‘That’s Chardonnay,’ he says pointing to the baby on the right.
‘Of course it is,’ I reply, and he shoots me a filthy look.
‘And that’s Lambrini.’
I laugh. I can’t help it.
‘She named your child Lambrini?’
‘Don’t take the piss, Nicole.’
‘Sorry. But honestly, they’re beautiful.’
‘I know, that’s why I have to make this right, so I can see them properly.’
‘Of course. Look, I can make this statement with you, we can set them straight together.’
‘Nicole,’ Dylan says, finally looking me in the eye, ‘I’m going to apologise.’
‘To who?’ I’m confused.
‘To Crystal. She says that if I make a public apology for everything I’ve done, then she’ll come home and she’ll bring the babies with her. I just want them back, Nic.’
Still confused.
‘You’re going to apologise for what?’ I ask.
‘She doesn’t believe me, she’s never going to believe me. If I own up to sleeping with you and publicly apologise, then they’ll come home.’
‘But you didn’t sleep with me, Dylan,’ I remind him, just in case he has forgotten.
He shrugs his shoulders. ‘It’s the only way to get them back. You could apologise with me, that might help.’
I cannot believe what I’m hearing.
‘Dylan, the only thing I am willing to apologise for is ultimately being the reason your children are named after alcohol!’
‘Nicole,’ he says softly, but I carry on my ranting, pacing around the living room as I speak.
‘I am not apologising for something I didn’t do, and you shouldn’t either. The Dylan I know didn’t even apologise for the stuff he did do. What’s happened to you?’
He says nothing.
‘How do you think this is going to make me look? Everyone hates me, they think I’m a home-wrecker!’
‘So apologise,’ he says, unable to look me in the eye.
At this point Mikey walks back in the room, closely followed by Charles.
‘Get her out of here, she’s going to ruin this, Dylan,’ Charles demands as soon as he claps eyes on me.
I look over at Dylan. He has his head in his hands.
‘Dylan,’ I call his name to get him to look at me. He doesn’t.
‘Mikey, please can you show Miss Wilde out of the back door,’ Charles mutters.
‘Don’t worry, Mr Pace. I was leaving anyway.’ I push myself past him, giving him a cheeky wink as my body brushes past his. Before I leave, I turn around and appeal to Dylan one last time.
‘Don’t do this, Dill. You know it’s wrong.’
He doesn’t say anything. He wants his kids and this is the only way he’s going to get them. There’s nothing left to say.
Mikey follows me out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
‘Go on, Mike. Throw the home-wrecking slut over the back fence,’ I joke, although I half suspect that’s what he’s expected to do.
‘I know you didn’t do it,’ he whispers, ‘and I know he’s making a mistake doing this. I understand why he’s doing this, but it’s wrong. You don’t deserve this.’
We hug and I feel touched that he would side with me over his own brother, even if it is only secretly.
‘Thanks.’ I wipe away the one tear that has managed to escape from my left eye, despite me trying so hard to keep my emotions under control. ‘I’d like to leave out the front door,’ I tell Mikey, remembering that there is a photographer outside.
‘Maybe I accidentally left the key in the door when I let Charles in,’ he says with a wink.
I kiss him on the cheek and turn towards the front door. I feel like a total cow for possibly ruining any chance Dill has of seeing his kids, but I won’t let him ruin my reputation without a fight. Maybe if I do this he’ll be forced to tell the truth.
I open the door and begin my walk down the driveway. As I get to the bottom, the photographer looks at me, and I smile back at him. The expression on his face is wonderful, like he knows who I am but he can’t quite believe his eyes. Surely the woman Dylan King had an affair with wouldn’t be leaving his house days later, having not been seen entering his house this morning at all. He fumbles awkwardly with his camera, but I move slowly enough for him to get a couple of photos (a couple of good photos – that last one was so embarrassing) before running off down the road. I don’t think he’s chasing me, but I don’t stop to find out.
As I hurriedly do my best to lose the pap, I am instantly hit with a wave of regret. I know that I am right in thinking that Dylan shouldn’t own up to something that he didn’t do – especially because he will drag me down with him, and the female is always looked upon as being worse than the male in these scenarios – but I’m not sure I’ve done the right thing. I’m fighting to protect my reputation, but at what cost? Don’t Dylan’s kids deserve their dad in their lives? God knows they need him, I mean, just look at what Crystal named them. Fuck! I shouldn’t have done that. There’s no turning back now though.
Chapter Fifty-Four
The Emergency
I slip my shoes off in the lift of Luke’s apartment building. I ran for way longer than I had planned to – who knew the paparazzi were so agile? I suppose they have to be in their game.
I grabbed a coffee and a copy of the Daily Scoop from one of the cute little shops downstairs. I didn’t want to buy that trashy excuse for news, but curiosity got the better of me, especially when I saw the headline ‘Where is Nicole Wilde?’, accompanied by a photograph of Jake flashing his arse from the balcony of my flat. I called him as soon as I saw it and he couldn’t be prouder to have his backside on the front of a national newspaper – I’m just glad I could help him achieve his life goal.
‘Hello,’ I call out as I let myself into Luke’s flat with the spare key he gave me. ‘Luke?’ I call again, but there’s no sign of him. I check his bedroom but he isn’t there – his phone is though, so I guess there’s no point calling him to see where he is.
Walking back into the lounge, I make myself at home. Reclining in one of his leather armchairs, I sip my coffee and read the paper. This is the life. The whole scenario feels weird, but strangely comfortable, and it scares me just how much I’m starting to enjoy it. That doesn’t mean I’m happy with the whole country thinking I’m a home-wrecker, though.
The headline makes me laugh because I know that tomorrow’s paper will have an answer to that question, and that Dylan won’t like it. Poor Dylan, he looked so proud of his babies – even if they were named after their mum’s second and third favourite things to put in her mouth. I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see what happens, there’s nothing I can do about it right now. I should probably have a nap, I don’t think I got much sleep last night. I could drop off right here, but after that huge coffee I’m going to have to go for a wee first, I’m so showbiz.
I hop up to go to the toilet, relieved that Luke is out because he doesn’t have a lock on his bathroom door and I am terrified that he is going to walk in on me while I’m on the loo.
As I open the bathroom door, I am totally shocked by what I see. I can’t speak, I can’t move, I can hardly think. Luke is lying on the bathroom floor with blood running from his head, flowing along the cracks between the floor tiles. I say his name but he doesn’t reply, so I try to find a pulse in his neck. I’m trying to keep calm but as I struggle to find a pulse, panic sets in. I have no idea what to do and I don’t want to make things worse so I call an ambulance. Luckily I have his address written on the back of my hand (a trick I learned from Dylan).
The super-calm lady on the phone tells me not to touch him and to wait for the paramedics. She keeps me on the phone while we are waiting for the ambulance to get here, but as there is nothing I can do I glance around the room and try and work out what has happened. There is blood on the side of the toilet, and while I’m no Adrian Monk, I’m gu
essing he must have hit his head on it. Then something catches my eye next to the sink. Oh, Luke, you stupid boy. I scoop up the perfect little white line of powder and flush it down the sink before doing the same with the little bag of (what I’m pretty sure is) coke sitting on the side.
Eventually the ambulance arrives and I stand back and watch them work quickly to help him. The male paramedic looks at me.
‘Has he taken anything?’
‘I don’t know,’ I reply. I’m not lying, I really don’t know. I’m scared of getting him into trouble if he hasn’t taken anything – from what I saw it didn’t look like he had.
‘Right, let’s move him,’ he instructs the female paramedic.
I stand back as they carefully lift him onto the stretcher. He’s still unconscious and his arm drops off the side. A perfectly rolled twenty-pound note falls out of his hand and rolls towards my feet.
The male paramedic walks over to me and calmly asks me again, ‘Has he taken anything? It’s important you tell me.’
‘I really don’t know. There was some stuff at the side of the sink, I flushed it away. Is he going to be OK?’
‘We’re taking him to hospital, are you coming with us?’
‘Please.’
As they wheel him out to the ambulance, I look for things to take to the hospital but I have no idea what he might need and even if I did, I’d have no idea where any of it is.
I grab my handbag and my keys and follow them out. Judging by the speed they are operating at, this must be serious.
Chapter Fifty-Five
The Hospital
I hate hospitals. Just sitting here in the waiting room is making me feel sick – something I’m sure is the exact opposite of what the hospital is supposed to do.
I am sitting with Frank, who is Two For The Road’s manager. I had no idea who to call when we arrived at the hospital, so I called Mick, their tour manager. He didn’t sound half as surprised as I had expected him to, he simply passed the information on to Frank.
I’ve heard lots of stories about Frank but I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting him. I was expecting a podgy, balding, grumpy old man, but I couldn’t be more wrong. Frank is probably in his mid-forties and is good-looking in an older, George Clooney kind of way. I remember Eddie telling me what a hard-ass he was, but he seems genuinely concerned about Luke and he thanked me for calling the ambulance. He is actually from Sheffield and I find his strong South Yorkshire accent weirdly comforting right now.
A nurse is walking towards us in what seems like super-slow motion, her face expressionless. All kinds of things are running through my mind.
‘How’s he doing?’ Frank asks.
I’m not sure why, but I get up and walk away, leaving her to talk to Frank. I mess around with the vending machine and watch them chat from down the corridor. As I make myself a hot chocolate that I have absolutely no intention of drinking, Frank comes to talk to me.
‘He’s had stitches in his head and he’s got concussion. He’s lost some blood, cracked a couple of ribs too. He’s spoken to the doctor, thinks he might have blacked out over the sink, bashed himself up on his way to the floor.’
‘He’s awake?’ I ask, surprised.
‘Yeah. He’s been lucky. He’s asking for you, lass. Nurse says you can go through.’
I glance over towards the nurse who is looking at me; she must be waiting to show me the way.
‘Have this.’ I thrust my watery hot chocolate into Frank’s hand.
‘Cheers,’ he says with a chuckle. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who drinks hot chocolate.
I am shown into the private room where Luke is. He is propped up slightly in his bed and despite looking beaten up, the first thing he does is smile when he sees me.
‘Now then,’ I say cheerily. ‘What the hell have you been getting up to? I leave you alone for a couple of hours... There are easier ways to meet nurses, you know.’
What I actually want to do is shout and scream and swear at him for being such a fucking idiot, but now probably isn’t the time.
‘My hero.’ He forces a smile.
‘Erm, heroine,’ I correct him, instantly biting my tongue. That’s probably one of many things hidden in his medicine cabinet.
I take his hand and squeeze it tightly. We have our ups and downs, and he can be a very silly boy, but I care about him deeply.
‘How did it go with Dylan?’ he asks. I would have thought that would be the last thing on his mind – if he even remembered.
‘Don’t worry about that, honey.’
‘That bad?’
‘That bad.’
‘Shit, Nic. I’m sorry.’ He quickly lets go of my hand, and as I look up I see that he is crying. I hate to see people cry but seeing Luke cry is just something else. I’ve always seen him as this big, strong man, and right now he looks like a helpless little boy and it is breaking my heart.
‘Come on, don’t get upset. You’re going to be all right, the doctor said so.’ I feel a tear run down my face too.
‘Karma’s a bitch,’ he laughs. Well, half-laughs, half-cries.
‘Oh, Luke.’ Now I’m sobbing too. ‘Come on, Eddie will be here any second and he’ll laugh at us.’
‘If he’s on his way in, he’s coming to laugh anyway,’ Luke concludes, and he’s probably right. It’s not that Eddie doesn’t give a damn, he just won’t know what else to do. The fact he’s coming straight over shows just how much he cares.
Frank joins us, slowly and cautiously entering the room.
‘All right, lad?’ he asks in the same fake cheery tone that I used.
‘Yeah, just keeping you on your toes, mate. It’s about time you did some proper work.’
‘I’ve just spoken to the doctor, he says they’re going to keep you in for a few days and then you can go home.’
‘Yeah, but cracked ribs. Will I be able to drum? We’ve got the tour!’
‘You’ll be right, lad,’ Frank assures him. ‘You’ll be back on your feet by then, doc said.’
Oh, it’s so nice to hear a northern accent.
‘I hate hospitals. Let’s just go home, Nic,’ Luke says with a straight face, so I can’t tell if he’s joking.
‘After you then,’ I say, nodding towards the door, well aware of the fact he can hardly move.
In an attempt to take his mind off things I tell him – and Frank – all about what happened with Dylan.
‘I’ll kick his arse,’ Luke says angrily, trying to sit up.
‘You can even wipe your arse, lad,’ Frank laughs, easing him back down. ‘You’re not supposed to be moving.’
‘Oh, who cares?’ I say. ‘He’s going to tell everyone that I slept with him and wrecked his marriage – his bullshit marriage to a girl whose name he didn’t even know until after he knocked her up – and everyone is going to think I’m this massive slag...but who cares?’
‘That’s the spirit!’ Luke says sarcastically.
‘Why don’t you put a statement out, too?’ Frank suggests. ‘Give your side of the story, tell everyone what really happened. Your word against his.’
‘Who would believe me over Dylan?’ I ask. ‘We got caught in a compromising position, everyone thinks something happened and he’s going to tell them it did.’
‘But it’s not true,’ Luke insists.
‘Since when did anyone care about the truth? Dill is doing this to get his wife and kids back, he’s pretty much telling them what they want to hear. Anyway, there’s probably going to be a photo of me in some paper tomorrow because I was snapped leaving his house.’
‘If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know,’ Frank says to me sincerely.
‘Thanks.’
‘Are you two OK if I get off?’ he asks.
‘Yeah, we’ll be fine. I’m sure Nicole won’t be leaving me just yet.’
‘Erm, I’m not going anywhere at all,’ I insist. ‘I’ll sleep here in this chair.’ The chair I’m talking about is
a scabby old armchair. I suspect, once upon a time, it was a nice lemon colour, but now it’s a yucky shade of brown.
‘Nic, you don’t have to do that. You can stay at mine, whether I’m there or not.’
‘No, I’m staying here.’ I look over at Frank, who is hanging around by the doorway, waiting for one of us to tell him what’s happening. ‘Thanks, Frank, you can go.’
‘Well you are a nurse,’ Luke jokes as soon as Frank has left us alone.
‘Unfortunately I left my cap at home. But yes, I am a nurse of sorts.’
He starts laughing, but this quickly turns to tears again.
‘Am I going to be OK, Nicole?’ he sobs.
My heart breaking for him, I take hold of his hand.
‘Of course you’re going to be OK,’ I reassure him. ‘I’m going to stay here with you, I promise. And then I’m going to go home with you, and I’m going to look after you until you’re back on your feet. Literally,’ I laugh, holding back my own tears this time. I mean it though, as soon as he knew I was having trouble he offered to help me, so that’s what I’m going to do for him.
‘I love you, Nicole. I mean it.’
‘Well that’s the painkillers talking.’ I wipe his eyes.
‘No, I mean it. I really love you. I’ve been a dick, but I’m going to turn this around, OK?’
‘Excuse me,’ a nurse interrupts us. ‘I’ve got an Eddie Baker here to see you if you’re feeling up to another visitor.’
‘Yeah, send him through.’
‘I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but I’m a huge fan,’ the nurse says excitedly.
‘Really?’ This puts a smile on Luke’s face. ‘Remind us to sort you out with some signed CDs before I leave.’
The nurse goes bright red and leaves the room.
Luke loves me, yeah right. It’s amazing what a bump to the head can do to a person.
Chapter Fifty-Six
The Statement
If I’ve learned one thing over these past few weeks, it is that my body absolutely does not agree with me sleeping on any kind of chair. I woke up in my uncomfortable armchair to see Joanne fussing over Luke – she is one of the lovely nurses working on the ward. Most of the nurses have taken an instant liking to Luke, which is lucky because Luke has taken an instant liking to most of the nurses. I spent yesterday evening watching Eddie find reasons for them to come in and check on Luke, which was just so much fun for me. To be fair, they are all really nice ladies and they’re really taking care of Luke – and me, his temporary roommate, even though I’m certain that isn’t in the job description.
How Not to Be Starstruck Page 24