The Unexpected Life of Carnegie Lane

by Virginia Higgins

  Then he was gone, and she was alone. She picked up her story and read the first chapter. The part where a girl called Taylor dies in the arms of a boy called Seth, just as he makes her a promise to never let her go.

  Jason was at Kats, alone and feeling a little guilty for putting his foot in his mouth. It was a common occurrence with him. He really did mean well, underneath his clumsy personality. He picked up the phone and called Lilli. She wanted an update anyway.

  “Well, what’s she like?” Was the first thing she asked.

  “Identically older than she was.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Very. She’s nice, seemed a little shy, but that might be my fault.”

  “Why? What did you do?”

  “Well, I might have accidently told her.”

  “Told her what?”

  “How much she looked like Taylor.”

  “Oh god Jase you didn’t?”

  “Well, I did, but I didn’t realize she didn’t know.”

  “What did Nate do?”

  “He wasn’t there, he was getting drinks with Kat. When they came back the conversation sort of went in a different direction.”

  “You know, I get the feeling that there is more to this than we can even begin to understand.”

  “Yeah it’s spooky in a way. She even has that one eyebrow thing.”

  “Oh don’t. As long as Nate doesn’t identify three different smiles, we’ll be ok.”

  “Yeah I agree. But it seems to be going better than it was. At the very least, I doubt she is a serial killer or anything.”

  “Well, dir… That’s clear and obvious. She’s just a mother who fell into this, I pity her in a million ways.”

  “Well, hey, have you read her book? That’s going to the top of the charts I’ll put money on it.”

  “Yeah, how good is it and how close…is it.”

  “All of the above.”

  “So, Nate’s fine, Kat’s fine and Carnegie is freaky fine.”

  “That’s what I called to tell you Lills.”

  “Then keep me posted, and whatever you do, don’t say anything about her looking like Taylor in front of Nate.”

  “I won’t. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”

  “Alright Jase. Be good.”

  “Always am!”

  He put down the phone and looked around for something to do, then looked back at the dissected toaster he had been working on for a week. There was really nothing wrong with it in the first place. Now it was completely dead. Jase picked up the parts and put them in the bin, then left to go buy a new one. Hopefully Kat wouldn’t notice.

  Carnegie eventually got over her line of thinking. Besides, wasn’t Nate just as much a replacement for her, as she possibly was for him? Love gets lost, and once it’s gone, the way it leaves becomes irrelevant. Either way, your heart still breaks and remains that way until someone else comes along, and replaces that loss.

  She decided to call Kat and catch up for lunch, then she walked out of the hotel, ignoring the photographers that were beginning to gather. They weren’t there just for her but for Sheeva’s Disciples as well, since they were about to arrive at any moment. She walked to the hair salon that had the ability to perform miracles she didn’t believe possible, and was sat right down, then and there. Today was going to be a good day. She promised herself that.

  Katalie and Ross were going over the photographs, commenting on how good they were. One thing they agreed on, was Carnegie Lane came up alright with a scrub. Her interviews were booked, the book release venue was organized and tomorrow, the first of the bound hardcover copies of “Impossible Things” would be delivered to the office. Kat sighed in relief. As difficult, both personally and professionally as this had been, she was nearly there. Nothing could destroy that launch now... Nothing.

  Nate finished his magazine interview and was heading back to the hotel to catch up with the rest of the band. He stopped off at a store on the way back and bought Carnegie a gift. He would wait till after the concert to give it to her. He wanted it to be special.

  So as minutes do, they became hours. As long as they seem to take when they are coming, once they are gone they form a memory that is fleeting. A split second can change your life, one way or another. No wonder Carnegie Lane was fascinated by time.

  Leonie made arrangements to pick up Carnegie at 8pm. She had said really didn’t want to hang around for a sound check. She wanted to take a bath, and spend some time getting ready. This time, when she turned up, she wanted Nate to notice the extra effort. She made it in the door, just as the band began to play. The venue was different, and it changed the tone a little. Sound was something else that fascinated her, she understood the dynamics of bands who sounded better at a certain venue, simply because of the acoustics. All of them she knew had individual favorites. This place was perfect, and with the lights hitting his face as he sang, so was Nate. She stayed till the end, up the front with everyone else. Appreciating the fact that she was noticed, that she mattered, and she didn’t need to fight for the attention from the lead singer in a band. She had it all, and then some.

  Nate Bowman performed his acoustic set, and sang songs just for her, she knew it. He smiled at her from time to time, and some of those in the crowd that stood near her recognized who she was. It felt to her like the world that had fought against her for so long, was suddenly turning full circle.

  At the end of the night, after the fans had their autographs, they walked out, the same way she walked in. Through the front door. No one expected the crowd that remained and no one anticipated the amount of cameras that would be there. Least of all headed by Richard Toll himself, who was the last person Nate wanted to sight. If Carnegie thought pushing a cameraman over in the street was an aggressive move, it had nothing on what Nate was capable of.

  “Nate…walk away.” Famous last words, Katalie gently had his arm that had stiffened into a brick wall.

  “I’m going to kill him.”

  “Just turn away…Let’s go.”

  “Hey Nate, can you give us a statement about your trashy girlfriend? Have you had her tested yet?” Richard was trying to incite this. Leonie knew it, and so did the boys in the band. They tried to form a barrier between the two of them, and even though it looked like it worked, it was far from over. Nate turned as if to walk away, cameras flashing all the time, and people screaming his name. Then he turned back quickly and broke through his human shield and planted his fist, right in Richards face. Blood splattered over lenses, and even over himself, but he didn’t care. No one would ever hurt Carnegie again, not if he was there to protect her.

  Yet in his anger, he forgot that there were more cameras here than she had ever seen. The only protection she needed was someone to hold her hand, and lead her through the madness. The flashes, they hit her in the eyes, leaving her blinded by the artificial light. Reporters screamed her name, and asked her questions. The onslaught continued, so did the fight. She was lost in a crowd, and could hear him yelling. She tried to get back to him. She weaved her way, all the time pushed and shoved and blinded…continually blinded by the flashes as they caught her off guard. There were lights all around her and she moved out slowly to the edge of the group, it was panic that caused her to run. She saw someone, just fleetingly in front of her, it looked like the girl who wore the cheerleading outfit, the one that told her in her dreams to write things down, who had assured her everything was ok. Then more lights, more flashes, yet these lights were different. These lights moved closer and closer. By the time her vision returned enough to see them for what they were, it was too late.

  The sickening sound of tires screeching and her heart beating so hard she thought it would pound right out of her chest was her last conscious memory. Someone screamed her name. She felt pain, then nothing….there was nothing…only darkness. Not even the blinding light from a camera remained. She thought she heard voices, but they were distant. Then that voice, she knew that voice… she fol
lowed it trying to get back there. Someone broke her path when they screamed out to get an ambulance.

  “Carnegie…don’t leave me. I won’t let you. I can’t let you go.”

  She thought she answered him. “I’m sorry, Nate I’m so sorry.”

  “Carnegie… Oh god not again. Not again!”

  “I’m here…Listen to me Nate…I’m here…”

  “Don’t let go just hold on. SOMEONE GET A FUCKING AMBULANCE!” He screamed at the crowd who looked like they were watching a scene from a movie, none of them moving, and none that he could see, making any calls for help.

  Nate had her cradled in his arms, rocking her gently. She was motionless but still breathing. Jason remained frozen, as if he was watching history repeat itself. A few of the cameramen continued to take pictures until someone else turned around and pushed them out of the way. The crowd was still silent. Katalie was frozen to the spot, and Ross gently took her hand for support.

  What had begun as a perfect night was lost, and for what? A few photos? ‘Because fame causes fortune and fortune causes nightmares.’ Leonie had been right and now, because of those pictures and the need for a story at all cost, they were all about to live one all over again.

  Carnegie Lane, mother of four, idol to inanimate objects, and almost author was suddenly and unexpectedly...fighting for her life.

  To buy the truth

  And sell a lie

  The last mistake before you die

  So don’t forget to breathe tonight

  Tonight’s the last, so say goodbye

  The secret is out

  “A Modern Myth”

  Written by Jared Leto

  30 Seconds to Mars – A beautiful lie Album 2005

  Re-released in 2007

  18

  The doors to the emergency room at the hospital exploded open and Carnegie was wheeled in by three medics, with Nate right alongside them.

  “Come on Carnegie…open your eyes. It’s OK. I’m right here. Just hold on.”

  “Excuse me Mr Bowman, you can’t come in, you have to stay here, I’ll take you to a room, away from the public waiting areas….I’m sorry.” The nurse was sincere as she grabbed his arm and gently moved him away from her. Whatever had to be done, had to happen without him there. He felt defeated as he went to wait in the room offered by the staff. His phone rang and he picked it up.

  “Hey…” He said, almost with a tone of injury. He had nothing to add, he was lost for words.

  “Babe, it’s Kat, we are on our way now. Are you OK?”

  “Yeah… I’m fine.”

  “And Carnegie?” She asked with a wince.

  “They took her into an operating room. I’m in a waiting room somewhere, just…just ask for me when you get here. Oh my god…the kids…I need to call the kids.”

  “Nate, just wait a bit, see what the doctors come back with.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “I’ll be there soon.”

  Katalie hung up and looked at Ross who was driving as fast as he could.

  “He’s a mess, Carnegie is in the operating theatre now.”

  “Did you tell him about Richard Toll?”

  “No time or point right now, him knowing he’s been arrested isn’t going to help either of them. Nate’s worried about the kids.”

  “We will sort something out, right now, whatever you do Kat, just stop thinking.”

  “Good plan.”

  They kept driving through the traffic, with the radio on low, Kat thought she heard a report, so she turned it up.

  “Unofficial reports of an accident outside of the concert venue involving Nate Bowman’s controversial girlfriend Carnegie Lane having been hit by a car has started to filter out through twitter and other social networking sites. The area has been cordoned off by police and we will keep you updated on official statements when they come to hand…Now…back to other news…”

  “We might have to tell the family sooner rather than later Ross, we can’t let those kids hear this from a media report.”

  “I agree.”

  They arrived at the hospital and were taken to Nate, Leonie was already with him, the rest of the band were at the police station submitting statements. Kat ran to him and threw her arms around him.

  “Oh Kat. I can’t do this. Not again…not again.”

  “She’s a strong one Nate, she will pull through this.”

  “I’ve been down this road before, it’s like a curse.”

  That was when Jason walked in the room, almost unnoticed until he started speaking.

  “It’s not the same Nate. Carnegie isn’t dead, she made it this far. Taylor died in your arms on the side of the road.” He didn’t flinch when he said that, his tone remained even. Strangely it seemed to calm Nate down a little.

  Leonie looked at Nate then to Kat as if asking for an update. Kat just whispered, “Later” and she nodded.

  “Taylor…my beautiful, beautiful Taylor. Where are you now?” Was all he said, before he turned and walked out of the room leaving silence in his wake. Leonie went to go after him.

  “Leonie, don’t. He needs to think about this. I know it’s hard, but he has to see it for what it is, and importantly, who it is.” Jason had sort of taken over the situation. As if he knew exactly what to do. “I called Lilli, she is getting the next flight over.”

  “Do you think that’s necessary?” Katalie asked. Not that she minded, it had been ages since she last saw her sister.

  “It was Lilli that saved him last time, and if it ends up the same, it will be Lilli that saves him again. We told you Kat, there is more to this than coincidence in our opinion. What he needs to do now, is establish that the girl in there who is alive, and not dead isn’t Taylor, it’s Carnegie. He needs to give her the attention, and not the wounded memory of a girl who died years ago.”

  “I just want them both to be OK.” She walked out of the room, and down towards the entrance.

  She could see Nate, sitting on a table out the back of the hospital, in the walking area, he was smoking a cigarette, something she hadn’t seen him do for years. Carefully she went to him, not wanting to interrupt anything private, like crying. He saw her and wiped the tears from his eyes.

  “Oh…Kat.” He stuttered out, trying to get himself together. Big brothers didn’t cry.

  Katalie put her arms around him. “It’s going to be alright Nate.”

  “Ah, you know, we stand here absolutely unable to be defended for the way we behaved Kat, both of us, we could have handled this better. We pulled her in so many different directions. We fought as if she was an object, I wanted her, you wanted her, and we didn’t even see there was room for both or even what was best for her. Neither of us were really there for her through the media pressure, we didn’t even think to tell her to look above the flashes, save her eyes from the blindness. All I had to do was hold her hand and walk away, then this would never have happened.”

  “Don’t blame yourself. That’s not going to help her.”

  “Fucking Richard Toll.”

  “He got arrested. The police got him out the front of the venue for inciting violence.”

  “I hit him first. I suppose they’ll be after me next.”

  “I get the feeling, not this time. You are going to have to call the kids though, there was an unofficial news feed when we were driving here.”

  “Yep, I figured it wouldn’t take long. I’ll call them in three hours, it will be 7am there then. Hopefully they don’t listen to the radio any earlier than that.”

  “Well I’m going back in there now Nate. I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Kat, you know I do. I’ll come back in, I want to be there if she wakes up. ” He kissed her on the cheek and grabbed her hand.

  The doctors seemed to take forever, but in fact, it was less than one hour when they came in to talk to everyone. They didn’t exactly come in smiling.

  “She’s taken a blow to the head.
Two ribs are broken, she’s fractured her left leg. The broken bones we can fix, how much damage she has sustained to the brain, we can’t fix, and we also won’t know until she wakes up if there is any permanent damage at all.”

  “How long till you expect to see some change?” Ross spoke up, having had a little bit of experience with head trauma in the past.

  “We are hoping to see some kind of response within the next few days. Any longer than 10 days, we will have to reassess then. Now it’s not all doom and gloom, her brain is being monitored and there’s wave patterns there, she’s aware of something. We’re moving her into the ICU now, and visitors have to be restricted, just keep it to immediate family.”

  “Thanks doctor. I’m not leaving her, I am staying here until she wakes up.”

  “Mr Bowman, the room only has one bed set up.”

  “I don’t care, I’ll sleep on the floor, I don’t care what it costs, give her the best care possible. Do you understand? Money is no object here.”

  “I’ll…talk to the staff, we’ll sort something out.”

  Leonie looked at him cautiously, “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  “It’s the only idea that makes sense. Cancel my concerts, I’m not leaving her side, until she’s better.”

  “Ok, so the next three months?”

  “Indefinitely Leonie, however long it takes.”

  Leonie got up and walked out of the room. She began calling the rest of the band who were understanding. They’d already figured Nate would cancel everything and in a way, were relieved that the schedule now included an extended break. They hadn’t had one for over two years.

  At 7 am, Australia time, the phone rang at the home of Carnegie Lane, Sienna picked it up.

  “Nate, when’s mummy coming home. I miss her.”

  “Soon baby, I promise, now is your daddy there? I need to talk to him.”

  “Yep, I’ll go get him for you. I miss you too Nate.”

  “I miss you too Sienna, I’ll see you soon little Princess.”

  “I hope so… DAD ITS FOR YOU.” She screamed right in Nate’s ear. Lucky he was used to screaming.