Just Can't Get Enough

by Hodges, Cheris

  Where is she? he thought as he headed toward his house. Darius knew Tiffany wouldn’t be crazy enough to return to the scene of the crime. Though he couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t go to the hospital and try something there. She had to know that Celina had fingered her in the assault and she would probably try to silence her. Darius pulled out his cell phone and called the police chief to make sure someone was watching Celina’s room.

  “Chief Wayman,” the massive man said. Darius could almost see him chewing on the end of a cigar.

  “It’s Darius. Have you picked up Tiffany?”

  “Not yet. She seems to have disappeared,” the chief said. “We have a car at her house and I placed an APB out for her.”

  “Are you going to place a guard at Celina’s hospital room?”

  “Yes, Darius. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

  Darius sighed heavily, wanting to give the chief a piece of his mind, because this wouldn’t have happened if Wayman had taken him more seriously when he told him that Tiffany was stalking him. Instead, he said, “Fine.”

  “If you see her, call the police. I know you might be tempted to take the law into your own hands, but the best thing you can do is take care of Ms. Hart.”

  “I got it,” Darius said with a sigh. “Just call me if you find her.”

  “I will, Darius, now you go back to the hospital and let us find Tiffany,” the chief said, then hung up the phone.

  Before heading to the hospital, Darius took one more swing by Tiffany’s place. The police car was still there and the house was dark and still—too quiet for his taste because he knew that she was out there somewhere. He just wondered how long it would be before she made an appearance.

  Celina stretched her legs in the bed and looked out the door. Why was a police officer standing outside? Where was Darius? The pain in her back had subsided because of the medication, but the doctor didn’t want her to get out of bed yet. Pressing the button that raised the bed into an upright position, she reached over her shoulder for the phone, then stopped short of grabbing it. She needed to call her mother and tell her that she was engaged, but she didn’t want Rena to know she was in the hospital. I’ll just wait, she thought.

  A few seconds later, Darius walked into the room. “Hey, babe,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

  “How are things at the store?” she asked.

  “Don’t worry about the store,” he replied as he took a seat in the chair beside her bed. “Have the doctors said anything?”

  “Dr. Lewis was in here earlier and he said he wants me to rest my back for a few days, and then I should be able to go home. I’m pretty lucky, according to the doctor. There was no serious damage to my spine.”

  “I’m sorry about all of this,” he said. “I feel like it’s my fault that you’re in here.”

  Celina reached out and grabbed his hand. “You’re not the one who hit me with the chair. You had no idea that this woman was obsessed with you. Have they caught her yet?”

  Darius shook his head. “That’s why the officer is outside your door.”

  Fear gripped Celina. “Do they think I’m in danger?” she asked, her voice low and quiet.

  “Don’t worry about that. With me and the police here, she would be crazy to show her face around here. She’d be arrested on the spot,” Darius said.

  Though his words were meant to reassure her, they didn’t. Celina shivered inwardly as she thought about facing Tiffany in her hospital bed, where she lay totally helpless.

  Darius looked in her eyes, seemingly reading her mind. “I’m going to be right here for you,” he said. “She’s never going to hurt you again.”

  She wanted to ask how he knew that was true. Was he going to hold a vigil at her bedside twenty-four hours a day? What was going to happen when he had to go to the hardware store? The officer would have to take a break at some point and then she’d be vulnerable to another attack from that madwoman. Celina closed her eyes.

  “Do you need anything?” Darius asked as he looked at Celina. “Are you in pain?”

  She shook her head. “I’m just scared,” she whispered. “What happens if she does come here?”

  Darius kneeled beside the bed and gently stroked her hair. “You don’t have to be. Celina, I swear to God, I’m going to protect you.”

  “I know you’re going to try,” she whispered. “Maybe I should go to Columbia to recover, just until the police get her.”

  “Is that what you want to do? You don’t have to run from her,” Darius whispered.

  Celina closed her eyes and held on to Darius tightly. “I don’t want to run, but I don’t want to be afraid either. This is crazy,” she said, “I never had to deal with anything like this, even when I was in New York. This isn’t supposed to happen in Elmore; it’s supposed to be safe here.”

  “Celina, if you want to leave, we can. But you’re going to be safe, I promise you that, no matter where you are. I’m not going to let anything happen to you ever again.” Darius kissed her on the forehead and Celina felt comforted.

  “My mother can’t find out about this,” she said.

  Darius blanched. “Well, uh, I called your mother on the way over here,” he said.

  Celina’s eyes stretched to the size of quarters. “Why would you do something like that? She’s going to be on the next plane from Chicago and she doesn’t need to be here.”

  “Because my future mother-in-law would kill me if I didn’t. You’re right, though. She and John are on their way here.”

  Celina groaned, then smiled at Darius. “You did the right thing,” she said. “I just didn’t want her to worry about me. Nor do I want her hovering over me.”

  “It won’t hurt to have some extra eyes,” he said. “I know your mother will help us keep you safe.”

  Celina closed her eyes as her back began to spasm, but the pain subsided as quickly as it attacked her senses. For a moment, she wondered if everything she was going through was worth it. Her life had been turned upside down and now it seemed to be spinning out of control. She looked at Darius and flashed him a smile that didn’t fully reach her eyes. She did believe that Darius was going to protect her, but the “what ifs” nagged at her. What if he turned his back and Tiffany got to her again? He was going to do everything that he could to protect her and she had to believe that. She couldn’t let Tiffany win. Looking up at her fiancé, she realized that he would keep her safe.

  A few hours later, Rena and John burst through the door of Celina’s hospital room. “Oh my God,” Rena exclaimed.

  Celina put her finger to her lips, pointing to Darius, who was sleeping in the chair. “I look a lot worse than I feel,” she said in a hushed whisper.

  Rena sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the back of Celina’s hand. “If I find the little tramp who did this—” she said.

  Celina shook her head and looked up at John, who’s face was stoic. “You’re spending more time in the south than you ever expected, right?” Celina said.

  John chuckled. “Baby girl, I wouldn’t be any other place.” He planted a wet kiss on her forehead. “Celina, how are you, really?”

  “Guys, I’m fine and you didn’t have to rush back down here. I know this last-minute trip had to be expensive.”

  Rena rolled her eyes, not buying for a minute that she was all right. Darius sat up in the chair and looked at his future in-laws. “Hi,” he said.

  Rena smiled at him, then hugged him tightly. “I’m so glad you are here for my baby,” she said. She glanced over at Celina. “I never thought I would say this, but I believe you were safer in New York. So, what happened? This woman just broke into the house and assaulted you? Do you know her?”

  Celina glanced over at Darius. “I know her, she’s . . .”

  “A crazy woman who has been stalking me and Celina for months,” Darius said.

  “But why?” Rena asked. “I mean, before Thomas got sick, you hadn’t been here since you were eight years old. Was she a cr
azed fan that followed you from the city or something?”

  Celina closed her eyes. She knew she was going to have to tell her mother the truth. “She had a relationship with Darius,” she said.

  Rena’s mouth dropped open, then she finally came out with, “Oh, really.”

  Darius stood up so that Rena could sit down, but she stood toe-to-toe with him. “Darius, what kind of woman is this? I mean, why would she hurt Celina? Are you still seeing her or sleeping with her behind Celina’s back?”

  “No, there is nothing going on between me and Tiffany. She’s crazy,” he said. “But the police are looking for her. That’s why the guard is at the door.”

  “That settles it,” Rena snapped. “You’re going back to Chicago with us.”

  “Wait, no,” Celina said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  John placed his hand on his step-daughter’s shoulder. “Maybe you should hear your mother out,” he said quietly.

  Darius waved his hand in the air. “I can take care of Celina,” he said.

  Rena glared at him. “You’re the reason my baby is in this hospital.”

  Celina rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Can all of you just stop? I’m not some damned China doll that’s broken and needs to be put back together. I’m not going to Chicago, I’m not running from the psycho and I’m not going to blame Darius for something she did. No one else is going to do that, either,” she snapped. Despite her doctor’s warning to stay in the bed, Celina swung her legs over the side of the bed and gingerly stood up. She pushed Darius and her mother’s hands away as they tried to help her walk to the bathroom. Each step she took hurt her and the short trip to the bathroom made her feel as if she had run a marathon. Sitting in the bathroom to clear her head, she ignored the hushed whispers she heard on the other side of the door because she’d made her decision. She wasn’t running.

  CHAPTER 26

  After a week and a half in the hospital, Celina was released. The doctors were extra cautious about her bruised spine at her mother’s request—much to Celina’s dismay.

  Adding to that, on the day Celina was released, Rena announced that she and John weren’t leaving Elmore until Tiffany was carted off in handcuffs. She felt as if her mother blamed Darius for what happened and that wasn’t fair. She didn’t know what had been going on while she’d been cooped up in the hospital, but it was taking its toll on Darius.

  “You’re quiet this morning,” she said as he drove her home.

  “I’m just tired,” he replied.

  She figured that to be true because he hadn’t left her bedside for more than five minutes over the last week and a half. She didn’t see him sleeping much between taking calls about the store and calling the police to check on the status of the case.

  “You haven’t been sleeping much,” she said. “Darius, you see I’m fine. Now you’re going to have to take care of yourself.” She rubbed his cheek gently. “Heard anything from the police today?”

  Darius shook his head and yawned.

  Celina exhaled loudly. “You know what,” she began. “We have a gallery to open and I’m sick of worrying about that psycho.”

  Darius smiled. “That’s what I love about you. You have this fighting spirit, but if you think I’m going to let you start working your first day out of the hospital, you’re wrong. I’m taking you home, planting you in your bed and putting your mother on guard duty.”

  Celina pouted like a little girl. She was tired of being cooped up and she wanted to paint, draw, go look at her gallery space, or do anything else but be tied down.

  Darius continued. “Besides, your mother is already a little miffed with me and if I don’t hurry and get you home, she’s going to give me one of those talks. She speaks softly, but her words have a punch.” He visibly shuddered, then smiled.

  Celina nodded, “That’s Rena Malcolm for you,” she said. “I’m sure she’s in the house cooking a welcome home meal.”

  Darius pulled his car into Celina’s driveway. John was sitting on the porch with a glass of lemonade and a copy of the local paper. When her stepfather saw her getting out of the car, he bounced off the porch and met her at the edge of the gravel sidewalk. “Baby girl,” he said as hugged her. “How do you feel?”

  “Just a little sore.”

  He nodded then looked at Darius. “Son, why don’t you take her bags inside? Rena wants to talk to you,” John said as he walked Celina up the steps.

  “What does Mom want with Darius?” Celina asked nervously, as John helped her into one of the rocking chairs on the porch.

  “To eat some crow, as they say in the south. She knows what happened isn’t his fault, but she has been treating him like it was.” John held his stepdaughter’s hand. “This has been really hard for your mother, you know. First, your father passed, then we get a call about you being in the hospital. She reacted the way she usually does and that’s to overreact.”

  “I know, and the last thing I wanted to do was worry you two,” she said. “I didn’t even want Darius to call you.”

  “We’re parents, we’re going to worry and this wasn’t your fault or Darius’s. Life just happens sometimes and there isn’t much you can do about it. Had he not called, you know Rena would’ve hated him forever.”

  Celina leaned on John’s shoulder, fighting back tears.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw the look on her face.

  “I’m really missing my father right now,” she whispered. “I’m glad I’ve always had you in my corner.”

  John kissed her on the top of her head. “And I always will be. Celina, everything is going to be all right.”

  “I know that, but I just don’t like feeling afraid.”

  “Don’t be, then. Don’t tell your mother, but I went down to the pawn shop on Main Street and bought you a handgun. It’s in your nightstand drawer. Promise me you will take a class and learn how to use it properly.”

  “John, I don’t need a gun,” she said. “Because if I run into Tiffany again I might use it.”

  “Keep it anyway. Once she’s behind bars, throw it away or sell it. I don’t like the idea of someone thinking that they can do this to you and get away with it,” John said.

  She nodded. When Tiffany was arrested and things calmed down, she would turn the gun over to the police.

  “Come on, let’s go inside before your mother comes out here,” John said.

  When Celina and John walked in, Rena and Darius were setting the table. “I was starting to wonder if the two of you were actually going to come in and eat. Celina, why don’t you go to your room and rest? Darius will bring you a plate.”

  “Yes ma’am,” she said, then stole a glance at Darius as she walked away. Celina stopped in the hallway watching her family. Darius winked at her, then turned to Rena as she told him to get some silverware. John walked over to Rena and kissed her on the cheek.

  “You’re not being too hard on the boy are you?”

  Rena smiled. “Would I do that?” John shot her a “yeah, right” look.

  “Darius,” John said. “Why don’t you go check on Celina and let me and my wife have lunch in here.”

  Celina smiled as she watched them, then she headed up the hall to her room. There was no way she was going to let Tiffany rob her of this.

  Darius walked into the bedroom with a tray of roasted bell peppers smothered in cheese, with mushrooms, onions, and roasted tomatoes and a bowl of brown rice.

  “How are you holding up?” he asked as he put the tray on the side of the bed and sat down.

  “Maybe I should ask you that,” she said. “Why did my mother want you to come in here?”

  Darius smiled as he cut into the veggies and held the fork out to Celina. “Just enjoy your meal.”

  She pushed his hand away. “Not until you tell me what happened.”

  “She apologized for what she said at the hospital. Now, eat.”

  Celina took the fork and nibbled on the vegetables and he took her
bare feet into his hand and massaged them as she ate.

  “Why don’t you stay with me tonight?” Darius suggested.

  Celina laughed. “My mother isn’t going to like that. Even though I’m an adult and fully capable of making my own decisions, she makes me feel like a twelve-year-old whenever we’re together.”

  “We’re going to be married soon,” he said focusing his stare on Celina’s face. Her eyes were closed and she gently bit her bottom lip. Darius boldly inched up her calf, past her knee, his fingers grazing her thighs. He could tell she was suppressing a satisfied moan. Darius smiled, but stopped before he took things too far.

  Celina opened her eyes. “Why did you stop? That was the best medicine I’ve had all week.”

  Darius raised his eyebrow. “I stopped because you need to eat,” he said. Celina frowned.

  “Thanks to you, food is the last thing on my mind.” Darius stifled a laugh as Rena walked into the room.

  “Celina, are you all right? You haven’t touched your lunch.”

  “Um, I’m getting to it. I just don’t have much of an appetite,” she said then looked pointedly at Darius.

  Rena followed Celina’s gaze and shook her head. “Carry on,” she said. “Darius, do you want something to eat?”

  “No, thank you,” he replied. “I’m going to go check in at the store.” He leaned over Celina and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll see you later.” Darius headed out the door and blew a kiss at Celina as he walked outside. He knew she had a support system at home for now, but Tiffany was still at large and he hadn’t heard anything from the police. Darius got into his car and headed to the police station because someone was going to give him answers.

  The first thing he saw when he arrived was Chief Wayman heading to his car. “Chief,” Darius called out.

  Wayman dropped his head, then walked over to Darius. “I know what you want and no, we haven’t found her yet.”

  “Elmore is only so big. Celina’s out of the hospital and I don’t want Tiffany to take another run at hurting her.”