by kj lewis
“Come again?” I respond with my mouth full of snow cone.
He looks at me and shrugs. “I had a hard time transitioning when I came back from Afghanistan.” That’s all he offers, and he shrugs his shoulders when he sees me watching him, wide-eyed. “I heard you lived out of your car for a year, so I’m not sure why you are looking at me like I have two heads.”
“There’s a difference between that and living on the streets. I didn’t know Teague. I’m sure that has been a transition. Is there anything I can do to help you acclimate?”
“Yes. Listen to me,” he smirks, already knowing that is probably not going to happen. We laugh and I wrap my arms around him.
“Thank you for protecting me. I’m always here if you need anything.” I pat his back and he returns my affection, albeit awkwardly.
“We should be going.” Graham holds the driver’s door open for me.
“Make sure to keep up,” I tease Teague.
“Emelia,” Graham says buckling his seatbelt. “When it’s just you and Teague, you have my permission to be buddies. I trust him to protect you. But when we are out together, he’s my employee, and I don’t want or need you confusing that with affection.”
I stop the car and turn to face him. “I have your permission?”
“Out of everything I just said, that is all you walked away with?” he asks.
“Graham,” I say like I am talking to a three-year-old.
“Emelia.” CEO Graham is in the passenger seat. “Don’t push me.”
“There’s nothing to be concerned about with Teague.”
“I didn’t say there was. I appreciate that you two are building a friendship, but the fact remains, he works for me and I can’t have him arm in arm with my wife. It sends the wrong message. How would you feel if you found me arm in arm with another woman?”
“If it were Lucy or Jules I wouldn’t have a problem with it. That is what Teague is to me.”
“So are the dwarfs, Jackson, and the entire mentor group. You hand out affection like lollipops.”
“What does that mean?”
“Just forget it. Drive.”
“No. If you want me to behave differently then give me some parameters. Don’t just mandate it to me.”
“I shouldn’t have to tell you to take me into consideration.” My face falls and his words hang there for a minute. “Scratch that. I didn’t mean it that way,” he says frustrated, wiping his hands down his face. “Can I have a do over?”
“You may,” I concede in hopes of bringing us back to solid ground.
“Teague is my employee. I need you to let him be that when you are in public.”
“One more thing. I love them. But I’m in love with you.” I lean across the armrest and give him my sweet southern smile, puckering my lips, waiting for a kiss.
“Just drive,” he says.
“Not till you bring the love.” I continue to wait.
He leans down and plants one on me. I pull into traffic.
“There is seriously something wrong with you,” he chuckles.
“Yep. You two will be just fine,” Eloise says from the backseat.
As we near the Methodist Brain Institute, my apprehension grows. All the feelings rushing back at once. I find us a parking spot, but I don’t get out of the car.
“You okay, babe?” Graham reaches for me.
“I haven’t shared Addie with anyone in a long time.”
“You don’t have to protect her from us,” Harry perceptively reads my feelings. “We are here to love and help. We have only your best interest in mind.”
“That’s just it. I don’t want this to be about my best interest. This is about Addie. It was my best interest that caused all this.”
“What are you talking about?” Graham asks.
“Addie was struggling and I was too caught up in studying and practicing at Julliard to see it. She had lost her way. She didn’t know how to handle all the things that happened and she resented my ability to cope. I think it made her feel like I wasn’t on her side because I didn’t respond to things the way she did. She wouldn’t come to New York with me. Before I left she was already drinking too much. Jake, her boyfriend, called me one night to tell me about Addie’s drinking and out of control behavior. When he put her on the phone, she was defensive and angry and I didn’t handle it well. I got upset with her. She refused to talk to me about what was going on with her. That night she went to a party and had a lot to drink. She fell off the balcony and landed on her head and neck. It was the only time we didn’t give our love to each other at the end of a call.”
“Emme. How long have you been carrying this? You must know this wasn’t your fault?” Harry says.
“My brain knows it.” It’s not until Graham puts his hand on mine to stop it that I realize I am knotting my fingers together.
Graham puts his arm around me as we head into the center. “We have everything ready to go,” Addie’s nurse tells me. The study Kyle was able to get Addie into measures brain activity. When I visit, they put special probes on her. I have to spend four hours interacting with her. Sometimes I need more than four hours I have so much to say. Other times, I’m at a loss, so I sit and read her favorite book, Anne of Green Gables.
“There’s a sitting room here.” I point to a room surrounded by glass. “If you don’t mind giving me a minute with her first.”
“Of course,” they say in unison.
I walk the path I’ve made hundreds of times before. I’ve decorated her room, surrounding her with pictures and things I know she likes. Things that remind me of her. I’ve added curtains, and colorful throws. There’s a comfortable sitting chair I’ve added in hopes the nurses will sit in here while I’m gone. I also make sure there are fresh daisies in her room every week. Her favorite flower.
“Hi, Harry.” I lean over and kiss her cheek. “Boy, do I have some things to tell you about.” I tell her everything: meeting Graham on the flight home, the engagement, meeting Harry.
“So, he’s here. He can’t wait to meet you. You look beautiful as always. No need to be nervous,” I tell her as I run my fingers through her hair, helping it to lie flat. “I’ll be right back.”
Graham is on his laptop while Eloise reads. Harry stands when he sees me walking up.
“I’d like Harry to meet her first if that’s alright?” I say coming through the door.
Leading Harry down the hall, I stop outside her room and place my hand in his.
“It’ll be hard at first, but Addie wouldn’t want you to feel sorry for her,” I offer.
We enter her room. I let him set the pace, giving him time to look around the room, see her things.
“Harry, this is Harry,” I smile, looking at our father. “Addie was the first person to call me Mags and I was the first person to call her Harry.” His face displays a hundred different emotions. “Go ahead.” I run my fingers through her hair. “You can touch her. Sit. Talk with her. Tell her about yourself.”
Harry is finding his place in the chair when I step out. I’ve nearly made it to the sitting area when I see him. “What are you doing here?”
Tony is standing in front of me, venom oozing from him. This man is pure evil. I look him in the eye and then step around him towards the waiting area. He reaches for me, but never makes contact. Teague appears as if by magic and has positioned himself between us. His hand pushes a button on what looks like a pager attached to the back of his waistband before his hand wraps around the grip of an automatic, but he doesn’t withdraw it. Teague carries a gun? Within mere seconds, Smith arrives and Graham pulls me back further behind him. All three men radiate nuclear anger. Smith makes it clear to Tony that he too, is armed.
“As of today, there is a restraining order being issued. You are not to be within one hundred feet of Miss James. If you have something to discuss with her, you can contact her attorney. If you violate that order, you’ll want to pray the cops get to you before I do. Do we understand each
other?” Teague says.
“You can’t stop me from seeing my daughter.”
“She’s not your daughter. She’s mine.” Harry has entered the hall. This is the Harry that vowed to handle John Michaels.
“I will be getting legal custody of my daughter. Until then, if you choose to see her, you need to make sure it is on a day that we are not here. Do I make myself clear?”
Tony lunges for Harry, but is drawn up short when Smith plants him into a wall. Harry didn’t so much as bat an eyelash. Smith holds him against the wall with his forearm while Harry takes a step towards him, his face inches from Tony’s.
“You’re obviously a slow learner. I’d hate to see that become an issue for you in the future. I’m going to say this once more on your reading level. Touch my daughters in any way, contact Emme at any time, and I will eviscerate you.” Harry leans in even closer. His voice low and even, but easily heard. “Eviscerate. To disembowel. To gut something.”
Harry takes a step back and lightly lifts his chin to Smith who lets go of Tony.
“You’ve already killed her once. Why don’t you let her be? Fucking whore. Does your boyfriend know what a cunt whore you are?” Tony spews.
Several things happen at once. Graham lunges for Tony, but thankfully Smith steps in before he reaches him. Teague makes a move on Tony that has him crying out in pain. Harry gives a nod to Teague that has him ushering Tony down the hall to a stairwell. Smith follows once he is sure Graham is back in control.
“You okay?” Graham asks me. “You’re shaking.” He rubs his hands up and down my arms.
“Am I?” I say, devoid of any emotion. “I’ll send in Eloise,” I say to Harry. I leave Harry and Graham in the hall to be joined by Eloise. Sitting, I close my eyes and attempt to breathe through my feelings. Several minutes later, Graham enters the sitting room and closes the door.
“You and I need to come to an understanding, Emelia. We’ve had this conversation before, but I’m going to try to have the patience to have it with you once more.” He crosses his legs and smooths the fabric over his knee, looking every bit the master of his kingdom. “You don’t keep things from me. Harry can think you’re his responsibility until Saturday, but without a doubt, you are my responsibility right now. I can’t protect you if there are things I don’t know about. That man is not someone who simply wants a check each month. That is a man with an agenda against you.”
“The night I came to your apartment with Adam. Obviously I wasn’t aware at the time that you lived there. We all arrived, and Adam introduced me to the dwarfs. You were asleep. I remember one of them telling a story about the week before; you and he were out with a kid named Reggie. He was stopped by some guys giving him a hard time. He went on to tell Jules and the other dwarfs about the ferociousness with which you went after those guys. About thirty minutes later, you walked into the room. I knew right then you were the girl in the story. Do you remember that incident?”
I nod.
“Do you remember what you felt that caused that reaction in you?”
“Like it was yesterday.”
“Multiply that by a thousand and you still aren’t on the same plane as how protective I feel of you. Do we understand each other?”
“I do. But I didn’t keep anything from you. Tony—”
“Emelia.” Graham cuts me off, clearly struggling to control himself. “Something about Tony has been off to you for a long time. You’ve said as much already, and you’ve based an entire career off reading people. What you didn’t say is that he has threatened you before. And don’t tell me he hasn’t. Today was not an escalation. It’s obvious that he has a pattern when it comes to you.”
“I understand Graham.” The fight has left me.
“That same night you showed me a picture of your grandparents. I recall it because I remember the description you gave of your grandmother could be used to describe you. You said you liked the picture because her face was ‘soft and giving of herself, pliant, even though she was so strong.’ Like it or not, you need to dig in. We are a team and we are going to be married. You grew up in church. You had a strong grandfather. You understand my role as a provider. Stop fighting it.” He looks to me for pushback but doesn’t receive any.
“Am I being clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I say in the sweetest southern voice I can, with a hint of sarcasm that he chooses to ignore.
“Good girl,” he says, planting a kiss on my lips.
Smith and Teague come to the door and Graham steps into the hallway to discuss something. We’ve given Harry and Eloise about an hour with Addie. I want to make sure I have time for Graham to spend with her. Conversation stops when I enter the hallway. Smith and Teague take a seat in the waiting area as I take Graham to her room.
“Mind if I introduce her to Graham?” I ask.
“No, sweetheart. We’ll give you some time.” Harry and Eloise step out.
“This is Graham. The one I was telling you about.” I point Graham to the chair. “Sit. Hold her hand.”
“Can she hear me?” he asks.
“No, I don’t think so. This is no longer Addie. It’s her body, but she’s not in there. I would know if she was.” I hold her other hand.
“Then why do you visit? Why do the study?” I notice he runs his thumb over her knuckles like he does mine.
“Hope. Denial. Obligation. All three probably. Her heart is still beating.”
“So, if you had total custody, what would you do?”
“I would move her to New York where I could be with her all the time, and I wouldn’t allow her to be placed on a ventilator if the need ever arose again.”
Graham studies her. Leaning forward he runs a hand through her hair, then stands to look at the pictures I have in the room.
“The picture in your closet. That’s your mom and Addie. Not you,” he observes.
“It is. Harry says I’m the spitting image of our mom, but truly Addie was.”
I watch as Graham runs his finger over a picture of me and Addie. We’re cracking up about something. I don’t remember what.
“It’s getting late. We should meet up with Ben.”
Graham crosses the room and pulls me into a tight embrace, resting my head against him.
“I love you, Emelia.”
“I love you, Graham.”
We step into the hall from the sitting room when one of the nurses stops to make friendly conversation about our visit. I ask about her kids.
“Oh,” she turns back around. “Tony was here. Did you see him?”
“I did. Thanks.”
“How often does he come?” Graham asks.
She blushes at his acknowledgement of her. Yeah, yeah, he’s beautiful.
“Not often. Actually now that you mention it, he only comes on days you’re here. Odd you have the same schedule.” She shrugs and walks off.
“I’m on it,” Smith says without Graham uttering a word.
I call in an order once we’re back in the car for us to pick up on our way to the airport. I want everyone to have some Memphis BBQ, and while there are many great places to choose from, one of my favorites is Central BBQ. Ben is waiting for us on the plane. He’s removed his jacket and tie and is deep in thought over some papers.
“If you’ll take your seats, the captain is ready to depart,” the stewardess announces, taking the bag of food from me.
Once were in the air, she goes about setting the table for us. I ordered a conglomeration of BBQ ribs, pulled pork, BBQ nachos, smoked hot wings, and BBQ fried bologna, with sides of slaw and beans. Despite the fact that we are 20,000 feet in the air, it feels like a family dinner. We all take a break and recount the lighter things about our day and tell random stories. Ben tells Harry about the softball game in the Hamptons. I educate them about how the slaw goes on their BBQ sandwich. We talk about Memphis. It’s a nice reprieve from the events of the afternoon before we delve into what Ben was able to get accomplished.
“Mind
if I use your laptop for a few minutes?” I ask Graham.
“No, baby. It’s on the desk.”
I excuse myself and take a seat in Graham’s office chair. What it must feel like to be in charge of an empire. I sign into my Hollingsworth profile and try to do a video chat with Jackson.
“Hey, beautiful.” His gorgeous face pops up on my screen.
“Hey, beautiful.” I pull my knees to my chest.
“Are you on the plane still?”
“I am.”
“Living the life.” He winks at me. “So, how was it?”
I fill him in on the day’s events, and he has more than his fair share of commentaries and questions, as any best friend would. “I miss you.” I touch the screen.
“I’m never very far, Emme. You were made to do more than work for me. It doesn’t mean I won’t always be here for you, because I will. Nothing could change that.”
“Can you be there for me this Saturday?”
“Saturday?” he thinks. “I can’t think of a reason I can’t be. I’ll double check with Patrick. What do you need, babe?”
“For you to stand with me.” I pause. “While I get married.” I give my words time to sink in.
He leans closer to the camera. “Married?”
I nod.
“What are you working on?” Graham enters the office.
“Is that Graham?” Jackson asks.
“It is. I’m in his office.”
“I’d like to talk to him.”
“What can I do for you, Jackson?” Graham circles the desk where Jackson can see him. They have a mutual respect for each other, but I think they are still sizing each other up.
“Emme, will you give us a minute?” Jackson asks.
“Are you serious?”
“I am.” He’s making his “I am serious” face, so I give Graham my seat, squeezing his hand before I leave as a sign of solidarity.
Fifteen minutes goes by before Graham opens the door and motions for me to come back in. He stands out of view of the computer but doesn’t leave the office. Jackson’s quiet when I sit back down.
“This is what you want?”
“More than anything,” I answer without as much as a blink.