A half-hour later Elizabeth walked into the Double Tree Hotel and looked around for the customer service area. She needed to find Marcus before she got lost. Marcus Timberlake was the only person that knew she was in town. She knew she should have called Lynn or Lance or somebody else but she needed a place to stay for a while and a hotel would be perfect. He had promised her that he wouldn’t spill the beans to anyone and that no one would know she’s in town until she was ready. Elizabeth frantically looked around trying to catch a glimpse of Marcus, but all she could see was amazing glass covered floors, sunlight streaming in from the huge windows, and bellhops running around every where. When Marcus had told her and Justin that he wanted to own a hotel, they had laughed at him. These days his hotel is one of the most popular hotels in LA.
“Oh my good Lord in heaven, Elizabeth Natalie Ryans is that you?” Elizabeth turned around as soon as she heard the southern drawl that Marcus was so famous for.
She dropped her bags, ran the short distance between them and jumped in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly to him.
“Uncle Mark! Yes it’s me. I can’t believe it’s been so long.” Elizabeth said in pure happiness.
Marcus pulled away to get a look at her face and his face brightened all over again. He hugged her tightly to him and finally dropped her back on her feet.
“Damn kid, I haven’t seen them eyes in years. I couldn’t believe it was you who called me. Have you told anyone else that you’re here?” Marcus asked, his big Tennessee smile still on his face.
“Nope, you’re the only one. It’s been 6 years Marcus, I didn’t want to just come out the blue and say ‘here I am’. I want to get settled in first.” Elizabeth explained as Marcus grabbed both of her bags and led her down the rest of the lobby to the elevators.
He smiled at her remark. “And how are you plannin on letting them know that you’re here bumpkin?” he asked.
Elizabeth smiled at him. “By surprising them out of the blue.” She replied. Marcus giggled at her comment and she soon joined him.
“Damn girl, it’s been so long since anyone has seen that smile. Do you have any idea how many people are going to hit the roof when they see you? When do you want to start seeing people?” Marcus asked.
Elizabeth smiled at him again. “Tomorrow if you don’t mind. The first person I want to see is Lynn. Can you please, please take me to her tomorrow?” Elizabeth begged.
Marcus chuckled at her begging. “Of course sweetie. You’re in luck because she’s actually in town today. She had a lunch date with Justin today so she’ll probably be here for a while.” Elizabeth’s smile broadened at the mention of Justin’s name and Marcus noticed it.
“ You can’t wait to see that boy can you? I’ll tell you what, I think he’s going crazy not knowing where you are and what’s going on with you. He’s been driving everyone crazy for two weeks cause he thinks you’re somewhere near. I swear y’all kids can be real weird sometimes. I’ve personally never seen anything like it.”
Elizabeth listened to Marcus ramble. It was great to hear that Justin still remembered her but she was cautious about seeing him. She didn’t know if he hated her for ending communication with him. Things had been so complicated for her, but she didn’t know if he would understand that. She watched Marcus open the door to her new home for the next three weeks or so. She gasped when she took a good look at it. There was a beautiful queen size bed in the middle of the room with blue bed sheets that had random flower designs on them. In front of the bed was a huge big screen TV and a stereo. The windows were covered with blue drapes and there was a small soothing waterfall under the huge window that was pulled back to over look the city.
“Oh my goodness, you shouldn’t have. Please tell me this isn’t a suite.” Elizabeth said in a breathless tone. Marcus chuckled at her expression.
“Yep it is. This is one of our best suites in the whole hotel. Only the best for you bumpkin.” Marcus replied.
Elizabeth looked around and couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed. “This is way too much Uncle Mark. What do I owe you for all this?”
“Owe? Honey, I’m a very rich man. You don’t owe me a damn thing. Plus you’re like a daughter to me I’d have to be heartless to charge you. Enjoy you stay sweetie. Dial 6 for room service and I’ll be down in the lobby hanging out if you need me. Relax, enjoy yourself… it’s all on me.” Marcus said and gave her a loving hug.
“Thank you so much Uncle Marcus. You’re the best.” Elizabeth said hugging him back.
“You are very welcome sweetie. We’ll go see Lynn at the crack of dawn tomorrow. Try to get some rest all right? Oh, I almost forgot. There’s a balcony around the corner there, I know it’s hard to see but it’s there. Please find me if you need anything else.” Marcus gave her a peck on the cheek and walked out the door.
Elizabeth took another look at her surroundings and sighed. “Things are going to be just fine.” She said out loud. ‘First thing’s first’. She headed over to the bathroom and marveled at the big mirror, the marbled tiled floor and the matching sinks. She looked at the huge shower with the glass door and started to undress. She needed a shower badly.
~Three hours later~
Elizabeth stood at her balcony looking over the city of Los Angeles. The sun was just beginning to set and she had a perfect view. Sighing, she sat down, put her feet through the bars of the railing and lifted her eyes up to the sky. After a nice long shower, she had changed into her pjs, dried her hair, and called up some room service. She felt so fresh, so free. She hadn’t expected anything when she arrived from Europe. She knew that Marcus would give her a place to stay but she had hoped he would give her something a little more modest. She had been so nervous the entire flight about the meaning of her return. Everyone will be so shocked when they see her. She hadn’t meant to stay away for so long. She hadn’t meant to cut off her communication with everyone but things just didn’t work out the way she hoped they would. Her medical problems had gotten worse when she arrived in France. The doctors were positive that she was going to die, but somehow she pulled through.
Elizabeth shuttered when she thought about the 6 years of tubes, machines, nurses, doctors, anesthetics, and monitors… blah, blah, blah. She couldn’t figure out how she hadn’t gone crazy in that hospital. She had spent half of her life in a hospital just because of the circumstances she was born into. She felt bad for her dad and three brothers. She smiled to herself when she thought of them. They had relocated and changed their lives just so they could be there to support her. She felt sorry for them because they constantly worried about her and her health. She hated depending on people especially her family. She wanted to be free of the pain, of the doctor visits, and of the sudden disappearing acts that she was known for. She had a good life in Orlando. She had her family, JC, Joey, Lance, and Chris. But most of all, she had Justin.
Her smile turned into a frown when she thought about the last time she had seen him. He had cried in her arms and begged her not to go. He had begged her to stay with him so he could protect her. A tear slid down Elizabeth’s cheek at the memory and she gingerly wiped it away. She had missed him so much. Out of everything that went wrong, leaving Justin was the hardest one to deal with. Justin had been her rock for years. He had been her savior when she needed to be saved, her shoulder to cry on, and her companion. She had loved him so much that she couldn’t even imagine another person in her life. After six years she didn’t even know if he’d recognize her. She was far from the over energized giddy teenager she used to be. She had been through hell but now she was ok. All she needed to do was patch up all of her lost friendships. She was sure it was doable but fear over took her. What if they had forgotten about her and moved on? What if Justin didn’t need her for anything anymore? She hoped that wasn’t the case because she needed him. She needed all of them.
Elizabeth got up and mentally shook herself. She couldn’t afford to think negatively. She was going to see his best friend’s mother tomorrow. Lynn had not only been a mother to Justin but to her as well. She never got a chance to know her mother because she died giving birth to her. Since Lynn had been her mother’s best friend she welcomed all of her children into her house and treated them like they were her own. Elizabeth smiled with the anticipation of tomorrow. She got between the covers of her huge bed and coaxed herself to sleep. ‘Tomorrow is going to be an amazing day,’ she thought.
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