Port in a Storm

"Yes, but..." Her voice started to break again. "What if Aaron finds out?"

"He won't. I know it."

"How...how can you be so sure?"

I smiled quietly. "I just do," I said. "Now, you must rest, okay? They'll take care of it if you have any problem." I held her hand, patted it. "I'm there. Don't worry."

"What if he gets to you?" She sounded almost apologetic, as if sorry for dragging me into this. "After what you did today...what if he tries to take it out on you?"

"I can handle jerks like him," I assured her. "Don't worry about me."

She nodded quietly, looking tired and sunken. Her cheeks had shrunk, giving her a hollowed out appearance. She ran a hand over her belly, eyes closed, chest heaving.

Almost involuntarily, I reached down and kissed her forehead. Amy opened her eyes, tried to form a smile.

"Ms Robinson," she said quietly. "The day you found me in the car park...I mean...how did you know..."

"That it wasn't an accident?"

Amy nodded, searching my face. I smiled wistfully, held up my right hand. She probably hadn't noticed it earlier, because her eyes widened.

"You were....?" Her face showed comprehension, but she seemed too shocked to form words. I nodded sadly, quietened her when she tried to talk.

"You need rest." I stroked her head, putting the photos in my bag. "Don't worry, alright? I'll take care of everything."

She nodded feebly. "Thank you," she said weakly.

I gave some instructions to the nurse before leaving, then fished out my phone while on my way out.

"Michael, I need a favour." I'd never imagined I'd do something like that, but there I was. There was surprise in Michael's voice.

"Favour?"

"Yes. Help, to be precise."

"Everything okay?"

"No." I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "When can I meet you?"

*

Dave switched off the TV, smiling at me when I yawned. "Sleepy?" He asked. I stirred in his arms, shifted in the sofa.

"No. Just cosy." I yawned again, stretching my legs. Dave got up from the sofa, turned out the lights, only leaving on the one next to the sofa. He had been done with all the conferences last week, and was having it light at work for a few days. He'd returned from the hospital that morning, slept in for a while, hit the gym after brunch, and then it was all about me.

"I love watching late night movies with you," I smiled when he came back and sank down onto the sofa, pulling me close again.

"Me too. Although I think it's more about having you like this than about the movie." He squeezed me gently, and I closed my eyes, feeling indeed sleepy this time. "I've decided something."

"Hmm? What?"

"I'm going to take a month off for our wedding."

My eyes widened. I sat up, staring at his face like I'd seen a ghost. "You...you'll take a month off?"

"Yes. It starts about three days before the wedding." He put his feet up on the centre table and stretched his arms. "I've been planning our honeymoon in my head," he gave me a smile. I shook my head, laughing.

"They'll let you go for that long?" I asked, even as my heart flooded with excitement at the thought of having him all to myself for so long.

"Yeah, yeah. I've already spoken to them, just so they're prepared." He looked at me when I laughed again. "What? Young man, getting married, wants to spend time with his new wife. Surely you can't deny him that?"

"Of course not." I traced my fingers across his T-shirt, smiling absently to myself. The last two weeks had been a blur. In between managing work at Kingston and preparing for the big launch of Simon's new hotel, I'd popped in to check Amy almost every day. She'd mostly slept for the first two days, thanks to the sedatives, and was doing much better now.

"Sure you're not falling asleep already?" Dave chuckled. I stirred, laughed back.

"Sorry. Forgot you were boring." I looked up at his face, ran a hand through the front of his hair. He held my hand, kissed it. "Are you finally going to go for your fitting tomorrow?"

"Oh...yeah." He looked like he had forgotten about it. "I can't believe my parents. They're going the whole hog for our wedding."

"We only had to choose a date. And the guest list. Do you want to go cake-tasting?"

"Seriously?" He laughed. "No. I don't care what flavour the cake is, or how expensive my suit is, or how nice the tables look. As long as I get to be married to you, nothing else matters."

"Yeah. No wonder you're boring." I laughed quietly. "Where are we going for our honeymoon?"

"Paris." He said it in a breath. "Would you like that?"

"Are you kidding? Which girl wouldn't like Paris?"

I had been to a lot of places...Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain. Some for work. Some with Dave. But not Paris. I really wanted to visit Shakespeare and Company. And kiss under the glistening Eiffel, as clichéd as it seemed.

"Great." He dropped his head back, doing calculations. "So if we leave a few days after our wedding, we get about three weeks. Think we can squeeze in a little bit of other places?"

"Possible. We'll take walks down the cobbled sidewalks, eat crêpes, and have hot chocolate at Angelina."

"Right." He stretched. "Do we get time for sex?"

I giggled, making him laugh. "We'll find some time," I joked, pecking his nose. He laughed again, looking like he wanted to say something more. He did.

"Sure you don't have anybody to invite to the wedding?" he asked hesitantly. I nodded.

"A few colleagues and seniors. That's all."

"Simon?"

I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief. Couldn't believe he'd ask that.

"You want me to?" I looked at him, raised my eyebrows. He shrugged.

"You can, if you want to. I don't mind."

"I don't want to. And anyway, I don't think he attends petty events like weddings." I felt him laughing, his chest humming against my hand. He took it easily. We'd known each other about five years, been together for four. And I'd never seen him being insecure about anything.

"Any more trouble with that girl's boyfriend?" He asked, changing the topic.

"No. Thankfully." I felt my chest tightening. I had no idea what Simon would do to him. Hadn't asked Michael since that day when I went to his office and told him everything. He'd laughed about it, said that from my voice he'd thought it was something really serious.

It was indeed serious. But for Simon, nothing was hard.

"Good," he sighed, absently stroking my arm. "Is she okay now?"

"Better." I hadn't told Dave that I'd sought Simon's help. I'd also burned the photographs that very day. "She's put on a bit of weight. Looks good. The nurse told me she's been eating well the last few days. Her mother's here with her." I exhaled deeply, putting my head down on his shoulder. "I'm glad she finally asked me for help."

"You're going to go after him?"

"Hell, no," I laughed, trying to be nonchalant. Then I became serious. "I left that fucking farmer town long ago. Don't have anything to do with it anymore."

"Do you think he figured out it was you that day?" he asked me, but it sounded more like he was asking himself. "Who else would know such personal details about him?"

"He looked baffled for sure." I shrugged. I don't care, though. It was too long ago. He was this stocky, masculine guy with an empty attitude, and I was intelligent and straight-talking. It didn't help that I was also in love with him. Maybe that's why he wanted to teach me a lesson, to—"

"Don't." Dave clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring. "Don't say it." Then he hugged me, his arms wrapping tight around my body. "Pervert. I want to chop his balls off."

I laughed a little, even though he wasn't being funny. I remembered his anger when I'd first told him. I'd seen the anger in his green eyes. Back in the town, they'd dismiss it as boys and their fun. But for Dave it was always sexual assault.

It still hurt somewhere, felt worse than what my ex had done to me. He was the first guy I'd loved. He didn't love me back, though. But he'd ambushed me that evening when I was walking back home, and then taken my virginity. In the worst possible way. My screams had echoed into the night, no one responding to them.

"You okay?" He pulled away, searching my face. I nodded, swallowed around the lump in my throat.

"I'm sorry I brought it up," he said. I shook my head, forcing a smile.

"I want to take your surname after we're married," I said quietly. His eyebrows stood up.

"Sure?"

I nodded. "I don't want to be a Robinson anymore. Want to be a Thompson. Want to be well and truly a part of your family."

"You've been a part of my family for four years now, baby," he laughed, hugging me again. "But yeah, I understand the sentiment." He sighed longingly. "You don't always get two Vivienne Thompsons in the same family," he chuckled. I laughed against his shoulder.

"Are you happy?" I asked, feeling my breath catching in my throat.

"Oh, man. Beyond." His voice was soft and hopeful. "Are you happy?"

"Yeah." I smiled. "Getting there."

*

The sound of the blender was punctuated with the ringing of my phone. I looked up from where I was juicing some carrots, apples, and cranberries, turned off the blender and then the toaster. We'd sat and talked till late last night, eventually falling asleep at some point. Dave was in the gym now, while I handled breakfast.

I wiped my hands on the kitchen towel and picked up my phone from the dinner table. Amy's voice crackled on the other end.

"Ms Robinson!" She sounded panicked. "Aaron..."

"What?" I almost shrieked. "Is he there?"

"No...no. In the papers, there's...there's something about him." She paused, gulped audibly. "He's been arrested."

"Huh?" I looked around the room, then grabbed the newspaper from a chair. The news was on the front page.

'MAN ARRESTED FOR CHEATING INVESTORS OF 3.5M'

With the phone still against my ear, I skimmed through the report, my eyes widening in shock.

A 30 year old man was arrested from his house this morning for allegedly cheating people of 3.5 million. Police recovered banks statements, investor tree-charts, cheque books, ATM cards, and passports from his residence.

The accused, identified as Aaron Hill, was allegedly running a financial scam and cheating investors of their savings. "Hill's website stated that his family has been heading a major business group in British Colombia for the last 30 years," said the chief constable.

"Ms Robinson?" Amy spoke after sometime. "This...this won't be traced back to me, right?"

"Did you know anything?"

"No. I've told you he never shared details with me. I mean, I knew he owned this company, but I didn't know he was cheating people..."

"Calm down," I assured her. "You're not involved in this. Is your mother there?"

"Yes. She wants to take me back with her."

"Then go. You need her right now."

"Will we be safe?"

"Of course you will. He's been arrested. He has other things to keep busy with now." I sensed she was crying. Felt a pull at my own heart. I remembered crying every waking moment that I'd spent in hospital after Dave found me. Amy reminded me so much of the life I'd left behind.

"Don't cry, please," I said. "You should be relieved."

"I am," she sniffed. "I really am... I just..." She swallowed hard, paused to catch her breath. "I still love him. I'd never imagined he'd be like this. I thought he loved me."

"It's over. Don't think of it. Think of your baby now."

"Mom was horrified to see me like this. She...she's heartbroken..." She paused, sniffing back tears. "I don't want to leave my job, though. I need the money."

"Don't worry about that. Whenever you come back, you'll have your job. I'll make sure of that."

"Why are you doing so much for me?" She asked, beginning to sob again. "You don't even know me."

"I do know you. In ways you will never understand." I closed my eyes, then opened them again when I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "I got to go now, Amy," I said to her. "I'll come to see you, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Ms Robinson."

"It's fine. And please, call me Vivienne."

*

The club wasn't too crowded that evening. Sure, it was a Tuesday when crowds were usually a little thinner, but finding an empty stool at the bar at one of the finest clubs in the city was a matter of luck.

I'd just been wrapping up work that day when Michael had called to say he wanted to meet, that there was some work stuff to go over. I'd come downstairs to the club after work, and had spent the first few minutes trying to not bump into a familiar face.

I sent Dave a quick text asking if he was out of surgery. His phone usually remained silent in the hospital, so a reply wouldn't come right then. I looked up as someone sank onto the stool next to mine, sighed, and looked back at my drink.

"I thought I was meeting Michael."

"I know." Simon ordered the same as me and leaned on the bar, waiting while the girl sorted it out, her face nervous while she mixed a drink for someone who could fire her in an instant if he wanted to. "You wouldn't have come if I'd asked, though."

"Sure I would have, boss," I grimaced. Simon did as well. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just checking in to see how everything's going."

"Fine. Thank you." I finished my drink. Simon was already ordering me another. I didn't decline, just waited silently, Simon's presence too real next to me. I paid, didn't want him doing it. The man next to me didn't comment.

"Sulking was never a good look on you," he said. I looked up, mouth already opening as I formulated an insulted retort. When I did, though, it was into brown eyes that looked at me a little sadly, though his mouth was twisted into a smirk.

"Yeah, fuck off," I mumbled. Simon laughed, accepting his drink from the bartender. Mine landed in front of me too. "So, how're things?"

"Things are doing very well." He nodded. "I hired a DJ recently. Complete wanker, but a good investment."

"You should get him to work here."

"Should I?" He rolled his eyes. "I'm getting divorced."

"Oh." I glanced up from my drink. I hadn't expected that. "She finally found out about all the cheating?"

"I found out about all hers. She knew about mine." Simon shrugged. "She didn't know about you, though."

"Now I feel special."

"You were." His hand clenched on the glass. "She only knows about the ones who didn't mean anything."

"What does that make me, then?"

"You know what you were." Simon looked at me. "I didn't get you over here because I wanted you back, Vivienne. I got you over because you're the best. I don't expect anything, so you can stop playing the defensive teenager card with me. I don't appreciate it."

I scowled, feeling like I'd been slapped. And then I remembered the news I'd read about Aaron the other day and decided to ask him about it.

"Umm..." I hesitated, rotating my glass. "How exactly did you find out about him?"

"Who?" The laugh in Simon's voice said he already knew the answer. "Call us even, okay?"

I nodded, though I didn't call us that, not by a long shot.

"What...what did you do?" I swallowed, though a part of me didn't want to know.

"Aaron? Wouldn't touch a hair on him." Simon smirked. "That kind of person doesn't respond to violence. You have to hit them where it hurts."

"His pride?"

"His wallet." Simon took another sip of his drink. "I knew about him. Would go after him anyway even if you hadn't asked. I had my people talk to his investors, find out about the scam. Then tipped the police." He smiled, and there was the Simon I knew, the shark-like grin and the steel behind his eyes, cold and calculating.

"Oh." I finished my drink, pushed the glass away. I sensed Simon's gaze on me, making me more uncomfortable than I already was. "Please don't let anyone know that I asked you to do it," I added quietly.

"None of my business, that." He chuckled. "You didn't have to say yes to the job, kiddo. But here you are anyway. You've never minded taking a job from me, even if I'm apparently the devil."

"You're...not." I looked away. He was staring at me expectantly, and I hated feeling like this. Like I had back then, stupid and inexperienced and Simon telling me how things were going to be. Hated remembering how comforting that had been at the time. "You aren't the devil, Simon, you just..." I shook his head. "It was a long time ago."

"So get over it."

"I am over it."

"Then stop looking like you're about to hit me."

"I'm not..." I unclenched my fists, realising I was raising my voice. Simon was watching me carefully. "We're not friends, you know that."

"No, I'm your boss." Simon finished his drink. "How is the girl, by the way?"

My eyes widened. "You know about that too?"

"I know about everything."

I swallowed hard. "She's fine. Better. Aaron had wanted to kill her..."

"He can't. Don't worry." He stood up.

"I'm having lunch on Saturday at the restaurant at the Hilton," he said. "I think you know the one."

I did. Simon had taken me there more than once before we'd booked into a room, always under my name. I knew it well enough.

"Join me if you want,' he added

"Why?"

"Business lunch." Simon stepped past me. "My number hasn't changed, by the way."

"I..." I was about to reply, but he had already disappeared into the crowd.

I shook my head and picked up my phone when I saw Dave calling.

*

"You sound tired."

I laughed at the voice, at how doctorly he sounded. I'd left the club soon after Simon, feeling the drinks settling in my system. I only hoped I didn't wake up with a headache the next morning.

"I am tired." I smiled as I walked through the maze of cars in the parking, my heels piercing the quiet. "Just heading home."

"Now? It's late."

"Yeah...it kind of is," I sighed, unlocking my car.

"No wonder you're tired." I sensed a smile. "The surgery was successful. Should be able to go home in a couple of days."

"That's great," I smiled, sitting inside my car. I don't know why I felt good whenever I heard good news about his patients. It seemed to affect me in an unexplainable way. I didn't even know them, but always asked Dave about the patients he spoke to me about. "Should I expect to find you in bed by morning?"

There was a deep, hoarse laugh on the other end. Despite myself, I smiled, unable to help the way that sound made me feel.

"You'd like that?" He teased, his voice falling. I didn't know exactly where in the hospital he was, but it definitely wasn't public. I leaned back in the seat, closed my eyes.

"You know it," I smiled softly. "I love waking up to find you beside me."

"Mmm... And I love to slip into bed at an ungodly hour, to feel your soft, warm body next to mine." His voice fell to a whisper, turning intent and lustful. "You don't know, but there are times when you instinctively reach for my hand or snuggle into me in your sleep. I... Oh... I can't describe what it does to me..."

"Tell me what it does..." I chuckled, biting my lip.

"Not now," he laughed. "Or I'll be pitching a tent right here."

I laughed, feeling my head throb a little. I pinched the bridge of my nose, inhaling deeply.

"Are you okay, Vivienne?" Dave asked, sounding concerned now. "How was your day?"

"Okay. Had a fitting appointment for my wedding dress, then met mum to finalise the decorations, was back at work by evening." I let out the breath I'd taken in. "Mum asked me how many children we want."

Dave laughed aloud. "She asked that?"

"Hmm-mm."

"What did you say?"

"I said two would be good. Although a single child isn't bad in any way either."

"Just one or two?" He teased. I laughed quietly.

"We'll be lucky if we find time for that."

He didn't laugh unlike what I'd expected. When he spoke his voice was serious.

"I haven't been giving you proper time, isn't it?" he asked, his voice sounding a little sad. "I'm sorry you have to spend most nights alone in bed waiting for me to show up sometime."