one knew for sure. There were no guarantees. We have been constantly reminded of that by all these doctors. Experts. Specialists. Every medical doctor involve with Linc’s case at the hospital except for my dad has reminded us of this.
No guarantees. Got it. Now what?
I felt the full force of Davis Presley’s hatred of me in this meeting. I am a problem that needs to be solved. Pronto.
Linc is to be released from the hospital some time tomorrow. This meeting, this intervention, becomes the subterfuge to that action, I just don’t realize it at the time. The press has been hounding all of us. Every time we leave the hospital there is a request from a reporter for an update on Lincoln Presley. Linc remains national news from ESPN to ABC. Everyone wants to know about the baseball pitcher’s condition. “Brain surgery can be serious; he may never be the same,” one reporter has said.
I try not to watch the coverage because it sickened me and made it worse on all fronts.
News, good or bad, a breaking story is the goal for every reporter camped outside the front of the hospital. It isn’t my job to help them out and yet I serve as the tastiest bait even if I don’t want to be any part of it; the speculation about Linc and me has already started. Public records of our on-line application for a marriage license have been subsequently discovered and now the questions really begin.
“He was supposed to be getting married to his fiancee, Tally Landon, next month, but public records indicate the two were planning to get married at City Hall in downtown San Francisco the following day, just hours before his unfortunate accident put him in a coma twelve days ago. Ms. Landon refuses to comment on the marriage license application or the couple’s future plans which seem to be in question at this point.”
“Will the wedding with Lincoln Presley go forward as planned? Let’s find out. Ms. Landon, over here, Jay Otter with Sports Network, is it true you two are going forward with your wedding in mid-November now? Can you tell us your plans?”
“Is he going to be all right? Is he talking?”
“Ms. Landon, can you comment?”
“Is it true he refuses to see you?” I whirl around at that one and look hard at the reporter who dares to ask me such a thing.
“Not true,” I say fiercely but then the barrage of questions hurl from all directions like arrows from a thousand bows. Holy shit. I’ve stepped into hell.
Kimberley Powers comes to my rescue. “Ms. Landon will have no further comment. Yes, she and Lincoln Presley are still engaged and plan to marry when Linc is feeling better. Can you give the woman some space? She’s had to put her whole life as well as her wedding plans on hold; back off. Please .” Kimberley smiles sweetly at the reporters and ushers me through a side entrance to the hospital.
“That was bad,” I say in the growing silence as we navigate our way to the ICU.
She gives me a hard look. “Don’t talk to them, Tally. Ever. Like never. You’ll never satisfy their curiosity. They’re under a constant deadline, and they want the story any way they can get it. You think Candy Baxstrom was bad? She was a walk in the park compared to most of the reporters out there. Don’t talk to them. Send all the inquiries to me. You’ve got my card. Use it .” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Okay.”
“God what a flipping nightmare,” she says more to herself.
Now, she won’t meet my gaze and I’m left to wonder what we are really talking about here. Yeah, it’s bad. Linc is a wreck. So am I. But we’ll get through it. I know she’s upset about Linc; we all are. However, I sense there’s more. I ask her as much, but she shakes her head at me and gets a tired smile and asks me if I’ve eaten. My food intake is a constant quest for everybody around here. I just roll my eyes and refuse to answer.
Now, some part of me already knows my personal problems are about to get worse. I
No guarantees. Got it. Now what?
I felt the full force of Davis Presley’s hatred of me in this meeting. I am a problem that needs to be solved. Pronto.
Linc is to be released from the hospital some time tomorrow. This meeting, this intervention, becomes the subterfuge to that action, I just don’t realize it at the time. The press has been hounding all of us. Every time we leave the hospital there is a request from a reporter for an update on Lincoln Presley. Linc remains national news from ESPN to ABC. Everyone wants to know about the baseball pitcher’s condition. “Brain surgery can be serious; he may never be the same,” one reporter has said.
I try not to watch the coverage because it sickened me and made it worse on all fronts.
News, good or bad, a breaking story is the goal for every reporter camped outside the front of the hospital. It isn’t my job to help them out and yet I serve as the tastiest bait even if I don’t want to be any part of it; the speculation about Linc and me has already started. Public records of our on-line application for a marriage license have been subsequently discovered and now the questions really begin.
“He was supposed to be getting married to his fiancee, Tally Landon, next month, but public records indicate the two were planning to get married at City Hall in downtown San Francisco the following day, just hours before his unfortunate accident put him in a coma twelve days ago. Ms. Landon refuses to comment on the marriage license application or the couple’s future plans which seem to be in question at this point.”
“Will the wedding with Lincoln Presley go forward as planned? Let’s find out. Ms. Landon, over here, Jay Otter with Sports Network, is it true you two are going forward with your wedding in mid-November now? Can you tell us your plans?”
“Is he going to be all right? Is he talking?”
“Ms. Landon, can you comment?”
“Is it true he refuses to see you?” I whirl around at that one and look hard at the reporter who dares to ask me such a thing.
“Not true,” I say fiercely but then the barrage of questions hurl from all directions like arrows from a thousand bows. Holy shit. I’ve stepped into hell.
Kimberley Powers comes to my rescue. “Ms. Landon will have no further comment. Yes, she and Lincoln Presley are still engaged and plan to marry when Linc is feeling better. Can you give the woman some space? She’s had to put her whole life as well as her wedding plans on hold; back off. Please .” Kimberley smiles sweetly at the reporters and ushers me through a side entrance to the hospital.
“That was bad,” I say in the growing silence as we navigate our way to the ICU.
She gives me a hard look. “Don’t talk to them, Tally. Ever. Like never. You’ll never satisfy their curiosity. They’re under a constant deadline, and they want the story any way they can get it. You think Candy Baxstrom was bad? She was a walk in the park compared to most of the reporters out there. Don’t talk to them. Send all the inquiries to me. You’ve got my card. Use it .” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“Okay.”
“God what a flipping nightmare,” she says more to herself.
Now, she won’t meet my gaze and I’m left to wonder what we are really talking about here. Yeah, it’s bad. Linc is a wreck. So am I. But we’ll get through it. I know she’s upset about Linc; we all are. However, I sense there’s more. I ask her as much, but she shakes her head at me and gets a tired smile and asks me if I’ve eaten. My food intake is a constant quest for everybody around here. I just roll my eyes and refuse to answer.
Now, some part of me already knows my personal problems are about to get worse. I
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