Rent-A-Bride (2 page)

Amelia gasped as suddenly the quiet room became full of activity and noise, and people in various states of undress. Men and women hurriedly moved around her barely acknowledging her existence as they positioned cameras, and touched up makeup and checked lighting as if this were any other movie set, as if this were any other movie. And she might have even been able to believe it was any other movie if at that particular moment her eyes hadn’t landed on a naked woman
Vaseline-ing
…certain body parts.

She felt instantly cold from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. It was as if someone had suddenly poured a bucket of cold water over her head. When it was just her and Mr. Sleazy Amelia had been able to work out a way for her brain to accept it.

But this?! This was impossible!

All these people would be there the whole time watching her, filming her as she stroked herself to orgasm. She couldn’t do this! There was
no way
she could do this!

A few minutes later adult movie director, Billy Sway, glanced at the clock on the wall again and smiled to himself. He would be able to complete this project on time and on budget. He still had another set up across town to get to and since that was an outdoor shoot he couldn’t be late. There was only a limited amount of daylight to work with.

He clapped his hands again. “Okay, everyone, let’s do this. Minx, John on the bed. Amelia—you too.” He glanced around the crowded room. “Anyone see the new extra?”

Everyone began looking around their immediate area even as Billy did a quick circle around the group. Suddenly he stopped and slammed his clipboard down on the floor so hard it cracked in two pieces. “Damn!”

So she had lost her nerve after all. He glanced up at the clock on the wall again. He was never going to make it to the other set in time. His producers were not going to be happy.

T
he heat of the sunlight streaming in from the partially opened curtains woke him from a restless sleep. Ed had been awakened off and on throughout the night as the hospital staff came and went doing their various jobs and through it all his grandfather slept soundlessly.

Now he’d twisted his long body in the uncomfortable lounge chair where he’d spent the night trying to move out of the path of the sun and hoping to gain a few more minutes of sleep. But it was no use.

With a sigh he sat up, stretched, yawned and opened his eyes to find chocolate brown eyes watching him from across the room. Relief swept through his whole body as he stood and approached the bed. “Good morning. How long have you been awake?”

“Longer than you.” Stanley’s gravelly voice creaked out.

“Want some water?” Without waiting for an answer Ed turned to the nightstand and poured a cup from the pitcher sitting there. Lifting his grandfather’s head slightly he slowly poured the water down Stanley’s parched throat. After it seemed he’d had enough, Ed gently lowered him back down on the bed and returned the cup to the nightstand.

“What day is it?” Stanley’s eyebrows crinkled in confusion as his mind struggled to grasp the simple information.

“Monday.” Ed answered, scooting his chair closer to the bed and taking his grandfather’s hand in his. “Why?” He smiled. “You got a date?”

Stanley chuckled. “If I did, wouldn’t be much I could do with her.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve heard you were quite a charmer back in the day.”

Stanley’s brown eyes twinkled mischievously. “It takes more than charm to satisfy a woman, son. You do realize that, don’t you?”

Ed smirked feeling his heart rise up off the ground. This was the first playful conversation he’d had with his grandfather in weeks. “Yes, charm and a fat bank account.”

“Oh, how wrong you are.” Stanley sighed dramatically. “There is so much more I still have to teach you.” Stanley’s eyes drifted close and Ed waited patiently to see if he’d fallen back off to sleep.

A few minutes passed before he sighed again and opened his eyes. “Have I ever told you how I met your grandmother?”

He had, a dozen times or more over his lifetime but still Ed said. “No, tell me about it.”

“Well, I was working as a Doorman at the Cadillac Hotel downtown. Oh, son, you should’ve seen Detroit in her day. She was a sight to behold and the Cadillac Hotel was one of her crown jewels.”

“Really?”

A smiled spread over Stanley’s wrinkled face as his eyes closed and he seem to drift off to another place. “Your grandmother was with a dancing troupe back then.”

The Detroit Dolls.
Ed smiled to himself.

“They called themselves the Detroit Dolls.” Stanley chuckled. “And were they ever.” His eyes opened again and that twinkle of amusement was still present. He leaned forward and whispered. “They were
burlesque
girls.”

“My grandma? A burlesque girl? Com’on, Pop.” Ed was torn between wanting to get in every minute with him he could and wondering if he should leave him alone to rest.

“Oh, yes.” Stanley’s smile widened. “You have to understand I had never seen colored burlesque girls before. None of us had.”

“Us?”

“The other Doormen. We were all just kinda spellbound as they poured out of this big, fine car, right there in front of the hotel.”

Ed knew the story well but said nothing as his grandfather disappeared down memory lane. “It must’ve been maybe ten or twelve of us standing there with our mouths on the ground and our eyeballs popping out. And those girls all dressed to the Ritz just shimmied on past us like we weren’t even there…except your grandma. She stopped. Looked directly at me and winked.”

Ed felt his heart accelerate as the hand he was holding began to grow colder. “You sure she didn’t just have something in her eye?”

Stanley made a gruff noise that was as close to a chuckle as he could manage. “Oh, no, she
definitely
winked at me. And then she followed the other girls inside and that was that.”

Ed laughed to cover his growing concern. “Apparently not since I’m sitting here.”

He glanced at the machines on the other side of the bed. All the readings were on target, nothing had changed. But the hand in his was undeniably cooler than it had been just minutes before. He swallowed hard knowing the truth in his heart. His grandfather was slipping away.

“So, then what happened?”

“Well, I had to find out who she was, didn’t I?” Stanley’s eyes opened a fraction. “Beautiful burlesque dancers didn’t just wink at lowly Doormen every day, you know.”

“Especially not ones that looked like you.” Ed muttered and waited for Stanley to take the bait which he did immediately.

Stanley’s eyes opened a little wider and he turned his head to look directly at Ed. “We look just alike, so what does that say about you?”

Ed laughed and fought back the tears welling up in his eyes. Lord, how he would miss sparing with this old man. “I like to think I just wear it better.”

Stanley huffed. “You can
think
what you want.”

Just then a nurse came into the room. “Good morning, Mr. Bouchard. How are you feeling this morning?”

Ed released the hand he’d been holding and moved away from the bed so the nurse could take Stanley’s vital signs and administer his medicines.

“I was just trying to teach my grandson here the value of a good woman’s love.”

The nurse glanced at Ed over her shoulder. “Dr. Bouchard? Surely he already knows the value of a good woman.” Ed met her eyes briefly before turning to the window.

Nurse Cate Markum was last summer’s romance. It had only lasted two weeks but as Ed remembered it had been a really fun two weeks. Until that fated morning when in the throes of an orgasm she’d uttered the curse.
I love you
. Those three little words had ended more than one good relationship for Ed.

Thankfully she’d handled the break-up like a grown up. No theatrics or dramatics, they’d parted fairly amicably and had continued to work together without disruption ever since. But still, she was not the woman he wanted his grandfather discussing his love life with.

“Apparently not since he’s almost thirty and still single.” Stanley grumped around a thermometer.

“Well, that may not be his lack of understanding just a lack of interest.” Cate spoke casually as she scribbled Stanley’s temperature on a chalkboard above the bed.

Stanley frowned at her and then looked at Ed. “Lack of interest?”

She punched three buttons on one of the machines. “Maybe, a
woman’s
love is not for him.”

Uh-oh
. Ed’s eyes narrowed on her back. Maybe their break-up wasn’t as amicable as he thought. He met his grandfather’s eyes and saw laughter there which is the only reason he didn’t go off on her ass right then and there. His grandfather lay dying and
now
…she chooses
now
to be petty and vindictive?

“Hmmm.” Stanley stared off into space thoughtfully. “Thank you, dear. I had never considered that possibility.”

Cate gave Stanley a bright smile then turned it on Ed. “Glad I could help.” And collecting her equipment she strolled out of the room like a woman without a care in the world.

Once she was through the door Stanley let out a bark of laughter that touched Ed’s heart. “Teddy, haven’t I told you a dozen times a dog don’t shit where he eats?”

Ed shook his head and returned to his chair. “That ended over a year ago. I thought she was okay with it. At least now I know how the rumor that I’m gay got started.”

Stanley laughed again and it spiraled into a cough. In an instant Ed was beside the bed holding his grandfather’s frail body up until the coughing subsided. Stanley gestured to his cup and Ed quickly refilled it and held it to his mouth to drink. It took Stanley a few moments to catch his breath and Ed stood watching and wondering how much longer could his damaged body hold out.

As Ed started to sit again he noticed Steve in the hall standing to one side of the doorway where Stanley couldn’t see him gesturing for Ed to come out.

“Pop, I’ll be right back.” Stanley nodded slightly even as he was already dozing off.

Ed stepped out into the hall pulling the door closed behind him. “What’s up?”

“How is he this morning?” Steve’s eyes scanned Ed’s face and Ed knew by the compassion he saw reflected what he must look like. He hadn’t had a solid night’s sleep in weeks despite having taken an indefinite leave of absence.

“Okay. Still weak, but…” He shrugged.

The word
alive
lingered in the air between them but neither said it.

Steve opened a folder he was holding. “I wanted to show you this.”

Ed took the file and quickly scanned his eyes over the information. According to the readings in the chart his grandfather should not even be conscious at this point, let alone talking and making jokes. His colon was riddled with cancer and the months and months of chemotherapy that had only recently stopped had done nothing to slow the progression of the disease.

“Ed, I need you to consider…all the options.”

“I have considered all the options.”

“No. No, you haven’t.” Steve looked back over his shoulder to be sure they were alone. “I’m in that room every day. I see what a brave face Stanley is putting on for the world but mostly it’s for you. Look at those readings, Ed. You and I both know he has to be in an excruciating amount of pain. But he’ll never let it show, not as long as he knows you’re there.”

“Are you asking me to leave?”

“No, of course not. I know you would never be willing to do that.”

“Damn straight!”

“I’m saying that if it comes down to it, if his condition continues to deteriorate at its current pace would you be willing to consider a DNR order?”

A Do Not Resuscitate Order
. For a moment Ed felt as if the entire world simply stopped spinning on its axis. Somewhere in the back of his mind he had known it might come to this. He’d even convinced himself that he was prepared for this possibility. But now that he was being asked he simply could not bring his mouth to form the words. It felt too much like surrender. It felt like he was giving up on the one person he should never give up on. As long as his grandfather continued to fight, how could he not fight for him? How could he just…let him die?

He took a deep breath. “I don’t know.”

“Ed, you know you have to—”

“I said I don’t know, Steve! Leave it at that!” He glanced at his friend but unable to take the pity he saw in his eyes he quickly looked away. “You’re going to have to leave it at that for now.”

Steve sighed heavily. “Alright, but Ed, you’re going to have to make a decision.” Steve cracked the door open and glanced at his patience now sleeping soundly in the bed a few feet away from them. “And, Ed…I don’t think you have much longer.”

As if Steve’s diagnosis had been a premonition of some kind shortly after noon Stanley’s condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Ed held constant vigil leaving only long enough to use the bathroom throughout the day.

Around two in the afternoon the second-shift nurse brought him a tray of food which he thanked her for although he’d been unable to eat anything from it. His heart twisted in knots as he watched his grandfather’s face occasionally grimace in pain and Ed silently wondered why he didn’t just let go.

Steve’s words kept coming back to him…
he’ll never let it show, not as long as he knows you’re there.”

Stanley’s eyes slanted open as he tried to focus on Ed. He reached over and ran his hand along the side of his grandfather’s face. Wishing he had the words to give him peace. Wishing he could find some way to tell him that it was okay. He could let go. He wished he could assure him that he would be fine. But nothing he’d said up until now had worked.

Instead he said. “Do you want some water?”

Stanley shook his head slightly as his eyes drifted close. “I want you to know I’m so proud of you, son.” He whispered. “I just wish your mother and father had lived to see what you’ve become. All you’ve accomplished.”

Ed swallowed hard to hold back the cry of anguish in his chest. “I couldn’t have done any of it without you.”