“Lauran, thank god.” Brad picked up the phone. From the other end, all he heard was noise and sobbing. “Lauran? What is it? What’s going on?”
“Brad,” Lauran’s voice came through the line. “Brad, it’s Lauran.”
“Lauran, I know. What’s going on? Where’s Stella? Let me talk to Stella.”
“Brad, it’s about Stella. She…” A pause, more sobbing. “Brad, she…”
“What, damn it? What happened to Stella?” He was on his feet. What was Lauran trying to say? He just wanted to know where Stella was—and why Lauran was sobbing.
“She was shot,” Lauran whispered into the phone.
******
It took most of the trip to Chicago for Brad to figure out what had happened. He knew that Stella had been shot by a fan who had encountered her crossing the hotel lobby to another event. She’d been shot once in the abdomen. She’d been taken immediately for surgery. That was as much as he could learn.
A Chicago police officer was waiting for him at baggage claim when the plane landed at O’Hare.
“Mr. Wyatt.” He nodded solemnly. Brad immediately wondered if this was the part where the officer told him he was a widow. Would he hear it right here in the airport? In front of all these people?
“How’s my wife?” Brad demanded.
“She’s out of surgery, and that’s really as much as I know.” The officer led him outside to a waiting police car. He motioned Brad to the front seat and got in beside him.
Brad spent the cross town trip grumbling, cursing Chicago traffic and trying to find more information online. He found a couple of Stella blogs that had witness accounts on them. Apparently the young gunman had called to Stella as she was crossing the lobby. Stella had turned to wave and that’s when he’d fired. He didn’t think they’d ever arrive at the hospital. When they finally did, Brad stormed inside.
“Mr. Wyatt! I’m so glad you’re here!” A nervous-looking, middle-aged man in glasses and a black t-shirt met him at the hospital lobby.
“Are you a doctor?” Brad asked him.
“Well, no, but—”
“Then I don’t give a damn about you.” Brad pushed passed him through the halls to the intensive care unit.
“No, really, we need to talk. I’m Dan Rogers. I’m the head of the convention.” That did it. Brad spun around. He grabbed the man by his shirt, slamming him against the nearest wall.
“What the HELL were you thinking?” he screamed into the man’s face. “Where was her security?”
“They were right there,” Dan Rogers was frantically trying to explain. “I swear; they were with her. I’m just as horrified about this as you.”
“I doubt that,” Brad growled. He was conscious of the police officer tugging on his arm.
“Mr. Wyatt, this isn’t helping your wife.” He was pulling him back. “Come on.”
“Fine.” Brad let go of the much smaller man. He turned, following the officer down the hallway. A doctor in a white lab coat and a set of green scrubs was coming towards them.
“Mr. Wyatt?” Brad nodded. He was too angry and scared to be polite right now. “I’m Dr. Garcia. Why don’t you come with me? We’ll discuss your wife’s condition.”
Brad followed the doctor into a smaller room. It had a table and chairs and a sofa. The doctor sat down at the table. Brad followed suit. At least they hadn’t taken him to the chapel. He’d always heard that’s where people ended up when their loved one had already passed.
“How is she?” Brad asked. “I hardly know anything. I need to know how she is.”
“Your wife came through the surgery with no issues,” Dr. Garcia told him. Brad sighed in relief.
“Thank god.” He closed his eyes. “So she’ll be ok?”
“She’s going to be fine. But there was one complication.”
“What was it?” Brad looked up. He could live with any complication. He just wanted to know that Stella was going to be ok.
“There was some internal damage.”
“Oh?”
“It was contained to her reproductive organs.” No. Brad bit his tongue. If he was about to be told Stella couldn’t have children, he didn’t know what he’d do.
“She wants children.” Brad murmured. “Please, don’t tell me…”
“We did have to remove one of her ovaries. Now, it’s not impossible for her to get pregnant, but it may be more difficult.” Brad let out a slow breath.
“But there’s hope?
“There’s hope.” Dr. Garcia assured him. “And with medical advances today, anything could happen. Just be prepared to discuss it with her.”
“Can I see her?” He just needed to know that Stella was alive and safe.
“Sure.” Dr. Garcia got up. Down the hall, they slipped through a set of double doors. He motioned Brad to one of the corner rooms. It wasn’t that Brad needed it.; there were two armed police officers standing on either side of the door. Brad muttered a quick thank you to Dr. Garcia before slipping inside.
Stella lay covered with white sheets. Her dark hair stood out in stunning contrast. Brad let out a soft gasp. She was always so full of life. He had never dreamed he would see her so helpless.
He brought a chair to her bedside. There were too many IVs. The oxygen across her pretty face made him even more nervous.
“Stella.” He gently took one hand. “I’m right here, baby.” Stella’s head turned slightly. Her eyes opened, looking up at him.
“Bra...d.”
“Hey, baby.” He kissed her hand. “I’m here. It’s ok.” He squeezed her hand. “My god, Stella, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t take it seriously. I should have. I should have taken everything seriously. I’ve been such an ass.”
Stella’s eyes closed, but her fingers tightened just slightly on his. She was going to be ok. They were going to be ok. He would take care of everything.
******
Hours later, Stella was settled back to sleep. She was pale and weak, but her vitals were good. Brad was confident, as were her doctors.
Brad stepped outside of the hospital to make a phone call. Well, two. He felt like these two people were the only ones he called anymore.
“Brad?” Melissa sounded surprised to hear from him. “I’m so sorry. How’s Stella?”
“She’ll be fine.” Brad told her. “I wanted you to know that I told her about Jason.”
“You what? Now?”
“No. Before she left for Chicago.” Melissa was silent for a moment.
“Oh my…”
“Yeah, that’s the position you put me in.” Brad didn’t want to take this out on Melissa. “But that’s not why I’m calling. Now that everything is out in the open, I want to start spending more time with Jason. Obviously, I need to get Stella home and well, but I can split my time between the two.”
Melissa remained silent for a moment longer. Brad hoped he hadn’t just opened the door to another fight.
“Yeah, I mean, of course. You should. And he should know Stella too.” Melissa sighed. “Brad, I swear, I like Stella. I never wanted to hurt you two…I just wanted you to—”
“Melissa, I really don’t have the time for this right now.” Brad rubbed his forehead. “I wanted you to know where we are, and where things are going. I’ll check in with you in a couple of days. Let me know if Jason is ok or needs anything.”
“Ok. Thanks, Brad.”
“Of course.” Brad hung up. He had another call to make, and this one he was really regretting.
“Brad, my god.” Steve answered as soon as he picked up the phone. “How’s Stella?” Steve and Stella had always gotten along well. They’d had a great relationship for in-laws.
“She’s going to be fine.” Brad assured him. “Look, Steve, I’ve been an ass. Not just to you, but to everyone.”
“That’s for sure., Steve muttered.
“I’m sorry, ok? I owe you an apology, I owe a lot of people apologies. Can you forgive me?”
“Th
at depends,” Steve answered immediately. “What happens to the company? What about Dad’s will?”
“I’ll split it with you. Fifty/fifty.” Brad waited. He thought that was the right solution, but he needed to know for sure.
“If you’re finally going to do the right thing, I think I can forgive you.” Brad could almost hear the smile in Steve’s voice. He let out a breath of relief. He was not going down as the most respectable man in the world, but this was better. He could be a better man, for his entire family.
One year later:
Jason crawled from Brad’s lap over to Stella’s. Stella smiled, slipping her arms around the little boy.
“You want anything?” Brad asked, now that his lap was finally free.
“No, I’m fine.” She settled Jason on her lap. Jason put his hand on Stella’s round belly.
“Baby.” Stella nodded.
“That’s right. That’s your baby brother or sister.”
She was six months pregnant. They had conceived quickly, but it had become a nerve wracking pregnancy. Stella had more pain from the gunshot scars. She was finally feeling better, but Brad flinched every time she indicated pain. She’d refused to go back to acting. The show was on a permanent hiatus.
“You’re good with him.” Brad leaned into her. Stella shifted the little boy.
“Well, he’s a good kid.” She kissed Jason’s cheek. “I thought maybe we’d name a boy after your brother. Steven?”
“I like it.” Brad reached out, running his fingers through Jason’s hair. “Bud, are you going to go into business with your brother or sister some day?”
“No.” Jason squirmed. “I’m gonna be a fireman.”
“He’s going to be a fireman.” Brad nodded. “Smart boy.”
“Oh, you’ve done well now that you’ve made amends with yours.” Stella leaned up to kiss Brad’s cheek.
“I try.” Brad tilted Jason’s face to him. “You know what, bud?”
“What?” Jason looked up.
“Don’t ever work with family.” Brad flicked his finger against his son’s nose. “And don’t ever be an actor.”
*****
THE END
Gone Rogue
Chapter 1
Grace hummed as she balanced the tray of plates and made her way to the table. The family smiled up at her as she called out the names of the dishes and placed them expertly on the table.
“Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
“No thank you,” the group chorused. Grace hurried away from the table and went to attend to her others. She discreetly glanced at her watch. Twenty minutes. She only had twenty minutes left on her shift, then she would go see Dylan.
Grace smiled as she thought of Dylan. They had been together “officially” almost two years. Grace, however, had liked him, and they had been flirting back in high school. For the last five years of her life, Grace had thought of no one except Dylan. As their anniversary crept up, Grace wondered if Dylan would do anything special for them. That summer had been pretty special, and Grace couldn’t wait until her last day of work in two days. That’s when she would be going back with Dylan to college. He had gotten an apartment just for the two of them. She would find a job while he finished his last year of college. Then, Grace allowed herself to dream, then perhaps they would get married.
“Grace!” Her manager called in an angry voice.
Grace whirled around, at attention. “Yes sir?”
“That’s the third time I had to call you,” he said, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “Can you pay attention for once on your shift?” Grace looked at the ground, waiting for her manager to finish whatever he had to say. “Table fourteen has been trying to get your attention, and you have walked past them three times now without seeing what they need. I don’t need your slack attitude reflecting on this restaurant. Do you hear me?”
Grace demurely nodded, eyes still glued on the ground.
“Now, get to it!” Her manager snapped. Grace turned and approached table fourteen to see what they needed. After getting several drink refills, Grace felt exhausted. She wanted to continue her daydream about Dylan and what fun they would have that night. While they usually didn’t go “out” when they had dates, their dates were just as fun in his bedroom at his parents’ house where he was staying for the summer. They would watch movies or do. . .other things. Grace took a deep breath and bit her lip to keep the smile from covering her face completely.
Then, conscious of her job, Grace scanned the tables again and got two tables their checks. Just as she was done scanning the credit card from the second table, Grace looked up and saw Dylan coming toward her. A smile broke out on her face, and she waved at him. He nodded at her, but his face was serious. When he reached Grace, she had gathered both of the tables’ accounts, ready to return them.
“Hey, Dylan!” Grace said, reaching up to give him a quick brush on the lips. “I really need to finish up with these two tables. Give me about five minutes, then I’ll be ready to go. You can just hang out right here. That’d be perfect.”
“Actually, we need to talk right now,” Dylan’s words were slow and calculated, and Grace’s mind filled with possibilities. Had something happened between Dylan and his parents? Dylan’s relationship with them had been a little rocky all summer.
“It’ll seriously be like two minutes, baby. I just need to take these accounts to the tables. That’ll be my last thing. Seriously.” Grace didn’t like the storm clouds building on his face.
Dylan shook his head. “Are you deaf? I said I need to talk to you right now, and I meant right now!” Dylan’s voice was definitely above normal level, and Grace felt the need to placate him. He had only been this angry a few times, and Grace found it best to just listen and agree with whatever he said.
“Okay, baby, let’s talk. What’s wrong?” Grace’s voice was far below Dylan’s. She set the two checks on the counter and turned to give her full attention to Dylan. What did it matter if the checks took a few extra minutes?
“What’s wrong is you,” Dylan shook his head. “I thought you were cute, and I was right, you’re good to look at. I don’t mind having sex with you either.”
Grace’s jaw dropped open, and she looked around to see if anyone was listening. “Baby. Let’s take this outside.” She had a sick feeling about what he was trying to say, but she certainly did not want everyone in the restaurant to witness her embarrassment. The crude way he was speaking to her made Grace want to melt into the floor.
“No!” Dylan shouted, causing several faces to turn their way. “I said I want to talk right here, right now. Now shut up and listen!”
He was getting in her face, and Grace could look only at the floor. She took deep breaths to keep from crying. The tears pooled anyway.
“Truth is,” Dylan continued in a sarcastic voice, “you’ve just gotten too boring. Same old same old. Other than being boring in bed, you’re just not good enough for me. I have places to go, and I can’t have you hanging on me.”
“Dy-Dylan,” Grace said, the guests’ checks forgotten. “Please, let’s just sit down and talk. I just, I can finish my shift, and we can go to your parents’ place. We can talk.”
“I don’t have anything to say,” Dylan shrugged, looking out through the restaurant as though there were many things more interesting than the conversation he was having at that moment. “Besides, I’m heading out. I’ve got my car packed, and I’m going back to college.”
“But-what?” Grace looked up, able to make eye contact with Dylan for those brief seconds.
He shrugged again like her feelings were the least of his concern.
“I thought we weren’t going for a few more days. I have only two more days on the job. Most of my things are packed- “
“I don’t want you to come,” Dylan said. “I never really did. You insisted, and I just didn’t feel like saying anything. Now, reality has caught up to you and your little daydreams.”
“
But-we, I. . .” Grace really didn’t know what to say. She was trying to keep her tears back, but she wasn’t sure if that was possible. “Dylan. . .” Suddenly, she couldn’t control her tears anymore. They started streaming out. “Please.” Her voice sounded pitiful even to her.
“I don’t have anything else to say, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to hit the road so I can get to my apartment in time to have some fun.”
Grace didn’t even want to think about the implications of his statement. Instead, she turned away and buried her wet eyes in her hands. She wanted to hide herself. She was so embarrassed that Dylan had come here to say that, especially in front of everyone she worked with. She yearned to feel his arms around her, to hear his comforting words in her ear. When she looked up after a few moments, Dylan had turned and was making his way to the front door.
Grace immediately debated if she should chase him or let him go. As much as she wanted to walk away with her chin held high, she couldn’t. She had given Dylan everything. She had willingly handed over her virginity to his smooth words and comforting hands. Now he wanted to walk away from her? She couldn’t let that happen.
Grace jogged to catch up with Dylan who had just stepped out of the restaurant. “Dylan!” she said, laying her hand on his shoulder.
He whirled around, and none of the warmth that had been there throughout their whole relationship remained. Grace took a step back, surprised by the ferociousness on his face. “Please. I just want to talk about it with you. I don’t know why you just changed your mind.”
“I never changed my mind,” Dylan’s face stretched into a grin, but Grace didn’t understand the humor. “I’ve always known you weren’t good enough for me.” He shrugged. “I just decided I’m tired of having you around, so now, I’ll let you know what I’ve known all along.”
“That’s not fair, Dylan!” Grace crossed her arms, anger filling her face. “You can’t say all these things. Just Tuesday, I was at your house. We made love. . .we talked about going back to D.C. together. You were. . .you never said anything. . .anything like this.”
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