Chapter Two
“Jesus Christ!” Frustration was lingering in Kate’s voice as she wiped the water off her shirt. “I mean, what the hell happened out there? One minute we were looking at the moon, and the next thing we knew, it was pouring rain on us! Is it supposed to rain like that in spring?”
Monica was not going to interrupt her friend’s rant. Her bluntness and her sense of humor were two of the many things that she loved about her, and, after the long day they had all had, this outburst was one of the few things that could give her a reason to smile.
“Yeah, darling,” she chuckled, seating herself on the couch. “We’re thirty-five hundred feet above sea level. I think it’s only natural.”
“A simple rain maybe,” Kate retorted, running her hand through her blonde hair. “This is a freaking storm we’re talking about here. How in the world are we going to drive back to New York in this weather?”
At that, Monica’s smile was wiped off her face. Kate had a point. New York City was more than two hours away. The slippery roads were not what worried her the most. It was their narrowness that sent shivers up her spine, and any potential landslides that her friends could get caught in. The big rocks on either side of the road could crush either of their cars as if they were made out of tinfoil.
“You’re not,” Monica spoke, her voice firm as she fixed her gaze on Kate. “You’re staying right here. You sleep in my bed. I’ll take the couch.”
“But I have yoga class tomorrow morning,” Julia stated, intensifying her stare on Monica. “I can’t miss it.”
“Red… seriously,” Kate cast a fierce glance over at Julia. “The roads are going to be flooded, not to mention the tight hairpins, and all you can think about is missing a yoga class; for real? I’m staying. Mon, I need to borrow a set of pajamas.”
“Just go get them,” Monica urged, winking at her as Julia let out a sigh of disappointment. “My suitcases are in my bedroom, right where we left them. Pajamas are in the green one.”
“Suck it up, Red,” Kate smirked, brushing past Julia as she sat down on the smaller couch across from Monica. “You’re all mine for tonight.”
“Very funny,” Julia groaned, narrowing her eyes at her. At that moment, a loud, banging noise at the front door grabbed their attention. Tension tightened the back of Monica’s neck, the rain lashing against the window of her living room and her porch as Kate glanced down at her. But Monica would not maintain eye contact with her. She settled her gaze on the door, feeling the adrenaline rising in her chest. In a split second, her front door was rocked by a subsequent, louder thump, forcing her to jump from her seat. Monica bid her time, skeptical as to how she should handle this, hesitating to take another step. However, the banging ceased, bringing a sense of relief to her friends. Still, she would not let this go uninvestigated. The two noises soundedand mainly felt–deliberate. Whoever hit her front door did so for a reason. Without much thought, Monica started down the hall that led to the front of her house.
“Girl, what the hell are you doing?” Kate wondered in a voice filled with tension as she followed her friend. “Aren’t you scared?”
“Burglars don’t knock, Kate,” Monica muttered, her pulse rising by the second as her confident footsteps brought her closer and closer to her destination. Sucking in a deep breath, she reached down and wrapped her fingers around the doorknob. The sight on the porch that greeted her sent shockwaves down her spine as she swung the door open. A very big man was lying right at her front door, face down and naked as water, mixed with blood, dripped down his massive back. Immediately, Monica released the doorknob, lifting both hands to cover her mouth. In her amazement, she discovered the source of the bleeding: four deep lacerations, parallel to one another, just below his hairline.
“Holy God…” Kate whispered, stopping behind her friend. “What happened to him?”
“No time for that.” Monica spoke too fast, whirling her head to the right. “Jules, put a sheet on the bigger couch, please. Then, come over here, will you?”
“A sheet?” Julia squinted at her. “Wh…”
“Please!” Monica interrupted, her voice flooded with fear. “Just do it!”
“You’re not going to treat him right here, are you?” Kate asked, surprise written all over her face. “I mean, shouldn’t we call 9-1-1?”
“Look at him, Kate,” Monica pointed down at the stranger, her chest heaving. “He may be dead by the time they get here.”
“All right,” Julia said, jogging toward them. “The couch is ready. Whoa!” She opened her eyes wide in disbelief as she noticed the man, lying on the ground.
“Jules, grab his arm,” Monica urged while stepping over him. “Kate, you grab the other. Flip him over.”
Julia and Kate bent down as her friend moved around him. Grabbing him by the shoulders, they tried to oblige.
“Damn!” Kate said on an exhale, her knuckles white from gripping his skin, “This guy weighs a ton!”
“Three, two, one… push,” Monica commanded. Kate’s grip instantly became tighter again, and this time, she and Julia were able to flip him over. Monica’s heart sank as her suspicions were confirmed. The man on her doorstep could not have passed out as a result of a few scratches, regardless of their depth. He was simply too big and seemed way too strong. His muscles were huge; Monica could see the heavily defined ridges of his abs, his cut pecs, and his bulging biceps even in the dim light. The damage on his torso was much greater than his back. There were many more, even deeper scratches, low on his stomach, his chest, and his forearms. He also had a deep bite mark on his left shoulder. Furthermore, his left cheekbone was badly bruised, and he had blood on the edge of his mouth.
“Guys, I’m sorry, but we need to take him inside,” Monica sighed, lifting her gaze up to meet Julia’s.
“No countdown this time,” Kate spoke her mind. “Grab his legs.”
Monica bent down and did as told. Gritting her teeth, she flexed her muscles and lifted up with all her might, holding her breath as Kate and Julia did the same. Slowly, her friends started to carry him inside. Monica stepped into her living room and kicked the door shut behind her, staring down at the unfortunate man’s wounds. Upon reaching her couch, Julia and Kate waited long enough for her to move around before they gently eased him down on it. The stranger was so tall that Monica had to set his feet down on the armrest. She sprinted across the living room and turned left down the corridor that led to her bathroom. Grabbing her first aid kit and a white towel, she strode out and joined her friends once more.
“All right,” Monica sighed, dropping to her knees beside him. “Kate, cover his genitals with this, will you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Kate gave a wicked smile. “Have either of you seen the elephant in the room?”
“I’m a little too busy to respond to sexual innuendos, darling,” Monica spoke, a hint of annoyance in her voice as she checked for a pulse in his neck. It was rather faint and slow, especially for a man his size.
“I’m not talking about his penis, Dr. Stiff,” Kate rejected that notion. “It’s his body. It’s perfect in every way. Abs, pecs, huge back, strong legs, and that face looks pretty, even with that nasty bruise on it. Where did this guy come from, Planet Gorgeous?”
Monica chose to disregard Kate’s comment as she reached up to open his eyelid. The sky-blue color of his eyes sent chills rippling across her chin. Still, the young brunette could not afford to stare at him. Pressing the tiny button on her flashlight, she watched as his pupil contracted.
“Good,” she said, her voice calm, “no concussion. I need to sterilize his wounds and stop the bleeding before I stitch him up. Kate, I need a bowl of water to clean him up, too.”
“I’m on it,” Kate said. Monica had some time to scan his body. The stranger had clearly lost a lot of blood. He was pale, but none of his wounds could justify such quick blood loss. Apparently, whatever had happened to him had taken place long before he knocked on her door. It was getting clearer to her that he had fought with a wild animal. No human could have possibly done that to a huge man like him. Nevertheless, something puzzled Monica, something she could not explain: his nudity. Where had all his clothes gone? Had a bear or a wolf caught him napping, naked in the middle of nowhere? No. That was too farfetched.
“Julia, thanks a lot for all your help,” she told her friend. “You can go to my bedroom if you want. Stitching people up can be–”
“Gruesome,” Julia finished her sentence. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Monica gave her an appreciative nod before taking bandages, sterile tweezers, and gauzes out of her first aid kit. As she began to clean up the stranger’s wound on the left side of his abdomen, she noticed tiny particles of dirt deep within the lacerations. No surprises there. He had battled against a predator. If anything, Monica expected to find that.
“Water’s ready,” Kate announced, carrying a blue bowl as she returned to the living room. “Will you call 9-1-1 later?”
“There’s no need for that,” Monica claimed, tossing bloody gauze on the small table on her right. “I’ll only call if he deteriorates.”
“Aren’t you just a little bit scared?” Kate inquired.
“I’m scared of him dying in my living room,” Monica attempted a commanding tone, glaring up at her. “Please, put some pressure on that chest wound.”
With Kate’s help, Monica was soon able to stop the bleeding. Her friend’s words about calling an ambulance were still lingering in her mind, but in her opinion, she had done the right thing. She was a doctor. She would not dismiss anyone in such dire need of her assistance. Monica feared that he would bleed to death on his way to the hospital, and she would have to carry this heavy burden for the rest of her life. She would spend her every waking moment wondering if he would still be alive had she not decided to treat him herself.
Later in the night, Kate excused herself and left her friend alone with him. Once again, Monica checked his pulse. It was stronger; somewhat quicker. Relief flashed through her eyes; she had saved his life. The odds of him deteriorating were slim. The thought of waking him up crossed her mind. She was curious to know what had happened to him. However, she quickly rejected it. Administering a powerful drug could have side effects, like an allergic reaction to it. Monica would not jeopardize his life just to satisfy her curiosity. Finding out more about his encounter with an apex predator could wait until the morning. Right now, they both needed some rest.