The Lottery (13 page)

“Remember the woman you overheard me talking to on the vid phone
the first day I arrived?”

****

Dread filled Karlyn as she feared there was a new hurdle about to
be placed in their fragile relationship. He had said this woman was not in a
relationship with him, but the words she heard sounded quite different. “Yes, I
remember.”

“Bailey. My sister. She is having surgery in two days, and I would
like to spend time with her at the hospital before the surgery, as well as be
there when she is operated on. I hope you do not object to me spending extended
periods absent over the next few days.”

His face shone with hope, and there was a sadness she thought she
caught reflected in the green depths of his eyes. Considering his words
carefully, she wondered if he told her the truth, even when her head heart told
her he was. She didn’t know him very well, it had only been a few days, but she
had no real reason to not believe him at this point.

The uncertainty created by her eavesdropping left her at odds. As
friends, she had no right to demand he not go. If he was being honest, and this
woman was truly his sister, he would never forgive her if she did.

“Of course you can go spend time with her. I have noticed the
quick trips you have been making each day. I assumed they have been to see
her?” She tried to seem light hearted and that the decision was nothing to her,
but she had never been good at hiding her emotions. A twinge of jealousy flared
in her, and she did everything she could to hide it.

A job she apparently did poorly, as Ethan seemed to read her
easily, rolling his eyes in response to her. “I want you to come meet her.”

“Meet her?” The rug was pulled out from under her and she
realized then that the potential affair that self doubt had allowed to flourish
and grow in her imagination was about to evaporate. If he was asking her to
come face to face with the woman, then more than likely it wasn’t the grandiose
affair she had thought it to be, but in fact truly his sister. “You want me to
meet your sister?”

“Yes. I think she will like you. Especially as lonely as she has
been, stuck sitting in a hospital room for almost three weeks awaiting surgery.
Once you finish breakfast and get dressed, visiting hours should be about to
begin, so if you want to go over there with me this morning…” Ethan trailed off.

Karlyn nodded her agreement, and quickly finished up her
breakfast, missing out on the wonderful flavors as nerves began to get the best
of her. Quickly taking care of her needs, she dressed in one of the few outfits
that wasn’t covered in paint, the same one he had already seen when they went
to dinner with Sam, and brushed through her mass of rioting blonde waves.

I really need to go
shopping for a couple more pieces of clothing. Hopefully he won’t notice it.
Rubbing
a little makeup across her face, she looked into the mirror, hoping that
Ethan’s sister would approve of her.

Approve of her for what?
They were only supposed to be friends at this point, and no matter how much she
desired him, he would never want her in the same way. He confused her with his
warm attention. He had yet to completely relax for her, and she wasn’t sure he
ever would. Regardless if it was an act or not, he was still good company,
proving to be both intelligent and witty, and she had decided she was going to
enjoy that company for as long as he was there and not go back to the arguing
they had originally endured.

The fact that he was asking her to meet his sister made her
pause. Why would he open up his personal life to include her unless he had some
glimmer of feeling for her as well? Maybe he had taken the whole friendship
request to heart and that was the extent of it. But there was a little piece of
her heart that hoped for more. Fortunately, she was smart enough to know better.

Taking one last look in the mirror, knowing it would get no
better, she sighed. Turning from the vanity, she stalked out to the living area
where he waited for her, gathering up the courage she would need to make it
through this morning. She hated meeting new people, her shyness always held her
back. Never knowing what to say, she usually was the wallflower, trying to
avoid attention in social settings. One on one was worse, as she had no way to
hide.

Looking up at Ethan, he smiled in support, seeing the nerves in
her expression. Grasping her hand in his and squeezing, he led her to the door
and down the flights of steps to the building’s entrance. Feeling the sun reach
her face upon exiting, she allowed the heat to fill her body and give her
strength. They walked down the street, hand in hand the eight blocks to Our
Lady of St Francis Hospital. As they passed women in the streets, many turned
to look at Ethan.

Pride rushed through her as she saw the jealousy and curiosity on
their faces. She had never been in that situation before, the object of envy
from other women. It felt good, and warmed her almost as much as the sun did. Glancing
at Ethan, he did not seem to notice the looks the other women gave him. Many of
the women were like her, not rich, not able to afford a male companion, let
alone one as handsome as he. Most of them had probably never seen a man like
Ethan up close before.

Then as she looked across him, she noted that several of the
women on his side were actually grabbing him and stroking his arm, thigh, and
stomach. The other times they had exited, to walk to various places, they had
been stared at, but they had never been accosted such as this. As she watched
one woman’s hand glide down and begin to grasp his cock, she opened her mouth
to complain. Before one word could be said, he casually brushed the hand away
and continued to walk as though nothing had happened.

Suddenly, Karlyn knew exactly why Ethan usually asked to go to
various spots so early in the morning on numerous occasions. Most women would
be at work, or sleeping in, and he could possibly avoid this situation, and she
had just assumed he was an early riser. She felt sad for him, being looked at
like a piece of meat, and then she felt guilty for the feelings she had had
earlier in their walk. In that moment, she had been just like every other woman
out there who had abused him. She squeezed his hand and smiled up at him.

One more corner, and the hospital loomed just ahead of them, and
she took a deep breath of relief. Gaining the stairs outside, they quickly
walked inside. Once there, Karlyn looked out the frosted panes of the double
swinging doors to see a couple of the women standing outside, looking longingly
in Ethan’s direction, though not seeing him. There wistful glances mirrored the
millions of lonely women on the planet. It broke Karlyn’s heart that in a few
short months, she would be back in their shoes, although, she wasn’t really out
of them now. A brief friendship had bloomed but nothing more, and she was
afraid to try for more, since she had specifically told him she wanted nothing
from him.

“Hey, are you coming?”

Karlyn turned away from the doors and briskly walked back to him
and they then traveled the long corridor to the bank of elevators. Watching the
women fondling Ethan had been a great distraction, for she hadn’t thought of
meeting his sister through the entire walk. But now she would have killed for
another distraction, one where no one abused Ethan.

Entering the next available elevator, Ethan’s hand at her lower
back sent tingles up her spine. And then he turned and struck the number seven
button on the panel. They were alone in the car, and his hand was still
centered in the middle of her lower back, caressing her slightly. It was as if
he was trying to gentle a nervous beast. Regardless, it was working, and she
appreciated the care he showed her.

When the elevator stopped and opened its doors on the seventh
floor, he grasped her hand in his again and led her out. Walking a short
distance, they entered a dark, sterile room. Karlyn felt sorry for anyone who
had to spend their days in here. It was a depressing room, devoid of color and
life.

Turning to look around the room, she almost missed the pale face
peeking out of the white bed linens. Serene in sleep, Karlyn could see the gaunt
cheeks and dark circles smudged under the woman’s closed eyes. Although pale
and withdrawn looking, she could also tell that his sister was a beautiful
woman.

Ethan went to the large row of windows and opened up the slats on
the blinds a little. Not much of a view, but the additional sunlight did
improve the room a bit. It roused the sleeping woman. Eyes fluttering, she
looked towards the windows and a deep smile came to her face upon seeing him. Karlyn
turned towards Ethan and saw an identical smile cover his face, and the
resemblance was enough for her to lay to rest the errant thoughts about Ethan’s
motivation. She could see how much he cared for his sister in that smile, and
for some reason that was very important to her.

“Well, good morning, sleepy head. I brought you a visitor.”

Bailey looked around the room, stopping on a nervous Karlyn. Karlyn
smiled, hoping she wasn’t turning green from the nervous ripples in her
stomach. After looking at her as if she had seen a ghost for a few moments, the
left side of her mouth twitched slightly and she turned towards her brother.

“Changed your mind, huh, big brother? I thought I was not going
to get the chance to meet your new…umm…friend.”

Ethan pushed away from the wall he leaned on and walked towards
Karlyn, resting a casual hand on her arm. “Bailey, this is Karlyn. Karlyn, my
sister, Bailey.”

Karlyn stepped closer to the bed and lifted a hand to the other
woman, smiling as she did so. For some reason, it was exponentially important
that this frail woman like her. But she feared the worst.

To her amazement, Bailey grasped her hand with more strength than
Karlyn had expected, and smiled. The glow from the grin was amazing. “It is
very nice to meet you Karlyn. I understand you are a painter?”

“That I am.”

“I am quite intrigued, my mother was a huge fan of the arts and
she used to take both of us to galleries in her pursuit to collect. Every wall
in our house used to have beautiful paintings….” Bailey’s eyes glazed over as
her comment drifted away. After a few seconds, her gaze cleared as if awakening
from the dream. “I think I would like to get to know you more, especially since
my brother refused me the chance to meet you just a couple of weeks ago.”

“Bailey…” Ethan started warningly.

“Stop it, Ethan. I have found that the prospect of potential
death under the knife has given me a newfound honesty in life.”

“Please stop talking like that. It’s morbid.”

Karlyn sat down on the edge of the bed, dumbfounded by the
statement, confusion gathered within the lines of concern on her face. “Ethan
told me of the surgery, but he didn’t tell me the prospects were so dire.”

“Because they aren’t. She will be just fine.”

“Ethan, stop lying to yourself. We hope everything will be fine,
but we need to face the fact that tomorrow may be my last. To ignore that fact
is a waste of what time I may have left.” Her tone was sharp, as if she was
scolding a child. She released a deep breath and started again, a little
softer. “As I said, honesty. We need to be honest with each other. Our
grandmother visited yesterday evening, and I was able to put it to the test. It
was very informative
and
freeing. I
was able to tell her a lot of things that have been on my mind.”

“Evangeline? Why did she even bother?”

“I asked just about the same thing, but maybe not with as much
couth. Evidently, you came to her looking for help. I really wish you hadn’t,
Ethan.”

“I did what I had to.”

Turning to Karlyn with an electric watt smile, Bailey grasped her
hand. “There is much I need to tell you about my brother.”

“Do not bore her with stories about me, Bailey. There is nothing
she needs to hear. Don’t lie and make me out the hero. I did what had to be
done, and it no way removes the stain of every bad thing I have done in my
life. Don’t paint a picture of me that isn’t true.”

“I disagree. Most of the bad things you have done were with good
intentions behind them. You have been my knight in shining armor, and there
needs to be someone else who knows what you have done for me.”

“No.” The pure anguish in his face was enough to make Karlyn want
to hold him close to her and try to wipe away the pain.

“Ethan, you are with Karlyn because of me, why not tell her?”

Karlyn turned towards Ethan, and seeing his grim expression, she
did not want to be in the middle of an argument, especially with one
participant being obviously unwell. Looking back at the frail woman, she wanted
to know more, but refused to push.

“Karlyn does not care why I was in the lottery.”

“Maybe I do.” Looking him fully, she smiled. She knew at that
moment, this was a man she could lose her heart to. He had gone into the lottery
to save his sister. Bailey did not need to tell her the answer, she knew it. He
had offered his body and soul up for sale to save the sister he loved. Tears
formed in her eyes, but they did not fall. She felt her hand being squeezed,
and she looked back to Bailey.

“Yes. He is with you to save me. I never asked him to, and part
of me does not want him to be there, especially considering I may not survive
this. But the fact he has brought you here means something. Hopefully you are
not like the other women he has had to give himself to over the years. I may
not have much more time, so I only ask that you be good to my brother while you
are together, and know that no matter how big of a jerk he can be at times,
deep inside he really is a good, caring person.”

“I think I already sensed that, but coming here today proves it.”
Looking up at Ethan, she thought he looked much older when he gazed at his
sister. A deep frown furrowed his brows, crinkling the lines she normally
adored when he smiled. He sat down on the other side of the hospital bed and
the three spent nearly all day talking, laughing, and becoming good friends
before the nurses came in and kicked them out later that evening.