Arena Ch. 08

Book #2: Arena

Chapter 8

Giselle is packing up her personal items for the weekend when the ping from Dick Hittle arrives, asking her to come to his office. She stews. She doesn't want to talk to Hittle in any case, and she especially doesn't want to talk to him now while she's trying to get out of the office early. Today is Rick's birthday, and she wants to get home and get everything ready. She has plans for Mr. Chamfer tonight. She starts to ignore the summons, but then changes her mind. Hittle's an asshole, but he's also a partner. She walks up the flight of steps to the third floor that the partners share with the two conference rooms. She stops in Hittle's door.

"You pinged?"

"Giselle! Come in, come in. And shut the door," Hittle says, his words just slightly slurred.

Giselle starts recording video and sound, storing it in local memory on her chip, just in case.

"Dick, you've been drinking. Just say what you have to say. Remember, the last time we spoke after you'd been drinking, it didn't end well."

"Yeah, about that. I've decided not to press charges for assault."

"Good for you, Dick, considering I'll clean your clock in court. Just tell me what you want so I can go," she says firmly.

"I want you to come in and sit down. We seemed to have gotten off on the wrong foot and I want to make it up to you."

She sighs. She's never liked Hittle much, and probably never will now, but if he's really going to try to make things right, at least she can hear him out. She enters the office and sits down, but she doesn't shut the door.

"Okay Dick, just say what you need to say. I have plans this evening and I'd like to get out of here."

He gets up and sits on the corner of his desk. "Plans?"

She grimaces. She doesn't want to sit and chat with him, but being evasive will probably only delay her getting out of the office. "Today is Rick's birthday."

"Oh, his birthday," he says as if that is a surprise to him. "Did you get him something nice?"

"Dick, I don't want to be rude, but can we get on with what it is you want to say so I can go?"

"I bet you're going to fuck him good tonight, aren't you?" he says with a sneer.

She jumps to her feet. "We're done here," she snaps and takes a step to the door.

Hittle may have been drinking, but he isn't falling down drunk, rising quickly off his desk and grabbing her by the arm and pulling her strongly to him.

"We're not done until I fucking say we're done!" he snarls.

Giselle's first instinct is to try to resist his pull, but then she remembers what Rick taught her. Luckily he'd taken her by the left arm, leaving her right hand free to take his wrist. Her fight or flight response becomes fully engaged and time slows to a crawl. Because of the adrenaline flooding her system, she has no problem taking his wrist and pulling it from her left arm, pivoting as Rick showed her, twisting the arm as she turns. With him turned, she places her other hand on his elbow, and because she has no way to throw him down, to use her weight for leverage, she hauls on the arm with all her strength, trying to subdue him before he can begin to struggle. As she bears down on his arm she hears a sickening crack of breaking bone and he goes limp and begins to shriek in agony. She instantly releases him and takes a step back, horrified at what she's done.

"You bitch! You fucking bitch! You broke my arm!" he screams, falling to his knees and cradling his arm, which is hanging at a strange angle.

In moments people are crowding in, trying to determine what's happened, talking excitedly among themselves. Ted Beckel pushes his way through the crowd, looking at Giselle, standing pale and shaking, before kneeling beside Hittle.

"It's alright Dick. We've got help on the way. Just stay calm."

"That bitch broke my arm," Dick says through gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill that cunt."

"Dick, I know you're in a lot of pain and don't know what you are saying. I don't know what happened here, but you need to stop talking like that or you're going to make the situation worse. Just hold on until the paramedics get here, okay?"

Hittle takes several gasping breaths, trying to get control of himself. "Okay," he finally grunts out.

By now most of the firm is crowding outside Hittle's office. Ted spots Donald Greene in the crowd. "Don, come in here and stay with Dick. The rest of you, clear out of the way, and get someone downstairs to meet the paramedics," he says, taking charge of the situation. "Dick, Don is going to stay here with you until the paramedics arrive, okay?"

Hittle nods once. "Okay," he grunts.

Ted stands and takes an obviously shaken Giselle by the shoulder. "Come with me," he says, gently guiding her out of the room and down the hall to his office.

She's pale, shaking, and while not crying yet, her eyes are full of tears. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to break his arm," she says, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Turning into his office, he steers her to a chair then sits in one beside her. "Tell me what happened."

She takes a deep calming breath before speaking. "Dick pinged me to his office. He and I have been having some problems lately, and he said he wanted to make it up to me. But he got nasty again and when I tried to leave, he grabbed me. I didn't mean to break his arm," she says with a hitch in her voice.

"Nasty again? What do you mean? Start at the beginning," he says gently.

"Right after the immersion thing broke, Dick started being an asshole," she says, looking at her clenched hands, the fingers twisting and twirling around each other in her lap. "He was making insinuating comments and—"

"Why didn't you bring this to my attention, Giselle?" he interrupts.

"Because it was nothing, just talk, and I could handle it. But then in the restaurant..." Giselle pauses, realizing that he wouldn't know what she's talking about. "A couple of weeks ago Rick and I bumped into Dick and Mary at The Pea Pod, and Dick got a little loud and a little too familiar with me. Anyway, things got a little out of hand and Rick ended up escorting him out of the restaurant. I thought that was the end of it because he's left me alone since then. But today he called me into his office and once again..." Giselle stops, realizing she is still recording, and stops it. "Well, I thought he'd been drinking, like at the restaurant, so I recorded it. Would you like to see it?" she asks, sounding miserable.

"As a matter of fact, I would," he says firmly.

"Okay. I forgot to stop the recording until just now, so let me cut out all the extra stuff and then I'll send it. Hold on a second." She cuts the recording just after Ted arrived, and then sends the file to him, waiting quietly while he reviews it.

"Thank you Giselle. I'm sorry for what happened, but I've seen all I need to. Please accept my apology on behalf of the firm and know that we won't tolerate this kind of behavior here. Can I do anything for you?"

"I'd just like to leave, if that's okay," she says, her voice low and full of sorrow. Another wonderful evening ruined.

"Would you like me to have someone drive you home?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm really sorry, Ted. I didn't mean to break Dick's arm," she says again, a few tears crawling down her cheeks.

"Don't worry about Dick. We'll take care of him, and then we'll determine what we'll do about this situation. Just go home, take all the time you need. You don't have to come in on Monday if you don't want to. Are you sure you don't need someone to drive you home?"

"No, thank you Ted, I'm okay. Just a little shaken up about Dick's arm."

"Okay. Don't worry about a thing. I saw the paramedics go by a moment ago, so Dick's going to be okay. You worry about yourself, okay? If I hear anything about Dick, I'll let you know."

She heaves out a ragged breath. "Thank you, Ted," she says, standing to leave. "I'll be back on Monday."

"Take what time you need. There's nothing so important here that it can't wait."

"Once I get home I'm sure I'll be fine. I just keep thinking about the way his arm was bent..."

"I know it's small consolation, but I think he got off pretty light with just a broken arm. I'm glad you did what you did. Not that you broke Dick's arm, but that you defended yourself. I know a woman that was raped, and it changed her forever. I wish more women could, or would, do what you did."

She smiles weakly. "Small consolation indeed. I'm in an office full of people, what could he have done? I just reacted without thinking."

"Giselle, that's exactly what will save you one day," he replies with a fatherly smile. "I don't know if you know this, but I was deployed in the second Arab-Israeli war. Acting on instinct is what separates dead soldiers from live ones. You have nothing to be ashamed of. After this, I don't think you're going to have any trouble, from anyone, but next time, bring stuff like this to me, okay? I appreciate that you don't want one of those that goes running to the boss over every little thing, but you don't have to fight every battle alone." He gives her a broad smile. "I can't have you breaking all my lawyer's arms. I might have to start doing some work again."

She chokes out a sound that is half laugh, half sob, but nods her head. "Okay," she says after a moment. "Hopefully this is really behind me now."

"You can rest assured that Dick won't be bothering you anymore," he says with confidence. He pats her on the shoulder and steers her to the door. "Go home and try to enjoy Rick's birthday."

"How did you—" she began but then remembers the recording. "Yes, of course. I'll try." She walks down the stairs to her office, feeling all eyes upon her. Tom Bibell, her new friend, is waiting at her door.

"Can I do anything?" he asks, his voice quiet and sincere.

"No, Tom, but thank you for asking."

"Okay. If you need anything, you know where I am." Tom turns to go, but then turns back. "I'm not going to ask what happened, but I'm sure that ass-hat Hittle deserved everything he got. I'm surprised it's taken this long for someone to punch his lights out." With that, Tom is gone.

She stares after him for a moment, wondering what prompted him to say something like that, but gathers her things and walks out of the office to her car. Once safely in the vehicle, she sits for several long moments while she shakes, weeping softly, seeing again and again the strange angle of Dick's arm and hearing the crack of breaking bone. Finally, the shakes gone, she starts her car and leaves for home.

Rick arrives home, parking his car in its usual place. He's aware that today's his birthday but he hasn't given it much thought since Giselle wished him a happy birthday in a ping this morning.

"Lucy, I'm home!" he calls in his best Desi Arnez imitation as he enters the kitchen.

Normally Giselle would be in the kitchen beginning the preparation for dinner, but not always, so not finding her there didn't ring any alarm bells, until he finds her lying on the bed in their bedroom.

"Giselle, you okay?" he asks with concern, walking into the room.

"Oh, Rick," she says, sitting up, teary-eyed. "I broke Dick Hittle's elbow at work today. I heard from Ted Beckel, and he said it's a bad break."

"What? How did you break his elbow?" he asks, more concerned about her state of mind than Hittle's elbow.

Giselle sniffs. "He grabbed me and—"

"He grabbed you?" he interrupts. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"A broken elbow is going to be the least of his worries after I break his fucking neck," Rick says, his voice low and dangerous, pulling her off the bed to him and holding her tight. "Good. The son of a bitch deserves it. I hope it hurts like hell."

"I didn't mean to break his arm," she says into his chest. "I don't know how it happened. I just—"

"You did the right thing," he says, interrupting again. "I'm proud of you, Giselle. You did the right thing. You defended yourself and you took out the attacker." He pushes her back, holding her by her shoulders, looking her square in the face. "You did exactly the right thing. Exactly... the... right... thing," he repeats slowly.

"It was awful, Rick. The sound, and the way his arm was hanging," she says, her face crinkling up as she struggles to not cry. "I didn't mean to break his arm! I just reacted. I didn't know I was going break his elbow like that." She sniffs and steps in close, hugging him tight.

"Shhh..." he murmurs, holding her. "I know. Don't beat yourself up about this. If he hadn't put his hands on you, none of this would have happened. Here, sit down with me a minute," he says, guiding her to the bed. "Listen, you did the right thing. You were afraid and you fought to escape, and you did. People will say 'She didn't have to break his arm' but they weren't the one being threatened. If the tables were turned they'd do the same thing. I'd do the same thing."

"You didn't break his arm."

"Fair enough, but I wasn't afraid of him. That was a lesson in manners. Had I been afraid of him, I'd have probably broken both his elbow and his shoulder. It's a natural and understandable thing. If you're afraid, you don't try to hold back. Your body thinks it's in a fight for life, so you go all out." He smiles at her. "You're not that big, but you're strong as hell. I think you showed a lot of restraint by not ripping his arm off and beating him to death with it."

She barks out a short laugh, then sniffs. "It's not funny, Rick."

"No, it's not, but it's also not your fault the stupid bastard got his arm broken. I'm sorry this happened, but not because you broke Hittle's arm, but because you're upset," he says, pulling her tight to him again.

"Will you just hold me for a few minutes?"

"Of course," he says, lying back on the bed, pulling her down with him. They lay quietly together for long moments, not talking, until he feels her relax and her breathing change as she drifts off into sleep. While she dozes, he composes a text ping to Todd explaining what's happened. Tomorrow he and Giselle were supposed to join Todd and Charlie to review the extras candidates, but whether he, or Giselle, would make it tomorrow would depend on how she feels in the morning.

Todd answers back nearly immediately with sympathy and understanding. He hasn't even finished digesting Todd's ping when one arrives from Charlie, wanting to know Giselle's condition. He explains that she's sleeping comfortably at the moment and he will let them know how she's feeling when she wakes up.

He settles in, wishing he hadn't skipped lunch, knowing he'll lie here, gently stroking her back all night if he has to. Just as his stillness, and her rhythmic breathing, are lulling him into sleep, she begins to stir, coming out of her stress-induced nap.

"Did I go to sleep?" she asks, her words slurred.

"For about an hour," he replies. "How are you doing?"

She stretches with a groan, struggling to throw off the mantle of sleep. "Better, I think. Being close to you always seems to make me feel better." She slowly strokes his chest. "You're like my security blanket." She turns wistful. "And happy birthday, by the way. Some birthday, huh?"

"Giselle, you've given me the best gift I could hope for... you, here and unharmed. There can be no greater gift than that. So yes, this is a very good birthday."

She rises up on an elbow, looking into his face. She had so many plans for today, none of which she wants to do now, but his gentle words of love and support have affected her deeply, so she pulls herself up, kissing him gently on the lips. He kisses her back, just as gently, letting their love flow through that simple touch. She pulls back, gazing into his face as he looks at her. As before, she wonders why she was feeling so upset over what happened. Sure, she wishes she hadn't broken Hittle's elbow, but she did what any person would do if attacked, she defended herself. She didn't know what he was going to do. Probably not rape her, but he could have easily been stopping her in preparation of hitting her, obviously still nursing a grudge over what happened in the restaurant. Then there's Tom's strange comment. Had something else happened, something she's unaware of? Even Ted said she'd done the right thing, and he's the most caring, gentle man she knows. And goddammit, she has the right to protect herself!

He lies still, watching her after their kiss. He can tell that, for perhaps the first time since her run in with Hittle today, she's thinking clearly about what had happened, watching her face go from sad to hard and determined in less than a minute.

"So, does this mean you are going to beat the shit out of me again?" he asks, breaking into her thoughts.

"What?" she asks, startled.

"The last time I saw you do this, you ended up kicking my ass. I was just wondering if that's where we're going tonight. If so, I want to go ahead and take something for the pain now," he says seriously, but then smiles.

She begins to giggle. "No, I don't think so. I guess it just took a little while for what you and Ted said to sink in." She shivers once. "I just can't get over how ghastly the sound of breaking bone is, and the way his arm was hanging, bending the wrong way at the elbow."

"I'm sure it was terrible, but he brought it on himself."

She sighs. "Yeah, I know. I guess I always knew. But I've never been in a fight before. Not one where I was afraid, anyway," she adds when he opens his mouth to speak, "And I guess I was a little shaken up about it."

"So you're okay?"

"Yes, I think so. So long as I don't think about Hittle's arm too much."

"Good. Will you promise me something?"

"Sure. What?"

"When you see Hittle again, don't you dare apologize to him for breaking his arm. Can you promise me that?"

She thinks about it before answering. "Yes. I can promise you that. If he hadn't put his paws on me, I wouldn't have broken his arm."

He smile broadly. "That's my girl," he says, pulling her head down to kiss her on the forehead. "So, you have plans tonight? I'm thinking another trip to The Pea Pod, if we can get in, now that we know Mr. Hittle won't be bothering us."

She smiles at his thoughtfulness. "This is supposed to be your birthday."

"And I want to take you to The Pea Pod. Shall we dress? We'll need to hurry."

Giselle kisses Rick on the lips again. "Let's. Then will you make love to me afterwards like the last time?"

He smiles at the memory. "Maybe. You're not going to ask me to do the impossible again, are you?"

"Maybe," she says with a smile of her own. "You managed to do it the last time, didn't you? I think you need a bigger challenge." She rises from the bed. "Let's get a shower, but no hankey-pankey," she admonishes.

Thirty minutes later Rick is dressed in a tan tweed jacket with midnight blue pants, a white shirt, and a deep red tie, while Giselle is wearing a black slinky dress that he's seen her in a couple of times before. While it doesn't have the jaw-dropping impact of the cyan dress she wore last time they went to The Pea Pod, it's still quite the attention-getter. They also skip the Aston in favor of her Audi for expediency.

They arrive at The Pea Pod a little after eight, in the thick of the dinner crowd. When Rick gives their names to the hostess, to be put on the list for a table, she discreetly sends a runner to the manager, who appears almost immediately and holds a brief conversation with the hostess, looking at something on her podium.

"Mr. and Mrs. Chamfer, thank you for dining with us again. Right this way please," the man says, leading them to a table that is just being cleared. After Rick seats Giselle and takes his own the man continues, "My name is Derek, and I am the assistant manager on duty tonight. Mr. Leffler, the general manager, left word that if you were to come back you were to be treated as honored guests. Anything I can get you before I turn you over to Michelle?"