Scorpio Love

by S. Tamanaha

  “I’m on the phone Mom,” he said.

  “Is that your wife? Can I talk to her?”

  “She’s asking to talk to you,” he said in a low voice, obviously not liking the idea.

  “I hear her. It’s okay. Put her on,” Susan said.

  A few seconds passed and then Johnny’s mother was on the line. “Hello?”

  “Yes. Hello Mrs. Hellstrom. It’s nice to finally talk to you.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t come to the reception,” she said.

  “It’s all right. I understand. I don’t care much for flying myself. But one day Johnny and I will go there and we can have our own celebration.”

  “You know, when I found out that he was going to get married, I didn’t think he should,” she said, coming right to the point.

  “Mom ... ” Susan heard him in the background.

  “Tell him it’s okay,” she said to his mother. “I want to talk to you about this.”

  “She says she wants to talk to me,” Johnny’s mother said to him, not bothering to cover the phone.

  “I thought that he was going to marry somebody who’s only interested in his money or how he looks. But he told us about that pre-. . . what do you call it?”

  “The pre-nuptial? Yes, I did sign one. You don’t have to worry.”

  “It’s more than that though. I can see how you change him.”

  “Change him?”

  “Whenever he comes back here, he’s always moody, angry almost. He can have a bad temper that one. But I see what happens when he talks to you. I see him relax. I see him smile. I see the look on his face. This is a good thing that you do for him.”

  Susan was touched. “I’m glad you feel that way. It means a lot to me and to him. I do love him. I want you to know that. With all my heart. Not for his money or his looks but for who he is inside. You’ve raised a good man and he makes me very happy. And I want to make him just as happy.”

  “Good,” she said firmly. “I’m glad that we talked.”

  “If you ever want to talk some more, please call. Ask Johnny to give you my cell phone number. You can call anytime.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “Oh, and thank you for the beautiful quilt that you sent me for Christmas. I told Jack to thank you. Did he?”

  “Yes, he did. Thank you for all the goodies you sent and the photo album. I loved looking at those pictures.”

  “You’re welcome. Okay, I’ll put him back on now,” she said.

  A few seconds passed and then Johnny was back on the line. “I don’t believe it,” he said.

  “What?”

  “She just told me that she thinks you’re a good woman. How did you do that?”

  “I didn’t do anything. I just told her the truth. That she raised a good man and that I love you and you make me happy and I want to make you happy.”

  “I heard what she said to you about the change that she sees in me when I talk to you. It’s true, you know?”

  “I’m glad, Johnny, because you have the same effect on me,” she said lovingly. “Now, since it seems that your mother and I are going to get along after all, don’t you think that you should go back inside and spend a little more time with her? If she wants to know more about me, go ahead and tell her. Just don’t tell her about my mother. If you don’t want to talk about your work or me then talk about something else.”

  “Like what?”

  “Is there a dish or a dessert that she makes that you really like?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Well, tell her that you told me that she’s a great cook and that it’s your favorite dish and ask her if she’d mind sharing the recipe with me so that I can make it for you. Just one recipe. I don’t want her to think that I’m trying to steal all of her family secrets. If she doesn’t seem like she wants to share, then just drop it, okay? Don’t get angry. Some women are very protective about their recipes. And Johnny, try to get an easy recipe if you actually expect me to make it.”

  He laughed. “Okay, I’ll try it. I’m going to call to say goodnight, all right?”

  “You’d better.”

  He called her a few hours later as he lay in bed. “Hi, what are you doing?”

  “Just doing some writing and thinking about you. Are you okay?”

  He smiled. “Got you a recipe.”

  “She didn’t mind?”

  “She seemed happy that you were interested. I told her more about you when we were in the kitchen—about your father and what a hard life he had and about how you made your own way through law school and all. I think she likes you even more now. She likes people who actually work hard, unlike her son who seems like he’s jetting around and just playing.”

  “She loves you Johnny. Otherwise she wouldn’t care if I made you happy or not. Give her time. She’ll understand how difficult your job is eventually.”

  He smiled again. “I love you, baby. I’ll call you after my meetings tomorrow. Wish me luck. If I get most of them to agree, I won’t have to fly back here for a while. When I do, though, you’re coming with me.”

  “Okay, I promise. Good luck tomorrow. I love you, Johnny. Sleep tight ... and be safe.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The following day, Johnny called her after his meetings were done, happy with the outcome. It was already past six thirty in the evening and he said that he was headed for the JFK airport in New York to return his rental car and check in; his plane was scheduled to leave at nine thirty. He called her again from the airport.

  “The flight got delayed a little,” he told her. “It’s leaving closer to ten. I should arrive in L.A. around midnight.”

  “I’ll pick you up,” she said.

  “Absolutely not. I don’t want you driving at that time of night. I’ll get a cab.”

  “I don’t mind, Johnny. In fact, I’d feel better if I came and got you.” She didn’t understand why, but she wanted very badly to pick him up at the airport.

  “No,” he said firmly. “You just be waiting up for me when I get home. That’s all I want. I’ll call you once I’m in the cab and on my way home.” He paused. “Damn it. I forgot to recharge my cell. It’s beeping. If I don’t call, don’t worry, okay? It just means that my phone died. Looks like the flight’s boarding now. Can’t wait to see you.”

  She could tell that he had his mind made up and she didn’t want to get into an argument with him. “Can’t wait to see you too,” she said. “Love you.”

  When he didn’t call by 12:30 a.m., she called the airlines to check on his flight. It had landed at 11:55 p.m. She called his cell phone and it sent her directly to voicemail. She told herself that his phone battery had died and tried not to worry, but there was a sick gnawing in her stomach and she began pacing the floor. Please don’t let it be true, she begged the Universe in her mind. Please let him be all right. But when the landline telephone rang at 12:57 a.m., she knew that her worst fears had come true.

  “This is Sergeant Palermo of the Los Angeles Police Department,” the voice on the other end of the line said. “Who am I speaking to please?”

  “This is Susan.” She could barely respond.

  “Are you related to John Hellstrom?”

  “I’m his wife,” she replied. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and in her head.

  “I’m sorry to tell you this, but there’s been an accident and your husband’s been injured.”

  Injured. He said injured. “What happened? Where is he?” she asked anxiously.

  “The cab that he was in was hit by a truck on the 405. He was taken to the trauma center at USC Medical Center.”

  “I’ll be right there. Tell them I’ll be right there.” She hung up the phone, her hands shaking. Then she called Damien.

  He answered the phone groggily. “Hello?”

  “Damien, it’s Susan.” Her voice was trembling. “I’m sorry to call you at this time but could you please watch Angel? Johnny’s been in an accident. I have to—I have to g
o to the hospital.”

  “Oh my God!” Damien was wide awake now. “Of course.”

  “I’ll bring her over with her things in a few minutes. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

  She packed up Angel’s food, treats, bed and blanket and put her in the car. When she reached Damien’s house, he was already outside waiting and Richard was with him. She handed all of the things to him and then her little baby.

  “Be good, baby,” she said, kissing Angel. “I can’t thank you enough, Damien.” She couldn’t stop trembling.

  “You’re in no condition to drive to the hospital,” Damien said. “Richard’s going to take you.”

  “No, it’s okay. Really.”

  “No,” Richard said. “I’ll take you. Come on.” He put her in the passenger’s seat and got behind the wheel. “Which hospital?”

  “The police said the trauma unit at USC Medical Center.” She was trying to be strong but she was in agony.

  “How bad?” Richard asked quietly as they drove to the hospital.

  “They didn’t say.” Tears began welling in her eyes. “Oh God, I can’t lose him, Richard. I can’t.”

  Richard reached over and gave her hand a squeeze but he didn’t know what to say to ease her pain. When they arrived at the hospital, she was asked to wait in the visitor’s room until the attending physician, Dr. Nadir Shah, could see her. When he walked in, she could tell by the look on his face that the news was serious. He told her that the taxi that Johnny had been in had been struck by a delivery truck, the driver of which had been arrested for driving under the influence. Both the driver of the taxi and Johnny had been seriously injured. Johnny didn’t appear to have suffered any injuries to his internal organs but he had a broken back, they suspected some spinal cord injury, and a concussion. They had given him corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation of the spinal cord hoping to lessen any permanent damage.

  “We took an MRI and a CT scan. There’s no bleeding or swelling of the brain. As for his back, the fracture looks clean, no fragmented bone, and we know that the cord isn’t severed or cut—just compressed—and the injury is low on his back, in the lumbar region. Fortunately, your husband is in good physical shape. His physique helped to protect him somewhat from suffering more severe injuries. We won’t be able to assess the full extent of the effects of the back injury for a while, especially if he’s suffering from spinal shock. Right now, we need permission to go in and operate. Or we could try traction.”

  She was afraid of the risks of surgery but she knew that Johnny wouldn’t be able to stand being in traction and that it had its own risks.

  “I want to opt for surgery, but I want to talk to your best spinal cord specialists and the best specialists in the country if I can. Right away. I want him to have hypothermia treatment if possible.”

  “You know about spinal cord injury?” Dr. Shah asked.

  “I did a little research on it for a book,” she said. “But I don’t know enough. I need to talk to those specialists. I don’t care where those people are. I don’t care what it costs. Please, right away. I want to do whatever is possible in addition to the steroids to stop the inflammation of the cord and I know that there’s only a small window of time.”

  “I’ll have our back injury specialists get on it right away,” Dr. Shah said.

  “Doctor, do you know who my husband is?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Please let the specialists know as well. I want them to know that they don’t have to worry about being compensated.”

  “I’ll get on it right away,” he assured her.

  “I’d like to see Johnny now.”

  “Certainly, but he isn’t conscious.”

  “He’ll know that I’m there,” she said.

  Dr. Shah instructed the nurse to take her to the room where Johnny was being monitored. Richard escorted her to the doorway but remained outside. Her heart ached when she saw him. He had tubes in his arm, an oxygen feed under his nose and electronic monitors attached to his body. His body had been put into a brace to prevent any movement that might aggravate his injuries. The right side of his forehead and his eye were bruised and swollen. There was a cut on the right side of his lip which was also swollen. She went over to him and held his hand gently.

  “I’m here Johnny,” she said softly. “I’m here, and it’s going to be all right, do you hear me? It’s going to be all right. I promise.”

  She stayed there beside his bed, holding his hand and stroking it lovingly, and talking to him until Dr. Shah appeared saying that he had the specialists available for consultation through a conference call. She asked Richard to sit in the meeting with her; she wanted a witness to what was being said.

  The specialists cautioned that the effectiveness of hypothermia treatment was still debatable but agreed that in Johnny’s case, it would not hurt to administer it. Surgical decompression and stabilization options were also discussed. She insisted on minimally invasive surgery as soon as possible and no use of metal to stabilize the bone if stabilization was required.

  “I know that there are such things as bio-absorbable implants,” she said. “That’s what I want for him. No metal.”

  In the end they all agreed and Johnny was immediately prepped for surgery. She went in to see him just before they took him to the operating room. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. “I know that you can hear me. I love you and I promise you, everything is going to be all right. Trust me, Johnny. And stay with me.”

  Only after they had taken him away did she allow herself to cry. She slumped down on the couch in the waiting room and sobbed as Richard sat beside her and held her hand.

  “Why didn’t I see this?” she asked. “Why didn’t I see it this time?”

  Richard didn’t understand. “You couldn’t have known—”

  “Why didn’t you let me see this?” she sobbed, and Richard realized that she wasn’t talking to him. “Why let me save him then and not now?”

  After a while, she willed herself to stop crying. Crying wasn’t going to help Johnny. She had to keep a clear head and think. Richard offered to stay with her but she insisted that he take her car and leave. She knew that he had work to do—his own life to lead—but she asked if they could keep Angel for a little while, just until she made other arrangements. Richard said that he and Damien would do anything that was needed to make things easier for her. She was so grateful that they had turned out to be such good people and good friends.

  While Johnny was in surgery, she began making the necessary arrangements. She found a pet friendly hotel less than two miles from the hospital and made arrangements to rent a room there on a long-term basis. That way she could easily go back and forth between the hospital and the hotel to take care of her Angel.

  She also made the necessary call to Johnny’s mother, told her what had happened, and assured her that it wasn’t necessary for her or Markus to fly to L.A. because there was nothing that anyone could do right now. She would call after the surgery was over and keep them informed about his condition.

  Then she called Frank Pierce, the attorney who had represented Isabel in the Gerald Tungsten matter. It was too early in the morning for him to be in the office so she left a message with his answering service saying that there had been an accident and asking that he call her as soon as possible.

  The surgery took five hours and she dozed off for a while in the waiting room, exhausted from crying and lack of sleep. Finally, the surgeon came to speak with her and informed her that everything had gone well and that Johnny was in the post-anesthesia care unit recovering and being monitored. It would be a few more hours before she could see him. She made the doctor promise to call her when she could see him and told him that absolutely no one other than herself was to be permitted to see him or receive any information about his condition. She even made sure that he noted those instructions in Johnny’s file and that he personally informed the staff. She telephoned Johnny’s mother to tell her that the
surgery was over and that it would be several more hours before Johnny was conscious. She then telephoned Roy Avery, Johnny’s agent, so that he could take care of informing the studio about what had happened and told him that no one was permitted to contact the hospital or to see Johnny.

  “You know that you can’t stop this from getting out,” Roy said. “They’ll find out from the police report or some cop who was on the scene or even hospital personnel.”

  “I know. But I don’t want them anywhere near him so maybe you and the studio can agree on some sort of press release. Tell the public that he’s been in a serious accident and ask that they abide by the family’s wishes for privacy. Tell them that information will be released when it becomes available.”

  Then she telephoned Damien and said that she would be taking a cab back to his place to pick up her car and Angel. Twenty minutes later, she was picking up a very happy Angel and told Damien what her plans were—that she would be packing up her things and that she and Angel would be staying at the hotel near the hospital. She asked whether he would mind just keeping an eye on the house.

  “I’ll do whatever I can to help you,” Damien said. “Just ask if you need anything.”

  She hugged Angel. “Maybe, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you stop by once in a while at the hotel and keep Angel company? I’m worried about her being lonely since I’ll be at the hospital with Johnny most of the time.”

  “Of course,” Damien said without hesitation. “I can even bring Charlie over or take her for a couple of days so you won’t have to worry. Richard and I will do whatever we can to help you and Johnny.”

  “Thank you Damien,” she said gratefully. “You’re a good friend. I’ll call you later with my room number at the hotel.”

  She took Angel for a quick walk and then took a shower and changed her clothes. She packed up clothes, toiletries, her laptop and the chargers for her computer and her phone, and all of Angel’s things and then drove to the Montserrat Hotel and checked in. She filled Angel’s bowls with sufficient food and water. Then she used the sofa cushions to block off the area under the bed so that Angel wouldn’t be able to crawl under there, checked for other nooks and crannies where a little dog could get into trouble and for any foreign objects on the floor that she might mistake for food. Then she picked up the little dog and just held her close.