Pure Passion (19 page)

Having done all they could onsite, the paramedics began
moving her to the waiting ambulance. 
Is she stable?  I have to see her. 
Finally
accepting my pleas, they allowed me to sit in the back of the ambulance and
hold Lara’s hand as they raced her to the hospital for emergency surgery.  On
the way, one of them explained that she had been out of position when the
airbag deployed causing her arm and elbow to smash into her ribs.  The force
had been so great that it had actually fractured her arm, just above the
elbow.  Luckily, they had been able to stabilize her enough so that she could
breathe with an oxygen mask.  At one point, I thought I felt her squeeze my
hand.  Staring down at her beautiful, innocent face, I tried to assure her that
everything was going to be alright. 
If she makes it, I’m going to take good
care of her from here forward!  I absolutely promise!

~~~

“What did you do to her?” Sandra screamed, as she and Ron
entered the emergency waiting room where I was standing.

 At first, I wondered why she would say such a thing.  Had
someone told her what happened?  I looked down at my hands and clothes.  I had
been so pre-occupied with Lara’s condition that I hadn’t bothered to wash off. 
Her blood was all over my hands and shirt.  I left Ron and Sandra momentarily
to get myself cleaned up. When I looked in the mirror, I realized my face was
also covered in Lara's blood.  
No wonder Sandra thought I might have done
something to Lara.

After Sandra's initial outburst, Ron got her calmed down,
and we actually had a chance to talk things out.  I explained how Lara had
missed the curve and hit a tree.  I told them I had come upon the car and found
her motionless and covered in blood.  After going through how the events
unfolded, I felt compelled to turn the conversation toward my feelings for
her. 

“I love Lara,” I told them, with every bit of sincerity I
could muster. 
I only hope she’ll forgive me.
  I would never admit to
them what had happened right before the accident, but I guess there were plenty
of witnesses
.  If only I could undo the biggest mistake of my life.

“You love her?  Well, thank God,” Sandra replied. “You
almost killed her the first time around.”

“The first time around?” I asked, completely lost.

“Max, that girl has been head over heels in love with you--
no-- absolutely obsessed with you, since she was 13 years old!  When you,
Derek, and Celeste went off to college, she went into such a deep depression
that we had to take her for counseling and put her on medication.”

“Are you serious?”

“She never told you?  She’s still supposed to be on medication,
but I can tell she hasn’t been taking them,” Sandra explained.

“I had no idea, until right now.  She apparently didn’t want
me to know.”

“Well, I’m sure she’s embarrassed.  We all thought she had
gone crazy for a while there.  Looking back now, she obviously knew from the
start that you were the one.  I honestly feel bad for how hard I’ve been on
her.  I was just so frustrated, for so long,” Sandra continued.

Geez, now I really feel like shit.  I had no idea.  No
wonder she’s been acting a little strange
. 

I thought back to the story Felix told me, about how Lara
had lost the sparkle in her eyes and how glad he was to see her have it again.  It
took every bit of strength I had not to burst into tears again. 
Dammit,
Lara, you should’ve told me.

After carefully considering my words, I assured both of
them, “I know it’s crazy, because I’ve really only known her for a month, but I
absolutely love your daughter.  You’ll never have to worry about her again.  I
will take care of her for as long as she’ll have me.  I promise you that.” 

At that point, all three of us just sat there in silence
with tears rolling down our faces.  Even Ron broke down and sobbed, making me
wonder if my dad would even shed a tear for me.

~~~

By the time Lara got out of surgery, we all wanted nothing
more than to just see her.  After what seemed like forever, the surgeon finally
came down the corridor.  He assured us that despite very serious injuries, the
surgery had gone well.  She would have to be on blood thinners to prevent clots
and antibiotics to guard against infection.  Other than that, she just had to
take it easy for a few weeks.  When she awoke from the anesthesia, we would be
able to see her.

Thank God!

The Next Morning

Lara

Just after 8:00 a.m., the doctor stopped in to check on me,
as did a semi-friendly officer from the Tallahassee Police Department.  My
doctor had good news, telling me I would be discharged after a 24-hour
observation period, and I could finish my recovery at home.  The Police Officer
had much worse news, saying my blood alcohol level was .12 at the time I
arrived in the ER, and I would be losing my driver’s license for a while. 
I
deserve that I guess.  I’m lucky to be alive.

As Mom and Max returned from the cafeteria, they were
actually talking and both had smiles on their faces. 
What the hell?  Something
definitely changed in the past 8 hours.  I wonder what they talked about. 
Hopefully, she didn’t mention how I felt about him in high school or something
stupid.  What the hell, she just gave him a hug.  I must be hallucinating from
the pain pills.

“Your mom is a great lady,” Max said, as he came into my
room to check on me.

“She has her moments.”

“We were stuck for quite a few hours waiting for you, so we
got to talking.”

“Oh, great.  What did you talk about?” I asked.

“Well, at first, she thought I had done something to you
because my face, hands, and clothes were covered in blood.”

“So Mom freaked?”

“Pretty much.  But your dad got her calmed down while I went
and cleaned up.  When I got back, we chatted about things for a while, and then
I told them how much I love you.”

Ok, stunned here.  Did he just say love?  Now that he
said it, I kinda remember him saying something along those lines when I was
lying on the highway wanting to die. 

“You told them you love me?  Why?”

“Because it’s the truth, Lara. I love you.  I didn’t realize
just how much until last night.  The thought of losing you literally shattered
my heart.”

Lara smiled with a distant look in her eyes, “You have no
idea how long I’ve waited to hear that, Max.”

“Yeah, I do.  Your mom told me about that, too.”

“Seriously?  Jesus, Mom!  What did she tell you?”

“She said that you’ve been in love with me since you were
thirteen.”

“Well, that’s putting it mildly.  I was totally obsessed
with you, Max.  I still am.”

“Well, you’ve actually done a good job of keeping your
cool.  It does explain a few things though.  Knowing the whole story makes me
love you even more, Lara.”

He leaned forward and gave me the first true kiss of our
relationship.  He was kissing me, despite all of my flaws and insecurities.  He
was kissing the real me.  I didn’t have to hide anything anymore, no more
playing games.  And even though he now knew the real me, he seemed okay with
it.

What a relief!

Max

Of course, Lara’s mom wanted her to recover at their house,
but since there was plenty of time until my issue of
Rolling Stone
hit
the shelves, I convinced her to let me take care of her.  Both Sandra and Ron
had jobs, whereas my time was flexible.  The hardest part was seeing her black
eye as well as the cast on her left arm, as they served as constant reminders
of my stupidity.

Lara seemed to be taking things in stride, and after being
pampered for two day, couldn’t take it anymore.  She insisted on fending for
herself, even though she could hardly move without pain shooting through her
chest and ribs.  I heard her groan in pain so many times, that I started to
wonder if she was doing it to torture me. 
Why can’t she just sit down and
relax?

~~~

“Well, I’ve got about 200 get-well posts on my wall,” she
said, scrolling through Facebook on her iPhone.  “I’ve got about 150 new friend
requests, too, but I don’t know hardly any of them.”

“Apparently, you left a big impression the other night.”

“Yeah, the owner of The Deuce even called earlier to check
up on me.   He laughed when I told him I probably wouldn’t be working this
week.  It sucks that I can’t even bend over.”

“You just need to relax,” I replied, giving her a kiss on
the forehead.  “Just let me know what you need, and I’ll take care of it for
you.”

She gave me a hesitant smile.  The type of smile that said,
“Thank you, I hope I can trust you.” 

I knew right then that the only way to earn her trust was to
prove myself worthy of it one day at a time.   The words I said to her parents
weren’t hollow promises; they were a rock solid commitment.  Nearly losing Lara
on that highway was a definite wakeup call.  In life, you can chase after shiny
things and shallow people, but in the end, you are left with nothing of any
value.  When Mom died, I chose to follow my passion in life instead of being a
lawyer.  Now it was time to do the same thing with my relationships.  No, Lara
wasn’t a curvy, blond bombshell.  Instead, she was a lanky, quirky, hilarious brunette,
who despite her self-proclaimed flaws, left little doubt in my mind that she
was my true soul mate.

Lara

Max was as obsessive as a convict who just discovered
religion.  Going out of his way to cater to my every want and making sure that
my every need was met.  It was sweet, but I just wanted him to relax.  Being on
the receiving end of this type of treatment was good for me, though, as it made
me realize that obsessive people can be really annoying.  I didn’t want him
waiting on me or treating me as if I was some delicate flower.  Most of all, I
just wanted him to treat me like he did before everything happened. 
Except,
from now on, he better not ever refer to me as his roommate, friend, or
neighbor down the hall.

“How are you, baby?” I heard Brea squeal as she came running
up behind me.

“I’m alright.  What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here?  Seriously?  You damn near kill
yourself, and I’m not supposed to come and visit?  Wow, girl, you got pretty
banged up huh?”

“Yeah, I guess the airbag hit me wrong or something.”

“Hit wrong? I’d say that airbag just plain beat the hell
outta you,” she said giving me a painful laugh.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.  The only part that really
hurts is my ribs.  The doctors say they could take a month or more to heal up.”

“So, you and Max are ok?”

“Yeah, we’re good.  He’s trying to make up for the accident
by showering me with thoughtfulness.  I just want things to be normal again.”

“Don’t worry about that.  In a couple of weeks, the
testosterone will take over, and he’ll go back to normal.  I’d say enjoy it
while you can.  You deserve a little pampering for once.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.  It just makes me a little
uncomfortable.”

“That’s because he’s lovin’ on you, instead of the other way
around.  You’ve spent enough years dying for him to want you this way; don’t
tell me you’ve had a change of heart.”

“No, not at all.  I love him.  It just makes me sad to see
him trying so hard to make up for a mistake.”

“All you have to do is sit down and talk about it.  Just let
him know you’ve forgiven him and want things to go back to normal.”

“That’s funny.  I was thinking the same thing just as you
walked in the door.”

That’s probably why Brea and I have always been best
friends.  We always liked the same things and thought the same thoughts at the
same time.  It was like our brains were somehow connected or something weird. 
It was good to have her around for a few days, as it took some of the pressure
off Max.  He knew there was an onslaught of guitar orders coming soon, and he
was trying to figure out how much inventory he could afford to stock up.  With
Brea around, he could get all of his ducks in a row without having to worry
about entertaining me.

Max

In addition to regular calls from Sandra, Felix called to
check up on us.  He had heard from a friend what had happened on Saturday night
and wanted to hear my side of the story.  Since he was a major stakeholder in
my company and cash for inventory was tight, I knew how important it was for me
to clear the air.  I started by explaining who Stacy was and how it was just a
momentary lapse of sanity.  As a fellow guy, I thought he would relate to how
it felt to run into an old high school crush.  I went on to explain how I had
come across Lara’s car and pulled her from the wreckage.  Choking back tears, I
recounted in graphic detail the events that unfolded out on that highway and
the later conversations I had with Ron and Sandra.  

“Yeah, Ron told me about your conversation, Max.  I had no
idea it was you who Lara was all bent out of shape about either; otherwise, I
would’ve told you straight out.”

“I still can’t believe that she was in love with me for
eight years and I had absolutely no idea.  Then, all of a sudden one night, she
just lands right smack in the middle of my life.”

After the personal matters were put to rest, talk turned to
business.  RJ had sent a note saying that the first issues would be hitting
subscriber’s mailboxes in about a week and the online version would go live
simultaneously.

“I’m nervous having such a low inventory of supplies,” I
confessed, “but I don’t have 30 or 40 grand to buy ahead.”

“I’ve been thinking about that, as well,” Felix replied, “My
attorney and I are coming to Tallahassee tomorrow afternoon for meetings.  I
want you and Lara to meet us over at Shaffer, Swanson, and West about two
o’clock.  We’ll have a little meeting in their conference room, and I’ll have
another set of papers for you to sign.  In the meantime, order everything you
need for the first 35 guitars.”

He then gave me the numbers for a credit card that he had
set up for me to use for purchases.  There was a $50,000 credit line attached,
so my cash flow issues were instantly solved. 
That was just too easy… 
Immediately
my gut told me that the new set of papers he referred to would mean giving up
more equity in my company.
  That son-of-a-bitch better not want more than
50%, especially since I'm going to be doing all of the work myself.  I see why
the rich keep getting richer.

Even though I was happy to be able to order everything I
would need for the first 35 guitars, the fact that Felix wanted a new contract hung
over me like a dark cloud.  Yes, he had called in a favor and was putting up
fifty grand, but was that really worth giving up more than 40% of the company? 
I know he’s Lara’s uncle and all, but he sure as hell doesn’t need the
money.  With all of these rich guys though, it’s not about the money, it’s just
about the game.  They like to get their claws in there, so they can control
everything. 

Lara

Derek took the night off, so the four of us went out for a
nice dinner.  Brea did a pretty good job of covering up my black eye with
makeup, so I didn’t feel too self-conscious.  We had a pretty good time,
despite the fact that I couldn’t have any wine due to the pain pills. 
Even
without the pain pills, I think I’ll be laying off the wine for a while.

Max seemed really distracted for most of the night.  He had
been feeling guilty the last few days, and now he almost seemed either angry or
depressed.  I couldn’t quite tell which.  Even after we got home, he didn’t
want to talk about it and went off to bed an hour or so before the rest of us. 
We definitely need to talk tomorrow.  He’s got so much to look forward to,
there’s no reason for him to continue beating himself up or whatever.

Brea helped me get ready for bed.  It was nice of her, but
it wasn’t as special as when Max did it.  Max didn’t even flinch as I crawled
into bed next to him. 
I guess Brea was right about enjoying all of the
special attention from him while it lasts.  Before long, he’ll be busy five or
six days a week, and I’ll be working opposite shifts at The Deuce.  I’m
definitely just going to enjoy the next week or two while they last.

~~~

Around noon the next day, Brea left to go have lunch with
her parents.  Derek and Hadley were still in bed after a late night session, so
it was just Max and me.

“What’s wrong, Max?” I asked, seeing that he was still in a
funk.

“I don’t know if I should even tell you,” he said, avoiding
eye contact.

“What?  Just tell me,” I replied, suddenly feeling anxious.

“Well, I’ve been talking to Felix.”

“Okay, and what’s wrong now?”

“Well, he gave me a $50,000 credit line to order a bunch of
supplies, but now I have to meet him at two and sign more papers.”

“More papers for what?”

“He didn’t say, but I just have a feeling he wants a bigger
chunk of my company.  Why else would he bring his attorney along?” 

“I have no idea.  I honestly don’t know why he’s doing this
to you.  I’m sorry, Max. I never would’ve talked to him if I thought he would
try to take your over your business.  I haven’t seen him much in the past few
years, but I still can’t believe that’s his motivation.”

“Well, let’s get you dressed.  We’ll find out soon enough,”
he replied, putting out his arm to help me up the stairs.

~~~