She was forced away from his bedside as nurses and doctors frantically tried stemming the blood flow. Her eyes were transfixed on his face, which was now covered in blood. The more the doctors tried stopping it, the more he coughed it up.
The EKG graph went haywire as even more nurses and orderlies rushed in. Adrian weakly turned his face towards Karen and just looked her with his lifeless eyes. Their gaze only held for a moment before the nurse turned his face away to insert a tube and push in Heparin.
It was enough. That blood-stained face had convinced her that her brother had suffered enough. He clearly was not consenting to any more pain and she was going to make sure he wouldn’t get any more.
She prayed silently for courage. Courage to sit by Adrian’s bedside while he died slowly. * *
“I’m sorry I couldn’t spend my last evening in New York with you. Dad roped me into attending this high society thing hosted by the board of directors. How about we go out for dinner? The Nobu Tribeca, my treat.”
Karen sighed into the receiver.
“It’s okay Adrian. You attend your gala. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back. There is a special dinner with your name on it.”
“I look forward to it.”
She dropped the call and surveyed the task ahead of her. This was her last shot at revealing her feelings to Adrian. At that point, she was past caring whether it would alienate him or not. She just had to say it. Fuck the consequences!
Her mother was no problem. She was out on a joyride on her husband’s private jet.
Sometimes Karen privately wondered how she was born to a mother like that.
Back to her present quandary, she gave all the chefs and servants the night off. She painstakingly navigated the vast kitchen and got the best food.
Hours later, Karen was a sweaty mess, but the dinner was ready. She took a step back to admire her work.
The roast turkey adorned the centre of the small table, flanked on either side by a tall, burning candle. There were pommes Anna, and königspargel on either side. An open bottle of Chave Hermitage Blanc sat on the side table. The dishes chosen for this meal were on imported porcelain. The lights were dimmed and a trail of rose petals led from the dining room door to the table.
The main attraction of the night was currently draped behind a curtain on the main wall. She smiled as she tried to imagine his face when she unveiled the portrait of them. There was no better way of telling him how she felt other than showing him. A picture says a thousand words, a portrait of them together by the sea-shore would say a thousand more.
For her part, she was wearing a violet Missoni original from her last trip to Milan. It was in a particularly svelte shade. The shoulder sleeves were short and the neckline plunged down to the middle of her ample cleavage. The frilled skirt went halfway down her thigh, revealing her white lace thong if she so desired.
Karen admired herself in the mirror. Never much of a narcissist, she could not help but admire her sartorial elegance.
Everything was set. All that was missing was the dreamy figure of Adrian.
Her phone rang, interrupting her trance. She picked it up.
“Karen. Sorry. Huge change of plans. My uncle in Boston wants me to go one day early to sort out some formalities regarding my admission. I know I was supposed to go tomorrow and I promised to have dinner with you tonight, but I am on my way to the jet as we speak. Please tell Henry to send my luggage to LaGuardia. It’s already packed.”
Karen saw her world disintegrate to dust around her. Her carefully constructed plan had taken one day too long. Adrian sensed the uneasy silence on the other end of the phone and spoke.
“Look. I am really, really sorry that I could not get to say goodbye to you before leaving. You mean a lot to me. You’re the first person in my life who ever cared about me without an ulterior motive. We will keep in touch.”
She wasn’t even listening any more. Robotically, she made the call to Henry the chauffeur. There was nothing more for her. This was it. It was all over.
The world looked indistinct and blurry through her tears as she walked up to the velvet curtain beside the table. The moment was supposed to be magical, when she unveiled it. Now, it was just for her to see.
The portrait was revealed by the pull of a cord, almost ashamed that it had not served its purpose. It was a beautiful portrait of them with their fingers intertwined lying on a beach, looking at the calm sea. She was very specific about the colours and the backdrop when she commissioned it. It was all a waste now.
She sat with her chair facing the portrait. It was worth the exorbitant sum she had paid for it. Every detail was captured perfectly. His head was nestled in her chest as she wrapped her arms around it and tenderly kissed his hair. The reddish shade of the setting sun colouring her hair.
Karen lost track of time and just sat there admiring the portrait. It seemed like a possibility space, showing what could have been, had she admitted her feelings to him sooner. The portrait looked at her, accusingly, admonishing her for her failure.
The tears just would not stop. They flowed for what seemed like hours before she felt an unexpected palm on her chin. It gently raised her face to see those green eyes that she dreamt about night after night and that smile that made her wet.
“Fog over Boston. Had to turn back.”
She stood up, her body moving on its own accord. Placing her hands on his cheek, she looked into his eyes. All she saw was a profound love. Tentatively, she placed her lips on his and kissed him. Her ardent kiss had her heart racing and her skin tingling. He returned the kiss and took her hands in his, interlocking their fingers. Her eyes closed as she sank into the passionate kiss, her body responding in ways she had not known. A fire started in the pit of her stomach, willing her to devour him whole.
There was no more restraint as she engulfed his mouth with her ravenous tongue, grabbing his head with both hands. Their tongues danced in a carnal symphony as his hands gently clasped themselves around the back of her dress. Her hands moved to his face as her tongue continued its relentless assault.
After several minutes of intense kissing, she drew back. Her face was smeared with tears of joy. He looked at her, not daring to believe what had just happened.
“What now?” he whispered softly.
“Now,” said Karen, wiping away some of her tears. “Now we stop pretending.” * *
“What do you mean he can’t refuse treatment?” said Karen, livid. “It’s his body and he is an adult. He can goddamn refuse to consent if he wants to.”
She banged the table hard to emphasize her point. The doctor brandished a legal document from his drawer. She snatched it from his hand and examined it closely. Her brow furrowed as she finished and threw the paper back.
“What the hell is this?” she demanded.
“It’s a court order deeming Adrian Carmichael unable to give medical consent. Hence, medical custody has been given to his legal guardian.”
“And who is that?”
The doctor examined the crumpled form and read the names at the bottom.
“Medical custody has been given to Bryce Reynolds.”
“The chairman of the board! He did this.”
Before the doctor could say another word, she stormed out of the office, slamming the door loudly on the way out.
“Bryce. What are you thinking taking medical custody?”
The voice on the other end of the phone spoke evenly, trying to justify this.
“Karen, you don’t understand. There is more riding on Adrian than you can imagine. The stock price of our company would plummet if the news came out he is sure to die. This treatment will keep it stable while we can liquidate some assets.”
The words resonated inside her head. Her brother was being kept in pain for the sake of the board making some money. She was speechless as the emotionless voice droned on.
“I will rescind the order as soon as I can, I promise. Cheer up, Karen, it might just save his life.”
Karen did not cheer up. She spoke back over the phone, her tone quivering with anger.
“Listen, Bryce. If you hurt my brother any more, I will make you pay dearly. In ways you can’t even guess.”
Dropping the call in anger, she took a deep breath and composed her thoughts. Now was not the time for making a rash decision; she would need to think clearly.
Flipping open her phone, she made another call. * *
Dinner was a distant memory as Karen and Adrian lay on top of the covers. For a while neither one moved. They just admired each other’s naked body. Karen silently admired his lithe, lean body while Adrian drank in her flawless skin and toned body.
Karen was on her back while Adrian lay on his side, propped up on one elbow while his other arm curled around her head. His fingers gently stroked her hair, which lay strewn over the pillows. He had longed to touch her beautiful tresses of hair for so long, yet he restrained himself now.
He was going to take it slow. This was going to be perfect for her, like she wanted it to be perfect for him.
His eyes roamed back and forth over her face. It was her beautiful face that he had grown to love. His gaze did not once drift to her body as he gazed into her eyes. His thumb and forefinger gently caressed her forehead. She smiled and kept her eyes locked on his.
He wanted to learn about her body. Learn about what she craved, and then do it for her. It was all about her. Lying on his side, looking at her, the rest of the world seemed immaterial for the time. All that ever mattered was right by his side.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
“No,” she giggled and snuggled up in his embrace.
“You are as beautiful as the new spring in a meadow full of flowers. Your eyes shimmer like the morning dew on a sun-kissed leaf. I could lose myself in those beautiful blue eyes.”
“Very poetic. Now aren’t you going to serenade me?”
Adrian thought it over, then started.
“She walks in beauty like the night,
of cloudless climes and starry skies;”
Karen blushed, a cherry red creeping up to her fair cheeks making her as beautiful as Byron’s starry, cloudless night.
Leave a Reply