Chapter
18: Unwanted Mistakes
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Shiri whispered into Daniel’s ear as he
turned in her direction and stared into her deep brown eyes. She planted a
simple kiss on his lips and snuggled closer to him.
“Good morning,” Daniel replied as he held onto her.
“What are we going to do today?” she asked.
“Stay in bed,” he said, kissing her again.
“Sounds good to me.”
Before Shiri had a chance to pull the covers over their heads, the phone
beside the bed rang. Startled, Shiri picked it up. “Hello?”
“Hello, is Daniel there?” a guys asked.
“Dan, it’s for you,” Shiri whispered as she handed him the phone.
“Hello?” Daniel answered. Shiri sat up and waited for him to finish
his conversation. “Uh huh… Yeah… Yeah… Sure… Of course, I’d love to.
When? … No! This is… Alright, fine, I’ll be there. “ Daniel hung up and
looked at Shiri.
“Who was that?” she asked.
“One of the managers over at Rough Cut. They want me to produce this
new band that they just signed. I told them I would, but I had no idea that they
wanted to meet with me this afternoon in San Francisco,” he explained.
“But this was supposed to be out weekend alone!” Shiri almost yelled.
“Why couldn’t you tell them?”
“Because they wouldn’t let me. Look, the plane is waiting at the
airport. I have to get there as soon as possible. I’m sorry, Shiri, but I’ll
be back as soon as possible,” Daniel replied as he got out of bed and walked
into the bathroom.
“The one week that Chance and Darren are doing promos, Dan gets called
to a meeting. It’s not fair,” Shiri rambled as she made her way down the
hall and towards her room. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a baby
tee then headed to the other bathroom to put on her makeup. About ten minutes
later, she and Daniel were on the road driving towards LAX’s private airstrip
where Daniel’s charter jet was waiting.
“You’d better be back soon,” Shiri said as she hugged him tight.
“I will, I promise. I’ll call you when I get to San Francisco.
Bye,” Daniel replied with a little kiss. He left the car and ran to the plane
before the pilot got any more pissed.
Shiri drove back to her apartment. She sank into her favorite purple
beanbag chair. With the feeling of drop dead exhaustion weighing down on her,
Shiri soon fell asleep and didn’t wake up until the phone rang that evening.
She rolled out of the chair to get it.
“Hello?”
“Shiri, hi,” Daniel said from the other end. “Sorry it took me so
long to call.”
“Why? What time is it?” she asked.
“It’s almost eight in the evening,” he answered.
“Is it really? I’ve been asleep for that long?”
“You were asleep?” Daniel inquired. “I’m sorry for waking you.”
“That’s okay. I needed to be woken up. I’ve had enough sleep today.
So, what’s going on?”
“I was just calling you to tell you that I’m not going to be home
tonight like I thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“They want me to fly to Australia to meet the band. I can’t say no
because I’m already in San Francisco, and they have my plane ticket waiting at
the airport.”
“This is not fair!” Shiri yelled through the phone. “Why can’t I
come along?”
“I tried to convince them to let you, but they said no. I’m sorry,
sweetie. But I tried my best. I really have to go now. My limo is here,”
Daniel said.
“Whatever,” she replied, hanging up before he had a chance to say
goodbye.
~~~~~~~~~~
Shiri walked into the studio the next morning in a bad mood. She didn’t
want to talk to anyone because her head was spinning. That morning, she had
thrown up in the bathroom indicating that she was catching something. Even in
her state, Shiri still decided to go to work. She took a few over the counter
medications thinking it would at least keep her from feeling sick for the rest
of the day.
“Hey, girl, what’s up?” Majandra asked as she saw Shiri approaching
the coffee machine.
“I feel like shit,” she answered. “I really don’t wanna be here
today.”
“Where’s Danny?”
“In Australia.”
“What? Why?” Majandra sounded more annoyed than surprised.
“Some of his friends over at the record company want him to produce a
new band that they just signed. They called yesterday, and he left,” Shiri
answered. She poured herself a cup of coffee and headed for her chair on the
set.
“What’s wrong with you?” Majandra asked.
“I think I’m catching something. I don’t know what, but I threw up
this morning, so I know I am,” Shiri said as she sat down.
“Why did you even come in today?”
“Because I didn’t wanna be home alone. Besides, I’ve got scenes to
do today. I just can’t ditch work just because I’m a little sick. I’m not
that kind of person. So just get off my case about it and leave me alone.”
“Whoa, someone’s on the rag,” Majandra backed off. She walked away
towards Brendan’s direction.
Jason was the next person to come up to her. “Come on, we’ve gotta do
some shooting,” he gently said as he coaxed Shiri out of her seat. They walked
towards the main set and into position right beside each other. Shiri began to
feel dizzy. Her eyes came in and out of focus as she stared at the camera in
front of her. The director yelled action, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she
swayed a few times, losing her balance and falling into Jason’s arms as she
lost consciousness as well.
The next thing Shiri remembered was the entire cast circled around her.
She stared up at them dazed and confused, but managed to whisper, “What
happened?”
“You fainted,” Jason said, feeling her forehead. He took her up in
his arms and carried her into one of the trailers close by. Majandra followed,
concern clearly written all over her face.
“I told you coming into work today was a bad idea,” she said, sitting
down beside Shiri.
“I didn’t think it was going to get this bad,” Shiri replied.
“Go home,” Jason told her. “I think you might have a fever, and go
see a doctor. The rest of us don’t wanna catch whatever you have.” He helped
her back to her feet and led her towards the car.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Shiri weakly said as she hopped into
her silver Miata. She drove home and went straight to the fridge to find
something to eat.
‘This is weird. I’m never hungry when I’m sick,’ she thought to
herself. As she closed the door, she casually looked at the calendar. The last
month had already been folded back, and this month was completely blank. Shiri
pulled the calendar off the fridge and counted the number of days it had been
since she last had her period.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered to herself. “It’s been nearly two
months. This can’t be.”
Shiri counted the days again and still sat shocked at the number. She
quickly grabbed her keys and drove to the nearest pharmacy. Coming home later
that day with four packs of tests, Shiri nervously took the first one. Positive.
‘Just because one has a plus doesn’t mean that it’s right,’ she
thought to herself. She tried again half an hour later. Again, positive.
‘Okay, two’s kinda weird, but that doesn’t mean anything.” Three,
positive. ‘Oh, God! Time to start worrying.’ Four, positive.
“NO!” Shiri cried aloud as she stared at the four positive tests in
front of her. “I can’t be pregnant! This isn’t supposed to be happening to
me!”
Shiri sat down on the floor of the bathroom and contemplated how this all
could have happened. She knew Daniel was the father because he had been the only
guy she slept with. “How am I going to tell him?” she asked herself.
“What’s he going to say when I do? Will he still wanna be with me or is he
gonna leave?”
With the thousands of questions that bombarded her mind, Shiri barely
heard the phone ringing in the other room. She stood up and went to answer it
slowly. “Hello?”
“Hey, Shiri, it’s me,” Daniel said on the other line. “Guess
what?”
“What?” she replied, masking the wobble in her voice.
“I’m coming home in a few hours,” he happily told her.
“That’s great. Where should I pick you up?”
“LAX gate 15A at 7:30 this evening.”
“Okay, I’ll be there. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Shiri stared at the kitchen counter and returned to her depressed mood.
Her acting abilities were absolutely perfect, and this only proved it. She
looked at the clock, 4:30 PM. Three hours before Daniel was scheduled to arrive.
Shiri dragged herself into the bathroom and took an hour-long shower trying to
forget everything that was happening in her life.
Slowly, the clock ticked away the minutes. Shiri got ready in another
hour then headed for the airport. Her mind was far away from the task at hand,
and she nearly got into a few accidents on her way there. She parked outside and
waited for Daniel there. In half an hour, he walked out of the airport, a big
smile on his face.
“Danny!” Shiri nearly screamed as she threw her arms in the air and
caught him for a hug.
“I missed you so much,” Daniel said as he placed a kiss on her
waiting lips.
“I missed you too,” she replied, stepping into her car and turning on
the engine. Daniel climbed in next to her and they took off.
“So, what’s been going on?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Shiri answered. Her eyes remained fixed on the road. She
was tense, and he could feel it.
“Is anything wrong?”
“No, nothing is wrong. What makes you think something is wrong?” she
quickly asked him.
“You seem a little tense, that’s all.” Shiri nodded. Those were
their final words for the rest of the trip to Chance’s vacant place. Shiri
pulled into the parking lot of the complex and stopped the car. Her mind had
been racing ever since the trip to the airport, but she had finally convinced
herself it was time to tell him.
Daniel looked her over noticing the fatigued state her body was in. He
had been concerned ever since he saw her at the airport. Her eyes were blood red
and dark circles traced their way all the way around her lids. Shiri looked as
if she had been in hell the last few days, and her mood was just as suggestive.
“Dan, I need to talk to you,” she finally said in a low voice.
“Then talk. I’m not stopping you,” he replied, his hand sliding
over hers as they sat in the small cab of her Mazda Miata.
“I want to tell you something, but I’m so afraid of what you’ll say
that I don’t know if I’m ready,” Shiri began. She looked into Daniel’s
eyes and saw his frustration with her. “Danny, I can’t do this yet. I’m
still unsure of myself. Please understand. I have to get going.”
Daniel tried to understand, but his mind kept telling him to pursue the
questions in his head. He was ready to say something when she interrupted.
“Will you please get out? I have a lot to do, and I don’t need you to
distract me,” Shiri said.
Angered, Daniel replied, “Fine, I’ll go, but don’t even think about
talking to me tonight.” He got out of the car and headed for the stairs.
Shiri dropped her head in disdain. She hated to see him so angry, but she
couldn’t go through with telling him she might be pregnant. She drove off, the
pain in her heart greater than ever.
Almost a mile down the road, Shiri paused at a stop sign, her mind on
Daniel instead of the road. As she began to roll through the intersection, the
last thing she heard was a blasting horn and the horrific sound of metal
twisting around her.
Daniel, back at home and beginning to calm down from his latest fight
with Shiri, had begun to settle on the couch and watch TV when he felt a strong
feeling of pain and distress boil up in his mind. He shot up, his mind focusing
on one thing, Shiri. She was hurt, and he could feel it. The knowledge that she
might be laying somewhere in a puddle of blood diluted his anger and forced him
to begin running out the door without a clue as to where he was going.
“Shiri!” Daniel began to scream out as he ran down the street in the
direction he had seen her go. “Shiri!” his cried became louder. Daniel
picked up the pace as he galloped towards the scene of the accident. Within
seconds, he had reached the twisted hunk of metal he knew as Shiri’s Miata.
She was somewhere in the wreckage, her body a bleeding mess. Without thinking,
Daniel began to pull away pieces of sharp metal and glass looking for his
beloved Shiri.
A low, almost inaudible moan reached his ears. “Where are you?”
Daniel yelled to her.
“Help…me…” Shiri whispered to him for underneath another chunk of
metal. With unbelievable strength, Daniel pulled it off her and dragged her out
of the wreckage.
Shiri was a mess. Her forehead had a gash that spanned from one side of
her head to the other, blood was all over her face and clothing, and a piece of
glass was wedged into her belly. Daniel tried to keep calm when he saw her in
such a disheveled state, but his heart raced as if it wanted to break through
his chest.
“Please, don’t die,” he begged as he tenderly held her in his arms.
Shiri’s eyes opened slightly to see Daniel hovering above her. She
smiled and said, “You are the one.”
He stared at her in bewilderment. What was she talking about? Could she
have suffered a sever head injury and was hallucinating? Daniel didn’t know.
All he wanted was to keep her from falling asleep on him. “Stay awake,
baby,” he whispered as her eyes began to flutter.
“Danny,” Shiri barely voiced. She took a deep breath and continued,
“I’m… I’m…” Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes and fell
unconscious.
“No! Shiri! Wake up!” he yelled. “Don’t die! Don’t die! I
can’t lose you. I love you!” Daniel’s wails reached a fevered pitch as he
added, “Don’t be another Alexia. I need you!”
A small crowd had gathered around the accident and was watching the
heartbreaking scene unfold between Daniel and Shiri. They stared in agony as he
laid her on the ground and looked towards them. “Somebody call an ambulance!
She might die!” A man appearing to be in his forties ran back into his home to
call, and within minutes, paramedics arrived on the scene.
Daniel had returned to Shiri’s side and with gentle hands managed to
remove the shard of glass from her stomach. He kept his hand on her bleeding
abdomen until the paramedics arrived and took her away from him. It was then
that Daniel realized he might never see Shiri again. He sat down on the side of
the curb and began to sob.