“Get the hell away from me!”
Danny opened his eyes at the sound of her voice.
“I don't care!”
It was definitely Marnie.
“Hey, you're awake.” Brian sat in a chair with a magazine in his lap.
Danny's head pounded, but he forced himself to sit up. He wore a white and blue polka dotted gown. It paired well with the pastel colored curtain sectioning off his room. He surmised they were at Upstate University Hospital.
“They ran a few tests while you were out. Doc says you have a mild concussion, but other than that, you'll be fine to go as soon as you're feeling better.
This doctor had to be a quack, because it felt like a building had fallen on him. Every bone in his body hurt.
Danny grimaced at the sight of the purplish tattoo his punch left on his brother's face.
“Sorry I went crazy on you like that,” he said, pointing to the bruise. It was disappointing that his brother had left Marnie to die, but he had no right to attack him like he did. He felt sorry for Brian. Dirt lined the collar of his starched shirt and the arm of his brother's sports coat was barely hanging on at the seams. His hazel green eyes lacked their usual spark of warmth.
“Don't worry about it. I know how it looked, but I wasn't wimping out. I had to stay behind and convince them to keep the door open. They wanted to lock you guys out.”
“How'd you convince them?”
“Number one…” he held up a bruised knuckle “and number two.”
Danny smiled.
“That was like a nightmare straight from one of my movies. Did they figure out what happened yet?”
“It's all over the news. This old lady had her own private zoo, two blocks away from the restaurant. She was rich from old money, but she's schizophrenic. Her husband died last week, so they think she had an episode. They've got footage from her security camera of her unlocking the gates and letting the animals out.”
Danny grimaced. The world was crazy, but he never could've imagined this.
“So where's Marnie?”
Brian shrugged. “She's a few beds down, giving them hell.”
Danny pulled back the covers and slowly moved his legs over the edge of the bed. His muscles screamed at him, but he ignored them. Cords pulled at him. He ran a hand along his chest. Plastic suckers had been placed on him. He unhooked himself, ignoring the whine of the monitor. A flash of annoyance settled on Brian's face, but he walked over to Danny's side and let him lean on him. Together they walked past the nurses' station and into Marnie's room.
Surprise filled him when he saw her sitting upright on a gurney, her curly auburn hair released from its ponytail and looking like a glorious lion's mane. She was pale, her normally honeyed skin a washed out hue.
“What's up?” The brilliance of her violet eyes was overshadowed by a simmering lava. She was seething. Sweat ran down her neck and stained her hospital gown. The covers lay on top of her, but left her right foot swathed in bloody bandages.
Danny leaned against the doorway, the wind already knocked out of him from walking only a few steps down the hallway.
“I was just in the neighborhood and heard you screech. Thought I'd stop by.”
“Come in and sit down, you guys.”
He marveled at her nonchalant attitude.
Brian helped him walk over to the chair by her bedside, but he felt ridiculous holding on to his brother for dear life. Danny was grateful when he sank into the chair.
“Marnie Ducello?” A bald man wearing surgical scrubs walked into the room with a clipboard in his hands. “I've taken a look at your x‐rays, and we've got some bad news. I'm not going to be able to save this foot. We're going to need to amputate it up to—”
“No.”
Danny's stomach twisted at the sight of the fire running out of her eyes.
“Ma'am, I'm afraid you don't have a choice. You could end up losing your leg if we don't operate.”
Her voice wavered. “If you can't save my foot, then just leave me alone.”
Danny reached for Marnie's hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “Marnie.”
“You're not hearing me. I would rather die than lose my foot. Danny, help me.”
Marnie turned to him, tears brimming in her eyes.
He had never felt so powerless in his life. Of course, if he could, he'd move mountains for her.
“Sir, there's nothing you can do to try and save some of her foot?” Danny asked.
The doctor glanced at his chart.
“Necrosis has set in and the blood flow in your foot is severely diminished. There is really not much to try and save. To avoid having you undergo a second surgery later, I recommend amputation. However, we can try taking off the first three toes, but even if you keep your foot, it's going to be numb because of the nerve damage.”
“Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated,” Danny said.
“If we can't reestablish blood flow to your foot, we'll have to go ahead with an amputation,” the doctor said.
“Just try, please,” Marnie whispered.
Marnie shielded her eyes from the flash of the cameras. Jackson parted the crowd of reporters and photographers as the nurse pushed her wheelchair out the hospital and into the sweltering New York morning. She had undergone a week of physical therapy and two foot surgeries. Her emotions transitioned to hot, then cool, then back to the beginning all over again. In the end, she decided surviving the attack was a sign. Her foot was a precious price to learn about living.
Finally, the day had come when she could leave. She hadn't anticipated the press though. The overwhelming amount of microphones trying to worm their way into her face was making her dizzy.
“Marnie, how'd you feel running down the streets of New York with Danny?” The question came from a young blond-haired boy. Was he even out of college?
“Scared,” she replied.
Marnie was relieved when Brian opened the door to the sedan and helped slide her into the car. A swell of ambitious reporters called out more questions, but they were muffled when Brian shut the door. She released a deep breath as she leaned back on the leather seat.
“You did well.” Danny squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
Back at the penthouse, Marnie used her crutches to hop out of the elevator and over to the sofa in the living room. Danny slid the ottoman under her foot.
“Danny.” Marnie grabbed his arm. “Can I have a moment alone with Brian?”
She needed to clear the air with him badly. When he picked her up and carried her into that brownstone, she'd been scared and took it out on him. Marnie was still ashamed of how she'd screeched at him and swatted away his help. She never wanted to meet that side of herself again.
“What's going on?” Brian sat down on a chair opposite of Marnie.
The distance between them hurt. Normally, he would've sat right next to her on the sofa. Part of her wanted to pat the spot beside her, but she dismissed the feeling. First she needed to make amends.
“I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting. Can you forgive me?”
Brian swatted her words away. “Marnie, don't worry about it. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“All you've tried to do is help me, and I've acted like a crazy bitch. I'm not normally like that. Honest. Can we move past it?”
“Marnie, everything's fine.” Brian slid to the edge of the chair. “I'm going to have to go home though. I've been away from my job far too long.”
He was breaking up with her, and they hadn't even started. Well, that's what she deserved for her behavior. Whatever happened to grace under fire?
“I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back and see you, and I assume you're not going to be traveling.” His voice trailed off.
“I'm pretty terrible about long distance stuff,” Marnie said.
“Even a long distance friendship?” Brian asked.
Even though she knew he was trying to break up with her, hearing him say the words hurt even more. She wanted her instincts to be wrong.
“I'm sure we'll find a way to make that work.” Her voice cracked on the last word.
Anger spilled into her body. She did her best to hold back tears. It wouldn't be right to make him feel sorry for her or to know how much his leaving was hurting.
Brian hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Damn. They had never kissed and now she would never know what it was like.
“Danny.” Brian rapped on the door. “I'm out of here, so stay out of trouble ‘cause I don't have any more sick days to come and bail you out.”
“You're leaving?” Danny jumped out of bed. His big brother held two luggage strollers in his hands. “Well, let me walk you to the door.”
He couldn't believe Brian was leaving already, not when Marnie had just gotten out of the hospital. He glanced into the living room as they walked to the elevator. She sat stone faced, staring at the wall, her chin jutting outward. Their talk must've gone south. Brian had made a mistake, but Marnie should've found it in her heart to forgive him. If not for Brian, they might not have survived.
“Hey, give me a hug.” He pulled his brother back from the elevator.
“Danny, if you need me, don't be afraid to call, okay? You and me, we're family. We've got to stick together.”
Danny nodded and waved as the elevator doors closed.