The Ultimate Betrayal (10 page)

M
elanie glanced down at the IV needle buried in the crook of her arm and cringed. She knew she'd lost consciousness, but was filling her body with all these fluids really necessary? Either way, Melanie didn't like it because all this meant was that she was gaining her weight back little by little. She'd taken an over-the-counter diuretic this morning, but now she would have to take another when she got home tonight. She'd have to take two tomorrow.

She heard a short knock on her exam room door and then saw Brad and Phillip walking in.

“Hey, baby,” Brad said. “So how are you feeling?”

“I'm fine,” she said. Actually, she still felt somewhat weak, but she didn't see a reason to worry him. “The results from my blood work should be back in a minute, and hopefully I'll be able to get out of here. Any word on my dad?”

“They've started his surgery, and so far so good.”

“How's my mom?” she asked, not surprised that her mother hadn't bothered to come check on her. There was no doubt that her mom was worried about Melanie's dad, but since he'd already gone to surgery, Gladys certainly could have taken two or three minutes to stick her head inside Melanie's room. Then again, most folks did only what they wanted to do, and Melanie's mother was no different.

Brad rested his hand on the bed rail. “She seems pretty nervous, and rightfully so.”

“I just can't believe this has happened,” she said.

“Right after you passed out, they let me go in and pray with him,” Phillip added.

Melanie smiled. “I'm really glad to hear that.”

“My father-in-law and Charlotte are on their way, too.”

“What about Alicia? I tried to call her earlier.”

“So did I,” Phillip said, “but you know when she's writing or reading her edits she turns both her landline and her cell phone on silent.”

“I'm sure we'll hear from her soon,” Melanie said, and looked at Brad, who was staring at her. “What?”

“You know why this happened, right?” he said.

“What? My dad's blockages?”

“No, the reason you passed out.”

Melanie didn't like the suspicious tone in his voice or the irritated look on his face.

“Baby, you're not eating enough, and you know it. You also know how dangerous that can be. You're a nurse practitioner.”

“Brad, please. I just started my diet this week.”

He shook his head, folded his arms, and leaned against the wall. “So you're gonna pretend like you've been eating full meals?”

Melanie ignored him.

Phillip obviously felt the tension between them and said, “I prayed for you as well, and I know God is going to heal whatever caused you to faint the way you did.”

“I'm sure it was all because of how hard I'd worked out earlier, and then hearing the news about my dad just made things worse.”

Brad looked at her like she was crazy. “I don't believe you sometimes.”

“This has nothing to do with the way I've been eating. I know you think it does, but it doesn't.”

Brad no longer argued with her, but Melanie knew if she was truthful with herself, she'd have to admit that going three days without solid food might be the cause of her symptoms.

“So, was my dad in pretty good spirits when you prayed for him?” she asked Phillip.

“He was. He told me how he'd apologized to you and asked God to forgive him for all his sins. Past ones and any recent ones. Said he was ready for whatever plan God had for him.”

Melanie wondered if her dad had gone into details about their strained relationship or shared with Phillip some of the awful things he and her mother had done when they were younger. Melanie had seen a number of people confess everything when they thought they might die, and while her father certainly had that right, she wasn't ready for Phillip or anyone else to know the truth about her childhood. She wished she could face the truth head-on and talk about her pain openly, but she was too ashamed and she didn't want anyone looking at her differently.

A few minutes later, Melanie's assigned ER physician, Dr. Romalati, knocked and entered the room. Melanie smiled because she'd had the opportunity to work with Dr. Romalati in the past, and he had a great sense of humor. He was one of the nicest doctors she knew.

“So, how are you feeling? Are you alive? I mean, you look alive, but I can't tell for sure, so I figured I'd better ask.”

Melanie laughed. “I'm fine, Dr. Romalati. Just wanna get out of here is all.”

“Well, first things first. We got your lab work back, and both your potassium and sodium levels were far lower than I like to see them. Have you been doing anything out of the ordinary this week? Climbing Mount Everest maybe, or swimming across Lake Michigan?”

They all laughed.

“No, but seriously,” Dr. Romalati continued. “A person's electrolytes usually aren't thrown off so noticeably unless there's a reason.”

“Well…I've been going to work as usual and working out, but that's it. Nothing out of the ordinary at all,” she said, casting her eyes at Brad. He stared at her with no emotion, and she hoped he would keep quiet. It was true that drinking three 160-calorie shakes wasn't a lot, but there was no need to disclose any of this to the doctor. She also knew she hadn't been drinking nearly enough water, especially with the way she'd revved up her workouts to twice a day, not to mention the diuretic she'd taken. She remembered, too, how her left foot had cramped up a couple of nights straight, and this morning she'd gotten a charley horse in her calf, all signs of low potassium.

Dr. Romalati seemed stumped. “Well, that really bothers me, because if you haven't changed your eating habits or workout regimen, I can't imagine why your potassium is so low. And I don't have to tell you that low sodium means dehydration, so something's not right.”

Brad obviously couldn't take her lies anymore. “Baby, why aren't you telling Dr. Romalati the truth? You know you've been drinking shakes for breakfast and dinner and only having a salad for lunch. You've been doing that four days straight. And working out twice a day instead of once.”

If Melanie hadn't heard him with her own ears she wouldn't have believed her own husband could betray her like this. Now Dr. Romalati and Phillip both knew she'd been lying the whole time, and she could barely look at him.

“That's not it” was all she said.

Dr. Romalati sighed. “Well, it very well could be. Are you eating at least twelve hundred calories? Because that would be pretty hard to do with two shakes, unless your salad has a lot of meat and high-calorie salad dressing in it. Or you're eating some snacks in between.”

“I'm getting more than enough to eat.”

“Why are you trying to lose weight?”

What a stupid question, Melanie thought, but she answered him anyway. “Because I'm overweight.”

“You're far from being overweight, Melanie. You're not even close to it.”

“I just need to lose another six pounds. That's all.”

Dr. Romalati seemed dumbfounded, but thankfully, he changed the subject a bit. “Are you drinking more than eight glasses of water per day? Because with the additional workout you're doing, you need a lot of fluid.”

“Yes,” she lied again.

“It's a good thing we started this IV, because that'll help tremendously, and your nurse will also be in to give you some potassium. Then, for the next few days, I want you to nix the diet and shakes altogether so you can eat normal meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'll also be writing you a potassium prescription so you can take it for the next five days.”

Melanie didn't like all these questions and instructions, especially since she'd already told Dr. Romalati she was fine. Of course, now that Brad had blabbed about her diet and workouts, Dr. Romalati knew the truth, and he wouldn't likely believe anything else she said this evening. He would die if he knew about the diuretic she'd taken. Good thing that not even Brad was privy to that.

“So can I be discharged?” she asked.

“Not just yet. Your heart rate was a bit high, so I want you to have an EKG. I'm sure this is only because of your sodium and potassium levels, but I also want to make sure nothing else is going on.”

Melanie didn't think this was necessary, but she knew Dr. Romalati's decision was a done deal. He would never take no for answer, so she didn't bother arguing.

“Do you have any questions?” he said.

“No, but I can leave as soon as you have my EKG results, right? Well, not leave, but get dressed so I can go check on my dad.”

“Yes, if all checks out, you'll be ready to go. Also, I'm sorry to hear about your dad, but he's definitely in good hands with Dr. Daniels.”

“Thank you.”

“You take care of yourself, Melanie, and it was good to see you,” he said, patting her on the shoulder and shaking Brad's and Phillip's hands on the way out.

Melanie ignored Brad. She wouldn't so much as look at him, and Phillip seemed caught in the middle of a firestorm.

Thankfully Phillip's phone rang, and he hurried to answer it. “Hey, baby…Yes, I'm here with Melanie and Brad now…Yes, he's already in surgery and Melanie is fine. I'll let you speak to her,” he said, passing over the phone.

“Hey, Alicia.”

“Hey, Mel. Girl, I am so sorry I missed your call. I didn't check my phone until just a few minutes ago when I finished working.”

“No problem, I understand. Are you done now?”

“Yes, finally, thank God. But enough about me. What's going on with your dad? And why did you pass out?”

“I'm fine. My electrolytes were low, but it's nothing serious. My dad, on the other hand, isn't doing too well. They're giving him a quadruple bypass.”

“Gosh, Mel, I am so sorry.”

“I'm really worried about him, so please keep him in your prayers.”

“I will, but I'm also heading over. I should be there in about an hour and a half.”

“I hate for you to have to drive that far when you've been working all day.”

“Don't say another word. I'm on my way.”

“Thank you, and drive safely, okay?”

“I will. See you soon.”

A
licia got onto I-90 West, heading to Mitchell. She hated that she'd missed Melanie's call and was just now on her way to the hospital. If that hadn't been bad enough, Phillip had also left her a message, and she'd lied to both of them, claiming she'd been working. She couldn't have felt worse, knowing that what she'd actually been doing was lying in bed with Levi all day. She'd only planned to stay a couple of hours, but then after they'd talked and made love again, they'd dropped off to sleep. When they'd awakened, Levi had ordered carryout from a nearby restaurant, and they'd watched a movie. After that, they'd made love a third time. Finally, when she'd realized that it was definitely time for her to go, she'd checked her phone and listened to both Alicia's and Phillip's messages. She'd purposely not checked her phone at Levi's because she hadn't wanted to feel guilty, which was exactly what would have happened had she noticed a missed call from Phillip.

Of course, her seeing Levi for as many hours as she had today still hadn't been enough for him, because five minutes ago he'd called her and they were on the phone now.

“This is what I get for being with you when I know I shouldn't,” she said.

“Sweetheart, why are you beating yourself up over this? The important thing is that your friend is fine, and you're on your way to be there for her.”

“Yeah, hours after she tried to contact me.”

“It wasn't like you knew her dad was going to have a heart attack.”

“That's beside the point. Her dad is in surgery, and something also happened to Mel. She passed out, and if anyone should be there for her, it's me.”

“You apologized and told her you were working, so I'm sure she understands.”

“What you mean is that I lied to her. I've been doing that a lot lately, and we both know why.”

“But it's not like you have to. Just tell everyone the truth, and we won't have to sneak around like this.”

Alicia turned on her left signal and changed lanes. “No one can ever know about us.”

“After spending nearly a whole day with me, I guess you're still in denial.”

“No, I'm not. I already admitted to you that I'm in love with you, and that I wish I could be with you. But I'm still marrying Phillip. I'm doing what's right.”

“You're putting someone else's happiness before your own.”

“Maybe, but I still know it's the right thing.”

“I won't accept that.”

“It's not like you have a choice.”

“You know, I have to say again that I never once expected you to act this way. All those years I was locked up, the one thing that kept me going was the fact that you still hadn't gotten remarried. I always knew that you still loved me, and that when we saw each other we would connect like we'd never been apart. And we did. But now you're telling me you're going to walk away from true love just so you can be miserable?”

“It's called sacrifice and being unselfish.”

“It's called crazy and insane. You must be out of your mind if you think you'll be able to pull this off. You'll marry that man, try to be happy for maybe a couple of months at most, and then you'll come looking for me. Of course, I'll be sitting here ready and waiting. After that, we'll get together, make love like there's no tomorrow, and sooner or later, you'll get caught again. Your new husband will find out about us, and more damage will be done to him than the last time.”

Alicia wanted him to stop this. He was draining her word by word, and she wasn't sure how much more she could listen to. She loved him, hated him, and wondered how she was going to live without him.

“I need to call Melanie to see how things are going.”

“Are you driving back tonight?”

“I don't know. I doubt it.”

“When will I see you again?”

“Can't say.”

“What about tomorrow on your way back home?”

“No, I don't think so. Thanks to you, I've missed all this time reading my manuscript, so I really have to buckle down all day tomorrow. Plus, Phillip will be at my condo for the entire weekend.”

“Will you at least call me?”

“I'll see.”

“I'll say a prayer for your friend's father.”

“I appreciate that. Talk to you later.”

“You're just gonna hang up?”

“What else?”

“You could tell me you love me.”

“Good-bye, Levi.”

Alicia ended the call. She was too distraught to talk to anyone, so instead of calling Melanie the way she'd planned, she drove the rest of the way in silence. She thought about everything imaginable, but what she kept coming back to was Levi's prediction of what was going to happen if she went ahead with her marriage. Would she honestly be that unhappy with Phillip? To the point where she would go right back to seeing Levi? She didn't want to believe that, but the whole idea of it terrified her. No matter what decision she made, she wouldn't win.

When Alicia arrived at the hospital, she parked what seemed like half a mile from the ER entrance, and she was glad she had on a sweat suit and athletic shoes. When she walked inside, Phillip stood, walked over, and hugged her. Gladys, Freda, Curtis, and Charlotte all sat in the same row of chairs.

“I'm so glad you came,” Gladys said as Alicia leaned down, embracing her.

“I wouldn't be anywhere else. Is the surgery still going on?”

“Yes, and the doctor said it could take a while.”

“Well, I know Mr. Johnson is going to be fine. He'll come through this very quickly, and he'll be back to normal before you know it.”

“I hope you're right.”

Alicia hugged her dad, her stepmom, and Freda. “Where's Mel? Hasn't she been released yet?”

“No,” Phillip said. “The doctor ordered an EKG, which came back fine, but he wanted her to stay hooked up to her IV awhile longer.”

“Wow. Well, I'm going back to see her.”

“I'll be out here,” he said.

The receptionist behind the window buzzed Alicia back to the ER examination area, and one of the nurses directed her to Melanie's room. When she opened the door, Melanie smiled and Brad got up and hugged her. Alicia was proud to be back in Brad's good graces, because years ago, when everyone had learned about Alicia's affair with Levi, Brad hadn't wanted anything to do with Alicia. He'd told Melanie that she could remain friends with her all she wanted to, but he was through with her. And he hadn't spoken to her for more than two years. Thankfully, he'd gotten over it, and the two of them were friends again.

Alicia set her purse down and hugged Melanie. “How are you?”

“I'm good.”

“Are you sure?”

“No, she's not,” Brad said matter-of-factly. “She's also angry with me for telling the doctor the truth.”

Alicia raised her eyebrows. “About what?”

“That crazy diet she's on. I wish she'd get off of it before it kills her.”

“Why are you blowing this so out of proportion?” Melanie shouted.

Brad turned toward the door. “I'm going back out to the waiting room. Alicia, maybe you can talk some sense into your friend while I'm gone.”

Brad closed the door behind him.

“Mel, what is he talking about?”

“Nothing.”

“I remember you saying on Saturday that you wanted to lose weight, but what are you eating?”

“Do we have to do this?”

“Yes. You passed out and your blood work didn't come back normal, so yes, I wanna know what's up.”

“I'm drinking two shakes a day and eating a salad,” she said.

“And what else?”

“That's it.”

“Why are you doing this to yourself again?”

“What do you mean
again
?”

“Starving yourself.”

“I don't wanna talk about this anymore.”

Alicia frowned. “You don't have a choice.”

“I know what I'm doing.”

“Apparently you don't, because if you did, you wouldn't be lying here in a hospital bed.”

“All I want is to get dressed and go wait for my dad,” she said.

“Oh, so now you're going to ignore what I'm saying?”

“Look, I appreciate your concern, and please don't take this the wrong way, but this is
my
body. It's my life. It's my business.”

“Excuse me?”

“I'm so sick of people telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing. Especially people who don't know a thing about being overweight. People who have perfect lives with no issues.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

Melanie repositioned her IV tube and folded her arms. “Nothing. I think we should stop before we say something we'll regret.”

“All this anger because I asked you about some diet you're on? You're not overweight, Melanie. You haven't been in years, and if you can't see that, something's wrong with you.”

“Are you saying I'm crazy?”

“I'm saying you need help.”

“You know what, Alicia, get out.”

Alicia took a step back, half laughing. “Yeah, right, Mel.”

“I mean it. Get out of here, and don't come back.”

Alicia had been sure Melanie was joking, but the outraged look on her face told a different story. Alicia wanted to ask her what was going on with her, but she could tell it would only make things worse. Something was very wrong with Melanie's mental state, and the sad part of it all was that she looked like she'd lost a whole size since Saturday. Her neck was too skinny and her face was much narrower. But for now, all Alicia could do was pray for her, and that's exactly what she did.