“He had a beard,” I feebly defended myself.
“I told you it was an alias, didn’t I?” Conrad replied, folding his arms over his chest and adopting a smug expression.
Ross high-fived Charlie. “Chad Woodcock rocks!”
“I’m so confused,” Reese said. “Who did you save? RJ or Chad?”
“They’re one and the same,” Otis replied. “Try to follow along, Octomom.”
“I have two babies in here. I’m not incubating an army.”
Kaia, the shyest swimmer in the group, spoke up from her spot in the corner. “What are you going to do now?”
I shrugged. “Wait here at the hospital until he wakes up. It’s really all I can do.”
“Do you think he’ll want to see you when he wakes up?” she asked.
The thought hadn’t crossed my mind, but now that it had been asked, I wasn’t so sure myself. Would he need me now? Would I matter in his big, important life? But I thought I knew RJ well enough to answer her question with confidence. “Yes, Kaia, I think I’ll be the first person he’ll want to see.”
“Ah, you’re so lucky,” she said, stars twinkling in her eyes.
“Lucky and unlucky,” Otis said, weighing the two options with his hands. “She did have to nearly die to get his attention, and that’s never a recommended first date icebreaker.”
“You want my advice?” Conrad asked, staring at me with his characteristic intensity.
“Always.”
“With a high-profile celebrity in the hospital, there’s going to be extra security on his floor. If you don’t want to get kicked out of here, sit back, stay silent, and blend. And keep that wristband on.”
I nodded, filing away his suggestions. After securing assurance from my siblings that they wouldn’t repeat the story I’d told them, they trickled out of the hospital one by one until only Simone remained. “Are you sure I can’t stay with you?”
“No. I have a better chance of getting past security alone.”
“I know, but I hate to leave you after what you’ve been through.”
I held up my phone, newly updated with my contacts. “But now I have a phone and can reach you.”
“That’s true. Here.” She pressed cash into my hand. “Take this for food.”
I hugged her. “You’re the best.”
“I know.” She winked, swatting my butt before walking away. “Now we’re adjourned.”
I found myself a nice little cubby in the ICU waiting room, a spot where I could watch everyone coming and going. The goal was to find and then introduce myself to RJ’s family. It seemed the only way into his inner circle, even if, according to RJ, they hadn’t been a part of it for many years. But I understood that family ties could be a tricky thing, and I reminded myself to keep an open mind. There were always two sides to every story, and maybe RJ was just too close to his to see clearly.
An hour passed, maybe two, which I spent most of googling RJ and his family on my new phone. What surprised me most was that for the high-volume public figure that RJ was, as well as the sheer number of pictures of him on the internet, I couldn’t find even one image of them together as a family. The other AnyDayNow boys were photographed beside their next of kin, but not RJ. Never RJ.
Murmuring in the waiting room caught my attention. I looked up to see a press conference commencing on the TV overhead. I moved closer, wanting to hear what was being said. With the backdrop of our apartment building, now a pile of rubble, the police chief went on to describe the state of things after the 7.1 magnitude monster earthquake had roared through her city. Lasting just over twenty seconds, the temblor and its many aftershocks had caused widespread damage. Sections of major freeways had collapsed. Buildings had fallen, although none as dramatically as ours. Roads had spilt in two. Even a tsunami warning had been issued, putting the entire coastline on alert. And the loss of life… there was no doubt in anyone’s mind it would be staggering.
“As far as the reports circulating about popular boy band member RJ Contreras,” the police chief continued, “we can confirm that he was in the parking garage of the building behind me when the earthquake struck and subsequently became trapped inside. We can also confirm that he was pulled free from the rubble by another survivor less than an hour before the building collapsed. RJ was taken to the hospital, where he has undergone surgery for a range of injuries. He’s currently in the intensive care unit. I have no further information on his condition at this time.”
One by one, major players stepped up to the microphone to discuss disaster relief plans, road closures, the Red Cross. I lost interest then, secure in the knowledge that my siblings had provided me with all the assistance I needed. It wasn’t until reporters started firing questions that my interest was piqued once more.
My sources tell me that RJ was forced to amputate his own leg to escape the wreckage because rescue workers were not allowed in the building to rescue those trapped inside?
RJ was the only survivor pulled from the rubble. Did he receive preferential treatment because he’s a celebrity?
“I’m not authorized to speak to RJ’s medical condition. I will say that the decision to not allow the rescue efforts to continue was a heavy blow for our brave first responders, who were ready and willing to step inside the building and save whoever they could. As hard as it was, we believe we prevented further loss of life with the difficult decision. And there was no preferential treatment. RJ was not rescued by our first responders. He was rescued by a young woman who was with him at the time of the collapse.”
That piece of information sent the crowd into a frenzy, with questions coming from all corners.
What do we know about this woman?
Can we get a name?
“The young woman is not a public figure and has not consented to her name being distributed to news outlets. But I would like to commend her. This woman showed an incredible amount of bravery, risking her own safety to help RJ escape the building. That’s all for now. I’ll update you when we have further details.”
I watched the police chief walk away, spellbound by what he’d said. They were protecting me, maybe even protecting the firefighters, if they knew about their involvement at all. This story was bigger than I ever could have imagined, and I was sure the quake would set off a ripple effect that could very well alter my life for good. Was I ready for that? Maybe on RJ’s arm I’d be okay, but on my own, I wasn’t so sure the frenzied press wouldn’t eat me alive.
Giving up on the news, I went back to my row of chairs and lay down. With my head resting on my hands and my feet tucked up under me on the hard, unforgiving seat, the events of the day finally caught up to me, and I fell fast asleep. How long I slept I couldn’t say, but I was jerked awake by an aftershock that sent startled gasps around the waiting room. I shot upright, smacking my head on the armrest.
“Ow,” I whined, rubbing my skull while taking a glance around at my fellow waiters. Most looked as startled as me, but there was one…
I narrowed in on her, my eyes popping open when I realized who it was sitting by herself in a row of seats opposite mine: Heather Contreras. Two things immediately stood out about her. One, she seemed not to be affected by the trembler at all, going about her business like nothing was wrong. And two, she did not look like the monster RJ had described her to be. But then, the worst ones never did.