Remington's Sky

by LaShawn Vasser

  “It sounds like you were caught in-between a rock and a hard place.”

  She had been, but honesty and trust were a huge part of any relationship. He had the same trust issues that she had. Not being completely honest with him was a deal breaker and deep down inside, Sky knew it.

  “My apologies, ladies. I had to take that call.” Her mother’s fiancé came back to the table and sat down. “Are you sure you don’t want me to pull the trigger with Bella Langston?”

  He was a handsome and distinguished looking man with salt and pepper hair. Sky could understand why her mother was attracted to him. Together, they made a striking couple. Omara was just a couple of inches shorter than his six-foot frame. Her mother was not only graceful like a model but had the frame of one too. She wore her hair cut low to her head and tapered around the back and sides. However, Omara would never be caught dead with gray hair. Instead, she wore it natural but colored blonde. It complemented her smooth mocha colored skin.

  “Thank you for being willing to use your position and influence as President of the Creative Artistry Agency on my behalf, Sam. But I’ve had some time to think about regardless of how I feel about her mother’s wicked ways, Charlie still loves her, and I love Charlie. She’ll get hers.”

  Sam placed his hands on top of her mother’s in a loving gesture. “Well, if you change your mind, let me know. In the meantime, let’s talk about something positive. Your mother and I have set a date for the wedding. We figured Monaco next month.”

  Sky choked on the water she was sipping. “Already? You two have only been dating for a few months. I thought you were going to have a long engagement.”

  “When you know you know.” Sam continued to look at her mother lovingly.

  Before Sky met Remington, she would never have understood that sentiment. But, now that she had the experience of being with him, and being briefly touched by love, she understood it completely. “Just let me know the day and time. I’ll be there.”

  Omara was shocked. “My god. It happened.” Sky’s mother’s eyes grew glassy.

  “What?” Sky looked on curiously.

  “You know what being in love feels like.” Omara placed her hand over her heart.

  Exaggerating the move, Sky checked the watch on her arm. “Would you look at the time. I’ve got to meet Nia at the hospital. We’re negotiating my settlement.”

  Omara would let her off the hook for now. But, they were going to talk about it. “That’s right. Today is the day. But delayed is not denied. We will talk. Call me when it’s over, and we’ll discuss everything.”

  Sky stood and kissed her mother on the cheek. “I will. Love you.” She turned to Sam. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

  Sam stood when Sky had. “It was a pleasure meeting you as well.”

  As they watched Sky walk away, Omara wiped a tear from her eye. She twisted her body toward her new fiancé. “I’ve just witnessed a miracle. Love can change anyone.”

  *****

  Sky was having a final meeting with Nia before they met with the hospital’s legal team.

  “I’m going to start charging you extra for house calls.” Nia pulled her knees up on Sky’s sofa as she took a bite of her chicken salad.”

  “Mmhmm . . . then, I’m going to start charging you for groceries.”

  “Oooohhh . . . you’re extra cranky today. I take it the lunch with your mother didn’t go well yesterday.”

  “Actually, it went very well.”

  Nia raised her eyebrows. “I still can’t believe you called Omara Johnston-Reid-Hall to help you cripple, Bella. Before we get into that, what did you think of her fiancé? Is he going to help you?”

  Sky was determined. “I had planned to hit Bella so hard that it would drop her to her knees.”

  They were interrupted when the buzzer to Sky’s door sounded.

  She hadn’t been able to get out of her funk since the moment the reporter called and ruined her life. “If someone from the paparazzi has snuck into this building again—”

  Nia responded. “The restraining order I filed should take care of that, so whoever it is I hope it’s not them.” She hopped up off the sofa and blocked Sky’s path. “I’ll get it. Now that I think about it, if it is someone from the media, I don’t need you going to the door giving them a money shot, and blowing my case.”

  Nia padded barefoot over to the door and opened it. “Dr. Kirby isn’t taking any questions from the press today except to say NO COMMENT!”

  “Oh. I’m not with the media. My name is Cassandra Meadows. I’m a nurse at St. Lucia’s, and I have some information that I think might be helpful to her case.”

  More than a little interested, Nia stepped aside and allowed Cassie to come in. Sky was standing just a few feet away with her hands folded across her chest. “Cassandra? What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to give you this.” It was a thick manila envelope.

  “What’s in it?”

  “My notes from Charlie Kneeland’s surgery along with everything you sent me.”

  Sky stared at the folder with new eyes as if it were the Holy Grail. “You’re kidding?”

  “No. I am not. I would have been here sooner, but I recently moved and had to find it in all of my boxes. I couldn’t print off the copy you sent me at work because the hospital wiped any digital files associated with you.”

  Nia frowned. “Thanks for that bit of information. That’s ILLEGAL. I guess I’ll add destroying evidence to my long list of grievances. My forensic IT specialist would eventually find them, but that’s if we have to go to court, and that could take forever, our arbitration meeting with the hospital is tomorrow.”

  Cassie smiled. “Too bad for them that I had already printed it, made a copy to review, and taken it home.”

  Nia asked. “What exactly is in the folder?”

  Sky was breathless. “Everything. It’s the original report that I sent to Cassie. It should have a date and time stamp on the print-outs.” Sky emptied the contents of the envelope. “The procedure was a complex one. And since St. Lucia’s is a teaching hospital, there should have been—” Her voice trailed off.

  Cassie finished the sentence for her. “Video.”

  A flash drive slid out of the envelope. Sky closed her eyes and pressed the little piece of metal to her chest.

  “That’s not all, Dr. Kirby. I also wrote down notes from the discussion you and Dr. Bridges had. I figured if I were ever in the same situation, I would know how to proceed. You very clearly felt that the bruises on her posterior dorsal, the thorax, and the upper right quadrant of her abdomen were not the product of the fall. I heard you clearly state, the bruises looked several days old and that you thought someone might have ‘beat the hell out of her.’ Dr. Bridges disagreed. He said they didn’t have facts to support your claim and that if you wrote it down in your report, he wasn’t going to back you up.”

  “You heard him say that?” Nia asked.

  “Yes, I did, and it’s on the video.” Cassie nodded.

  “Would you be willing to make an official statement, maybe even testify if necessary?”

  She nodded again. “I also know who leaked this nonsense to the press.”

  “Who?” Nia and Sky said it at the same time.

  “Jazlyn.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “Well, she kinda has a thing for Dr. Bridges.”

  Sky couldn’t believe it. Then again, she could. Jazlyn was a loose end she should have tied up. “We’re not together anymore.”

  “Regardless, he’s still pre-occupied with you. Chief-of-Staff, Shaw and Dr. Bridges think the same thing. I overheard a conversation they had said as much. Anyway, I’ve got to get back to the hospital. I just hope these documents are helpful.”

  “You’ve been more than helpful. If what Sky has in her hands proves to be what you say it is, I’ll bury those assholes in court and sue Bella Langston for defamation.” Nia was ready for war, and now she was armed for
it.

  “I’m all for burying Shane and Noah but not Bella. I don’t want to hurt Charlie any more than this fiasco already has. Not publically anyway. That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. However, Bella doesn’t have to know that. Scare the shit out of her. Threaten that if she doesn’t make a public apology and retract her statements about me that I will sue her for defamation and every dime she has.”

  Chapter 25

  Bella had been flirting with Remington ever since they moved Charlie to the new facility.

  He could barely stand to be in the same room with her and based on Charlie’s interactions with her, he didn’t think she could either. Remington was no longer sure that Bella being MIA was such a bad thing.

  His mood didn’t have a chance to improve since he couldn’t keep his mind off of Sky. However, today Remington was going to be happy even if it killed him. Charlie was going home. She was being discharged. It had been a long road, and she still had a mountain to climb, but she was moving in the right direction. If nothing else, Remington had to be thankful to Sky for that.

  The room was quiet as the three of them waited for the medical transport team to arrive when Kane burst into Charlie’s room. “You lying bitch!”

  Shocked. Bella’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing here!?”

  “I knew this would be the best place to find you since you’ve been hiding behind your gates. Its bad enough you’ve sicced your PR team on me brought me up on bogus charges, and now my bank accounts are frozen! You’ve done all of this because I want a divorce!?” He growled out.

  It only took two steps for Remington to grab him by his shirt and for his fist to go crashing into his nose.

  He heard it crunch.

  Kane tried to fight back, but he didn’t have a chance. Remington landed another hard blow. “I should kill you for what you did to my daughter. You’re the reason she’s in here!” Remington slammed his fist into Kane’s stomach causing him to double over.

  “No, I’m not! I can prove it!”

  Bella screamed. “You’re disgusting, Kane! You know what you did.”

  “No, I know what you did!” He spat back.

  Remington landed another punch to the side of Kane’s head that looked as if it had knocked him out. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth.

  “Daddy, no! Please. You’re going to kill him!” Charlie screamed. “It wasn’t him. Kane didn’t cause me to fall off the horse. There was no horse!”

  Kane choked on his words. “Ask Bella why she paid the security guard to move Charlie’s body after the accident.”

  “You piece of shit! I know he caused your bruises.” Remington turned to Charlie. His voice almost broke. “I know he was abusing you! You almost died because of him.” A fresh round of rage went through him, only this time the security from the center burst through the doors and held him back.

  Charlie was crying almost hysterically. “Yes, he caused the bruises a few days before, but I didn’t fall off a horse! Mom pushed me out of the window.”

  The room went silent.

  Kane nodded. “I just found out today when that same security guard left a message on my cell phone thinking it was Bella’s. Our numbers are very similar . . . One digit off. He said she paid him to move Charlie’s body from below her bedroom window next to the stable. She paid him off for his silence and his help. I believed her lies too!”

  Bella couldn’t believe Charlie didn’t stick to the plan. “W-what? That’s not true. That’s a lie!”

  “It is true!” Charlie’s eyes pleaded with her father. “You have to believe me. I was going to run away because I got kicked out of school. Mommy caught me planning to leave. She started hitting me and saying I was the reason she and Kane were having so many problems. I tried to get away, and I kept walking backward toward my bedroom window. It was open, and she pushed too hard. I fell out of it. The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital.” Charlie turned sad eyes at Bella. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

  Bella looked nervously around the room. “The injury to your head must have been worse than we thought for you to come up with a crazy story like that.”

  Charlie was doubled over as she wailed gut-wrenching sobs.

  Remington was sick to his stomach. He couldn’t even look at Bella. “Get her out of here before I’m the one being hauled out in handcuffs.”

  “REMI, this is madness! I would never!” Bella tried to explain. All of her hard work to win Charlie and Remington back was disintegrating right before her eyes.

  He had murderous rage pumping through his veins. Remington roared. “Get out! Get. The. Fuck. Out. Before I really lose it. And while you’re at it, call a good lawyer because I will be pressing charges.”

  Serenity security grabbed Bella and Kane. She struggled against them. “It was an accident! Do you really think I would hurt Charlie on purpose?”

  They were dragged out before Remington completely lost total control.

  *****

  Sky and Nia were walking down the hallway toward the hospital’s executive conference room. Nia continued to coach Sky, telling and re-telling her the game plan. “They are going to try to BS us. Don’t get rattled or angry enough to lash out. We have their balls in vice-grip. By-the-way, I broke up with Steven last night—for good this time.”

  Sky almost tripped over her Louboutin. “You didn’t?”

  “I did. Honestly, I saw how happy Remington made you. I mean I know your relationship is kind of a mess, but I have a feeling with some time, you’ll find your way to each other. Anyway, it’s been nothing but hell with Steven for years. I won’t be able to find the man that will give me the kind of natural high you had with Remington if I’m afraid to let Steven go for fear of being alone. So, I ended it.” They stood in front of the conference door. “We’ll toast to a new beginning later. In the meantime, are you ready?”

  Sky couldn’t wait for later, she pulled Nia into a quick hug. “I’m armed with the best lawyer in Chicago. Of course, I’m ready.”

  They opened the door to find several members of the Board of Directors and their lawyers sitting around the conference table. The men all stood when they entered. Nia nodded. “Good afternoon, gentlemen.” Of course, it wasn’t surprising that she and Sky would be the only women in the room.

  They took their seats. Nia at the head of the table, and Sky kitty-corner to her.

  Nia was no-nonsense. “Let’s make this as painless as possible and get to business. My client has suffered irreparable harm at the hands of this institution. We won’t accept anything less than a full public apology from the hospital, Dr. Kirby being reinstated to her former position, the Chief-of-Staff, Shane Shaw, along with his assistant, Dr. Noah Bridges must resign immediately, and Jazlyn Farrow must be fired for leaking private medical information to the press.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. I failed to mention that we’ll need St. Lucia’s to throw in a nice check for five-million dollars deposited into Dr. Kirby’s personal account for all the hardships this ordeal has caused.”

  The lead attorney for the hospital looked at the Chief-Financial-Officer for his approval. He nodded in agreement. “Done.”

  Nia was shocked. It was much too easy. She was going to push the envelope. “And another five million to be donated to a Spinal Cord Injury research organization of my client’s choosing.”

  Another nod.

  “Agreed.” However, the lead attorney didn’t allow Nia another moment to ask for something else. “If that’s all, draw up the necessary paperwork and send it over to my office. Hopefully, we can get this all resolved by five p.m.”

  Nia was on the verge of another ask when Sky tapped her with her foot under the table and gave her a slight head shake. She shot Sky a glare that only she would recognize. Instead of being greedy, Nia clapped her hands together and followed her clients lead. “Yes, I’ll have my office do that.”

  “Great, then I think we’re done.” Everyone stood. The meeting couldn’t
have last any longer than fifteen minutes. Some of the members left as Nia began to pack up her things.

  Just as the lead attorney was about to leave she stopped him. “I’m sorry, your name is Jude Lawrence, right?”

  “Yes. It’s on my card.” Before he handed it to her, he scribbled something on the back. “My personal number if you need it for some reason.”

  Nia smiled. Then, got back on her lawyerly game. “What happened? It took us longer to prepare for this meeting than the meeting itself.”

  He looked around Nia to Sky. “Let’s just say someone with deep pockets decided to take matters into their own hands and make this easy for everyone.” He sent a sexy smile of his toward Nia. “If you want more details, call me. We can meet over drinks and discuss it.” He tilted his chin toward Nia then Sky, and walked out of the door leaving them alone to ponder his words.

  The room was almost empty except for them until a very familiar voice joined theirs.

  “Ms. Nia Lexington, do you think I could have a private word with Dr. Kirby?”

  Nia looked up to see a man too gorgeous for words. Remington was much better looking in person. He wore a chocolate custom-tailored suit that complimented his tanned skin and would make an Armani model jealous. When he walked past, his cologne made Nia’s insides clench. She was almost tongue-tied. “Um . . . Yes. Of course. Sky, I’ll meet you downstairs in say fifteen minutes.” Nia winked at her then left and closed the door.

  Remington stood with his back to Sky and hands in his front pockets staring out the window.