Pieces

Arty

Every thing was so peaceful.

I was sitting in a beautiful valley, with a picnic basket at one side and my beautiful wife Heidi at the other. She smiled at me, and reached up to flick my nose. I dodged just in time, and then counterattacked with tickles. But I kept it gentle because we both are very careful about the baby.

Every thing was going perfect. Just then the phone decided that it should start ringing, and I opened my eyes, realising it was all just a dream.

How great! I thought to myself. 

The phone stopped ringing for a moment, and then began all over again.

"Vic please!" Heidi moaned in her sleep from my side, unable to roll over and cover her ears because of the baby.

"Pick up the damn phone!" She pleaded, hitting me with the pillow she had been holding.

"Language, Hon." I told her, rolling over to look for where the God damned phone was ringing.

Finally, after much hard work, I found  it, and accepted the call and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked, my voice sounded like a zombie's.

That's when I heard them. Three loud BANG!! BANG!! BANG!!

And then—

"Umm.... hey Vicky!" He says. "How do you stitch a bullet hole?"

Arty!!!! I yell in my head, and sit up groaning.

"Again?!" I tried to yell, but I was so tired it came out as a growl. "This is the fourth time this year! And it's only freaking February!!"

"Victor go yell outside!" Heidi hit me in the face with a pillow again, and the phone almost slipped from my hands.

"Sorry, Hon." I whispered to her, reaching out for my glasses which I placed with the phone last night.

"Where are you?" I ask Arty over the phone, pushing myself out of bed.

"A few minutes walk from the clinic." He says, out of breath. Sounds like he's running.

I groaned, and grabbed the car keys too.

"Heidi?" I shook  her shoulder gently.

She mumbled 'what?'

"I'm going to the clinic."

And that was how my day started. At three in the morning! Not even morning!

It's a quarter to five now, as I check my watch, finally sitting back to examine my work.

A stitched bullet hole in the thigh, five stitched up cuts, two burns, and many many nicks and scraps.

"Now will you tell me what happened?" I look up at Arty, who is calmly, yet very noisily, sipping from his juice-box— his fourth juice-box.

"Can't you stitch less painfully?" Arty asks, examining his leg.

He's sitting on a cot, his legs dangling over the sides and his arm in a sling from where I stitched up a deep cut in his shoulder.

"Arthur Billius Cameron," I call him by his full name, "I came here as your personal medical companion" I make air quotes with my fingers, "at three in the morning, leaving my wife and my unborn child, alone at home. And it was all not so that you can request that!"

Arty looks at my serious face, and just I expected him to do according to the experience from the last ten years of our friendship, he rolls his eyes.

"Look Vic, I know it's hard for you to accept that," he says, setting his juice-box aside. "But this is my job. I can't tell you!"

"To hell with your job!" I stomp my foot, "tell me what it was Arty!"

Arty sighs.

There. I think. I've finally succeeded... again.

"Remember the thing I told you about last December?"

"When you turned up at the baby shower with bloodied clothes and a knife in your arm?" I recall. "Yup. I remember."

He had told me it was some mafia gang selling drugs and stuff. I never got to know what the stuff was.

Arty smirks at the memory of everyone screaming and Heidi nearly fainting.

"These are the same guys." He nods. "Only that this time, it's not just heroine. It's explosives too."

"Uh huh?" I nod thinking of I'm supposed to believe that. Arty is a detective cop, yes. But this late at night, even detective cops are supposed to be asleep. Right? ... Right?

"Yup." Arty nods. "I found their hideout last night." He continues. "You remember the old warehouse by the docks?"

"The one where you guys found the hundred thousand dollars worth stash of cocaine?" I confirm. "Yup. I remember."

He smirks again. Probably because it was three years ago, the day I was supposed to introduce Heidi to Arty. He turned up with a cast ok his arm and a purple eye, and said 'I am honoured to meet such a beautiful lady! You almost don't deserve a man like little Vicky here!'

"They were hiding there." Arty says. "Of course, the stock wasn't there." He adds. "They learned from the old mistakes. But they were having a discussion about some shipment. And I," He proudly points to himself "stole the documents."

The look mom! I did it! look on his face makes me roll my eyes.

"So you ran away with them, and they caught your scent?" I finish for him.

"Scent?" He scrunches up his nose. "Oh no no! They caught the whole me!"

"What??" I look at him. That's why he has so many injuries!

"Yup. I escaped tonight!" He says. "They had me for a whole day!"

"Oh goodness gracious!" I roll my eyes. "Why are you excited about that??"

He laughs at my expressions, and then clarifies.

"I had already given the important package to my colleague." He shrugs. "They couldn't get it back, so they decided to execute me. But I escaped."

"So you're proud about the fact that you dodged death?" I clarify for my self. "Again?"

He nods violently, giving me the I know it's cool right? look.

I sigh, sleep trying to come over my senses again.

"Yeah." I nod. "I'm happy you're alive too." I raise my hand for a fist bump.

Arty smirks and bumps his fist against me.

"Vicky go to sleep." He chuckles. "I'm alright now. The meds will kick in and I'll sleep here." He pats the cot.

"I'll tell my colleague not to freak out." I nod at him.

For real, having a friend like him is a continuous motion ride. I mentally shake my head as I climb back into bed at nine in the morning. I texted Trix, my colleague, to handle m y schedule because I was having a day off.

I hope Arty doesn't mess up the day my child is born. Is the last thought on my head as I tangle my fingers with the still-asleep Heidi's.

~•|•~

1126 words.