Road Doc
Chapter 11
“Theresa, this is Beth. Something is wrong with Brian” Beth said, out of breath on the phone.
It was nearly midnight, and Theresa was contemplating going to bed when the phone rang.
“Beth, calm down and tell me what’s wrong” Theresa said.
“I don’t know. He just called me and told me that he’s sick and something is terribly wrong. He wants you to come right away.”
“What room is he in?” Theresa asked while gathering up her bag.
“He’s not staying here. I thought you knew that. He’s across town. He wanted to avoid the crowds. You know how Brian is” Beth said.
Beth convinced Theresa to take a cab across town, and said she would ride along with her. The two women met in the lobby where a cab was already waiting outside.
Theresa’s heart was pounding wildly as the cab took them across the city. She knew of Brian’s health problems and prayed that this had nothing to do with heart. As the cab pulled up to a large, lavish hotel, Beth paid their fare and the two women walked quickly into the lobby.
“Here, this way” Beth said, taking Theresa’s arm and leading her through the large lobby.
“What room is he in?” Theresa asked again, unsure as to where Beth was leading her.
“Just come this way” she said, not stopping.
Theresa stopped as Beth walked into the hotel bar. “Beth, don’t you think we should see Brian before we stop here?” she said, confused.
“Just come with me. Just for a minute” she pleaded.
Theresa conceded and walked into the bar.
“SURPRISE!!!” A large group of people shouted as they walked through the doors. Theresa looked around, shocked. All of the members of the group, the band, and many members of the crew stood cheering. AJ, Brian, Howie, Kevin and Nick stepped out of the crowd, and while Theresa was placed on a chair, they began to sing Happy Birthday.
Theresa was moved to tears. She hadn’t really given much thought to it being her birthday, and hadn’t mentioned it to anyone. How they found out was beyond her, but she was grateful to them for wanting to celebrate with her.
As soon as they finished singing, and a round of hugs were exchanged, loud music began to play and many people made their way to the dance floor. Theresa was handed a tall tropical drink, but it was quickly taken from her by Howie, who then escorted her to the dance floor.
Throughout the night Theresa danced with nearly everyone. The alcohol was flowing, the music was blasting and everyone was having a good time.
“There’s my favorite lady!” AJ said loudly as he sat down next to her in one of the many booths. “Gotta get in my birthday kiss. You can’t say no. It’s a tradition!”
Theresa laughed as the rest of the members of the group gathered around them.
“Here’s the dealio, birthday girl. In our little circle, whenever it’s your birthday, you get kisses from all of us.” Nick said smiling.
Theresa shook her head and tried to object.
“It’s true. On my birthday they all wanted to play tonsil hockey, so I agreed and gave them all colds!” Beth laughed.
Brian took Theresa’s hand and she stood up. He kissed her politely on the cheek and gave her a big hug. “You scared me to death” Theresa said as they hugged. “I thought you were really sick” Brian laughed “Gotcha good, huh?” Theresa nodded.
Nick was next, hugging her first before giving her a peck on the lips. “Thanks for everything, Doc. Happy Birthday” he said before passing her off to a waiting Kevin.
Kevin told her happy birthday, kissed her on the cheek and then pulled her into a stiff hug.
Howie walked up and took her hand. Theresa’s heart began to flutter as he leaned in for a soft hug. He pulled back and lifted her hand to his lips, and softly kissed it. Theresa blushed and smiled. She was falling for Howie and she had no idea if he felt the same way, but she couldn’t help herself. She pulled her hand away, for fear that everyone around them could read her thoughts. As strong as her feelings for him were, she vowed never to express them to anyone, especially Howie.
AJ walked up and stood before her. Everyone around them began to whistle, as if they knew something Theresa didn’t, and she was suddenly very nervous. AJ laughed and wiggled his eyebrows up and down. Theresa couldn’t help but laugh as well. He quickly moved to her, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. With a swift, smooth motion he moved one leg behind her, knocking her off balance so that she fell to one side. He supported her in an exaggerated dip, licked his lips and bent down. He kissed her firmly and without reservation. Theresa tried to fight him off, but he had
her in a prone position that left her with no means of escape. The kiss was long and hard, with his tongue deftly exploring her mouth.
Finally he relented and helped her to her feet. Theresa could do nothing but stand there, her mouth hanging open in shock. Everyone around them was laughing and whistling and AJ had a look of pride on his face. The vast amounts of alcohol Theresa had consumed made it impossible for her to say what was on her mind.
“AJ!!” she was finally able to say. Everyone laughed again. “That....that is NOT something you should do in a public place!!” was all she was able to get out of her mouth, and rather than her words sounding like a reprimand as she intended, they came out sounding like a joke.
The room exploded in laughter, with AJ laughing the loudest of all. He pulled her into a hug.
“You shouldn’t have done that” Theresa said quietly into his ear.
“You loved it and you know it” he said, still holding on to her. “Besides, like I said, it’s tradition”
12