ENTANGLED: A McCarthy Love Story

CHAPTER 024

Sammy felt like her head was going to fall off, she had let herself over indulge after she had promised herself that the last time was the last time. At least she didn’t wake up in a stranger’s bed this time, she didn’t wake up in her bed this time either but she was no stranger to Vicky’s apartment.
Vicky was still asleep when she woke up so she snuck out of bed. Water. She needed water because her mouth felt like it had gone to a desert for an extended vacation. And she also needed a thickly brewed cup of coffee or a jug, it felt like she could finish a jug of coffee right now.
She first got the coffee maker going before pouring herself a tall glass of water and downed it in one gulp, she poured another before remembering there was a possibility of a packet of aspirin being in her purse. She slowly dragged herself to the corner where she and Vicky had both carelessly dumped their purses and shoes and then picked up her purse. She dipped her hand into it and the first thing she felt was Nick’s envelope from yesterday, before she could stop herself, she pulled it out. Headache and aspirin forgotten she dropped the bag back on the floor and then let her curiosity guide her when she carefully tore open the envelope. She vividly remembered how surprised she had been the last time she had gotten one of these from his father. At that time, she hadn't known what to expect so it had totally caught her off-guard when she saw his hefty cheque. But now she knew exactly what was in the envelope – maybe not exactly but she could guess. The envelope this time looked thicker and slightly bigger than the last time, so did that mean the money was bigger this time? She wondered as she finally unfolded the papers.
“Oh my God” she whispered to herself as she read through the contents of the papers she held.
“Oh my God!” she repeated, this time louder than the first time.
“Vicky!” she screamed but only because she wasn’t believing what she was seeing and she needed someone else to tell her if she was hallucinating or imagining things.
Did hangovers make people hallucinate?
“Vicky!” she called again before friend staggered out looking like crap
“What? What?” she asked looking around for what might be making her friend scream this early in the morning.
“Come take a look at this” Sammy requested her eyes never leaving the papers
“What? You called me out of bed this early because of this?” Vicky asked frustrated
“You need to see this”
“Can’t it wait? I’m tired and hungover and I need more sleep before I have to go into work” Vicky whined
“It can’t” Sammy said going and thrusting the papers into her friend’s hands.
Vicky took them with a sigh of frustration and then Sammy watched as her eyes went from tired and bored to wide and shocked,
“Oh my God” she whispered in just the same tone Sammy had merely seconds before and if Sammy hadn't still been in shock she would have found it a tad  amusing.
Vicky looked up at Sammy,
“Oh my God!” her eyes widening in excitement.
“what are you going to do?” she asked
“I gotta find him” Sammy replied realising. She was already putting on her shoes before she thought about it. She picked up her earlier discarded purse and then took the papers back from Vicky and shoved it back into the bag,
“I gotta go” she repeated and then hurried out.

SAMMY KNEW EXACTLY where Nick was going to be, at least she hoped she did. She knew he only stayed in one hotel when he came to New York and that was the hotel they had both stayed in, so she hoped to catch him there before he got out of bed.
She took a taxi, there was no way she could sit through a subway ride, knowing what she knew now. She practically raced in when the taxi stopped her in front of the hotel complex. And when the receptionist told her that he checked out about twenty minutes ago, Sammy thought she was going to die. Checked out to where? She wanted to ask. Did that mean he had gone back to Texas? Or worse, Europe. Her heart sank at the realisation.
With shaky hands she pulled out her phone and then dialled his number, it rang with no response for the first couple of times and then at the third ring the operator told her that the number was unavailable.
Of course he didn’t want to speak to her, not after the things she had said to him yesterday. She had been so rude and cruel, with the intentions of hurting him and by the look on his face when he’d left, she had succeeded. And now she couldn’t take it back.
She stood in the hotel lobby and tried to think of what to do. If Nick had already left for Europe then that meant she had lost him forever, she didn’t want to lose him forever, she realised in panic. Her heart, she was sure wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Charlie!
She dialled Charlie’s number immediately and was almost driven to tears with relief when she picked up at the first ring.
“Hey beautiful” Charlie greeted with that her beautifully nice voice
“Hi Charlie” Sammy replied with so much relief
“It’s so nice to hear from you. How are you doing?” Charlie asked and Sammy could hear Luca faintly from the other end of the line asking his wife,
“Who is that?”
“It’s Sammy” she replied and then back to Sammy,
“Are you okay?” she asked
“No. I need to  find Nick, I can’t find him cause he’s checked out of the hotel and I don’t know where he is or where I can find him. He’s not picking my calls and now the operator is saying his phone is not available. I don’t know what to do, please help me”
“Samantha breathe” Charlie reminded her. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled the same way.
“Can you help me?” she asked
“Of course. I don’t think his flight’s left already but I’m gonna call Peter from the airline. Can you make it to the airport?”
“Yes” Sammy replied desperately, she would make it to the ends of the earth if it meant Nick would be there waiting when she got there.
“Good. I’m going to text you his number, he’s a friend of the family and he’ll be waiting when you get there cause I’m going to call him, okay?”
Sammy nodded and then realised she needed to use her words because Charlie couldn’t see her,
“Yes. Thank you, thank you.” 
“Sammy relax, you’re gonna find him and then you two…” Charlie stopped talking and then she inhaled sharply
“Charlie? Are you okay?” Sammy and Luca asked simultaneously
“I think I’m in labour” she told them and Sammy could hear the excitement coming from her voice. Only Charlie would be excited about going into labour.
“Babe I told you, you need to stop this. It’s not funny anymore” Sammy heard Luca reprimand her from the other end of the line
“I’m not kidding” just then Sammy started to hear the water gush
“My water just broke” Charlie said into the phone, her excitement more evident.
“Your water just broke?” Sammy asked
“Her water just broke. Oh god!” Luca confirmed, he sounded so nervous and scared.
“Sam, head to the airport, I’m going into labour but Luca’s still going to call Peter” Charlie instructed in a high-pitched voice.
“Me?” Luca asked nervously
“Yes” Charlie replied
“But I’m in labour” he told her
“No, I’m in labour baby.” She corrected
“Okay that’s true. You’re in labour, I’ll call Peter” he said as if realising that he wasn’t actually the one going into labour.
“Sammy I gotta go, go get your man. I’ll call you when I pop out this thing inside of me. Goodluck!” she hung up before Sammy could get a chance to say anything.
Sammy smiled, Charlie was in labour. Sammy was glad she had witnessed it even if it was just a few seconds of it. Now, she had to go find her man.