Black Limit

by Charlotte Byrd

  “You want to get married in a hospital?” Brie asks, taken aback.

  “Well, no,” I say. “We don’t necessarily want to get married in a hospital. We just want to get married. And we’re not sure how long Aiden has to stay here.”

  “But don’t you want to have a nice wedding? Wear a dress? Invite Mom and Dad?”

  “I don’t know,” I mumble. “I guess that sounds nice except for the Mom and Dad part.”

  The last bit was meant as a joke, but it doesn’t come off that way.

  “Brie, we’re in love. We just survived this scary thing. Aiden and I could’ve both died. But we didn’t. So, now we want to celebrate. We want to become husband and wife. Do you understand?”

  She nods and looks away. Clearly, something is not registering. I don’t understand why she can’t be excited for me. I mean, fake it at least, if you can’t be genuinely into the idea.

  “Ellie, can I talk to you outside about this?” Brie asks.

  I shake my head no.

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re going to try to talk me out of this and I don’t have to listen to that. I want to marry Aiden and we’re going to get married whether you help us or not.”

  Just at that moment, Arlene and Dean walk through the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the annoyed expression that forms on Aiden’s face.

  “Get married?” Arlene gasps. “What are you talking about?”

  “Mom, I asked Ellie to marry me,” Aiden says.

  “Oh my God, oh my God.”

  “It’s really not a big deal. I mean, it is for us. But it doesn’t have to be for you,” he says.

  “How can you say that? My only son is getting married and it’s not supposed to be a big deal for me? Are you kidding me?” Arlene asks.

  “Ellie, can I talk to you?” Brie asks, nudging me out into the hall.

  “I’ll be right back.” I finally give in.

  Chapter 19 - Aiden

  When she tries to control me…

  My mom isn’t the most convincing person in the world but she is one of the most persistent. But her persistence isn’t straightforward or direct. Instead, she will take any direction necessary to get what she wants or thinks she needs. I’ve dealt with these aspects of my mother for many years now and for many years I have successfully evaded her control by simply nodding along and then doing what I want.

  When she starts complaining about my decision to get married, she attacks the decision first. You were just near death. You just came out of a coma. Why do you need to get married at all? Is it just because Ellie’s pregnant? It’s all the same bullshit questions and statements that I’ve heard a million times before, meaning my first wife. The thing to know about my mom is that she needs to be the number one woman in my life. She finds other women to be a threat and will do anything to create conflict and establish dominance. The only problem with this approach is that it pushes me away. The last time I spoke to my mother prior to seeing her in the hospital happened over a fight we had about my ex-wife. I wanted her to butt out of my marriage and she wouldn’t do it. So, I stopped returning her calls and shut her out of my life.

  And now, she’s standing in my hospital room with the air of a cruise director. She’s acting as if she’s in charge. We’ve never talked about what happened between us back then, and if it were up to her, she would never talk about it again. She would be happy just starting all over and running my life again. The only problem is that I’m not a kid. I haven’t been one for a long time. And I’ve learned to stand up to her. I glance over at my dad. He’s sitting in the corner pretending to read a magazine. The smell of alcohol is fresh on his breath - it’s either a leftover from last night or something from this morning. Unlike me, my dad never learned to stand up to my mother. Even now, after their divorce, he still lets her run his life as if it doesn’t belong to him.

  “Mother,” I interrupt her in the middle of her ongoing speech. “I am in love with Ellie. She is having my baby. I want her to be my wife.”

  “But—“ she starts to say.

  “This conversation is over.”

  Chapter 20 - Ellie

  When Brie takes me outside…

  I dread going out into the hallway to talk to Brie, but I also don’t want to stay behind with Aiden and his parents. I’ve had enough of Arlene in the days leading up to today and I’m relieved that Aiden is finally awake so that I can have some backup in dealing with her. To say that she’s overwhelming would be an understatement. Now, Brie’s another story.

  “Brie, please don’t try to dissuade me from doing this. I love him. I’m having his baby—“

  “What about his family?” Brie interrupts me. I wasn’t expecting this approach and she catches me off guard.

  “What?”

  “His family. Do you really want his family to be your family?”

  I think about that for a moment. No, definitely not. I’m not sure anyone wants Arlene and Dean to be part of their family, let alone if they come as a set (which they do).

  “I don’t have a choice of who his family is. But we’re going to make our own family.”

  “I know that. But…they’re crazy. And what if they’re around all the time?” Brie asks breathlessly. “Do you know what Arlene told me last night when we left? She said that she broke up his first marriage and that’s what she’ll do to you if you become his wife.”

  “No.” I shake my head.

  “Yes. Ask him.”

  “Listen, I don’t know what happened with his first wife, but I know how Aiden and I are. We love each other. Nothing is going to happen. No one is going to break us up.”

  Brie crosses her hands across her chest.

  “We’re going to have a baby, Brie. I’m sure she’s happy about becoming a grandmother.”

  Brie shrugs and looks at the floor. “I really have no idea. I don’t think so. She’s got this possessive, obsession thing with him. And Dean. But that’s a whole other thing.”

  “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with Arlene or Dean or both of them. I don’t know what she did or didn’t do to Aiden and his first wife. All I know is that we love each other. And we are going to get married. Now, will you help me?”

  Reluctantly, Brie nods her head yes.

  “And will you be happy for us?” I ask.

  “Of course, I’m happy for you. I love you. And Aiden seems like a great guy.”

  “Okay, then please find us a justice of the peace.”

  Later that afternoon, we are getting ready to get married. The justice of the peace has been found. She will perform the service at three. I wait with Aiden in his room, thinking about what I should wear. More and more snow is falling outside and the winter storm is now in full swing. Going out to get a dress or something nice to wear is completely out of the question. Aiden doesn’t seem to mind. I didn’t either but now I’m not so sure. Even though the elopement sounds romantic, the reality of it is starting to rear its ugly head.

  I go and look at myself in the mirror. My hair is oily and stringy. I run a brush through it, but it’s still crumpled and lifeless. My face is pale and splotchy. My lips are dry and lifeless. I put on some eyeliner, shadow, and foundation, but it hardly masks the problem. Suddenly, I get sick again and bury my face in the toilet. When I come back up for air, my skin is crawling with goose bumps.

  Oh, how I’d give anything to feel a little bit like a bride right now. I walk back to Aiden, tying my hair up in a bun.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  I shrug. “Just got sick again.”

  “Are you okay to do this?”

  I look into his hopeful eyes. I want to marry him. I do. But I also want to take a shower before I marry him. I want to look beautiful. I don’t have to look drop dead gorgeous, but I’d like to wear at least a dress. Still, I don’t really want to put this off. Aiden and I should be together.

  “Do you think maybe we can have another wedding afterward?” I ask. />
  “What do you mean?”

  “Like more of a proper one? Nothing fancy. Just…I’d like to wear something I didn’t just throw up in.”

  He stares at me. His expression is blank.

  “I’d like to have my hair done. My nails painted. Just you know…feel a bit like a woman.”

  I sit down on the edge of his bed, hugging my knee. I run my hand over my leg and suddenly realize that I haven’t shaved my legs in days. The hard blunt hairs are coming through my pants. Perfect. Nothing makes you feel more like a woman than being a total mess on your wedding day.

  “Ellie, if you don’t want to do this,” Aiden starts to say.

  “Ellie, you don’t?” Arlene bursts in. Was she just standing outside the door listening this whole time? “Of course not. I mean, you’ve been sleeping in this hospital room. You haven’t showered. Who would want to marry feeling like this?”

  Now, I hate her even more. I hate her because she’s right.

  “No, I didn’t say that.”

  “Oh, c’mon, Ellie. You’ve probably dreamed of this day since you were a little girl. Was this how you imagined it?”

  She’s trying to talk me out of it. This is just a tactic. Don’t fall for it. But she’s not wrong.

  “I did not dream of it as a little girl,” I mumble. “And I want to marry you more than anything, Aiden.”

  I look into his eyes. This part is true. I’m not lying. I just also want this day to be special. I want to feel special.

  “I want to marry you, too,” he says.

  “I just need some time to get ready. I’m going to take a shower and do my hair and wear something pretty.”

  “Do you want me to tell the justice of the peace to wait?”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind. I just need an hour.”

  Yes, this is a compromise. A perfect compromise. Since Aiden is still not fully back on his feet, I grab Brie and head to the shower a few doors down from his suite. I walk inside, close the curtain, and let the warm water run down my body. Now, this is heaven. I lather my hair and wash my face. Then I shave every bit of me. By the time it’s time for conditioner, I feel clean and refreshed.

  “Brie, I need you to do something for me,” I say.

  “Can you go down to the gift shop and find me a dress?”

  “They’re not going to have a dress there.”

  “They might. And if not a dress, then something…dressy.”

  “I don’t even know what that means.”

  “Just take your phone and send me photos of whatever they have there. And I’ll let you know what I think, okay? Please do this for me. I don’t have much time and I need to get ready.”

  “Fine,” she says.

  After getting out of the shower, I dry off and look at myself in the mirror. My face is wet, but clean and I feel like a completely different person.

  “Much better,” I say, wrapping my hair in a towel. “See, there’s no need to postpone the wedding. All I needed was a nice warm shower.”

  I put on my old clothes and turn my attention to my face. Luckily, I brought my makeup bag with me and this time I’m going to go about this properly. I start with a layer of foundation and follow it up with some powder, adding highlights around my t-zone. Then I add some primer to my eyelids prior to putting on the eyeshadow. I line just the top of my lids with a thick line of eyeliner, winging it at the ends. Looking through my bag, I find both regular and water-proof mascara. I opt for the latter since it’s my wedding and tears are not entirely out of the question. By the time I get to the blush and my lips, tears are already starting to well up somewhere in the back of my throat. Don’t cry. Don’t cry, I repeat to myself silently. You’re going to ruin your whole look. I inhale deeply and try to think of something else to take my mind off this.

  When my makeup is finally done, I look at myself in the mirror. Wow, perfect. Every bit of it, down to the eyebrow liner, actually come out flawlessly. No mistakes. No smudges. It is like this day is meant to be.

  Now, it’s time for my hair. Perhaps I should’ve done it first, but oh well. I spray my face with a generous amount of setting spray to make sure that it all stays in place when I blow dry my hair. Luckily, I didn’t forget my wide brush, which makes blow-drying it straight a breeze. Ten minutes later, I’m almost ready. I run my fingers through my lustrous hair, wondering how it is that the shine from squeaky clean hair is so remarkably different from the oily bed hair. For one final touch, I flip my hair over and toss it around, in order to add some more body to it.

  Perfect. I smile at my reflection in the mirror.

  Chapter 21 - Aiden

  When I set up the surprise…

  “Perfect,” I say, looking out into the courtyard. My body is still weak. I feel somewhat uneasy standing on my feet. My head hurts when I turn my neck to the right too much and when the light is too strong. But one thing is definitely perfect and that’s this space.

  Ellie said yes to marrying me. But I know that she has her reservations. She doesn’t have a dress (not that she knows about) and we don’t have a venue. I think it’s okay with her if we only have a few people at the wedding, but walking down the aisle in a hospital room isn’t exactly her idea of a dream wedding. And yet, here she is. Doing it for me. She wants to marry me and I want to give her the surprise of a lifetime.

  Ellie Rhodes will not be walking down the aisle in sweats. She will not be standing under fluorescent lights in a bleak hospital room. I am not on death’s door anymore and even though to many it seems like a rush job, I have hired someone to make this day as special for her as she deserves it to be.

  Ellie is in for one hell of a surprise.

  Lizbeth knocks on the door and I wave her in. I haven’t seen her in ages, but she was a competent assistant on my yacht. She’s an expert event planner with her own business in the making. I hired her to do this for me and I can’t wait for what she is about to show me.

  She walks in with a big smile on her face.

  “I got the dresses,” she says slightly out of breath. Back on my yacht, I’ve never seen her flustered even once. But this is a different beast altogether. She’s putting on a secret dream wedding in the middle of a blizzard that has closed down all the stores in New England.

  “I got five dresses for her to choose from. Two are from New York, one is from Paris, one from LA, and one from Miami. They are all by designers that seem to fit her style from what her sister tells me. But it would’ve been much easier if Caroline were still around of course. She was much more of a fashionista than her sister is.”

  I shrug. We all wish that Caroline was still around.

  “I’ve had a distressed wood veranda brought into the garden out back. That’s where you will exchange your vows. I’ve set up white chairs and brought in extra pine trees to cover up the leafless trees. Everything is decorated in lights and snow flurries.”

  I follow her out to the garden to take a look. It’s as flawless and beautiful as she has described. The pine trees are sparkling in white lights along with yellow lanterns, bringing out the beauty in each snow flurry. The white chairs set out for guests are a divided semi-circle with a long aisle down the middle. The aisle is white, with lights going down each side.

  “This is beautiful,” I say and give Lizbeth a warm hug. “Breathtaking. She will love it.”

  “Thank you,” she says, slightly embarrassed. Lizbeth isn’t one for sentimentality and any expression of appreciation typically makes her very uncomfortable. I know this, but I also have to convey to her how thankful I am for making this day so special for me.

  “And the guest list?” I ask.

  “Everyone is going to be here.”

  “Her parents?” “Yes, both of her parents as well. Brie arranged that.”

  “Great.”

  “The rings?”

  “They’re right here.”

  She hands me two small velvet boxes. I tuck them into my pocket.

  “Your tux is hanging
back in your room.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Should I take the dresses to Ellie now?” she asks.

  “Yes, I guess we’re ready.”

  Chapter 22 - Ellie

  When he surprises me…

  There’s a knock on my door. I yell for Brie to come in. I really hope she was able to find me something decent to wear. But I don’t get my hopes up. This isn’t a gift shop in a resort. This is a hospital. The best they will have is a sweatshirt and maybe a new pair of leggings.

  “Hello, Ellie,” a familiar voice says. No, it can’t be. I turn around. Yes, of course.

  “Lizbeth…”

  “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here for your wedding.”

  My mouth drops open.

  “I’ve brought you some dresses to choose from.”

  Now I’m entirely speechless. She leads me to an empty hospital room where I see five beautiful white wedding dresses hanging around the bed.

  “I wasn’t sure what kind of dress you would like to wear, so I got a selection.”

  “But how?”

  I walk to the dresses unable to believe my eyes. Are these really mine? One is long and flowing that looks like it belongs on a Greek goddess. Another is short with a long sleeves and cream colored. It reminds me of something funky women wore in the seventies. Fun, but not exactly the right style. Three are strapless and one is made of lace. I look at the long strapless gown which has a delicate V-shape cut in the middle, intricate beading and a gorgeous hourglass outline. It also comes with a long train down the back.

  “This is my favorite one, too.”

  “I just hope it fits,” I say.

  Lizbeth helps me get into the dress and brings out a long mirror from the bathroom.

  “Here, put on these heels first before you look.”