Page 21 of Once Upon a Star

“Totally,” I said.

I stood up and saw that no one was around. Tommy’s outburst had cleared the theater as it had done the previous days. I walked up to Isla and held out my arms. She immediately went into them and wrapped them around me.

We had been friends since we met on my first movie. She was more seasoned in the way of movie sets and had taken me under her wing. She had soon left Hollywood to pursue her dream of directing on Broadway. She had been doing well and thought she had struck gold with working, and then falling in love, with Tommy.

I had thought I found the perfect venue and people to work with to launch my Broadway career. I didn’t want to think it was over for either of us but Angelina was right, this production wasn’t going to happen. I just wasn’t sure if Isla had figured it out or accepted that not only was the production dead before it had even started but it looked like her relationship was too.

“You’re doing great,” I said to her.

She laughed and moved away from me. “I’m a mess. My relationship is in the toilet with no chance of being fixed. The production is a disaster. We’re moments away from being shut down. Everyone knows it. I have to go and talk to the investors later today. I’m sure they’re going to tell me they’re pulling out. If I were them, I would,” she said.

“Do you want some support? I could go with you?” I suggested.

“No. This is something I need to do on my own,” she said with a sigh.

“You don’t think there’s any way this can be resolved between you and Tommy?” I asked.

Isla laughed. “No. She’s already seeing someone else. Apparently, she’s angry that I’m not more upset about it.”

“I’m not following,” I said.

“Neither am I. Apparently, she wanted me to be more broken up about it. She thought I would be so upset I would want a few days off. Then she could go on a tropical holiday with her new lover.”

“She wanted you to look like the heavy and she is instead. Is there any way you could just kick her off the production?” I asked.

“If only it were that easy. She’s the writer, she has the rights for the story. There’s no story without her. She doesn’t want to cooperate so we’re dead in the water.”

“Angelina was telling me that if the production is canceled, you would still have the theater to use if you wanted but Tommy would keep the rights to the story. Is that right?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“So, if you were to find another play to produce, you could. Assuming you and investors liked it?” I asked.

“I guess, technically we could. It would depend on the writer and what they wanted. They may not want to work with me, or any of the other cast and crew. Are you suggesting that we get another writer so we all can keep our jobs?”

“Yes.”

Isla shook her head. “It’s impossible. No one’s going to take a chance on me. I’ve already failed one production. Why would they trust me to do right by them? And there isn’t enough time to get another director and writer in by the time we’re supposed to open. It’s a great idea but it isn't going to work.”

Isla dropped her head back and closed her eyes. I could see how much she wanted this to work, I did too. I didn’t want to think that we were going to just let this all end simply because of a bad break-up.

I tapped her lightly on the shoulder and she looked at me. “What if there was a writer who was willing to work with you and the company? Do you think you could make the investors to back it?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I would need to see the script and talk to the writer. Then I would have to take it to the investors. I doubt it but if you have a person in mind. I’m all ears.”

My body tensed up at her statement. It was a gamble, a huge one, and I knew it more than likely wasn’t going to work. But I needed to stay in the city. I wanted to help my friend, and I didn’t want to see everyone else lose their job. Not if I could help it.

I wasn’t even sure if Isla would take me seriously, much less her investors. But I had to try. If this worked out, not only would I be able to save the production. I would get to stay in the city, and hopefully give a huge boost to the career and future I wanted to have. I was making headway with Ara and I wasn’t going to let that slip through my fingers. Not when I was this close to have everything I wanted.

“Yes. I do have a person in mind. Me,” I said.

Chapter 12

Aracely

The day hadn’t been hard exactly, but it had been long. I had wanted to get a sense of what it was like to really work in the Emergency Department. I had gotten that in spades when one of the doctors had called out and we didn’t have any coverage. Between the broken bones, lacerations, the occasional heart attack, or car accident, not to mention the mental health patients and the drug overdose I hadn’t stopped. For the last ten hours my skills as a doctor had been put to the test. It hadn’t been easy but it had been invigorating.

I felt both emotionally and physically drained but also euphoric. it had been hard but I had come out of it a stronger and better doctor. I had been worried that I wasn’t going to make it through at times. In the end, I knew that not only could I be a good Emergency Room doctor but I wanted to be.