A Walk In The Wilderness (34 page)

       “All right, David.”  She laughed.

       “Goodnight, then.”  He said with regret.

       “Goodnight, darling.”  She said. 

      She hung up the phone quickly and blushed furiously.  He’d called her by that endearment, and she had been longing to say it to him.  Still, it was embarrassing.  But she was glad she’d done it!

     Actually, the word had hit David like a hard ball in the chest.  It somehow seemed a very serious thing for Cait to say.  He knew he’d said it to her, and so it should seem natural for her to say it to him.  But it had been a shock.  A wonderful shock!  He’d never realized that a single word could have such incredible impact. 

     He dropped his head against the back of his chair, and laughed.  A gladness filled him.  She really, truly did love him.  He could picture her with her hands on her very red cheeks, wondering how she’d had the courage to utter such a passionate word of endearment  to him.  And actually, that was exactly what she was doing at the moment.

    Tears came to David’s eyes as the truth began to sink in.  She truly loved him. “Oh, Cait.”  He sighed.  “How am I supposed to go on now?” he asked with a sigh.  He wanted nothing more than to go home and settle it all immediately.  But he shook his head, knowing that he could do no such thing.  He had to put his own desires behind, and stay on his course.

     Connie showed up at the theatre that night, and the atmosphere became ugly and charged.  The woman was like a maniac, and Skyler could do nothing to manage her.  She screamed at some length about women on the road, and interfering fools. 

    David ignored her, and quietly went about his business.  When Will arrived, David let him know how unruly she’d been.  He didn’t like the woman’s presence, at all.

    “You boys both know better than to mess with women while you're on tour.  Next time, you’d both be smart to make sure the babes stay home.”  he growled.

      David sighed, his patience worn quite thin.  “Don’t.”  he suggested coldly.

     “Then handle it yourself, David.”  Will sneered.  “I’m sick of this soap opera you two participate in.  I’m a manager, not a referee; and not a counselor.”

      David watched him walk away with something less than satisfaction.

     He took it for three days, but it began telling on his nerves.  Finally, he took Skyler aside. 

     “Skyler, I have tried not to interfere.  But something has got to be done with Connie.  She’s such a distraction that I don’t know what to do anymore.  Can’t you send her home?”

       Skyler sneered.  “I don’t want to send her home.  Live with it.”

      David sighed tiredly.  “I shouldn’t have to.”  He argued.  “But I will have her removed if that’s the way you insist that things be.  I just thought you’d rather try to handle it yourself.”

       “You can’t have her removed.”  Skyler boasted challengingly.

       “Watch and see.”  David answered evenly.

       “Leave her alone.”

      “I’m not going to do anything to her.  But I will see that she goes.  By the way, since things can’t get any worse, I’ll tell you now.  I’m marrying Caitlin as soon as I get home from Ireland.”  He walked away before the reaction hit. 

      The entire situation blew up that night. 

     David was reading in his dressing room before the show, when he heard a ruckus through the wall.  It came from the adjacent wall, where Skyler's dressing room would be.  He lifted his head, and listened more closely. 

     Connie was in there, screaming at Skyler.  She was obviously totally out of control.  He shut his eyes and groaned.  The woman was a menace!  As the fight escalated, David became alarmed.  Something was terribly wrong.

       David called his manager, Will Ness and was relieved to catch him.  “Will, there’s trouble over here.  I think you’d better call Skyler’s manager and perhaps even come.”  He warned tiredly.  “Connie’s here and gone nuts.  She’s been screaming over there for some time.  It’s escalating.  She’s out of it completely.”

     “David, I won’t have any part in Skyler's troubles. Either leave it alone, or call the police.  Which should it be?”

      “The police.  My God, Will.  A gun just went off.”  David said with alarm.

    “Stay put.  I’ll call.  Don’t you go over there!  That female is insane!”  Will directed. 

      “I can’t just sit here, Will.”  David objected.

      “You can’t take the risk.”  Will snapped.  “I mean it, David.  You don’t move a muscle.”

      Will could hear a ruckus in the background.  A wild woman’s shouts shrieked into Will's ear.  “And you!  This is for protecting that slut!” Connie’s voice could be heard.

      There was a loud retort; and then silence.

     When the phone rang, Caitlin raised her eyebrows.  It was very late. “Hello?” she answered uncertainly.

     “Hello.  Is this Mrs. Majors?”  a male voice asked.

     “No.  No, I am sorry.  She has retired for the night.  May I be of assistance?”

     “To whom am I speaking?” the  man asked.

     “This is Miss Kilpatrick, her companion.”  Caitlin responded firmly.

     “It is important that she be awakened.” The man answered.  “It concerns her son.”

      Caitlin’s blood ran cold.   “David?” she asked in a whisper.

      “Yes.  Could you get her for me, please?”

      “Can’t you tell me?  Who are you?”  Caitlin asked desperately.

     “I am David’s manager.  My name is Will Ness.  Miss, it is extremely important that you get Mrs. Majors on the line, immediately.”

     Caitlin was quiet for a moment, fear and uncertainty battling inside her. “All right.  Just a moment.”  She agreed.  Her heart pounded as she went across the hall to Grace’s room and knocked on the door. 

      “What is it?”  Grace asked groggily.

     Caitlin opened the door a crack.  “Grace, David’s manager Will is on the line.  He insisted that I wake you and get you to the phone immediately.  I am so sorry.”

       “Will is calling
now
?  All right, Caitlin. Thank you, dear.”

       “Shall I stay?” she asked worriedly.

       “If you wish, dear.  Come in.”  Grace answered comfortingly.

     She went in, and Grace turned on the lamp beside her bed.  She looked sleepy and a bit disheveled, in her flannel gown.  Caitlin sat down in the arm chair near the bed.

     As Grace picked up the phone, fear gripped Caitlin’s throat.  Something was terribly, terribly wrong.  She could feel it. 

     “Hello, Will.  This is Grace.  What is it?”

     Caitlin watched as the serene smile fell from Grace’s face and a pinched terror came into her eyes. 

       “No.”  she denied stubbornly.  “That can’t be.”

       Fear coursed through Caitlin as she waited.  

      “It would be quickest and easiest if you will charter a plane.  There will be two of us.  Please call when you have it arranged.  We will be packed and ready.”

     She was silent for a moment, and Caitlin saw her struggling to hold back tears.  “Thank you, Will.  Good-bye.”

     Grace put the phone back on its cradle and then sat there numbly, looking at nothing.  Slowly, she raised her eyes and turned them to stare at Caitlin.

     “Grace, what is it?”  Caitlin had to ask.  She was dying inside. 

     “David.  David is in hospital.”  She said faintly.  “We’ll go immediately, Caitlin.”

      Caitlin felt shock filter to her toes.  “No!  What happened?” she gasped.

     “He was shot.  He is in critical condition.”  Grace answered in a dull voice. “We have to go as soon as possible.  They feel that he may not live.”

     Caitlin felt a hot sickness flood her body.  “No.  No, it can’t be.”  She heard herself speak.   “No!”

      Grace sat up in the bed, and fixed her eyes on the girl.  “Caitlin, get a hold on yourself.  We must remain calm and get to David.  Pack a few things and we will go as soon as Will has arranged transportation for us.  Move, now!  Keep busy, it will help you.  I will call James and ask him to have the car waiting.”

     Caitlin got up and left Grace, in a daze.  It was incomprehensible.  Her mind simply could not accept it.  She went to her room and pulled out a small vinyl bag with wheels that could hold a good four day supply of clothes.  She couldn’t seem to think.  She couldn’t function. 

      At last, she wheeled her case out into the hall and knocked again on Grace’s door.  “Is there anything I can do to help you?” she asked.

     “No, dear.”  Grace answered, opening the door.  “I am ready now.  If you can get the bags down the stairs to James, I’ll wait here for Will’s call.”

      Caitlin nodded and made her way down the stairs with the baggage.  She was frightened and heartsick.  She felt helpless.  James met her silently at the door and grimly took the two bags to stash in the boot.

     Grace came out, packed and ready to leave, immediately. “There will be a plane waiting at the Wendlings’ private field, James.  We must hurry.”

     James nodded, and opened the door for them.  Within an hour, the two women were in a plane, on their way to Ireland.

      A  tall, good-looking man met them at the airfield when they landed in Dublin.  Caitlin had no trouble recognizing Will.  He had straight, brown hair in a business cut, and he wore a suit.  His hazel eyes flickered in acknowledgment when Grace hurriedly introduced Caitlin to him.  He paid as little attention to her as possible.  He hurried them to a limo, and hustled them inside.

    “Will, what happened?”  Grace asked in a tortured voice when they were finally underway.

     “It was Skyler Vaughn’s girlfriend.  She came in with a gun, and she and Skyler quarreled violently.  David heard the commotion from his room next door and called me. While we were on the phone, she burst into David’s room and screamed at him.  She shot him.”

     Grace and Caitlin were having a very difficult time controlling their emotions as Will described the incident.

     ”I called emergency when David wouldn’t talk to me, and got over there as fast as I could.  I was just in time to hop into the medic van and ride with them to the hospital.”

      “How bad is this, Will?” Grace asked gravely.

    Will sighed and pressed his lips together.  “It is very serious.  The bullet entered his chest above the heart.  He bled very quickly and it was difficult for them to control the bleeding until they could get him into surgery.   But, they were able to remove the bullet, and finally got the bleeding stopped.  They had to do some pretty significant transfusions.  They had to do a great deal of delicate repair to a major artery.  Now we can only hope, and pray.” 

     Caitlin had her face hidden in her hands.  This was all because of her!  All of it!  She simply couldn’t bear it.  She felt so sick and sad inside that she couldn't cope with it.  It was as bad if not worse than it had been when she'd learned that her parents had been killed.

    “What possible reason could this woman have for wanting to hurt David?” Grace asked incredulously.

      Will shook his head and sighed.  “She did say something about paying David back for protecting a
woman
.” he said significantly.  “I couldn’t understand it at all.  But I’m fairly sure I heard her right.  I did give my statement to the police, and they have the woman who did this, in custody.”

      Caitlin moaned into her hands and began to cry in despair.

     Grace put a hand on her arm in comfort.  “There, darling.  Come now.  We must be strong. 
David will be fine
.”

      Caitlin’s misery was so acute that she couldn’t respond.

     Grace turned to Will with sharp eyes.  “Caitlin and David are engaged to be married.” She advised him with a warning in her voice.  “She will be treated with the respect due David's intended, Will.”

     Will nodded and looked at Caitlin with nothing less than hatred.  “We’ll be there soon.  Grace, I’m going to have to be blunt.  Having this girl there is not good.”  he said in a tone that one might use to reason with a child.  “She’s caused such a riot in times past that I can’t afford to have her around again.  Things are far too volatile!  We need to think of David first.”

     “I am.  He needs the woman he loves, there beside him.  Your job is to deal with whatever is necessary to make that happen.”  Grace shot back with authority.

      Will pressed his lips together in obvious anger, but he said no more. 

     Once they’d arrived at the hospital, they were hurried to the intensive care unit. 

      “Only Grace will be allowed to go in.”  Will said as they went up the elevator.     “And only for very short periods of time.”

      “I will see
that
changed immediately.”  Grace answered smoothly.  “The very best chance we have of seeing David recover is to have Caitlin there with him.” 

      Will gave her a terse look.  “I’ll ask that his doctor come and speak with you.”  He agreed.  “In the meantime, she can look in the window.”

     Grace gave him a look that would have killed a lesser man, and clamped her lips together.

     They found David in a private room with oxygen and a heart monitor hooked up.  He looked pale and lifeless.  Caitlin felt her heart contract, and tears began running down her face.  She couldn’t help it anymore. 

      She looked through the window in agony as Grace went in to see him.  She touched his arm and spoke to him, but there was no response.  She did not stay long.  Caitlin was amazed by Grace’s composure.

      When Grace came out, she squeezed Caitlin’s hand. 

      “Go on in.”  she instructed gently.

      “Grace,”  Will objected.

      “Shut up, Will.”  Grace said evenly.  “She is going in.”