Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 20:55:03 -0000
From: Beverly Taff <bevanhulse@totalise.co.uk>
Subject: Two by Two.   Chapter 3

Two by Two.
Chapter 3.


     The relationship between Vicky and Steve was
triggered by an ugly event just off campus one evening.
     A drunk in a bar had approached Vicky and she had
only managed to peel him off with the help of one of the
bouncers.   After finishing her drink, Vicky made her
excuses to the other academics and left to walk back to
her rooms on the campus.   The route was well lit and
there were plenty of people around.   Vicky had every
reason to believe she was safe.
     Unfortunately, the drunk was a persistent abuser
and he resented Vicky's treatment of his advances in the
bar.    He followed her back.    Halfway across the
campus, Vicky remembered something in the lab and
decided to go and get it.    This took her to the less
public area in the courtyard outside her laboratory
block. The labs were not usually used much at night and
the area was not so busy.    Vicky was thinking about
the notes she wanted from the lab and had entered the
quadrangle before she realised the place was deserted.
She paused to check that it was safe but this was her
undoing.    It was here that the drunk made his move.
Suddenly, Vicky found her path blocked by the dark
hulking figure.    She however knew that she was only a
hundred yards from the well-frequented dormitories so
she kept her head and let off a deafening scream before
the drunk could get a word out.   He lunged forward and
grabbed her throat to silence her but her scream had
fortunately been heard.   It was not heard in the
dormitories though.
The penetrating sound alerted Steve who was, as always,
working late.     He realised that the scream was close
at hand but he was angry at being disturbed at his work.
     In his younger life, Steve had heard similar such
screams before outside the auditorium at his high-school
prom.    In his naive youth he had assumed it to be high
spirits and giggling screaming girls.   It was not until
the following morning that he had learned of the attack.
The girl was in hospital with serious injuries and Steve
never forgave himself for failing to investigate the
scream.       This time he knew better.    The scream
had been a piercing desperate female cry for help.
Cursing under his breath, he called to Zac and they went
to investigate.
     Zac was by now fully-grown and well trained. His
huge head was over waist high to Steve but the obedient
faithful Alsatian remained close to heel as the pair
trotted down the corridor and into the enclosed
courtyard.   From the deep shadows Steve saw a woman
struggling with a large man under the only light in the
tiny courtyard.
     Steve let out a loud bellow and the attacker
stopped to curse angrily.   He dropped Vicky like a sack
and she slumped to the floor in relief.   The thug
grinned menacingly then approached Steve with a knife
held hidden down by his side.      Vicky saw the dull
glint and screamed again.
     "Watch out!   He's got a knife!"
     The man snarled menacingly for he only saw Steve's
head and shoulders emerging from the cloistered doorway
into the light.     The huge shape of Zac stood in the
deep shadows unseen behind one of the pillars.
     "You'd better put the knife down."   Warned Steve.
     Vicky sagged with relief and squealed as she
recognised her rescuer.
     "Steve!   Be careful!   The knife is in his left
hand."
     "It's all right woman, I've got Zac."
     The approaching attacker hesitated for a moment,
because he did not know who or what a 'Zac' was.    Then
he decided to take the initiative.   He rushed forward
only to meet a tawny ball of fury and suddenly find his
wrist locked in a vicelike pair of jaws.     The vicious
rows of teeth were already ripping his skin.
     "Arrgh." He screeched as the knife fell from his
numbed fingers.    Zac's teeth had bitten to the bone.
     "Gerr-im off!"   Squealed the thug.
     Steve ordered Zac to 'Hold!' and Zac's jaws
slackened slightly but still remained locked tight.
The thug was trapped and now started to whine.
     "He's broken my wrist!    I can't feel anything."
     "He'll rip your throat out if you don't stop
wriggling.   And don't even think of thumping his head
with your other fist.   He'll have your other hand
before you've moved a muscle."
     The thug tried to move his bitten wrist and
realised the dog's immense jaws had almost paralysed his
arm.    The whole limb felt limp and useless in the
dog's vicious grip.   He finally realised the power
behind the immense jaws and gave up the struggle as his
shoulders slumped.     Steve recognised the thug's
defeated posture and cautioned the thug before giving
Zac the final instructions.
     "Hold him Zac.   Stay!"   Ordered Steve softly and
the thug realised he was under close arrest, canine
style.      Once certain that the thug posed no more
threat, Steve pulled out his cell phone and called the
police.      Finally he approached the collapsed Vicky
with the inevitable stupid question.
     "Are you all right?"
     No woman who has just been attacked in a dark
lonely place is ever 'all right'.   Vicky was
exasperated at Steve's insensitivity but still
desperately grateful for his appearance.
     "No!   I'm not all bloody right!    I've just been
bloody attacked!"
     Steve finally caught her drift and recognised her
terrified anger.
     "Oh I'm sorry.    You'd better come in and have a
cup of tea to calm your nerves."



     Vicky was furious with frustration.    She had
expected the man to come rushing to her rescue then take
her in his arms and wrap them around her in total
protection.   She had desperately wanted to fling
herself into his secure embrace and hug him to her like
some hero in shining armour.
     Instead, all she merited was, - 'Are you all
right?'     Her temper simmered under her shaking body.
Eventually she stopped trembling and gathered her
composure.
     "Is that all you can offer?   A cup of bloody tea!"
     "It's a laboratory I'm afraid, not A&E."
     His answer flummoxed her.   She snatched up her
handbag by its broken strap then made to gather the
knife.   Steve stopped her curtly.
     "Don't touch that.    It's evidence at the scene.
     If your fingerprints are on it, he might try and
     screw you in court by saying it was yours.   Leave
     it exactly where it dropped.   Forensic would
     prefer that."
His cold logic rankled her a bit for it demonstrated his
insensitive, social dysfunctionality.   The man seemed
to operate at only one level, namely cold logic.
     'Who else would have remembered the forensic
evidence angle?'  She fumed as she stomped after him
into the laboratory block.
     "What about that bastard outside?"       She
demanded.
     "He won't move, Zac will keep him quiet.     D'you
want me to check you over?"
     "I suppose so.   My neck and my wrist hurts."
     "Well I haven't got an X-ray machine but there's
plenty of light."
     "There's an X-ray in my lab and some pain-killers."
     Steve turned from his lab door and followed Vicky
into her lab.    Once inside, Vicky sat up on a table
and bent her neck for Steve's inspection.
     "There's some nasty bruising just here.    It
wouldn't do any harm to X-ray it."
     "And my wrist?   That's much more painful."
Inquired Vicky enjoying the unexpected delicacy of the
scruffy doctor's fingers.
     "Can you move it?"
     She flexed it and winced.
     "Yes.     We'd best check that over first, being as
it seems to be the more painful injury."
     The man perplexed Vicky.     His manner was brusque
and curt but his touch was exquisite.      His expert
fingers gently traced the bones and he declared his
suspicions.    Vicky was amazed at the gentleness of his
touch.   The X-rays exactly confirmed his diagnosis and
Vicky grinned.
     "Quite the A and E expert aren't you?"
     "I am a doctor you know."   He snapped, 'somewhat
un-necessarily,' she thought.      "I had to work in the
E.R. during my internship.   What would you expect?"
     It was the first time Vicky had ever seen him react
with obvious irritation and her eyes widened with
surprise.
     "Maybe he was human after all.'   She reflected.
     Steve however, quickly reverted to his usual manner
and glanced around Vicky's laboratory.
     "There's no plaster or bandages here.    We'll have
to take you to the Emergency department."
     "And what about my attacker?"
     An approaching siren immediately answered her
question so he made her settle in her own comfortable
armchair and went to meet the police.     He returned
with two ambulance staff and several police escorting
her attacker in handcuffs.   It was only now she
realised the size of her attacker.    Even the scruffy
doctor would have had his hands full without the dog.
Still she was truly grateful for their combined
intervention although the dog Zac was the true hero.
The attacker was complaining about his bitten hand and
Vicky was forced to admit that the dog had done some
real damage.   She looked at the magnificent animal
sitting erect and alert in the doorway and wanted to hug
him close to her.    Sadly her neck and wrist hurt too
much.   Recognising her pain and real injuries, the
paramedics ordered her straight into their ambulance
whilst they radioed a second one to collect the mugger,
after the police had finished with him.
     Steve stayed behind to describe his version of
events whilst Vicky was whisked off to casualty.
     The following morning he and Zac took her a bouquet
of flowers.   He realised he had been a bit short with
her in the courtyard but he had been running an
important experiment coupled with some complicated ideas
brewing his brain, when he was interrupted.   Her shout
had completely thrown his thoughts off course and now he
had to repeat the tests.
     He appeared in the doorway to Vicky's ward as a
nurse was checking the plaster on her wrist.   Her
shocked expression turned to a smile as he produced the
flowers from behind his back and Zac put his huge head
around the door.  The dog whined but remained firmly
seated in the corridor.
   "Good God    You do have a heart then."
   "I was a bit irritable last night.    Your shout
distracted me."
   "Oh.   You mean the great thoughts were disturbed.
Well sorryee!   Next time I'll get myself attacked
somewhere else."
     "Sarcasm's uncalled for.      I may not have done
     much but he saved you didn't he?"
     "Oh yes.   No thanks to you but all thanks to your
dog."
     "He's got a name you know."
     It was Vicky's turn to be embarrassed.
     "Oh yes."   She turned to smile at the dog.
"Sorry again.   Thank you Zac, and thank you for the
flowers.   Did you make him buy them?"   She turned
again to Steve.   "Tell me, what am apologising for."
     "I don't know.   I didn't ask for an apology.   I
was coming to apologise for not being more sympathetic
last night but you don't give people a chance.      I'd
better go."
   He turned to leave and Vicky suddenly felt the whole
thing had got off to a bad start.
   "No don't go.    The flowers were a nice thought.
It was just, so - so unexpected, that's all.   Thanks,
thanks for everything.   Let Zac come in."
     "He's not allowed.   Hygiene and all that."
     "I'm not bleeding or anything.   There's no risk of
     infection.     I've had all my shots.   I'm a vet
     for heaven's sake.      Bugger the rules!"
     Steve shrugged and motioned to Zac.   The huge
Alsatian padded forward and rested his head on the bed
beside Vicky.    She wrapped her good arm around his
neck and pressed her cheek to his head.
     "Thanks Zac.   You're a very brave dog."
     "When will you be out?"   Interrupted Steve.
     "In a few minutes, the doctor's on his way now.
It's only a minor break in the wrist, but you already
know that."
     As she spoke the consultant appeared and recognised
both his colleagues.   He glanced at the dog and frowned
slightly but the news of the attack was all around the
campus.   Zac was already a hero.   Exceptions could be
made.    He complimented Zac and Steve for their deed
then checked Vicky's wrist.    She was advised to avoid
driving for a week and to rest the wrist.   The
professor then updated them about the attacker.
     "They've connected his DNA to several serious
assaults with rape and two definite murders.    You're a
lucky girl Vicky."
     Vick sucked her lip thoughtfully.    'This man,
this big scruffy Steve and his dog had really saved her
life and no mistake.'    She fell silent unsure of how
to further thank him.
     "I'd better drive you home then, if you've to rest
that wrist," offered Steve, totally failing to recognise
Vicky's embarrassed gratitude.
     His offer gave her an escape and Vicky accepted the
lift gracefully.   She signed the 'self-release' forms
then got dressed immediately.   They dropped by the
police station to complete some formalities about the
attack then finally; Steve dropped Vicky off at her
apartment.
     "Would you like to come in for a coffee?"   She
asked.
     "Er, no.    I've got those tests to re-run and
notes to write up."
     "I don't bite."   Added Vicky, a little miffed at
     his refusal.    There wasn't another
man on the campus, who would have refused her
invitation.   But then there wasn't another man on the
campus she would have invited.   She knew this one to be
safe!
     "When I said coffee, I meant coffee!"
     "I'm sure you did.   And when I said I have notes
to write up, I meant that as well.    Call me some other
time perhaps, when I can have some advance warning.
I've got to go back to the tests.   Time's critical.
Come on Zac."
     So saying he raced the dog across the lawns to his
car and laughed when the animal easily outpaced him.
Vicky couldn't help smiling.    The two of them were
like a young boy and his puppy.     Later that
afternoon, she passed his lab and saw him hunched over
some apparatus.
     She was wearing flat shoes so her approach was
silent.    Only Zac detected her approach and stared at
her through the windows with his ears alert as he lay
spread out on the big saggy armchair.    Zac did not
bark, he knew not to disturb Steve when he was busy.
Vicky also knew better than to disturb the man during
his work. The night of the attack had made that
painfully obvious.   Anyway, she had a mountain of
marking in her good arm so had little time to go
socialising.    She entered her own lab where
fortunately, the door had a flip-down lever handle so
she could operate it with her butt.   The bundle of
papers flopped onto her desk and she set to marking the
students work.   It was dark when she had finished.
     She secured the papers in her safe then locked the
lab and set off down the corridor.    When she got to
the door that led through the cloisters into the
courtyard she suddenly froze.    Through the glass
panels, she saw the feeble pool of light in the
courtyard where she had been attacked and she simply
could not move a step further.    Memories flashed back
and she felt faint as she lurched back from the door and
back along the corridor.   She heaved a sigh of relief
as she noted the familiar figure still busy in his lab
then she stumbled to her own lab and flopped into her
own arm chair to wait until Steve finished for the
night.
   It was gone one o'clock when Steve finally finished
and Vicky was fast asleep in her chair.    It was Zac
who sensed her presence and he gave a soft woof as he
padded into her lab and pushed his cold damp against her
hand.
   "What's up boy?" called Steve from the corridor.
   Vicky's voice answered him sleepily
   "Oh is that you Steve."
   "Who else.    It's gone one o'clock, got a lot on
have you?"
   "I uhhm, yes.   Had to mark these test papers to see
exactly where these new students are."
   "Oh.   Don't forget the lights then when you leave."
   "Well- I've uhhm finished now.   I might as well
walk back with you."
   Silently thankful that the dog had woken her, she
joined him in the walk across the campus to their staff
block.
   "Now d'you want some coffee?"   She asked.
   "Bit late isn't it.  I've got a lecture at ten."
   "OK then.    Let me know when you are available.
You're impossible to pin down."
   "Wednesdays.     Late on Wednesday afternoons,
that's when I shop for food and stuff.   It would have
to be about half five to six."
   "OK then make it next Wednesday."
   "Yeah.   OK.   Remind me on Wednesday morning.
Come on Zac."
   Zac whined and showed an obvious reluctance to leave
Vicky's side
   "He wants to see me safe inside."   Chuckled Vicky.
   "Come on you daft dog.    She's safe now."
   Zac refused to move and sat stubbornly on the step.
Steve stood nonplussed on the pathway then finally
reached a solution.
   "Open your door and let him in.   Are you frightened
or something?"
   Vicky was loath to admit her morbid fear and
breathed with relief when she opened the door and the
dog forced his way past her.   Steve let out a chuckle.
   "He always does that with me.   Though god knows
what a burglar would find in my apartment.   I sometimes
think he does it to check there's nothing for me to trip
over."
   Zac returned and licked Vicky's injured hand almost
as if trying to reassure her.
   'Did the dog sense her fear' she wondered.
   She stepped inside and finally Zac responded to
Steven's order.   From her unlit window she watched the
pair stroll unconcernedly across the lawn to his own
block.
   "What it was to be a man, she sighed.   Safe from
attack and rape!"
   Wednesday came and Steve fulfilled the outstanding
invitation.     He enjoyed himself and found Vicky's
company to be pleasant and stimulating.
   'The girl was not just a 'bimbo'' he reflected as he
and Zac strolled home.
   He never actually had believed her to be one but her
stunning good looks and popularity had caused him to
quite unconsciously assume she would never show any
interest in him.      Steve knew his faults better than
anybody else and he had no illusions about any social
prospects.    It simply didn't bother him.
   Despite this, the Wednesday evening rendezvous had
proved enjoyable.   They had chatted at length about
things medical and consequently, the weekly evenings
became a regular event.    Invariably, Zac accompanied
Steve, as he did everywhere the man went, and Vicky
began to jokingly refer to him as Steve's chaperone.
   Deep down, Vicky was as fond of Zac as she was of
Steve.   There was always an extra titbit for him
waiting in the special bowl she had purchased.
   Their work also threw them closer together.     Both
were new professors and they were hard pressed as they
prepared new courses of lectures for their first year
each in their new posts.            It was to be nearly
two months however, before Steve finally cottoned on to
why Vicky was often to be found asleep at her desk.
If she had to work late, (which was several times per
week, preparing lectures,) then she could not face the
dark courtyard alone.    She was too ashamed to admit
her fear and too frightened ask Steve directly to escort
her because she understood the intensity of the man's
devotion to his work.         Consequently, he, or
rather Zac, often found her curled up asleep in her
armchair when he finished work and prepared to lock up.
He eventually realised that Vicky was waiting for the
offer of an escort.
   "But why didn't you ask?"   He pressed after finally
realising the truth.
   "I- I didn't want to disturb you."
   "But Zac could see you home.   He knows the way for
heavens sake!"
   "It seemed intrusive of me to ask.   As though I was
taking advantage."
   "Good god woman.   Zac would jump at the chance.
He would enjoy the exercise.    And everybody on campus
knows him.   He would never be mistaken for a stray as
he returns.  Everybody recognises that big red collar
and blue handkerchief."
   Vicky's eyes fell on Zac's alert head and she felt a
wave of affection thud through her body.
   'Oh yes,' she admitted to herself, 'having Zac
escort her home every night would be wonderful.'   She
only wished Steve would let Zac live permanently with
her.   He made a wonderful companion.   But ruefully she
concluded that Zac was only the wonderful companion he
was, because of Steve's excellent treatment and
training.       Man and dog seemed to operate in
perfect, friendly harmony.   She envied them both.
   The following few nights, they tested the idea.
Steve gave Zac a couple of training runs to ensure his
prompt and speedy return and within a week, Zac had a
regular job of escorting Vicky home whenever she needed.
It was a job he came to love for there was always a
tasty snack at Vicky's before he loped off back to the
labs.     His unaccompanied return became a regular site
on campus and many a female student felt a wave of
relief when his loping form went trotting past.   Some
even got to learn the command from Vicky and used him to
accompany them back to their sorority houses if they
were accidentally late and happened to encounter Zac on
route.    However, faithful to the last, Zac always
returned to Steve's lab and used the new dog flap to get
in without disturbing Steve's researches.
   It was inevitable then that eventually, Vicky and
Steve became emotionally attached.