Scott's Summit, page 5
Chapter 5
Naira woke with a start. As she tried to sit up, hands gently pressed her back down again. She stared up at Scott’s face. “You?” she asked, bewildered. “What are you doing here? Why?”
“You’re hurt,” he said, realizing just how much they did need to talk. “I want you to ease back, until you’re comfortable. You’ve got a punctured lung, and it will heal nicely, but it’ll take a bit,” he murmured. “So you need to rest.”
She slowly took a deep breath and then another. “Well, it feels better than the last time I was awake and trying to breathe.”
“The good news is that it will improve on a daily basis.”
“But you’re injured too,” she noted, looking at him carefully. He didn’t look sick though. How? “You shouldn’t be here. You need to be resting.”
“I’m here and can rest while you sleep, so I’m staying,” he argued. “So don’t waste your strength trying to stop me.”
She frowned and didn’t say anything. Shifting ever-so-slightly and wincing at the pain, she looked around the room. “Where’s Terk?”
“He’s gone back to your hotel room.” She looked up at Scott, and he just shrugged. “He needed a place to crash. Plus he wondered if somebody would try to access your room, in case they were looking for something.”
“So, he set himself up as bait?” she asked, her tone flat.
“Well, it’s hardly bait if he goes in prepared. He’s not alone either.”
“Good. He’s special.”
Scott nodded. Terk connected with people on a deeper level than most did. If Terk were asked about what that special something was, he’d say, What are you talking about? He affected people profoundly, and he didn’t even realize it. “Terk is special,” Scott added. “I’m sure he will be fine.”
“I’m sure he will,” she murmured. “He’s just that kind of guy.”
She looked over at him. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” he asked quietly.
“You know what for,” she replied. And the moodiness to her tone had him groaning. “We should always communicate,” she said.
“Well, that went out the window when you got married.”
“When I got married at my father’s request, you mean?”
“Your father has always been a bit of a bastard and a manipulator too,” Scott murmured.
“Yet you and I both know that I owe him.”
“You don’t owe him shit,” Scott declared, with feeling. “He’s your father, so looking after you is what he should be doing, not you looking after him.”
“Well, it worked in a sense—to stabilize the company, I mean. Stocks were fine. He didn’t lose his shit, blah, blah, blah,” she stated.
“And your marriage?”
“Well, it was a mistake right from the beginning,” she admitted. “And I learned pretty quickly that my husband had no intention of honoring the vows. So, whatever.”
“Ah. … But, for you, it was a real marriage?”
“I was prepared to give it my all. We’d always been friends,” she noted. “So marriage didn’t seem like it was the worst idea in the world.”
“And now?”
“Now it seems like it was the worst idea in the world,” she admitted, “and I really don’t understand how I came to make that kind of a decision.”
“Neither do I.”
“I get that,” she said, looking over at him. “I get that you don’t understand, but it’s not as if we were a thing.”
“And here I thought we were a thing,” he muttered, surprised that she knew what he was thinking.
“Well, if we were,” she added, “you weren’t doing anything about it.”
“Let me ask you something,” he murmured, looking at her. “Did you?”
She stared at him, not comprehending for a moment. “Did I what?”
“Did you do anything to further our relationship?”
Naira flushed. “No. … I didn’t.”
“Neither of us did. We were walking this pathway, lurching along, as if somebody would do something about it, and neither of us did.”
“So why are you so angry at me then?” she murmured.
“Because I’d been planning on doing something about it,” he replied. “Just like I think, in your mind, you’d been planning on me doing something about it too.”
She sighed. “Maybe, but all you had to do was say, Don’t, and I wouldn’t have married him.”
He stopped and looked at her. “Seriously?” Scott shook his head. “Because hearing that right now sounds pretty shitty.”
“I mean it,” she said. “I was rather desperately hoping that you would stop me and would ask me to marry you instead or something. But you didn’t say anything, and I thought you looked like you were completely disinterested.”
“Well, the woman I loved had just told me that she was marrying somebody else, so what the hell did you expect me to do?” He spoke with just enough bitterness that he realized just how much he was still affected by this one fateful event. He groaned. Why didn’t she just say all this before the wedding? “This is not a discussion we should be having right now. You need to focus on healing.”
She laughed and then cried out at the pain. “God,” she said, as she gasped. “Pretty sure I told you that yesterday.”
“Pretty sure I told you the day before too,” he noted cheerfully.
She stared at him. “I’ve lost that much time?”
“Yes, but you also gained an awful lot more,” he reminded her. “You’re alive, so stay focused on what’s important.” He got up, used the washroom; when he came back, she remained in the same position. “Do you need anything?” he asked her.
“Well, a new life would be good,” she stated. “Apparently I blew up the one that I had.”
“I don’t think you’ve blown up anything,” Scott admitted, “but you made some choices that affect a lot of other people. So, if things weren’t exactly smooth, that could be why.”
“It feels like they’ll never get smooth again,” she said.
“Maybe not. No way to know.”
“You won’t make it easy on me either, will you?”
“Trust is harder,” he stated, “particularly after it’s been broken.”
“I could say the same,” she replied. “I was pretty devastated when I told you, and you didn’t have anything to say about it.”
“It’s not as if you told me that you didn’t want to marry him or that you were looking for a way to get out of your father’s manipulations,” he murmured.
“No, but it never occurred to me that I needed to do that with you.”
“And it never occurred to you that you could just stand up to your father and tell him no?” He stared at her. “You came to me. Remember?” Scott said in disbelief. “You were the one sitting in front of me, telling me that you would marry somebody else.”
“Yes, I get that,” she snapped in a harsh voice. “Believe me. I’m still not even sure how I decided that was something I needed to do. But all it would have taken was one word from you.”
“And how much did you expect me to argue?” he asked. “Did you really think I would ask you to change your mind, when it was obvious you’d already made up your mind?”
“But I hadn’t made up my mind,” she argued, “and I think I was really just using that to help push you forward.” Her voice held a bitterness he wasn’t expecting.
“What do you mean?”
“I think I was trying to make you say it should be us instead, but, when you didn’t say anything, I realized that nobody gave a shit, so I might as well marry him after all,” she murmured. “So you see? It really did backfire on me.”
*
Scott wasn’t sure he could believe what he was hearing. “We never used to play games like that.”
“No, and I’m not even sure whether or not it was my idea.” Naira frowned, as she looked off into the distance.
“Probably that bloody father of yours.”
“No, he would get someone else to do it. So probably someone else in the family.” And then she winced. “I think it was.”
“Well, the rest of your family was just as messed up.”
She snorted at that.
He shrugged. “You know it as well as I do.”
“Unfortunately I think you’re quite right.”
He nodded. “Every one of them are all about manipulations and lies.”
“It’s the business,” she explained.
“Well, that’s not how I do business.”
“No,” she murmured. “It’s not how I want to do business either, but, for them, it’s all about stocks and exchange, as a business perspective. If we were perceived to be stable and merging our companies,” she noted, “then everybody would believe that the stocks would calm down. They had been extremely volatile up until then.”
“Sure, but the market has an awful lot of shit going on too. If stocks were volatile, you make adjustments elsewhere to restore confidence.”
“That’s what we were trying to do,” she said. “We were trying to calm them down.”
“So, what happened afterward?” he asked.
“They calmed down.” She nodded. “So, I mean, in that sense, it worked.”
He nodded, not really sure what to say at that point.
“Was it the right thing to do? I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t like games like that. At the same time, it’s over. I am divorced, and that’s hardly an issue anymore.”
“And, in that divorce, did the stocks get volatile again?” he asked her.
“No, I think the general public had moved on, and we weren’t under the microscope anymore.”
“Interesting that you were deemed the only answer in the first place,” Scott said.
“Yeah, well, again, it’s not my thing, but sometimes the spotlight turns in your direction, and somehow, all of a sudden, people look at you differently. It just takes somebody saying one thing, and it can all go to shit real fast.”
He nodded. “You’re right, it can, but you still didn’t need to marry the guy.”
“No, I didn’t,” she agreed, “but, when you didn’t seem to care one bit, well, it didn’t make a difference either way. So I went ahead with it, for my father’s sake.”
“And what about your relationship with your father now?”
She winced. “He passed away.”
“Oh.” Scott stared at her in fascination. “I’m sorry about that.”
“I’m sorry that you didn’t see him at the end,” she murmured. “You would have appreciated what he had to say.”
“I highly doubt that. Your dad never liked me.”
“That may be true,” she agreed, “but he certainly came to understand one thing at the end of his life.”
“And what was that?” Scott asked curiously.
“He understood where my heart was, and he was sorry that he ever got involved.”
“A little late for that, wasn’t it?” Scott asked her, with that same tone he’d used before.
She flinched, making him feel like a heel. “He was a lot of things,” she admitted, “and difficult was definitely one of them. I really understood just how difficult since he’s been gone.”
“All because you’re unfettered now?” Scott asked. “What about your ex? Still in touch with your old friend?”
“I don’t know how he’s doing,” she replied. “I didn’t head up any of the business, so I don’t really have very much to do with any of them anymore.”
“Not even your mother-in-law or your stepmother?”
“No, definitely not them,” she said, “and, of course, my stepsister is a whole different ball game.”
“Why? What’s she up to?”
She hesitated and then added, “I think she’s marrying my ex.”
He looked at her, and then he started to laugh and laugh. “Oh my God, that’s priceless. That’s probably what they should have done in the first place.”
She shrugged. “Believe me. That had occurred to me. But I needed out myself, so …” She shrugged and didn’t finish the rest of the sentence.
“Well, you’re out now,” he murmured. “As long as you stay out, you’ll be okay.”
“That’s my intention,” she replied, “but it’s not always that easy.”
“Nothing is easy about this relationship stuff.” Scott stared at her hard. “Particularly trying to reclaim some past history.”
“I know,” she said. “I know you don’t want anything to do with me, and I’m sorry because I really messed things up.”
“Marrying someone else tends to do that,” he muttered.
She nodded. “I get it. I really do, but I appreciate your sitting here to make sure I’m okay. I am better, so you can go off and lead your life in whatever it is that you’re doing right now,” she said, “though I’m pretty sure it will be all about vengeance at the moment.”
“I don’t know about vengeance.” Scott stared at her, trying to figure out just what he was doing here. “But I’m not leaving until the doctor says that you’re cleared, and we have a safe place for you to go. Terk will also arrange security outside your door here, but that’s not set up yet.”
“That responsibility should be mine, though I came over here because of you.”
“Exactly,” Scott agreed, “and, if you hadn’t been here, you wouldn’t have been shot.”
“And again, not your problem,” she reminded him in a colder tone than he expected. “If anything,” she added, “that’s on Terk.”
Chapter 6
Naira woke up the next time, only to discover she was alone. Immediately her heart sank, and then the anguish kicked in. He said that he would stay, but she had told him not to, so why should she be so surprised? Still, it hurt to think that he could walk away quite so easily. As soon as Terk had called her to let her know of Scott’s accident, she’d come running, but apparently Scott didn’t have the same level of attachment.
Even as she thought about that, she knew it didn’t fit with the man she had seen at her bedside this whole time. But not seeing him here now was enough to send her off in a tailspin again. Her moods were all over the place, and that wasn’t good. She had to find balance in all this craziness and to acknowledge the fact that, somewhere along the line, it seemed like maybe something was between them still, or she had hoped so at least. Maybe she was just looking for forgiveness; she didn’t know.
When the door opened, Naira shifted to see a nurse walking in.
The nurse’s face lit up. “You’re awake,” she said, with a smile. “That’s very good to see.”
“Have I been out long?”
The nurse shrugged. “Off and on, yes,” she replied, “but this is the first time you’re looking like you’re really here.”
“I can’t imagine how I must have looked before,” Naira noted.
The nurse laughed. “Hey, it’s what we expect. You were still dealing with a lot of drugs from the surgery, not to mention the pain meds.”
“Which I didn’t even realize I had.”
“We had to get the bullet out,” she explained. “How are you feeling?”
“Still in a lot of pain,” she murmured.
“That’s to be expected, and we can manage that. No need for you to be uncomfortable.”
Naira wondered at that term because how did she not feel uncomfortable when she just had surgery after being shot?
“Oh, and in case you’re wondering,” the nurse added, “your lover boy is sitting outside in the hallway on the phone.”
She looked at her in surprise. “Scott’s here?”
“Yeah, he hasn’t left your side this whole time,” the nurse confirmed, “and we do love to see that.”
“Why?” she asked curiously.
“Simple, because it’s good for you. To know you are loved helps keep your focus on healing,” she murmured. She busied herself checking all of Naira’s stats. “You know what? Your vitals are really quite good,” she shared, “considering what you’ve been through. The doctor is scheduled to be here soon, probably in about an hour or so.”
Mentally Naira added another hour to that, since, in her experience, doctors were rarely on time or consistent. But she nodded, thanked the nurse, and asked, “Any chance for a cup of coffee?”
“That’s another good sign,” the cheerful nurse noted, with a bright smile. “An appetite and a return to normal types of events.”
“Is coffee considered a normal type of event?” she asked with half a smile.
“Well, if it’s the first thing you wake up for in the morning,” she replied, “I would think so.” And, with that, she disappeared.
As the nurse walked out, Scott walked in. He looked at her, smiled, and said, “Now you’re looking better.”
“Is that what a little sleep does?” she asked and then stifled a yawn.
“Yep, it sure does,” he agreed, studying her.
“Any news?” she murmured.
“Some, MI6 is interviewing the rest of the team right now.”
“Great.” Then seeing his expression, she asked, “Or is that not a great idea?” As she studied his face, she realized he was looking pretty worn out himself. “There’s absolutely no point in your being here,” she said crossly, “particularly if it’ll hurt you more.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine.”
She snorted. “Good try,” she replied, “but fine is not a word I would use to describe your own features this morning.”
“I’m a little tired, no doubt,” he agreed cheerfully, “but that was due to some shifts in energy I had to make.” She gave him a flat stare, and he shrugged. “I’m sure you heard some of the conversations I had with Terk yesterday—or the day before.”
“Honestly I’m not even sure when any of that was,” she admitted. “It’s all a big jumble.”
“In that case, just leave it be,” he said, with a bright smile.
“In other words, you won’t tell me more.”
“The less you know about some things, the better,” he murmured.
She shook her head. “That’s just you trying to keep me out of it.” At that, she saw him closing off slightly. She nodded. “And that’s exactly what you’re thinking. I knew it. Fine.” She stared around the room. “How soon can I go home?”
