Fashioned for Love (A Silver Script Novel Book 3) (5 page)

“We just drove by the car. It was on the side of the road. I don’t know if he fell asleep or if he’d been drink—,”

“He wasn’t drinking,” she snapped, then took a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m sorry. He wasn’t drinking, but we’d been out all day. Listen, where is he? Where are you?”

“We’re at the Staten Island University Hospital. Can I get a name for him, please?”

Debra scrambled out of bed and shoved her feet into her boots. “That’s Lance Walker from Walker Apparel. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes.” She grabbed her purse and keys and slammed her door shut behind her as she ran for the elevator. “Listen, look for a Nikki or Ella in his phone. They’re his assistants and will need to know a.s.a.p.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you when you get here.”

She hung up the phone as the elevator doors shut. The call would have been dropped anyway, and she had his number so she could call back when she got into the cab. It was just a matter of finding one at this hour. Generally, if she waved the Ad Agency’s name under their noses, she could get them to pick her up quickly. She put in a call to the nearest service and they had a car there within minutes. She’d have to thank David once this was all over.

As soon as the cab pulled up to the curb, Debra yanked the door open and climbed in, then gave the address to the driver.

“Take the fastest way please. This is an emergency.” She wanted to pull her hair out as he turned into traffic and moved slowly toward the bridge to get them off the island. This was one time she wished she had a car. She felt so out of control letting someone else take her, and she just wanted to get there.

Guilt, anxiety, and fear ran through her as they weaved their way along. She should never have made him take her to the hockey game and party. She should’ve just gone alone. Not that she wanted to, because it had been one of the best days she’d had in a long time.

As soon as the cab pulled up to the hospital, Debra handed over a wad of cash to the driver and jumped out. She’d made sure to leave a tip for driving so far and so quickly, and she could hear the shouted “thank you” as she entered the front doors.

Now that she was there, Debra had no idea where to go. She strode over to the information desk. “Hi, I’m looking for Lance Walker. I was told he was in an accident, and I need to find the man who called me. Shawn something.”

The nurse frowned at her and typed a few things into the computer. “Are you related to him?”

“No, but I was told he was here, and I need to see him.” Debra drummed her fingers on the counter.

“I’m sorry, but unless you’re family, you can’t go back there. He’s a high profile patient, and we don’t want press getting wind that he’s here.”

With a sigh, Debra turned away. She probably shouldn’t have told Shawn who Lance actually was. She pulled out her phone and called Lance’s number.

“Hello?” the now familiar voice asked.

“Hi, it’s Debra. I’m at the hospital, but they won’t tell me where you or Lance are.” Debra turned her back so she wouldn’t glare at the nurse. She was just doing her job.

“I’ll be right out.”

Debra pushed the lock button on her phone and shoved it into her purse. The minute it took for Shawn to get out there felt like an eternity. A tall man with curly brown hair walked through the door and glanced around before spotting Debra. He walked over and held out his hand.

“You’re Debra?”

“Yes, that’s me. How is he?” She gestured toward the door he’d just come through, and he started walking back toward it.

Shawn ran his fingers through his hair. “They don’t know. And since I’m not family either, they won’t tell me anything. I’ve just been keeping the police and doctor company until you could get here. I called his assistants like you told me to. Nikki is out of town and catching the first flight back. Ella will be by in the morning. Something about a niece staying with her.”

“Thank you.” Debra stopped when they got to the OR waiting room. She hated this room. She’d spent too many times in the waiting room in Connecticut when her dad was so sick, and she didn’t want to be back.

A doctor came forward. “You must be Debra. I’m Dr. Peterson. We’ve been waiting for you so we could get more information. We’re trying to find his relatives. A parent, sibling, anyone.”

“From what I understand, his parents are off in Europe somewhere, and his sisters are in other countries as well.” Debra folded her arms, suddenly chilled by the reality that was setting in. Lance had literally no one to be with him right now. No one but her, and she knew next to nothing about him.

Dr. Peterson nodded and made a few notes. “You two are dating?”

“Yes. Well, kind of. I mean, we’ve just … yes. Is he okay?” Debra wanted to shake him just to get the answers out of him.

“His legs and right hand were crushed in the accident. He’ll be fine, but it will take some time and a lot of therapy. He’s still in surgery, and he may need one or two more to help his hand, but we are confident that he will be fine.”

Right hand? His writing hand. His designing hand. Debra closed her eyes, trying to keep herself calm. “Thank you. How much longer do you think he’ll be in surgery?”

“It could be another few hours. We can find you a blanket and pillow if you’d like them. Unless you need to get back.” The doctor’s kind eyes stared down into hers.

“I’ll stay here. A pillow and blanket would be great.” Not that she would be sleeping. It was all just going through the motions.

Dr. Peterson nodded. “Very well. I’ll be back out as soon as we know anything else. Please get some rest.”

As soon as he left, Shawn turned toward Debra. “Are you okay? I’d love to stay and help, but my wife needs me to get home as soon as I can.”

“Go. I’ll be fine.” Debra smiled, but she knew it wouldn’t look sincere.

Shawn handed her a phone. “Here’s his phone. There wasn’t much else left in the car, but hopefully this will help you contact his family.”

Debra wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you for your help. If you hadn’t stopped …”

“You’re welcome. I just did what any decent person would have done.” He hugged Debra back and pulled away. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

Debra shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine.”

He smiled and left the room, leaving Debra alone. It wasn’t until then that the police officer walked over and put his hand on her arm.

“Excuse me, Miss, but we need to get some questions answered.” He guided Debra over to a chair and asked the questions on his form.

Debra answered the best she could, but there were too many empty spots. She should have known more about him. “Sorry, we literally just started dating, and even now I wouldn’t exactly call it that.”

The officer put his hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get the rest. Don’t worry about it. We just appreciate that you came by. We’ll keep in touch.”

Activity happened around Debra, but she could only sit and stare at the faded rug in the center of the room. She jumped when a nurse brought her the pillow and blanket, and she whispered a “thanks” before curling up in a ball on a small couch in the waiting room. She had to stay tough. It wasn’t her place to mourn someone she’d just met a few days before. But when she felt like she’d known him for years, it was like a part of her had broken into a million pieces and she didn’t know how to put them back together.

Lance stirred and groaned in pain. His dreams had been disjointed and fuzzy, but it didn’t explain why he hurt so much now that he was awake. He went to wipe his eyes, but his hand wouldn’t move.

“Hey, it’s okay. Let me get you something to drink.” Debra’s voice was quiet next to him.

Lance opened his eyes to find an unfamiliar room. Monitors beeped, and a nurse stood to the side writing something into her small tablet. He looked over to see Debra sitting next to him, holding up a mug of water. He leaned forward to get a drink, and the water soothed his parched throat. “What happened?”

Debra set the mug down. “We don’t know. From what the doctors and police can tell, you fell asleep in the car.”

Lance wanted to reach out and touch her face as it crumbled. “Hey, now, no tears. It’s okay.”

Debra grabbed a tissue. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long couple of days, and now you’re the one comforting me.”

“How bad is it?” Lance looked down at the bandage on his right hand. No. He tried to move it again, but it brought sharp jolts of pain up his arm. His other hand was free, but also had a few cuts and bruises on it. He reached up and touched his face. There were a couple of bandages, but they were small. That was a small mercy.

“You’ll survive. The doctors believe you’ll make a full recovery. It just might be a while.” Debra took Lance’s good hand. “You broke your hand. It has a few pins in it.”

It felt like Lance had been punched in the gut. He needed his hand to draw. To create. The thought of having that taken away made him nauseated. “And my legs?”

“Crushed, but they were able to fix them up pretty well. You’ll start therapy as soon as you feel up to it.” The words came out, but Debra’s voice held no expression. Her face looked worn, but it just made her more beautiful. “You’ve had a thousand or so visitors. We had to take most of your flowers to your studio because the scent was getting too strong. I never knew you loved lilies so much.”

Lance’s laugh turned into a cough. He took another drink that Debra offered, then laid back onto his pillow. “They always have been my favorite. My grandma had a whole flowerbed full of them and I’d always get in trouble for picking them. My sister let that slip at a fashion show one time and I’ve never lived it down.”

Debra smiled. “Well, everyone remembered. Nikki wanted me to tell you that the studio is taken care of, so don’t stress. And Ella took over the show. Your parents will be here as soon as they can, but with the storm, it could be a bit before they can get here.”

“Storm?” Lance glanced over to the window, but all he could see was a cloudy sky. He wanted nothing more than to walk over to it, but knew that wouldn’t happen. He tried to wiggle his toes, but it only brought more agony.

“Blizzard actually. New York and most of the east coast is shut down. You picked a perfect time to end up in the hospital. I haven’t been able to leave because they banned anyone from traveling. Which would be why I’m in these lovely scrubs.”

“You look beautiful.” Lance coughed again and winced when it jarred his legs. He’d broken his leg once when he was playing hockey, but the pain was nowhere near this bad.

A nurse scurried over and adjusted something on his IV. “You just rest now. Ms. Thomas, if you could wait out in the hallway. Mr. Walker needs his rest.”

Debra stood, but Lance reached out to stop her. Not that he could with his hand bandaged the way it was.

“Please let her stay.” His mind was groggy as he fought for words. He didn’t know what the nurse had put in the IV, but it was knocking him out fast. “I need her … by me.”

The nurse paused before nodding, and Debra dropped back into her chair. Lance tried his best to reach so he could hold her hand, but darkness won, and he drifted off.

Lance gasped in pain as he did another knee bend. Sweat poured down his back, but he refused to stop. He’d been doing physical therapy for three days now, and healing was going too slow for him. He wanted out of the hospital as soon as possible, and that wouldn’t happen until he could prove he was okay.

This was the first time he’d been in therapy that Debra hadn’t been there to cheer him on. He’d promised to behave and rest while she went home to get some sleep, shower, and do some work. She was behind on a few accounts, and he’d insisted that she go and get it done. At least this way she could bring work back and do something while he was asleep.

The weather had finally calmed down, and Lance’s parents were supposed to be there in the next day or two. His sisters had called at different times to check up on him, but they weren’t able to leave. Maria couldn’t leave this close to fashion week, and Leslie was stuck in Africa for another month.

One more knee bend, and he rested back in his wheelchair. He smiled bitterly. Wheelchair. His companion for the next several weeks. He was supposed to be doing the fashion show in just a couple of weeks, and he’d be stuck in a wheelchair. Not that it mattered. He couldn’t design at all anymore.

The bandage was too thick on his right hand to even try drawing, and his left hand was just hopeless. Debra had suggested trying, but he’d never practiced that way, and it was proving to be harder than he’d thought. But the ideas kept coming, and he needed to figure out a way to get them onto paper.

“Great job. Let’s have you do more stretches with flexing your feet, and you’ll be done for the day.” The nurse smiled at him and watched as he flexed and pointed his toes ten times with each foot. This hurt worse than the knee bend as it stretched the healing cuts on his legs.

Lance smiled and turned back toward his hospital room to get a bath. With all the bandages off his legs, it was harder to shower, but he wasn’t about to sit in his own sweat. Once he was done, he wheeled back to his bed and climbed in.

Dr. Peterson helped hook him back into the machine that would keep his legs moving to prevent blood clots, then stepped back. “You’ve made amazing progress in the last few days. You should be proud.”

“Thanks, but I won’t cheer until I can get rid of that chair and draw again.” Lance tried to push down the bitterness, but it was a constant companion lately.

“It’ll come. In the meantime, I have a surprise for you.” Dr. Peterson turned to the door and David Fleschmann walked into the room holding a laptop.

Lance grinned at his friend. David hadn’t had a chance to come by yet since he was busy planning his wedding. “Hey, man. It’s good to see you. And you brought your work with you, I see.”

Dr. Peterson waved and left the room, closing the door behind him.

David pulled a chair up next to Lance and set the laptop on Lance’s lap. “Actually I brought your work with me. Debra told me you were having a hard time not being able to draw, so I figured I’d help out.”

Lance stared at him for a moment. “I have a laptop.”

“Not like this one. Just check it out.” David stood to help him, but Lance stopped him.

“I can do some things on my own.” He opened the computer with his good hand and turned it on. When it powered up, he glanced over at David. “Okay, so now what?”

David pushed a few keys and opened a program in the lower left hand corner. It opened up and asked for a voice activation to train it. “Welcome to your new drawing program.”

Lance had heard of these programs, but had never seen them. He pushed down the emotion as he looked over at David. “How’d you get ahold of this?”

“I may have promised exclusive advertising once it was ready to be marketed. And you might have to be part of the commercial. But we’ll get to that later. Now, you need to train your program to understand your commands. It responds to both your voice and your eye movement. It’s going to take a bit of learning for both you and the computer, but time is something you have a lot of right now.”

“Thanks for the reminder.” Lance smiled to take the edge off his remark and clicked on the microphone. After a few tries, the cursor finally went to the center of the screen like he wanted. With a few commands, he was able to draw a basic stick figure. “Now this is award winning work right here.”

David laughed. “It’s better than mine. I couldn’t even get it to look like a person. Anyway, I really hope this works for you. I know your mind can’t stop creating.”

Lance continued working on a dress that had been on his mind, then pulled himself away. “Thank you. Really. This is huge for me. I’ve been going crazy just sitting here for the last few days.”

“You’re welcome. I thought you might like it.” David glanced around the room, and leaned forward. “So, Debra, huh?”

Lance laughed at the mischievous grin on David’s face. “We’ve gone out a few times. She’s a pretty amazing woman.”

“She is. There’s a reason I’ve had her as one of my top employees for several years now. And I have to say I’m thrilled you two finally got a clue and started dating.” David rubbed his hands together and leaned back in his chair.

Lance raised his eyebrow. “You do realize we just met, right? Erin’s always been on the account, not Debra.”

“I didn’t realize that until just after Christmas. I may or may not have put Erin up to getting you two together at the party. She does a better job than I thought.”

Things clicked into place with the party that night. Erin had searched all over for Debra since the moment Lance had joined her group. Of course. “Do you play matchmaker for every single person in your life?”

“Nope, just my good friends.” David grinned and turned the subject to the newest fashions in the industry, and Lance was relieved with the change. By the time David had to leave, they’d gone over the next three months of advertising for Walker Apparel.

Lance waved as David left and turned back to his computer, eager to learn more about the program on it. He frowned when he saw that the battery had nearly died while they talked. He leaned forward to get the power cord and looked around for a place to plug it in. The nearest one was behind his bed, so he set down the laptop and attempted to stand.

Standing wasn’t too bad, but when he tried to take a step, it was like a knife ran down his legs. He stumbled to the ground, knocking over a tray on the way down. His bad hand hit the ground, sending a blinding pain through his body that filled him with nausea. He grimaced as he reached to plug in the cord, then curled up into a ball until the agony subsided.

The door opened and several pairs of shoes ran in to the room.

“Lance?” Debra called out and came around the side of the bed. She dropped down next to him and helped him sit up. Her gentle touch soothed his nerves, but he couldn’t speak through the pain. “What happened?”

He shook his head and allowed the doctors to lift him back into his bed. The muscles in his legs screamed as they helped him stretch out. Some of the stitches had popped, so the nurses cleaned those up while another nurse checked his vitals and added more painkillers to his IV. Debra stood silently to the side, holding his good hand. Her other hand covered her chest as she watched everyone work. This was not how he wanted her to see him.

Once he was bandaged up, and they were satisfied that the danger had passed, most of the nurses left the room. The medicine had started kicking in, making him groggy. He didn’t want to sleep yet. Not when he had things he needed to work on.

His main nurse, Vicky, glared down at him. “What was so important that you had to do it yourself?”

Lance grunted as he shifted positions. “I needed to plug in my computer and didn’t want to bother you guys with it.”

“Well, you did. And you pushed back your release time another day or two. This is why we have a call button. Please use it next time.” Vicky set the remote next to him. “Now, I’m leaving your room, but only because Debra is here. When she leaves, we’re sending someone else in to babysit you.”

“I don’t—” Lance took a deep breath. Losing his temper wouldn’t help anyone, and he really needed to get out of there. “Fine. I guess I earned that. Thank you for helping me.”

Vicky nodded at Lance and then Debra before leaving the room. There was silence for a moment before Debra let go of Lance’s hand and helped him plug the cord into the laptop. She sat it on the table and grabbed a chair to sit next to the bed.

“So, was it worth it?” she asked quietly.

“No, but I really wanted to use my computer.” He laughed at the lame answer. “Why aren’t you at work?”

Debra reached out and combed Lance’s hair away from his eyes. Her touch sent a thrill through him. “David, Erin, and Carissa kicked me out of the office with orders not to come back until you’re released. Technically, I could fire Erin and Carissa, but I can’t really argue with David.”