Katelin burst into the Emergency Room at Orlando General Hospital, Adrienne trailing behind her. She ran down the hall towards the waiting room, seeing the rest of her friends there. “Where’s Ang?”
“She’s still being checked out,” Christine answered, sighing. Katelin couldn’t help but notice the blood smeared all over her shirt. “She’s gonna be fine. Brian’s in there with her. They’re just bandaging her up.”
“How about AJ?” Katelin shook the raindrops off of her jacket as she took it off. She glanced over at Krista, who was just staring at her hands, almost as if she wasn’t hearing anything.
Kevin shrugged. “We haven’t really heard anything.” He smiled gratefully at the cup of coffee that Adrienne gave him as she sat down next to him.
“And Becca?” Adrienne asked, looking around the group.
Again, Kevin shrugged. “Haven’t heard anything about her either.”
“I’ll fucking kill the bitch,” Katelin growled. “How the hell did this happen?” She looked around the group in the waiting room. “How come no one knew about this? This should’ve been stopped a long time ago. I thought it was stopped a long time ago.”
“We couldn’t risk telling anyone,” Eric stated, almost apologetically. “We were trying to keep it as quiet as possible while the police did their thing. It never went over the line so the press never got a hold of it.”
“Well at least it’s finally over,” Howie replied, rubbing his temples, tiredly. “And I’m sure they’ll both be okay.”
“Has anyone called Nick?” Kevin questioned, looking around the group. Everyone shook their heads. “I’ll go do it.” He stood up and pulled out his cell phone, walking towards the exit of the hospital.
No sooner had Kevin left when they all spotted Brian helping Ang walk towards them. “Ang!” Katelin jumped up and ran over to her best friend. “How are you?”
Ang let a small smile grace her features. “I’m gonna be fine. Just a few scratches. Nothing serious. I should be okay within a week or two.”
“Thank God,” Katelin replied, lightly squeezing Ang’s hand.
“How’s AJ?” Ang looked back and forth between her fiancee and her best friend. They both shrugged. “We haven’t heard anything,” Katelin answered. “I’m sorry.”
“God, I hope he’s okay,” Ang breathed. “I don’t think I could live with the fact that…”
“Stop,” Brian ordered. “Stop it right now. This wasn’t your fault. None of this. AJ knows that and we know it. AJ’s going to be fine.”
***** ***** ****** ***** ***** *****
Nick could distinctly hear the sound of something ringing in the background. He buried his face deeper into his pillow, trying to drown out the disturbing sound. But the stupid machine on his night table just kept ringing. Clumsily, without lifting his head, he reached out and grabbed the portable phone off of the table and turned it on. “’Lo?”
“Carter?” Kevin asked.
“Kevin,” Nick sighed, grumpily. “What the hell are you doing. It’s…” he looked over at his clock. “One thirty in the morning.”
“There’s been an accident,” Kevin told him.
That made Nick shoot straight up in bed. “What? Who is it? Are they okay?”
“It’s Ang and AJ,” Kevin explained. “Apparently someone has been threatening Ang for a while. Something that happened in L.A. during the Millennium tour.”
“No shit,” Nick breathed. He had almost completely forgotten about that. Save for the stupid, non-believable National Enquirer article that had been out a few months ago, no one had even talked about it. “Are they okay?”
“Ang is fine,” Kevin replied, sighing. “But AJ…we don’t know about him yet…when Howie got there, AJ was slipping in and out of consciousness. I guess he lost a lot of blood. He had been stabbed in the stomach.”
“Jesus Christ,” Nick said, more to himself than to Kevin. “Who the fuck was doing this, Kevin?”
“I’m not sure you really want to know,” Kevin answered, slowly. He knew Nick would absolutely flip out once he found out. And there was nothing he could do about it, being all the way in Tampa with a two-year-old son.
“Tell me Kevin,” Nick demanded, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Who the hell did this?”
“Becca,” was Kevin’s short reply.
Nick scrunched up his face in confusion. “Becca? Who the hell is….wait…what?!” Nick could feel his face burning up. Turning red with anger. “Becca as in my Becca? Why the hell would she do this?”
“She’s convinced that Ang was responsible for killing her brother,” Kevin responded. “The guy that died was Becca’s twenty-five year old brother. He was a cop with the L.A.P.D. He was working on a huge narcotics case and they killed him and tried to frame Ang with it. Somehow Becca found out and has been threatening Ang ever since.” He listened to Nick’s shallow breath as he attempted to digest all of the information he had been given. Eric had filled him in on the entire situation as soon as they got to the hospital. When the whole thing occurred three years ago, only AJ, Eric, Ang, Katelin, and Nick had known about it. Ang had been terrified to tell Brian, not believing that he would stick by her after he had found out. But finally, she did and Brian had been added to the secret. But they had all thought that it had stopped. Only Brian, AJ, Ang, and Eric had any idea that this had never stopped. That it had been going on for three years. And that it had all come to blows tonight at Brian and Ang’s house. “Listen, Nick. I’m going to hang up. Just stay home and be with your son. There’s no reason for him to stay at a hospital in the middle of the night. We’ll call you as soon as we know anything.”
***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
“Are you all with a Mr. McLean?” The doctor asked, appearing before them, blood smeared all over his scrubs. The group nodded, none of them being able to read the look on the doctor’s face. “I just wanted to let you know that he’s going to be just fine. He lost a lot of blood but he has Type A blood which is very easy to match. He should be regaining consciousness very soon.”
“Can we go see him?” Kevin asked, standing up.
The doctor shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Not all of you at once though. Take turns.”
The group looked at Krista. “Do you want to go in first?” Kevin asked.
“You guys don’t mind?” She questioned, hopefully. “I mean…Ang…or anyone else…you guys can go first.”
Ang chuckled and pushed Krista towards the door. “Go…we’ll be out here.” Once Krista disappeared, Ang turned to the doctor. “Do you have any idea how Becca Gibson is doing?”
The doctor scrunched up his face in thought. “The girl that was brought in here with Mr. McLean? No…I’m not sure how she’s doing. Let me go find out and I’ll be right back.”
The rest of the group collapsed into the chairs that they had been planted in for the past two hours. “I wonder how she’s doing,” Brian commented. “I mean…I don’t know if I want her to be okay or not. I don’t wish death or anything upon anyone…but she almost…”
“Don’t say it, Bri,” Ang said. “I’m fine. AJ’s going to be fine. And Becca is going to be locked up for a long time.”
He turned to her and smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her body close to his. “I love you, babe. I don’t know what I would have done…I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
She smiled up at him, pretending, just for the moment, that there was no one else in the room with them. “I love you too, Bri. And don’t worry…I’m not going anywhere…Not for a long time.”
“So, someone’s got to call Nick and let him know what’s going on,” Howie commented. “Where’s Kevin?”
“He went to get more coffee with Adrienne,” Katelin answered, not bothering to look at him while she inspected her nails.
“You want to call him?” he asked.
She glanced up at him, her eyebrows raised. “And why the hell would I want to do that?”
“Cause one of his best friends is in the hospital,” Howie retorted. “He might want to know how he’s doing.”
“Are your fingers broken?” Katelin smiled. “Dial the number. Here, I’ll even give you my cell phone.”
Howie grabbed it from her and shook his head, laughing. “Smartass.” He dialed the number and waited for Nick to pick up. “Hello?” he heard. “Nick? It’s Howie.”
“Hey D,” Nick greeted, sleepily. “I was just about to call one of you. How’s Jay doing?”
“He’s going to be fine,” Howie replied, smiling in relief. “Krista’s in there now. He’s still out but he should be waking up soon.”
“How’s everyone else?” Nick asked, sitting up in bed. He had been dozing before Howie called and felt as if he needed to sit up again or he might fall back asleep on the phone with him.
“Everyone’s fine. I think some of us might be heading out now that AJ’s okay. I think Krista’s going to stay here.”
“Well, I’m glad everything’s okay,” Nick commented. Howie nodded and then realized Nick couldn’t see him.
Katelin burst out laughing, realizing what he had done. “Dumbass,” she commented, still giggling at him.
Howie shook his head at her. “Hold on, Nick. Someone here wants to talk to you.” He tossed the phone over to Katelin.
She suddenly stopped laughing and began shaking her head. “Howieeee,” she whined, picking up the phone, gingerly, and putting it up to her ear. “Hey Nick.”
Nick scrunched up his face in confusion. Since when did she want to talk to him? “Hey….uh…is everything okay over there?”
“It’s fine,” she replied, her features softening a little bit. “I’m just really glad AJ and Ang are going to be okay.”
“Me too,” Nick agreed.
“Listen,” she signed. She really didn’t have anything else to say to him. She was still too angry and didn’t want to talk to him. And she didn’t know when, or if, she would ever be ready. “I’m going to go. I’m glad everything’s going to be alright. And kiss Aidan for me.”
“I will. Bye.”
“Bye.”
The doctor returned then, an unreadable expression on his face. The entire group stopped talking and glanced over at him. “Miss Gibson is going to be fine. They’re just stitching her up right now. The police are here and she will be moved to a secure room as soon as the doctors are finished. Once she’s healed, she will be placed under arrest.”
There was a collective sigh of relief. Ang didn’t know if she was more relieved at the fact that Becca would be arrested or that she was going to live. As much hell as Becca had inflicted on her…on all of them…Ang didn’t wish death upon anyone. Just the knowledge that Becca would be in jail and couldn’t hurt her, or anyone else she loved, anymore was enough to make Ang happy. Now she just wanted to take her fiancee and leave this hospital so they could go home and curl up in bed together. And now Ang wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore. Her nightmare was finally over.