A/N: Thanks again for all the support. I am so happy that you guys are enjoying my story. Please continue to R&R!
As much as Derek longed to divulge in an extremely long shower and sleep in a warm bed, he couldn't. Nagging guilt was betraying his self righteous need for solitude. He knew that he should have been at the hospital hours ago. Conversely he found something more appealing than cold hospitals and raunchy stares. Now he was stuck in an awkward position, faced with the possibility of finding Ivy alone. Alone was typically the circumstances he liked to see Ivy, but now things were uncomfortable. How could he face her? What would he say? He couldn't merely show up and badger the scorned woman about her choices. He didn't need to ask her why she chose to do the things she did. He already knew the answers to that. She was exactly like him, and her art meant the world to her. So much so, that if she couldn't get what she felt she deserved, she would deteriorate. Profound contemplation between the supermarket, where he brought the flowers he cradled, and the hospital waiting room led him to believe that his actions were the cause of her downfall.
Now Derek paced back and forth in front of the reception desk, waiting for the young woman to buzz him through. Visiting hours were over, and the hospital staff was very particular about the people they allowed access. Derek wasn't a lunatic, which infuriated him. Why would she make him wait ten minutes?
"Sir you can go in now." She smiled pleasantly and released the lock on the door.
"Thank You" Derek strutted through the doors over confidently.
When he got to Ivy's room she was sleeping peacefully. Tom and Sam were sitting on the bedside.
"What took you so long? She asked about you." Tom hissed in a whisper.
"Uh yeah, got tied up after the show. How is she?" Derek opted not to adhere to Tom's harsh tone.
"They pumped her stomach, and fortunately, there is no permanent damage. They are going to put her on a 72-hour psych hold, and then release her. Hopefully we can find a treatment program by then."
Derek couldn't take his eyes off of Ivy. He felt remorse tossing in the pit of his stomach. When Ivy lay there sleeping she seemed so innocent and sweet. She wasn't calculating and manipulative for that moment. Derek knew that he had taken a cracked woman and shattered her with his womanizing and dictating demeanor. Never did he imagine frolicking with the talent could have such an adverse affect on a production. He sat back and made himself comfortable. Tom and Sam didn't say much, they just huddled under a spare hospital blanket and watched Ivy's chest rise and fall. Derek resolved in the silence and drifted off.
He awoke before anyone else and decided to head back to the hotel before rehearsal.
"Derek?" Ivy called his name in a raspy soft tone.
He turned towards her and smirked a bit. He walk to her bedside and kissed her on the forehead.
"I'll see you later." He stood up and walked out of the room.
It took Derek two hours to shower, change and make his way to the theater. He stopped to grab Starbuck's on the way, but the line was hardly worth the wait. He hated being late, so he skipped it entirely. Turns out he could have grabbed a coffee and breakfast because the theater was empty. Derek took his phone out of his pocket to check the time. 8:50 am. Someone should have been there by now, rehearsal started at 9:00 am. That's when he realized he missed a message. Turns out Eileen postponed the run-through by two hours in light of the current situation. Perfect, bloody perfect. He rubbed his hands through his head and exhaled forcefully. How could he direct a production without anyone? Was he to do a one man show; directed by, written by and starring, Derek Wills? That was preposterous. He picked up his phone to call Eileen, but the door to the theater open and he figured it was her.
"Sorry I am late. I turned my phone. My alarm didn't go off and I over slept." Karen smiled as she walked towards Derek.
"Don't be sorry, be on time Ms. Cartwright." Derek smiled teasing the young woman.
"Where is everyone?" she inquired laying her bag in the seat behind Derek. She was beautiful even in rehearsal gear.
"Turns out, you and I are the only people that chose not to check our messages. Rehearsals been postponed a couple of hours. You care to grab breakfast?" Derek wasn't sure if she would agree. But it was the gentlemen thing to do. Besides after last night, Karen couldn't be too shy.
"Sure. What do you want me to get you? Starbucks is just around the corner." She was being intuitive.
Derek took a second to take in how pretty she was. Her fresh morning face, and pearly white smile were some of his favorite features on the young woman; along with her sexy slim physique and plump behind. He loved when she came to rehearsal in her tight black dance pants, black tank and a sports bra as she did today. Even more so he liked when she appeared to have no make-up on and he could really see Karen. The thought of touching her exhilarated him.
"I don't need you to fetch my meal. Let's go to breakfast, together." He smiled at the young woman. He was well aware of how much he intimidated her."Shall we?" he asked British accent heavy, as he intertwined his arm with hers.
They made their way down the street to a small cozy diner that Derek had seen on the way to the theater. The décor was simplistic and charming. Memorabilia of Boston hung on the wall. The diner was almost full, which was surprising for a weekday. Once they were seated Derek took out his phone and realized that he had a message from none other than Ivy.
I miss you. Hope you come back later. –Ivy-
Derek smirked a bit, and then turned off his phone. He wasn't to be bother with Ivy's antics any longer.
"Well well well, Ms. Cartwright seems as though you are dodging the watch dog." Derek teased her and folded his arms across his chest.
"I don't know what you mean." Karen held her head down starring at her menu, trying to be oblivious to his tone.
"You always check you messages. Suddenly, you have Dev troubles, and you are missing things. Obviously you turned your phone off so he would stop calling. So I take it you didn't make up?" Derek began to study his menu as well.
"Wait a minute, I thought it didn't matter…..Art isn't therapy." Her eyes were big and bright, she was clearly caught off guard by his question.
"We're not in the theater right now." Derek retorted.
"You're still my director." She sat her menu down more intrigued with the conversation. This excited Derek.
"True. But right now you can think about me as your friend." He smiled devilishly knowing that she would contest his proposition.
"Friends, you and I? Ha! I'm not sure if you are capable of having female friends Derek." Suddenly he wondered if she was right.
"What do you call Julia?"
"Married." She responded.
"That has stopped me before. Eileen?"
"She's your boss" she rolled her eyes as his last remark.
"I resent your sentiments Ms. Cartwright. I have been nothing but a complete gentleman to you. Albeit I may have gotten out of line, I apologized for that."
"Sure Derek. You have behaved recently, despite screaming my head off in rehearsals." She was honest, sometimes he could be completely ruthless in rehearsals.
"We're not in rehearsals right now. I am just Derek. When we go back, I'll be the dark lord, as your clever ensemble friends would say." He laughed on the inside, she had no idea he knew about that, and it showed.
"To answer your question, we haven't and we won't. I am moving when I get back." She spoke directly.
"Really? For some reason I see you as the try to make a bad thing work type. You'll be better off."
They were interrupted by the young woman taking their order. She left quickly and Derek sat back in his chair avoiding conversation by taking out his PDA. He had too many devices, some like the PDA, which he never used. But it made him appear busy when he didn't want to talk about something.
"Did you check on Ivy?" Karen broke the tension he was felling internally. Too bad she asked the one question he was dreading. He knew that regardless of the attention he devoted to Karen, she would find a way to bring it back to Ivy. Quite frankly he didn't know why he was such a spazz about it. Everyone was aware of his relationship with Ivy, but he wished Karen wasn't.
"Uh yeah, turns out she'll be fine. She should be out of the hospital in a few days." Derek was glad that his food arrived; hopefully this would lighten the conversation.
"So, friend, are you guys going to see if Rebecca is coming back? Or are you searching the night sky for another star." She mused. Derek was impressed; it wasn't often that Karen took the lead in a conversation.
"I don't know what Eileen is planning. But you were far too good, to think about bringing Rebecca Duvall back." Derek began to eat his food and study Karen as she did the same.
"You thought I was good?" Karen genuinely looked surprised.
"Of course I did. You were brilliant. But don't pretend that you didn't know that." He tried to prevent any fawning by ending the notion. "You have to know that you're good, before anyone else will. Now if I could get you to bring whatever it is you were doing last night to the stage, we'd sell out every night." He teased.
"I knew it wouldn't be long before you brought that up. Sorry." She looked embarrassed as she spoke.
"If I were you, I would have invited me up too." He chuckled. Derek felt comfortable with Karen, he could relax and show his true colors. He noticed the slight regret in her eyes. "Don't worry about it darling, I would never do anything to harm you."
"Thanks Derek."
"For?" he questioned.
"For everything, for believing in me, for being my friend, and for breakfast." She smiled, she was so beautiful to him.
"I'm paying for breakfast? You're the one who is going to be a Broadway star." He replied.
"Maybe, but right now I live on a waitress salary, and my oh so wealthy director will pay." She was feisty. Derek had never seen such an animated Karen, well maybe when they worked on Touch Me, but this was different.
"What makes you think I am wealthy?" He was, but it didn't hurt to hear her opinion.
"Well it wouldn't be the way you dressed." She stated giving him a once over.
"What's wrong with the way I dress." He was surprised.
"Nothing if you are sixty. " she laughed for the first time all morning. She continued"Derek your dad is a famous musician/director. And you are a renowned director/choreographer. You have no shortage of cash."
"Okay then." Derek sat the money for breakfast on the table. "We better get back to the theater. We wouldn't want any rumors surrounding our young Marilyn. Otherwise I will be forced to tell them how you tried to shag me last night."
"You're a jerk." Karen laughed.
They walked back to the theater just in time for Julia and Eileen to spot them walking in. Derek felt the pit of his stomach flip. He wasn't afraid, nor did he owe anyone an explanation. But that would stop them from asking.
Does Derek seem to show early signs of being conflicted? Please review, and let me know what you think.