Divorce Wars: Opposites Attract

by G. S. Carr

  “No!” I balk. “Wyatt didn’t do this. He saved me. He’s in the hospital because of it.”

  A tiny gasps comes from the corner of the room. I turn to see tears welling in Emma’s eyes. A vice of guilt reaches into my chest tightening its grip on my heart.

  “I’m sorry sweetie,” I say to her with a sad grimace.

  Alexis cuts her daughter an annoyed look. “Don’t you have homework or something to do. Go on. Get.”

  Emma scampers off down a tiny hall to the back of the trailer. I held no emotions for this woman at first. I wasn’t jealous or threatened because she was Wyatt’s past. But watching how she treats her daughter in the few minutes I’ve been in the house I want to knock her teeth down her throat.

  “Sorry about her. That girl is the bane of my existence,” she says blowing out another cloud of smoke before putting out the cigarette in the ashtray. “Anyway. You said Wyatt was in the hospital.”

  “Yes. We were attacked by wolves during the taping. Wyatt is in the hospital. They have him in a medically induced comma because of his injuries. I came because I know he would like to see Emma when he wakes up.”

  Alexis’ eyes light up as brightly as Emma’s did when I mentioned I knew Wyatt. “Oh thank God. You are here to take the brat. Hold up I’ll go pack her a bag.”

  “I… Umm…” I stutter taken aback. “Aren’t you going to come with us?”

  “Why on earth would I do that? You’re his wife so she’s your problem now. Let me go get her stuff ready.”

  Alexis is up off the sofa and headed to the back of the trailer with the giddiness of someone who’d been told they won the lottery. Murdering your husbands baby mama is a bad way to start a marriage, but the idea is tempting. Husband. I can’t help the smile that plays across my lips as the word settles in my mind. Wyatt, who saved my life, who kissed every inch of my body so tenderly, is my husband. For now anyway. The thought wipes the smile from my face. He is only my husband for now. Until I tell the show producers that I want a divorce.

  “I’m ready,” Emma cheers as she runs down the hall as fast as her little legs can carry her.

  “Have you lost your mind? Don’t run in my house,” Alexis screams after her.

  Emma slows to a trot, but the smile never leaves her face. My heart swells as she stops in front of me, hand outstretched for mine. This is why I will do it. To keep that smile of this little girls face. She was the reason I will give Wyatt up.

  * * *

  “You go on inside and visit with your father. I will be in after I make a phone call,” I instruct the smiling little girl who practically drug me down the hospital hallway.

  Emma nods once before racing into the hospital room to see her father. Her little legs carry her to the side of the bed where she skids to a stop. The tinkle of metal bracelets mix with the beeps of the monitors as she reaches up to touch her fathers hand. Screeching chair legs being drug across the tile floor soon join in the hospital rooms melody. Emma pulls a chair beside the bed and scampers into the seat. She leans over her fathers motionless body and kisses his cheek.

  “Hi daddy. I love you.”

  Tears sting the back of my eyes. She is so precious. Closing the door I walk down the hall and pull out my cell phone. Two rings is all it takes before my mother answers the phone.

  “Hey baby. You finished with that game show yet,” she asks, her voice a tired whisper.

  “Yes and no mama.”

  “What happened? Why do you sound so sad?”

  I can hear the concern lacing her question. The rustling of sheets sounds on the other side of the phone. She’s probably trying to sit up so she can pay more attention. I grip the phone a little tighter.

  “Mama I love you. With all my heart. You know that right?”

  “Of course I do baby. What’s going on?”

  I close my eyes and take a steading breath. “I can’t take the money. I am going to ask for the divorce.”

  “Okay baby.”

  Two simple words, with so much meaning. She knows what me not taking the money means, but she doesn’t question it. I lean back against the wall for support. Tears gather on my lashes then silently slip down my cheek. I wipe the tears away then clear my throat.

  “You’re not going to ask me why?”

  “I trust you baby. If you say you can’t take the money. I know there is a good reason,” she says with graceful simplicity.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too. So you went and fell in love with the guy?” she asks in an amused tone.

  “What? What are you talking about?” I push off the wall, body stiff and alter as if I just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

  “Baby you are sacrificing your mama’s life for this man. Either you love him or you went crazy. Which is it?” she says with a soft chuckle.

  I bite my lip, mulling over my next words. My feelings for Wyatt are… I don’t know. At least I don’t want to know. Admitting to loving him and then having to let him go is a heart break I wanted to avoid. But the truth is there whether I want to acknowledge it or not. I let out a groan because I can never lie to my mother.

  “Yeah I love him. And I’m not sacrificing you for him. He has a daughter. Her name is Emma and she’s six. He needs the money to pay off a few people and start a new life with her.”

  “I was just joking baby. But I have no problem dying. I was prepared for it before you went on the show and I’m prepared for it now. I’ve lived long enough and I’m ready to meet my maker. So Emma must be really cute.”

  More tears clog my throat. I thought I was ready for my mother to leave the earth, but hearing her blunt acceptance of it floods me with a wave of sadness. I take a moment to allow my voice to become steady before I reply.

  “She is. And so sweet.”

  “And her daddy must be fine. He look anything like that Jason Momoa?”

  I let out a genuine belly laugh. “Wyatt is fine, but Jason is a whole different level. There aren’t many men alive on that level.”

  “Well I’m happy for you baby. You can bring them both by to visit me later.”

  A twinge of sadness blooms in my heart. Once I ask for the divorce I will never be able to see Wyatt and Emma again. The contract we signed to be on the show prohibits us from staying in touch if either of us gets the money.

  “Sure mama,” I lie. She didn’t need that extra burden.

  “Okay baby I have to get off here. It’s time for my meds.”

  “I love you mama.”

  “Love you too.”

  The soft click of the dial tone echos through the phone line. That woman is a saint. So understanding and full of love. Putting my phone away I take a deep breath before going to to Wyatt’s room.

  Chapter 12

  Wyatt

  Explosive amounts of pain course through my body the second my brain kicks back online. It’s like I’ve been knocked out of the best dream and sent hurtling into a concrete wall. Someone must have glued my eyelids shut in the worst prank imaginable, because I can barely pry them open. Small slits is all I can manage.

  “Daddy! You’re awake.”

  Emma? I turn my sluggish head to the right to see my daughters angelic smiling face.

  “Hi sweet pea,” I croak between dry lips.

  “I’m so happy you are up daddy. Kara came to get me. She said I can see you. I like Kara. She’s nice daddy.”

  Kara brought Emma to me? My heart swells at the thought of her doing this for me. Images of her beautiful face fill my mind. “Yeah baby. She is.”

  “Mr. Carter,” a man in a white coat says. “My name is Doctor Smith. You were brought here to CMD Memorial Hospital after the injuries you sustained from the wolf attack. We have been keeping you in a medically induced comma so that you can recover. I don’t want to upset the child, so we can discuss the specifics of your injuries later, but I am happy to say you are healing nicely. We’ll be keeping you a few more days but we expect a full recovery. If you n
eed any more meds to help manage your pain just let us know.”

  “Yes, I need some meds.” Of course I want meds. A sumo wrestler trying to rip me in half would probably feel like a gentle massage compared the the excruciating pain consuming my body.

  “I’ll send a nurse right in to give you some,” the doctor replies before he heads out the door.

  Kara. Where is Kara? My foggy fills again with images of her smiling face. Then the smile’s gone. Her face becomes soaked and covered in blood. Her face contorts into a mask of fear and panic. She was with me during the wolf attack. Where is she now?

  “Kara? Where is Kara?” I question in a tortured whisper.

  “She’s fine. Well as fine as can be expected,” a male voice responds to my question.

  Two men sit in chairs along the wall at the foot of my bed. The one who just spoke is wearing a t-shirt that says Divorce Wars, while the other is in a navy blue suit. They both stand, but the one who originally spoke steps up to my bed.

  A nurse in purple scrubs scurries into the room and gives me a decent dose of pain meds. I thank her before she leaves. As the meds take effect my pain fogged mind clears a bit more so I can focus on the man in front of me.

  “I’m Peter from Divorce Wars. Kara is out making a phone call according to your daughter, but when she gets back we have something to discuss with the both of you.”

  “Was she hurt during the attack?”

  “Kara sustained an injury to her foot and a scratch across the face. Other than that she is perfectly fine. Once she gets back we can talk further.”

  I release a sigh of relief. I don’t know what I would do if Kara had gotten seriously hurt. Peter walks back to his chair and sits down. I turn back to Emma and pat the bed next to me. She scurries into the bed trying her best not to touch any of the wires and tubes connected to me.

  “I missed you so much sweet pea.” I nuzzle my head against her cheek. She is so warm. A small giggle escapes her lips as she cuddles closer to me.

  “I missed you too daddy. I made you a picture.”

  “You did?” I ask in a pleased tone.

  “Yeah. It’s in my backpack in Kara’s car.”

  “Describe it to me.”

  I cuddle Emma a little tighter to my side, burying my face in her soft blond curls. I listen and add in questions at the appropriate times as she excitedly tells me about every color and item in the picture she drew. The click and creek of the door opening a few minutes later reaches my ears as Emma continues talking.

  “Great you’re here,” Peter says to the person who just entered the room.

  “Um yeah. Who are you?”

  I turn my head from the bracelets Emma is animatedly telling me about to the door at the sound of Kara’s voice. Like a thirsty man in the desert finally finding an oasis, relief and joy crash into me. She walks to my bed limping as she supports her weight on a cane. Three long jagged claw marks trail down her face. To me they do nothing to detract from her beauty. They make her sexier. Those are her battle wounds, received standing by my side. I smile when our eyes meet.

  “I’m Peter. I am the Creative Director and one of the Executive Producers of Divorce Wars. This is James our lawyer.”

  “Oh good.” Kara says with relief. She shifts her stance so that most of her back is to me. “I wanted to talk with you guys. I want to ask for the divorce.”

  “What?” I demand.

  She ignores me, refusing to face me. A chill runs down my spine and lodges in my stomach like a heavy block of ice. Why didn’t she talk with me about this first?

  “I want Wyatt to have the money. I want a divorce,” she continues.

  “Calm down everyone. Today is your lucky day. Divorce or not we are giving you each $500,000. And of course pay both of your medical bills.” There is nothing genuine about the slimy smile pasted on Peter’s face.

  “What?/Come again.” Kara and I ask at the same time.

  “Look James can explain it to you in legalise, but the bottom line is we need you to take the money and sign a nondisclosure agreement saying you won’t sue us over the incident that happened on the show. James,” he barks the name like a command, snapping his fingers. James steps forward and hands him a stack of paper.

  “If you sign these we can start the process of getting the money to you today.” He hands each of us a stapled stack of papers. Long wordy paragraphs with words like ‘no liability’ and ‘no lawsuit’ cover the twenty or so pages.

  “So what you’re saying is you have some fault in what happened to us,” I question. My hard eyes trained on Peter.

  “What happened to you if a freak occurrence that we couldn’t have seen coming. The deer trampled over the food opening some of it. The smell attracted the wolves who dug underneath the fence. None of that is our fault and we couldn’t have predicted it.”

  “But a jury might not agree with that,” I retort.

  Kara stands beside me, arms folded as she glares at Peter. His fake smile crumbles into a scowl. A deep furrow mars his forehead as his eyes turn into slits.

  “Look go ahead and sue us. What the average Joe doesn’t understand is that the legal system doesn’t work like it does on TV. Cases like this could take years. Does your mom have that long to live Kara? Do you want to wait that long to get custody of your kid Wyatt? Just take the pay out and we can all go on our merry way.”

  Kara and I exchange glances. He is right. Yes we could potentially get more if we went to court, but I didn’t need a lot. This money could be a fresh start for me and Emma. And I didn’t need to give up Kara to have it.

  “I’ll do it if Kara does it.”

  All eyes turn to Kara, but her eyes stay fixed on me. A small smile kicks up the corner of the uninjured side of her face. Does she realize what I realize? Does she want to stay together as well?

  “Sure. I’ll do it.”

  The fake smile returns to Peter’s face. “Excellent. If both of you could just sign these. We have your bank info and the money will be wired to your accounts today. Now if you will excuse me I have a show to run.”

  “Now I’m not completely crazy Peter.” Kara says finally breaking our eye contact to focus on Peter. “This is a lot of money we are talking about. I need to read every word on these pages before I will sign anything. Tell us where we can send them once they are signed, then please leave me and my husband alone.”

  “Fine,” Peter says begrudgingly. “James will give you the info.”

  Peter snaps his fingers at James then stomps out of the room. Like a statue come to life James, in his two piece navy blue suit, steps forward and hands Kara a business card.

  “This is my office and my fax number. Fax or mail them as soon as they are signed.”

  “Will do,” Kara replies plucking the offered card from his fingers.

  James walks out the door leaving Kara, Emma, and I alone.

  “So does this make you my second mommy and can I stay with you now daddy?” Emma asks.

  Kara and I both laugh at the little girls outburst. I turn my head to focus my attention on Kara.

  “Yeah Kara. Will you stay married to me and help me take care of my kid? I promise to leave the smelly annoying Wyatt in the game complex where he belongs. Proper wooing accompanied by chocolates and long walks on the beach will be in your future if you say yes.”

  Kara lets out a deep laugh. I made my proposition in a joking manner to allow myself the chance to save face if she says no, but I mean every word. My heart thunders in my chest waiting for her response. She walks to the side of my bed and perches on the little space that isn’t taken up by me or Emma.

  Looking Emma in the eyes she says, “I would love me be your second mommy.”

  “Yeah!” Emma cheers. She wraps her arms around Kara in a tight hug. When Emma releases her, Kara bends to plant a chaste kiss on my lips. “And I would love to stay married to you.”

  “This is probably a dollar short and a day late, but I love you Kara. You are so crea
tive and I’m not even going to pretend I am on your level intellectually. Quantum whatever is way outside my mental capacity. I love your dry humor and I have to admit that button thing was pure genius. I only said and did most of the crappy stuff I did for the show, and I know you know that, but I still want to apologize to you. I plan to spend the rest of my days more than making it up to you.”

  “I love you too Wyatt. You challenge me to be stronger. Shoot I fought a wolf for you. I want to stand by your side and fight whatever else is to come.”

  “Good because you had your chance to divorce me and now its gone. I’m not letting you go.”

  We both let out a small chuckle. Kara bends down to plant another, this time deeper kiss on my lips. This is my woman, my wife and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Epilogue

  Kara

  “Mom dad said I can’t have another cookie before dinner, but I would like to negotiate it.” Emma runs into the kitchen, her long curly ponytail bouncing behind her. She comes to a halt in front of me then clasps her hands in front of her as she looks at me with a determined glint in her eyes. Cookies were a serious topic to Emma.

  I can’t help but smile at the cute display she makes. The purple princess dress and silver tiara are a stark contrast to the serious scrunched face of a little lady ready to do business.

  Wyatt walks into the kitchen, our amused gazes locking over Emma’s head. I smile at him before focusing back on the little human in front of me.

  “I’ll never agree to something your father has denied so ask him if we can negotiate on it,” I say in a voice soft with affection.

  “Can we dad?” Emma pleads. Lip poked out, eyes wide, she is the poster child for little girl who knows how to get over on her father.

  “Sure.” Wyatt relents with a soft chuckle.

  An excited smile spreads across Emma’s face for a brief second before it is replaced by a stubborn set of her mouth. Negotiating for cookies is serious business.