The Ultimate Betrayal (11 page)

T
hey all filed into the large hospital conference room, waiting for Dr. Daniels: Melanie, Brad, Gladys, Freda, Alicia, Phillip, Pastor Black, and his wife, Charlotte. One of the surgical nurses had come to the waiting area to let them know the surgery was over and that Dr. Daniels would be out to speak to them as soon as he could. Melanie hoped her dad was doing better than expected and that his recovery would be successful and quick.

Everyone sat in silence, and it was good to have them there, praying and showing unwavering love and support. Especially Pastor Black and Charlotte, because they were like second parents to Melanie. It was sort of funny how Charlotte was Alicia's stepmom, yet she was only eleven years older than Melanie and Alicia. Even more interesting was the fact that Melanie was also very close to Alicia's mother, Tanya, whom Melanie called Mom as well. Tanya was one of the best women Melanie knew, and she would have given anything for her own mother to be as kind.

Melanie scanned the room. She accidentally locked eyes with Alicia, the one person she wished had stayed home. How dare Alicia judge her and talk to her the way she had when she'd first arrived at the hospital. She'd had no right, and Melanie wasn't happy about it.

After another ten minutes, Dr. Daniels walked into the room and took a seat at the head of the table. “Good evening, everyone.”

They all greeted him, waiting for the report.

“Well, it was a tough job, but we got it done. We're having to breathe for Mr. Johnson right now, and the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours are crucial. It's never simple when we have to unblock four arteries, but what I can tell you is that I've done it many times before, and I've done it very successfully. I did the best I could, and now it's in the hands of the good Lord.”

“Amen,” Pastor Black and Phillip acknowledged. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Melanie didn't always hear doctors speak this way, but it gave her a good feeling when she met doctors who hadn't allowed their vast knowledge of science to diminish their strong belief in God.

“Does anyone have any questions?” Dr. Daniels said. “Mrs. Johnson?”

“No, I don't think so,” she said.

“Anyone?” he asked again.

“Can we see him for just a few minutes?” Melanie asked.

“Someone will come and get you and your mom as soon as the nurses get your dad situated, but after that, I really want him to get some rest.”

“Thank you, and we understand,” Melanie said.

Dr. Daniels scooted his chair away and got up. “I guess that's it for now, but I'll be in first thing in the morning to see him. Which actually won't be long, because it's already midnight and I have a six thirty a.m. surgery to perform.”

“Oh my,” Gladys said. “We already appreciated everything you've done for my husband, but hearing that makes us appreciate you that much more. Thank you for everything.”

“Of course. As I said to you and Melanie earlier, I'm glad I was still here when the ambulance brought him in. You all take care.”

“You, too, and thank you again, doctor,” Melanie said.

“You're quite welcome.”

Gladys clasped her hands together and rested them on the table. “I guess all we can do now is wait.” Then she looked at Melanie. “Do you think your dad will make it? You know a lot more about this kind of thing than any of us.”

Melanie wasn't sure why her mother was putting her on the spot like this when Dr. Daniels had already explained how important the next two days would be. “I've seen lots of bypass patients who have gotten well and lived very healthy lives.”

Gladys shook her head in disgust. “I just wish he'd stopped eating all those ridiculous pork skins the way I asked him. I begged him, but he wouldn't listen.”

“I'm sure it was much more than that,” Melanie tried to tell her. “With Dad having four blocked arteries, it would have taken a good while for that much plaque to build up. This didn't happen just because of what he's been eating over the last few weeks.”

“He's been eating all sorts of things he shouldn't for a long time. Now he might die because he wouldn't put a stop to it.”

Why couldn't her mother forget about all that and simply pray for her husband to get better? Nothing was ever good enough for her, especially if she couldn't control a person. But for once, Melanie just wished she would keep her thoughts to herself. No one wanted to hear any of her ranting. The blank stares she saw on everyone else's faces proved it.

“What we have to do is pray and keep our faith strong,” Melanie said.

“Absolutely,” Pastor Black added, “and if you don't mind, Sister Johnson, I'd like to have a word of prayer before we leave.”

“Of course, Pastor.”

Everyone stood up, moved closer together, and held hands.

Curtis closed his eyes. “Dear heavenly Father, we come right now in the precious name of Jesus. Dear Lord, Brother Johnson is fighting for his life, and while we don't have all the answers, what we do know is that You never, ever make mistakes and that You are always true to Your Word. So we ask that You would please heal and strengthen Brother Johnson. Make him whole again. Allow him to recover in a most miraculous way. Then, Lord, we ask that You would give strength and peace to his wife, Sister Johnson, and his daughter, Melanie, during this very trying time in their lives. We also ask that You would please heal Melanie from any illness attempting to attack her body. And then, Lord, please bless Brad as well, along with everyone else here who loves and cares about Brother Johnson's well-being. I know You are with each of us every step of the way, and we thank You for that, dear God. We thank you for all that You've done, for all that You're doing, and for all that You will surely do in the future. Lord, we ask for these and all other blessings in Your Son Jesus's name, Amen.”

“Amen,” each of them said.

Pastor Black and Charlotte hugged everyone, said their good-byes, and left the conference room.

Brad walked over to the doorway. “Baby, as soon as you see your dad you need to go home and get some rest. Your car can stay here, and I'll just drop you back off on my way to the office in the morning.”

Gladys glared at Melanie and frowned. “Home? I know you're not going to just leave me here all alone. What if something happens while you're gone?”

“Mom, I don't want to, but I'm still feeling pretty weak. Once I get a few hours of rest, I promise I'll be right back.”

“Weak?” she said, scowling. “What did they say was wrong with you, anyway?”

This was the first time her mother had asked her anything about the reason she'd passed out, which was beyond hurtful. Normally, her mother made sure to put on a good front for Alicia, Phillip, and Alicia's parents, but not tonight. For whatever reason, she didn't even try to pretend that she loved or had any respect for Melanie. She spoke to her and treated her any way she wanted, and she didn't care who witnessed it.

“My electrolytes were a little off.”

“And what does that mean exactly?”

“My potassium was low, and I was dehydrated.”

“Oh well,” she said, acting as though none of what Melanie had told her was important. “Maybe if you ate right every single day instead of depriving yourself all at once, this wouldn't happen.”

Melanie didn't bother looking at Alicia or Phillip because she was far too embarrassed. “I'll be back in a few hours, Mom.”

“You do whatever you want,” Gladys said, grabbing her handbag.

Freda got up and followed behind her. “Don't you worry about a thing, Gladys. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here for as long as you need me.”

Melanie wanted to tell Freda to mind her own business the same as she'd told Alicia earlier, but she kept her mouth shut.

Gladys and Freda walked out of the room and so did Brad and Phillip, but Alicia stopped Melanie at the doorway.

“Mel, wait. Let me talk to you for a minute.”

“What is it?”

“I just wanted to say how sorry I am. Here you weren't feeling well, and I come into your room questioning you and telling you what to do. I only said the things I said because I love you, but I truly apologize.”

Melanie barely looked at Alicia for more than a second. “Don't even worry about it. Just forget the whole thing. I know I have.”

Alicia reached her arms out. “Truce?”

Melanie hugged her loosely enough to let her know her heart wasn't in it. “I just told you I've already forgotten about it.”

“I'm glad,” Alicia said. “I'm staying in town tonight so I can get some sleep, but I'll call you before I head back to my condo. I still have to read through the last few chapters of my manuscript.”

“Thanks for coming,” Melanie said as politely as she could. She loved Alicia, but she honestly didn't like her right now. There was something else Melanie thought about, too. When Melanie had spoken to Alicia earlier on the phone, Alicia had told her she'd read the last page of her edits and was finally finished. She'd talked about how this was the reason her phone had been on silent. So why was Alicia lying? Although, knowing Alicia, if she was suddenly taking a long time to return phone calls and not telling the truth about it, she was up to something. It was the only time she did this kind of thing, and Melanie could only imagine what was coming.

I
t was seven a.m., and while Alicia and Phillip had gotten to the house right around one this morning, she hadn't slept more than twenty minutes here and there. Her mind had raced from one thing to the next, and guilt-ridden tears had streamed onto her pillow. She just didn't know how she could lie next to Phillip in their own house, in their own bed, knowing she'd spent most of yesterday with Levi, holding him, kissing him, and making love to him like he was her husband. If only Levi didn't make her feel so good, she could walk away and forget about him. But he
did
make her feel good, and if things were different, she would marry him the way he wanted. In a perfect world, they would build their dream home, have two beautiful children—a boy and a girl—and grow old together. If she hadn't already committed to another man, she'd be free to do what she knew would make her happy.

But no matter how she tried to weigh things, one simple fact remained—the one fact she'd replayed hundreds of times in her head: She couldn't and wouldn't hurt Phillip. She had to marry him whether she wanted to or not. It wasn't that she didn't love Phillip, it was just that she wasn't
in
love with him the way a woman needed to be in love with a man she was planning to spend the rest of her life with. She'd thought loving him as a person was enough, and it actually had been before Levi had emailed her last Saturday, letting her know he was out of prison. What a mess this all was, but she knew what she had to do. Ending things with Levi wouldn't be easy—she could finally admit that now—but it was her only option. Plus, it wasn't like Phillip wasn't a wonderful man, because he was, and he loved her with all his heart. She knew that much for sure, so maybe in time, she would love him on the same level that she loved Levi.

Phillip yawned, stretched his arms and body, and opened his eyes. When he looked over at Alicia, he smiled. “How long have you been awake?”

“A while.”

“I'm glad you decided to spend the night…or I guess I should say morning, since we got in so late. The drive back to your condo would have been exhausting.”

“I know. I'm glad I stayed, too.”

“I wonder how Mr. Johnson is doing,” he said.

“Yeah, me too. I'm also worried about Mel. She's not herself, and this weight thing is getting out of control again.”

“Until Brad and I talked last night, I had no idea. You'd never told me about that before.”

“Probably because it hadn't crossed my mind in years. When we were in college, she would sometimes starve herself for days and then when she couldn't take it anymore, she would binge on every kind of food she could get her hands on. She did this the whole four years we were away, but once we graduated, she seemed to mellow out and she didn't struggle with that any longer.”

“Maybe she got better for a while, but now Brad says she's working out longer, and he doubts she's eating a thousand calories a day.”

“But she's not overweight at all. She's as thin as any woman would want to be, but for some reason she can't see it.”

“Brad wants her to get help, but I guess she got mad when he suggested it.”

“Just like she got mad at me last night. I didn't tell you this on the way home, but she told me to get out of her room. It was almost like I didn't know her. She acted like we were enemies.”

“I'm sure the pain she was feeling about her dad had something to do with it, too. She's under a lot of stress right now.”

“Maybe, but there's no way Mel can keep going without food. That's just plain crazy.”

Phillip raised his arm toward the headboard. “I was also a little shocked by the way her mom was talking to her, and she never went into Melanie's room even once. Are they mad at each other about something?”

“Not that I know of. I mean, when we were younger her mother would constantly make comments about her weight, but that was a long time ago.”

“Well, I do wonder if there's a lot we don't know, because when I went in to pray with her dad, he told me he'd apologized to Melanie and asked God to forgive him for all his sins.”

“Really? Apologized for what?”

“I don't know, and when I mentioned it to Melanie, she seemed embarrassed and like she was afraid her father had told me a lot more.”

“I do know that Melanie's parents were a lot different before I met her, because she told me a little about it. But once her father recovered from some car accident, everything changed and her parents became good people. They've always been wonderful to me as well.”

“Yeah, but you know the saying. You never know what's going on behind closed doors.”

“That's true, but Mel is like a sister to me, and if there were major problems between her and her parents I would know about it.”

Phillip leaned closer to the center of the bed, gazing into Alicia's eyes.

“What's wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing. Can't I admire the woman I love?”

“And you just decided to do that right in the middle of our conversation?” she said, laughing.

“Kinda. You're such a beautiful woman, and I loved you from the first time I laid eyes on you. Now you're going to be my wife again.”

Alicia smiled but wasn't sure how to respond.

“I know you must be tired of hearing me say that over and over, but I can't help it. For the first time in years, I'm truly happy and content. I feel like I have everything now, and not many people can say that.”

“I agree. We're very blessed.”

Phillip held the side of her face and kissed her with more passion than usual but then pulled away. “Okay, I'd better get out of this bed before we do something we'll regret. Although I know you'd be fine with that, wouldn't you?” he said, laughing. “If we could make love right this very second, you'd be on top of the world.”

“You know I would be,” she said, forcing a smile and hoping Phillip couldn't tell how insincere she was.

“Well, just remember, only two months to go and I'm all yours. Every part of me.”

When Phillip went into the bathroom, Alicia got up, walked over to the chair where her tote sat, and pulled out her phone. It was a good thing she'd gotten into the habit of keeping her phone on silent with no vibration, because Levi had just called her ten minutes ago. He'd also sent her a text that said, “Where are you? I miss you. Call me.”

Alicia dropped her phone in her bag and fell across the bed, face-first. She'd never felt so trapped or defeated in all her life, but she had to do the right thing. Do right by Phillip. Live happily ever after with the man everyone wanted her to be with.

She settled her mind, got back out of bed to get her phone, and dialed Melanie. With the way she'd acted last night, Alicia wondered if her friend would answer.

“Hello?” Melanie said.

“Hey, Mel. How are you?”

“Hanging in there.”

“How's your dad?”

“About the same. I called the nurse's station maybe an hour ago.”

“I'm sure it'll take a little more time before he progresses.”

“That's what I'm praying for.”

“So am I. We all are.”

Melanie didn't say anything further, and their silence was unsettling. It felt strange and uncommon, and while Alicia had considered easing into another conversation about Melanie's eating habits, she knew this wasn't the right time. But oddly enough, Melanie was the one who had questions for her.

“So, when we were on the phone last night, why did you tell me you'd finished reading your manuscript?”

“What do you mean?”

“That's what you told me then, but right before we left the hospital, you said you still had a few more chapters to go.”

Alicia swallowed the huge lump in her throat. Gosh, had she actually told Melanie two different stories? But even if she had, why was Melanie confronting her about it? Why was she acting as though she'd caught her in something and couldn't wait to interrogate her?

Alicia made up another quick lie to appease her. “I did finish reading it, but I still need to type in my changes and additions. I always mark up my manuscript as I go along, and then I have to incorporate everything on my computer.”

“Oh, I see.” Melanie said, almost sounding sarcastic.

Alicia ignored her and changed the subject. “So when are you going back to the hospital?”

“I'm getting ready now.”

“I really wish I could spend the day here with you, but I have to get back home so I can finish up my work. I'll be calling you, though, and I'll definitely get to see your dad when I come back for church on Sunday.”

“How come you didn't bring your laptop and manuscript with you?”

Wow. Just wow. Melanie had turned into a real piece of work this morning, and Alicia was getting a little tired of it. She knew Melanie was going through a lot, which was the reason Alicia was being tolerant, but she could only take so much attitude and rudeness.

“Well, for one thing, when I heard that you'd passed out and that your dad was having emergency surgery, my work was the last thing I thought about. All I knew was that I needed to get here.”

“Oh yeah, that's right,” she said.

“Is Brad still dropping you off at the hospital? Otherwise, I can come get you before I head back home.”

“Yes, he's in the shower now, but thanks.”

“Okay, well, I'll let you go, and kiss your dad for me.”

“I will.”

“And Mel?”

“Yeah.”

“I'm really sorry again about the things I said last night. You're my girl, I love you, and I just want you to be all right.”

“I know that. I love you, too.”

Alicia set her phone down, and though she wondered why Melanie still wasn't acting herself, she soon thought about her drive back to Covington Park. She was already promising herself she wouldn't call Levi, and she wouldn't stop by his friend's house to see him. She would head straight to her condo so she could read the manuscript she hadn't looked at for the past two days. She so needed to get that finished, because she knew Phillip would be driving over, just as he did every Friday when he left the church. She had to get as much reading done as possible so she could spend all of tomorrow and Sunday with him. Then, on Monday, she would finish reading completely and would type everything in. Monday was Phillip's day off, but she would just have to come up with some other lie to explain why she needed another full day of work with no distractions. She would then be able to email the finished product to her editor on Tuesday, and all would be good.

She would also take some time on Tuesday to check in with their wedding planner. There still wasn't much to do at this point, but Alicia wanted to touch base with her to make sure nothing had been missed. Regardless of how she'd been feeling as of late, thanks to Levi, Alicia wanted her and Phillip's wedding to be flawless. Not because she was nearly as excited about getting married as she had been, but because Phillip deserved it. He'd earned the right to have the best of everything, including a loyal wife, and Alicia would give him that. She would forget her own desires and learn how to be happy with the existing conditions. She would pretend Levi was a mere figment of her imagination.