by Jamie Beck
“Yes.” She approached his desk and laid it on top of his desk blotter. “I think I’ve found a way to address the problems with the intellectual property protection. Let me know your thoughts once you review it.” She turned to leave without so much as a smile or polite remark.
“Thanks, Laney.” Without turning to face him, she raised her hand in the air to wave an acknowledgment. He called out, “Have a nice weekend.”
Then she was gone. He glanced at the clock. Seven thirty. Friday night. Of course, he had no plans. Leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his face with his palms.
Three weeks ago he’d returned from Vivi’s apartment feeling like the walking dead. Seeing himself through the lens of her eyes had sickened him.
Selfish. Cowardly. Hypocritical. Unforgiving.
All revolting traits. Traits that mirrored the sour pit in his stomach that kept growing larger each day.
When he’d arrived home after that confrontation, he’d found Laney sitting on the floor of his bedroom closet, poring through a midsize cardboard box she’d found stowed there. A box labeled “Vivi,” which contained various photographs, works of art, and letters she’d sent him throughout the past decade.
Some of the letters appeared to have been read and tossed on the floor around Laney’s slumped figure. Her hair had obscured her face while she sifted through the photographs, studying them intently. When David walked in on her, he’d been stunned by her invasion of his privacy. But the tears streaming down her cheeks had stopped him cold.
He’d been a jerk, not her. Vivi had been right about that much, at least. Laney had invested far more in their relationship than he. Even when she’d denied him being the reason she sought a transfer, he’d known she’d been hedging her bets with him. He’d been complicit in the deception, and then he’d failed her.
He’d touched her shoulder as he’d knelt down to pick up the papers from the floor.
“You love her.” Laney’s strained voice had only made him feel worse.
Of course he loved many things about Vivi. She’d been one of the most important women in his life, and possibly his truest friend. He nodded. “She’s been my best friend for a long time.”
“No. You love her.” Laney had shoved the photos in his face. “Look at you. In almost every photo you’re staring at her, not the camera. And there’s so much joy in your face. You’ve never looked at me like that.”
“Laney, let’s not do this.” He’d gently pried the photos from her hands and returned everything to the box. “Come on, let’s talk in the living room.”
He’d helped her up off the floor, made her some tea, and then listened to her cry. She’d railed against him for not coming back from Block Island sooner, for not ever saying he’d loved her, and for not making their relationship more important.
David hadn’t wanted to cause her more pain. He’d bitten back any defense or justification that sprung to mind, accepting all the blame. Once she’d tired of complaining, she’d packed up the few things she’d kept at his home and walked out the door.
Now he glanced again at the photo on his desk. Laney had been right. He was always looking at Vivi. She made him feel light and cheerful in a way no one else ever could. These past weeks he’d come to privately acknowledge he did love her, and not merely as his friend. But what good was love that ended in heartache? And what good was love without forgiveness?
He desperately wanted her forgiveness. Yet as he remained unable to forgive his father, Vivi remained equally unyielding.
Of course, his father hadn’t begged for David’s forgiveness. After David had moved to Hong Kong, his father had sent a handful of rather impersonal updates by e-mail, but that was all.
His mother had always said forgiveness was a crucial element of love. It seemed the crux of David’s problem turned on whether he loved his father enough to forgive him.
His mother had loved the man enough to forgive his betrayal—enough to beg David to do the same. So even if David didn’t love his father enough, could his boundless love for his mother enable him to find room for forgiveness?
He blew out a breath and opened his eyes. The agreement Laney had left sat in front of him. He didn’t feel up to reading it now. He stuck it in his briefcase, shut off his lamp, and went home.
He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt and now stood alone in his kitchen. The weekend. Vivi hadn’t called about the flowers and camera lenses he’d delivered earlier. She might have plans tonight, possibly with Franco, or some other man. Knowing so little about her love life bothered David.
She’d always kept it separate from him until Block Island exposed so much. Once again, he pictured Franco kissing her, like a recurring nightmare. His hand curled into a fist.
His phone vibrated against the thick concrete countertop, mercifully pulling him away from the imagery. His heart dropped to his stomach when he read his sister’s incoming text message.
Need u ASAP. 911 @ home.
He called her, but she didn’t answer. David pulled on his running shoes, grabbed his phone and wallet, and ran out the door. He sprinted the three blocks to Cat’s apartment. Blue and red police lights lit up the front of her building. His muscles froze on his sharp inhale as his mind began racing. When he broke from his trance, he went straight to her apartment.
Her door was unlocked, so he let himself inside, where he was greeted by the jarring sound of walkie-talkies. Cat and Jackson stood on the far side of the living room talking to a police officer. David’s muscles eased upon finding her unharmed.
She looked up and ran to him the instant their eyes met. Collapsing against his chest, she trembled and cried in his arms. He stroked her hair while looking over her head to throw Jackson a questioning glance. Jackson nodded but stayed by the cop, so David spoke softly into Cat’s ear.
“What happened?” He kept the alarm from his voice.
“Justin.” She sniffed. “He barged in and we fought. The police needed a statement. God, I was so scared.” Her voice cracked behind another sob.
“Okay, calm down.” He set her back and looked her over. “You’re okay? He didn’t hurt you?”
She touched her bruised bicep. “Not seriously.” Then she glanced to her left and burst into tears again.
David followed her gaze to the living room coffee table and the bloodstain on the carpet underneath it.
“Oh, Jesus.” His eyes darted back to Cat. “Did you hurt him? Do you need a lawyer, Cat?”
She shook her head, unable to speak through her sobs.
“Jackson,” David called. “Whose blood is that?”
Jackson’s grim face worried David, but didn’t prepare him for the answer. “Vivi’s.”
David’s knees buckled beneath him and he sank to the floor. Cat crouched down beside him.
“Is she . . . is she dead?” Unable to focus, he felt bile rising in his throat. He leaned forward and pressed his fingertips against the hardwood floor.
“No. She was unconscious when the EMTs took her. Her head was gashed open.”
“What the hell happened?” He rose to his feet as adrenaline began pumping through him, causing his muscles to twitch. As Jackson approached, David barked, “Where’s Justin? I’ll kill him!”
“Shut it, David.” Jackson grabbed David’s arm and backed him into the corner of the room. “The cops are here. You know better than to make threats.”
The room spun again, so David gripped Jackson’s arm while refocusing.
“Justin took off when Vivi hit the table.” Jackson scowled as his eyes drifted to the bloodstain. “Fucking coward.”
“Did you see her?” David couldn’t control his shaky voice. “Did you see Vivi?”
“No.” Jackson put his hand over David’s. “She’d been moved before I arrived.”
Tears clouded David’s vision. He had to go to her.
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“Take Cat to your place when the cops leave. I’m going to the hospital.” Without waiting for Jackson’s reply, he kissed his sister’s head and hurried out the door.
David sprinted without stopping. The eight blocks to Lenox Hill Hospital whizzed past in a blur. When he arrived, the emergency room coordinator advised him to take a seat and be patient.
Vivi had been taken for CT scans, MRIs, and EEG tests. No one would provide him any information about the severity of her injuries. Frustration mounted as he met with one dead end after another.
Stuck in the waiting room, he spent the next two hours researching skull fractures and traumatic brain injuries on his phone. Each page he read made him sicker and more concerned: hematomas, swelling, neurological damage, and worse. When he noticed how hard his knees were bouncing, he stood to stretch and move around.
Hospitals reminded David of the months he’d spent with his mother during her chemo and radiation therapy. Images of holding her hair back when she got sick from the chemo, wiping her forehead with cool cloths, and holding her hand while she rested all replayed in his head.
He hated hospitals, and prayed this visit ended with better results than his mother’s had. Losing Vivi would be crippling. He loved her. He’d taken her, and her love, for granted for too long. If she made it through this incident, he swore he’d not waste another moment. One way or another, he’d win her back.
To distract himself, he called Jackson to check on his sister. He breathed a sigh of relief upon learning the police had issued a warrant for Justin’s arrest on charges of third-degree assault. Once they found him, he’d be in jail for at least a day until he was arraigned. Cat would be safe with Jackson until Justin was in custody.
By eleven o’clock he’d eaten his third bag of chips. Dinner. A mixture of salt, grease, and worry settled like a hard lump in his stomach. Exhaustion overwhelmed his senses. He slouched into the uncomfortable vinyl chair while nodding off.
When the nurse finally called his name, it startled him. He bounded from his chair, leaving the crumpled bag of chips discarded.
“How is she?” He studied the nurse’s stone-faced expression for clues, only to come up empty-handed.
“She’s resting and conscious.” She pushed open the doors leading to the emergency room beds. “You can see her now.”
“Does she need surgery?” He held his breath.
“The scans looked clean. She needed twelve stitches on her scalp, but nothing more serious. She’s got a significant concussion, so she’ll be on restricted activity for a while. We’ll release her tonight. Someone should be with her for the next day or two to wake her periodically and watch for warning symptoms such as vomiting or changes in vision, just to be safe. We’ll give her a packet of information on how to handle her recovery.”
David nodded at the nurse, although he’d barely heard the details. He’d stopped listening once he’d learned she’d come through this intact. Tears filled his eyes. His body quaked from fatigue.
The nurse drew back the curtain surrounding Vivi’s inclined bed. When Vivi saw David, her eyes grew wide and teary.
“Oh, God. What’s wrong?” She looked terrified, then held a hand up to her head and winced. “What happened to Cat?”
“Nothing. Cat’s fine.” He walked to the bed, resisting the urge to take her into his arms. “She’s fine. Jackson took her to his home. The police have issued a warrant for Justin’s arrest, so they’re looking for him now.”
“Cat must be so upset.” Vivi sighed before closing her eyes. Then her eyelids flew open. “If Justin didn’t hurt her, then why are you here looking like a wreck?”
His chin drew back in surprise.
“Because I’ve been sitting here for hours imagining the worst-possible scenarios about your injuries.” Her bed squeaked under his weight when he sat on its edge. He gave in to his emotions, laid his head in her lap, and wrapped his arms around her thighs. “My God, Vivi. I’m so happy you’re all right.”
“Oh.” She didn’t touch him. The surprise in her voice floated above him. “I’ll be fine as long as I don’t overexert myself for a while.”
“I know.” He sat up and wiped his eyes. He yearned to touch her, to comfort and be comforted. “I’ve tried calling your dad all evening, but he’s not answering the phone or returning my messages. Is there anyone else I should call?”
“I’m sure you’re shocked my dad’s a no-show.” She glanced down at her hands, wearing an indescribable expression in her eyes.
David was pissed at her father, yet selfishly celebrated the fact that he wasn’t available, because it gave him the opportunity to spend time alone with her. He ignored the remark, though, so as not to upset her.
“So, no one else to call?”
Vivi tilted her head. “Like who?”
“I don’t know, maybe Franco?” he asked cautiously, praying she’d say no.
Her puzzled expression turned uncomfortable. “No.”
He suppressed the grin he felt turning up the corners of his mouth. No Franco. No Franco was very good news. It meant he had a chance.
He blew out the air he’d been holding in his lungs, then took charge of the situation.
“We’ll get out of here soon.” He flashed an encouraging smile. “My house is close by, so you can get settled and rest within the hour.”
“Your house?” She shook her head, then winced and touched the bandages covering her stitches. “I’m going home, to my place.”
“No.” He stared at her without blinking. “You have to be observed for at least twenty-four hours. I live near the hospital. If anything happens, we can rush right back.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and texted his sister an update on Vivi’s condition. “Please don’t argue. I can’t take any more stress tonight, and neither can you. Cat’s with Jackson, so you can’t go there. You can call them when we leave.”
“I’ll go home to my dad’s, David. I won’t be alone, but I can’t stay with you.”
She sat in the bed, blinking at him. Her tiny form looked fragile. He didn’t want to fight. He wanted to curl up beside her, hold her, and make everything better. She, however, clearly wanted nothing to do with him. He rubbed his hand over his face, sighing.
“It’s too late to go all the way to Connecticut tonight. And your dad isn’t even home.” Her dejected expression burned him. “Vivi, do you hate me so much? Please, let me help you. You can go back to ignoring me once we know you’re out of the woods.”
She bit her lip. With a defeated sigh, she finally said, “Fine.”
“Thank you.” David lifted off the bed and sat in the chair with a sense of despair. She hadn’t answered his question. Perhaps she did hate him.
The nurse returned and handed Vivi a small box with her personal effects. David noticed the jade bracelet among the items Vivi had been wearing. He looked at her, wondering if she could feel the hope in his heart. He fingered the bracelet. “It didn’t work.”
“What?”
“Jade is supposed to bring luck and protection. If you were wearing this tonight, it didn’t work.” He frowned, envisioning her being tossed by that brute.
“Or it did. My injuries could’ve been worse,” she said, shrugging. Then, speaking to no one in particular, “My dress is bloody.”
“Hold on,” David said as he grabbed the curtain. “I’ll be right back.”
He returned promptly with a set of medical scrubs. “Wear these and we’ll see if the dry cleaner can get those stains out of your dress tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” she said, clutching the blue scrubs. “But I doubt I’ll ever wear that dress again.”
David squeezed her ankle and then stepped away. “I’ll step out while you change. Then close your eyes and rest until they bring the discharge papers.”
They didn’t get to his home until after one o’
clock in the morning. Jackson had called to inform David the cops had taken Justin into custody. When David updated Vivi, he expected her to express relief.
Instead, she rubbed her eyes and stared at the floor. David decided not to press her about what had happened, or how she felt. Reliving the evening’s events now would be unwise. She needed to relax.
Vivi quietly followed David into his building, up the elevator, and into his condo. He noticed her eyes taking in her surroundings as they walked back toward his bedroom, but she said nothing. Did she like his home? Could she be happy here? he wondered as he turned on the bedroom light.
She looked uncomfortable in her high-heeled boots and the too-large scrubs. She kept scratching at the stiff cotton smock.
“Let me get you something softer to sleep in, then you can crawl under the covers.” He went to the dresser to find a large T-shirt. “Those boots look uncomfortable as hell. Are they one of Cat’s bright ideas?” He preferred Vivi in her own clothes, or his.
“This is your room.” Her hands toyed with the belt of the dress in her arms. “I’ll stay in the guest room.”
“No, stay here.” He pulled out an old Georgetown T-shirt. “You’ll want a private bathroom in case you don’t feel well.”
Her eyes darted to his bed and back to him. He noticed her head shaking ever so slightly.
“Don’t worry. I’m not planning on staying here with you.” He placed the shirt on top of the comforter, then stacked and fluffed the pillows so she could rest at an incline. “Go ahead and change. I’ll come back in to check on you before I go to sleep.”
He left the room without looking back. After getting a glass of water from the kitchen, he paced the hallway for a minute before knocking on the door.
“Come in.”
She sat on the bed with the blanket pulled over her legs, looking afraid and vulnerable. How had they gotten to this place? Gone were the loving, trusting eyes that had always adored him. She was as skittish as a colt around him now, and it sucked. Somehow he had to fix things between them. The edge of the mattress flattened under his weight as he sat beside her.