by Alison Mello
“Mom, I love her, and she’s moving in with me.” I try for a respectful but serious tone.
She takes a deep breath. “Well, I guess we will need to get to know her then, won’t we?”
“She’s a good person, Mom. She took time out of her day to help her best friend Patty get her boyfriend’s apartment set up and she hadn’t even met him yet. She was there for her, though. She hasn’t had things easy in life. Her parents have disowned her because she chose to be a model, and she has worked hard to get to where she is.” I take another bite of my breakfast. “I’m proud of her.”
“Are you telling me that Sandra and Richard aren’t her parents?” she asks, totally confused.
“No, they are Patty’s parents, but Bella and Patty were best friends in high school.” I kiss the side of her head as she softly snores. “Bella came to Patty’s rescue when some girls were bullying her. They became good friends, and when Bella’s parents disowned her, Sandra and Richard kind of adopted her. They treat her like their own.”
“Poor girl. Who could do that to their own child?” she says with a sympathetic look.
“Who could do what to their own child?” my father asks as he walks in with some goodies and coffee.
“I’ll fill you in later, dear,” my mother says, and I’m glad because I don’t want Bella waking up to this conversation. I finish eating my breakfast as my mom and dad dig into the muffins he’s brought up from the cafeteria.
“I know this probably isn’t what she usually eats, but there wasn’t much down there. I did grab a couple of apples and bananas too.”
“That’s fine, Dad. She’ll eat a muffin. She doesn’t eat them often, but she works out so she doesn’t have to stress about what she eats all the time.”
As we’re finishing up our food, Bella stirs and stretches beside me. She instantly blushes when she realizes she fell asleep on me and in front of my parents. “I’m sorry, babe. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
“You’re fine. I enjoyed having you snuggled up to me.”
“Would you like some coffee?” my dad says to Bella. “I got you one from the cafeteria along with a muffin and some fruit.”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Thompson. That was very kind of you,” she says with a smile.
“No need to thank me, but please call me Jesse.”
She gives him a warm smile. “Okay. Thank you, Jesse.”
He hands her the bag as she climbs off my bed. She opens it and pulls out the blueberry muffin and a banana. She takes a bite and moans in appreciation. “This is so good, and I’m starving. Seriously, thank you.”
He chuckles at her. “You’re most welcome.”
The doctor walks in. “Good morning, Mr. Thompson,” he says as he approaches my bed.
“Doc, you see that old man right there? That is Mr. Thompson. Please call me Derek.”
The doctor laughs. “I’d be careful. That old man looks like he can still kick your butt.”
I burst into laughter, but it hurts, so I instantly stop.
My father laughs. “That right there, doc, was karma,” my father says, referring to the pain I got for laughing at him.
“I believe you’re right, Mr. Thompson,” he says to my father as he shakes his hand. “I’m Dr. Kline, and I’ll be taking care of your son for the next few days.”
“What? Days?” I ask. “Doc, you have to get me out of here.”
“No, you’re not ready, and I’m not releasing you a day earlier than need be. I am fully aware of the situation, thanks to the guards standing outside your door.” He turns my head and lifts my eyelid, flashing a light into both of my eyes. “You have a minor concussion from hitting the ground after the explosion and internal injuries that we need to ensure are healing properly and then we can discuss your release. You’re very lucky that you were wearing your seatbelt. That prevented your head injuries from being worse than they are.”
I open my mouth to say more, but with the doctor and my father both giving me a dirty look, I quickly shut it.
“Dad, can you at least get me a new phone so I can get updates from Sloan?”
“Who’s Sloan?” Bella asks, and I cringe slightly because I haven’t said much about Sloan to her.
“He is the guy that has been helping me figure this stuff out. He was in the military with me. A total kick ass tech dude who has discovered that your stalker created a fake account and has been posting stuff about you. He says stuff like he’s your boyfriend and that he’s going to be proposing to you. It was his idea for me to post stuff on your wall so we can draw him out.”
“Oh, well, let me just thank him for putting you in the hospital,” she says, crossing her arms across her chest.
“Bella, I know you’re scared, but I’m the one who posted the notes. He just suggested it. I didn’t have to do it. To be honest, I thought it was a brilliant idea, and it did what it was supposed to do. It took the threat off of you and put it on me. Plus, we have an ID now, and the police are closer to catching him.” She nods at me. “I need my phone though so I can see where Sloan is at and give him the guy’s real name.”
She sighs and walks over to her purse. “This phone?” My eyes go wide. I’m shocked that she’s holding my phone in her hand.
“How did you get it?”
“Jordan grabbed it off the ground. You must have had it in your pocket when you tried to run from the car.” She hands me my phone.
Looking down at it in my hand, I shake my head and reply, “I don’t remember.” I shrug my shoulders. “Then again, I don’t remember much from the accident.”
“Do you know what day it is?” my father asks. I can hear the fear in his voice.
I take a minute to think about it before I answer. Finally, I say, “I believe it’s Monday.”
“You’re correct,” my father says.
I send a message off to Sloan, letting him know that I’m in the hospital and I need an update.
A couple minutes later, Patty and Carter walk in the room.
“Hey, man. How are you feeling?” Carter asks as he shakes my hand.
“I’m doing okay.” After I introduce them to my parents, my parents tell me they’re going to give us some time with our friends.
My father says, “We’ll go get dinner and be back with food for everyone.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I say as I watch them walk out the door.
“Dude, while you’re on your ass, Tobey and I went to Stuart House today.”
“Oh, I forgot all about that. How’d it go?”
“I think the guy nearly crapped himself when he saw Tobey walk in the door, but he’s actually been working on the things you requested.”
“Really? I honestly thought the guy was a total piece of shit and just didn’t care enough.”
“Nah, the rooms were clean and so were the patients. We couldn’t find a speck of dust.”
“Wow, that’s great!” I’m beyond excited to hear this guy is turning the place around.
“You want to hear something even better?”
“What?”
“He fired the chef.” He has a huge grin on his face.
“No way? What happened?”
“He said the kid kept screwing up. He told Tobey that he called him into his office to discuss getting the place into tip top shape and he didn’t take him serious, so he fired him.”
“I’m glad he took us seriously. We need our guys to get the best treatment possible.”
“We’ll see if he keeps it up. Tobey told him he was happy with the improvements but we would be back for more pop-up inspections so he needs to stay on his toes. He promised Tobey he would continue to make improvements and that he looked forward to the next inspection.”
“That’s great!”
A short time later, my parents return with the food they promised, so we all sit around, eating and chatting. Carter pulls out a deck of cards, and so we start a game. My parents laugh at our banter while Patty and Bella enjoy beating us.
/> The nurse comes in and tells everyone that they must go home for the night so I can get my rest. Bella stands up and folds her arms across her chest. She says, “They may have to leave, but I’m not going anywhere.”
The nurse raises her eyebrows in shock, but she actually laughs. “I can only set up a cot for one of you,” the nurse says in response to Bella’s sass.
“She can stay. We’ll get going so you guys can get some sleep,” my mother says as she stands from her seat.
“The bed in your room is all set up, Mom. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” my mom says as she kisses the top of my head. My dad shakes my hand.
My mother turns to Bella. “You must promise you will go home tomorrow to shower and change.”
“Thank you, I will. I promise.”
“I will be right back with a cot and some pillows for you,” the nurse says as she saunters out of the room.
Carter and Patty say their goodbyes at the same time, and walk my parents out. We’re discussing what I need from home when the nurse arrives with my cot. “I snuck you some scrubs to sleep in too.” She winks at her and hurries from the room.
Bella quickly changes and then lies down on her cot beside me. We start talking again, but in minutes we’re both asleep from the long day we’ve had.
Chapter 13
Bella
I wake early to find Derek sound asleep and the room in complete darkness, but I want to get started on my day. I fold up the blankets the nurse brought me last night and move the cot out of the way to ready the room for his parents’ return. I peek out the door and find two new guards standing there.
“What’s wrong, Bella?”
“Nothing. I was debating getting a coffee from downstairs.”
“Please stay put. I will be more than happy to get you a coffee.”
He walks away, and I go back into the room to take a seat in the chair next to Derek’s bed. I check my phone and notice I have some messages that I should probably answer. One is from my agent asking if I’m okay, so I send her a quick response to let her know that I’m fine and to keep me posted about my next shoot.
I notice there are a bunch of messages from my fans on my social media page. I begin scrolling through to see how many there are and if I should answer them individually or as a group. There are tons of messages, and while I feel blessed to have so many great fans, it makes me realize I need to address this as one post on my media wall. I quickly begin typing out a message:
My dearest fans,
Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts. I thank you for following me and keeping up on what is going on in my world. I want to let you all know that I’m fine. However, I would appreciate your prayers for Derek, as he’s in the hosp…
I pause, delete the entire message, and start again. If I post online that Derek is in the hospital, my stalker may come after him again. I need to leave Derek out of this. There can be no mention of him.
My dearest fans,
Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts. I am truly blessed to have so many amazing fans. I want to let you all know that I’m doing fine and will be back in the studio soon. Some of you are really going to love my next project, so stay tuned for more details.
Xoxo
Bella
I read it through one more time and hit post. It instantly pops up on my wall, and within minutes fans are responding with messages of joy and happiness. I place my phone down on the nightstand as Derek’s parents walk in with coffee and some bags.
“We hope you don’t mind, but we brought some stuff from Derek’s that we thought could be useful.”
“Thank you,” I say as I look in the bag. There’s another charger, which is perfect because Derek and I have been sharing one. They also brought us our toothbrushes, toothpaste, Derek’s deodorant as well as a few other hygiene products. “This was very sweet of you. Thank you so much.”
“We knew you’d be running home to shower so we only brought Derek’s hygiene stuff, but if you want us to go back, we can.”
“No, that’s fine. I promised the nurse I would go home for a bit today and I will once he wakes and I get to say good morning to him.”
“Good morning,” Derek says, and we all start laughing.
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” I ask as I stand to kiss him on the cheek.
“Never, baby. I just heard your conversation, and I thought it was funny.”
“Well, don’t quit your day job anytime soon.” He pouts, and I lower my lips to his.
“You need to thank your parents. They brought you some stuff from home,” I tell him as I set up my phone on the charger they brought.
“You guys are the best. Thank you!” he says groggily.
“We brought you some real coffee too.” His mother proudly hands him the cup of coffee she brought for him.
“Seriously, thank you guys,” Derek says, sounding a little more awake this time.
“It’s not a problem, son. We just want you to keep us in the loop next time. We’re getting old, as you happily pointed out yesterday, and another phone call like this is likely to give us a heart attack.”
“Fair enough. I will keep you in the loop.”
He and his father shake hands, and we all sit in a comfortable silence, eating the bagels and drinking the coffee that Vanessa and Jesse brought us. After I finish eating, I stand and tell Derek that I’m going home to shower and that I’ll be back soon. I ask him if he needs anything else, and he tells me he’s all set. When I get to the door, I let the guards know it’s time to roll. Jordan is walking down the hall as we’re about to leave.
“Where are you going?”
“Home to shower,” I tell him.
“Okay. This is Brayden. He was brought on for added security after Derek's accident. He'll go with us.” He turns to the other guy whose name I don’t know because he’s also new and says, “You stay here and keep an eye on Derek.” He nods and takes his place back at the door. “Bella, please keep me aware of the plans you make so I can keep you safe.”
“I’m sorry, Jordan. I figured I was leaving here with both guards, so it was no big deal.”
”But it is because Derek wouldn’t have had someone to watch over him and clearly he needs it.”
“You’re right. I wasn’t thinking.”
“To be honest, I’m sure he would have been fine, but I don’t want to take any chances, okay?”
I nod as we continue our walk out to the car.
We arrive back at the house to find a vase of flowers on the front porch. Jordan carefully approaches and then tells me it’s fine to follow. I get up the stairs to see another handwritten note.
My Love,
I’m so sorry for your loss. I know Derek meant something to you but you have to realize this is for the better. He was in the way of my loving you and I just couldn’t have that. He had to be taken care of. I’m sure right now this hurts, but in due time I will be by your side taking away all your pain. Please give my condolences to his parents.
I’m so happy you’ve figured out who I am. It’ll make it easier when I show up to take you away. I love you Bella and promise you we will be together soon.
Love
Brian
“Holy shit, he thinks Derek’s dead,”
Jordan nods. “It appears he does. I’ll call the police.”
He turns to Brayden. “You wait out here and keep watch until we're ready to leave.” The guy just nods and takes his place on the porch.
I call Derek as soon as I’m in the house, but Jordan quickly takes the phone and cuts the call. He whispers, “What if he’s bugged the house or your phone? Wait until we get to the hospital or at least back in the car to call him and tell him.”
“Okay. Give me fifteen minutes to shower, and I’ll be ready.”
He nods as I go up the stairs. I pull a pair of jeans and a top from the closet and throw them on the bed. Then I run into the ba
throom and turn on the shower. Running back into my room, I get my coloring book and gel pens, figuring I’ll color whenever Derek happens to nap. It relaxes me and allows me to clear my head, which happens to be filled with so many thoughts right now I could burst.
I jump into the shower and wash everything as quickly as I can. As soon as I’m done, I dry off and get dressed. I quickly blow dry my hair, put on my facial cream, and run back into the room, realizing I should get some clothes to sleep in and wear tomorrow. I toss everything in my travel bag, including my makeup bag, and run down the stairs. I think I’ve shocked Jordan with my speed.
“Ready already?” he asks.
“Yes, let’s go. I want to get out of here and back to the hospital.”
He nods and we leave. Jordan locks up the house behind us as Brayden takes me to the car. Jordan jumps in the driver’s seat, and as soon as he starts driving, I call Derek's cell.
“What’s up, Bella?” he asks, concerned.
“He thinks you’re dead.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Brian left another note at the house with flowers giving his condolences to me and your parents. He said he was sorry, but you had to be taken care of. He thinks you’re dead.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m with Jordan, on my way back to the hospital.”
“Good. I have to call Sloan. I’ll see you when you get here.” He cuts the call.
“What did he say?” Jordan asks.
“He said that he had to call Sloan and that he will update me when we get back to the hospital.”
“Good. We can all meet quickly before these guys take off. Jared should be there when we get back.” I nod, and my head starts to spin. I’m trying to figure out how we’re going to catch this guy. I’m so deep in thought I jump at Jordan’s voice when he informs me that we’re back at the hospital.
As we walk to Derek’s room, people look at me funny because I have two guys in tow, but I don’t care at this point. I hate the thought of Brian getting to either of us. As we approach Derek’s room, I smile because, as Jordan said, Jared is standing at the door.