who her supplier is?”
“Man, I tell you, I
don't have anything to do with that shit anymore. I don't have a clue.”
“Where were you last
night?” Tim asked, taking down information.
“Does that matter? I was…out.
We had a fight and I slept somewhere else.”
“Alone?”
Nikki paused. He knew he probably had to say whom he was
with, and knowing how protective Tim is of Calen, he wouldn’t be happy about
it. “You need to know her name?”
“Oh, I get it. Well, I really do. I just have to check all angles, you know,
given your history and all. Hell man, I
know you and I know you’re clean, but it’s procedure.
“I know, but I don't
want to get her involved.” Nikki sighed.
“I can question her in
private.”
“Only
if I go with you.” He insisted.
“Fair
enough.”
“Ok, it was Calen.” He
braced for impact.
“Oh, so you crashed on
her couch again eh?” he laughed.
“Well, not exactly. We, uh…” he started.
Tim’s eyes got wide. “Ohhh..I see. No need for explanation.”
“Sorry, I was trying to
keep it private.”
“Its fine, look we have
to concentrate on getting Tanya to the hospital, but you and I will have a
talk, a serious talk, later.”
Nikki smiled and was
relieved that Tim didn't get more upset than he did. Tim knew of Nikki’s history with drugs and
was always looking out for his sister and Calen, whom he had known since she
was in kindergarten. Tim knew he
couldn’t protect them both from the bad stuff, but he tried.
From a distance, Tim and
Nikki heard the ambulance coming up the driveway. Tim ran downstairs to meet them, while Nikki
stepped out in the hallway. He had seen
more than he cared to. Too many emotions
were running though his head to think straight.
“Nikki!” Tim hollered
from downstairs. He ran down to see what
was up. “Does Tanya have any
family? Next of kin
and such?”
“Uh, yeah, she has a
sister that lives in
“You have the number?”
one of the paramedics asked. Nikki
showed him the number and he wrote it down.
“Now, is she allergic to anything?”
Nikki thought a
minute. “Yeah, she’s allergic to
penicillin, that’s all I know.” He said.
“Her medical history is filed with Cedars, she
was hospitalized there after an accident last year.”
The paramedic nodded and
made notes. “That’s fine. We can look up what we need there. The hospital will contact her sister.”
“How is she?” Nikki
asked.
“Not good, but were not
giving up.” The paramedic said, busily writing down information.
Just then, Tim poked his
head inside and saw Tanya on the stretcher, two IV’s in her arms and an oxygen
mask over her face. She appeared to be
breathing on her own.
“Is she gonna be ok?” he asked.
“She’s breathing, but
that’s about it. She got a hard
fix. Do you know what she took?” the
other paramedic asked Nikki.
“No man, I didn't even
know she was using.”
Tim touched him on the
shoulder. “Nikki, they need to get by to get her to the ambulance. I’m trying to make this as quiet as possible
as not to attract the media, but the sooner they get out of here the better.”
he said, pulling him out of the room.
They both watched as
they loaded Tanya into the ambulance.
His heart was heavy at the thought that she might die over something so petty as a stupid fight.
He was still angry for sure, but he wouldn’t wish her to die.
When the ambulance
disappeared, Tim went to his car. “Is
Calen at home?”
“I…don't know. She had stuff to do today, but she didn’t say
what, or when.” He replied.
Tim opened the passenger
side door. “Lock up your house and don't
touch anything, we might still need to investigate. Get in and let’s go see Calen before she
hears it on the news.”
“I need to change my
shirt, gimme a minute.” He replied. Darting into his bedroom, he grabbed a change
of clothes, underwear, socks and toiletries from his bathroom. He figured on crashing again at Calen’s, so
he stuffed as much as he could into a bag and ran back downstairs. He grabbed his keys and locked up, then
leaned into Tim’s car. “I’ll follow you.
I won’t be back today and I need to have my car.” He said.
*****************************************
Calen sat down on the
couch to put her tennis shoes on before going back upstairs to the kitchen to
clean up the breakfast dishes so she wouldn’t have to worry about them
later. She hummed to herself, feeling
happier that she had felt in a very long time, but still couldn’t help but
still hear the words that rang from Sheri.
She wondered what Nikki was doing at that moment…was he and Tanya making
up? Shaking her
head, she let that thought drift away.
Surely Nikki wouldn’t allow Tanya to get the best of him.
To Calen’s shock, she
heard her front door open. Running out into the hallway, she saw Tim coming
towards her, with Nikki close behind.
Their faces didn't look pleasant.
“What happened?” she
asked, reading the bad news on their faces.
Nikki stood still, leaning against the wall, letting Tim talk to Calen.
“Calen,
was Nikki here with you all night last night?” he asked, pulling no punches.
“Uh, yeah, he was. Why?” she answered.
Tim scribbled in his
notebook. “You wanna
tell her Nikki?”
He approached her
slowly, putting his hands on the side of both her arms. “Tanya overdosed.” He said flatly.
Calen gasped hard. “What?
Is she dead? When did she do it?”
“She’s alive so
far. I found her when I got home, she
had trashed the house.” He answered.
“What did she overdose
on? Pills?”
“They don't know
yet. I didn't even know she used.”
“You know I had to ask
you to verify his whereabouts sis, sorry for that, but I wanted you to know
before it got out on the news.” Tim said.
“I know. It’s ok.
Has Tanya’s family been contacted?”
“The hospital will
notify her sister.” Nikki said. “But, if
its ok with you baby, I wanna go over there until her
sister arrives, she’s in
“Sure,
anything. I still have to get to
“Bad. I don't wanna think
about it right now. I just was so set to
throw her out on her ass, then this shit happened. What the fuck was she thinking?”
“We’ll find out. After they clear her condition, if they clear it, they will set rehab
for her. Whether she goes or not is up
to her.” Tim interjected.
Calen locked up the
house and walked with Tim and Nikki out to her car. All the way to
***************************************
Nikki walked into the
emergency room and up to the front desk.
He gave Tanya’s name and asked if he could go back and see her, but the nurse said that they were still tending to
her and no one could go back that wasn't family. Nikki assured them that he was the closest
she had until her sister arrived, so the nurse relented. She escorted him back to a small waiting room
and told him the doctor would talk to him as soon as he could. He couldn’t sit, so he paced around the room
and tried to thumb through magazines for what seemed like an eternity. The first half hour passed, then another full
hour passed, and his anxiety grew. How
long would it take for her sister to arrive?
Had she even been called yet? The doctors? He
cursed himself for being out of smokes. Was anyone even out there?
After another fifteen
minutes of waiting and pacing, he walked outside the room and flagged the first
nurse he saw.
“Could you please tell
me what happened to Tanya Benson?” he asked.
The nurse scratched her
head. “Umm, the
overdose from this morning?”
Nikki nodded. “We’ve been so busy
this morning. I think she is still in
there.” she said, pointing. “The doctor
will be out as soon as possible.”
“Do you know if her
sister arrived?”
“I’m sorry Sir, I don't
know.”
Nikki nodded. “Thanks.”
He went back inside the room. He
continued to pace again. A thousand
possibilities ran through his mind as he waited for some word from anyone. Finally, after another ten minutes, the
doctor came in.
“Mr. Sixx?”
he asked, extending his hand.
“Yes.”
“I’m Dr. Valdez. I’ve been working on Miss Benson for a while
now.”
“How is she?” he asked
nervously.
“She’s going to
recover. We were able to stabilize her.”
He said.
“What was it she OD’ed on?”
“Her system showed
traces of Xanax and a large amount of heroine, the trackmark on her arm confirmed it was taken intravenously.”
“Good lord…”
“She is free of the drugs
for now, but she needs rehab if she’s gonna stay
free.”
“I know, but thank
goodness she lived through this.”
“She should be released
tomorrow sometime. I understand they had
a bit of trouble reaching her sister because she was visiting friends in
“Good. I’m glad she’s on
her way.”
“Are you her husband? Boyfriend?”
“Neither. Just a friend.”
Nikki replied.
“Well, let’s hope you
and her sister can convince her to get some help.”
“Thanks, we will certainly
try.”
“I have more patients to
see and tons of paperwork, so if you’ll excuse me.” Dr. Valdez said, walking
out of the room and leaving Nikki alone.
He picked up his cell and dialed Calen’s number.
“Nikki? I’ve been waiting forever. How is she?” Calen
asked.
“The doctor just left,
he said she’s gonna be ok.”
He could hear Calen let
out a sigh. “That’s good to know.”
“What are you doing?”
she asked.
“Waiting around to see
if they might let me see her, I don't know, the doctor didn't say
anything. I might wait to see if her
sister shows up.”
“Ok, well, I don't know
when I’ll be back to the house, hopefully not long from now, but if you get
there and don't see my car, just use the back door.”
“Where’s the key?” he
asked.
“You doofus,
you know it’s a combo entry. The
combination is…your birthday.” She said, giggling.
“My birthday?” he
laughed back.
“Yeah, I wanted
something that most people wouldn’t suspect, yet something I could remember
easily.”
“Well, it’s something
I’ll remember easily too.”
“Thought
you would. So, just use that and I’ll see you later.”
“Ok baby…and thanks.”
“For
what?”
“Oh, just being here,
and not getting upset over all this.”
“Sure
thing. I know this has messed you up, just remember
this wasn't your fault. You had no idea
anything was gonna happen.”
“I know, I keep telling
myself that. Ok, I’ll see you later.” He
said, shutting off his cell phone. He
just didn't feel like hearing anything about fault. He was just too upset.
He peeked
his head out of the door and down the hall towards the rooms where the critical
patients were kept. Suddenly out of the
corner of his eye he saw a woman coming towards him. He could tell that it must be Tanya’s
sister. They had never met, but he had seen
her picture enough to know it was her.
She was dressed in a dark pants suit and looked very conservative,
almost stuffy. He started walking towards her and could see a tinge of
recognition come over her face.
“
“Are you Nikki?” she
asked.
He nodded
pleasantly. “I’m so sorry….” He began to
say, but was interrupted suddenly by a hard slap to his face. His head flew to the side, and he could taste
a bit of his own blood.
“You sorry shit-assed
junkie!” she spat at him. “You’re a
fucking piece of work, getting my sister on drugs and allowing her to overdose
in your very own house. You should be
arrested!”
“I’m sorry, but I wasn't
there when this happened…I can assure you…” he tried to explain, but she wasn't
having any of it.
“I warned her about this
damn city. She didn't do drugs until she came to
“I’m sorry you feel that
way. It won’t do Tanya any good for you to
spread your hatred for me, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just leave.” He said
softly, before turning and walking out the door to the parking lot.
He took a good ten
minutes standing at his car to compose himself. While he would never strike a woman, that was
as close as he has ever come to doing it.
He knew she was upset about her sister and had to learn to let it go,
but it was still insulting. Besides, it
hadn't hurt, she didn't exactly clock him, but her ring nicked his lip. He turned his cell back on and tried to call
Calen again, but the call wouldn’t go through.
Frustrated, he threw his cell on the passenger seat.
“Nikki! Wait please!”
She sighed and
paused. “I’m sorry Nikki. I…all this has me to rattled. I talked to the Detective inside and he
confirmed what you said about not being there.
He also said you’ve been sober for many years. I guess I just took stuff and blew it out of
proportion. Please, forgive me for my
ignorance.”
He smiled. “Forget it.
Everyone’s tension level is high.
Let’s just concentrate on Tanya for now.”
“Fair
enough. I’m gonna go back
and see if I can sit with her. The
doctor said that if she did well overnight, he would release her in the
morning.”
“Good. I’ll let you get back to her then.”
He nodded kindly as he
watched her walk away. When she was
inside, he got in his car and took off for Calen’s house.
****************************************
He parked the car in the
driveway, grabbed his bag and went down the concrete steps of her back
yard. He dialed in his birthday into the
keypad entry and breathed a sign of relief when it opened. Walking inside, he listened to the silence
and emptiness of her house. He missed
her already. He decided to go ahead and
shower while waiting for her to return.
It was getting close to dinner by now and it dawned on him that he
didn't even eat lunch. No wonder his
stomach was growling. Jumping in the
shower, he held his head under the water for a long time, trying to wash the
events of the day away as he held onto the belief that Tanya come through this
and she would get some help.
Calen pulled in and saw
Nikki’s car. Going inside, she peeked
over the balcony and saw the door to her bedroom open. After a trip to the kitchen to put up the
Chinese she brought home, she went downstairs.
She could hear the shower running and made up her mind to go check on
him. She opened the door to the bathroom
and saw him standing under the shower.
Smiling, she gently knocked on the doorframe. He looked up and immediately a smile crept
across his tired face.
“I still have to get used
to using a shower with no door or curtain.” He joked.
“Yep, anyone can just
walk in and watch huh?”
“You love watching me
shower.” He groaned at her.
“I do. I had you in mind when I designed it.”
“Very
smart. A shower built for two, or three or four…”
She laughed. “As if I’ve hosted parties
in here. Anyway, how is Tanya?”
“She’s better. Her sister showed up and is gonna stay with her until they release her. Probably tomorrow.”
He answered, leaving out the part about her slapping him as he ran his tongue
over this cut lip. It was healed enough
to go unnoticed.
“Tomorrow? Isn't that pretty
soon after what happened?”
“Not really. Now that the drug is free of her system,
she’ll be fine.”
“How are you?” she
asked.
“I’m ok, really. How are you?”
“I’m better now I’m home
and with you.” Nikki smiled.
“So,” she asked. “Shall I scrub your back?”
“I’ve already scrubbed
my back.”
“Then can I scrub your
front?”
“Hummmm…now
that I might have take you up on. This is a very small shower, but I think I
can squeeze you in here.” He teased.
Calen started walking
towards the shower, slowly shedding her clothes along the way. Nikki just stood, staring at her as water ran
down his body. When she was free of her
all of her restrictive clothing, she stepped into the shower. She wasted no time running her hands over
Nikki’s wet body. He turned her around
toward the water and she closed her eyes as the water flowed over her hair,
while Nikki licked and sucked at the water that flowed over her shoulders. He turned her around to face him once more
and pushed her up against the wall of the shower. He slowly started kissing her stomach,
drifting down to the top of her thighs.
Spreading her legs apart, he took his finger and slipped it gently
between her soft folds, parting them slightly, while his other finger slipped
inside, a gesture that made her jump.
With his tongue, he licked with long strokes up and down, spurred on by
the intense moans he heard from above.
He worked his fingers in and out of her, slowly at first, then with
increasing intensity. Calen’s body
shuddered and she cried out, grabbing Nikki’s hair and pushing herself hard
against his mouth, as he felt her inside spasm and grip his fingers. He stood up and they kissed once more as
Calen wrapped her legs around his waist.
His hands ran down her body, but he had no intention of entering her
just yet, he knew he had plenty of time.
He smiled at her as he let her legs free and reached around the shower
and turned off the water. He grabbed a
towel.
“Stopped already?” she
asked, perplexed.
“Not forever, just don't
wanna wear you out too soon.” He said, smiling at
her.
“Maybe you should turn
on the cold water then.”
“I’ll survive.”
“You’re being sneaky.”
“Yep.”
“So, would like you some
dinner? I brought home Chinese. It’s staying warm in the oven.”
“Great idea, I’m
starved.” He said, gently trying off Calen with his towel. They stepped out and after she got dressed in
her t-shirt, she went upstairs to get dinner while Nikki settled in bed. They ate their dinner, snuggling up together
and watching reruns on TVLand. For a while, they just let the rest of the
world slip away and enjoyed themselves.
******************************************
Around noon the next
day, Nikki took Calen in his car and they headed for his house to begin
cleaning up the damage. Calen wasn't
sure what to expect, but when she walked in the downstairs door, she gasped at
the vast amount of damage she saw in the music room.
“Man, she must have
really tripped out to do all this.” She sighed, walking around the room. She picked up his Blackbird and cradled
it. “Oh no, the Blackbird…she nailed the
Blackbird…can you fix it?”
“Yeah, I think so. It’s got a lot of surface scratches, but I
might be able to salvage it.” He answered, taking it out of her arms. She could see the disappointment in his eyes.
She slowly trampled
through and picked up the pile of reel tapes that looked like spaghetti all
over the floor. “Oh wow….”
“Yeah I know. You know how many hours of work that is?” he
asked. “Good thing I had another copy of
them stored away.”
She dropped the
pile. “Well, that’s good. What a mess.”
Nikki could only sigh. “Look, how
‘bout I go upstairs and start on that, you said most of that’s just paper and
trash anyway, I can get a garbage bag and throw all that out, while you stay
down here and go through all this.”
“Good idea. This may take a while. You know where the bags are. Anything that looks salvageable set it out
and I’ll look at it later.” He replied, walking out of the music room into the
den. He picked up a picture of the both
of them that was only slightly damaged.
“What about the pics of you and me? Should I try to save what I can?”
“Yeah, whatever you
think is best. I’m sure we’ll have
plenty of time to take more.” She said,
taking the picture and throwing it in the trash pile. “Don't try to save what can be replaced.”
He kissed her and
watched her walk back upstairs before digging down into the task of cleaning
up.
Back upstairs, Calen
wasn't sure where to begin, so she walked into the kitchen to grab the bags,
but was met with a startling sight. The
kitchen was also trashed, something that Nikki hadn't told her about. Perhaps
he didn’t check in here. All over the floor was food, flour, sugar, salt while
on the walls were eggs that had been thrown and assorted condiments that were
smeared over the cabinets. All the
utensils were on the floor as well.
Knives stuck out of the kitchen table, right where he kids would eat
their meals. Forks stuck in the walls,
hung almost in suspended animation. The refrigerator was wide open, and all its
contents spilled out, either inside, or outside on the floor. She walked carefully through the mess and
shut the refrigerator. Looking under the
sink, she grabbed several trash bags.
When she made her way back out, she turned to grab the broom from the
utility closet, when something on the refrigerator door stopped her. She screamed out loudly and covered her mouth
and eyes, refusing to look any longer.
Nikki, hearing her scream, shot upstairs.
“Where are you?” he
hollered.
“In
the kitchen!”
He came running in and
grabbed her in his arms. “What is it?”
all she could do was point to the door of the refrigerator. On the door, spelled out in big read letters
was the words “CALEN MUST DIE!” He stood
and shook his head. “Damnit! What
the hell is wrong with her?” he said, walking to the door and taking a closer
inspection.
“Is it blood?” she asked
cautiously. She didn’t really want to
know the answer.
“I think its just katsup. The
paramedics didn't say anything about any wounds on her.”
“Thank goodness. How spooky is that?” She asked,
relieved. “I knew she didn't like me,
but this is out of control.”
Nikki kissed her again
and handed her the bags. “She’s history. The past. It’s us now, ok? So, don't worry about her anymore. She’s going to
“Why didn't you tell me
about the kitchen?”
“I didn’t know. In all the panic, I didn't even think to
check the kitchen.”
“Ok, sorry to get so
upset, I feel silly screaming like that, but I assumed it was…”
“I know, I did too, but
the bottle of katsup is right there on the floor,
open and almost empty, so that has to be what it was.”
“Ok, let’s get busy
before I decide to bail on your ass.” She joked.
Nikki went back
downstairs, leaving her alone, and Calen decided right away that he would be the one to clean up the
kitchen. She sat down on the floor in
the family room and started sorting and throwing trash away.
Almost an hour into
their task, Calen heard the front door open, but ignored it with the assumption
it was Nikki taking out the trash.
Suddenly, someone cleared their throat.
She turned around and came face to face with Tanya. She looked rough. Her hair, which was bleach blonde and usually
fixed up all the time, was hanging down, dirty and stuck to her face in her
face. It was unusual, seeing her minus
the makeup, her eyes dark and sunken.
She was almost unrecognizable.
“Uh,
hey Calen.” Tanya said,
her voice quiet and hoarse.
“Tanya.” She
replied. She didn't know exactly what to
say.
“Is Nikki here too?” she
asked.
“Yeah…uh, he’s
downstairs cleaning up the music room.”
Tanya smiled
pleasantly. “Thank you.” She started
downstairs, with Calen looking her over in disbelief.
Nikki was knee deep in
trash when Tanya came downstairs. She
stopped in the doorway and looked over the damage her rage had created, ashamed
of herself. She knocked softly on the
door. “Is it ok if I talk to you for a
minute?”
He looked up, but showed
no emotion. “It’s your dime.”
They both fell silent
for a moment while she walked in and looked closer at the mess. “God…” she started. “I swear I don't remember doing any of this.”
“You remember writing
‘Calen Must Die’ on the refrigerator?” he asked. “Pretty classy huh?”
“I do remember
that. Look, I’m sorry for that. On my way out, I’ll apologize to her too.”
“Whatever.”
“Maybe I should
explain. Just so you know…this is the
first time I had ever done anything like that.
I…”
“Explain? That’s the least you should do after you
brought shit like that into my house.
You realize how long I fought to get my kids for the little time I have
with them? Then you go and do this shit
and risk everything. Good thing Tim came
or I’d been right back in court.”
“I’m really sorry, I
wasn’t thinking straight.”
“No fucking shit. I just want to know…who supplied you?”
“Well, I’ll start from
the beginning.” She said, sitting down on a stool. “After you left, I lost my cool, and started
trashing the den, including Calen’s pictures, then I
trashed the kitchen and family room.
After that was done, I started crying uncontrollably…I just couldn’t
stop. I was so ashamed and guilty for
doing what I did, I considered just killing myself to spare us both some
pain. I called my ex…I’m not even really
sure why considering we hadn't seen each other in a couple of months, but he
suggested I take a Xanax and sleep it off, so I let
him bring some over. After I took one
and started to relax, he started on this thing about wanting to forget. I said that I wished I could forget all that
had happened and he said that he knew of the perfect remedy, but it was a
prescription he had gotten from his doctor and had to be injected. I was so mellowed out on the Xanax that I said ‘sure, go ahead and give me some’. That’s all I remember until waking up in the
hospital. The doctor said it was heroine
that was found in my system. I’m still
shocked.
Nikki shook his head in
disbelief. “Never trust people like
that.”
“How am I supposed to
know? I’ve never done anything more than
drink. I can assure you too, it’s the
last I’ll do.”
“Good to hear.”
“So, I just wanted to
come by and get my clothes and stuff I’ve left here. That’s all.
I didn't know you and Calen would be here.”
“Ok, just go into the
bedroom and get them.”
“Thanks.” She said getting
up and walking to the stairs. She turned
back to Nikki. “It’s over, isn’t
it? Us, we’re over.”
He stood up. “Yes, needless to say, it’s over.”
“I understand. I’ll survive.”
“You gonna
go to
“No, I’m gonna do it here. I
don't wanna run away from what happened. I know I don't have much money, but I swear
I’ll pay you for the damage.”
“Forget it. Everything was insured.”
She sighed. “Ok.
I…I’ll go now. Take care Nikki.”
“You
too Tanya. Hope you get the help you need.”
She smiled as she turned
and went upstairs, leaving Nikki to continue the cleanup.
Upstairs, Calen was
piling up garbage bags against the wall when she spotted Tanya going upstairs
toward Nikki’s bedroom. Tanya stopped
and leaned over the balcony rail. “Nikki
said I could retrieve my clothes and stuff from the bedroom.” Calen nodded.
“Sorry about the refrigerator…it was just a scare tactic, and a stupid
one.”
“Please tell me that’s katsup you did that with.”
Calen said.
“Yeah, it was just katsup, I promise.” She assured. Calen didn't care either way, but just wanted
to make sure that Tanya’s problems just were connected to the drugs.
***********************************
Nightfall set in, and
with Tanya long gone, Nikki ventured upstairs to check up on Calen. With a huge bag of garbage in tow, he walked
into the living room and found it in great shape, but Calen was nowhere to be
found. He checked the kitchen and also
found it cleaned and polished. He walked
through the house and stumbled upon her in the bathroom. She was putting away some cleaning products.
“Hey baby, the family
room and kitchen look great.” He said enthusiastically. She looked up and smiled, but just
barely. She was exhausted. “You ok?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so.” She
answered, breathless. “The family room
was no problem, everything could be thrown away, but the kitchen…good lord, I had to spend forever just putting stuff up. I loaded some dishes into the dishwasher
too. How’s the den and music room?
“Good so far. It’s gonna take a
while to get the music room back together.
She messed with all the buttons on my equipment and all that. The den is in good shape. I managed to salvage some pictures and stuff
like that. I could’ve come up here and
helped you clean the kitchen.”
“Its ok,” she said,
walking out of the bathroom. “It didn't
look like it was a huge task, but once I got started, it just seemed to
grow. I didn't even think to ask you for
help, cause I knew you were busy with the downstairs.”
“I think were done for
now, so let’s cut out of here…ok? I
think its time to show you something.”
“Sure. You wanna crash at
my house again?”
“Yeah,
if it’s ok. I just wanna erase
what happened before I can sleep here again.
I have to be back here for the weekend though, for the kids.”
“I understand. You can crash with me as long as you need,
want or desire.”
He kissed her on the
forehead. “How about a ride?” he asked.
“Sure. You know you never have to ask that.”
They walked back
downstairs together as Nikki got the keys to his bike and locked up the house
for the night. They took off on the
bike with Calen holding on to his waist.
When he turned the opposite direction away from her home, she began to
wonder what he had up his sleeve After what seemed like an hour, but
probably only about 15 minutes, Calen could see the lights of the pier shining
over the horizon, causing a shimmer on the water below. Her eyes lit up at the thought of going to
the pier, but Nikki turned off the main road and headed down the private part
of the beach.
“Where are you going?”
Calen asked, still holding on.
“You’ll see.” He said,
grinning. He really had her wondering.
“This is privately owned
beaches, we can’t be here.”
“Who says?”
“Uh, the people that own it.”
Nikki stopped the
bike. “And who’s to say that I don't
know someone who owns a piece of this beach, and who’s to say that I haven’t
gotten permission to use this part of the private beach as much as I want?” He
got off the bike and helped her off.
Taking her by the hand, they walked down to the rocks that were close to
the shoreline. They sat down together.
“I can’t believe you
know someone who owns all this.”
“I’m just full of surprises, you should know that by now.” He smiled.
“It’s beautiful here
this time of night.” She said, sighing as she rested herself against his body.
“I knew you’d like
it. I often come here alone to think,
sometimes to write. It’s peaceful and
quiet. I don't know how many times I have dreamed of bringing you here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. This is my own
little private getaway.”
“How long ago did you
find this?”
“Couple of years I
guess. A friend of mine owns it, and he
told me that anytime I wanted to come here, I could. He doesn’t live here, so he just uses it for
investment property.”
“So I’m the only one
other than you that knows about this?”
“Vince knows, but he
hasn’t been here. My sister knows, and
now you. That’s all. I had thought about showing you many times,
but just chickened out.”
“I feel privileged to
see it, to see this part of you. It’s
beautiful and I’m glad you shared it with me.”
He held her close. “I want to share everything with you. Things I haven’t shared with anyone. I want you to know everything about me, and I
want to know everything about you. I just
don't think you realize just how much I love you.” He said, looking down at her
eyes. Their lips met softly as his hand
touched her cheek, stroking her skin and stopping at her hairline. They did nothing else but hold one another
until the chilly night air set in and they headed for home.
********************************************
Calen rode home one late
night, lonely, tired and missing Nikki.
Two weeks had passed since the night at the beach, and they had both
become bogged down in the grind of constant work. Needless to say, her summer hiatus from The
Practice was not coming fast enough.
Nikki was knee deep in writing, meeting with management concerning the
songs he had submitted, and trying to make time for his kids on the
weekends. Like before, he was keeping
correspondence with Calen through emails, phone calls and the occasional
five-minute visit. He missed her
terribly, and knew she also felt the same.
Calen pulled into her driveway and parked on the side. Picking up her night’s dinner, she headed to
the side door, closest to the kitchen and fumbled for her keys. When she put her key in the lock of the
sliding glass door and turned, she didn't hear the all-too familiar click that
comes when the lock opens. Concerned,
she pushed against it, and it slid open with no effort. She put down her purse and food bag and stuck
her head inside. On the inside of the
door, she saw what appeared to be scrape marks on the wood, becoming apparent
that someone had pried it open. It
didn’t feel right. She didn't hesitate; she walked back to her car and grabbed
her cell, dialing the guard station at the front. She waited at her car and within 30 seconds,
the guard came down her driveway.
“Miss McGregor? What's wrong?” Brian, the guard, asked.
“I think my door has
been pried open.” She said, walking towards the back door. When they arrived, Brian held her back.
“Wait here.” He said,
peeking inside and seeing what she saw.
There were obvious marks not only on the back of the doorframe, but on
the front as well. It seemed apparent
right away that someone had used a sharp instrument of some sort to work the
door lock open.
“This isn’t exactly the
easier door types to pry open Miss McGregor, someone
definitely took their time to figure this out.”
“That’s not
comforting. Why didn't the alarm go off
at your station?” she asked.
“Well Ma’am, the alarm
goes off on forced entry, something of considerable power, such as if it had
been kicked in or if glass breaks. This
lock has been picked with great care.
The alarm wouldn’t sound on something like that. Whoever did this, knew that already. Wait here, while I go inside.” Brian said,
radioing back to the other guard in the station to call the police.
“Tell them to call
Detective Tim Kanapolis.” She said.
He nodded as he told his
partner the instructions. Soon, he disappeared inside the dark house, using
only a flashlight to light his way, while Calen stayed outside as ordered. She started to grow more and more concerned
when, after 5 minutes, he didn't return.
She could hear the distant sirens of police cars coming closer and
closer, so she went back to the driveway to await them. Soon, she could see the lights flashing as
they approached the entrance to her driveway.
Once they pulled up, she could see Tim step out and come her way.
“You ok?” he asked,
hugging her tightly.
“Yeah, the guard is
checking out the house, but he hasn’t come out yet.” She said.
Tim motioned for two
officers to go in the house after the guard.
“Its ok.
If there’s anyone in there, we’ll get ‘em.” He
said, walking Calen back down to the back door.
They stood there and waited.
Soon, the two officers and the guard immerged.
“Yeah?” Tim asked them.
“Nothing Sir, the house
is fine.”
“Good. Calen, let’s go inside and see if anything is
missing or out of place.”
“Ok.” She said, going
inside after Tim.
They spent nearly a half
hour going over every part of her house, yet she could find nothing missing or
misplaced. She was relieved, but still a
bit unnerved that someone got in her door and was inside the house, even if
nothing was taken. She walked with Tim
back outside.
“Well sis, I’ll file
this and I suggest you find someone to come out and put in another door for
you, this time, forget the sliding door and get a full one with a keyless entry
like your downstairs.” Tim said, hugging her one more time. Perhaps consider a fence around your
property?”
“Tim, you always say that, but I keep telling you over and over, a fence
would just be an obstruction. I’ll order
a new door, and then call the security company to rewire around it to make it
more sensitive, and while I’m at it, I’ll have them rewire the downstairs door,
just to be sure.
“That’s good. You want me to call Sheri and have her stay
with you tonight?” he asked.
“Naw…I’ll
call her later, it’s late, she’s probably asleep. Which is where you probably
should be too.”
“I would be home in my
warm bed by now if someone would keep making me work overtime.” He said, poking
her playfully in the side.
“Then get your ass out
of here and get home. Tell Christine
it’s all my fault and she can call and yell at me tomorrow.”
“I better not, or she
will. Or, she’ll just say you can’t come
over and play with the kids anymore.”
“Ohhh,
that’s torture…and totally unfair!” she cried, laughing the whole time. “I was gonna take
them to
Tim laughed. “Well, you better let me get home then.”
“Then go…I’m not stoppin’ you!”
She waited until he left
the driveway before she went back inside.
She went up into her attic and found several thin sticks she had used
for old art projects. Taking them to the
kitchen, she put each one in the bottom of the sliding door until she found one
that fit close to the whole bottom and kept the door from sliding open. Relieved and a bit safer, she sat down to eat
her late dinner.
Nikki stirred in bed,
unable to sleep. He had told Calen to
email him or call him when she got home, no matter what time it was, but by 2
am, he hadn't heard a word from her. It
just wasn't like her to not call, even if she was working later than
expected. Finally, he couldn’t stand it
any longer, and picked up the phone.
Calen had just cleaned
up her dinner dishes and put out her trash when the phone rang. Who in
the hell is this? She asked herself out loud, checking the caller ID. She blushed when she realized it was Nikki,
and that she had forgotten to call him when she got home.
“Oh God, I’m soooooo sorry I forgot to call.” She started. Nikki could hear her apologetic tone.
“Its ok, I was just
concerned, I thought you might have had to work later or something”. He
replied.
“No…it’s just that.” She
paused, not wanting to tell him what happened.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Hell…when I got home
tonight, I found the sliding door had been pried open.”
“What? Wait, are you ok? Was anything taken? Did you call Tim?”
“Chill baby…I’m fine,
nothing was taken and I called the guard, who called Tim.”
“That’s it, I’m coming
over.”
“No..it’s too late, you need to go to sleep.”
“How can I sleep knowing
this happened? What if there is some
stalker nut job out there? I won’t rest till I know you’re safe and that’s here
with me, or me there with you.” He said. She knew he was right. The very thought of her being alone was
getting spooky.
“Ok, you win. You wanna come
here?” she sighed.
“Yeah,
gimme a half hour. I’m gonna grab some enough clothes to stay a few days.”
“That’s not necessary…”
“It’s not? Ok, go to bed
then.”
“Ok, ok, I just don't
want to inconvenience you.”
“Baby…you will never do
that. See, I’m not doing this just for you, but for me also. I’ve missed you and even if we can’t spend a
lot of time together, at least we can sleep in the same bed.”
“That does make
sense. And, I’ve missed you.”
He loved hearing that
from her. “I’ll see you in half an hour.”
She hung up the phone
and went to her bedroom to straighten up and turn down the bed. Passing the time, she picked up her laptop
and checked up on her mail. She soon got
so wrapped up in surfing new websites that she didn't even think to check her
clock. The door to the downstairs opened
and in walked Nikki, carrying enough luggage it looked
like he was going on tour. She got up
and watched him, giggling.
“You think you got
enough?” she asked.
“Yeah, yeah….you love it and you know it.”
“Well, I know I love
you. So, get your ass in here and put
your bags down.”
“Yes Ma’am…” he said,
putting his bags in the corner of the bedroom.
He picked up Calen in his arms and threw her down on the bed, her head
hitting the laptop.
“Ouch!” she cried out. He kissed her forehead and said softly,
“Sorry baby…”
She kissed him on the
lips and turned him over on his back, and then sat up. She looked down at him and he smiled up at
her. “You tired?” she asked.
“A
bit, how about you?”
“Yeah, I’m a bit worn out,
plus I have to get up in two hours to go back.” She said.
“Ok, fair enough. How about we just crash?”
“I’m for that.” She
answered, shedding her clothes and climbing in bed and Nikki got up to use the
bathroom. By the time he got back and
settled in bed, Calen was out like a light.
He held her in his arms and slowly drifted off to sleep.
**************************************************
Tanya paced around her
apartment through a whole endless day, waiting for the one phone call that
would confirm everything. For more than
a week, she has isolated herself inside her apartment, stuck in a deep
depression. She blackened the windows,
shut off her power, quit her job, and refused to speak or see anyone. The call was taking way too long and her
anxiety, and anger grew with each passing hour.
Finally and mercifully, her phone rang.
She practically jumped over herself to answer it.
“Yes?” she said.
“It’s been proven. They’re together. He’s staying at her house.” The mysterious voice
at the other end said. The news was not
good for Tanya.
“Is he living there
permanently?” she asked.
“No, he only brought a
couple of bags. After I took out the
door, I knew that if she was with him, he would come
stay with her, at least for a while.”
“Where did he sleep?”
“In
her bed.”
Her heart sank. “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yes, very. I saw them sleeping in the same bed.”
“MOTHER FUCKER!!” she
screamed in the phone before ripping the cord out of the wall and throwing
it! “I KNEW IT! I knew he wanted to fuck
her…that little cunt! She had her sites
set on him the second my back was turned!” she continued to scream, taking and
throwing what little she had around the apartment, smashing pictures, breaking
glasses and damaging the walls. It was
the very last thing she wanted to hear.
Her anger consumed her and she drank herself to sleep.
****************************************
One of the few prized
possessions Calen treasured most sat in her garage…an ’87 Trans Am
Firebird. It was dark red, with gray
detailing down the sides and a huge firebird imprinted on the hood, and a gray
interior and removable t-tops. It
reminded her so much of the car her brother used to drive, in fact, it was the
same car. She purchased it after
tracking it down only a few months after settling in
As was her usual and
predictable routine, Calen rose early to take the Trans Am out for a spin on
Saturday morning. Nikki walked her to
the side door of the garage before getting in his own car to go home for a
visit with his kids. Shaking the keys in
her hand, listening to the cling, she watched as Nikki left before putting her
key in the ignition. As she sat down and
turned the ignition on, something startled her, something from outside. It sounded like a short series of clicks, so
she got out to investigate, wondering if it was from
the car. When she opened the side door
of the garage and poked her head outside, she found nothing unusual. She shut the door but then heard what sounded
like footsteps running past her. She
spun around quickly, but again, found nothing.
She reached into the car and pushed the door opener, but the door didn't
open. She pushed again, and
nothing. Then she heard the clicking
sound again. Something was wrong. Going to the wall, she tried the door opener
there, but it also didn't work. Panic
began to set in. She ran back to the car
to turn it off, but to her shock and horror, they key had been broken off in
the ignition switch…there was no way to turn it off. She ran to the side door and turned the knob
to run out, but it was now locked. She
was trapped. She knew that carbon
monoxide would soon start to build up in the enclosed garage if she couldn’t
get out soon, so she tried kicking in the side door, but it just too hard. Running to the garage door, she tried lifting
it, but it was stuck and wouldn’t budge.
She banged on the door and tried screaming, but to no avail, with the
combination of the car running and the distance away, her neighbors wouldn’t be
able to hear her. She got back in the
car and grabbed her purse and prayed she had remembered to take her cell phone
off the charger. She found it. With shaking fingers, she dialed Nikki’s cell
number and hoped that he had turned it on.
“Yeah?” he answered,
knowing whom it was.
“Nikki!” she started,
trying not to panic and conserve air.
“The car…it’s on, and the door won’t open…I don't know what to do, the
ignition won’t shut off.”
“What? Baby, calm down, what is it?” he replied.
“I have the car on in
the garage!” she screamed. “The door
won’t open. Someone broke off the key, I can’t shut the car off! HELP ME!”
Nikki swung his car
around in a U-turn and sped back off toward Calen’s house. “Have you tried the side door?” he asked.
“Yes, but it won’t open,
its stuck or something. It’s like it’s
locked.”
“Baby, get away from the
car as far as possible and take something to cover your face, like a cloth or
something.” He instructed. She did as he
told her. “Try not to breath deep, and
don't talk, I’m on my way baby, hang on.”
“Nikki, I’m gettin sleepy, it’s hard to breathe…” she started. Nikki ordered her to stay awake as long as
possible.
“I have to hang up to
call the police baby…just hold on for me and don't go to sleep.”
He heard her mumble a
bit as he hung up the phone and called Tim.
When Nikki arrived back at the house, he immediately ran to the side
door and tried opening it, but was shocked to find it locked. He stood back and kicked hard over and over,
but the door wouldn’t budge. Outside the
door, on the sidewalk, he found a sledgehammer that had been left by the
landscapers, so he grabbed it and swung against the knob as hard as he
could. Inside, he could hear the car
running and his adrenaline increased. He
swung for a fourth time, and the knob smashed.
He kicked in the door and it flew open.
Nikki ran in, calling for Calen, but got no answer. Starting a frantic search, he found her in
the corner, behind a stack of boxes, passed out still holding the cell
phone. He grabbed her up in his arms and
ran outside with her, placing her on the ground. Checking her over, he found to his relief she
was still breathing. He tapped her on
the cheek, trying to get her to come around, and after a couple of minutes of
breathing fresh air, he heard her cough.
She started stirring and her eyes opened, but she was still too groggy
to speak. Nikki just held her in his
arms until he heard the sirens coming up the driveway.
Tim jumped out of his
car and ran over to them. “Nikki, what’s
going on?” he asked.
“Like I told you on the
phone, she called me and said she’d been locked in and the car was running.” He
said.
Tim stood up and
hollered to the officer. “Go inside and
see if you can shut that car off.” The officer ran inside. A moment later, they heard silence as the car
stopped. The officer returned.
“I lifted the hood and
shut it off at the engine. I checked
inside and they key had been broken off in the ignition switch.” The officer
said.
“That’s just what Calen
said.” Nikki told them.
“Ok, now go check the
garage door…and check on the status of the ambulance.” Tim instructed. “Did she say anything else?” he asked Nikki.
“No, she was panicked
and was starting to lose consciousness.
Luckily, I hadn't gotten too far away when she called,
it only took a couple of minutes to get back.”
“As small as that garage
is, it’s a wonder it didn't kill her.” Tim noted.
“First the back sliding door, now this. What the hell is happeni