Chapter Four
“Would you like something to eat now?” Eric knelt beside his bed and spoke to Caitlin softly.
“Yes. That would be nice.”
“I need to give you this shot. I hope you aren’t afraid of needles,” he joked. He started to prepare the injection.
“Eric, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why do you wear a mask over one side of your face?” He sat on the side of the bed, holding the needle.
“I’ll tell you in a second. First, you need this. It will just be a pinch and then it’ll be all over.” Caitlin tried hard to lie still as Eric lifted her sweater and swabbed her abdomen with alcohol. She winced when he pricked her with the needle.
“There. All over. You did very well. Now, to answer your question, I wear the mask because I was burned in a fire.”
“Where? What happened to you?”
“I was sleeping in my dorm in college when the fire broke out.” He sighed. “I’ll get you some soup. Keep talking. I can still hear you in the kitchen.” For some odd reason, Eric did not feel the least bit uncomfortable telling Caitlin his story. There was something genuinely different about her.
“Were you alone?”
“No. I had my fiancée sleeping in my arms. She woke me up. By that time, my room was filling with smoke. We tried to crawl to the fire exit, but a beam fell down on the floor. It separated us. I tried to reach her, but then there was an explosion. I woke up in the hospital with one side of my face bandaged up.” Eric stopped his tale long enough to bring Caitlin the soup on a tray.
“Can you sit up for me, honey?”
“I think so.” Eric slid his arm behind her head and helped her to sit up on the pillows.
“It’s chicken noodle. I hope you like it.” Caitlin gave him a gentle smile.
“I’m sure that you will.” Eric held the spoon to her lips.
“It’s very good. Oh, you never finished your story.”
“My fiancée was killed in the fire.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“You remind me of her. She was an African-American girl with pretty long hair and beautiful black eyes. She was the sweetest and kindest girl I have ever known.”
“You must really miss her.”
“I miss her every single day. I never stopped loving her.”
“What was her name?”
“Jayla.”
“That’s a lovely name.”
“Yes. It was the perfect name for such a beautiful and graceful woman.” Caitlin finished her soup in silence.
“Um, Eric, would you mind if I saw your whole face?”
“Are you sure that you want to?”
“I’m sure.” Eric took the dishes back to the kitchen. When he returned, he said,
“I hope that this doesn’t scare you terribly.” He reached up and removed his mask. He waited for Caitlin’s reaction.
“Oh Eric, I’m so sorry that this happened to you.” Caitlin reached up and touched the scars. Eric took her hand and kissed her fingers. He looked into her eyes.
“Nobody has ever done that before. These don’t frighten you?”
“No. Not at all. I have a feeling that I’ve dealt with the unpleasant things in life.” Eric smiled.
“You are the first person that I’ve met since the accident to ever look at me this way. You make me feel human again.”
“Who says you’re not human?” Eric sighed.
“The entire world. The reason that I live out here is to stay away from people who think that I’m a monster.”
“You are not a monster. You’re just as human as anybody else.”
“It’s your opinion against the rest of the world.” Eric laid Caitlin’s hand at her side. “I have to get you to the hospital tonight. The only problem with that is that I can’t be seen in public.” Caitlin’s heart lurched.
“What do you mean? Is someone after you?”
“A bunch of people are chasing me.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble? Are you on the run or something?” Eric’s face suddenly contorted with anger.
“You ask too many questions! Do you know what happens to girls who know too much?” Caitlin’s hands clutched the quilt that covered her trembling body.”
“No,” she squeaked.
“Bad things, very bad things.” Eric reached for her.
“Oh please, don’t hurt me! I didn’t mean to upset you! No! No!” Eric grabbed the side of her neck. He put pressure on her carotid artery, which made the blood stop flowing to her brain. She collapsed in his arms.
Almost immediately after knocking Caitlin out, Eric began to feel pangs of guilt. She hadn’t done anything but show him kindness. She was on the run from the nut that left her in the nearby forest to die. He laid her back in the bed and took her hand.
“Please forgive me. I never meant to hurt you.” He hung his head between his shoulders and cried.
* * * * * *
Joshua slumped down on his sofa with his rosary intertwined around his fingers. He wanted a drink terribly, but he needed his head clear for this situation. His girlfriend, his beautiful and fragile lady was out there somewhere, missing. He had no idea if she was alive or dead. His heart ached, and his stomach turned. Where was she? What was she going through right now?
“BRING! BRING!” Josh snatched up the phone at once.
“Caiti?”
“No brother, it’s Rick, her other half. What happened?”
“I just succeeded in getting myself kicked off of your sister’s case. If my lieutenant finds out that I’m doing something on my own time to solve the case, I will be suspended indefinitely. Happy?”
“Oh man, I’m really sorry.” Rick was silent for a moment.
“Listen Josh, I still think that I can do something to help wrap up the case. I’m not a police officer, so I can’t be fired from anything.”
“Rick, I can’t ask you to get involved in this mess.”
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.”
“I don’t know.”
“Listen brother, Caitlin is my twin sister. I love her to death. We have a special connection that’s unique to identical twins, not fraternal. We’re special. When she hurts, I hurt. I am going to do whatever it takes to find her.”
“I applaud your ambition Rick, but at this stage of the game, we are literally at square one. All we know is that Caitlin is missing. They have a witness that saw Caitlin in the pharmacy last night, and some creep was following her.”
“That’s it? That’s all that the cops have?”
“Look, my hands are tied here! What do you want from me? I can’t handle this case, Rick! My job is on the line.”
“Have you been in touch with your boss?”
“A little bit.”
“Is he letting you know what’s going on?”
“Yeah, I guess he will. He understands how much Caitlin means to me. God, I just can’t stop wondering where she is, or what’s happening to her.”
“Well, they’d better…” Rick stopped talking all of a sudden. His throat constricted. He couldn’t breathe! He was choking on his own saliva.
“Rick! Are you okay? Answer me!” All of a sudden, Joshua’s instinct as a cop started going into overdrive. The same person who’d hurt Caitlin might be going after her brother.
“Rick!” Joshua didn’t think twice. He yelled into the receiver,
“Hang in there brother! I’m on my way!” He hung up and grabbed his gun. After strapping it to his shoulder, he was out the door and driving like a demon possessed towards Rick’s apartment. He had no idea what he would find once he got there.