How About a Cup of Coffee?
Chapter 12 A*
"I need a paramedic!"
"Get her an ambulance!"
"NO! Would you be quiet! She just needs to rest!"
Soft. She had landed on something soft. The voices reverberated inside her head and she turned in her sleep uneasily, trying to shut them out.
***
The beads swayed precariously on the bodice of her dress, seconds before she herself went down. Miraculously, Darien was there to catch her, and catch her he did, before feeling a wave of protectiveness crash over him. Reason and logical thought kicked in seconds later and he stood, cradling her form in his arms and walked off the stage.
The lighting and special effects guy remembered to turn out the lights and pandemonium erupted as the convention center was pitched into black. Loud strains of English clashing with Italian could be heard even behind the curtains, where the fallen model and her boss had taken refuge.
~*~
Rei, who had watched the whole thing from a wing on the stage, rushed over to Darien's side. "IS she okay? Is she all right?" The chatter from the people around her mad it impossible for Darien to reply. She turned her head to the side and opened her mouth wide, "QUIET!"
Dead silence.
"Okay people, I need the in house doctor, I need some cold water and towels from housekeeping across the street, I need a telephone and I need it NOW!"
The small mass of people stared at her blankly before rushing into action. She was turning back to Darien when the noise level started rise higher and higher, to precarious heights, and she yelled again, "AND KEEP IT QUIET!"
Silence again reined supreme and whispered conversations now overtook the room. A single glare from the dark-haired secretary shut them up to speechlessness.
"Now," Rei turned back to Darien, staring critically at him, "You should let us put her down somewhere so you can call Andrew and tell him what happened to Mina; he's going to be pissed. I should have made her eat something this morning, I knew it. I just knew it." She grabbed his arm and started to drag him down the hallway where the dressing rooms were; Mina's was the last one, the largest, and all the way at the end.
Halfway there, he started to protest. "No, no. No, Rei, you don't understand. She has to be seen by a private doctor."
She stared at him strangely. "The media is going to be all over your ass and you're worried about the credentials of her doctor? I give you credit. However, I don't care if you're feeling guilty or not—if the in-house is here first, that's who she gets seen by. She needs medical attention. End of story."
"Rei, you don't get it. The newspapers will eat this alive if they find out from some in-house doctor with a loose tongue."
"You know how I just said I didn't give you enough credit?" He nodded. "Well, I take it back. It would seem that you're being petty enough to only worry about what the media will think—much less Andrew and the people who love her. By the way, just what are you talking about? Models faint all the time. It happens."
"This isn't Mina."
"Really? No kidding!" She snapped. "Mina's still with Andrew, thousands of miles away." Darien held his breath and wondered if she was speaking figuratively or literally. Heedless, Rei continued, "Her mind and heart wasn't in this today—that's why she passed out. Well, that and a lack of nourishment and sleep."
He groaned and shifted Serena's weight, power-walking to keep up with Rei's furious pace. "No. This isn't Mina."
She stopped suddenly and put her right hand on his arm. "Yeah. I got that already. Maybe… maybe we should get you some medical attention."
"THIS IS SERENA!" He roared, shaking her hand off his arm.
And again, the malady of silence struck the crew behind the scenes. With Rei openmouthed and staring, the rest of the crew stock-still, he weakly added, "—'s first show… this is Serena's first show… and it's a shame she had to miss it." He turned to Rei. "Right, Rei?" Darien asked encouragingly.
"…Right…" She answered dazedly before snapping back into action, commanding people what to do, and yanking him inside the dressing room.
"Just WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING???!"
He gently placed Serena on the couch and turned to see 128 pounds of pissed off (former) temple priestess nearly on top of him. Darien sidestepped her and started to walk out. His hand was on the doorknob and his back was to her when he said, "Take care of her, Rei. You know who she is now. Don't tell anyone. I'll be back for her later."
And he walked out.
***
(Later…)
"Ohhh my god. Did I really faint on the runway?" Slowly, Serena sat up and pushed back so she could lean against the headboard.
"Yes, you certainly did."
She snatched the sheet from the bed and yanked it up to cover herself. And there, she had a front-row view to see Darien shields getting up off the couch—which was why she hadn't noticed him before—he was hidden from view.
Serena's face was—by degrees—going further and further into shock, and all that stumbled out was gibberish. He waited patiently until she regained her speech and was surprised by her first question.
"You saw that?"
Darien laughed. "You don't remember what happened? I was the one who—" He saw the look on her face and quickly went on. "I was watching you from the sides and I saw you start to wobble. I jumped over a makeup cart and Mr. Dior to catch you just before you kissed the catwalk. Rei waited with you when the doctors checked you out and I brought you back up to my room… they said not to leave you unsupervised in case something went wrong."
For the first time, Serena allowed her eyes to wander around the fine room and she realized the luxurious glow it seemed to give off—very different from Mina's—or at least what she had seen in Mina's during her 1 AM-stupor. When her eyes reached Darien, she realized he was waiting for her to speak.
"I… um… thank you for catching me. I don't even want to imagine what the press is doing with this, they must be having a field day, and—are those fresh roses?"
Darien wondered about her mental state right now, because she wasn't putting two sentences together. Actually, she wasn't even paying attention to him. Like a child in a trance, she gently tugged at the sheet so that it preserved her modesty, and started to wander around the room.
When she reached the magnificent crystal vase of 72 roses, she inhaled and nearly swooned at the scent. Gently pulling one out, so as to smell it better, her knees started to wobble. A memory—not her own; or was it?—slammed into her, and she felt herself falling—again—unable to stop.
Before she could blink, much less hit the ground, Darien was at her side, preventing her fall once more. While her eyes were screwed shut, a view of a man—tall, face hidden in the shadows, smelling and shrouded by roses—was calling to her.
Now, whether the scent of Darien did her in, or the fact that the rose she held was up between their bodies, engulfing them with its smell, they'd never know. But the name hit her like a sledgehammer and she cried out—"Endymion!"
Then her body went limp in his arms and he carried her back to the bed.
For a long time, Darien would sit by her side and wonder, (with a tinge of jealousy) who this "Endymion" was, and just what he did to deserve her.
As the sun finally set on what had been a physically and emotionally draining day for all parties, the last beams of sunlight filtered in on Darien's fingers… they were stroking the blonde tresses of Serena's hair.
***
(The next day, in America.)
"She fainted."
"What?"
Mina stared disbelievingly at the paper in her hands before meeting Andrew's green eyes. The headline screamed '!' She sank back against the headboard of their bed for support. How did this happen?
He leaned over and put an arm around her shoulder. "Meens. How long have we known Serena for? A long time, right?" She nodded. "Then you know she's not going down without a fight. She will win those people over until the only ting they can think of is her—not her past."
The blonde woman leaned into him and yielded, "It's not that I'm worried about my career," Andrew squeezed her lightly and she admitted, "—well, okay, just a little bit—but what if after everything we did, nothing happens between them? Like we did all of it for nothing."
Andrew shook his head and sat her down on the bed, leaning to look into her eyes. "Remember what I said about Serena's ability to win people over. Darien doesn't stand a chance." He walked around to his side, climbed in, and reached for her under the covers. She fit against him the way she always did; just right. One of his arms reached over and flicked out the light while Mina settled in his arms to get comfortable.
But oh, dear readers, if they only knew just how true his words were. Darien Shields didn't stand a chance against Serena Cohen. Not since she'd run into him seven years ago.
Literally.
***
We are having another break from school, and as a result, I won't be writing. I won't even be near a computer for the first 2 weeks in May, as a matter of fact, but that's an entirely different story. This is why I've posted such crucial updates now, instead of making you wait until May 15th. (kind of like April 15th, but… yeah.)
If you really do care, fill up my inbox with emails and web pages with reviews and the message board (http://pub64.ezboard.com/bseaofserenity/) with posts.
NEVER FEAR! CHAPTER 12 B IS HERE!