Valentine's Day Card

Xavier's shock showed on his face.

"Yeah, she quit. That happens. Especially with the new girls. So you're going to be waiting quite a while. So, buy a girl a drink?"

He ordered her an overpriced beer, overpaid, and left the club. The man at the door made it difficult to leave, but he shouldered past.

Outside, the bracing winter air slapped his face. He put his head down, rucked his jacket higher, and pushed into the wind. He wobbled and used building façades to steady himself.

Suddenly a massive blow struck his midsection--Whomp!--forcing the air out of his lungs. He folded over and threw up the overpriced stuff that wasn't champagne into the gutter. His vision was swimming and he couldn't straighten.

"Nobody steals our girls."

Two large men in dark coats and leather gloves were on either side of him. One hit him again on the back of the neck.

Xavier collapsed onto the sidewalk, curling up to prevent other blows. The two men took turns kicking him, breaking a few bones, and sending a message. His mouth bled. His eyes swelled. His back ached. Before they finished, they reached into his pockets and took his wallet, phone, and his car keys. They also found Allysin's diamond pendant.

"Well, well. This about makes up for what this asshole cost us by stealing Summer." The one holding the necklace leaned over Xavier. "You don't mind me taking this, right? It's only fair, ain't it?" He laughed. "Not a bad trade, Jocko, not a back trade. One necklace for that stuck-up, tight-ass little slope."

Xavier groaned as he rolled onto his stomach, his cheek scratching on the cement sidewalk. He tried to get up, but couldn't. He gave up, and passed out.

Xavier woke up the first time in some hospital bed, groggy, weighted down by casts and braces, and attached to the cords leading to beeping, wheezing machines. A large window filled one side of his room, covered by a drawn shade. His head swam, and he nearly passed out again. He was confused and unable to concentrate. His mind swam freely in the ponds of memory as he slept.

When he opened his eyes, he recognized the wires and the beeping machines. His vision was still unclear and he was thirsty. He leaned forward and a woman in white with shiny black hair cut in a bang offered him a sip from a straw. She looked Oriental. Maybe Vietnamese. Then he fell back asleep.

Paul and Peggy had pushed their way into his dreams. He remembered the South of France trip, and the summer pool party. He saw Allysin, being protected by Paul in a colored beach towel, while built-like-brick-shit-house Peggy pressed her naked torpedoes into his chest. He began to understand why Paul would chase after modest, shy Allysin instead of his own wife Peggy, that shameless exhibitionist.

"Shameless exhibitionist," he mumbled.

"You don't say."

Xavier forced his eyes open. The doctor removed the tubes from his mouth, and chuckled examining his dressings and his chart. "You're lucky little miss square bangs there found you before you froze or bled out. What did you do to get your self a beating?"

Xavier said nothing.

"Hmm. Then, who are you calling a 'shameless exhibitionist'? You must be having some great dreams there, son."

"He means me," Summer said, her head bowed.

The gray-haired doctor looked over his glasses at the slim woman dressed in white whose black hair covered most of her face. He put the charts down while he studied her. Then his large stomach began to shake as he laughed without making a noise.

"No," Xavier croaked. "I wasn't talking about you, Summer."

The doctor shook his finger at Summer. "I recognize you now. You're the one they always send from that sleazy titty bar to cheer up a lost cause, right? What name are you using today? 'Eezee Lei?' 'Choo mi pi?' It's okay. But my patient here is not a lost cause. He's going to recover. I'm releasing him this afternoon after I make sure there's no more internal bleeding."

"I'm going home?" Xavier said.

"In a wheelchair for a bit, but you'll be fine. Just don't try tricky stuff with Miss Lickee Dickee here." He laughed at his own joke while Summer stood motionless in front of the large window.

"Thanks, Doc. Do you have any ideas where I could stay for a few days?"

The doctor ruffled his hair. "I'll do you one better. You two can have this room for the next hour. I'll tell the nurses to leave you alone." He chuckled again. "Nothing too strenuous, hear? Come see me in about a week. I've prescribed some pain killers for you. But only for you. Hear that, Missy? Those are his meds."

Summer turned to the large window in the room and opened the shade halfway. She stood motionless. Her shoulders seemed to shrink a little as she held her elbows in opposite hands. Still chuckling, the doctor left.

"Summer?"

She remained quiet.

"You found me? Thank you for helping me."

She shook her head. Without looking at him, she said, "It my fault they fuck you up. I sorry."

"No. Don't blame yourself. I was drunk and stupid. I was asking for trouble."

She turned and with tears in her obsidian eyes, fell halfway onto his bed. "My fault. My fault."

Xavier reached with his right arm before realizing it was bound in a cast. He used his left arm to stroke her hair. It was silky and slipped between his fingers. The poor girl wouldn't be consoled, though.

"You give me courage, Mister. I never leave there otherwise. You give me strength. I feel hope like never, ever before."

When Xavier tried to laugh, his ribs ached. "Oh, don't make me laugh. But what was in that champagne anyway?"

Summer smiled a little. "Not champagne, Mister." She lifted her tiny face towards his, close enough that he could lean forward and touch her lips if he wanted to. Instead he fell back into his pillow.

"I thank you, Mister."

"For what? You quit your job, but I'll help you find a better one, by the way. You probably lost your clothes, right?"

"Oh, you remember bosses took my clothes."

"Well, you made an impression last night."

She smiled again at that. "You didn't get bored looking at all-the-time naked girl?"

"Not with you, Summer."

She lifted her head again towards his, but he still didn't kiss her. Instead he asked, "What made you quit last night? So suddenly?"

Summer put her hand to her wide smile before answering. "I read card you give. I sorry."

He laughed though it pained his ribs. "The St. Valentine's card? That was just to write down an address where to meet today."

"We meeting now, instead, okay? But you bought that card?"

Xavier nodded. "It's just a card."

Summer shook her head. "No. You feel something. You love. You love her."

"I used to love."

Summer put her head down on his bed covers again. He stroked her hair with his left hand.

"You like look at naked girls, Mister?"

"Every guy does, Summer. So, yeah."

"Doctor say we have hour. I have idea." She lifted her head and quickly kissed hin on the cheek. Then she almost danced into the rest room, closing the only door in Xavier's hospital room.

"Hey, Summer," he called to her, "what was that about being hired to dance for the sick patients here? Was that you?"

"Maybe somebody look like me, Mister. Or maybe me."

She flung open the door. Inside, she stood on one foot, the other foot drawn up towards her knee. Both hands stretched over her head. She was completely nude but for her sandals. She stalked the distance between them.

"Wait!" he said. "Stand over there," pointing to the corner near the window. "Open that window so I can see you better."

She lifted the shade, letting in the afternoon light. It seemed to warm her skin, the color of light toast. "Okay?"

"I didn't have a chance to see your pussy last night."

"You like?"

"Now I see it's as perfect as the rest of you."

She covered her smile with her hand and then took dainty steps toward him. He marveled at the compactness of her figure, the tightness of her thighs, the slightest tremble in her buttocks as she moved. She came close to the bedside, tentatively.

"You no mind I here with you? Naked?"

"Come here, you."

It took little effort to pull her onto the bed with him. She lay on top of the covers, her tawny skin a sharp contrast with the starched white sheets. She lifted her face to his. Her eyes were focused a little past him as if afraid to read his judgment on her.

He kissed her lips. She smiled, and put her arms around him. They kissed again, deeply, passionately.

That's when Allysin walked in.

Allysin pushed her oversized glasses onto her nose tightly. Her head whipped back. She tossed her brown hair over her shoulder as if it might block what she was seeing.

"Who the fuck is this, Xavier?" she demanded.

Summer covered herself and tiptoed quickly into the restroom again and slammed the door. "Excuse, excuse. I not part of this," she repeated.

"She's the one who found me last night. I probably owe her my life."

"What? It looks like she's thanking you. What the hell? That's it. I'm done here."

"Why did you come here, Allysin?"

Allysin tapped her foot near the exit to the room. She looked like she was about to scold a naughty kindergartener. "I saw your flowers. I saw the envelope. The hospital called to confirm your information this morning." She stopped tapping her foot. "So. What happened?"

"What happened is I saw Paul between your legs, you riding him like he was a Harley motorbike. You broke my heart, Ally."

She started tapping her foot again. "I'm sorry you saw that, Xavier. But it wasn't working between us."

"You should have told me, Ally. I could have changed."

"Yeah, well, too late now." She turned to the corridor and called, "Paul! Paul, it's alright."

Every muscle in Xavier's body tightened at the mention of his boss's name. His teeth ground together. He grabbed the left siderail of his bed, hoping to sit straighter. He had to settle for using the remote to raise the upper portion of his bed.

Paul looked around the door jamb as if he expected a fist to greet his face. When he saw that Xavier was still situated in his bed, he relaxed and came in. "I thought I'm come and see my favorite employee," he started.

"Relax, Paul. He knows," Allysin said. "He's been rolling in bed with some skinny little foreigner, naked."

"She's 21," he hissed between his teeth.

"Yeah, sure," said Allysin, scoffing.

The restroom door opened. "I 21. I 21. You ask other girls. I 21."

"It's okay, Summer."

Summer's eyes blazed, though. Her breath came rapidly and she exhaled through her nose noisily. "You wife? You married to Mister?"

"Not for long. It's over. Right, Xavier?"

Summer, still breathing heavily, turned to Paul. "You wife's boy toy? You fuck her?"

"Hey, now," Paul said. "No need to be crude. But, yes, she and I are lovers."

Summer looked deeply into Paul's face, then turned to Allysin. "You a fool. Mister love you deeply. And you fuck it up."

"Oh, what the hell do you know anyway?" Allysin said.

Summer took out the St. Valentine's Day card, and gave it to her. "This Mister buy for you. Because he love you. Love you! And you fuck it up?"

Allysin blushed looking at the card, reading it. Then she recovered and tossed it onto Xavier's hospital bed. "Here. Keep it for this whore. You gave it to her once already. Any way," she paused, took a deep breath, "I want a divorce. Paul and I want to get married."

"Paul's already married, Ally. He's married to Peggy. I thought she was your best friend. What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I don't want to discuss this with this whore around. Where did you pick up this piece of trash?"

Summer rolled her shoulders like she was about to slug Allysin, then shook her self and took a deep breath. Centered now, she said, "I go now. I get Uber ride home." She turned to Paul. "Can I use phone to call Uber?"

"Use one out at the nurses' station," Paul said.

"Oh, give her your phone, Paul," Allysin said dismissively. Paul tossed Summer his phone after unlocking it. Summer stepped out.

"A divorce? Does Peggy know?" Xavier said. It felt as though the air had gone out of him. It felt as though his world had collapsed. But it was the expected result after what he had seen with Allysin and Paul.

"She will know, right, Paul? We're going to see her tonight."

Paul nodded.

"You seem sure about this, Ally," Xavier said.

"Of course, I'm sure. Paul and I love each other. He'll take care of me better than you ever could."

Xavier felt another twist of the knife that Allysin had planted in his heart.

"Any way, there's something you should know. You should know, too, Paul." She licked her lips and bit them before continuing.

"I'm pregnant."

Paul turned white. "What?"

"Fifteen minute. Uber say fifteen minute." Summer had pushed her way past Allysin to stand near Xavier's bed again. She tossed Paul's phone to him.

"What?" Paul repeated. He pushed his hand through his hair. "This is the first I'm hearing of this."

"Well, now you are. So deal with it. You love me, right? I make you happy, right? When's the last time that cow Peggy gave you a blow job without you having to beg?"

"We should talk, Ally. Maybe in the hallway?" Paul held the door open for her.

"Of course, dear." Allysin swept her coat around her, regally. Then, chin held high, she walked out to join Paul.

Xavier and Summer were alone together. "You don't have to stay here, Summer. This could get ugly. Uglier."

"I don't miss this for world," she said, a sly smile on her face. She put her hand on Xavier's shoulder, then laid her head on his bed. The room was quiet except for the mechanical breathing of one of his machines. The time passed slowly and still Allysin and Paul were in the hallway.

Xavier and Summer heard before they saw Peggy charging down the hallway. She was like a locomotive without a cowcatcher, heedless of the damage she might cause. Her voice could be heard everywhere on the floor, demanding to know where her asshole husband was. The nurses tried to get her to be quiet, but made sure to direct her to the waiting area where Paul was trying to fit together the pieces of his rapidly deteriorating life.

"How did Peggy know to come here?" Xavier said.

Summer had a demure smile on her face. "I pushed button to talk. Maybe I push wife Peggy buttone by mistake, not Uber."

The arguing had become louder and more acrimonious. Xavier couldn't hear everything that was being said, but it sounded like Allysin had caught both Peggy and Paul off balance. It sounded like Paul's commitment to his afternoon fuck buddy was not as rock solid as Allysin had assumed. He tried not to smile.

Summer turned her face up to his. He kissed her quickly, and she giggled. Then she turned serious. "You think Allysin baby your baby?"

"I don't know. She doesn't think so."

"Your wife mighty tricky. But your baby?"

"I hope it is my baby, Summer."

Summer's face fell. Her obsidian eyes welled with tears. He used his thumb to brush away a tear from her cheek.

"I hope it is my baby, Summer, so you and I can raise it together."

Summer burst into a smile and started to lavish his face with kisses. "We don't need that bastard, Mister. I give you baby. I give you lots of babies, you want."

"I want, Summer. I want."

She kissed him again. "Let me see if nurses will give us another hour, okay, Mister?"