Vegas Wedding

Colleen

"I'm not getting in a car with you you're drunk." His hands rested on my shoulders as he directed me through the kitchen and to the exit "I have a driver, Colleen, relax, the last thing I want is a drunk driving lawsuit against me." I pushed the door open to outside and the rare cool air hit us. "So do you want a divorce or..." his car pulled up as he asked, opening the door for me "What or? There is no or option. We don't love each other." He smirked shutting the door running around the car to get in on the other side "marriage is not all about love..." I gasped as he motioned for the driver to go "now I really want a divorce!" "Oh don't be such a romantic Colleen, arranged marriages used to be very common... they were business deals, they were practical, simpler." I tried to drop my jaw but the pain was too much so I just tried to turn my back to him "really Colleen, turning your back on me..." I shot around "you think this is some big joke, this is not a joke to me!" Every single facial expression just became more and more painful "than what is this?" He asked pulling his phone out of his jacket " this is a catastrophe! I spent my whole childhood cutting out pictures from bridal magazines and southern living... I have worked in weddings since I was in college!" He started laughing at me "marriage is ridiculous Colleen... weddings are just expensive parties for people to flaunt their supposed happiness in everyone's face!" I just stared at him, if I hadn't been marriage counselor for a few years, I would have gotten out of the car and walked to the hospital... well that and my throbbing nose. "Did you have an unhappy childhood? Were your parents always fighting?" His mouth opened to say something as the car stopped, I quickly opened my door before anyone else could. In my haste I tripped on the edge of the curb, broke my heel, luckily catching myself with my arm... until pain shot through it and then my face landed on the concrete. "Oh my god!" I barely heard Mark scramble out of the car, but as he tried to help me off the ground... and failed, the tears started pouring out of my eyes. "Look I know nothing is ideal, but crying is a bit dramatic... it was just a stupid night in Vegas!" I know he was trying to cheer me up, but it really just made me cry more. He put his arms under my crumpled body and carried me into the emergency room.

"What's your full name?" Mark asked as he held the clipboard trying to fill it out for me "she's going to kill me... actually kill me, my mother is probably make some huge deal out of all of this..." "is that spelled the way it sounds?" I kicked him with what was still my good right leg "Colleen Daphne Calhoun." He started snickering "or is it Cox?" I stared at him "that isn't funny Mark, what the hell is my name? What do we put down? Has it even been filed?" His eyes widened "I'll go ask..." "Or get a time machine and go back to before we got married and stop us from making the biggest mistake of our lives!" I whisper shouted at him "I'll ask..." he sauntered up to the front desk and came back quickly "yeah you're Colleen Cox..." I let out one of the biggest sighs and felt my phone vibrate in my clutch. "Any previous injuries or surgeries?" I nodded opening the clutch and checking my phone, only one slightly concerned text from Brooke. I tossed it back in there and shut it "broken leg, dislocated knee, and fractured wrist." He stared at me "did you come from the streets or..." "softball... now hurry up, this really hurts!" I took my good hand off my nose and tapped on the clipboard "Alright I'm going... current medications?"  "birth control" "do you want to specify what kind?" I let out a groan "do you really need to?" He nodded "fine the little blue pill, I don't know what it's called... but I know it's a pain in the ass to get from my doctor, having to get the 3rd degree every time." Mark snickered "that's not funny either Mark, if I want birth control I should be able to get birth control without being sneered at!" He held up his hands in surrender "I love birth control, it's stopped many a little Mark's from running around." "Fill out the damn form!" "Fine just your birthdate and emergency contact." "6/15/1990... and I guess put my mom," he frowned at me "That's sad," "what that my mom is my emergency contact?" He nodded and started writing something else down "what are you putting?" He held the form in front of my face. Written neatly in the little box was Mark Cox, Husband followed by his phone number "I don't even have your number in my phone."

"Yeah that definitely broken." After waiting two hours I finally saw a doctor, he took one look at the nose and made that deduction... I could have told him that three hours ago "well I'll just slap this little bandage on here, not much I can do now, here's a card for a plastic surgeon... and your arm should be fine, just slap a little brace on, ice it occasionally." He checked a few boxes, signed a page and then told us we were free to go. I jumped off the bed and remembered that one of my heels was broken, this day keeps getting worse and worse. "Where do you want me to take you?" He asked as we walked out the door, standing in the parking lot... I looked around and just felt the tears roll down my face, I turned away from him heels in hand, but he just walked around, standing in front again "just tell me where you want to go... your place, the hotel..." I wiped the tears away shaking my head "I have to go back to the rehearsal dinner." He glanced at his watch "it's over Colleen." "No, I have to make sure it was cleaned up and packed properly... then I have to go to that stupid hotel with the rest of them and sleep in the identical monogrammed pajamas so there can be cute pictures... then there's a maximum of six hours sleep before the venue starts to set up, and then the floral arrangements arrive an hour after that, they need to be placed and inspected, next the cake arrives and the caterer prepares the space... then comes the priest... I run back to the hotel at the other end of the property to get ready, run back to the main venue, do a final inspection of the ceremony grounds and start greeting guests... and of course mentally freak out about the reception during the ceremony because I can't be in that room." He just stared at me for a little while in silence as the warm Georgia breeze brushed in between us, and then leaned down to kiss me dead on the lips "why don't you come home with me instead? Skip the little stuff, get a good night sleep..." "Mark what..." he kissed me again "I barely know you..." "you married me..." I stepped back from him and ended up with my bare foot in a puddle "god damn it!" He started laughing as I jumped out of the puddle "come on, you can stay in one of my guest rooms... hide away from everyone." I shook my head "I have responsibilities... this is my company... everyone is watching, if I screw up, I am ruined." Mark started smiling "that attitude right there makes me want to stayed marry to you." I shoved my broken shoes into his chest and walked away pulling out my phone "Colleen what are you?" I held a finger up as he followed me "Yeah I'd like a cab, Atlanta General Hospital." "Don't be ridiculous!" "5 minutes? Great Thank you!" he grabbed my one good arm "are you being serious?" I crossed my arms "Mark you have insulted my profession, called me ridiculous, insinuated that it is my fault we're married... why the hell would I want to come home with you?" he shut up and we stood there in the warm Georgia breeze until my cab showed up.