(Friday Morning – Vegas Concert)
“This is weird.” Chris said as they stepped off the
elevator onto the floor they were staying on.
“What?” Michelle asked.
“Coming back to a hotel actually feels like coming home.”
“Occupational hazard.” She grinned.
Chris stuck his tongue out at her and adjusted the
bag on his shoulder. He acknowledged
Lonnie and the other guards on his way past.
He inserted the keycard into the door of their room and waited for the
green light to come on. He dropped his
bag and collapsed onto the sofa the minute he got inside.
“So what are your plans for the afternoon?” He
asked. “Are you coming to soundcheck?”
Michelle tried to look guilty. “No, I was going to go downstairs and play
the slots.”
Chris raised his eyebrows.
“Don’t look at me like that.” She told him. “I also need to talk to Lance soon.”
“Why?” He asked suspiciously.
“Umm… no reason.” She said quickly.
“If this is about Laurie…”
“Chris, she’s been gone since very early Tuesday
morning.”
“So?”
“So it’s Friday!” Michelle exclaimed. “I know she hasn’t called me, so I want to
see if she maybe checked in with Lance.”
Chris groaned.
“We’ve been having the same discussion for the last two days. I’m worried about her too, but she’s an
adult and she can take care of herself.
I’m sure she’ll be back at work on Monday, she wouldn’t shirk her
responsibilities.”
“Listen, I’m not used to not talking to Laurie
everyday in some form or another and the fact that she just up and left really
concerns me.”
“I’m sure she’s fine.” He reiterated.
“Typical!” She huffed. “How can you be so insensitive?”
“I’m not being insensitive, I’m just getting tired
of hearing you talk about it every minute of everyday. Now can you please just drop it?”
“No. No, I
will NOT drop it until I know for sure that she’s all right.” She turned on her
heel and stalked towards the door. “I’m
going to talk to Lance.”
“Fine.” He muttered and turned the TV on.
**********
Lance’s door was open a crack when she arrived, so
she knocked lightly and called his name.
“Come on in.” Lance replied and Michelle pushed the
door open. Lance set aside the papers
he was working on. “Did you enjoy your
couple days off?”
Michelle laughed.
“I’ve technically been off since the beginning of July. But Chris and I did enjoy a few quiet days
at home. Even though he’s pissed off
with me at the moment.”
“Why?”
“He’s kind of getting tired about me talking about
Laurie.” She lowered her head.
“You still haven’t heard from her, huh?”
“No,” she sighed.
“I guess that means you haven’t heard from her either?”
“Sorry.” Lance shook his head. “I’ve also left several messages on her cell
phone. I’m sure she’s all right though…
just give her some time.”
Michelle glared at him. “You sound exactly like Chris.”
“Sorry.” Lance grinned sheepishly.
Michelle flopped back on the bed, which sent Lance
scurrying for the papers he had been reading moments earlier. He gave her a dirty look and she had the
decency to look guilty. Lance organized
the papers and placed them on the dresser beside the bed.
“Do you know if JC has heard from her? Or tried to call her?” She asked hopefully.
“Not that I know of. He’s been home with Alexandria for the last two days.”
“Oh.
Lance?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t like fighting with Chris.”
“That’s because you’re both stubborn and
pig-headed.” He laughed.
“Oh piss off.” She stuck her tongue out at
him. “So how are you and Hannah doing?”
“We’re doing all right,” Lance blushed. “She’s going home on Monday which kinda sucks,
but she can’t take any more time off work.”
“Stacy and I are leaving too… you guys will have to
fend for yourselves.” Michelle grinned.
There was another knock on the door and Lance
groaned. “Because apparently my room is
the place to hang out right now. Come
in!”
JC poked his head in the door. “Hey.”
“You’re back,” Lance greeted. “Did you enjoy your days off?”
“No.” JC rubbed a hand over his face and sat down
on the floor in front of them.
“Well we know how that could have been avoided, don’t we?”
JC shot Michelle an injured look and Lance came to
his friend’s defense. “Michelle, that
really wasn’t called for.”
“And what do you think, JC?” She asked
scathingly. “Do you even care that no one has been able to get a
hold of Laurie since she left?”
“No one has talked to her?” JC asked, his voice
laced with panic.
“We thought you might have tried to call her.” Lance told him doing his best to keep
Michelle out of the conversation.
JC looked down.
“Actually, I…”
“That’s what I thought,” Michelle jumped off the
bed. “Too busy with your wife to call the woman who really loves
you and…”
She never got a chance to finish her rant because
JC jumped up from his seated position on the floor and grabbed her arms. He had tears in his eyes.
“Listen to me,” he growled. “I fucking love Laurie and I never would have intentionally hurt her.” He
tightened his grip a little. “Do you
think I want to be with
Alexandria? She’s the epitome of evil
and I wish I had never met her.”
“That makes three of us,” Lance muttered under his
breath.
JC let Michelle go and she massaged her sore
arm. “JC, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have attacked you like
that. I know you love Laurie… I’m just
a little stressed out because she’s missing.”
She lifted her sleeve and looked at her arm. “Damn, that’s gonna bruise.”
“Shit.” JC glanced at the area she was referring
to. “Chris is going to kill me.”
Michelle grinned.
“No, Chris will just think I was being clumsy again. Or that he inflicted it.”
“I feel really bad… I’m sorry.”
“We’re cool Jace.
I kind of jumped on you about Laurie and you didn’t deserve it.”
“You didn’t deserve for me to grab you
either.” His eyes were filled with
remorse.
“Will you two just accept the others apology and
shut up?” Lance demanded from his
ringside view on the bed. “Either that
or take it somewhere else… you’re boring me to death.”
Michelle looked at JC and raised her eyebrows. JC nodded in agreement and they both turned
to Lance with evil expressions upon their faces. Lance could immediately sense that something was up and moved to
avoid any action from the two standing in front of him. Much to his dismay, he was too slow.
JC and Michelle jumped on the bed and began to
tickle Lance until he had tears rolling down his face and was short of breath
from laughing too hard. The instigators
were unable to contain their giggles from Lance’s reaction.
“It’s good to see you laugh, C.” Lance told him once he had caught his breath
and his heart rate had slowed almost to normal.
“Then how come I don’t feel any better?” JC’s laughter quickly ceased and he curled
up on the bed, hugging a pillow to his chest.
“Because it’s going to hurt for a while.” Lance
explained softly. “You love Laurie and
you’re having trouble accepting the fact that it’s over between you.”
“I know it’s over between us.” JC said sadly.
“But you don’t want to accept it,” Lance
reiterated. “Maybe after the baby is
born, you can still ask Alexandria for a divorce and have joint custody?”
“I don’t think that would be possible. Dria would use all the leverage she could to
stay married to me… I know she would threaten to withhold visitation.”
“JC, listen.”
Michelle rolled onto her stomach and propped her upper body up on her
elbows. “To me, you and Laurie are like
the ultimate couple. Fate brought you
back together after five years apart.
What makes you think that won’t happen again?”
“Fate has also torn us apart twice,” JC shot
back. “The odds aren’t exactly in our
favor. Even if something happens that
Laurie and I do end up back together – which doesn’t even look remotely possible at this moment – what
makes you think we wouldn’t end up going our separate ways again?”
“I know it looks bleak right now C,” Lance
interjected. “But Michelle has a
point. If you and Laurie are really
meant to be together, it’s gonna happen unless you don’t want it to.”
“I do want it to.” JC spoke softly. His eyes were brimming with tears
again. “I need her in my life.”
“Then don’t let anything stop you from letting that
happen.”