“Hi Lady. What’s up?”
“Jessica—Gladis had an accident. She’s been taken to the hospital.”
My blood froze in my veins. Rigidly, clutching the phone in a white knuckled grip, I fought to remain calm. “What do you mean accident, Lady? What happened?”
“She was walking down the stairs and tripped. She didn’t fall far, but… She is okay. I wasn’t on duty yet. That excuse for a maid was there! But Gladis might have broken something…”
“Where is she, Lady?”
I got all the info for the hospital and literally ran into my bosses office. In one breath I told him what happened and said I had to go to the hospital ASAP. He complied without thought or emotion, and I was out the door.
Chapter Fifteen
I sat into my car and said a little prayer. It was on its last leg. Half the time it coughed to life instead of started. I needed a new one, but didn’t want to buy one here if I was going back to L.A. or over to Australia. I barely got it started.
Now I was pushing it. It started to smoke but I kept going. Sure, Gladis was probably fine, but she had been basically my best friend for the last three months. She had helped me heal from the Dusty thing, she was my shoulder to cry on for the William thing, and she was always around to cheer me up, or just hang out. Now she might need me, and I was damned sure going to return the favor.
The car died a block from the hospital. It needed water. Well, what it needed was a new radiator, but water could get it further. Not bothering, I got out and started hoofing it. I didn’t want to run because I was in new shoes and they would tear up my feet, so I walked quickly. I was still a limping, sweaty mess by the time I got to there.
One step through the automatic sliding glass doors had me hesitating. I hated hospitals. I hated the death I could find here. Even that blast of smell, the sterilized musty odor, had my stomach turning in knots and trying to purge.
But Gladis was in here, and she needed me to be strong. She needed a friend, not a wimp. Stealing my courage, I plowed through the square halls along the shiny white floor.
As I finally walked through the door to her room I ran into Lady.
She reared like a spooked horse. “Jessica!”
“Sorry—“
“Jessica, this place is filled with morons!” Lady seethed with her hands on her hips. “Thousands of dollars a day and no one can get a cup of water. Useless!” She stepped around me and walked out the door at a brisk, determined pace.
I glided into the room, trying not to touch anything hospital, including the floor. Gladis lay in the horrible barred bed, her gray hair wispy against the pillows. She looked so small and fragile.
I curled my hands into fists, focused all my bearing on not crying. On not succumbing to my panic. And mostly failing. “Hey Gladis.”
She opened her eyes. “Quit cryin’ girl, I’m not dyin’!”
I smiled through my tears. “Sorry. What happened?”
She chuckled. “I fell down the stairs. In my youth everyone would think that my husband was beatin’ me. Now they just think I am clumsy.”
“Nah, in the past they just said to your face they thought your husband was beating you. They really thought you were clumsy your whole life!”
I dragged a chair to her bedside.
“S-so…” I stammered. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I sprained something or other. They thought it was a broken hip at first, but there weren’t that much damage. Just careless was all.”
I nodded. Lady came back in with some water followed by a nurse.
Gladis asked Lady, “Did you let the kids know?”
Lady nodded.
“How long ago?”
“A little over an hour.”
“Did you leave a message or talk to them?”
“Messages.”
“Hpmph." Gladis turned back to me with a glower. "You watch, Jessica. One of them will show up, check in then report back to the others. They are just waiting for me to check out of life so they can cash in!”
“Don’t talk like that Ms. Peek. That ain’t the way t’all,” Lady said. It sounded like she’d said it a million times.
Gladis rolled her eyes at me. “Just wait and see.”
The afternoon and early evening had passed. The sun had set and Lady, Gladis and I were sitting around playing backgammon when the first of a long string of flowers arrived. Gladis’s step-kids still hadn’t shown up or called.
Lady jumped up and checked the tag. “Mr. and Mrs. Markenson and sons.”
“Oh, that’s nice,” Gladis said. The game continued.
A couple hours later Gladis started to doze. Without speaking a word, Lady and I cleaned up the game with economic efficiency, and I was out the door, not wanting to wake her. She wouldn’t want me going back to an empty house and would try to stay up. Which was pointless. There was no way I was sleeping in a hospital. Never again.
The next evening, after having spent my livelihood on water to get my limping beast moving again, I smuggled in chocolates. I had done a great job of controlling my tears until I heard that Gladis had surgery that morning on her hip.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I roared.
A nurse poked her head in.
“Jessica, you are hysterical,” Gladis placated.
“Yes, I am! You should have told me!”
“You would have only worried.”
“Which is my job to do, so you don’t have to. Don’t keep that kind of stuff from me again!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Told you,” Lady said smugly from her chair in the corner. She was knitting a scarf out of electric blue yarn.
Gladis just sighed.
“What did they do to you?” I prompted. “What was the damage?”
“Just a few pins, is all. But it’s still my bones. I don’t need a new hip quite yet.”
“I few pins? How bad was—“ I stopped mid-tirade and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I need a freaking coffee.”
I stormed off. Hospitals made me crazy. More crazy, truth be told. Add that to Gladis withholding information…
I wanted to explode. And cry. Definitely cry.
After making my point in the cafeteria, and getting extremely bored and uncomfortable, I trudged back, intending to make them suffer a few more minutes with my sulky attitude. As I neared the room I caught a familiar scent. Like a Bloodhound, my nose honed in.
Gremlins in my chest started clawing with vigor, scratching to get out. Ripping my heart apart.
Eyes closed, I stopped in the doorway. Then shook my head. I wasn’t strong enough for this. Gladis not revealing how serious her injury really was, an extended period in the hospital, and now this? No.
I turned, planning to leave my purse behind and come back later.
“Jessica, dear, come in,” Gladis called.
Damn her!
Tom Davies, a woman his age that I assumed was Denise Davies, and William turned around to regard me.
I peeked around Tom to catch Gladis looking stone faced. My eyes pleaded, looking for an excuse. I got nothing.
“Sure,” I said quietly, looking at the floor as long as I could.
“This is Jessica,” Gladis said to the room, not waiting for me to get to the far side of her bed.
I turned and faced the onlookers, courage barely keeping my back straight. The only one I didn’t know was William’s mother. She was shorter than me with elegantly highlighted hair. How is hair elegant? With a ton of money, that’s how. It had about four tones of dark blond all mixed together in symmetry. No roots, either. She probably kept it up constantly with hair appointments every six weeks.
Her large string of pearls set off her sophisticated outfit. She had William’s way of carrying herself, or I should say he inherited hers—all confidence, but with an ease to her that didn’t shout ego. She was the model of grace. Oh yeah, and she had a giant diamond on her finger. Tom's fellow owner of the world.
�
�Jessica, I believe you know Tom,” Gladis said.
“Hi again!” I said delightedly.
He smiled and nodded his head in return.
“This is Tom’s wife, Denise,” Gladis continued.
“Hello Mrs. Davies. Pleased to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure,” she replied with an easy smile.
It was then that I noticed her bag. It was a Louis Vuitton that I hadn’t seen before, and I was up on all the latest. It was the cutest bag ever! Mid-sized bowling ball style, fairly simple, black with the classic LV’s etched.
“Oh my God,” I exclaimed. “I love that bag! That must be new to the shelves, if you didn’t get it before release. I haven’t seen it yet.”
She looked down at her bag and up at me with interest. “Why yes, actually. I just got it today. First release. Do you own Louis Vuitton?”
I smiled sheepishly. “I don’t, no. I have a friend that has a few. I tend to steer toward Prada or Gucci, but I still love to look for that great find.” I didn’t mention that I didn’t have Prada or Gucci bags, either, but someday I would love to.
“Oh.” She nodded politely.
And now I see where William got his standards. Well, phooey.
“And Willie,” Gladis finished.
Do or die time. Without skipping a beat, I let my eyes slid left. My heart slid down to my stomach. I stopped myself from gulping.
He was just as handsome as I remembered. His hair was a little shorter, he was a little tanner, his muscles looked a little bigger, but the same clear blue, Caribbean eyes that could reach out and shake my hand on their own. Butterflies filled my stomach and my groin started throbbing. Cupid was raging war on the Kung Fu master. My heart was shoved into my feet to make room.
Lump always talked about muscle memory. Doing something over and over again until your body did it on its own with little prompting or thinking. I wasn’t sure if there was such a thing as emotion memory, but if there was, I was now experiencing it.
It seemed like a few days ago that I danced with him, felt him against me. It could’ve been last night that he held me close after the Dusty thing, promising safety with the warmth of his body. No time since he reached out to wipe away a tear rolling down my cheek.
“Hello again, William. It is nice to see you,” I said pleasantly, hoping to hide my misery. I was casual, I was unaffected, I was staying strong. Nothing to it.
I was an exceptional actor.
“Hi Jessica. It's been a long time.” His voice was just as deep and smooth as I remembered. His distance was just as great.
Would it be weird of me to start crying?
I went to stand on the other side of Gladis’s bed, partially to hide my visuals for two seconds while the pain left my face and settled into my body, and partially to put some space between myself and the Golden God, now as radiant as ever. I wondered if he was still with that big boobed woman? Or maybe someone else?
Gladis and the Davies clan started talking pleasantries. I tried to pay attention. I did try. Instead, I pulled the trick you master in school where you look interested and follow the conversation with your eyes, but your brain is at least a thousand miles from your body.
The hurt from what he said to me on the dance floor, and seeing him leave with Booby McGee, was so fresh it was like the knife was still twisting in my gut. If I concentrated hard enough I could hear the blade scraping against my rib bone. It was a disgusting sound.
Every time I tried to clear my head and focus on my surroundings his scent would waft by and physical pain would manifest. My whole body was both fluttering and tingling with electricity. I felt the hurt mixed with the elation of seeing him again, mixed with the desperation to touch him, mixed with the primal urge to flee from the pain.
It was then that I realized the room had gone quiet and everyone was looking at me. Looking to Gladis for a cue, I followed her gaze to Tom. Who must have just asked me a question, being that his eyebrows were raised quizzically.
I smiled bashfully. “I’m sorry, Tom. My thoughts trailed away to other matters.”
He smiled with knowing. “I was just asking how it is going at work?”
“Oh. Great! I really like it there. The company is good to its employees so it is a really nice working environment. Thank you for asking.”
“And how do you find your bosses?”
“I just have the one—Mr. Nash. He is okay. He pretty much just tells me what he needs and I figure out a way to get it for him. It’s pretty easy work. I’ve asked for more responsibility but no one has any at the minute, so…”
Tom nodded and looked at William, who also nodded. It occurred to me that I might’ve missed an important part of the conversation.
Tom began again. “The business is growing so it is a good possibility there will be new, higher level positions opening up. I’ve heard you might qualify for some of those. You should consider applying to see if your skills fit our needs.”
Our needs?
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I must have missed something. Forgive me if I sound dense, but…how exactly do you fit into the business?”
Tom’s eyes widened in surprise. He looked at William again, making me want to scream at him to stop turning to William for answers. William slightly shook his head. Tom looked at Gladis, who didn’t move at all, then back to me.
“Oh. Well. I had thought someone told you by now. Well…I own the company. My family does, I mean.”
Well. Fuck me right up the backside. Wait, let me bend over first—make it easy on you.
My eyes must have looked like saucers and my mouth hung open. If I had a big tongue, it would have rolled out over my teeth and hung down the side of my chin.
I tried to recover quickly, but I just didn’t know what to say. I looked at William, changed my mind, and jerked my head to Tom while I said, “Well, good thing I like my job or I might have said something negative. Ha ha.”
That seemed to ease the tension somewhat.
Someone might have mentioned his ownership—like freaking Candace! I was gonna kill her! Gladis would be getting yelled at again, too!
In the meantime I went numb. Nail in the coffin.
“Anyway,” Tom continued, “I've heard a lot of great things about your work performance. You've been with us a short time, but already it seems you’ve out grown your current position. There is room for you to advance, should you choose to.”
“Great!” I said enthusiastically. “If I am still in the area I will definitely apply for any positions that fit my growing skill set. Thank you for the acknowledgement.”
My smile couldn’t get any cheesier.
“If you are in the area?” William asked evenly.
My eyes automatically found his. With my new state of numbness, I could appreciate his appearance without any negative emotions. His new haircut really suited his face. The dark of his hair accented the light of his eyes. At the moment they seemed to glow. He was so handsome it made my mouth water.
“I might be going back to L.A.. Or to Australia. I’m leaning toward Australia but haven’t made a final decision.”
Gladis cleared her throat, drawing my eyes. She spoke up in the calm tone she saved for when she was mad in public. “You haven’t mentioned this to me.”
I took a subtle, but deep, breath. “I haven’t confirmed my plans yet. I might stay here, I’m not sure. I would, of course, give everyone plenty of advanced notice.” I touched everyone of note with my gaze.
“You haven’t been here long. Why would you leave so soon?” Denise asked with mild curiosity.
“Uh, well, I do love the area, I just don’t know that I am fitting into it as well as I could. It could just be the culture shock from L.A.. I really don’t know. Again, I haven’t decided anything yet. I am still weighing all my options.”
“Well,” Tom said, “I do hope you stay. Either way, young people have to see the world. You have three weeks of vacation, so that's an option as well.”
William’s eyes were boring into me as he said, “You have a lot of friends here that would hate to see you go. You should think of them before you make any final decisions.”
I blinked at him. Uh...I guess, but not really. Candace and Gladis. JP might get a twinge of sadness that he lost his lunch buddy, but that was about it. It was an odd comment with no warmth. Actually, it was a touch hostel. I really didn’t need that kick while I was lying face down in the preverbal mud.
Denise was looking at him in slight confusion.
I nodded. Time to go.
I excused myself from Gladis and everyone and headed out the door. It might have been rude, but I really didn’t care at that moment. I made up my mind--Australia it is!
When I got home, which was a touch and go affair with my dying car, I took a shower and rooted around in my closet for a pair of sweats. I couldn’t find the stupid things, but I did stumble upon one of my skinny dresses from before I moved to Texas. It was one of those dresses that you couldn’t bear to throw away because it was so cute, but that ten pounds of “water weight“ that never went away prevented you from squeezing into it.
I took it out for kicks. I had lost some L-Bs and toned up from all my time at the gym so I figured I would benchmark my progress. The dress had always been dicey to get into because it was form fitting with unyielding fabric. Tight in the waist for an hour glass look, snug in the chest to push out the cle**age, and the cut lengthened and accentuated the legs. When it fit, it made me look like a million dollars! I wore it once and got some serious looks from a bunch of the guys. I eventually ruined the magic by puking on my shoes.
I twisted and turned, sucked in and coaxed the dress over my big head, over my C-cup, and down around my hips, which must have been bigger than they were two years ago. Damn!
But wait, what’s this? Wait....
No, turns out the h*ps weren’t bigger, the butt muscles were. I knew that, but judging by my reflection in Ole Hopeful, which normal people called the mirror, the dress fit! It fit! And it looked sensational!
All I had to do now was throw on a smoky eye, some bronzer, and natural lipstick. Oh yeah, and find a place to go.
Breene, K F - Jessica Brodie Diaries 01 Page 21