Notes:
For Josefa
Chapter 1: Bring me to Life.
She shook in fear. All these years she tried to forget, but couldn't. When she came home today, like every day, opened the door and stood there looking at the floor. There it was, a little piece of paper waiting to change her life forever... again. When Lisa reached for it, she couldn't stop feeling that something was wrong, but she nodded her head thinking that she was just getting paranoid. But women have a sixth sense for a reason.
There she was, standing at the door, with the rain outside hitting her back like a shower but she could not feel it. Her eyes were wide open because of what was written in the piece of paper.
"After all this years, you are still alone. You shut everybody out because deep down you know that I am the only one for you. You beg for me every night, and I know, I can feel it. The wait is over, my love. I can't leave you knowing that you wait for me. No more Lisa, I'm coming for you.
Jake"
Lisa froze and felt panic for the first time in many, many years. Suddenly, she felt that someone was behind her and she screamed, turned around… just to see green eyes meeting baby blue ones which looked at her in shock. She trembled and turned pale, almost like a ghost. Rick stood there, and tried to reach for her arm, but she gave a fast step back and fell to the floor, not recognizing him at first view.
"Lisa? Lisa, what's wrong with you?" asked Rick, concerned, watching her in that unusual state. It was as if she wasn't herself. He had never seen her like that. He tried to reach to her and she back off again, this time hitting her head into the near table.
"Lisa! C'mon…it's me, Rick, tell me what happened!"
Lisa finally recognized him. She opened her big eyes and breathed hard, like it was the first time she'd ever drawn breath.
"Oh Rick!….I….I…." babbled, trying to calm herself when reality hit her. She tried to stand up from the floor but couldn't move yet. Rick kneeled next to her and touched her cheek in concern.
"Lisa…what happened? I just came to give you this report because I can't go early tomorrow and I know you need it. And when I came here I saw you, standing in the doorframe, getting wet, and when I said your name, you screamed and looked at me like I was a monster. What's wrong? Tell me!" he demanded with concern.
She looked at him and the first thing she thought was he can't understand, I don't want his pity . Looking at the floor, just mumbled, "Please, help me stand up".
He did, and as he helped her he realized how cold her hands were. He guided her to the couch, then walked to the door and closed it. He knew her well and noticed that her eyes had come back to their old harsh selves. They had been arguing a lot this past days, tension building dangerous high between them, but this time he wouldn't leave until knew what the hell had happened.
Rick walked next to her and helped her get out of her soaking coat. Then he walked to the little kitchen, put some water to boil and came back to the couch. He took her hands in his.
"Lisa, please tell me, what's going on..." he whispered, trying a new aproched.
Lisa looked at the floor, trying not to cry in front of him. She sighed and nodded. She had no idea how she could hide this from him, and if he knew, then Gloval, Claudia, Roy, even the girls from the bridge would know.
Rick followed her gaze and then noticed the little piece of paper on the floor, and before she could reach it, he took it and read it faster. Lisa was angry, but then she looked resigned and ashamed.
The water started boiling far away, but Rick didn't notice. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her to ask "Lisa, what is this? Who's this guy?".
Lisa couldn't look at him, hiding her face in her hands.
"Rick, it's a long story, with a very bad end... I... I don't want you to know".
"Well, that's pretty bad..." he replied while sitting next to her, with a new rush of determination "because I'm not going to move from here until you tell me".
Lisa sobbed into her hands and Rick panic a little "Lisa don't sob, Lisa don't cry!" and slowly reached for her hands and tried to make her looked at him.
"Tell me".
Her eyes were red and had a confused look.
" I need Claudia, Rick... please, don't make me tell you this, please" she begged.
"No way!" he said, getting a little upset "you will talk to her as much as you want, but you are going to tell me what's going on… WHO is Jake". He couldn't stop feeling that this guy, this name, was bad news. Lisa sighed, and took a big breath.
"Ok, all right, I'm going to tell you, but please, can you give me first a cup of tea? I feel so cold", she asked.
Rick drop her hands and stood up slowly, walking to the kitchen. A few minutes later he came back with two mugs with hot tea and placed one in front of her.
"Thanks" Lisa murmured, and took the mug into her hands, letting the hot water bring the life again to her body.
Rick took his own mug and after a sip, he looked at her, waiting for her to began, not leaving room to argue about if she would or would not tell. She would. She had to.
Lisa read his eyes and sighed - Jake…Jake…when I was younger, after Carl died, I…I met Jake in a bar one night. We talked, and he seemed nice at first view. After that I got very drunk and well…you can imagine the rest - she said not looking into his eyes.
Rick was shocked. He couldn't believe that Lisa had a one night stand with a stranger, but then again, she was probably devastated by the loss of her boyfriend, and in that state, good judgment is usually not present. But it was hard to imagine that Lisa, his Lisa could so something like that. She was always so rational, owner of a self-control that was often frustrating. He tried to seem no judgmental and waited. She took another sip of her tea and continued.
"I... well... in the morning I was disgusted by what I had done, so I run away without a word or a note. But looks like I told him more than I should and he found me when I was leaving home. In that time Claudia was my roomate. He caught me in front of my apartment and told me that he liked me, that what had happened was special, that we had this "vibe" that we were meant for each other. He freak me out! First I tried to get away politely, and told him that I wasn't interested in him, but he wouldn't take a no for an answer. Then his approched became a little more intense, even agressive. That was when Roy came in the story. One day he was picking up Claudia for a date and he intervened. That scared him for a while" Lisa looked at Rick for the first time, trying to see what was in his mind, but he had a blank expression. He encouraged her to continue. She frowned.
"After that, he followed me everywhere, obsessed. He called and hung up, checking everywhere I was. I got so scared. He was stalking me. Claudia and I leave especific orders not to let anyone come close to our apartment. This continued for more than six months, every day, all the time" Lisa put her hands over her face again trying to forget. "Roy helped me a lot; he went with me everywhere. That was the time when he become some sort of a big brother to me", she smiled a little and then her sad smile vanished "But it wasn't enough. Nothing was enough. After those six months, he suddenly stop and I felt relieved but he was just waiting. One night I was in the late train and when I got back home on a taxi, he kidnapped me. He got inside the car I was in during a red light and shot the driver. He hit me in the head with the gun. It was so fast. He took me away and I was unconscious for several hours, it was awful…. I…I…" and then her voice turned into a sob, Rick reached her hand and let her cry for a little. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He felt angry, powerless, but he had to hear the rest, he had to know.
"Lisa, did he rape you?" he asked, spitting out the word as if it was poison.
She cried harder and then shook her head.
"No, thank God. He tie me up in a bed with satin sheets and watched me. He spoke incoherently, touching me" she looked disgusted "he said he wanted me to want it, but after a while his behavior escalated, becaming violent. When I didn't response to his advances the way he wanted it, he hit me, strangle me, even tortured me. He almost killed me" Lisa cried more while speaking, reliving the trauma. "Thy found me a few dats after the kidnapped. Just in time, otherwise I would be dead. He escaped" she end the story, looking pale like a ghost. Rick just held her and let her relax in his embrace. Lisa put her head to Rick's chest and felt secure listening his heart beat. She let him put his arms around and rested his cheek on her head.
"I'm so sorry Lisa, I didn't know…I don't know what to say, that was awful…I'm so sorry…" he was genuinely concerned. After a while she sat up, a little more calmed, and Rick took the letter again.
"Are you sure this letter is from him?". Lisa just nodded affirmative and looked to the cold tea in her mug. The rain outside was harder and slammed against the windows with fury, a thunder invaded the silence. The young pilot stood and went over to the phone. He waited for a long moment before the other end replied.
"Hello? Claudia, this is Rick Hunter" he waited for some seconds while she answered, then added "Listen, I'm in Lisa's home and something very bad happened. No, no, she's alright now, but looks like this guy, Jake, is back". Rick stood silence for a while, probably because Claudia was shocked too. "I'm going to stay here but I think it will be better if you come with Roy... Lisa is unwell and we need to figure it out what are we going to do..."
Rick kept talking with Claudia while Lisa just listened, numb. She didn't felt like herself. However, deep down she was surprised to see Rick taking control of a situation instead of evanding it. It was well known that he was an overgrown, selfish child who licked the floor that Minmey stepped on.
It bothered her to see him involved in this, but a little voice inside told her that in her current state, she wouldn't make any wise choice. Running was for cowards, and that was exactly what she felt like doing. The same voice told her that Rick wasn't doing something bad either, so she let him take control, for now. Lisa looked at the window while the drops hit hard against the glass. The words of the letter resonated on her head "if you are alone it is because you wait for me…for me….for me." The words pounded her mind as hard as the rain outside. "No, it's not true," she said aloud burying her face in her hands. A warm hand held her shoulder and Rick sat next to her. He thought a moment about her green eyes, those beautiful eyes, so full of determination and now just looking bewild. He promised himself that he would not let those eyes change again, not matter what. He let her cry on his shoulder, but more importantly, she let herself cry fully for the first time in years.