Laura Chen had called 911 and reported an accident. Her fiancé had tried to stop her from leaving. There was a struggle as she tried to protect herself from him, and he fell down a flight of stairs. After giving the address, the dispatcher told her someone would be there shortly.
She packed an extra suitcase as she waited for the ambulance to come. She wasn't running anymore. Didn't have to take just the bare essentials. When help arrived she was at the top of the stairs, looking down at Josh, making sure she looked properly distraught and scared. Letting her impatience show would probably not win her any points when the inevitable enquiry began.
It was easier than she thought, though. She had imagined the police taking her to the station, making her give a statement, questioning everything she said twice.
But that didn't happen. She was gently pulled aside to talk to an officer there and give her version of what happened. After she had finished speaking, the officer with the clipboard nodded to her wrist – now swollen and red.
"Did that happen just now?"
She looked down at it, surprised. It wasn't even hurting. "Yes…he grabbed me before he fell."
The man nodded sympathetically. "Ok Ms. Chen. I don't want to keep you here any longer. This was obviously self-defense. Just do me a favor and write down a number where I can contact you in case we have any more questions later on."
"Thank you." She jotted her cell phone number down on the clipboard he extended, then went to gather her bags.
Pete was already waiting and ready to go by the time she got to his place. To be honest, he didn't really have to do much to get ready. She was all he wanted – what else did he need?
They drove to Vegas that night – selling the gaudy ring Josh had bought her along the way - and were married that night. The pawn shop had given them a good price for the oversized rock, and they spent their honeymoon in style.
Unsurprisingly enough, no one was there when Josh McGrath was hauled into the emergency room. No one stood by his side as the doctors took x-rays, consulted and argued over his charts. His agent sat in the waiting room, but never came in. She was interested in the final outcome – whether Josh McGrath would be up and performing in an economically secure timeframe. She didn't really care much about what happened in the in between stages.
No one was there with him when he woke up in the hospital for the first time.
No one was there as he first discovered that he couldn't move his legs. Or his arms.
He convinced himself that he was dreaming – that this was all just a terrible nightmare. After all, was there anything an extreme athlete feared more? Admonishing himself for not knowing dreams from reality, he forced himself to sleep.
He found out the next day that his worst nightmare had come true. The doctor's demeanor was cold and detached as he broke the news to Josh. The former sports star was paralyzed from the neck down. There was a very small chance that maybe one day he could regain partial use of his upper body, but he would never walk again. He stared blankly at the doctor as he gave the news and asked if he had any questions.
"All right then…" the man in the lab coat exchanged a look with the nurse by his side. "Do you have anyone you can call?"
"My agent. She should be here somewhere."
The doctor studied his shoes uneasily. "Ms. Parker left the hospital once she heard the results. She um…she left a note."
His reflex was to reach out and grab it from the man, but his body refused to obey. Fighting back the panic and nausea this made him feel, he barked "Read it to me".
The man cleared his throat, looking like he wished he could be anywhere in the world but there. "Josh: Sorry it didn't work out. I'll release a public statement."
Josh blinked. "That's it?"
"Yes…Look, I'm going to leave my colleague Mr. Hutchins here to brief you on your options. Whether you'd prefer home care or a nursing facility."
The doctor left the room more quickly than was polite, but Josh didn't notice. The nurse had begun to explain to him how he would be living the rest of his life.