August 2010 – Southampton, Grayson Manor
"Might I suggest you slow down?" Conrad chastised Victoria, as she silently ordered that her drink be refreshed at one of the poolside bars temporarily manufactured to cater for the Hamptonites that flooded their seasonal home for yet another elaborate Grayson celebration.
His wife rolled her eyes, disdainful of his interference. "Conrad, there are over two hundred guests in our home. Surely, you can find someone among them who would take pleasure in your company. I, however, am not one of them." She rebuffed his attempt to reach out, certain he would revel in the latest source of her misery, especially as the bond she shared with their son threatened to shatter.
He followed her line of vision to the other side of the pool, where Daniel stood at another bar. It seemed mother and son both intended to drown their sorrows in a public fashion. "Why don't you talk to him?" Conrad advised. It wasn't out of the ordinary for the Grayson household to be divided. If he and Victoria weren't in the midst of a quarrel, he bickered with Daniel. Their children often battled one another, the mother-daughter relationship remained strenuous and Charlotte even rebelled against his instruction every now and again, but Victoria and Daniel's relationship had always been solid.
As his parents became embroiled in a hostile spat, Daniel hoisted another drink back and signalled the bartender for a refill. Beside him, Sara had become wary of his increasingly drunken behaviour. She had started to wonder if, perhaps, her attendance had been a foolish mistake. From the moment she stepped foot in the manor, she had felt like a duck out of water. It wasn't her natural habitat, and it showed. "Danny, maybe we should just leave?"
"And play into her hands?" Daniel stubbornly shook his head. He wouldn't dare allow Victoria the satisfaction. His mother had voiced her disapproval of his relationship with Sara – which she described as a 'summer romance' – but Daniel had been foolishly convinced that his mother would be charmed by her. Now, he inwardly scolded himself for his naiveté. The majority of his friends liked her, and Charlotte had instantly warmed to her, after the three of them had hiked to the Montauk Point Lighthouse one afternoon, but his mother flat-out refused to meet her. It had been the reason Daniel insisted Sara attend his mother's lavish celebration, to enforce an introduction between the women but Victoria had swiftly avoided each and every attempt. While his father had seemed entirely indifferent on the matter, which didn't bother Daniel quite so much, his mother's behaviour had bordered on cruel. Her attitude toward Sara had caused Daniel to view her in a whole other light, one that didn't quite flatter her. For Daniel, it was quite possibly the first time he found himself in accordance with his father. To encounter just how callous his mother could be had startled him, it was a revelation he had been unprepared for.
"Danny," Sara probed further, in the hopes she could placate him. Instead, her words only sparked another eruption of fury within Daniel, and he walked behind the bar to retrieve an unopened bottle of Vodka. Little did Sara realise the kind of family she had the misfortune to wander into.
As his wife and son became a public spectacle, in front of the Grayson Global investors present, Lydia's smile from afar was Conrad's only source of comic relief.
"I love her, mom." Daniel protested, more than likely oblivious to the volume his voice had reached. What had started as minor discord had escalated into world war three and threatened to undermine the sounds of the live band hired for the event. Guests present did their best to pretend not to notice the brawl but it was merely a polite façade on their part. As helpless as Conrad, Daniel's date remained awkwardly in the exact position his son had abandoned her at. While Conrad failed to deduce exactly why Victoria had shown such contempt for Daniel's latest accomplishment, he couldn't deny that the petite brunette was anything but Grayson material. Unlike Victoria, who had only alienated Daniel, as a result of her effort, Conrad found little reason to intervene in the relationship that would run its inevitable course to a natural conclusion.
Suddenly, words inaudible to Conrad, provoked Daniel's temper to inflate and his son disengaged from the confrontation. Infuriated, Daniel tore from his mother and stormed recklessly in Sara's direction. Her efforts to soothe him failed miserably, and Daniel grasped her hand, dragging her as far from Grayson Manor as physically possible. "Daniel," Sara hesitantly cried, as he jumped into the driver seat of the Porsche presented to him for his birthday by his father, earlier that summer. The rev of the automatic left her little option and Sara climbed into the seat beside him.
Regardless of the warm summer air, Victoria shivered with fear as she and Conrad sat, paralysed, in the waiting room of Suffolk Memorial Hospital. The phone call that Daniel had been a casualty in a severe car accident had quickly sobered her. As the hospital prepped for the arrival of the injured, the only information released to the family of the incoming patients was that one individual in the white Porsche had suffered potential paralysis of the spinal cord. To Conrad's relief, Charlotte arrived at the hospital, before Victoria dissolved into complete hysteria.
Enveloped in one another's arms, Victoria and Charlotte were seemingly oblivious to the body of doctors that Conrad noticed had started to congregate in anticipation of an arrival. In a split-second, the doors burst open and two paramedics hurriedly wheeled the gurney beyond Conrad's vision. "22 year old female. Head-on collision. Severe spinal injury, multiple lacerations to the face and arms. Victim identified as Sara Munello."
The Grayson family leapt to their feet, shaken by the unstable condition Sara had arrived in. Blood stained the white sheet of the gurney and her facial features were barely visible underneath the neck brace locked on her upper form. The only thing that quelled their fears was that someone had positively identified Sara, which suggested Daniel was, at the very least, conscious. Finally, the doors crashed open again. Although the paramedics didn't move with the same kind of panic, the concern in their voices appeared evident. "We have a 22 year old male involved in a head-on collision. No signs of injury to the neck or spinal cord." A wave of calm washed over Conrad, and he released the breath he didn't realise he had contained. "In and out of consciousness. Possible concussion caused by wound to the left side of the head."
The doctors dashed into the allocated trauma room, which one of the nurses sealed off, when Victoria made a visible attempt to follow her son. "Daniel?"
"Victoria, he's okay." Conrad reached forward and prevented her from tearing through the 'restricted access' doors to heal their son herself. "He's in good hands. He's going to be fine." Motioning for Charlotte with an open arm, who tucked herself underneath it, Conrad held his family.
Fifteen minutes passed before one of the doctors on-call appeared oddly remorseful in his approach. "How's my son?" With little awareness of personal boundaries, Victoria invaded his personal space and left just inches between them.
"Daniel's stable. His wounds are superficial. I have no doubt, they'll heal completely, within a few weeks."
As Victoria revelled in the absolute confirmation that Daniel had not been harmed with life-threatening injuries, Conrad remained aware of the cloud to the silver lining the doctor had delivered. "But..." He purposely needled the doctor and Victoria's eyes flew toward him, in horror.
"Daniel has been in and out of consciousness since his arrival. Initially, we thought it due to the minor wound to his head –" In an awkward fashion, the doctor folded his arms across his chest and bowed his head, somewhat embarrassed to be the one to deliver the news to such a prominent family of the area. "Your son has a blood alcohol level of .15." Disappointed, if not entirely surprised, to discover Daniel had been the driver, while under the influence of alcohol, Conrad lifted his head to the heavens above and heavily exhaled. "In light of the seriousness of the injuries sustained by both Daniel and Miss Munello, we are required to contact the authorities." Mentally, Conrad listed the actions necessary in the looming 24 hours to ensure Daniel's accident didn't explode into yet another Grayson family scandal for the press to feed on. "I would like to keep him here overnight, just for the sake of observation but, other than that, I see no reason why Daniel shouldn't be released by tomorrow afternoon, at the latest."
"I want to see my son." Victoria demanded, seemingly unconcerned by his announcement.
"As I said, Daniel's in and out of consciousness –" The doctor paused mid-sentence, as Victoria dared him to defy her request. Being well-experienced in the emergency room, he had endured more than his fair share of confrontational family members, as emotions ran high and he had learnt when to compromise his judgement. "If you can keep the visit short, two family members at the most."
Naturally, Charlotte anticipated her parents would assume the position but Conrad ushered her to Victoria. "Go with your mother, Charlotte." He reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell, "I have to call to make first." Once his family left in search of Daniel's room, Conrad motioned to the doctor. "While, I respect your duty to contact the authorities, I would appreciate it if you could ensure they hold off the investigation until my son has fully recuperated." Whatever state Daniel may have driven in, Conrad needed to compile an appropriate version of events to swing the situation in their favour. With Daniel's future at risk, Conrad was determined not to allow his hard work, and the hard work of his father before him, to be for naught.