+ Behind Her Smile
+ chapter one: 'So Much For The Perfect First Day'
Ignoring her screams and darting her flailing appendages, he jammed his lips onto hers. She resisted, using all her might and slapped him clean across the face. Pinning her arms down, he looked at her square into the eyes. Blood seeped through her lips as they overflowed her mouth. She spat it out twice, once onto the cold tile floor and again onto his face.
"You disgusting bitch," he yelped, using one hand to wipe away the grime and the other to slap her face to the floor. The pain tearing through her head eased her shrieks. He pulled her by the hair, closer to his face. She peered with pure hatred deep into his eyes. A smile manifested onto his dark, grubby face. His chuckles were raspy.
"You're mine," he reminded her. "And there's nothing you can do about it."
The winter breeze screamed to her face as she swung the cab door open. Her senses suddenly rejuvenating after what seemed like hours on the streets, she slipped under the head rest the taxi driver's change.
"Keep it," she said as she stepped onto the pale gray pavement. She glanced at her watch. Eight twenty-five. Hastily wrapping her scarf around her neck, she jogged towards the grand building in front of her and through its clear glass entrance. Damn New York City traffic. New or not, she knew better than to show up late for work. Fear of how her tardiness would affect her reputation with her new boss started to sink in. Her heart thumped hard. Lab employees walking by, along with the sight of the different levels of the building from the lobby's view made her dizzy. Her palms sweated, her knees wobbled. She frowned at her anxiety. This wasn't normal for her. Maybe it was something she ate? She didn't have breakfast…perhaps what she had for dinner? Or what was in her dinn —
"Erica!" The sound of her name pierced through her confused state of mind. She spun around, catching the sight of her new boss walking towards her. Noticing a grin on his face, she knew the day might be looking up sooner than she expected.
"Mr. Taylor," she sighed in relief, holding her hand out. Mac grasped it tightly and shook. A mighty strong grip, she thought to herself.
"Please, it's Mac," he insisted.
Erica smiled nervously. "I want to apologize for being late –"
Placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, Mac interrupted. "It's perfectly fine, Erica. This city is not too merciful itself."
After receiving a quiet chuckle from his new recruit, Mac led her towards the elevator as he started filling her in about the facilities of the New York City Crime Lab. From the autopsy room to the canteen, the ballistics lab to the lounge, Erica forced herself to get into the feel of her new workplace, despite her lightheadedness. Upon meeting an array of people she strained a smile on her face. Mac introduced to her to a Steven Finnegan, a Tara something, a Sheldon…Hawkes, was it? Sid something, a Lindsay Monroe, Wes Newman…
Coffee fumes filled Erica's nostrils and relaxed her mind as she slumped onto the soft burgundy sofa of the lab lounge. Damn, her head hurt. It surprised her how it only took less than an hour of a building tour to knock her out completely. She usually wasn't like this. By now she'd still walking about, introducing herself to her new colleagues. But at the moment she didn't even have the strength to stand up.
A deep, scratchy accented voice came from the lounge entrance behind her.
"Don't tell me work's pooping you out already."
Erica looked over her shoulder and smiled lazily. She brought herself to her feet as a man bearing accentuated arms and a childish smirk extended his hand.
"Danny Messer," he added as Erica grasped his hand. "Erica Donovan, I presume?"
Erica gave him a toothy grin as she set down her coffee cup. "Yep, that's me. The new kid."
"Well you've got nothing to worry about. We'll help you out – new kids are appreciated around here," Danny replied, allowing his eyes to trail down Erica's body. The dark chocolate hair…straight of out a Sunsilk commercial. The brown eyes…foxy. The rose lips…sultry, Danny tilted his head to the side. The ass…
"DANNY! I saw that!"
Lindsay Monroe came up from behind Erica, her hands gripped to her waist.
"Hey Lindsay…" Erica greeted, her eyes darting from Lindsay to Danny.
"Hey Erica," Lindsay responded, her voice softening as she pried her sight from Danny's guilt-stricken face. "Sorry about this dog running loose," she continued, nodding towards him. She walked past Erica and gave Danny a slap on the chest, who wrestled her into a tight hug.
"So you two have met?" Danny said as Lindsay wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Yeah, not too long ago," Erica answered, smiling at their playfulness. She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. The heat tingled down her throat. "Anyways, I think I better get started on work. It was nice meeting you guys." She turned around and started towards the door.
"We'll be around if you need help!" Lindsay called after her.
Erica looked over her shoulder and gave them a wink of appreciation.
Lindsay gave Danny another smack on the chest before looking at him straight into the eyes.
"What was that stunt you were trying to pull a minute ago? Were you staring at her ass?"
Danny slowly grinned at his girlfriend's agitation. "I think someone's jealous…"
Lindsay snorted. "Please. I'm not jealous."
"Montana, you're fun to upset," he teased as he pulled her in for another hug. "I was just observing the bodily features of our new coworker with mere…approval."
Arms linked around his middle, Lindsay looked up with admiration into his eyes and couldn't help but return the grin. His absurdity was amusing to her. "Well, for the record, I too 'approve' her ass. It's really nice."
In mocking anger Danny pulled away from her, pursing his lips as her laugh rang in his ears. "Okay, now I'm worried. Are you physically attracted to another woman? Because, you know…" he turned and faced her directly, "…that's kinda hot."
Mouth hanging open at Danny's immaturity, she punched him softly in the abdomen. She scoffed. "This conversation is getting too weird. I'm leaving."
Lindsay strode past him, startling him with a teasing slap on his behind.
"Behave yourself, cowboy."
"I love you too, Montana."
"Manual strangulation."
Erica snapped out her reverie. "What?" Her headache was getting worse.
Sid peered at her inquiringly through his glasses. Erica mentally cursed at herself. So much for the perfect first day.
"I'm sorry…dead bodies just take some getting used to, I guess," she apologized, biting her lip. Hopefully he wouldn't notice her lacking concentration. Imagine the results on her initial employee assessment.
Erica breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Sid's assuring laugh.
"Don't worry about it. Although, correct me if I'm mistaken, but surely this isn't your first day on the actual job, right? Weren't you transferred from the Trenton crime lab?"
Racking her brain through the fog of her dizziness, Erica nodded. "Yes, that's correct, but I spent most of my time there as a crime lab technician. Two years."
She grimaced as she watched Sid slice off the DOA's fingers for fingerprint documentation, not from the sight, but from her own pain.
"So you really aren't too used to autopsies then," Sid responded, not taking his eyes away from the corpse.
"Despite everything, I'm still not. At least not this close," answered Erica, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. She closed her eyes tight. What a liar she was. She could handle autopsies, let alone dead bodies. She just didn't want to expose how unwell she was. Surely they would excuse her for the day…but for the next would they want her back?
"So how long exactly were you working on the field?" Sid continued, failing to notice her uneasiness.
"Um…In Jersey, I was promoted to a criminalist eight months before I moved here." This time, it was the truth.
"I see," Sid commented, straightening his back and turning towards Erica as she opened her eyes again. Erica glanced at him and smiled.
"Anyways, I'm sorry. You were saying?"
"Ah yes. Manual strangulation is the COD."
"So Jane Doe died of asphyxia," Erica replied, finally managing to get her head into the game.
"Exactly. See these contusions here," Sid pointed his pinky to a couple of circular bruises on the front of the DOA's throat, "and here." He pointed to both sides of the neck. "The attacker used both hands, the forefingers and the thumbs, to strangle our victim," Sid demonstrated, wrapping his hands around his own throat, "damaging the trachea."
Erica's hand jerked to her neck, catching both Sid and herself by surprise.
"Erica, are you okay?" Sid asked with concern, laying his hand on her back. Erica suddenly drifted into a trance, staring ahead into space. Thoughts of that night seeped into her mind. That terrible, terrible night…
"Erica?" Sid shook her shoulder gently, once again taking Erica back to reality. She sighed in frustration and rubbed her temple.
"I'm so sorry Sid, I'm really not like this, I swear…"
Looking at her in the eye, Sid could sense the anxiety. "It's okay, Erica. Take it easy. Just go get some hot tea or something." He nudged her gently towards the exit. "I'll send the body traces to someone and make sure they get it to you."
Erica thanked him quietly and with her arms wrapped around her shoulders, she walked out the autopsy room. The elevator's emptiness was exposed as its doors chimed open. Erica stepped inside and pressed the button to the third floor – the lounge. With dead eyes she stared at the levels illuminating as the lift descended, trying to endure the agonizing headache. What was going on with her…?
+ Here you go - my first written piece. love it? hate it? wanna know what happens next? reviews pleasee...:)