Wrong in Love

by March, Aisling

  Anna returned to Frederick’s studio, two coffees in hand. She set the decaf on Frederick’s desk and then went to her desk, packing her personal belongings into a box. Frederick took a long drink from his coffee as he watched her pack.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Oh, I quit,” she said.

  “You quit?”

  “Yeah. I know it’s unprofessional, but I guess that’s just what I am,” she said. She faked a smile in his direction.

  “I will make sure you never get employed at another studio in the area. You’ll have to go to Georgia to find work,” he said.

  “That’s fine,” she said.

  Frederick scowled at her.

  “Oh, and you can include the three dollars for that coffee in my last paycheck.”

  She finished packing up and started toward the door. She was almost there when the bell signaling customers clinked, and Jonathan and Jenny were in the doorway. Jonathan looked shocked to see Anna but Jenny grinned.

  “Anna! What are you doing here? Is this where you work?” asked Jonathan. He looked at Jenny, whose smile gave away that she already knew.

  “Not anymore. Today is my last day,” she said.

  “I hope you didn’t quit on our account,” said Jenny with a shit-eating grin.

  “Jenny, you knew about this?” asked Jonathan. He looked shocked that she was capable of such deception. He had no idea who he was marrying.

  “I had no idea. I just thought we’d check out a few photographers. How was I supposed to know your ex-girlfriend worked at this one?” she asked, feigning innocence.

  “And she’s leaving. Come in so we can chat a little more,” said Frederick.

  “I don’t think so. Anna, I’m sorry. I had no idea,” said Jonathan, and she knew he meant it.

  “Jonathan, what you do means nothing to me anymore,” she said. She picked up her box and pushed through them, out the door of Frederick’s forever.

  CHAPTER 16

  Thomas Carter was already at the golf club when Anna arrived. He was sitting at a table at the back, near the window, a scotch at his side even though it was still afternoon. He stood when she entered the dining room, and a handful of women turned to admire him. Anna was used to that. Her father was in good shape for his age and very healthy. He dressed nicely and groomed himself carefully. Anna was sure that if he wanted a new wife, he would have no problem getting one.

  “Anna. I’m so happy that you’re finally taking this step.”

  She laughed.

  “Daddy, I’ve only been out of college a year,” she said.

  “Yes, but I wanted you to start your own company from the get-go,” he said.

  That was true. He’d been offering to help Anna get set up since graduation day, but she had insisted upon getting experience first.

  “Well, I’m ready now,” she said.

  They ordered lunch and as they waited for it to arrive, her dad laid out some paperwork for her.

  “This is what you need to do, step-by-step,” he said, pointing to one sheet. “And this is a sheet of real estate listings in the area that would be perfect for a photography studio. This-”

  “Wait a second,” interrupted Anna. “How did you get all this so quickly?”

  “I made some calls,” he said.

  “Dad, I appreciate this, I really do, but I kind of want to do some of this myself,” she said.

  Her father sat back in his chair.

  “I see.” He smiled the way he did when she was five and insistent on reading herself a bedtime story instead of having it read to her.

  “I’m serious,” she said.

  “I know, I know. I just want to help,” he said.

  “You are helping. You’re my financial backer,” she said.

  “That I am. But I want to help make this easy for you,” he said.

  “I don’t want it to be too easy. I want to feel like I worked for it,” she said.

  “Okay. So you want me to back off,” he said.

  “Not completely. But I’d like to at least find the location myself,” she said.

  He nodded.

  “I understand. You’ll call if you need anything though, right?”

  “Of course,” she said.

  Their lunch arrived, and they each started on their salads.

  “So what made you finally decide to go through with it?” her father asked.

  She finished chewing a piece of chicken and told him the story of Jonathan and Jenny coming to Frederick’s.

  “I never liked Jonathan,” her father said.

  “I know you didn’t.”

  “Not that I’d ever really like any guy you brought home, but there was something about him I just didn’t trust,” he said.

  “Well, you were right,” she said.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, his eyes showing true sympathy.

  “Yeah, so am I. But I’m getting over it,” she said.

  “Apparently so is he,” her father joked.

  “Very funny.”

  “And how is Miss Jocelyn?” her father asked. He had always liked Jocelyn, and had correctly suspected that pregnancy was the reason she had married Will. Anna hadn’t confirmed his suspicion yet, although she always ended up telling her father the truth.

  “She’s adjusting to Boston,” she said.

  “And she’s really not pregnant?”

  “Nope. Not pregnant,” said Anna, wishing that were still a lie.

  Anna was out looking at studio spaces and didn’t get home until almost 9 that night. She was exhausted; all she wanted to do was take a bath and order a pizza. Maybe she would, and then get up early to finish the other preparations.

  She got her purse from the kitchen and started digging for her cell phone. It was impossible to find anything in this purse, she really needed to clean it out.

  When she finally found it she saw that she had a missed call. Actually, seven missed calls. She wondered how she hadn’t heard her phone ring seven times, then realized she had put it on silent while meeting with her dad. Now, apparently, she had missed something important.

  All seven calls were from Will. With a sinking feeling in her stomach she realized something must have happened to Jocelyn; why else would he call her? Her hands shook as she pushed the buttons to reach her voicemail.

  “You have three new voicemails,” her phone said.

  Anna sat down.

  “Hi Anna, it’s Will.” His voice was tearful and quivering, and Anna’s bad feeling grew worse. “Jocelyn was in a car accident tonight. She’s at the hospital now, they’re not sure if she’s going to make it. I-just give me a call back when you get this.”

  Cold shock spread through her body. She fought the hysteria rising within her. She tried to remain calm enough to hear the rest of the messages.

  “Anna, it’s Will. I just wanted to see if you got the message. I think Jocelyn would want you to know. I don’t know if you can come up, but if she makes it she’d want you here. There’s no news yet on her condition…I’m just waiting. Call me back.”

  Anna started crying. Of course she would go. As she listened to the third voice mail she went to her computer to buy a plane ticket.

  “I’m sorry to call again. I don’t know why I’m calling, I’m just going crazy. Nobody knows anything. I’m just pacing the hallways, praying that she’ll be okay. We don’t have any family or friends here, I’m just by myself, and you know my mom didn’t really like her-” Will’s voice broke down completely and Anna listened to him sob for a half a minute. The sound of him falling apart only made her own tears worse, and she struggled to see the computer screen to purchase her ticket. “Doesn’t like her. I wish I could have told Jocelyn that it didn’t matter about my family, that I loved her so much. I just-wait, there’s a doctor coming, I have to go. Call me when you get this.”

  Anna immediately dialed Will.

  “Anna!” his voice was still distressed but he wasn’t crying as he had been on th
e voice mail.

  “Will, how is she?”

  “They think she’s going to make it. She’s unconscious now and nobody knows how long that will last. But they think she’s going to live.”

  They think she’s going to live. Anna shuddered; there should have been no possibility. Jocelyn was too young to die.

  “Thank god,” she said. “I just booked a plane ticket, I’m coming up tomorrow morning.”

  “Thank God,” said Will, sounding relieved. “I need someone here with me, someone who loved Jocelyn as much as I did.”

  “As much as you do, Will. She’s going to be fine.”

  “You’re right. She’s going to be fine.”

  “How did her parents take the news?”

  “Her mom is really upset. I don’t know if she’s going to be all right if anything happens to Jocelyn. They’re coming up tomorrow morning too.”

  “Good. Maybe I’ll see them on the plane,” said Anna.

  “I’m going to go try to get some sleep in Jocelyn’s room,” said Will.

  “They’ll let you do that?”

  “They won’t be able to stop me,” he said.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Anna.

  Anna arrived at the hospital at noon the next day. She was exhausted after traveling all morning and at the same time, riddled with anxiety. She’d barely slept the night before, calling Marguerite and Tina to tell them the news, and waking frequently to think about Jocelyn, to pray that at that exact moment Jocelyn was also waking up. Then she’d slept fitfully on the plane. By the time she arrived in Boston she was completely depleted. Seeing Will nearly made her break down, with his familiar tousled red hair and blue eyes. He met her at the front door of the hospital, huge bags under his eyes, his shirt wrinkled. She could tell that he hadn’t changed his clothes or showered since finding out the news.

  “It’s freezing and you don’t have a coat on! Get inside!” said Anna.

  “I needed a breath of fresh air,” he said.

  “You’ll die of hypothermia,” said Anna, pushing him back through the doors. She had never felt a November quite like this before.

  He laughed, which Anna took as a good sign.

  “You get used to it,” said Will. Anna looked at him doubtfully. They walked through the hospital to the elevators that would take them to Jocelyn’s room.

  “How is she doing?” she asked.

  “Better. She’s stable now, though still unconscious. The doctors say she could be like that for days or even weeks, but that she should come out of it.”

  “That’s good. You seem better,” she said.

  “I had all night to think. Right now I’m just grateful that she’s going to be okay. I can’t really handle anything past that. I can’t think about what kind of condition is she going to be in, or will she even remember me. I just have to concentrate on the fact that she lived.”

  “So what happened?”

  “She was in a cab after work. On her way to meet me,” he said, looking wistful. “The cab driver ran a red light and a pickup truck smashed into her side of the car.”

  “And the cab driver?”

  “Walked away without a scratch. He was on the opposite side of the car, and he was belted in.”

  “And Jocelyn wasn’t,” said Anna.

  Will shook his head. “Seatbelts aren’t big in cabs.”

  “So what’s going to happen to the cab driver?”

  “Hopefully he’s going to jail. I don’t know though. The driver of the truck is fine too, but he’s pretty shaken up. I guess he thought he killed Jocelyn and they had a hard time calming him down.”

  “I can imagine,” she said.

  “You beat Mr. and Mrs. Mendes. Their flight got in just after yours,” he said, glancing at his watch.

  “I’ll try to get out of here before they come. They’re probably going to be in bad shape,” she said.

  Will nodded.

  “I’m sure they will be,” he said.

  They passed by a nurse’s station where a dozen heads were bent over paperwork or computer screens.

  “This place is busy,” she said.

  “Sad, isn’t it?” said Will, and it struck her just how sad it was. Each of these nurses was caring for several patients who may or may not get better. How many people on this very floor sat by the side of a loved one with lead in their stomachs, waiting for the inevitable?

  They got to the door of Jocelyn’s room and Will put out a hand to stop her.

  “I have to warn you, she looks bad,” he said.

  Anna nodded solemnly.

  “It may be a little shocking,” he said.

  “I can handle it.”

  Will led the way into Jocelyn’s room and Anna gasped. Jocelyn was lying in bed with her eyes shut and her head bandaged. The bits of skin that were showing were purple and bruised. The skin below her eyes was yellow and sagging. She was far from the flawless Jocelyn that Anna was used to.

  “Oh my god,” she said.

  “I told you it would be hard.”

  “I just didn’t expect – can she hear us?”

  “The doctors say nobody knows but that it can’t hurt to talk to her. If she can hear us it may help her get better faster.”

  Anna timidly approached Jocelyn and reached out a hand to her. She wanted to touch Jocelyn, to embrace her really, but she couldn’t. Finally she rested her hand on Jocelyn’s arm and took in a deep breath.

  “I’m so sorry that this happened to you,” she said. “But the doctors say that you’re going to be fine.”

  She glanced back at Will sitting in a chair, his arms crossed over his chest, one hand supporting his head. Did he know that Jocelyn was prepared to ask him for a divorce, that she wanted to be with another man?

  She wished she didn’t know anything about their crazy situation.

  “When you wake up, we have a lot of catching up to do,” she whispered to her friend.

  She heard voices coming down the hallway, voices she recognized.

  “The Mendes’ are here,” she said to Will. She squeezed Jocelyn’s hand lightly.

  “I’ll be back later,” she said.

  “Jocelyn!” cried Lois, rushing into the room. Anna stepped back to give her space. Edgar and Tony followed right behind her, and Anna offered a small smile.

  “Anna, it was good of you to come,” said Edgar, putting a hand on her back. His eyes were filled with tears and on Jocelyn.

  “Of course I would be here. I’m so sorry,” she said.

  “Our baby girl,” said Edgar, moving toward Jocelyn.

  “I’ll come back after I drop off my things at the hotel,” she said softly to Will. He nodded and walked her to the door.

  “I’ll give you a call when things here settle down,” he said.

  “Thank you,” she said. She gave him a hug, good, reliable Will, and wondered what could be so great about this guy Colin. “You’re a good husband to her.”

  “I hope so,” he said.

  CHAPTER 17

  Boston went by in a blur from the hospital to the hotel. She’d known it would be busier than Florida, but she was surprised by the way people just stepped into the streets, bundled up against the weather. And everyone seemed to have a coffee in their hands. She settled into the seat of the cab and looked out the window. She’d been in the hospital just one afternoon and she was wiped out. Her back hurt from standing, her legs hurt from sitting on the plane. Her stomach at once growled and was so full she didn’t know if she could eat.

  Her hotel was in a beautiful part of Boston with thick cobblestone streets, so narrow that they could only be one-way. Boutiques lined the main road and a restaurant was right next door, the kind of place where she could order crepes and crème brulee, but probably not a hamburger (unless it was a gourmet hamburger).

  She couldn’t shake the vision of Will in the hospital, so worried about his wife, trying to hold it together to be strong for Jocelyn and her family. If he knew about Colin,
what would he do right now?

  She shook her head. How could Jocelyn not see how much Will loved her?

  Still, Jocelyn had made her choice, and it appeared she chose Colin. The least Anna could do for her comatose friend was respect her decision.

  She took her cell phone out and found Colin on Facebook. She would just let him know what had happened, since he probably had no way of knowing. She felt a little disloyal to Will as she composed a message.

  “Hi Colin,

  I’m a friend of Jocelyn’s – she tells me everything. I thought you should know that she was in a car accident yesterday and is at Mass General right now, in a coma. The doctors are hopeful she’ll pull out of it fine. I imagine you’ll want to see her, but please contact me first as this is clearly a sensitive issue. My cell number is below.

  Anna”

  She hit “Send” then leaned back in the hotel chair. She was a conspirator now. She rubbed her eyes. She better go get something to eat so she could get back to the hospital.

  Will was still at the hospital when she got back, sitting by Jocelyn’s head, holding her hand, his eyes were tightly closed.

  “Will?” Anna hesitated before entering.

  He raised his head and gave a half-hearted smile.

  “Hi Anna. Come on in.”

  “You’re all by yourself?” she asked.

  “Jocelyn’s family went to get dinner.”

  “You weren’t hungry?”

  He shook his head.

  “They’re going to bring me back something,” he said.

  “Has anything changed?” she asked.

  “Nope.” He sighed.

  Anna took a seat on the other side of Jocelyn and looked at her pale face, still battered and bruised. It tore at Anna to see her like that, and even more so knowing there was nothing she could do for her.

  “Anna?” asked Will.

  “Yeah?”

  “Do you think Jocelyn was happy?”

  Anna didn’t answer right away, not sure what to say.

  “I think so,” she said.

  “Sometimes I don’t know.”

  “I think she would have told you,” she said. She knew that was a partial lie, as Jocelyn was going to tell him, but the truth would do nobody good right now.