Derailed

04

My nose is bandaged and I have a dark circle under my right eye. The makeup team works on my face for an hour and a half, trying to cover up the bruises. One thing I love about the crew here is, they don't ask questions.
I wait on set for the rest of the cast to be ready. My phone buzzes inside my pocket and I pull it out to answer it.
"Hello?" I walk outside and around the building to get some privacy.
Hello Patrick. I freeze when I hear the deep voice of my attacker.
"What do you want?"
You see Patrick, I had a lot of fun the other night. So I was thinking, why should the fun stop?
"You leave us alone." I demand. He chuckles bitterly.
It sounds like you care about her. The question is, how much?
"What do you want from me?"
$20,000 by tonight.
"I don't have that kind of money."
I guess I will have to make an even better bargain. Would you pay $20,000 for, say, your daughter?
"You leave my family out of this."
Wow, Patrick. You really do have a lovely home. And your wife is very...hospitable.
My stomach drops when I hear this. I pull my phone away from my ear and check the caller ID.
Home
"Alright! I'll give you the money. But please, leave my family out of this." I plead with him.
Good boy. Meet me behind the studio at midnight tonight. Don't be late. he replies before hanging up.
I call Jill and wait impatiently for her to answer.
Hello?
"Jill! Where are you?"
At home. Why?
"Is there anyone there with you?"
Just Talulah. I breathe a sigh of relief and smile.
"I need you to listen carefully and don't freak out. I was mugged last night. I need you to freeze all of our credit cards right now."
You were mugged? Oh my god! How are we supposed to pay for this month's medication for Talulah?
"Freeze the cards, Jillian!"
Okay. I will. Bye. She hangs up the phone and I put it back in my pocket.
That's it? She didn't even ask me if i was okay. She sure does care about me. I shake off the dark feeling of emptiness that Jillian left and focus on the bigger issues.
I have to come up with $20,000 by tonight and still have enough money by the end of this month to pay for the medication for Talulah's seizures. I could always get another job...but this one is too time consuming.
"Pat, you're needed on set." a crew member notifies me. I nod in thanks and walk back into the studio to work.
I stand by Ellen in our scrubs and wait for everyone to get ready.
"Ellen, we need to tell someone." I whisper into her ear.
"Not now Patrick." she says sternly.
"I'm not kidding, El. He's threatening my family. This isn't just about you anymore."
"What do you mean he is threatening your family?" she asks quietly.
"If I don't give him the money by tonight then he has threatened to kill Tal. I've been saving up for so long for Talulah's surgery and medication. I don't know what I'll do if he takes all of that money." I tell her helplessly.
"Quiet on set!" Betsy shouts.
"We'll talk later." Ellen whispers. I nod and get set.
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Shonda finally releases us and I check the time on my phone. 11:53. I only have seven minutes to get $20,000 and be behind the studio. Not knowing what to do, I rush out and around the studio to wait for him.
"Are you alone?" a deep voice says from the bushes.
"Yes."
"Good. Do you have the money?" he asks.
"I didn't have time to get it. I just got off of work. Just give me more time-"
"I gave you enough time! I need the money now." he says angrily. He finally steps out from the bushes and into the light.
He grabs me by the collar of my shirt and pulls me toward him.
"I don't like playing games Patrick. When I say I want the money, you better have the money and you better give it to me." The stench of alcohol fills my nostrils, causing me to cringe.
He releases his hold on me and smiles.
"I hate to ask this of you, but I need a loan. You see, now that you froze the cards, i'm out of money. So i'm going to need $100,000. By this time next week. Got it? I'll let the $20,000 slide because we're friends. But if you're late on this next payment...well, let's just say there will be consequences."  he says in a friendly tone.
"Patrick? You back there?"
Ellen's voice comes from the front of the building.
"Next week." the man says before running back into the trees.
I turn around and walk around the building, still processing what my life has become. How can I pay him that much money when i've been saving it for Tal's surgery?
"Hey, I was looking for you. You left so fast." Ellen says once I come into view. I smile at her and grab her arm, pulling her away from the other cast.
"He's blackmailing me, Ellen. He's demanding $100,000." I tell her. Her face drops and tears quickly form in her eyes.
"Why won't he just leave us alone?" she asks. I pull her in for a hug.
"Because he has the upper hand. But not for long. I'll take care of it." I tell her. She nods and pulls away to look into my eyes.
"How?" she asks.
"I'll trick him. I'll get the cops to show up at the place where i'm supposed to meet him at. I'll hire body guards to surround you at all times. I'll do whatever it takes to get this creep thrown into jail." I tell her. She bites her lip and looks away.
"Just...be safe Patrick." she whispers.
"I will."

Hope you like it!! XOXO