Chapter 51

Ultimatum

Kate POV

Ana and I walk into our bedroom and change out of our dresses. Once we're in comfy clothes we both sit on the bed. I let out a sigh. It's been an exhausting day.

"Ana? Is it just me or does it seem like Rhi is a magnet for shit happening?" I chuckle tiredly. I'm trying to make this easier to deal with but it's exhausting. I don't know how anyone could be a psychologist and not get drained. Maybe it's easier when you're not personally involved in the situation.

Ana nods but doesn't say anything. I'm not sure what she's thinking.

Continuing, I say, "Believe me when I say I think the same thing sometimes. She's got that magnetic personality and draws people of all kinds into her orbit, like a planet. It seems like there are more asteroids circling, just waiting for the chance to strike. A person can only deflect so many threats before their atmosphere weakens and fails. I'm surprised she's not a complete nutcase, wrapped in a straitjacket, with a lifetime reservation in a padded penthouse. You know, like the weasel in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Or, depending on the situation, Hannibal the Cannibal. Remember that laugh she did when she fought with her mother before her dad died? That was creepy." I make a scrunched-up face for emphasis.

"I like the cartoon version better. The other version is WAY too creepy and just focuses on the negative stuff that's happened to her. If she's going to be a nutjob, I'd prefer a cute weasel than some psychopath. Besides, give her a trampoline in the padded room and she can bounce off the walls and at least get SOME enjoyment." She laughs, bouncing on the bed like a crazy person.

"Kate? What are we going to do? How are we going to fix this and save this vacation? From where I'm sitting the only answer is for Rhi to return home to get her hand fixed and away from the shit show that Christian started because he's a jealous, controlling and paranoid idiot." Ana asks and I can hear the anger lacing her voice.

I'm silent for a minute. Nothing can be done from here. We don't have any resources at hand, pun intended, but there has to be something that can be done. Suddenly, an idea pops into my head. My eyes wide and a smile on my face I announce, "Elliot!"

Ana looks at me like I've grown two heads. "What about Elliot?"

I tell her my plan, "Ana! I'll call Elliot and tell him what happened. He needs to know about this ASAP so we can figure out what to do. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!"

She laughs, "You just want to talk to him."

"You're not wrong but you have to admit he might have some insight and might be able to help, even from Seattle. I'll call him right now. I hope he's still awake."

"While you're doing that, I'm going to go take a shower." She says, getting up off the bed and heading to the bathroom.

I nod and wave her off as I pick up my phone and dial his number. It rings a couple of times before he answers.

He sounds so happy when he answers the phone. He's in for a shock when he hears what I've got to say. "Hey babe, how's it going in Sin City? I hope you girls are having fun."

I'm going to try to keep the conversation as even keel as I can. "We're having fun, most of the time. There's been a situation that has caused quite an issue, though."

There's silence for a moment before he speaks, "What happened? Let me guess, Luke happened."

I'm not surprised that he has an idea, considering everything else that's happened. "Yes, and it was really bad."

"What happened? Is everyone OK?" I can hear the concern in his voice. He's such a caring man. It appears he's the complete opposite of Grey.

"Everyone is OK." I pause, afraid of how he's going to react. "Kind of."

"What do you mean kind of?" He asks, concern more prominent in his tone.

I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and start to tell him what has transpired today. I tell him about the pool, the surprise for Rhi and Alex, the surprise at the show, her freak out at dinner and the fountain. Briefly. My focus is on what the real issue is, her hand.

"Elliot, she was almost catatonic after that and they blew it off! After a few minutes of confronting them, Ryan was able to get Luke to leave the pool area and they left. We were short on time so Ana and I sent Rhi ahead of us to the room to get cleaned up. We didn't think anything of it at the time but in hindsight we never should have let her go alone." I'm so pissed but I think I do a fairly good job keeping my cool.

Elliot interrupts me, "What? Is she OK now? What the fuck is wrong with him?! I'm going to kick his ass!" I snort and start all out belly laughing.

"Kate, that's nothing to laugh at. That's fucked up! Why are you laughing?" He breaks through my laughter and I struggle to maintain my composure.

"Just wait, there's more." I say, trying to catch my breath. I hear him let out a frustrated breath but he doesn't say anything.

Catching my breath, I continue. "When we got up to our floor, we were greeted with shouting and a commotion. What we saw was a game changer. Rhi punched Luke in the face, he went down and blood sprayed everywhere. I don't know what happened with him but Rhi, Ana and I returned to our room, got ready and left. We weren't with Rhi most of the afternoon, she was with Alex. Tonight it was apparent that she's really messed up her hand. She's being an idiot and putting off seeing a doctor." I pause when I hear Elliot.

He growls out, "What in the fuck is wrong with that girl? I hope you guys are making her go?"

"Relax El," I sigh. "Alex convinced her to go and he made an appointment for her tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, she's been self-medicating with tequila instead and tried to use cold water to bring down the swelling. Of course, this was just a little over an hour ago so it hasn't helped." I roll my eyes just thinking about her stupidity. For someone so brilliant she's awfully stupid.

I pause waiting to see if he's going to say anything else.

"Can I talk to her?" He asks. I smile. I know they're close, like two peas in a pod, and it makes me happy but I don't really want her to hear this conversation. Besides she's with Alex. He'll distract her.

"El, she's with Alex right now. He's trying to get her to rest." I respond, "I'm sure she'll want to talk to you soon though."

"Ok, babe. Make sure she knows I'm here for her." He sighs. "And make sure she sees that doctor tomorrow."

"That's not all." I'm not sure how the rest of this is going to go. I really don't want to go this far but it's something I have to do. For Rhi AND for us.

"What's not all?" He asks cautiously.

"We think she broke his nose. OK, we HOPE she broke his nose, or at least did some kind of damage to his face. He deserves it. Unfortunately, we think her hand is broken. We won't know for sure until tomorrow. I'll keep you updated on that part." I hear a sharp intake of air from him but he doesn't say anything so I continue. "The sad thing is, throughout all this bullshit, she's had breakdowns and Alex is worried and it's a mess. She really likes him, and he really likes her. You can see he cares when he looks at her. You can also see she's scared of feeling anything. Do you have any idea how much we've worked to get her to where she is?"

By this point, I'm struggling to keep my cool and not lose my temper but this is Rhi we're talking about. Ana, Rhi and I have a pact that we're always going to take care of each other and will always protect each other. Nothing will break that pact. Not even love.

Elliot starts to say something but I cut him off. "I'm not going to have some fucking crazy stalker CPO fuck up everything we've accomplished. I'll get the police involved if I have to. I WON'T let him hurt her again. She thought he was JACE, Elliot! Do you know what we had to go through to get him out of her life? He's still in her head and I don't know if we'll ever be able to completely erase him like we planned. Physically, that's a done deal. He'll never touch her again. Mentally? That's a different story."

"Does Alex know what happened?" I hear him ask, through the blood pounding in my ears.

"He has no idea. He thinks she hit it on one of the walls of the cabana. Though I'm fairly sure he's not an idiot and knows there is more to it. She's worried about the appointment tomorrow. He refuses to leave her side. She's worried about the possibility of x-rays. Elliot, you've seen things. You know what your reaction was. She's afraid of what he's going to see. She's got legitimate fears. She doesn't like anyone knowing her business, you know that, but he insists on being here for the appointment. She's stressed out and that's not helping with the other bullshit with Luke, Ryan and Reynolds."

My anger is surging once again and I'm struggling to keep it under control. Just thinking of those two piss me off.

"Elliot, Ryan and Reynolds need to pull their heads out of their asses and do something to stop Luke. They just stood there and watched it happen! Is anyone even doing anything or were they just told they were on vacation?" I'm seething right now and I'm pretty sure Elliot knows that, from the growl that laces my words. "Do you have any idea how pissed off Ana is at Christian? He'll be lucky if he gets a 'goodbye' when she leaves. I'll make sure of that."

"Kate, the last time you and I talked, I told Taylor that things needed to be taken care of with Luke. I don't know what he did but it doesn't sound like Ryan or Reynolds are able to handle things. For all I know, he just told Luke to back off. I'll call him again." He sighs. "I'm sorry babe. I really am. Let me call Taylor again and get the ball rolling."

"Elliot, I'm telling you right now, if he isn't taken care of, Rhi will regress and may never come out again. Ana and I will lose one of the most important people in our lives and if that happens…" I let my voice trail off for a moment before continuing, "It's unforgiveable how her safety, mental and emotional state is being treated like it doesn't matter or that it isn't important. Everyone here is more focused on themselves and what is best for THEM, not on the person that's most affected."

"Kate, I…" He tries to say something but I'm not done. My anger has reached its peak and I can't hold it in any longer.

"NO, Elliot. If I have to talk to Taylor I will. If I have to talk to Christian I will. If I have to contact the police I will. If I have to contact my father and have him get involved I will do that too. She's being blown off by everyone. Probably because she's beautiful and that's what matters, right? Let me tell you, if ANY of them think they even have a CHANCE with her, or even TRY they'll have to answer to ME. If things don't get fixed IMMEDIATELY and if anything else happens to Rhi in any way, shape or form, then game over."

'Click'

Oh my God, I just hung up on Elliot. I know it might seem rash but I'm not joking. If this doesn't get fixed, I'm done. I know he's not directly responsible for this but he's the only one who knows Rhi and her past. They need to fix this because if Rhi is destroyed I'll never forgive them. ANY of them.