Chapter 49
January 1, 2004 – Pine Valley, Pennsylvania
When Kendall entered the hallway, she saw Bianca waiting for her. "Binks!" Kendall flew into her sister's arms.
Bianca held her tightly and stroked her hair. "How's Zach doing?"
Kendall sniffled. "He won't wake up. I mean, that's not a bad thing yet – but it freaks me out to see him lying there so still. I need him to look at me with those expressive eyes of his, you know?"
"Oh Kendall, he'll be fine. I know he will. Look at you – you're ready to pass out. Why don't we go to the cafeteria and get you something to eat."
Kendall shook her head. "I couldn't eat anything."
Bianca raised an eyebrow. "I seem to recall one morning, a few weeks ago, you told me, and I quote, 'You better choke down that muffin and orange juice or I will turn you over my knee.' Payback's a bitch, Kendall. Let's go." Kendall chuckled, and meekly obeyed.
On the way down to the cafeteria, Bianca told Kendall that Lena was getting her a change of clothes from the condo. Kendall moaned. "I will owe her for life. I feel like I'm covered in about three inches of crud."
When they got to the cafeteria, Kendall watched in dismay as Bianca piled a tray with various food items. She was never going to be able to eat all that. To her surprise, though, she finished it off. Bianca did help some – she had more of an appetite these days.
Lena arrived and handed Kendall an overnight bag. Kendall was directed to an available room where she could take a shower and change. She had just joined Bianca and Lena, when she heard her name over the intercom. She was being asked to pick up a white courtesy phone. Kendall rushed over to the nearest one. "Hello?"
"Kendall, it's Maria."
Kendall's grip on the phone tightened. "What is it? What happened? Is Zach okay?"
"Calm down, he's fine. He's in a lot of pain, but we're keeping him as comfortable as possible. He hasn't woken up yet, but he did call out your name once."
Kendall melted. "He did?"
"I think your talking to him was beneficial. It might be good for him if you keep it up."
"Of course! I'll go see him right now!" Kendall hung up and turned to Bianca and Lena. "That was Maria. She said Zach is fine, but that he is calling for me. He needs me, Bianca."
Her sister smiled at her. "Then go to him."
Kendall rushed down the hall to ICU. When she entered Zach's room, he looked exactly the same as before. She sat down and took his hand. "Zach?" She bit her lip. "I guess I shouldn't have tried to make you open your eyes earlier. Maria says you're in a lot of pain, so maybe 'awake' is not the best state for you to be in right now. Maybe if you just squeezed my hand?" She paused. There was no movement. She sighed. "I guess I'm being selfish, wanting you to reassure me that you're alright, when you should be allowed to rest." She chuckled. "I can't believe I was lecturing you before. Some Florence Nightingale. I should be telling you a bedtime story.
I only know one story, and it's not very soothing. It's more like a thriller, but I really want to tell it to you. I call it 'The Truth.' I know you've been waiting to hear it awhile. You've been so patient and understanding, and all I've done is push you away. I realize now, I finally get it. I have nothing to fear from you. I know you won't resent me or Bianca for what happened. You won't use it against us. I trust you, Zach. I trust you with my life, and my sister's life. You have to promise me, though, that you won't say anything to Bianca. She doesn't remember, she's blocked it out." Kendall rolled her eyes. "What, am I an idiot? You can't make that promise, you're unconscious."
Kendall sighed and put her forehead on Zach's hand, summoning up the courage to tell him everything. "I promise." She looked up in surprise. Zach was staring at her. "I promise."
Overjoyed, she leapt out of the chair and enthusiastically but gently rained kisses all over his face. He laughed weakly. "Kendall, I promised, so you have to tell me."
Kendall kissed him on the lips. She pulled back and gazed at him adoringly, then she kissed him again. He gave her an exasperated look. Kendall sat back down and sighed. "It isn't very pretty, Zach. Are you sure you're up for this?"
Zach nodded solemnly. "Of course it isn't pretty – it involves my brother. But I'm more than ready to hear what happened."
Kendall swallowed. She leaned in and spoke in a low voice. "That afternoon, I came home and Michael was waiting for me…on my bed. He had a gun. He made me sit down, and proceeded to tell me all kinds of vile things." She took a deep breath. "One of the things he said was that the new will was no longer an issue. I figured he must have taken it or something. Anyway, he was very angry with you and me and…he decided that we needed to be taught a lesson. He was planning to rape me." She stopped, disconcerted by the expression of dread on Zach's face, and how his grip on her hand tightened. "He didn't succeed! He came very close. He...was on top of me and…and had my skirt pulled up. But then Bianca showed up, looking for me. She was worried. Turns out her instincts were right. She hit Michael over the head with a crystal vase, knocking him unconscious."
Zach closed his eyes in relief. Then he nodded slowly. "That explains the skull fracture in the autopsy report."
Kendall raised her eyebrows. She wondered how he had gotten ahold of that information. "Bianca helped get him off me, and I stood up, planning to call the police. Michael had set his gun on the nightstand, saying it was more fun to subdue me in other ways." Kendall shivered at the look in Zach's eyes. "Bianca picked it up, asking me if it was Michael's. I told her to put it down, that it was evidence. At that point, Michael started to wake up. When he moaned, Bianca was so freaked out that she brought the gun up and fired it. I…I think one of us screamed or something, because it startled her again and the gun went off a few more times. Bianca didn't do it intentionally, Zach. It was like the damn thing had a life of it's own."
Zach nodded again. "The ballistics report said the gun was a semi-automatic. Those things have a hair trigger. What you described is common when someone is holding it, who doesn't know what they're doing." He sighed. "The police report speculated that the shooting was a crime of passion, based on the number of bullets that were in him. In reality it was simply a very frightened girl." Zach shook his head. "My God, Michael held that gun on you. He could have shot you if you had so much as bumped him while he held it."
Kendall shivered again. "Bianca was so horrified by what happened that she passed out. I started to call the police again, but then I realized that no one would believe it was an accident. Bianca couldn't claim self-defense because he was lying face down on the bed! They would think for sure that it was intentional because she had plenty of motive. He raped her and got off scot-free. I couldn't let her go to jail, there was no way in hell…" She stopped, wiping away more tears.
Zach spoke quietly, "You didn't think I would understand?"
She shrugged helplessly. "I wasn't exactly thinking clearly, I was scared out of my mind. I wanted to call you…so badly. But I kept looking at the situation from your perspective. Your brother…the man you grew up with…was lying dead in a pool of blood on my comforter. The thought of asking you to come over and help me dispose of his body and all the evidence…there was just no way I could have involved you in that."
Zach shook his head, exasperated. "You were trying to spare my feelings? Wonderful. So you called Boyd instead?"
Kendall nodded. "He helped me take Bianca to the penthouse. While we were there, she woke up and had no memory of what happened. I decided it was for the best, so I made up some story about what happened. Boyd and I went back to my place and you were there, waiting."
Zach looked thoughtful. "You had to get rid of me so I wouldn't find my brother's corpse in your bedroom. Some of the things you said that night make sense now."
She nodded. "Once you left, we took the body to the refrigerated storage unit, and then found a remote location where we burned the mattress, bedding, and even the headboard. We tossed the gun in a lake, and then hopped a flight to Vegas. The rest is history."
"So the brand new bedroom suit was to replace the one you burned?" She nodded. "Maggie witnessing you carrying something large – that was Michael's body?" She nodded. "The phone calls from Michael's cell was Boyd…the crappy video to the stockholders was dubbed. And I came very close to the truth up at the cabin. I thought you were protecting Erica. I completely dismissed Bianca as an option because I figured she would never let you take the rap for her. She would have stepped forward."
Kendall nodded. "She definitely would, if she remembered. Which is why I'm glad she doesn't. I get to control the situation, I'm in charge. Although I seem to be doing a really shitty job of it."
Zach caressed her hand. "You weren't able to cover up his death for long, but your main objective has been wildly successful. No one has a clue that Bianca did it."
She lifted her chin. "And it's going to stay that way."
Zach smiled. "You finally trusted me with your secret, Kendall. I'm going to honor that. No one will know Bianca killed Michael. Not even Bianca. I will tell you one thing…I'm not going to let you sacrifice your life. If it looks like you won't be found innocent, I am taking you away with me."
She smiled ruefully. "That's fine with me! I don't want to go to jail. I don't want to die. I've been so scared, Zach. It's such a relief to finally tell you."
Zach's voice was rough with emotion. "Thank you for telling me." He held on to her hand, rubbing her fingers in between his palms. "I had some strange dreams while I was out. Sometimes I got them mixed up with reality." He cleared his throat. "I dreamt that I was visited by my father and brother from beyond the grave. For awhile I thought they were really ghosts, but then I realized it was a dream. Then I heard your voice, you were talking to me. Then I heard Maria's voice."
"Maria performed surgery on you. She saved your life. When you heard her voice, it was probably when she came to check on your recovery."
"Was that you I heard before she came?"
Kendall blushed. "I was there. I'm afraid I lectured you for playing hero. Some bedside manner I have."
Zach smiled. "Most of what you said was gibberish. What did you say right before you left?"
Kendall swallowed. "I…um…I think I said I'd be back. I kept my word." She smiled tremulously. She couldn't bring herself to repeat her words of love from earlier. She'd already dumped a lot in his lap, he didn't need to be burdened with the depth of her feelings for him, especially if he didn't share them. Their relationship was growing, she didn't want to blow it by coming on strong. Zach needed to concentrate on his recovery. She was already starting to feel guilty for spilling her guts to him.
"Hey, hey…that better not be regret I see in those beautiful green eyes."
She smiled sheepishly. "I don't regret wanting to tell you the truth. But my timing sucks. You need rest, not stress, and I just piled a great deal of it on you."
Zach squeezed her hand. "Believe me, Kendall. I will rest a lot better now that I know the truth."
Kendall stood up and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. "Then rest! I will be back later." She waved and then walked out the door.
Zach rested his head against his pillow. So the declaration of love had been a dream. Ah well. It was still a wonderful feeling that she had finally told him the truth.
Maria walked in and beamed at him. "I see Kendall's tender loving care has woken you from your slumber."
Zach smiled. "I feel like a new man!"
Maria laughed. "You're lying. You feel like shit."
Zach chuckled. "Can't get anything past the doctor. So what's the verdict, Doctor Grey?"
Maria bit her lip. "You're not going to like it…"
"Come on, come on, don't drag it out."
Maria sighed. She explained about where the bullets entered Zach's body, and the injuries he sustained. "Surgery solved most of the problems, the rest is just in the healing. With these types of injuries, it is a slow process, and requires that no stress be put on them at all. In other words, you will have to be on complete bed rest for the next three weeks."
"Three… I'm supposed to stay in bed for three weeks?"
She nodded. "Longer if you push too hard before you're fully healed."
He shook his head. "I can't do that. There's no way, I'd go nuts."
Maria gave him a pamphlet. "Here is a little blurb that is meant to reassure you that bedrest doesn't have to be a prison sentence. We also have people you can talk to…" Zach gave her a mutinous look, so she leaned over him. "Let me put it this way, Zach. If you don't follow orders, you could still die from your injuries. So if you break the rules, that means you're saying you don't have anything to live for. Is that a true statement?"
He rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. She nodded her satisfaction.
