Chapter 13 Old Foxes

13. Old Foxes

Nina, Paul, and Tony were all the time beside David in the room as he slept, had been medicated, and was very sleepy. Nina could barely look them both in the eye. She was avoiding them on purpose. She didn't owe them anything, not after everything she had heard at the hotel. The two didn't try any kind of approach either, but watched her as if she were something from another planet. Nina had to go out into the corridor to tell her friends that she would not be boarding, and while Nina was talking on her cell phone, Paul and Tony followed her and monitored her with their eyes. So Nina put her phone in her purse and sat in an armchair in the empty corridor. That area would be as isolated as possible. No one could leak to the press everything that was going on. This was even the biggest concern of agents Paul and Tony. They put all their suspicions on Nina. They thought that she would take exclusive pictures of the situation to sell to the press.

Sitting alone in that armchair outside David's room, staring into the distance, Nina was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She was trying her best, repressing her feelings, doing everything to keep from crying. The feelings were the most varied at that moment: fear, trepidation, shame, and insecurity. A thousand thoughts invaded her mind: "Was David not normal when he was with her? Could this be why he was behaving this way? Would he be different when he woke up? Would he take her side, or would he let his team accuse her and hang her, even though none of it was her fault? Would he be himself after the treatment? Would he accuse her too?"

She was getting confused. She even wondered if it was all her fault since he had said he was recovering in a clinic, that he was in treatment. Nina's eyes were full of tears, her friends were already on their way to Norway and she had been left alone in that situation in Italy.

It is as Heidegger, a great philosopher, and thinker, taught us: "Each day, imperceptibly, we move away from ourselves. We are slowly influenced by "things" that are not ours, "truths" that are placed upon us that are not ours and by which we let ourselves be guided. Before we know it, we no longer recognize ourselves in the mirror! However, the secret is to search for ourselves day by day, always looking for ourselves, fighting for our own truth. Not in a neurotic way, but a movement of constructive self-knowledge."

Nina was lost in her distressing thoughts, alone in that hallway, when suddenly Paul and Tony approached her and sat around her looking like evil wolves devouring women alone and defenseless. They both greeted her gruffly and started talking about how they wanted to get to the point.

Nina's eyes widened and she knew that nothing good would come of it. "What now ... they are going to kick me out of the hospital while David sleeps and I have no hotel, no other flight, I don't even have my things (since Nina had heard the two say on the way that they would move David from that unethical spa, from where they had leaked information and photos to the press). "Oh God, help me! Help me, little God, at this hour. God, help me!" That was the mantra Nina was repeating in her mind trying to calm herself down. She had been holding on for hours, and she was not going to take one more insult, one more humiliation.

Then Paul started talking:

- You must have heard everything we talked about at the hotel. I don't know who you are, how you got close to David, or what you want. But I know one thing, you are not going to destroy his career. We don't want you here with him. He doesn't even want you here himself. He woke up and asked us to come and solve this situation because he doesn't know what to do with you. He is confused, he is mentally ill, or do you think he would have gotten involved with a little woman like you if he were in his normal state of health? He is used to having thousands of high society women at his feet. Rich people like money. And he has a girlfriend, did you know? An actress of his level, very rich and very famous, they have not yet taken it on for work reasons. They act together, they're just waiting for the dust to settle.

Tears streamed down Nina's face nonstop. She had always been so angry, but at that moment, she was such a coward! "She should have stood up to them!" But she didn't know how to act. She looked one way, there were hospital security guards. I looked the other way, there were private security guards. She looked forward, there were those two foxes dressed as agents in front of her. They were slaughtering her. Removing her skin in cold blood with their hands, like the rabbit and wild animal dealers do to dress up many of the classy rich in "luxury and glamour".

Nina didn't want to rush into anything. She was afraid of that industry. She knew that the one who had everything to lose there was her. Those two could just give a simple order to the security guards and they would throw her out of there. They could claim or forge anything since David was doped up, and the doctors at the clinic didn't know the truth, the agents could have told them anything about David's condition. Even more so with the sea of unrest in the news serving as evidence.

Nina mentally calmed herself as she thought, "I can't make a fuss. I can't even cuss them back. That's all they want now. They're going to break their faces! I can't believe David talked to them. I don't believe a word coming out of those two vermin's mouths." "I have to act. Think, think, think... "They can talk to David all they want after they get rid of me since he is bedridden and debilitated. They can say that I just left, or that they found evidence that I was the one who turned him over to the press..." Then they interrupted Nina's thoughts:

- What we have to propose is this: We will accommodate you under our surveillance until we can get you on the next flight to Norway. In the meantime you have to give us the phone, we don't trust people like you. We know very well what they are capable of. Poor people who want to climb the ladder at any cost on top of other people's careers. It's been years of hard work and effort, my dear. Take it or leave it! If you let go, you'll be out on your own, believe me! If you accept, we can make a deal and we won't expose you so that the whole world can see you for the villain and con artist that you are! You will be persecuted for the rest of your life if that happens. Think about your work. Let's get tough.

Nina couldn't stop crying. There were so many reasons! But the main reason was that she was holding back at the highest level so as not to spit in their faces everything she thought. She couldn't retort or else she might have even worse consequences. Nina took the phone out of her purse and handed it over. They even asked to search for her. She nodded her head saying yes. She stood up and spread her arms looking at them, David's private security guards were watching from afar. They couldn't do anything there in that situation. David was hospitalized, his agents deciding everything at that moment. The security guards of the "show" business were certainly used to seeing this kind of trickery. They knew what these people were capable of.

When Paul and Tony approached Nina to search her, the nurse and the doctor who were in the room with David opened the door and looking directly at Nina said:

- Mrs. Dahl?

Nina, crying, lowered her arms and made a gesture confirming that it was her.

- Mr. David demands your presence. He woke up calling for you. Please come with us, ma'am.

And the nurse-led her into the room. She felt as if she had realized that something was wrong out there in the corridor. She saw Nina's frightened face, her arms hanging in the air just as they opened the door to the room. Nina was crying at having to go through such humiliation. The nurse took care to get her away from those two immediately. Paul and Tony also went to the entrance of the room, but the doctor and the nurse said that only Nina could enter for the time being. They explained that Mr. David wanted to see her alone. And he instructed the other two to wait where they were.

The doctor and nurse went in with Nina. They informed her that he could not undergo stress for the next 24 hours. Nina agreed. The nurse looked her in the eye and said:

- We will see to it that all stress around him is removed.

Nina understood that she meant the agents. So the nurse let her into the bed to see him. When Nina walked into the room and saw him, everything inside her lit up. All that pain was suddenly gone, all doubt turned to certainty, and all she could see was him in front of her. Nothing else existed. That same look was still there. That once tired smile from the medication. He smiled at her so wide that she could reach it even if she had gone to Norway.

- Hello, stranger!

Nina pursed her lips, sighing deeply so as not to collapse right there. All happening at the same time. She knew she was strong, but she didn't know she was so strong!

- Hello, Richard. Can I still call you Rich?

They both smiled. The same harmony was still there. She was breathing better, grounded in herself after having gone through psychological torture earlier. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to him and held his hand.

- Where were you? David asked.

- I went to take care of some things.

- What things took so long?

- Oh, Rich. - she said, almost unable to smile. - I went to the bathroom, got some coffee, called Lyon and Kara. You fell asleep... By the way, I have to tell work that I didn't come back to Norway.

- It will all work out, Nina. They will transfer me to a room with a companion bed.

- They are, are they?

Nina couldn't let on how nervous she was. She couldn't stop thinking about what was coming next. All that was going through her mind was that she was alone in this battle against a team of people who would do anything to get her out of his life. Even elaborate plans to incriminate her of something.

- David. Rich... You know that at some point I'm going to have to go back to Norway, right?

- That's great! I'm dying to visit Norway.

- Okay, then. Let's not talk about it. First, you have to get well, and then we can run away to my home in Norway.

- Yes, it's a deal.

Nina frowned and was a little doubtful of him, she said jokingly, giving intonation to their fantasies. But David was very serious.

- Now are you going to tell me what really happened, or am I going to have to find out for myself?

Nina choked on the water she was drinking as she listened to him.

- What are you talking about?

- Your face looks terrible, Nina.

- Oh ...thank you.

- You know what I'm talking about. Stop winding me up! You were crying, crying a lot. Your face is all swollen from crying.

- David, you need to breathe, you need to relax, you need to disconnect. That's doctor's orders! And the nurse's orders, and my orders too.

- Your orders I accept. Now spit it out!

- I was worried, that's all. I felt helpless, alone, you were doped up for hours, my friends left, I'm here without a hotel, without a plane, without even my clothes. You know how I get without my stuff. They smiled, remembering how she had to go to her hotel to get her bags a few days ago.

- Was that really all?

- Of course. What else could it have been?

- Did someone treat you badly while I was sleeping?

- Of course not. And you think that if someone had treated me badly I wouldn't know how to defend myself, do you? - He smiled, satisfied with his answer.

- Okay, you've convinced me for now. Only because I know you're a tough lady.

Nina was very happy that he had woken up well. And she wasn't sure what would happen to him from then on, because she couldn't tell David everything that was happening. She was afraid of triggering something even worse in his emotional state if there was a fight between him and his team. Every second was terrifying...

- You're not going anywhere near me anymore. You are going to be my private nurse. I don't need another one.

- Oh, no. I don't want to go back to work, so I'm just going to lie around as an escort. Besides, I don't look sexy in uniform. He loved it when she tried to be funny, she was clumsy with jokes. He stared at her...

- Oh, no... You're looking at me like that when you squeeze your eyes shut... I don't know why I had to say the words uniform and sexy in the same sentence... now you're getting ideas I know... And the two of them stayed in that comfortable, light mood for a long time.

- I am weakened mentally, not physically, nurse. said David, trying to persuade her to lie down with him.

- David, behave yourself, you have visitors outside. They could come in at any moment. Suddenly the nurse enters and warns them that their agents have come to say goodbye.

Paul and Tony enter the room not sure what to expect. They were afraid that Nina had told them everything, and that David was going to throw them out at that moment. They greeted Nina, who was so nervous that her voice was shaking. She even stammered. She got up from the edge of the bed and, looking at the floor, trembled and said that she was going to the bathroom. David stopped her. Always observing the smallest details in Nina and around her. He was thorough.

- Nina. You don't have to go that far again. Stay. Use the bathroom in this room. Please. She lifted her head, looked at him, didn't notice the frightened expression in her own eyes, and went into the bathroom. She washed her face, tried to look better, but had to use a towel to cover her sobs. Then she put on makeup to try to cover up the traces of her tears and went back to her room. The two agents of evil had already left.

- I know you're hiding something from me. I'm not going to get it out of you now, but you know I can, right?

She sat down next to him on the bed and shook her head yes.

- I'm not going to force you to say anything because I know you're looking out for me. But let's make a pact, Nina. We won't hide anything from each other, no matter what it is or how it is. We won't lie to each other, ever, ever. Until death does us part, amen. - he joked.

And Nina then forgot all about crying again at his jokes and ironies.

- Come on, don't wind me up, swear!

And he joked, asking where was the needle to pierce their fingers and make the pact come true. Nina made the sign of the cross and said that a pact with blood is the devil's work.

- I swear! But no blood pact, okay?

- Okay. Despite everything that is happening in the world, all this worldwide calamity, at least you didn't leave. That's the only way you could have stayed. Every cloud has a silver lining, isn't that what you say?

David all smiled on that hospital bed, the two of them seemed to be closer than ever! There was a harmony between them that seemed as if they had known each other for centuries. Nina's world was at peace and safe again, at least while David was by her side.