Chapter 5
Cleverly Cunning
The pain was terrible. Celia wanted to move but had learned from trying that it would only cause more pain so she moved as little as possible.
She could have opened her eyes but didn’t want to be bombarded with questions. Did she have insurance? Did this or that hurt? Of course she had coverage and, at this moment, everything hurt. She was tired and wanted to sleep.
It had been very helpful to keep her eyes closed and listen. She’d learned quite a few things while eavesdropping as the doctors and nurses around her talked.
The first thing she had heard was the doctor talking about her condition and how, with the blow she had taken, it could be possible she would have short term memory loss. They expected her to wake up at anytime but weren’t sure what she would remember.
She’d also learned from several star-struck nurses that Martin was on the premises. He had been taken somewhere in the hospital and was waiting to hear how she was doing.
This accident could work out to her advantage but she needed to plan, to think this through and begin the process of getting Martin back.
A part of her wondered if she wanted him, but she would decide that later. Getting him back was what she wanted; keeping him was another thing. One way or the other, he was going to pay for all of the embarrassment he’d cost her.
A faint smile crossed her lips as she tried to get comfortable. She might be back in what should have been her home sooner that she thought.
Her parents had been disappointed that she and Martin were not able to make things work. They hid their feelings until they returned home and then called her telling her that it had been a mistake for her to move out without a fight.
She had wanted to ask what she was supposed to do? How could you keep a man who didn’t want you? She certainly wasn’t about to start begging!
It would have been easy to walk away and consider it lost time if her parents would have let it drop. She was over Martin, or was trying to be, but no one wanted to let her forget what had happened. They wanted to keep pointing out everything that she had lost. Her mother had even brought up the idea that she should tell Martin she was pregnant.
She had considered it but wasn’t sure she could pull it off. It would be obvious and too easy to disprove. Now this was different. This was not something she had planned but overhearing the doctors talking about her possible memory loss had given her the idea.
Faking memory loss would be something she could handle, and it would be like something from one of Martin’s stupid movies.
When you got right down to it, Martin was worth all of the work that she hadn’t been doing. The money, the house, the lifestyle . . . it was worth putting up with his idiot agent and hanging around his strange actor friends.
She had just gotten lazy and let her guard down. The question she needed to answer now was ‘do I want to do this for the rest of my life’? Was she willing to have a child with Martin to keep him?
There were lots of other men out there, many who would suit her taste better. She would have to think long and hard before deciding exactly what to do.
What she did know was that Randi wasn’t getting away with this. She needed to feel what it was like to be jumped from behind and have your world turned upside down.
Celia might not end up staying with Martin but if their relationship was not going to make it, it was going to be on her terms and on her timetable.
Celia wasn’t sure how much time had passed but it seemed like forever. A nurse came in and did something to the bed. Celia’s eyes were still closed but she could sense the woman was still in the room and decided that now was the time to wake up.
“Martin? Is that you?” Celia opened her eyes and blinked. The nurse was quickly by her side, resting her hand on Celia’s arm lightly.
“There’s no one here but me. Can I get someone for you?”
“What… what’s wrong? Where am I?”
“Ma’am, you were in an accident. You’re in the hospital. Don’t move around; you need to rest.”
“Accident? No. Oh goodness, where is Martin? Is Martin okay? Is he here? Martin is my boyfriend, Martin Taylor. Was he with me. Is he here?”
The young woman looked at her a little strange. She paused, looked at the door and then turned back. “No. You were alone. He wasn’t in the accident. I’ll call the doctor.”
Celia closed her eyes. “I was alone? No one was with me? Was anyone else was hurt?”
“No, you were alone, you were hit by a drunk driver. He was taken to another hospital.”
“Good. My Martin would want to beat him up for doing such a stupid thing.” Celia let out a sigh. “When can I see my boyfriend, Martin?”
“I’ll find Mr. Taylor. He was here yesterday.”
“Please find Martin and let him know I was asking for him.” Celia would have liked to be in the room when the nurse found Martin and tried to explain to him what was going on. Maybe they had already planted the seed in his mind that her memory might not be right.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll tell him.”
“Thanks. What’s your name? Things are still a little fuzzy for me.”
“Judy. My name is Judy. I’ll get the doctor. Please just rest. Everything is going to be okay.”
Celia waited until the nurse was gone before she let a satisfied smile cross her lips. “Dump me for the help will you Martin Taylor? You will regret the day you laid eyes on your precious Randi. Mark my words, you will regret it.”