Chapter
35: Final Farewell
An hour had passed when Chance was awake again, except this time it wasn’t the nightmare. She had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach and she knew something was wrong with Darren. She shot up out of her makeshift bed on the floor and looked at him to make sure her feeling was wrong, but she knew when she felt something was wrong it really was.
“Darren?” Chance questioned. She stood up and turned on the light closest to her. Looking back at Darren, she found he was pale white and barely breathing. “Darren?! Wake up!” she nearly screamed. Unable to awaken him from his deep sleep, she quickly yelled at the top of her lungs, “DAN! SHIRI!”
Both came running out of their rooms frightened at the ear-piercing howl. Shiri was the first to arrive in the living room. She caught Chance just as she was about to fall over. Dan arrived a few moments later to help her into a chair.
“Chance, what’s wrong?” he asked. She pointed over to Darren. Dan looked at him in disbelief. Chance wrapped her arms around his neck and began to cry.
“He’s going to die!” she wailed.
“No, he’s not. I’m calling an ambulance,” Shiri said. She headed to the phone as Dan comforted Chance.
“It’s okay,” he kept telling her over and over even as the paramedics arrived and took Darren away. Dan carried her out to the car where Shiri was waiting to take them to the hospital. Chance held onto him for comfort as Shiri drove towards Cedars-Sinai.
“You were so right. I should have taken off the ring, but now its too late. Why didn’t I listen?” Chance wailed as they drove down the quiet streets behind the ambulance.
“Oh, Chance. It’s not you fault,” Shiri tried to contradict her even though it wasn’t going to be any help to a girl who blamed herself for everything that happened around her. They stayed quiet for the rest of the trip.
When the three of them got to the hospital, Dan and Shiri had a hard time getting Chance to come out of the car. They knew she hated hospitals after so many bad incidents with them, but were somehow able to persuade her to retreat and come in with them. Huddled between Dan and Shiri, Chance finally stepped through the sliding doors and walked into the hospital. The first person she wanted to see was the doctor treating Darren.
“Ms. Malone,” he said when he found Chance and her friends in the waiting room.
She stood up and said, “I didn’t tell you my name, and Darren couldn’t have because he’s unconscious.”
“I’ve seen you on TV, and I’m a big fan of your show,” the doctor replied.
For a few moments, Chance was still and happy with her newly found fame, but then remembered Darren and became depressed again. “What’s wrong with my boyfriend?” she asked. “Is he going to die?”
“My team is running tests as we speak, so within the next few hours we’ll see what it is he has. I don’t know if he’s going to die, but I can tell you that we’re doing everything in our power to keep him from croaking.”
Chance smiled at his response. He was trying so hard to keep her from feeling worse, and his efforts were paying off. “Thank you, Dr…” Chance began.
“Hughes. Edward Hughes,” he replied, holding out his hand for her to shake. “And you’re welcome.” He left the room soon after to return to his work.
“I’m calling Majandra and telling her to call whoever is directing tomorrow’s episode. I don’t think either one of us are going to be going into work tomorrow,” Shiri said as she pulled out her cell and dialed her friends number.
“Thanks,” Chance replied as she sat down on one of the gray couches in the room. Dan sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Chance lay her head on his and immediately fell asleep.
On the flip side, Shiri stood by the door watching out for nurses that could possibly spot her on her phone as she waited for Majandra to pick up. ‘Girl, where are you?’ she thought as it rang for the fifth time.
Finally, “Hello?”
“Majandra? It’s Shiri,” she urgently said.
“Shiri, it’s three in the morning. Why are you calling me this early?” Majandra asked, ready to argue.
“Look, I’m not about to get into a fight with you. Call the director and tell him neither Chance nor I are going to be on the set tomorrow,” Shiri replied.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Darren looks like he’s about to…” her voice trailed off as she turned around to find Chance asleep on Dan’s shoulder, “die.”
“Oh, my God! Did he have an accident?” Majandra nearly yelled.
“No, he’s got some kind of bug. I think it’s killing him. We’re at the hospital right now waiting for his test results to come back so we can see what he’s got,” Shiri explained.
“Poor Chance. How’s she taking it?”
“Not very well. She almost didn’t make it to the hospital.”
“I feel so sorry for her. She’s been through so much in such a short amount of time. When’s the madness going to end for her?”
“I hope it’s soon. I gotta go, I think a nurse spotted me with my phone. Later.”
“I’ll call the director and tell him, then I’m coming out to the hospital.”
“Alright. We’re at Cedars. Bye.”
“Bye.”
When Shiri heard the phone on the other end click off, she put her cell away in her pocket and sat beside Dan on the couch. She looked at Chance and wondered how she could possibly manage three fiascos in less than half a year. Shiri also envied her for being so strong even though there was that one time that she did crack.
“So, what did Majandra say?” Dan whispered.
“She’s coming over here after she calls the director,” Shiri answered, her head dropping to his shoulder.
“Don’t you go falling asleep on me. You know I can’t stand to be alone with her for more than ten minutes,” he said.
“Don’t worry. I don’t think I’m gonna be sleeping for a long time. I think I’m just gonna let Chance get her rest because I know she’s been through a lot these last few days. The last thing we all need is for her to be cranky when she wakes up.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Chance woke up that morning with her surroundings in mind. She knew she was in a hospital and she knew something was very wrong with Darren. As her eyes became accustomed to the light, she looked around to find Dan sleeping beside her head, Shiri sleeping in his lap, Majandra out cold on another couch, Brendan right beside her, Colin on one of the smaller chairs, Katherine right beside him, Emilie on the floor with Nick, and Jason standing by the door. He turned to find Chance awake and strode over to her to take her hand.
“Walk with me,” he quietly said as he led her away from the sleeping bunch.
“Why is the whole gang here?” Chance asked once they were out of the room.
“Well, it was a chain reaction. Majandra called Brendan, he called me, I called Katy, she called Emilie, and Emilie called Colin and Nick. They all came running. It’s so strange how people come together in a crisis,” Jason explained.
“No, it’s strange how people come together when it’s my crisis. I guess they’re all hoping to find out if I’m gonna try and kill myself again,” she replied.
“Don’t say that. Nobody wants to see you dead. We all love you. You’re just being really cynical. I wish your outlook on life wasn’t so grim,” he said, taking her into the cafeteria to get some coffee. They sat down at a table farthest away from anyone who could even remotely notice them.
“But you haven’t been through all the shit I’ve been through. You couldn’t possibly come close to the pain I’ve felt. I have a reason to be cynical,” Chance explained as she sipped her coffee.
“That’s what I find so interesting about you, though. You have such a negative outlook on life, yet you find ways of enjoying it. I can’t figure you out even if I tried my hardest. You have me so captivated. I want to know how you do it.”
“You’ve actually tried figuring me out?” Chance asked as she stared at him awkwardly. “The only other person I know who has tried to do that was Dan, and his head is still spinning from the things he’s found out about me. I don’t want you to end up the same way.”
“Are you saying you don’t want me to be your friend?” Jason replied giving her the saddest eyes she had ever seen.
“No, I’m not. I’m just saying I don’t know how to explain myself and my life to you because it’s hard for me to do so. It’s better if you know as much as everyone else, which isn’t that much.”
“Then I’m sorry for being so straight forward with you and making you feel so uncomfortable. At least now I know not to confront you with things like this. Sorry, Chance,” Jason apologized.
“But you’re still going to be my friend, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Of course. You’re a great person, granted that you’re not that open, but you have that strange thing about you that makes you mysterious yet completely exposed. Maybe that’s why everyone runs to you with their problems,” he said, his hand gently sliding over hers.
“Thanks, Jason,” Chance said as she stood up and threw her coffee cup in the trash. “It’s nice to know I have such great friends.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied. They walked back to the waiting room together.
Chance looked down at her watch, 6:30 AM. ‘Great,’ she thought. ‘I’m going to be so fired when I go back to work.’ She and Jason walked into the room to find Dan, Shiri, and Majandra awake and talking softly amongst themselves.
“Hey, where have you guys been?” Shiri quietly asked.
“We went to get some coffee,” Jason said.
Chance walked over to her spot on the couch and sat down leaving a little room for Jason to sit beside her.
“You should have brought me some coffee. I really need a blast of caffeine to keep me awake for the rest of the day,” Majandra said as she glared at Jason.
“So, how are you feeling this morning?” Dan asked Chance as the others talked to each other about the coffee issue.
“A little better, but I’m still scared,” Chance replied. She looked down at her hand and realized she was still wearing the bad luck ring. She took it off quickly and put it away in the pocket of her sweatpants.
“Don’t worry, Daz is going to be fine,” Dan said, wrapping his arm around Chance and hugging her tight. She lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes wishing that this was just a dream and that she’d wake up to discover her normal life.
“Ms. Malone?” Dr. Hughes softly came from the other end of the room. Chance opened her eyes to realize that this wasn’t a dream. Her nightmare was real, and she could only sit around and wait for it to go away.
“Yeah?” she replied, standing up and heading towards him.
“I have some news for you about Darren,” he said, leading her away from her inquisitive friends.
“What is it? What does he have? Is he going to die?” Chance worriedly questioned.
“In answer to your questions, a rare type of pneumonia, and we don’t know just yet. He’s quarantined in ICU. We’ve got specialists coming in from around the world to review his case. I’m hopeful that by the end of this week we’ll have everything under control and he’ll be just fine,” the young doctor explained as he walked down the corridor with Chance.
“That’s a really nice way to get someone’s hopes up, but I’m a very pessimistic person, Dr. Hughes. If something bad can happen, it will. Please, do everything you can to keep him alive. I’m going to New York this afternoon. Don’t let him die until I come back, please. It’s my only request,” she said, staring him straight in the eyes.
“I promise we’ll do everything,” Dr. Hughes replied as he broke eye contact with her. They headed back to the waiting room in silence. When Chance opened the door, everyone in the room greeted her with concerned stares.
Closing the door behind her, she said, “Now that everyone’s awake, I want to call a meeting.”
After a few minutes of waiting for them to get comfortable, Chance was finally able to speak her mind. “Darren doesn’t look too good. He has a rare type of pneumonia, and Dr. Hughes doesn’t know whether or not he’s going to make it. Today I’m heading to New York in hopes of somehow freeing myself from my curse and maybe getting closure on Scott’s death. I’m praying that this will help Darren stay alive even though it seems out of this world. But all of you who know me also know that I’ve had some really strange out of this world experiences, so I’m ready to try anything to keep my love from dying. Dan, I want you to come with me because I know you have your own business to take care of. You know what I’m talking about, so don’t even try to get out of this. I’m letting go of Scott, you have to let go of Alexia.”
“But, Chance, what about the show?” Katherine asked.
“I’m planning to have a long chat with the director and everyone else on the crew. I don’t really care for what they say. Darren is more important to me than some role on a television show. I hope they understand, otherwise, I guess this is the last time we’re going to see each other,” Chance answered as she looked down at the floor so that no one could see the tears flow from her eyes. “Roswell” had become an important part of her life, and giving it up was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but Darren was her top priority, and she wanted him more than anything in the world.
“One more question? Why do I have to come with you? I’m already over Alexia,” Dan said as if he really meant it.
“Then tell Shiri you love her,” Chance immediately retorted.
Dan turned to Shiri and tried to come up with those three dreaded words, but his mind was unable to force his mouth to say them. She waited patiently for him to do what Chance had said, but soon turned away in tears when she saw he couldn’t.
“See, you can’t do it. You have to say goodbye to Alexia in order to. You’re coming with me, no questions asked,” Chance said as she headed for the door.
Dan stood up and ran after her. “I can’t believe you just did that. What’s wrong with you? Everything was perfectly fine between us before you had to spoil it,” he hissed.
“Have you ever considered the fact that she loves you with all her heart? She even told me herself. She said it last night when we were talking about you and Darren. I can’t believe how blind you’ve become ever since Alexia’s death,” she snapped back, leaving the room.
“She said that?” Dan calmly asked.
“Yeah,” Chance said as she headed for the double doors, not turning to face him when she left.
As Chance reached her car, her cell phone began to ring. Her hand instantly picked it out of her pocket so she could answer it. “Hello?”
“Chance, is that you?” her grandmother asked in a scratchy voice. The connection was bad and getting worse as she stepped into the car.
“Yes, Grandma. What is it?” Chance replied, dreading the news to come. Her day was already as bad as it could possibly be. Why not make it worse?
“I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.”
“What? Is Grandpa okay? Is everyone okay?” Chance could feel her heart become cold and the color in her face begin to drain.
“Everyone’s fine except for Brutus,” Celia said. She paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but he died last night.”
Chance slowly exhaled as she reviewed the information in her head. Her best friend, her companion through think and thin was dead. Breathing out, she finally felt the pain hit her chest. Tears formed in her eyes as she began to cry in the empty parking lot.
“How?” her shaky voice asked.
“He was simply too old. His little heart gave way. I’m sorry, honey,” Celia replied.
“First something happens to Darren, and now Brutus is dead. Can my day get any worse?” Chance cried.
“What’s wrong with Darren?” Celia immediately asked when she heard his name.
“He’s so sick, the doctor thinks he might die,” Chance wailed, more pain and anger rushing to her head. She reached for a tissue in the glove compartment to blow her nose.
“I guess this was the wrong time to tell you,” Celia replied. “I’d better go. You sound like you need some time alone. Give me a call as soon as you’ve composed yourself, okay?”
“Okay. Bye Grandma.” Chance hung up the phone and laid her head on the steering wheel, more tears freely escaping her eyes as she waited for her life to come back from hell.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chance looked down at her watch, 3:30 PM New York time. She had arrived with Dan at JFK about a half hour earlier after a four-hour flight from LA. She had called for a limo when they touched down, but it had been delayed by heavy rainfall. As they stood at the side of the road underneath a canopy, several people walked past them and began to whisper. Both were dressed in black and were wearing heavy black coats to keep warm in the cold weather.
“What do you think they’re whispering about us?” Chance turned to Dan and asked quietly.
“I’m guessing they think we’re FBI agents or something,” he replied with a goofy grin. “I’m just hoping they don’t realize who we are.”
“You had a really good idea by putting the tickets under an alias. The press would have been all over us by now if they knew we were in New York,” she said.
“I’ve been doing it since Savage Garden became so famous. The airlines are very lenient on rock stars, and they rarely leak information about their destination and flight plan,” Dan answered.
“Oh, thank God. Here’s the limo,” Chance said as she waved for the driver. The black car stopped just in front of them and they got in. Half an hour later, both had reached the cemetery where both Scott and Alexia had been coincidently buried. They took separate paths to their destinations. Chance went right and headed for the open field where Scott had been buried. After a five-minute walk in the drizzling rain, she finally reached his gravestone.
Instantly, Chance’s eyes began to flood with tears. She let go of her umbrella and dropped to her knees in front of the grave. The flowers she carried in her other hand fell to the ground unnoticed. Reaching out to touch the stone, she traced her fingers over the letters that spelled out Scott’s name. She couldn’t remember the last time she had cried so hard. The memory of his last night alive still lingered in the back of her mind and began to replay itself when she tried not to remember it.
“I’m sorry, Scott,” Chance whispered. “I love you. Goodbye.” Taking the diamond ring out of her pocket, she placed it on the gravestone, closing her eyes as she remembered their last night together. She stood up and began to head back to the entrance of the cemetery, umbrella in hand, the memories leaving her mind as she walked away. Instead of taking the straight path there, she took a detour to find Dan standing in front of Alexia’s grave crying like she had over Scott. Realizing she was intruding on a private moment, Chance left and went back to the limo to wait for him.
Dan arrived about ten minutes later, soaked from head to toe. Quietly he entered the car and sat far away from Chance as if to say he wanted to be alone. She understood and stared out the opposite window to keep her mind off him. When they reached the hotel, an uneasy quiet settled between them.
“Dan, are you okay?” Chance finally asked as they pulled up to the curb.
“No, I’m not okay,” he retorted, opening the door and heading for the hotel.
“The least you could do is wait for me,” she hollered to him. Dan turned and glared at her, stopping at the steps and holding the door. Chance quickly ran over and went inside. “What’s going on? Are you pissed at me for something?”
“No shit, Chance! Why do you think I’m pissed at you?” Dan almost yelled. A few people turned their heads in his direction.
“Well, I’m sorry for bringing you out here, but I had to. Haven’t you seen what you’ve been doing to Shiri? You’re killing her by not telling her anything. I can just tell by looking into her eyes that she’s torn between wanting more in your relationship and breaking it off. Can’t you see, or are you that stupid?” Chance angrily argued. “Maybe when you give her a call tonight you might pick up the confusion in her voice. This is why I brought you out here. You need some time to think about everything that’s happened in your life and decide what you want to do next.” She walked away leaving him to think about the things she said.
Chance headed straight for her room after checking in. She put her bags down on the queen-sized bed and flopped down beside them. Her thoughts were overloading her brain and she needed to get away from all the stress of her life. Heading back out the door, she went downstairs to the lounge for a drink. Chance sat in the farthest, darkest corner she could find. It was a place where no one would recognize her.
After ordering the first of many non-alcoholic beverages, she decided to take out her Palm Pilot to send a few messages. The first person on her list was Rebecca. She still hadn’t confirmed the thank you Chance had sent her a few days prior. Hoping to find the confirmation in her mailbox, she checked there first. Nothing. ‘Okay, time to write to her,’ Chance thought as she scribbled a message onto the electronic notebook. She quickly sent it and put the little computer away as she saw someone coming towards her. Looking up, she found Dan and another man heading for her table.
“I’m glad you decided to grace me with your presence,” Chance sarcastically acknowledged.
“You’re welcome,” Dan snidely returned, his face twisting into a smile.
“And who’s your little friend?” she asked turning to the man in the darkness beside Dan.
“This is Officer John Matthews. He needs to talk to you about something that just might make your day,” Dan replied, sitting down beside Chance in the little booth.
She stood up and said, “Please to meet you. Care for a drink?”
“No, ma’am. I don’t have that much time,” he answered in a husky voice.
“Alright, what have you come to tell me?” Chance bluntly asked.
“Do you know this man?” Officer Matthews said as he pulled out a picture of a young man in a gray overcoat.
Chance’s eyes popped out of their sockets when she realized who the boy in the picture was. “Yeah, he’s Brad Jackson,” she whispered in disbelief. “Why do you wanna know?”
“He’s been formally charged with the murder of Scott Holland. Police in Amsterdam found him after a drug bust and he’s being deported to America as we speak. I saw some of the police reports and they listed you as one of the witnesses to the murder. If he pleads not guilty to the murder charge, you’re going to be notified because the police are going to need you to testify against him,” the officer explained.
“Hold up, you said you found him?” Chance questioned, her doubts needing to be clarified.
“Yes, in Amsterdam. We’ve been keeping an eye out on drug lords out there, and he turned out to be one of them,” Matthews replied.
“Do you know how happy you’ve just made me?” she said, standing up and hugging him as if she’d never let go. Tears filled her eyes as she added, “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am,” he replied. Chance let go. “I’d better be on my way. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Thank you, officer,” Chance said, waving to him as he left the lounge.
“Sit down, have another drink,” Dan told her. “I’m buying.”
“This has got to be the luckiest day of my life,” she replied, sitting down across from him. “I can’t believe the man who killed my fiancé has finally been caught.”
“Me either. It’s been six months and he’s finally getting what he deserves,” he answered.
“Yeah, finally.” Chance smiled at the thought of Brad being stuffed into a tiny prison cell for the rest of his life.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next day around 10:30 in the morning, Chance and Dan stepped off the plane bound for home. Both were glad to be back, especially Chance. All she wanted to do was go to the hospital and see Darren. It had been days since she had been able to even get a glimpse of him. Her thoughts were strictly on the task of finding her bags, but all that was interrupted by Dan’s incessant attempts to keep her spirits up.
Chance felt a tap on her shoulder and looked back to find him standing him behind her, a goofy grin spreading across his lips. “Will you please not do that?” she asked, already annoyed.
“Not until I see a smile on your face,” Dan replied.
Chance gave him a quick grin then stared back at the twirling carousel in hopes of spotting her suitcase.
Again, another tap came at her shoulder. Chance turned once more to find Dan giggling at his own stupidity. “You’re an ass,” she said. “You’d better stop it.”
As she turned around again, he tapped her shoulder once more. “Stop it!” Chance yelled in his face. “You’re gonna get us spotted. I know you don’t want that.”
“Fine, I won’t bother you anymore,” Dan said as he turned away from her and walked away.
Satisfied, Chance again turned her attention to the carousel. She had probably missed her bag for the tenth time, and her nerves were already to the breaking point. ‘I have to find my bag,’ was the phrase that kept running through her head. After a few more minutes of not being able to find it, she felt another tap on her shoulder. Without turning around, she yelled, “Daniel Jones! This is the third time. Stop acting like a child and grow up! You’re not Darren!”
“Um… I’m not Daniel,” came a familiar voice from behind Chance.