Turn for the Worst

Chapter 9

Regina wakes up to the sound of her phone buzzing on the nightstand. Her clock radio reads 4:00 in the afternoon, which doesn't surprise her in the least. She had a very late night and her head still hurt from all the booze. It was a long night, but a very successful one...

Regina checks the caller ID and it's Henry. She's in no shape to drive him anywhere or to come to his swim practice, but knowing it could be important, she answers.

"Hello?" she says in a scratchy voice.

"Regina?"

"Yes, Henry is that you?"

"Yeah, I was just calling to see if my mom was there."

"No she's not here, she didn't come home last night?"

"No."

"That's very weird. You should try Elsa and Anna's. Elsa was the designated driver and she may have taken Emma home last night."

"Okay."

"Talk to you later."

Regina hangs up. Emma had gone off the radar last night after they sang Happy Birthday to Lacey. She assumed that she had probably taken a taxi or gotten a ride home from Elsa and she just didn't see her the rest of the night. Emma was Henry's mother, not her, and if she had become reckless, she would have to face her own son. She wasn't really paying attention, as she had her own situation and well-being to worry about.

Regina wraps the sheet around herself and looks at the mess on her bedroom floor. Her heels, one of them is broken, lay by the slightly opened door. Her dress and pantyhose lay in a mangled mess leading to the bed and her bra hangs from the bedpost. One of her lamps is knocked over and she still has her jewelry on. A wrapper lays near the side of the bed, confirming everything she had hoped for.

Regina felt very proud of herself. She hasn't had a spontaneous night like that in a long time, in fact, she hasn't had a man in her apartment either. She smiles confidently to herself, so pleased that she still had it. She obviously wasn't looking for anything serious, those long-term relationships had always let her down, but a hook up like this was just what she needed to feel fresh and new again. She wasn't ageing into a spinster that took care of other people's children, she was strong and gorgeous woman... enough said.

The thing was as she searched around her mess room was the lack of male clothing scattered in the chaos and confusion of last night. She frowns to herself, but the door was ajar. Maybe the DJ had already gotten dressed and was watching TV or something. However, there was no noise in the apartment.

Regina wraps the sheet tighter around herself as a makeshift dress and weaves through the mess to her bedroom door. She looks out into the hall and there's no sign of life. She searches her bathroom, wondering if he might be taking a shower, which would be a great place to have a re-run, and the sitting room, maybe finding his coat and shoes. Nothing and nobody. She enters the kitchen and sees a cold cup of coffee on the kitchen counter and a note next to it. Holding the sheet awkwardly, Regina reads the note.

Dearest Regina,

I'm sorry, but I didn't want to wake you. I know that this is impersonal, but I had to be on my way. I had a great night last night but I have another gig to manage tonight. Hope to see you again soon, my number is at the bottom.

Graham

Regina sees his number below. Her heart sinks a little bit, disappointed she didn't have the chance to get to know this handsome stranger a bit more. All she could remember was that his name was Graham, he was a full-time DJ and loved to be spontaneous. When Regina had suggested some fun elsewhere, she was wearing Graham's hat at that point and they were both sharing a pint of beer, he had jumped at the chance to follow her home.