Untangling The Stars (26 page)

Andie could feel her heart thumping in her chest and with trembling fingers, she hit the redial on the last message. Within one ring, Madeline answered.

“Hello, Ms. Mann? This is Andie Foxglove. I’m sorry I just got your messages. What is—?”

“Oh thank god, Andie. Call me Madeline.”

Andie frowned, now even more concerned by the obvious change in tone and attitude toward her. The woman on the phone sounded nothing like the woman she’d met at Rao’s.

“Um, sure. Madeline, what is going on?”

“I really would rather talk to you in person?” Madeline’s voice caught and she cleared her throat. When she spoke again, it was noticeably more business-like. Distant. “Can you catch the next flight out? I will cover all your expenses.”

“What happened? Is Guy okay? Why is he in the hospital?”

Andie heard Madeline sigh and waited. A few seconds of silence passed. “There was an… incident…on the set. Guy was injured and he is here at Mount Sinai in New York. He will be all right, but I need you to come here. I’m sorry, but I can’t discuss this on the phone.”

“Can I talk to him? Are you with him right now?”

“No, I stepped out to get a coffee. He is sedated right now and resting, but when he wakes up, it would be better if you were here, Andie. Guy will need you here too.” There was a long pause and Andie could hear the hesitation crackle across the line, Madeline searching for the next words to say. “He cares very deeply for you, Andie. You should know that. If anyone can pull him out of this, it’s you.”

Andie felt tears brim her eyes. She didn’t understand what was going and clearly, she was not going to be told over the phone. She just had to focus on that Madeline said that he was going to be all right. That’s what really mattered, right now anyway.

“Okay. I’ll catch the next flight out. I’ll text you the itinerary when I have it.”

“Thank you, Andie,” Madeline sounded relieved. She let out a breath like she was using it as space to form her next thought. The woman was obviously unsettled. “I’ll have a car waiting for you when you arrive. Good bye.”

The phone went silent before Andie could say anything else. She sat down on the bed and heard Templeton resume purring as she stroked him absently, mentally making a quick checklist of everything she had to sort out before heading to the airport. Templeton! She had almost forgotten about him. Dialing Melody, she prayed her friend’s pet-sitting offer hadn’t been a pleasantry, and hoped Melody was still awake. It was late, but not too long since she had left. Just when Andie thought she was going to get voicemail, a half-asleep Melody picked up.

“Melody! I’m so sorry to call, but I have to call in that favor already. I need you to check in on Templeton tomorrow and maybe Monday. You still have a key right?”

“Hey Andie. What? Yeah sure…no problem. Are you okay? What’s up?”

“I have to fly to New York. Guy’s manager called. He’s in the hospital.”

“What?!” Melody was now fully awake now and practically screamed into the phone. “Is he okay? Oh my god, tell me he’s okay. Are
you
okay? What happened?”

“I don’t really know. Something about an incident on the set and he was hurt. Madeline—his manager—wouldn’t tell me over the phone. But she did say he was going to be fine.”

“Oh thank god. Wow! Silas Dove injured. Who would have thought that was possible?”

“Hey! He’s Guy Wilder—a person,” Andie said, slightly perturbed.

“Oh Andie, I know, I know. I’m sorry. I’m just stunned. You know I’m a huge fan.”

“So, Templeton?” Andie was already throwing clothes into a bag.

“Of course. Don’t worry about him for a second. And, yes, I have a key, so take off, and go see your man.”

“Thank you, Melody, but he’s not really my man.”

“Honey, when his manager calls you to fly out and be there at the hospital with him, he’s your man.”

Andie didn’t want to debate it, especially not right now when the United Airlines app said the next flight left in under two hours and the airport was still an hour away. She wasn’t absolutely sure what was going on anyway, and didn’t want to let her imagination get carried away in any case. If he was all right, why the urgency for her to get there right away? Surely, Madeline knew that she and Guy had decided to take a break. Or, Andie had anyway. Knowing Madeline, that news should have made her very happy.

“Thank you for taking care of Templeton. I’ll let you know when I’ll be back as soon as I know.”

“No problem, girl. Be safe…hey, let me know how Guy is too.”

“Will do. Bye.” Andie wondered if Melody really cared about Guy or Silas Dove.
That’s got to be so hard for Guy and every other celebrity for that matter,
Andie thought. At the same time, it was part of the package. Andie realized now how naïve she had been in her research to date, and hoped to go back and offer more clarity into her work—more firsthand perspective, however biased that would be. Separating the fantasy from the real was not easy, and, suddenly, she was part of that world and even she didn’t know how to handle it. The only thing she knew for sure was that she cared for the man, not the role he played. And, it really didn’t matter what anyone else thought. People seemed to think they were entitled to know about the personal and private lives of everyone else, especially celebrities. Andie would never be able to change that, but she could learn to ignore it—or at least manage it. So, despite her last conversation with Guy being she needed some space, a break to think, and ignoring those few demanding texts she’d received from him earlier, she booked the next flight out to LaGuardia, said goodbye to Templeton, and grabbed her car keys.

The flight was just shy of four hours, but it felt like an eternity to Andie. Thanks to in-flight Wi-Fi and the paparazzi, she was able to learn a little bit more about what had happened than Madeline had told her on the phone. The gossip rags and tabloids were shouting that Guy Wilder and his director had a disagreement on the set that escalated into a physical altercation, that had the police respond to the set, and that Guy had been transported via ambulance to Mount Sinai. There was no mention of what the disagreement had been about or if there had been any arrests, charges, or et cetera. Andie scrolled through the blogs and could not find out anything further. She was sure a throng of paparazzi would be camped out at the hospital and wondered if she would be able to sneak in without having to deal with that circus. Madeline had probably already considered that, Andie decided.

Closing her eyes and making a concentrated effort to push all the “what if’s” out of her mind, Andie didn’t even realize she had fallen asleep until the pilot announced they were beginning their final descent, for everyone to please take their seats and fasten their seat belts. Taxiing to the gate, Andie texted Madeline that she had just landed.

Your driver will meet you in baggage claim. He’ll have a sign. Thank you, Andie.

Andie couldn’t think of any reply. This new courteous and concerned Mad Man made her suspicious, but she pushed doubts away and focused her thoughts solely on Guy. She had managed to smash a few days’ worth of clothes, just in case, into an overnight bag, so she headed quickly down to baggage claim. It did not take long for Andie to scout out the chauffeur, complete with black suit and hat, holding an iPad with “Dr. Foxglove” glowing on its screen.

“Good morning,” Andie smiled at the friendly looking young man. “I’m Dr. Foxglove. Thank you picking me up.”

“Good morning, ma’am. My pleasure,” he replied in a thick accent Andie couldn’t immediately place, then reached to take her bag. “The car is just outside the doors if you’ll follow me.”

“Lead the way, thank you.”

A sleek black Audi with tinted windows was just ahead on the sidewalk outside the sliding glass doors, its motor still running. “Ms. Mann did not want to use the limousine, ma’am, given the photographers outside. She thought her personal car would be a safer choice. I hope the car is okay.”

Andie tried her best to hide her surprise. Madeline Mann’s personal car? “Not a problem and please, just call me Andie.”

“Okay, then.” He smiled back at her. “I’m David. It’s nice to meet you.” He turned to open the trunk.

“Is Guy okay, David? Do you know?”

“I just drive the car, but I do know that it wasn’t that serious. At least that I what I understand, ma’…, Andie.”

“Well, that’s good at least. Thank you. Ms. Mann didn’t really disclose a lot of details to me either—she wanted to talk in person,” Andie said as David opened the rear door for her. “Oh please. Let me ride up front with you. Really. You don’t have to drive Miss Daisy today.”

David gave her a bright smile and opened the passenger side front door instead. She slid in, buckling her seat belt as he came around the car and took the driver’s seat. “How long is the ride? You’ll have to forgive me; I’m not very familiar with New York.”

“I’d say about forty to forty-five minutes.”

Andie nodded quietly in reply. She could feel her stomach tightening up in knots again. There was more to this than what she had been told and what she had read. The not knowing was the hardest, but she was almost there so she checked her rising panic and stared out the window quietly and watched the city pass by the window in a blur.

About forty minutes later, just like David had said, the hospital came into view and he swung the big black car into the parking garage. “I’m going to drop you off by the elevator. There should be security waiting there.”

“Sounds good,” mumbled Andie. Maybe this way the paparazzi storm could be avoided. Climbing up the ramps, David stopped in front of an elevator where Andie immediately saw Madeline standing, texting madly on her phone, next to a very large, muscled man, who stood with his arms crossed tightly and dressed entirely in black. “Oh by the way. That’s ‘Klack’, Ms. Mann’s personal security,” whispered David conspiratorially. “He’s not one for chit chat, so don’t take it personally.”

Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore
. “Got it. Mute Goliath.”

David laughed and stopped the car beside them. “It’s been a pleasure, Andie.”

“Thank you, David. Take care.”

He hopped out and grabbed her bag from the trunk. Goliath made no move or acknowledgment, so Andie just nodded at him and then turned to Madeline. Truth be told, the woman looked rough and not at all like her polished self from their previous meeting. The refined, confident, haughty (okay, bitchy) woman who Andie had met before looked exhausted, flustered, and disheveled.

“How is he?” Andie asked directly. She wasn’t going to pretend to be friends with this woman; all she wanted was to see Guy.

“He’s sleeping. Let’s go inside and we’ll talk.”

“Okay, fine, but first I am going to see him. Then we can talk. If he’s asleep, I promise I won’t disturb him.”

Madeline sighed and nodded. She looked defeated and Andie was going to take full advantage of the fact that the Mad Man had called
her.
Andie was going to be in charge of this meeting…at least until Madeline collected herself, because when she was back, all bets were off. Andie knew better this time. The three of them—Andie, Madeline, and Mute Goliath—rode up silently in the elevator. Andie made a collected effort to control her breathing and stuck her hands in her pockets to hide any trembling as her anxiety grew. She was extremely grateful that she’d had the good sense to throw on a cozy, oversized sweater; it was easy to hide in even if it was a bit warm for the occasion. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor and Goliath led the way when the doors peeled open. At the end of the hall, at room 409, another bodyguard, Andie assumed, was sitting outside the door. He stood and nodded to Goliath who continued past the room and looked down the next hallway.

“It’s been all quiet, Ms. Mann. Not even a whisper has breached the security downstairs. I had the phone removed, and Mr. Wilder is still sleeping.”

“Good. Klack will take over after he checks the other hallways and stairwells. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“Yes, ma’am. No problem.”

He glanced at Andie, but otherwise ignored her. She wondered what they knew or had been told, then decided that she really didn’t care. She walked past the new guard—Tom, per the stitched letters on his lapel, and into a large, private room that looked more like a hotel suite than a hospital room. A curtain was drawn around the bed, but Andie could hear deep breathing and the occasional blip of a monitor. She set her bag down behind a chair that had been pulled toward the bed. Taking a breath, she took a couple of steps forward and peered around the curtain.

She was not prepared for the wave of emotion that flowed through her and tears blurred out her vision. She wiped her face, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
You got this, Foxglove.
Readying herself, she opened her eyes again and gazed adoringly—sadly—upon the man she had grown to care about so much, so fast. It pained her, sharply and deeply, to see him like this. He hadn’t shaved in a couple of days but the bruised jaw was still evident under the shadow of stubble. One eye was black and swollen shut and it looked like he had some scratches on his neck. His left hand wrapped to the wrist in a soft bandage and red, raw knuckles were evident on his right hand. He was fast asleep, breathing deeply and steadily. An IV ran from his right wrist, and a steady drip of clear liquid was flowing into his arm.

Andie saw Madeline waiting by the door. She had watched Andie for a minute, but then turned and was now sitting in the chair, her eyes glued to her phone. Klack had returned and was standing on the other side of the door with his back turned and hands folded in front of him. Andie reached down and softly, so as not to wake him, slid her hand underneath Guy’s. It felt good to touch him, to feel connected to him, even if he might never know. He looked broken and she wanted to lay her head on his strong, broad chest and cry.
Whatever part I played, I’m sorry,
she thought to herself and wiped the tears that slipped down her cheek. Pulling herself together and knowing that she could do nothing to help him right now, she tore herself away from Guy, and walked back to the door.