She picked up the phone. "Youre the bitch, and Im pissed at you. "
"Of course you are, you narcissist, and Im not apologizing, but that doesnt matter anymore. "
"It matters. You should have called long before—"
"Im in the hospital, Tully. Sacred Heart. Fourth floor," Kate said. Then she hung up.
"Hurry up," Tully said to her driver for at least the fifth time in as many blocks.
When the car pulled up in front of the hospital, she got out and ran for the glass doors, pausing for a moment while the sensors engaged. The second she stepped inside, people swarmed around her. Usually she factored what she called fan maintenance into her schedule—thirty minutes at every location to meet and greet—but now she didnt have time. She pushed through the crowd and went to the front desk. "Im here to see Kathleen Ryan. "
The receptionist stared up at her in awe. "Youre Tallulah Hart. "
"Yes, I am. Kathleen Ryans room, please. "
The receptionist nodded. "Oh. Right. " She glanced at her computer screen, entered a few keys, and said, "Four-ten East. "
"Thanks. " Tully headed for the elevators, but noticed that she was being followed. Her fans would nonchalantly enter the elevator with her. The brave ones would initiate conversation between floors. The weirdos might follow her out.
She took the stairs instead, thankful by the third flight that she attended daily aerobics classes and worked with a personal trainer. Still, she was out of breath when she reached the fourth floor.
Just down the hall, she found a small waiting area. The television was turned on to her show—a rerun from two years ago.
She knew the moment she stepped into the small room that it was Bad, this thing with Kate.
Johnny sat there, in an ugly blue love seat, with Lucas curled up beside him. With one sons head in his lap, Johnny was reading to the other.
Marah was in a chair beside William, with her eyes closed, listening to an iPod through tiny headphones. She moved to the beat of music only she could hear. The boys were so big; it was a painful reminder of how long Tully had been apart from them.
Beside Marah, Mrs. Mularkey sat, staring intently at her knitting. Sean was beside his mother, talking on his cell phone. Georgia and Ralph were watching TV in the corner.
By the looks of it, theyd been here a long time.
It took a huge act of will to step forward. "Hey, Johnny. "
At the sound of her voice, they all looked up, but no one said anything and suddenly Tully remembered the last time theyd all been together.
"Kate called me," she explained.
Johnny eased out from under his sleeping son and stood up. There was only a beat of awkwardness, a clumsy pause, before he took her in his arms. She could tell by the ferocity of his embrace that it was more to comfort himself than her. She clung to him, trying not to be afraid. "Tell me," she said, more harshly than she intended, when he let go of her and stepped back.
He sighed and nodded. "Well go into the family room. "
Mrs. M. stood up slowly.
Tully was struck by how much Mrs. M. had aged. The woman looked frail and a little hunched. Shed stopped dyeing her hair and it was snow-white. "Katie called you?" Mrs. M. said.
"I came right away," she said, as if speed mattered now, after all this time.
Then Mrs. M. did the most amazing thing: she hugged Tully, enveloped her once again in an embrace that smelled of Jean Naté perfume and menthol cigarettes, with just a hint of hairspray to give it spice.
"Come on," Johnny said, breaking up the hug, and leading the way to another room. Inside there was a smallish fake wood conference table and eight molded plastic chairs.
Johnny and Mrs. M. sat down.
Tully remained standing. No one spoke for a moment and every passing second was a turn of the screw. "Tell me. "
"Kate has cancer," Johnny said. "Its called inflammatory breast cancer. "