by Bloom, Nikki
“I can’t let you.”
I pulled the gun from my purse and showed it to the woman, who quickly released me and stepped back with her hands up.
“Go ahead and call security. I just need five minutes to collect my things,” I hissed and darted off. I headed directly for Joan and Florence Ramsey’s office. I was happy to see she was sitting at her desk and Florence’s office doors were still shut.
“Joan, please open the doors to Mrs. Ramsey’s office,” I ordered.
“What?”
“I waved the gun like I was talking with a drink in my hand. I had no intention of using it but it was a little more persuasive than just saying pretty-please. As if the seat of her chair had just released a jolt of electricity, Joan was up and with trembling hands unlocking the door.
“Just calm down,” I ordered. “Look at me. Do I look like someone who wants any trouble? I was just attacked for heaven’s sake,” I muttered. “Don’t worry, the guard at the reception desk has security coming!” I shouted as I hurried inside. The wall across from Florence’s desk was covered with pictures. There were certificates, awards, and family portraits and pictures of her and Alex. There were several with her and her husband when they were younger and none looked like a traditional wedding.
“I’ve got to start somewhere.” Quickly, I grabbed the first photo, turned it around and ripped open the back. Nothing. The next one yielded nothing as well. I could hear people getting excited and scrambling outside. The rumor had spread that there was a gun-wielding, disgruntled employee on the floor. I hurried. Another photo. Another dead end. Finally, I pulled down a tiny portrait of Florence and her late husband. They were young and healthy, sitting at a table with a red tablecloth, holding hands. Several champagne glasses sat in front of them.
When I flipped it over and ripped off the backing, two envelopes fell to the ground. I bent down, grabbed them, and when I stood up I could only scream.
“I’ll take those.” It was Dante. He looked crazed.
“No you won’t!” I shouted. “Security is on its way!”
“No. They aren’t. Now hand me those papers.”
I held up the gun in shaky hands. I didn’t want to shoot anyone. I was pretty sure that even under these circumstances there was no way I was going to be able to pull the trigger.
“You’ve been bad, Dante!”
“Shut up,” he hissed.
“You’re trying to kill your wife! You’ve had dozens of affairs! You’ve embezzled money and made your stepson take the fall!”
“Is that what he told you?”
“No. That’s what you told me when you kidnapped me and took me to your house!” By this time I was screaming. If I was going to die I wanted everyone to know that I wasn’t guilty of anything. “You tried to rape me! You were going to kill me and Florence!”
I could hear people outside the office muttering even though I didn’t see anyone. They were listening. Of course they were. This would be the talk of the entire building. It might even make the news.
“This is your butler’s gun! Here, take it!” I set it down on the desk behind me. “He tried to kill Alex! You were going to kill me! But you can’t do that now! Here, come and get this gun! I’m not going to use it!”
Without hesitating he dove toward the desk. I bolted for the door and ran down the hallway toward the bank of elevators when I heard two shots fired and then the click-click-click of the empty chamber. Dante roared with rage as several women screamed and he came bounding out of the office after me. I hit the elevator button but slipped into the stairwell, setting off the emergency alarm. Within seconds the stairwell was flooded with people hurrying down the stairs. No one noticed me as they were too busy worrying it was some kind of attack or national emergency. We all flooded the lobby and as I exited, I walked calmly down the street. Alex’s car had already been towed. I flagged down a cab, climbed in and had him take me to the hospital nearest Florence’s mansion. I hoped I’d find Alex there.
“Are you all right, miss?” the cabdriver asked as he pulled into traffic.
“I am now,” I chuckled with relief. “You wouldn’t believe the morning I’ve had.”
“You look like you’ve had a rough one. Are you sure I can’t take you to a closer hospital. That goose egg looks pretty bad.” I touched my head where I’d hit it on the dresser and it stung.
“No. Someone I know is at the other hospital. I have to get there,” I replied. The cab driver nodded and hit the gas. It was nice sitting in the back of the cab. No one knew I was here. No one knew what was happening and it was Dante who’d fired the gun. Maybe I’d get out of this yet. I’m sure I sounded like a ranting lunatic screaming at him, but I wanted everyone to hear what he’d done. Whether or not they believed me was another story. But the facts would back me up. Then I remembered Dante’s original threat. He had seen me with Alex. There was no way he wasn’t going to use that footage in order to smear me. He’d say Alex and I were in cahoots and he’d accuse us of the criminal activities he was waist-high in. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. I held the documents tightly to me. I prayed they were what Alex needed.
As we pulled up at St. Joseph Hospital, I paid the cabbie and hurried inside. The information desk was straight across from the revolving door and I inquired if Florence Ramsey had been admitted.
“She’s in the emergency ward,” an old man responded, who was wearing a badge that read, Edgar, Volunteer on it.
“Can I see her?” I pleaded.
“You look like you might need a doctor yourself?” I watched his eyes bounce from mine to the bump on my head.
“I’m okay. Please, I’ve got something she needs.” I bit my lower lip and tugged at my blouse. I wondered if I could steal a smock or something once I was back there.
Edgar gave me a visitor’s pass which had a room number and today’s date. He pointed me toward a set of double doors and said to follow along the corridor until I saw the room number I was looking for.
When I finally reached the room, I carefully peeked behind the white curtain which had been pulled shut. Florence was laying there in a bed with an oxygen mask over her face. There were half a dozen IVs hooked up to her arms. The nurse inside the cubicle was an older woman with hair dyed an unnatural shade of red. She wore a smock with bulldogs on it and teal-colored scrub pants.
“Is she going to be all right?” I asked quietly.
“We don’t know,” the nurse said blandly. We are doing all we can. She needs to have her system cleaned, purged of the drugs she was on. We don’t know if that will affect her heart. It might. I’m afraid all I can say is we don’t know yet.” The nurse went back to her chart.
“Can I sit with her?” I asked, carefully stepping inside the semi-private room.
“Of course you can,” the nurse said. “Is she your mom?”
“No. She’s my boyfriend’s mom?” I sort of winced as I said those words. Boyfriend seemed so sophomoric but the term lover was even more embarrassing.
“Was he the fellow who filled out the paperwork?” the nurse asked. “There are a few things missing that we’ll need eventually. No hurry.”
“Probably. I’ll let him know when he comes back. Do you know if he’s coming back?” I must have looked like a hot mess. “And do you know if I can get a scrub or a paper robe or something to wrap around myself? I’ve had a rough morning.”
“Sure. And I’ll have the doctor take a look at that bump on your head too.”
I nodded as I carefully stepped closer to the bed and pulled up a chair. The nurse stepped out after sliding Florence’s chart into a slot at the foot of the bed. I sat down and took Florence’s hand. It was limp but I felt a pulse beating through her thin skin.
“Hi, Mrs. Ramsey. My name is Nova Lyons. I’m friends with your son, Alex. He told me to get these documents to you. I’m going to leave them right here.” I tucked them underneath her back and pulled the covers back up. They were as safe there as anywhere. �
�I don’t know what they are. But he said they’d prove he didn’t do the things Dante said he did.”
I continued to hold her hand. I didn’t think she’d heard me. I remember seeing in a movie once where they said it was good to read and talk to people who were unconscious in the hospital. It had a positive effect on them. I didn’t think there was any harm in it. So I started to tell Florence about my life. It wasn’t all that exciting. I focused on my grades until my parents died when I was eighteen. Then I really focused on my grades. It was the only way to go to college. I told her funny things my father used to say and some of the friends I’d had at the dorms. When it came to my recent past I sort of stumbled.
“I met your son in the elevator when I was applying for a job at RIT.” I felt embarrassed. “I think I was already fired from there for all the trouble that’s been caused. Alex and I overturned the applecart.” I looked at the woman hoping to see an eye flutter open or maybe even a deep breath. But there was nothing. “It’s okay, though. I’ve been through worse.”
I tried to keep talking. Something made me think if I stopped I might lose her. She might be ready to respond following my voice out of that darkness. If I stopped she might get lost again. But after everything, I was so tired. Since there had been no sign of Alex, I assumed the police took Dante’s side and had him behind bars. But if that were true, Dante would have come sweeping down here to have me arrested too. Right?
My head ached and I wasn’t sure if it was the goose egg or from thinking too much. I patted Florence’s hand and lay my head on the side of the bed. I don’t know what time it was when I fell asleep or how long I was out. But when I woke up, Alex was on the other side of the bed, holding Florence’s other hand and watching me.
“You aren’t in jail.” I smiled.
“Neither are you.” He smirked.
15
Alex
I had watched Nova sleep for just a few minutes. We both let out a sigh of relief that the other hadn’t been thrown in jail.
“Here, you better take these.” She reached behind my mother’s back and pulled out the envelopes that I’d needed so badly. “The hospital might throw them away or lose them.”
“Joan told me what you did,” I said.
“When did you see her?”
“She was in the hospital lobby when I arrived after giving the police my statement. FYI Donald will live.” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, that’s good. You didn’t want to kill anyone.” She didn’t know what he’d said about my mother. Nova had no idea how much I wanted to kill him and Dante. Perhaps even I didn’t want to admit how much I wanted to kill them. But the law was involved now, so any dreams of vigilante justice were squashed. That was probably for the best as Nova had hinted.
“Joan had been quietly and stealthily collecting information on Dante since I was sent away. She’d made several attempts to talk with my mother, always hitting a brick wall because of Dante or Donald.” I told her how I was still able to access the accounts and shareholder information even after my incarceration. It was all due to Joan.
“She said she never trusted Dante.” I shook my head. “But what could she do? She needed her job. She didn’t want to cross him. So when Mom was being seen less and less she started keeping notes. You can’t make this kind of stuff up.”
“See? You had a guardian angel looking out for you after all.” Nova smiled so sweetly. The nurse had given her a set of scrubs to change into shortly after I arrived. She left and I stayed with my mother, holding her hand and praying she’d see me just one more time. I’d never been a religious man but I begged God to spare her. If I had to go back to jail I would. But I just wanted her to know the truth and know she’d raised me to be an honest, decent businessman like my father.
I squeezed my mother’s hand and, as if on cue, she squeezed it back. When I looked at her face, I could see her blue eyes clear and sad.
“Mom? Mommy?” I stuttered. She smiled and held my hand tightly. “Don’t say anything. You’ve been through so much. Just relax; these guys are going to get you fixed right up.”
“Alexander. I heard a voice. A woman’s voice and I followed it. It led me to you,” she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
“Mom, please. Don’t wear yourself out,” I begged. Without thinking I reached for the remote to call a nurse. “You need to get better and then we’ll worry about apologies. Because I’ve got a long, long list of them.” I sniffled as my eyes filled with tears.
“No. You tried to tell me. I was a fool.”
“You were in love. And you were alone. We all do stupid things when we are in love, Mom. And when we are lonely we don’t always think things through.” I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “But I’ve got something for you. I’ve got the papers that will nail Dante to the wall. He won’t get away with what he’s done. I promise.”
“You look just like your father.” She squeezed my hand again.
My mother smiled at me and I could tell she was struggling to stay awake. As if she hadn’t been in a daze for long enough.
“I’m going to get the doctor. Just sit tight. I’ll be right back.” I stood up and pulled the curtain aside. There were a couple of nurses at the station in the middle of the huge room and as I approached them, something moving out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. It was something odd to see in a hospital: a person being pulled into a room. As I approached the hallway, I heard hurried steps and mumbling before I peered around the corner. The door to the stairwell was slowly closing as I walked carefully toward it. Before I pulled the door open, I saw on the ground something that looked familiar. It was nothing more than a simple brown pouch with a strap half hanging off. It was Nova’s purse.
My stomach felt as if it had dropped to my feet. He had her again. Carefully, I crept up to the door and peered through the small, square window. I didn’t see anything. Holding my breath as I turned the doorknob, I waited for the latch to click. It sounded like a gong going off even though in reality it was just a small click. The door swooshed open silently and I leaned my head in to listen.
There was a flurry of whispers coming from down the steps. With my back pressed against the wall, I inched my way to the landing and looked. That was when I saw him.
Dante looked like he’d gone mad. His eyes were wide and his hair, usually so neat and slick, was pointing in several different directions. His hands were dirty and so was his suit. It was like he’d crawled through the sewers to get here.
“Where are those papers?” he hissed, holding one hand tightly around Nova’s waist and the other around her nose and mouth.
“Mom has it. She knows everything.” I didn’t raise my voice but instead took a step forward. “She’s awake and quite lucid. In fact, she’s already alerted the staff that you are a danger and to be apprehended if you show your face,” I lied. Bluffing was all I had. He might have had a gun or a knife. Hell, he might have found some dynamite and strapped it to himself. He looked crazed enough to do it. But I was hoping the notion of being trapped like an animal would be enough to get him to let Nova go.
“You sent me up the river, Dante, for what you’d done.” I took another step. “Did you think I was just going to forget about it? You showed me what you’d done to my mother. Did you think I would do nothing?” I smirked. “You were wrong.”
“I don’t care,” Dante countered back. “Who is going to believe you? You have a record. You’ve got your fingerprints on a gun. Donald will testify you broke into the house, and once I show the authorities the little display you two did in the garage, they’ll believe you were both in on a plan to steal your mother’s money.”
“It won’t work.” I took another step. “Mother is awake. She’s talking. And she’s got a lot to say. Plus, what about your own indiscretions? I’ll bet I can scare up a dozen maybe two dozen women who will testify you abused your authority. I’m sure you’ve heard about what happens to those guys in Hollywood
who just look at a starlet the wrong way. You can’t win this.” I smiled.
Nova was clawing at Dante’s hand. He was holding her nose and her mouth. If I made any sudden move, he’d probably snap her neck.
“Let her go, and you and I can handle this like men. Even if you kill me, you’ll never make it out of this hospital. You’ll be in a cage for the rest of your life.
That was when it happened. The light behind Dante’s eyes seemed to flicker as if there was a short. He began to mumble to himself, tugging Nova in one direction as she fought and scratched at his hand. I took another step closer.
Nova’s eyes were bulging as she thrashed her head, finally pulling his hand away for long enough to gasp for a breath of air. But just when I thought she was going to scream for help, she sunk her teeth into Dante’s hand.
He howled with pain. Now it was his turn to try and get her to let go of him. He released her waist just as she pulled her head back, head-butting him right smack center in the nose and sending him reeling backward. His arms swooped in circles as he tried to grab hold of the railing, his fingers just brushing past them. Before either one of us could make a move, Dante had lost his footing, his right foot landing awkwardly on half a step below him, allowing gravity to pull him over the railing.
He plummeted past two landings to what was the boiler room at the bottom, his neck snapping upon impact.
Nova gasped as she ran into my arms. It didn’t take long for several orderlies to arrive, after having heard Dante’s cry of pain when Nova bit him. The police arrived and we told them the unbelievable story that had both of us shaking our heads in disbelief it actually happened.
Finally, we were back in my mother’s room. She was asleep again. The police had gone. The hospital emergency room had settled as best an emergency room could. I held Nova in my arms as I sat next her. We were hopeful Mom would be all right. Only time would tell. That was when Nova looked at me. I couldn’t resist and kissed her lips.
“It is over, Alex?”
