2.
C ONSTANCE
“I feel like I’m back in school or something,” Avita complained as we walked down the long hallway that would hopefully lead us to the front door of the hospital.
I wasn’t even sure which floor we were on anymore, but that didn’t matter. If I didn’t find a door or even a window in the next three minutes, I was going to explode right here in the hospital and cause a huge mess for some poor employee.
“Have you seen those memes about meetings that should have been an email? We’re living through that today,” Sho said before she looked around and asked, “Are we close to the door, or did we get lost again?”
“You clearly weren’t in charge of navigation during your time in the service,” Avi mumbled before she pointed at one of the signs hanging on the wall near the ceiling. “We’re almost there.”
“What are we doing for dinner tonight?” Avi asked. “I overheard some nurses talking about a wonderful Thai restaurant not far from here that I’d . . . Why is your face so red?”
“Are you about to cry?” Sho asked.
“If I do, are you going to study me and observe my emotions?” I snapped before I hit my imaginary booster button and took off ahead of the women, something I knew irritated the hell out of both of them.
When we came to the window where the hall ended after feeling like we’d walked at least three miles, I looked to my left and saw another hall and then to my right and saw a couple push through a door I knew had to lead outside.
If it didn’t, then I was going to find the next nearest window and make it a doorway.
“Not that I really want to stay here much longer, but why are we running?” Sho asked.
When I noticed that she wasn’t even breathing hard, I hated her a smidge but tried not to think about it since I was already so mad I could barely breathe.
Once we were finally outside, I hurried along the sidewalk until we were clear of the throngs of people and stopped to catch my breath.
It didn’t help, and in the next second, I had a face full of hedge and was puking so hard I could barely stand.
“We passed eleven fucking bathrooms in there and you wait until we’re outside to puke?” Sho asked.
I flipped her off over my shoulder as I waited to see if there would be another round. When I realized I wasn’t going to throw up anymore, at least right now, I dug through my bag to find a tissue so I could wipe my mouth.
Avi handed me her bottle of water, and I thanked her under my breath before I rinsed out my mouth and spit into the bushes.
“Thank God we’re not in the city, because the paparazzi would love a shot of this,” Sho said way too cheerfully.
“Are you okay?” Avi asked.
“I’m so mad I can barely think. I want to fly home and choke the shit out of those supposed specialists that told me there was nothing they could do . . ." My emotions got the best of me as tears filled my eyes. They fell as soon as I felt Sho’s hand on my shoulder.
“You can’t choke them, but you can make their lives a living hell. I have a feeling that when you tell your father what the doctor here said, he’s going to go apeshit . . . especially when he learns that the reason Park has been so fucking horrible to you isn’t his fault at all.
“Sho is right,” Avi agreed. “You can call your father when we get home and tell him what happened today, okay? I’m sure he’ll know what to do.”
“His brain has been bleeding for months, Avi! Months !”
“I know, honey,” Sho said as she rubbed my back. “But they’re going to fix it now, okay? Once they do, we’ll know more, but until then, there’s no reason to make yourself sick over it.”
“I didn’t know Park before, but my guess is that if he does change back into the man you knew, he’ll probably go take care of the problem himself.”
I nodded before I said, “You’re probably right.”
“If they’re going to do the surgery in the morning, that means we’ll be here all day. The busier you stay doing all the things you planned, the faster it will pass, okay?”
Avi agreed. “She’s right. We have dinner planned with Bella and her friends this evening and that will help kill time.”
“I don’t know if I’m capable of pasting on a smile and dealing with a bunch of strangers.”
“From what Bella said, they’re some really exceptional women, so I think you should go.”
“You should, Stan. I don’t know about you, but after sitting there in those meetings today, I could really use a few drinks,” Sho said sadly.
“Since I can’t do that, I’ll have to order what I want and watch you drink it.
That will probably go a long way in helping you get through the night so we can have a fresh start tomorrow. ”
“You’re right. I’ll go, but only because it’s important to Bella, and she really wants to hang out with them while she’s here.”
“Good girl.” I glared at Sho before she added, “Honey, I’m not trying to be mean, but you look like a puppy who’s been kicked so much that she’s lost all faith in humanity.
“I think I may have.”
◆◆◆
“You look like you feel a lot better,” Sho said when I walked into the living area of our suite.
I looked around, wondering if it was a mistake to leave the hotel and move into the house I’d found, but then remembered how drawn I’d been to it.
It was way too big for just myself and my security, but that just meant we wouldn’t be tripping over each other like we did during our hotel stays.
And I looked at it as an investment that my family and the other New York families that were so close to mine would use.
After my father sent me the listing, I forwarded it to Aunt Frankie.
She called me to suggest I create an online calendar so that I could keep track of everyone who wanted to come visit, including her and her friends from Texas.
Apparently, they hadn’t learned anything when they traveled together for her wedding and were all excited to visit Colorado and enjoy the sights.
“I’ll feel better once we get settled in the house.”
“I’m looking forward to that, but I’m not excited about all the shopping that moving in will entail.”
“I rescheduled the appointment at the furniture store,” Avi said as she walked into the room. “I thought the sales associate was going to burst into tears.”
“My guess is that he rarely has a customer who wants to furnish that many bedrooms,” Sho said with a grin.
“We’ll get the beds from him, but I’ll probably want to shop around for the rest of the furniture,” I said as I pulled my wallet out of my purse. Once I had my necessities, I put them in the clutch I’d be taking with me this evening and then looked up to find the women watching me. “What?”
“You seem very calm. Much calmer than I thought you’d be,” Sho said warily.
“I took a long bath and got everything sorted out in my head. It took a while, but I found one lone nugget of hope that I’m holding onto.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better about things, but remember what the neurologist said. Park may not change at all, and even if he does, it would still take a long time for him to get back to the man he was,” Avi reminded me.
“I know, but this is the best news we’ve had in a long time, so I’m going to hold on to that spark for as long as I can.”
“Did you talk to your father?” Sho asked. When I smiled, both women’s eyebrows went up. “I’m almost afraid to ask what he said.”
“He said he’d take care of it, but he was nearly as upset as I had been, although I doubt he ran outside and puked in the bushes.”
“Like Sho said earlier today, the paparazzi would love that.”
It didn’t take us long to get to the restaurant that Bella had chosen for dinner.
By the time we got there, she was already seated in a private dining area with a group of women.
Ciro took one look in the room and asked Bella where he could find Matteo before he left without a word.
He wasn’t willing to be the only man here with us.
“Constance, I’d like you to meet some of my friends.
They’re all part of the Tempest family that you’ve heard me talk about,” Bella said after she stood up and gave me a quick hug.
As she introduced the women around the table, they smiled at me.
I found something unique about each woman to help me remember their names as she said, “This is Rose, Charlotte, Tana, Delilah, and Cecily. Ladies, these are my friends, Constance, Shoshana, and Avita.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” I said before Sho and Avita greeted them too. “Bella talks about her friends and family all the time, so it’s nice to put some faces to the names.”
“Any story she told you about me is probably an exaggeration. I’m an angel sent down from heaven to bring peace to those around me.”
I smiled when the rest of the women laughed at Rose’s declaration and realized that they were calling her Natty, which must be her nickname. Since I preferred to be called by my nickname, too, I took note of that.
As their good-natured teasing quieted, I announced, “Bella has said nothing but wonderful and complimentary things about all of you, and I never once thought any of them might be an exaggeration.”
“The way that you can say that with a straight face tells me that you and I are going to become thick as thieves,” Tana announced as the server walked up to take drink orders from me and Bella.
When she walked away, Tana said, “Now we need to hear everything about you. All Bella told us was that the reason you decided to move from New York to Colorado was complicated , and we all know that means there’s a man involved. ”
I smiled before I asked, “Just one? What if I told you there are two?”
◆◆◆
I moved my chair closer to Sully’s wheelchair and reached out to take his hand before I said, “The nurses told me that you’ve had a big day today.” Sully gave me an imperceptible nod, and I took that as a sign to continue. “What was your favorite part? Swimming or standing up?”