Back on Solid Ground Read Online Free Page B

pathetic.
    “Hey, isn’t
that your job?” Eli said, elbowing his brother in the side.
    “She’s
something else, isn’t she?” Niki said, shaking his head.
    “That’s one
way to put it,” Eli agreed.
    The aroma of
freshly brewed coffee met them at the door, and the group settled in the
kitchen when they came inside. 
    “Would you
like a cup of coffee, Miss Trent?” Carlos asked her. 
    “No,” Stacy
said.  Jason was still holding her, because he hadn’t decided where to put
her.  Stacy squirmed in his arms.  “Put me down!” she said indignantly.  Jason
set her down and Stacy held on to the table to get her balance.  “Someone take
me back to my room,” she said flatly.
    “Can you walk
on your own?” Niki asked.
    Stacy gave
Niki a dirty look.  “Yes, I can walk on my own.”   She took a step and grabbed
her side involuntarily with the pain, and Niki took hold of her arm trying to
help her.  “Get your hands off  me!” she said, jerking her arm away from him. 
She inched her way across the kitchen and out into a corridor leading to a
large living area. 
    Niki walked
beside her, wanting badly to pick her up and carry her.  She’s as stubborn
as they come , he thought.  At last they came to the foyer where her
unsuccessful escape attempt had begun. Stacy looked up at the monstrous
staircase and she snapped.  It was just too much.  She couldn’t drag her body
up those stairs if her life depended on it.  Stacy collapsed on the bottom step
and broke down in tears. 
    Niki was
horrified.  He sat down beside her and tentatively put his arm around her. 
When she didn’t slug him or pull away, he patted her on the back and tried to
soothe her. “You’ll be okay,” he said.   But the floodgates were open and Stacy
couldn’t stop. He sat helplessly while she cried, and when she finally let up, Niki
picked her up without protest, carried her up to her suite, and placed her in a
comfortable chair overlooking the ocean. 
    “I’ll run a
bath for you,” he said, and he disappeared into the bathroom.  He returned with
a fluffy white robe and laid it on the bed.  “There are a few clothes in the
closet,” Niki said.
    Stacy nodded
her head without speaking.
    “When you’re
done, I want Carlos to look at that,” he said, pointing to her side. 
    “Okay,” she said
quietly.
    “I’ll leave
you alone,” he said, hesitating to leave.  “If you need anything, you can call
us on the intercom.  Or if you feel strong enough, you’re welcome to move
freely through the house.  You don’t have to feel like you’re banished to this
room,” he said, trying to elicit a smile. 
    “Okay,” she
said without looking at him.
    “Okay, then .
. . Well, I’ll leave now, and we’ll check back on you,” Niki said.
    “Fine.”
    He left the
room, but waited outside until he heard the bathroom door close, then rejoined
his friends in the kitchen.

Chapter 3
    Stacy slipped
into the warm bath, and submerged herself up to her neck.  The water was
soothing, and she closed her eyes, relaxing.  Mentally, she felt better
instantly.  It was amazing what a good cry and a hot bath could do for the
soul.  Physically, she was extremely tired, but no doubt the sleeping pills had
something to do with that.  She never took drugs, and on the few occasions when
she had taken something to help her sleep, she felt lethargic for days.  She
removed the bandage and assessed the damage inflicted by the bullet.  The skin
around the wound was an angry reddish purple, and it felt hot to the touch.  It
would leave a nasty scar.
    Stacy lounged
in the bath for an hour, adding more hot water as it cooled. She scrubbed
herself hard with a soapy washcloth and washed her hair twice.  When she
finished, the bathroom smelled like gardenias.  She found an Oral-B toothbrush
new in the box and a tube of Crest and she brushed her teeth.  The amenities
provided definitely had a feminine touch, and Stacy wondered who