The minutes seemed to take forever to pass, and I kept checking my watch as two o' clock crept closer, and my nerves began to creep in. I shook my head and laughed quietly to myself. I could go into a building filled with men armed to the teeth who wanted to kill me – yet now, waiting for a female doctor, I was getting nervous.
Just as I settled on how ridiculous I was being, she stepped through the door. From the expression that crossed her face when she saw me, she'd had no clue that I was Jane's father.
I had to admit, she looked great – just as beautiful as she had been when we dated in college.
"E-Everett," she stammered, taken aback. "Umm. You're this child's father?"
"Hi, Liza," I said. "Yes, this is my little girl."
"Can we talk outside the room instead?" she asked immediately.
"Sure."
I followed her out into the hallway.
"Wow... So, you're married, a family man now?" she asked. "It's been... it's been a long time.”
"Yes, it has. And no, I'm not married. Not anymore."
She nodded.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Her loss, I assure you."
Even with all the resentment and bitterness I felt for her after what she had done to me, when she said those words, my heart started to beat a little faster.
"Um, thanks," I murmured, not really knowing what else to say. "And what about you? Did you end up marrying that guy, what was his name, the banker?"
She looked down. "Oh, Vincent... no, no, things didn't work out with him and me."
Then she looked up suddenly and blazed an intense look right into my eyes.
"I've wanted to say this to you for a long time, Everett, a very long time – losing you was the biggest mistake I ever made. It should have been you... You were the one. You really were, and I've never stopped thinking about you. Never."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Vivienne
I watched out the window as Everett drove off, heading to the hospital. I hoped this new specialist would be able to help Jane; it was immensely saddening to think of her stuck in the hospital and to think of how much pain Everett had to be going through.
My mind wandered to that morning when I had opened up about my father, and found out that he, too, had grown up in a single parent home. The common ground seemed to have helped us grow closer.
I put some music on – some good old Bon Jovi from the 80s. After talking with Everett, it didn't feel nearly as painful to think about my dad. I knew he would have loved Everett and would have been proud of me for choosing such a decent, stand-up guy. I was lucky to have him; guys like Everett certainly weren't a dime a dozen. I couldn't help but think that his ex-wife had made a stupid mistake when she had chosen the bottle over him. What woman in her right mind would do something like that? I guessed she had a very real and very serious struggle with addiction to get through, and nobody could help her with that except her. It was just a shame that it had caused such pain and sorrow to her former husband and daughter.
Not that it was any of my business. All I could do was make sure Jane and Everett knew that I cared about them both very much and do my best to fill the empty space in their lives where a mother should have been – a role into which I could already see myself happily fitting.
After having a few throwback songs, the food from lunch and the stress of the last two days were starting to wear me down. I headed to my bedroom to take a nap.
It had been a while since I'd slept in my own bed, and it felt good to lie down on the familiar comforter and pillow. It would have been even nicer if Everett had been there wrapping his arms around me, but it was good to have a little time to myself as well.
I looked out of the window – my bedroom was upstairs, so I figured it was safe to open the drapes, as Simon wouldn't be able to see inside even if he was lurking outside somewhere – and stared at the deep blue sky with its puffy white clouds drifting about here or there. It really was a beautiful afternoon. I decided I needed to get some fresh air later. Perhaps Everett and I could go for a walk in the park or something. I'd call him when I woke up and figure things out then.
With these thoughts running through my mind, I closed my eyes, relaxed, and was asleep within minutes.
***
I woke with a start and the distinct gut feeling that something wasn't right. I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep, but the sun was still bright in the sky, so it couldn't have been too long.
I lay still on the bed for a few moments, listening carefully for whatever the sound had been that pulled me from my nap.
A moment later, I heard it again: rattling. I got out of bed, my heart beating a little faster, a sudden wash of nervousness gushing through me. I walked on tiptoes out of my room, being careful to be as silent as possible, and paused on the landing of the stairs, focusing on trying to pinpoint the location of the sound.
There it was again – there was a definite jiggling, and it was coming from the back door. Someone was trying to pick the lock!
Immediately, waves of cold fear started to blast through my veins, and my legs felt weak and jelly-like beneath me. It had to be Simon – it had to be. And here I was, alone and unarmed!
Alright, I needed to calm down before panic got me in a tailspin and spiraling into hysteria. I needed to call someone. I had to stay calm. Help was just a phone call away.
I picked up my phone with shaking fingers and tried to call Everett. His number rang for a while and then went to voicemail. I cursed and felt fear rising, but I forced myself to stay calm and instead dialed 911. The phone seemed to ring forever before someone picked up.
"911, what's your emergency?" said a soft-spoken male voice.
"Hi, uh, someone is trying to break into my house."
"Are you alone?"
"Yes, I'm alone," I replied.
"Alright, stay calm. I need your address, and I'll get a squad car over there right away."
I gave him my address and phone number.
"Alright, ma'am, I've radioed a police car in your area, and they're heading your way now. Stay on the line, and I'll help you through this. What's your name?"
"I'm Vivienne, Vivienne Andrews."
"Vivienne, I'm Arnold Barnes. Alright, what I need you to do while you wait for the squad car to arrive is to stay calm firstly. I know that's much easier for me to say than for you to do, but try to stay in control of your emotions."
"I'm trying, I'm trying..."
"Good, that's good, Vivienne. Now, is there a room in the house in which you can lock yourself? Any place that's got a lock on the door, like a bathroom, anything like that?"
"Um, yeah, yeah, the bathroom next to my bedroom."
"Go straight there and lock yourself in there. If there's anything like a chair or something you can take to stack against the door handle to prevent the door being forced open, bring it with you. As long as it's not a chair with wheels, alright? No office chairs, just a regular old wooden chair, if you have one. If not, just go straight to the bathroom and lock it up."
"There's, uh, there are a few wooden chairs in the kitchen. But that means I'll have to go downstairs and get one, and the man is trying to get through the front door, which is near the kitchen."
"Alright, forget the chair then, we don't want to put you at risk here by potentially having you downstairs if he does get in. Just go straight to the bathroom and lock yourself in there."
"Okay, okay, I'm doing that. Hang on."
I ran back to my bedroom, headed into the bathroom and then locked the door.
At that moment, I heard the front door open.
"Oh no, oh no," I whispered into the phone, my voice hoarse with urgency. "He's in the house, he got in, and the cops haven't arrived yet!"
"Stay calm. They're close; they're a few blocks away. You should hear the sirens any minute now, and when the intruder hears them, he'll probably run. Just stay in there and keep quiet, and stand away from the door if possible."
That's
when I heard a voice I hadn't heard in years – a voice that sent shivers of dread snaking down my spine.
"Alicia! Hello, Alicia... I know you're in here, so don't waste time hiding. Come out; I just want to talk..."
Simon was shouting from downstairs, so at least he wasn't close. When were the cops going to arrive?! Every second counted here.
"Is that the intruder?" asked Arnold. He could obviously hear the shouting from the phone.
"It is, yes."
"Who is Alicia? Is he looking for someone specific who lives in the house with you?"
I was in too much of a state right now to explain the whole story to this guy, so I just cut it real short.
"I'm Alicia. I changed my name to get away from him," I whispered into the phone.
"You know the intruder then?"
"Yes. He's a stalker I currently have a restraining order against. He has made repeated threats against me."
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" shouted Simon in a mocking tone. "I'm starting to get angry now, Alicia, and you know how I get when I'm angry. You know how... unhappy I can be when I'm angry."
Just then, the howling of police sirens pierced the air. Finally, they had arrived.
"You stupid little whore!" he roared. "Calling the cops, huh? Well, now I'm really unhappy, and you're going to pay dearly for this when I do find you!"
I heard heavy footsteps moving quickly down the stairs – it seemed he was fleeing.
"I think he's leaving," I said to Arnold.
"Just stay in the bathroom until the officers come into the house, alright?"
"Alright," I agreed.
After a few minutes, I heard the officers enter the house.
"This is the police!" one of them shouted. "We're coming in!"
I heard them moving around downstairs, and after a while, they came upstairs and into my room.
"Is there anyone in here?" shouted one of them. "Come out with your hands behind your head!"
"I'm in the bathroom!"
"Come out slowly, hands behind your head..."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Everett
The words Liza said to me cut through me, like a blade slicing straight into my heart. But at the same time, it made me realize something. Her words didn't cut because I still loved her, they cut because I felt sorry for her. She was confessing feelings for me that I could never reciprocate. I had expected to feel something for her still because I had loved her more than any woman...until now.
Now, I knew that whatever Liza said from that moment on, my heart already belonged to Vivienne. I could not and would not betray her trust. Being there with Liza made me see that I cared for Vivienne more deeply than I ever had or could for Liza.
"I... I'm sorry that you made that mistake," I said, being careful about how I framed my words. "But that's old history now. Water under the bridge, you know. Those days are gone, and it won't do either of us too good to dwell on 'em."
She nodded, smiling sadly.
"I know. It doesn't change the fact that you're the best guy I ever dated, though."
"Well, thank you, I guess."
"You don't have to say anything back to me. I know what I did to you was terrible. It was my fault that you and I didn't work out, and over the years I've come to terms with that, and I've accepted responsibility for what I did. I messed you around, Everett, I really did, and with my selfishness, I ruined what could have been something amazing. Which could have... could have been the best thing in my life."
Her confession hit pretty hard. It did seem like she had changed. I know that often a leopard can't change its spots, as the saying goes, but sometimes people are able to turn over a new leaf. I mean, I never in a million years thought I'd hear her say that things were her fault. I never once imagined that she would take responsibility for what happened between us – yet here she was, doing exactly that.
"I appreciate that, Liza. Thank you."
"I owe you an apology, and I have always wanted to say that to you. I just never imagined that I would see you again. After all, I hardly deserved to see you again after what I put you through."
I didn't know how to respond to that. I waited for a while, seeing if a coherent response could emerge from all the mad thoughts bouncing around my head.
"I never imagined I would see you again, either. It's, uh, well I guess it's downright weird that you're here."
"Yeah, it is. Almost like... fate?" she said, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.
Oh no. No, no, no. I wasn't about to let her grab hold of any hope of us getting back together. I was with Vivienne now, and nothing was going to change that.
"Or just a strange coincidence. I don't believe in fate," I said.
"Well, we all have our own beliefs, I guess. So, uh, how did you find life as a Navy SEAL? I always thought it was odd that you did that right after finishing a degree in education."
I wanted to say, "Well, it was because of you and what you did to me that I did that," but of course I couldn't. I wanted to keep things civil between her and myself.
"I guess I just always had a thirst for adventure, you know? And you understand how I have always felt a need to be the best I could be, and to push past my limits."
"Oh yeah," she said with a chuckle. "You used to be into all sorts of extreme sports back in college days. Remember the time we went bungee jumping together."
I smiled – that had been a good time. "I had to jump three times before you could work up the guts to jump," I said.
She laughed. "Yeah, you did! I was scared stiff, and I swear I almost had a heart attack when I eventually did summon up enough courage to jump. But wow, it was such an experience. And there was the time you took me skydiving for, was it for Valentine's Day?"
I laughed. "Yes, yes, that was on Valentine's Day when we were 21."
"Wow. How things have changed, huh?"
I knew I was treading on thin ice here; she might be playing all nice and nostalgic and pleasant now, but there was no way I could tell if it was some sort of act, designed to reel me in. Not that it mattered. I only wanted Vivienne.
"Things sure have changed," I agreed.
I needed to get the focus away from the past. All this nostalgic recollection was dangerous.
"But anyway, let's not get too carried away about how things used to be. What about now; I'm sure you have a great guy who doesn't force you to jump from hair-raising heights."
She shook her head, and a look of sadness came over her face.
"No, right now I'm as single as a girl can be. My last boyfriend was a bit of a jerk. He was a lawyer and seemed like a great guy."
"What went wrong then?" I asked.
"He had not only one, not even two, but three other women on the side. He was a serial womanizer. He strung me along for almost two years before I found out about the women on the side."
Part of me felt a little bit of vindictive satisfaction as I heard this. "So, now you know what it's like to have someone you love have an extended affair behind your back," I wanted to say – but I didn't.
"Gee, I'm sorry to hear that," I said.
Again, that glimmer of hope sparkled in her eyes as she looked at me.
"Thanks; guess it just means I'm wide open for Mr. Right."
"Well, I'm sure the right guy will come along soon."
I didn't want to give her even the slightest hint that anything could happen between us. In fact, I needed to get off this topic altogether.
"Anyway," I continued. "We are here to talk about my daughter, and I have a lot of things I need to attend to this afternoon. What can you tell me about Janie's condition?"
"Ah yes, well, according to the tests I had requested before I got here, she's got a nasty virus – it's a type of stomach flu that has been doing the rounds recently. It's a particularly virulent strain and usually hits the very young and the very elderly harder than most, and anyone else who doesn't have a particularly strong immune system. But I'll give her
a few shots. I'm happy to say that she has passed the worst of it and is looking much better now. In fact, she might even be ready to leave the hospital later this evening. I just need to observe her for a few more hours before I can recommend that."
Whatever else I might think about Liza, her professionalism as a doctor was apparent, and I had to say that I was pretty damn impressed.
"I'm very, very relieved to hear that," I said.
"Yeah, so am I. I've lost two patients to this virus in the past two weeks. I did all that I could, but they just weren't strong enough to fight it off. Your little girl, though, don't worry: she's a fighter. Takes after her daddy, I guess."
"She does. And I'm very relieved to hear that she'll be alright."
She nodded.
"She will be. Like I said, she's already getting much better."
I could sense that she wanted to talk to me more – a lot more – but I knew that that wouldn't be a good idea.
"Is there anything else I should know about her condition?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Everything seems to be in order for the moment. Like I said, if she continues to show signs of improvement, I'll recommend that she be discharged."
"Thanks, Liza. Well, if that's all, like I said, I have some things to do this afternoon, especially if I might get to take Janie home."
"Alright, well you better take off then."
We looked at each other again, and there was an intense look in her eyes; it seemed almost as if she was on the verge of tears.
"Goodbye, Liza," I said, breaking the silence. "Thank you."
"Goodbye, Everett. It was good seeing you again after all these years."
"Yeah, it was. Maybe I'll bump into you again in another ten, huh," I said, smiling.
"Maybe sooner," she said, returning my smile.
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