The nurse blushed furiously and hurried out of the room.
“Now look what you’ve done,” exclaimed David with a glint of amusement in his green eyes. “Just when I thought I might be getting somewhere with her.”
Brigitte walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to ruin your love life.” She grew suddenly serious. “How are you this morning?”
“Fine. When do I get out of here?” he asked casually.
“Just as soon as the doctor allows it.”
“And the doctor says he can leave right now,” said Dr. Silver from the doorway. He walked into the room and sat at the foot of the bed. “I’ve changed your prescription, David. Hopefully everything will be under control again. If you have any kind of episode again, no matter how minor, come back and see me right away.” He got up from the bed and walked over to the door. “Oh, and by the way,” he added with a smile. “Try not to flirt with my nurses. It gets them all silly and then they can’t seem to get any work done for the rest of the day.” He walked out.
Brigitte turned to David. “And what are you going to do for the rest of the day?”
“Go to the office,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Are you sure you should?”
“Absolutely. I feel fine.”
Brigitte was not convinced, but on the way back home, she dropped him off in front of Power Properties’ head office. “Take it easy, David. Don’t let Alex bulldoze you into working late.”
“I won’t. Don’t worry.” He leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek. “Love you,” he said as he stepped out of the car.
Brigitte watched her son run up the steps and disappear in the crowd bustling outside of the building. I must be the luckiest woman in the world. I couldn’t possibly have a more wonderful son.
From her office, Natalia Berenson saw David hurry by. “Oh, David!” she called out to him. David reappeared in the doorway. Natalia picked up a stack of drawings. “Are you going by Alex’s office?”
“Yes, sure.”
“Could you drop these on his desk for me?” she asked and handed him the pile.
“No problem.”
“And by the way, I’ve been trying to get a hold of your mother this morning. Do you have any idea where she is?”
“She just dropped me off. I guess she’ll be home in about forty-five minutes or so.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.” Natalia blew David a kiss and picked up the telephone. “Hello, Réjeanne, it’s me again. I think Brigitte forgot about our lunch date. Tell her we can do it tomorrow if she’s free. Yes, darling. The Russian Tea Room at one.” Natalia put the telephone back down. I hope I’m not making a mistake, she thought morosely. But I just can’t stand by any longer and say nothing.
* * *
Chapter 14
The Russian Tea Room was packed, as it always is at lunch time. Natalia walked in wearing her usual double layers of false lashes, her painted eyebrows, and heavily teased platinum hairdo. As soon as he saw her, the Maitre’D ran over. “Miss Berenson, how wonderful to see you again. You look absolutely gorgeous.”
“Thank you, Peter. It’s nice to see you, too. I’m meeting Brigitte Ivanov for lunch. Is she here?”
“Not yet, but if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you right to your table.”
Along the way, Natalia could hear the rumble of interest her arrival caused. Even thirty years and seventy pounds after my last movie, I can still make an entrance, she thought with satisfaction. “Thank you, Peter,” she said when she was seated.
A few minutes later, Brigitte arrived, causing another flurry of attention. She kissed Natalia on both cheeks and rushed into her apology. “I’m so sorry about yesterday. I don’t know where my mind was.”
“Don’t worry about it. I had so much work to do at the office anyways. Today was much better for me.” She picked up the menu and scanned it quickly. “I don’t know about you, but I just love the blinis here.”
“Perfect. That’s what I’ll have, too.” Brigitte closed her menu. A waiter hurried over and took their orders.
During the meal, the two women chatted about fashion and gossiped about the latest marriages and divorces among the jet set.
“You know what I find so strange,” said Brigitte over coffee afterwards. “Is that Gerald has never remarried. I know he was very much in love with his wife, but he’s been a widower for nearly twenty years now, and as far I can tell, half the female population in this city would be more than willing to have him.”
“I know,” said Natalia. “Unfortunately, he’s in love with a married woman.”
Brigitte hesitated. “Is it anyone I know?” The thought of Gerald having an affair with a married woman disturbed her. It was too sordid a behavior for Gerald.
“I’m really not at liberty to tell, Brigitte.” She paused for a moment. She began to say something and stopped.
Brigitte leaned forward, her eyes full of concern. “Natalia, is there something wrong? You seem worried about something.”
Natalia waited for a moment, and then took a deep breath and plunged in. “There is something bothering me, and I don’t know what to do about it.” She waited again before continuing. “I have a friend whose husband is…let’s just say he is not very loyal. Normally, I would never interfere, but in this case, I believe this friend is unhappily married. Her husband is also very indiscreet. So many people are aware of the situation that it’s just a matter of time before the newspapers get hold of the story.”
“Oh, my God! You have to tell her.”
Natalia sighed. “You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to. But I really don’t know if I should. She’s so much in love with him. Maybe she’s better off not knowing. I also have to consider the possibly that she might turn against me and hate me forever.”
Brigitte shook her head vehemently. “No! You must tell her. I cannot imagine how I would feel if everyone knew Alex was having an affair and nobody had bothered to tell me. I think it would be so much worse. It would be…” She searched for words for a moment. “It would feel like a double betrayal. Natalia, you must tell her.”
Natalia nodded and took a deep breath. “Brigitte,” she said, her voice full of compassion. “That friend is you.”
For a moment Brigitte stared at her blankly. “Wh-what?”
Natalia’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry Brigitte. I really didn’t know how else to tell you.”
Brigitte’s head was spinning. No, this is not real. It cannot be. Nevertheless, she knew that it was. It explained everything. The late nights, the withdrawn behavior, and even the suspicion Alex had shown the previous night about her late return home.
Natalia continued. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe I’m wrong. I could be mistaken.”
Brigitte’s voice was calm. “No. You’re not wrong. I know it’s the truth.”
Both women were silent for a moment. “What are you going to do?” asked Natalia.
For a long time, Brigitte could not answer. “I don’t know,” she said sadly. “I really don’t know.”
For days Brigitte was in a state of shock. She went about her usual routine, giving orders to the staff, preparing menus for the cook, making sure Alex’s favorite meals were cooked, and accepting invitations to all the important functions in the city. Never in her life had she felt so unhappy. What should I do? Please, God, tell me what should I do.
One moment, she wanted to leave her husband and never see him again. The next, she wanted to go on pretending everything was fine while she tried to find some way of making him fall in love with her again.
Oddly, it was Gerald Masson’s advice she most wanted. If only I could confide in him. I know he would tell me what to do. That is a stupid idea. I have to decide this on my own. Try as she might, she could not. In the end, she decided, to not decide. I am still too emotional. The worst thing I could do is make an impulsive decision that I’ll regret later.
So Brigitte said nothing, and watched in silent agony as Alex went about his usual routine.
* * *
They were at breakfast. Brigitte nibbled half-heartedly at a piece of toast as Alex made plans for David’s upcoming twenty-fifth birthday.
“Let’s have a party,” he said between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs. “We can have it around the swimming pool. We’ll cook steaks on the barbecue and put up an ice cream stand at one end of the pool and an open bar at the other. What do you think, David?” As usual, he didn’t wait for his stepson’s answer and just continued making all the plans. “We’ll invite the Carsons and the Steinbergs and the Fords.”
“I thought the party was supposed to be for David,” said Brigitte softly.
Alex looked at her exasperated. “If it’s good for Power Properties, it’s good for David,” he answered sharply. “Don’t you agree, David?”
“Yes, of course,” answered David quietly.
Alex looked at Brigitte, his eyes full of scorn. “Don’t worry about any of the details. I’ll take care of it myself.” He threw his napkin on the table. “How about a swim in the pool, David? I could use the exercise.” Without waiting for David’s reply, he stormed off in a huff.
David walked around the table and put his arms around Brigitte. “Don’t worry, Mom. I really don’t care about parties anyhow.” He kissed her gently on the cheek and hurried off to cahnge into his swimming trunks.
“You look tired, David. Are you all right?” she asked abruptly.
“Hey! I’m not the one losing weight lately,” he answered with a concerned smile. “Why don’t you join us in the pool? Come, it’ll be fun.”
“Thanks, sweetheart. You go ahead. I’ll just go and rest upstairs.” Brigitte waved him off and a moment later she heard him run out the back door. When will this all end? she thought. I am just so exhausted. I don’t think I can keep up this pretense much longer. She pushed away her plate and went upstairs.
She sat on the bed and listened to the sounds of joyful splashing from the swimming pool. I can’t go on avoiding it forever.
The telephone rang, interrupting her thoughts, and she picked it up. “Oh, hi, Natalia. Thank you, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” In the background she could hear Alex laughing. How can he be so happy when I’m hurting so much? She tried to concentrate on what Natalia was saying. “No, I haven’t made up my mind about anything yet. I’m really not sure what I want to do.” Suddenly, she became aware of the silence. The splashing in the pool had stopped.
“David,” she heard Alex cry. “If this is your idea of a joke, it isn’t funny.”
“Natalia, can you hold on for a second?” She put the receiver down and walked over to the window.
In the pool below, David was underwater, convulsing violently. Alex stood on the side, yelling, “David, that’s enough. I want you to get out right this minute!” Slowly, the convulsions stopped and David remained motionless in the bottom of the pool.
Suddenly Brigitte heard someone screaming. The sound was a long loud howl, like that of an animal in pain. The sound went on, and on, and on. She had no idea that it came from her own throat.
* * *
Chapter 15
Often, in the evenings, when he studied for hours trying to cram all that knowledge into his mind, Anne Turner’s son would think of that other boy, David, and the easy life he was living.
There is no justice in this world, he thought bitterly. If there really was any justice, I would be living that life, and I would be Vice-President of Power Properties.
Richard had a plan. It might take years and a lot of luck, but as his mother often said, ‘Luck is something you make.’
She’s right. I’ll make my own luck, he decided. I don’t want a handout. I’ll earn every dollar I get. He returned to studying with a vengeance.
Chapter 16
Alex stood by the side of the pool and felt his blood run cold. This joke was not funny. “That’s enough, David,” he yelled once again, but with less conviction. David remained motionless under the water. Slowly, the horrible realization dawned on Alex. This was no joke. Something was terribly, terribly wrong. With a burst of panic, he dove into the water and grabbed hold of David’s bathing suit. He struggled to the surface and tried to keep David’s head afloat while he yelled for help.
Seconds later, Réjeanne appeared from the breakfast room. For a moment, she gaped at them.
“Help me!” cried Alex again as he clung to the edge. There was desperation in his voice. “Help me get him out.”
Réjeanne hurried to the pool as fast as her old legs would carry her. Together, she and Alex managed to pull David’s limp body onto the deck and Alex frantically began mouth to mouth resuscitation. “Call an ambulance,” he ordered sharply between breaths and the old woman tottered away.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ambulance arrived. The attendants rushed to the poolside with their life-saving equipment. Then everything began to move at a reassuringly fast pace. In a matter of minutes, David was hooked up to the heart monitor. Everything will be all right, thought Alex.
“There’s no heart rate,” called out one attendant.
The second paramedic placed two paddles on David’s chest. “Defibrillator’s ready. Clear! One, two, three, go!” On ‘go,’ a current of electricity jolted through David’s body. The line on the heart monitor remained flat.
“Still no response,” called out the first technician. “Give him one milligram of Epinephrine and one hundred milligrams of Lidocain.”
The second technician gave him the injection and placed the paddles on David’s chest again. “Clear! One, two, three, go!” David’s body arched, and fell to the ground again. The line on the heart monitor did not move.
For nearly an hour, the paramedics worked. A short distance away, the cook and the maids had gathered and watched in stunned silence. Réjeanne, tears running down her worn cheeks, seemed too stunned to speak.
Alex stayed close to David and pleaded quietly. Come on David, you can do it. Breathe, damn it! Breathe!
Finally, the senior of the two emergency workers took Alex aside. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ivanov. There’s nothing more we can do.” Solemnly, they strapped David’s body to a stretcher and took him away.
* * *
The entire time, Brigitte stayed by the window staring at the pool below, an expression of pain and horror on her face. That was how Réjeanne found her after the ambulance had left.
“Brigitte, ma pauvre chérie,” cried the old woman as she hobbled into the bedroom, tears running down her wrinkled face. Her entire body was shaking with sobs. “I’m so sorry. I loved him like my own son.” Réjeanne put her arms around Brigitte. “I can’t believe it. I don’t want to believe it.”
There was something eerie about the way Brigitte remained motionless. Réjeanne pulled away. “Brigitte! Please, say something.”
Still Brigitte did not move. Réjeanne saw the frozen expression of horror on Brigitte’s face, and for the second time that day, she knew that something was terribly wrong.
* * *
The doctor, a slender young man with a thick bushy mustache, arrived and examined Brigitte. She was sitting in the armchair where Réjeanne and Alex had placed her with the same frozen expression of horror on her face.
Doctor Sharp talked to himself as he noted the symptoms. “Accelerated heart rate…profusion of sweating…contracted muscles… This woman is in severe shock,” he said. “How long has she been that way?” he asked as he pulled out a small flashlight and directed the beam into Brigitte’s dilated pupils.
“Probably about two hours,” Alex answered. “Her son drowned this morning, in the swimming pool below. Everybody was in such a panic; we didn’t notice that she wasn’t around. I think she saw the whole thing through the window.” His voice was barely under control. In the last few hours, he felt as though he had aged a hundred years.
The doctor put away his flashlight. He li
fted one of Brigitte’s arms above her head and let go of it. Her arm stayed up. He gently placed her arm back down by her side. “It’s called catatonic shock,” he said as he pulled out a syringe. He gave her an injection and continued. “I’m afraid she’ll have to be hospitalized.”
“How long will she be this way?” asked Alex franticly.
The doctor shook his head. “There no way that can be predicted. Catatonic shock occurs when a person witnesses something too horrible for their mind to accept. Their brain just shuts down. The symptoms rarely continue beyond a few days, but there have been cases where they can slip from shock and go into catatonic depression. Your wife is completely nonresponsive. She needs to be medicated and put on intravenous feeding.”
Alex kneeled in front of his wife. “Brigitte, it’s me. Sweetheart, look at me. Say something.”
Brigitte sat motionless in the chair.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Ivanov, she can’t hear you right now,” said the doctor, gently. “She’s completely unaware of anything around her.” He hesitated. “I’ll have to call an ambulance.”
Alex nodded helplessly. He felt completely drained.
For the second time that day, an ambulance came and left with someone he loved.
Real despair did not hit Alex until later that evening. He was in the library with Natalia, Andrew, and Gerald, who had hurried over as soon as they had heard.
“There’s just so much to do,” explained Alex. “I don’t know where to begin.”
“You have Brigitte to think about right now,” said Andrew. “You don’t have to worry about anything else. We can take care of the arrangements for David’s funeral.”
Funeral! The word struck Alex like a physical blow. “I want him to have the most expensive casket that exists,” he said, his voice trembling. “And Brigitte would want him to wear one of his Valentino suits.”
Scorpio Series Boxed Set Page 34