2. Savannah
Chapter two
Savannah
Stepping into the private family lounge, I take a deep breath and smooth the front of my dress as the door clicks shut and the quiet welcomes me for the first time in the last two hours. I’m grateful for the tranquil space where I can take a breath away from the crowds. There are so many people here that even I’m overwhelmed, and honestly, I’m surprised by the size of the crowd for the rat bastard.
The funeral director told my sister to expect a full house at both today’s visitation and the service tomorrow. Trent may not have had any family other than his in-laws, but apparently he had quite the network of colleagues, friends, and patients. I still can’t believe the man I thought was so perfect for my baby sister was a lying, cheating cad. He had us all fooled, especially my sweet Vivi. I wish Mama was here. She would know what to say to make things better or give us some idea of what we’re all supposed to do to help Vivian and Eloise.
If it weren’t for my sister and precious niece, I would not waste a minute paying respects to that man after everything that has happened over the last two weeks. There’s a lot of grief with his passing, but on top of that, I’m dealing with a churning rage that feels foreign to me. I am livid at Trent, but since I can’t chew him out as he inconveniently got himself shot, I’ll focus on whatever I can do to help my sister navigate this mess. It’s hard enough witnessing my sister try to process and grieve the loss of her husband, along with everything that was revealed when he was killed, I’m also grieving the man I thought was a wonderful husband to my little sister. Even if we weren’t close friends, I knew Trent for over fourteen years and I respected him as a man, husband, father, and doctor. Growing up with four brothers, I tried to build a friendship with Trent over the years, but he never really reciprocated my efforts. He never joined in our siblings’ shenanigans of giving each other shit, pranking each other, or even taking part in game nights as a family, but I thought my brother-in-law loved my sister so well. I thought he was a great daddy to Eloise. I thought they were safe with him.
I thought wrong.
I tug my dress a bit more. I swear this fit better the last time I wore it, and my ill-fitting dress is adding to my annoyance of the day. Walking back into the lobby, I notice the receiving line still appears to continue indefinitely. Toward the back of the room, Vivian’s childhood best friends are in the sitting area. I’m not surprised to see them, but I’m very thankful they came to support our girl. Mary Kate, or MK, as everyone calls her, gives me a small wave as she visits with Lauren, Willa, and Brittany.
Our oldest brother, Jack, makes eye contact with me and heads my way. Even in my tall heels, I still need to look up to meet his gaze. “Sav, can you go stand with Viv for a while? This is getting to be too much, I think. I can’t believe how many people are here.”
“Yeah, of course, but have you seen Shane? I can’t find him; I thought he was with our girls, but they’re in the lounge without him.”
“I last saw him stepping out front on his phone when Liam was taking Eloise outside for some fresh air and to burn off some energy, but I’ll keep my eye out.” Annoyed my husband thought some phone call was more important than being present with our family, I nod in acknowledgement and maneuver through the crowds to make my way to my sister .
My little sister is one of my favorite people in the entire world. I remember when Mama placed her in my arms for the first time and it was love at first sight. I was a few months shy of five years old and my parents gave me a real-life baby doll to love and snuggle. Vivian Grace may have initially been my personal baby doll, but we also have a genuine friendship, and I’m worried about my best friend.
Vivian has barely slept over the last two weeks, and I’m not sure if she slept at all in the last twenty-four hours. She is still beautiful with the same long blonde hair we both share just like Mama. Vivian is voluptuous in all the right places, whereas I inherited the generous Callahan curves, as I lovingly refer to them. My body is even more, shall we say, curvaceous after three babies, but Mama taught us to walk with our heads held high, no matter what we are wearing or what we are doing.
I did Vivian’s hair this morning, pulling her golden locks back into a classic low chignon. A few pieces of hair have fallen loose since then, but on her, it looks intentional and effortless.
At the same time—my sister looks like a shadow of her former self.
Vivian’s prominent cheekbones are even more pronounced, making her face seem almost gaunt today. Her typically vivid green eyes that usually match our daddy’s are dull without any sparkle. I’m the third oldest out of us six Callahan siblings, but I have always been the mother hen in our family, even at times to my two older brothers. My instinct is to take Vivian away from here, away from all these people with their prying eyes, judgmental stares, and hard questions. But Vivian being Vivian insisted on doing a receiving line at the visitation. So for right now, the best way I can love my little sister is to simply stand next to her as she accepts sympathies from apparently their entire country club, the staff of every hospital Trent had privileges at, and any colleague that ever worked with him in any capacity .
My little sister’s grace has not been equally reciprocated and there are people here that should be ashamed by some of the comments I overheard today. As if my sister isn’t dealing with enough, let’s pour gasoline on the fire and gossip about how Trent died, what kind of financial situation Vivian is left with, if my sister was also having an affair, and if they were ever happily married.
“I’m so shocked. Dr. Stone was such a nice man. I don’t know what you‘re going to do without him,” some moronic woman drones on to my sister. “There will never be another man like that. Dr. Stone was the very best of all of us. What a tragedy!” Over the years, I learned some people say the dumbest things when someone dies. My sister is silent as this woman goes on and on about how much she adored Trent, and I can tell by Vivian’s face that she wants her to shut the hell up.
“Bless your heart. Thank you so much for coming. The family appreciates it so much; take care now.” With a completely fake smile, I interrupt the clueless woman and wrap my arm firmly around my sister. The woman thankfully takes the hint and moves on.
“Thanks, Sav. I don’t even know who that woman was. I know like a third of the people here, if that. Eloise looks exhausted. Do you think one of our brothers can take her home? And do you think anyone will notice if I go with her?” my sister quietly says as she leans into my side hug. I give her a small squeeze and wish I could do more in this moment.
“I say give it another twenty minutes and we call it. The memorial service was short and sweet, no reason for this part to drag on. You still need to get through tomorrow and I bet most of these people will be at his funeral. Does that sound okay?” Vivian nods and greets the next person, who apparently was a colleague of Trent’s at the hospital. At least Vivian knows this man; hopefully they possess more tact than the previous woman did. I may be a Southern lady, but I will not save face if my sister needs me. If necessary, I’ll whip my overprotective mama bear claws out and those suckers can be sharp.
Jack steps behind us, leaning down to quietly talk to me. “Viv looks exhausted. What’s the plan? If she stands here and talks to everyone in line, she’s going to be doing this for at least another hour.” I lift my chin in agreement, but before I can say anything Jack’s face goes eerily stoic, furrowing his brows as he looks further down the receiving line. I turn to see what caught his attention, and I cannot believe my eyes.
Bianca Fucking Bishop.
After the affair came to light, Vivian told us the entire story. Like any sister would, I did my own deep dive into this woman online and sent her photo to our brothers. Bianca practices medicine in Boston, but we weren’t sure why or how often she came to Chicago; I wanted to ensure we knew what she looked like, but I didn’t think she would be callous enough to show up at the actual funeral home. I assumed she would extend enough respect for Trent’s widow and grieving young daughter, or maybe even some guilt or shame for what she did with my sister’s husband.
Apparently, we underestimated the audacity of this bitch. I can’t believe she’s standing in the lobby of Trent’s visitation. What the hell is she doing here?
My eyes widen in panic as I look at Jack—we can’t let Vivian see her. I’m about to ask Jack what we should do when my sister interrupts the doctor speaking to her, “Excuse me. I see someone I need to talk to, but thank you for coming, Scott. I really appreciate it.” My sister’s tone is cold and formal. I grab her arm to hold her in place, but she turns back and shoots a glare over her shoulder, letting me know she needs to handle this on her own so I can either walk away or have her back. I guess we’re not choosing the peaceful route of things today .
I can’t really blame her; I would probably do the same thing.
“Okay then, Viv, let’s go.” I nod and straighten my shoulders as my sister leads the way with Jack on our heels. I wish Shane was out here. I know our other brothers aren’t far, but it would be nice if my husband had my back right now too. Just before we reach the deceitful harlot, my sweet niece Eloise walks into the room looking for her mama, stopping just in front of the treacherous skank. Due to the size of the crowd, we can’t move as quickly as I would like and the floozy has the nerve to squat down to speak to my niece.
When she places a hand on Eloise’s shoulder, I see red.
While I calculate how fast I can grab Eloise away from the she-devil, Vivian executes ninja-like moves navigating the crowd and steps forward to take Eloise’s hand. “Baby, go find your cousins in the lounge. We’re going home soon.” Eloise nods, oblivious to whatever Bianca was going to say or do and runs off to find her cousins. With Jack and me right behind her, my sweet, soft-spoken, kind sister transforms into a fierce warrior before my eyes as Bianca stands to face her. “No. Absolutely not. You are not welcome here. You do not get to speak to my child. You need to leave right now.”
Bianca foolishly takes this as an invitation to start a conversation. Internally, I roll my eyes—I guess even doctors can be dumb sometimes. “Vivian, darling, I’m so sorry for your loss. I was just about to tell Eloise how great her daddy was and how much I’m going to miss my friend.” Obviously, Bianca didn’t get the memo that Vivian knows about their sordid affair. Our brother Liam appears out of the crowd and stands next to me.
“Are you? Are you sorry for our loss, or are you sorry for sleeping with my husband?” Vivian’s tone is eerily calm as though she just asked about the weather, but she is vibrating with rage. Bianca’s face falls as she realizes her secret affair is no longer so secret. “Is your husband here? I’d love to speak with David, but I won’t do it in a hotel room like a common whore.”
“Now Vivian, please, this is not the time or place for this.” Bianca’s face blanches as she looks around to see who is listening. “You don’t understand, it’s much more complicated than that. Trent and I had a long history. We loved each other for years and I’m sorry, but we couldn’t help that we were meant to be together.” Bianca may have had more she planned to say to justify their affair, but her self-serving soliloquy is promptly interrupted by the distinct, crisp crack of a hand connecting with her cheek.
Vivian slapped Bianca right across her cheating, lying face.
The room goes silent, and time stands still for a few seconds before Jack, Finn, and Liam jump into action. “It’s time for you to go, ma’am.” Liam takes Bianca by the arm while Jack and Finn clear the crowd for them to make their way to the exit. Vivian excuses herself and beelines toward the family lounge. She makes it to the door before falling into our daddy’s arms as he and our brother Ryan pull her into the lounge, and her best friends quickly follow them. I’ll check on Vivian in a moment but first, I need to ensure the trash is properly taken out.
“Excuse me, excuse me!” I try to maneuver through the crowd as they flutter with hushed, animated whispers about the drama unfolding. I doubt their country club usually includes this kind of entertainment. I still haven’t seen a single person I actually know or even recognize today outside of our family and Vivian’s best friends from home.
I push open the doors leading to the side of the funeral home and find my brothers with a belligerent Bianca. “She slapped me! Are you kidding me? She’s lucky I don’t press charges for assault!” Bianca yells. “Get your hands off me, is that a family trait? You don’t touch me. Do you know who I am? I’m an award-winning doctor!” Bianca screeches at my brother Finn .
Oh no, she does not get to speak to anyone in my family like that.
“Now Dr. Bishop, let’s not talk about respect right now.” I cross my arms as I step in front of my brothers and right up to the woman who helped break my sister’s heart. “The extensive list of Trent’s friends and colleagues we invited to this private event did not include mistresses. I assure you it was not an oversight.”
I tilt my head to take her in fully. Bianca is livid as she glares at me, but she doesn’t scare or intimidate me. “You, Dr. Bishop, are a narcissistic piece of trash. You will not speak to my sister or to my niece ever again. Do you understand me? We all know what was going on with you and Trent, and we all know precisely why he was in front of the hotel that day, you vile treacherous wench. Somewhere in your filthy, duplicitous soul surely there exists an ounce of decorum and regret for your actions that contributed to Trent’s murder. Please tell me, Dr. Bishop, how do you sleep at night?”
“Are you kidding me? I had nothing to do with Trent’s murder! How dare you! I loved him! You don’t know what you’re talking about, you basic, boring housewife!” I know she meant to offend me, but her aim fails miserably. She reminds me of that actress Elena who won all those film awards last year and is so famous she only needs one name. Bianca is physically quite beautiful, with her smooth onyx hair, pouty lips, and slightly bronzed skin. I suspect her dark and cruel eyes are likely a reflection of her soul.
“I’m sure your husband will be so happy to hear that, you brazen hussy. You better believe I will not hesitate to call him with joy in my heart. I believe Vivian said his name was Dr. David J. Bishop, correct?” My voice’s rising inflection indicates it’s a question, but I already know all of this and so much more. “And he practices at Boston Midtown Orthopedics, right? How lovely he gets to practice with his brother and at the same practice his father founded.” Bianca pales slightly, realizing I did my research not only into who she is but also her husband. “That’s right, honey. I know who your husband is, who his daddy is, and both of their cell phone numbers, thanks to Trent’s phone. I’ll be using those numbers real soon too, but you need to leave before you get another Callahan sister’s hand across your face. Maybe it will take two solid hits before you can feel it with that terrible Botox. I will warn you though, out of the two of us, Vivian is the nicer sister.”
“Who do you think you are talking to? You can’t threaten me like that!” Bianca makes the mistake of taking a step toward me, which feels like an invitation to see if I can slap harder than my sister, and after growing up with four brothers I am thrilled to let her find out. Before I can respond, the funeral home doors open and two of the detectives working Trent’s case step outside.
“Hey, what’s going on out here, folks?” Detective Johnson walks toward us as Jack gently takes my arm, pulling me back a few steps.
“Just an unwelcome guest trying to make a scene at a private event, Detective Johnson,” Jack speaks up. “I believe Dr. Bishop was leaving though, as I’m sure she doesn’t want to make an even bigger deal of this. Oh, Detective, by the way, are those reporters still near the other entrance?” Bianca’s face blanches realizing her dirty laundry may be heard by the press. Evidently, she’s not interested in having her salacious personal issues made public.
Poor thing really should work on her poker face.
After seeing how uncomfortable she is at the mention of reporters, I will ensure that any and all dirt on this woman is aired not only to her husband and in-laws but as publicly as possible. I may look like a basic suburban mama, but this tramp made the mistake of hurting someone in my family. It looks like this boring housewife just found herself a new hobby. I will find where it hurts and I’ll poke it with whatever stick I can find.
Bianca smooths the front of her dress as she turns toward the detectives. “It appears we had a misunderstanding. I was just on my way out, gentlemen.” She briefly looks over, shooting me a cunning look before clearing her throat. “Detective Johnson and Detective Taylor, please let me know if you need anything else from me. You have my contact information, and I look forward to hearing any and all updates on Trent’s case. I sincerely appreciate everything you’re doing to find justice so he can rest in peace.” Bianca gives them a phony, contrite smile and dabs at invisible tears with a tissue before she turns to give us a smirk as she walks away. Momentarily confused as to how she knows the detectives by name, it dawns on me that of course the mistress in the hotel room would be in contact with the detectives. Not only was she involved with Trent, but she was one of the last people to see him alive.
“Is it common practice for the Chicago Police Department to include floozies in their investigations? Wouldn’t y’all consider them to be an unreliable witness with such questionable character?” I make sure to ask loud enough so Bianca and anyone else nearby would hear me. Bianca stops in her tracks and looks over her shoulder to scowl at me before continuing down the street.
“Let’s go find Viv. I think we’re done here; we should get her and Eloise home.” Liam starts to open the door to the funeral home but is forced to take a step back as Shane walks out.
“Savannah, what are you doing out here?” Shane asks annoyed as though we were taking a midday stroll, instead of taking out the trash.
“Where were you, Shane? That whore showed up and tried to talk to Eloise!” I point down the street as Bianca gets into the back of a black SUV. “Vivian slapped her, and I almost took a turn before those detectives came out here.”
“Vivian slapped someone?” Shane looks incredulously from me to my brothers. “You’ve never hit anyone. What happened?” Liam gives Shane a dismissive look before shaking his head and opening the door for us to go back inside.
I turn to follow my brothers inside. “You would know all of this had you been here, Shane. I needed you. What were you doing?” I ask him in a hushed but pissed off tone as he follows me.
“I had an urgent client situation. It was just a quick phone call. I’m sorry, darling.” He seems remorseful and unfortunately, client situations are not uncommon when he is one of the highest paid, white-collar, criminal defense attorneys in the state.
“It’s fine, Shane. Let’s find our girls and get out of here.” Shane wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me toward him for a small hug, giving me a kiss on my head. Jack, Finn, and Liam lead us back through the crowd to the family lounge.
As I finish packing up the toys and books we brought to entertain the kids in the family lounge, I realize I just unintentionally lied to my husband. Shane being absent wasn’t actually fine, but I had other pressing issues that needed my attention. We used to be a team and I never had to question if he had my back in a situation, big or small. But lately it feels like I’m more of a lone wolf than part of a dynamic partnership.
Shane helps our girls zip up their winter coats we had to purchase for the trip. Chicago is so cold—I don’t know why anyone would choose to live in this climate. After Finn helps Vivian put her coat on, she picks up Eloise, and I pull them into a big hug. Keeping my arm wrapped around Vivan’s shoulders, I pull back and tell her, “Let’s get out of here, okay? Tomorrow will be long enough.” Vivian nods and we turn to walk out together as Daddy comes up and puts his arm around the other side of Vivian.
I’ll be right by her side tomorrow, and we all have her back. The Callahans take care of their own, without fail, and without question. We will face tomorrow and any other storm that may come like we always have—together.