After a certain hour in the night, Marguerite’s phone only rang for one person. In blind urgency, she groped for her phone in the dark. She was awake. She was alert. And before the person on the other line could say “hello”, Percy beside her said, “Sweetheart?” And for a split second, all was right with the world.
On the other line was Jo, in hospital, stabbed. On the phone Marguerite stayed composed, “I’ll be right over, darling. No trouble at all. Just breathe.”
As Marguerite spoke, she felt Percy rise from the bed, heard him cross to the wardrobe. When she was off the phone, he was dressed.
As Marguerite dressed, she insisted Percy stay home, told him to wait in case one of his men called. When she was ready to go, he kissed her temple.
“We don’t know that it was random,” he said gravely. “Be careful. Call me.”
She’d promised. She would have promised him anything, but especially knowing that until she arrived, Jo was alone. If the tables had been turned, if it had been Percy’s cell phone to ring and Andrew on the other line… He understood. He had to. This was their life. Marguerite drove herself to the hospital in a modest black sedan and rushed into the emergency room. Her blue eyes scanned the lobby and rushed to Jo’s side when she saw her. Why was she standing? Marguerite seized her hands. She squeezed lovingly. How terrified must Jo be! In how much pain!
“Don’t you dare apologize,” Marguerite said. Especially as it could by my fault. “Have you been seen yet?”
“ Yes, yes, I- they patched me up, I’m fine, Marguerite, honestly, ” she smiled as best she could - in truth it wasn’t the injury that hurt the most, it was the pressing fear that never ceased to come upon her in waves. Something such as this had just never happened to her - maybe once she’d come close, but she’d been near a main road, and –––
“ I’m just a little bit - would you mind coming home with me? I’d feel much better . ” she hated to ask it. But Johanna was more scared of what would happen if she were on her own than what would happen if someone were to be slightly inconvenienced. “ I can’t thank you enough for coming, I didn’t think, I just dialled, and you were the first one I went to. ” even though there was no one else Johanna COULD go to, maybe apart from Percy, who was basically the same contact anyway - she would have no one but her best friend come to her rescue.
“ I was walking out of the stage door like any other night, and it just –– oh, Marguerite, I had no idea that people would... just assume... ” she sighed, and put a finger to her temple. “Is there a cab we could get? I would love a hot water bottle and a bed right now. ” In truth, she wasn’t quite sure if she would be able to sleep, but the best she could do was to try. To be in a warm, safe bed appealed to Johanna more than anything else in the world in that instant.
She took the other’s arm in her own and realised her hand was still slightly shaking. She scowled at it for ruining her (tired) composure almost comically.
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