The Making of…

Chapter 44

Clumsy Idiot

I kept my foot on the accelerator – keeping directly on the speed limit as I drove through the streets of Wellington. If I glanced in the rear-view mirror I could see an anxious Raven and Sean sitting in the back seats of my Mini, and if I glanced slightly to the side I would be able to see Viggo – but I kept my eyes on the road.

“The hospital’s just ahead.” Viggo murmured as we stopped at a red light. I nodded mutely. I hadn’t been able to say a word since we left the apartment, I’d only just managed to communicate that Orlando was in the hospital, and I hadn’t a clue about what was wrong. As I bit my lower lip and stared intently at the red light – willing it to turn green again – I felt Viggo’s hand close over mine which was positioned on the gear stick.

“It’s ok, I’m sure he’s fine.” He whispered comfortingly.

“I don’t know that. I can’t relax until I know.” I whispered back hoarsely, my hand slipping away from his as the light changed and I switched gear – speeding up the road until I turned off into the hospital car park. I swore under my breath as I saw the ‘Pay to Park’ sign on the red and white barrier and searched my pockets for change.

“Here.” Raven murmured, leaning over the seat to hand me a few loose coins and I jammed them into the machine. A ticket popped out and the striped barrier rose slowly – too slowly. I’d driven the car under it before it was fully up. I growled angrily as I searched for a parking space and finally found one close to the doors. Cutting the engine, I climbed out – bumping my head on the roof as I went. I hadn’t bothered putting it down, but I was used to it not being there. I slammed my door as everyone else scrambled out and we walked towards the large automatic doors. I locked the car over my shoulder as an afterthought. Viggo caught my hand as we walked and squeezed it comfortingly, whilst Sean jogged ahead to the front desk to find out where Orlando was.

“Second floor, come on.” He waved us over to a waiting elevator as we approached. The elevator moved at an infuriatingly slow pace, and I might have screamed with frustration had Viggo not been rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. I anxiously bounced on the balls of my feet as the door opened and we walked out into a large, quiet waiting room lined with red plastic chairs. There was one man in the corner trying to staunch a nose-bleed, and a woman reading a magazine with a pair of crutches propped against her side – in the chair closest to the only other door in the room, sat Karl He had been holding his head in his hands but looked up as we half-walked, half-ran over.

“Karl, what’s going on?” I asked as we stood before him, “What happened?” I realised that my voice was trembling slightly, and my hands were shaking. Viggo tried his best to calm me down, but I waited for Karl to reply.

“We were at the stables and Orlando was trying to practice one of his stunts and he just… Fell off the horse. I thought he was ok at first, but then he started yelling…” Karl trailed off and I only realised now that he was wearing his yard clothes, and his cowboy hat was sitting forlornly on the chair beside him.

“Do you have any idea of what’s wrong with him?” Viggo asked with a startling calmness as Karl shook his head.

“One of the nurses said it might be his ribs, they’re hoping there’s nothing wrong with his spine.” He mumbled as my stomach lurched.

“H-he’s going to recover though… Right?” I stammered, feeling tears prick at my eyes.

“They’re ninety-nine percent sure.” Karl replied, and I suddenly felt a lot better. It couldn’t be too serious if they were that sure. But I still felt anxiety bubbling uncontrollably inside me.

“Kira, are you ok?” Viggo’s voice reached me and I realised that I was trembling all over. I nodded weakly as he lead me over to one of the chairs and sat me down on it. It was uncomfortable, but it was better than standing. Viggo sat beside me and wrapped his arms around me – pulling me in to a much-needed hug. My arms curled around his middle and I breathed deeply, allowing Viggo’s comforting smell to block out the unbearably clean scent of the hospital. “It’s ok; he’s going to be alright.” He murmured in my ear as I nodded against his chest, my fingers clinging to the back of his shirt. I sat back as he gently released me and smoothed my tousled hair with one hand.

“Thanks Vig.” I whispered, rubbing at my eyes with the heel of my hand. I wasn’t sure if I’d cried or not, I was just making sure. My hand came away slightly wet, and I noticed a few damp patches on the front of Viggo’s shirt. I looked up to see Karl running a hand through his hair as Sean paced the waiting room anxiously. “Where’s Raven?” I asked quietly.

“She went to get coffee.” Sean replied, his shoes tapping across the hard white floor as he paced. My fingers tangled in my own hair as I tried to distract myself, but I became frustrated when I accidentally created knots that I couldn’t untangle. I winced as I tried to jerk my fingers away from the tangled mess, but Viggo’s hand caught mine, carefully prising it away, and then with a gentle sweeping motion, untangled my hair. I glanced up at him and met his calm eyes. He wasn’t getting worked up, unlike me. I stared at him for a long moment, before Sean’s pacing abruptly stopped as Raven re-entered the waiting room carrying a little cardboard tray filled with steaming polystyrene cups. I didn’t like hospital coffee, but I took a cup anyway. Caffeine is caffeine, right? I wrinkled my nose at the bland, fake taste – like rubbery feet. Not that I’d ever tasted rubbery feet, but I imagined that they would taste like this. The coffee wasn’t even that hot, so I was able to drain the cup quickly. Even after the offensive liquid was gone, my tastebuds still prickled with the memory of it. Sean was sitting down now, talking quietly to Raven and Karl as he sipped his coffee. I stood and walked over to the nearest bin, tossing my empty cup in. I began to pace back and forth, my mind trying to will Orlando to walk through the double doors at one end of the room, tell us that everything was ok, and then we could all go back to the set, and maybe have a barbeque for dinner before we got back to filming tomorrow… But no. Orlando was lying in an uncomfortable bed somewhere in this building, injured, and being poked and prodded by doctors. As I walked, my flip-flops flapped between the floor and my feet, and each time I turned on my heel, they would squeak on the white linoleum floor. Flap, flap, flap, squeak. Flap, flap, flap, squeak. It just became white noise to me as my mind wandered. I hated hospitals; they smelled too clean – as if the smell was trying to hide the stench of sickness that lay underneath, the lights were too bright and harsh, and they reflected off the shiny floors – wiped clean regularly, so there were always little yellow ‘Wet Floor’ signs everywhere. And they generally meant that something bad was happening. To me, hospitals held very few good memories.

Breaking your arm – bad memory.

You cousin having a baby – good memory.

More broken bones – bad memory.

Being told that someone you love hasn’t got long left – very bad memory.

Right now wasn’t shaping out to be the best day either.

“Kira?” Viggo’s gentle voice broke through my trance, and I realised that I’d just been standing still, staring into space. I’d stopped pacing a few minutes ago. “Ki, come sit down.” I did as I was told; I didn’t have the energy to argue. He gazed at me intently as I sat down on the hard plastic chair beside him. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as I slumped against him. The waiting was the worst part. The knowledge that you were totally helpless until you got more information… And even then you could be of little use.

“I’m sure everything’s fine.” Sean spoke, addressing us all. I looked up to see him sitting in the row opposite us, with his arm wrapped around Raven. “Knowing Orlando he’s probably in there getting fussed over by at least three nurses whilst he flirts with them all.” Karl laughed at the weak joke, and I managed to crack a small smile, but it quickly fell away. After another few minutes of silent waiting, I began to tap my foot anxiously. Viggo leant in close to my ear and I stopped.

“It won’t be long now.” He whispered, “Just keep calm.”

I tried to listen to his words and take his advice… But I was a worrier. I couldn’t help it. I buried my head in his shoulder as the minutes ticked by – and I jumped as a female nurse walked into the waiting room wielding a blue plastic clipboard. Everyone glanced up as she turned to us.

“Are you all here for Mr Bloom?” She asked.

Mr Bloom… I’d never heard Orlando referred to as ‘Mr Bloom’ before; he was too easygoing for that. I nodded in answer to her question and she smiled. “You can go in and see him now; the doctor will be able to give you more information on what’s happened.” She gave Karl directions to the room Orlando was in, before walking out the door that lead to the elevators. I was already on my feet, with Viggo at my side, entwining his hand with mine to stop me running off. Karl stood and beckoned us through the doors. He led us down a blindingly white corridor, lined with rooms. Some had open doors, others were closed.

“Here we are.” He stated quietly, pausing outside a closed door. He knocked once, and a smiling female doctor, dressed in a long white coat, opened the door.

“Come on in.” She smiled, waving us in to the small room. My eyes settled on Orlando instantly. He was sitting up in his bed, propped up by off-white pillows, wearing bland, pale green hospital pyjamas making his skin look unusually transparent – which only heightened the appearance of the dark circles under his eyes.

“Hey guys.” He grinned.

“Orli!” I wailed, rushing to his side and dragging Viggo with me, “What happened?” I asked, resisting the urge to hug him as I didn’t know where he was injured.

“Fell off a horse, one broken rib.” He sniffed dramatically and I stared at him.

“One? One rib?” I cried with a scowl, “You had me panicking over one broken rib?”

“It hurts…” He protested weakly.

“You’ve had worse.” I muttered.

“It’s not overly-serious.” The doctor explained, “He should take about a week’s rest, then he can get back to work.”

“Pete’s gonna kill me…” Orlando groaned, tilting his head back to stare at the white-tiled ceiling as the doctor left the room.

“Well it’s your own fault for falling off the horse you clumsy ass.” Karl laughed – clearly relieved.

“Thanks for the sympathy; you don’t know how painful this is!” Orlando grumbled.

“Actually, I do.” I muttered, “You think one rib is bad? Try three.”

“Three?” Viggo asked curiously, and I thought I could detect a hint of concern in his voice, which was ridiculous. I wasn’t injured right now.

“Yeah, I was doing a cross-country competition when I was nineteen, my horse freaked at a water-jump and did a handbrake turn. I fell and it fell on top of me – three broken ribs and a mangled thumb.” I grinned, holding up my left hand in a ‘thumbs up’ position. “See? It’s still a little crooked.”

“Ouch.” Sean commented from the other side of Orlando’s bed, where he and Raven were standing.

“Very ouch.” I nodded.

“Seriously, the horse fell on you and you got away with only a few broken ribs?” Karl frowned, “People don’t tend to walk away from that type of thing.”

“I know, I guess I was just lucky that day.” I shrugged. Orlando coughed loudly.

“That’s all well and good, but what about my injuries?” He asked with a slight smirk.

“Oh yeah, forgot about you.” Karl laughed, playfully hitting Orlando’s shoulder and causing him to wince.

“Easy man.” He muttered, “I’m in a delicate condition.”

“Poor Baby.” Raven grinned from where she was standing beside Sean.

“This is what I get for injuring myself? I’m beginning to think that it wasn’t worth the bother.” Orlando huffed, gingerly folding his arms across his chest.

“No, this is what you get for making us worry so much.” I told him sternly, “You almost gave us a collective heart-attack.” As I spoke, Viggo wound his arm around my waist and held me close against him, causing Orlando to frown slightly.

“Hang on… Are you two together now?” He asked, gesturing to us both.

“Yeah.” Viggo smiled as my cheeks coloured.

“I thought something was up!” Karl exclaimed, “I was going to ask about it in the waiting room, but it didn’t seem like an appropriate time.”

“Took you long enough.” Orlando commented and I sighed.

“Seriously, did everyone know about this except me?” I asked. I was answered with a round of ‘Yeah’, ‘Yep’ and ‘Uh huh.’

“I didn’t.” Viggo murmured.

“Seemed like you two were the only ones who couldn’t see it.” Sean smiled as Raven nodded.

“That’s what I was trying to tell her.” She agreed. “And you still haven’t told us how it happened.” I nudged Viggo, as he had been about to tell them before Karl phoned.

“Alright,” He sighed, “Well, I suppose I decided to get the ball rolling after Ki stopped talking to me –”

“Wait, why was she not talking to you?” Raven cut in.

“Because I kissed her.” He replied with a shrug.

“You what?”

“In a scene.” I quickly explained – which seemed to satisfy her long enough to let Viggo continue.

“Yeah, so I hatched a devious plan to get her talking to me again – script reading.” He smirked. “And once that had worked… I don’t know, it just kind of happened.” He smiled down at me and I blushed.

“Oh my god, you slept together didn’t you?” Orlando cried loudly.

“No!” Viggo and I exclaimed in unison as my blush deepened.

“Honestly, is that all you think about Orli?” I scolded him, trying to change the subject.

“Yes.” He grinned, so I lightly smacked the back of his head. I could hear Raven giggling at my embarrassment as Viggo held me protectively – as if he could shield me from Orlando’s dirty mind. “Good luck handling her Vig.” He smirked as Viggo rolled his eyes.

“Do you want the rest of your ribs broken?” He threatened playfully as Orlando shook his head – looking like butter wouldn’t melt.

“Oh! I just realised!” Raven exclaimed, “We can double-date now!”

“Huh?” Viggo looked at her in confusion.

“I think she just suggested a foursome.” I joked, “Seriously Rave, I’m flattered but-”

“Oh shut up.” She muttered, cutting me off mid-sentence.

“So are you two officially going out then?” I asked, changing the subject so she wouldn’t get sulky.

“You only just figured it out?” Sean grinned, wrapping his arm around Raven’s waist – mirroring the position Viggo and I were in.

“No one declared it, I was only assuming.” I shrugged, leaning my head against Viggo’s shoulder as the nurse from the waiting room walked in.

“Sorry guys, but visiting hours are over.” She smiled apologetically, holding the door open for us.

“Ok,” Karl nodded, “See you tomorrow Orli?” He grinned.

“You bet, thanks for coming guys.” Orlando smiled, waving as we left. As we walked down the corridor, Viggo kept his arm securely wrapped around my waist.

“See? I told you he’d be ok.” He murmured quietly in my ear.

“Yeah… Sorry for going all… Panicky.” I mumbled as he smiled.

“Personally I thought it was quite cute. Would you get that worried over me?” He asked, dropping a couple of paces behind the others so we could talk.

“I’d be so much worse.” I admitted sheepishly, “So don’t ever get hurt ok? I might end up having a panic attack.”

“I can’t make any promises.” He smiled gently as I scowled. Upon seeing my frown he lightly kissed the side of my forehead – prompting a blush to spring to my cheeks. “Although I can promise to always be there, whether you need me or not, any time, no matter what.” He whispered softly. I stopped walking for a second, looking up at him with a smile.

“I think I can live with that.” I murmured, standing on my toes so I could gently kiss his lips, before turning and continuing with walking down the corridor with a bit of an extra bounce in my step.