As soon as Karen fell asleep her alarm began to go off. She tried to ignore it, but her alarm clock was a very consistent nagger. Karen knew she had a hang over from the party, and her head ache was plenty of proof. She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as possible. But the alarm continued in a monotone pattern. Beep beep beep. It didn't sound like her usual alarm. It probably was one of her friends. Karen started to get more than agitated. She slowly opened her eyes. The room was blurry at first and very bright. She wondered what the lights were doing on. The light was intense. Karen was petrified as she began to decipher where she was. The loud monotone beeping wasn't an alarm. It was a monitor, a hospital monitor. Karen was in dismay. How did she get in a hospital. She couldn't have drunk that much. Could she? She felt the room begin to spin a bit as she lifted her head.
"What happened" the words seemed exasperated as they fell from her mouth. She was exhausted, and astonished at the predicament she was in. Her throat was dry.
"Karen!, shhhh...don't talk I will get the doctor, try to stay calm love." Derek, was the only person in the room. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days.
"Ok" Karen barely made out.
She looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, and began to nod off.
"Karen, I am Dr. Hartman, I am going to check your vitals." The large and rather gentle doctor said. His look and tone contradicted each other. He looked as if he belonged in a biker gang. He had a shaggy brown beard and bald head with a skull tattoo on his arm. But he was gentle and caring as he studied Karen.
"What happened to me?" Karen asked. She was now fully aware of her surroundings. She felt the brace on her neck and began to freak out a bit.
"Karen," Derek began but trailed off. He didn't exactly know how to tell her the information. "We'll talk about it in a moment, darling".
The fact that Derek didn't tell her alarmed her even more. He seemed so upset about something. He had large dark circled under his eyes. He looked as if he hadn't slept in a week. Karen wondered if something horrible happened at the party, but she couldn't remember.
"I am going to get the neurologist. But it seems like she is doing pretty good." The doctor continued to study Karen and her neurological responses. He asked her name, the year, and the color of a few inanimate objects.
Before she knew it, Karen had fallen asleep again. But when she awoke this time she knew she was in the hospital. She opened her eyes, to meet the faces of people who were full of worry and anticipation. Bobby, Sue, Dennis, Jessica and Julia were sitting in chairs that surrounded the room. Karen's mother was holding her hand, and her father was in the hall with the biker doctor.
"Mom, what's going on" Karen said as she struggled to pull her self up.
"Oh Karen! Honey you are up...Roger!" She called as the tears began to run down her rose bitten cheeks. She noticed her daughter trying to sit up and raised the head of her bed a few inches.
The room began to fill with faces of relief.
"Karen we are so glad you are ok. We were so worried" Julia said as she stood up near the bed.
"Oh Sweetie, you scared us death. How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?" Roger said in a frantic joy.
"Some water would be nice." Her throat sounded a little scratchy. "Why am I in the hospital?"
"Karen... you were hit by a car." Her mother spoke softly as she held Karens hand.
"What... when? I don't remember" Karen was upset and scared. No matter how she tried to remember, she couldn't.
"After your fist preview dear. You were on your way to the bar with your friends." Her mother stopped trying to find the appropriate way to tell her daughter the horrible story. She continued. "You were crossing the street when you were hit by a car. A car driven by a young man named Ellis." Karen looked as her mother with widen eyes of disbelief.
"Ellis hit me with a car?!" Karens voice was loud in the small hotel room.
"Yes Karen. He's been arrested, but he intentionally hit you with a car he we thought we lost you." Her mother continued to cry.
"We are so glad you are ok." Bobby said from the chair he was seated in.
"Am I ok?" Karen was crying. She was so confused. Had she been dreaming this whole time about life after the preview. It couldn't be true. She had to be dreaming now. "This is crazy..." she continued to cry out of frustration and confusion. "What about Bombshell, what happened to Bombshell." Karen remembered her beloved musical above all else.
"Don't worry about the show hun, we'll have plenty of time for that" Jessica said to her friend.
"Well it seems as if you slammed your head pretty hard, which caused you to be in a coma for two days." Roger Cartwright stated as he came in the water. "But thank the Lord, it seems like that is the only injury you suffered, besides a few bruises ." he held her head lovingly and she sipped through the straw.
"I can't believe it. Ellis tried to kill me." Karen said in utter incredulity.
"Just thank the lord he wasn't successful. We would be lost without you." her mom said wiping her tears and smiling at her daughter.
"We are going to leave now Karen, we will be back tomorrow." Dennis said quietly trying not to interrupt. He leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. The rest of her friends followed suit kissing her on the forehead and speaking soft words of encouragement in her ear.
"You really have nice friends" Karen's mother stated as the group left. "Especially that handsome director." Her mother smiled at Karen with anticipation.
"Derek was here." Karen asked confused. She smiled on the inside thinking of the dreams that were so real in her head. How nice he had been. How she had fallen for him.
"He stayed in this room until you woke up this morning. I don't think the poor guy slept a wink. He just sat here waiting." Karen's dad added in.
"Really?" Karen was delighted at the fact that Derek was in her room, and not to sleep with her.
"Yes, he missed the show and everything. He had us flown into Boston as soon as he could." her mother stated.
"Derek, my director? This really has to be a dream." Karen replied to them.
"No honey,we are sure this is reality. He was really nice. He stayed in your room while they treated him for his broken arm. He didn't want you to be alone. He also told us you may have had some issues with Dev." Karens mother was letting her daughter know that she wouldn't have to answer a ton of questions.
"What happened to his arm? Did Ellis hit him too" Karen asked sounding concerned.
"He broke it trying to shield you from the car." Her mother replied.
Karens head was hurting as she tried to process all the information. It must have shown on her face.
"Were going to let you get some rest dear. The doctor said they want to keep you overnight to observe you, and you may be going home tomorrow." Roger said. They both kissed her on the forehead. "We'll be back in a little while honey."
Karen watched as her parents left the room. She couldn't believe the information she just obtained. Her life was a dream for the past few days. Everything seemed so real. But then again everything about her dream was outrageous and completely out of character. She shook her head. She had no Idea that Ellis would ever try something so crazy. She was a victim to his scheme. And her one shot at broadway stardom was destroyed after one amazing preview. Shee cried as she thought about everything. She felt anger take over her emotions. Now Ivy was playing Marilyn. And Karen was fighting for he life in a hospital bed. Karen closed her eyes. She was overwhelmed and decided to fall asleep.
"Dad, is that you" Karen said before she opened her eyes. She felt a familiar hand holding hers.
"Not quite love." The charming and deeply seductive british voiced hummed in her ear.
Karen's eyes flew open. "Derek, what are you doing here?" Karen was shocked.
"I came to check on you, but when I seen you sleeping, I didn't want to wake you. So here I am" Derek explained. Although he seemed different as he spoke. Not different from Karens dream illusion; but different from his usual tyrannical self.
"Thank you. For everything. My mom told me how nice you had been these past few days." Karen looked up at Derek.
"Seems as though you're one of those medical mysteries. You completely free of injuries. The doctors said you going home tomorrow."He said trying to ignore Karens comments.
"What about the show?" Karen asked. She knew that Ivy probably nailed the role. But she didn't want to got back into the ensemble.
"Darling, I don't know about the show. You were phenomenal. And as soon as I find out anything, I will let you know." Derek eyes registered a look of care.
"Thank you Derek." She said with a lost for words.
"Why did you come, I don't understand you have so much riding on this show." Karen knew that Derek was a workaholic.
"Well Karen, it's not a simple as I would like it to be. I don't know why I am here. I hate hospitals. I lost my mum when I was fifteen to a car accident. I felt like I could have saved her if I was there. " Derek's words were different. "Maybe I am trying to make up now. I know I am a heartless director, Dark Lord I think is the term, but that is just a persona, I do care about my performers, when it really matters" Derek was still holding Karens hand. It felt warm and gentle to her.
Karen smiled a bright and sleepy smile
"I am needed at the preview tonight, I can't miss too many because you bumped your head." Derek gave a little chuckle, and then leaned over and kissed Karen on the head.
"Bye" Karen gave a little wave as he left the room. She felt like a giddy school girl. As much as she wanted to forget about her dream she couldn't. She really liked Derek. She just wished that he felt the same. Maybe he did, he was in the hospital for a few days to look after Karen.
Karens parents returned to the a few hours after Derek left. They wanted to give their daughter plenty of time to rest. Resting wasn't really possible in a hospital. Nurses and doctors were constantly in and out of the room prodding at Karen. She was the talk of the hospital, a medical anomaly. No she didn't have a foot growing in her brain. But it was miraculous how she survived being hit at full speed by a car, and suffered no permanent damage, not even a broken bone.
"I bet you're hungry my dear girl" Roger Cartwright said to her.
"We brought Chinese food." Her mom said coming to sit down by her daughter.
"Thanks, I am pretty hungry. But, can I even eat." Karen really was concerned about her ability to do normal everyday things. She felt s if her life would be different for ever. She feared it would be for the worse.
"Of course you can dear. You will be completely fine. After you eat you can try to walk if you want. The doctor said you will feel a little wobbly since you've been in the bed for the past three days." her father said as he slid an eating tray over her.
"I am just so lost. I've been having dreams about life after the show. They seemed so real. I am trying to differentiate between reality and my dreams.' Karen said as she set all the way up on the bed.
"The doctors said the pain medication they gave you could have that effect. When they were performing their scans and what not, they notice very vivid brain activity. Which is what gave us so much hope you would come around." Karens mother explained.
"Dr. Hartman stopped by to let me know I can go home tomorrow. I can't wait to get out of here and get real rest." Karen said before she took a bite of fried rice. It was one of her favorites, when she wasn't watching her weight.
"Yes dear, before you know it we will be off the plane, and in Iowa. We can try to forget this ever happened." Karens mom said calmly, but the message in her words were screaming at Karen.
'I'm not going back to Iowa mom." Karen said matter-of-factly. She didn't want to disrespect her parents.
"Honey we knew you would say that. But your mother and I think that is best for you. Maybe you can come back to New York to visit. But you belong at home with us. This type of stuff doesn't happen in Iowa." Roger said in between bites.
"No dad you're right, this stuff doesn't happen in Iowa, people just blow up buildings with homemade bombs, and kill their wives." Karens word were sarcastic and hung in the air with anger.
"We don't want to harm you dear. We just want you safe. You can come home and get a job, maybe look at a few dance academies you could teach at." her mother replied
"No! I am not going back. I came to New York to chase a dream. And I am so close to catching it. I can't leave now. I won't leave now." Karen was loud, so loud that her father got up and shut the door.
"Karen you are being ridiculous. You belong at home where we can protect you." Rogers voice was demanding.
"I appreciate your concern, but tomorrow, I will not be on a plane to Iowa, I will be in my hotel room resting, waiting to get back to work. I love you guys, but I am an adult. And I am not coming back to Iowa, ever. I may visit, but I have to start making things happen for me. " Karen gazed at both of her parents lovingly. She wanted them to understand her words.
"Well then, I guess that's that" Her mother said crying a bit.
"We love you Karen." Her dad leaned in and kissed her.
"We've got to get going, we have a early flight in the morning" Her mom said.
"Alright, thank you for everything guys", Karen said as her parents left the room.
She was extremely upset with her parents. She couldn't believe that they started this argument with her, and then just left. And now she sat in an empty hospital room filled with the sounds machines and her devastation. She couldn't believe that she was this close to becoming a broadway star just to have it snatched away by Ellis. And as much as she didn't want to she knew Ivy had something to do with it.
Karens phone alerted her that she had a message. Can't wait till you come back to the show, we love you Iowa! Get some rest and we will be there in the morning! It was from her friends in the ensemble They sent a picture of everyone after the show. Karen smiled. She was happy they were thinking about her. But as a tear slowly fell from the corner of her eye she realized how much she wanted to be there. How much she wanted to be with them.
Karen was in a state of confusion for most of the night. She wondered what came next in her life. What was going to happen to her career, her home and her relationship. She knew she couldn't possibly afford to stay in her apartment without Dev, but she rather be evicted than stay one more day with him. He hadn't even come to the hospital to see her. Karen even sent him a text earlier in the day. But he didn't respond. Karen thought he would show up with an elaborate apology and loving gifts in her time of need. But he wasn't there for her. Surprisingly the one person that was there for her was Derek. In reality he was the last person Karen would have ever expected him to be there for her. She would've expected Ivy before Derek.
Karen decided that she would try to go to sleep before she was hit with the real world upon her departure. But just as she closed her eyes she heard a soft knock on her door.
"I am not going back Iowa mom" she stated without turning to the door.
"Darling, am I really that old that you mistake me for your parents?" Derek said as he flashed a smile from the door. He was wearing his trench coat, which looked even more like a cape draped over his cast.
"Derek" she said in surprise. "I didnt expect to see you again. I thought for sure you'd be out celebrating with Ivy." Karen realized how jealous the words sounded leaving her mouth.
"I came to talk to you about the show actually. I know your mum said she wanted you back in Iowa." He sat down in the chair by the bed. The same chair he was sitting in when Karen awoke.
"Yea, she discussed that with me." Karen said as she turned over to face Derek.
"Well, you can't go, I need you. I-I- mean the show needs you." Derek corrected himself.
"I am sure you can find another ensemble member" Karen said. She wasn't contemplating going back to Iowa, but she thought it couldn't hurt if he thought she was.
"Yes I can love. but finding another Marilyn might prove more challenging." He smiled that sly smile that he always gave to her when he was up to no good.
"What are you saying Mr. Wills." Karen asked hesitantly. "What about Ivy?" she continued.
"Ivy was good, better than good. But she wasn't you. You were amazing, and every one noticed the difference. Even a critic who attended both performances commented saying 'she looked just like Marilyn, but she was Marilyn.' You darling were Marilyn." Derek stated smugly.
"Wow, thanks, I don't know what to say. What about Tom, Julia and Eileen."
"They feel the same way. However we are going to have Ivy complete the last two weeks in Boston. Can't afford to keep changing Marilyn's. When we get back to New York, you'll bein for a lot of changes. Are you up for that? Oh and we expect you to stay in Boston. You can work with me on the show, why you recuperate." Derek was standing up now.
"Yes, I am, I was never leaving." Karen said with a smile.
"I know you weren't, you're too good to quit. And too nice" Derek smiled and kissed Karen on the forehead.
He was gone as quick as he came. The thought of his presence made Karen quiver. She really liked Derek. This was sure to add an interesting curve to her life. Having a crush on her womanizing director would surely present a challenge.