B-Movie Attack by Alan Spencer Page B

he’s familiar. Yes, I saw it in a movie! The way the man looked, it was accurate down to the smallest detail. I can’t remember the plot. What movie was it?
    “You can’t be serious,” he laughed at himself. “I can’t believe I’m seriously considering this is from a movie. I need sleep. I need something I’m obviously not getting.”
    He stood next to his father’s bed and placed his hand on his arm. “Whoever did this to you is the scum of the earth. You’re going to pull through. I know you will. I’ll see you through it.” Billy smiled. “I love you, Dad.”
    Nurse Sherry Miller entered the room. Billy assumed she was the incoming night shift nurse. “Visiting hours are almost over,” she said politely. “I’ll be honest, he’ll be out the entire night. We’ll take care of him. What you need is to relax. Get your mind off things for a time. Go out to eat or rest. He’s in good hands. I promise.”
    “Thank you.” He nodded in approval. “I understand. Every nurse and doctor in this building has been outstanding. I guess I should call it a night.”
    Billy returned to his apartment, but not after glancing back at his dad one more time.  
     
    The superintendent of East End Commons apartment complex had allowed Billy to sit out on the roof many months ago. Being a meter man, Billy had freed the man, Jack Hinkley, out of half a dozen parking violations. On the roof tonight, he enjoyed the view of Navy Pier and the harbor itself. The skyscrapers were spread out, every business tower in the city sector. Black, red and yellow pinpricks of light dominated the night. Billy relaxed on the lawn chair and closed his eyes. He sipped from a soda and ate a bag of onion-flavored chips. The din of traffic ruined what otherwise would’ve been a quiet sojourn up high. He was waiting for Derrick Nelson to arrive, to bring over the movie he couldn’t stop thinking about. Derrick was a movie buff and had a large collection of pirated and rare films.  
    The conversation over the phone earlier had been short. “Do you remember that movie about the guy who can blow himself up and can put himself back together again?”
    “Oh yeah, that’s Death Reject . Why are you bringing that up?”
    “Don’t ask. Bring it over. We’ll talk.”
    Billy finished his drink and chips. He napped briefly before the stairwell door shot open. He expected Nelson, but it was Jessica. His girlfriend knelt down to his kiss his lips, but she was repelled by the onion smell on his breath. “Gross, you’re eating those chips again.”
    “I’m hungry for comfort food.”
    “That’s shocking,” she joked. “Is there ever a time when somebody says, ‘I’m hungry for uncomfortable food. Hey, I’ll have a salad.’”
    “Very funny. I’ve had a real shit of a day. I needed it.”
    “How’s your dad?”
    “They say he’ll be sleeping the whole night, but otherwise, he’ll recover. It’s safe to say he’ll be all right. The hard part is figuring out how to keep him afloat. He’ll be out of work.”
    “You do whatever it takes, you know that? I support you in that decision. If he has to live with us for a time, then so be it.”
    Jessica had been close to her own father before he died five years ago of throat cancer. She was especially close to him because of the man's eight-years-running lawsuit with Coleson’s Construction. Her father suffered a double foot injury when a wrecking ball snapped from its chain and landed on his feet shattering every bone. The lawyer worked their case pro bono and finally won. Billy knew that’s where she got her inspiration to become a lawyer. Her father's lawyer was a strong female figure, a real ball-breaker, from what he'd heard.
    “Do you mean it? Him moving in would be a challenging step in our relationship.”
    Jessica hugged him. “It's fine, onion breath.”
    The stairwell door opened again and Nelson approached them. He was a six-foot-tall three-hundred-pound titan. They could