A Secret Revealed Ch. 06

Tilting my gaze away from the breeze, I shifted the phone to read off Mary's address. Yup, this should be the place. As the wind died down I slid my phone into its pocket and set my hues on a small, solitary building that happily took up its own side of the street. Half clinic, half home. Clamping itself on the city by its tail end, her business bloomed slowly from its few loyal clients. I had too many questions to feel comfortable in my own skin. That's why I came here. That's why I risked breaking Rose's trust. I needed to make things right, for both of us.

A few cars were parked to the side, which was to be expected, but I just hoped that I wasn't intruding on her job. I made plans to meet with her, of course, but getting her number was a whole other issue. Rose had Mary's number, which meant that I had to try and fish it out while she was making us dinner. God, I felt dirty for doing that. All this sneaking around...I hated myself for it. What else was I supposed to do? Rose wouldn't speak to me about anything, and then that weird girl showed up. Something bad was coming and it terrified me. I refused to sit in the dark any longer.

I shook away my procrastination to focus on the job at hand. Speak to Mary, learn whatever I can. Reaching for her buzzer, I nudged it softly but retracted my hand instantly when a muffled beep came from inside. For a while, the wind was my only company, until I heard her voice come through the machine, "Doctor Kalikov, what's up?" My brow raised and then I dulled onto my heels. Without much in the way of communication, I instead pressed my thumb to the buzzer in hopes that she would get the picture. After a few moments, her voice came through again and the tiny amount of formality she had was lost rather quickly, "Oh, Eve!? Come on in. Go through the lobby and then to the right. We'll talk there."

Cracking a smile, the door gave away and allowed me to enter. The place was small but perfectly sized for its function. To the left was her living area and the right led to the clinic where she worked. So, I followed her directions and steadily made my way to the right. I was expecting a cup of coffee and a long, serious, talk...but I was swiftly reminded of the type of person that Mary was. I shoved the door aside and a pink hue burned my cheeks. A woman was sitting on a massage bed with her shirt popped open, faced away from me. And there Mary was, blissfully groping her breasts and smiling as I walked in.

My eyes darted for safety in the corner of the room, taking very hesitant glances at them. "Hey, just give me a second, okay?" she motioned with her head towards a chair. The woman didn't seem to care of my presence in the room but had a rather concerned expression across her features. She wasn't worried about me, so I guessed that it'd be okay for me to come in. Besides, the walk to get to Mary's place was exhausting and the option to sit was very welcoming. Even with the initial shock settling, I tried my hardest not to stare as I shifted along the wall to find my seat.

"So...is there anything wrong?" the woman asked with furrowed brows.

Mary shook her head, "No, no, no. Nothing to worry about. It's common for some pain or discomfort in the first trimester," her hands waved casually.

The woman eased a little and started working her buttons together, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, you'll be fine. No lumps or bumps that shouldn't be there. Your body is getting ready for the baby, that's all," she responded with a wide, warm grin.

I cringed at her words, digging my digits into my thighs. A baby. It was wrong of me to feel this way, and I knew it, but that word was like a burning cigarette being mushed against the back of my neck.

"Oh...okay," the woman nodded slowly, some relief creeping through her stern exterior. "Thank you, um..." her words fell short and along came a subtle blush.

"Mary. Please call me Mary." she hurried to clear up the awkward atmosphere.

Nodding, the woman scooted closer to the edge and hopped off. "Well, thank you, Mary. If it gets worse then I'll drop by, if that's okay," she said shyly under her breath.

Mary placed a hand on her shoulder and led her towards the door. "Absolutely. You should be fine, but I can recommend you some exercises to help the discomfort. I'm sure your husband will enjoy them, too," she teased and stuck out her tongue. The woman's blush burned brighter but she allowed herself to giggle as she made her way out.

I remained inside, keeping myself extremely busy by staring at the wall. They spoke a bit outside, a door closed and then Mary came into the room with me. "Sorry about that," she strolled on by, fighting with her hair band, clearly flustered. Coming to a halt, she pulled her hair loose, allowing those multi-colored feathers to bounce free. "She came by out of nowhere, and business is slow these days, ya know?" her chest heaved with a sigh before she turned to properly address me, as well as the issue at hand. "So, you're here for a reason. Speak now or forever hold your peace," she smirked.

Nodding, I hurried to retrieve my notepad secured safely inside my hoodie. It flipped open in my lap and with it came a pen. There was only one reason why I was there, but it was so important to me. A question that was lingering around me, a bad odor, a potent aftertaste, a bruise on my neck. I swallowed hard at the thought and tenderly rubbed the side of my throat. That's why I was here. Pen to paper, I showed her the message, 'I want to know more about Rose.'

She tensed for a moment before releasing a long exhale. Maybe my request was asking for more than I thought. "Well..." she shrugged in defeat, "...I don't really know much about her. But why do you care anyways?"

The pen flipped from finger to finger as I juggled my next response. Do I tell her the truth about everything? No, going behind Rose's back was bad enough so I'd rather not say something that could potentially hurt her. 'She's important to me.'

"Figured as much," inching backwards, she sunk down onto the spongy bed to get comfortable. "Rose isn't the type to hang out with people off a whim, so I was kinda surprised to hear that she was bringing a friend to the cafe. You must mean a lot to her, too." Falling silent, she thought for a moment and then opened up, "Like I said, I don't know much about her, but I can tell you everything that I do know. She probably hasn't told you anything, just like me."

My chest warmed and I quickly wrote another word, 'Please.'

Pushing herself further up onto the bed, she crossed her legs and found my eyes. "Alright, but don't tell her I said any of this. She's a good friend of mine, so don't go fuck it up, ya hear?" she tensed and eased, her entire vibe slowing to a halt. "It's been a few years since it happened and I have the memory of a radish, so bear with me. This is how I met Rose..."

- 4 Years Ago -

Mary sighed in relief as the cleaner air filled her lungs. Finally free of that rotten stench and that fear always looming over her shoulder, the subtle terror around every corner. It was all gone and far behind her, along with that small patch of hell people called a city. She couldn't complain too much, though, since one of her most wealthy clients lived there and she paid very well. One quick checkup every once in a while was just about as much as she could tolerate of that place. Nothing bad had ever come her way, but she knew the stories of what went on inside that city were true. Women and children being raped in broad daylight, murder being a common day-to-day thing, drug trade and gangs controlling the streets. Only the strong survive while the weak get used and consumed by everyone around them.

But man, that fresh air was great. Rolling open her window a little, the occasional drops of rain would find their way onto her arm. The drive was gonna be long. Shifting in her seat, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel but paid no attention to the road. She'd driven out this way enough times to realize that no one went to that city, they only left it. Keeping her gaze to the side, the dead and empty fields became greener with every passing minute, soon sprouting trees and crops as she neared the local farms. Eventually her vision was blocked entirely by rows of produce and so she turned forward to see the road, and a dark object lying in the center of it. It took her a second before the rest of her body was able to respond. She kicked the brakes down and cringed as her wheels skidded through the mud but not slowing enough. Throwing the steering wheel across her, the car spun out of control, only to ram a few rows deep into the fields where it came to an abrupt halt.

Silence. Some time passed before her frozen fingers loosened themselves from the wheel. What the hell was that? A body? Relinquishing a shaky breath, she reached for her handle and popped the door open to take a look. There's no way. Why would someone be out here? She parted the foliage carefully, anxiously approaching. It came into view, a young woman in tattered clothing, a red backpack being hugged to her chest, blood running down the knuckles of her right hand. How far had this girl traveled before she dropped dead in the middle of nowhere? At least a three or four hour walk from any kind of building and trying to do it in the rain was just stupid...or desperate.

Pushing the rows aside, Mary approached the woman, taking note of the subtle heaving of her chest. "Hello?" she neared her but got no reaction whatsoever from the still form. Mary crouched behind her and gently nudged her shoulder to tempt a reaction. Biting the inside of her lip, she trailed a finger along the girl's cheek to move her crimson hair behind her ear, revealing a dark, blackish blue smudge around her eye. Abuse? Wasn't rare in that city. This girl was probably trying to escape from something. Then there was the other injury, which was enough to make the doctor's heart sink at the sight. Her hand was so damaged that the bones of her knuckles were uncovered and draped by their torn and battered skin. It was awful, the worst she'd seen of its kind. Without a doubt, the wound was caused by severe impact, but just exactly how much, and how hard, would it take for her skin to tear like that?

Her options were pretty clear, and although she wasn't a surgical doctor she could at least have a look at the girl's hand. Flicking her soaked fringe to the side, she wormed her arms under the body slowly to avoid waking her; Not that it really mattered; The girl was practically dead. She was expecting a groan and some struggle to pick her up but the girl was so malnourished that she was lifted in a single calculated motion. Still no response. Well, it wasn't exactly a good sign that she was out cold like that, however it did make the trip easier. Mary slipped her into the back seat, made sure she wasn't leaning on her hand, and then sat in front. Getting herself out of the low, muddy slope was a pain but she was able to do it with minimal damage to the crops. She glanced behind her to see if everything was okay but the girl was as lifeless as she'd been found.

That didn't change for the entire car ride.

Once she returned home, she immediately set up the bed in her work area, got her equipment out and prepared for her new patient. The girl was brought inside, even more carefully this time, and was laid against the soft pillows. For a moment Mary wondered idly whether or not this woman had ever slept on something as luxurious as this. But that was quickly forced away so that she could deal with the problem at hand. The red bag was tossed to the corner of the room and she spoke under her breath, "I'll try my best, but no promises..." half-hoping to get a response but none came.

Repairing her hand was nothing short of a miracle. It was worse than it appeared, if that was even possible. Several fractured bones, displacement of one of her fingers and more skin missing than there was still clinging to the wound. But, it could be fixed. And that's what she got to work on for the rest of the day. By nightfall the girl's hand was wrapped up tightly with surgical tape and bandaged into a mitten so that she couldn't move it at all. The less she used it the quicker it would heal. Overall the job was well done, if she had to say so, at least. Only one issue remained. A stranger sleeping literally two doors away was a scary thought. Not that she could do much, but still. Something needed to be done to make sure she didn't get up to anything strange during the night...

Later that night, Mary awoke to loud clattering and banging that stemmed from the patient's room. She collected her foggy mind before hopping out of bed. The noise faded for a little while but then died out completely; Not a sound. Somehow that was more troubling than the strange noises. She grabbed a cricket bat that was always kept nearby for purposes like this and made her way through the lobby. Still nothing...how odd. She stood up on her toes to pinch the key hidden above the door frame and slotted it though the keyhole. On a count of three, she twisted it and shoved the door aside, holding her bat readied over her shoulder...but nothing happened.

"Are you awake? I'm not gonna hurt you," she couldn't hide her nervousness. Blindly stepping into the dark room, her eyes strained to see exactly what was going on. She threw her hand to the wall and searched for the light switch. The whiteness burned for a few moments until she adjusted and finally saw everything. "Fuck," a deep sigh was kicked up her throat. Lowering her bat, she let the whole scenario soak in. Her equipment was strewn across the floor along with the table they were once on, not to mention the entire goddamn bed was flipped onto its side near the opposite end of the room.

And there she was, that strange woman. Back to the wall, her left hand tied to the side of the bed using some extra bandages. In hindsight, it probably wasn't that smart of an idea, but hell it did its job. However, the girl was unfazed by any of this. Her bloodied mitten was hugging the backpack and her legs were crossed underneath it. That's it? All of this trouble just to get her bag? The woman's eyes were downturn and unwavering, not even bothering to glance up.

Mary hesitantly approached her, dodging any pointy tools that could slice up her bare feet. "You could've asked or something, ya know? Chill. I didn't even look through your stupid bag," she whined but eventually made it passed the mess. "I'm Mary, ya know, the one who gave you that glove," her joke fell between them without any reaction.

"Did they send you?" the woman asked, already defeated somehow. There was no life left in her.

Raising a brow, Mary placed the bat down, "Who? I found you on the road." She let a few things settle into place before biting down on her main concern. "Are the cops after you?" her question was flat and painfully direct.

"I don't know."

"That doesn't help much" she sighed, letting her gaze wander to the girl's covered hand. Blood had seeped through the fabric quite badly, which meant that she must have bumped it during all the commotion and split something. "It's bleeding again. Can I take a look?" her question fell on deaf ears so she took a chance. Kneeling beside her, Mary cautiously touched the girl's wrist and pulled it away from the bag. There was no resistance, almost like a doll. She steadily unwrapped the bandage until she could see the problem. Some of the stitches on the side of her hand had come loose. An easy fix, if the patient was willing. "If we don't close this up then it'll take forever to heal," she leaned back to grab a small plastic box off the floor and brought it closer.

"Why are you doing this?"

The question was slipped in out of nowhere and Mary took a moment to respond. "I don't know," she smirked. Popping the box open, she prepared a delicate hook tied to some thin threads of plastic wire. "...But I'm sure that you'd like the help. Maybe that's why" she said with a hint of sarcasm smothered in. She turned the girl's hand and held it steadily while the curved needle neared its mark. "It's gonna hurt a bit, but I'm sure the painkillers are still working through your system, so..." the hook pierced her wound and Mary glanced up to see the girl's reaction...although it wasn't what she expected. Those cold emeralds remained emotionless and dead, not even a flinch. She swallowed hard, shooting her attention back down to the task at hand. Could she even feel pain? Slithering the wire in sharp crosses down the girl's wound, Mary worked fast to get it over with, and without a sound from either of them. Only when she finished her last cross and tightened it did she open her mouth again,

Backing away, she rolled her shoulders to relieve some strain. "There's a shower if you wanna clean yourself up, and I'm sure I have some old clothes that could fit you...just..." she tensed a little as she leaned down to start undoing the fabric tied to the girl's other wrist "...I brought you in and fixed your hand...so please don't kill me in my sleep. Kind of a dick move" she half-joked. The bandages loosened enough to slide down her hand, allowing the girl to roll it around freely.

"No..."

Freezing for a moment, Mary found those lifeless hues. "What?"

"No more killing...never again" she squeezed her bag slightly.

As bone chilling as the girl's words felt, there was an underlying calmness behind them. It was the truth, and that brought some relief to the doctor, but raised many questions at the same time. Instead of pressing for anymore info, she slipped an arm under the girl's shoulder and cautiously stood with her. "Let's get you to that nice, warm shower and get you into something that can actually pass off as clothing, huh?" there was no response, as she predicted, although there was no complaints either so she took it as a yes. One step forward and they both slouched for a second due to the girl's cracked and cut feet. Just how far did she walk barefoot on that barren road to get away from...something?

Nonetheless, she urged them onward, up the stairs to her home, through to the bathroom where she eased her patient down onto the tub's lip. "I trust you can take care of yourself" her palm gently rubbed her shoulder before standing up straight. "There'll be clothes outside, so just take your time, alright? Are you hungry? I can make something small for you" she tried to force another response. But the girl didn't even bother to glance up. Biting the inside of her lip, Mary rolled her eyes and made her way out, grabbing the door as she left.

"Thank you"

It followed her out as less than a whisper...and then the door closed. She paused with her gaze wavering. What the fuck was she thinking? She didn't know who this person was. A potential murderer, a convict maybe? "Fuck..." she repeated quietly and then shoved herself away from the door.

After pouring herself a drink and downing it, she heard the shower start blaring. Although the girl seemed to be non-compliant, she was doing as she was told, or rather what she was suggested. She was just going with the motions, a corpse riding down a river after a leap of faith. Walking, talking, breathing, but still as dead as Mary had found her. Whatever happened to her...it stole her life. But there was still hope. There was still a chance to help her.

The water cascaded behind closed doors and Mary pushed some slices of bread down into a puddle of eggs. French toast, a favorite of hers, and undoubtedly would be appreciated by...by...hmm, she didn't even know her name. Still, might as well give her something that she would enjoy. Maybe a good meal is all that it would take for her to open up a little more. Worth a shot, at the very least. Speaking of which...she finished up with their dinner/breakfast? and then poured herself another helping of the bronze liquid. However, before she could toss it back, the bathroom door opened down the hall. Just in time.