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"Shhh," Mrs. Mularkey said soothingly, drying her tears with a Kleenex. "Of course you were, but were here now. Youre not alone. "
Tully cried until the pressure in her chest eased and the tears dried up. Finally, feeling better, she wiped her eyes and tried to smile. "Okay. Im ready for my lecture now. "
Mrs. Mularkey gave her The Look. "Your professor, Tallulah?"
"Ex-professor. Thats why I never told you. And youd say he was too old for me. "
"Do you love him?"
"How would I know?"
"Youd know. "
Tully stared up at Mrs. M. For once, she felt like the older of them, the one with more experience. The Mularkeys all saw love as a durable, reliable thing, easy to recognize. Tully might be young, but she knew they were wrong. Love could be more fragile than a sparrows bone. But she wouldnt say it out loud. Instead, all she said was, "Maybe. "
Overnight, Tully became a media sensation in Seattle. Newspaperman Emmett Watson took a break from ranting about the Californication of Washington State to write a column about courage under fire and how proud we should be of Tallulah Harts commitment to the news. Radio station KJR dedicated a whole day of rock n roll songs to the "news chick who used a microphone to stop a robbery," and even Almost Live, the local comedy show, aired a segment that made fun of the bumbling robber and showed Tully in a Wonder Woman outfit.
Flowers and balloons poured into her hospital room, many of them signed by people who normally made the news themselves. By Wednesday, shed had to start donating the beautiful bouquets and arrangements to other patients. The nurses in charge of her learned how to be bodyguards and bouncers in addition to their normal jobs.
"So, youre the genius here. What do I do?" She sat up in bed, going through the pile of pink While You Were Out messages that Kate had brought with her from the office. It was an impressive list of names, but she was having trouble concentrating. Her arm hurt and the sling made even little tasks difficult. Worst of all, she couldnt stop thinking about Chads out-of-left-field proposal. "I mean: Tennessee. I might as well be in Nebraska. "
"For sure. "
"How can I get to the top in a place like that? Or maybe thats exactly where I could get to the top fast and get noticed by the networks. "
Kate sat at the other end of the bed, her legs stretched out alongside Tullys. "Look. Weve been talking about this for, like, an hour. Maybe Im not the best person to ask, but it seems to me that at some point youve got to at least mention love. "
"Your mom said Id know if I loved him. " She looked down at her bare left hand, trying to imagine a diamond ring.
"You said I was supposed to shoot you if you even thought about marriage before thirty. " Kate grinned. "You want to amend that?"
"Very funny. "
The bedside phone rang. Still staring at her hand, she picked it up quickly, hoping it was Chad. "Hello?"
"Tallulah Hart?"
She sighed, disappointed. "This is she. "
"Im Fred Rorbach. You may remember me . . . "
"Of course I remember you. KILO-TV. I sent you a résumé every week for my entire senior year of high school, and then I sent you tapes in college. How are you?"
"Im fine, thanks, but Im at KLUE-TV now, not KILO. Im running the evening news. "
"Congratulations. "
"Actually, thats why Im calling. Were probably not the first station to call you, but we feel certain well make the best offer. "
He had her full attention now. "Oh, really?"
Kate slid off the bed and stood next to Tully, mouthing: Whats the buzz?
Tully waved her off. "Tell me about it. "
"We want to do whatever it takes to make you part of the KLUE news family. When can you come in to talk to me about this?"
"Im being discharged right now. How about tomorrow? Ten A. M. "
