Chapter 27- Reunion

My head was throbbing so hard I couldn't think straight. I sat in the floor of the women's restroom, back leaning against the wall.  Bits of broken tile spattered with my blood spread out across the floor. A policeman had his knee in Will's back, pinning him to the ground. As he cuffed him Will glowered at me, spitting blood onto the floor. He looked up at Tracy and called her a filthy name, to which she merely looked at another officer and said "See, that's what I've been dealing with." The officer nodded and jotted a few notes in a small spiral notebook. "She's crazy!" Will screamed as they lifted him to his feet. "They both are!" He looked at Tracy with burning hatred and said "After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me?" Tracy shook her head in pity. "I only hope he can get the help he needs." She said to the officer in mocked sadness. She glanced toward me and gave me a wink, sure that Will's aggressive behavior would support any story she wove.

Approaching me, she put her hand on my knee. "You okay?" She asked softly. "I really appreciate what you did today." I looked at her, skeptical that she was really back to her old self. "How much can you remember?" I asked, holding a wet paper towel full of ice to my swelling lip. Tracy smiled. "Everything. I remember everything. Whatever you gave me brought back every memory I had, including what Mr. Munn did to me." I looked at her quizzically, wiping some of the blood off my shirt. She lifted me to my feet and helped me limp out of the bathroom. Our co-workers surrounded the doorway, waiting anxiously for a glimpse of what happened. Several followed us mindlessly to my desk, where Tracy helped me into a chair.

"What happened in there?" Jeff asked anxiously. He studied the bruises and bumps on my face as though he'd never been exposed to real violence. I looked up at Tracy and did my best to relate the same story she gave the cop.

"I was filling up my water bottle when I heard a crash in the ladies room. I heard Tracy call for help and immediately rushed in." Tracy nodded and spoke up "Its really kind of embarrassing, but I slipped on some water and got stuck." I looked at the faces of the crowd. The men all sniggered, either wondering how she got stuck or picturing her slipping around like some cartoon character. The women, however, nodded with somber approval, like this was serious and they completely sympathized. I continued the story. "I was trying to help her up when Will came barging in. He demanded to know what was going on and before I could explain he started punching me." I made a few pretend punches toward my own face as Tracy continued.  "He was always very jealous when we were dating and seeing us in the stall threw him into a fit."  Dwayne looked at me like I was some kind of wimp and sniggered "He didn't look hurt Didn't throw a single punch eh?" He half snorted in mocking disapproval.  I gestured toward Marcie.  "HR policy says we shouldn't hit people at work." I winked a swollen eyelid at Marcie.  "I was just doing my best to follow the rules." Marcie blushed a little bit and whispered something like "That's right, he's right" to the person next to her.  "Anyway" tracy interrupted, "We need to get you to the doctor to be looked at.  I'll drive you." Everyone else filed back to their desks, whispering things like "I bet Will goes to Jail" and "I always had a bad feeling about him."

As we walked through the parking lot I tried to guess which car belonged to Tracy.  We passed small convertibles and big SUVs, saw everything from gas guzzlers to hybrids.  None of them seemed to fit her.  At the end of the row was a simple, unassuming light grey sedan.  It had a sporty look without being flashy, and was made by a company known for reliability at an affordable price.  Placing my hand on the handle I waited for the click of the automatic lock before pulling upward.  The door swung open with ease and climbed into the comfortable passenger seat.  The interior was clean and well maintained, floor vacuumed recently and no trash.  The interior smelled clean, and sweet smell came from an air freshener shaped like a tree hanging from the rear view mirror.  It was a bright yellow and had the words "Vanillaroma" printed on one side.

I reclined the seat slightly and leaned back.  I was tired.  I hadn't much sleep lately.  Between the hospital visits, staying up at Mr. Munn's house, and wandering through the woods at Mr. Munn's house I barely had 10 hours of sleep the entire week.  I relaxed as I listened to the soft hum of Tracy's car and fell into a deep sleep.