Black Butterfly Read online

  Todd entered the room and saw no sign of Trish.

  Officer Perez walked around, checking the room and finding everything in order.

  The closed bathroom door drew both their attention. Todd knocked on it lightly. “Trish, it’s me, honey.

  Open up.” He put his head to the door, listening for movement. Hearing nothing, he hit the door harder, turning the knob. “Trish, open the door. I won’t let them hurt you.” After no response, he threw his shoulder against the door, forcing it open. Immediately, he noticed the pill bottles in the sink. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his stomach tightened. Turning in what felt like slow motion, he saw the golden crown of her head slumped down in the claw-foot tub. He felt like he was running in quicksand as he moved forward and she came into full view, lying before him, unconscious, in her own vomit.

  “No!” he yelled, pulling at her limp body. “Baby, why? Why, God, why!” He lifted her out of the tub, and her head fell back listlessly. Todd dropped to his knees in unspeakable pain, mixed with shock and horror.

  The officer looked down at Trish’s pale face and called in the suicide attempt on the radio-box attached to his shoulder.

  “She’s not breathing! Help me, please! She’s not breathing!” Todd shouted, blinded by his tears. He heard the others racing for the bathroom door and looked up. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. Officer Peterson restrained the Hesser’s, blocking their way, but Portia slipped around him. Officer Perez caught her as she tried to get to Trish.

  “Why is he screaming? What’s wrong with my friend?”

  “Calm down,” the officer ordered. “You have to get out of here, now!” He dragged Portia out of the bathroom.

  Todd laid his precious love on the cool tile floor, cradling her head and wiping the vomit from her mouth with his sleeve. She wasn’t breathing, and the officers were busy keeping everyone out of the way. He tried to compose himself so that he could help her. Recalling what he’d learned about CPR in high school, he pinched her nose and opened her mouth, blowing air into her lungs. When she didn’t respond, he began the chest compressions, trying to count and see through his tears. “Please, don’t give up! Fight, baby!” Checking her pulse and finding none, he fought his rising panic and blew again into her mouth. He lifted his head in time to hear her gag as more vomit came up. He rolled her onto her side, hitting her on the back. “Breathe, baby.”

  Trish coughed harshly, and Todd pulled her onto his lap, pushing the long, blond strands away from the spew. Her chest heaved several times, and her eyelids fluttered weakly.

  “Sweetie, it’s me!” he cried through tears of joy, smiling down at her.

  She smiled faintly and tried to touch his hand pressed to her cheek. “Todd,” she whispered.

  Todd hugged Trish tightly as the emergency team came in, and they had to pry his arms off her.

  Looking on in shock and guilt, his body shook violently with fear and grief. Trish had slipped back into unconsciousness again.

  “Get the pill bottles for whatever you think she took.” One of the EMTs called over to him. He and his partner checked Trish’s vitals and placed an oxygen mask on her face as they moved her onto a stretcher and carried her out of the bathroom.

  Todd backed up to get out of the way. Tremors coursed through his hands, he reached into the sink and collected the bottles, then turned to follow them out. She was the love of his life. If she died, he would die too.

  Closing the door of their suite behind him, Nolen slipped his hands into his pockets, not bothering to remove his trench coat. Sydney pulled off her mink and threw it onto a chair, searching for the right words to convey her disappointment without hurting him.

  “Nolen, I want to understand this anger you’re carrying. How far would you go to get your way?”

  “Get your things. We’re leaving.”

  “Don't order me around.”

  “Now, damn it!” he snapped, going to the phone. She watched him pick it up to call for the bellhop, then a call for his car with instructions to get the jet ready. Sydney shook her head and walked to the bedroom to get their things.

  Within minutes, they were in the lobby, telling Michael and his wife goodbye. Michael asked Nolen to stop to see their mother. Nolen hugged him tightly, promising that things would be different. Amy was pleasant in her goodbye, but Sydney sensed that she was happy to see Nolen go. Much as she would have liked to go skiing just once, she hadn’t fought with him about leaving. She knew that seeing Marilynn and her son had been painful for him, as had knowing that Marilynn had revealed secrets from his past.

  Seeing him stare moodily out the window as they rode back to the airport, she moved closer to him, touching his hand.

  He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it affectionately. “I’m sorry for snapping at you,” he said.

  “I know you are.”

  “Why do you put up with it?” he asked, looking back out the window.

  “Would you prefer that I didn’t?”

  He dropped his gaze. “No. I just don’t know if I can do this, the way you need. Be the man you want me to be.”

  “You already are.”

  “I don’t know. The closer we become, the more I have my doubts.” Sydney lifted his arm and put it around her so that she could snuggle against him. “I have my doubts too Nolen. It makes us human. I don’t have a complicated past. My parents were good people. Our estrangement is as much my fault as it is theirs. And someday soon I plan to fix it. That’s what you have to understand. Michael and your mother are your family. You have to heal things with them to heal yourself.” He sighed, still looking out the window. “I’m trying.”

  They drove the rest of the way to the airport in silence. The plane lifted to the clouds and Sydney took Nolen’s hand into her own. The attendant on his jet gave him a nod to answer the phone in the armrest.

  “Todd?” he said.

  Sydney watched as Nolen’s expression changed from an irritated frown to a look of deep concern.

  “Calm down,” Nolen said. “Tell me what happened?”

  He listened for a long moment and then said, “We’re on our way.”

  “Nolen, what’s wrong with Todd?”

  Nolen ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a nervous breath.

  “Hey, is it Trish?”

  “Yes. Yes it is,” he began and looked away.

  A wave of apprehension swept over Sydney. “What is it? Tell me, damn it!”

  “Trish tried to commit suicide,” he said. “We need to get back now.”

  “What?”

  Nolen held tight to her hand to keep her from rising. There was nowhere to go. She sat back in her seat stunned. “Why would she do this?” Tears welled in her eyes. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know, but we’ll find out. I promise you!”

  The flight back to New York was painful. Sydney cried most of the way, asking Nolen several times what Todd had said about Trish. Nolen said he’d mentioned her parents being back in town, and Sydney was immediately reminded of Trish showing her the house she’d called hell. Her friend had been in trouble then, and Sydney had ignored the signs, so consumed with her new romance. She’d failed her.

  Everything became a blur, the landing, limo ride, all of it. Nolen called Todd, but he wasn’t answering his phone.

  “I’ll try Presbyterian Hospital,” he said. “That’s probably where they would take her.” Sydney heard him ask whether Patricia Hesser had been admitted and what her condition was. He listened for a moment with a frown line between his eyes and then closed the phone. “The family has requested that no information be released on the status of Patricia Hesser,” he said before she could ask. Sydney cried harder, and he promised to help.

  They arrived at the Emergency entrance. Nolen quickly ushered her inside. “We need to find Patricia Hesser,” Sydney said to the nurse. “What floor is she on?”

  “Nolen!” Todd’s voice boomed along the hospital corridor, and she
turned to see him coming down the hall that led to the waiting room. His clothes were wrinkled and stained. Todd wiped his red, swollen eyes with his hand, and Sydney felt her legs go weak. Could they be too late?

  Ignoring the nurse, Sydney went straight to Todd with Nolen on her heels. “What’s going on? Where’s Trish?” she asked.

  Todd kept running his hands through his hair and shaking his head, looking distraught. “She’s in intensive care. She took so many pills that she could have died. She’s all messed up, man, but I can’t get the whole fucking story. They’ve had me banned from the floor!”

  “Who? Who’s had you banned?” Sydney asked.

  “Her fucking parents!” Todd shouted. He looked past Sydney at Nolen. “You got to help me, man. If she dies, I won’t make it. Please, man, fix this for me!”

  Sydney put her hand to her forehead. “Why on earth would she try to kill herself, Todd? What did you do to her?”

  Nolen grabbed his friend by the arm, forcing him to stand still. “What happened, Todd? Why did Trish try to kill herself?”

  “Let me go!” Todd snatched his arm away, he blubbered through his tears. “I came home, and her mom was there, trying to make Trish go home with her. I threw her out, and Trish was planning to see a therapist. I swear to God, we were going to walk out the door, and that bitch showed up! I begged you to take care of her, man. I told you she would fuck up everything. She told her all these lies!” Sydney could make no sense of Todd’s ranting.

  Nolen’s face was tight with anxiety or anger. He stopped speaking abruptly as Portia’s voice shouted Sydney’s name. They all turned to see her marching down the hall with Ricky.

  “Portia? What are you doing here?”

  Portia locked eyes with Sydney. Ricky looked repulsed at Sydney in her sable coat and then glared at Nolen, who was already glaring at him.

  “How could you do this?” Portia shouted at her. “Do you hate me that much? How could you do this, to her and to me? Trish might die, and it’s all your fault!”

  Sydney looked at her, then at Ricky. “Do what? What are you talking about?” Nolen spoke. “This is not her fault.”

  .“From what I hear, you and your playboy friend are the reason that Trish is in there, fighting for her life!” Ricky said

  Sydney grabbed Nolen’s arm. “Would you all stop it? What’s going on?”

  “What’s going on is that you hooked Trish up with that rapist to get back at me!” Portia shouted, pointing at Todd.

  Sydney felt as if she was going to scream from the shouting and confusion. “What are they talking about?” she asked Nolen.

  Todd glared at Portia. “You lying bitch!” he shouted. “I never raped you, and you know it! You attacked me, and if it wasn’t for Nolen getting you out of jail and begging me to play nice, you’d still be behind bars now!

  Who the fuck do you think got you into the Ford Agency in the first place?” Nolen caught him by the arm as he charged at her, and Sydney backed up in disbelief. “Nolen, what are they talking about?” she repeated.

  Ricky approached Sydney, pushing Portia aside. “That man is the one who attacked Portia,” he said, pointing at Todd, “And your boyfriend covered it up, then moved him on to Trish! That’s why she tried to kill herself because Portia saw the photo and came to warn her. Trish couldn’t handle the betrayal.”

  “That’s not true,” Sydney said weakly. “Nolen would never deceive me like that. Tell them, Nolen!” Sydney glared at them both. “You two are sick and disgusting!” she shouted. “Trish is fighting for her life, and you're here to make these ugly accusations. Trish is fighting emotional problems from her family that have nothing to do with Nolen and Todd. Todd loves her!”

  Nolen let go of Todd and walked up to Sydney. “Let me talk to you.”

  “Tell them, Nolen! Tell them that’s a lie! Todd didn’t try to rape Portia!”

  “No, he didn’t, but he did get into a fight with her.”

  Sydney looked at Nolen, puzzled. “A fight?”

  “He was the man who had her arrested. Todd was telling the truth. He didn’t attack her. It got out of hand when Portia didn’t get what she wanted, and she destroyed his place. He had her arrested to restrain her.

  She never mentioned the word rape to you or anyone until today. She’s distorting things.”

  “You knew that Todd was the man who hurt my friend, and you let me hook him up with Trish?” Sydney asked, backing away from him.

  “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”

  “No!” she shouted, her eyes full of tears. “How could you do this? Why would you do this?”

  “Because he wanted to make you and Trish their whores!” Portia sneered triumphantly. “Probably enact his fantasy of getting a black woman into bed.”

  Nolen glared over his shoulder at Portia, but before he could speak, Sydney shoved him away. “Get your hands off me!” Sydney seethed, but he pulled her away.

  Once they were at a safe distance, he released her. “Calm down!” She swung wildly at him, crying, and he pushed her against the wall.

  “Listen to me. I know you’re angry and hurt, but right now this isn’t about me, you, or Portia. It’s about Trish. We need to help Trish.”

  Sydney stared into his eyes. “How could you do this? Why didn’t you tell me? Why?”

  “I’ll explain it to you later. Let’s just find out what’s going on with Trish first, ok?” She turned her head, refusing to look at him. He released her, and she wiped her tear-streaked face, walking around the corner from him. Hospital security was now crowded in the halls along with concerned nurses and doctors. Portia was on the other side of the hall, glaring at Todd, who kept pacing. Ricky, who stood a little farther away from Portia, walked toward Sydney. “You ok?” he asked.

  Sydney glanced at him and then averted her eyes. Ignoring his question, she went straight to Todd as Nolen gave Ricky a warning look.

  “Where was she the last time you saw her?” she asked.

  Todd looked disoriented. “Emergency,” he said. “The emergency room. They pumped her stomach, but they didn’t know how extensive the damage was. She was unresponsive, so they moved her to Intensive Care.

  Her father came back with hospital security, demanding that Portia and I be removed with no further access to her.”

  Sydney glanced angrily over her shoulder at Nolen. “Well, do something! You seem to have the power of God! You sure as hell can control all our lives! Get us in to see her!” Nolen stared at her for a moment. “Let me check on some things,” he mumbled.

  Sydney watched him walk off, feeling as if her world had come to an end. She was so angry and so in love with him that she wanted to die. She turned her attention back to Todd, who was a complete wreck. His pain was definitely real. She’d seen him with Trish, and she was sure that he really cared for her. “What’s Trish’s secret, Todd?” she asked.

  Todd lifted his eyes. “Her father raped her, over and over, from the time she was a child, and inside, she’s destroyed. How she survived this long is a miracle. Think what you want of me, but I only wanted to love her, to help her. I never touched her that way. No sex. No sex.” His voice trailed off. “If you don’t help me get to her, we’ll lose her. I’m all she has.”

  “Bullshit! No sex? All you wanted was sex!” Portia snapped. “She has us!” Sydney turned on Portia and the look she gave silenced her loudmouth friend. “Let me clue you in on something, Portia. I know your tricks. I know that somehow you bear a lot of the blame for what happened to you!”

  Portia sneered at her. “You know, for a minute, I actually thought about calling you. I thought that maybe, together, we could save her. But look at you. How far down on your knees did you have to go to get that dead animal you’re wearing around your shoulders?”

  Sydney smiled. “Not as low as you did to get that fake one hanging in your closet!” Ricky stepped between them. “You two stop it! What the hell is wrong with you? You’re friends!” Sydney met his pleading s
tare and wanted to laugh. “That’s right, defend your girlfriend.” Ricky looked shocked. “What?”

  “You heard me. Portia couldn’t wait to tell me how close you two are now.” Ricky looked at Portia angrily. “Portia, what’s wrong with you? Do you want to push everyone away?”

  “Ricky . . .” She reached out to touch him.

  Ricky pulled away from her. “What the hell do you care?” he asked Sydney. “You tossed me aside like my feelings didn’t matter.”

  Sydney shook her head. “I never treated you like you didn’t matter. But I will now. You two deserve each other.”

  Fighting back tears, she addressed Portia. “I loved you. I’d never do anything to hurt you or Trish. I had no idea that Todd was the man who attacked you, and I’m sick over it, but I’m also sick over the way you’ve abused my love for you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re dead to me! After we help Trish, I never want to see your face again.”

  Portia seethed. “I was there for you when no one else was, damn it! Do you think that rich asshole you’re screwing would give you that kind of support?”

  “You don’t know anything about him and what he gives me!” Sydney retorted.

  “I know that he thinks his money can buy anything. The first thing he did was try to buy you, and it was you that said that. Since then, he’s paid for me to be away so he and his rapist friend could isolate you and Trish for their own pleasure. Open your fucking eyes before it’s too late!”

  “That’s enough!” A security officer shouted as another stepped between Portia and Sydney. “It's time for all of you to leave. Now. Now!”

  Nolen approached with another man in a suit. He stopped security from dragging Portia and Sydney out. There was so much commotion and bickering that Sydney turned away from it all.

  Nolen appeared at her side. “This is Dr. Patel. He’s the chief of staff here. He’s going to take us to Trish.”

  Todd stepped away from the wall he was leaning against. “How is she?”

  “She sedated. She’ll come out of it soon,” Dr. Patel replied. “Her body has to recover from the toxins in her bloodstream.”