Torn (24 page)
Authors: Christina Brunkhorst
Ty and Jennifer Benson… Hollywood’s Golden Couple. The Love Still Burns
Chelsea rolled her eyes, started reading the article. As she read, her full lips compressed into a flat, unamused, line.
“
I’ve never seen such a couple in love”, “…always holding hands… or each other…”, “…wish my marriage shared their kind of passion…”
She was going to be ill. The last time they were together, Tyler had told her about the Alaska movie he’d be doing, how much he was looking forward to it. He’d been so excited ––like a little boy at Christmas.
He hadn’t mentioned the fact that Jennifer was playing his wife in the movie.
He hadn’t mentioned the fact that Jennifer was with him in Alaska, even now as she read the article.
Chelsea blew a gust of air. Don’t believe everything you read… wasn’t that the first rule in Hollywood? But the pictures… Wasn’t a picture worth a thousand words?
Jennifer and Tyler in a tight, affectionate embrace, Jennifer and Tyler sharing a kiss, Jennifer and Tyler holding hands as they walked together down a road in Kivalina, Jennifer’s yellow gold wedding ring sparkling in the sun.
It appeared that Tyler and Jennifer had reconciled.
She glanced over at the telephone. How lucky was she that she’d only gotten his voice mail when she’d called?
After learning that she was carrying twins, she picked up the phone and dialed Tyler’s cell phone. She’d left a brief message:
Tyler… It’s Chelsea. Please call me.
One he hadn’t returned.
She turned the page to see still more photos of the “forever-in-love” Ty and Jen Benson. Gag. Chelsea tossed the magazine aside. Now she knew why.
Faye picked it up, looked at the pictures. She frowned at one of them, looking suddenly like her mother. “Is Ty still in Montana, Momma?”
He came to her in her dreams… and only a couple of them had been erotic. The rest had been more like a love story… and Chelsea had hated waking up from those dreams.
Jake had been gone for a week on business and had just walked in the door while Tyler was asking her if the babies were his. She couldn’t deal with it. So she lied by omission. Told him nothing. Just said, in a moment of bitterness, that she and Jake were happy… and hoped that the words would somehow hurt Tyler as those photos with him and Jennifer had hurt her.
That much was true, at least. She and Jake
were
happy. Content, at least. Their relationship seemed to have smoothed out… Except for the fact that she and Jake no longer made love. But then, she figured he was worried about the babies –– having twins was a high-risk pregnancy after all –– and Chelsea said nothing to have Jake think otherwise.
A short rap on the door brought Chelsea into the present. Dr. Jessie Salisbury walked in, her chart held loosely in one hand. His eyes were warm as they gazed on his patient.
“Chelsea, I’m going to put you on a prescription diet plan. The shakes you’ve been drinking up until now aren’t cutting it. I also want you to take an extra 1000mg of calcium a day. The babies are taking all of your resources and because of your severe morning sickness during your first trimester and your overall lack of appetite, they’re leaving you with very little to go on.
Nature makes sure that the babies you carry will have their needs met first, even if that means having them drain the calcium from your bones or the iron from your blood. So I want you to have enough of each to supply all three of you.”
He paused as he withdrew the Doppler device from a pocket of his lab coat. “The shakes you’re on don’t have enough calories in them. The prescription I’m giving you does.”
The physician picked up the bottle of warmed jelly and squirted a generous amount onto Chelsea’s bare abdomen. “Let's take a listen to those babies, shall we?”
A knock on the door was heard a moment before it opened and Jake stepped into the examining room. He smiled at his wife. “Sorry I’m late, babe. Got held up in a meeting.”
Chelsea felt something inside her relax and she held out her hand. Her husband took it, gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m glad you made it, sweetheart.”
Jake’s response was to smile as he handed the obstetrician a blank video cassette and sat down next to his wife.
W
hen Chelsea arrived home after her prenatal appointment –– Jake had gone back to work –– she was greeted by the sound of both dogs barking and a delivery man bearing an enormous bouquet standing at her front door, his hand raised to knock. Her heart soared when she spied the vibrant lilies, and she hurried up the steps to the deck.
Tyler had sent flowers. She couldn’t believe it. It had to have been Tyler. If it had been Jake, he would have sent her something that could be planted –– why waste money on a bouquet that would only die? She couldn’t think of anyone else who would have sent them.
Smiling, she took the beautiful blooms, thanked the florist for delivering them, then hurried into the house, shut the door before any of the central air could escape –– Chelsea was
not
a hot weather person. In fact, the only member of her family that actually
liked
the heat of the summer months was Faye.
Strange
child.
She dropped her backpack pocketbook onto the table and turned the bouquet around, searching for the card. When she found it, she tore it from its tiny envelope, her eyes bright with expectation. This was probably Tyler’s way of telling her that he wasn’t reconciling with his wife after all, and that they could ––
Congratulations on your double blessing, Chelsea! See you at the premiere. - Julie.
Her shoulders slumped. The light in her eyes dimmed. Not from Tyler. She tried to look on the bright side –– it was nice to receive a surprise flower bouquet at all –– but still, she was disappointed.
She placed the card back down on the oak table, went into the kitchen for a tall glass of ice water. She had just started to lie down on the couch when the phone rang. She set the cold glass down on the floor and walked over to the phone.
“Hello?”
“
Chelsea! Hey, Girl, did you get the flowers?”
Tired and listless as she was, Chelsea smiled, turned the volume of the phone up to better hear the long-distance call. “Hi, Julie. Yes I did. They just came. They’re beautiful, thank you. I didn’t realize you knew I was pregnant.”
“
I saw an article in your local paper.”
“
You
subscribe to
The Black Creek Bugle
?”
Julie laughed.
“No. But the reporter who did the interview sent a copy to my publicist.”
“Oh.” Chelsea stretched out more fully on the couch. “Where are you calling from?”
“
I’m in Egypt.”
“Egypt? As in the desert, King Tut, and mummies?”
“
Yeah. That’d be the one. I’m shooting my next movie. The
real
story of Cleopatra, a black woman torn between the love of two white men. The original
Jungle Fever
.”
Julie laughed again, but Chelsea winced. It sounded entirely too familiar.
“
Listen,”
Julie’s tone turned brisk, almost business-like.
“I can’t talk long. I just wanted to make sure that you’re coming to the premiere.”
“I was planning to,” Chelsea replied. “It’s still set for October, right?”
“
No. The release date was pushed back to Thanksgiving. So the premiere will be earlier that month. I’ll have my PR send you your plane tickets and so on, once the date is finalized.”
“Sounds good.” Chelsea paused, bit her bottom lip. “Julie… Have you heard… Have you talked to ––“ She shook her head.
“
What?”
“Nothing. Never mind. Stay cool down there.”
Julie snorted.
“Right. Africa in
August.
It’s a hundred and twelve degrees over here. This was a plan I had when my head was obviously up my ass. Christ. Now I know why Spike Lee didn’t touch it. He’s smarter than I gave him credit for.”
The two women laughed together.
“
I gotta go. Take care of yourself, Chelsea.”
“You too, Julie.”
“
See you in November.”
~ * ~
After Julie Bishop disconnected the call to Chelsea, she placed another.
“She got the flowers.”
“
Good. Thank you, Jules.”
“She sounded disappointed. I bet she was hoping that they were from you.”
“
They
are
from me.”
“Well,
you
know that and
I
know that. But
she
doesn’t. I still don’t know why you couldn’t have your name put on the card.”
“
I couldn’t, okay? Jules… She told me not to call her anymore. She thinks that Jen and I are back together ––“
“All the more reason for her to know that
you
sent her the flowers and
not
me. Not that the sentiment isn’t there, of course.”
“
Jules, I don’t want to go into this again with you. I couldn’t. End of story.”
“Fine. Whatever.”
“
Is she still coming to the premiere?”
“God, this is so grade school.” Julie let out a big sigh, rolled her eyes, and continued. “Of course she is. Since the date was pushed back to November, she’ll be pregnant out a mile, but she says she’s coming.”
The sigh Julie heard through the line was coarse and ragged.
“I miss her, Julie. I miss her so much that I––“
he stopped, and didn’t continue.
Julie’s brow creased. “She started to ask me about you,” she said, “but she chickened out. She loves you. That much is obvious. You love her… even more obvious. Why aren’t you telling her so? Because of Jake, or because of the babies?”
“
I don’t know, Jules. Those babies… God, I want them to be mine.”
He was quiet again, and Julie could practically see him sitting down somewhere, his head hanging low, one hand holding the cellular phone to his ear, the other on the back of his neck. Could practically see the muscles working in his jaw, his left leg jiggling against the chair, the step, or whatever he was sitting on.
“Okay, I’ll be Devil’s Advocate. Let’s say they
are
yours. Then what?”
“
Then I ask Chelsea to marry me.”
“Right. You’re gonna ask her to marry you because she’s pregnant with your children, something you’ve wanted for years, Ty. For
years
.”
“
No. I’m going to ask her because I am in love with her.”
“Hm… Never mind that she’s already married and that neither of you live in Utah.”
“
I know. Jules, why do you have to be a smart-ass all the time?”
“Because it’s better than being a dumb-ass half the time. Ty, face reality with me for a moment, okay? So you ask her to marry you. Never mind that Chelsea and Jake splitting up would blow her girls’ world apart. Never mind that it would be totally selfish of you –– not like I don’t want to see you happy, Ty, because I do. But at whose expense?”
“
I
know
. Look, I
know
,
Jules. Why else do you think I’ve done exactly what she told me to? I haven’t called her. I haven’t written. I haven’t flown down to confront her –– which is what my first instinct told me to do. I backed off. I want to do what’s right here. For everyone.”
“I know you do, Ty. But it’s like I said before. It’s a sticky situation in which someone is bound to get hurt, regardless.”
“
I love those girls, Julie. They’re the sweetest, warmest kids I’ve ever met. But if the babies Chelsea is carrying are mine… That would make
us
a family too. More so than any wedding.”
“True…” Julie shook her head slowly, sadly. “Man, I am so glad I’m not in your shoes.”
“
Yeah, well… Do you want to come with me to the premiere?”
he asked, changing the subject.
“I’d love to, hon, but I already have a date.”
“
Oh? Who’s the lucky gal?”
“Actually, she’s a guy.”
“
A
guy
? You straightening out on me?”
Julie’s laughter rang clear and loud, even through the somewhat static connection. “Hardly!”
“
So who’re you taking?”
“Well, you’ll never believe who I ran into on my way out of Montana…”
T
yler was quiet for so long after his conversation with Julie that his wife walked over, put her hand on his tense shoulder. “Ty? You okay?”
It wasn’t that Jennifer didn’t love him, quite the opposite in fact, but she’d known even before their wedding that she wasn’t the marrying kind. And this was
Ty Benson
for heaven’s sake! He was
gorgeous
! Absolute
dynamite
as a lover. And nearly every woman in the world wanted to be in her position… under him, on top of him, alongside… whichever. And, knowing what she did, knowing how skilled he was at lovemaking… who could blame them? She hadn’t wanted people calling her the fool that they called Meredith. Meredith who had gone on to win an Oscar, but whose love life had been shit since then. It seemed men found it a bit daunting to have to follow in Ty Benson’s footsteps.
He’d been her friend. She’d enjoyed spending time with him, hanging out, hanging in… It didn’t matter. They always had a good time together. The only problem was that while Ty had started to fall
in
love with her,
she
only loved him.
