Frayed (5 page)

I mumbled my thanks and told her that I loved her too before I hung up. It was a good thing that I decided to pick up when Emma called. As short as the phone call was, it had alleviated a tiny fraction of the dark shroud that blanketed me.

The door burst open
and the nurse entered. She went to one of the cabinets and handed me a hospital gown. “Trista? Here’s the gown for you to change in. I’ll be taking you to the surgery room afterwards.”

I took the gown away from her hands and stood up. “Okay,” I murmured quietly, before I went inside the bathroom. I changed into my hospital garb
on autopilot. When I emerged from the bathroom, the nurse was still there, patiently waiting for me.

“You can leave your things here. Everything is secure, so you don’t have to worry about your items being stolen.” She held the door
open for me and I stepped out of the room.

The well-lit hallway reminded me of being in a movie where the person was heading for a death penalty
execution, sterile and cold. A few more turns and a corridor later, I finally arrived in the surgery room. Positioned in the middle of the bright room was the “execution” table. The medical staff met me cordially before a female doctor greeted me and from then on, things happened quickly.

I was instructed to get on the daunting surgical table
while they started preparing everything. As soon as I laid down, I immediately closed my eyes and tried to drown out the sound of everyone. Only opening them when the doctor addressed me, “Trista? This procedure will be very quick. It’s going to be over before you know it. How are you feeling?” The doctor’s kind eyes probed into me.

I blinked back a few times before I responded to her question. “I’ve been better.” If I really had a choice, I would’ve stayed mum and ignore
d her completely, but heck, she was my doctor, I was obligated to respond.

A nurse tapped my arm and searched for a vein to prick a needle into. “We’re going to give you something to sedate you.” The doctor smiled down at me before she nodded towards the nurse
, which I took as a signal to start injecting me with the sedative.

“How are we feeling? Still good?” the doctor asked me again after the nurse finished with my arm. I gave her a small nod,
deciding to not really talk if I didn’t need to.

I saw her nod her head again and I heard some stuff being carted towards us. The doctor then started shooting questions at me. I suppose it was a strategy to distract me
from what’s really going on around me.
What did you major in? What do you want to be? Do you like the beach? Do you like Sea World?
I mumbled my replies to all of her mild, pseudo-interrogation, questions. She kept on going until I thought I couldn’t stand it anymore, then everything started to get blurry. Her voice had begun to sound like she was speaking through a glass wall as my senses started to decline quickly. The noisy background heightened before my lids drooped low and shut completely, the noise fading right along with my consciousness. Darkness swallowed me whole. Silence filled me.

*
*
*

I woke up disoriented and slightly drugged as I took in my surroundings. I might’ve
grunted a bit since a nurse immediately had begun seeing to me.

“How are you feeling
, dear? When you’re feeling a little stronger, we have tea and crackers for you to nibble on. Do you need some water?” the nurse checked on my vitals as she went along asking questions.

“No, I’m okay.” I spoke with
a dry mouth and explicit tightness in my chest.
It was done…
no more… pregnancy.

“Sleep some more. You did great,
Trista. I will be back to check on you shortly.” The nurse gave me a pleasant smile before she took hold of my hand for some type of affection. It was a comforting gesture that I appreciated greatly.

Even in my drugged stupor, sleep didn’t come again.
I laid in the silence of the room, my mind taking stock of the minute that slipped away.  It took the nurse exactly an hour until she came by again with the promised tea and crackers.

“Thank you,” I murmured as my hand reached out for the tea. It shook
slightly as I brought it to my lips. The nurse sat next to me as I finished the snack she had brought, silently giving me comfort with her presence. I had the impression it was mandatory to eat them since we were barred from eating anything the night before and because of the blood loss from the procedure.

Before I checked-out of the private clinic,
the nurse gave me a year’s supply of birth control pills, condoms and was told to get myself checked three weeks later to make sure my uterus was intact and not scarred from the procedure. I bravely bid her goodbye before I left the place.

The driver helped me to get inside the car, once I was comfortably seated, I heard him clear his throat. “Ms. Stevens, I was told to give you this.” The driver handed me a letter.

I dared not to open it until I reached my place. I knew what it was, though. It was Harry’s goodbye. The idiot wasn’t brave enough to come and see me through this ordeal. He wasn’t courageous enough to face me in person to end our affair, either. The letter was the best he could muster.

After the three-hour jaunt, I was finally
back at my place. My fingers were fumbling as I tried to open the small piece of paper that held my life, my love. My eyes scanned the letter, but all I could see were the words,
I’m sorry to do this, but this has to end
.

My fears were right. I knew it was coming and
yet I couldn’t bring myself to really believe it. Now here it was, in bold lettering. With shaky legs and in a trancelike state, I sought the toilet. Something recoiled in my stomach and I tried to wretch all of it out, but nothing came. I sadly laughed about it as tears flowed. “I’m not even granted some release from the pain.” Torture me some more, karma. Give me all you’ve got until all the fight’s left me.

Chapter 4

Present

Trista

We arrived in Aspasia mid-afternoon on a Tuesday. Lindsey look well rested since she slept most of the flight
from LA to London, and another few more hours from London to Athens. I was glad she was wide
-
awake during our short Cessna flight from Athens to Aspasia. I didn’t sleep a wink on either flight
since
,
it had been impossible. I was left alone with my thoughts, which liberally played havoc with my sanity, so having Lindsey final awake during the last leg of our journey had been a relief.

I heard Lindsey make an excited squeal. “Man, Emma wasn’t kidding about these pimped out golf carts.” I saw her greet the driver and shake his hand. The young Greek male looked enthralled
but a bit shy about it. I walked over to the cart and hopped inside.

Lindsey was busy talking to the man.
How long have you worked here? How old are you? Do you watch when they start filming?
She kept going on and on about everything. That’s Lindsey for you.

Okay, I admit that the island was absolutely gorgeous
, and that I am a wee bit excited to be spending a month here.  The beautiful Aegean Sea was breathtaking to look at. The soft clean breeze that went along with the view helped ease some of my tension.

From the looks of it, this private island was well equipped with everything. The lavish design and architecture showed understated elegance. It was modern-meets-old-school-Mediterranean-style.

When the driver stopped at the very last cottage on the lane, Linds and I immediately hopped out. “Your belongings will be delivered shortly. Miss Emma is still out filming, but someone is here to welcome you. Enjoy your stay in Aspasia. More importantly, have a lot of fun in Greece. You have never seen true beauty until you’ve seen Greece.” The young man grinned at us and gave us a nod before he left.

“Oh, God! I think I really love the idea of being friends with a celebrity now!” Lindsey announced gleefully before she strode towards the cottage and pushed the buzzer. I was about to respond to her statement with some smartass remark, but the door was yanked open by a guy who was only wearing beach shorts and nothing more. Ripped, tanned muscles
,
up close and personal was such a heady thing. His hazel eyes looked amused as he watched both of our faces. “I’m Taylor Montgomery, Bass’s friend. Come on in. They should be here in a couple hours or so.”

Lindsey held out her hand. “Lindsey, Emma’s best friend.” Taylor jovially shook it, smiling down at her. She then pointed her thumb at me. “This is Trista, second in command.”

I wanted to roll my eyes at her statement but refrained from doing so. “Second in command
of what?” Taylor inquired as he smiled down at me
.
,
H
h
is eyes twinkled mischievously.

Now, why wasn’t I surprised that Bass Cole’s best friend was another version of him? True, Bass rocked his own hotness planet, but this Taylor dude
was not far off. He could be the moon of that hotness planet. Bass was… well, just Bass… but this dude was sculpted more and it was topped off with a pretty face. In what sense? You couldn’t find a singlefault with his facial featur
es
, that’s what. Not like I could find any with Bas
s
, but there was just something more to his frien
d
.

“Top secret girly protocols.” Lindsey started to stroll towards the living room, leaving me with
Mister Pretty.

“Are you an actor
, too?” I asked while I followed Lindsey inside.

Taylor gave a light chuckle before he shook his head. “Nah, nothing
like that, though I model from time to time. I’m a law student, actually.”

I perked up from his response.
Mister pretty boy is loaded with legal mumbo jumbo, interesting mix. I definitely didn’t see that one coming.
He looked like he wanted to chat some more, but I wasn’t up for it. He and Lindsey could do that without me. “Do you know which rooms are available? I want to rest for now.”

Lindsey immediately spun around from the wide
-
open sliding doors. “Oh boo! Come on, we’re in Greece and you want to rest? I’m only going to let you off if you promise to join us once Emma and Bass come back, comprende?” she pouted while folding her hands underneath her breasts, making them pop out more.

I smirked. One thing I admire
d about my childhood best friend, Lindsey, was her power to use her body like a weapon. It came naturally to her, but when she’s on a hell bent mission, that shit is absolutely lethal—a definite must see. Just ask all the fallen, besotted men. It was never a wonder to me why Cece hated her guts—bitch hated Emma, too. I had reservations with Cece before, but she declared war when she and the skankerette club betrayed Emma
that
way.

“Yes, Miss Nazi
, I hear you loud and clear.” I genuinely smiled back at my friend, a real smile after weeks of not having one. Lindsey blew me kisses before she took her wedge sandals off and went out on the patio.
She
certainly was not going to waste any time enjoying her heart out of Greece.

I made a quick glance at the man close to me, who stood confidently like a goddamned gladiator
, taking in his features once again. Taylor Montgomery was your typical pretty boy. Blonde hair with hazel eyes, tanned skin, awesome six-pack, cherry-red lips and facial features that could easily make other people jealous.

Taylor cleared his throat and gestured towards the other end of the hall, breaking my thoughts. “Bass will be sleeping in Emma’s room since he gave me his. There’s two more available, so you get first dibs.” he played host and gestured towards the other two oak doors on the left.

I didn’t even bother checking out the rooms. I picked the last one and strode towards it. Surprise caught me when Taylor came up and managed to open the door before I did.
How chivalrous of him
. I murmured my thanks and strode inside the room, checking it out.