Under Further Review

by Xyla Turner

  “You guys don’t understand.”

  “No, we don’t, Diamond,” Eddie confirmed. “Enlighten us.”

  “It’s not that simple, okay. I do not want to discuss him,” Diamond reiterated again.

  Right after this, a woman walked up to their booth at The Pros in five-inch heels. She did not look healthy, her eyes were bloodshot, yet she was dressed like a top model. She was a pretty woman, but her current state did not look well on her light skin or frail body.

  “You’re Diamond?” she asked.

  “Who’s asking?” Regina poked her neck out, while swiveling to her.

  “Shane’s fiancée.” She held up her hand, displaying a large rock of a ring.

  Regina gasped, while Eddie glared at the woman. Diamond was too stunned to have an emotion, but the sickly woman interrupted her thoughts and said, “We were separated for a bit and I know you were keeping him company. So, thanks for that. However, I’m back now and you’re dismissed. I don’t want to see you around and I’ll be talking with Shane more in depth on Monday when he returns.”

  Regina was out of the booth so fast, that Diamond did not even see her moving.

  “Prove it,” Regina snapped at the woman. “Prove that you’re engaged to him.”

  “What?” the woman snapped back. “How do you prove that? Do you want to see my social media stats, the ring, my tattoo of his name on my ass or pictures from our functions?”

  “Yes,” Regina replied.

  “No, that is not necessary,” Diamond chimed in, because it was not that serious.

  The woman went into her purse, pulled out a bunch of pictures from their function and him holding her smiling and looking very much in love. Shane had not mentioned her, but she had assumed that if he was pursuing someone else that he was available. He told her he was a one-woman man, but clearly this woman either was or had previously been in a relationship with him.

  “I’m not buying it,” Eddie chimed in.

  The woman said, “You don’t have to. I’m just telling you now. I know these guys have side chicks and I’ll condone it up to a certain point. However, a reporter for a side chick is bad for business. He explained it that once you were in his pocket, you’d owe him, but I’m not liking the press right now or how he is playing in LA. So, it’s my job to get to the bottom of this. That is all I wanted to say, so you have a nice evening.”

  She walked off rather gracefully with those high heels on and Regina sat down with a sad look on her face.

  “I don’t see him as a cheater,” she stated in hushed tones.

  “Yeah, I don’t buy it.”

  “Hmm, well. I got nothing.” Diamond shrugged her shoulders.

  “Call him and find out,” Regina protested.

  Diamond thought that was a good idea, so she called but there was no answer. She left a message telling him exactly what happened and when he got a chance to let her know what was going on.

  Diamond did not receive a call that day nor the next few days. Instead on Monday evening, she received a text stating that Shane Sinclair was in their offices and speaking with LeAnne. Diamond was interviewing another high school, since that had been her specialty. She was not due back in the offices until the next day.

  Shortly after, LeAnne texted her.

  Girl, I don’t know how you do it, but keep doing it, because these guys are knocking down your door, committing resources and going to bat for you.

  Diamond texted her back.

  What happened?

  LeAnne texted:

  Long story short, your man came in here, set up an exclusive interview with Larry at your suggestion. So this should get the execs off our back.

  Diamond did not respond anymore, but LeAnne continued.

  Oh he also threatened me and the station for putting you in this position

  Diamond shook her head as she went into the school. She felt as though she were on autopilot and could not focus on the task at hand. Her cameraman tapped her a few times because she was not listening to the cues. She barely made it through the taping, but finally finished and went home, grabbed a bottle of wine and curled up in the bed with music playing. It was loud enough to drown out the noise in her head, but soft enough to not have her neighbors pound on the ceiling.

  As she reflected on the day, she was glad that Shane had listened to her and had Larry do the exclusive. He was an ornery one, but he always told her the truth or his truth. However, he wasn’t deceiving like Lindsey. Trudy called while she was sipping on her wine, staring at the ceiling with enormous tears dropping from her eyelids and missing Shane. Especially now that he was back and making things right for her, even though she was being a brat and not talking to him. Then she remembered the ex, but he never called her back to confirm. There were several reasons why doubt entered her mind about this alleged fiancée. The woman seemed a little sickly and she could not imagine Shane being attracted to her bones and not getting the woman some help. There was also something a little off about what she was saying. If she was his fiancée, why wasn’t she with him? How come he hadn’t come out with her? He was also publicly with Diamond on the beach and he was not upset about the pictures of them all over the internet. She was the one that was upset. He publicly was about to pounce on a reporter for Diamond.

  Things did not add up.

  Over the next few days, Diamond managed to get out of bed, go to work, and get patted on the back for helping Larry, getting more promotion for the station and all things she had not done. Eddie and Regina wanted to go out, but she refused. She turned her phone off when she got home, because she could not fathom the thought of Shane not talking to her or abiding by her wishes. Had he put the ball in her court? She was the one that told him that she did not want to talk to him at this time, so when she wanted to talk, she was the one that needed to reach out. She was so confused, but the fact that he hadn’t called was more bothersome. Diamond thought, maybe he was engaged and realized that he was caught.

  Her house phone rang and the only person who had that number was her mom.

  “Hello?”

  “Babe, turn on WUSA. I’m watching it online, but you can get it on your station. Hurry.”

  “What?” Diamond stammered as she got up to get the remote. “What’s on there?”

  “Your future.”

  She turned on the television to see Larry and Shane sitting down talking and at the bottom of the screen it read: Exclusive and Intimate Interview with Shane Sinclair.

  “So, there has been a lot of speculation about my coworker, Diamond Reeves and your relationship with her. Is there any merit to this?”

  Shane visibly sighed and the camera panned in and focused directly on his face. A glimmer could be seen in his eyes when he said, “Diamond Reeves is one of the most caring reporters that I have known. Before I was introduced to her, the first thing she said to me was ‘I’m sorry for your loss’. Reporters and media people are always asking questions, but rarely do they ask the right one or discern what’s really going on. They have an agenda and they do not deviate from that. Diamond did and that was my first clue that she might be worth talking to. For someone to insinuate that she did something that was not above board is asinine. She’s too classy to defend herself to the media, but I will. Anyone that knows her, would know she has more honor and loyalty in her pinky finger than most men and women have in their entire beings. She refused to do this interview, because she did not want to infringe on the fact that she knows me.”

  The camera panned in on Larry who was smiling with a knowing gaze.

  “Diamond is not only a rare jewel, but a rare breed. She was a friend when I needed one at the lowest point in my life and for that I’ll be eternally grateful,” Shane finished.

  The camera panned out to include both men, then Larry replied, “Wow. I’ve had the pleasure of working with her as well and I agree with you. She’s a stand-up reporter and person. Something you rarely meet in this industry. A breath of fresh air.”

>   Shane nodded, “Yes, exactly. At the end of the day, people want to breathe easy. They want to trust, believe and have faith in others. It’s a sad thing to always have to look over your shoulder. We could all use a little bit of what she possesses.”

  “Speaking about the end of the day, I have to ask. Do you see a future with you and Diamond? You mention you are friends, but is there more?” Larry asked.

  The camera closed in on Shane’s face and without hesitation, blinking or stuttering, he responded, “If she’ll have me. I sure do.”

  Larry laughed and said, “We’ll be right back with more from Shane Sinclair as he tells all.”

  Diamond’s mouth was wide open, she was sitting on the edge of her sofa with her hands fisting the throw pillows as she gripped them with a Hulk-like force. She could not believe what she was hearing. He declared that they were in a relationship, that the ball was in her court, thus meaning she needed to make the next move.

  “Dye. Dye.” She heard someone calling her and forgot her mom was on the phone.

  Diamond quickly picked it up and said, “Sorry, Mom. I’m here.”

  “Did he just declare his love for you on national television?” Her mom seemed just as shocked as she was.

  “It was local television and it wasn’t love, Mom,” Diamond clarified.

  “Oh yes, it was honey.” She chuckled.

  Her phone started constantly vibrating as everybody she knew would start calling and texting.

  “Mom, I have to go because my phone is about to blow up.”

  “Alright honey. I hear wedding bells. Talk to you later. Love you.”

  “Love you too Mom.” Diamond hung up and started to view her messages.

  Eddie, Trudy, Regina, LeAnne, and Bridget all had called or texted her. She did not read or return any calls, because she wanted to process her own thoughts and finish watching the interview.

  Once the commercials finished, the screen displayed Larry and Shane in a widescreen shot. Larry was going through his notes while Shane was waiting patiently with his hands folded on the table.

  “And we are back with an exclusive from Shane Sinclair, the man who has a love/hate relationship with the media. So, Shane, your father passed away a few months ago and this really rocked you to the point of debating whether you wanted to continue to play at the professional level or not. Name some things that you want to continue in your father’s footsteps.”

  Shane talked about the LULA foundation and how his father used to go door to door to collect donations and visited various patients. He talked about the family’s mission to keep it running and hire a CEO to continue to do the good work his father started.

  The interview lasted for ten more minutes and then the news came on to talk more about the interview and played different segments about Shane, displaying sympathy. They even showed how Tony Wiggins shared the news of his father’s death and the news anchor’s expressing their discontent of the reporter who insinuated that Diamond slept with him to get in Shane’s good graces. They pounced on him again, stating that women sports writers, reporters and others in the industry still are discriminated against and kept away from opportunities and sexualized when they have quality skills if not superior to that of a man and there remains no major movement about it.

  That conversation continued on throughout the segment and social media continued to come up with meme’s, Kermit pictures and captions that Diamond had to shut the computer down and turn the television off. Her phone was on vibrate and her head was on spin cycle.

  The ball was in her court now and she had no idea what to do with it.

  17

  No Competition

  Shane had been back in DC since Monday evening around midnight. Some of the guys wanted to leave early and get back to their families. The coach granted it and he was one of those guys. He missed his family, but he missed Diamond to the point of distraction. She wasn’t talking to him, so he figured he’d leave her be for now, until he executed his plan. The one message he received from her did not bode well with him, because that meant that Vivian had met her and that wasn’t good. He wanted to call and smooth things over, but he realized he’d have to make a statement. One that was beyond words and more about action.

  When he finally decided to bite the bullet and do the exclusive with the guy Diamond had suggested, he made sure he spoke with him ahead of time. The man was a straight shooter, did not sugar coat things and even was a little protective of her. He asked what his intentions were with Diamond, and warned him against messing around on her. This all happened before the interview which was good because Shane knew that he respected and trusted Diamond. Shane only gave Larry the subjects he would discuss but he did not tell him what specifically to talk about. He vowed to answer any question and wanted to ensure that the charities, his father and the media were mentioned. Shane felt that the interview was good despite his dislike for reporters and the media. It was recorded two days before airing causing him to be anxious about what Diamond would think about his declaration.

  Shane was at Matt's house because his wife invited him over since she knew he was in a slump. He had played horribly in all three games yet they managed to win two out of three. They all knew he was in that state because of Diamond and they were trying to cheer him up so he went over to their house. Even Austin threatened to come back to DC to kick his ass.

  When he returned home, his doorman told him that someone was here looking for him, it was a woman, the same woman that always came. Shane thought he knew exactly who that was, bracing himself for what he was about to encounter.

  Once the elevator doors opened, Shane saw Vivian slumped over outside of his door. He immediately ran to check her vitals and to make sure she was still alive. A weak heartbeat could be felt, so he pulled out his phone to dial nine-one-one, then called the doorman to inform them that emergency units were on the way. After calling her mother, the units showed up five minutes later and rushed Vivian to the hospital. They arrived at the Naval Hospital in DC and her mother showed up shortly after with the sister coming in twenty minutes later since she lived in Maryland.

  Everyone was trying to get updates on Vivian’s status, but there was nothing but the mention of malnutrition. Shane inquired of her mother to see if she did what he asked by getting Vivian checked out by a psychologist. She said no, since she felt that Vivian was getting back on track. The back of his neck heated with red-hot anger, because the woman needed help and nobody wanted to see her get that help. More importantly, it wasn't his job and he might very well lose what he did have because these weren’t his duties.

  Around nine-thirty in the evening, Shane was sitting in the waiting area when the hairs on his arms and neck stood up as his body became alert. He turned around and saw Diamond walking in looking around, then she went to the front desk. He quickly rose and called for her. When she turned around, they both stopped, until she said, “Hey.”

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  She stuttered, “I c-came here looking for you.”

  “How did you know where to find me?”

  “Your doorman told her.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.” They stared at each other for a bit until he pulled her close in an embrace.

  Shane whispered in her ear, “I'm so glad you're here.”

  She nodded her head in response.

  “We have to talk,” he continued.

  Diamond nodded her head again, then said, “Yeah.”

  “I'm in the middle of something right now.” He waved towards the lobby. “My ex-fiancée is here and she's having a tough time right now. I'm not quite sure what to do about that because her family is not doing everything they are supposed to do to get her the help she needs.”

  “I understand that, but how much of this are you going to take on?”

  “I don't know.”

  “Well, you need to let me know.”

  “Can we discuss this later?” Shane asked, as his chest tightene
d.

  “Yes,” she replied, then walked over to the main lobby where everybody was sitting.

  He followed, then placed her hand in his, stroking the palm. Shane did not know what to say in this scenario since he was here for his ex-fiancée who was basically stalking him. However, Diamond, being the person she is was here to support him.

  “Did you see the exclusive?” he asked her.

  “I saw it.”

  “What did you think?”

  “That you guys did a great job. You and Larry.”

  “That's all you got out of it?” he asked, with one eyebrow raised.

  “No.” She kept staring ahead.

  Shane nodded, as he figured she did not want to discuss anything here and definitely not under these circumstances.

  Two hours later, the family was allowed to go in and see Vivian. They came back and asked if Shane could come back to help her calm, because she was hysterical. Diamond remained staring forward as if she didn’t want to be asked her opinion on the matter. So Shane stood up and went with them. After a half an hour, Diamond was at the door of Vivian’s room. Once he saw her, he went out to see what she needed.

  “Listen, I’m going to go home because I have to work tomorrow and it’s been a really long day,” she said with tired eyes.

  Shane pulled her into his arms and whispered, “Love, when can we talk?”

  Diamond pulled back away from him and said, “I don’t really know Shane. I just don’t…”

  Someone started screaming at the top of their lungs, causing Diamond to stop talking. Her head moved to the side, so she could see what the noise was, as Shane turned around and they both saw it was Vivian sitting up in the bed looking at both of them. Her hair was on top of her head, the robe was hanging off her shoulder and her eyes had bulged out. Her right hand was pointing at them and she was screaming. The attendants started to run towards the room in an attempt to sedate her. They didn’t the first time, because Shane was able to calm her down, but now that Diamond was present, he felt he had to choose.