Uncorked

by Rebecca Rohman

  She returned to the living room wearing a black tank dress. She had kicked off her heels and was fiddling with a few things on the desk as Mitch spoke to her.

  “You’re being silly.”

  “Am I, really? Do you have any idea what it feels to sleep with one eye open all the time? Or to constantly look over your shoulder or move somewhere and—just when you start trusting the people around you a little—you leave without so much as a goodbye? You have no clue how dangerous this man is or how much he’s taken from me. When he hurts someone I care about, it hurts ten times more than if he did it to me. Mitch, I’m tired. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

  “What did he do to you?”

  “He’s taken everything away from me, everything. My sanity, my peace of mind, my friends, even my parents to a certain extent. Just a normal life, all the little things everyone else takes for granted. The only thing he’s managed not to ruin for me is my job. That’s it!”

  “You underestimate your friends. They’d all support you. I support you. I want to be there for you so badly, but you seem hell-bent on pushing me away.”

  “And that’s for your own good.”

  “I can take care of myself, and if you’d let me, I could take care of you.”

  “No. Sooner or later you’d just end up resenting me for it.”

  “That’s not true,” he said, walking toward her.

  “What happened tonight is one-tenth of how nasty that man can get, and I’m not going to stay in your life and let you see the other nine-tenths. I can’t handle that right now.”

  “You’re letting him win.”

  “You think this is about winning? This is about my friends going to lunch and not having to worry about being followed. Or you going out for cocktails and not having to worry about your office manager calling to tell you your business has been vandalized. Or ordering take out and not worrying about whether your food has been tainted.”

  “What about you? What about your wants and your needs? How about meeting a man you like, falling in love, having a family? What about that? What about you?”

  She burst into tears, “He’s already taken all that away from me. Because of him, I can never have my own family. Because of him I can’t have children.”

  Mitch looked at her, holding her by her shoulders, “What did he do to you?”

  “When I got pregnant, he demanded that I get an abortion. When I refused, he pushed me down a flight of stairs two months into my pregnancy. I was unconscious and hemorrhaging for hours before he took me to a doctor.”

  Mitch closed his eyes.

  “Instead of taking me to a proper doctor, he took me to a black market abortionist with pair of stirrups and a dirty scalpel. I was unconscious. I couldn’t stop him or fight back. He scarred my uterus. I’ll never be able to have children.”

  “Chella, I’m so sorry,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

  She closed her eyes, trying to contain herself. Her pulse beat rapidly in her chest. Tears burned her eyes. As she remembered weeks leading up to that day, the images overwhelmed her, instances she might have had an opportunity to change the outcome. But she was young, inexperienced, trusting.

  She remembered the day Aaron took her virginity in the pool house of his parent’s Rancho Santa Fe home. Things were fantastic until six weeks later when Chella missed her first period. She was afraid and turned to her closest friend, Aaron. He went ballistic. That was when she started to see a completely different side of him. He spread rumors that she was sleeping around. Soon after, she noticed him drinking with his friends regularly. She told no one else she was pregnant.

  One day Aaron wrote her the sweetest letter, telling her how sorry he was and how he wanted to make things right. She met him after school to visit a doctor together. He told her he would take care of everything and make it better. When Chella noticed they had driven outside of San Diego County and the scenery looked out of the norm, she questioned him. He was sweet and told her to trust him.

  The building where they stopped looked old and run-down, somewhere she would ordinarily never go. But she was young, naïve and gullible, so she trusted him. At an office a few floors up, the doctor explained the procedure. That was when Chella understood what Aaron meant when he said he was going to make it all better.

  Chella fled the office. Aaron followed her out and a nasty argument began. He demanded she get the abortion, told her his father would kill him if he knew he had gotten her pregnant. He told her that if she loved him, she’d do it for him, and if she didn’t do it willingly, he would force her.

  She ran for the nearest exit. He caught up with her inside a stairwell and pinned her to the wall. She cried and begged him to let her go. For a second he did, but when she started down the stairs, she heard him shout, “Have it your way, bitch!”

  He pushed her down seventeen concrete steps.

  She awoke five hours later, alone, scared, in a forgotten alley in a strange city. Her jeans skirt was soaked with blood. She had no clue where she was, so she ran into a nearby Asian store. The female cashier let her use their phone. She called the only people she could count on: her parents. While she waited, the woman let her use their bathroom and gave her a clean coat and hot tea. When they arrived, Chella told them what had happened. They took her straight to the hospital where she found out the baby had died, and she would never be able to have kids.

  Mitch held her in his arms as she wept, his shirt soaked. It killed him that there was nothing he could do to take away the pain in her voice. Images of what he’d do to Aaron Stewart if he ever met him flickered though his mind, none of them pretty.

  Mitch took her in his arms, carried her to bed, and held her while her cries subsided to quiet sobs then sleep. He finally understood her pain and why she’d built up a wall so high around herself. He understood why she felt so tired, so hopeless, like she had nothing to give and nothing to live for. Perhaps this was what she needed, to talk about it and let it out. She was not in any condition to be left alone, so he pulled the covers over her, dimmed the lights and watched her sleep.

  Mitch must have dozed off at some point, because when he opened his eyes, it was morning. Chella was still fast asleep. He slipped out of bed, quietly closing the door behind him. He arranged to have breakfast sent up to the room, as well as a bouquet of pink tiger lilies. He wasn’t sure, but he suspected they might have been her favorite flowers because she had a book about them on the coffee table at her old place. He hoped there were extra toothbrushes in the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised to find two. He freshened up and checked on her, but she was still fast asleep. Moments later, the food and flowers arrived.

  After he shut the door, he heard movement in the bathroom and then in her room. He wasn’t sure if she realized that he never left and didn’t want to scare her so he gently knocked on the door.

  “Chella, it’s Mitch.”

  “Come in,” she replied.

  She sat on the corner of the bed, eyes swollen.

  “I wasn’t sure if you knew I was still here. I didn’t want to scare you.”

  “Thanks for staying last night.”

  “I was glad to. I got us some breakfast. You hungry?”

  “Maybe just a little.”

  “Would you like me to bring you something?”

  “No, I’ll come out.”

  Mitch wasn’t sure what to say to her. He had never experienced being with someone while they went through such emotional pain, almost like a complete emotional breakdown. He simply took her hand and led the way to the dining room.

  “I wasn’t sure what you’d want to eat, so I got a bit of everything. The flowers are to make you smile.”

  Her eyes brightened. “They’re my favorite. How did you know?”

  “The book on your coffee table.”

  “They’re beautiful, thank you,” she said, bringing them to her nose and taking in their fragrant scent. Thanks for breakfast.”

  “No problem. C
an I get you anything else?”

  “No, I’m good. Thanks,” she said as they both sat and started to eat. “I’m sorry I laid all that heavy drama out on you last night.”

  “I’m not sorry you told me, but I’m sorry for what you’ve been through.”

  “I guess that’s just life, right?”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “Have you ever spoken to anyone about this?”

  “My parents, the day they died. That was the last time I spoke about it.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Chella, what happened last night doesn’t change anything for me. I still want you in my life. I’m here for you.”

  “I’m not as downtrodden as I felt last night, but I need some time to think. I just know I can’t continue this way. It has to stop, but I don’t want you getting hurt in the process.”

  “Whatever you want to do I’m here, but for once in your life worry about yourself and not anyone else. I have thick skin. I’ll be okay.”

  Chella intended to work from home that day, but as Mitch was about to leave, Craig called her and asked her to come to the office. She quickly got ready, and Mitch gave her a ride.

  “Hi, Craig,” she said as she walked into his office, gave him a quick hug and sat in the chair across from his desk.

  “Chella, are you okay? You seem sort of despondent.”

  “I’ve been going through some personal stuff, but I’ll be okay. I have my work to help get me through the day.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “No. I’m an emotional basket case right now. I need to be in my happy space, and right now that’s work,” she said with a soft smile.

  “You know I’m here to talk to if you need me right?”

  “I do. Thank you, but I’m okay for now. So you asked me to come in. I’m here. What can I do for you? A report or something?”

  “No I want you to be my new Marketing Director for the Teen Sassy Cosmetic Line.”

  A broad smile beamed across her face. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. I know you’re ready.”

  “This is a surprise. Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Over the last few years I’ve watched you blossom, and I know you can do this. You deserve this.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” she replied, giving him a warm hug. “You took me under your wing and showed me the ropes. I am here today because of you.

  Craig showed her her new office, along with all the fringe benefits of an executive in the company, and formally introduced her position at a staff meeting later that afternoon.

  Just when she thought the day would be all doom and gloom, this happened. She wasn’t ready for cartwheels yet, but it had certainly turned things in the right direction.

  Chella returned to her hotel room completely exhausted. She kicked off her heels, crawled into bed, pulling the covers around her and curled her arms under her pillow.

  Something tickled her hand.

  She pulled her hand away at the sensation and a sharp pain shot up her arm. Something had sung her.

  She leaped out of the bed and dragged the pillow to the floor but saw nothing but a light brown patch scurrying beneath the other pillow. As she drew away the second pillow, a scorpion scuttled across an Ace of Spaces card from the Bellagio.

  Chella screamed.

  Moments later, security banged on her door.

  She checked the peephole and asked for identification before she opened it.

  “We had a report of a scream,” said one of the two men.

  “A scorpion just stung me. God, it’s painful.”

  “Where did you see it last?” asked the other guard.

  “On the bed. It’s light brown.”

  “Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m in pain, and I feel a little dizzy.”

  “You might want to run cold water over it for a minute and get to the hospital.”

  “Can you call the San Diego Police Department and ask Detective Carter to come over, please?”

  “The police?”

  “Someone put that scorpion there. Actually, my phone is on the desk. His number is saved in there. Please hurry.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I will.”

  Minutes later, Detective Carter arrived. Mitch followed closely behind.

  “Are you okay?” Mitch asked pulling her into his arms.

  “I’m in pain, and a little dizzy,” she said then added, “and a little out of breath.”

  “I need to get you to the hospital,” said Mitch.

  “Detective, he left another card. Aaron found me. He knows I’m here.”

  “Ms. Noon, we need you to go to the hospital,” said Detective Carter. “I’ll supervise the concierge so we can get your things packed.”

  “Thanks. Can you please take my laptop and my purse?” Chella asked Mitch.

  Mitch helped her slip on her shoes and took her things, and they were soon on their way to the hospital.

  Her symptoms worsened. She broke out into hives, and her arm went numb.

  Unlike the last time in the emergency room, Chella allowed him to help her. She was immediately attended to. The doctors injected her with a small dose of antivenin and ordered bed rest for the next couple of days. Mitch filled her prescription at the nearby pharmacy and took her to his home. Her luggage was in the penthouse foyer.

  She looked at him, shocked.

  Before she could even say a word, he said, “You heard the doctor. You need rest. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like, but for the next two days, you won’t be alone.”

  She sighed then kissed him on the cheek.

  “Thank you, for everything. God alone knows I don’t have the energy to fight you on this right now.”

  “Good. I’ll help you get settled.”

  She followed him into the guest room. He familiarized her with how the electronic blinds worked, showed her where the towels were and got her an extra blanket. After he brought in her suitcases and helped her unpack a few of her things, she asked him, “So how did you find out about the scorpion?”

  “Detective Carter was at my office when security called.”

  “Did something else happen?”

  “No, he just came by to ask Rusty some questions and review the cameras.”

  “I can’t believe Aaron found me so quickly.”

  “Don’t worry about that now. Even if he knows you’re here, this building has top-notch security—codes, restricted access at all the doors.”

  She looked at him and smiled gently, but didn’t respond.

  “Would you like some soup or something?”

  “Sure. Just a little though.”

  “I’ll leave you to settle in. Help yourself to anything you want. I’ll be back in a while.

  Fifteen minutes later, Chella lay fast asleep on the bed. Mitch left her a bottle of water and some juice on the bedside table, pulled the blanket over her, and left her to rest.

  Chella awoke several hours later. She was starving. She ventured into the great room. Apart from one or two accent lamps, most of the lights were off. She heard Mitch’s voice through his bedroom door down the hall.

  In the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator and smiled when she saw the note attached to the plate he had fixed her for dinner.

  You look so beautiful when asleep

  I didn’t want to wake you

  Feel free to help yourself to anything

  There’s more soup in the pot.

  Enjoy!

  She ate and rinsed the dishes afterwards. Cup of tea in hand, she walked along the exterior glass walls of the penthouse and took in the beautiful city and harbor views beyond.

  It was a gorgeous night, and she curled up on the balcony’s outdoor sofa. For a moment she forgot all the drama that had been going on in her life in recent times and especially the last two days. For some reason, she felt safe ther
e. Maybe it was the building—they were thirty stories high—or it could have been the fact that Mitch was so close. Whether she wanted to admit or not in the last few weeks, he had been there for her as no one else had ever been, and she appreciated him for that. But then she remembered all the drama. As much as she liked him, and at that moment was wondering what it would be like to be in his arms and in his bed, she didn’t want to bring him down with her. This was a fresh start for him—new business, new home, new car. She didn’t want to ruin that for him, directly or indirectly.

  Last night she told him the most painful details of her past. Even though it had been painful to say it out loud, she felt different. Positive.

  She felt like she was on a roller coaster, too. One moment she and Mitch were seeing each other every day and making out on his couch, and the next she was questioning if she should even be in his life. In the last twenty-four hours, she had felt so torn, so confused. Her heart and mind had been in a constant battle, and there seemed to be no compromise or idea of how this chapter in her life would end.

  A gust of wind sent shivers through her body. As she was about to return inside, a throw fell over her shoulders. She looked up.

  Mitch towered above her wearing his favorite outfit.

  “I thought I heard some movement out here. Feel better?” he said. He sat beside her, so close she could smell his minty breath.

  “Still a bit dizzy and numb, but generally better. The hives haven’t gone away, yet.”

  “Well, at least you’re headed in the right direction.”

  “Dinner was fantastic.”

  “Did you have enough?”

  “Two bowls.”

  “Great. So what are you doing out here all by your lonesome?”

  “Enjoying a cup of tea. Taking in the view. Did I make too much noise? I hope I didn’t disturb you.”

  “No, you didn’t. I was on the phone with my mom.”

  “How is she?”

  “My mom? She’s fine. Little nosy at times, but that’s my mom. I slipped and told her I had a house guest so you can imagine the number of questions that ensued.”

  Chella smiled as she listened to his words.