by Ruth Roberts
Backstage was chaos. There were people everywhere, in different stages of dress, drinking, laughing, and celebrating. Some were crying because their masterpiece was torn or missing a stone or feather. Diana held tightly to Jessica’s hand as they were led to Liz. She was at the far end of the room. A man was kissing her cheeks. “You were magnifique, Cherie.” Diana heard him say.
“How couldn’t I be, wearing your design?”
“You must do zee Paris show. No one can wear my dress as you do.”
Liz looked up to see Diana and Jessica. She held out her hands to them. “Jean Carlo, I’d like you to meet my sisters, Diana and Jessica Mathison.”
He took both their hands, lifted them to his lips, and kissed them. “Me, a mere man, I am humbled to be surrounded by such beauty.”
Jessica giggled. Diana resisted the urge to wipe the back of her hand on his jacket. She did not want to ruin her dress.
“I’m going to have to skip Paris this year, Jean Carlo. We have some family business to take care of.”
“Nonsense. Bring your family. They would love Paris, no?” He directed the last to Diana.
“I do love Paris,” she said, non-commitally.
“So it’s settled. The dress will be waiting for you in Paris.” He pulled Liz close for more cheek-kissing and whispered in her ear, “I am working on an exquisite creation just for you. Do not disappoint me.” He flicked his green scarf over his shoulder and turned. “Ciao.”
Diana and Liz looked at each other and laughed. “What a character,” Diana said.
“That he is. But he’s a brilliant designer.”
“If that dress you are wearing is his, I’d have to agree. Not a feather in the entire thing.”
That caused them both to laugh again.
“Come on. I want to introduce you to my agent.” She took a step and stopped, put a hand to her head, the other on the wall to steady herself.
Diana rushed to her side. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”
“Let’s find you a chair so you can sit down.”
“No, really I’m fine. Let’s go meet—”
Liz passed out before she could finish the sentence. Diana managed to catch her and lower her slowly to the floor. “Help me. Somebody help!” Diana shouted, hoping she would be heard over the cacophony of voices.
“What happened to her?”
Diana saw a man in tuxedo kneel down on the other side of Liz. She didn’t bother looking at his face because she was busy listening for breath and checking Liz for a pulse. Jessica stood behind her crying. Relief rushed through her when she found a pulse, a faint one. She was alive. “Call 911!” Diana snapped at the man. She reached for Jessica, pulled her into her lap, and held her tight. “She’s going to be okay, baby.”
Let her be ok. Let her be ok. Diana repeated over and over in her head.
“They’ll be here soon.” Diana looked up and saw the stranger who had been sitting next to them during the show.
“Excuse me?” She asked.
“The ambulance. I called. They’ll be here any minute.” He picked Liz up off the floor.
“Hey. Where are you taking her?” Diana stood and took Jessica’s hand.
“To a dressing room.” He didn’t wait for a reply, leaving Diana no choice but to follow him. She and Jessica had to practically run to keep up with him.
Once he had Liz settled on a sofa and covered with a blanket he turned to Diana. “I’m Pete Wilson, Liz’s agent.”
Diana nodded. She was too stunned to speak. She sat on the edge of the sofa, with Jessica sitting on her lap. She kept Liz’s hand gripped firmly in hers while she rocked Jessica. It seemed as if time slowed down and hours passed, when in reality only a few minutes had gone by when she heard the paramedics enter the room. One of them lifted her gently but quickly to her feet and out of the way.
“What are they doing to her?” Jessica asked.
“They are making her better.” Diana hoped it wasn’t too late, and that she would get well. They could not handle another loss in their small family.
“Why isn’t she waking up?” Jessica wailed as they watched the paramedics check Liz’s vitals.
“I don’t know, baby. I don’t know.” Diana held onto her tighter. She watched as they opened one eye and flash a light into it, then the other.
Within a couple of minutes they had her on a gurney and were wheeling her out. The paramedic who had gotten Diana out of the way came to talk to her. “Are you with her?”
“Yes. She’s my sister”
“We are taking her to Mount Sinai Hospital.” He handed her a card with the address.
“Okay. We will be right there. Please take care of her.”
“We will do all we can.” He ran to catch up.
Pete put his hand under her elbow and led her to the door. “My car is waiting. I’ll take you to the hospital. Would you like me to carry her? She looks heavy.” Jessica’s arms tightened around Diana’s neck.
“I’ve got her, thanks. And thank you for the ride.”
“No problem. I need to be there, too.”
Diana and Jessica got into the back of a black SUV. Pete sat in the passenger seat, and his driver drove at breakneck speed, cutting people off, and breaking every traffic law there was to get them to the hospital in record time. In other words, driving in typical New York City fashion.
When they came to a stop in front of the hospital she grabbed Jessica’s hand, mumbled a “thank you,” and they ran to the emergency room. She didn’t wait to see if Pete followed.
“I’m here for Liz Mathison. She was just brought in by ambulance,” Diana said to the woman at the check in desk. She tapped some keys on her keyboard and said, “She is here. The doctor is with her now. He will come out to speak with you as soon as he can.” She pulled out a clipboard with papers attached. “Fill these out, please.” Diana took the clipboard and turned to find seats.
“Over there.” Pete motioned to three available seats in the corner.
Jessica climbed onto Diana’s lap. “I’m scared. What if Liz goes away like mommy and daddy?”
“She’s going to be fine. I promise she will get better.” Diana prayed it was true.
Pete took the clipboard from her. “Let me fill these out for you.”
“Thank you.”
He began filling out line after line without asking her any questions, for which she was grateful because she wouldn’t have had any answers. She knew nothing of Liz’s current life.
“I knew Liz had a little sister, but she never talked about you. What’s your name?”
“Diana Mathison.”
“Address?”
“Why do you need that?”
He tapped the pen to the paper. “I’m assuming you are her next of kin.”
“Oh, yes.” She recited her address in Magnolia Falls.
He completed the forms, showed her where to sign, and took them to the lady behind the desk.
“Now we wait,” he said.
“How long have you known she is anorexic?” Diana asked him.
“All models are anorexic. You can’t take it too seriously.”
Diana’s anger flared. “She looks like a sack of bones, and she is lying in a hospital fighting for her life. I’d say that’s very serious.”
“Let’s wait to see what the doctor says before we jump to conclusions.” His calm demeanor grated on her frazzled nerves.
“I do not need a doctor to tell me she passed out from lack of nourishment. If you can’t see that, then forgive me for saying you are both blind and stupid, Mr. Wilson.”
He lifted a brow. “I understand you are upset so I will pretend you didn’t say that.”
“You seem to be very good at pretending. You’ve been pretending Liz doesn’t have a problem, and now look where she is.” A small voice in her own head was telling her if she’d been involved in Liz’s life she would have caught it sooner. Apparently, Pet
e chose to ignore her because he did not respond. She went to the desk and asked if she could be given her sister’s cell phone. She needed to get Steve’s phone number and let him know what was going on. The lady returned a few minutes later with Liz’s phone. Diana scrolled through her contacts until she found his number and dialed. It went straight to voice mail. She left him a message letting him know what had happened and where they were.
Diana hated hospitals. This one was no different than the rest. White walls and floors, plastic seating and that sickening, antiseptic smell. Thankfully, Pete had found them a more comfortable waiting room with actual furniture. Pink-and-blue upholstered couches, loveseats and chairs with a coffee table, blue-and-white striped walls and a flat screen television mounted on the wall that played cartoons. Jessica had fallen asleep on one of the loveseats. Diana wished she could join her, but knew she had to stay awake and wait. Hence she had drunk several cups of coffee from the pot on the credenza in the room.
Surprisingly, Pete was still there. He had had his fair share of coffee and had been working all night on his tablet and smart phone. How could he concentrate on anything at a time like this? Of course, it wasn’t his sister lying in a hospital room going through heaven only knew what. It had been three hours, and they still didn’t know what was going on. A nurse had come out once to let them know Liz was stable, but they were taking her in for various tests. The doctor would come out when they knew more.
Diana sipped from her fifth cup of coffee and winced. It was cold and tasted like tar. It was probably the dregs from the bottom of the pot. She got up and tossed it in the wastebasket. Finally, the door opened, and the doctor walked in. He was an older man in a white lab coat, with white curly hair sticking up, as if he had been running his fingers through it. He reminded her of a kindly father.
“Miss Mathison?” Sea blue eyes looked at her from behind silver, wire-rimmed glasses.
“Yes.”
“Your sister is stable. She is awake, but very weak. She is dehydrated and has severe anemia. Her EKG was normal, and her kidney function is also normal. She got lucky this time, but if she doesn’t get help for her anorexia soon that will change.”
“I understand, doctor. I plan on getting her the help she needs as soon as she is released. When can she go home?”
“She will need to stay a couple days so we can get her iron levels back up and get her rehydrated. After that, I recommend she get plenty of rest as well as counseling. How long has she been anorexic?” His piercing, blue eyes pinned her where she stood. She wanted to fall through the floor and hide from the accusation she could feel coming from him.
Diana felt her face heat, and she ran her hand through her hair. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “My sister and I have been estranged for many years and just recently reconnected.”
His face softened slightly. “I see. I will get you a name of a therapist I highly recommend before she is released.”
“Thank you. When can we see her?” Diana breathed a sigh of relief he wasn’t judging her for being absent from her sister’s life and letting this happen, and he was going to help her help Liz. From here on out she would take care of what was left of her family. She would even forgive Liz for everything she had done in the past, if only she would get well.
“You can go in now, but only for a few minutes. She is very tired and needs her rest.”
Pete tried to follow, and the doctor stopped him. ‘‘Family only for now.”
‘‘I’ll let her know you’re here,” Diana told him. He didn’t look happy, but he nodded and sat back down.
“Will it be alright for my little sister to go in with me? She’s been very worried about Liz, and I’d like her to see with her own eyes that she’s okay. Our parents just died last week so you understand she is a bit overwrought right now.”
“Poor dears. You’ve been through a lot recently. Yes, bring her with you. The only thing we have her on is an IV. Other than that, she looks the way you remember her.
Diana nodded and gently woke Jessica up. “We can go see Liz now.” Jessica nodded and stood up, sleepily.
With Diana holding Jessica’s hand, they followed the doctor into the room. It was a small room, again all white with one painting on the wall, the scene of a garden. Liz looked small and frail in the hospital bed, but still beautiful. She gave them a small weak smile when they walked in. “Hey guys,” she said, softly.
“Hey, yourself.” Diana picked Jessica up and sat her on the bed with Liz.
“Hey, squirt. Did I scare you?” Liz asked. Jessica nodded.
“I’m sorry. I promise I will get better, and I’ll never do it again. Forgive me?”
Jessica nodded again. Liz pulled her down next to her and wrapped her free arm around her.
“I’m sorry, Diana. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
Diana held Liz’s hand. “Just concentrate on getting better. The doctor said you only have to stay a couple of days.”
Liz made a face but didn’t argue. “Is Steve here?”
“I haven’t been able to reach him. Pete is here, though. He’s waiting outside.”
Liz nodded. “Steve must be painting. He never answers his phone when he is painting.” “I left him a message, I’m sure he will call or come down when he gets it. Do you want to see Pete?” Diana doubted Steve was painting. He seemed like the kind of man who couldn’t be bothered to care for anyone.
“Can you ask him to come back tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. Do you want us to stay?”
“No. It’s been a long night, and Jessica needs to sleep. Take her home, I’ll be fine,” she spoke slowly, slurring her words.
“You sure?” Diana brushed the hair out of Liz’s eyes.
“Yes.” Her breathing seemed labored.
“Okay. But we will be back first thing in the morning.” She looked so small and vulnerable. Since the day Diana had met Liz she had been tough as nails. No one could put one over on Liz Mathison. But now, seeing her in that bed, and even before, during the last few weeks, she was different. Weak, vulnerable. Ready to lean on whoever was there. When had she changed, and who had changed her? Diana couldn’t believe she wanted any part of the old Liz back, but tough as nails Liz would be good right now.
Liz had already closed her eyes but nodded. Diana leaned down to pick up Jessica, who had already gone back to sleep. She softly placed a kiss on Liz’s forehead. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I promise from now on I will be.”
Liz gave no indication she heard. Her breathing had evened out, and she appeared to be sleeping.
Diana carried Jessica back out to the waiting room. At this rate, she wouldn’t need to go to the gym anymore.
Pete stood when he saw them coming. “How is she?”
He seemed genuinely concerned, Diana had to give him points for that. “She’s sleeping now, but she is going to be okay. I’m taking her home to Magnolia Falls when she is released. She said something about you booking more work for her. I suggest you start cancelling it. She will contact you when she is ready to start working again.”
“I can give her a couple of weeks. After that she has contracts she must fulfill.”
It was the middle of the night, and she’d spent most of it in a hospital waiting room. She was tired, hungry, and wound so tightly she was ready to snap. This man was pushing her closer to the edge.
“As her attorney I am telling you to get her out of them, or I will. Then your services will not be needed anymore.” She didn’t wait for his answer, but instead just turned and left.
CHAPTER FIVE
Jessica was such a happy child. Despite the trauma she had been through in the last three weeks, she could still laugh and play. Every once in a while Diana would see a sad, sullen expression on her face, but it never lasted long, and for that, she was grateful.
School would be starting soon, another thing Diana was grateful for because it would be good for Jessica to be out of the house and aro
und more children. It would be a distraction from the loss they were still reeling from.
Liz was looking better. She had gained five pounds in the last two weeks under the watchful eye of Cat who made sure she ate everything on her plate. Diana had done research and come up with a meal plan for Liz, which Cat was following. When Diana called her from New York, Cat had agreed to come stay with them until the eating disorder coach the doctor recommended arrived, which would be at the end of the week. She had saved them, in more ways than one. A piece of her past, she offered Diana a sense of security she sorely needed right now.
The movers Diana hired had packed up their places in the city and dropped off their belongings the day before. Surprisingly, Liz decided to let go of her loft, which she was leasing. Diana, of course, had no problem giving up her apartment. Steve had never called, not until the movers showed up and started taking everything out of the apartment. The jerk. She hoped he was out of Liz’s life for good. Somehow she doubted it.
Diana contemplated all the changes that had happened in such a short time as she and Jillian enjoyed the late summer breeze from the porch swing on the back porch. They were watching the girls play with Cassidy’s new puppy. Jillian’s daughter, Cassidy, was six years old, and the two girls had become fast friends.
“You do realize Jessica is going to ask me for a puppy because of you, and I can’t say ‘no’ to her right now.” Diana sipped from a glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade Cat had made that morning.
Jillian laughed. “What are friends for?” Diana rolled her eyes at her. “At least you don’t have to go looking for one. Zack still has a few. You can go over tomorrow and pick one out.” Jillian lightly pushed the swing with her foot.
“Is he a dog breeder?” Diana was happy her friend was looking so good, so happy again. Her new short haircut looked great with her red hair and whiskey brown eyes. It curled up just enough at the ends, touching the nape of her neck. The yellow dress she was wearing was perfect for her complexion.
“No, my brother is just a vet. Remember how much he loved animals when we were kids?”
“I do remember. He always had a menagerie of injured pets he was taking care of. It’s hard to believe the two of you are twins. You can’t stand things with fur. I’m surprised you let Cassidy have a puppy.”