Page 24 of Once Upon a Star

She had been energized and chatted non-stop when she got in the car. I found it interesting she didn’t ask where we were going or how long it was going to take. Instead, she told me about her last three days.

“I mean it was crazy. The minute we would think we’re going to get a break, someone else would come in or we would get a call to be prepared for a trauma. It just never ended. It’s been busy before but we had never been short-staffed like that. I think I forgot to eat; I don’t think there was time to eat.”

“You did good? You felt confident in your skills? Did your boss?” I asked as we headed to the expressway.

“Yes. I felt more confident, more sure of myself and my ability to be a doctor than I’ve ever had before. It was exhilarating. A little scary at times but wow, what a rush,” she said and leaned back in her seat and let out a long sigh.

“That’s wonderful,” I said and looked over at her. She beamed at me. I was excited for her but I was also happy that she was sharing it with me. I wanted to know about her days, about her triumphs and struggles. “I’m glad you were able to find a position that you love so much. It sounds like it’s challenging and gives you everything that you were looking for in being a doctor.”

“Uh huh, it’s really cool,” she said softly.

I looked over to see that her eyes were closed and she had a soft smile on her face. I didn’t say anything more and wasn’t surprised when a few moments later, I heard her deep breathing, telling me she had fallen asleep.

It wasn’t how I had hoped the drive would go but if she needed the sleep, I was more than happy to give it to her. I could relate. The same thing would happen to me every time I got done on a movie set. I would get a huge burst of energy that would make me think I was going to accomplish a lot, only to get to my place and crash for days. I hoped she wasn’t too tired to enjoy the vacation and time with me. I didn’t want to say I had plans for how things were going to go between us, but I was optimistic.

The road was relatively deserted and I enjoyed the quiet and the solitude. I had a car in New York but hardly ever drove it. There wasn’t a need. Even with the traffic in Los Angeles, I liked having a car and chose to drive myself most places instead of getting a driver. I liked being able to have my own space, and have some peace and quiet with my thoughts. I hadn’t had the radio on as I wanted to talk to Ara and not be distracted by the music. I didn’t want to risk turning it on and waking her.

It gave me a chance to be alone with my thoughts. There was a lot running through my mind. Not only about Ara and how our vacation would go but about the play. After Isla left to talk to the backers, I had wandered around the city for a little while and was sitting in a bar typing out some notes for some story ideas when she called me.

“I got some bad news,” she said as soon as I answered.

“Didn’t go well, huh?” I asked.

“Tommy is pulling the plug. She got to the backers before I did. She said I was creating a hostile work environment. She is refusing to work with me and that she would sue them if they made her. They had no choice but to give into her demands and the play is canceled.”

“Isla, I’m so sorry,” I said. We had assumed it was going to happen but it still sucked to hear it actually had.

“It is what it is,” Isla said with a sigh. “I’m trying to be optimistic but not sure what this means. I wanted to tell you before you heard it somewhere else. I’m hoping I can get to the rest of the company but I’m sure Tommy will tell them first. I’m sure they will all side with her, too.”

I could hear the defeat in Isla's voice and I hated it. “We all saw how it was. Tommy was the instigator of most things. You were trying to do the best for everyone, including Tommy. If they can’t see that and they won’t work with you again, then they aren’t professionals.”

“Would you want to work with me again? Were you serious about your offer?” she asked.

“Of course, I loved the time we got to spend together. I’m sorry it ended so quickly and would love another chance. I thought we worked well together, didn't you?” We had discussed this briefly but I guess she was frazzled with her loss that she forgot or thought I had only given her lip service.

“Yes. Yes,” Isla said quickly. “You gave me faith that all celebrities aren’t assholes. I just figured you would be heading back to LA, considering how badly things went here. I wouldn’t blame you. This was a shit show and I contributed to it.”

“If I ran away the first-time things went south in my career, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

“Unemployed in New York?” Isla asked and I laughed.

“In the position that I can take some time and hopefully find a way to help out my friend and salvage other people’s jobs,” I said.

“I’m not sure how you can do that,” Isla said.

“Did you talk to the backers at all about having me write the script for a new play? I have some ideas.”

“I wasn’t sure how serious you were. But honestly, they didn’t even give me a chance to talk, much less offer any suggestions on what we could do going forward. Tommy got to them first. They aren’t interested in working with me any longer.”

“Isla, I’m sorry. What are you going to do now?” I had hoped that by offering me as a playwright it might be enough of a draw to keep the backers interested. If she hadn’t been able to talk to them, we were over. “So, this is really the end?” I asked.

“Not necessarily. I’m hoping I can talk to some other investors. See if they might be interested in working with us. There was a big draw having you on the playbill. It might lure some others in. We could sell out the run by your name alone. If we could also convince them to let you write the story, even better.”

“I’m willing to do whatever I can to help. I have a few drafts of some movie scripts I was working on. It would give them an idea of my style and what I can do. They were done years ago and are probably a bit outdated but do you want me to send them to you? Maybe let any possible investors look them over?” I asked.

“That would be great. I have no idea if anyone will want to work with us, but I’m willing to try anything. Can you give me a few days before you make a commitment to anyone else?”

“I’m all yours; I’m not going anywhere. I want to make this work and am willing to help anyway I can. Whatever you need me, just let me know.”