Society Girls: Matisse (19 page)

The nurse comes in, and smiles at me. “You
know Kendrick?”

What? “Yes,” I say warily.

“He’s the best we have here. We all wish
he’d come on full-time, instead of just a couple of on-call
shifts.”

“Okay.” What does that have to do with my
arm?

“He’s got your x-rays, and he said he’s
taking care of you if you’ll let him.”

“What if I don’t want him to?”

“Did you not hear me say he’s the best?
Plus, if you know him, you know how hot he is. He won’t give any of
us the time of day, but we still look.”

“Let him do it, Teesy. You know he’s the
best. I’ll be right here.”

“Fine. You can send him in.”

A few minutes later, Kendrick follows her
back in. He has his lab coat on, but I see a little blood on his
shirt underneath. He looks tired, and sad, but I don’t want to deal
with that right now. I just want this bullet out of me.

“The bullet isn’t near anything dangerous,
so I can remove it in here, and stitch you up.”

“I’ll stitch her,” the nurse says.

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

She gives him an odd look and then winks at
me. “He’s probably better at it than me.”

“I am. Matisse, I’m going to inject you with
some medicine to numb the area, but you’re going to feel some hard
tugging, and there may still be some pain, even with the shot. If
it’s too much, you tell me, and we’ll take a break.”

He’s looking me in the eye, and I see the
love in there, even though I don’t want to. “Okay.”

Stella moves to the other side of the bed,
and holds my hand as I feel the prick of the needle in my biceps,
and the entire area goes numb. I feel the tugs like Kendrick said I
would, but the pain is very minimal. No more than I’d feel getting
a tattoo, so I don’t even flinch. Kendrick drops the bullet into a
metal bowl, sews me up carefully, and wraps my arm in bandages and
gauze.

“There you go. I’ll prescribe you some pain
pills, and give you some instructions on how to clean and care for
your stitches. You’ll want to follow up with your primary care
doctor in a few days.”

I won’t be using the pain
pills, because Audrey’s are better, and
he’s
my doctor, but I play along, and
pretend I’m going to do as he asks. He tells me I need to stay
overnight, and that my room is ready for me.

“Would you like me to accompany you up,
Matisse?” he asks.

A part of me wants to say yes, but a bigger
part reminds me he has a fiancé. “No thank you. Stella will take
care of me.”

“Of course. Have a nice night, and don’t
hesitate to have me paged if you need me.”

“Are you working tonight?”

“Only for you.”

“Go home, Doc.”

“I’m trying to.”

He leaves and I close my eyes, because I
don’t want to cry anymore. An orderly comes in a short time later,
and rolls me to my room for the night. Stella lets go of my hand
during the journey, but she’s right there with me. I know she won’t
go, and I’m happy to see a recliner for her in my room when we get
there.

Once I’m settled, and
hooked up to all the machines, I finally feel safe enough to sleep.
Not feeling safe scares me. I don’t want to be afraid to be out in
the world again. And I
can’t
be, because I’m supposed to be a badass spy. I
can’t stop thinking about what would’ve happened if I hadn’t
convinced the women to fight back with me. Or worse, what if
Audrey’s injection hadn’t worked? I might have woken up in a
different country. I force myself to go to sleep so I can stop
thinking about all of this. I’m safe right now, and that’s what I
focus on as I drift off.

Kendrick

Being back in Africa is surreal. Just a few
days ago, I was homesick, and now I can’t wait to leave. Finding a
new CEO for the company wasn’t hard. One of the hotel managers was
more than qualified, and Audrey heard from several of the women
here that he helped them in every way he could, working against my
parents and Klas. Their endorsement of him means more than his
degree.

I’m going to be here for a
week, because I want to go to every property, and explain to them
that business as usual has a new look. I don’t anticipate any
pushback, but I’m ready for it if it happens. There really is
only
my
way now. I
won’t tolerate any of the things my parents encouraged.

It’s time to face everything I ran from,
including my childhood home. Walking through the door is
bittersweet. For many years now, it’s been just a house, not a
home. I have those good memories from when I was young, and Wave
and I lived here for many years, but I have no other attachment to
it. Selling it is the right option, but I want to take a few things
with me to remember the good times. Waverly also asked me to bring
a few of her things back for her.

The men from the hotel here arrive with
boxes, and I get started. I hired them to help me pack what I
wanted. Once I’m done, the household workers will have first choice
of anything that’s left. They’ll be starting at the hotel of their
choice, because I don’t want them to lose their jobs without
offering them something else.

I spend time in each room of the house,
opening drawers, cupboards, and secret places only the family knew
about. There is cash stashed everywhere, and most of it will go to
Reina and the Foundation to help set up the women and children they
liberated. They deserve everything I can give them and more.

I take a few pieces of jewelry from my
mother’s large chest of baubles. I ignore her flashy new items, and
instead pick out the pieces my grandmothers passed down. In my
room, I pack two boxes of pictures, papers, art, and knickknacks. I
want some of my things for nostalgic reasons, and I want the art
and little things for my apartment.

I go into Waverly’s room last. I want to
bring everything for her, but she specifically told me not to. I
bring up her email, and pack up only what she asked for. This room
was meant to be her prison once, but I helped her make it her home
for a little while. I know she’ll be happy that others are going to
be enjoying her things, but it’s still hard to leave it all behind.
I know it’s silly, because she has the means now to buy her own
stuff, but I felt pride in everything I could give her to make her
situation a little easier.

I walk out, and close the door, because it’s
time for us both to move on and live in the present. The past, and
the fear of the future, ruled us for so long, but now all we have
to worry about is the present.

We’re still in trouble with Reina, but not
as much as we could’ve been. I’m sure Waverly is talking to her
while I’m gone, and I’m scheduled to meet with her when I get back,
but I’m not too worried. She said she understood why we did
everything, but wished we’d come to her sooner so we could’ve
avoided some of what happened.

I know she was thinking of Matisse when she
said that, because she’s what I think of every night when I fall
asleep, and every morning when I wake up. Once things here are
settled, it will be time for me to go after her. I just need her to
listen to everything before she sends me away for good. Even if it
doesn’t sway her, I need her to finally know everything.

I wanted to tell her right away, but she
wasn’t ready to hear anything from me while she was in the
hospital, and that was the last time I saw her. I’m thankful she
let me take care of removing her bullet, because I was able to make
sure there were no complications, and also stitch her carefully so
that her scar will be small. Not that the nurses at the hospital
aren’t great—they definitely are—but they are also overworked. They
would’ve been nice and careful, just not as careful as I was.

As soon as I finished, and she told me I
couldn’t go upstairs with her, I headed to the airport where one of
the Corrigan jets was waiting for me. Reina and I knew I had to get
here as soon as possible to set change in motion.

“Are you ready to go, Sir?” one of the hotel
workers asks me.

“Please call me, Kenyi, or Ken, and yes, I
am ready to go back to the hotel.”

I know they find it strange that I’m not
driving any of the luxury cars from here, but I need to leave all
of this behind in order to move forward. I climb into the back of
the truck before I’m offered a seat up front, and we drive away. I
feel no sadness for the place as it gets smaller and smaller, and
that scares me a little. That house will never be my home again;
shouldn’t I miss it?

* * *

Matisse

It’s been a few days since everything went
down, and though my upper arm is still sore, I want to go in to
work. I don’t have to do anything strenuous, but the thought of
getting behind in everything terrifies me. Reina told me not to
worry, but that’s not possible.

I also need help, because every noise I hear
in my apartment scares me, and that place is more secure than
pretty much anywhere else in the world. If I’m scared there, how
will I be able to function outside. Not well judging from the near
panic attack I had driving here.

The security guys smile at me as I walk in.
I ditched the sling they gave me when I left the hospital so I
could drive, and also so I wouldn’t have to answer any questions
from the “regular” Corrigan workers. I don’t have the energy for a
cover story yet.

My first stop in the building is the place I
both want to be, but don’t want to be at the same time—the medical
ward. I got my medication from Audrey’s people, but I need to have
my check-in with Kendrick. It’s going to be the hardest thing I do
today, but like the rest of my checklist, it has to be done.

“Hi Liz,” I say as I walk out of the
elevator.”

“Oh hi Matisse. Are you here to have your
wound checked?”

“Yes, thanks. Should I wait for Kendrick in
one of the rooms?”

“Kendrick isn’t here,” she says, looking
surprised that I don’t know.

“Should I come back later today?”

“He’s in Africa, Matisse.”

No! He went home, and no
one told me?
He
didn’t tell me? I slump against the counter as Liz runs around
it.

“I’m okay,” I tell her, standing up straight
again. “Are you able to check me out?”

“I am. I’m covering the ward.”

“Good for you. Will they be hiring another
doctor?”

“He’ll be back,” I hear a woman with an
African accent say. When I turn, my eyes widen at Waverly standing
behind me. “He just went back to tie things up.”

“For your wedding?”

She jerks back. “No one’s told you what
happened while you were taken?”

“No. What
did
happen?”

“You’ll need to talk to Reina.”

“Okay, and I’m glad he’s coming back for
you. Despite everything, I want you both to be happy.”

She fixes me with a smirk.
“He’s coming back for
you
, Matisse, not me.”

“But you’re engaged,” I say, earning a gasp
from Liz.

“After you talk to Reina, I’ll be talking to
all of you and your friends. If you still have any questions, you
can come and see me. I promise to tell you anything you want to
know. Ken should be the one doing it—and he wants to, believe me he
does—but he needs to be in Africa right now, and you shouldn’t have
to wait.”

“Thank you, but if he wanted to tell me
anything, he would’ve.”

“He was going to tell you the night you
surprised him with his parents. Things went bad before he could,
but that was his plan.”

“Bad doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

“I wasn’t trying to downplay what happened,”
she says sounding frustrated. “I just want you to know he hated
keeping things from you, and you should give him a chance.”

“I did give him a chance, Waverly. I gave
him everything, and he threw it all back in my face.”

“Talk to Reina, talk to me, and when he’s
back, talk to him. That’s all I’m asking you to do—just talking and
listening.”

“I can’t make promises right now. I have
some other things to deal with, and I need to take care of myself
first.”

“Of course. I will see you soon, Matisse,”
she says, turning to go.

“Goodbye.”

Once she’s gone, I follow Liz into one of
the exam rooms. “Things are never dull around here,” she says as
she looks me over.

“No, but every once in a while, I wish they
were.”

She pats my uninjured shoulder, and then
re-wraps the other one. “It wouldn’t be what it was if it was
boring.”

I agree, and get back in the elevator. Time
to see Reina. Alex is, of course, expecting me when I walk into the
Foundation lobby, because no one comes and goes in the building
without Ainsley and her team knowing. What she knows, Reina knows,
and so she knew I was coming to see here before the elevator doors
opened.

“How are you feeling?” Alex asks.

“Like I’ve been betrayed by my boyfriend,
shot by a human trafficker, and some other things I won’t bore you
with right now.”

“I’m sorry. You let me know if there’s
anything I can help you with. Or if you just want to hang out,
okay?”

“I will. Thanks, Alex.”

“You’re welcome. Reina’s waiting for you,”
she says with a smile.

I walk down the hall, and through the open
doorway. “Hi, Reina.”

“Hi Matisse. It’s good to see you up and
around.” She came to me at the hospital, and sat for a few hours at
my bedside, but I was pretty out of it.

“I’m not good,” I admit. “I’m scared.”

She nods. “I would be surprised if you
weren’t. You went through something traumatic, and while I’m so
proud of what you managed to do, you weren’t ready for that
yet.”