So, here I will post the next two chapters of my second book.
9Danny
Saturday morning she woke up early and
called Franklin. They decided on a few tourist spots to hit that morning and
afternoon. Then she called Scott. He answered and still sounded upset and
tired. “Um, I just wanted to tell you about my plans with Franklin today and to
see if you wanted to come with us,” she told him. His voice perked up,
“Actually, that would be awesome. I’m going to have to sneak out of here, but
I’ll meet you down at his hotel in less than half an hour.” She was relieved to
hear him happy about something, but a little worried about the “sneaking out”
part. She put on some comfortable tourist clothes and went to find a taxi.
Scott arrived only five minutes after she did and was thrilled to finally meet
Franklin. They went on a Hudson River tour for the whole morning. Scott was his
old, happy self until his phone started ringing repeatedly. Every time, he
would glance at the screen and ignore the call. Finally he just turned his
phone off. “Who is that?” Rachel asked. “My stalker brother who is dying to
meet you,” he answered. He put his phone away and wrapped his arms around her.
It felt good since it was a very chilly morning. Franklin just smiled and was
glad to see that his girl was taken care of. They ate a hearty deli lunch
before seeing a couple more sites on the must see tourist list. They were
strolling through Central Park when Rachel’s phone rang; and because everyone
she would normally talk to was right there with her, she checked the caller ID.
It was just a number, so she showed it to Scott. “Is this Danny?” she asked. He
sighed and rolled his eyes, “Yep.” She pressed the ignore button and dropped
her phone in her purse. He liked that and pulled her in for a kiss. When the
afternoon was nearly gone and the time came to part from Franklin, they walked
him to his hotel. Rachel promised to see him off the following day since he was
leaving for the airport mid-morning.
She stood in front of her closet for some
time pondering her clothes selection for the evening. She wanted to be dressed
up enough for Spencer, but not draw attention from Danny. She looked down at
her engagement ring and smiled. “Scott
will be my protector,” she thought. She finally chose a navy blue dress
with a matching cardigan and blue and white pumps. She showered and fixed her
hair. Her makeup skills were still rudimentary, but she did her best. She had
just had her ears pierced a couple of weeks ago and couldn’t change them yet.
She found a bracelet that would coordinate with her trainer earrings and
declared herself ready. She pulled out an extra shawl in case it was too cool
for just the cardigan and went to wait for Scott in her living room. He was
early and had the same upset, tired tone that was becoming familiar to her.
“Scott, what is wrong? You seem so upset,” she asked. He sighed and put his
hand on his forehead, “I was just getting along great with Dad until Danny came
back. He makes everything difficult for me. He wants to constantly pummel me
with stories of the army. I respect what he did for our country, really, but he
doesn’t need to boast about it twenty-four hours a day. I don’t brag about HtW
to him. He has asked me about it a couple of times, but the way he asks I know
he doesn’t really want me to answer. I have absolutely begged Dad not to let
him work with us in our office. Dad says he will give him some time to pursue
his photography and journalism dreams and then he will have to offer him a job
somewhere. On top of that, I am dreading this dinner tonight; because I know
this will be the beginning of his mission to steal you from me.” When he
finished speaking, he had tears coming from his eyes. She wiped his tears away
and held him close. “Remember,” she said, “I promised you I would not let him
do that. Do you see this gorgeous ring on my finger? It means that I am
promised to you and only you. No one else in the world can have me. Property of
Scott.” He smiled and thanked her. He glanced at his watch and told her they should
be getting down to the car. He held her and kissed her in the elevator all the
way down.
The car took them to a very fancy hotel and
Scott ushered her to an exclusive restaurant. She fussed with her shawl when
they were being shown their table. It had been lovely to have on outside, but
inside it made her feel stifled. She managed to wrestle it off and drape it
neatly over her arm before they reached the table. She felt very clumsy and
undignified in places like this. It was going to be a challenge to not
embarrass Spencer. She saw that he and a tall, broad shouldered, blonde were
already sitting at the table with half empty champagne glasses. They both stood
as she and Scott arrived. “Hello, Dahling! Allow me to present my elder son,
Daniel. Daniel, this is Rachel. Your brother’s fiancé,” he said with great
emphasis on the last part. Danny just gave her a smirk and walked around the
table. She extended her hand for a proper hand shake, but he whirled her into a
full bear hug. “Ya gotta give hugs to family,” he said as he released her.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said in her polite voice. She was already
completely uncomfortable with him. He was much too pushy and arrogant. She
gripped Scott’s hand and was loathe to part with it when the waiter brought her
a menu. She was still agonizing over the menu selection when the waiter
returned to take their order. “Ah, don’t mess with that, Rachel. I’ll be
ordering for her today. She wants the roast duck with pineapple sauce,” Danny
said confidently. Rachel didn’t lower her menu for fear of revealing the shock
on her face. Duck was the last thing she would have ordered, but as usual her
polite side took over. She looked over at Scott and his face was red. She
suddenly found her voice and said, “Waiter, I would actually really love the
New York strip steak with mushroom sauce instead.” She felt very proud of
herself and could see by Scott’s grin that he was pleased. Danny just smiled
and winked at her. This annoyed her, but she tried to just think about
something else. “Your girl has got an appetite, eh Scott?” he said. Scott
glared at him and went back to looking at his own menu. When they had all
ordered Rachel was sorry to lose her menu shield, but was soon occupied with
bread and salad. She was artistically buttering her bread when she heard Danny
say loudly, “Rachel! I just ask you how the classes are going.” “Oh, sorry, I’m
enjoying the bread. Well, they are fine,” she said. She knew this would not
satisfy his curiosity about her, but she hoped someone else would speak. Spencer
seemed to sense her uneasiness and started talking about business. She did her
best to only look at Spencer and Scott, but once in a while she caught Danny
staring at her. She finally thought about the Lisa soap opera of old, and
leaned over to plant a kiss on Scott’s cheek. She whispered, “Lisa,” in his ear
and he grinned. He kissed her on the mouth, perhaps inappropriately for this
class of restaurant, but they had an objective. Danny cooled off for the rest
of the meal and Rachel was glad their show of public affection was effective.
What she didn’t know was that he had just become challenged; like a red cape to
a bull in the ring, he was going for the prize. He was just going to have to be
more cunning about it. She was obviously not like most of the girls he was used
to. After Rachel had finished her exquisite triple chocolate mousse cake, she
found that everyone else was already finished and ready to leave. Spencer
turned to her at the door of the hotel, “Rachel, I don’t suppose you would like
to come watch us play tennis tomorrow at the club?” She shook her head, “Oh,
I’m sorry, but I have some homework I need to get done before Monday. Thank you,
though.” He actually looked relieved that she had been unable to attend, but
Rachel convinced herself she was misreading him. He and Danny wished her a good
night and then Scott led her to the second family car that would take her home.
“Please tell me you need help with your homework!” Scott said when they were in
the car. “Not up to ultra competitive tennis?” she asked. He nodded and laid
his head on her shoulder. “How about you and I have a date tomorrow night?” she
suggested. He felt that would be some consolation for having to endure brutal
tennis with his brother and father. She walked herself up to her apartment
since it was late. She drew a hot bath to soak her achy feet. She knew her
shoes had looked lovely, but did nothing for comfort.
The next morning she woke late and had to
race to meet Franklin before his departure for the airport. “Hey girlie, I was
beginning to think you were standing me up,” he joked. “No, I just slept in.
Stressful night last night. I have really enjoyed having you here. Sure you
don’t want to move to New York?” she asked. He chuckled, “No way! I want my
small town back! But, I will miss you, Rachel. You call me as often as you can,
ok?” He tried to hug her enough to last him a while, but he knew he would miss
her anyway. She cried as he sat in the taxi. He was the most like a father to
her. Before he closed the door she called out, “I love you, Dad!” He closed the
door, but she could see him start to cry as the taxi drove away. She got a text
on her phone a moment later, “I love you
too, daughter.”
She went back to her apartment and
attempted to do her homework. She couldn’t stop thinking about the message from
Franklin. “I have family. I have a
father. I am not alone,” she thought. She finally shook herself to reality
and the work in front of her. She worked on it the whole day and was just
finishing up algebra homework when Scott called. “Hey sweetheart, I’m
downstairs. Are you ready?” “Uh, no. I just finished my homework and I’m still
sitting here in sloppy clothes. Just give me a minute,” she said. She hurried
through a spruce up and was presentable in five minutes. She raced to the
elevator and thought it was slower than usual as it carried her to her fiancé.
Scott took her to a relaxed pizza restaurant and Rachel fell in love with it.
She had not had a lot of pizza in her lifetime, but this stuff was just good,
warming food. They were enjoying each other’s company for most of the meal;
until Rachel spotted Danny at a table facing hers. She gasped and asked, “What
on earth is HE doing here?” Scott leaned over so he could see what she was
talking about. He scooted out of his chair, threw down his napkin, and said,
“Excuse me one moment.” He marched over to Danny and began an argument that she
couldn’t hear, but she could only imagine that it included, “What on earth are
you doing here?” At length, Danny stood up, put his hands in the air, and left.
Scott came back still rattled from his verbal tussle. He tried to regain his
composure for the rest of the evening, but it had been ruined by his brother’s
outright disregard for boundaries. She rubbed his neck and stroked his hair,
but nothing seemed to work. Later, he told her good night at the elevator and
didn’t even try to go upstairs with her. She knew there would be a full on
family feud when he got home. She said a prayer that this would all go away
soon, but felt in her heart that it might take a while to resolve.
10Pursuit
The next week was fairly calm and Rachel
hoped that Scott’s stand had produced good results. The week after that,
however, her hopes were dashed. She was reading a book required by her English
class over a turkey sandwich at the university’s café. A voice across the table
startled her. “Well, well, look at our diligent student,” Danny said. She
nearly spilled her drink trying to put her book away and compose herself.
“What…..How….Why are you here?” she said. He smiled a Cheshire cat grin and
said, “Well, I wanted to see you in action.” “I mean how did you know I was
here? That is so very creepy, you know,” she said. “Oh, I just waited around
here until I saw you. I figured you would have to eat at some point,” he
answered. His response did not satisfy her in the least. “Well, I’m busy,” she said as she raised her
book and took a bite of her sandwich. “I see that,” he replied. She kept hoping
that she would look up and he would be gone, but he actually stayed until after
she got up to go to her next class. She thought about calling Scott, but
decided not to. He would be so angry. “Gosh
I hope he doesn’t start showing up here all of the time,” she thought.
But that is exactly what he did. Every day
he appeared at lunch time and sat staring at her while she studied and ate.
After two weeks of his stalking, she told him, “Please don’t come back. I don’t
want to see you here again. It’s weird and creepy and I don’t like it.” He
laughed and said, “Alright, I’ll just have to find other ways to see you.” She
decided it was time to call Scott. She asked him to come over so she could talk
to him in person. “What’s up?” he asked. “Please don’t get angry with me. I
thought about telling you this sooner, but I really don’t like to see you
angry. The thing is; Danny has been showing up at the university café every
day. I don’t talk to him, but he just sits there and stares at me. I told him
today to quit; that it was creepy and I didn’t like it. He said something about
finding another way to see me and that’s when I knew I needed to talk to you.
Scott, he scares me. I don’t want to be alone. What if he comes here and you
aren’t here? He could probably get a key from your dad; or something.” She
paused to see what he had to say. He stared at the floor for a moment before
responding. “Well, I wish you had told me sooner. I know he will think that the
fact that you didn’t tell me for two weeks is because you wanted him to come.
But, it’s ok. We will get this sorted out eventually. You should probably
change up your routine as much as possible. Don’t eat lunch at the café; take a
different route to and from your apartment, that sort of thing. I’ll talk to
Dad. Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He held her
tight for a long time and she began to feel more at ease. She knew that he was
inwardly boiling, but was maintaining a calm exterior for her. That night she
set all of the locks on her door and also locked her bedroom door before going
to bed. She could imagine Danny standing over her with a camera in the middle
of the night.
The next day she wondered about the
fireworks that had exploded in the Fillman house the night before. She didn’t
have much time to think about it, though, since she had to get to class. She
had signed up for an extra credit course on anthropology in South America that
met for the next three Saturdays. The classes were six hours a day with a
thirty minute break in the middle. It was intense, but she enjoyed it. She felt
as though she were removed from the Fillman issues for six and a half hours a
week. She was transported to ancient civilizations that were brilliant and
unique. Scott didn’t like her being gone on Saturdays, since that was one of
the few days that he could come see her. Although she loved Scott and
desperately wanted to marry him, she found herself enjoying the separation.
Eventually Danny became more creative with
his plot to see her. He began organizing family activities, which Spencer loved
and supported. She had excuses for many absences, but could not get out of all
of them. Danny would hover over her and find every reason imaginable to be near
her. She was so annoyed. With each family time Scott grew angrier and cross,
and she grew more fed up with the whole family. She pondered what escape could
possibly bear her away from this antagonizing situation. She had a light bulb
moment as she entered her apartment following one such torturous affair. The
phone rang twice and then, “Rachel? What brings you to call me?” Rachel cleared
her throat and began to tell Kathryn the whole ordeal. “Look I know it’s
probably selfish for me to call you like this, but I can’t tolerate another
moment with Scott angry and Danny flirting! I figured you know that family
better than anyone else and might have some ideas.” Kathryn laughed and
replied, “Oh, I’ve got all sorts of tricks up my sleeve. Leave it to me; I’ll
get Danny off your back. Let me make a call and then next family gathering you
can see if it has made a difference.” She thanked Kathryn and they hung up. She
wondered what in the world could she have up her sleeve, but she trusted her to
be honest.
The following Sunday Danny had organized a
lunch at a modern art gallery. Rachel dressed up and crossed her fingers that
Kathryn had come through. She was surprised to see Kathryn at the door of the
gallery. She leaned over to whisper in Rachel’s ear, “Our solution is now
mingling stage left.” Rachel strained to see who or what was on the left side
of the gallery. She saw a woman who looked like she had just come off the
catwalk of a major designer. Her hair and makeup were professional and she
carried a purse and shoes worth thousands. Rachel looked back at Kathryn with a
gaped mouth. “She will do the trick,” Kathryn whispered and then walked to her
car. She went into the gallery and introduced herself to the top model woman.
She wanted to know exactly why this was the answer to her Danny dilemma. “Hi,
I’m Rachel, Scott Fillman’s fiancé. Who are you?” The statuesque woman turned
around abruptly and replied, “Everyone in New York knows who I am, or they
should. I am Kimberly Morgan. I’ve known the Fillmans since I was a little girl
and someday I will marry Danny, because I always get what I want. I can’t
believe he didn’t call me when he got back,” she chattered on. Rachel then saw
crystal clear what Kathryn’s plan had been. “Well, Kimberly, you must join us
for lunch then. I believe we are back in the New Impressionism wing,” she said
as she took Kimberly by the arm and led her back to the waiting family. Danny’s
expression was priceless when he saw Kimberly. He began sweating and blushing
and stuttering. Scott was suppressing a huge guffaw. The sight of Danny being
so overwhelmed by this woman was too good to forget. “Danny! Why haven’t you
called me?” Kimberly said as she walked over to him. She lambasted him with a
barrage of questions and he could not answer a single one. She made herself
comfy next to him and seemed to forgive him in spite of his bumbling. Scott
leaned over and whispered, “Where did you find her?” Rachel replied, “Let’s
just say your dad’s assistant is a miracle worker.” Danny actually scowled when
he looked over at Rachel during the meal. She just smiled and enjoyed herself.
She asked Kimberly lots of questions to keep her talking. Spencer seemed
oblivious to the whole business; he was just thankful to have the family
together. She was feeling very good about her accomplishment until Scott called
her that night. “Look, sweetie, I know you thought you were doing a good thing,
but I think it only made him angry. When he gets angry he is even more
competitive. He yelled at me for an hour after we got home. Kim’s perfect for
him, but he can’t see it. He still thinks he needs to have everybody else’s
women. Anyway, you need to still be careful, ok?” he said. She was crushed. She
thought she had done such a good thing. It was getting close to Christmas
vacation and she couldn’t bear the thought of all of the family gatherings. She
called Scott back. “Scott, I want to go stay with Franklin for the holidays. I
just can’t stand the thought of all the family stuff with Danny making our
lives miserable. I haven’t spent even close to my monthly allowance, so I can
buy the tickets. Is that ok with you?” she asked. He sighed and said, “Yeah,
fine, go ahead and get your tickets and I’ll try to keep it from dad and Danny
until you are gone.” Rachel thought that he had agreed rather quickly to her
plan to be separated from him for a month, but she was feeling like a June bug
in the middle of ducks and had to go. She called Franklin and told him about
her plans. She had him find her tickets since she had never purchased tickets
in her life. He was thrilled that she would be spending nearly a month with
him.
After that was all settled she turned her
attention back to studying for finals. She had to do well to keep her
scholarship and so far she had made perfect grades. Finals, however, were a bit
daunting. By Friday of finals week her brain was so tired. Copious amounts of
coffee didn’t seem to pick her up at all. She tried to call David at the set
time, but Smitty informed her that the rabbits weren’t producing and he
wouldn’t be coming in for a few weeks. She was disappointed, but asked him to
tell David that she would be in town for the holidays. After her last exam she
went to her apartment and slept the rest of the day. She woke up very early and
started packing for her trip to Tennessee. “I
can’t believe I’m excited about going to Morristown,” she thought. Scott
came to see her late in the morning and was surprised that she was already
packed. “So, you’re going to leave me, huh?” he said. She told him she would
miss him. “So, any word from Kimberly?” she asked. “Oh yeah, she calls about
ten times a day, but he isn’t answering the phone anymore. Knowing her, she will
start showing up at his door,” he replied. They talked about the time they
would be apart. He reluctantly left close to midnight.
The next morning she woke up early and got
ready to go to the airport. She decided to check her email before she headed
out the door. She was shocked to see an email from Anna.
Dear Rachel,
I’m sorry it has taken me so long to
reply to your letter. My life has been so crazy for the past year. I am married
to a British man and have a sweet baby girl. I couldn’t believe it when I got
your email. I’m truly glad that you found a way out and that you are getting an
education. We should Skype sometime. I actually live in Italy! I’m so relieved
that you weren’t offended with my book. I’ve written three of them. I have found
it to be the best way to deal with what I went through with Roy.
Congratulations on being engaged! When is your wedding?
Well, I should go. The baby is
calling for me.
Talk to you soon, Anna
Rachel read
her letter through several times before packing away her laptop in her carryon
bag. She decided to think about how to reply while on her flight to Tennessee.
She grabbed her suitcase and headed for the elevator. She hailed a cab and made
the slow journey out to the airport. The flight was long and Rachel had a lot
to think about with Anna’s email and everything going on with Scott. She was
starting to feel like they would never get married. She didn’t like who he was
with his brother around. She tried to put that out of her mind as the plane
approached her destination. She was determined to enjoy her visit with
Franklin.
He picked her up at the airport and Rachel
was nearly overwhelmed by the memories of escaping there. How far she had come
in a year. “Guess what, Anna wrote me this morning,” she told him after they
got in his car. They drove
through town and to Franklin’s house. He had fixed up the guest bedroom just
for her. She wasn’t sure how they would spend the next month, but anything was
better than being with the Fillmans. After a couple of days she sat down to
write Anna.
Dear Anna,
Guess where I am right now!
Morristown! I am visiting my adopted father. He is the one who got me out of
here. Some crazy stuff is going on in my life, too. That’s why I am here for
Christmas break. I would love to Skype sometime. Scott and I haven’t set a date
for our wedding.
Thanks for writing, Rachel
She clicked
send and closed her laptop. She went out to sit with Franklin. It wasn’t ultra
exciting or busy staying with him, but she was glad for the rest. She needed a
slow down after a semester at NYU, not to mention the family drama.
After she had been with Franklin for over
two weeks, Rachel’s phone rang late in the morning. “Hey, is this Rachel?” the
voice on the line asked. When she replied that it was, he said, “This is
Smitty. Your brother is here, come on by if you want to see him.” She told him
she would be there as soon as possible. Franklin drove her to Smitty’s shop and
dropped her off. “I’ll be down at the café getting some coffee. Call me when you’re
ready to go,” he said. She nodded and went into the shop. David was leaning
against the counter at the back of the shop. He didn’t even recognize her when
she stepped up to him. “David, it’s me, Rachel!” she said. His mouth dropped
open and he stood up straight. She pulled him into a hug and said, “I’ve missed
you so much.” When he finally found his voice he said, “You’ve changed an awful
lot. Yeah, I guess I miss you, too. Ain’t nobody to talk to at home.” They sat
and visited for half an hour, then he looked up at the clock on the wall. “I
gotta go. Dad will get mad if I take too long here. Who knows, maybe someday
I’ll get out of here, too. It was good to see you, Rachel,” he said. He hugged
her and left. She called Franklin and walked down to the café to meet him. She
sat down across from him at a booth in the café. She ordered a cappuccino and
began to tell Franklin about her visit with David.
The day after Christmas she and Franklin
were enjoying a big breakfast at a local diner. She had just taken a big bite
of pancake when her phone rang. She swallowed as quickly as possible and washed
it down with coffee. Her phone was hiding at the bottom of her purse, but she
managed to answer before it went to voicemail. Scott was on the line. “Rachel,
I need you to come home. Danny was in a terrible accident last night. He is in
a coma and has multiple injuries. Dad and I just can’t be with him all the time
and we need you to fill in when we can’t be there. It was bad, really bad. I
don’t know what else to say. He’s at St. Mary’s. Will you come?” She didn’t
hesitate, “Yes, of course, I’ll come. I’ll see if I can get on a flight today.
Don’t worry.” She quickly filled Franklin in on the details. They went back to
his house and while she packed, he worked on getting her flight changed. He
yelled out, “Girlie, I’ve got you a flight today, but we’ve got to leave right
now to make it!” They raced with her things out to the car and he drove faster
than usual on the way to the airport. “Franklin, I’m so sorry I have to leave
you like this. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or not that Scott called
me. Ugh. I hope all of this uncertainty is resolved soon,” she said. They said
good bye at the drop off door and she raced to get her boarding pass and
through security check on time.
She arrived in the afternoon and went to
her apartment first to drop off her things. She changed into a comfortable
dress and sweater and then left for the hospital. She found out from the
information desk where Danny’s room was, but since it was in ICU she wasn’t
allowed in without a family member. She called Scott and told him she was
there, but they wouldn’t let her in. He went to the nurse’s station and told
them about her. After a few minutes they came to get her. She was completely
unprepared for what Danny looked like. As if all his cuts and bruises were not
bad enough on their own, he was hooked to all manner of tubes and wires. There
were large machines on the left side of his bed and behind the head of it.
Beeps and strange sounds of sucking air filled the silence of the room. Spencer
sat against the wall with his head in his hands. She had never seen him look so
disheveled. Scott had obviously been crying and was doing his best to hold
himself together. She took it all in quietly and then sat next to Spencer and
held his hand.
Later that evening she told Spencer and
Scott to go home to rest and eat. She would stay with him as long as necessary.
Her classes didn’t start for another week, so she could at least devote a week
to his care. They reluctantly agreed and left for some much needed rest. The
nurses showed her how to apply Vaseline to Danny’s lips and other small chores that
needed to be done while he was on all the machines. She stroked his hand and
spoke to him, hoping something would help to wake him from his trip to the in
between. The next day, Spencer came for the morning shift with Danny. Rachel
went to a café and ate a big breakfast. Then, she went home for a nap. That
evening she went back to the hospital and Scott was there. “Scott,” she
whispered, “can you tell me more about what happened?” He sighed and said, “He
decided to get drunk and have a party for Christmas. He said he didn’t want to
spend it with Dad and me because we are boring. So, he got drunk and went for a
crazy drive through town. He was in the wrong lane and hit a garbage truck head
on. We got the call about 11:30 at night that he’d been in an accident and the
EMT’s weren’t sure if he was going to make it. Poor Dad about had a heart
attack. He hasn’t spoken much since it happened. I know I’ve told you how much
I can’t stand Danny, but he is my brother, and I don’t wish this on anybody.”
She held his hand tightly and stroked his hair. “Since you are here now,” he
continued, ”I’ll go check on Dad.” She nodded and he kissed her on the forehead
as he left. She stared at Danny for a long time. She began to think about her
experiences with his family. “Why is
there such animosity between you all?”she wondered. Suddenly a picture
formed in her mind and she knew why this man had spent his whole life in
competition with his little brother. She scooted her chair over to his side and
spoke to him. “Danny, this is Rachel. I’m just going to visit with you for a
while. I’m thinking that you can hear me and maybe some of this will stick in
your hard head. Well, I was thinking about you and Scott and why you give him
such fits. I’ve come to the conclusion that somewhere, sometime; you thought
that your father loved him more. Scott is a smart, quiet guy who acquiesces to
everything your dad says. Now you…..you aren’t like Scott at all. You are loud
and daring and adventurous. You will try anything, but at the end of it all you
just want your dad’s love. Let me just tell you that he does love you. He loves
you so much and he wants you to just be yourself. You don’t need to be anything
like Scott. You can use your crazy personality to become the best journalist or
photographer or anything else you want to be. Personally, I would love to have
you be my brother. We just need to get your brother to set a date. You can talk
to him about that, right? Never mind, we’ll just stick to your issues, ok?” She
spoke to him until a nurse came in to do her hourly check. “If his eyes are
moving under his eyelids, does that mean there is brain activity?” she asked
the nurse. “Well, it could be. Hard to tell with this severe of an accident,”
the nurse answered. Rachel chose to cling to hope.
Spencer came the next morning to relieve
her and she went home. The three of them settled into a routine so that there
would be someone with Danny all the time. She kept telling Danny the same
things every time she was with him and his eyes would move as she spoke. At the
end of the week they changed the schedule since Rachel would be starting
classes. She came directly after her 2:00 class and spent the afternoon and
evening with Danny. Scott spent the night and Spencer still came in the
mornings. After several weeks, Rachel was sitting in her World History II class
when her phone vibrated. She checked it discretely and saw that it was the
hospital. She put her book and papers away quickly and dashed out into the
hall. “Hello?” she said trying to catch her breath. “Hi, this is Grace from St.
Mary’s. I can’t get a hold of Danny’s family, so I called you. He is waking
up.” Rachel ran toward the exit, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” The taxi
driver had to endure her constant urging for him to go faster. Finally they
arrived and she threw the cab fare at him while she ran out the door. She got
up to Danny’s room in record time and saw that they had removed his breathing
tube and a lot of the wires. He was his old handsome self; with the exception
of a nasty scar on his forehead. She went to his side and the nurse encouraged
her to talk to him. “Danny, it’s Rachel. Have you decided to open your sleepy
eyes? We would be so happy to see that.” She looked up at the nurse who told
her, “His father and brother are on their way. Keep talking to him.” Tears
started flowing out of her eyes. She wanted nothing more at that moment than to
see Danny look at her. Rachel spoke to him for ten more minutes, and finally
his eyes started to blink, and then open. “Danny!” she exclaimed. He smiled a
weak smile and she grabbed his hand. “Hey buddy, you’ve been through quite an
ordeal. It’s good to see you awake,” she said. He tried to speak, “Rach…I…,”
but nothing else came out. She sat with him quietly as he closed his eyes to
rest again. In a few moments Spencer and Scott came dashing into the room.
Spencer was asking, “Is it true? Did he wake up?” Rachel nodded and as if on
cue, Danny opened his eyes again. She moved out of the way so Spencer could
talk to his son. “Oh god, Danny, I was so worried about you. Please get well so
we can take you home.” Danny gave him a smile and said, “trying.” They let him
rest and didn’t make him speak or wake on demand until the next day. The nurses
sat him up for a while. In the afternoon, they wheeled him off to do lots of
tests and scans. They hadn’t thoroughly checked him the night of his accident
because they weren’t sure he would make it. His legs were badly injured, but
seemed to be healing well with the exception of one place. They rolled him into
surgery and put a pin in his leg. He came out fine and the following week was
able to ride around the ICU in a wheel chair. He flirted with all the nurses
and seemed to be his old self. After two months in the hospital, he was ready
to go home. Spencer set up Danny’s room with a remote control bed so they could
elevate his legs. They hired a nurse to watch him around the clock; thus
relieving the three of them permanently. Rachel went to visit him one day and
overheard Danny and Scott talking. She stopped at the door and listened.
“Scott, I owe you a huge apology. I have not been a good brother to you. I
promise you from now on, no more competition. You can marry Rachel without a
worry. She’s yours. Can you forgive me for being such a bully?” Danny said.
Scott stayed true to his giving nature, “Yes, of course. I love you bro.” She
heard them hug and then felt it was safe to enter the room. “Hey guys! How is
the convalescent today?” she asked. Danny showed her that he could now walk on
one leg with the help of a crutch. She chatted with them for a little while and
then said, “I’ve got to go study. Mid terms are next week!” She kissed Scott on
the cheek and was surprised when he didn’t try to kiss her back. Things were
worse, not better, with him. Drastic measures needed to be taken.
After mid terms were under her belt, Rachel
began to plot her big test for Scott. She called Kathryn and asked if she could
meet with her. Kathryn said, “Well, I can come about four. Is that alright?”
Rachel told her it was and then waited impatiently until the appointed hour.
Kathryn was prompt and Rachel was excited to tell her everything right away.
They sat on the couch and she began her speech. “Ok, I’ve been engaged to Scott
for nearly a year and we still haven’t set a date. I’m beginning to feel like
he doesn’t want to marry me at all. I wish he would just tell me, but you know
you cannot force anything out of him if he isn’t ready. Anyway, I’ve devised a
test. Look at this program NYU has in Madrid. It’s perfect for my major and I
already speak Spanish. I want you to help me get into this program. If Scott
wants me, he will protest and tell me to stay here, and perhaps set a date for
our wedding. If not, I will just go and enjoy Madrid and work on my degree. Can
we do that?” Kathryn looked over the page on Rachel’s screen and nodded. “That
seems entirely plausible. I’ll get to work on enrolling you in the program
tomorrow,” she replied. She asked Kathryn not to tell anyone. Rachel was
excited. This proposition had two good outcomes. The hard part would be waiting
to hear if she had gotten into the program. Near the end of her second
semester, she got a call from Kathryn. “Rachel, you got in! You will have to
leave for Madrid the first of July, though. I hope this is what you want, dear,”
she informed Rachel.
Rachel went over to Spencer’s house for
dinner that same week. When they were all gathered at the table she cleared her
throat and said, “I have an announcement to make. I’ll be doing NYU’s student
abroad program in Madrid for my next year of study. It is a fantastic
opportunity to study my field and will be great for my transcript. I will leave
the first of July.” There was silence around the table until Spencer said, “Oh,
that sounds wonderful, dear. What an opportunity!” Scott’s face was red and he
was jabbing at his food as though it were alive. However, he said nothing. She
wished he would say something, anything. Perhaps he was angry that she hadn’t
told him first, but then he hardly called her these days. She decided to just
eat and act normally. Danny, embarrassed by his brother’s lack of response,
said, “Rachel, that’s awesome, but we will really miss you here.” He glanced
over at Scott again, but he was just angrily attacking his food as before.
Danny rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. He mouthed, “Sorry,” to
Rachel before going back to his own plate. After dinner she sat with Scott on
the sofa. She tried to hold his hand but he withdrew it and feigned an itch on
his temple. She wanted to cry, but decided she should just make up an excuse
and leave. “Um, I’ve got to go do some homework. Lovely meal, Spencer, thanks. I’ll
see ya’ll soon,” she said. She left and hailed a cab. She decided to go to her
favorite bookstore instead of going to her apartment. She bought Anna’s other
books and settled into an overstuffed chair with a chocolate shake. She read
for an hour and then walked slowly to her apartment. She flopped on the couch
and finally allowed herself to cry. “I
don’t know why crying helps; it’s not accomplishing anything,” she thought.
She wiped her tears away and tried to think about Madrid. It would be a new
adventure and give her exposure to a whole new culture and continent. She
called Kathryn. “Hi, sorry to bother you so late, but I have a question. Do you
think it would be alright for me to buy some new clothes and shoes for Madrid?”
Kathryn told her it was more than fine since she had hardly even spent one
month’s allowance in the whole time she had been there. Rachel decided she
wouldn’t worry about it anymore and planned a shopping trip for the next
Saturday. She went to a large department store and asked the saleswoman to help
her with a European student look. She came out with numerous packages and a
style that she liked. She registered for two short classes in June so that she
could knock out six more credits. She thought it would be better to be busy
before she had to leave for Madrid. Scott was broody and impossible to talk to.
She wanted to avoid him as much as possible in the weeks leading up to her
departure.
The week before her departure, she was busy
sorting things for storage and for taking. Kathryn would arrange for her things
to be stored at Spencer’s home while she was in Madrid so that he could rent
out the apartment. She was on the floor of her closet when her phone rang. She
pulled herself up and went on a hunt for her phone. She was surprised to see
that it was Danny. “Hey Rach, um, I’ve got something I really want to show you.
Can I come over now? I mean, you can say no, if you want. I know I’ve been
‘super creepy’ in the past, but I’ll try to behave,” he said. She laughed and
said, “Sure, come on. I need a distraction from sorting clothes anyway.” He was
probably downstairs when he called; because he was at her door in less than
five minutes. She was thinking about what a different person he had become
since his accident. She actually liked being with him. She let him in and he
went to the couch and pulled out his laptop. “Look at this, I started my own
blog. It’s called Green Spots and
it’s all about conservation of the green areas in New York City. I got out my
camera and I’ve been riding around the city taking pictures and learning about
each site. I’m getting thousands of hits already! I’m so excited.” She looked
through the site and all of his colorful pictures and thoughtful articles.
“This is fantastic, Danny! I’m so proud of you. You’re a big boy now,” she
laughed. He laughed and then said seriously, “I feel like I should thank you
for encouraging me toward this.” She blushed and then tried hard to think of a
time when she had spoken to him about it; other than when he was in a coma. She
hadn’t spoken to him about it. “Danny, did you hear everything I told you when
you were in the coma?” He thought for a moment and said, “I think so, I kept
having the same dreams over and over. You were the only one in my dreams and
you kept telling me the same things. It was like we were both in heaven and you
were trying to help me figure out how to live on earth. A little weird, I know,
but I kept dreaming that same thing all the time.” They chatted a little more
about his health. He got quiet and walked over to the window. He turned and
faced her. “Rachel, I feel like I should apologize for Scott. He’s been
treating you like….like….I don’t want to say what. Anyway, I feel so bad. I
don’t know what’s going on with him, but you don’t deserve it. You are the
sweetest person I’ve ever known; don’t let him walk on you, ok?” She nodded,
but had no idea how to protect herself from the emotional battering she was
enduring from Scott. “Well, I’ll be gone soon and hopefully he’ll make up his
mind,” she said. After he left she found herself thinking that she really
enjoyed being with Danny. She really, really enjoyed being with him.
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