“New York Presbyterian. They airlifted her there. Amelia’s parents are on their way. It doesn’t look good, Ashlin.”
Fortifying my strength, I pushed away the panic. Losing emotional control with Steven wouldn’t help. Thank goodness she was at one of the best hospitals in New York. “She’s strong, Steven. Amelia is a fighter. Stay positive. Let me get to the airport. I’ll let you know when I’ll be there. Keep me posted on any changes.”
Desperation filled his voice. “I can’t lose her, she’s my life.”
“I know. I’m coming. Steven, stay strong for Amelia. She needs you to be strong.”
“Okay, Ashlin. Thank you.” Steven sounded like he was losing hope.
My tone got shaky as I responded and saw the sign for the airport. “She’s a fighter, Steven. Amelia is going to make it. She loves you too much to let go.”
“I hope so.”
“She will, Steven. She will.” I prayed the words I spoke would be true. I could not lose my best friend, too. I couldn’t. Hearing his desperate cries brought my thoughts to Daniel, momentarily. There’s no doubt he’d felt the same desperation as he tried for over a year to get back to his beloved, only to have her yanked from him.
No, Ashlin. Amelia is going to be fine. Say positive.
Hanging up, I called the airlines. I was able to book the first direct flight into New York City. There was one leaving in forty-five minutes and another leaving in two hours. Fingers crossed, I made the first flight. The arrangements were finalized when I made it to the airport. As I walked in, I called Gael. There had been no time before now.
Lovingly, he answered on the first ring. “Hey, sweetheart.”
All of the emotion, I had bottled up came rushing to the surface. “Amelia’s been in a bad accident. Steven called me. I turned my car around for the airport and now I’m on a flight that leaves in forty-five minutes. She’s in critical condition. Gael, I’m scared.”
“Fuck, Ashlin. I’m on my way. Get me a ticket too.”
In all my panic, I’d forgotten Gael had a lot going on with the Christmas party, let alone his parents. I wanted him with me, but he’d said so himself that the new chef couldn’t handle the party. “No—”
“Ashlin, you are out of your mind if you think I’m not coming with you.”
It was tempting, but the likelihood of Gael making this flight was slim to none. It’d be hours before I’d see him. “I love that you want to drop everything, but I can’t miss this flight. Come tomorrow. Get through the party and come tomorrow. I do need you, but I’ll feel guilty the entire time if you leave. This is a huge deal for you, Gael.”
“You’re more important. There will never be a job I can’t walk away from for you.”
I worked on calming myself to hopefully convince Gael I could wait for him to come. “I know and I love you for it. But, please stay. There was a six a.m. direct flight tomorrow. I’ll book you on it. We’ll be together before lunch. I don’t have any clothes with me. You can bring me some. That’d be a huge help.”
He sighed. “I don’t like this, Ashlin. I feel like I should be with you. But, I think I’ll stress you out more if I come. Fuck!” Gael paused. He was right, it would add to my worry. “Okay, but I need to be on that six o’clock flight. I’ll be checking on you. Please keep your phone near you. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
My fingers nervously tapped the armrest of the taxi I was in. Amelia’s right arm and leg had been severely broken. The impact had caused internal bleeding which had been stopped. Now her brain showed internal bleeding and swelling which was bad. There were only a few doctors who specialized in the type of surgery she needed.
Gael was worried sick about me and I knew he regretted not coming with me. Honestly, I regretted the decision, too, now that I’d had a plane ride to think about it.
Emotions do funny things to a person when they were tired. Not having had slept much last night was only adding to the problem.
In less than twelve hours, I’d be in Gael’s arms. I’d focus on that. The cab stopped at the hospital curb. The meter read one hundred forty-three dollars. Since I hadn’t known I was traveling, I didn’t have that kind of cash. Taking out the credit card, the cab driver grunted. They hated not getting cash. A tap on the front window had the cab driving rolling it down. A man’s suit was visible.
He leaned down and I froze as he handed a wad of cash. “Keep the change. Thanks for getting her here safely.”
Harris. My skin crawled and I wanted to yell for the cab driver to take me away. Amelia. I needed to get to Amelia.
Sounding appreciative, the unknowing driver responded, “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”
What the fuck is Harris doing here?
Finally, my brain started working. Assertively, I handed my card to the man. “Sir, I don’t want him paying for my ride. I’ll pay.”
“Lady, it’s done.” The cab driver wasn’t going to listen as he stared forward. Not many people went against Harris.
I got out and ran toward the hospital doors. Amelia was all that mattered. I’d deal with the asshole later and send him the money for the cab. The last thing I would ever be was beholding to Harris. It’s why I’d been insistent on paying for what I could of the bills when I lived with him. It was pennies to him in the scheme of things.
As I rounded the corner to the elevator, a tight grip came on my elbow.
“Ashlin, come with me.”
I yanked my arm out of his hold. “You’re out of your mind. Leave me alone, Harris.”
“Do you want to save your friend’s life?” The steel resolve of his voice stopped me in my tracks.
“What?”
As if we were talking about the weather, he replied, “Do you want to save your friend’s life? The decision is up to you.”
Harris turned and walked toward a small room off to the side. I followed, cursing him the whole way. There was an endgame here and it was going to be brutal. His stance alone caused a bad feeling to come over me. My tired nerves were shot.
Casually, Harris leaned against the small desk and ran his hand through his black hair. “Amelia needs a specialized brain surgeon. I have him on standby ready to fly him here.”
“Harris, oh my gosh, thank you!” Gratitude flooded me.
He held up a finger. “My help doesn’t come without a price, Ashlin. Amelia’s going to potentially require more surgeries and physical therapy. I’ll cover these as well. She’ll have the best doctors working with her. I’ll make sure that there’s no red tape. I understand that money isn’t an issue for her family, but the doctors have to be available.”
How could I have been so stupid to think he would help?
Dread replaced the elation. “What’s the price?”
By the cruel smile that spread across his face, I knew the answer before he spoke, “You break up with Gael Stowe. We reconcile and you move back home.”
I raised my hand to slap him and he caught my wrist. “Are you fucking out of your mind?”
“Tick-tock, baby. Time is running out.” The menacing ice blue eyes told me he wasn’t bluffing.
He wouldn’t let go of me. Stunned, I said the first thing that came to mind, “You’d kill Amelia, Harris? She’s a human being.”
“No, I’m not killing her. I simply won’t go out of my way to help her. She has a fighting chance with my help. Without it, the prognosis is dim.” Releasing my wrist, I staggered backward.
I felt sick. I had to sit. The world spun and bile rose in my throat. Taking a seat, I tried to comprehend the fact that someone even as vile as Harris could do such a thing.
He adjusted the sleeves of his suit and picked at a piece of imaginary lint. “Steven already lost a baby today. Do you want him to lose his wife also?”
“What?” My voice was an echo of itself as I tried to process this new information.
Like the coldhearted bastard he was, Harris responded without emotion, “Amelia was six weeks pregnant. Sh
e lost the baby today.”
My breaths were coming in fast. How did he know this? Harris knelt down in front of me. He reached for me and I knocked his hand away. How dare he touch me! “Ashlin, slow your breathing down. I don’t want you passing out. Ashlin, calm down. I don’t want you hurt. You’re going to be my wife.”
Tears formed in my eyes. To get him out of my sight, I closed them. Wife. Wife. Wife. Was he insane?
“Ashlin, what’s it going to be?”
My mind was jumbled. I needed a minute that I didn’t have to think. If I broke up with Gael, I could call and explain what happened as soon as Amelia made it out of surgery and was in the clear.
Harris cut off my thoughts. “And before you think that you can call him later and explain, know I’ll yank it all away. Everything, Ashlin. You’re responsible for your friend’s recovery. It’s going to take months and she’s going to need my help. Even daddy dearest, Winston, doesn’t have the power I have to get her what she needs. I’ll make their lives a living hell. She’ll get lost in the system.”
I pictured Amelia and Steven helping Gael at the restaurant. They had always been there for me. There was no choice, but to sacrifice my own happiness for the sake of theirs. I’d never be able to live with myself if Amelia died and I could have stopped it. Tears rolled down my face. I knew what I had to do, but the thought was as if my own heart was being sliced open.
“I hate you, Harris,” I spit.
He shrugged. “You’ll learn to love me. You loved me before, you’ll learn again. What’s it going to be?”
The words felt foreign on my tongue. “I’ll break up with Gael.”
“And move back in with me?” Harris bombarded me, making it impossible to hold my own with the stakes he had.
There wasn’t much time. “If Amelia gets better. You need something to keep you motivated. You may have me under your roof, but I will never sleep with you.”
Giving me a grin that I used to find attractive, but now found repulsive, he confidently spoke, “We’ll see. At some point, you’ll have needs.”
I scoffed and looked away. “Make the phone call to bring the surgeon, Harris.”
“You call Gael first.”
My world was about to end.
ICE LEACHED INTO my veins. “You want me to call Gael? Now? Harris make the phone call. Amelia doesn’t have much time.”
“Make it quick and believable, Ashlin.”
This was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. I knew Amelia didn’t have time, but making me do this was like putting a square peg through a round hole. “He won’t believe it, Harris. He knows how I feel. We exchanged I love yous not thirty minutes ago. I agreed to move in with him yesterday. He’s flying up here tomorrow. Gael will know I don’t mean it.”
Harris stood and paced the room a few times.
I begged. “Please call for the doctor.”
Stopping on a dime, Harris narrowed his eyes at me. “Call, Gael. Tell him it’s too fast and you’ve realized your home is here.”
Knowing at this point I had no other choice, I grabbed my cell phone. My hands were shaking. I can do this. I’ll figure out a way to get free from Harris. I can do this. More tears rolled down my cheek as I thought about giving up the one thing I had ever wanted. Amelia needs me. She’ll die without the doctor.
Harris’ cold voice demanded, “Put it on speaker. I want to hear it.”
“You’re a sadistic bastard.” There was no compassion in the man I once lived with.
My heart fought my finger from pushing Call. As the phone rang, I thought I would die as my insides shredded.
“Hey, sweetheart. How’s Amelia?” I closed my eyes feeling the love in his voice one last time.
There was no hiding how upset I was when I spoke, “Umm … sh-she’s stable f-for now.”
“What’s wrong, Ashlin?”
I dug deep. Amelia’s life was at stake. I’d sort mine out when she was okay. “Gael, I’ve been thinking and we need to take a break. It’s all been too fast. I’m going to stay in New York.”
“No! No! No! What the fuck is going on, Ashlin? Something’s not right. I’ll be there tomorrow. Don’t do this.” His voice was panicked. I was panicked. I didn’t want to do this.
Gael, I’m so sorry.
Harris jutted his finger at the phone and mouthed, Sell it!
Time was running out. “Gael, don’t come. It’s really over. I know this seems sudden, but I tried to force something that wasn’t there. I realized that when I got to the hospital. Seeing Amelia and Steven again made me realize I can’t keep doing this to you.”
I was greeted with silence. More silence.
Gael cleared his throat. “I promised I’d never break your heart, I guess I should have had you promise the same thing.”
The line went dead. And with the silence my soul died too.
I held the phone and sobbed as Harris spoke, “Yes, please have the helicopter ready for Dr. Tibowski. He’s coming to New York Presbyterian. Make all the other arrangements we discussed.”
Still staring at the blank screen, I felt like my entire world had been yanked from me. At least Amelia has a fighting chance. A new wave of hurt came over me. Amelia had wanted to be a mother and now she was going to have to deal with the loss of her baby with everything else. My sacrifice seemed small in comparison.
I saw Harris’ legs come to stand in front of me. “I’ll know if you contact him and tell him everything. I won’t hesitate to act. No further communication with that fucker.”
Still looking down, defeated, I responded, “Why are you doing this? Why now?”
“Like I said outside the restaurant, I’m a patient man. I had to wait for the right opportunity. I knew the moment Amelia had her accident. I’m the reason she’s still alive. If it hadn’t been for my guys, no one would have known what to do to keep her alive. Amelia presented a means to an end. That Christmas party for Gael was staged. There’s connoisseurs showing up and there will be an article to sell it in a magazine I’ve purchased space in. I had to act fast to get you alone. The incident with his mother was only an added bonus that showed me it was the right time to make my move. I know you guys stopped using a condom a few weeks ago. We couldn’t have any accidents happening. Other plans were in motion if this hadn’t happened.”
The last couple of comments had me looking at Harris. Shocked. He continued. “Someone’s trash can be very telling. You’ve been monitored closely since the day you broke up with me, Ashlin.”
I remained silent. There was too much for me to process. Harris headed for the door. “Did you ever read the note I left you after your Aunt Leelyn died?”
“No. What did it say?”
He cracked his neck. “So much of this could have been avoided. I wanted to start fresh. Find our way. Figure things out. I would have compromised to have you back in my life.”
There were no words. Knowing how much I loved Gael now, it didn’t make a difference. Harris continued and any gentleness was gone. “We’ll work out when you’re moving back in with me and becoming my wife. I think it should be a slow reconciliation so Steven doesn’t see through it.” Harris grabbed the doorknob before giving me one last warning. “I mean it, Ashlin. No contact or you will regret it.”
With the finality of the door shutting, I cried a lifetime’s worth into my hands. There was no beginning and no end to the hurt I felt. My whole body ached.
My phone vibrated. I looked down, wishing it was Gael.
Steven: Where are you at? Doctor came out with good news.
A happy sob came from me through all the sorrow.
Me: Heading up.
Looking in the mirror, I knew there was nothing that could be done with the train wreck my face had become.
As I walked to the elevator, my phone vibrated again.
Gael: Please tell me that my world did not just fall apart.
Wanting to respond, but knowing I couldn’t, I closed out the message and head
ed upstairs.
As I stepped off the elevator, Steven saw me and rushed up to me with bloodshot eyes. His dark hair looked like he’d been pulling on it in despair. “There’s no reason to cry, sweetie. They located a doctor who can perform the surgery. Amelia has a fighting chance.”
I grabbed onto Steven and let it all out—the pain, the sadness, the relief.
It neared noon on the next day. There had been no other texts from Gael. Amelia was still in surgery. I hadn’t slept through the night, but stared out into the parking lot, numb, for endless hours. Feeding my caffeine addiction, I was getting what was probably the hundredth cup of coffee in the hospital cafeteria. Caffeine was the only thing keeping me going. Steven had asked if I wanted to go to their place. I couldn’t. Not until I knew Amelia was okay.
“Ashlin.”
I turned and dropped my coffee. I’d never been so happy and scared in my life at who stood in front of me.
Gael. My Gael. He looked like I did—miserable. All I wanted to do was run into his arms and know everything was going to be okay. But, I couldn’t, not now.
Holding up my hands, I saw they were shaking. “Gael, you have to leave. You can’t be here. Please.”
“Tell me to my face, it’s over. Tell me and I’ll leave. I don’t believe you, sweetheart.” Gael kept walking toward me in his jeans and sweater.
When looking into his eyes, the words couldn’t come off my lips. But I tried, to sound convincing. “Please leave, Gael. I’m begging you.”
Reaching me, he put his hands to each side of my face and I briefly closed my eyes, reveling in the gesture. “You look scared to death. Something’s happened.”
Stepping back from his embrace, I looked over to the right as two guys came in. Gael glanced that way before bringing his attention back to me. I forced the acid back down as I spoke the only words that would make him leave, “It’s over, Gael.”
Gael watched my face. “I said I would leave and I will. Good-bye, Ashlin.”
Predestined Hearts Page 31