34. Drake returns home, his father is ill.
1308 Words
Drake and Kira took a cab back to the airport.
Cash was waiting. He ran to his cousin Drake.
" What's the hurry?" He was afraid something bad had hapened to Stella.
Cash pulled his cousin to his large, wide chest. "You gotta go home man, it's your pops. He is in the hospital. Sam is with him."
Drake frowned. " Why, what's wrong?"
" Lung cancer, go now. I got you both tickets to fly home. Hurry you can make the next flight."
Kira frowned. She knew Cash wanted her to take care of his cousin, be there to support him.
Kira hugged Cash."I will do this for you, but please don't marry your queen. This is far from over."
He kissed her hand. " You are a queen yourself Kira."
Drake and Kira got onto the long flight back to Calfornia.
Cash had to wait to fly back to New Dehli. He walked around the airport nervously.
His flight was delayed.
Ash and Storm sat in the lobby. Ash got some lunch and handed Storm a fruit plate. He only ate plant based.
They waited and waited.
The doctor finally emerged. She was looking for Cash.
" Ah, we are his brothers, we are standing in for Cash, he had urgent family business." said Ash, who was no longer drunk.
Dr. Sanja took the boys in to see Stella.
Storm saw this thin girl with wavy brown hair lying asleep. Her leg was wrapped up in a bandage. It was not amputated.
Ash sat next to her and was compelled to hold her frail looking hand.
About an hour later, Stella opened her big green eyes.
She saw two handsome dark angels at her bedside, one on each side.
She saw the prettier one was holding her hand.
" Hey, you are Stella right?" Ash said.
" I'm Ash and this is Storm Palmer."
Stella asked for a sip of water.
" What...uh, you are Sam and Cash's twin brothers?"
They nodded.
" Why...are you here?" She was confused.
Storm picked up her hand.
" We are here because Cash had to find Drake and get him home. His father is sick." said Ash.
" Wait Drake was here in India?" She asked.
" Well, we didn't see him, we just got here." He blinked at her.
" You, Ash, you look like Sam. And you Storm, you look more like Cash."
Storm smiled at her. " No one ever sees that. I always thought that was true." He said.
Stella closed her eyes and moaned. She was hurting.
Ash went to get the nurse.
The nurse gave her some pain medicine.
" What did they do to you?" asked Storm.
" My doctor gave me a titanium rod in my leg. She said if it doesn't heal, I will lose my leg." She smiled, not wanting to cry.
The twins stayed with Stella and kept an eye on her as she recovered from her surgery.
Cash was frustrated his flight was delayed three times and now canceled.
He took a cab to a hotel room. It was after midnight, he went to bed. He was worried about his Stella.
Drake sat in his seat drumming his fingers on his thigh. He wondered if his dad was going to make it. He had been sick before, he lead an extravagant life style, booze, rich foods, women, golf every week.
He thought about his mother.
Beth Palmer was not a fool. She knew her husband had serious flaws and couldn't be faithful to her. She stayed. She never left him.
He once asked her about it....
" Mom, why...I mean he is not a good husband to you, why stay. I'm old enough to see that you deserve someone to make you happy." Drake said.
" I am happy. Your father is a very good man deep inside, I was never enough of a woman for him. I know that...but there are many kinds of love Drake." Beth responded.
" That's crap mom, you are a beautiful woman, you deserve a better man. " He was angry at her. She was just a pushover.
" Drake, I have hope...one day, maybe your father will see me. He will come back to me and see...I was enough for him.
I loved him unconditionally, hell yes he slowly placed his daggers of ice into my heart with every woman he slept with.
But I have you son. You melt the ice...you make it worth staying and fighting for love."
" Mom, leave him. I will get you an apartment. Don't stay, he is never going to change, he doesn't want to change." he said, yelling at her.
Beth Palmer used to be beautiful, she was a beauty queen once, Miss Florida-Pan handle.
Stewart was infatuated with her. He couldn't get enough of her at one time. But slowly through the years...he changed.
She had tried to keep herself up. She was infact still quite beautiful. She had a natural beauty with nice cheek bones and a sweet smile.
On her 25th wedding anniversary Beth had planned a big night with Stewart, she bought some sexy lingerie.
She went out to the store to get a cake.
When she returned he was in their bed. She smiled at him.
Then she heard a woman in her bathroom talking about s*x with her husband on their special day.
Stewart apologized profusely.
She slowly packed a bag. She was utterly defeated. She was blinded by her thick tears as she numbly called her driver to come get her.
Stewart came after her. He yelled at her." Get back inside, people will talk, damn it Beth, I thought you were at your stupid yoga class."
She didn't speak to him. When he returned inside the house, he saw the cake she had bought to celebrate their 25th anniversary.
He frowned. Ah, no wonder she was so mad. I will make this up to her, buy her a nice ring or something, he thought.
Beth did not come home, she was defeated. No one, not even her own son blamed her.
She held on longer than anyone would. She still loved him, she just couldn't stay any longer.
Drake thought about that day, the day he called her to tell her happy anniversary, he knew she was going to surprise his father tonight with a trip, a cruise to Greece.
" Hey mom tonight's the big night, are you excited?" He asked her, not really caring about it.
Beth answered him in a flat tone,"Your father had other plans tonight."
That was it, no yelling, no anger spewed, no scorned woman crying for revenge.
He found out later from his dad that she caught him with his assistant. That she left. He said he didn't even know it was their 25th anniversary.
Drake thought about Stella now. He saw the way that he had acted like his father. He wasn't worthy of her. He did his best to hurt her time and time again.
He would take care of his family business, then find her and...and what?... give her a comitment that he would break as soon as he made it?.....
Drake's long flight had finally landed. Kira went with him to the hospital.
She saw he was depressed and sullen.
Drake saw Sam sitting with his dad. He was reading the Wallstreet journal to him.
Beth was not there. She was on a cruise in Greece.
" Hey guys, I made it." Drake said, breezing in.
His father looked at him and saw Kira behind him.
He grinned," And who is this lovely creature you brought to me?" Stewart continued his lecherous ways even now.
" Oh, Kira...she's my travel companion." He said.
Kira put her hand out to Stewart, he kissed it.
- Writer
