The Price of Fame - KJ1 (15 page)

As they made their way out of the station, Jay couldn’t help but notice the stares that her companion was getting. There were some wide-eyed looks of recognition, like those that might accompany the sighting of a celebrity, which, she reminded herself, Kate was. And then there were some folks, mostly men, who turned to watch the blue-eyed woman simply because she was breathtaking. What amused Jay about all of this was that her friend appeared to be completely ignorant of all of the attention she was getting.

Dinner was at Sam’s, an out-of-the-way Italian restaurant on the outskirts of the city. The food was fabulous and Jay loved that everyone catered to her companion as if she were royalty. The chef came out to make sure that their meals were satisfactory, the owner came over to make sure the service had been good, and the bartender sent over free sodas, knowing Kate was still working.

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Jay kidded her friend gently about the treatment she was receiving, and Kate blushed an appealing shade of pink and mumbled something about this being one of her favorite restaurants.

From dinner, the anchorwoman drove them back to WCAP, where Gene and Phil were waiting with a station car; she made the introductions, explaining teasingly to Jay that she’d been given her pick of a crew, and, motley as they were, this was it. Jay thought she might recognize the cameraman as the man her friend had hugged at the scene of the explosion that night, and she knew the name Phil from her friend’s phone conversations with him, first at the doctor’s office and later in the green room. If Kate had hand-selected them, she must have thought very highly of their work. The writer made a note to herself to get each of them aside and talk to them about their co-worker.

Kate did not miss the appreciative looks both Gene and Phil gave Jay when they thought no one was paying attention. While she admired their taste, she was surprised to find herself feeling both protective and a bit jealous. But this was no time for that; this was business, after all.

She had already filled Jay in on the parameters of her assignment and how she had spent her afternoon. Allowing as how this would be great material for her story, the writer asked if it would be okay to come along on the interviews. Kate agreed, as long as the families were comfortable with the arrangement.

The first visit was to a man who had received burns to his hands and arms and suffered a broken leg. The anchorwoman remembered him as one of the unfortunate folks who had been trapped on the first floor under the rubble of the second blast; she had helped to free his leg that night.

As soon as she walked into the room his face lit up with a smile. She had made the crew and the writer wait outside for a minute to make sure that the man was okay with being taped and with Jay’s presence. He enthusiastically agreed, and she motioned the three stragglers into the room.

While Gene set the camera up, the burn victim gestured to Jay to approach the bed. In a conspiratorial stage whisper he told her,

“Katherine saved my life, you know. She was amazing; I’ve never seen a woman that strong. She moved that marble pillar like it was made of Styrofoam. I’ve thanked God for her every day since.” His voice choked with emotion and tears threatened to leak out of the corners of his eyes.

“She’s an angel.”

The writer smiled at the man gently and patted his shoulder, thinking to herself,
I know what you mean.

The interview didn’t take very long, the anchorwoman managing to get her subject to take her through his actions up until the point of the explosion and his thoughts once he knew what had happened. It was 93

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poignant and emotional, and powerful: just what she had been looking for.

The group thanked the injured man, Kate lingering behind at his request for a more personal goodbye. Hugging her, his eyes moist, he began, “I don’t know what to say to you except you are the strongest, most courageous person I have ever met. I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t for you walking right into the face of danger like you did. You’ll always be my angel, Ms. Kyle, always. And I’ll keep you in my prayers.

Thank you.”

Kate leaned over and gave the man an awkward hug. “I didn’t do anything anyone else wouldn’t have done in my place, but you’re welcome. You just get well now, okay?” She winked at him on her way out the door.

When they gathered outside in the parking lot, Phil looked at his watch and then at Kate questioningly: it was 9:00. It was up to her how close she was willing to cut it to get back to the station and get ready for the 11:00 broadcast. She told him they could fit in one more interview.

Ten minutes later they were standing outside a tidy little home located in one of the quieter sections of the city. Kate knocked on the door, the others hanging back a little. She introduced herself, explaining who was with her and asking if they might come in. The woman of the house, a short, stocky brunette with graying temples, ushered them all into a neat but well-used living room.

She and her husband sat on the couch and motioned Kate and the others to take seats on the loveseat and recliner. As soon as they were seated and Gene had the camera rolling, the couple began to cry. Wiping his eyes after a few moments, the man looked up at Phil and Gene, finally settling his gaze on Jay.

“You’ll have to forgive my wife and me, you see, our Joey just died this morning. He was only eight years old.”

There was a stunned silence in the room. Kate motioned to the cameraman to turn the camera off. Crossing the room, she knelt before both of the grieving parents. From where she was sitting, Jay could see tears in her eyes. “I didn’t know, I’m so sorry. He seemed so strong. I want you to know that he was very brave in there; he didn’t cry at all, and even smiled. He told me how much he was looking forward to going to a baseball game with you. I don’t know what to say.”

“Ms. Kyle, we wanted to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

They each had a hold of one of Kate’s hands, but it was the wife who spoke this time. “Joey was so excited that he got a chance to meet you, it was all he talked about. He told us how you told him stories and kept him from being afraid. You were a great comfort to him and for that we are more grateful than we can say.” The woman turned to Jay. “We want to 94

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make sure you put in your story what an angel Ms. Kyle was. We want you to tell that story to the world so that everyone will know that she was a hero to our little boy.”

“I will,” Jay promised. She was so proud of her friend at that moment. She marveled at Kate’s sensitivity and willingness to sacrifice the story rather than exploit the family’s grief. And she began to understand a little bit about the scope of what the incredible woman had done that night.

They bid their farewells, Kate taking down the information about the funeral, which was to be Wednesday morning; she wanted to be there.

Once they were back in the car, the producer complained, “Kate, we can’t shut the camera down when it gets emotional like that or we won’t have any material to work with. That was great stuff.”

“It’s my call, Phil.” Blue eyes flashed dangerously. “And there is no way in hell that I’m going to take advantage of pain like that just to get a story. It was too personal, too raw. For God’s sake, the kid just died this morning. Gene and I are going to get some footage of the funeral on Wednesday, don’t worry.”

Phil wisely didn’t answer and the remainder of the short ride to the station was made in silence. Once inside, the anchorwoman went directly to her desk to look over the copy for the 11:00 newscast. The writer took that opportunity to pull Gene aside and talk to him about her subject.

It quickly became quite clear to Jay that the cameraman was in love with Kate; it was written all over his face and in the way he spoke about her. The writer felt a rising surge of jealousy and fought hard to keep it from showing. Gene had been working with her friend since she first came to the station, and he shared many stories with her about some of the more interesting assignments they’d been on. Some of them were humorous, and some were downright horrifying, like the explosion.

When they were through talking, Jay felt she had a much better sense of Kate as a journalist.

At 10:56 p.m., Kate came over to where Jay was grilling one of her favorite editors. Leaning down menacingly toward the diminutive tape jockey she said, “No telling tales out of school or I’ll have you back cutting commercials for toilet paper and tampons.” The editor only laughed and winked at Jay. Turning, the anchorwoman said, “If you want to see the magic of television, you’d better come with me now.”

Obediently, Jay rose and followed her subject through the labyrinth of offices and corridors to the set. Kate showed her to a seat just out of camera range and gave her an earpiece so that she could hear what the anchorwoman heard. From that vantage point, Jay could watch the anchors, the director and producer in the booth off to the side, the cameras and the teleprompters. The writer watched the newscast unfold 95

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in wonder as each member of the team did his or her job, and the end result appeared to be seamless.

Although Jay knew that her friend had been shaken deeply by the earlier visit with Joey’s family, there was no sign of it in her performance. She marveled as Kate looked directly into one camera while reading without seeming to be, then shifted to another without losing the thread of her thought, the director relaying instructions into her ear all the while. The writer couldn’t understand how she could keep track of it all.

On the breaks, new pieces of copy were handed to the anchors and instructions given as to where to insert the words and what to delete to keep the newscast on time. The anchors were also informed whether the newscast was running over or under time at any given point and whether they would have to speed things up, drop things, or fill time. Reporters came and went on the set, along with the meteorologist and the sportscaster. All in all, it was a whirlwind of activity.

When it was over, Jay let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Kate joked around with some of the crew and then came to get her friend. “Well, what did you think?” she asked as she took the earpiece out of her ear and collected Jay’s as well.

“I think you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.” Getting no response except for a single raised eyebrow, she added, “Objectively speaking, of course.”

“Of course,” Kate laughed. “What do you say we call it a night? I’m beat and Fred is so excited that you’re coming he broke out a new tennis ball.”

“Who could turn down an enticing prospect like Fred waiting with a nice, slimy ball?” Jay threw her head back and chortled.

True to form, the playful golden was waiting at the door for his mistress and her affectionate friend, tennis ball in mouth. As soon as his mother had crossed the threshold, he began weaving in and out of her legs, his tail wagging, all the while making noises that sounded like Chewbacca, the Wookie from
Star Wars
.

Jay shook her head. “What is that racket?”

The tall woman looked at the 73 pounds of dog fur between her legs.

“Fred, apparently your friend doesn’t know talking when she hears it.”

She paused while the beast continued his welcome home ritual. “What’s that?” She bent her ear to him. “We should forgive her this time? You’re too easy, buddy.” She gave him a few more scratches in just the right places and sent him on to the next hapless victim.

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Jay quickly got the idea that if she didn’t make space between her legs for Fred, he was going to do it for her. “You are too much, my boy.”

To her human friend she said, “So it’s okay for him to get between my legs on the second date, but not to kiss me on the first date? What kind of manners are you teaching this teenager?”

Kate laughed and pushed her guest ahead of her into the kitchen, wisely choosing not to answer. “Are you hungry or thirsty?”

“Neither, just whipped.”

“Mmm, me too, it’s been a heck of a long day. May I show you to your quarters, m’lady?”

“Why, yes, madam, that would be lovely.” Jay let her friend guide her by the elbow upstairs to the guest suite, where she deposited her suitcase.

“I hope you’ll find the accommodations at this hotel more than satisfactory, miss. There is a customer service survey that you can fill out at the end of your stay so that we can work to improve our performance.

Should you need anything, please feel free to call the front desk.”

Her guest smiled. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a nut?”

“Yes,” her companion deadpanned, “but no one who has lived to tell about it. Now, about the activities available to you at this resort...tomorrow morning—er, make that this morning,” she said, glancing at her watch. “At 8:00 a.m. sharp the workout facilities will be open in the basement. At exactly 9:01 a.m. a run will commence from the front steps. Breakfast is served, should you choose to skip the continental breakfast, at approximately 10:00 a.m. in the main kitchen. You may shower at your leisure.”

“Wow. I guess this really is a full-service hotel.”

“You have no idea,” Kate grinned wickedly at her friend and winked.

No,
Jay thought,
but I’m dying to find out.
Out loud, she said, “Is there a personal fitness trainer that goes with the workout and run?”

“Of course. What kind of second-rate dive do you think we’re running here?”

“Well then, all of those activities appeal to me, so I guess that means I’ll be at the gym doors when they open at 8.”

“My able assistant and I look forward to your presence. Until then, please enjoy the hospitality and sleep well.” The mistress of the house turned on her heel, summoning Fred, who had made himself quite comfortable on the floor at the side of the bed. Reluctantly, with a sidelong glance in his new friend’s direction, he followed his human out of the room.

In her own room, Kate shed her clothes as she headed to the bathroom. She splashed her face with ice-cold water, hoping that would cure her of the fervent desire to kiss Jay senseless. She wasn’t sure how she was going to make it through these next few days; keeping 97