Trapped

Chapter Four: Sunset Lover

Everyone is on edge now because of the two accidents in the cast. The authorities are looking into poison or other things like that. In other words, they think the cast is being targeted. If she is being honest, Vera isn't afraid to die. She would welcome it. Anything would be better than the life she is living now: Worrying about her best friend and the closest thing she has to a son.
"Vera, you need to eat." Max says, trying to hand her the sandwich again.
"Max, Im not hungry." she says again, not taking her eyes off of Nestor.
"You can't starve yourself. Nestor would be so upset with me if he knew I let you do this." Olivia says, glancing at Max who is still holding the food out to her. She sighs and takes it from his hand. She didn't know how hungry she was until she took a bite. And then another. Before she knew it, she had eaten half of the sandwich.
"Woah, slow down. You'll choke." Max says, smiling. He was honestly just proud of himself for getting her to eat. She had been looking ill over the past few days. Her normally vibrant blue eyes have been dull lately and her brown hair hasn't been washed in days.
Once she finishes her sandwich, she turns to Max, her eyes filled with tears. He smiles sadly and pulls her in for a hug.
"I miss them." she whispers.
"I know." he says.
"Where's Renn? I haven't seen him around." Olivia says.
"I don't know. He hasn't texted or called me yet."
"At all? Does he know about Nestor and Freddie? That you've been staying with them in the hospital?" he asks.
"No. He hasn't tried to contact me."
"So he has no idea where you've been? And he is fine? What the hell?" Max asks, becoming upset.
"You could be missing or dead for all he knows. How long have you been dating him anyway?" Olivia asks.
"A year and a half." she says quietly.
"Ver, you can't let him treat you like this." Max says.
"I know he just...he's busy." she says. He sighs and grabs her hand.
"Let's go to the beach." Max says, earring a wide grin from Olivia.
"What?" she asks.
"Come on. You've been here since they got here. You need a shower and you need to see the sun." he says, pulling her to stand up.
"But what if they wake up while we are gone?" she asks, grabbing Nestor's hand.
"They'll understand." Max says.
"And i'll stay here and call you if they wake up." Olivia adds. Vera slowly releases Nestor's hand and allows Max to pull her away from the bed. When they walk outside, the sun hits her skin, warming it. She closed her eyes and breathes in the fresh air.
"See? Feels good, huh?" he asks. She nods. They walk down to the beach from the hospital and Vera runs down to the shore line and begins to splash in the water, laughing. For a moment, she pretends that everything is normal. No one is hurt or sick.
Max grabs the speaker from his pocket and plugs it into his phone, playing Vera's favorite song, Sunset Lover. It perfectly describes her personality. He watches as she stares up at the sky, listening to the music. And then she begins to dance. She is so graceful as she jumps on the shoreline, like a ballerina.
He wishes Nestor could be here to see her. He always loved to watch her dance. He said it was her way of expressing herself and he was right. The way she dances right now expresses the hurt that she feels. Nestor always had a way of reading Vera and knowing just how to cheer her up. Max could only wish for that kind of gift. But he had no idea how to cheer her up other than this.
Music.
When the song ends, Vera stands there, breathing heavily, staring out at the ocean. Max comes up behind her and grabs her hand, holding it tightly.
"Thank you." she whispers, not taking her eyes off of the ocean.
"I wish I could help take the pain away. Make things better. Nestor always knew how to do that." Max says, glancing down at her. She smiles up at him and kisses his cheek.
"I miss Freddie's quirky little jokes that I could never understand. He's such a smart kid." Vera says.
"He's such a nerd. The glasses and everything. And Nestor's twitter battles with you. What's with the barbies?" Max asks with a chuckle. Vera laughs, remembering their twitter conversations.
"Inside joke." she says, smiling widely.
"I miss his dark eyelashes. And the nonstop accusations that he wears mascara." Vera says. Max laughs and shakes his head.
"His biggest insecurity." he says.
"My favorite part of him." Vera says softly. Max glances at her, wondering what else he could do to ease the pain.
"Can we go back?" Vera asks, looking up at him.
"Shower first." Max says. Vera smiles and pulls him away from the ocean.
"You're so bossy." she mumbles jokingly. He laughs and pushes her gently.
"You're just stubborn." he says. Vera laughs and nods.
"You're probably right."
They walk back to the hospital which is still surrounded by paparazzi. The police guard them and escort them to Max's car while they ignore the questions shouted at them. They drive to Vera's house and sit in her driveway. Max looks at her with confusion.
"He's here." Vera says.
"Who?"
"Renn." she says, getting out.
"Do you want me to come in?" Max asks, getting out.
"Please." she says, grabbing his hand for comfort. They walk inside and look around for him. He walks around the corner with a protein shake in his hand and his shirt off. His hair is tied up in a bun.
"Hey, Vera. Max." Renn says with a slight wave as he downs the rest of his shake.
"Hey." Vera says, shifting her weight between her feet. Max nudges her gently with his shoulder.
"Uh...how have you been?" she asks.
"Fine. You?" he asks, grabbing his guitar.
"I'm gonna shower." Vera says, running up the stairs.
"I'll come." Renn says, setting his guitar down.
"Uh, no. No that's alright. But I would like to talk to you when i'm finished." Vera says. Renn nods and grabs his guitar again. He plays with it while Vera showers, learning a new song. Max waits patiently on the couch, watching Renn play. When Vera comes back down, Max stands up and walks toward her.
"Okay well we better go." Vera says, ignoring the look Max gives her.
"Okay. See ya." he mumbles, playing with his guitar. Vera walks toward the door but hesitates.
"Do you wonder where I go?" she asks, turning toward Renn.
"Huh? Uh...no. I mean you do you." he says with a shrug.
"Right but I haven't been home in days and you haven't talked to me. Don't you worry?" she asks.
"I trust you."
"It's not about trust, Renn. It's about caring. It's about needing to make sure I am okay. I mean you haven't texted me or called me. Not once." she says, not bothering to hide the hurt in her voice.
"Well...are you okay?" he asks.
"No! I'm not. I've been in the hospital because Nestor went into a coma and then three days later, Freddie followed him and I am scared that I might be next. So no. I'm not okay." she says, getting worked up. Tears run down her cheeks and Max rests his hand on her back.
"Jesus, Vera. I..I'm sorry. About your friends. I just assumed you would be okay without me stalking you and texting you twenty four seven."
"Oh I am. I am okay without you, Renn. I just thought I would let you know." Vera says.
"What does that mean?" he asks, setting his guitar down and standing up.
"It means what I said. I don't need you around. So...when I get back, you should probably be gone." she says, turning and leaving without letting him say anything. She quickly walks to Max's car and gets in.
"You alright?" Max asks.
"Just drive to the hospital, please." she says, wanting nothing more than to be near Nestor. Even when he is unconscious, he still has a way of calming her down.
When they arrive, Vera practically sprints up the stairs and into his room. Only he isn't there anymore. Neither is Freddie. Vera can't help but panic.
"Can I help you?" a nurse asks, stopping by the room.
"Where are they? Where did you take them?" Vera asks, pointing at the empty beds. If they died, she would not be able to live with herself.
"What are their names?" the nurse asks.
"Freddie Highmore and Nestor Carbonell." she says, following the nurse out. She types something onto the computer and Max appears beside Vera.
"What happened?" he asks.
"They've been moved." Vera says, her voice cracking with emotion.
"They're in room 205."
Before the nurse can even finish her sentence, Vera has left, running down the hall to their room. Max catches up with her as she walks into their room. They look the same as they had when they left. Hooked up to machines, tubes everywhere. Their arms, their mouths, their nose. Vera walks to Freddie's bed first, pushing his hair from his forehead. She places a soft kiss on his cheek before turning to Nestor.
She grabs his hand first, breathing a sigh of relief just feeling him. Her other hand rests on his cheek, her thumb brushing his dark eyelashes.
"What're we going to do?" she whispers to him. Olivia places a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly.
"Do you think they can hear us?" Max asks, looking down at Freddie. Without hesitation, Vera felt as though she knew the answer.
"Yes." she says with confidence. She takes a seat beside Nestor's bed, her hand never leaving his.
"I wonder who will be next." Olivia says, looking at Max with fear. Vera looks at Nestor's calm face and secretly hoped that it would be her that left this world next. If only for the small chance that she might go wherever they are.