RED SOX: Hope is dimming but not extinguished.
FEEDBACK: It’s a good thing p.phair@comcast.net
by
phair
By the time her captive began stir, the noxious smell of burned human flesh had dissipated somewhat. Of course, it took a couple of open windows and two cans of air freshener to help the process. Deni was settled into a comfortable armchair watching the news when Sawyer whimpered to wakefulness. The television volume was low. Deni imagined Sawyer’s head was pounding almost as hard as her own.
“Once again, today’s top story on Cable Vermont’s news channel is the death toll from Tropical Storm Cleo. Five New Englanders have perished in the flooding, which followed the torrential rains. Four members of a Maine family were swept to their deaths when their SUV plunged into the Merrimack River. Rescue crews recovered two bodies before they were forced to call off the search because of dangerous conditions. And, along the Algonquin River, a prisoner from a tandem work crew fell into the swollen river. A corrections officer suffered a heart attack during a failed rescue attempt. The missing are presumed dead. Recovery efforts will resume when the weather breaks. All the names of the victims and injured are being withheld pending notification of their families. However, in a glimmer of good news, the corrections officer is expected to survive. With more on this wild storm, we turn to Brenda Woodman…,”
Deni heard enough to click off the television with an easy smile on her face. Her headache had lessened by a few throbs with the announcement of her presumed death.
“Oh, God,” Sawyer cried in pain once she began to move.
Deni scrubbed her face trying to clear her mind. It was time to get back to work. She steeled her reserves to continue forward with the more unsavory portion of her plan.
“Somebody’s got to do the dirty work,” she thought as she stood and stretched.
Deni took two steps closer to the bed. She hid her amusement at the sight of Sawyer trying to shrink away from her approach.
“Nowhere to run, girl,” Deni cautioned. “That is if you were even able to run anymore. But,” her grin broke free, “your running days are over, I would think.”
Sawyer seemed to be fighting to hold her panic in check. She was not struggling against the handcuffs holding her arms spread eagle. Like wise with her leg, she was not futilely tugging against the rope tying her right ankle to the bedpost. Her wounded foot was free of restraints and propped on two pillows. A clean white bandage was neatly fitted around the injury site. Deni noticed Sawyer pale slightly when her eyes settled on the bandage. It marked the spot of the obviously absent toe.
“I’m gonna be sick,” Sawyer said as she tried to swallow back the bile.
Deni snorted a grim laugh, “Figures.”
Deni grabbed the pot she took from the kitchen in preparation for this moment. She went to the right side of the bed. The strategic placing of the pot left her hands free to reposition Sawyer. The bound woman barely had time to aim before her gut up ended. She choked and coughed and gasped but the heaving continued unabated for more than a few minutes.
Deni held the stricken woman and waited. She tried to ignore Sawyer’s suffering. There would be more distasteful moments to pass between them in the hours which lay ahead. Deni could not afford to be compassionate. At least, not yet.
A lull in the retching arrived. Neither woman moved. Neither could be sure a slight shifting would not result in another painful round of heaving.
“I think, I think that’s it for now,” Sawyer’s voice was raspy. “Thank you.”
Deni was surprised by the expression of gratitude. Biting her lip to hold back a smug comment, Deni proceeded to lay Sawyer down against the pillow cradle waiting for her head.
“Just let me dump this. I’ll bring it right back,” Deni promised before hurrying off to the bathroom.
Deni returned with the pot and a towel over her shoulder. “You need to toss again?”
“No, I’m okay,” Sawyer replied without looking at Deni or the stark white bandage around her own foot. “I think.”
“Okay, then I’ll leave this next to the bed for now. Let me wipe your face off,” Deni said and sat beside Sawyer.
“No, I’m okay,” Sawyer, sounded nervous as she shifted as much as she could away from Deni.
“Don’t be like that,” Deni scolded and began to clean up the helpless woman. “No need to make a big deal out of this. It ain’t personal.”
Sawyer gave her a drop jawed look of disbelief.
“Well, personal in the sense I know anything about you. You’re probably not a total shit for all I know. You just fell for Eugene and bought into his lies. Easy to fall for him, I’ll admit. Happened to me.” Deni’s face hardened as she went on, “But, that doesn’t excuse you messin’ up the life of a kid! Especially my kid! Leaving him rottin’ away in some stupid boarding school. Fuck you! Do you even let him visit you in this big fancy house? Or, ain’t he good enough to come visitin’ at the holidays? Do you leave him there all alone on Christmas?”
Sawyer’s glare softened when she heard Deni’s voice crack with wavering emotions. She swallowed a couple of times before answering.
“Please let me answer everything before you hit me again. You can do whatever you want to me after I finish. Okay?” Sawyer accepted Deni’s nod as agreement. “Charlie is in a private boarding school for special needs children.”
“Fuckin’ lying bitch!” Deni shouted and backhanded Sawyer.
Sawyer cried out, “Thought you’d let me talk. Thought you were gonna wait to beat me!”
Deni folded her arms across her chest trying to keep from choking Sawyer to death. She was so angry she was not sure if she could keep from killing the woman.
“Get on with it,” Deni ground out the command.
Sawyer gave her a sideways glance before continuing, “Charlie…,”
“Jeffrey!” Deni bellowed but stayed her fist.
“Okay, okay, Jeffrey. His name is Jeffrey. I get it. Jeffrey is autistic. If he’s gonna have even half a chance at a decent life then he needs all the services I can get for him.” Encouraged by the other woman’s silence, Sawyer continued, “The school he’s in has the best rated program in the country. Each grade has only fifteen students. The teacher to student ratio is one to four…no other program comes close to what they offer.”
“All nice and tidy for you, isn’t it? Toss strangers some cash and lock the boy away,” Deni bitterly accused.
“It’s not like that at all. The program requires parental involvement. I see and talk to him three times a day by computer cam. Every weekend I go up and stay overnight unless they have a scheduled outdoor adventure. This weekend they went rock climbing. He loves to climb. It is the one thing he’s absolutely passionate about.”
“The fundraiser you were at in the newspaper clipping was Christmas two years ago. He was only four! He was living away from home at four? And, at Christmas? You bitch!”
Sawyer remained calm in spite of Deni’s rising anger. “The program begins at kindergarten level. And, yes, he did live away when he was four but no, I didn’t just leave him alone to rot. I visited him every day it was allowed and used the computer cam to see and talk to him. He came home for Christmas break and regular vacations.” Sawyer closed her eyes but could not hold back the tears, “Don’t you think it killed me to leave him there. My God, I was raising him. Charlie…Jeffrey was only eight months old when I met Raphael. I love that boy. I’m only trying to get him everything he needs so he’ll be able to make a life for himself.”
“Maybe he just needs his mother,” Deni hissed.
Sawyer snarled her reply, “I totally agree with you. Where were you when he needed you? You weren’t around, were you? I didn’t leave him alone. You abandoned your son. I rescued him.”
Deni’s anger burst forth. She grabbed Sawyer by her shirt and pulled her as close as her bounds allowed.
“Are you trying to lose a finger?”
Sawyer glared at her. “You asked me the questions. You demanded the truth. I’m just trying to be obedient. If you want me to tell you only what you want to hear then you need to let me know the rules have changed. I’m just trying to do what you told me to do.”
Deni pushed Sawyer away. She was certain if she did not leave right then she would harm Sawyer. Harm her so much the woman would not survive the day. Deni stalked out of the room to get control. She had to pull her emotions together or she would never be able to finish what she started.
“Eugene, I’m gonna kill you.”
She was so determined to repeat the words that kept her focused on her task she missed the soft sobbing from the bed.
