Secrets of War: A Military Romance (11 page)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

G
uests were being welcomed to a world of classic elegance unlike any other. Gorgeous chandeliers and classically designed beautiful floral arrangements made from freshly cut flowers permeated the room with their scent. It was the night of the AIDS gala fundraising event and the guest were pouring in, all dolled up in there gowns and tuxedos.

The Lincoln Ballroom had hosted presidents, politicians and royalty, which inspired the ornately carved ornaments and its echoing two-story space. The ballroom integrated elegance and grandeur with a state-of-the-art dance floor. Everything from the pedestal vases to the mirrored runners reflected the romantic pink of the roses and the soft glow of a seemingly endless array of candles.

The theme of the ball was Phantom of the Opera. Suzy had included entertainment to support the theme. She’d contacted some of her friends in Hollywood and gotten a scene preformed for the guests from the Broadway play. The guests would have a five-course fine-dining experience presented by Chef Roberto and paired with fine wines.

There was a red carpet arrival, with reporters and paparazzi taking pictures and asking the women what dress they were wearing, and snapping photos of them. There was going to be an auction of dates with three very popular Hollywood actors.

Music, food and dancing….It was bound to be a magical evening. An elegant formal event decorated in black and white stripes accented with gold, and pinks. Tons of easy and inexpensive ideas to make this event look like a million bucks.

The women were given gold butterfly masquerade masks and the men were given white phantom masks. There was an over-the-top seafood display and absinthe bar helped to start the first chapter of the evening. Along with a nineteen twenties inspired flapper swinging from a crystal chandelier to kick the party into high gear.

Suzy entered the ballroom standing at the top of the stairs looking down at all the partygoers having a good time, and felt overwhelmed with pride at what she and the committee had accomplished. She, Geri and Jade had all flown to Los Angeles to buy their dresses for the ball. Suzy had settled on a sapphire blue timeless off-the-shoulder V-neck mermaid floor-length ball gown. Her hair was twisted into a volumized low chignon; the high volume at the crown giving it balance, with the chignon at the nape of her neck.

As she descended the stairs, she looked around to see if Jamie and his date had arrived. She was dreading seeing him with someone, but knew she wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

“My God woman! You are so hot. If I wasn’t straight, I would go after you myself,” Izzy teased walking up behind her.

“IZZY!” Suzy exclaimed hugging her.

Izzy had decided to let her feminine side reign when she selected her gown. It was a stunning long V-neck lace dress that featured a halter-top-bodice embellished with sparkling lace appliques and hand sewn beaded accents. A wide beaded belt encircled her waist to accentuate her shape and set off the seductive open back of this glamorous long lace dress. The chic and sexy slim full length skirt had a voluminous sheer chiffon overlay, giving the gown a fabulous flow.

“You look amazing!” Suzy stated in awe.

“I went all out,” she replied striking a sexy pose. “It is rare we get to go all out and get dressed up in this backwoods place. So this ball is the bee’s knees for me.”

“The turnout is amazing, isn’t it?” Suzy asked.

“You did a great job, and—Uh-oh,” Izzy said pointing behind Suzy indicating someone was walking up behind her.

“Good Evening Suzy,” Jamie said walking up behind her, mask intact.

She flipped around. “Oh! You startled me!” she exclaimed clutching her chest. She put on a smile when her mind and heart were screaming for him to take her into his arms and forgive her. “Good Evening! You look amazing in that tuxedo”

His tuxedo was an off white single-breasted one-button dinner jacket that was a slim fit. It had peaked lapels with straight leg trousers. Never one to wear a tie because as he put it, he felt like he was wrangling himself, the top three buttons of his black silk shirt were open revealing a peak of his delicious chest. “You look absolutely beautiful Suzy Q,” he said assessing her.

She tried to smile, but she was struck dumb by Jamie’s sudden appearance and that dammed sexy grin he wore. “I didn’t think I would ever hear you call me that again.” She fidgeted with her purse.

“You’ll always be my Suzy Q,” he said looking into her eyes.

What was that? Had she seen love in his eyes? Was it possible he still loved her? Would he be willing to give her another chance after everything? He’s here with another woman she reminded herself before she went too far off into the fantasy of being with him.

“Well, since it’s like I’m not even here. Good Evening Jamie,” Izzy said smiling.

“I’m sorry Izzy. You look absolutely ravishing,” Jamie said taking her hand and kissing the back of it.

“I know!” Izzy joked. “When is mother flying in on her broom? I’m assuming she’s going to take it fancy tonight and come in on the push broom and not the kitchen one.”

“You know I think she’s really going out tonight and coming in on the dust mop. So she may be a little late to the festivities,” Jamie joked with them.

Suzy gave a nervous smile. “So…where’s your date? Is she in the ladies’ room?” she finally asked looking around.

“Uhhh…No. She isn’t. She’s actually right behind you,” he replied smirking.

Suzy turned around to find her grandmother standing behind her. “MOMMA?”

“Yes, Dear,” she replied winking at her granddaughter. Geri had chosen an Emerald Green A-line long sleeve V-neck, floor length gown with appliques beading. She looked amazingly beautiful, almost ten years younger.

“Granny why didn’t you tell me you were Jamie—I mean why didn’t you t-tell…” Suzy stammered looking back and forth between them.

“…Tell you that she’s smart enough to know a sexy man when she sees one?” Izzy quipped sipping her champagne as she smirked.

“Well dear, it seems my granddaughter is too much of a fool to invite the man of her dreams to this wonderful event,” Geri replied. “So, I decided to keep her from having to eat her heart out all night watching him dance and have a good time with another woman, after she worked so hard on the event. So, I decided would ask him to be my date and allow her to borrow him for a few spins around the dance floor.”

Unable to contain herself anymore, Suzy jumped into Jamie’s arms hugging and kissing him all over his face. “I’m sorry, I’m
so
sorry, please forgive me?” she said over and over.

“I think—I’m gonna cry!” Izzy whined clutching her chest swooning into Geri.

Jamie remained quiet for a long moment as he stared at her face.

Suzy experienced a thousand deaths in that short, but tortuously forever minute.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting this. But I’ll take it,” Jamie said wrapping his arms around her and swinging her around. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she stated staring lovingly into his eyes. “You protect the ones you love, and you love me. Right?”

“Well, before they start full on making out right in front of us, miss Geri have you had some of those AMAZING crab cakes that are over there?” Izzy pointed across the room.

“No Dear, but I’m always up for a good crab cake,” Geri replied as she snickered.

Both women strolled away, arm in arm.

Jamie chuckled at the uncertainty in her voice, finding it ironic she still didn’t know how much her loved her. “Yes! Yes, you absolutely infuriating woman…I love you. I love you with all my heart.” He pulled her into a kiss that took her breath away and they stayed like that for a while in their own little world while the ball went on around them. Kissing, dancing, whispering confirmations of their love for one another.

It was time for the auction when Suzy had to finally pull herself away from him and act as a co-host of this wonderful event.

“Suzy! Suzy!” Jade yelled running behind her sister trying to get her attention before she got back stage.

“What? What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing! Nothing. I wanted to ask you a favor,” she said breathing heavily.

“And it couldn’t have waited until I’m done with the auction?” she asked.

“No, not really. Rich Henderson is here. I saw him on my way out of the bathroom.” she replied, panting.

Suzy felt a sense of dread at the sound of her nemesis’ name. Rich had done everything he could to make her life miserable for months. Her car had been vandalized five times over the past few months. Windows had been broken at her home and the shop, and the crank calls had been in abundance. But the Sheriff hadn’t been able to prove it was him.

Suzy knew that it was. No one else hated her enough to go to these lengths. She hoped he would eventually tire of being that angry and stop before he did something they would both regret. That hadn’t happened yet. “Well honey, the party is for everyone, it’s not like we can exclude him—”

“He isn’t dressed to be here as a guest. He had on sweaty overalls and is drunk and staggering. He almost fell over twice.”

The look of panic on Jades face saddened Suzy, she never wanted her family to live in fear. This had been one of the main reasons she tried to keep her diagnosis quiet. “Sweetie, I know you’re nervous.” She hugged her sister to reassure her. “But if he’s that bad off, I’m sure a member of the security team will escort him home.”

Jade squeezed her so hard, she was having a hard time breathing. “I know I’ve been a jerk a lot lately. But I don’t know what I would do with you. You’re my best friend, my mom, my role model, and my sister—I need you.”

“Oh, sweetie. Don’t worry, you’re not getting rid of me that easy. I gotta get to the auction. But thank you for your concern and the heads up.”

As Suzy walked backstage, she hoped she hadn’t just made a promise to her sister, the HIV would make sure she couldn’t keep. She’d amazingly been feeling a lot better lately. Her doctor had told her it was because she was finally following orders. Hopefully, that was true.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

F
or the next couple of hours, Suzy ran the auction, for any particular bachelor or bachelorette, briefly describing each person’s details, she would start the bidding at a reasonable price telling jokes and raising the bid. “Who'll give me fifty for the delicious specimen of a man?”

Instantly, several hands rose up in the audience. All of these people wanting to bid of one of Hollywood’s best. After one of two men, things became fast paced. She pointed to each in turn saying, “Twenty...thirty dollars...forty...”

By the time the auctions ended, the good vibes and fun were thick in the air. Suzy felt so happy things were going so well.

Now, she was on the hunt for Jamie when she came from backstage. Not wanting to be away from him for too long.

Sally Merrik approached her, with what was obviously a fake smile plastered on her face.

“Good Evening Sally,” Suzy said first, hoping to limit this talk to the bare minimum.

“Hello, Dear,” Sally replied with her nose in the air. “I was hoping I could have a moment of your time in private, if that’s okay?”

“Well, as one of the hosts I do need to make myself available to all the guests,” she said getting a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Grabbing her arm, Sally worked her way to the balcony that was just outside the ballroom. “Come on dear, it won’t be but a moment.”

As the made their way through the crowd, Suzy attempted to remove her arm from the painful death grip Sally was holding, but resistance seemed to be futile.

Once they were out of the balcony with the double doors closed, Sally finally released her arm. “Now see, that wasn’t so hard.”

Her smug tone told Suzy this wasn’t going to be a friendly conversation. But she knew if she was going to someday be Jamie’s wife, she would have to learn to deal with his mother. “What can I do for you this evening, Sally?” she asked her defenses were all the way up but she wanted to give her a chance to hopefully show some growth and grace.

“Leave my son alone,” she snapped. Her words laced with venom. “I brought you out here to let you know, I have no intention of letting you be the woman he marries or the woman that raises my grandson. That my dear, will be over your dead body!”

Sigh
. “I’m glad to say Sally that isn’t up to you. What happens between Jamie and I is none of your business. And my dead body, really? Are you actually threatening me Sally? I would hope a woman of your standing in the community would know that is not a very smart thing to do.” Apparently, she had no idea what was about to happen next, or how depraved Sally really was.

“That wasn’t a threat dear. That was a promise,” Sally stated looking past Suzy as if she was making eye contact with someone behind her.

When Suzy turned to see who it was she felt a terrible pain at the side of her head. All she could see was a blur as someone threw her across the balcony. She screamed for help but the sounds of the celebrations drowned out her initial cries. Rich came bellowing over, as Suzy tried to hide behind the glass paneled French door. He put his fist through the window grabbing her hair and dragging her from behind the door. Suzy received at least five punches to her head with Rich screaming expletives at her, saying he was going to kill her for what she’d done to his son.

Surprising even Sally in his savagery as finally, the rage displayed in the vicious assault was more than even Sally could take. “Stop! STOP IT! THAT IS ENOUGH!” she yelled at him but his rage was too far gone

The amount of force and violence Rich was using would have been considered excessive, if Suzy wasn’t resisting but because she was fighting for her life, it further intensified his level of aggression. He slapped her across the face, pulling her to her knees by her hair. Then, he put one hand around her throat and squeezed. “If my son is gonna die you are going to die a slow and painful death, bitch.”

Suzy was able to break away, being that he was drunk and she ran through the doors into the ballroom. He caught up to her on the dance floor shocking everyone while sending people screaming in panic as Suzy and Sally screamed for help. The music stopped as Suzy was pushed to the ground and Rich again, started punching and kicking her.

Suzy thought he was going to kill her, until she heard a familiar voice call out her name in a guttural growl and someone attacked Rich pulling him away from her. It wasn’t until days later that she realized that man was Jamie and he had beat Rich so badly, he would end up in the ICU for four days.

The Sheriff came forward with his deputies, cuffing Rich and Jamie.

When Sally looked around and saw her son being arrested and Suzy in very bad condition on the floor, she stepped forward, giving a confession that would change her life forever, “Stop! No! Please, please don’t arrest Jamie. This is all my fault. Rich told me he was just going to scare her a little for me. Get her to leave town. I just wanted to protect my son from her.”

“YOU WHAT?” Jade yelled stepping forward. “I knew it! You BITCH!”

Before anyone knew it, Jade punched Sally twice in the face.

Izzy pulled Jade away from her to keep her from getting arrested. But not before giving her a piece of her mind too, “You are a rotten selfish piece of well-dressed shit,” she said with venom. “I promise you if my friend dies, you will need the hounds of hell to keep me from taking daddy’s Winchester and putting your ass down!”

Luckily, the town’s best doctors and nurses were there at the ball to work on Suzy until the ambulance arrived and took her, Geri and Jade away.

The Sheriff read Sally her rights as the paramedics worked on Rich.

“Why are you reading me my rights?” she asked angrily. “I didn’t lay a hand on her. You stop talking to me!” she tried to push past the Sheriff but was stopped and placed in handcuffs.

“Sally Merrik, you have the right to remain silent. Please take it. You’re under arrest for the attempted murder and assault on Suzanne Stephenson…”

“ATTEMPTED MURDER! ARE YOU CRAZY? Take your hands off me! I didn’t lay a hand on her! Mercer, Jamie do something!” she bellowed looking to her son and husband.

“Take her away Sheriff.” Mercer seethed turning his back on her. “Muzzle her if you have to.”

“Muzzle me! Mercer have you lost your mind? No, you stop this. Do you know who I am?” Sally yelled as the Sheriff and one of the deputies took her away.

“I’m sorry son. You were right, I should have done something a long time ago,” Mercer said patting his shoulder. “Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

* * * *

Geri and Jade were pacing in the surgical waiting area when Jamie and Mercer arrived. Suzy had already been in surgery for an hour.

Izzy sat in stony silence wither head down.

The blows Suzy had taken to her body had left her with a ruptured spleen and lacerated liver. There was glass in her face and hands from where he’d pulled her hair through the glass panel. Those were the worst of her many injuries.

“How is she?” Jamie asked Geri.

“What do you care?” Jade asked standing up.

“Jade, stop it!” Geri said exhausted.

“NO! Don’t stop. They
are
the reason Suzy is in this!” Izzy shouted.

Jade went on, “What right do you have to ever come anywhere near my sister?” She turned her hateful gaze to Jamie’s father, Mercer. “And you let that awful hateful old bag of bones you call a wife lie about my mother for years and get her run out of town. And you let her torture my sister. Spreading rumors, inciting hateful things to be done to her when all she wanted to do was live her life and help people! Now you stand here looking like the assholes you both
really
are, asking us to tell you how she is?” She pointed at each man. “Your wife and your mother tried to have her killed…THAT’S HOW SHE IS!” Jade raged at Jamie and Mercer out of pain anger and fear before falling into her grandmother’s arms and crying with abandon.

“She’s still in surgery. That’s all we know right now,” Geri informed them before her and Izzy walked Jade to the bathroom to help her calm down and clean herself up.

“Son, I’m so,
so
sorry about this.” Mercer shook his head.

Jamie started to pace back and forth running his hands over his hair and face in fear and frustration. “Dad, can I ask you something and get an honest answer?” he finally asked.

“Of course.”

“Did you sign everything over to me all that time back, including the house and land, so you wouldn’t have to stand up to mom?”

Looking away from his son, so he wouldn’t see the shame on his face. Mercer finally admitted, “Yeah I did, and I see now that was wrong. Son, I have spent so many years denying who and what your mother was, hoping that a relatively happy life together would make her be a better woman. But after tonight—after tonight, I-I don’t know if that’s even possible.”

Jamie swung his fists at the air wanting to hit something and someone hard. But knowing if he started destroying things he would be kicked out of the hospital. “You know dad, I would find it a lot easier to feel sorry for you not having a spine when it comes to mom, if the woman I love and adore wasn’t in surgery fighting for her life right now.”

“I know, and I understand your anger—”

“She’s done dad!” Jamie said cutting him off. “No more! No more money, no more access she is DONE! I’m personally going to make sure the sheriff goes through with the charges. You can stand by her and learn what it’s like to be broke or you can take a stand for the first time in your life. What’s it going to be, Pop?” Jamie felt bad for speaking to his dad this way but he knew it would be the only way his father would listen.

“I think the fact that I’m here with you and not down at the jail with the gaggle of attorneys we have trying to get her out, shows my stance on this,” Mercer said matter of factly. “This
is
the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m filing for a divorce.”

“Well, Glory be. The pussy brigade finally got a back bone!” Izzy yelled angrily. “Only a day late and a dollar short, if you ask me.”

“Hello gentlemen,” Dr. Capshaw said walking into the waiting room. “Have you seen Geri and Jade?”

“I’ll get them,” Mercer said heading toward the women’s bathroom.

“How is she doc?” Jamie asked.

Izzy quieted and looked scared as he asked this most important question.

“Unfortunately, I’m not able to talk to you about—”

Geri and Jade walked up. “It’s okay doctor, you can talk freely. How is she doing?” Geri asked.

“Well, she had some pretty severe injuries. But the surgery went well. She had a punctured lung we didn’t expect to see when we got in there, so we are going to keep her in ICU for a while just to make sure. Her condition is serious at the moment. But she should make a full recovery.”

“Oh! Thank God!” Geri said finally allowing the fear and pain catch up to her, and letting the tears flow.

Jade collapsed into her grandmother’s arms crying with relief.

Izzy had tears rolling down her cheeks as she patted Jade’s back.

“Do you think we can see her Dr. Capshaw?” Jamie asked.

“Not tonight. She needs a lot of rest and I don’t want her upset. She may be out for another 24 hours. So why don’t you all go home, get some sleep and come back in the morning.”

“I don’t want to leave her,” Jade replied

Geri sighed. “Oh honey, you need—”

“Jade, I know you don’t trust me and I can’t blame you,” Jamie interjected. “But your grandmother needs rest and I don’t think she should go home alone. So if you will trust me for just this one night, I will stay right here in this waiting room all night to make sure she is okay.”

Jade looked to her grandmother still not wanting to have anything to do with the Merrik family.

“I really wish you would go home with me, baby girl,” Geri said rather than try to defend Jamie tonight.

“Okay,” Jade finally answered. “But if anything goes wrong and you don’t call us right away…I WILL make it my mission to make your life miserable.”

“Well, I’m scared and she’s not even talking to me,” Mercer replied.

Izzy huffed.

Geri chuckled knowing they really had no idea about this little girl’s vengeance.

“If you ladies would allow me to, I would love to drive you all home and make sure your get inside safe and sound before I head home myself,” Mercer offered.

“Thank you Mercer, I appreciate that,” Geri replied wrapping on arm around her granddaughter. “You keep a good eye on her now, you’re hear?” She narrowed her eyes at Jamie.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jamie said saluting her.

Izzy pointed at him with a serious glint in her eyes.

“I will, I will. You know I love her, Izzy,” he defended.

“This town! You people are freaks!” Jade griped heading toward the exit with her arms crossed.

“Yep,” Izzy agreed. “And wait till I tell you some stories on the ride home about just how
freaky
some of them really are.”