A New Journey (Second Chance #3)

by Christina Escue

  “Are you going to check that?” Conner asked her quietly. “It could be someone from the team needing something.”

  “I’ll check it later.” She said and hoped he’d drop it. She knew she couldn’t get that lucky though.

  “What’s going on?” Conner asked in concern. “You’ve been getting text messages all week that you haven’t checked right away. I know you so I know you like to answer your messages as soon as they come in.”

  “Can we please just talk about this later?” She hissed at him. When his eyes filled with hurt at her reluctance to tell him she sighed. “Here.” She said and handed him her phone.

  He opened the message and his face filled with fury. His eyes darted around the restaurant then focused back on Karla when he handed her phone back to her. “Read it.” He whispered.

  Karla,

  My love,

  You look delectable this evening, My Sweet. I can’t wait to be the one beside you. Soon I will replace Conner in your heart and all will be perfect.

  Always yours,

  T

  “How long has he been texting you like this?” Conner asked her quietly. They were starting to draw the attention of the others at the table.

  “Since Monday.” She answered honestly.

  “What’s going on?” Andrew asked them. He had seen Conner’s face change and knew something was up.

  “Can we wait and talk about this after dinner please?” Karla said pleadingly.

  “I think they need to know now.” Conner said and Karla looked at him with hurt filled eyes. “I’m sorry, Karla, but they need to know what’s going on.”

  She looked at him for a minute longer before she turned away from him and faced Andrew. “Trevor Carpenter has been sending me text messages since Monday. They all basically say the same thing. They’re all about how he will be replacing Conner in my heart and how good we will be together. Things like that.”

  Conner looked at the back of her head as she spoke and when she didn’t say anything else he told them all about the message she just received.

  “It sounds like he’s here somewhere.” Rylee said. Travis, who had come with Rylee tonight, stood up and looked around.

  When he spotted his brother he started to leave the table, but Rylee stopped him. “This isn’t the time nor the place to confront him.”

  “Rylee’s right. As much as I’d like to personally kick his butt, now isn’t the time.” Manuel said from his spot beside Callie.

  “May I see your phone please?” Andrew asked and Karla passed her phone down to him. As he read the six messages from Trevor his face changed from concern, to anger, to all out fury in just a matter of seconds. “This one from earlier today is a threat, Karla. Why didn’t you say something to someone about these?”

  “We have all been dealing with the aftermath of the fire and I didn’t want to add to anyone’s stress. After the message I got today I was planning on talking to everyone tomorrow after the competition. None of us need anything else to deal with at the moment.”

  “Karla, your safety is more important than any of that.” Andrew told her.

  “Can I see the text he sent today?” Travis asked. When Karla nodded Andrew handed him her phone and he read the text.

  My Dearest Karla,

  I am growing weary of seeing you with him. He is not worthy of you and I will do whatever it takes to make you see that. I think it is time I become more proactive. We will have time together, even if I have to take you away from everyone so we can. You have my heart and I will have you in every way possible.

  My heart always,

  T

  “My brother has completely lost his mind. We need to show this to my Dad. I’m sorry, Karla, but Dad needs to know about this. Maybe he can get Trev some help.”

  “Call your Dad, Travis.” Rylee said as she stroked his arm. “I agree that he needs to be informed about this.”

  “Karla, are you alright?” Conner asked when she lowered her head to the table.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, just really tired.” She told him. He reached out and started gently rubbing her back as her eyes filled with tears. How had this gotten so out of control? She asked herself.

  “Karla, why don’t you take everyone upstairs while I pay the check and we’ll be up once Ron gets here?”

  “Okay, Dad.” She answered and stood from the table. Once they made it upstairs Karla went straight into her room in the suite and came face to face with Trevor.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Karla’s been in there a long time.” Conner said when Karla didn’t come out after fifteen minutes.

  “I’ll go get her.” Travis said as he stood up and walked toward the door. He paused when he heard his brother’s voice from inside.

  “Karla, you are mine and the sooner you realize that the better. Conner will not want you after I take what I want. Then you will have no choice but to run into my open arms.” Travis heard Trevor say. He didn’t need to hear anymore. He opened the door silently and saw Karla laying on the bed in a semi-conscious state. He knew then that Trevor must have drugged her somehow. Before Trevor could make a move toward her Travis grabbed him from behind and pulled him to the floor.

  “Leave her alone, Trev.”

  “This does not concern you, Travis.”

  “Yes it does. You are my brother and she is my friend. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will protect her.”

  “Bring it on, brother. I could always beat you in a fight.”

  When Trevor swung wide Travis went low and let his fist connect with Trevor’s chin. This threw Trevor off balance enough that Travis was able to sweep his legs out from under him and knock him to the floor. When he hit the floor Travis punched him in the face over and over again until he was unconscious.

  When he got off his brother everyone was in the room staring at him. Conner was on the bed holding Karla in his arms. Before anyone could move Ron and Andrew rushed through the door.

  “What the hell happened here?” Andrew asked with a growl.

  All the kids looked at each other, not really knowing how to answer, before Travis spoke up. “I think Trevor drugged Karla. When we got up here she came straight in here. She was in here for about fifteen minutes and we all started getting a little worried so I offered to come check on her. Since Trevor is my brother, I was hoping she would talk to me, that maybe I could help her. Anyway, when I went to knock on the door I heard Trevor’s voice and knew something was wrong. I slowly opened the door and saw Karla lying on the bed. I knew what had happened. Dad, I tried to talk to him before I hit him. He just wouldn’t stop. He was going to hurt her.”

  “You did the right thing, son. Andrew, let’s get these two to the ER and have them checked out.”

  “Just keep him away from Karla.” Conner said as he gently lifted Karla from the bed. “Can I ride with you, sir?”

  “Of course you can, Conner.” Andrew said and tried to take Karla from his arms.

  “I got her, you’ll need to drive.” Conner didn’t want to let Karla go.

  “Alright. Keep my girl safe.” Andrew said and walked out of the room.

  “Yeah, cause I have done a hell of a job thus far.” Conner mumbled and followed Andrew from the room.

  As he was climbing into the back of the SUV beside her Dr. Carpenter led Trevor through the door. “I should have been the one to defend her. I’ve let her down again.” He said in a quiet voice.

  “Conner, you had no way of knowing Trevor was in that room waiting for her. We all should have picked up on the signs of her being drugged. I’m a doctor and just thought she was tired because of everything that has happened over the past week. Leslie is talking to hotel management right now to see how Trevor got into our suite and we’re trying to figure out how she got drugged.”

  “None of that matters as long as she’s alright.”

  “She’ll be fine. I just want to examine her and do a tox screen to see what he gave her.” Andrew said as he pulled u
p to the ER entrance and jumped out.

  A couple of seconds later he ran back to the SUV accompanied by two nurses pushing a gurney. Conner helped them gently move Karla to the gurney and when he started to let her go her hand reached out and touched his. “Don’t leave me.” She pleaded in a voice so weak they could barely hear it.

  “I will never leave you.” Conner promised.

  “Kim.” Andrew said to one of the nurses. “Can you move my car please? Just park it, lock it and bring me the keys.”

  “Yes, sir.” Kim replied and climbed up into the SUV.

  “Karen, I need a full blood work up. I want to make sure whatever was given to her hasn’t damaged any of her organs. I also want Conner to be with her at all times, no questions asked.”

  “Got it, sir.” Karen said as she wheeled Karla into an open room. Conner stayed at her side through everything, except when the nurse changed her into a hospital gown. When Karla started moaning his name he grabbed her hand and squeezed a little.

  “I’m right here, baby. I will never leave you.”

  “Con, can I come in?” He heard his sister ask from the other side of the curtain.

  “Yeah, Cal.” He answered and smiled a little when Callie walked in.

  “Is she going to be alright?” Callie asked as she walked to Karla’s other side and stroked her hand.

  “Andrew thinks so. He just wants to make sure there isn’t any lasting damage to her organs.”

  “Good news.” Andrew said when he walked into the room. “The drug he used was Ketamine, which is used mostly before surgical procedures and is basically harmless. Karla will be just fine. All of her blood work came back normal and she should be coming out of it any time now.”

  Conner sat down heavily in the chair he had pulled beside Karla’s bed and laid his head down in relief. Fifteen minutes later he felt fingers stroking through his hair. When he looked up his eyes locked on the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Karla was looking back at him.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “I’m fine, Conner.” Karla answered for about the hundredth time the next morning.

  “I’m sorry, Karla. I know I’m getting on your nerves by asking, but I was so scared last night.”

  “I know you were. I don’t remember most of it. I remember feeling really sleepy at dinner and I remember seeing Trevor in my room, but I was too weak to scream. I remember him talking to me, but not what he said and I think I remember seeing him and Travis fighting. From that point until I woke up with your head beside me I don’t remember anything. Mom and Dad told me that you stayed with me the whole time.”

  “You asked me not to leave you so I didn’t. I stepped out of the room long enough for them to change you into a hospital gown and that was it.”

  “I love you, Conner. Thank you for staying with me.”

  “I love you too, Karla. I will always stay with you. Now, are you ready to do this?” He asked as he parked at the school.

  “Definitely.” She answered with a grin.

  “Karla?” Conner said as they got out of the car. “Have I ever told you what seeing you in that skirt does to me?”

  “Nope.” She answered with a grin as she twirled around a little. “What does it do?”

  He didn’t say anything, but he walked over to her and captured her mouth in a deep kiss that let her know exactly what he was thinking. When he broke the kiss she grinned up at him.

  “I guess I need to go to the mall and buy a couple of skirts like this.” She said with a wink. When he burst out laughing she grinned again and took his hand. “Come on, goofball, we can’t be late.”

  ****

  After a strong first place finish the team met at the local pizza place to celebrate. Karla and Conner sat at a table with Rylee, Callie, Daniel and Alissa, one of the new sophomores on the team. After their pizza arrived Alissa looked at Karla and asked, “You’re friends with the Carpenter’s right?”

  “Some of them, why?” Karla answered cautiously.

  “What’s the deal with Trevor Carpenter?” Alissa asked.

  “He’s crazy.” Rylee answered before Karla could.

  “He isn’t crazy.” Karla interjected. “He’s very calculating and extremely obsessive, but he isn’t crazy. I do, however, think he is bi-polar.”

  “Bi-polar? Really?” Callie asked in confusion. “What makes you think that?”

  “When I got out of the hospital last night I spent some time searching the web.”

  “Of course you did. You wouldn’t be Karla is you didn’t.” Conner interrupted her with a grin. “If my girl doesn’t know something she researches until she reaches expert level.” He explained to Alissa when she gave him a confused look.

  “Anyway.” Karla said as she rolled her eyes at Conner. “According to what I found bi-polar disorder, or manic depression, is pretty common. There are several different types of bi-polar, but basically it involves major mood swings, bouts of depression and atypical behavior. Symptoms can start developing in childhood and worsen through puberty and into adulthood. I think Trevor has been having manic episodes, which consists of persistently increased goal-directed activity. They can last for a week or more and the person having the episode doesn’t think of anything other than their end goal. Without treatment the person suffering from bi-polar only gets worse, but with treatment they can live a full, normal life.”

  “So you aren’t holding him responsible for anything he did?” Daniel asked in shock.

  “Until he is evaluated and it is determined whether or not he is bi-polar, I am reserving judgment. He needs help, not jail time.”

  “Now you sound like Leslie.” Callie said and rolled her eyes. “You are too forgiving sometimes.”

  “Wait, what do you mean by jail time?” Alissa asked in confusion.

  “Apparently you haven’t heard about what happened last night.” Rylee said and went on to tell Alissa what happened with Trevor.

  “I agree with Karla. He needs to be evaluated for bi-polar disorder. My older brother is bi-polar and as long as he’s on his meds he’s a really great guy. If he gets off of them then he’s the total opposite. He has mood swings, is violent, gets depressed really easily and scares me sometimes. He’s in college now and is doing great, but he caused a lot of trouble in high school before his diagnosis.”

  “I’m talking to Dad when I get home and telling him my theory. Trevor needs help and I know Dad will do what he can to provide that help.”

  “Our Dad will too and so will Dr. Carpenter. Trevor will be alright and if your theory is correct we may actually be able to be friends with him.” Callie said and smiled when Rylee’s face lit up.

  “That would make life easier.” Rylee said and they all burst out laughing.

  “Speaking of the Carpenter brothers, what’s going on with you and Travis?” Daniel asked Rylee with a mischievous grin.

  “I’m sure you’ll know the answer to that before I do, Mr. Nosy Pants.” Rylee said and everyone burst out laughing. “Now on to more important topics. Who is up for hitting the mall tomorrow?”

  Everyone cracked up again and Rylee grinned. She had succeeded in shifting the conversation to something light.

  The rest of the evening passed with a lot of laughter and a little fun-filled teasing.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?” Karla asked as soon as she walked into the hotel suite they were calling home.

  “Sure, honey, what do you need?”

  “I think Trevor may be bi-polar.”

  “Ron and I were just talking about that earlier today. He and Travis came by to help load everything into the van and we were talking about Trevor’s atypical behavior. Do you remember Dr. Morgan, the one who was helping Chase last year?” When Karla nodded Andrew continued. “I gave Ron her number and he’s going to call her Monday to set Trevor up an appointment for evaluation. Maybe we can get to the root of his problem and get him the help he needs.”

>   “Thank you, Dad. He needs to get help.”

  “I agree.” Andrew said. “How’d the competition go today?”

  “We took first place. We may make it all the way this year.”

  “That’s great, sweetheart. It’ll look great on your college applications too.”

  “Speaking of college, the first ACT test is scheduled for the first Saturday in November and I’m going to sign up to take it and the SAT is in December. I want to take both this semester and start sending in college applications as soon as possible.”

  “Sounds like you have this all figured out.” Andrew said with a look of pride on his face.

  “I know where I want to go, but I want to send applications to at least ten different universities, just in case.”

  “Karla, sweetheart, you don’t need the just in case option. You’ll be accepted anywhere you apply. Which college are you wanting to go to?”

  “Only the top college in the state, your alma mater.”

  Andrew’s face lit up and he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m going to have a proud dad moment now.”

  When Karla laughed he squeezed her tighter. “What’s this all about?” Leslie asked from the doorway.

  “Karla and I were discussing colleges and she just informed me she wants to go to my alma mater. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

  “You know that’s my alma mater too don’t you, Karla?”

  “Yes, Mom. I know you and Dad met there. I want to go there because it’s the best school in the state and it will allow me to stay close to home.”

  “It will allow you to stay at home if you want.” Leslie said with a smile.

  “Yes, and that is an option, but I do what to experience dorm life also.”

  “I understand that. I didn’t stay at home during college and neither did Mom. We both lived in the dorms.”

  “Where’s Conner wanting to go?” Leslie asked. She knew they would stay close to one another.

  “He’s mentioned a few places, all here in the Nashville area though. Neither of us want to be too far from home.”