Kendall roused slowly from the effects of the sedative she had received. Before opening her eyes she was conscious of a whispered but heated conversation going on between her mother and her sister. Although she was still feeling groggy, she decided to pretend she was asleep in the hopes of hearing why her mother had decided it was necessary to sedate her in the first place.
"Mom! What are you doing?" Bianca whispered urgently. "The doctors said that Kendall would not react well to change. She's having a hard enough time without losing him."
"His negative influence on Kendall just could not be tolerated. Besides, you said yourself that she fought him at every turn. I merely took care of an obstacle to your sister's recovery," Erica answered quietly. "You should be thanking me, Bianca. This is good news."
Bianca replied testily, "I don't think it is, Mom. Kendall has never been a meek and obedient person, with Zach she acted like herself – obstinate and passionate. I miss my sister."
"Zach brings out your sister's worst traits. I'm sure if she could speak for herself she would tell you she fought him so hard because she couldn't stand him," Erica replied. "It was no secret that she married him because she didn't even like him… his presence must have driven her crazy. All that talk about not leaving unless she told him to was getting very old. Since your sister can't communicate, she was telling him in the only way she knew how."
Telling him what, Mother? What did you tell Zach about me that made him leave? Kendall wondered as she tried to view her mother and sister through the veil of her eyelashes.
"Okay. I agree that they had some pretty interesting arguments… but the therapists all agreed that he was helping her. What if this causes a relapse? What if she quits fighting for herself?" Bianca asked her mother.
"Kendall shouldn't have to fight… and I am going to insist that you quit fighting her as well. I'm stopping all therapy for a while to give her time to recover. All of you have been pushing her too hard and what she needs is rest," Erica said sternly. "You can visit with her, of course, but there will be no more pushing her to speak or exercise. She has been through enough. What she needs now is our love and understanding."
"Mom, I can give Kendall love and understanding and still expect her to fight to get her life back. The doctors said that getting therapy right away is her only hope for a complete recovery. A delay could mean that she'd spend the rest of her life a cripple. Is that what you really want for her? Is it, Mom?" Bianca said with renewed urgency.
"I love your sister, and I don't like the tone of your voice. You can't seriously believe that I would do anything to keep her from recovering? That's something Zach Slater would say… if you're going to talk like that maybe you shouldn't be here right now. Perhaps you should go back to Miranda and not return until you have calmed down. I know what my daughter needs, Bianca, just like I knew what you needed when you were in a coma. Please don't question me like this. We should be banding together for your sister, not arguing about her treatment," Erica said firmly.
Bianca sighed, "I know you love Kendall, Mom… I'm just not sure that you know what is best for her right now. Sometimes I feel like you want her to stay dependent on you… and I miss her. Even though Miranda and I were in Paris, we talked all the time. It's been so long since I've been able to talk to her…"
Kendall stirred in the bed, I miss talking to you, too, Binks. And I want to see Miranda. When are you going to bring Miranda to visit me?
Erica glanced over at Kendall. When she did not move again, Erica reached out a hand and laid it on Bianca's arm, "I know, darling. I miss her terribly… but right now we should be celebrating. We finally have that awful man out of Kendall's life and he won't be interfering any longer. Once your sister has rested and regained her strength, then we'll help her learn to talk again. I'm sure that she'll be back to herself in record time!"
"Okay, Mom… but what are you going to tell her about Zach? You have to tell her something. She'll be confused if he just disappears," Bianca said with a sigh.
"I plan to tell her the truth. He is busy concentrating on running those casinos and doesn't have time to stay with her. Since they filed for divorce, he won't be coming around any longer," Erica said easily.
"And you know that's not the whole truth, Mom. In fact… you don't know why Zach did what he did… and you never even asked him. Aren't you the least bit curious?" Bianca asked.
BIANCA! WHAT did Zach do? Kendall found herself shouting in her mind. It was taking more and more control to pretend she was sleeping, but she knew that the conversation would cease immediately if she opened her eyes… she had to stay patient and hope to hear something that made sense.
"No. I'm not curious about anything that Zach Slater does. He used my daughter Kendall to get his casinos operational and then for some twisted reason decided to throw his weight around here at the hospital. Your sister made her wishes perfectly clear when she signed those divorce papers, yet he completely disregarded them. I don't care why he did it… I only care that he is punished for what he did. And your Uncle Jack will make sure of that," Erica said. She glanced over at her sleeping elder daughter and then at the clock above the bed before remarking, "I'm going to check on your sister's dinner, you sit with her in case she wakes up while I'm gone."
"Okay, Mom. I'll be right here," Bianca answered as she moved to the chair closest to Kendall's bed.
"Oh… and Bianca… not a word to Kendall about what we discussed. The less she hears that name the better. I'll explain everything when the time is right," Erica said sternly.
"But… Mom… what if she asks… oh, never mind," Bianca sighed.
"Thank you, Bianca," Erica said as she lightly embraced her younger daughter and then left the room.
Although Erica had left the room, Kendall continued feigning sleep while she pondered what she had heard. What do they think Zach did? What divorce? Did I make him so mad that he filed for divorce? He told me that he would never divorce me… that it was my decision. He wouldn't have done that without talking to me… I know Zach. He doesn't break his promises.
Kendall decided that it was time to wake up. She might be able to get some information out of Bianca while Erica wasn't in the room. Nothing made sense to her. Even though she had no memory of the days before her accident, she didn't believe that she had decided to divorce him. She remembered enjoying his friendship and wondering what things might be like if they became intimate… but had no recollection of even considering ending the marriage. She opened her eyes and reached out her left hand toward her sister.
"Hey, there," Bianca said softly. "Welcome back… you've been sleeping for a while. Mom said you were upset and the nurse had to give you something to calm down. Are you feeling better now?"
Kendall nodded her head as Bianca rose and helped her into a seated position. After making sure that Kendall was comfortable, Bianca gave her a kiss on the cheek and resumed her seat. Kendall once again reached out with her left hand and pointed to the white board that was lying on a table out of reach.
Bianca looked from her sister to the board and back again before asking, "You want your board and markers, Kendall? I thought you hated them."
Kendall responded by stretching her arm farther toward the white board and nodding her head. Please, Bianca. Let me try to write.
Bianca picked up the white board and handed it to her sister, "Do you want any help?"
Kendall shook her head and placed the board on the tray table beside the bed. She used her left hand to help place her right hand and arm in position to anchor the board in place and then picked up the marker with her left hand. She lifted the marker to her lips and removed the cap before letting it drop to her lap. She then used all of her concentration to make a large but unsteady "Z" on the board. When she finished she sighed with relief at the accomplishment.
"Zee… ach?" Bianca asked. At Kendall's nod she dropped her eyes before answering, "Zach's gone, Kendall. He has to run your casinos."
Kendall shook her head vigorously and jabbed at the whiteboard with her left index finger.
"I'm sorry, Kendall. But that's all I know," Bianca said softly, averting her eyes from the pain and confusion in Kendall's.
As she started to cry, Kendall picked up the whiteboard with her left hand and threw it across the room before lying back against the pillows and giving herself over to the sobs that had been threatening since she had overheard her mother and sister discussing Zach. When Erica re-entered the room, she found Bianca desperately attempting to console her sister. She immediately crossed the room and sat on the bed to pull Kendall into her embrace.
"Go, Bianca. I'll take care of your sister. You can visit her tomorrow," Erica said quietly as she rubbed Kendall's back and made the same soothing noises that she would have made to ease Miranda past a momentary hurt.
"Are you sure, Mom? Myrtle's not expecting me for a while… and she won't be too happy if she loses out on time with Miranda," Bianca said. "I can stay and help with Kendall's dinner while you and Uncle Jack sort things out."
"Everything is sorted out, Bianca. You go spend some time with Myrtle and I'll take care of Kendall. It's going to be fine, she's just a little agitated today. It's to be expected as hard as she was being pushed," Erica said with a smile. "But I'm here to handle everything now and she'll be much better tomorrow."
While Erica and Bianca spoke, Kendall had been trying to pull herself from her mother's arms and shaking her head. I don't want you, Mother. I want Bianca… and Zach…go away Mother.
After Bianca left the room, Erica concentrated on Kendall. She ran her hand over her daughter's back in a circular motion cooing, "There, there, sweetheart. It's going to be all right. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here and take care of you."