The Tower — Ch 13

(Access all available chapters in the publication The Tower Book)

Sheryl and Vivienne sat in the waiting room in the hospital’s surgical wing. Monica had been in surgery for several hours and there had been no word since a nurse had come out to tell them that the flaw in her heart had been located and was larger than doctors originally thought.

Sheryl glanced over to where Vivienne sat. The blonde was uncharacteristically quiet, staring at the floor and fidgeting.

“You ok?” Sheryl asked, moving her chair over to the best of her ability.

Vivienne looked up with a nervous smile. “I… I don’t do well when I’m worried about my friends.”

Sheryl chuckled. “You know, you might be in the wrong place for that to be an issue. We’re all facing the possibility of death within the year.”

Vivienne huffed. “I know…” She chewed on her bottom lip and was quiet for several minutes before speaking again. “I… I’ve always made friends easily, even when I was the genius kid almost a decade younger than my classmates in college. But…”

Sheryl waited for the other woman to gather her thoughts.

“Because I was so much younger, I watched them all go through things in life that still seemed so distant for me. I had friends in college getting married, and I wasn’t even old enough to date. A part of me was happy to see them thrive, but at the same time so much of it was foreign to my own experiences..”

Vivienne paused again. “Maybe it’s better when kids learn with their peers. There’s an insulation that comes with the bubble of youth. Because I made friends with the people around me, there weren’t many my own age. I was a kid watching all my friends have very adult problems.”

Sheryl reached out for Vivienne’s hand.

Vivienne smiled then her eyes developed a distant cast again. “David was my best friend, even though he was nine years older than me. We met in one of my first college classes.

“I was twelve and my parents had enrolled me in only two classes to see if I was up to the change from high school, or if I needed private tutoring. Because it was a test I was only allowed to take humanities or elective classes. He was a senior, in his final year and filling in the last required electives to round out his degree. He was kind and funny, and was the first person there who didn’t mind that I was just a kid.

“We stayed close even after he graduated. Whenever somebody would question my presence he’d just introduce me as his kid sister and glare at anybody who tried to make an issue of it. We had one of those friendships where people knew to watch out if we began scheming. Despite the age difference it was never weird between us, even if others didn’t understand.

“I watched him fall in love with a girl named Jackie, and I stood with the groomsmen during his wedding. I was one of the first people outside immediate family that was allowed to hold his baby girl, Alyssa.

“I was fifteen when Alyssa got sick, she was about seven months old at the time. It all seemed so fast. One day she was a vibrant, laughing baby, the next pale and gaunt, stuck with needles attached to tubes. The doctors said it was a foodborne illness. The older kids and adults managed to pull through for the most part, but she was too young and didn’t have the strength to fight it.”

“Vivi…”

Vivienne turned her eyes to Sheryl and smiled, then returned her gaze to the floor.

“David’s marriage fell apart after that. Jackie lost her job because she’d spent three weeks in the hospital with baby Alyssa, and finances were strained. Then she left. The note said that every time she looked at him she was reminded of their daughter.”

Vivienne shuddered. “David never recovered. He’d lost his baby, and the love of his life. I… I tried to help, but I was still just a kid. Then… the vultures set in…”

“Vultures?”

“Sorry… lawyers, specifically the class action and wrongful death ones. The other victims were already taking the company to court. I mean, really, what choice did they have? Treatment was expensive, and if the medical expenses weren’t paid then most of them would have blown through their lifetime cap. But they all, victims and lawyers alike, wanted David on the case, not only was baby Alyssa dead, but his marriage was ruined too. Stuff like that was pure gold in a trial. The only thing he and Jackie had done was give age-appropriate fruit to their baby. Unlike the other deaths, she hadn’t been immune compromised or otherwise sick. She was just young.”

Vivienne gripped the armrest of her chair until her knuckles were white. “They wouldn’t let up. He got so many calls a day that eventually he filtered all incoming communication. They even went so far as to spoof details from friends and family to get him to answer. We were all given specific instructions on how to call so he’d know it was really somebody he trusted.”

“That’s horrible!”

Vivienne nodded. “Eventually the other victims converged around one legal team, David and Jackie were persuaded to join as independent parties. Because their marriage had ended over Alyssa’s death, they were regarded as separate victims.”

Vivienne chewed on her lower lip. “I… I look back and I’m pretty sure he’d already made his decision. I was trying so hard to help, but I didn’t see the signs.”

“The company knew better than to go to trial once David and Jackie were on board. A dead baby and a shattered marriage would immediately be used to pull on the heartstrings of jurors. A settlement was the far cheaper option. Once the decision was made the case proceeded quickly.”

Sheryl reached out and pulled Vivienne against her as best she could.

Vivienne started sobbing against Sheryl’s chest. “It was a week after the settlement was finalized and the victims were paid that David died..

“During that week David set his affairs in order. I never knew. He had his will drawn up, informed his landlord that the apartment would be available, put in notice at his job. He even sat in on the first round of interviews for his replacement.”

Vivienne took a shuddering breath. “I wasn’t supposed to see him that day. He’d made vague promises of ‘another time’ or just deferred my attempts to spend time with him. But I was worried. My best friend was hurting, and I needed to be there for him. I ditched classes and went to his apartment.

“Everything seemed so calm when I got there. The apartment was clean, the book he’d been reading open on the couch… He loved physical books… But the pallor over his face when he saw me at the door… He told me to leave, that I couldn’t be there. I argued. I missed my best friend.

“I had no way of knowing he’d already taken a lethal dose of some kind of medication. They never disclosed which one. He was adamant that I leave, then the stress of fighting got to him. He… started convulsing, then collapsed in my arms. By the time emergency responders arrived it was too late.”

“Vivi…”

Vivienne shook her head against Sheryl’s chest. “I missed the signs, and I took away his peaceful death by fighting about why I had to stay. When investigators got to the bedroom they found it was ready for him, a photo of Alyssa and Jackie on the pillow next to his, and a letter of apology.”

Sheryl ran her hand up and down Vivienne’s back. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Vivienne fisted Sheryl’s shirt, crying before finally admitting a soft, “I know…”

They sat there until Vivienne’s crying slowed.

“David… we weren’t family, but he treated me like it. I found out after the funeral that he’d included me in his will. He gave a small amount of his part of the settlement to his parents, almost a twenty-percent to me, and the rest… the rest he gave to Jackie. He… he never stopped loving her, even after she left.”

Vivienne tightened her fists in Sheryl’s shirt again. “Sher… in his will… he said he wanted me to live my dream. That’s why he gave me so much. I’d done the math, I knew what it would take to get Elevate through those crucial first two years. That’s what he left me. Elevate is David’s legacy.”

“Vivi…”

Vivienne shook her head and sat up. She walked over to where there was a box of tissue on a wall and pulled several squares free. She dabbed her eyes before returning to her seat.

“I’d missed all the signs, and I couldn’t help him when he needed it,” Vivienne continued. “After he died I had a hard time. I was paranoid that the people close to me were hurting, and that I was blind to their pain. For a while I contacted everybody I knew almost daily, checking in on them. I couldn’t handle losing anybody else.

“Therapy helped. I was in counseling through last year. I finally learned to accept that it wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t help. But… whenever I get worried about friends I remember the sleepless nights, when I was helpless to prevent tragedy. I was so worried about him, and in the end all I could do was watch him die. All the old fears come back, and I’m that sixteen year old losing her best friend all over again.”

“Oh Vivi…”

Vivienne smiled weakly. “Sorry for unloading all that on you.”

Sheryl shook her head. “Seems like it was something you needed to do.”

Vivienne nodded. “Thanks for listening Sheryl.”

“Anytime.”

Vivienne dried her eyes, then walked to toss her tissues in a nearby wastebin. She’d just taken a seat again when the doctor walked into the room.

Both Vivienne and Sheryl immediately perked up. “How is she?” Sheryl asked.

The doctor smiled. “She’s out of surgery, and once she recovers she’ll be able to begin training for her run. Her heart will be as strong as anybody else’s, if not stronger.”

Vivienne relaxed against Sheryl. “Thank goodness.”

“She’ll be weak for the first few days, and swollen. We’ve still got some cosmetic work to do, but we laid the groundwork for that. She should be able to return to the care center in a few days, after some observation.”

“Can we see her?”

The doctor hummed, then nodded. “For a few minutes. She needs to rest, but I bet she’d appreciate a moment with friends.”

He led the way to the recovery room.

“Hey,” Sheryl said when Monica opened her eyes.

“Hi,” Monica croaked in a whisper. “What’s the verdict?”

Vivienne walked to the other side of the bed and took Monica’s hand. “The doctor said you’re going to have a wonderful run.”

Monica smiled. “My heart;s better?”

Sheryl nodded. “They fixed it. You’re going to live a long life after you escape, with a healthy heart.”

Monica closed her eyes. “A healthy heart…” A tear slid down her cheek. “It’s a dream come true.”

“The first of many,” Sheryl said, squeezing Monica’s hand even as the young woman drifted into sleep.

Sheryl turned toward Vivienne. “You doing ok?”

Vivienne nodded and wiped her eyes. “She’s going to be ok.”

Sheryl nodded. “She is. We all are.”