Davis raked his hands through his hair. “According to them, I do. They are supposed to be the best of the best. Let’s go inside, and I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
It’s well past time that you did that. And, as angry as she was with Davis, she loved the man. Nicole did her best to shelve her anger for now. She nodded. “Let’s meet your dream team.”
Davis spent a few moments introducing her. She plastered on a tight smile and shook too many hands to count. It wasn’t as if Nicole hadn’t done this very thing at dinner parties and fundraisers for Chatham Industries, but this was something different. This wasn’t a joyous occasion. There weren’t women in beautiful ball gowns or men in tuxedos. No, these were men and women in smart business suits with serious taking care of business masks on their faces.
Nicole hoped the picture Davis painted earlier wasn’t as dire as he made it. She supposed that over the next few hours she would find out.
As the conversations began in earnest, everything became surreal. Was all of this really happening? Suddenly, the room became a madhouse. Cellphones beeped, chirped, rang, and buzzed. One of the lawyers said aloud, “Apparently, the news has finally gone public.” Davis got up from his chair and turned on the television. Locally, it was breaking news. An entire spot had been devoted to “Home Grown Terrorists Cell has Big Moneyed American Investors”—Chatham Industries along with a few other companies had been named. The fiasco of five years ago had been rehashed and twisted so far from the truth that it sounded like someone else’s story. That made Nicole angrier than Davis keeping her in the dark all this time. They needed to fight back! Could they sue the media? Libel? Defamation? She had so many questions. However, just when she was about to ask, Nicole began to feel hot. Heat coursed throughout her body. It became difficult to hear the many conversations going on around her. Mouths were moving, but it was as if they were talking like they were underwater. Not only was Nicole having a difficult time hearing and understanding what was being said, her movements were a step or two behind her thoughts.
Davis had been focused on her the entire time and noticed the second her face went ashen. He moved quickly to be by her side, took her hand in his, and squeezed, then leaned into her body and whispered into her ear. “Are you okay?”
Her mouth was dry, but she managed to move her lips. It came out a whisper. “Yes, I’m fine.” She did her best to focus, but it was hard.
“Are you sure.”
She blinked a few times then answered. “Yes.”
Someone in the room asked Davis a question, and, after making sure Nicole was alright, he turned away to respond.
Time ticked by, but Nicole missed most of the conversation. It was taking all her energy just to keep her eyes open. She hoped that when someone spoke to her that she nodded in all the right places.
“Mrs. Chatham? Mrs. Chatham?”
She didn’t answer.
Davis heard them calling out to her and turned to see why she didn’t answer. He could see that Nicole was overwhelmed. Her shoulders had gone slack. He was so caught up with his lawyers that he hadn’t noticed that, while physically present, Nicole was no longer in the room. It wasn’t until someone tried to get her attention, and when she ignored them, that he noticed. He rubbed Nicole on her knee. “Sweetheart, Ms. Cooke asked you a question. Are you alright?” Her head was slow to turn in his direction, but when they did, and his eyes connected with hers, they had a faraway look in them. “Nicole?”
“I-I’m sorry.” She slurred her words. Nicole couldn’t think and felt as if she were floating. Her mouth felt heavy. It was difficult to speak let alone answer in any coherent way. Something with her body was off, and Nicole needed to get away to catch her breath and clear her mind. “I-I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling very well.”
His stomach clenched, and Davis’s guilt weighed on him. It was probably his fault that Nicole was in a state of shock. He’d just sprung all of this onto her and expected her to deal with it. He turned to Ms. Cooke. “I’m sorry, Nicole’s not feeling very well. Please, excuse us. I’ll be back momentarily.” Davis stood and helped her up.
She whispered into his ear. Her words were even more slurred. “I don’t think I can stand on my own.”
Davis was worried but kept his composure. He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped walk Nicole out of the room.
She wasn’t sure how he did it, but Davis managed to make it appear as though she was walking by herself. But, the truth was, had it not been for him, her legs wouldn’t have been able to carry her anywhere. Nicole’s head began to roll to the left, then the right. It moved to the front and then the back.
Davis was feeling more than just concerned. “I’m calling the doctor.”
“No. I’m fiiiine . . . just need to sleep—to rest.”
“Nicole, something is not right.” Her legs buckled, and he tightened his hold to keep her from falling. Davis swept her up into his arms and carried her to their room. Her eyes were closed as her head lay on his chest. “Nicole?”
Her voice was low. “Hmm . . .”
“Can you hear me?”
Her eyes fluttered open and then closed. “Yee-sh.”
As tenderly as possible, Davis placed her into the center of their bed then covered her with the blankets. By the time he had her settled, Nicole had fallen back to sleep. If she wasn’t better when she woke up, Davis was calling the doctor whether she wanted him to or not.
He kissed her gently on the lips. “I’m sorry, baby.” Davis felt like the world’s biggest failure as he stared down at her beautiful face. He had to fix this. He had to make things right. If not for himself, then for Nicole and his family. With a heavy heart, Davis left the room closing the door behind him.
Chapter 14
By the time Nicole cracked open her eyes, the clock on her bedside was blinking 9:03 . . . a.m. She’d slept through the evening, night, and morning. Dammit! I can’t believe I did this again. Rayna’s bus was long gone. The way the Chatham’s luck was going, it was more likely the Department of Children and Family Services would end up at their front door. And Davis? What happened at the meeting?
Nicole was groggy, thirsty, and thankful that someone had left a bottled water next to her bed. She downed it. For several moments, she sat perfectly still, afraid to move. Her head was pounding, her body ached, and her stomach was nauseous. She closed her eyes, inhaling as much air as her lungs would accept, then expelled it in long exaggerated breaths. She had to repeat that several times over before Nicole felt like she might be able to function. Once she figured it was safe to stand on her own two feet, she moved as fast as she could to get out of bed, which was at a snail’s pace. She berated herself. Dammit, Nicole. You’ve got to get your shit together. Thoughts of the previous evening came rushing back. She had missed a critical meeting, the entire night with her kids, and now Rayna’s bus this morning. Nicole hadn’t seen DJ since Teena had taken him outside to play yesterday afternoon. It seemed like, ever since her accident, things in her life had been moving in a downward spiral.
Nicole owed the biggest apology to Davis. He had probably left for work hours ago so it would have to wait. No matter what was going on in their marriage, he deserved her support, and she had missed the opportunity to find out what all the lawyers and PR people suggested that she be doing. Nicole had never felt more inept as a wife than she did right now. For all her ranting and raving about Davis keeping her in the dark, she had left him alone to deal with this problem. She mentally made a promise to him and herself. That will never happen again.
Nicole put on her robe and brushed her teeth to get the horrible taste out of her mouth. She would call Davis and begin to try to make things right, but her first priority of the morning was to find DJ.
It didn’t take long. Her son was sitting in his booster chair in the kitchen having breakfast with Teena. He saw her and immediately smiled, clapping his hands together. “Mom!” She walked up to him and kissed the top of his head. “Hey there, honey.” N
icole eased down into a chair beside him. Her head was still killing her, and, if there were anything in her stomach, it probably wouldn’t be there for long. In a word, Nicole felt awful.
Teena turned concerned eyes to her. “Mrs. Chatham, can I get something for you?”
“My stomach is a little upset. I hate to ask but maybe a seltzer water and ibuprofen.” Nicole didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself, but the Oxycodone had done a number on her. Maybe Dana was right. She had been taking them too long, and it was starting to affect her body differently. It was probably past time to leave them alone and figure out another way to manage her pain . . . all her pain.
Teena smiled. “Sure thing.”
Nicole attempted to engage her son, but she was just in too uncomfortable. Tears sprang to her eyes as she propped her elbows up on the table and rested her face into the palms of her hands. That was the exact moment Davis walked into the kitchen.
His throat closed up as he saw his wife in obvious distress. He’d caused it. All this madness was his fault. No matter what happened, Davis was making preparations to ensure his family would be fine . . . with or without him.
He cleared his throat. Slowly, Nicole looked up. Davis took a seat opposite her. “Are you feeling better?”
Her head was pounding. It hurt to talk. “Why are you home and not at work?” Her words came out harsher than she’d intended. Teena placed the medicine and a glass of seltzer water in front of her.
“You had a rough night. I wanted to be here when you woke up, and I figured I could work from home.” He watched her as she took medicine.
“Oh.” Her voice softened. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.” Nicole sighed. “I still have an upset stomach, a headache, along with the usual aches and pains.”
“Are you sure it’s not . . .” Davis paused. “Nicole, I hate that this situation is making you sick.”
She hissed. “I’m not some shrinking violet, Davis. I can handle whatever comes our way. IF you would only let me. You can’t protect me from life! Yesterday, I was already feeling off. I’m sick. That’s it. I just don’t feel well.”
“It’s not my goal to upset you. Maybe you should make an appointment with the physician?”
“Stop babying me. I’m not your dead sister, Rayna! Every time someone gets sick, it doesn’t mean they are going to die or need a doctor’s appointment!” She couldn’t believe the words that came out of her mouth.
Davis paled, then his face hardened.
“Davis . . . I . . . ” Nicole placed her hand on top of his, and he snatched it away. His face hardened.
“I would think my wife would be happy that I actually give a shit about how she’s feeling!” His chair scraped the kitchen floor then fell over backward as he stood and stalked out of the room.
Shocked, Teena stood back in silence. Fortunately, DJ couldn’t understand all the words, but he understood enough, and he looked bewildered.
Nicole pressed her lips together. Then spoke softly. “I’m sorry you had to witness that, Teena. I apologize to you and should go and apologize to Davis.” Nicole stood to get up and the room tilted. She was going to vomit. She ran into the bathroom and made it just in time, emptying her stomach of all the liquids she consumed. When there was nothing left to purge, and the dry heaving stopped, Nicole sat on the floor basically hugging the bowl. Her apology to Davis would have to wait.
*****
The rest of the day didn’t get any better. Nicole spent it in bed tossing and turning. The ibuprofen wasn’t helping. She hoped a hot shower might. She was so uncomfortable that the water on her face wasn’t just from the shower but from her own tears as she cried like a baby.
She finished her shower and put on her terrycloth robe. It had helped her feel a little better but not much. As she walked out of her bathroom, Nicole had had enough and couldn’t take it anymore. It was as if she were having an outer body experience as she glanced around her room. Her eyes darted from her bed to her purse that was sitting on the dresser. Sleep this off, Nicole. Like a zombie, she started walking. She ended up standing in front of her dresser, reaching inside her purse for the bottle. I’ll just take one more to get over the hump. This will be the last one. Nicole popped it into her mouth and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She hated what she saw. Her thick curls were wet and plastered to her head, but her eyes were those of a stranger. Notwithstanding the dark circles, they looked tired and haunted. Nicole closed them, so she didn’t have to see her reflection, then turned away from the mirror. She walked over to the bed and picked up the water bottle, swallowing the pills. Nicole got in bed and pulled the covers over her head in an attempt to hide from herself and her shame. The day ended just like it started—shitty.
Hours later, she woke when the clock clicked to 1:03 a.m. However, Nicole wasn’t in bed alone—DJ was curled into the crook of her arms, and Rayna occupied the space on the other side of him. They had snuggled as close as they could get. She had no idea how or when they got in bed with her. One person missing was Davis. His side of the bed was cold and empty. Her behavior had driven him not even to want to be in the same room with her. Nicole was turning her biggest fear into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
She finally admitted that she was struggling. Even now, she wanted to take more pills. Somehow, she had to fix her problem without causing too much of a distraction. Davis was already dealing with enough and having a drug addict as a wife splashed across the papers, and social media wasn’t fair to him. What am I going to do? How did I let things get this far? There weren’t any immediate answers to her questions, and she wasn’t going to get them at this hour of the night. So, she did the only thing she could to cleanse her soul, Nicole shut her eyes and cried.
Chapter 15
Davis was in his home office working on his second drink. Too bad he couldn’t get totally and completely trashed. Nicole was upstairs in bed sick for the third day, and one of them needed to be around for their kids. Her words had hurt him deeply. It took everything not to lash out. His own guilt wouldn’t let him. Davis wasn’t sure how much more he could take. If it hadn’t have been for his daughter and the innocence in his son’s eyes, he probably would have packed a bag and left.
His cell phone roused him from his thoughts. Davis started to let it go to voicemail when he realized it was Dana. He answered it. “Hello?”
“Davis?”
“Yeah. It’s me.” Her voice had that sympathetic thing in it. She had heard the news. He hated it. He didn’t want pity, Davis wanted his name cleared.
“Nicole and I were supposed to have dinner tonight, but I’ve been calling her phone, and she’s not answering. I heard the news and figured she probably wouldn’t want to go out. Are you both alright?”
He threw his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose and laughed sarcastically. “Nope. Can’t say we are. Things are pretty messed up right now.”
“It will all work out. I feel it. However, I will say that the press can be some evil bastards. They are hounding me. There is a swarm of them just outside your gates. Think you can let me inside?”
“They’re still out there?”
“Yes.”
“Shit. I’ll need to do something about that before Rayna gets home from school. I’ll buzz you through the gates. Security should let you through, and I’ll meet you at the door.”
It wasn’t long before Dana was walking into the house and giving Davis a big old bear hug. “How are you, my friend?”
“I have seen better days.” Davis hadn’t slept much over the past couple of nights, and it showed on his face. His after-five shadow was darkening into a full-on beard, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Dana saw the emotional fatigue all over him and smelled the alcohol on his breath. “It may not mean much, but I know you are innocent of all of that nonsense they are spewing on the news. And another thing I’m sure of, you and Nicole will weather this storm too.”
His smile was a defeated one. “
I hope you’re right, but I’m not so sure on either count. Come on in.” Dana followed him into the living room. Davis walked over to the bar and poured himself another drink. “Care to join me?”
“Umm . . . maybe later.” She raised an eyebrow as if she were chastising one of her students. “Are you sure you need another one of those?”
“I’m absolutely positive that I don’t. But I could surely use it. As a matter of fact, I think I deserve it.” Davis allowed the bottle to hover over his glass but didn’t pour it. Instead, he capped the bottle and put it back. He picked up a water bottle instead. “How about one of these?”
Dana smiled. “That would be great.”
He ambled over to where she took a seat and handed it to her. “I hate to disappoint you, but Nicole still isn’t feeling very well. That is why she’s not picking up her phone. She’s been in bed the past few days.”
Dana frowned. “Really?”
Davis sighed. “Yeah. She won’t admit it, but this situation is stressing her out.”
“I can only imagine.”
“I can’t seem to say or do a damn thing right when it comes to her.”
“Do you want my professional opinion or that of a good friend?”
Davis laughed. “That’s right. Before you went all “save the children,” you were a psychiatrist. I’m not really sure if I want to be psychoanalyzed. But I’m desperate. Give me both opinions.”
“First, I’ll say that Nicole loves you more than she loves herself.”
“Great. You’re already setting this up, and it sounds like your assessment is going to be a boatload of fun.”
“I’m just going to be honest. You can be a bit cavemanish.” Davis started to protest, but Dana put her hands up to stop him. “No, no . . . that wasn’t an opinion that was a statement of fact. So, don’t argue. With that being said, I understand and so does Nicole the motivation behind it. You’ve worked hard to get to where you are at unbelievable personal sacrifice, and some of your success stems directly from great personal pain. Nicole knows this, but she also feels as if your need to protect her is from those very same scars from your past. She thinks it keeps her from being a full partner in this relationship.”
Fragments of Us (A Contemporary Broken Hearts Romance) (Book Book 2) Page 8
