Chapter Four: Unmistakable Situations
Justin sighed, What the fuck is going on now! He glanced at the young woman then headed toward the bathroom.
While he was gone, Celeste took the time to survey her surroundings. The apartment was relatively small in size and the room was dim in lightening despite the light bulb that hung from the ceiling. Obviously, the man wasn’t very well off from the looks of how he lived, but this couch is very nice, Celeste thoughtfully added as she stroked the leather exterior. No psychotic killer has a nice couch. Despite the comfort of the couch, she still didn’t know the man.
A faint bark sounded from a distant. Celeste recognized that it belonged to Jinx and it was coming from outside of the apartment. She stood from the couch on shaky legs and managed to get a few feet closer to the open door, but had to pause and regain her balance by support from the wall. I’m trying Jinx!
When she reached the thresholds, she was able to look down and see Jinx at the bottom of the stairs struggling to get pass the first step. Celeste knew she wouldn’t be able to make it down the stairs in her condition alone, but who would help her. Nevertheless, she slowly moved from the door to the railing. Jinx’s barks became more insistent at the sight and scent of her.
“Thank god for only five steps.” Celeste carefully kneeled down until she was safely on the steps, where Jinx immediately jumped into her embrace. He licked her face happily.
Meanwhile...
Justin quickly dumped the towel into the bucket of cool water and returned to his kneeling position on the floor beside the toddler.
“She’s still cold.” Kyle patted her forehead and cheeks with the damp rag.
“Does fainting run in the family or something I mean damn?” Justin said for no particular reason at all.
Kyle looked down at him and rolled his eyes, “This is much more serious Jus’.”
Tatiyana started coughing severely and began crying because of the pain in her chest.
“Yo’ man her mother...you forgot about her mother.” Kyle reminded him.
“Shit...um you take care of her and I’ll find some medicine and check on her mother.” He quickly stood to his feet and approached the living room. What he witnessed almost knocked the breath right out of him. She was gone! What the hell!
Justin looked around the apartment to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him...
“Okay Jinx...where’s Tati?” Jinx sniffed her clothes at her question and started climbing for the stairs again. Up? Celeste realized that was the only place she could be, considering the man wouldn’t have drugged her and left a toddler alone. But, first she needed to find a way to get rid of the man and escape without him knowing.
Kyle looked up as Justin reentered the room with two pills in his hand, he appeared to be very tense at the moment, “What are you doing with child aspirin?”
“I couldn’t afford regular aspirin it all works the same anyway. But...um I don’t know where the girl is.” Justin fidgeted as Kyle’s eyes widened with surprise.
“What do you mean you don’t know where she is?”
“She was on the couch gasping for breath before I came in here and now she’s gone.” Justin explained.
Kyle held a cup of lukewarm water to the toddler’s lips and waited for her to take it. When she did he laid her down on the bed and covered her in a warm blanket.
Justin watched him curiously, “You got kids I don’t know about or something? You look like a natural.” He joked.
Kyle chuckled, “No the same thing happened to my little bro once because he got really scared and just fainted, but he ain’t get no chill or anything. All I remember is my mother giving him cool water, Tylenol and lying him down on the bed.”
“Well let’s go find that woman.” He looked back at the toddler one last time before following Justin out the door.
When they reached the living room Justin noticed the door was open; he hadn’t noticed it before. “Kyle the door is open so she must’ve left. But she couldn’t have gotten that far with the blow to the head she took.”
Immediately after that statement, the barking of a dark sounded. Justin recognized it to be the small dog that accompanied the young woman and child. At this realization him and Kyle quickly dashed through the door. Running too quickly, they failed to see the woman approaching them, therefore when Justin finally caught sight of her it was too late. He had tripped over Kyle, lost his footing and crashed directly into her.
Scared for her life, Celeste tried to move out of harms way as the man launched at her. She had been mistaken the man was definitely insane. She successfully escaped becoming lunged into the ground, but she too lost her footing and fell onto Justin, who broke her fall to the ground.
Unfortunately, there was no one to break Justin’s fall as he crashed into the ground with the woman landing on top of him. He screamed in agony, “Aww Shit!”
Celeste winced at his clear state of pain. She tried to maneuver her way off him, but she seemed to cause him more pain as his cries increased.
Kyle watched in obvious surprise as his friend as the young woman lay sprawled at the bottom of the step. He quickly ran to the bottom of the steps. “Yo’ Justin you alright man?”
“No.” Justin groaned in response. “But I think I know where the woman is.” He tried to laugh, but that resulted in pain to his midsection.
Justin? Celeste wondered taking a mental note of his name. She slowly turned over to her side so she could remove her elbow from his chest and get a clearer picture of his face than what she saw previously. This time she was able to look past the bruises and examine other features of him. He was tall and broad, lean but masculine, which she could tell from the pressure of his figure tight against her. He had olive skin, bright blue eyes, full lips and brown curls atop his head.
“Thank you.” Justin whispered through clenched teeth as he felt the relief of her no longer crushing his pelvis. He then lifted to peck her forehead damn with perspiration. He didn’t know why he just did that, but it was already done and he couldn’t change it.
Celeste smiled weakly at the stranger, who she believed no longer possessed a threat to her, not to mention his lips were soft too. She couldn’t help thinking that last part. “No I should be thanking you for breaking my fall. Two falls to the ground less than thirty minutes apart would not have been nice.”
“It’s nice that you feel that way, but I’m starting to lose my breath because you’re crushing my ribcage.” He breathed heavily.
“Oh...I’m sorry.” She tried to lift herself from him, but it proved to be impossible because she too was still very weak.
Taking note of her weakness, Kyle offered his help by carefully lifting her into his arms, “Now Justin you’re going to have do by yourself because you are to damn heavy to be carrying.” He joked.
Justin rolled his eyes and used the support of the stairs to turn himself over and stand to his feet. “No, no thank you Kyle I’m okay.” He said sarcastically.
Celeste squirmed trying to release herself from the man’s arms. “I’m fine now thank you.” She steadied herself on the stairs as she bent to pick up Jinx, who in return licked at her face.
“Well I’m gonna go check on shorty. If you need any help Justin will be able to carry you. He’s used to taking hard hits.” Kyle laughed as her jogged up the stairs back into the apartment.
“Hey I never take hard hits punk!” Justin yelled after him then placed his hand on her side to help her up the stairs.
“Who’s shorty?” Celeste asked curiously.
“Oh...your daughter. Kyle-“ He was interrupted by the woman.
“She’s not my daughter. I don’t have one. That’s my little sister.” Celeste explained.
“Oh sorry I just assumed because she was yelling “mommy” and I thought she was referring to you.”
Celeste’s eyes watered at the memory of her mother’s fading screams of fear. She just hoped her mother was safe. Frank never seemed to have a problem with her mother, he had a problem with her.
“Hey you okay? Your sister is safe upstairs sleeping. If you’re still in pain we should get you lying down.” He quickened his steps as he just about carried her upstairs.
When they reached the apartment, he led her to the room where her sister lay. Celeste rushed to her sister’s side as fast as she could manage.
“Tati you okay. Oh my goodness you’re freezing.” She looked towards Justin and his friend for answers.
“She got really scared and started crying really hard. Next thing I know she’s freezing like ice. So I gave her some medicine, wrapped her in a warm heated blanket and put her in the bed. She a little warmer than before though.” Kyle answered her question as best as he could.
Celeste nodded as she accepted a fresh warm rag from Justin and placed it over her sister’s head. “Do you have a sweater or something I can wear I’m getting cold?”
“Yes to your right there’s a blue one.” Justin pointed.
“Thanks.” Celeste unbuttoned her torn blouse and pulled the blue sweater over her head.
“So...do you have anywhere to stay?” Justin asked the question that had been rolling around in his mind.
Celeste shook her head, “No I don’t.”
“Why? What were you running from?” It had to be something horrifying if she was so frightened because of it.
“Home.” She said simply.
Justin decided not to push her any farther as he witnessed her teary eyes. He lifted the blanket so she could slide under. “You can stay here.” He never offered his personal space to anyone before, in fact he hated having company at all, but this woman seemed different than most people he encountered.
“Well good night um...” He didn’t know her name.
“Celeste.” She finished.
Nice name. Justin thought. “Good night Celeste.” He liked the way it rolled off his tongue. “I’m...”
“Justin. Sorry I was listening.” She laughed guiltily.
Justin laughed too, “Come on Kyle.”
“Night Celeste.” He said before leaving.
“Justin?” Celeste called him before he reached the door. “Did you know you were bleeding?”
“Oh yeah I just came from...uh oh yeah I did. So are you. Now we look like twins.” Justin joked. Then he left the room. He didn’t want her to know of the life he led just yet.