A Note From an Old Acquaintance Read Online Free PDF Page B

your routine. Anything’s better than seeing you like this.”
    “But, Penny—”
    “—will be fine. I’m worried about your health, too.”
    Brian nodded, his eyes returning to his wife’s prostrate form.
    “Are you staying the night?” Armen asked. “I can have the cot brought back in. No trouble.”
    Brian looked over at his wife, a gentle frown creasing his brow. “Thanks, I think I’ll take you up on that.”
    “Sure, no problem. And like I said, Penny will be fine, as always. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days, when I’ve had a chance to get some more information about that facility in Westwood, if you’re still interested.”
    Brian stared out the window. The sun had set and the lights of Santa Monica twinkled in the dark. The ocean loomed like a black hole. “Yeah, why don’t you look into it? Can’t hurt.”
    Armen looked past his friend, a puzzled frown creasing his brow. Brian followed his gaze to the broken vase on the floor. “Sorry, I got a little carried away with something I was trying to write.”
    The doctor smiled. “At least you’re trying.” He came around the bed and grasped Brian by his shoulders. “Do yourself the favor and take that trip. It’ll do you a world of good.”
    “I’m not so sure about that.”
    “I am. Go. Doc’s orders, Hoss.”
    Brian cracked a grin in spite of his dour mood. “Okay,” he said. “If you’re putting it that way.”
    Armen left a few moments later and Brian went back to his computer, his eyes straying to the white rose on the floor, the delicate petals torn and crushed by his fit of anger. He felt guilty about lying to his friend, but Armen was right. He turned and looked over at his wife. “I’m sorry, Pen, but I think I really need to do this.”
    Wssssshhhhh. Haaaaaaaaah.
    Wssssshhhhh. Haaaaaaaaah...
    ...was her only reply.
    Pulling out his cell phone, he put in a call to his publicist, but only succeeded in reaching his voice mail. He ended the call without leaving a message. Kevin would get in touch when everything was set. He’d just have to be patient, which was not his strong suit at the moment.
    Sighing, he turned off his MacBook, gave Penny a tender kiss on her forehead, and walked down to the hospital’s commissary, where he had a chef salad and an iced tea laced with too much lemon.
    Back in the room, the cot in which he’d slept for so many nights had returned, the white cotton sheets taut and crisp, the pillows plumped. He also noticed they’d cleaned up the broken vase and the waterlogged mess he’d left behind. An identical vase stood in its place containing an arrangement of red & white carnations. It was as if the rose had never existed.
    All during his solitary meal, he kept seeing those photos of Joanna in his mind and that look of sorrow and loneliness in her eyes. That look tore at his soul. It was never there all those years ago, and he blamed Erik Ruby for that.
    The problem was, in his heart of hearts, Brian knew he was just as guilty....
     

     
    “Please tell me why you’re doing this, Brian! Please!”
    Brian started awake, squinting against the harsh fluorescent light dazzling his eyes. It took a moment for his vision to clear and to realize he and Penny were not alone. A team of nurses and doctors huddled around her bed, their voices low and urgent. One of them was Armen.
    Brian bolted from the cot and staggered to his feet, his eyes darting to the monitors. They were silent—flatlined.
    “What’s going on?” he asked, throat croaky from sleep.
    Armen turned and met his gaze with tear-glistened eyes.
    “Are you going to call it, doctor?” a nurse asked.
    Armen glanced at the clock and sighed. “Time of death...3:05 AM .”
    “No....” Brian whispered, his lips trembling.
    He turned and faced the wall, so the nurses wouldn’t see his tears.
    Penny was gone, and even though he’d been expecting this—God, he’d even prayed for it during those times of deepest pain and grief—the reality