Long, Lonely Nights (26 page)

Jenna brought her something to drink and another pain pill.

“You’re supposed to take this and the antibiotic every four hours for the first twenty-four hours.”

She sat with her until Tina fell asleep. When she woke up again, it was dark. Fear rushed over her. It felt too much like before. She managed to sit, and then stand up. It took her awhile to negotiate the stairs without pulling on her stitches. When she entered the kitchen, she found Jenna sitting at the kitchen bar crying.

“What is it, Jenna?”

“I’m sorry. You’ve already been through so much, and now I’m sitting here crying. You’re supposed to be upstairs in bed recovering.”

“It’s just a scratch,” Tina said.

“It took ten stitches to close it up. It could have been more serious,” Jenna said.

“But it wasn’t. Now what’s wrong?” she asked again.

“Todd has been calling me non-stop since six o’clock. I told him to leave me alone, but he keeps calling. I’m going to get my number changed tomorrow, but I’m scared he will find me tonight. He will figure out I’m over here, and I don’t want him near you. I need to move my car.”

“You’re not going anywhere alone,” Tina said.

“I can’t leave you alone either. I don’t know what to do.” Tears slid down her face.

“I’ll go with you to hide the car. We can take a taxi back.”

“You can’t be out yet. You aren’t even healing yet.”

“I’ll call Logan to come and hide your car. He’ll do it.” Tina didn’t want to have to call him, but she didn’t know what else to do.

“Don’t do that. I don’t want them involved in my problems,” she cried.

“I’m calling him.” Tina got her cell phone from her purse and eased down into a chair in the living room.

She dialed Logan’s number. It ran several times, and she was about to hang up when he answered.

“Hello?”

It didn’t sound like him.

“Logan?”

“No, this is Riley. Logan’s in the shower. Is this Tina? Are you okay?”

“Oh, good. I mean, never mind. Can you come over and move Jenna’s car somewhere?” she asked.

“What’s going on?” he asked

“She’s got a restraining order against this guy, but he’s been calling her. She’s afraid he will figure out where she is and come looking for her.”

“Has he hurt her?”

“She’s fine,” Tina said.

“Has he hurt her?” he asked a little firmer.

“She has some bruises on her arms is all.”

“I’ll be over in a minute. Don’t open the door to anyone but me.” He hung up.

Ten minutes later, both Logan and Riley showed up at her door. Jenna let them in. Riley took her arm and rolled up her sleeve. The bruises were a multicolor rainbow now. Tina could tell he was angry, but he was very careful with Jenna

“Why didn’t you say anything at the hospital?” he demanded.

“I didn’t think about it then. I was so worried about Tina.”

“Will he come here?” Logan asked.

“I don’t know.” She wrung her hands. “I’ll go back home, then he won’t come here.”

“No!” all three of them said.

“You’ll stay here where we can protect you both.”

“If you’ll just move my car, he won’t know where I am.”

Logan looked over at Tina. He seemed to be searching for something in her eyes. She didn’t know what. She dropped her eyes and looked over at Jenna.

“I’ll go take her car and hide it. Morgan can go in my truck and bring me back here. I’ll need your keys.”

Riley walked over and picked up Jenna’s purse and handed it to her. She pulled out her keys with shaky hands and handed them to Riley. He threw them to Logan.

“I’ll be here with them till you get back,” Riley said.

Logan looked over at Tina. “You need to be in bed. I’ll carry her up, and then leave.”

“I’ll do it for you,” Riley offered.

“No! I’ll do it,” he said in a calmer voice.

Riley shrugged. “Doesn’t she have some pain medicine she can take?”

Jenna nodded and stood up to go get it. Riley followed her into the kitchen.

“I can climb the stairs without your help.”

“Nope. You’re not going to do it. You’ll pull out your stitches. I know. I’ve had them before.”

“I’m not ready to go to bed yet,” she said.

“Too bad. You are. Jenna will stay upstairs with you, so I’ll know you will stay in bed. You’ll both be safe with Riley watching over you.”

“I’m sorry I’m causing so much trouble,” Jenna said when she returned with a glass of water and the pills.

“You’re not causing trouble. That asshole Todd is. What in the hell did you see in him?” Riley growled.

“He was nice at first.”

“I thought he was nice, too,” Tina added.

Logan picked her up and started up the stairs with her.

“I don’t know why he started acting all crazy. I think it is just me. I bring out the worst in men.”

Logan lowered Tina gently onto the bed and pulled the sheets over her.

“Now, stay here. I’ll check in on you when I get back. Riley?” he nodded his head towards the door.

Jenna sat on the edge of the bed next to Tina. Riley came back in the room and sat in the chair next to the door. Tina could tell he was upset about something. Was it that she had dragged them into something else or was he upset about something Logan had said? It bothered her.

“Jenna, how long has he been bothering you?” Riley asked.

“About five or six weeks. I just got the restraining order on him though. They served it today. That’s why he’s so upset right now. He’ll calm down in a day or two and leave me alone.” She fidgeted. “If I had known this would happen when Tina was hurt, I would have waited longer to get it done.”

“You waited too long as it is, woman. You should have had it done the first time he hurt you. You should have told us as soon as it happened,” he said in a gruff voice.

“I didn’t know you then.”

“You’ve known us for four weeks.”

“Fine, next time I will.”

“There won’t be a next time. You’re not dating bastards like him anymore.”

Jenna’s mouth fell open. “You can’t tell me who I can and can’t date.”

“Jenna, leave it alone, honey,” Tina could tell Riley was serious.

“He can’t order me around.”

“I know, but let’s worry about it later, okay?” Tina said.

“I’m sorry. I’ll go downstairs so you can rest.” She got up to leave.

Riley stood up in front of the door. “No, you’re staying up here where I can watch both of you.”

Tina reached for the glass of water, but Jenna beat her to it. Once she took a sip she let Jenna take it back.

“Why don’t you take a nap? I’ll be right here if you need me,” Jenna said.

Tina was afraid to leave them alone in the same room even if all she was going to do was close her eyes for a while. They weren’t getting along very well. She didn’t understand it since they had been all buddy, buddy at the BBQ the other week.

She must have drifted off because when she opened her eyes again, Logan was sitting in the chair Riley had been sitting in earlier.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Jenna?” she asked. “Is she okay?” Tina tried sitting up too fast and groaned.

Logan was by her side in an instant “Don’t try to move. What do you need?”

“I want to know if Jenna is all right.”

“She’s fine. She’s downstairs with Riley,” Logan said.

“Has Todd shown up?”

“We think he pulled into the drive earlier, but saw me standing in the doorway and left. He hasn’t shown back up. I don’t think he will”

“Good. She will be safe here until all of this blows over.”

Logan sat back down on the chair. “How long has he been abusing her?”

“He hasn’t really. I mean. Well, she was abused by her ex-husband for nearly two years before she finally got away. He went to prison for nearly killing her. Then she started dating this other guy who seemed really nice. He found out we went to dinner some nights during the week and accused us of sleeping together. He hit her. She refused to see him anymore and that was that. Then Todd came along. He seemed so nice. I really liked him until he started pushing her around.” Tina sighed and then continued.

“She kicked him out, but he kept coming back and worrying her. Lately, it’s gotten out of hand. She finally filed a restraining order against him when he attacked her one night. She had gone out to get milk, and when she was getting in her car, he grabbed her and pulled her out of it. There is something about her that attracts guys like that. She’s going to give up dating I think.

“It’s not her fault,” Logan said with a sigh.

“I know that, but convincing her is next to impossible. She’s the ones with the bruises and broken bones.”

“Ah, hell,” Logan said.

“Look, he’ll back off in a couple of days and everything will be all right. He’s a coward at heart. He leaves whenever I’m around. I don’t want her alone though. She isn’t very strong.”

“And you are?”

“I mean emotionally. He’s a charmer and might talk her into letting him in to talk. I don’t want to take that chance. I want her to stay with me for a few days,” Tina said.

“She will. Riley will see to that.”

“What is it with them now? They were getting along fine, now he stays mad at her for some reason.”

“He’s not mad at her. He’s mad as hell at this Todd guy for hurting her.”

“He has her nervous around him.”

“Well don’t worry about it. He’ll take care of her.”

“Thanks.” She smiled shyly at him. “For everything.”

“There’s nothing to thank me for. You should never have gotten hurt in the first place.”

“You still saved me in the end. That’s all that matters.”

“Here.” He picked up the water and the pill bottle. “Drink this and take your pain pills. You need to rest.”

“I can sleep now without the pills. Thanks.” Tina laid back down and closed her eyes.

She tried to relax, but it was difficult with Logan in the same room. Finally, after what seemed like forever of pretending she was sleeping she did drift off.

* * * *

“So she thinks she is some kind of loser magnet, huh?” Riley said. They were sitting outside on the tailgate of Logan’s truck.

“Yeah,” Logan said.

“She has poor taste in men. I couldn’t get anything out of her other than one word answers. She just clams up on me,” Riley said.