She pulled her hand away from the button. Christina winced in pain, her eyes fluttering open, the effect of the drugs slowly easing off. “Mom?” she said, her voice dry and cracked. “Drink.”
She placed a protective hand on Christina’s chest. “In a minute, baby. Rest.”
“Drink,” she repeated. “I’m thirsty.”
Wanting to take care of her daughter’s immediate needs, needing to keep this sick piece of flesh as calm as she could, she swallowed, her throat as dry as her daughter’s, only hers was from fear. “She needs water. I’m just going to get this”—she removed her hand from Christina, located the plastic cup from the table beside her bed, holding it out for him to see—“and this”—she lifted the small blue pitcher with her other hand—“and pour some in here.” She poured a splash of water into the cup, spilling it over the blankets, but she didn’t care. She would not take her eyes off him. “Here, baby.” She held the cup to her cracked lips. “Drink.”
Christina took several swallows of water, then collapsed into the pillows behind her. Without making any sudden movement so as not to distract him, Anna slowly returned the cup and pitcher to the side table.
Her full attention on him now, Anna was bitter, her voice guttural when she spoke. “If you don’t get out of here, I’m going to scream. I mean it.” To her own ears, her words sounded weak and uncertain. Clearing her throat as much as she could, she added, “Just tell me what you want and go. I’ll forget you were ever here.” All those months of looking over her shoulder, knowing, feeling unknown eyes watching her, and now it all came down to this. A culmination of emotions fleetingly passed through her. If only she’d seen what she now saw. Too late, she thought, as she stared at him.
More deranged laughter, as he stood at the foot of the bed. With one hand in his pocket, and the other hovering above Christina’s broken leg, he slowly wiggled his fingers, taunting her. “I bet a good smack on the cast would really hurt. What do you think? No, never mind, let her tell us if it hurts.” He balled his fingers into a fist, raised his arm back, then, as he was about to smash his fist onto Christina’s cast, three black-clad men burst through the door, guns aimed and ready to fire.
“Hands in the air!” one shouted while the two others tackled James Banks to the floor.
“Mom!” Christina shrieked. “What’s . . . what’s—” Anna didn’t give her a chance to finish. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her and blocking her view of what was taking place on the floor.
“Shhh, it’s okay. We’re going to be okay,” she repeated, shocked at the turn of events.
Steel cuffs clinked, and the sounds of heavy booted feet pounded, evidence of the struggle to contain James. Never in a million years had she suspected he was her stalker. Yes, he’d been upset when she broke it off with him, but enough to devote months to stalking her? It didn’t matter. It was over.
Mandy came in, along with the woman who’d entered her room earlier. Apparently, the woman was a police officer. She trilled off a version of the Miranda rights warning as the officers were pulling James off the floor.
“Let us through,” one of the officers said. “This scum is going down for a very long time.”
The trio stood aside as the arresting officers led James Banks out of the room, but not before she heard him say, “I’ll be back for you, bitch.”
The adrenaline that had pumped through her veins evaporated as quickly as it came, and Anna collapsed on Christina’s bed. Trembling, she struggled to regain her composure. “It’s going to be all right, sweetie, I promise.” Tears rivered down her daughter’s face.
Anna still hadn’t fully grasped what had actually taken place. She pushed herself off the bed, straightening the sheets. She said the first thing that came to mind. “I thought you were going for coffee.”
Mandy still wore the same clothes as she’d had on earlier. “I was. I’ll fill you in on the details”—she glanced at Christina, who had come wide-awake—“later.”
Anna knew she didn’t want to go into the nitty-gritty details in front of her. “Thanks.”
As soon as the room emptied, Ed Laird and a nurse she hadn’t met came into the room. “Little bit of excitement here today,” he said to Anna. “How’s our girl doing?” he asked. “Still hurts pretty bad, I’m guessing?”
“Mom, who was that man?” Christina had no clue, and as far as Anna was concerned, she would leave it at that.
“That was a wacko, who got out of control,” Mandy said. “Now, tell Ed how you’re feeling.” She took charge and for that Anna was thankful. She needed time to absorb what she’d just experienced, time to compose her thoughts. She went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, redid her bun, then stopped. The last twenty-four hours had been bizarre to say the least, and now the shit was going to hit the fan. She’d have to make a trip to the police station. Again. Though this time, she would know who her stalker was, and luck willing, he’d disappear into the far corners of some dark prison cell for a very, very long time.
Christina turned to Dr. Laird. “It still hurts.”
“I’m sure it does. You’ve had a nasty break. Amy is going to give you a bit of pain medication. I’m going to write you a prescription, your mom can get it filled, then as soon as all the paperwork is taken care of, I think you’re safe to go home later this afternoon.”
“No! I don’t want to go to that house. I’m in a lot of pain, really,” Christina insisted. “I should probably stay a few more days.”
Anna returned to her daughter’s bedside. “We’ll take good care of you at home. I’m sure Mr. Waffles is wondering where his best bud is.” She looked at her dearest friend, silently asking if they’d found the cat. Mandy mouthed, “No.”
And the hits just keep on coming, Anna thought to herself. Mr. Waffles would keep. And as much as she hated pushing him aside, right now Christina was her main concern. All the details, police reports, the bullshit with Ryan would keep until later.
Now, more than anything, she had to find out why her daughter didn’t want to go home.
Chapter 16
“I saw him in the cafeteria,” Mandy explained. “Creeped me out, then, when I realized who it was, I decided I’d follow him. I was always a bit suspicious of him. Too slick, too nice. Fake. When you gave him the boot, he was angry, Anna. Like unnatural anger. Seeing him here, well, I thought it best to call the cops and at least alert them. I followed him down the hall, toward her room. I knew something was awry; then I texted you to warn you. You need to keep a spare charger in your purse,” Mandy said, as they both knew her phone battery was dead again. “Then I spoke to Rhonda; she’s the lady who came into the room, pretending she’d made a mistake entering the wrong room. In reality, she was checking on you and Christina. We all watched on the closed-circuit monitors. Those dudes were ready to take him out when he walked over to her bed and raised his fist. Let’s just say I’ve never seen men in uniform move so quickly.”
Anna took a sip of her coffee. “This is all so surreal. I can’t wait to testify against him, if it comes to that. Frankly, I’m more concerned about Christina’s reluctance to leave. She hates doctors, hospitals. Plus, I know she’s bound to ask how Mr. Waffles is doing. Are you sure Mona and Jeb searched the studio?”
“Yes, they both did. Top to bottom. I hate to say this again, but I will. I wouldn’t put it past Renée, the little snot, to have hurt him.”
“I’ll call Ryan later, ask him if Renée saw him.”
The hospital cafeteria started getting crowded, as the afternoon shift was beginning in another half hour. Ed signed release papers, and arrangements were made for Christina to return to the house via ambulance. With her left leg in a full cast, there was no way Anna could take her home in her Nissan, which was still parked in the garage at home.
“Not sure she’d tell you if she knew. I’m still ticked at the way she stood at the top of the stairs, watching.” Mandy finished her coffee and placed the paper cup on the tr
ay.
“The kid is confused, and yes, I agree, she should’ve acted, done something besides watch.” Anna wondered if Renée was the troubled child and Patrick just a miserable kid who’d suffered an adult blow much too soon.
“I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself during all the commotion, but he’s a handsome kid. He was distraught, I could tell. Unlike his sister.”
“He is, and I’d like to see him get back into swimming. He’s amazing, but I’ve got to get my own life in order before I can offer him a hand.” Anna felt she should encourage Patrick, reach out in some way. Later, she would.
“Don’t overstep your boundaries, Anna,” Mandy cautioned her.
As she had when she’d taken Ryan on a tour of her studio. He’d said as much, though his words were harsh, hateful. “I won’t. Trust me on that.”
“Let’s see if your daughter is ready to rock and roll.” Mandy stood, took the tray with their cups, dumped the cups into the recycling bin, and placed the tray on top of a stack of others.
Anna had arranged for a hospital bed to be delivered in the afternoon. Christina’s cast was heavy, and the leg needed to remain elevated and stable. The bed came equipped with some gadget that did both.
They returned to the third floor. Anna would ride in the ambulance, and Mandy would follow. She’d agreed to stay at her house as long as she was needed. A true best friend. Grateful she had no upcoming events, or appearances, all Anna wanted to do was get back the life she’d had at the beginning of the summer. Wipe the slate clean. And she would in time.
As soon as they entered the room, Anna’s heart broke. Christina was sobbing, tears dripping down her cheeks, her eyes red and swollen. “Oh, baby, are you in that much pain?” The nurse had given her a second dose right before they went down to the cafeteria for a much-needed coffee. Anna thought she’d be sleeping by now, making the trip home a little easier.
She sniffed, and Mandy gave her a wad of tissues. “Wipe your nose,” she said, grinning. “Pain that bad?”
Christina blew her nose, tossing the tissue aside. “The pills help a lot,” she answered.
“Okay, then tell us why Niagara Falls is running down your face?” Mandy always came up with a silly comment, anything to get a laugh or, in this case, a very slight smile.
“Mom, could you just ask Dr. Ed to let me stay a few more nights? Please,” she begged.
“No, baby, we can’t. You’ll do just fine at home. We’ve got the special bed for you. We’re going to keep you downstairs, in the den. I’ll make up the sofa bed, and we’ll camp there until you’re able to move about.”
Christina nodded. “I guess that’s okay.”
“It’ll be like a slumber party every night,” Anna said, trying to cheer her up.
“What about school? I’m supposed to start high school next week!”
Finally, Anna thought. This is what was upsetting her so much. If she were in the hospital, maybe somehow that made a difference to her, and if her friends knew that she’d missed the first day of high school through no fault of her own, it wouldn’t be so bad when she was able to go to school. Unsure if this was so, she truly hadn’t given much thought about Christina’s schooling the past twenty-four hours. Starting high school in the middle of the term, which is most likely when she’d be able to walk again, would be horrifying for anyone. It didn’t matter that she’d gone to school with most of the same kids since second grade. High school was different.
Anna remembered when her mother died her senior year. All once-in-a-lifetime activities that were normal for a high-school senior had come and gone without any of the excitement she’d dreamed of when she’d been a freshman. Elizabeth’s family had tried to make her senior year as normal as possible, she remembered, but without her mother, it hadn’t been the same.
“I’ll make arrangements for a tutor, sweetie. I know this must be the worst possible time for you, but we’ll work it out. I’ll see if Tiffany can hang out, make sure you’re current on all the freshman gossip. I’ll take care of everything else, I promise.” She would; however, she couldn’t do anything about her daughter’s midterm entry.
“Whatever,” Christina said, relaxing into the pillow, the medication taking effect.
There was a knock on the door, and two men entered the room with a gurney with all kinds of hooks and fasteners, ready to transport them home. Thank God, Anna thought.
“I take it this young lady is ready to break outta this place,” said the younger of the two men.
Christina offered a silly smile, drifting in and out of a drug-induced haze as they maneuvered her onto the gurney.
“I’ll meet you at the house,” Mandy said, “You, too. kiddo.” She tapped the metal pole on the gurney.
“Thank you, Mandy. For everything, and especially that trip to the drugstore.” She half smiled. “At least I don’t have you know to worry about now.”
“Enough. Let’s get out of here.”
Forty-five minutes later, the ambulance drove through the gates, and, much to Anna’s amazement, Mr. Waffles stood waiting outside the gate. She stopped the car and scooped him inside, tears filling her eyes. “You had us worried,” she said. He appeared fine, though she’d check him out as soon as they were inside. “I know someone who’s going to be thrilled to see you.” Grateful that Mr. Waffles decided to grace them with his presence, she knew he would cheer Christina through her recovery. She didn’t need to know he’d disappeared.
It seemed a lifetime ago since she’d taken that plate of ribs to Patrick.
Chapter 17
Three weeks later
Hands shaking, Anna hung up the phone. “Mona,” she called, and raced to the kitchen, where Mona was chopping onions on a cutting board. “Listen, something terrible has happened, to a friend,” she lied. “I need to leave for a couple hours. I need a humongous favor. Can you sit with Christina, help her with the bathroom if she needs to go?” It’d been three weeks since the accident, and Christina was just now able to get into the wheelchair and move about downstairs. Though getting her into the chair was difficult, they’d been managing.
Mandy was downstairs in the studio, working with the film crew. They were preparing for the first episode of the Thanksgiving holiday season. It was an easy one, for which she’d do voice-overs for the most part. She’d spent the morning putting together her annual Thanksgiving planner, how to organize recipes, a step-by-step plan to make the week prior to Thanksgiving easy and uncomplicated. She read through her viewer e-mail, spent a few minutes giving what she hoped was sound advice to one viewer concerned about the proper way to send out invitations by mail or e-mail. A no-brainer, but this is what made The Simple Life so successful. Anna enjoyed everything about her work, right down to the last-minute detail.
“You ain’t gotta ask like it’s a favor; ’course, I will,” Mona said. “I’ll make sure she’s able to pee and whatever else she needs.”
“Tell Mandy I had to leave. It’s important. I shouldn’t be long.” She gave Mona a hug, then headed for the garage. She’d explained to Christina that Mona would be here, and Mandy was downstairs. She’d been using her cell phone to text them when she needed anything, and for once, their cell phones were being put to good use.
She hadn’t seen Ryan since Labor Day weekend though they’d spoken on the phone several times. Each agreed Christina needed her undivided attention. They hadn’t discussed the accident or what might’ve happened, but she would soon. Christina clammed up each time she broached the subject, and she’d let it slide, not wanting to upset her daughter. For now.
She was beginning to share Mandy’s suspicions about what had happened to cause Christina to fall down the stairs. Renée’s behavior was beyond suspicious. The couple of times Mandy had asked Christina about that day, she refused to talk about it. All told, it seemed very likely that the fall was much more than an accident.
Thirty minutes later, Anna parked in front of The Daily Grind. With no idea what Ryan’s
emergency was, if it was truly an emergency at all, or simply an excuse to see her, she headed inside. Either way, she’d agreed because she wanted to see him face-to-face. It was time to call it quits. She was not pregnant; she’d gotten her period a week after she’d taken the pregnancy test, so there was no reason for her to continue seeing him. She questioned her feelings. And if she was totally honest with herself, she did care for Ryan. But there were many of his traits that she did not like. For starters, the way he spoke to Patrick and Renée. But she’d put those thoughts aside now and see what was so urgent.
Anna spied Ryan sitting at a table in the corner. His hair was in need of a trim, and he also needed a shave. He was handsome, she couldn’t deny that, though being handsome wasn’t necessarily associated with having a personality to match his outward appearance. You can’t tell a book by its cover, her mother used to say.
Her stomach knotted as she made her way to the table. She’d get this over with and move on. Lesson learned.
He stood and pulled her chair out before saying anything to her. “You look good, Anna. I’ve missed you. How’s Christina?”
She sat in the chair he offered. “We’re taking it day by day.” He didn’t need to know anything more as far as she was concerned.
“Renée said to tell her hi.”
Anna refused to respond.
“Ryan, you said this was an emergency.” If he’d lied to lure her back into his arms, she’d tell him to go to hell.
“It is.”
“Okay. Shoot.” She sounded like Mandy.
“I lost my house,” he said, his sapphire eyes filled with tears.
“What? I don’t understand. What happened? How?”
“Last night. It burned to the ground. There is nothing left. Nothing.”
“Oh God, Ryan, I’m so sorry. The kids, they’re safe?” she asked, hating herself for her previous mean thoughts.
“Yeah, fortunately, they were both gone when it happened. We’re staying in a hotel tonight, and they’re both distraught, losing all their possessions, keepsakes, things that belonged to their mother. I don’t know what to do.”
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