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I must have lost consciousness for a few minutes, because the next thing I remember was waking up with my head in Sienna’s lap, looking up at her pale, concerned face.
“Are you okay, Syd?”
“Is he gone?” My head pounded as I moved my jaw to speak. I raised my hand to feel my head where it was tingling on the side of my face.
“Yeah, he took off. What the hell happened, Syd?”
“I don’t know. He was drunk and angry and said something rude and I slapped him and he lost it.” I stopped to replay what had just happened in my head. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come in, Sienna.” My last few words trailed off as the realization of what might have been hit me full force. My body began to shake.
“It’s okay, Syd. You’re safe now. Let me get you out of here.” Sienna began to help me up as she spoke. “I saw our security down the hall. A lot of good that did you in here.”
“My head hurts.” I rubbed where the pain hit hardest.
“You’re going to have a nice knot there. You hit the sink pretty hard. Let’s get you checked out to be safe.”
I nodded. The hallway was still empty as the bathroom door opened, except for the security guard waiting at the far end of the hall. The guard turned as we approached, looking startled when he saw us.
“What happened?”
Sienna began to speak, but I cut her off. “I slipped on some water and fell and hit the sink.”
Sienna gave me a look, letting me know she wasn’t happy with the version of the story I was giving. But she didn’t attempt to elaborate on the truth.
***
Ten hours later, Sienna and I were back on the bus. After a series of tests, my head had checked out okay, but I was going to have a nasty bruise on the side of my face where my head had connected with the sink, and I still felt like a drum solo was being played inside my skull.
Everyone seemed to believe my version of the story that I’d told to the emergency room and the tour manager. Considering I had been seen drinking in a bar, it wasn’t out of the realm of ordinary for me to have taken a fall and hit the sink on the way down. I don’t know why I hadn’t told the truth. I hadn’t planned on covering for Justin, I just did.
***
“What are you going to do, Syd?” Sienna came into the private bedroom on the back of the bus, where I had been hiding out for the last few hours.
“I don’t know.”
Sienna sat in front of me and gently took my face in her hands, lifting it to look into her eyes. “You need to do what is best for you, Syd. This isn’t about me and it isn’t about the tour. Whatever happens, happens, and none of it is your fault. Do you understand me?”
I nodded. And I knew she meant it. However I chose to deal with what had happened, Sienna would stand beside me, where she had been my entire life.
Chapter 19
My heart rate sped up as the elevator made its way slowly up each floor. True to her word, Sienna was supportive when I made the decision to take a leave from the tour. I wasn’t going to press charges against Justin, but I also needed some space before I could face the man who had assaulted me. I needed some time to think. I’d spent half the plane ride over from Spain replaying what had happened with Justin in my head, trying to convince myself that what had happened wasn’t really as bad as it was. But the truth was I wasn’t really sure what would have happened if Sienna hadn’t walked in. The look in Justin’s eyes was so angry and distant, I wondered if I really knew the man at all.
In the end, it was not knowing that had helped me make the decision to take a break from the tour. The tour manager was suspicious of my story and the big bruise on my face and wrist, but he didn’t push. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he knew the truth and was relieved I was going to disappear for a while, rather than go public with the truth.
I hadn’t told Jack about what had happened. In fact, I’d only spoken to him for a few minutes since the shit had hit the fan. I was sure he was upset with me about my lack of calls, but I thought it was best to tell him the truth in person.
I jumped as the elevator dinged and opened to the penthouse floor. I’d used my keycard and asked security not to call up to let Jack know I was home, pretending I was home early to surprise him. I stepped off the elevator. The penthouse was quiet and dark and I could have sworn I heard my own heartbeat pounding against the wall of my chest as I set my things down and steadied myself with a deep breath before heading to the bedroom.
Jack stirred as I slipped into bed beside him. His face was so peaceful and I hated to wake him with the ugliness of what I had to share of the last few days, knowing he was still struggling with the death of his father. I should have been home to support him, not to add to the mountain of stress and anxiety that his father’s death had left him to deal with.
“Jack,” I whispered, and gently put my hand on his cheek.
Jack jumped. “Syd?”
“Hi, baby.”
“What are you doing here?”
For hours on the plane I’d thought about how to tell him why I was home. My plan was to share the story in a factual manner, keeping out any emotions so that Jack wouldn’t freak out. But that plan went right out the window, as the tears began to stream down my face from just hearing Jack’s voice.
***
Six hours after I walked through the front door, I finally fell asleep. Jack held me while I told him the story and, as selfish as it was, I was relieved to have had unburdened the truth on him. At first he was quiet while I spoke, but then he turned the light on and saw the dark bruises on the side of my face and he lost it. It took everything I had to calm him down and I was thankful that Justin was a seven hour plane ride away for more reasons than one.
Before I fell asleep, I had been up for almost thirty-six hours straight since the horrible night in the bathroom had taken my life down yet another unexpected turn. So when I finally woke up, I wasn’t surprised to find that I had slept for almost ten hours. I was still groggy as I climbed out of bed, padding through the apartment to look for Jack.
I was a little surprised when I woke and didn’t find Jack home, but on the verge of a nervous breakdown when almost twelve more hours passed and there was still no sign of him. I left him a half dozen messages on his cell and even called Sienna to see if he’d contacted her. I didn’t even know where to begin looking for him.
My mind spent most of the day conjuring up reasons that Jack been gone all day. In the early hours I was nervous that he had jumped on a flight and went to hunt down Justin. But the more time passed and Jack didn’t contact me, my thoughts got darker and deeper. I’d just unloaded a mess on him, a few short weeks after his father’s death. Did my neediness push him over the edge? Was he being consoled by Jenna again? Jack had been nothing but supportive and protective when I’d told him what I’d been through, yet my mind still wandered to thoughts that he would turn to someone else.
