One Night Stand (New Yorker III) (11 page)

“Uh-huh.”
AJ cleared his throat. “I’m not advocating for you to sleep with my sister but
I guess it’s all right. Michael did a number on her self-esteem. He kicked her
when she was down. I guess you not…doing it with her makes her feel unwanted.”

“I
assure you that I just cleared that up in the past hour.” Rich grinned.

“I
didn’t really want to hear that, but what I really do want to hear about is
Ava.”

“I
think I can help with that.”

Rich
turned around to find DJ, Catalella’s childhood friend, standing behind him. He
was as close to Catalella as AJ was and equally as pissed when he found out
Rich was still married. “Please do.”

“I
found her,” DJ said. “And, in case you have not noticed the absence of our
fathers, they’re serving her with the annulment papers.”

“Here…she’s
here?” Rich asked in a panic. If Catalella saw the exotic Frenchwoman walk out
of her father’s study there would be questions. And when Lisette found out
there would be hell to pay. “I need to go see her. I need to make sure she
doesn’t cross paths with Catalella.”

Rich
half-ran, half-walked into the home office and there he found the three men standing
off against a pair of beautiful legs that led to a body stacked together by the
gods. Ava got any man’s libido running and, when he cast a glance at AJ and DJ,
he was glad he wasn’t the only lustful idiot in the room.

“Why
couldn’t we do this in the office?” Rich barked out, trying to ignore Ava.

“She
kind of followed me here,” DJ said.

“She’s
here now, so the sooner she signs
this the
better.”
Adrian shoved the annulment papers at Ava.

“Do you
really want me to do this?” Ava’s thickly accented voice floated through the
room.

“Yes!”
Rich’s stern voice boomed.

“You
abandoned me.” Ava sauntered to where Rich was standing.

“Funny,
I remember that a little differently,” Rich hissed through clenched teeth.

“I want
compensation.”

“For
what?”

“We
have been married for five years.”

“You
abandoned me,” Rich snarled.

“My
lawyer says that I can still get compensation. I have to prove you weren’t a
fit husband.” Ava shrugged and then sat down, crossing her legs and leaving
enough skin peeking out from under her skirt to run lust-filled thoughts
through a man’s mind.

“Who is
your lawyer?” Adrian asked.

“I am.”
Michael Mathews stepped into the room, a smirk on his lips.

“You
have got to be kidding.” Rich groaned as his fingers dug into his hair. He hoped
that Catalella was too worn out from their love making to manage the stairs.

“I am
representing Mrs. McCrery.”

“Don’t
call her that,” Rich barked, losing the tight hold on his patience.

* * *
*

Catalella
felt rejuvenated and refreshed. Sure, they hadn’t set any specific guidelines
to what their relationship was, but she needed to have a companion who looked
at her the same way Rich did. As she walked down the stairs she could hear
voices from her father’s study. Wondering what was going on, she walked towards
the office and found the door ajar. Her body went rigid when she heard Michael
Mathews' voice, and then she heard him say 'Mrs. McCrery'.

“She is
not my wife. She abandoned me for five years. Why didn’t we file abandonment
papers and have the judge divorce us?” she heard Rich say.

“It
might be because you didn’t want a record of your ever being married. You
wanted a fresh start with Catalella,” she heard DJ say.

“My
feelings are hurt, Ethan.” It was the French accent that had her mobile again.

“My
client wants what is hers—half of everything that you own.” The sound of
Michael Mathews' goading made her skin crawl.

Catalella
decided that this was her moment to make an entrance. “Funny thing, Michael
Mathews and whoever you are,” Catalella spat at Ava as she ignored the stunned
eyes staring at her. “Mr. McCrery doesn’t have much to his name. Everything he
will own is in Harold Henry’s care. Ethan is not entitled to any proceeds from
the companies. All he has is his salary.”

“I’m
not an idiot, Catalella.” Michael cursed, his eyes fixed on her belly.

“Neither
am I. I will be advising my client to file for abandonment. There are enough
people to testify that…who are you? …whatever…has not been performing her
wifely
duties.
” Catalella regained her composure. “My
office will send the
papers to yours…where is
that
again?”

Michael
swore under his breath as he took a step toward Catalella. “You’ve taken
everything from me, and I’m going to do the same thing to you and your lover.”

Catalella
walked past Rich’s agitated arm that shot out to protect her. With a smile and
a steel tongue she said, “Oh, sweetheart, I have just begun. If you continue
with this wild goose chase I will ruin you. Not even the public defender’s
office will want you.”

“Sorry,
are you Ethan’s lover?” Ava’s voice piped in.

“I’m
guessing you are his leftovers,” Catalella hissed.

“I left
him and not the other way around. I wasn’t going to stay with him after his father
took all the money. But now that the money is back I want to take my piece of
the cake.” All Catalella could see was her red lips moving.

“Get
out of my father’s house,” Catalella said.

She
stood back and watched as Ava and Michael walked out of the house and drove off
the property. She could feel Rich hovering behind her, but she didn’t want to
look at him. She was afraid of what she would say to him. He had kept something
very important from her while she had bared her all to him.

“My
little orchid—”

“Don’t.”
Catalella’s fingers fisted in her dress.
“I think you
should leave.”

“I’m
not going anywhere without you.”

“I’m
also moving out.”

“No,
you are not,” Rich said urgently as he grabbed Catalella’s hand. “I can’t lose
you.”

“There
isn’t an ‘us’. I won’t keep you away from your baby but you and I cannot have
any form of relationship. You lied to me and kept something vital from me. But,
as your lawyer, I will make sure this doesn’t hurt you.” Catalella tried to
pull her hand away but he wouldn’t let go.

“So
what now—you just move out and then what?”

“Life
goes on as it was supposed to. You living yours and me living mine,” Catalella
stated,
her tone devoid of emotion and, once Rich dropped
her hand, she walked away.

Chapter Ten

Catalella
stared at her screeching phone. Rich had called more than a dozen times already
but she didn’t pick up. She was terrified about walking through that door
again, about being emotionally vulnerable only to have it thrown back in her
face. She held onto her pillow as tight as she could as her tears were absorbed
by the cotton. She didn’t want to lose her will to whatever demands her heart
was making. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to sleep, hoping that the next
morning would bring something better.

* * *
*

Rich
knew he had made a mess of things, and that he had to let her go. He got into
the apartment he had bought for Catalella and their baby and every corner of
the room reminded him of her. Her laughter echoed in his heart but her
rejection rang clear in his ears. Rich ran out of the apartment and headed for
his sports car—he needed to get out of there, find someplace that wouldn’t
remind him of Catalella. He was barely on the road when he felt a great push
followed by the sound of metal crunching. The force compelled him forward and
he banged his head on the steering wheel. He could smell the potent copper
scent of blood before he slipped easily out of consciousness.

* * *
*

“Don’t
even ask me to call him.” Catalella shot at AJ before he could say a word.

A whole
week had flown by and Catalella was back at her apartment. At first she had the
loneliness to contend with, and then the emptiness of her bed was next. There
was no one to make her breakfast or to rub her aching feet or back, no one to
kiss her goodnight and hold her close. It was then that Catalella figured out
what else she was up against: her own heart. Rich hadn’t called but he would
talk to AJ, and ask about her condition. AJ had used this concern to ask
Catalella to call Rich. Each time he asked she refused.

With
his eyes on her and a grin at the corner of his mouth, AJ shrugged then said,
“The both of you are ridiculous. I think you are either perfect for each other
or the worst thing for each other.”

“What
do you mean?” Catalella played with her toast, losing interest in it
completely.

“You
have trust issues and he has abandonment issues.” AJ sat on the dining table
next to her. “You won’t trust any man because of Michael Mathews and Rich…his
mother abandoned him when he was six, and Ava married and ditched him. Rich
doesn’t have that much confidence in women.” AJ took a labored breath as he
sorted through his next words. “I knew about Ava. I was the best man at his
wedding. Even though we had just met and had been fighting he picked me, a
complete stranger, to be his best man. That was my first clue at how lonely he
was. Then, when you passed out, he told me he was still married. He wanted to
get an annulment but he couldn’t find Ava.” AJ paused. “Peanut, are you
listening to me? Rich wanted a life with you and the baby. But you didn’t give
him a chance.”

“Well
he lied to me,” Catalella said and tried to push the guilt of being one of the
women who abandoned him away. “Plus, he’s the one who stopped calling.”

“Why
would he keep calling a woman who clearly doesn’t want him?” AJ put in. “Anyway,
he’s in Hong Kong on business and won’t be back until tomorrow.”

“How do
you know that?” Catalella swallowed the lump of disappointment that had formed
in her throat.

“He
told me the night he came into the ER.”

“He
came to see you at work?”

“He
didn’t have much of a choice. He had bruised ribs and a concussion,” AJ added
as he stood up and began to walk away.

‘What
do you mean?” Catalella chased after him into the living room.

“Rich
had an accident the night he left here. Someone rear-ended him and he was
forced into a wall. No big deal.”

Catalella
was surprised at how her brother shrugged off Rich’s accident like it was
nothing.

“Why
didn’t he tell me?” Her heart jumped into her throat. She could have lost him
that night. He would have died thinking that she didn’t want him, not knowing
if he had a boy or a girl or if they could actually make their bizarre
situation work.

“You
weren’t answering his calls, remember?”

“Why
didn’t you tell me?” she squealed.

“I didn’t
think you would care.”

Catalella
stretched her arm so that she could reach out and punch AJ in the gut. But her
center of gravity had changed. She realized it when her body fell forward and
she toppled over the couch. Her muscles were coiled and her shoulders stiff
when a tiny pain shot through her abdomen.

“Catalella!”
She heard the panic in AJ’s
voice.

“I’m
fine,” she managed to say through clenched teeth as AJ helped her into a
sitting position. But AJ had switched to doctor mode and was checking her body
for any bruises before his hand begun to feel about her belly.

“Tell
me where it hurts,” he said.

Catalella’s
hand settled at the bottom of her round belly. That was where it hurt the most,
but the fear she felt radiating inside her told her to lie. She didn’t want to
upset AJ and, furthermore, she didn’t want to have to go to the hospital.
Having Katherine check her with a portable ultrasound at the office or at the
parking lot of the hospital was a great difference to being in the hospital.
The once a month visits she did with her oncologist had taken weeks of
preparation.

Catalella
shook her head, hoping AJ wouldn’t look her in the eye and dare her to lie in
his face. “Nowhere,” she grunted.

“Peanut!”
he warned.

“My
belly hurts.” And, as she confessed, a flood of tears rushed down her cheeks.

“I’m
going to take you to the hospital and have Katherine check you,” he said in his
most reassuring tone yet. “I’m sure it’s nothing but we have to make sure.”

“Promise
me it’s going to be all right?” Catalella forced her brother to look into her
eyes.

“I
don’t know, peanut. But since you aren’t bleeding I’m sure you will be fine.”
He kissed her cheek and lifted her in his arms.

“If I
lose the baby, I’ll lose myself, and I’ll lose Rich,” she muttered into his chest,
and a disapproving grunt from her brother told her that he had heard her.

* * *
*

Rich
leaned back in the recliner chair of his private jet when he felt the jostle of
the plane as the wheels touched down. It had been a long flight and he couldn’t
wait to get home. He couldn’t believe that he’d put his loft on the market and
would have to go back to the apartment he had shared with Catalella for the
past two months. His fingers kneaded his neck and he exhaled slowly. The
captain stepped out of the cockpit and stared at him, as did the hostess. He
knew they were wondering why he hadn’t made a move to disembark. Rich
understood their confused stares but they wouldn’t understand that he didn’t
want to go to an empty home. Resigning himself to his lonely fate, Rich
unbuckled his seatbelt, stood up and shook the crew’s hands before getting off
the plane. He disappeared into the black Range Rover waiting for him on the
runway.

“Excuse
me, sir…” his assistant began. Rich turned to face her and urged her to go on.
“There have been plenty of calls from a Dr. Adrian Ross. He called the office a
couple of times because he couldn’t reach you on your cell.”

“Why?”
Rich was sure he knew what AJ wanted to say—why aren’t you with my sister…take
charge of your relationship…get rid of Ava…I’ll help you dump her body if we
have to kill her. The last idea was appealing to him. He smiled at the idea of
ridding himself of Ava forever.

“He
left a message saying that you should call him immediately.”

“Sure.”
Rich turned his phone on and there were more than two dozen messages. His heart
pounded as the fear began to set in. The messages were from AJ, Katherine and
Catalella—something was definitely wrong if Catalella had tried to reach him.
Rich let himself listen to just one message. He didn’t think he could get
through all of them. AJ’s voice blared. “You need to come to the hospital. Call
me when you get here.”

Rich
leaned forward and tapped his driver on the shoulder. “Take me to Lennox Hill
Hospital and hurry.”

A
horrible dread nagged at him. He closed his eyes and leaned back on the leather
seat. His fingers dug into his thigh as he forced himself not to think the
worst.

* * *
*

“What
exactly is wrong?” Catalella read into the looks Katherine and AJ were
exchanging. Something was wrong…something was terribly wrong.

“Excuse
me,” Katherine croaked and ducked out of the room.

“AJ,
please…you need to tell me what’s wrong.” Catalella squeezed her brother’s
hand, brushing his fingers away when he tried to wipe the tears rolling down
her cheeks.

“Hang
on for a second, peanut. Wait until Katherine comes back.” He stroked her hair
and, for a second, his cool reassuring voice almost fooled Catalella into
thinking everything was all right.

She
heard a knock on the door and looked up expectantly, hoping it was Katherine or,
better yet, Rich. But her family flooded the room. One by one they walked in as
if they were lambs being ushered into the slaughter house. Her hard-faced
father led the way, followed by an expressionless Rosalinda, a sniffling
Lisette, a worried Reno and DJ and a distraught Dennis and Harold. Something
was terribly wrong if AJ and Katherine needed to bring her family in for
reinforcements. Her heart ached at the absent face she desperately needed.
Where was Rich?

“Catalella?”
Katherine’s shaky voice pierced
through her thoughts. “This is Doctor Bailey. She is the lead OBGYN in this
hospital. She will be taking over your case.”

“Why,
Katherine? You are my doctor.” Catalella tried to sit up but the ache in her
belly stopped her. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”

“Doctor
Henry is too close to your case to help you, Miss Ross. You need an objective
opinion and I am able to give you one without being emotional.” Bailey’s cold
tone of voice pinned Catalella down. “You have Preeclampsia. It’s in a mild
stage, but with the slight placental abruption I recommend that you deliver the
baby immediately.”

Catalella
stared at the hard planes of the doctor’s face and the icy coolness in her
eyes. She spoke as if it didn’t matter that she had just asked her to deliver
her baby before it was due. “Why do I have to deliver?”

“If
something happens and the placenta completely detaches or your blood pressure
is higher than it is now, you could bleed to death and you and the baby would
die. Delivering the baby now increases your chances.”

“What
about the baby?” Her mother’s shaky voice filled the room.

“It
could survive but the odds are against it. It’s not developed enough to survive
outside its mother’s womb. But it could.”

“She’s
six months along.” Catalella heard Lisette gasp. Her eyes went to her sister’s
and already she saw the guilt set in. Catalella almost laughed at all her bad
luck and, if it wasn’t for the crushing pain in her heart, she would have. The
odds were once again stacked up against her. She waited for her father to make
the ultimate decision. Nothing that she could say at that moment would stop her
family from voting against her wishes for her own good.

“Preeclampsia
is very dangerous for both mother and child,” Katherine put in.

“What
the hell is that?” A booming voice coming from the door pulled her in its
direction.

Catalella
sat up against the pain in her body and stretched her hands out to Rich. She
saw the look of surprise in his eyes before he walked over to her. He took her
hands and stood by her side. It was now nine against two, but she knew with
Rich by her side they would be able to win this fight against her family.

“Catalella
has a condition—” Katherine began before she was cut off.

“Her
blood pressure is slightly too high, she has a detached placenta from the fall—”

“Fall…what
fall?” Rich asked urgently, but his question was ignored.

“—if
her placenta
abrupts
she will bleed out and may have
to have a hysterectomy. If the bleeding is not controlled in time she could die,
but the baby will definitely die.” The doctor paused. “We need to deliver the
baby now before it gets out of hand.”

* * *
*

Rich
hadn’t been in the room for more than a second when he was bombarded and
assaulted with information. Out of everything the doctor had said only one
thing stuck with him—Catalella and his baby could die. He looked up at the
family assembled around the bed and he knew the pain in their eyes mirrored his
own. But they were also looking expectantly at him…did they expect him to give
the doctor the go ahead to prematurely deliver his baby?