Fragile (12 page)

“I’m looking, I just can’t....suction,” she announced to Mills, who was standing by her side.

“Clear.”

LUCY

I felt a body sit down beside me, “Want some company?”

I put the lip of the glass I was holding to my mouth and drank the last of the amber liquid before placing the glass back down on the bar.

“Why not?”

I motioned for the bartender and my glass was refilled in front of me. Picking it up, I turned to face him. I raised my glass and Dr. Hunter tapped his glass against mine. We sat quietly for a few minutes before he spoke again.

“I’m sorry to hear about your patient today,” he said. Alcohol and silence always seemed to be the best way to wallow in your pity after losing a patient on the table.

“I should have seen it. An aneurism would have shown up on the scan.” I turned my head to face him. “Why didn’t I see it?”

William signalled to the bartender and our glasses were filled again. “Sometimes it happens. We’re not Gods.”

“Where was God today?” I finished my drink and stood up, stumbling when my feet hit the floor. William stood quickly and balanced me, staying by my side as we walked out into the parking lot. “I need a taxi,” I announced, smart enough not to drive drunk. “Shit, the car. I can’t leave it here.”

We walked out to the main road and hailed a taxi down. “We’ll share one. The car will be fine overnight,” he said sliding in beside me and we told the driver our addresses.

As soon as I stepped through the front door, I knew that something was wrong. Her voice travelled down the hallway and I knew that my day was about to get worse.

“Lucy?” Ireland’s voice carried to my ears. I could see in her hazel eyes that she was surprised to see me there. “What are you doing here?” She stepped forward, coming toward me. I couldn’t speak, move or breathe. I was frozen in my spot. “Lucy! What are you doing here?!”

“She lives here.” Rick came to stand by my side, putting an arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. Ireland’s eyes widen at his action.

“You and him?” She pointed a finger between us in disbelief then she pointed her finger at me. “You...” she started.

“Ireland stop,” Mark said from her side.

“Are you sleeping with him?” She pointed her finger at her chest. “My brother,” her finger poked herself as she continued, “My
brother
as payback?” Rick’s arm dropped from around my waist and I was unable to do anything but stare at her. She was about to destroy my life once again.

“Lucy!” She screamed, stomping her leg.

“Lu, what’s she going on about?” Rick asked quietly at my side. I looked up at him and then over to Ireland, my tears running down my cheeks, “Lu?” Rick asked again, uncertainty evident in his voice and on his face.

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Ireland started. “She’s sleeping with you to get back at me! She always does stuff like this to me out of spite. Whatever she’s told you is a lie,” I heard Rick take in a deep breath as he took a step away from me.

“Ireland calm down. This isn’t good for the baby,” Mark said willing Ireland back down the hallway.

Hearing those words was all it took to break out of my haze. “He knocked you up!” I yelled. Ireland turned around to look at me, surprised. I laughed sadly and shook my head. “Was that part of your plan too?” Ireland looked stunned now. “No?” I chuckled. If I didn’t laugh I would cry. “Fucked up your master plan didn’t it?”

“What happened?” Mark asked, coming back into view.

“Don’t,” Ireland whispered desperately, scared even. “Lucy, don’t do this.” This was just like her. She could destroy other people’s lives, but God forbid the tables turn and her life is the one threatened.

“I almost feel sorry for you, Ireland. Almost,” I shoved my bag farther up on my shoulder and turned for the front door.

“Ireland,” Rick’s voice still sounded unsure yet determined, “Who’s the father of your baby?”

I turned my head to see her reaction to his question. Ireland looked at me for the longest moment, her eyes glistening with tears. Nothing more needed to be said. He knew.

“Shit,” he muttered. “Lu...” He stepped closer to me.

“Don’t.” I shook my head at him. “I told you that I couldn’t do this. You didn’t listen to me and now I’m broken all over again.” I walked out the front door not looking back.

RICK

Lu’s last words glued me to my spot. I couldn’t move. I wanted to run after her, but my feet wouldn’t cooperate with my brain. All I could hear was my breathing in my ear. My heart had left me and now I was alone, without it.

“What just happened?” Dad asked. I turned away from the closed front door and toward the two people standing in my hallway. One of them being the reason I had just lost the best thing to ever happen to me.

Ireland looked scared and unsure of herself. “Get. Out.” My voice was tight and stern. I was finding it hard to contain my temper.

“Rick...” her voice trembled, her lip jittering, new tears running down her cheeks.

“Out!” I yelled. My hands balled to my side. It was a miracle that I didn’t break any fingers.

“What’s going on?” Dad stepped between me and Ireland. It was a good thing too, because if she didn’t get out of my house soon...

“Rick!” Ireland cried.

She probably thought that I would tell Dad what I now know. Screw her fears. She just made the best thing in my life walk out my door, and I didn’t know if she was coming back.

“Ireland...” I started. My voice was still tight, but calmer than moments before.

“Shut up, Derrick!” Ireland yelled, fear in her eyes.

I went to stand in front of her. “Shut up?!” I yelled, “You shut up! You destroyed her life, Ireland! How could you do that?”

“She was always out to get me! She destroyed my life.”

“So you slept with her fiancé? Honestly, Ireland, what made you think that was ok? What made you think that you wouldn’t destroy more than her life? Did you even think about what would happen afterwards, when everyone found out?”

“No one was meant to find out!” She screamed before she covered her mouth with her hands.

“Get out! Now!”

“You’re choosing her over me?”

“Dad, get her out of here.” I took my gaze away from Ireland and focused on Dad.

Dad was shocked at what had just been revealed to him. “Ireland,” his voice was stern, “Let’s go.” He walked to the door and opened it. Ireland walked through it without another word.

LUCY

After I left Rick’s place I got into a taxi and asked the driver to take me to a hotel, where I collapsed on the bed. I was an emotional mess, my brain was fuzzy and I was humiliated. Luke had gotten Ireland pregnant and now she was here, destroying the life that I had made.

I woke to a distant ringing. I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep but whoever was on the other end of the phone was insistent and didn’t take the hint that I didn’t want to be disturbed. Groaning and mumbling a line of curse words, I got out of bed and found my phone in my bag that I dropped on the floor as soon as the door had closed behind me last night.

DAD
displayed across my phone screen. Great, I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him, but he was making it clear that he wasn’t giving up on trying getting in contact with me. “Hey, Dad,” I said, well groaned into speaker.

“Oh, thank God. I was starting to worry. I’m in the city. Where are you?”

“What’s going on?” I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my vision up. “Are you alright? Do you need me to meet you at the hospital?” The first thing that went through my head was that something was medically wrong with him.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I need to see you. I’m waiting for a cab at the airport. Where are you?”

I told him the hotel that I was in and the room number. I then rang the reception to tell them that I was expecting a visitor and to give him a key in case I’m not able to answer the door. I planned on scrubbing the past two days away in the shower.

As I stood under the hot water I reminded myself that this thing with Rick and I was only temporary. I tried to tell him that I couldn’t do it, but he insisted, and now we both were hurt. As the water ran down my back, I heard my name being called out.

“Lucy!” Dad knocked on the door.

“I’ll be out in a moment!” I yelled back as I stopped the water and wrapped a towel around myself.

Looking in the mirror I noted that I looked like shit. My hair was a wet mess, my face was pale, and my eyes were puffy. Groaning aloud, I realised that I didn’t have any clothes with me. “Shit,” I cried out. Not wanting to believe how crappy my life had gotten in such a short amount of time, I opened the bathroom door to see Dad standing on the other side. He looked like he had aged ten years since I had last seen him.

“You know.”

It was the first thing he said to me. Yeah, one look at me and he could tell anything and everything. Growing up, that had been good. I never had to say anything to him, because he already knew. I couldn’t stop my bottom lip from jittering. He came and wrapped his arms around me and I felt at home again. Anywhere with Dad is home. It had been us since I was eight, until Mather came along when I was fifteen.

“Do you have a shirt I can borrow? I had to leave in a hurry last night and I didn’t pack anything,” I explained.

Dad got up from the bed and went over to his large suitcase and pulled out a shirt.

“Here.” He passed it over. I grabbed it and a pair of scrub pants from my work bag, and went into the bathroom to change. When I exited the bathroom again, Dad patted the spot next to him on the bed.

“How did you find out?”

Feeling raw and emotionally ripped apart, I told him everything. “I was staying with Rick.” I got no judgement from Dad. He never judged, and instead sat there, held my hand and listened. “My apartment is getting renovated, so everything is at his place, hence the lack of clothing.”

“I went home last night...to Rick’s. I had a bad day and had a few drinks afterwards, so it was later than usual.” I paused, remembering the moment I walked through the front door. “Ireland was there.” I couldn’t help the tears that threatened to fall. “She went ballistic, accused me of being there out of spite, and then Mark told her to calm down because it wasn’t good for the baby.”

“It’s going to be ok, Lucy. I promise.” I rested my head on his shoulder and just sat like that for a while.

“I left his car at the hospital car park. I should send him a text or something, so that he doesn’t think that I’ve stolen it. I still have his keys.”

“I’ll drop his keys off when I go and get your stuff.”

“I’ll come with you. I need to do this.” I stood up and Dad looked over at me.

“You’re too upset, and if Ireland is there...” he stopped talking and shook his head before he continued, “Stay here. I’ll be back.”

“Dad, I need to get his car back and I know where everything is. It will be quicker if I go.”

“You’re not going alone.”

LUCY

We got a taxi to drop us off at the hospital car park by Rick’s car. “So, this is it, huh?” Dad asked, masking his face from the piercing sun, eyeing the tall building in front of him.

“Yep.” I got the keys out of my pocket and into the car door.

“It’s bigger than the last one. Keeping you busy, is it?”

“Yeah, it’s a trauma one hospital, so every day’s an emergency.”

“I’m proud of you Lucinda. Your mother would be too, if she was here.”

I turned to face the front of the car, “I hope so.”

Pulling into the parking lot of Rick’s building, I didn’t see his other car there. “He must be at work. Let’s be quick though, just in case he’s only ducked out.” I opened my door and Dad did the same. “There’s a dog, but he’s harmless,” I informed Dad as we closed the car doors behind us and headed into the building. Opening the door to the apartment it was eerie, quiet, and dark. It felt different than it did just forty eight hours ago. Aiden came barrelling down the hallway and I knelt down to give him a large hug.

“Ok, boy, that’s enough. I have to go now.” I stood up, “This way.”

I pulled out my suitcase from the wardrobe, opened it up on the bed and started packing. I ran around the place, getting things from the different rooms and making sure that I didn’t leave anything behind.

“I have furniture here.”

Dad did up the zipper of the suitcase and placed it on the floor beside the bed, “We’ll get that to your new place honey, I’ll call…”

“Lu?”