Stanton Unconditional (15 page)

She nods and puts her two hands over my two hands around her neck. “Darling, yes, I have just been having these terrible stomach pains for a couple of days.”

Bridget screws up her face to me in question. “What does that mean?” she mouths at me. I shrug again. I see Mum’s worried eyes flick to her as she drives. I sit back and worriedly assess the situation.

We arrive at the hospital and are walking up the stairs when Gran doubles over in pain.

“Mum, what’s wrong?” My mother frantically rushes to her side. Bridget holds her hand over her mouth in fear.

“Go and get someone,” Mum snaps.

“Right.” I run through the doors and up to reception.

“My grandmother is in pain outside and can’t get in here.”

“Ok, I will get someone.” She picks up the phone and makes a call as she smiles calmly at me. “Won’t be long, go back to her and someone will be out to help you.”

“Ok, we are on the front steps,” I nod before I run back through the reception area where I see a nurse already attending Gran and helping her through the double electric doors. Bridget is as pale as a ghost and walking slowly behind them. They usher her into the casualty consultation room with Mum by her side and the doors close behind them.

Bridget and I wait for three hours in casualty—where in the hell is Mum? Why doesn’t she come and tell us what’s happening? What
is
happening?

“Why did we go out last night? I feel so bad,” Bridget groans.

“You look worse,” I mutter.

“You can talk.”

Mum walks through the doors and we both jump up immediately and rush to her.

“They are admitting her overnight to run some tests.”

I frown. “What for?”

“It seems her stomach and some of her organs are swollen. They have just called in an ultrasound person and we will know more after they do some tests.” She pulls out her phone. “I have to ring Robert ” She walks away from us and starts dialling his number.

“What do you think is going on?” Bridget asks.

I shrug. “I’m not sure but I don’t like it.”

For the next six hours Bridget and I sit in the waiting room with Mum, worried sick, and eating every hangover-treating grease-trap food we can find in the cafeteria. I’m never drinking again; this is intolerable.

At seven o’clock that evening the doctor comes out. “Mrs Marx?”

“Yes,” my mother answers as she stands. The doctor is about fifty, greying and kind-looking. He shakes her hand. “I’m Robert Walton. I have been looking after your mother today.”

“Is she ok?” my mother asks.

“Yes, we have sedated her and she is sleeping like a baby.” He smiles and gestures to the offices at the end of the corridor. “Would you like to come into the conference room so we can talk privately?”

Bridget and I exchange looks—that doesn’t sound good.

“Umm, sure,” my mother answers in a quiet voice. She looks nervously at us.

The kind doctor smiles. “Are you girls Netta’s granddaughters?”

We both nod. “You’re welcome to come too if you wish.” We follow him down the hall and into the conference room and we all sit nervously on the lounge.

Mum swallows. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, your mother and grandmother has advanced stage four cancer.”

“What!” Mum gasps.

Bridget silently grabs my hand as we sit still in shock.

“We think it may have started as bone cancer but it has now spread to her pancreas,” the doctor says sympathetically. “We will make sure that she doesn’t suffer any pain but to be realistic I don’t think that she will leave the hospital.”

Mum frowns. “But she has been so well—there haven’t been any signs. I am with her at least three times a week, surely there would have been some signs if she was unwell.” Mum’s voice is rising as the reality of the situation starts to hit her full force.

“There must be something that you can do. Money is no object, my brother Robert Stanton is a very wealthy man. Some treatment, overseas?”

The doctor sighs, shakes his head and pulls out the X-rays and puts them onto the light box. We all gasp as the obvious shadows cloud the screen.

The doctor points and explains the shadows as the three of us sit in silent horror.

“Please remember that your mother is eighty-four, her body cannot be cured of the cancer at this late stage of diagnosis. I’m sorry there is nothing we can do.”

Mum puts her head in her hands and starts to weep. I feel like I am having an out-of-body experience and this is not really happening … I feel detached, with no emotion. This can’t be real.

“How long does she have, Doctor?” Mum whispers through her tears.

He puts his hand on her shoulder as he stands. “Not long … a few weeks, maybe less.”

Bridget pulls Mum into an embrace and they both cry as the doctor leaves the room.

I sit back in the chair, devoid of any feeling. More hurt is coming for my beautiful mother and sister. How much more can one family take? When is enough, literally enough?

The next three days is a blur of waiting rooms in the hospital, only leaving to sleep. Robert and Margaret arrive with Wilson, Scott and his wife Alyssa. We sit camped in the waiting room outside the palliative care unit, the most depressing place on earth. I thought the intensive care waiting room was depressing, but at least people there have a chance of getting better. Every visitor has come to this ward to say goodbye to their loved one, there is no chance of getting out of here alive. Bridget is so tired she doesn’t care anymore and is asleep on the lounge, spread-eagled, perhaps even dribbling. I am sitting on the floor next to the vending machine with Wilson. My legs are curled up and my arms are around my knees. I am lost in thought. Margaret, Scott and Alyssa are on the lounges. My mother and Robert are in with Gran—they haven’t left her side. How do you say goodbye to your parent? It’s something nobody should have to do. Cancer. How many beautiful people have to die of this insidious disease before they find a cure? Why in the hell are the world’s leaders spending billions of dollars every year on space exploration when we have a disaster on the earth to explore? I know every taxpayer on earth wants a cure for cancer. The governments need to find one … quickly.

Max is here, sitting in the corner reading on his iPad. It’s strangely comforting having him here. I think back to when he first starting guarding me at Joshua’s insistence and how much I hated it, but now I understand what poor Joshua deals with every day and why he is like he is and why Ben is so obsessive about Joshua’s safety. Apparently about three years ago Joshua’s company designed an app and sold it in a multimillion dollar deal to a major company who were in talks with another man about his app. Unbeknown to Adrian and Joshua the company dumped the other man and bought Josh’s app instead. The man then went berserk, claiming Joshua’s company stole his app idea and that in effect Joshua had stolen millions of dollars from him, costing him his wife and family. The man is mentally unstable and is obviously not taking his medication. Max said that not long after that the man broke into Joshua’s house and was waiting there when Joshua got home after a night out. Luckily he had Carson and the boys with him and a security guard. The man had a gun and was going crazy, threatening to kill him, but they managed to wrestle him to the ground and hold him there until the police came and arrested him. He was ordered into psychiatric care and an AVO was placed on him but then eighteen months ago Joshua was walking into a restaurant one Saturday night with Adrian and Ben and the same man turned up with a gun and fired a shot at them. Luckily he can’t shoot and he missed, but he escaped and is still at large. Max won’t tell me his name. I think he is scared that I can look up on the system or something. I can’t, mental health records are not accessible to just anyone. But I would love to see his psychometric testing so I could see how dangerous I think he is. They live in constant fear that he will turn up and try to kill again. He has since threatened to kill Adrian and I guess they think that I am in danger because I was photographed with Joshua … that and the fact that the world still thinks we are married.

The carjacking thing in LA though is still baffling to me. If this man is so unstable, he probably doesn’t hold down a permanent job, which means he wouldn’t have the money to hire a hit man. I have discussed my theory with Max and he agrees with me. We think it’s highly unlikely that this is the same man but the police are sure it is … so I don’t know. The police have footage of the hit men that attacked Joshua in the petrol station that night and are just waiting to get a name and then they will be able to trace his bank accounts to find out any info or perhaps the person who hired the hit. Either way, my nightmares are warranted. My beautiful man has crazy people who want him dead and he is heavily guarded. I know he hates it. I am pulled from my nightmare as the doors at the end of the corridor open. My heart stops and I gasp when I see first Ben walk in, then another guard. Cameron walks in front, wearing jeans and a white shirt, his hair curled and unruly, and behind them Joshua.

Two guards walk behind him. I feel like I am watching this in slow motion. He’s wearing a navy suit and pale pink shirt, navy tie. His height and stance dominate the men around him. His dark chocolate hair is super short which only accentuates his strong jaw line, dark skin and beautiful large lips … Dear god! My eyes close in pain and I drop my head.

I had forgotten how beautiful he is.

He walks gracefully down the corridor without noticing us tucked in the corner. My heart has stopped as I watch him from across the room. How can any human being hold so much sexual energy? It’s unfair. I am immediately overcome with a wave of affection for him and my eyes fill with tears.
Stop it. Stop it. Stop it
. Ben sees us and heads in our direction. I don’t know if I am going to wet myself or jump up and down and scream like a groupie. Bridget is now sitting sleepily in her chair and her eyes are about to bulge from her head as she looks at me.
Yes Bridget, I fucking see it.

They walk over to us and Cameron immediately cuddles his mother and kisses her cheek. I am overcome with emotion as I scramble to my feet. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I stand at the back of the group like a child waiting for my turn. Joshua then turns and kisses my mum who has come out of the hospital room. He pulls her into an embrace and then Bridget, then Margaret. I stand still, frozen.
My turn, my turn.

Cameron walks over to me. “Hi Tash,” he whispers as he kisses my cheek gently and puts his arm around me but my eyes are firmly set on Joshua who hasn’t even looked in my direction. The family collectively hold their breath as I walk over to him. His hands are in his pockets and he is looking down at the ground.

“Hello, Joshua,” I whisper as I lean up to kiss him on the cheek.

His cold eyes meet mine and he turns his head to avoid my kiss.

“Don’t touch me,” he whispers.

Chapter 12

I
step back from
him in shock and Bridget puts her arm around me gently in pity, as my heart drops. Don’t touch him … he told me not to touch him. I look at the ground immediately as I try to pull myself together, my world spinning on its axis.Robert, Joshua’s father, enters the room and laughs out loud at the sight of his two sons. He embraces them both. Bridget grabs my hand in support. I stand still, head down. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t that. Wilson and Scott walk over and the family start talking. Cameron is asking Robert about the prognosis when I see something catch Joshua’s eye over my shoulder. He runs his tongue over the front of his top teeth.

“Excuse me for a moment,” he snaps as he brushes past me.

I turn to see what he is doing and I see him marching towards Max on the other side of the large room
. Oh shit
. I take off after him and catch up just in time to hear him snap,

“Leave, before I kick your ass.” Max narrows his eyes and glares at Joshua.

“Joshua, don’t speak to him like that!” I gasp.

He turns on me like the devil himself. “I will speak to him any damn way I want to, Natasha. I will not sit here in the same room as this,” he looks him up and down, “traitor.”

“Joshua, just because Max helped me to get home to Australia does not mean he is a traitor to you. He tried to get me to go back to you continually,” I reply nervously.

He steps back in disgust and Ben walks over. “Is there a problem here?” Ben asks as he gently grabs the back of Joshua’s elbow.

Joshua runs his tongue over his front teeth again as he glares at Max, then he turns back to the others. “Get rid of him,” he snaps as he walks off.

Max glares after him.

“You had better leave,” Ben remarks quietly to Max as he scratches the back of his neck.

Max’s eyes flick to me for approval. I can’t believe he just said that. I look over to Joshua who is blatantly furious. His hands are in his pockets, his legs wide, still glaring at Max while his brothers try to talk to him.

My eyes flick nervously between the two men. “Max, maybe you should go—there is enough security. I don’t need any more drama than I’ve got. Sorry,” I whisper.

Max bites his lip and nods. “Make sure Natasha has a guard with her till she gets home,” he says to Ben.

Ben nods and shakes Max’s hand, “Good to see you man.” He smiles.

Max then walks over to the lift and disappears downstairs. I stare at the closed doors behind him. Who in the hell does this guy think he is? He marches in here like Fabio, refuses my kiss, tells me not to touch him and then tells my bodyguard he’s going to kick his ass if he doesn’t leave. I stomp back to the others where Wilson grabs me affectionately around the neck in a headlock. Joshua stands still, his hands in his pockets, glares at him and raises a brow. Wilson immediately drops his arm from me. Oh right, so Wilson isn’t allowed to touch me either.
Unbelievable
.

“I’m getting coffee,” I snap.

“I’ll come too,” Bridget smiles as she grabs her bag. As soon as we get into the lift Bridget starts to jump up and down. “Oh my god. I have to ring Abbie.” She pulls out her phone and starts to text. She reads out what she texts: “Hot. Hot. Hot. Smoking fucking hot.” She laughs out loud for the first time in days. She continues to text as she reads out loud: “Mr. Stanton is back in town.” She wobbles her stupid head around to accentuate her point.

I glare at her deadpan. “You’re such a loser. Did you hear the attitude he was giving me. Hello … Newsflash. He played up on me
the asshole
. He can’t come back here throwing me orders. Who in the hell does he think he is?”

Bridget smiles and bites her lip as she hunches her shoulders. “But you are in the same room as him.”

“So,” I answer flatly.

“So, who knows what could happen? You could be having passionate make-up sex. Maybe later tonight even.” She widens her eyes as she puts her hands above her head and does sparkle fingers in excitement.

I roll my eyes. “Are you on crack?” I snap. The doors open and I march into the foyer. I find two security guards waiting for me. Bloody hell, I am sick to death of these guards everywhere.

Half an hour, a huge chocolate and a cup of tea later I have calmed myself down to simply just rage and have devised a make-it-through strategy with Bridget. I’m going to wait for him to talk to me. I tried to kiss him first and he brushed me off. I am not going to appear needy. So the ball is in his court—I’m not begging. No fucking way. I am going to be cool, calm, collected and totally self-absorbed … just like him.

The thing about waiting for a mule to apologise is that it’s ridiculous. I have never met a more stubborn … more annoying, pig-headed, utterly gorgeous bastard in my entire life. He has not made eye contact with me in four days. I’m not talking passing each other in a corridor and looking the other way kind of eye contact, I mean sitting opposite each other in a circular lounge in a hospital waiting room, where he refuses point blank to even look at me. I sit on the floor next to the coke machine with Wilson as I watch Bridget and Joshua talking on the lounge. She’s telling a story and being all animated, he is leaning back on his chair with his head on the cushion, his legs are spread wide and he’s laughing. Cameron, who is sitting opposite them, is laughing too—what are they talking about?

Wilson’s eyes gaze at where I am looking. “You ok chick?” he asks quietly.

I nod and smile. “Yeah.” I bump him with my shoulder. “You?”

He smiles and bumps me back. “Yeah, I’m ok.” His eyes look over at Josh. “Have you spoken to him?”

I drop my head. “No. He won’t even look at me.”

He nods solemnly. “He will come round.”

“I never wanted to hurt him Wils, I loved him,” I sigh.

He gives me a sad smile. “Past tense?”

I shrug as I drop my eyes.

I look back over at Joshua who looks relaxed and gentle. Beautiful. Bridget does that to everybody she talks to, especially me. I’m jealous that the boys still want to spend time with her and yet neither Cameron nor Joshua have hardly said a word to me. It’s blatantly obvious that Cam is harbouring a grudge. I’m waiting to get him alone so I can have it out with him. I hear the electric lift doors in the background.

“Have you been to LA since we broke up?”

Wilson nods and smiles.

“Is Josh with Amelie?” I ask. I know I sound desperate but I need to know. Wilson will tell me the truth; he’s probably the only non-player in the Stanton family.

He shakes his head and slings his arm around my shoulder. “No.”

“Is he seeing anyone?” I ask. I silently cringe at the loser coming out in me.

He shrugs. “Josh has just been being Josh, no one special, in love with Natasha Marx from afar.”

I blow out a breath and raise my eyebrows. “So in love, he won’t even speak to her?” I stammer.

“So in love, he
can’t
speak to her,” he whispers.

“Where’s my girl?” Adrian’s voice echoes through the room and my eyes snap up.

“There she is.” He laughs as he spots me in the corner. Oh thank god, Adrian is glad to see me.

He marches over and scoops me up into his arms. “My beautiful chick, I’ve missed you.” He smiles.

My eyes fill with tears as I cuddle him. We stand still in an embrace for a moment. When I pull back my eyes flick to Joshua, who’s silently watching. Wilson is right, he is hurt. I can see it in his eyes. Adrian flops onto the lounge over in the corner and pulls me with him, holding my hand on his lap. Joshua’s eyes flick to our entwined hands across the room.

“How have you been?” he smiles.

I nod. “Ok, I guess. I could be better.” I smile.

“This is a terrible thing, huh?” Adrian sighs.

“It is,” I sigh. “Not to mention Joshua and Cameron have decided not to speak to me so it’s just shitty all round actually,” I whisper as I smile sadly.

Adrian’s eyes fly to the boys and he raises an eyebrow. “Are you that ridiculous you are not talking to her?” he snaps loudly. Oh shit, how embarrassing, please be quiet.

“I am talking to you—you haven’t talked to me,” Cameron gasps.

I drop my eyes in embarrassment.

Joshua raises his eyebrows. “The time for talking was six months ago, now I have nothing to say,” he sneers.

I don’t believe this, my blood starts to boil. “Actually if we are keeping score the time for talking was in the hospital,” I snap.

“Let’s get some coffee,” Bridget frowns at me, desperately trying to make a distraction. She stands, and Cameron and Joshua follow.

I stay seated and Adrian pulls me up by the hand. “Let’s go, Cinderella, coffee time. Enough,” he snaps.

We get down to the cafeteria and the stupid idiots behind the counter nearly wet their pants at the sight of the three boys.

“I’ve got it,” purrs fishface. “Two double-shot lattes. One with sugar. See, I remembered your order.” She points at Cameron and giggles. Joshua smirks. Bridget, Adrian and I all look at each other deadpan.
Get off it stupids.
Bridget does cross-eyes and I giggle.

“I’ll have what I have twice a day, too,” Bridget replies as she fakes a smile at the waitress. She rolls her fingers in a tap on the counter.

The waitress appears uncomfortable and looks at the other girls working who are all giggling. “I can’t actually remember your order, love,” she smiles.

“Of course not. I can tell you don’t have a very big memory,” Bridget snaps. “Or brain,” she mouths to Adrian and me. We put our heads down to hide our smiles.

“Meeeooow,” Cameron snickers.

“Sshh,” Bridget snaps.

We take a seat by the window that overlooks the outside garden—this is uncomfortable. Joshua’s large blue eyes glare at me as he runs his tongue over the front of his top teeth in contempt.

My eyes hold his. “Yes, Joshua. What is it you want to say?” I snap. I have been playing nice for four days and, you know what, I can’t do it one minute longer. I wish he would just come out with it and yell at me.

He is making me feel so uncomfortable with my own friends and I have done nothing wrong. He shakes his head and looks down angrily. This silent treatment is killing me and I start to perspire as fury heats my blood

Cameron and Adrian discuss the hotel they are staying at and Bridget starts telling them about some new place they should have stayed at. Joshua’s eyes stay fixed firmly on me. The thing is I should be jumping for joy that he is even looking in my direction and all I really want to do is climb over the table and strangle him. He comes back here, tells off Max, ignores me and then gives me dirty looks over the coffee table. Asshole.

“Here you go,” fishface coos as she puts the coffees down in front of everybody.

Bridget looks at the coffees and narrows her eyes at me. “Excuse me,” she calls after the waitress.

“Yes,” fishface answers.

“Can you take back these two coffees?” She points to hers and mine.

The waitress frowns.

“We would like love hearts in our froth as well. And where are our marshmallows? Do you have to be good-looking and have a penis to qualify for the optional extras?” Bridget asks way too sweetly as she fakes a smile.

The boys all choke on their coffees and I cringe in embarrassment.

She glares at Bridget and I hold my hand over my coffee. “I’m good,” I smile as I wave her away. She nods and takes Bridget’s coffee out the back.

“You idiot,” I snap. “She’s going out there to spit in your coffee.”

Everyone laughs. “She so is,” Cameron stammers.

I got one less problem without you. I got one less problem without you.
My phone rings on the table. Joshua stops with his coffee midair and glares at me.

“New ringtone. What happened to ’Diamonds’?” he snaps.

Bridget laughs out loud. Oh crap, he remembered. “I thought this song was more suitable,” I stammer embarrassed.

“That should be my ringtone. Not yours,” he scowls.

“This is going well. Don’t you think?” Cameron smiles into his coffee as he raises his eyebrows.

Shut up Cameron. Dick. You’re pissing me off too.

I drink my coffee while I watch him … them. It’s no wonder every woman here is ogling these three men, they are utterly gorgeous. If Joshua was any more alpha male and virile he would impregnate women just by being in the same room as them. So not fair, why can’t he be ugly and weedy? He gets a message and he picks his phone up and smiles as he reads it. Who was it from? Is it her? That sick insecure feeling seeps into my stomach. Why do I do this to myself? I can’t sit here, I need to get away. Why does he make me feel like this? What’s wrong with me?

I stand in a rush. “I’m going back to the room.”

“But you haven’t touched your coffee,” Adrian murmurs.

“You have it Bridge, I wouldn’t be touching yours after your tanty. I will see you back there,” she nods and smiles.

Half an hour later I exit Gran’s room and go over to my bag that I left sitting on the lounge. I turn to the boys and Bridget who are sitting together in a large group. “I’m going to head off.” I point with my thumb at the door. “I will see you all tomorrow,” I sigh, defeated. Adrian must have left as he is not here.

Joshua’s eyes flick up at mine and he drops his head immediately. My stomach drops, still not a word, not even goodbye. I turn and start making my way up the corridor.

“Tash, I will walk you out,” Cameron calls as he runs after me. Huh, what now? Just leave me alone.

“I am talking to you anyway,” he snaps. I find I speed up as my anger starts to return. “That’s great, how big of you,” I mutter.

I keep walking at a quick pace and he follows. “I just don’t understand you, that’s all. So it pisses me off.”

I stop as I frown at him. “So you are pissed off with me?” I point at my chest.

He nods angrily.

“Why in the hell are you pissed off with me?” I snap.

“I don’t like the way you treat Joshua.”

Oh, the gall. “My past relationship with your brother has nothing to do with your and my relationship. I thought we were close.”