CHAPTER 131

For once in his life, Nick had kept his mouth shut and now he had a headache to prove it. When he showed up at Hannah’s, she was on him like white on rice. He couldn’t figure out why she suspected anything, but he should have known better. She’d done this to him before. Nothing like having a damn psychic lesbian on your ass… When it became clear that he wasn’t going to spill, she spent most of the evening trying to trip him up and when that got her nowhere, she just stared him down.

It was probably a mistake going to Hannah’s but his unexpected run-in with Sullivan had unnerved him a little and, truth be told, he felt comfortable with Hannah. She didn’t judge him and she treated him with a measure of respect. If he was totally honest, he’d have to admit that he felt safe with Hannah and, as a result, he felt a little bad about not being totally open with her. He just couldn’t. Not yet.

Now he was somewhere over Missouri, on his way back to LA. Studio time had been booked for tonight and they would finish the track they were working on a couple of days ago. Nick remembered to reset his watch. He should arrive in LA at about three PM, PST. With any luck at all, he’d be at Kevin’s by four.

*****

Kevin cursed under his breath and turned off the water in the shower. That goddamn phone was ringing again and, of course, Connie couldn’t hear it. He was testier than usual. He had been so relieved to have Connie back. They had spent most of the night in bed, leaving only for sustenance and by the time the sun had come up yesterday morning, they were both sore and sated. Then they had quarreled.

For some unknown reason, Connie had picked up the phone and hit the caller ID button. She had said she was just looking at it – playing with it, essentially but when Kevin grew a little defensive, she had become irritated and asked him if he was trying to hide something. In truth, she didn’t think he was. She was annoyed at his interrogation but her accusation was just an attempt to tease a little. But when he grew sullen and angry, she grew suspicious and began to scroll down the list of people who had recently called. There were calls from his mother, his two brothers, Brian, Howie, Jeffrey and some calls from the recording studio and a few friends. What upset her was the call that had been placed to Kevin by her psychiatrist and the four calls that had been placed by a Herman Gutterman, MD. She was familiar with the name. He was renowned for his research and advanced techniques in cochlear implants.

Although Kevin had viewed their subsequent exchange as a quarrel, that wasn’t really true. He had had plenty to say defending himself, but Connie had said very little. Her feelings were hurt. They had been through this before.

The incident in the airport had disturbed Kevin on a deep level. He knew that he and Connie had to discuss this but he wanted information and advice first - advice from his mother and Connie’s psychiatrist, information from Dr. Gutterman. Connie had viewed the calls as evidence of his dissatisfaction with her. He tried to convince her that his interest had nothing to do with the way he felt about her but she had a hard time seeing it that way. Things between them were still a little on the cool side and, as a result, Kevin was tense. They had reached one agreement, however. Connie’s psychiatric appointment was tomorrow and she had agreed to tell her doctor about their differences in this matter. Kevin would abide by the doctor’s recommendation. So would Connie.

Kevin stepped across the hall to Connie’s office and flipped the light switch to get her attention.

“I’m going to meet Brian and AJ now. We’re only going to play nine, so I shouldn’t be too late.”

“Okay,” Connie nodded, matching her tone to his flat facial expression. “Have fun.”

“You gonna be here?”

“Yes. I want to get this chapter edited today.”

“You remember we’re gonna be at the studio tonight….”

“I remember.”

“You wanna come?”

“You want me to come?”

“Sure… If you want to.”

Coming from Kevin, his question was downright conciliatory. Perhaps this was the beginning of a thaw.

“Let me see how this goes. Hopefully, I’ll be done by then…”

*****

He had taken a cab straight from the airport and now stood banging on Kevin’s door. No one was answering. Nick glanced down at his carry-on. Perhaps one of Kevin’s problems would soon be over. Then it occurred to Nick that Kevin might want to know exactly how he had come to learn about the anonymous letters. He pondered his response for a split second and then brushed his thoughts away. He would worry about that when and if it happened. He just wished someone would open the damn door. They must be home. Both cars were here.

The door was locked, naturally. Nick looked around the portico. Maybe there was a key hidden somewhere. It never occurred to him that he might be interrupting something – something….private. He began to lift flower pots that had been filled with geraniums, not really expecting to find a key. It was too obvious. Knowing Kevin, he would have probably left a key under the third shingle over the bay window on the left side of the house – or something equally difficult to remember. He was almost shocked to find a house key under the fifth flower pot he examined. Jamming the key into the lock, he pushed the door open and stomped inside, screaming Kevin’s name.

“KEVIN? Kevin, where are you? I have something here for you to look at!”

Nick stood still, awaiting some kind of response but he received none.

“KEVIN!!”

Nothing. Nick skipped over to the French doors. Maybe they were out on the beach.

No.

He ran back to the foot of the stairs at stood, hoping to hear a sign of life. Nick cocked his ear towards the landing. There was someone up there. He could hear a faint tapping sound. Keyboard. Connie’s here. She’ll know where Kevin is… He wanted to talk to Kevin first.

Nick dropped his bag and began to take the stairs, two at a time. That’s when it happened. In his hurry, he misjudged his foothold. His foot slipped, throwing him off balance and he fell back against the railing.

He couldn’t seem to stop himself. Nick’s knees buckled and he went down. He couldn’t even react – it was like he was suddenly outside of his own body, watching himself fall. Although everything happened very quickly, Nick almost felt like he was moving in slow motion. His mouth opened and he began to scream Connie’s name, his eyes wide with fear. Then nothing.

He didn’t know how long he lay at the foot of the stairs – probably only a few minutes. Time meant nothing. Pain meant everything. Nick felt like he was on fire.

“CONNIE!!! CONNIE, HELP ME!”

Nothing. Nick took a breath, he could still hear the tapping on the keyboard.

“CONNIE – PLEASE! HELP ME!”

Nick’s intense pain only increased his panic. He was finding it hard to breathe and could feel tremors beginning to shake his body. He wondered if he was going into some kind of shock. His body felt twisted and unnatural. Raising his head, he tried to see what was wrong – where he had been injured. The sight of his limbs did nothing to calm him. One leg was bent at strange and impossible angle. The skin on his thigh was split. There was blood and something else. Something white. Dear God – bone.. BONE!

His screams turned into terrified sobs.

“CONNIE, I’M HURT! HELP ME!”, he cried. Tears and perspiration were pouring down his face Nick could hear his own voice begin to fade “Help me, Connie…. help…. me….”

Then everything grew dark and , for a little while, the pain stopped.

Chapter 132

Kevin wasn’t sure why he was opening up to Brian but after AJ left the threesome, he found himself spilling his guts – or perhaps a better way to put it would be ‘spilling his fears’. Maybe it was because he had already confided in Brian about the letters and he had proved to be a good sounding board. At any rate, before they reached Malibu, Brian had heard about the letters the Kevin had shredded, the incident with child at the airport, Connie’s fear of the dark, her visits to the psychiatrist, his calls to Dr. Gutterman and their subsequent quarrel.

Although every fifth word in Kevin’s diatribe was ‘motherfucker’, Brian was surprised and even flattered that Kevin had chosen to confide in him. Usually, his older cousin kept things bottled up inside and few ever knew that he was going through a difficult time until he exploded. Despite the very real and acute heartache the couple had suffered, Brian felt that Connie was the best thing that ever happened to Kevin. Their relationship had required real work and Kevin was a better man because of it. They had all become used to complacency, as far as personal relationships went. Their world, and the people in it, generally accommodated them, not the other way around. Connie was also willing to accommodate – to a point. Even her first encounter with Kevin had been met with a certain style and pluck that he hadn’t witnessed with the other women in Kevin’s life. Connie was independent and unimpressed with Kevin’s celebrity. He had thrown some daunting obstacles into their relationship, yet they had been overcome. She had demons of her own, yet they had been or were in the process of being defeated.

Connie’s love for Kevin had provided him with something Brian wondered if he’d ever really had – emotional security. He had tested her again and again and she had come through, even through Kevin’s sexual history which might have been enough to bust up Romeo and Juliet. Brian, somewhat of a romantic himself, had no doubt that love would prevail, especially after all they had been through as a couple. He could picture Connie with another man but couldn’t conceive of his cousin with another woman. Not anymore.

Kevin’s biggest problem lay in the fact that he always wanted and expected solutions to problems, real and imagined. He wanted them to go away – cease to exist. He wasn’t real good at compromise or working with adversity but Brian thought maybe he was getting better. Kevin had already softened more than he thought possible. His current complaints and fears seemed like small potatoes compared to what they had already been through. As Kevin ranted on, Brian was certain that these, too, would be overcome. He didn’t realize that, in just a short time, that confidence would be shattered.

*****

“I gotta go to the john,” Brian announced as Kevin put his key in the door.

“You know where it is. I’ll grab us a couple of…”

The two cousins froze in horror. Nick lay at the bottom of the stairway, mumbling incoherently and trembling, his face and hair soaking wet. His bloody pant leg was ripped, his leg twisted at an obscene angle. And protruding through the tear was…. What? It almost looked like a growth of some sort or like a peg that had been hammered into Nick’s thigh, or…

“JESUS FUCKIN’ CHRIST!”

While Brian stood, momentarily dazed and confused, Kevin fought his urge to throw up. He flew over to the stairway, screaming orders all the way, before falling down on his knees at Nick’s head.

“CALL 911, BRIAN! HURRY!” His screams fell to a whisper as he tried to determine how badly Nick had been hurt. “Nicky? Nicky, it’s Kev… Can you hear me? Can you hear me, Nicky? Please…”

Nick’s eyes fluttered briefly and then he tried to focus on face that hovered over his.

“Kev? Is that you?”

“Yeah, Nicky. It’s me,” Kevin choked, pushing blond bangs away from Nick’s sweating brow. “You’re gonna be okay, Nick. Just fine. Brian’s called an ambulance. They’ll be here in just a minute.”

Nick’s brow dipped as if he didn’t understand. “Bri’s here?”

“Yes, Nicky. We’re here…”

Suddenly Nick’s body spasmed as a fresh wave of pain washed over his body.

“Goddamn, Kev! It hurts! It hurts bad! Help me, Kev!”

“Hold on, Nicky..”

“I’m so cold…so cold…”

Nick’s teeth began to chatter. Kevin was afraid to move him and afraid to leave him to go get a blanket. Where the fuck is Brian? Gingerly, Kevin lifted Nick’s shoulder just enough to rest his head in the crook of his arm before leaning over him, trying to transfer the heat from his body to Nick’s shivering torso.

“Five minutes!” Brian shouted, running towards the stairs. “They’re on their….

“Get me an afghan out of the living room! Kevin barked. “He’s cold!”

When Brian returned, his eyes filled at the sight before him. Kevin was trying to rock Nick as if he were a small child instead of a six foot, two-hundred pound man. Brian could hear Kevin humming, too – a broken lullaby prompted by an instinctual need to comfort. Nick, the perpetual thorn in Kevin’s side had become the brother in his arms.

*****

Connie smiled, hit the ‘send’ button and shut down her computer. Standing to stretch, she noticed the time and was relieved to see that it was still fairly early – only 4:50. Good – that would give her time to shower and fix herself up a bit before she went with Kevin to the studio. But first, she had to get something in her stomach. She had skipped lunch in order to finish her work, but now her stomach had begun to flip, demanding that she swallow something solid. Her head demanded that she swallow something sweet.

Her mood was upbeat. Kevin had, more or less, invited her to come along tonight and they had both decided to put a hold on their differences until they got some advice from a neutral party. It seemed like a fair solution. She turned off the desk lamp and headed out into the hall, completely unaware of the nightmare that awaited her.

Connie stood at the top of the stairs, unable to believe what she saw. People in uniform were lifting Nick onto a gurney as Kevin and Brian tried to help. There was an IV in Nick’s arm and his pants had blood on them. She didn’t know what was happening. When she looked from Nick’s prostrate form back to Kevin, she found that he was staring at her as if she were some kind of apparition. His face, pale to begin with, suddenly became sickly white but his eyes seemed to be spinning like pinwheels. Her eyes fell to Brian, who was also staring. As she watched, his mouth moved into the shape of her name, but his expression was questioning. Connie?

In that split second, Kevin came barreling up the stairs like a man gone mad. She didn’t even have time to step back before he lunged at her, grabbed her by the shoulders and began to scream in her face.

“YOU WERE HERE? YOU WERE HERE ALL THE TIME?”

Connie found it difficult to breathe. Kevin looked like he could literally tear her apart. “What happened?”, she whispered fearfully. “What’s going on?”

The next thing she felt was Kevin’s large hand squeezing into her upper arm as he pulled her down the steps behind him.

“WHAT’S GOING ON? THIS IS WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON, CONNIE? NICK’S HURT! GOD ONLY KNOWS HOW LONG HE’S BEEN LAYING HERE!”

“Don’t Kev,” Nick mumbled, trying to raise his head from the gurney. “She didn’t know I fell. She couldn’t hear me…”

“WHAT IF WE HADN’T COME HOME? WHAT IF WE HAD GONE RIGHT TO THE STUDIO?” Kevin had begun to shake Connie’s shoulders.

“C’mon, Kev. She couldn’t help it…” Brian said calmly, trying to defuse his cousin. “There was nothing…”

“SHUT UP, BRIAN!” He turned back to a shaken, shocked and speechless Connie. “WHAT IF HE HAD HIT HIS HEAD? HE COULD BE DEAD!”

Kevin’s fingers squeezed again, as if trying to force a response but all she could come up with was a tremulous, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

Kevin’s lips curled into a frightening snarl. “’Sorry’ ain’t gonna cut it, Con. What if it had been our kid who was hurt? Shit, Connie…”, he added with a measured contempt, “…you couldn’t even hear our baby cryin’…”

Their eyes were locked on each other in a painful moment of truth. Kevin was still squeezing but Connie could no longer feel discomfort. His image began to swim before her eyes as tears blurred her vision. She never saw him blink at her obvious heartbreak. Then, a voice from the foyer…

“We’re ready, Mr. Richardson. Let’s go…”

Kevin released Connie and spun away without so much as a backwards glance. He was dismissing her. “I’ll go in the ambulance, Brian. You drive.”

“I want to come!” Connie cried from foot of the stairs.

Kevin stopped and turned to face her. His words were simple, direct and full of meaning.

“I don’t want you there, baby…”