When Jena arrived at her house just after one am, she decided to go inside not wanting to be like Thallea, who seemed to find reasons to be subversive in every situation. She pushed past the KT staffers in her kitchen and their catty dates who whispered and stared at her when she politely smiled toward them in acknowledgment. In the den, Jena could hear their television blasting an action movie, so she went there expecting to find Nate and Turner on the couch since both of their trucks were parked on the lawn. Jena grinned a little to herself when she glanced into the living room upstairs. Nate had a giant disco ball and DJ stationed up there. As usual, Nate had a way of being over the top that was comical to Jena, like he had a personal trademark all his own in that respect.
On the terrace, Chris, Turner's favorite foreman, was smoking a vape pen and leaning on Yriella, one of his newest hires at the KT office. Jena tried to shake off how it annoyed her that she could not get a job for KT Construction because it was run like a good ole' boys' club. Every few years Turner picked a handful of recent high school graduates to be his secretaries, all of whom made more money than her at the after-school care center she was employed at. Nate would make the excuse that it would be bad for their marriage if they worked together, which was likely true, but it would have been nice to be paid a living wage, even if it met being the co-worker of her husband's conquests.
Nate kept all of his money separate from Jena. They did not have a single joint account or any shared assets whatsoever. Everything was in his name. Jena was allowed to be a part of his life, but only at her own expense. Early in the marriage Jena had brought up the topic but was shut down so hard that it was forever a non-negotiable between them. Nate would hear nothing of including his wife in that regard. However, she was allowed to live with him rent-free, which was the one concession she accepted in their arrangement.
Turner didn't bother to so much as even look toward Jena when she entered the den. Nate was passed out, facing the couch cushions. Jena went to sit by her husband, but she was immediately taken aback by how cold Nate's arm was when she went to move it. She rolled him onto his back and saw that he had vomit on the front of his shirt, which was half unbuttoned. His face was blue and his lips purple. "Turner! Something's wrong with Nate!" She yelled between her petrified gasps. Turner was half listening to her because he was focused on whatever text message he was scrolling on his phone. Jena shook Nate, who was unresponsive and had foam bubbling out of his mouth, with eyes that were rolled back in his head. Jena yelled again. This time Turner leaned up from where he sat to slap Nate's leg. Nate's arm slipped off the seat of the couch. With that, a creeping realization that Nate needed help started to wash over Turner's expression.
Jena looking at Turner said, "We gotta get him to the hospital." Turner called to Chris outside, who sprang into usefulness scooping the five foot-nine, two-hundred-pound body of Nate like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. Running to their vehicle, they loaded Nate into his truck. Jena floored it being the only one sober enough to drive. Turner called ahead to the ER to tell them what was happening. Chris was doing CPR on Nate in the back. They completed the fifty-minute drive in twenty-four.
A surgical team rushed to Nate when they pulled up. Jena had to go fill out paperwork at the front desk. Turner went to the waiting room with Chris who talked to a nurse about what they knew about Nate. Shortly after in the waiting room of the hospital, a couple of police officers approached Jena and Turner who were expecting to hear something about Nate's condition. Instead, Officer Martin explained that after they had taken Nate to the hospital, a young woman was found dead in their bedroom. Jena was floored. When the police had gone to her home to take reports, they found Amber Coats, a local college girl had overdosed on their satin duvet. Jena's head swirled as they spoke and she thought she was going to faint as her limbs went numb. Turner tried to speak for the mumbling Jena, but she stopped him saying that they needed a lawyer before they could proceed because they were unaware of the facts of the case. Turner sent Chris home, telling him not to give any statements either. What Turner said goes for the whole staff, without him giving so much as a wink. Jena could hear the officer as they left criticize under his breath, "God Damn rich pricks."
Just then a doctor came out to explain Nate's condition. He said that Nate was only temporarily stabilized. He had suffered a heart attack and subsequent stroke after snorting a speedball. Jena was speechless while Turner cried. Nate had to be moved to another hospital in Colorado to be operated on. Jena sent Turner ahead of her to find all he could from the doctor, while she called Ivy-Mae who lived with her second husband Jett, and then Nate's biological father Gus. Nate's mother lived in a retirement community in Dallas Fort Worth, while his father lived in Utah with his extended family. She had tried to call them earlier but both households let her call go to voicemail. Jena didn't blame them, it was three am on a Sunday. She didn't bother to call a lawyer, she knew Turner would handle it in his own time. He had the money and connections after all, while she was a little-known housewife to a pencil pusher.
When Turner returned to the waiting room they walked back to his truck, having done all they could there. Once inside the vehicle, Jena asked in a hushed tone what had happened that night. Turner admittingly said that the crew came by after nine, and there was an order of catered BBQ and a DJ set up. Nate had fooled around in his room with a girl they had invited from the BBQ joint before he came out to the couch and had been there since. This all checked out with Jena, who had noticed that Nate had refilled his erectile dysfunction prescription after she had notified him that she would not be staying at the house for his party. Turner finished saying, "I think she's the one who died." Jena told him to call Roman, the lawyer on retainer for KT Construction knowing this would get ugly. Turner agreed.
At the barndominium, Jena knew that the police were still combing through her belongings, and finishing evidence collection. Turner took her back to his house and gave her the keys to one of his old cars to use. They both knew she was not to go back to her home and to be scarce for the time being. Turner was brief with her, which she appreciated. She took the car and headed in the direction of the hospital in Colorado. Everything was now in Turner's people's hands to deal with. She just wanted to see her husband and to put this chapter behind them forever. If only life were that simple.
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