Chapter 4

Ricky walked into the quiet apartment alone. He looked all around the living room and thought that it looked different somehow. Even though the room was filled with furniture, it seemed empty to him. There weren't any lights left on for him and there wasn't Lucy coming to the door to greet him. He sat on the couch, not wanting to face the empty bed in their room.

Ricky sat and stared off into space. He kept replaying the events from the whole week. He couldn't figure out how he got to this place and yet, he knew exactly how he got here. He thought he was harmlessly teasing Lucy about her weight and her strong desire to be in show business got them both to this moment. Letting out a long sigh, he went into their bedroom and started to get ready for bed, not that he was going to be getting a lot of sleep tonight.

After getting his pajamas on and walking out of the bathroom, he looked over to the side that Lucy always slept on. When he would come home from the club late at night, she was always there. Whether she was sound asleep or waiting up for him, she was always there, but she wasn't there now. She was laying in a hospital bed tonight instead of laying with him.

Climbing into bed, he put his head on his pillow and just continued to stare at her side. He imagined seeing her stare right back at him, smiling and reaching out to brush the hair out of his face. He would take her hand and plant kisses on her hand and wrist. After doing that, he would...

"What am I doin'?" thought Ricky, out loud and sitting up in bed.

Putting his head back down, he grabbed Lucy's pillow and wrapped his arms around it. He buried his nose and took a long inhale of the scent. It smelled just like his wife's perfume and he knew that this would help him sleep tonight. Closing his eyes, he tried to will himself to sleep. Unfortunately, his brain had no intention of letting him.

Ricky kept replaying everything in his mind.

"Why can't I be in the show, Ricky?" Lucy's voice echoed.

"Well, you're...you're too fat!" said Ricky, as his voice echoed, as well.

"They call me Cuban Pete, I'm the King of the Rumba Beat..."

"They call me Sally Sweet, I'm the Queen of Delancey Street..."

Ricky kept seeing Lucy passed out on the hallway floor of the Tropicana and watch her being put on the stretcher.

"Ricky..."

"Honey, dun't worry. Everythin's gonna be fine. I'm right here."

He began to toss and turn, as the voices in his dreams became louder and louder.

He started to dream events that didn't even happen, but that were scary to even think about.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ricardo, but we did everything for her. I'm afraid she didn't make it," echoed Dr. Jones' voice.

"No!" shouted Ricky, as he popped up in bed. He was covered in sweat and his heart was beating faster than it ever has. He sat up and held Lucy's pillow in his arms. Putting his face into it, his body started to shake as he sobbed as hard as he could.

As he started pulling himself together, the phone started to ring, which made him jump. His heart started to thump even more, knowing that whoever was on the other end of that line could possibly change his life forever.