Given New Worlds Read online

  Abby spent the next four hours in a crazy fog.

  Mom was gone for the day, doing whatever it was that she did to prepare for big events, so the rest of them were pulled like taffy in a hundred directions at once. Abby struggled with the arduous task of being the perfect daughter. Sometimes by herself, sometimes with Dad, sometimes with Sean. It was easier with Sean. He always had the right words to say. He knew when to squeeze her hand, relaying a message of comfort to her anxious soul. He prayed for her and with her. He provided her a strong tower to hold onto when the busyness became overwhelming; he was her safety, he was her quiet meadow in the middle of a storm.

  By late-afternoon, the management assistants and security heads swam away to prepare for paparazzi, make phone calls, and negotiate with agents. Sean was whisked off by one of the assistants while Abby subjected herself to stylists and torturers that pulled at her hair, slathered her with makeup, and eventually slid her into the red dress.

  Once they’d finished, Abby slumped at the counter by the kitchenette of her suite wishing she were wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

  Getting ready for a red-carpet event was even more hectic than her rotation at ER. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, once again falling into her own thoughts.

  Abby had yet to receive any sort of threatening birthday note, but the day was young. She wondered how her dad was doing. He always seemed to be the most upset of all of them when her birthday rolled along. Usually barricading himself in his room, yelling at security, the police, and whoever else would listen to his angry voice about why his daughter wasn’t being protected.

  But today was different. Today she was with Sean.

  Plus, she was far away from home. Only the security team and a few of Mom’s managers and assistants knew that she and Sean had traveled to California. Surely a stalker wouldn’t follow her thousands of miles to Los Angeles. Would they?

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  FIFTEEN minutes before they pulled up to the curb, Abby watched Mom take her one pill.

  “You should never take drugs, Abigail. You know that this is only in dire circumstances.”

  “I would hardly call this event dire,” Dad said.

  It was surprising. Rarely did Dad ever use a sarcastic tone with his wife, but he’d been on edge all day. Abby wanted to believe that it was because he was excited for Mom, but she knew better. It was the birthday.

  Mom had insisted that they all pile into the same limo for the trip to the theatre. Usually, they traveled in separate cars, but it was evident that Dad wanted to keep Abby close for the duration of the evening. Even Sean’s leg was bouncing with anticipation. She couldn’t tell if he was excited or nervous. His smile was calm and cool, providing Abby with the reassurance she needed to be able to step out of the car into the limelight.

  They pulled up, and Abby leaned over to adjust the neckline of Mom’s gown. Of course, her stylist was waiting at the red carpet to make any adjustments as she stepped out before starting the interview hoop she’d have to leap through while traipsing to the theatre. But it was Abby’s little way of showing she cared, showing she was proud of her mom and all she’d done. Mom pressed her lips in a sentimental smile and took Abby’s hand. “I love you, Sweetie.”

  “You too, Mom.”

  They wouldn’t kiss cheeks. Not with the three pounds of make-up they were wearing. But the touch of their fingers was enough. Then Mom turned to Dad. “Are we ready for this?” she asked, as if it were the first one she’d attended, and not the twenty-fourth.

  “You look beautiful,” Dad said. And he meant it. He lifted his hand and touched Mom’s cheek gently with the backs of his fingers, then tapped on the window to signal for the door to be opened.

  When the dry winds of Los Angeles blew into the vehicle, Abby let go of Mom’s hand and grasped Sean’s. She suddenly felt the need to shrink back, to avoid the camera flashes and the questions. No one knew she was there except for Mom’s circle. She and Sean could very easily stay in the limo and ride off to wherever it was that limo drivers hung out during premiers and big events.

  Dad’s face transformed as soon as the public was in view. His game face appeared. Shoulders back, eyes smiling, posture strong. To Abby it looked like he was ready to take on the world, and maybe even his daughter’s stalker. He stepped out of the car and reached towards Mom. She, too, had on her picture-perfect celebrity expression. Abby watched her body rise out of the limousine into the waiting crowds like a swan. She was fantastic.

  Then the door closed. Abby and Sean looked at each other in confusion, and Abby broke into laughter. “I guess they forgot to tell the red-carpet organizer that we’re attending the event.”

  Sean lifted his eyebrow and showed off the fabulous dimple.

  “That’s fine,” Abby said. “I kind of wanted to go for a burger instead anyway.”

  Another breath of hot, arid air cracked through her fantasy world as the door once again opened and a man with a tuxedo leaned into the car. “My apologies, Miss Ellwood, Mr. Court. I’m Jack. Just follow me.”

  She nodded her head and watched as Sean slid over the seat, then she grabbed his hand as he helped her maneuver in her dress towards the door. Getting out of a limo in front of a hundred photographers was always a tricky stunt. When she was twelve, Mom had spent two hours with her practicing before they’d gone to Abby’s first Academy Awards. In the end, it had all been for naught. Abby was so nervous that she ended up forgetting all that Mom had taught her. Her gangly legs hadn’t followed any directions, and she’d almost tripped over her shoes stepping out of the vehicle. If it hadn’t been for Dad’s strong arms there to catch her, she would have slid straight under the chassis.

  But here was Sean, stepping out of the car and holding his hand out. “I have you,” he said as she placed her fingers in his. Abby remembered the videos from the night of their first kiss. The words I Love You had been plastered all over the images.

  As Sean lifted her out of the car, she looked into his face. “I love you too,” she said with a whisper that could barely be heard through the roar of the crowd, butterflies trembling through her tummy as she spoke the words. She watched for a moment as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was as if he were smelling a sumptuous stew, or taking in the scent of fresh cut grass. The perfect response.

  He tipped his head down once she’d straightened to a standing position. “I love you more.”

  They floated down the red carpet, directed by Jack. He kept them at a respectful distance from Mom and Dad, sure to have them pause at each strategic photo position, eventually walking towards a woman with a handheld mic. The interviewer asked questions about their romance, their progress in college, and even a question about Sean’s military career. Jack conveniently pulled them away as the interviewer began to question Abby about legislative issues her dad was currently working on.

  They stopped for two more interviews and endless photos before finally being escorted into the cool of the building’s air conditioning. Abby was ushered towards a side room by one of Mom’s stylists while Jack escorted Sean to meet with Dad in a waiting room. It was the typical drill; more powder, more hairspray, advice about the walk to their seats.

  Mom was posing for photos with the other stars of the film. Abby could see them laughing and talking animatedly with Mom as if she were one of the boys. Sean was right, tonight was going to be fun.

  “Two minutes, Miss Ellwood,” a coordinator called into the room as the stylist was touching up Abby’s eyebrows.

  “Can I have a moment?” Abby asked, and thanked the stylist before turning to the mirror and clasping her hands.

  Oh Lord. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done in my life, and for my family. This is truly everything I could have ever hoped for, but Lord, I don't want this life to be just about me. I feel so selfish keeping it all to myself. With all that you've given me, please allow me to give more. If it's in your will, let me out of this pampered and secure
prison, out into the world. Allow me to do your work, and to share this joy I'm feeling with all that are out there. Lord, provide me a new world.

  And God heard.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  THROUGHOUT the movie, Abby held tight to Sean’s hand. She had been forewarned about the emotional parts of the drama and was sure to think about superficial things in order to keep tears from ruining her makeup. Of course, Sean handed her his handkerchief during the part when Mom’s character had been left on the boat to die a tragic death, but it had all been planned out in advance by Mom’s publicist and they’d even been provided a handkerchief for the act.

  The movie ended with applause and a standing ovation. Mom leaned on Dad’s arm in true humility. Abby could tell when Mom was overwhelmed with gratefulness, and this was one of those times. The crowd was right though, the movie was incredible. Mom had transitioned from sappy romance actress to leading lady with ease and elegance, and Abby was honored to be her daughter.

  The sky had darkened by the time they walked out to the limo. Flashes followed them down the red carpet, and now that the media had discovered that Abby and Sean were present, additional interviewers were in place to head them off and pepper them with questions. Sean was ready for them. He’d been prepped and practiced yesterday and had the ability to answer for both of them with grace, yet enough edginess to make him intriguing to the masses.

  Abby found it humorous that Sean had managed to develop an even more enthusiastic following than hers. She enjoyed watching him laugh at the questions, answer the important ones, and blow off the inappropriate ones. Of course, she still had plenty of her own to answer. ‘Who did your dress? What area of medicine will you pursue? Where did you get the jewelry?’ She was delighted to tell them that Sean had gotten the jewels for her.

  Once settled into the car, they all began to breathe again. Mom was delirious with happiness, but Dad immediately turned into a Nervous Nellie again.

  The quiet hum of the car was a relief. Mom and Dad sat back and took out their phones to check messages from friends and relatives asking about the premiere. Abby only glanced at her screen to see that she’d gotten one call from Veena. Most likely to let Abby know that Veena had turned her bedroom light on and off again several times during the evening to make it seem like she was home. Or maybe to tell her that a note had arrived for her at the house. Abby didn’t want to know. This evening was perfect, and Abby would not let it be ruined by some stranger that made them crazy every year.

  They drove to the after party at the director, Mike Minck’s, house in nearby Hollywood Hills and milled about the rooms, interacting with Hollywood elite as well as several governmental kings and queens. It was a who’s who of the Ellwood world, and Abby floated along within it, trained and rehearsed for each conversation. Fortunately, Sean was there with her the entire time, his arm clasped around her shoulder, his dimple impressing all those surrounding him, and his hand holding a scotch glass that he never actually touched to his lips. Keeping up appearances, of course.

  Abby would have remained content if it hadn’t been for the appearance of Kenneth Maughan’s daughter, Stacey. It wasn’t the fact that so many years ago, Stacey had convinced Abby to climb over a school wall and go tumbling into the public arena that irked her, it was that Stacey always acted like they’d been best friends since birth. Her dad’s acting career had been sketchy as of late, and even the supporting cast role he’d been offered in Engaged to Duty had been a hand out. He drank too much, and Stacey was an apple that didn’t fall far from the tree. Her new boyfriend, Lance, looked like he been running with the same crowds that Stacey had been favoring the past several years. He wore large, fake glasses with blaring tortoiseshell frames, his long brown hair hung in waves over the left side of his face, and he sported a pair of black gloves to top off the weirdness effect. It was less likely that Stacey was smitten with him. He probably kept her stocked with enough drugs and alcohol to keep her from noticing what a strange bird he was.

  They politely engaged in small talk. Abby listened to Lance give his opinion on the ills of the United States justice system while Stacey flirted with Sean, sure to place her hands on his arms every chance she got. But Abby wasn’t worried, she could see that Sean was enduring it like a waterboarding session. His body language feigned interest in Stacey’s relentless conversation, but his peripheral vision sat squarely on Abby. After a tortuous thirty minutes of Lance calling her ‘sister’ as if she were a long-lost relative, they were finally rescued by the director of the movie for a few minutes before mingling.

  The party was in full swing when Abby began to melt. Of course, she knew they had another hour or two to go, but her feet had begun to threaten mutiny, and hiding her yawns had become a major effort.

  “You look tired,” Sean said into her ear, after conveniently dragging her away from a drunken producer attempting to convince Abby to give up medical school and begin an acting career. They walked away from the crowd, into the backyard where the temperature was dropping towards the sixty-degree mark, giving Abby goosebumps along her arms. But then, those gooseys may have been from the hungry look that Sean was giving her as they walked around the pool towards the gardens in the rear of the house.

  She felt that same hunger.

  Once Sean had taken his jacket off and settled it around Abby’s shoulders, she entwined her fingers in his and followed as he led her around a grove of trees towards a gazebo overlooking the Los Angeles skyline. They sat on the cushioned bench in their own little alcove, surrounded by whispering winds and twinkling lights.

  “Wow, that is…” she couldn’t find the words.

  “Beautiful,” Sean said. But Abby knew his eyes were on her, not the jigsaw of lights displayed in front of them.

  “I was going to say … a lot of electricity. But yeah, let’s go with beautiful.”

  Abby curled into Sean’s arms and tucked her hands into his jacket like a down comforter on a cozy bed.

  Minutes passed by, hours, or was it seconds… as Abby soaked in every moment. This was heaven. God had truly blessed her. Abby had almost fallen asleep when Sean shifted on the bench seat and turned her to face him.

  “I’m not sorry,” Sean said as he lifted Abby’s chin leaned towards her.

  “For what?”

  “For messing up your makeup.”

  “You didn't…”

  “I'm about to.”

  Abby closed her eyes and let Sean’s lips warm her cheek. She could feel herself falling into her quiet need. The touch of his lips barely grazing her skin yet leaving streaks of heat along the way. He inched from her cheekbone to her jaw, and then along the edge, towards her earlobe. “And I'm not sorry for messing up your hair either.”

  Abby felt Sean’s fingers move through her styled tresses, lifting out pins and clips, letting it fall over her shoulders and cascade down her back. The wind of the hills could barely reach them in the gazebo with its small, breezy outstretched tendrils while Abby’s curls danced. Sean’s fingertips ran through the pirouetting strands and pulled her closer. “I want to get tangled in you.”

  His hand wrapped around the back of her head while the other held her shoulders and he pressed against her. His lips, his chest, his legs. There wasn’t a space free in between them, and Abby dared the winds to try to divide them. It wasn’t possible. He leaned her back until she was resting on the cushion, his lips continuing down her neck to the swells that rose above her dress. Sean’s breath on her chest sent waves of shivers through Abby’s body, begging for more, begging to delve further.

  “Yo, Sean,” a voice called from beyond the gazebo. “Sean and Abigail, where are you?”

  Sean rose, and Abby immediately heard the cold winds laugh as they stabbed into the skin of her chest and dragged Sean away. “Who is it?” he yelled back. He was breathing heavy and Abby could see the swift rise and fall of his shoulders.

  Stacey’s boyfriend, Lance, appeared from around the corner. He was clearly fr
eaked out and shaking. “You know medical stuff, like a doctor, right?”

  “Shit,” Sean muttered as he adjusted his clothes and helped Abby to a sitting position. “Yes. We both do. What’s up?” Abby wanted to shove Lance over the side of the mountain, down to the lights that blinked beneath them in their opulence. How dare he ruin this moment. But then, what if someone was really hurt? It was hard to believe that there wasn’t another doctor in the house.

  “It’s Stacey, she took some pills,” Lance said. “I don’t know what’s wrong. She looks weird, can’t sit up. Her heartbeat and breathing are all fucked up. She doesn’t want her dad to find out.”

  Lance began crying while Sean rubbed his chin in concern. “Where is she?”

  “Upstairs. First room on the left. Shit, this is all my fault.”

  Lance was visibly shaken. Abby took his hand to provide comfort. “Why don’t you see if she’s okay. I’ll take care of Lance.”

  Sean nodded, then leaned down and kissed Abby on the forehead. “Sure. You take care of Lance,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ll take care of you later.”

  Abby smiled and soaked up his warmth before he pulled away and rushed towards the house.

  “Stacey’s dad is drunk,” Lance groaned. “I need to call her mom. Can you come with me?”

  Abby glanced around, wondering how long Sean would be gone. He wouldn’t lose her, the house was large, but not enough to misplace a human being. She nodded her head and followed Lance over a gravel path to a side door.

  “My phone is still in the sound room,” he explained as they walked down a few steps and into a large, dark room with dozens of awards and posters framed along the wall, and large couches and chairs filling the space.

  Lance was jittery and sweating. Abby wondered if he’d ingested some of the same drugs and hoped that her medical skills wouldn’t be called on as well.