Her eyes focused on mine as I tried to bring her back to reality. My hand cupped her face and wiped away a tear that escaped her eye.
“Relax, Raya, breathe. Remember that you’re safe with me.”
After several minutes, her breathing slowed to a normal pace and the trembling stopped. She looked away from me, staring out at the city lights. I grabbed her hand in mine as I joined her star gazing and sat in silence until she drifted away into a calm slumber.
As I make some scrambled eggs and bacon, the buzzer to my front door beeps.
I walk over to the intercom and push the button, “Who is it?”
Melanie responds, “It’s me, let me up.”
I buzz her in and a few seconds later, she enters the apartment. I nod my head toward her as I continue making breakfast. She strolls into the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, and grabs the orange juice container. Opening a cupboard, she takes a glass and pours some fresh juice for herself.
She sits at the table while I cook, “How is she?”
I shrug my shoulders, “Not any different. Her nightmares continue and she still hasn’t said a word to me.”
“Do you think I should talk to her?”
“Yeah, you can try. I know she needs time, but seeing her like this…it’s hard, you know?”
I finish up the eggs and scoop them onto a serving plate. Melanie hops out of her chair, strolls up to me, and wraps her arms around me.
“She’ll get through this. I believe that she’s strong enough, but I’m worried that she doesn’t believe in herself to get better.”
She takes the plate of eggs and bacon from my hand, “I’ll go bring her breakfast and talk to her. You look exhausted. Take a nap while I’m here.”
“Thanks, Melanie.”
She walks into Raya’s room and shuts the door. I think about leaning in and listening but decide against it, so I head back into the kitchen to clean up my mess and wash some dishes. Then I start a load of laundry, wipe down the coffee table, and run a quick sweep throughout the living room and foyer. Once everything is cleaned up, I finally make my way to the sofa and collapse onto it. Just as I’m about to drift into a quick nap, Raya’s door opens. I lift my head to see Melanie tip-toeing out of the room.
She walks toward me, picks up my legs off the sofa, and sits in their old spot, laying them on top of her.
“How did it go?”
“Her stitches look good and her ribs are healing nicely.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know. She didn’t talk much. I actually brought up a funny story that we shared in high school, hoping to make her laugh, but nothing. It’s like she didn’t even register that I was in the room with her.”
“Yeah, that’s how it’s been. I’m going to call the therapist and get her an appointment.”
“Okay. If you want, I can take her. I know you probably need to get back to work soon anyway.”
“Davis understands everything that’s going on, but I do need to get back. You don’t mind taking her?”
“Nope, I work the night shift, remember? I’m open during the day and I don’t need a lot of sleep to function.”
“Okay, great. I’ll call them tomorrow and see how fast they can see Raya. What do I tell them?”
“Just be honest with them,
Duke. They’ll know what to do with her. These things take time, remember that.”
Exiting the subway station, I crash into a crowd of people gathered outside. I maneuver through the mass, twisting and turning, slowly walking out of the horde. You’ve got to love New York streets; always littered with people, no matter what time of day. Turning east, I walk the three blocks to my apartment building. I enter and run up the flight of stairs until I reach the loft. As I enter, I see Melanie cuddled up on my sofa, watching television.
She smiles at me as I hang my coat on the coat rack, “Hey, how was work?”