All of Me

3. Chapter Three - Smithereens-2

The movie’s director stood at the podium with one of the studio lawyers and held his hand up for silence. The congregated press gaggle silenced. The director nodded.

“As you know, the press interviews scheduled for this afternoon were cancelled at short notice due to an incident. We can now confirm details of that incident. At precisely three-ten p.m., a beloved cast member was violently and sexually assaulted by a member of the tabloid press.”

A furor broke out amongst the journalists, but the director wasn’t finished. “This is unacceptable and horrifying. An arrest has been made, and we will be pressing charges against that journalist. The incident, while not witnessed by anyone in person, was captured on the hotel security cameras and was audibly witnessed by one of the cast member’s family. We want to ask you, out of respect, not to try and speculate which cast member was the victim of this horrific attack nor invade their or their family’s privacy.”

“Can you confirm whether the cast member was male or female?” A question from the back.

The director glared at the whole pack. “What did I just say? The cast member is being cared for, and you will not invade his or her privacy. We will update you on the case when we have more.”

Tiger watched the news conference dispassionately from her hospital bed. Along the bottom of the screen ran the words, ‘Backslash Studios abruptly cancels press interviews in wake of serious ‘incident.’ Police have made arrest. Man charged with serious s****l offenses and assault.’

That was her they were talking about. She felt numb, almost paralyzed. Apollo had been frantic, hearing her being attacked, and the police had told her they were flying both Apollo and Nell out to be with Tiger.

Tiger closed her eyes. There were so many people around her now that she felt she couldn’t breathe. Grant Waller had been arrested, and she had been brought here where a laceration on her hairline was treated. Bruises were forming all over her body, but she couldn’t feel the physical pain of them.

She waited until the others in her room were distracted before slipping out. She just needed a few minutes, just a few minutes peace to get her head together, and here, in this hospital, she felt safe enough to be alone.

She found a stairwell and curled up in a corner near a window. She heard a door well below her open but didn’t hear anyone approach. It wasn’t until someone far below her began to talk that she realized someone else was hiding out here, too.

“Jess? Jessie…” A man began to cry quietly, and the heartbreak in his voice made her eyes fill with tears. “It’s okay. India’s okay… it’s just… I needed to talk to someone. I’m sorry if I’ve filled up your voicemail, I don’t want to intrude. I just… Massi is so destroyed by this that I don’t feel I can fall apart. Gabe is… Gabe. India’s awake and she’s trying to make jokes all of the time, but… I’m a wreck, Jessie.” He laughed softly. “God, do me a favor, would you delete this? I’m just rambling like an i***t, but you’re the only one I can share with. Everyone needs me, Jessie and… God, I’m sorry. Ignore me. I love you. I’ll call you later.”

Tiger heard him flicked his phone off, then heard the door open. “Mr. Schuler?”

“Yes?”

“Ms. Blue is asking for you.”

“Of course.”

The door squeaked again, and then Tiger knew she was alone in the stairwell. Lazlo Schuler. He sounded as wrecked as she felt right now. Tiger wondered if, like her, all he wanted to do was run away, leave everything and everyone behind, cocoon herself away from all the hurt and the pain in the world.

Because that was all she wanted to do now. The studio had released her from performing the rest of her public relation commitments, probably worried about being sued out the wazoo for not protecting her. So, she was going home, back to Washington, but not to Seattle. She knew exactly where she was going to go, somewhere no one would find her in a hurry: the small house she’d bought quietly a few years back to be a bolt hole. It would be perfect for her now. Apollo didn’t need her in Seattle; he had Nell and the baby.

It was time for Tiger to finally be truly on her own.