The Everlasting Chapel

by Marilyn Cruise

  “She asked if she could stay late and rehearse one of her numbers. I gave her keys, and…” Laila doesn’t complete the sentence.

  “I’ll be right there,” I say, hanging up the phone.

  I head out into the bookstore, and when Spencer sees me, his eyes fill with worry.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks.

  “My friend was attacked by someone last night and she’s at the hospital. Can you take me there?” I wipe the tears that won’t stop coming.

  “Of course,” he says.

  I tell Staci that I’ll be back late for work, and when she hears what happened, she immediately says she’ll cover for me as long as I need.

  Driving over to the hospital, I can’t help but let the tears continue to flow. I keep thinking that if I had still worked there, this would not have happened. Usually we’d leave work together to make sure we were safe. I realize it’s not my fault, but if things had been different, if I had made different decisions, she would be safe.

  I call Michael even though he said he’d be in meetings all day and wouldn’t be available to talk until after two p.m. I just leave him a message. I call my father and with a trembling voice tell him about Anne, and that I’ll be in touch as soon as I know more.

  My father says he’ll pray for her, and will tell Vivian to do the same.

  Arriving at the hospital, Spencer parks in his reserved surgeon spot, and we rush inside. As soon as we walk through the sliding doors, the nurse takes Spencer aside and whispers something to him so I can’t hear. My mouth is dry, and my entire body quivers uncontrollably.

  We take the elevator to the fourth floor, and he leads me down the hallway to Anne’s room, but right before we enter, Spencer stops me, grabs my shoulders, and looks me squarely in the eyes.

  “Scarlett, I just want to be sure you’re prepared for what you’re going to see,” he says.

  His caring, green eyes turn into a blur as tears fill my eyes again. “Okay.”

  “The attacker broke her arm and some ribs, and because she had several deep lacerations to the face, it will be very swollen and bruised. She doesn’t have any severe internal damage at the moment, though they are watching her right lung as it did collapse once. Just know I’m here if you need me, okay?” He kisses my forehead and holds me for a moment.

  Unable to say anything, I just nod and wrap my arms around him.

  “Would you like me to come inside with you?” he asks.

  “Please,” I croak. I don’t think I can handle this alone.

  “She’s sleeping at the moment, so don’t expect to be able to communicate with her,” he says.

  He opens the door for me, and we step inside. I brace myself for what I’ll see, but when I see her, I realize nothing could have prepared me for this.

  She’s lying unconscious in the bed with thick tubes down her throat. Several machines are by her side, and wires connect her to them. There’s also an IV in her left arm. The other arm has a cast going from her hand to her shoulder. Her face is puffed up and is covered in stitches and bruises, and dried blood. I cup my hand over my mouth, trying to muffle the sob that’s rising in my throat.

  Laila rises when she sees me, and hurries over to me, burying me in her embrace.

  “There, sweet Scarlett. She’ll be fine. The doctors have put her back together, and they are almost certain she’ll make a one hundred percent recovery.” She strokes my back.

  “Who found her?” I ask.

  She pauses and her breath catches. “I found her this morning when I came to do some work. She was lying lifeless in the trash behind the building.”

  Oh, dear God. “She’d been there all night?” I ask in horror, pulling away.

  “Unfortunately, yes. Thank goodness she wasn’t bleeding too much or she would have lost her life, poor thing,” Laila says.

  “Are there any leads at all?” I ask.

  Laila takes my arm and leads me away from the bed and toward the door. When she speaks her voice is hushed. “There was a guy who had been very interested in her, and had begged me to give him her contact information. When I didn’t, for the tenth time, he threw a fit and never came back. That was two weeks ago. We have his information in the system, but in reality, it could be anyone.”

  “I thought there were cameras out back,” I say.

  “There were, but the night before last someone smashed them in,” she says.

  “Did you notify her parents?” I ask.

  “The hospital did. They will be arriving tomorrow morning.”

  They don’t know about Anne’s line of work, but they definitely will learn about it real soon. I wonder if I should tell them so they’ll have the opportunity to process the shock before they come. Or maybe the hospital already told them.

  “Anyway, I have to go,” Laila says. “I’ll try to be back tomorrow morning before I head to work. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” She gives me one last hug, nods to Spencer, and then she’s out the door.

  I hesitantly make my way toward Anne’s bed and sit down in the chair Laila was just sitting in.

  “Do you want to hear the details the nurse told me?” Spencer asks.

  I appreciate his sensitivity in trying to keep painful information from me, but I need to know. “Yes.”

  “The good news is that she wasn’t raped. Dr. Kent, the doctor who stitched her up, believes the attacker meant to kill her. She had a stab wound to the abdomen, but miraculously the knife didn’t hit any organs. However, the strange thing is, the attacker didn’t take her purse, so we have no idea what the motive was.”

  I close my eyes, trying to control the urge to scream. I can’t believe someone would do this to Anne. She’s the sweetest girl I know. But to think this is the second time she’s been the victim of a violent crime, and even before she’s turned twenty-two, it breaks my heart. Now she’ll have more issues to deal with. Like she needs that.

  “Do they know when she’ll wake up?” I ask Spencer. I would like to be here for that. I’m the only one she has until her parents arrive tomorrow.

  “Could be hours. Days. Weeks. Months. In cases like this, we just never know,” he says.

  Ever so carefully, I take her cold, limp hand in mine.

  “I’m not going anywhere, Anne. I’m staying right here until you wake up.” I reach into my purse and find my phone. I call work and let Staci know I can’t make it back today. When she asks me if everything is alright, I just start to sob.

  “I’m available the rest of the week, too, if you need a few days off,” she says.

  I thank her, and say I might take her up on her offer. Once I hang up, I see that Michael is calling me. “Excuse me,” I say to Spencer, and head into the hallway to answer. “Hello.”

  “Scarlett, I got your message. Christ. How is she?” he asks.

  “She’s…stable.” I force my emotions down, calming myself with deep, slow breaths. “She looks horrible.” My voice is thick and bitter. “The attacker stabbed her and beat her black and blue.”

  “Oh, God. I am so sorry. I’ll be right over.”

  “She’s just sleeping.” I don’t know why I said that because I really need his support right now. Maybe it’s because Spencer is here and part of me doesn’t want the awkwardness of the situation. I realize it’s a rather selfish motivation, but if I’m emotionally unstable, it won’t help Anne.

  “I’m coming, and that’s final.” The stubborn, sexy bastard hangs up.

  I go back into Anne’s room.

  “Michael’s on his way,” I say to Spencer.

  He nods, and for just a split second, and ever so subtly, his eyebrows furrow.

  “Listen, I…” I start.

  “You don’t have to explain anything. And I certainly hope you’re not feeling guilty on my behalf. I meant what I said, Scarlett. Friends with benefits. I hope you don’t turn weird on me all of a sudden.” He gives me a sideways smile, and his eyebrows crinkle.

  “No,” I say. “But
thank you for reassuring me. I really don’t want to lose you as a friend.”

  “Neither do I.” He walks over to me, pulls me in for a hug, and squeezes hard. “After Anne wakes up, she’ll need someone to help her out for a while. We’ll discharge her, but it could be weeks until she’s able to perform the simplest of activities.”

  “Her parents might just take her back with them to Florida.” I watch her sleep. “She’s planning on going to college.”

  He holds me a while longer before pulling away and looks into my eyes. “Do you want me to wait with you until Michael gets here?”

  “No. You go back to work. I’ll be fine,” I say.

  “Are you sure?” he asks, giving me a concerned look.

  “Yes. Thanks for driving me here. And I’m sorry you missed lunch.”

  “I’ll just get something from the vending machine,” he says. “You can buy me lunch in a few weeks. Are you completely sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”

  My eyes widen. “Yes! Now get out of here.” I push gently on his chest.

  “Okay. But if you need, I’ll be just down the hall.”

  “Thank you.”

  I sit down in the chair again, and call my father. When I give him the details, he tells me he wants to come over. I insist on him staying home, saying she’s just sleeping anyway. We talk a little about how his treatment went today, and he says it went just fine. I reprimand him for trying to sugarcoat how he’s really feeling. He tells me to stop treating him like he’s a child, and for once not to worry about him. My response? Yeah, like that’s ever going to happen.

  Michael arrives fifteen minutes later, carrying a huge bouquet of white roses. He immediately comes over to me and wraps his free arm around my shoulders, kissing me on the temple. In an instant, the tears are back and I melt into his chest, the need to be strong dissolving with his presence.

  “She looks…pretty beat up. Who would do such a thing?” he says.

  “We don’t know yet, but the police are on it.”

  He sets the vase down onto the side table. “And you…such a good friend. I’m sorry you have to go through this.” He stokes my hair back, and takes me in his arms again. His tender side takes me off guard. I haven’t seen this side of him too much, and it makes me wonder how much more of himself he held back before. It kind of pisses me off, although he was very clear about the terms of our previous forged relationship. It’s as if I’m getting to know Michael all over again. Or not even Michael, just a completely new guy who has so much more depth to him, and is much more caring.

  I tell him about Anne’s history, that she was raped at the tender age of seventeen, how she had given the child up for adoption, and how her parents had disowned her. I also tell him that she’s trying to mend things with her parents, and that they’ll be here tomorrow morning.

  I call Bernadette and ask if she’ll cover for me tonight at Ophelia’s, and she gladly agrees to.

  At six, Michael steps out to pick up some pizza. He returns within half an hour and we eat in silence.

  Just as Michael’s about to leave for a late-night meeting, Spencer returns. The second he walks in the door, my heart stops, and then when it realizes it has to keep beating, it jolts into hyper-mode. I immediately take control of the situation. I mean, how many girls have to introduce a friend with former benefits as of less than forty-eight hours ago to the man she loves? If I don’t do something, it could get very messy very quickly.

  I clear my throat and do my best not to make it glaringly obvious that I’m trying to stand between them.

  “Michael, this is Spencer. Spencer, Michael,” I say.

  Oh the air…it thickens.

  Spencer’s face is just as before: impassive, relaxed, and friendly. Michael’s eyes, however, darken, and his jaw and entire body coils tightly.

  “Glad to meet you,” Michael says, shaking Spencer’s hand. The way he says it makes it sound like he has just found the target of his next murder. “You’re Scarlett’s father’s doctor, right?”

  “Yes.” Spencer smiles, but it’s a stilted grin at best.

  “Michael was just leaving,” I say, trying to move the conversation along.

  “I’m in no hurry.” Michael takes my arm and pulls me gently toward him.

  What, is this like cave-man syndrome? Wasn’t he just leaving for a very important late-night meeting? I don’t need this shit right now.

  “Well, I just came in to check on Anne and Scarlett,” Spencer says.

  What the hell? Why are they talking about me as if I’m not even here?

  Michael eases his arm around my shoulder. “Thank you for checking up on them. But as you can see, they’re both doing just fine.”

  Does he think he can speak for me all of a sudden? If so, that’s going to be a bit of a problem in this relationship.

  “Yes, thank you.” I give Spencer a smile and a nod. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Michael’s eyes flare just a tad. He’s acting like a possessive son of a bitch. Spencer nods toward me and heads out the door.

  “What was that all about?” I hiss once we’re alone.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Michael says.

  I give him a ‘really?’ look. “Thank you for checking up on them? What is that supposed to mean?” When he doesn’t answer, I continue. “Do you think you can speak for me?”

  “I just said thank you, Scarlett. That’s all.”

  “I noticed how your eyes flared and how you went all rigid when he walked in,” I say.

  “Well, how am I supposed to act when the guy who just screwed you less than forty-eight hours ago is checking up on you? Did you really think I would be okay with that?” he whispers.

  “He’s a doctor who works at this hospital. Besides, you don’t have anything to be jealous about. I love you. I only want to be with you.” He must not have realized how good-looking Spencer is. He mustn’t have seen him too well at the club since the lights were dim and Spencer was standing behind me when Michael and my eyes connected.

  “We’ll have to talk about this later,” Michael says. “Now I’m going to be late for my meeting.”

  “You just said you weren’t in a hurry.”

  “Because your friend with benefits showed up.”

  I roll my eyes. “He knows where I stand. And we’re only friends. No benefits anymore.”

  “Let’s see how well you take it when you meet Alexa.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask. “Is that supposed to be some sort of threat?”

  “No.” He walks over to the door while running a hand through his hair. “Can I come pick you up afterwards?”

  “I’m staying here tonight. I want to be here when Anne wakes up.”

  “Then I’ll be here. Once this all tides over though, we have to talk.”

  “Oh, believe me, I’m counting on it,” I say.

  13

  I feel a hand gently shaking me. Opening my eyes, I see Michael’s face in front of me. I give him a smile trying to make sense of where I am.

  It takes me a moment to remember what happened, but when I do, a surge of terror rips through me. I abruptly sit up on the small couch and look over at Anne. She’s still sleeping. I exhale.

  I ease my arms around Michael’s neck. Feeling his warmth and smelling the distinct smell of him puts me at ease.

  “Thank you for coming. I’m sorry about earlier,” I say. “You must know that I love you and only you.”

  “I’m sorry, too.” He presses his lips to mine, the heat sending shivers down my spine. “I just wasn’t prepared to meet him, and when I saw what he looked like, it made me feel…” He stops.

  “You can say it,” I tease. “Jealous.”

  He smiles, but doesn’t repeat the words. Obstinate asshole. His apology is enough for me right now, though. I guess it will just take time to learn how to trust again.

  “Still nothing?” He glances over his shoulder at Anne.

 
I yawn. “No.”

  “What can I do to best support you?” he asks, stroking my hair back.

  “Stay.”

  His eyes turn soft. “Okay.” He sits down on the couch and pulls his legs up. I sit between his legs and lean back, and we fall asleep.

  * * *

  I wake up when Michael stirs beneath me. Looking out the window, I see the pre-dawn sky light up with bright pink and orange clouds.

  “I have to get to work,” Michael whispers into my ear. He kisses my cheek and squeezes me.

  I stretch my hands above my head and sit up, planting my feet on the ground.

  “Did you sleep at all?” I ask.

  “I was in and out. You?”

  “Pretty well, considering everything.” Although my back feels very sore.

  “Can I get you anything before I leave?” he asks.

  “Coffee?”

  He leaves and comes back with an extra large cup of caffeine, a banana, a bagel and cream cheese, three trail mix bars, and two bottles of water. He kisses me, tells me to call him when I’m ready to go home, and then he heads back home to get cleaned up.

  Anne’s parents, Sherri and Don, arrive at 7:30 a.m., and although Anne has shown me family pictures, I hardly recognize them at all. Both have red eyes and dark circles underneath them, and Anne’s mom is already crying when she walks into the room.

  Dr. Kent walks in behind them, and gives me a condescending look.

  “I’m Scarlett, Anne’s friend from work,” I say, reaching my hand out to Sherri.

  “I’m Sherri,” she says, offering me her hand and a nod. “Thank you for staying with her.” Her face crumbles into a thousand shades of grief, and she sobs for a moment.

  Instinctively, I wrap my arms around her. “They say she’ll make a full recovery.” I realize it will do little to soften the horrible act of violence against her only daughter, but maybe it will give hope.

  So many questions pop up in my mind, like how will they take the news of her working as a stripper? What will happen to Anne moving forward? I want to stay at the hospital until she wakes up, be there for her when she remembers what horrible things happened to her, but I know it’s time for me to leave Anne to her family.