Chapter 36: Déjà
Vu
Chance spun around to see who the southern stranger behind her was. As she stared back at the man, his intense crystal blue eyes shining back at her, she realized she knew him from somewhere. It took her a few minutes to recognize his face, but when she did, she nearly freaked.
“Stephen Parker!” Chance screamed so the entire airport could hear her. People stopped to stare at her as a wide smile grew across her face.
“Chance Malone,” Steve replied quietly. “This is such a surprise. How long has it been since we last saw each other?”
“I think it was Fan Fair two years ago. Wow, I still can’t believe you remembered me,” she said, spotting her bag from the corner of her eye. She turned to grab it and set it down at her feet. “So, how is the rest of South 65?”
“We’re doing great. The band’s finally picking up fans. We’re even getting airplay out in Australia last I heard,” he answered, helping Chance pick up her bag and drag it away from the carousel. “Now, who is Daniel Jones?”
“He’s a really good friend of mine. We just came back from New York. I don’t know where he got off to, but he should be back soon.”
“Why does his name sound so familiar?”
“Have you ever heard of Savage Garden?” Chance asked. Steve nodded. “He’s one of the founding members besides Darren.”
“And you’re hanging out with him because…”
“I won a contest on MTV giving me the opportunity to record an album with Darren, so we just became fast friends in the process. By the way, our album’s coming out in a few weeks. I have a copy with me right now if you wanna see it,” Chance said as she dug through her purse to find her copy of the CD. She pulled out the case and handed it to Steve.
“Whoa, this is a little edgy,” he commented. “How old are you again?”
“Eighteen, why?”
“I was just wondering since this picture looks a little too provocative for someone your age.”
“Aw, shut up. It is not, and it was my idea to do the album cover this way.”
Steve turned the CD over and examined the back insert for the track listing. He read through it slowly as Dan walked up beside Chance carrying a cappuccino.
“Hey, Danny,” she said, wrapping her arm around him. “I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine, Steve.” Without looking up from the CD, Steve waved his hello.
“Pleased to meet you too,” Dan replied.
“Steve is one of my other musically inclined friends. He’s from the band South 65,” Chance informed as she took the cup of coffee from Dan’s hands and took a sip.
“No shit. I love that remake of ‘The Most Beautiful Girl,’” Dan commented. “Last I hear it was in Australia.”
“What did I tell you,” Steve said to Chance. “This is great. I’m just hoping the band takes off even more now that we have international airplay.”
“Well, it was great to see you again. I hope we bump into each other more often. I’d love to talk to you about everything,” she replied taking Dan’s arm.
“Here,” Steve said as he scribbled something on a slip of paper in his pocket. “My number just in case you need to talk or anything.”
“Thanks, I’ll see you around,” Chance answered heading away from the crowded baggage claim and towards the waiting limo outside. Next stop, the hospital.
The moment Chance walked into the dark, almost dreary halls of the ICU ward, she immediately sensed something strange about her surroundings. A peaceful, almost calming presence had entered her body as she walked down the corridor towards the private waiting room where Shiri and Majandra were sitting together watching TV. Chance slowly opened it so not to startle them. When she entered the room, both stared in her direction with distressed expressions.
‘God, please don’t let this be bad news,’ Chance silently prayed. “How’s Darren?” she asked aloud hoping the answer wouldn’t be something she’d regret.
“There’s been no improvement in his condition,” Shiri said. “The only good news is that he’s out of quarantine. You can go see him if you want. Maybe that’ll help him regain some of his footing, if you know what I mean.”
“Care to come with me?” Chance replied as she held the door open. Shiri stood up and began to walk towards her.
“Anything to be far away from him,” she answered, coldly staring at Dan as he sat down beside Majandra.
“Still pissed at Dan?” Chance asked her as they walked down the lonely hallway towards Darren’s room.
“To no end,” Shiri said.
Chance could see it was a bad idea to be talking about such a touchy subject. It was her big mouth that started their fight. ‘I am so fucking stupid,’ she thought as she watched Shiri nervously bite her lower lip.
“Shiri, I’m sorry about opening my big mouth when I did. I really wasn’t thinking about the effect it would have on your relationship with Dan. If there’s anything I can do to help you out, just ask,” Chance finally said as the two reached Darren’s room.
“Get him to say the ‘L’ word. That’s all I want from him even if he doesn’t mean it,” Shiri replied, giving Chance the saddest look her eyes could muster.
It pained Chance to see her suffering because of Dan’s unwillingness to surrender to love. “I’ll get him to say it. By the time I’m through with him, he’s gonna be begging for mercy,” she answered, her right fist hitting her left hand.
“Thanks Chance. I know you understand. After all, you pretty much almost died for love, and I can see that you have so much of it for Darren. I know he’s gonna pull through,” Shiri said as she began to walk back towards the waiting room to let Chance have some quiet time with Darren.
Chance turned away from her and slowly wrapped her fingers around the door handle. She was afraid of what was to come. There had been too many bad experiences in hospitals that she stopped counting. She was afraid this would be another one to add to her book of painful memories.
As her arm pushed down on the handle, Chance silently prayed for everything to be okay. Her mind kept flashing images of Scott’s death, but after a few attempts, she was able to suppress them. Yet her heart still seemed to beat faster than normal. No matter how hard she tried to make it go down, it kept going up.
Chance pushed the door open in one graceful movement and made her way to the inside of the darkened room. As her eyes adjusted to the blackness, she could make out the outline of her soul mate lying unconscious in the bed. Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to get over the shock of seeing him so fragile. Automatically, a lump formed in her throat threatening to cut off her air supply if she didn’t leave the room. Refusing to let fear and anger take over her emotions, she walked closer to the bed and sat down in a chair beside it.
Reaching for his hand, Chance bit down on her lip to keep her mind off the piercing pain in her lungs. She didn’t want to cry. She wanted to show herself that she was strong enough to take this kind of punishment. Her shoulders began to shudder as she took in a few long slow breaths to calm herself. Chance gradually exhaled, her mind and body settling the slightest bit. She had conquered her fears and was ready to take on the challenge ahead of her.
Feeling the soft skin of his palm, Chance drew strength from Darren’s warmth. She drew in another slow breath and began to speak. “Oh, Darren,” she whispered, her eyes beginning to tear up. “Please wake up. I love you. I don’t want you to become another fatality in my life. That’s the last thing I need.”
Her other hand reached up to brush a few strands of his cinnamon brown hair away from his face. Oh, how she missed staring into his deep blue eyes. Those eyes were like the windows to his soul. She could read that way, see what was troubling him, or find clearness in her own life.
Chance let her chin rest on the bed as she waited for him to wake up. “I’m gonna be here all night. I don’t care if a nurse comes to kick me out,” she said, closing her eyes. The first thing Chance wanted now was some sleep. Her eyes had begun to droop in the darkness of the room, an indication that she had been deprived of the one thing she needed to survive. As she drifted off into the unknown, another presence entered the room.
Dan had been wandering through the corridor when he spotted Chance sitting beside Darren’s bed, softly taking to him. He had waited outside for her to leave, but realized she was just as determined as Darren was when she had been in his place. That’s also when he realized that she had fallen asleep still sitting in the chair. Carefully, Dan made his way into the room and pulled a blanket from the closet at the other end. He wrapped it around her shoulders, kissing her forehead softly when he decided it was time for him to go.
“Sleep well,” Dan whispered into the room when he reached the door then closed it behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chance awoke the next morning, her back stiff because of the position she had fallen asleep in. She looked about the room to get her bearings, remembering she was beside Darren in the hospital, his lifeless body still unresponsive to her touch. She hoped a miracle would take place in the next few minutes as she adjusted to light seeping through the curtains. Standing up, she went over to open them a little more. Her eyes adjusted to the new morning sunrise as she looked back at Darren.
Making her way back to the chair beside the bed, Chance smiled as she saw the calm expression on his face. She had never seen him so passive in her entire life. Maybe it was a blessing that Darren came down with this horrible bug. At least it gave him some time to rest and relax instead of worrying about the record.
Chance bent down and kissed his forehead before leaving the room to find somewhere to get a cup of coffee. She didn’t want to go to the cafeteria since the coffee there was the worst she ever had. Instead, she made her way towards the waiting room to see what the others were doing. She opened the door cautiously and peered inside to find Dan sleeping on a couch in the farthest corner of the room and Shiri sleeping on another couch in the opposite corner. Both seemed so peaceful as they were, but Chance knew better. There probably had been a fight the night before, but she was unaware of it.
Slowly and carefully, Chance began to close the door again when she saw Dan stir for his position. He looked up at her and smiled. Rubbing his eyes open, he stood up and walked over to her. They left the room together, careful not to awaken Shiri in the process.
Chance quietly walked in front, her arms swinging at her sides as she moved. Dan walked behind her, his face still carrying the smile that had appeared when he woke up. As they reached the sliding doors leading out of the hospital, he spoke.
“Where are we going?”
“Starbucks. I want some coffee, but the crap they have in the cafeteria is disgusting,” Chance answered as she headed across the street to the little café where she usually bought her coffee.
“I need to talk to you,” Dan said as they entered the small shop, his arm reaching for her shoulder before she got in line.
“What is it?” she asked, twisting around to face him.
“It’s about Shiri. I know she’s pissed at me, and I know it’s your fault, but there’s got to be something you can do to make the situation better,” he replied.
Chance thought back to the night before and remembered the conversation she and Shiri had about that same matter. “Well, you can start by telling her you love her,” Chance finally said as she got in line.
“But I can’t!” Dan protested.
“Why not?”
“Because… Because… Oh, I don’t know!” His frustrated answer got Chance thinking. Maybe there were some hidden reasons that prevented him from expressing his true feeling for Shiri.
“Dan, I want you to answer this one question. What are some of the reasons that you can’t tell her?” Chance asked.
Dan began to think about the answer. “Um… I would have answered Alexia, but I think I’m over her now. Anyway, another reason would be that I’m afraid she’ll hurt me the way Alexia did. I’m afraid she’ll smash my heart into a million pieces and I’ll never be able to love anyone the way I love her. I’m afraid that she doesn’t love me,” he quietly said, his eyes staring down at his shoes.
‘He loves her!’ Chance’s mind screamed as she tried to suppress the smile that was about to crack on her face. “Okay, give me a little time and maybe I’ll get her to come around,” she told him aloud. “I’ve got the perfect plan.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The coffee break was over, and it was time for Chance to face Darren again. Her heart was telling her something was going to happen that day. She just had to wait for it. She walked into the brightly lit room and approached the bed with caution. Her hand reached for his and gently picked it up off the bed. She missed his soft touch and hoped that he’d awaken soon.
“Oh, baby, please be okay. I can’t have you leave me. You’re my destiny. You can’t die,” she softly began to cry. “I went to New York these last few days to get some closure on the whole Scott deal. I went to the bridge and finally let go of the ring hoping that it might make you better if I got rid of everything that reminded me of him. So please, if you can hear me, fight through this. I love you. I can’t lose you. My life is nothing without you in it.” Chance bent down and gently kissed Darren’s lips. She could feel the tears that fell down her face even as she was kissing him. Her eyes closed; she didn’t want to let him know she was crying.
‘I am such a wreck,’ she thought to herself. ‘I wish I wasn’t such a crybaby whenever these kinds of things happen. I wish I had the strength Darren had during my accident. If only I had that strength, then maybe I wouldn’t be bawling my eyes out like a little girl. God, please let him be okay. I’d do anything to see him wake up.’
As if her prayers had been answered, Chance could feel a soft hand running through her hair. Her eyes opened suddenly to find Darren staring up at her. “I heard you,” he whispered.
Chance couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her lips. She leaned in to kiss Darren once again, except this time with more passion. She was more than happy to have him back, and wasn’t about to let go until someone dragged her away. Darren stroked her shoulder length black hair as he kissed back.
“I love you, and I’m sorry for not saying it more often,” Chance cried as they parted.
“I know you love me, and it’s okay,” Darren replied.