Stepping Stone

by Dakota Willink

  “Only she knows how she feels,” he said to Alexander before turning back to me. “Krystina, I don’t want you to push yourself too much. Take it one step at a time. If you’re tired, rest. Don’t fight it. I’m confident that you will have many opportunities to become apprised to the situation in the coming days.”

  “I won’t over do it,” I promised.

  “Good. Now, Mr. Stone. Your friend Matteo asked me to tell you that he is making the necessary phone calls to friends and family. His exact words were ‘enjoy some peace and quite with your princess’. That being said, I’ll check back in an hour or so. Please let myself or the nurses know if you need anything in the meantime.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” Alexander said with a nod of appreciation.

  When the doctor left the room, I turned to Alexander.

  “Is Matteo a good friend of yours?” I asked. It occurred to me that I didn’t know how close he and Alexander were to each other. I didn’t know him all that well, but I had a vague sort of recollection of hearing his Italian accent often while I slept. Although I couldn’t recall the specifics of what he had been saying, I thought that he might have been in this room quite a bit.

  “He is a very good friend,” Alexander confirmed. “I’ve known him since we were kids. He’s come up every single day to see you. Allyson has also been here everyday.”

  Alexander ran his hand over the top of my head softly. The action was soothing, making it difficult to fight my exhausted state.

  “Hmm, that’s nice of them,” I said sleepily. It was good to know that Alexander had people here to keep him company while I was out.

  “You’ve had quite a few visitors. Your mother has been here, too. She’s been staying at your apartment and usually visits in the mornings.”

  I noticed how he stiffened when he mentioned my mother. I didn’t know what the reason was, but I would worry about it later. I was so tired. I just needed to stay awake for a little while longer.

  “My mother. She wants you to come with me back home. For Thanksgiving.”

  Alexander chuckled.

  “I’m pretty sure that won’t be happening.”

  “Why not?”

  He took my hand and placed it over his heart.

  “Because today is Thanksgiving. And let me tell you, angel. I’ve never been more thankful for anything else in my life. Your heartbeat. Your breathing. The sound of your voice,” he said, his words cracking slightly. “I’ll never take those things for granted again.”

  Today is Thanksgiving?

  Barely registering the fact that I had been out for weeks, my eyes closed. Unable to fight the heaviness of my lids anymore, I surrendered myself over to sleep.

  CHAPTER 29

  There was a faint beeping noise in the distance, sounding over and over again until I was dragged away from my peaceful slumber. It took me a minute to remember that I was in a hospital. I opened my eyes and saw Alexander sitting in the chair beside me.

  “Hello, sleeping beauty,” he said to me.

  “Hey.” I gave him a sleepy smile.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Better. A little more with it,” I told him. I thought about what Dr. West had said about needing sleep. He couldn’t have been more correct. My thoughts weren’t nearly as clouded anymore, and I felt remarkably refreshed.

  “Are you hungry? Thirsty? Dr. West has given you clearance to eat something more substantial. I can order anything you want.”

  “I’m not really very hungry right now.”

  “You need to eat, Krystina,” he pointed out.

  “I know. And I will. I just want to talk first.”

  “Whatever you want, angel,” he agreed, although somewhat hesitantly. “What do you want to talk about?”

  About everything. About what happened. About what Trevor and Charlie may or may not have done to me.

  “I want you to tell me about everything. I need to know what happened.”

  “Krystina, the doctor said that you shouldn’t push yourself,” he warned.

  “I’m okay, Alex. If I get tired, I’ll let you know. I just need answers,” I implored. “Please, tell me.”

  He leaned back in his chair and looked at me thoughtfully. His brow furrowed from internal conflict and I could sense his uncertainty.

  “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  “No, I’m not,” I told him with a slight shake of my head.

  “I figured,” he said with a frown. He raked a hand through his gorgeous dark waves and sighed. “Charlie, Justine’s ex-husband, has been blackmailing her for a couple of years now. I thought that I took care of the situation for her, but I was wrong. He has a gambling problem and is completely driven by his addiction. I should have never underestimated how powerful that addiction could be.”

  “Why me though? And why was Charlie with –.” I stopped short, unable to speak Trevor’s name aloud because of my fear of a very possible truth.

  “Why was Charlie with Hamilton?” Alexander assumed. Bitterness crept into his voice. “The two met over a dice table. Hamilton was bitching about losing his membership to an exclusive nightclub, Charlie was complaining about his ex-wife’s brother. They began to talk to one another, and eventually discovered a very loose mutual connection. Me.”

  I tried to comprehend what he was saying. Even though my thought process was clearer, I was still feeling a bit sluggish and I had to fight to keep up.

  “I’m trying to connect the dots here, Alex. What does any of that have to do with me?”

  He stood up and began to pace the room.

  “How you got dragged into it is complicated. As it turns out, Hamilton was recently cut off from his trust fund. Apparently, his parents were tired of bailing him out of trouble. Sexual assault. Possession of cocaine. You name it, and he seemed to be into it. Charlie is a different matter. He’s nothing but a gambling degenerate, but he was also piss broke. He knew that his well had run dry with Justine and me. He had to come up with something more creative to increase his cash flow. Once he found out that Hamilton had a slew of computer hackers at his disposal, the solution to their money problems was simple. Or, at least they thought that it was,” he added acidly.

  “What was their solution?”

  “They came up with an artless plan to steal my phone, obtain bank information, and bleed me dry,” he said with a sneer.

  I thought back to the time I was dating Trevor, and about his circle of friends. They were always up to something or another on a computer, but I had dismissed them as just boys and their video games. I never thought that they could possibly be doing something illegal.

  “Did they?” I asked incredulously.

  “Hell no. Little did the assholes know, I don’t keep anything like that on my mobile device. It was a bold move, and an extremely stupid one. They never would have gotten very far.”

  The memory of Alexander’s phone being shoved into my face flashed in my mind.

  “No. It wasn’t just bank account numbers,” I said and shook my head. “There was a video. Of us at Club O. It was on your phone.”

  “I know, angel. I’m so sorry for that. If only I could go back in time. If I had just deleted the damn thing…” he trailed off. He rubbed his temples and then looked to the ceiling. “If they were able to obtain the bank information that they were looking for, they could have attempted to go through with their original plan. Since they didn’t, Charlie got desperate. That’s when he stumbled across the video that was in my inbox. They put together a last minute change of plan, one that was poorly thought out, based on the assumption that I would pay big to get the video back. That’s where you come in. You were their insurance policy in the event that I didn’t.”

  Insurance policy.

  I remembered Charlie and Trevor saying that while I was bouncing around in the trunk. I also remembered Charlie plotting my murder. Tears stung my eyes, burning until they began to fall.

  “They were going to kil
l me, Alex,” I sobbed.

  “Shh, no. No, angel. It wouldn’t have gotten to that point,” he said and brushed away a tear from my cheek. “I would have found you. I was tracking your phone. That never would have happened.”

  I hiccupped through another sob, feeling annoyed that I was falling apart. I took a deep breath and looked at Alexander. His face was twisted in pain and I knew that he hated to see me this way. I had to stay strong, for him just as much as myself. But the sudden burst of tears had left me feeling incredibly drained. I wanted to go back to sleep, but I still had more questions that needed answering.

  “Why was the video from Club O on your phone in the first place?” I asked.

  “I had it because I was trying to find out who the man was that confronted you as we were leaving Club O. Once I found out that it was Trevor, I began looking into his background. I never wanted him to hurt you again,” Alexander said sadly. “He was there with Charlie the night of the charity gala, angel. I knew it and should have told you. I’m sorry that I failed you. That I didn’t protect you. I never should have let you out of my sight.”

  I knew there was more to it on that night.

  “It’s okay. You’re here now,” I said sleepily.

  “Krystina, I have to ask. Why were you in that alley?”

  “I was on my way to the library. I wanted to help you.”

  “With what?”

  “Your parents. I wanted to see if I could find answers about your parents.”

  “Of course that’s what you were doing,” he broke off in a garbled laugh. “Always so many questions, Miss Cole. Never satisfied until you have an answer.”

  My eyes burned from both tears and exhaustion. I wanted to desperately close them and I was starting to get a headache. My exhaustion was frustrating, as I had barely been awake for twenty minutes. But no matter how tired I was feeling, there was still one more thing that I had to find out.

  “Alex, tell me how this ends. Where are they now?”

  “There was a car crash. Trevor was killed upon impact. Charlie is sitting in a cell as we speak.”

  A crash. He’s dead. Trevor is dead.

  “So they didn’t – Trevor didn’t…” I sputtered, unable to speak the words. I picked up my head to glance down in the direction of my thighs.

  Realization dawned on Alexander’s face.

  “No, angel! No! Nothing like that happened!”

  Reassurance surged through my veins after hearing his words. They gave me a sweet and heady sort of feeling. The weight that had been pressing down on me lifted and I felt like could finally breathe again.

  Nothing happened. I wasn’t raped again.

  My eyes welled once more with tears, but this time they were tears of relief. I looked to Alexander, the man who had sat by my bedside for weeks on end. For the first time in a long time, I was filled with hope for the future.

  I’m okay. Everything will be okay.

  “Thank you. Thank you for being here with me,” I whispered.

  “Oh, angel. There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

  I closed my eyes and smiled when he decided to crawl into the bed beside me. We barely fit together in the narrow bed, but the warmth of his body was a welcoming comfort.

  “Are you going to stay the night here with me?”

  “Yes, angel. Just like I have for the past three weeks,” he said. He positioned his arm under my head, tucked me in close, and planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

  “Where do we go from here, Alex?”

  “Oh Miss Cole, we can go many places. But you need to get better. Once I bust you out of this place, the first place you’ll be going is home with me. As in, you’re moving in.”

  Perhaps it was exhaustion taking over. Or perhaps I hit my head harder than I thought. But Alexander’s words had a pleasant sort of appeal to them, as if moving in with him would set everything right in the world.

  “I suppose I could do that,” I murmured sleepily. “I’ll need to pack my things.”

  He placed his hand to the side of my face and chuckled. I leaned in, but didn’t have the energy to open my eyes.

  “Go to sleep, angel. I’ll take care of everything.”

  ****

  I lay next to Krystina for a long while, just staring at her beautiful face. She looked peaceful, but I was still worried about her. When she spoke, she sounded incredibly weak, as if it took every ounce of her energy to just say a few words. It was difficult to hear her this way. She was normally so energetic and full of life. I missed her spunk.

  She’ll be okay. She just needs time. And care.

  Care was one thing that I was absolutely set on giving her. I would do everything that was within my power to make sure that she was restored to her normal self once again.

  Satisfied that she was sound asleep, I carefully untangled myself from her limbs and climbed out of the bed. I had a call to make to Allyson, and it could go one of two ways. Either Allyson would agree with what I had to say, or she’d fight with me over it. But no matter what happened, I didn’t want my conversation to disturb Krystina’s rest.

  I stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. Walking by the nurse’s station, I ignored the ogling from the two young female interns and made my way to the waiting room.

  I frowned when I saw that the room was full of people. They all varied in age and appeared to be related. They were all arguing an opinion on the medical treatment of someone that I could only assume to be a fellow family member.

  And they were loud.

  So much for hushed hospital voices. This will never do.

  Heading back to the nurse’s station, I hoped that someone there could point me to someplace quieter.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the woman behind the desk.

  She looked up and all conversations around her stopped. She looked behind her, as if I wasn’t the one addressing her, only to find the two interns staring wide-eyed at me. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

  The gawking from the interns was getting old. One would think that they would be used to seeing me here by now, as well as understand the fact that I was quite unavailable.

  The woman shifted her attention away from them and back to me.

  “Um, ye – yes,” she stammered and turned ten shades of red.

  Christ, get it together woman.

  I looked down at her nametag. It read Michelle Fogarty, RN Unit Coordinator. I hadn’t seen her around before, and half wondered if she was new. She seemed to lack the air of authority needed for someone in her position.

  “Michelle, I’m in need of a quiet place to make a telephone call,” I informed her. “The waiting room is a bit too noisy.”

  “Oh, um. Of course,” she said and scrambled to get up from her seat. I held up my hand to stop her.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to get up. Just point me in the right direction.”

  “The nurses lounge is empty,” one of the female interns offered. She flashed me a toothy grin. “I would be more than happy to show you the way.”

  Intern number two made a strangled choking sound.

  Unbelievable.

  I ignored them both and kept my attention on the Unit Coordinator, who looked momentarily shocked at the brazenness of the intern that stood behind her. However, she covered it up quickly enough.

  “Yes. The nurse’s lounge will be fine for you to use, sir. It’s just down the hall, third door on the left. And I’ll make sure that you are given privacy,” she assured and turned to glare at the interns. They shrunk under her icy gaze.

  Perhaps she’s more capable than I thought.

  I nodded my thanks and made my way down the hall. Grateful to find the lounge empty, I pulled out my cell and dialed Allyson.

  “Alex, how is she?” she immediately asked upon answering.

  “Good. Tired, but good.”

  “I was so happy when Matt called me!” she gushed with relief. “But he said we should give you some time alone with her. I’
ve been anxiously waiting for you to give me the go ahead to come up.”

  “Krystina is sleeping now. She’s only managed to stay awake for short periods of time, so there’s no rush.”

  “Even if she’s sleeping, I still want to see her. It is Thanksgiving after all,” she added. “Did Matt give you the Thanksgiving dinner leftovers that I packaged up for you?”

  I frowned.

  “He did, but I thought that they were from his mother?”

  “Oh, well…” she trailed off in hesitation. “They were technically from her. I just packaged them up after we finished eating.”

  Well, now isn’t that interesting.

  I noticed how often Allyson and Matteo had their heads together in whispered conversation, but I just assumed that they were talking about either Krystina or me. Perhaps there was more to the furtive glances that they tossed at one another.

  “You’re free to come up whenever you want, but I’m actually calling because I have a favor to ask of you,” I told her.

  “What is it?”

  I was careful with the selection of my words. In the weeks that I had spent in the hospital talking to Allyson, I learned about the bond that that she and Krystina shared. They had been inseparable for most of their lives. I had to handle Allyson carefully so that Krystina didn’t have a reason to change her mind.

  “You and I have discussed the care that Krystina might need once she’s released. I spoke to her about it and she’s agreed to move in with me.”

  She was quiet on the other end of the line for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone was flat.

  “I get the feeling that she won’t be staying with you for just a few weeks.”

  “No, Allyson. The move will be permanent.”

  “I’m surprised that she agreed to it,” she said somewhat testily.

  “Don’t be upset,” I said calmly. “This would have happened eventually anyways.”

  “Maybe, but…” she paused and sighed. “Krys and I have always been together. It will be weird not having her around.”

  “You’re not losing her as a friend. She’ll only be a few miles away.”