Crushed (Crystal Brook Billionaires)

by Jessica Blake

  “What do you think happened?” I ask, my voice betraying just how close I am to crying.

  “He either hit his head or just passed out… has he ever fainted before?”

  “Not that I know of.” I give it some thought. “He’s been eating really weird, though. I’m not exactly sure what, but Crystal said he’s been on some crazy diet. She thinks he’s not getting enough food.”

  Simon nods. “Make sure to tell them everything you know when we get there. The doctors will figure it out.”

  We don’t say anything else for the rest of the drive. When we get to the hospital, we rush into the waiting room.

  “My brother is here,” I lie to the nurse at the front desk, trying to get around the privacy laws. “Eryk Stevens.” I clutch the edge of the counter and hold my breath, waiting to see if she has any information on him.

  She looks at a clipboard in front of her, trailing her finger down a list. “All right,” she says in a bored voice. “As of right now, we have no information. If you’ll have a seat, we’ll call you when something happens.”

  “I need to speak to the staff,” I hurriedly say. “He might have fainted because of his diet. I need to let them know…”

  She looks at me and slowly nods. “I’ll pass that on. If we need any information from you, someone will come out and get you.”

  I run my palms over my face and work to steady my breathing. Next to me, Simon is cool as a cucumber.

  “Okay,” I mutter. “Okay.”

  “Here’s some information that needs to be filled out.” She hands me a clipboard. “Just enter whatever you know.”

  I take the clipboard and shuffle over to the long rows of uncomfortable looking blue chairs and sit in one. Simon settles next to me. “Did Crystal text you back?”

  I check my phone. “No.”

  “Stay here. I’ll go get you some coffee.”

  He leaves the waiting room, disappearing underneath the sign that points to the cafeteria. I start filling out the information, but there’s not much more I can answer other than the basics such as Eryk’s name and birth date.

  I turn the papers into the desk and sit down heavily. My phone rings and I snatch it up like my life depends on it.

  Crystal doesn’t give me a chance to say hello. “Oh my God, what happened?” she shrieks.

  “He fainted. Or hit his head. We don’t really know.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “When the medics took him out, he was awake, but he was barely speaking.” My lower lip trembles over the last part and I have to press my palm against my mouth to still it.

  “I’m on my way. You’re at Hollywood Presbyterian?”

  “Yeah, in the waiting room. With Simon.”

  There’s a little silence. “Simon?”

  “He came over to talk to me about something and that’s when it happened.”

  “Talk to you about what?”

  “Crystal,” I gasp, honestly not able to believe she wants to talk about my love life when our roommate is laying — probably in seriously bad shape — in a hospital room somewhere.

  “Is he there now?” she asks, her voice low.

  “He went to get me coffee.”

  “Oh… I still don’t get it. Why did he come over?”

  “I think…” I pause and lick my dry lips. “Well, he wanted to talk about us. Me and him.”

  “Wow… okay. I’ll be there soon.”

  She hangs up and I pull my legs up into the seat. Everything about the waiting room creeps me out. The rubbed raw plastic chair arms. The scent that smells like cleaning product and sickness blended together. The despondent patients and visitors shuffling around.

  I drop my head to my knees and don’t look up till someone smooths back some of my hair.

  It’s Simon. Thank God, because a stranger molesting me in the middle of a hospital waiting room would just be the cherry on top of the morning. At such a point, I would literally have to snap.

  He extends his hand holding a cup of coffee. Once I take it, he has a seat.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He leans forward, his hands between his knees, and I get the feeling he’s uncomfortable. “I don’t like hospitals,” he says, confirming my thoughts.

  I laugh, a raspy guffaw. “Thank God. Neither do I.”

  He smiles at me and I look down into my coffee, suddenly not able to handle the sweetness of the moment.

  Watch it, lunatic.

  I smile, remembering those three words; the first thing he ever said to me.

  Now, it’s impossible to believe that same man from the parking lot weeks ago is the one sitting next to me. So much of him seems different. Those words and that day seem as if they happened in a dream.

  Seems being the important word there, because people really can’t change that fast.

  Then again, why can’t they? Am I not changing? Am I really the same starry eyed film school grad who first drove onto the lot of Mulroney Pictures days and days ago?

  I’m still starry eyed, but only when it comes to movies. In respect to other things, my heart has begun to harden. But I’ve also been changing for the better. At least I hope so. If I haven’t, then I’ll try harder. I’m going to take to heart what Brendan told me and keep trying to let everyone just be as they are.

  I clamp my teeth together. That includes Eryk. We fight too much.

  God, if he gets out of this hospital alive, I will never start a fight with him again.

  All of this flashes through my head while I stare down into the dark liquid. The paper cup is thin, but the coffee not that hot, so I can just manage to hold it without burning myself.

  “How did you know I needed coffee so bad?” I whisper.

  “You seem tired, and I notice you were chugging it earlier.” He pauses. “Plus, it’s just good to have something in your hands when everything is falling apart around you.”

  “Yeah,” I agree, thinking of his hand in my own back at the apartment. I want to reach out and hold it again now, but my fingers remain firmly gripped around the thin cup.

  I wonder how much experience he has with things falling apart around him.

  “Where did you go?” I ask, lifting my head slightly to look at him. He hasn’t moved at all; is still leaning forward on his legs. “Dana said it was a business trip.”

  He rubs his palm against his jaw. “It wasn’t. I just needed some time away. I went to Florida. My friend has a house there and it was empty all week.”

  “Ah.”

  He looks at the floor, blinking rapidly, and then looks back up at me. “You like it on set.”

  “Yeah,” I agree. “I do.”

  “I’m sorry you don’t want to stay in the office. I know I haven’t made it the best work environment.”

  “No, you haven’t,” I agree, looking straight at him. “But not just for me. You’re harsh on other people as well.”

  He still stares at the floor, but he nods sullenly.

  I go on. It’s much easier to talk about and defend others than it is myself. “Dana works really hard for you,” I say. “She puts up with a lot.”

  “I know,” he rasps. “I need to be better to her. I need to be better to everyone. That’s one of the things I’m working on.”

  His gaze lifts up halfway, to where he’s staring at my hands. “If I did that, would you still not want to come back?”

  “Come back to what? The office?”

  He swallows hard and his hands clench together. “The office isn’t what’s important.”

  I watch him, seeing what he’s getting at, but also still too afraid to give myself over to his promises. I swallow hard. “It’s pretty complicated.”

  His throat works up and down. “What if we uncomplicated it?”

  “How?” My voice sounds so desperate.

  We lock eyes and a deep comfort washes over me.

  “Sydney!”

  Crystal comes running across the waiting roo
m. Simon and I both stand up, me sloshing a bit of coffee on the floor in the process. Her eyes are wide and her blonde hair frizzy and flying out around her. She comes to a breathless halt in front of me. “Have you heard anything?”

  “No.”

  Crystal’s face falls.

  “I’m going to go ask around,” Simon announces, standing up. “We shouldn’t have to wait this long. It’s ridiculous.”

  He goes to the front desk and Crystal takes his vacated seat.

  “I told him,” she fiercely whispers. “I told him he was going to hurt himself. What the hell is his issue?”

  I sadly smile. “I know. We couldn’t make him do things differently, though.”

  A dry sob racks her body, and the cool and collected girl I know so well disappears. “Damn him. What an idiot!”

  I wrap my arm around her shoulder while she cries a little bit. Her emotions somewhat spent, she wipes her face and sits up straighter. “He’s got such a nice ass,” she sullenly says, watching Simon at the receptionist desk.

  I snort. “Yeah, he does.”

  “He cares about you.”

  I give that some thought. “Yeah, I think he does… but I still don’t know that we want the same things. Or that, supposing we do, we can even figure things out. So much is different about us.”

  “You didn’t get that far in the conversation?”

  “No. We walked into the living room and Eryk was on the floor.” I shut my eyes, trying to block out the image of a pale Eryk strewn across the rug, but it only gets brighter and more well defined.

  “Looks like he’s giving them a talking to,” Crystal says.

  She’s referring to Simon, who is gesturing sharply with his hand while speaking to a man in a white coat. His face is calm, but his body language means business. I wonder if he’s pulling out certain mannerisms he uses at work when he needs to remind people that he’s in charge. He’s certainly coming off as a force to be reckoned with — at least from where Crystal and I sit, staring at him.

  We watch the conversation continue for a minute. The doctor walks off and Simon comes back over to us.

  “They’re going to let you in to see him,” he says.

  Crystal bolts up and hugs him. He seems surprised but pats her on the shoulder in that awkward way some men can have of showing affection. It’s probably been a long time since someone spontaneously hugged him.

  She pulls back. “Thank you!”

  “He’s in room four twelve.”

  Crystal takes off for the long hallway nearby and I take a step as well, but then stop when Simon doesn’t move.

  “Aren’t you coming?” I ask him.

  He shakes his head. “I don’t think I should intrude. If Eryk is awake, he won’t want a lot of people in there.” His fingers curl around mine for an instant. “I’ll wait out here for you.”

  “Did they tell you anything else?”

  “No. Just that they ran some tests and hope to have an answer soon.”

  “That’s nothing,” I mutter.

  Crystal comes back and tugs on my hand. “Come on. Let’s go. We’ll find out ourselves.”

  The room is easy enough to find. We push the half closed door open the rest of the way and slip inside. There are two beds. The first one is empty but in the second, lays Eryk. His back is elevated, and although he still looks pale, he smiles at us.

  “Hey, bitches.”

  Crystal stomps forward, and for a second, I think she’s going to tell him off. Instead, she just reaches out and places her hand on his shoulder. He looks up at her with a regretful smile.

  “I’m sorry, you guys.”

  A shuddering exhale leaves Crystal. “I want to give you hell and say you should be sorry… but I’m just glad you’re alive.”

  I step forward. “Did the doctors or nurses tell you anything?”

  “No.” His face goes blank. “I’m a little scared.”

  “Don’t worry.” Crystal squeezes his shoulder. “We’re right here. It’s going to be okay. Did you tell them about what you’ve been doing differently lately?”

  He looks embarrassed. “Yeah. They asked me a bunch of questions about my diet and I told them the truth.”

  There’s a knock on the door and a dark skinned woman wearing a doctor’s coat and carrying a laptop comes in.

  “Hi, Eryk,” she says, then nods at Crystal and me. “Friends of yours?”

  “My roommates.”

  She grabs a rolling stool from the corner and pulls it over to his bedside before sitting down. “So we got the results of all your tests back, and I have some news.” She glances at me and Crystal. “We can speak in private if you prefer.”

  “No,” Eryk quickly says. “I want them here.”

  Crystal keeps her hand on him.

  The doctor nods. “All right. So it turns out you have type-1 diabetes. It’s nothing to be alarmed about. It’s a perfectly manageable condition. It may have only recently developed, or you could have had it for a while and not known because you were doing everything right. A change in diet is what brought about your fainting.”

  Eryk’s eyes fall to his lap.

  “This is good,” Crystal says. “We can manage it.”

  The doctor pulls out some sheets tucked in between her folded computer. “Exactly. Or, more specifically, it’s not as harsh a condition as some other ones. I’m going to give you some information on healthy eating and managing diabetes. It’s important that you keep track of everything you eat so you can regulate your blood sugar. I’m also going to refer you to a nearby clinic and a nutritionist who specializes in diabetes management.”

  She hands him the papers while she speaks. Slowly, my heart rate returns to a regular pace as I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding in.

  “You’re free to go today if you feel well enough. If you’d like further monitoring, you can stay through the night.”

  Eryk purses his mouth. “No, thank you. I’d like to go home.”

  She nods and stands. “I’ll let them know at the nurse’s station. Give us a call if you have any more fainting spells.”

  “Thank you, Doctor Harris.”

  She leaves, closing the door behind her.

  Crystal takes the vacated stool and I step a couple feet closer to them.

  “Well,” Crystal says.

  “Well,” Eryk replies.

  I nod. “Agreed.”

  Eryk looks at me. “Thanks for being too busy boning in your room to come out and save me.”

  My mouth falls open.

  “I’m kidding,” he says, then laughs.

  I cross my arms. “That’s not funny. I was scared to death, Eryk, and so was Simon.”

  Eryk looks interested in the last part. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “He didn’t give me mouth to mouth, did he?”

  “Almost.”

  He snaps his fingers. “Damn. So close. If I ever faint again will you make sure to ask him to? And then get a picture of it. Oh, and post it on Facebook.”

  Crystal grins. “And tag me in it.”

  I unwrap my arms. “You two like him, huh?”

  “There’s a hidden sweetness in him, Sydney,” Eryk says.

  I cock my head and look at him. I’ve only seen Eryk be so serious a few times before, and it’s almost hard to believe he’s not joking.

  “It came out today,” Crystal tells him. “You should have seen him in the waiting room, demanding to find out what was happening with you. He meant business.”

  “Mm,” Eryk says. “Sexy.” His face grows serious and he looks at me. “You two should really be together.”

  “It’s—”

  “Complicated. Yeah, trust me, I got it. No one knows complicated like I do. But still, it’s just the way you are when you’re with him.”

  Crystal speaks up. “It’s like a light shines right out of you.”

  I look down at the floor, not knowing what to say to that.

  Crysta
l takes the papers from the bed and studies the top one. “I hate to say I told you so, Eryk, but…”

  “Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and say it.”

  She looks at him over the top of the paper. “Every dietary thing you’re supposed to do for diabetes, you’ve been ignoring.”

  He twists his lips. “I feel like an idiot.”

  “No,” she quickly says. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “You didn’t know,” I add.

  Crystal nods vigorously. “Right. But now you do. And we can help you stay on track.”

  Eryk looks from Crystal to me. “Thanks, you guys. You two are the shit.”

  Someone else knocks on the door and a nurse comes in, telling Eryk he’s being discharged. He’s wearing a hospital gown, so Crystal and I leave the room so he can get changed into his regular clothes.

  The three of us head for the waiting room together and, true to his word, Simon is there.

  “How are you feeling?” he asks Eryk. “I just talked to one of the nurses. He told me your diagnosis.”

  “Better,” Eryk says. “But still weak. Thank you.”

  Simon gives a single nod. “You’re welcome. I have a car waiting outside to take you home.”

  My roommates and I glance at each other, surprised at the announcement.

  “I can drive him,” Crystal says.

  “No,” Eryk interjects. “Having my own car sounds exciting.” He grins at her. A bit of the color has returned to his cheeks, although he still doesn’t look quite his usual self.

  Simon talks to Crystal. “I didn’t know where you were going from here, and my car only seats two. I’m sorry if I intruded.”

  “You didn’t,” she says.

  “No,” I reply at the same time.

  “Never,” adds Eryk.

  With a shock, I realize we’re all staring at him.

  Simon smiles lightly. “I’ll take you out there.”

  Eryk extends his arm and Simon takes it, acting the part of the gentleman while Eryk makes a big show of leaning against him. Crystal and I follow them out through the sliding doors and into the parking lot.

  The car is an SUV, much like the one Simon’s father rides around in. The driver opens the door for Eryk, and Simon helps him in then steps away. The three of us watch the car roll away.