Sandpaper kisses, papercut bliss
Don't know what this is, but it all leads to this:
You're gonna leave her
You have deceived her
You're just a bird

The Weeknd - The Birds Part 2

"I really want chili cheese fries."

"That doesn't shock me. All you do is eat now."

Jill rolled her eyes at slight insult. "I resent that, Jade. I am eating for two, you know."

Jade smirked. "Well, you're only supposed to be eating three hundred more calories a day." She scanned the menu. "Yeah, the chili cheese fries have way more than three hundred."

Jill took a napkin off of the table, crumpled it, and threw it at Jade's face. "Let me be, woman."

The two women were at some random burger joint in West Hollywood.

"Okay, order your fries."

"Thank you." Jill put her menu down. "Beck comes home today, so we have to go back to work tomorrow."

Beck had been gone for the entire week. They didn't know where he went, but they had the week off, so it didn't matter.

Jade rolled her eyes. Hearing about Beck made her sick at times. "Great."

"I'm going to miss being at home all day. I've been getting a lot done on the baby front. The nursery is painted."

"You painted the nursery already?"

"It's grey. We don't want to know the sex of the baby."

"I'd hate the not knowing. The control freak in me would need to know so I could plan accordingly."

"I love surprises." Jill said. "And I just want to enjoy the ride, you know?"

"I understand your point. We're just different like that."

"That's probably why we love each other so much. You are the yin to my yang."

Jade smiled. If one good came out of working for Beck, it's that she met Jill, who was quickly becoming one of her best friends.

She inwardly frowned thinking about her friends. It reminded her that she hadn't spoken to Tori in a few weeks, which made her even sadder.

But Jade wasn't going to reach out. It wasn't her problem. Tori started it all by making it her personal mission to scold Jade for unfortunately being the woman Beck wanted. If anything, Tori owed her the apology, not the other way around.

Shaking that off, Jade smiled at Jill. "I like the sound of that."

.

.

"Well look at what the cat has dragged in." James teased as Beck entered his office. "My son returns."

"Good morning, dad." Beck greeted brightly. He sat down across from his dad in a big leather chair and sighed. It felt good to be back.

"Are you coming back to work today? You aren't dressed like the president. You of all people should know the dress code."

Beck was in a pair of dark blue jeans and his old USC t-shirt.

"Well I'm technically still on vacation. I am coming back officially tomorrow."

"How was vacation?" James asked. "Did you guys have a nice time?"

"Yeah, it was great actually. Getting out of Los Angeles for a few days was just what we needed. Of course Diana wanted to do everything, and I had to pull her off the ledge at times."

"How is she? Is her recovery going well?"

Beck nodded. "Yeah, really well. She has physical therapy three days a week though for her leg. And she gets headaches every once in a while, but other than that, she is making progress."

James smiled. "Well that's good to hear. That was a scary ordeal, wasn't it?"

"Yes. But let's not dwell on that, dad." Talking about your wife a almost dying is one of the quickest ways to ruin the mood.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's fine. Diana is doing better, and that's all I care about at the moment."

"Is she at home right now?"

"Yes, and she's already bored out of her mind. I told her she could call a car service is she wanted to leave, but I should probably get back home."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Beck pushed himself out of the chair. "See you tomorrow."

When he made it out of his dad's office, Beck's eyes swept across the office floor. While his time in Turks and Caicos was great, it felt good to be back at work. He missed the hustle and bustle that came along with being in the office.

But coming back to work also meant seeing Jade, which was a blessing and a curse. Yes, he loved Jade, but he was going to work on his marriage because he owed it to Diana, himself, and the vows they made in a church full of their friends and family.

Besides, he and Diana smiled more, laughed more, and had more fun than they'd had together in a long time. She was finally able to look him in the eye without wanting to snort in derision. He wasn't about to fuck that up.

"Well, look who's back in action." Jill smiled upon walking into Beck's office the next morning. "And you're sporting a tan."

"Good morning, Jill."

"How was your trip? Where did you go?"

"Turks and Caicos, and it was a much needed vacation. I didn't think about work, I took naps, I didn't care about anything stateside. But I had to return to reality."

"So, did you get me anything?"

Beck nodded. "You like cooking right?"

"I love it just as much as I love eating." Jill pointed to her stomach. "And this baby loves food."

Beck opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a bright turquoise book. "This is a cook book of some of the best foods the islands have to offer. You just can't eat the seafood."

Jill took the book out of Beck's hands."You're the best boss a girl could ask for. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Jill. I also shipped over a few bottles of rum. Does your fiancé drink?"

"Not really. He'll have a beer, but only during some sporting event."

"That's too bad. I'll find someone else to give them to."

"So I know you have that huge meeting coming up in," Jill checked her watch, "half an hour."

"Yes I do. My dad and I are trying to close that deal with the guys from ABC. We want to produce some of their new shows starting next fall. We'll be in charge of the writing, casting, producing, et cetera."

"Ambitious."

"You have to be in a town like this."

"Jade and I did a bit of recon on the guys so the board room is being set up to perfection. Brazilian coffee, Swiss chocolate, the best pastries from the most expensive bakeries in this city. Jade even managed to get a few Cuban cigars. One of the guys at ABC loves them, but only pull them out to celebrate if the meeting goes your way."

"How do you guys do this?"

"Because we're amazing. You guys would fall apart without us. We make your jobs easy. We are the oil in this well oiled machine."

"Well thank you."

"I'll leave you alone, so you can get yourself together. Good luck."

"Thank you. If this meeting goes well, this company is going to make a lot of money. And you know what that means?"

"I get a pay raise?"

"And a very generous end of the year bonus."

"Ugh, you are speaking right to soul when you say those words, handsome. I'll be right outside if you need anything."

"Thank you."

Jill walked out of the office, leaving Beck alone.

Beck leaned back in his seat. It felt good to be home.

.

.

"How do you think it's going?" Jade asked Jill.

"I'm not sure." Jill replied. She dug her hand into the candy bowl she kept on her desk and popped a handful of regular M&Ms into her mouth.

"It's been over ninety minutes."

Everyone know that when both Oliver men were in a meeting together, things were serious. And if things were good, things were good for everyone in the office, but if they were bad, things were awful.

"I think they're going to do well. The meeting a few weeks ago was good, but this one is going to be great." Jill said confidently.

"I hope you're right."

Even though Beck wasn't Jade's favorite person at the moment, she knew how much the company and its success meant to him. It meant a lot to her as well.

"How are you doing here?" Jill asked. "You know, with the whole Beck thing?"

Jade shrugged. "Eh. I'm just here to work and count down to the inevitable implosion of Beck's marriage. He'll realize his mistake eventually."

"And then what?"

"I don't know."

"He told me he loves you. He told me he's in love with you."

"Really?"

Jill nodded, pieces of her light brown hair moving in front of her face. She swiped them away instantly. "Yes."

"Well that just further proves my point. He's stupid. Or at least lacks basic common sense."

Jill squeezed Jade's shoulder affectionately. "I'm sorry this is so messed up."

"Not your fault." Jade stood up. "I'm going to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

Jade walked off down a long hallway. Moments after she left the door to the boardroom opened up, and out walked James, Beck, and the two other people they met with.

James gave everyone a firm handshake before waving them off. "It was really nice meeting with you all again."

"We'll come back whenever it's possible. The hospitality is impeccable." One of the men said.

"That coffee? Amazing. And don't get me started on the cigars. My wife would kill me if he knew I smoked them, but what she doesn't know won't hurt."

"Don't thank me." Beck pointed to Jill. "That's all her. And my assistant, Jade."

"You've got a good team surrounding you." The man stuck out his hand for Beck to shake. "My lawyers will be in contact soon to set up the contracts."

Beck smiled. "Excellent sir!"

"Son, why don't you see these two to their car." James suggested. "I have a few phone calls to make."

"Of course." Beck pointed to the elevators. "Gentlemen, come with me."

Before walking off, Beck locked eyes with Jill and gave her a thumbs up. She silently clapped for him.

The trio walked to the end of the hall where the elevators were. "So no later than the end of the week should this deal be official."

Beck smiled brightly. "Great! This is going to be huge. And of course, we'll all be making a lot of money."

"That's one of my favorite sentences, Mister Oliver."

"Mine too."

Beck pressed the button to open the elevator and waited patiently. Within seconds the doors opened. They all stepped in and waited for the doors to close.

While they were waiting to close, the other set of elevator doors opened. Beck caught a flash of long blonde hair and a cane.

"Diana?"

Beck's voice caught Diana's attention and she turned around. "Hello."

"Wh...what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." Diana answered. "I was going to take you out for lunch."

The elevator doors started closing but Beck stuck his hand in between them. "Di-"

"You're doing something. I'll just be in your office." Diana finally acknowledged the other two men in the elevator. "Hello. I'm Beck's wife, Diana."

The men greeted Diana back. And then the elevator doors closed.

Beck bit the inside of his cheek in anxiousness. Diana showing up at work was not part of the plan. Especially with Jade there. If they ran into each other, all hell would break loose.

Suddenly Beck felt nauseous.

"You okay over there, Oliver? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Beck scoffed. Seeing a ghost would be welcomed compared to wondering about Jade and Diana.

.Meanwhile, on the main floor of the office, Jade had returned from the bathroom. She instantly heard the buzzing of the fax machine on Jill's desk.

"I'll grab it." Jade said. "You just keep sitting."

"Thank you. I should get up, but, I don't even have my shoes on." Jill lifted her feet up to show Jade that she was only in her socks.

"Your feet look huge."

"They're swollen." Jill frowned. "Don't make fun of me. When you have a baby, you will understand."

Jade didn't reply to that. She just grabbed the paper and scanned it thoughtfully. "It's a simple memo. Whoever sent it, could have saved paper and sent an email."

She walked past Jill and pushed open the door to Beck's office. She stepped in and placed the paper on Beck's desk.

"What in the hell are you doing here?"

Jade turned around and saw Diana standing behind her, the shock and fury in her eyes hard to mask.

And that's when everything started to shake.

.

.

An earthquake. And a big one at that. Both Jade and Diana had been knocked off of their feet by the force of it.

Diana pulled herself up into a proper sitting position and looked around. The office was completely trashed. Nothing was in its place.

She felt something cold and sharp sticking to her face. Gingerly, she touched her cheek and felt a piece of glass piercing her skin. She pulled it out, hissing as she did so. Blood covered the tips of her fingers, so Diana wiped them on her pants.

Diana turned her head and saw that Jade was pulling herself up using the corner of Beck's desk.

"Are you okay?" Jade asked, not putting much thought into who she was actually talking to.

"I would be so much better if I was not in here with you." Diana spat out.

"Your arm is bleeding."

Diana looked down at her arm. There was a huge gash on her arm, but she couldn't even focus on it because her brain was focused solely on Jade.

"What are you doing here?" Diana asked again. "Didn't Beck fire your ass?"

"Why would Beck fire me?"

"Because I told him to." Diana was getting more upset as the seconds passed. Actually seeing Jade made her blood boil, and knowing that Beck lied to her nearly made her explode.

That actually made Jade scoff. "Please, Beck doesn't have any grounds to fire me."

"Oh, so being a dirty whore isn't one of them?" Diana quipped. "I want you out of here."

"No."

Diana's eyes narrowed fiercely. "You're fired."

"You don't have the right." Jade challenged.

"Then I will find new and different ways to torture your ass as long as you work here. I will send Beck's dry cleaning to fucking Timbuktu and make you get it if I feel like it."

Jade opened her mouth to say something but closed it. "I'm getting the fuck out of this office before I get nasty."

"Too late, sweetheart."

She turned around and twisted on the doorknob to get out, but the door wouldn't budge. She pushed on it, and it didn't move.

"This door isn't opening."

"What?"

"It's stuck."

Diana stood and hobbled over to where Jade was standing. She put her tiny hand on the doorknob and twisted it aggressively. It didn't move a bit.

She banged on the door. "Open this damn door!"

"Just a second!" A voice called back.

Jade perked up. It sounded like Jill. "Jill, is that you?"

"Yes."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Jade asked. Jill being pregnant added a million and one concerns.

"I'm positive." There was a bit of shuffling on Jill's end and then a heavy sigh. "This door isn't opening on my side either."

"I need to get out of here." Jade said. "Now!"

"I can call maintenance." Jill offered. "But who knows how long that'll take."

"That fine."

"Okay. You guys stick tight and I'll try to get you out as soon as I can."

Diana huffed and angrily grabbed a few tissues. She applied them to her arm to slow the bleeding. She then sat down in Beck's chair which surprisingly managed to stay upright during the quake.

She glared at Jade. The younger woman didn't have any visible cuts or bruises on her. She looked a little discombobulated, but that wasn't anything serious.

"Why are you here?" Diana asked again. Her brain refused to move off of the fact that Jade was in her husband's office.

Jade rolled her eyes. Diana was starting to sound like a broken record to her. "Beck didn't fire me. You didn't know?" The complete look of shock and disgust on Diana's face answered Jade's question. "Oh! Beck lied to you. Oh man, that must really come as a shock to you considering you guys have such a loving, honest, stable relationship."

"What married couple has a perfect relationship? We all have our problems. That doesn't justify interloping, home wreckers sneaking their way in and manipulating the situation!"

"You think I caused this? You think I caused any of this? Newsflash, Diana, your husband sought me out. The first time I kissed him was in this very office. On his birthday, might I add."

"You were with him on his birthday?"

Jade nodded. "Yes. And when he was in New York, I was there as well. We went to his friend's wedding together. And then that night-"

"-spare me the details of you sleeping with my husband."

Jade chuckled humorlessly. "No. There was no sex. But boy did Beck try. He tried to convince me to do it because you weren't important. His marriage to you was a farce, and that you two were glorified roommates."

Jade carefully watched Diana's face as she spoke. She had to hand it to the older woman. Diana had an excellent poker face. No nostril flares, no twitch of the eye, nothing. Nothing seemed to get to her. Little did she know, Diana was trying her hardest not to reach over the desk and punch Jade in her jaw and was doing so by digging her nails into the palm of her hand.

"Then a few days later when I went into work, he told me that we were going to be together. Then at his mother's birthday party, he cornered me in his father's study and told me that he was falling in love with me and that he filed for divorce."

"How does it feel, Diana?" Jade's eyes got bright with mischief. "I didn't sleep with Beck. But I could've. In this office, in New York, at my apartment. I never crossed that particular line."

"Do you want me to thank you? Oh thank you so much for not fucking him. Why don't I get on my knees and kiss your feet."

"I got your husband to fall in love with me without having to sleep with him. It would help you sleep at night knowing what we had was purely physical, but it wasn't. It wasn't at all. What Beck and I have runs deeper than that, and you can't stand it, can you? He loves me and I love him. You can't fault me for falling in love with him. And I'm not going to apologize for it either."

Diana clapped once Jade was done speaking. "Oh you love him. How adorable. But guess what, sweetheart?"

"What?"

"He still didn't leave me. He said a bunch of pretty words to you, but he did nothing."

"Because you got into a car accident."

Diana shook her head. "Wrong. I gave Beck an out. I told him he could leave. But he didn't."

"He couldn't. He wasn't going to leave his poor, defenseless wife."

"The fact that you think I'm poor and defenseless just shows how little you truly know about me. You actually know nothing about me."

"You and Beck have been together for six years, married for three. You like to travel, preferably to foreign countries. You're from Chicago. You're a natural blonde, which is impressive and rare in this town. Beck wants kids, and you don't which is why you didn't tell him about your miscarriage. Or that because of your inability to communicate with him?"

"Beck told you about that?"

"Yeah. Because he and I actually talk to each other. I think that's another reason he's staying with you. There might be a bit of guilt on his part."

Diana dug her nails into her palm so deep, she probably broke the skin. That was a low blow and it hurt. What right did Beck have to tell his mistress anything about her?

"You and Beck swapping secrets still changes nothing. He's staying with me. Men don't leave their wives." Diana paused before she spoke again, knowing she would be going for the jugular. "Unless the woman happens to be your mother."

Jade's eyes got big. "Don't you dare talk about my mother!"

"I did my research on you. UCLA graduate, med school brother, attorney father, and a stay at home mother. Who got dumped by your dad."

Jade jumped up and slammed her hands on the desk. "Diana, it would be wise to shut up."

"Your stepmother, Tiffany, wasn't she working for your dad when they started sleeping together?" Diana chuckled. "What a twisted parallel you got going on there."

"Guys." It was a new voice this time. Jill's. "The door is almost open." There was a pause. "And we can hear everything you're saying."

Diana ignored Jill and kept talking. "You have realized it right? You aren't any better than the woman who stole your father away from your mother. Is she disappointed? Embarrassed? I mean, I know I'd hate it if my own daughter, the product of a broken home, helped facilitate the destruction of a marriage."

The door clicked and opened up. Jill walked inside. "Alright guys, fair warning there is stuff all over the floor, so be careful."

Jade closed her eyes. She wasn't feeling well. The room was started to spin, but it wasn't an aftershock. It was just her person.

"Jade, are you okay?" Jill asked, almost immediately noticing her friend's change in demeanor.

"I need..." Jade took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest, "...I need to get out of here."

Jade stepped over a few things blocking the door way and made her way to the main floor.

"Oh, look at the mistress. She's a runner as well as a huge whore!" Diana shouted, not giving a damn that people were watching her. "Hey everyone, did you guys know that my husband was cheating on me with that slut? And he didn't even have the balls to tell me that he didn't have the guts to fire her ass! Is anyone else in this godforsaken hellhole fucking my husband?"

Jade turned around to say something back to Diana, but the room started to sway even more violently than before. The next thing she knew, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she hit the floor, face first.

"Jade!" Jill rushed over to her fallen friend and turned her over. "Someone call 911!"

"On it!" Someone said.

"Jill, does she have a pulse?" Diana asked. Jill, too stunned to speak, probably didn't even hear Diana speak to her.

Diana sighed and walked over to where Jill was crouched over Jade's body. She grabbed Jade's dainty wrist and pressed her finger against it. She couldn't tell if Jade still had a pulse or not. If she did, it was faint.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Diana muttered. "Does anyone in here know CPR?"

Not that Diana wanted to admit it, but she was CPR certified. But hopefully someone else was, because she did not want to be the one to administer it to Jade.

No one raised their hand or stepped forward. They just continued to stare at her.

Diana resisted the urge to scream. What on earth did she do in her past life to deserve this?

She placed her palms on Jade's chest and pressed down repeatedly, starting CPR.

After thirty seconds of CPR, Diana put her ear to Jade's mouth to hear her breathing. Still nothing. She started all over.

"Is the ambulance on its way?" Diana asked.

"A few minutes out, Missus Oliver."

Diana nodded and continued CPR. "Come on, Jade." She hissed. "Wake the hell up." So I can continue to hate you. Hating a dead person was just wrong. But that part didn't need to be said.

Taking herself out of her own brain, Diana quietly continued CPR while everyone else in the large room waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Within minutes, a few paramedics were swarming the office. They quickly found their way to Diana and Jade, who had not regained consciousness.

"How long has she been like this?" One of the paramedics asked.

"A few minutes." Diana answered. "I haven't stopped giving her CPR because I'm afraid to. At one point, we couldn't find a pulse and I didn't see her taking any breaths."

"Okay." The guy had a bag on him. He quickly unzipped it and pulled out an AED. He slipped the pads under Jade's shirt so she wouldn't be completely exposed to everyone and stuck them on her chest and turned the machine on. He then turned to Diana. "Miss, you can move back now."

Diana slowly pulled her hands off of Jade.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"After the earthquake, we got into an argument. And then she passed out."

"Has this ever happened before?"

Diana shrugged. "I don't know! I don't associate with this girl."

"What were you guys arguing about?"

"She was having an affair with my husband." Diana glanced up and saw Beck walking towards him. "There he is!"

Beck, having been trapped in the elevator after the earthquake, missed out on all of the commotion in his office.

Beck immediately noticed Jade lying on the floor. "Jade!" He crouched down. "Oh my God, what happened to her?"

"I'm not one hundred percent positive. The paramedic replied. "We need to get her up right now." He and his colleague gently lifted Jade up and placed her on a gurney.

"She has an irregular heartbeat." Beck said, gingerly touching Jade's forehead. She was pale and felt clammy to the touch. He pushed a few pieces of hair out of her face, running his thumb across her temple, then down the side of her face. "She was hospitalized for it a few weeks back and she has to take medication."

Beck felt like everything around him was caving in. His chest tightened, the room felt hotter, and his throat tighter. Everyone could tell that he was practically falling apart at the seems over this. It was pretty heart wrenching to watch. "Is she going to be okay? Why is there so much blood everywhere?"

Diana cleared her throat and Beck turned around. It was like he was finally seeing his wife for the first time. "It's mine."

Everyone noticed Beck's wife again and an awkward silence took over the room. There wasn't much that could be said in a situation like this.

That's when Beck noticed Diana was bleeding. "Diana, that's-"

Beck couldn't finish his sentence because Diana had reeled back and slapped him across the face, dragging her nails along his cheek for added effect.

The paramedic who wasn't tending to Jade looked at Diana and noticed the cuts on her face and arm. "Ma'am we're going to take you to the hospital as well. With the cut that deep, you're going to need stitches."

"I'm fine." Diana argued. Truth be told, she was running on pure adrenaline. She didn't have time to feel her own pain because she had to make sure Jade didn't die.

Now that the chaos had seemingly calmed down, Diana wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and die. "I want to go home."

"We're taking you to the hospital." He repeated. "You're getting stitched up."

.

.

Distraught. Confused. Scared. Terrified. These were all emotions that could be used to describe how Karen was currently feeling as she practically ran around the hospital trying to locate the ER.

When she got the call that Jade was in the hospital after collapsing at work, she flew out of house without hearing another word from the doctor. She barely remembered to call Tyler or Richard.

"Mom!"

Karen turned around and saw Tyler frantically waving at her. She sprinted over to him and before he could speak, she pulled him into her arms. At least she could physically touch one of her children.

"What's going on?" Karen asked, once she pulled away from the embrace. Her eyes shifted between her son and ex-husband.

"We don't know yet." Tyler said.

Richard moved over so Karen could sit down. "Come sit."

"I don't want to sit! I want to know why my daughter is here and when I can see her."

"The doctors must be working pretty hard, so they can't talk to us." Tyler rationalized. He reached out and touched his mom's hand. "They'll probably send someone out here to give us updates soon."

"Okay." Karen tiredly pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay."

Karen sat down next to Richard and then stood back up. She didn't know what she wanted to do.

"Excuse me?"

The West family looked up and saw two doctors heading towards them. Tyler recognized one immediately because it was the same doctor who helped Jade a few weeks ago and also one of his teachers.

Karen and Richard stood up upon her arrival. "Are you Jade's doctors."

"Yes. I'm Doctor Meade and this is Doctor Morgan. She's a cardiothoracic surgeon here."

Karen's eyes all but bugged out of her head. "A cardiothoracic surgeon? A heart surgeon? Why did you bring a heart surgeon over here?"

Richard tried to squeeze her hand, but she instantly recoiled from his touch.

"Missus West, your daughter has long QT syndrome. She has an irregular heartbeat that gets too erratic when she's stressed or shocked. Maybe the earthquake shocked her."

"But she's going to be okay, right?"

"You're daughter is in a stable condition." Doctor Morgan offered.

"That wasn't what she asked." Richard said. "Give it to us straight, doctor."

"Your daughter's heart did stop beating. She was, for all things considered, dead." Doctor Morgan said candidly. Karen's knees buckled under her and Richard had to hold her up.

"We were able to get her back thankfully. I was told someone did CPR on her until paramedics arrived. Whoever did that is owed a lot of credit because Jade probably would have died on arrival without it."

"Okay, so what's next?"

"We're going to make sure she stays in this stable condition, and then I will put in an ICD. That is going to monitor Jade's heart rate so hopefully this doesn't happen again. But until I do that, we have moved her to the Intensive Care Unit."

"Is she going to wake up soon?"

Doctor Meade could only shrug. "There is no definite timeline. Since we caught everything in time, and Jade was very lucky compared to people who go into cardiac arrest, we hope she wakes up soon. And if she does, we don't know if she'll have brain damage or not. A neurologist will have to do a full work up."

Karen inhaled a deep breath. "Can I see her?"

Doctor Meade and Doctor Morgan glanced at each other. Doctor Morgan nodded. "Yes. Come follow me."

Karen followed Doctor Morgan through the hospital. They walked up a flight of stairs, rounded what felt like a million corners, and went through doors that needed discrete access codes before they made it to ICU.

"Okay, Missus West-"

"Miss." Karen corrected.

"Excuse me?"

"Miss West. Jade's father and I are divorced."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Just save that title for his new wife."

"Okay then." Doctor Morgan pointed to a sink right outside of Jade's room. "Wash your hands for at least twenty seconds before you enter the room and after you exit. And since this is the ICU, we ask that no flowers or gifts be sent up here. No food or drinks. If you are going to talk on the phone, just be mindful of the other patients."

Karen nodded and turned on the faucet to wash her hands. Once done, she wiped them off and put on hand sanitizer just to be safe.

She didn't really know what to expect when she walked into Jade's room, but what she saw was heart wrenching.

She almost didn't recognize her daughter. Jade was pale, so pale she was almost ghostly, and her hair was matted down to her head. If Karen was a stranger, she wouldn't believe it was Jade.

Karen took a deep breath to keep her emotions in check because breaking down over her comatose daughter wasn't acceptable.

Instead she grabbed Jade's limp hand and squeezed it. "How on earth did this happen? And why am I just now finding out that you have a heart condition? I swear young lady, if this is something you've been keeping a secret from me, I'll kill you."

She looked around the room before settling her sight on the monitor that showed Jade's heart rate. It seemed steady to her, but she wasn't a doctor so she didn't know anything. The sound of the beeping gave Karen piece of mind because as long as it was beeping, Jade was still alive.

"Your doctors said someone gave you CPR. Whoever that was, I owe them my life because they saved yours. I'll have to figure that out eventually."

Karen ran her fingers through Jade's hair. "You're a fighter, Jade. You're strong, you're resilient, you're stubborn as hell." A tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. "I have no doubt in my mind that you're going to be okay. But you have to meet me halfway, baby. So open your eyes. Or squeeze my hand, or move your foot. Please, just do something, anything to let me know you're going to be okay."

There was no response.

"Okay. Rome wasn't built in a day, Karen." Karen muttered to herself. "Just know that I'm here. And your father and your brother are too. And your friends, once we tell them. We're all going to be waiting here for you to open up those beautiful blue eyes."

"Well Missus Oliver, I'm almost done with your face stitches. Once these are done I can work on your arm and you'll be as good as new."

Diana smiled at the nurse who was stitching her up. The woman was some years older than Diana and she had a soft voice, like a fairy. Looking at her badge, Diana noticed her name was Ellis.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear. This was quite a cut you got." Ellis noticed the cane next to Diana's leg. "And your leg is hurt. You don't seem to have good luck."

"Yeah. I was in a car accident a few weeks ago and broke my leg."

"Well you're alive and that's all that matters, right?"

Diana nodded, not even paying much attention to what the nurse was saying.

What an awful day she had been having. Between the earthquake, arguing with Jade, and Jade collapsing, she was worn out.

Diana looked up at Ellis and saw her lips moving. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Are you alright dear?"

"There was a young woman who came in with me. Her name is Jade West. Is she alright?"

"Are you two family?"

"No."

Ellis shook her head. "Sorry, I can't tell you anything if you aren't immediate family."

"She was having an affair with my husband." Diana said. "He was planning on divorcing me for her. She and I were having an argument after the earthquake when she collapsed. And I gave her CPR for about five minutes."

"You might have saved that girl's life. You're a hero."

Diana felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and before she could wipe them away, they rolled down her cheeks.

Ellis reached for a box of tissues sitting on a nearby counter. She passed the box to Diana.

"I'm so tired." Tired didn't even scratch the surface of everything she was feeling. Diana looked down at her ring. She angrily yanked it off of her finger and threw it across the room. It slid under a sink. "All I have been trying to do is make it work, whatever it is."

"The way my husband looked at that girl today..." Diana closed her eyes and immediately saw Beck's sad eyes again. The image of him almost shedding tears over Jade's made her stomach lurch, like she was going to vomit. Maybe that was also the pain as well. "...he didn't see me. I'm covered in my own blood, but did he notice? No. But he looks at her like she's the only one in the room, the only one on earth."

Ellis reached down and picked up Diana's ring.

"This is a beautiful ring, dear. And it doesn't deserve to collect dust on a hospital floor."

"I don't care."

"Yes you do." Ellis argued. "Because you wouldn't be this upset if you didn't."

Diana angrily wiped her eyes. "I don't cry. It's a waste of time and energy, and the human body gets worked up for no reason."

"Its good to cry."

Diana didn't agree. What was good about getting your heart rate up and ruining your make up?

"Really?"

"It's cathartic."

Diana's cries only lasted for a few more minutes. Where she finally cried herself out, Ellis sat back on her stool and gently grabbed Diana's arm. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm done."

"Good. Now let's get you stitched up and out of here."

.

.

Beck sat quietly outside of the ICU, a cup of horrible coffee in hand. He got the feeling Diana didn't want him around, so he thought going to the cafeteria would be the best idea. And then he found himself outside of the ICU, knowing Jade was there.

His brain was pounding fiercely against his skull. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that would help. It didn't.

He was really fucking sick of being in the hospital. It might have been a different hospital, but they all felt the same. Cold air, extremely sterile rooms, and depressing surroundings. How could anyone be cheery in a place that blasted the AC 24/7 and smelled like rubbing alcohol?

"You're Beck Oliver, right?"

Standing in front of Beck, was the spitting image of Jade, only male. Without ever seeing his face previously, Beck knew it was Tyler.

"You're Jade's brother." Beck said.

Tyler nodded. "Yes."

"How is she? Is she okay?"

"Why are you here?" Tyler asked.

"My wife got hurt."

"And why aren't you with her?"

"She's mad at me. But is Jade okay?"

"Cardiac arrest." Tyler stated. "What happened to her? Why did this happen?"

If Beck wasn't sitting down, his legs might have given out on him. How many people survived cardiac arrest?

"Oh my God."

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know! I think she got into an argument with my wife and-"

"Jade's heart can't handle stressful situations." Tyler closed his eyes. "She should've just quit the fucking job. But she's so stubborn."

"Yeah."

Tyler's eyes shot open. "And you shouldn't be in here, asking me for answers. You made your choice, you chose the woman, so just go home and leave my sister alone. You've done more than enough."

"Is she okay?" Beck asked. "Can I at least know that?"

"She's alive. Now go to your wife."

"But-"

Tyler's eyes narrowed at Beck. "Look, I'm being really nice to you, because we're in a hospital and I have to work here, but I'm actually five seconds from knocking your teeth in. Now my sister is quick witted, intelligent, and tough, but underneath that exterior, she's still the little girl our dad all but walked out on. And for whatever reason, she saw something in you. She fell in love with you. She wanted a life with you. And then after you called it off, I was there to literally pick her up off of the floor after her mental breakdown. She'll never admit it but you took something from her and you broke her."

"And now that this is all over, you don't have the right to linger outside of her hospital room. So go home with your wife. Let Jade recover in peace."

Beck stood up and he was almost toe to toe with Tyler. He knew arguing with the elder West sibling was a moot point.

"Is she going to be okay? Can I at least know that?"

Tyler sighed. "We don't know. She hasn't woken up yet."

Silence hung in the air. Neither man wanted to think the worst, but how could you not?

"Thank you."

Beck walked away from the hallway before the urge to stay took over.

He made it back downstairs to emergency where Diana was. He pulled back a curtain and didn't see Diana. Just a clean little cubicle. Not thinking too much of it, he pulled back the one next to it. A nurse was talking to her patient.

"Excuse me!"

Beck was startled by the nurse's tone. He took a step back. "I'm sorry. I thought my wife was in here."

The nurse didn't say anything. She just pushed Beck back and closed the curtain.

Beck turned around and found a receptionist sitting at the desk. "Hi, my wife was just down here. She's really petite and blonde. Her name is Diana Oliver. Did she get moved?"

"Mrs. Oliver discharged herself a few minutes ago."

"What?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you sure she wasn't moved upstairs?"

"I'm positive. It says on the computer that she has been discharged. She went home."

Refusing to believe it, Beck pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Diana's number.

"Hi, you've reached Diana Oliver. Sorry-"

Beck hung up the phone before he could listen to the full voicemail. He couldn't believe Diana left. And how did she even get home?

Sighing heavily, Beck turned back to the receptionist and smiled. "Thank you. Have a nice rest of your day."

.

.

Driving home was awful. LA traffic was already horrible, but the earthquake caused Beck to sit in his car for what should have been a fifteen minute car ride, for well over an hour.

When he got home, he didn't immediately see Diana. The house was really dark, and his first reaction was that the power went out. That idea was voided as soon as he turned on the light in the kitchen.

"Diana?"

No response.

He walked to the living room, which was also pitch black.

"Look who's home, my amazing husband."

Beck recognized Diana's voice instantly. He ran his hand along the wall until he found the light switch. When the light was on, he saw Diana's sitting on the couch, a glass in one hand and a picture frame in the other.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Because I like it dark. I think better."

"How did you get home?"

"I called a cab. Sitting in traffic, with a stranger, in a smelly old car was better than spending another moment in that hospital."

Beck zeroed in on the glass in Diana's hand. "What are you drinking?"

"Vodka soda."

"You don't drink."

"After the day I've had, I think I deserve something a bit stronger than a glass of wine. Or coffee."

"You shouldn't be drinking. You're on way too many pain medications to drink."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Thank you for telling me that. But I don't need you to pretend to care about me."

"I'm not preten-"

"-I don't want to talk about my drinking right now." Diana finished off her drink with one huge gulp and slammed the tumbler down on the marble coffee table in front of her. "What I want to talk about is you. I want to talk about my asshole husband."

Diana leaned forward, opened the bottle of vodka, and poured herself another drink.

"So why don't you sit down, kick your feet up, pour yourself something to drink, and get comfortable. Because I have a lot to say."

Oh my goodness! I know I haven't updated this story in ages, but better late than never right? I've been super busy with school and work, so I haven't been able to write as much as I want. But since school is almost out, hopefully life slows down for me. Until next time! xoxo