You and I Forever (10 page)

“
I thought I made it clear that I don't want your money.” I spit, causing him to turn to face me just as he pulls open the door.

“
It's severance and you've earned it. I'm not
giving
you anything. Gather your things, I will meet you out back in twenty minutes.”

“
I'm not going anywhere with you.” I don't try to disguise my anger. “You have been here for two days and already you are trying to change me.”

“
I'm not trying to change anything about you Anna. But I'm here now and I don't want the woman I love dancing at one of my clubs when there is no need for her to.” He says, his voice calm.

“
What about the fact that I want to?” I question, heat flushing my face.

“
You don't want to Anna. This has nothing to do with this club and everything to do with you. You don't want to give this up because you still don't believe that I am here for the long haul. You are still waiting on the other shoe to drop which makes you terrified to move forward. It's time. Now get your things. We can talk more at home.”

“
No.” I say, shaking my head. “I'm staying at my dorm tonight. I will have Lo take me home.” I say, pushing myself into a stand as I start collecting my things from around the room and throwing them on the couch.

Bentley watches me in silence for a few moments before finally deciding to give me some space. “Call me tomorrow then.” He says from behind me just as I hear the latch of the door.

****

“
So how are things at the club? Tell me everything.” I say to Lo as she sits across from me at the little coffee shop across the street from the
PW Dance Studio
.

“
There's really not anything to tell. You have only been gone three days.” She reminds me, an amused smile pulling up the corners of her mouth. “Still haven't talked to him have you?” She asks, clearly already knowing the answer.

“
No.” I admit. “I know he's only trying to help but he has to understand that he can't force it on me. He has to let me do things in my own time.”

“
Look, I get it Anna. I do. But at the same time, I see where he's coming from. He moved to Chicago for you. He's building a house for the two of you to live. He's giving you everything girl. You just have to be brave enough to take it.” She says, leaning back in her chair.

“
Could you?” I ask, hitting her with a stern look.

“
Could I what?” She seems confused by my question.

“
Could you just put your entire life in the hands of another person and trust that they will never hurt you, never leave you? Could you do it?” I ask, knowing that if anyone understands me like this, it's Lo. Because at the end of the day, we are very much alike in this regard.

“
I like to think so.” She shrugs. “But I don't have a gorgeous rich man begging me to let him take care of me either, now do I?” She cocks her head to the side and pins her blue eyes right on me.

“
He fired me Lo.” I say, still not able to wrap my head around it. “What do I do with that? Crawl back to him and make him believe that I will just bend over and let him call the shots for me? It wasn't his decision to make. He used his position at the club to get what he wanted personally and that doesn't sit well with me.”

“
Look. I've got you. No matter what. You are my girl. But I'm gonna call bullshit on this one because I know you and I know the root of your real problem. Control. I get it. But Anna, you've chosen not to live without him which means you are going to have to learn a little give and take. Love is not always a walk in the park.” She laughs lightly to herself.

“
And you know this because of all the times you have been in love?” I lash out, immediately regretting my words the moment they leave my lips.

“
Fair enough.” She holds her hands up in front of herself. “But just because I don't do the whole love thing.” She curls her nose at the thought, which causes a light laugh to break free of my lips. “It doesn't mean that I can't recognize something
real
when it's staring me in the face. Bentley is real Anna. You know that as well as I do. You are the only thing standing in your way. I'm not saying you don't have a right to be semi-pissed off at him for firing you, that was kind of a dick move. But I am saying you should cut the guy some slack. And for goodness sakes, call him already.” She smiles, taking a sip of her coffee.

“
I guess.” I shrug, knowing how right she is and yet, still not wanting to give her the satisfaction of saying so.

“
I gotta get going. You want me to walk you back?” She asks, throwing her purse over her shoulder.

“
It's across the street.” I laugh, looking out the window to where the studio sits.

“
Good point.” Lo laughs, leaning down to give me a brief hug. “Hang in there girl. Things will work out, you'll see.” She says, spinning on her heel and heading towards the door.

I watch her cross the distance of the small coffee shop and push her way out onto the sidewalk until she disappears around the corner. Letting out a long sigh, I pull my cell phone out of my jacket pocket and pull up my messages screen, clicking on the mountain of messages Bentley has sent me over the past couple of days.

We need to talk. I'm at the studio.

I press send and then lock the phone, stuffing it back into my pocket as I stand and make my way towards the exit. I catch sight of Patty coming outside just as I am crossing the street. Quickening my strides, I call out to get her attention, wanting her to know that I am here.

She looks up the moment she registers my voice but then something happens. Something that I can't quite process. It's like time instantly slows down. One minute she's opening her mouth to speak, the next, all the color drains from her face and her eyes roll backwards. I reach her just in time to take the force of her fall onto me, which knocks me backwards onto the sidewalk.

I hit my elbow against the concrete on a hard thud but manage to keep Patty's head from hitting the ground. Pushing up, I gently lay her flat on the sidewalk, my panicked voice the only thing I seem to be able to hear.

“
Patty. Patty.” I call, shaking her gently trying to force her awake. “Patty.” My voice becomes more panicked with each moment that passes.

A few people stop to offer help and one even calls 911 but I still can't seem to grasp anything that is going on. “Patty please wake up.” I plead, hoping that maybe my voice will pull her to consciousness. But nothing works.

“
What happened?” I hear Lisa, one of the dance instructors, as she drops down beside me, her voice as panicked as I feel.

“
I don't know. She just fainted.” I manage to get out just as an ambulance pulls up next to the curb. Stepping to the side, I allow the paramedics to check her vitals and get her onto the stretcher.

“
I'm coming with her.” I say, just as they load her into the back.

“
Are you family?” The younger man asks, seeming prepared to tell me no.

“
She's my mom.” I choke, panic closing off my throat.

“
Come on.” He says, nodding his head for me to get in.

“
Can you close up?” I turn back to Lisa just before climbing into the back of the ambulance.

“
Absolutely.” She says without hesitation. “Call me as soon as you know something.”

“
I will.” I manage to get out just moments before the paramedic closes the back door, cutting off my ability to see her any longer.

The ride over is a blur. The paramedics check her blood pressure and other various things but nothing seems real. Like my mind is operating in some alternate reality where it can't process anything that is going on around me.

I manage to hold myself together as the nurses and doctors roll her back into an exam room seconds after arriving at the hospital. I am forced to wait in a sterile waiting area not knowing what is going on or how serious it may be. A throbbing in my arm pulls my attention to the elbow I fell on. Peeling off my jacket, the moment the material pulls away from my flesh, I cringe, realizing almost immediately that I definitely did something to it.

My elbow is swollen to about three times its normal size and has already turned a deep purple color that extends a couple of inches down my forearm. Collapsing down into one of the stiff waiting room chairs, I try to focus on my own physical pain and not worry too much about Patty and what is going on right now.

I try to stay calm and reassure myself that there's nothing to worry about. Maybe she just hadn't eaten anything today and her blood sugar was really low. Maybe she's having a reaction to a medication. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. But no matter how much time I spend with the maybes, deep down I just have this really bad feeling. One of those feelings you get when you know that your life is about to change. The kind the settles into the pit of your stomach and burrows deep inside of you, refusing to go away without making itself known.

Chapter
Ten

It feels like it's been forever. Why hasn't anyone come out and told me something? What is going on back there? I drop my head into my hands, trying to ignore the sickening feeling working its way through my stomach and the pain throbbing through my arm causing the entire side of my body to ache.

“
Anna?” I hear Bentley's voice and glance up to see him rushing towards me.

“
Bentley.” I choke out, standing just as he reaches me and pulls me into his arms. Words cannot describe how good it feels to have him here with me.

No matter what is going on between us or how angry I am at him for firing me, at the end of the day he is the only person that can calm me. In one touch, I immediately feel better. Like he has the ability to center me no matter how wildly I am spinning out of control.

“
I got your message so I went to the studio. Lisa told me what happened. Do you know anything yet?” He asks, pulling back slightly to look down at me.

“
Not yet.” I manage to get out, allowing him to guide me back down into my seat as he settles into the one next to mine and pulls me into his side. I cringe slightly when his hand hits my elbow, pulling his attention to my injury.

“
What happened?” He asks, leaning forward to get a good look at my swollen discolored arm.

“
Patty fainted on the sidewalk and I reached her just in time to take the force of her fall. I didn't want her to hit her head or anything. I landed on my elbow.” I say, holding it up to see that the swelling has only gotten worse.

“
Have you had someone look at it?” He asks, reaching out to gently turn my arm towards him so that he can get a better look.

“
No.” I admit. Honestly, with everything going on with Patty, a silly elbow injury is the least of my concerns.

“
Anna.” Bentley scolds, releasing my arm so that I can relax it back down to my side. “You really need to get that checked out. It looks pretty bad.”

“
It's fine.” I say, shaking my head.

“
Anna.” Bentley starts again.

“
I said it's fine.” I say, a little more aggressive than I really intended to. “I'm sorry.” I immediately start to apologize but then fall silent when a middle aged doctor wearing light blue scrubs approaches where we are sitting.

“
Ms. Blake?” The sandy haired doctor asks, looking to the chart in his hands and then back up to meet my gaze.

“
Yes.” I manage to get out through the lump that has suddenly lodged itself in the center of my throat.

“
I'm Dr. Murphy.” He reaches his hand out and lightly shakes mine before releasing it and taking a seat in the chair caddy corner from me. Turning inwards, he looks down at the chart again before looking back up at me. “Ms. Wade has not regained consciousness yet, but fortunately she did not sustain any injury in the fall.”

“
Can I see her?” I ask, having the overwhelming urge to be with her.

“
Shorty. But first, I need to discuss a few things with you.” He says, flipping a couple pages through the chart. “Tell me Ms. Blake.” He pauses.

“
Please, call me Anna.”

“
Anna.” He nods. “Tell me Anna. How much do you know about Ms. Wade's condition?” He asks, pausing.