by R. M. Healy
As she strolled back to her office, she let the last comment slide and smiled about the rest of the conversation with Elsa. It was nice to meet another woman who was confident enough to be so gracious and complimentary. In her life, Esther had met enough people whose jealousy consumed them.
By the time she’d got back to her office, the paperwork was ready, and Esther put them in a folder to take to Mr. Romano when he was available.
This was the kind of project she needed to keep her mind occupied. If Mr. Romano said yes, then she might be happy sticking around for the rest of the year.
She began reviewing new ideas for the Spring menu when Stacey came knocking on her door again.
“Stacey?”
“I’m not here to gossip this time, boss, honestly. Anton’s date from last night just asked me to see if she could come and speak to you? She seemed a little persistent.”
Esther could tell Stacey was dying to find out what Anton’s date could possibly want to talk to her about.
“Bring her here, and Stacey?” Esther said to the now overly excited Stacey, “shut the door and go straight back out to the restaurant floor. I’ll be watching on the camera, ok?”
Letting out a sigh, Stacey agreed and rushed back out the door.
As she waited, Esther wondered what Elsa could want to say to her. It had only been a short while since they’d spoken in the toilet. What could she have to say now?
“Elsa, how can I help you?” Esther asked as the blonde marched into the office, almost tripping in her heels. Stacey closed the door behind her.
“Do you know?” Elsa frantically said to an even more confused Esther.
“Know what?” She questioned Elsa, who held out her unlocked mobile for Esther to take from her.
A news article was open on the screen, and Esther read the bold sentence.
MODEL ANTON ROMANO IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER BEING BURNED ALIVE ON A PHOTOSHOOT!
As she re-read the headline, it finally sunk it. Anton had been in a fire.
“Where is he?” Esther said, too impatient to read the rest of the article, she felt the heat rush to her face, and her hands began to shake.
“According to the article, he’s downtown at the city hospital. There isn’t much other information other than he’s critical with severe burns.”
Giving back Elsa her phone, Esther reached for her own and tried to call Rosa Romano.
There was no answer.
“Please tell us he will be ok?” Rosa pleaded to the doctor who’d entered the waiting room.
The tall blonde woman paused as she looked from Rosa to Anthony. Her expression gave away nothing, and Rosa began to worry even more.
“You are the parents of Anthony Romano?”
“Yes,” Rosa said immediately.
“Ok. Well, your son is stable. As well as a knock to the head, he has suffered second and third-degree burns on some areas of the left side of his body. It is going to take a very, very long time for him to recover, and he will need therapy. But he will live.”
Rosa’s son would be ok.
“When can we see him?” Her husband asked angrily.
The doctor sighed and looked at the clipboard.
“I will let you see him now. He isn’t awake and won’t be for a while. One important question…do you want to be there when we tell him about his condition?”
“Of course,” Rosa said as her husband said yes.
Esther didn't know why she felt so nervous about walking through the double doors.
Rosa and her husband had already gone into the room to see their son. Esther sat down with Anton's cousins, both of whom were busy talking on their phones.
Only two people were allowed in to see a patient at a time. Which meant Ester was last in line and would have to wait a while. She was surprised none of Anton's friends had come to see him. But she had a suspicion Anton didn't have any real friends, not any that he was close to.
It was rather sad, Esther thought. He was 26, and the only real people who cared about him were his parents and cousins.
It made her reflect on her own life. She had no close friends either. There was only her mother, father, and sister who really loved her. Perhaps she needed to get out more, make friends, maybe start dating again. It was something she would worry about later.
Apparently, Anton still hadn't woken up, and his wounds were pretty bad. His recovery would be long and difficult. Not only the physical but the mental too.
Another half-hour went by until his cousins, Sebastian and Luca, were allowed to enter the room. Anton's father came out of the doors, a somber expression. Esther smiled at him as she sat alone on the plastic bench in the sterile corridor.
"Esther! I am sorry we have left you sitting here. Thank you so much for coming. You didn't have to," the older man said with his thick Italian accent as he sat beside her.
His handsome face looked tired when he attempted to smile at her, his crow's feet present around his eyes when he sighed.
"I want to be here. How is Anton?" Esther asked, scared to hear his answer.
Sighing, he replied, "Things could be a lot worse. He is alive. The issue is how he will handle seeing the damage the fire has caused to his body."
"Was there any internal damage?"
"The doctor said the only thing she is concerned about is the extent of the burns on his arm. He may need a skin graft. The other burns should heal in time. The scars, however, will be there forever."
"I see." Esther wasn't sure what else to say. She knew how arrogant Anton was and that his entire career as a model depended on his looks.
"I'm going to force Rosa to come and eat with me soon, and my nephews will be going to our house to prepare his bedroom. We want him to receive his care at home, where there will be no waiting press. Could you stay with him in case he wakes? Please?" Mr. Romano raised his dark brows, hoping she would say yes.
"Of course I will," she replied.
"Thank you. I will go and encourage Rosa to leave now, then you should be ok to head inside," patting Esther on the shoulder, Mr. Romano stood and walked towards the door, his shoulders slumped.
Weirdly, Esther felt apprehensive about seeing Anton. He'd always been so in control and emotionally distant. Would the accident destroy that cocky arrogance? As rude as he sometimes was, she hoped not.
For all of his flaws, Anton did love his parents. That much she knew from how his mother and father spoke of the small things he did for them.
She was sipping her warm bottled water when Sebastian and Luca walked past her.
"Esther? Would you be able to call us if anything changes? I know my uncle and aunt will obviously be distracted with Anton," Sebastian said, nodding towards her phone, which was beside her on the bench.
"Yeah, here, just type in your number."
Passing him the phone, she stood and put her coat over her arm, ready for when Rosa and her husband left Anton's room.
"Thank you. My uncle and aunt are so grateful for you being here, as are we," Luca said as Sebastian nodded in agreement. "Anyway, we best head back. They’ll be delivering the equipment soon. Goodbye."
Both of the tall men swiftly made their way down the quiet corridor and out of view.
"Esther!" Rosa said, quickly walking towards her, arms open, ready to embrace her, "You sweet girl."
Esther embraced the shorter woman for a few moments.
"You go and eat something, Rosa. I will keep Anton company."
"If he so much as moves a finger, please call me?" Rosa held Esther’s hands in her own, her big brown eyes looking into Esther’s for reassurance.
"I will," Esther replied.
Rosa nodded and let out a heavy breath. Her husband placed his hand on her back and guided her reluctantly down the corridor, leaving Esther standing alone.
Ignoring the strange knotted feeling in her stomach, she walked through the doors and into the faintly lit white room. The curtains were shut even though it was now dark outs
ide. A faint light shone from the TV, although it was muted.
"Essie?" Anton's croaky voice erupted the silence, and Esther turned to look at Anton lying in his bed. She tried not to gasp when she looked at him. A thin blanket covered Anton's lower half, but his naked torso was exposed. Well, some of it.
The left of his body was covered with what Esther assumed were bandages, leading from his stomach right up to his left ear. A partial amount of his left cheek was wrapped up, as was his neck, far more of his body than she had anticipated.
Regardless of all of that, lying there with his top off, exposing his tanned muscles skin, he looked very tempting to a woman who hadn’t had sex in a long time.
"Where am I?" He asked, trying to sit up in the bed and wincing as he moved.
"Stay still!" She crossed the room to put her hand gently on his chest to press him down. Despite the fact his skin was bare, his firm chest was hot to touch.
"All these years, I've wanted you to touch me, and this was all it took," his voice was croaky as he joked, then suddenly flinched. "Fuck, my back."
"Stay still, I will call the doctor," Esther frowned, feeling bad for him as he began to look down his body at the bandages covering him.
"My body feels as if it's burning. What am I doing here?" He began to panic, and Esther pressed the button to call the doctor to the room and sat back beside him.
She gripped his right hand and tightly squeezed, "Calm down, Anton, the doctor will be in soon. Just stay still!" She said in her firmest voice.
His head fell back against the pillows, and he gritted his teeth, "easy for you to say, you're not the one in agony!" He snapped back. Esther tried not to feel angry at him and kept her mouth shut. She stared at his face and felt horrible about what he was about to find out.
Unlike Anton's father, Esther believed he would be strong enough to deal with the news of his burns. After all, other people had it a lot worse than him, and he was still exceptionally handsome compared to most.
"I was burned, wasn't I?" He half-opened his eyes and looked into Esther’s, his lips drawn into a tight line.
"Yes." Her hand remained on his. She rubbed her thumb over his reassuringly. He abruptly pulled his hand away from hers and closed his eyes.
"I want to see the doctor. Leave now."
Esther really wanted to say something back at that point, and her heart was racing. She hated being dismissed in such a rude way. But again, she kept her mouth shut. How would she react to finding out such news? Not pleasantly, she imagined.
“I will leave when the doctor gets here.”
“No, I don’t want you here,” Anton still didn't open his eye's as she stood and grabbed her bag from where she'd dropped it on the floor. As she walked through the door, she saw who she assumed was the doctor walking down the corridor looking at her clipboard.
"Hello, are you Anton Romano's doctor?" But, she questioned politely, "he has just woken up and wants to know what's going on."
"I will see him right away," the doctor said with a strained smile.
The doctor walked into his room, so Esther pulled out her mobile to call his parents to let them know he was awake. She hoped they'd had just enough time to at least grab a sandwich.
Rosa answered straight after the first ring, "Is he ok?!"
"Yes, he's ok. I thought you'd want to know he's awake, and the doctor is with him now," Esther kept her voice calm, not wanting to distress Rosa.
"Oh no, my poor baby. I’m on my way," Rosa hung up, and Esther sighed, looking at her mobile. Regardless of whatever Esther said, she knew the two of them would rush back to their son.
It was getting late now, and she decided she would say goodbye and leave when they got back from the canteen. However, the Romanos had other ideas.
"You must come and say bye to Anton," Rosa said, linking her arm through Esther’s.
Apprehensively she walked back into the room with Anton's parents.
She knew the second she saw his face that it was a mistake. Rosa let go of her arm and sat beside Anton, who didn't look at her.
"Come to gloat?" He snapped, looking at Esther.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Why are you here? You don’t give a damn about me. Did you see this as an opportunity to edge in on my parent's fortune a little more by pretending you care? Or have you come to see the freak show?"
His face was full of contempt, and Esther felt her face flush as she looked at him.
"Anton! I don't care what condition you are in. You have no right to speak to Esther like that! She has been nothing but kind to us!" Mr. Romano snapped.
"It's fine. I'm leaving now anyway. I will call you tomorrow, Mr. & Mrs. Romano. Good luck with your recovery, Anton."
Ignoring Rosa's protests of her leaving, Esther left the room and walked away.
Anton's words had hurt her a lot more than they should of, and she felt her eyes dampen. Why did she care what he thought?
She was here to see his parents, and despite what he thought, she wanted to see him, to make sure he was ok. There was a reason she'd never gotten along with him, and just because he'd been through a traumatic experience, it didn't change their relationship.
Chapter Five
Rolling onto her back, Esther opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The previous night she had laid in bed thinking of Anton and what had happened to him. He had spoken to her like crap, but she couldn’t stop thinking of how he looked lying in that bed.
Esther had always known Anton was attractive. However, she’d been married and unavailable. Now she was single and horny, and although he’d been in a traumatic accident, Esther thought he looked better than ever. The image of him lying in the hospital bed without anything covering his toned torso wouldn’t leave her mind.
Rosa had texted to apologize for Anton's behavior the previous night as Esther was making herself a cup of coffee. She would call Rosa later and reassure her it was ok and tell her she didn't have any reason to apologize.
It still bothered her that he had dismissed her in such a rude way the previous night. Yes, he'd been through a traumatic experience, but that didn't warrant treating people like trash.
Why did she care what Anton Romano said? It was sad what had happened to him, and that was that.
Picking up the remote, she turned the TV on and looked for the latest episode of her favorite reality show. She spent two hours on the sofa in her pajamas. Finally, Ester got up and decided it was about time she had a shower. She had to see her sister and parents this afternoon.
Her sister, Jessica, was her favorite person in the world. So every time she visited her, Esther left happy. But sometimes, her parents would come with her, and they had the opposite effect on her mood.
She loved them both, but her father hated the fact she had divorced her husband and was able to support herself.
Her mother and father were very traditional and old-fashioned. In their minds, they believed the divorce was entirely Esther's fault because she worked full time instead of staying home and looking after her husband. In their mind, she should have quit her job and became a stay-at-home mom. But that wasn’t Esther, and it never would be. She wanted kids, but she would always work.
They had ignored her for three months until they needed her help with Jessica. She suspected if they could afford to pay for Jessica's home themselves, they would have continued to ignore her.
It was a shame, and it upset Esther, but that didn’t mean she regretted the decisions she’d made. She would never have stayed with Micheal if she was unhappy, and she loved working too much to quit because of her parent's beliefs.
Her parents had been happily married for over 30 years. There was no doubt of their love for each other. They'd met at a restaurant when Esther’s father was training to be a chef, and her mother was a waitress.
It wasn't long before her father was qualified, and her mother quit her job and became a homemaker.
Esther respected them both and
would be forever grateful for the way they brought her up. She used to love visiting her father at his workplace and the environment of a busy restaurant. So much so that she got a job working in a restaurant when she turned 16.
Her parents were proud of her back then. That was until she married Micheal. Then, they believed that she would quit her job and take her rightful place as a stay-at-home wife like her mother when she married.
But she didn't.
And as if that wasn't bad enough, instead of quitting her job and resolving her marriage woes with a pregnancy, she divorced her husband and continued working.
Maybe someday, her parents would understand that Esther's happiness was more important than their traditional values. However, she would have to accept that they thought of her as a disappointment for her sister's sake.
One hour later, she was ready and driving to Jessica's home. When she got there, she was relieved to see her parents hadn't arrived yet. Jessica lived on a private estate with other adults who had various types of learning difficulties. It was a lovely place, and the people who ran the farm were kind-hearted and caring.
It didn't only provide a home. It provided jobs for the residents, which gave them a sense of purpose. Something Jessica never had living with her parents and wouldn't have if she lived with Esther.
Although Jessica didn't need constant supervision, she did need some kind of support on hand, and unfortunately, her parents couldn't provide that for her anymore.
Plus, Jessica was practically an independent woman, and her parent's still treated her like a child. Esther was happy to put a down payment on Jessica's own house on the farm, and now Jessica used the money from working on the farm to pay for her own food and clothes.
Esther shut the car door and looked up at the small white cottage in front of her. Set on a road with nineteen other identical houses, it was perfect for Jessica, who had wanted to live independently in a community where she didn't feel like an outsider.
Knocking on the red door, she didn't have to wait long for her sister to answer.
"Hello, Esther, come in," Jessica said, leading Esther into the small blue living room, "I have something to tell you."