The Seeds Of A Daisy: The Lily Lockwood Series: Book One (Women's Fiction) (15 page)

I remember when Mom, Auntie D.., and I lived in Greenwich Village. I loved that apartment. You couldn’t find a happier seven year old in the Big Apple.

One afternoon, I was playing in my room with my friend Stacey from downstairs. “My life is ruined,” Stacey said as she changed her Barbie doll’s clothes for the twentieth time that day.

“How can your life be ruined? We’re just kids, we don’t even
have
lives yet!” I said, undressing Ken for the tenth time that day. “Hey, how do you think he pees?” I said, inspecting the area where there should have been genitalia.

“Listen to me!” Stacey stood up dramatically.

“Okay, okay, I’m listening,” I said, and I put Ken down on the floor, leaving him to figure out his own plumbing problems.

“My mom and dad are getting a divorce,” she announced, and started to cry.

I put my arm around her and said, “Almost everyone’s parents are divorced. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“But my dad is moving all the way to California. I’ll never see him EVER!” She stamped her foot to emphasize how painful and frustrating the situation was.

“Oh, is that all?” I said. “Don’t worry. Look at me. All you need is one good mother, and you’ll be just fine.”

There was a sound in the hallway. I turned and saw my mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks.

I sigh, remembering happier days, and glance at the clock. It’s 10 p.m. already. I decide to go back up to the I.C.U. First I’ll stop to see if anyone
is in the conference room. If not, it’s a good time for me to make a couple of calls.

I go upstairs. The floor is quiet. The hospital has taken on its night persona—still busy, but not frenetic.

I decide to call Theresa first to tell her that Mom is out of surgery and to give her the update. Then she can tell me what’s going on at her end.

“Hello?” Theresa answers on the second ring.

“Hi, Theresa, it’s me.”

“Hi, honey, I’m so glad you called. I’ve been so worried. What’s going on?” she asks.

I bring her up to speed and tell her we just have to wait, and hopefully Mom will gain consciousness soon. I tell her everything Dr. Niptau told us.

“So that’s about it,” I say.

“Who’s with you now, sweetie?”

“Tommy and Fernando spent a good portion of the afternoon and early evening with me.”

“And Donna?” Theresa asks.

“Auntie D. should be flying in sometime tonight from Portugal. I’ll probably wait for her here, if she’s not too late.”

“Excellent,” she says. “Honey, I should probably tell you that I saw something on television—”

I interrupt her. “On
Hollywood Scoop
?

“
Hollywood Scoop
—no, what was on
that
piece of shit program?”

“They had a segment about Mom and then they cut to Jamie on a mechanical bull doing shots and hugging Nasty Natty.”

“Oh,
that
.We were all there—a pre-production promo thing for the movie. As usual, Harvey is trying to stir up public interest in the film and the cast—even before one frame is shot. That’s why his movies always make tons and tons of money.”

I feel relieved and am glad I called her. Of course it’s a publicity stunt. That makes perfect sense. And if Nasty Natty hadn’t dropped that bomb at the party, I would’ve automatically assumed that’s what it was.

“What I saw on TV was on the news. They’re saying that there was another person in the crash, and that other person is also in critical condition,” she tells me.

“What? How come nobody told me? What else did they announce? Did they say how it happened or who was at fault?” Her news catches me off guard.

“They didn’t say much. They didn’t reveal the name of the other person. They said they couldn’t do so until his immediate family was notified. But they revealed that he’s an unidentified male in his thirties.”

“I wonder if he’s
here—
at University Hospital?”

“I guess it’s a possibility,” she replies. “Oh, and also—don’t tell him I told you this—but Jamie made arrangements to fly out tomorrow. If Pete finds out I am giving you inside info, he’ll ship me back home.” She laughs.

“I promise. And thanks, Theresa. It means a lot to me. As shitty as he’s been, I still need him here with me.”

“I completely understand. You need him now. All that other crap belongs on the back burner. When Daisy is on the mend, then you can deal with it. Hang in there, kiddo. I love you. Call me tomorrow with an update.”

Now I feel much better about Jamie and Natalie. What if the night of the party
was
a ploy of Natalie’s to come between Jamie and me? And stupid me, I played right into her hands. Theresa was right: I have to wait and let it play out.

I dial Jamie’s number.

“Yeah?” he answers.

“Hey, it’s me,” I say. I’m still nervous talking to him.

“Hey, babe, I’m between shots. What’s happening there?”

I catch him up to speed.

“I can’t believe it. I mean, I can’t imagine Daisy lying there in a coma—she’s always so…in control, ya know what I mean?” he asks.

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

“Listen, babe, the production company hooked me up with a flight out tomorrow—I’ll get in around ten. I’ll pick up a rental car there,” he tells me.

“Sounds great. Call me when you land and I’ll tell you where I’ll be, the farm or the hospital, okay? How are things going on the set?” I ask.

“Cool, so far…I think,” Jamie replies. “Listen, babe, wardrobe is here, I gotta change for the next shot. I’ll call you tomorrow. Hey, babe?”

“Yeah?”

“Listen, don’t worry, everything’s gonna work out—with Daisy and with us. I love you, babe.”

“I love you too, Jamie,” I reply. A wave of love envelops me.

Jamie may be right. Daisy could come out of the coma soon and be back to herself in no time. And as far as we are concerned, all couples go through bad times. If we love each other, we can get through this. In the years ahead, we will look back on this time as something that we went through, survived, and emerged from as a stronger couple. For the first time in days, I am feeling optimistic.

I get to the I.C.U. and go over to Tina at the nurse’s station to see if there is any change. She says there isn’t, but that the doctor stopped in on his way home and was happy with Mom’s intracranial pressure results. The pressure has gone down, and while it isn’t normal yet, it is better than it has been.

“Tina, one more thing. Someone told me there was another person involved in the accident with my mother. And that the person was also hospitalized. Is he here?”

“Well, he’s not here on this side of the I.C.U., but I can ask around. My friend Tracey works in Trauma; I can call her. He would’ve gone through there. They also might have taken him to a different hospital. That happens sometimes. I’ll let you know,” she says.

“Thanks. I’ll be in my mother’s room.” I start walking away.

“Do you think he’s cheating on you?” she asks innocently. I am stunned at the question. How nervy and insensitive. Tears sting my eyes, and I feel my face get hot.

“Excuse me?” I ask coldly.

“Do you think Jack is cheating on you? ’Cause it seems pretty fishy to me that all of a sudden, after so many years, he can’t commit. So do you think he’s cheating on you?” She is talking about my storyline on
St. Joe’s!

I laugh, relieved. “C’mon, Tina, they swear us to secrecy. I can’t tell you what happens!”

“I know. I thought maybe I could get the inside scoop.”

“My lips are sealed,” I tell her. “You just have to keep watching.” I head back to Mom’s room.

She looks exactly the same.

“Hi, Mom—it’s me, Lily. I’m back. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner. I know you’re gonna say that I need to eat better, and I promise I will tomorrow.”

I text Tommy that everything is the same and ask if he is able to track Auntie D.’s flight so that I’ll know when she is due to arrive. I tell him what Theresa said about publicity reasons for the bull-riding promo, and that it didn’t mean Jamie was fooling around. I also tell him about the other victim of the car crash and ask him to check online to see if there is any info about the other driver.

I immediately get a text back:
Hi Sweetheart. Don’t know about another driver in the accident. Will look it up online and c if I can get info 4 u. Fernando says he still doesn’t trust Jamie, b careful. BTW, Donna should land at 11:00 We luv u T & F

It’s almost 11:00 p.m. I’m feeling crampy, like I’m getting my period. Off and on, my boobs have been sensitive all day. Shit, just what I need! To get my period now, right before Jamie gets here.

It’s hard to keep my eyes open. I move my chair as close to my mother’s bed as I can get it, then lean the recliner back, put my hand on my Mom’s, and close my eyes…

I wake up to someone whispering. I open one eye to see that Auntie D. is here. She’s leaning over, whispering to my mother, and crying. “Oh, Daisy, we’re in a shitload of trouble this time, aren’t we? Come on, Pali, we’ve been in a lot of bad jams together; I know what you can do. Daisy, I know you, you have to come out of this. You have to, darlin’.”

Auntie D. sees I’m awake and opens her arms to me. I hug her and we both cry.

“Lily of the Valley, she’s going to make it through this, I know it!”

“Do you really think so, Auntie D.? Because it’s really scary. What if she doesn’t wake up? I can’t imagine life without her.” I sob harder, burying my head on her shoulder.

“There’s no way that’s going to happen. No way! She wouldn’t do that—Daisy Edwards Lockwood is a force to be reckoned with. She’ll be just fine! I feel it in every bone of my body.”

It’s a relief to have Auntie D. here. We sit by Mom’s bedside and talk to Mom as well as to each other. After an hour, we decide to take a break and go to the cafeteria.

Once there, we drink coffee that tastes like burned wood and eat Twinkies from the vending machine. I tell Auntie D. everything that’s been happening. In mid-sentence, I almost gag.

“The Twinkies are really stale. Don’t these things have a shelf life of about fifty years?” I examine the half- eaten antique cream-filled cake and pop the rest in my mouth. “So, the doctors say it’s a waiting game now,” I say.

“You know, Lily, you’ve been so amazing. Your mother would be proud of you,” Auntie D. says approvingly.

“I have? She would?” Her statement surprises me.

“Absolutely!” she replies. “Look what you’ve done in less than twenty-four hours since you’ve been here. You’ve coordinated with the doctors, you’ve made sure all her loved ones know what’s going on, you have Bette running interference with the press, and you’ve been by Daisy’s bedside most of the time. You bet your ass, I say that’s amazing!”

It is so funny, but in my entire life no one has ever said anything like that to me before. Sure, they’ve complimented me on my acting, or my grades in school, or my fashion sense, but never on how I handle a terrible situation or emergency. I guess because I never
had
to handle anything myself. My M.O. has always been to fall apart, into a million tiny pieces. I have Mom, Jamie, Franny, Jody, or a host of others to handle crises for me.

I wonder if Donna would be surprised to know how lacking I truly feel; how I have absolutely no clue if I am asking the right questions or making the right choices.

My phone rings. It’s Jamie.

“Hey,” I say.

“Hey…listen, I have something to tell you.” He hesitates.

Oh, dear Lord, please don’t let him tell me he can’t come or that he realizes he doesn’t love me or…

“I just saw
Hollywood Scoop…
did you see it?” he asks. He sounds worried.

“Yep, I sure did,” I reply.

“Shit, babe, you gotta listen to me. It was for a publicity piece. I don’t know why or how it ended up on
that
show. I am so sorry you had to see that. Damn it! You gotta believe me!” He sounds panicked.

“I do.”

“You do? What?” he asks.

“I believe you.”

“Oh shit, I feel so much better. Are you serious?” he asks. He doesn’t sound convinced. “This isn’t some sorta trap?”

“I understand, and it’s not a trap.”

“Man, that’s a relief. Listen, I gotta go. I’ll be there before you know it. Everything’s gonna be all right, don’t you worry. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms, baby!”

I
wake up on Friday morning in my mother’s four- poster bed. The sheets still smell of her perfume. I lie there, not wanting to get up, not wanting to think of where my mother slept last night. I want to stay here, under the goose down blanket, wrapped in her Egyptian sheets, and listen to the songbirds outside her window.

Without even lifting my head off the down pillow, I am able to see the Long Island Sound. I lie there for a few minutes and watch the sun’s rays perform their animated diamond dance up and down the water.

I smell coffee and remember that Auntie D. slept here overnight. I look at the clock and it shocks me that it is already 11:30 a.m. I jump out of bed, brush my teeth, and head downstairs.

Auntie D. is sitting at the dining-room table reading
The New York Times
. Her hair is pulled back and she’s wearing brown bifocals. The only glasses I’ve ever seen her wear are shades. These frames make her look like a sexy schoolteacher. She looks up and smiles when she sees me walking down the steps.