His Saving Grace

Chapter 4

The rain was coming down in torrents now and Mia quickly pocketed her cell phone, not wanting it to get damaged. The streetlights from the main road only provided a dim luminosity within the alley which wasn’t enough but Mia couldn’t take the risk of using her mobile if it turned out to be the only thing that might bring in some much-needed help later. As her eyes adjusted to the dark of the alley, she spotted a little alcove in the wall up ahead. Her heart filling with hope, she cautiously approached the alcove and looked inside. She could make out dry earth and some leaves and twigs in the alcove but no insects or trash that might be damaging to the man’s injuries. Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she quickly rushed towards the unconscious guy and gritted her teeth imagining herself dragging the half-dead man again. He needs to be out of this freezing rain, it’s for his own benefit. Strengthening her resolve, she put her hands under his arms and started dragging him towards the alcove. Reaching it, she pushed the guy inside, his legs awkwardly folding up against his torso so that his body was completely out of the pelting raindrops. As she surveyed his prone form within the dark space, she felt herself entirely drained of any energy. Lugging a 6 foot tall, muscled guy across the street and up in the alley had exhausted her. She retrieved her purse from where she had left it against the wall and came back to the alcove. She was completely drenched and water was dripping from her clothes as she realized a jarring reality. The guy barely fit inside the darkened space; there was no place for her and since she couldn’t leave him alone in this condition, she had to endure the raging storm without any shade on her head. Sighing dejectedly, Mia sat in front of the alcove and wound her arms around her knees, staring at the man who might not live to see another sunrise.

The thought made unbidden tears fill up her eyes. No, she couldn’t let him die. She had made a promise to herself, hadn’t she? Help him no matter what and so, that is what she will do. As warm tears poured down her frozen cheeks, the dark and the pounding rain already making it hard for her to see, she carefully unzipped her woolen shacket and then unwound her maroon scarf from around her neck. The middle part that was covering her throat was drenched and cold against her hands, but the ends of it were considerably dry as they had been tucked inside her shacket. Twisting and rinsing out the water from the middle of the scarf, she quickly put it inside the alcove, on top of the man’s arms. Feeling around, she noticed a deep rip on his left side and her heart sped up. Did…did they cut him open with a knife? As her fingers traced the smooth line of the long cut, she realized in horror that it was true. They had not only beaten him up cruelly but had cut him up as well and this wound was probably the largest one on his body since it was still leaking blood. As tremors wracked her body, she willed her hands to steady a bit so she could wound her scarf around his torso. It was a difficult task, specially getting the scarf to go under him which required her to awkwardly push her head inside the tight space and lift her arms uneasily to the sides to properly cover his deep gash. When she had finally wound the scarf tight around his torso twice and secured it with double knots to stop any more blood loss, her elbows had gotten quite badly scratched up due to grazing roughly against the inner sides of the niche during the bandaging. As she pushed her head out, the sudden pelting of the rain on her face made her wince. The winds had picked up as well and the brutality of the weather was making her poor, exhausted body tremble.

Mia had always been a winter’s girl. She loved the cold weather because she got to wear warm sweaters and soft woolen pants; she loved the crackle of fire within the fireplace during winters as she sipped from her warm mug of tea; she loved comfy quilts and snug throws; she loved the smell of scented candles during cold nights and the feeling of mystery and magic that spread during the first fall of snow. But now, as she tried to make herself smaller against the onslaught of freezing rain and harsh wind tearing across her body, she mused whether she’d view the cold as fondly after this or not. The best plan of action now would be to get somewhere safe, preferably where she’d get signals and call for an ambulance. But she knew, oh she knew, that every shop would be closed, every house barred and nobody would be ready to even hear her out. She was sure of it. And this surety came from the way everyone had acted when this whole debacle had started. It was in the way the onlookers had sped up quickly to get away, the way the shopkeepers had hurriedly closed their stores and vanished from the scene within minutes. Even the beggar had taken leave as if even staying in their presence was harmful. And the cab driver....he had asked her to leave. To save herself. What was that about? Were those bikers so dangerous that they’d hurt anyone who tried to help this guy? Her breath rattled in her throat as her body shivered with dread. But she had made a promise. A promise to stay by this man till help came. And Mia Marchesi never broke her promises.

As the cold began to seep into her bones, her hands felt as if they’d freeze any moment now. She brought them up near her face and started rubbing them together. The rain was still pouring down steadily and the biting wind had not slowed down even for a bit. Mia’s worried thoughts wandered to her home and she instantly felt overwhelmed. What would dad be thinking? He would be worried sick and would be calling all my friends to see if I had gone with them, wouldn’t he? Would they come looking for me? Would Bee be alright when I wouldn’t go up to her room to tuck her inside her bed? Fresh tears streamed down Mia’s face as she thought of her little sister Bria whom she lovingly called as Bee. She was only six years old, her chubby fingers always finding Mia’s when they sat on he couch watching Disney movies, her laughter ringing in their small kitchen as Mia made pies on nice evenings, her large eyes looking up at her older sister as the later tucked her in bed at the end of the day, giving Bee a kiss goodnight. Mia was at a loss for what to do; she couldn’t leave this stranger to die here alone yet her heart yearned for her family, for the warm embrace of her father and the sweet smile of her sister. Her heart wrenched painfully and she sent out prayers anew for a miracle to happen, for somebody good to find them or for the stranger to wake up despite his unconscious state. Unbidden, Mia’s hand found the cold hand of the stranger. His was a strong one, long fingers and meticulously clean nails. A hand of somebody who worked hard. Sure and strong. And so big that Mia’s own hand got dwarfed in its grasp. As Mia stared at her hand lying on the palm of the stranger’s hand, she wondered if she’d ever feel it be alive and warm or would it remain bitterly cold forever.