Where Promises Die: A Second Chance Romance

by R. C. Stephens

  Eisav took Ilana by the arm and led her to the living room.

  “Hey, watch it! Fuck, Eisav. Don’t kill the messenger!” Ilana complained as she was dragged to the corner of the room. She left Marie behind, but Marie knew better than to get involved.

  “We need to put this to rest fast,” he insisted releasing her arm.

  “Fuck! I like this caveman look on you,” she snickered. Eisav grumbled and she patted his shoulder. “Relax, I already spoke to Trish. We got the girl’s address. She’s in LA. Trish is going to meet with her. She’s claiming to be about five months pregnant, which is good because apparently they can do a paternity test right away.” Ilana paused and her smile grew sympathetic. “We got your back, big guy.” Ilana pouted. “If it’s any consolation … I spoke to her before you came back. I reiterated how important she was to you. How you’ve been pining for her. I also told her about the anxiety and depression,” Ilana admitted, hesitantly.

  Eisav’s eyes widened. “You did what?” He blew out a fast, exasperated breath. “Why would you do that?”

  Ilana’s face grew soft. “I’m still a woman, Eisav, if you haven’t forgot. I wanted to show her how much you need her in your life.”

  “Ilana, they’re all keeping something from me. I can feel it, and I need to know what it is.”

  “I was getting that feeling too, but Marie has been sworn to some sort of secrecy,” she conceded.

  “So there is something?” His voice drifted off.

  “Yeah, man. There’s something. We’ll figure this out. She probably had to go blow off some steam. She’s not used to the rock-star life. She’s been living a small farm life. Your big bad world is probably scaring the shit out of her. Give her time … she’ll come around.” Ilana reached in and gave him a hug. “Go change your clothes and maybe send her some meaningful text message or something.”

  He figured that was good advice. “What do I say? How can I make it better?” he asked, looking at his best friend and feeling like a lost boy.

  “Dude! You’re the world-renowned songwriter and you’re asking me?” Ilana pointed to herself and her lip quirked up on one side.

  Eisav shook his head and tried to force a smile. Then he ruffled her hair.

  Marie came into the living room, looking for her girlfriend. Ilana gave her a warm smile as Eisav approached her to ask for Grace’s number.

  “She doesn’t have a cell phone,” Marie responded.

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “I kid you not,” Marie answered, lowering her eyes.

  “Can you tell me where she would go?”

  “I’m sorry,” was her only response. She patted him on the shoulder and turned to speak with one of the guests.

  Between the rain hitting the windshield in sheets and tears blurring her eyes, Grace could hardly see out the car window. Her anxiety heightened to the point she no longer felt like she could drive, so she pulled the car off to the side of the road to focus on slow deep breaths. Why had she taken off like that? The look in his eyes told her he was telling the truth. Deep down she knew there was another reason she was running … those news articles had hit straight at her Achilles’ heel. She freaked the hell out and she needed space to think. She knew it was unfair to take off on him like that, but she had also been through so damn much that sometimes she opted for self-preservation, and she felt like space was just what she needed. Grinding her left fist, she felt a paper crinkle in her hot, sweaty hand. She was still holding the note Eisav gave her. Unravelling the paper, she began to read:

  Promise #3

  I promise to always be in your life.

  I know what you are thinking. I didn’t keep this promise. I think you’re dead wrong. You have been in my heart and in my soul since the day we met. I was thirteen you were eleven. We may have been tragically separated these past three years, but if you listen to my songs then you will know that you were always with me.

  As Grace read the last words of the letter, her heart felt heavy. She was finally going to tell him the truth. He had returned from the funeral in an oddly playful mood. It was a perfect moment for a heart-to-heart. Her grief had been washed away the moment she laid eyes on him, and he seemed so calm and happy. Maybe the funeral had finalized Isaac’s death, and he felt relief. Then BOOM! Everything blew up in smoke. She couldn’t even see straight. Her head wasn’t clear enough to discern reality. It almost felt like that faithful night they had been caught. One moment they were in blissful oblivion, the next POOF! Everything was gone in the blink of an eye. The situation only served to remind her what a roller coaster life was. How it was truly hard to ever feel safe and comfortable.

  Truth was that she had begun to feel some stability before Eisav’s return. Why should she uproot herself on the off chance she and Eisav would really work? She was now a realist and in reality people couldn’t live off love alone.

  She wanted to leave the Duncan farm and get her own place but that was as far as she could think. Shit! She was still processing the news that Isaac Duncan was her birth father. Too many things happened to her too quickly. Quiet was what she needed. Peace and quiet.

  She let out a long breath and put the car into drive headed for Greta’s ranch. Her half- sister had always been there for her through thick and thin. Greta was gracious enough to set up a room in her house for when Grace wanted to visit. Grace would have never made it through the last three years if it weren’t for Greta. She owed her.

  As the rain pelted down in fast, thick sheets, thunder crashed in the background, followed by bright strikes of lightening. It was a perfect evening for a storm, and Sade had seen its share. The strikes of lightening reminded her of the first tornado season she experienced in Sade. She had been terrified, but Eisav was there to soothe her fears like he always had been. It broke her heart that every memory of her childhood was tied to him.

  Large balls of hail began to fall from the sky, and Grace slowed her driving even more. What had she been thinking taking off on such a stormy night? It was probably a mistake to leave the Duncan farm altogether, but she needed her space.

  Hearing about Eisav impregnating another woman had shredded what was left of her aching heart. Even if it was a farce, it was still a testament to his rock-star status, and she didn’t see herself a part of that kind of lifestyle. She still couldn’t completely comprehend why he hadn’t come back for her all this time. Surely, a man of his means could have found a way.

  She pressed the breaks at a stop sign and took a long, deep breath to release the tension in her chest. She glanced up to the stormy sky. She was never a fan of driving in such terrible weather. Slowly edging her foot on the gas, her tires skidded a bit from the slippery roads before the car lurched forward. Then it all happened too fast … a hard impact, glass scattered everywhere. She felt completely winded. Worst of all, there was an enormous pain in her head and that was when everything went black.

  As Eisav stood by his bedroom window, his stomach churned with worry. He hated how Grace had taken off in this weather without a cell phone. She’d always been afraid of the storms. The few larger tornados that hit the area had rocked her to the core. She would always cling to him for dear life, though he would never complain about an opportunity to have her close.

  His hands went up to his unkempt hair as he tugged on the strands, clearly plagued by the idea of her being out there alone. He couldn’t sit still. It was late. The house was quiet. Feeling his nerves on edge, he whipped open his bedroom door and stalked across the hall to Marie’s room. He could hear Ilana laughing loudly through the door. He knocked twice.

  “Marie, open up,” he ordered. His anxiety was at its peak, and he had no time for pleasantries.

  “Would you calm down.” Marie whipped open the door ready to chide her brother, but when she took in the crest fallen look on his face, her own features slackened. “What is it?”

  “Grace is driving in this weather. I’m worried. I don’t know where she went,” Eisav responde
d, his chest growing tight with every word.

  “Relax, she probably went to Greta’s. That’s where she usually goes. Here, let me pull up her number for you,” Marie said, tugging her cell phone out of her back pocket.

  Eisav crunched his brows. “Why doesn’t Grace own a cell phone?” In this day and age everyone owned a cell phone.

  Marie looked at him blankly before passing her phone. “Call Greta. I’m sure she’s there.”

  Eisav took the phone and pressed call. It rang a few times and then his older sister’s voice came through the phone.

  “Marie, I’m a little busy I need to get the kids …” Greta began.

  “It’s not Marie, it’s Eisav,” he immediately replied, cutting her off.

  “Oh.”

  “Is Grace there? She took off about two hours ago and Marie seems to think she would come to you.” Eisav’s heart beat fast in his chest as he waited for her answer.

  “Um, no she isn’t. Oh no … that’s not good. Why would Grace do that? She hates this weather. There’s hail … the winds are insane … I can’t leave the house though. Dave had an emergency at the plant. A truck drove into a pipe causing a gas leak. He isn’t home … I can’t leave the kids.” Greta’s shaky voice was not very reassuring. He wanted to hang up on his sister and run out to look for Grace. “One second, I have another call on the line,” Greta stated before he could hang up on her. The only reason he didn’t hang up was to ask her for any tips on where Grace liked to hang out. The roads in Sade were long, dark, and mostly gravel. It could be a never-ending search if he didn’t know where to start.

  A moment later the line clicked and Eisav could hear Greta’s breath through the line. “Greta?” His nerves were on their last thread. He got no response and then a whimper. “Greta dammit. What is it?”

  “Eisav she was in an accident. She’s at Mercy Medical Center … it’s bad.” She gasped through her tears.

  “What? What the fuck? Greta!!!” Eisav felt his throat closing.

  “Eisav, we need to get to the hospital. It’s bad I’ll see you there. Dave left the truck. I’ll take the truck.”

  Now Marie was standing in Eisav’s face. “What’s going on?” she asked, pulling at the skin on her throat.

  Eisav looked to her with a watery gaze. “Grace was in an accident. I need to get to the hospital. NOW. Can I get your keys?” He looked at Marie frantically.

  “Yeah, let’s go! I’m coming with.” Marie grabbed a coat off her bed.

  “I’m coming too!” Ilana got to her feet and followed the siblings swiftly down the stairs. Eisav quickly slipped on a pair of his brother’s shoes at the door.

  “Hey, what’s the rush?” Jacob asked from his spot perched at the kitchen table.

  “Grace was in an accident,” Marie explained.

  Eisav was in no mood to look at his brother. He was still pissed off Jacob had given her his keys in the first place.

  “What? Is it bad? I’m coming,” Jacob murmured, following them out the door.

  The rain pounded them as they made their way to Marie’s small sedan. Eisav got in the driver’s seat, and everyone entered the car quickly. Eisav turned over the engine and hit the gas like a bat out of hell.

  “Eisav we need to get there in one piece,” Ilana reminded him. She was the only one not afraid of him.

  Eisav glared at her from the rearview mirror but didn’t say a word.

  “What happened? Did Greta have any information?” Marie asked from the backseat.

  Jacob sat quietly beside his brother in the front seat. He knew better than to breathe a word in this situation.

  Eisav couldn’t think. He could barely breathe. He needed to know Grace was okay. Adrenaline was pumping so hard through his system he couldn’t help but floor the gas pedal all the way to Des Moines. It was reckless, but he’d lost all clarity. Until he could speak with Grace, he wouldn’t be able to calm the fuck down.

  It took a good twenty minutes of nail-biting silence to make it to the hospital. He didn’t even bother with parking. He just pulled up to the emergency doors and whipped open his car door before running inside. He’d been drenched from the brief moment of running from the house to the car. Soaking wet, he ran up to the nurse’s desk.

  “Grace Roberts. She was in an accident,” he said breathlessly as his heart beat so fast he feared it may explode.

  An older nurse with dark hair and glasses sitting low on her nose sat perched behind her desk staring at a computer. She lifted her gaze and stared back sympathetically. She quickly typed something and pointed to the screen, “Says right here that Greta Thompson is her next of kin.” She waited expectantly. Eisav’s heart began to slow down almost completely. He thought he might faint or die. What was this nurse saying?

  “I’m her … brother,” he quipped, realizing that if he said husband then the nurse would wonder why he wasn’t her next of kin.

  The sliding doors opened behind them, forcing wind and rain into the lobby. “I’m here. I’m here,” Greta repeated, entering the hospital, panting while holding the hand of two boys and one girl. “No babysitter. Had to bring them with me.” She paused and looked to the nurse. “I’m Greta Thompson. Please tell me is my sister okay?” she asked as tears streamed down her face. Her dark hair was wet and her blouse and skirt stuck to her body.

  Eisav was losing his patience fast.

  “Can you please tell us what is going on?” he snapped and pounded his fist on the counter. That bought him a glare from the nurse.

  “Cody, Cain, Bridgette. You come sit here with me.” Marie came up to the kids and guided them away from the scene Eisav was making. They took a seat beside her.

  “Yes, Grace Roberts. She had a bad accident over on 72nd, brought in by ambulance … I will call the doctor to speak with you.” The nurse stood up.

  “Wait, stop,” Eisav ordered clenching his jaw. “Is she alive?” The words burned as they came up his throat.

  “Yes,” the nurse snapped at him. “You know what? You two come with me. I’ll take you to the doctor.”

  A look passed between Eisav and Greta, then they followed the nurse. She was unprofessional and moody and this was not the time. Couldn’t she see how worried they were?

  They passed through two electronic doors, and as Eisav took in the sterile smell of the hospital, he thought he was going to be sick. How did this happen? One minute things were looking up, the next they were down.

  “Wait here.” The nurse said, stopping in front of another nurse’s station.

  The nurse turned toward a woman sitting behind a computer, who began typing away at a rapid pace.

  Eisav was so impatient that he walked over to the woman behind the computer.

  She looked up to Eisav with a sad smile. “She’s in surgery. Dr. Baker is operating. I’ll get him to come give you an update as soon as he can. Please take a seat over there by the red arrow, and I’ll notify him that you’re waiting.”

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Eisav pleaded with the woman.

  “Ms. Roberts was brought in, in critical condition about an hour ago. That’s all I have right now. I’m sorry,” the woman responded quietly.

  Greta turned to her brother and broke into a fit of tears, pressing her cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as tears slowly slid down his own cheeks. She needed him to hold her up, but he could barely hold himself up.

  They walked over to the seats that the woman directed them to, and they both sat down next to each other. Eisav’s head fell between his legs as tears racked his body. This was his fault. His life had sent her running. Ilana warned him to come with her so she could update him privately on the ‘baby daddy’ debacle, but he wanted to show Grace she could be involved in every aspect of his life. That news about a baby that wasn’t even his sent her running. She was fragile and he didn’t see it. Now she was in surgery, in critical condition. He felt crazy as he thought of this world without Grace in it. He would do anything to just
change positions with her or go back in time and not let her run away. She looked like she needed her space, but if he had stopped her and not let her go, then they wouldn’t have been here right now. If only he had been braver or more willing to somehow break her free of everything Duncan then maybe things would have already been worked out and again they would not be here in this moment, suffering and dreading she won’t make it. He had so much regret that his body felt like it weighed too much for him to carry.

  Greta placed a hand on his back and tried to soothe him but nothing was working.

  Eisav picked his head up for a moment to look at his sister. “I can’t lose her, Greta.”

  Just exactly as the two main doors to the emergency section opened, two young boys came barreling through.

  The one with the blond hair was screaming, “Momma, I want my momma.” Another young boy who looked the exact same age came running after him. The blond boy rushed into Greta’s arms while the dark-haired boy stood quietly with his finger in his mouth, looking lost.

  “Sorry, they wanted you.” Marie shrugged. “I better wait outside. They said only two visitors at a time in here.” Marie walked back out the doors.

  “It’s okay, Cody. I’m right here.” Greta patted her son’s head. “Come Cain, you can sit on my lap too.” The dark-haired boy moved slowly toward Greta, and she gave him a hand to help him up on her lap.

  Eisav’s mind was a little too blurry to take in their interaction. He could only focus on one thing: Grace. When he finally lifted his head, he turned to look at the boys on Greta’s lap.

  “For twins you look nothing alike,” he said, trying to force a smile.

  “We aren’t twins,” the dark-haired boy responded.

  “Oh? You look the same age,” Eisav responded, wishing he was meeting these kids under different circumstances and not when he felt like he was going to crawl out of his own skin. As worry racked through him, he shot up from his chair and began pacing.