Cassidy’s eyes were a wide as saucers. “Mom?”
“Oh, darling, it’s just the gossip rags.
You know how they are. Douglas, I am sorry about this. If we don’t comment it will blow over quickly.”
“Hell, Miranda, I’m not complaining.
You’ve just done wonders for my reputation!” laughed Doug. He watched while she calmed her publicist somewhat,
absently rubbing the bridge of her nose. Fatigue was evident in the sag of her normally straight shoulders and Doug made a
snap decision.
“Hey guys, what do you say we give the paparazzi
something to gnaw on? I need to pick up some clean clothes from my place. How would you two like to come with me? That way
your mom can grab a quick nap?”
The twins thought that was a fabulous idea and were
dispatched upstairs to bring down one of Doug’s bags. When they returned, Simon Hughes and two very young-looking women
dressed casually in jeans and sweaters were waiting for them. Caroline and Cassidy stuck close to their mother as Hughes introduced
the women to the girls and informed them that they would be accompanying them for the day.
“We don’t need them, we’ve got
Doug,” complained Caroline, looking to her mother for support. “Besides, they’re just girls, what could they do?”
Simon’s eyebrows rose at this comment and
he barked out a command to the smaller of the two women. “Molly, take him out.” He indicated a very large, burly
agent standing near the door. The man immediately rushed toward the young woman who, to the amazement of all the civilians
in the room promptly hip-threw him to the floor, immobilized him with a knee-drop to his diaphragm and had her 10mm Glock
an inch from his nose before he could move.
Caroline and Cassidy stood frozen, their eyes a
large as dinner plates.
“Oh, and Caroline? Remember what we talked
about in the park yesterday? They’re both better shots than I am,” commented Simon with a smile.
Doug broke the stunned silence. “Okay then,
looks like Molly and Kate are coming along. Let’s get moving, shall we?”
Everyone donned jackets in the front hallway and
moved quickly into the waiting SUVs. Closing the door behind them, Miranda turned to Hughes.
“Impressive as that was, they seem very young,
Mr. Hughes.”
“Mrs. Priestly, both of those young women
were trained by the State Department’s Office of Protection. That means they’re even more qualified than Secret
Service agents are. Your daughters could not be in better hands. They look young, but I assure you, both are college graduates
and fully trained protection agents.”
Miranda was impressed despite her natural inclination
to worry about the girls. “Thank you Mr. Hughes. Is there any more news about the plan to kidnap Caroline?”
“We’ve spoken with the D.A.’s
office this morning. They still plan to hold their press conference in just less than an hour. Since it’s unlikely that
Mr. Chapman and the girls will be back by then I wonder if my staff and I might watch it here? We need to hear what the D.A.
says.”
“Of course, Mr. Hughes. I’d like to
watch it with you if you don’t mind. I’d like more information myself.”
“That would not be a problem, Mrs. Priestly.”
Hughes hesitated a moment and then plunged ahead. “If you’ll forgive my saying so, ma’am, you’re looking
a little run down. Why don’t you try to nap until the press conference? I’ll have someone wake you before it starts
if you’d like. Better yet, we can record it so you can watch it later on.”
Miranda’s usual response to Hughes’
comment would have been a scathing rejoinder that sliced deep and left the recipient feeling flayed and nearly in tears. Nevertheless,
she held her tongue realizing he meant well and that he was probably right.
“I’ll consider it, Mr. Hughes. Tell
me, you deal with circumstances like this frequently. Do you know of a therapist who deals with specifically with traumatic
situations? I want to make sure the girls have someone to talk to.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have our office
fax over a list of the therapists we use for our people. For post-trauma counseling, they’re as good as it gets.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hughes. I’ll be in my
office.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Miranda walked back to the office and shut the doors
behind her. Emily was working away at the desk in deep conversation with the office about preliminary verifications of their
London reservations for the week after next. When Miranda looked at her, Emily put her call on hold and quickly asked what
she needed. Miranda toyed with her options then made a decision.
“I’m going upstairs to rest before I
take the girls to visit Andréa. The District Attorney is having a press conference about the kidnapping at 10:00 am. I would
like you to watch it, take notes and pass along any information you feel I should have. Mr. Hughes and some of his people
will be watching it too. Record it in case we need to reference it later for some reason.”
“Yes, Miranda. Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s all. And thank you, Emily.
I know it is not easy working out of my home instead of being at the office but I need to be… available… to my
daughters right now. I will be… relying… on you and Nigel to take over many of the routine things I do before
we leave for London. My focus needs to be here until I’m sure that the girls will suffer no long-lasting effects from
the events of yesterday.”
“I’ll take care of it, Miranda,”
Taking a deep breath Emily did something she had never done before in her tenure as an assistant to Miranda Priestly; she
made a personal comment to her. “Nigel and I won’t let you down. Go rest.”
Five minutes later, Miranda lay stretched out on
her bed clad in her bathrobe. The fatigue she had fought off since the wee hours of the morning was crashing down on her and
sleep was becoming a necessity. A quiet knock on the door announced the entry of her housekeeper with a thick fleece throw
over her arm. Without saying a word, she covered Miranda with it then said softly, “You’ll sleep more soundly
if you’re warm. I’ll wake you at 11:00, Ms. Priestly.” Nodding once, she turned and left, quietly shutting
the door behind her. Miranda was asleep in moments.
* * * * *
The DA’s press conference was a testament
to his political ambitions more than it was a dissemination of critical information about the case. Emily listened to the comments of the Whitehall Security team as they watched it with her and realized
that they were not pleased with the content. When she questioned the lead agent, he replied that the DA had not done the investigating
officers any favors with the information he released. With that in mind, she went back over her notes and replayed parts of
the press conference to listen more carefully to what had been said.
“The police have two suspects in custody that
were apprehended at the scene and identified by witnesses as the perpetrators. Ramon Javier Gutierrez, age 23 was identified
as the driver of the van and Miguel Ricardo Reyes, age 24, was identified as the grab man.”
“Tattoos identified both men as members of
the Washington Heights Dedo Malvado gang. Sources within the NYPD’s Multi-jurisdictional Gang Task Force indicated that
both are low-level operatives who primarily deal cocaine. Initial interviews with the suspects indicate that they owed a large
amount of money to their drug suppliers and planned to ransom the girl for $1 million dollars to pay off these debts and buy
their way into more profitable roles within the gang’s drug distribution network.”
“Public defenders have been appointed for
both men and they will be arraigned this afternoon in Midtown Criminal Court. Both men have multiple prior felony convictions
and will be charged with First Degree Kidnapping under New York Statues. The District Attorney’s Office considers both
men flight risks and will ask that they be held without bail until trial. Because of their prior conviction records, this
office anticipates demanding the maximum allowable sentence of life without parole for both suspects.”
Most of those statements were informational, although
the Whitehall agents commented that the District Attorney should never have released details of the ransom amount or the reasons
behind the kidnapping attempt. That too much information released to the press could hamper the police investigation. But
what angered the Whitehall agents the most was the concluding statement of the press conference.
“The criminal investigation into this attempted
abduction is ongoing. The District Attorney’s office is not prepared to state at this time that this was the act solely
of the two suspects in custody. Detectives and officers assigned to this case continue to pursue leads and uncover critical
information even as we speak here. Should new information come to light indicating a broader involvement of Dedo Malvado in
this kidnapping attempt, this office is prepared to bring additional charges and indict additional conspirators.”
The agents unanimously agreed that to imply more
gang involvement could produce retaliation. According to the reports they had received that earlier that morning from the
investigating officers, nothing uncovered so far indicated the gang was involved. The implication that it might be served
only to garner more press interest in the case and more specifically, in the DA.
Doug and the girls returned to the townhouse a little
after 11:00 am and shortly after that, Miranda came back downstairs looking somewhat more rested than earlier. She read over
Emily’s notes of the press conference and only sniffed that the District Attorney always had been a media hungry political
lightweight. Emily handed her a list of therapists the Whitehall office had faxed over and Miranda instructed her to research
each of them and be prepared to recommend one by the time they returned from the hospital later that afternoon.
Roy arrived in the loaner car at 11:25 am and when
he got out to open the back doors for them, even Miranda gasped a little. The entire left side of his face was a startling
shade of deep purple and when he removed his sunglasses, both eyes were blackened as well. Miranda was gratified to see Caroline
and then Cassidy walk up to him and wrap their arms around his waist. Both girls thanked him for saving Caroline and he just
hugged them back and grinned. The girls piled into the back seat and Miranda paused before joining them.
“The hospital said you had a fracture of the
zygomatic arch. That it will require neither surgical reduction nor a plastic surgeon. This is correct?”
“Yes ma’am. Aside from the fact that
it’s very tender and purple, it should heal just fine.”
“Emily will call your wife with the name of
the travel agency we utilize. Please use the week we are in London to take your wife somewhere tropical at my expense. It
will give you a chance to heal away from this dismal cold and the Whitehall people will provide transport for the girls and
Andréa while I’m away.”
“Yes, Ms. Priestly. Thank you.”
“No, Roy; thank you. I wouldn’t have Caroline if it weren’t for your quick thinking.”
“You’re entirely welcome. To the hospital,
ma’am?”
“No, I’ve been reliably informed that
you know the location of Carnegie John’s cart. We’re going there to pick up lunch first.”
“Carnegie John’s. Yes, ma’am.
Will you be requiring dessert as well?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I think that the waffle guy Andy
likes is around 45th and 7th today and if we’re going to pick up waffles too then we should stop
there first. Easier to get back to the hospital if we do it that way.”
“I yield to your expertise. Take us to Andréa’s
‘waffle guy’.”
“Yes, ma’am.” As soon as Roy had Miranda safely in the back seat and the door closed, he told the driver of the lead
SUV their itinerary. In a moment the procession rolled away from the curb headed for midtown.
The twins were beside themselves with excitement
at the prospect of getting cart food for lunch. Miranda told them about the lunch Andréa bought her and Doug regaled them
with stories of the various carts around Wall Street where he and the people he worked with ate. The girls seemed fascinated
with the variety of food available on the street and Doug promised to find some way to get them hot mini cakes from one of
the carts around Chinatown.
Miranda smiled. “I had no idea you were such
a connoisseur of street cuisine, Douglas.”
His shrug spoke volumes. “When you’re
a peon on Wall Street they’re the best deal for lunch in the area.”
Their procession pulled to the curb behind a yellow
van and Miranda, the girls and Doug got out. The twins were allowed to choose the toppings for three waffles and Miranda selected
the simple ones they had before for two others. When their concoctions were boxed and bagged, they piled back into the cars
for the trip to Carnegie John’s cart at 56th and 7th Avenue.
Again, the twins were enthralled by the ordering
process and Miranda had to hurry them along in choosing their lunches. Toting several heavy bags of food, their caravan steered
back toward the Upper East Side and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. There was still press gathered outside the hospital when
they arrived and they were again forced to use the covered loading dock to enter the building.
The twins were so excited to see Andy that Miranda
had to shush them as they left the elevator and remind them that they were in a hospital. A moment later, loaded with food
bags, they walked into Andy’s room and the twins stopped dead.
Andy was sitting up in bed wearing a surgical scrub
top with her left arm and upper body wrapped in a black shoulder immobilizer. Her left forearm was encased in a heavily padded
sling with her thumb and fingers held immobile. Padded tension straps encircled her chest from each end of the sling and another
ran over one shoulder and diagonally across her back to attach at the back of her elbow. A thick surgical dressing was visible
under the scrub top and an IV line ran into the back of her right hand. Several smaller dressings were visible on her forearms
and the shorn part of her hair only served to highlight the line of blue sutures in her scalp.
“C’mon you guys, I don’t look
that bad!” Andy grinned. The twins snapped out of their paralysis and trotted
over to the bed but hesitated, unsure of what they were permitted to do.
“Get your butts up here and give me some real hugs. I’ve been waiting for some all day!” Andy scooted over in the
bed and Caroline and Cassidy climbed up next to her. Caroline snuggled silently against her and Cassidy gave her a quick hug
and settled farther down the bed against her legs. Andy wrapped her good arm around Caroline and nudged Cassidy with her knee.
“I missed you guys. I am really glad you came over this early. I think I
would have tried to sneak out of the hospital to see you if you hadn’t.”
“But we had to bring you lunch! And we got
to order it at the carts! It was so neat and Roy knew right where we were going and we ordered special waffles and stuff and
Mom got you that platter she said you liked from before and we all got ginger ale to drink but we’re gonna need ice
for it.”
“I’m sure Douglas can find us some ice
at the nurses’ station,” commented Miranda, coming up on the opposite side of the bed. Taking care not to jostle
the injured shoulder and arm, she leaned over and gave Andy a quick kiss on the lips. “Were you able to get any more
sleep after we left?”
The twins’ eyes bugged out and then they just
grinned at each other as Andy answered. “No, my mother had to have her scene after you left. It wasn’t pretty,
let me tell you.”
“If you look up ‘Drama Queen’
in the dictionary, there’s a photo of Andy’s mom,” chimed in Doug. “But you did the right thing getting
them here, Miranda. There’s no telling what she’d be capable of if she was stuck in Ohio.”
“Little ears, Douglas. Why don’t you
try to locate us some cups and ice while I organize lunch?” He grinned at her and strolled out of the room. Miranda
began unpacking the lunch containers while Andy talked quietly with the girls and reassured them that she really was fine.
A thought occurred to her and she looked up at Miranda.
“You’re sending the girls back to school
tomorrow?
“We had discussed it and, yes, that was our
plan.”
“Well then, we’ve got to arrange for
me to get out of the hospital for a little while tomorrow afternoon.”
“Why would we do that?”
“Because there’s no way in hell I’m
missing final cuts tomorrow afternoon. So just do whatever you have to do to get me sprung for the afternoon; dinner too if
you can manage it.”
Andy and
the twins were looking imploringly at her and Miranda was incapable of refusing those looks. “I believe that can be
arranged. We’ll need to get you some clothing. All of yours were…ruined.” Miranda suppressed a shudder at
the memory of the blood-soaked jacket, sweater and jeans Andréa had been wearing. She was relieved that Douglas came back
into the room at that moment with a pitcher full of ice and several polystyrene cups. He began to help her organize the dishes
of food.
“Damn, that was my three-in-one. I’m
gonna miss that.”
Cassidy looked at her questioningly. “Three-in-one?”
“A weatherproof outer jacket with a fleece
liner and insulated vest. Using combinations of the three parts will give you a weatherproof jacket good for all year round.”
“Where did you get it?” inquired Miranda.
“Ordered it from Columbia.”
“I’m sure we can find a Columbia outlet
somewhere in the city and get a replacement. As for your other clothing, we can find something suitable for you.”
“Final cuts are still at the same time? Doug,
we’ll have to grab a cab over to the park tomorrow afternoon.”
“You will do no such thing. Roy and I will
take you over to the park. You’re not riding around the city in some filthy cab in your condition. Did the doctors mention
when they thought you would be discharged?”
“They were talking about some time on Saturday.
My Mom’s all worked up about missing work to stay with me because I can’t do much with one arm, but I’ll
be just fine by myself.”
“No, you won’t. I know you Andréa; you’ll
push yourself and won’t keep that stabilizer on and wind up doing permanent damage to your arm. You cannot stay alone. At least until you begin to get strength back in that arm and the doctors say you can begin
to move it somewhat. The risks are just too great. Besides, the girls had an idea.”
Andy looked at the girls. “Well? What was
your idea?”
The twins looked at each other and Cassidy began.
“Mom’s leaving for London for Fashion Week in another eight days and we’ll need some grownup to stay with
us. Our dad’s got some business trip out on the west coast.”
Caroline picked up on cue. “We think you should
come and stay with us. That way we’ll always be around to make sure you’re okay and to help you and stuff. We
can sort of take care of each other that way. You can take care of us and we can take care of you.”
Miranda pushed the over-bed table to Andy’s
bed with three lunches opened on it. Andy looked at her as she adjusted its height. “I take you’re in agreement
with them?”
“I am. I believe it to be the wisest solution
for all concerned. And that way, I’ll only have to make one phone call at 1:00 am every night I’m gone instead
of two.”
“Two?”
“Yes, two. One to the girls to see how their
day was and one to you to see how yours was. If you’re staying at the townhouse then I need only make one and can speak
with everyone I need to.”
Andy picked up her fork to eat her lunch. “I
don’t think I need to be staying at your townhouse, Miranda. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself. I
don’t need to be babysat by you or the twins or anyone else.”
“Really, Andréa?”
“Really, Miranda. And furthermore…”
Andy fumbled, trying to spear a piece of meat without shoving the foil dish around too much. “…furthermore…I…”
“Yes, Andréa?” Miranda’s expression
was stony.
Andy had the good grace to blush bright red. “And,
furthermore, I need somebody to cut my meat….” Sheepishly she glanced back at Miranda. “You’re sure
it won’t be any trouble if I stay there?”
Miranda finally cracked a smile. “None whatsoever.
In fact, Douglas, why don’t you stay too? That way there will be two adults around for the girls and you’ll be
there to do any heavy lifting that might be required. Will that place an unreasonable burden on you? Someone, of course, will
drive you to and from work each day.”
“Let me think: you want me to stay in a posh
Upper East Side townhouse with three gorgeous women, get chauffeured to and from work daily and have a cook and housekeeper
at my beck and call? I don’t know, Miranda, you’re asking a lot…” The twins’ giggles and his
answering grin answered the question. Caroline and Cassidy slid Andy’s dish over a bit and began cutting the meat for
her as Andy and Miranda smiled at each other.
* * * * *
Unbeknownst to any of the happy group upstairs having
lunch, quite a different scenario was playing out eight floors below them in front of the hospital. Andy and her parents,
notably her mother, had not parted on the best of terms when the Sachses left her room to return to their hotel for the afternoon.
Mrs. Sachs had not been at all pleased with being displaced by Miranda Priestly and her spoiled children in her daughter’s
hospital room that afternoon. But Andy had insisted that it was important to see the girls after what had happened and demanded
that they leave until after dinner.
It hadn’t helped her mood that someone had
tipped the press off to them and the moment they had stepped outside the hospital’s doors microphones, digital recorders
and cameras had been stuck in their faces and questions shouted at them from all sides.
“Mr. and Mrs. Sachs, what is your daughter’s
condition?”
“She came out of surgery fine. Her doctors
said that the surgery was a complete success and she’ll be just fine.”
“Any comment on the attempted kidnapping?”
“I understand, thanks to my daughter, that
they caught the men responsible.”
“What is your daughter’s relationship
with Miranda Priestly?”
“She…she used to work for her. Now she
coaches her daughters. She told me this morning that she knew one of the Dalton coaches from her college days.”
“Have you spoken with Miranda Priestly yet?”
“Yes, last night.”
“Do you know the man who was with her at the
hospital last night?”
“Yes, that was Doug Chapman.”
“How do you know him?”
“He and Andy have been friends since their
first year of college. We’d always hoped that something more would develop, but…”
“So Miranda stole Doug from Andy?”
“What? What did you say?”
“Did Miranda steal Doug from Andy?”
“Well, Andy has known him for many years now.
It just doesn’t seem fair that my daughter got shot protecting hers and she’s
got Doug taking her all over town while Andy’s laid up in the hospital.”
And with that, the paparazzi went berserk.
