9 Going Back Home

Fred and Reagan were seated separately for the flights and when it landed she tried desperately to find him in the airport. Fred was a big man and not hard to spot but he was also a man who was quick on his feet. He had asked the air hostess to change his seat during the flight and she hadn't seen him since. Reagan knew that what she did was perhaps a boundary he did not condone crossing but what he had told her in return stumped her completely. Frederick Bartoli was married. That simple fact exposed the weakness in his armour that she had been looking for. When her phone rang it wasn't Fred on the line. It was Stacy from reception.

"Ms Adam, this is Stacy from BLIC. I regret to inform you that your services are no longer required for us. Your termination is effective from today. You shall be provided with two months salary as compensation. Please return the company phone and laptop to our technology department at your earliest convenience" she droned on. Stacy and Reagan never liked each other.

Reagan was expecting this. If not this she would have had to find an excuse to resign as she had served her purpose. She had got the information she so badly needed and now she had even used it against him. If Stella had believed her words Frederick would be a broken and vulnerable man, exactly what she needs for the second phase of her plan.

***

When Stella opened her eyes she felt the light sting them. She could feel the crusts around her lids. When they were open she could feel the dull ache in her head. She tried to reach up but her hands were laden with wires and needles. She realized that she was in the hospital. She turned her head to find a large man sitting on a narrow chair, almost dozing off. She saw the dark circles under his eyes and the facial hair, a telltale sign that it has been a long time that she had seen him. She called out but her voice was hoarse. She called out again.

"Freddy bear," the hoarse voice jolted him awake. He had placed his chair against the wall, far from where she was, to avoid falling on her if he were to doze off. It had happened a few times in the last few weeks that Stella was in a coma. It was an induced coma to reduce the swelling in her head. The moment he had landed in New York, his phone had been bombarded with calls and messages. News of Stella's accident jolted him from every side. The sad part was that he was the first person whom the authorities who found the crash site tried to inform. They found his phone first busy and then switched off. Fred realized that he never turned the phone on midflight and as a result, they were forced to contact her uncle. Her uncle had informed Daisy and then the entire group found out. They were all worried more about Fred than about Stella because he was the one MIA. Stella had a severe head injury and multiple concussions. After the first night, however, her condition was much stable. The doctors had put her in an induced coma to help her body heal better. Fred had dashed from the airport to the hospital and had been there for the past three weeks. He had apologized to his unconscious wife a thousand times over but nothing assuaged his guilt as much as these two words spoken in a hoarse whisper. Whatever it was that Reagan did, he was forgiven.

Fred stood up and walked out of the door to call to the nearest nurse he could see. "My wife is conscious," he called out. Stella processed the implication of the words slowly before she started to hyperventilate.

"It's ok honey. I won't let anyone touch you," Fred promised her, taking in her panic. Stella nodded, wide-eyed.

When a blonde haired middle-aged man entered the room followed by two nurses, Fred stepped back.

"Hello, Mrs Bartoli," he greeted her, knocking the air out of Stella once more. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Stefan Truman. I attended medical school along with Andrew and Julia and I have been looking after you for the past week. Do you know how long you have been here?" Stefan asked her kindly.

"No, how long?" Stella asked weakly.

"Three weeks. For the first two, we had put you in an induced coma to help with the head injury. However, for the past week, you refused to wake up. The wires you see were aimed at keeping you alive. We suggested a few times to put you to rest. Even your uncle suggested that it is better to put you off the ventilators. However, your husband diligently placed a gun to our nurses head and bought the entire hospital and brought me in to take care of you. I assumed that your body needed some more time healing. Now if you allow, I need to check up on you to ensure that you are well enough to breathe on your own." He then turned towards the man who was having a staring contest with his wife at the moment.

"I am not going anywhere. You check her how you want," Fred voiced his answer. Stefan gave a silent nod and went through the readings on the various machines attached to the patient before one of them made a loud beeping noise. Stella took a sharp breath as she felt something suck the life out of her. "Well, there you go, breathing on your own," Stefan declared while pulling a tube out of an incision on her side. Stella winced in pain but it was nothing that the drugs couldn't handle.

"You didn't even give a warning," Fred accused.

"I didn't want a gun against my forehead, Mr Bartoli," he replied smirking, "And I was confident that it was safe," he finished, taking in the menacing look that he received. "I believe that you would like some time to catch up. Tell the nurse when you are tired, Mrs Bartoli and she will give you your pain medication. That should put you to sleep for a few hours" he declared before leaving.

As the doctor left, Fred turned to Stella. "Whatever Reagan told you was a lie. I didn't know that she would call you on my phone. I fired her as soon as we touched land. I promise," Fred said in a frenzy.

"Don't tell me you fired her for calling me," Stella pleaded.

"I fired her because she lied to me and I couldn't trust her about lying about me to others," he replied with a pointed look.

"You didn't have sex with her?" Stella blurted out in response.

"I don't sleep with my employees. Scratch that, I don't sleep around, Stella. I take marital vows very seriously. You should know that about me. After all, you are the woman I am married to," Fred said with a smug smile.

"But this was supposed to be a secret," she whispered more to herself than him.

"You were supposed to stay safe. But I guess I can't keep you safe by keeping you away from me. Stella, I need you to be completely honest with me. Do you think, despite all the danger, all the risks, you can give this marriage a chance, and I mean a real chance where we both try to make a family together?" Fred asked gravely.

"I thought we were already that," Stella said in the same tone.

"Whom did you buy the gifts for Stella? When your car crashed there was a gift wrapped in the back seat. They were damaged but they were clearly things you wanted to hide from me and you bought it for some man," Fred declared dejectedly.

"They were a birthday gift for my husband. Happy belated birthday, Freddy bear. I guess the card was destroyed in the crash" Stella spoke in response.

Fred's eyes widened. "But why Gucci?" he asked perplexed.

"Your friends either own or have contacts with all the major fashion labels. I couldn't have bought anything without them either informing you or paying for it. Since you aren't that brand conscious I guessed I could get you something from Gucci with my money." Stella explained.

"What's mine is yours, honey. Till death do us apart," Fred said solemnly.

Stella mutely nodded as a single tear escaped and trickled down onto the bed. Fred smiled looking at the faint smile that graced her chapped lips.