Runner Up (8 page)

We arrived at a hotel that was larger than I had expected. We were going to share the penthouse that
had eight rooms. I was lucky to room with Janette again. A few others girls were latching on to her, too. She was
the sweetest girl and friendly with everyone. My bodyguard stayed by my side on the elevator. I told him that he
didn't need to but he insisted, fervently. Joe was very protective since my recent incident. I thought maybe he was
feeling a little guilty, he was not expecting another contestant to take me out. He had been ranting and raving
about Danielle’s actions and reminding us over and over about the clause in our contracts that any intentional
violence was an automatic dismissal. I was torn on the idea. I wasn’t going to turn her in. It was, however, outside
my drama Richter scale. I did not appreciate her attitude, or the fact that I was on the receiving end of her
impatience, today. My body was already starting to ache all over and I felt a bit weird and shaky. I really needed to
eat and lay down.

As I entered the penthouse, I gave Joe a one-armed hug and thanked him, again. I saw him an hour later
when he walked in with my carryon and two of the show executives. I had my arm propped up on a pillow and a
plate of food next to me. Heidi had taken pity on me and ordered room service. It felt lame, but suddenly, I
wanted my mom.

“Well, Hannah, you look a little beat up today.” A producer, whose name I couldn’t remember,
commented.
“Yea, I am hurting a bit. Perhaps I shouldn’t have argued about going to the hospital. I am hoping I didn’t
crack a rib on the way down.” I said honestly. I was really hurting now and losing my stubbornness with every
passing moment.
“Well we were hoping to get you looked at more thoroughly. We have a car waiting downstairs that can
get you there. Is there anything you would like to take with you?” I thought a sec, really nothing besides my mom,
my new boyfriend and 4 boxes of tissue to go with my pity party. I was fighting it off mentally.
“Just my purse please, but can you make sure that Janette knows that I am okay? I don’t want her to
worry.” I said it all with my eyes closed. I was very woozy.
“I will let Heidi know. She will take care of everything.” They helped me out of bed and set me up in a
wheelchair.
A wheelchair
…and wheeled me out. The few girls in the place were very interested in what had
happened and I saw Danielle standing with them. I distinctly heard her loud whisper.
“Drama queen!”
I stopped caring. My arm had bled through my bandage, my left hip and side were throbbing and burning so
badly, I could not concentrate on anything but not crying. The cameras tagged along for the brilliant TV moment of
me feeling miserable and alone.
Hurray.
The hospital experience was pretty typical. They removed the emergency bandage on my arm, and cleaned
out the wound. I got a good look as they tweezed out slivers from the wooden cheese cart. They gave me a few
stitches and some painkillers which helped with the pain.
They gave me x-rays and ruled out any fractures and did a full body scan to also rule out any internal
injuries. I thought that was overdoing it, but my guess was the show was covering their backs in case something
went wrong later. I assumed they did not want a lawsuit for being stingy with providing health care to a contestant.
I thanked all the doctors, nurses and lab techs, generously, to make sure they knew I appreciated the extra care.
Since I didn’t have family with me I appreciated that everyone was being extra nice to me. I was sure the cameras
helped to get everyone into their best bedside manner routine.
They gave me a prescription for painkillers for a few days and furnished me with suggestions for making
myself comfortable with the serious bruises I had. They didn’t want me to get my arm wet for a few days. I was
instructed to wrap it up to shower or take a bath. They planned on sending a nurse to remove the stitches, later.
The show would have a nurse check on me every day. I could only hope that would be off camera.
I arrived back at the hotel after dark, with another escort. The show’s producers were waiting in the
penthouse living room. There was a fire crackling in the fireplace and the wall of windows’ view of the city lights of
London was impressive.
Or perhaps my painkillers were kicking in to the next level
. I mused.
“Come, sit, Hannah.” The same guy spoke to me, again. I really wished I could remember names better.
“Thank you.” I was easing myself down using one arm. They gave me a sling for my left arm but it was
already annoying me, it wasn’t broken, seriously people.
“We have just finished the meeting with all the show producers and we reviewed the film, as suggested by
your bodyguard. We believe that Danielle’s actions were intentionally harmful and she is being escorted home. Her
actions are in breach of contract and she is terminated from
Soulmate
.” He said in a slow monotone.
His words should have been a relief but I found myself starting to tear up. It was an overwhelming feeling. I
knew this was going to be on the show and that no one had ever been kicked off for violent behavior before. I
suddenly felt sorry for Danielle and the kind of backlash this could cause.
“I just don’t feel…” I said and stopped when my throat got tight with emotion. I wiped away a few tears
and tried to keep talking. Hoping something would make sense with my crazy emotions going through me. “I guess
I just don’t know if kicking her off is the right thing to do, perhaps she didn’t mean to hit me. I hate the idea of her
being kicked off for one little mistake. Perhaps it was just an accident.” I felt like a fool.
Why am I defending her? Hannah, stop talking!
I told myself in my head. I obeyed but whimpered in a pathetic
kind of noise.
“I appreciate you sharing your feelings but the show has already made that decision. Her actions, on film,
clearly showed that she intended to hit you with her elbow and she aimed her luggage at you. She has had several
warnings about her attitude on the show, from the hotel staff and the film crew. Her time on
Soulmate
is over. She
has been escorted off the
property and she is flying out tonight. She is under guard from show personnel until she leaves the airplane. If you
wish to file charges for assault we can stop her at the airport. It is your decision.”
I just shook my head and felt remarkably close to whimpering some more. Today had been wrong from
the start. Now I just wanted the cameras to go away. I needed to cry alone for a while.
Janette helped me up when the producers were done telling me to rest for the next few days and after
that, if I needed to cancel the date or wanted to go home, I just had to let them know.
There was no chance I was missing the date with Tony in a few days unless I no longer had a pulse,
I told myself.
I felt better once I was lying on my uninjured side and covered in several ice packs brought by the hovering
Heidi. My prescriptions were laid out on the table. She had moved to the other side of the bed so I could reach
them with my good arm, while laying on my right side. I had a few moments that evening when I almost felt
normal.
* * * * *
"Well, Hannah, you ruined my perfectly planned whining session about how bad my day was. I had it all
scripted and when I finally got here to the penthouse, everyone said you went to the hospital and there was all this
drama and Danielle was throwing a hissy fit like a four year old. It was epic." Janette said. Her eyes looked wide
and crazy. She was about to act out a hissy fit and amuse me.
"What happened to you today? I never saw you before I left for the hospital. I fully expected to see you
here after I came home the first time." I asked slowly, I felt a little loopy.
"Well my cabbie had no sense of directions or driving ability. Nothing compared to the drama unfolding
here. Let me tell you...." Her arms went up and her red hair was flying. "She was ranting loudly. At this point, I
could imagine editing beeps happening on the aired-for-tv version. She was absolutely irate. Three big guys were
ready to get out the tranquilizer guns if she didn’t calm down. Okay I made that up. But seriously, it was like animal
planet in here for a moment or two. It could be a hit show. “
Soulmate
…when savage brides attack!!” I thought it
had great potential. Maybe I should pitch it to the producers the next chance I get." Janette’s eyes were crazy.
I started laughing and it hurt me everywhere, but I could not stop.
"Ow Ow, stop it." I said quietly, while trying not to move too much.
"Oh sorry, I should stop, but seriously, all the girls are glad she is gone. She had given so much lip since day
one, I am not sure anyone would miss her." Janette sat next to me on the bed, after her performance and gave me
a friendly tap on my uninjured shoulder. She did a “mom- comfort move” by rubbing along my back with a few
smooth motions. The move was so soothing I started to cry again.
"Sorry, Janette, I am pretty emotional, laughing one second and crying another. Thanks for being so sweet
to me. I am sorry you had a rough day, too. Remember, you have a date in two days and I have one in three. We
will hopefully survive London and get to see the next place. Perhaps next time we can fall off a mountain
somewhere." I said, weakly. My humor was a little stunted but she smiled at me and urged me to get some sleep.
The trip to the restroom to brush my teeth and change into pajamas wasn't all laughs, but I managed and
then fell asleep quickly, afterwards. I woke up after a few hours to take a painkiller and fell back to sleep.
* * * * *
The next day went pretty smoothly; by mid-morning I was extremely bored so Janette figured out a way to
get me into the hot tub with an abundance of plastic wrap on my arm. It was a laugh getting into my bathing suit,
but the bruises I could see in the full-length mirror were horrific. I looked like a battered woman.
If I was brave enough I would let the show take a picture. Beyond the bruises I still had my tan and abs
from the “death-by-trainer” they sent me. I wondered how long, after no workout, before the “soft me” turned
into the real me.
I didn’t really want to know.
Janette escorted me out to the private swimming area and slowly I eased down the steps and let the hot
water work out all the pain. We arranged it so I could rest my bad arm on the side while I sat on a few
underwater towels, propping me up high enough, so my arms wouldn’t go under. Crazy ingenuity, my dad would
be proud.
* * * * *
Janette was back from her date. I heard her goofy “shave and a haircut” knock and knew that she had
returned. She put on a silly grin came into the bedroom. We plopped down and started talking to each other.
"Anthony is kinda dreamy." She said.
I nodded forcefully, I totally agreed.
"There is no chance for romance but I can add him to my long list of buddies now." Janette grinned with
one side of her mouth.
"Awe Janette, I am sorry." I said, sincerely. My heart felt for her but inside my head there was a strange
twinge of gladness that Anthony might actually be mine. I disliked myself a little at that moment.
"Don't frown, Hannah Banana. You don't have to have any guilt over the weird show jealousy junk with
me. This is a complicated relationship we are part of. He is currently dating 15 girls. We all might be fighting the
same feelings.”
She grabbed my hand.
"I still love you." She said with her sweetest smile.
"So how was the date, did you have fun at least?"
“Yes, it was a fun date, we went to a park and rode a ferris wheel and then had a fancy dinner. I was really
tongue-tied. There were a lot of awkward pauses, but he laughed at a few of my jokes.” Janette plopped down on
the bed.
I smiled weakly to give her support. “He has a great laugh!”
“Yeah,” Janette agreed.
“Let’s get a movie rental from our assistant and I will order a ton of room service. The show will treat us
to the good stuff tonight. I barely ate while on the date. I kept thinking about food sticking in my teeth on live
television.”
That remark got a chuckle out of me. “I totally understand that, I panic about stupid things like my zipper
being stuck or toilet paper sticking to my shoes. I am not a graceful person and I have a great imagination with how
stupid I could look on TV.”
Janette got to work quickly on the movie rental and room service. Soon we had a great meal and a
romantic comedy to distract us for the night.
* * * * *
I had high hopes for an easy-going date with Anthony today. From his letters it didn’t look like he knew
about my fall and I didn't have the nerve to tell him about it before. Also, I wondered if they had told him about
Danielle’s exit and why she left. It was all a mystery to me.
I chose a simple outfit with a soft burgundy v-neck sweater, with thick soft cashmere. My mother bought it
for me last Christmas. I only wore it on special occasions and it always comforted me and made me feel beautiful. I
needed that today.
The schedule was to have me ready by 2 pm and it was already 2:30 and still they had not called me to
leave. Usually he came up to retrieve or they escorted me out to meet him at a location.
I wondered what was going on when the cameramen came to life. That was my cue that something was
about to happen.
Heidi wandered up to me holding her ear. She had an earpiece for receiving instructions.
"He is coming up now. I was informed the date for today was changed due to your injuries. They are
wrapping things up. The producers apologize." She said.
I nodded and smiled. It didn’t matter if they were sorry or not. It seemed odd for them to be sorry. Just
another quirky part of the show, I guessed.
Anthony arrived a minute later with roses in hand. All thoughts about the show are gone. It was just Tony
and I for the rest of the night. I smelled the roses and handed them off to Heidi but grabbed the enclosed card
before she did. I would read it later. I shoved it quickly into my handbag.
Five minutes passed and we were in a limousine headed to places unknown. We ended up at another
hotel. I gave him a questioning look but he smiled.
"Well since your little scuffle the show suggested a night in, and I wanted you to be comfortable so we
rented a penthouse at a completely different hotel. We have movies, popcorn and the camera crew as chaperones
to protect your reputation. I wanted to spend time with you and have you be completely comfortable. I cannot
believe you didn’t tell me about what happened. That was very unfair. How am I supposed to be your man if I
cannot take care of you?" His speech was sincere, though a little unrealistic.
"I am sorry but I felt awkward. You had dates with other girls in the last few days; I felt strange trying to
take your focus away from them when it was not my turn. That whole thing with Danielle was unfortunate. I just
need a few more days to heal and I can hopefully never think about it again." I hoped that speech made sense.
"Yes I concede. I am also frustrated that they only told me about the Danielle issue this morning. It was a
shock to me. But they showed me the video footage, and I totally agreed. It was malicious and thoughtless of her. I
was so angry I could barely think straight for a while. I hope you are doing okay." He leaned in and gave me a
sweet soft kiss.
"Yeah, I am okay. Just keep praying for me. I've been a bit emotional since it happened. I just feel so alone
in this process sometimes. I will be okay now that I have your support. I missed you this week." I leaned in and
whispered in his ears out of range of the microphones on the other side of the limousine. "I appreciate your
letters. They are the one thing that keeps me going, as well as, my friendship with my roommate.” I blushed when I
smelled his cologne.