The Last Phone Call

A shrill ringing called her from a deep sleep and into Sunday morning. She rolled over in the comfort of the king sized bed with a groan, pushing the warm blanket down from her head.

She hated early morning calls.

After fumbling for the phone, her hands finally grasped the plastic noise maker and placed it against her ear.

“Hello?” She mumbled, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Hey gorgeous.” The sound of his familiar, deep-toned male voice on the phone erased any weariness from her and she sat up, twirling a strand of her long blonde hair around her finger.

“Hi,” She smiled, feeling like a school girl on the phone with her crush for the first time.

“Did I wake you?”

“No,”

He chuckled, “Liar. I’m sorry, Abs. I just figured you’d be up by now. I mean it is almost eleven.”

“I had a rough yesterday and I guess it just exhausted me.” She said softly.

The four hours of sitting in the police station came back to her with a vengance. Sitting for two hours in the waiting room had been ridiculous, baffeled her even especially with all the blood seeping from a cut on her forehead. But still the men and women in tan colored uniforms and shiny badges took their good old time getting to her. Something about a break in a recent murder case had kept them all busy and set upon their tasks; no time for a new case.

“I know baby and I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve been there.”

“Me, too.” She paused, “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, sugar. Did they at least catch the guy?”

Her tummy twisted uncomfortably as a sliver of fear slid down her spine. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the fear away, burying it deep under the covers. “No.”

She heard a long string of swear words come over the phone; although they were muffled she knew they weren’t very nice ones either.

“Are you alone? Did they give you guards or anything?”

She shook her head, glancing around the room, thinking it was just another day, “No.”

“God damn it, Abs, that man tried to fucking kill you! He’s still out there and you’re all alone?” His anger was clear as day in his voice. She knew the vein on the side of his head would be throbbing, fists coiled, and face just a little bit red.

“Nick, baby, it’s fine. You’ll be home tonight, what could go wrong?”

At that moment, Ab’s bedroom door flung open, crashing against the wall with a loud thud. The doorknob smashed into the wall, making a hole and sticking there. A man bearing a gun barged in, straight for her. She sat in fear, mouth open, unable to respond as she watched him seemingly in slow motion. She could hear Nick’s voice on the phone but couldn’t make out the words.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she drew her last few breaths with a gun to her head.

The man cocked the gun; the click passed through the phone to Nick, who due to years in the military, instantly recognized the sound.

“Abigail! Shit, baby, hold on!”

The man’s icy blue eyes held hers as he smiled menacingly. “I’m back. This time to finish my job.” He hissed with satisfaction. He pointed to the phone, “Say goodbye to your husband.”

(Nick's Version)

Nick whistled to himself happily as he walked across the hotel room in search of his cell phone. A glance at his watch told him it was 11 AM on the east coast, a decent hour to call his lovely wife.

He picked up the phone and dialed the house number; it rang four times before a muffled 'hello' came over the phone.

He grinned, just imagining the way Abs looked. Blonde hair in a messy bun, blue eyes tired from sleep, she'd be half awake.

“Hey gorgeous.”

“Hi,”

“Did I wake you?”

“No,”

He chuckled and took a seat on his bed, “Liar. I’m sorry, Abs. I just figured you’d be up by now. I mean it is almost eleven.”

“I had a rough yesterday and I guess it just exhausted me.” Her voice came over the phone quitely.

Instantly regret flooded through him. Had he stayed home with her and not gone on his business trip she'd have been okay. She'd have never gone to the local dry cleaners to pick up his suit and she would never have gotten mugged on the way home. She would have been safe at home with him, enjoying a dinner he was supposed to make her.

Instead, he had gone on the last minute trip and she had gotten the shit beat out of her, her life threatened.

“I know baby and I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve been there.”

“Me, too...I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, sugar. Did they at least catch the guy?” The question had haunted him all night. They'd got off the phone at 9 the night before so she could rest and he hadn't slept at all. He'd been up all night worrying.

“No.”

He pulled the phone away from his mouth and uttered every curse word he could think of. Anger pulsed through his body.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and spoke through a clenched jaw. “Are you alone? Did they give you guards or anything?”

“No.”

“God damn it, Abs, that man tried to fucking kill you! He’s still out there and you’re all alone?”

He jumped up, furious now, and hurled his pillows across the room. He began pacing, clenching his free hand into a fist and putting a death grip on the cell. What the hell was wrong with that place? When he got back they'd have to fucking deal with him.

“Nick, baby, it’s fine. You’ll be home tonight, what could go wrong?” Abs voice came over the phone, soothing as it was pleading.

Suddenly, Abs went silent. A knot formed in Nick's stomach as he heard her catch her breath and a loud crashing noice on the other side of the phone.

"Abby! Honey what's going on?"

Silence.

"Abby!"

Nick's whole body went on alert when he heard the audible sound of a handgun cocking. His body broke into a cold sweat and he froze.

“Abigail! Shit, baby, hold on!”

He heard someone speak, but this time it wasn't his Abigail. It was a man.

“I’m back. This time to finish my job. Say goodbye to your husband.”

--the end