Get Me Out of Here

"How much longer?" moaned the out of patience patient.

Whitney lay on the hospital bed, her body continually squirming and twitching in her annoyance. The teen, already changed from her hospital gown to street clothes, alternated from the ticking wall clock and the digits on her cell phone screen. All the while, her thoughts were consumed by the endless tasks that she needed to be done before the party began.

A pair of lips lightly touched the blonde's forehead. The unexpected action caused Whitney to spin around and stare up at her father.

"That's from your uncle," Harvey explained.

"He's not coming to see me?" his daughter whined, hurt that for once, Graham didn't flock to her side and see to her every need.

"No, he's taking care of a task for me."

"What's more important than me?"

"Nothing, pumpkin, nothing at all. But this task is time-sensitive," Harvey stressed, not wishing to bring Whitney into the loop yet on Orrin Rusk's behavior.

"Then what's keeping Frida?" Harvey's frown set off further complaining from his daughter. "Oh, that's wonderful! Doesn't anyone love me anymore?"

"Now, don't complain about Frida's unavailability. That's entirely on you, pumpkin," Harvey reminded. "You're the one that texted her a long list of items that just absolutely needed to be done by this afternoon."

"Afternoon?! I need them done by the time we leave here!" Whitney slammed her hands down on the bed.

Harvey held in a chuckle. Ah, there's the little girl I remember inside a woman's body. "Don't get too riled up. The doctors might decide to keep you longer if you exert yourself too much."

"Don't even say that, Father!" the teenaged daughter snapped. "I don't need any more complications. Just one more and I might--"

"Good morning, everyone!" Willow greeted in a less than jovial manner as she entered the room in whirlwind fashion. Immediately her phone chirped, leading her to ignore Whitney and Harvey while she read the incoming message. "Argh!"

"Problem, Willow?" Harvey inquired, watching his ex-wife slam her phone into her purse.

"Are you blackballing me from the charity ball?" the no-nonsense woman demanded of her ex-husband.

"Blackballing you?" Harvey repeated, half-shocked and half-amused. He glanced over at their daughter, who arched an eyebrow at him. "Of course, I'm not!"

"Then why can't I seem to get a ticket? I've been told that they are sold out. And none of my old connections can help me out."

"I don't know what to say, but that Cassandra was a very well-liked and popular woman in town. The interest in creating a cause in her name has been phenomenal. Besides, why--" Harvey explained until Whitney cut him off.

"Hold on; just hold on. You're not going to the ball tonight," Whitney stated to her mother.

"Yes, I am."

"Why? You don't live here. You don't even like Honey Hollow," Whitney pointed out, transitioning into a poor imitation of her mother's voice. "It's not Guzzle Crossing. Guzzle Crossing has this and has that."

"Oh, Whitney, I still care about what happens in Honey Hollow. I have a second home here, and it's where my daughter is being raised. Besides, I always liked Cassandra. She was a--"

"Cut the crap, Mom. What's the real reason?" Whitney demanded.

"Now, pumpkin, don't talk to your mother like that," Harvey chimed in, hoping to keep the peace. Please, please don't start, you two. Only Whitney and Willow could push each other's buttons this way.

"Fine, be that way, daughter dearest," Willow responded in a huff. "I'm going to this ball to keep on an eye on you."

"No way! No frigging way!" Whitney declared. "I will not allow that."

"I'm your mother; you have no say in the matter," Willow responded, throwing the proverbial kid gloves off her hands. Tilting her neck up, the strong-willed woman braced herself for the burgeoning brawl of an argument.

"Don't you waltz back into my hometown and pull the mother card on me," Whitney punctuated her point with a jab of the finger.

"Mother card? I am your mother, lest you forget that parade of women from your father's bed--"

"Would you two stop?!" Harvey bellowed. "Whitney, show your mother a little respect." Whitney grumpily folded her arms and sat back in bed while Willow grinned in apparent victory. "Willow, you don't need to watch Whitney tonight. I've already made arrangements to have a trusted employee at her side tonight. And Dr. Mayfield will be on hand to monitor her as well. They won't be the only two, I can assure you."

"None of them is her mother," Willow pointed out.

"That's a positive for them," Whitney mumbled.

"But you can see why you won't be needed," Harvey continued.

"I'm going to be there."

"You. Are. Not. Welcome!" Whitney spat.

"Where I go and what I do is none of your concern," Willow declared.

"I can say the same!"

"Pumpkin, please, let's deal with--"

"No! This is going to end up like my thirteenth birthday party. She's out to ruin my life!" Whitney screeched in melodramatic teenage fashion.

"You were far too young for that dress," Willow reminded.

"I looked fantastic in it!"

"Enough!" roared Harvey. Both women stopped their bickering and turned to glare at the man who dared interrupt them. "Look, let's take this outside and discuss it, Willow." He gestured toward the door.

"Oh, hell, no! You aren't leaving me out of the loop," Whitney cried.

"Frankly, I'll handle this myself," Willow stated. "I'm sure I can call around for a man that needs a hot date to the ball tonight."

"Don't be too..." Whitney planned to say easy, but the hard look from her dad shut her up.

"A date? Don't you already have a boyfriend, Willow?" Harvey questioned, the name escaping him at the moment. "That young man you just returned with from your holiday vacation."

"Ricky? I told you he's just a friend from the gym. We're in the same yoga classes."

"And?" Harvey let hang out there. He assumed that Ricky was a young plaything similar to what he frequently had.

"Oh, my dear Harvey," Willow cackled. "You're losing your touch. Ricky isn't my little vacation toy; we were each other's wingmen." Then, seeing the still confused look on his face, she added, "He is far more interested in you than he is me."

"Oh. Oh!" Harvey exclaimed once he realized what that meant. A small part of him felt relieved and also embarrassed at the sliver of jealously that he now realized had been there.

"Wow, that's sad. You couldn't find a man who wanted your body as a vacation buddy," Whitney needled but then immediately felt bad for it. "Sorry, I can't stop my mouth sometimes."

"Perhaps, I should call Cassandra's parents and see if they can squeeze me in. I'm sure they would understand the circumstances," Willow pressed on, ignoring her daughter's comment. She just had to take after me with my sharp tongue. Mom was right; that came back to haunt me someday.

"No! I mean, no, don't do that," Harvey said, imagining that the Banks didn't need his ex-wife calling them today of all days. "I'll find you a ticket. Rachel might have some set-aside, or I'll even call Fiona and see if the foundation has any extra ones."

"You call a Wynwick for me? What have you been up to, Harv?" Willow inquired, a strong suspicion forming rapidly in her mind. Maybe I should stay around here for more than just Whitney. Something odd is going on; I can feel it.

Before Willow could consider a probing question, Eloa Agrela and Liberty Dall walked into the room. The two nurses featured broad smiles and a wheelchair. Libby moved the chair alongside Whitney's bed while Eloa handed several pieces of paperwork to Harvey. No one but Harvey noticed her sly wink.

"Is it time? Can I go home?" Whitney pressed eagerly, sitting up on the bed.

As if on cue, a loud cheer sprang from the doorway.

"I hear that it's getting too hot in Whitney to stay," Chastity Kupp joked as she bounced into the room, holding five mylar balloons. Each had a popular well-wish for hospital patients. "Get it? It's because Whitney's no longer cold--eek!"

The perpetual happiness on Chastity's face vanished as fear replaced it. Jumping back, the honey blonde slammed her back into Spencer Vine's chest, who had followed her into the room. Swinging her body around, Chastity ended up behind her coworker, peering over his shoulder at the person that frightened her.

"Ah, perfect timing," Harvey remarked, walking over to the two latest arrivals. "I believe you have something for me, Mr. Vine? Thank you," he said as the younger man handed over a manila envelope.

"Will there be anything else, sir?" the young employee asked.

"If you wouldn't mind? Here." Harvey pulled out his car keys. "Can you pull my car to the main door for us? I have the sports car today."

"Sure thing, sir," Spencer eagerly nodded, turning to hurry away, but Chastity refused to let him pass.

"Chastity, what's the matter?" Harvey inquired, finally noticing the highly unusual look on her face. "Let Spencer by."

The Diamond Corp receptionist vigorously shook her head no.

"Mother," Whitney growled, easily recognizing who frightened Chastity.

Harvey recalled yesterday's incident at the manor and Willow's sharp attitude toward the third-generation employee. He also remembered Willow promising to head back and apologize.

"Willow, did you forget to make your apologies yesterday?"

"Hey, I went back and apologized. I swear," the blonde-haired woman insisted, seeing the doubt on the faces of her daughter and ex-husband. "Frida will back me up on it. She accepted my apology. I wouldn't say the same about Valeria. I'm fairly sure that she called me several foul names in Hungarian."

"And what about Chastity?" Harvey challenged, gesturing to where she cowered behind Spencer. "She seems rather frightened of you today."

"I apologized! Tell them that," Willow gestured toward the blonde, who flinched at the movement.

"Mom!"

"Maybe she forgot. She is an airhead--"

"Willow!" Harvey roared.

"Chastity, come here. You'll be safe by me," Whitney patted the bed. "My mother won't try anything around me."

"Oh, for gawd sake, she's not a little girl," Willow pointed out as Chastity hurried to sit by her daughter. "She's older than you, Whitney."

"You called her a whore," Harvey whispered.

"And I apologized," Willow hissed back. "I explained that I had a rough time getting back and was worried about Whitney."

"Clearly, you didn't do a good enough job conveying that you truly meant it," he continued to whisper before raising his voice. "Get used to having Chastity at your side, pumpkin. She's your chaperone tonight."

"Really?!" Whitney questioned, actually clapping at the idea.

"Really?" Willow challenged, knowing that her daughter would walk all over the young woman.

"Yes, I trust her completely when it comes to worrying about our daughter," Harvey firmly stated. Then, leaning closer, he softly added, "She might not be the brightest, but she makes that up with her heart. Now, apologize again."

Sighing, Willow gave into her ex's direction for the now. Across from her, Whitney felt that her luck had suddenly changed. It looks my night might not be a total bust. Chastity is easily distracted, so I can find plenty of chances to have fun.

With Chastity racing ahead, balloons waving around in the air, a nagging feeling started to gnaw at Whitney. A crackling of tension still lingered in the air, which surprised her as Willow had left to run a few errands. She had picked up on it while her father, Chastity, and the two nurses rode the elevator down to the main level. Now, as Libby pushed her in the wheelchair across the lobby, Whitney watched Eloa like a hawk.

Harvey continued to make small talk with both nurses. He marveled at how wonderful the 4th-floor staff had been. They had come out to the nurses' station and given Whitney an ovation as she left her room for the last time. It had been an unexpected gesture that brought tears to both Whitney and Chastity's eyes. Even her father appeared to brush his hand past his face.

"I can't think you enough. The care and affection that Whitney received were far beyond any that I imagined," Harvey stated once they reached the main doors. The hug between him and Eloa looked polite to any onlooker with a passing interest. But Whitney wasn't a person with a passing interest. She immediately picked up on the way the model-like brunette's hand slid down her father's chest and how her leg partially locked around his. Harvey wasn't an innocent bystander as he used a column to block the sight of everyone but Whitney from seeing his hand slide along her lower back and quickly cup an ass cheek.

Not wanting to be left out, Libby hopped over, throwing her arms around Harvey's neck in a fierce hug. Startled by the overt affection, he grabbed her hips and gently pried the bubbly blonde away while wearing a broad grin. Libby blushed brightly with a polite kiss to her cheek, making brief eye contact with Whitney before turning her head away.

I knew it! Geez, Dad found a way to screw not one but two of my nurses! Well, I did say that she should get laid. And I did try to find a woman for him. I just didn't think it would take me almost dying for it to happen.

"Okey dokey!" Chastity yelled out the door while holding a thumb up.

Outside on the circular driveway, Spencer stood at the passenger door of Harvey's silver roadster. Harvey waved in acknowledgment.

"Okay, pumpkin, ready to go?"

"Oh, Har-Mr. Diamond, we still need to wheel Whitney outside. Hospital policy," Eloa explained with a shrug.

"Sure. I guess we get another moment with our favorite nurses," Harvey chuckled while Whitney rolled her eyes.

The blast of cold wind sent shivers up Whitney's spine as she closed her eyes. However, with her eyes closed, she started to gasp for air as memories from the last time she felt cold in the dark raced back. Blinking rapidly, Whitney sighed in relief that no one noticed her momentary panic.

Instead, Chastity bounced around, holding her arms out as she clearly looked like a person hiding a surprise behind her. Next to her, Spencer watched in amused confusion at her antics. Harvey didn't notice yet as he gave another round of "polite" hugs to Libby and Eloa.

"Ready to go now, pumpkin?" her father asked after the nurses hugged Whitney goodbye. Libby folded the wheelchair in half and carried it back inside. After helping the now-former patient stand, Spencer stayed close to Whitney, ensuring she didn't fall.

"Holy smokes! Hold on!" Chastity exclaimed, opening the car door, turning around, and reaching for an item. Harvey and Spencer both tried not to stare at the toned ass swaying back and forth. "Happy get out of the hospital!"

The honey blonde held up an oversized card with the words 'Get Well Soon' emblazoned on the front. The card had to have been almost two feet high and more than a foot wide.

"See, everyone at Diamond Corp was sooo worried about you," Chastity revealed, opening the giant card to show off all the well-wishes and signatures of over several dozen people.

"How...when...How did you manage this? DC has been closed for the past few days?" Harvey sputtered in shock.

"I visited them," the receptionists said as if the time required wasn't a big deal.

"You stopped to see each of these people?" Harvey questioned, getting a nod back. "Chastity, you are a treasure," he added with a kiss to her forehead.

"No, you're part of the Diamond family, Chastity," Whitney declared, after finally pulling away the hand that had covered her face at the grand gesture of kindness.

Tears followed until the honey blonde announced another gift for Whitney. If the card had been a huge gesture, the stuffed bear that Chastity pulled out of the sports car was literally huge. Dark tan in color, the bear held a pumpkin in the crook of its arm with its top torn off so that he could eat its contents. The pumpkin top, with its stem intact, worked as a makeshift hat for the bear.

"It's adorable!" Whitney cried, hugging the stuffed animal. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Dagnabit! I lost the card," Chastity moaned, slapping her head. "Wait, I found it!"

Whitney took the small envelope and ripped it open. That's when Spencer had to dash forward to keep the sobbing girl from tumbling to the pavement. Harvey raced over in confusion. He shot a questioning look at Chastity.

"The--hey, we need to name him! Oh, sorry, the pumpkin bear is from Shenai," the honey blonde informed him. "It was her idea...well, mostly."

More tears flowed as Harvey scooped up his daughter. The thoughtfulness of his ex-personal assistant and girlfriend caused Harvey to have even more mixed feelings about the event that took Shenai Platt out of his life and Whitney's as well.

Once Whitney stopped crying, along with another round from Chastity, they managed to help get the teenager settled in the small roadster. Temporary goodbyes were exchanged as Spencer would join Chastity at the ball as an additional eye on Whitney.

"Sorry about the tight fit, pumpkin," Harvey said, looking over to where his daughter sat with the giant bear on her lap. The greeting card had gone back with Chastity with plans to display it in Harvey's office. "Bridget took my SUV back to the cabin. Do you want to drop that off at manor?"

"No way! I love him," Whitney insisted, squeezing the bear. "I need to think up a name for him."

"Seriously?"

"If I don't, then we both know Chastity will tonight."

"That's for sure," Harvey remarked, checking the traffic before pulling out of the hospital's driveway. The route of the roadster abruptly shifted as Harvey heard his daughter's next words.

"So, did you only bang two of my nurses, or were there more?"