Fighting For Valor by Patricia D. Eddy

Author:Patricia D. Eddy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PageCurl Publishing

Stained ceilings, threadbare carpet, and peeling paint decorate the halls, along with the vague scent of popcorn. I carry her up the two flights of stairs—though she protests half the way—and set her down outside one of only two units on the third floor. She digs in her satchel for her keys, but before she can manage the lock, they slip from her hand, and I catch them in mid-air.

“Shit. You’re…fast.” Her voice is getting a little thready, and I’m starting to worry about her remaining upright for much longer.

“Stay behind me.” The lock wouldn’t keep out a ten-year-old, and I shake my head at the state of this building. As I make my way through her small apartment, checking her closet, shower, and behind the drapes and couch, I can see the care she takes to make the place a home. Candles in every room, all fruity scents—like her hair—and not a thing out of place. Even her bed’s made so you could probably bounce a quarter on it.

I find her in the middle of her living room, fiddling with the blue pendant around her neck.

“All clear. As perfect as everything is, it’d be obvious if anyone had broken in.”

“Are you calling me a neat freak?” she asks with a weak laugh.

“Maybe. Not saying it’s a bad thing.” What the fuck are we supposed to do now? She’s obviously afraid, and despite the last six years of my life, I haven’t forgotten all of my training. I don’t want to leave her alone, but I barely know the woman.

Her phone rings again, and she looks up at me with wide, terrified eyes as she retrieves it from the pocket of her skirt.

“I’ll just…” I begin, but she motions for me to stay.

“Hello?”

Whatever the person on the other end of the line says to her must be exactly what she needed to hear. “Oh, thank God. You’re sure?” After a moment, she dashes away a tear and continues. “Okay. I’ll wait to hear from you,” she says and then snaps the phone shut.

“Everything all right?”

Her smile, though barely there, brings a hint of light to her eyes, and she nods. “Yes. I…shouldn’t have panicked back there.” She takes one uneven step towards the kitchen, then winces.

“Sit down. Let me check out your ankle and take care of that cut on your knee, okay? After that…I’ll go.”

Lips pursed like she’s not sure she should let me do anything else for her, she holds my gaze for a second, then limps over to the couch. “First aid kit’s under the bathroom sink.”

By the time I return with a washcloth soaked in warm water and the small metal kit, her eyes are closed, her head resting on the back of the sofa.

“You still with me?”

She lifts her head and then rubs her eyes. “Sorry. This time of night…I get kind of spacey.”

The cut isn’t bad, just dirty, and once it’s bandaged, I ease her shoe and sock off. “You should have kept this wrapped another couple of days,” I say as I probe the swollen flesh.

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