Divine Affinity

40

Rae's hands trembled as she dialed the hotel number where the band was staying. The silence enveloped her like a heavy blanket. The only sound was the soft hum of machines and the occasional shuffle of footsteps in the hallway. It was a deadly silence, one that seemed to amplify her fear and anxiety. Despite the sterile white walls and antiseptic smell of the hospital, she felt a sense of foreboding creeping in around her. The silence seemed to magnify every worry and doubt swirling in her mind. Her heart pounding in her chest as she asked the front desk to put her through to Stone's bedroom. Rae in a state of shock and disbelief, and ss the phone rang, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over her.

"Rae?" She suddenly heard Stone's voice on the other end, and she covered her mouth with her hand to muffle a sob. Tears run down her face as she heard his voice. "Are you ok?" Stone asked, as all was still silent.

"Hi..." She gasped and choked at the same time. Rae ran the back of her hand over her eyes and took a deep breath. "Stone..." Her voice trembled again as she tried to speak.

"What's the matter?" He sat on the bed on state of alert. "I tried to call you so many times..."

"I'm sorry." She sniffed. "I'm..." Silence again. Rae stared at the white wall in front of her reliving the moment. "You need to wake up Ed." She then said. Stone frowned.

"Ed?"

"Yes..." Rae nodded. Her voice sounded distant. Stone grabbed the scrunchie on the bedside table and tied up his hair.

"What happened? Wanna tell me?" He insisted. Her lips trembled and again her eyes filled with tears.

"I tried to reach out... I swear I did... it was so fast... so sudden..." Rae cried, and Stone was confused.

"Babe... what are you talking about?" He heard her crying low on the other end. "Fuck.." He whispered feeling frustrated he was so far away. It was clear them something was happening. "Calm down, babe." He asked her with soothing voice. "Talk to me. What happened? Take a deep breath."

"Eiry..." Rae still sobbed. "Eiry..."

"What about Eiry? What the fuck happened?" At this point, he was up and searching for the pair of jeans he left somewhere on the floor of the bedroom.

"This woman..." Rae sniffed. "Started talking to Eiry..."

"Hum...hum..." He mumbled as he held the phone against his ear with his shoulder and slid a leg inside the jeans.

"...saying she was a coworker and when Eiry was at ease, she just..." Rae stopped talking. Stone buttoned his jeans waiting. "...pushed her down the stairs of the theater..."

"What?"

"She pushed her down the stairs, Stone. I tried to grab her... I tried..."

"No..." He sat down on the bed again. "Baby, it's not your fault."

"You have to put Ed on a plane." She then said with a firmer voice. "He must come home, Stone."

"How is she?" Stone asked her.

"She's sleeping. Two broken ribs and she sprang her ankle. A mild concussion, but she lost the baby..." Rae's voice was barely a whisper in the end. "You must go to Ed and deliver the news babe. He has to come back home."

"Fuck." Stone got up again and started walking in circles. "How did she react?"

"She doesn't know yet. But she will know when she wakes up and she'll need Eddie here with her."

"They were so fucking happy..." Stone was in disbelief. "They wanted this baby so much and they waited for it for so long. What about the woman?"

"The theater security called the police. The police were also here to get my testimony as I am an eye witness. She's in jail."