Chapter Twenty-Two
"Don't wanna hear another word about candle light,
And long stemmed roses,
And how you're falling head over heels,
In love.
So what?
Big deal."
She let the final note die off before grinning and bringing the microphone a little closer to her mouth. The crowd was still jumping and screaming. Even though it was a televised concert, her eyes strayed over to the very private VIP area, where no cameras were allowed to turn. Her smile lit up when she saw the guys, dimming only a little when she saw JC. Her attention turned back to the real crowd when she realized that she couldn't wave to them, and she grinned again.
"Sorry, guys, but time is running out!" she called, laughing when they just started to scream louder. She was used to this by now. She was used to seeing cowboy hats at the least "country" states, and had to laugh whenever she was cowboy boots. Then again, she noticed that the crowds at concerts had evolved since she was eighteen, and now there wasn't as much country clothing as there used to be. It was almost like it was a thing of the past.
Not for her, of course. Her cowboy boots thumped on the metal floor as she ran closer to the front, trying not to laugh too loud over the microphone. "So, thank you, Orlando, for allowing me to entertain you out here. Thank you, CBS, for the opportunity to do this, and before we go, I think that the band deserves one huge scream, because without them, this wouldn't have been possible. So, let me hear you, guys!"
She stepped back and turned around, bowing deeply with her arms out to the side. All of the members of her band stood up and waved to the crowd, laughing at the warm reception. She remained down there, bowing, until the cheers started to die off. Even the drummer had climbed out from behind the set and stood on her small stool, twirling her sticks and laughing.
"We only have time for one more song, so how about we go into the past a little, guys. Y'all ready?"
The familiar strains of one of her older songs started to play, and Brooklyn grinned brighter than before, running to one side of the stage to wave at the crowd. They met her voice, and cheered at the right places, falling silent at the right places so they could hear what they wanted. "All right, guys. Let me hear you sing."
Pulling the microphone further away from herself, she sang so that it was barely picked up, and the crowd took over after that. She smiled, and brought back the microphone, nodding to the woman who was playing the electric guitar. "Now, I know that I told you that this wouldn't be possible without the band, but there are a lot of people that are so helpful, putting together these concerts, and making sure that you all leave here happy," she said over the soft melody in the background. "Normally, the band just sings this part with me, but this time, I think we need some fresh backup vocals, so guys? Everybody backstage that can get out here, you bring your butts on stage, and get behind one of these microphones, and let's get this song over with already!"
In a rush, it seemed, people came from backstage, crowding around the microphones that had been set up. They were the unknown people of the tour, but the people that helped put the show together so flawlessly that Brooklyn thought they deserved their time in the spotlight. It had been a total surprise for all of them, which was evident on their faces when they ran out. Everyone that could make it, lighting technicians, makeup artist...even Mia, who always claimed she couldn't carry a tune if you handed it to her in a bucket came around.
"Come on, you all know the song. Let's do this!"
The melody picked up again, and they all joined in singing with her, drowning her out for awhile. Brooklyn laughed and ran back to them, wrapping her arms around Mia and one of the assistants that was basically a gopher, as the chorus started one more time. This time, however, Brooklyn pulled her voice out to the limit and started to sing over them as much as possible, waving to the crowd.
When it ended, she stepped closer to the stage again, and laughed. "Thank you again, Orlando, CBS, and all of you people that are here and watching at home. Thank you to the band, to everyone backstage, and especially, to those people that I've had the pleasure of meeting out here. You all rock, and I'll be back out here sooner than you think." With a mischievous smile, she finished the televised concert like she finished most of her normal concerts. "Later, y'all!" she shouted, pulling out her accent to the extreme before waving and running backwards.
There were a few seconds in which Brooklyn just waved, until she knew the cameras were off. "All right, guys! Cameras are off. Let's have a little fun now." The crowd started up again, and the few in the back that had started to head out hurried back to their seats, pumping their fists in the air.
A few more songs were performed before she actually went backstage. Someone handed her a fresh towel, and she started to dry off the back of her neck with a sigh. "My Lord, I didn't realize that there were that many people out there," she gasped, leaving the towel around her neck. A bottle of water was shoved at her from another direction, and she took it, noting that it was open before she took a few sips. "Damn, that was good."
A chant started from the back and slowly increased in speed and volume. "Brooke! Brooke! Brooke!"
"You all are going to give me a swelled head. Shut up, now!" she shouted with a laugh, though no one missed the flush that covered her face. Her head dipped down, her hair falling over her head as she took a few deep breaths, and brought her head back up. Her damp hair swung in a wild arc as she looked around. "All right, people. Let's get this thing done and over with. Mia, do I have enough time for a shower?"
Mia checked her watch. "If you can hurry. Just soak your head, really, and then we'll see if we can get out of here. Come on, people. Let's start to clear it up, so that it's not so messy in the morning for the guys. I want the props and everything loaded onto the trucks. The lights and stage will stay up over night, but can someone make sure that they're shut off, please? I'm going to kill Joe for getting hurt. I hate this job. I'm sticking to publicity after this."
"Poor you," Brooklyn murmured, walking past her. She kicked the base of an old fashioned microphone, sending it falling towards Mia. She grabbed it with one hand, and glared at the younger singer. "Nice catch." She ran down the hallway, passing people and accepting the thank you's for giving them their chance on the stage before she made it to her dressing room.
Mia had been right. There was only enough time to dunk her head, and when she looked around, she realized that she didn't even have a shower in the room. With a groan, Brooklyn trudged over to the sink and started to fill it up with cold water, putting the plug in. Her head raised to look at herself in the mirror and she sighed. "You look absolutely horrible right now. No one would EVER find you attractive like this, Brooklyn."
A sharp pain started in her stomach and she groaned, looking around. She had forgotten to lock the door, she realized as she bent over, taking a deep breath. Her arm wrapped around her stomach and she closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to lessen. This had been happening off and on for the past day or so, but she had been pretty good at hiding it. No one had really noticed that she had been laying down a lot, instead of sitting up, and when she did have to walk, she hurried out of the room as quick as she could so that she couldn't see that she was hurting.
Only because everyone that she had been around for the past day or so would have over exaggerated to the point where she would be sick of it. Chris would have been the first one to throw her over his shoulder and carry her all the way to the hospital if need be.
"God damn it," she muttered as the pain got a little worse. She walked, still bent over, towards her bag in the corner and felt around for the bottle that she had put in there before. It finally brushed against her fingers and she took it out, pulling off the large yellow lid as fast as possible. From the inside, she shook out one antacid tablet and put it in her mouth, chewing while making a face. They always tasted like chalk to her, or flavored chalk, if you wanted to get down to it.
The bottle of Tums was closed up again, and hidden under her shirt before she stumbled back to the sink, shutting off the water. "Oh, God," she whispered, closing her eyes again. She forced herself to take a few deep breaths. The pain was a shooting pain in her stomach and it was getting worse and worse by the moment.
She needed to lie down, and quickly, she realized, as she gripped the edge of the sink, letting herself down gently. Flipping over to her stomach, she pressed her face into the carpet and groaned softly. All during the concert, she was waiting for the stabbing pain, and it never came. She knew that it was going to come sooner or later, but it didn't come until after. Well, at least she had a little luck on her side.
The smell of the carpet and whatever industrial cleaner they had used on it was making her sick, and the pain had started to lessen, so she sat up cautiously, wincing in anticipation. When nothing happened, she dropped her head, breathing slowly. A sharp knock sounded on the door. "Hey, Brooke! Are you done yet?"
"No, give me a few minutes, all right?" she called back. "I still need to get changed."
Putting her fingers on the edge of the sink, she pulled herself up quickly, because she knew that she had to get out of there soon. As soon as she was standing, though, the pain hit her full force and she almost cried out loud from the feeling of it. The familiar feeling of dizziness started to spread around, and she forced herself to open her eyes and look in the mirror. She knew that it would get rid of the feeling.
But it didn't, for the first time. Instead, the dizziness got too bad for her, and as she started to pass out, her head struck the side of the sink, as if someone really wanted her to black out.
"Hey, Mia!" Lance called, running up to the small woman. She turned around with a tiara in her hands and grinned. "You guys did an awesome job tonight," he added before bending down to wrap his arms around her.
She giggled and reached up to hug him. "Thanks, but it was all Brooklyn. I can't believe how into the concert she was. I think there was something on her mind beforehand, because she didn't seem like herself, but she came out of it during the minute countdown. This is so going to burst her popularity higher than it is now."
He nodded. "Totally. Do you know if she's done yet? The six of us are supposed to go out for a late dinner." He checked his watch and laughed. "A really late dinner."
Mia shrugged. "She should have been out of her dressing room by now, but someone stopped to get her, and she wasn't ready yet. You should check there first, I guess. I have to go and get some stuff out to the truck. See you tomorrow when we pull out."
Lance nodded and waved to her before he jogged back to where everyone was waiting. "Come on, she's still in her dressing room." The five of them started down the busy hall, laughing and talking about the concert, and the signs that they had seen during it. There were quite a few creative ones that had been held up, and during a few of the breaks, the guys had taken the opportunity to look at them.
When they neared her door (from the directions of Chris), Justin knocked loud enough to catch her attention. "Hey, Brooke! Are you naked in there or something?" he called, waiting for her to yell out some comment.
He stood there for a moment, and then frowned. "What, she's not answering? She could be in the shower."
Joey shook his head. "No, I heard someone in the hall say that she wouldn't have enough time for a full shower, so all she could do was soak her head and give herself a quick once over with a towel or something. Besides, there's no shower in those rooms, remember?"
Justin knocked louder this time. "Brooklyn! Open up already! I'm starving!"
No 'hollow leg' comments, no 'you ate a few hours ago' comments. His frown deepened and he closed his eyes, turning the knob. "Brooke?" he asked, sticking his head in the door. Lord knows that he didn't want to look, just in case she was changing or anything. "Brooklyn?"
His eyes opened quickly, and they widened. "Holy shit!" Pushing the door open all the way, he ran into the dressing room, followed by Chris, who had looked around him. It didn't take long for all of them to crowd around her, and Justin, seemingly the most calm at the moment, bent down and felt around her neck. "She has a pulse, and she's still breathing, but I don't know what to do here, guys."
In a flash, Lance was out of the door again, shouting for Mia. She had just been coming out of the loading area when she saw him and walked over with a sly smile on her face. Before she could say anything, however, he started to talk. "There's something wrong with Brooke. She's laying on the floor, and-" He didn't get any further, because Mia broke into a full run and pushed him out of the way, coming into the room.
"Oh, God," she moaned, pulling the cell phone off of her belt. She tossed it to Lance. "Here, call 911. There is no ambulance here. Damn it, come on, Brooke." She lightly hit one of her cheeks, causing her head to roll to the side.
"It'll take longer for the ambulance to get here then it will take us to drive her there," he said, putting the phone in his pocket. "Chris, where did you park?"
He raised his head from where he and Mia were trying to wake up Brooklyn and shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was obvious to see that he wasn't all there. "Uh...I'm in the back lot, with the rest of the crew and everyone. There's fans at the fence, I'm sure, but nothing that bad."
Mia wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. "Brooke, come on," she pleaded, hitting her a little harder. "She hit her head, didn't she? That's why she passed out. Oh, shit, we have to get her to a hospital. She's not waking up. WHY isn't she waking up?"
Joey stood up and slid his arm under Brooklyn's legs, picking her up easily, and putting her head down on his shoulder. "Guys, how are we supposed to get her out of here without anyone noticing? The press is waiting outside to get a few comments from the crew and her, and they're bound to have photographers with them."
"Who cares? Just get her out of here." Lance pulled him towards the door, and looked back. "Jace, snap out of it. Come on!" he finally shouted, watching as his friend finally looked up from where Brooklyn had been laying. He looked around, and started after them. Joey started out in a dead run, Justin running in front of him, holding the keys to the Explorer.
As they ran through the hall towards the back exit, people stopped and stared immediately recognizing Brooklyn's hair color and the deep purple shirt that she had been wearing. They mainly just stared as the group moved towards the exit. The bodyguards standing out there didn't even think twice when they saw what was happening, but kicked open the door and held it for the group to run past.
Justin unlocked the doors before they were even close to the vehicle, jumping up and hitting the button overtop of the roofs of the cars that separated them. The reporters and photographers looked after them for a moment before running after them, screaming out questions and taking pictures.
Mia growled and turned around, her usually happy expression a mask of fury. "SHUT UP!" she screamed, before Chris grabbed her arm, pulling her even faster towards the Explorer. She started to stumble in her heeled shoes that she was wearing, and kicked them off, running in her bare feet.
Before everyone got into the vehicle, Justin has already started the engine, and put the car into reverse, keeping his foot on the brake. Mia was pushed into the passenger seat, while Lance opened up the back of the car, climbing into the back and taking JC with him, slamming the door shut and locking it before the reporters even got close. Chris jumped onto the back seat, followed quickly by Joey, who was still holding Brooklyn, shielding her face from the cameras.
Once the doors were shut, and Justin hit the power lock, he let go of the brake and hit the gas, slamming the car backwards with a squeal of the tires when he pulled on the steering wheel. Everyone that had been following them had stopped short when they saw that he wasn't driving that safely and backed away as he put the car into drive and hit the gas again.
The Explorer squealed for a second, the tires practically smoking before it lurched forward, leaving two dark skid marks behind it. The bodyguards standing outside opened the gates as quickly as possible, and Justin didn't even slow down to wait for them. The fans started to scream when they saw the vehicle, thinking that Brooklyn was trying to make a fast getaway, and started after it.
Justin growled under his breath and continued to go forward, letting the path clear by itself. He made it to the road and turned on without signaling or stopping. The driver of the car behind them laid on the horn. Working on auto pilot, Justin pressed the button to lower the window and put his hand out there, sticking up his middle finger. "Bite me, asshole!" he shouted, before making a quick right turn on a red light.
"Damn it, I want to make it to the hospital in one piece rather than be taken there in an ambulance!" Mia shouted, hitting him.
"Shut up, Mia."
She turned around in her seat and looked towards Joey. "Is she okay?"
His eyes rolled. "How the hell am I supposed to know? I'm not a doctor. She hasn't woken up yet. I don't know if that's good or bad. She's breathing, at least." He looked back down and tapped on her face. "Come on, Brooke. You can't be unconscious the whole time."
Everyone looked towards Mia. She had the most powerful voice out of all of them, and she took a deep breath when she realized what they wanted. "God damnit, Brooklyn Arizona Turner, you wake your ass up before I kick it! I know that you don't like to wear a dress, but you're not getting out of being my maid of honor this way!" Brooklyn didn't even stir in the slightly, only when Justin hit a pothole in the road. Mia sighed and rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "Damn it," she whispered.
The Explorer turned the corner with another squeal of the tires, and the hospital came into view. Justin pulled into the emergency bay and slammed on the brakes, unlocking the doors. "Go. I'll park this thing and meet you in there," he said. Joey and Mia jumped out, running into the emergency room.
Her bare feet and his sneakers made more than enough noise as they ran towards the nurses' station. It didn't take a second for one of them to round the corner, calling for a doctor that was in the emergency room. He came around the corner, and he took one look at Brooklyn before directing Joey into the emergency room, making him put her down on one of the beds. Mia started after them, but the nurse stopped her from going in. "Damn it, that's my best friend in there," she exclaimed, trying to go past her one more time.
"Miss, if you'll have a seat, we'll be with you in a moment. The doctor needs to examine her, and then he'll come out to talk to you."
Mia slammed into one of the seats in the waiting area the same time that Joey came out of the emergency room. "They won't let me stay in there."
Her eyes went over to the nurse that was watching her with a wary look. "Yeah, and that BITCH won't let me in there."
He sat down beside her the moment that everyone else came running in. "Don't ask. The doctor said that he would come out to talk to us in a minute. I probably have to fill in one of those pieces of paper about her medical history and all of that." She rubbed her brow slowly. "Crap. Can someone call Austin? He's probably still trying to get backstage. He wanted to be in the audience and it takes longer to get out of there than out of the VIP area."
Lance was the most level headed person at the moment, and he started down the hall, past the nurses' station to the pay telephones, dialing the number of one of the band members that he had met the day before. He knew that they had a cell phone, and if anyone would be able to find Austin, it would be her.
All of the chairs in the waiting area were taken up by them. Other people had come in and were leaning against the walls, glaring at them sometimes. All of them ignored the looks, not talking. A breath of relief sounded from both Mia and Austin when the same doctor that Mia had seen before came out of the emergency room, walking over to them. "Friends and family of Miss Turner, I expect?"
The seven of them looked at each other and nodded slowly. "Yes, sir. I'm her brother, Austin Turner," he said, shaking the doctor's hand. The doctor looked over at JC, and his eyes brightened with remembrance when he figured out who he was.
JC on the other hand, had already narrowed his eyes. It was the same doctor that had taken care of Brooklyn the first time in the emergency room, when she had fractured her wrist. The same one that Brooklyn had been saying was cute. He kept a sneer off of his face. There was no reason why he had a problem with him, but it was just the fact that Brooklyn had liked him so much.
"Mr. Chasez, it's nice to see you again," he said quietly. It seemed that every single person in the emergency room was looking towards them. There was almost a sick fascination in their eyes, wondering if they were going to get bad news about someone. "I have a few questions for whoever has been around Miss Turner recently."
"We all have, Doctor...?" Mia raised her eyebrows.
An apologetic smile spread on his face. "I'm sorry, I'm Doctor Rames. I was the one who attended to Miss Turner when she came in with Mr. Chasez with the fractured wrist." They all nodded slowly. "I was wondering. For the past three days or so, has Miss Turner been having any medical problems?"
"She's been perfectly fine lately," Chris said slowly. "I've been around her more than anyone lately, and she never told me that she wasn't feeling well. Oh, other than a few allergies."
Doctor Rames shook his head. "Has her appetite been good? Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner?"
Again, Chris answered for everyone. "All that and snacking. She's been eating me out of house and home lately."
"Any nausea or vomiting?"
"Brooklyn has been perfectly fine lately," JC said quietly, looking down at his shoes. "I would be able to tell if something was wrong, and there has been nothing wrong."
There was silence for a moment. "No fever or chills?"
Mia slammed her hands down on the sides of the chair. "Damn it, would you listen to us? She hasn't told us that she hasn't been feeling good lately, and she sure as hell hasn't been showing it, so would you just lay off already? There is nothing wrong with her."
The doctor wasn't easily distracted, however. "Any pain in her abdomen?" No one answered him. Even JC brought his head up to glare at the doctor, who nervously cleared his throat. "Mr. Turner, has your sister ever had her appendix out?"
His head nodded slowly. "Yeah...wait, no. That was her tonsils. She's never had her appendix out, though."
Another frustrated groan sounded from the only woman in the group. "Hello, SHE HIT HER HEAD ON THE EDGE OF A SINK AND PASSED OUT!" Sighing heavily, she calmed down a little when Austin rested his hand over hers. "Can you just tell us if she's okay."
"Miss, we took your friend up for surgery. Her appendix was very close to bursting. Yes, Miss Turner hit her head, but I can almost guarantee that it wasn't what caused her to pass out. It's not unlikely for people to pass out when they're in as much pain as she obviously was, but it's not all that common. If anything, she hit her head on the way down." He took a deep breath and looked down at his clipboard for a moment. "Miss Turner will be in surgery for about two hours, I would think, and then she'll be transferred to recovery. She won't be there long, because there are a few people that are already in surgery that need to be watched closer than Miss Turner. She will be put into a private room, if you'd like."
Austin nodded. "So...is she in danger? I mean, you're just taking out her appendix, right? How bad can that be."
"There are a few risks, but the percentage rate isn't that high. In fact, it's rather low for this kind of surgery. She'll be just fine." He cleared his throat again. "We have already taken her to get some x-rays taken, and while we were in there, I made sure that she had an x-ray of her wrist done as well, to make sure that it wasn't damaged during the fall. Her wrist is healed to the point where we're going to be taking off the cast after her surgery. The cut on her forehead required three stitches, and we've already put them in for her. If you'd like, one of the nurses can direct you to another waiting room."
He walked off without another word, and six of the people let out a sigh of relief. JC, one the other hand, sat straight in his chair, looking at the wall with a blank look. The doctor's words bounced back at him. Three stitches in the head. It all came back to him in a rush. Stitches. Brooklyn bleeding. Her looking so helpless.
He cursed under his breath and stood up. "Excuse me for a minute," he muttered, walking past everyone as he started down the hallway to the bright red exit sign. He pushed open the glass door with his palms and stepped outside onto a small wooden porch that was for patients and families. One man sat out there, smoking a cigarette, while he was hooked up to an oxygen tank no less.
JC moved over to the wicker seat in the corner and sat down with a sigh, rubbing his face slowly. "Your wife having a difficult birth or something?" the man asked suddenly.
Quickly, the pop singers head snapped up. "Excuse me? Oh, no, I'm not married."
A smile spread on the older man's face. "Is your girlfriend giving birth?"
"I don't have a girlfriend, and before you ask, I didn't get anyone pregnant, either." Even though his mind was racing with thoughts and memories, a laugh that sounded more like a giggle escaped him. "I'm sorry. I'm not gay, either."
"Wasn't going to ask, but there's nothing wrong with that, son."
Again, he giggled. "I'm a little old to be called son, I think, sir, but thanks anyway." What could it hurt, he thought as he leaned forward and put out his hand. "My name's Joshua. Uh, sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
The man smiled slowly. "Timothy, but call me Tim."
He froze for a moment. It all had to link together somehow, and this was just another example. It was bad enough to think back when he saw the blood on Brooklyn's forehead, and remembering when he saw blood on her forehead the first time. Only he would be the one to find someone named Tim. "All right. Tim...and this may seem a little ignorant...but I don't think that you're supposed to be smoking when you're near an oxygen tank."
"Believe me, son, I know. If you see a nurse coming, warn me. I'm an old man, and I deserve to live my life the way that I want until I die, which should be coming sooner than you believe." He dropped a lazy wink towards him. "So, Joshua, was there a reason why you stormed out here?"
He nodded slowly. "My friend...uh...was taken in here earlier tonight. I'm just...worried about her, I guess."
"It looks like more than worry on your face, but I'll believe that for the moment. How long have the two of you been friends?" Tim seemed nice enough, and JC needed to talk to someone who didn't know all of the bitter past that he and Brooklyn had had, whether it was part of her past or his.
"Oh, New York...sorry, Brooklyn and I? We've been friends for...about a year, I guess. We met out in Tennessee, where she's from, and she...uh...came out here to...to visit." He never knew how hard it was to carry on a conversation with someone he didn't know, and someone that he didn't want to know everything. How was he supposed to not tell him who Brooklyn was (even though the name should be obvious enough, since there weren't that many people that had the same name), and who he was.
Tim was silent for a second, regarding him carefully. "People are getting stranger as they name their children. Be thankful that you have a normal name." A smile appeared on JC's face. The name that everyone called him by wasn't that normal, but he didn't need to know that.
"Yeah, she's always been proud of her name. She says that it's too original to hate." They fell silent for a moment. "Nurse is coming this way."
The man leaned forward and stubbed out the cigarette, tossing the pack and lighter at JC. With a chuckle, he slipped them under his shirt and crossed his arms to hide the bulge. He had never approved of anyone smoking before, and he didn't know why he was helping him out, but it was a thankful gesture to take his mind off of what had been happening lately.
They both looked over as the door opened, and the nurse stepped out, sighing. "Tim, you should be in your room by now," she said in a soft, almost chastising voice, even though there was a bit of laughter hidden in it.
He smiled slowly. "Just a few more minutes? My son has been working all day and this is the only time that he can come to visit me." Tim held up a hand. "I know, I know. It's past visiting hours, but we won't be long."
The nurse looked over at JC quickly. "Ten minutes at the most." The nurse nodded and went back inside before casting one more look their way. They waited until the door was closed until they started speaking again. "Here," he said with a grin, handing back the cigarettes. Tim took them, and put them back down on the table. "So, how long are you in here for?" he asked, looking around. "This place doesn't seem like the...best place to be."
"Of course not, but we're not talking about you. Brooklyn, isn't that her name?" He nodded slowly. "What happened to her?"
He shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Me and my friends went to go and see her, and she was laying on the floor with...with blood coming from her head. We brought her in here, and the doctor said that she had passed out because of something to do with her appendix, but...I don't know."
JC let out a deep breath and rubbed his eyes again. "Have you ever seen someone pass out before? They look so...helpless, and I've only seen her like that once before. I...I hate seeing her like that, you know? But she just wouldn't wake up. God, I thought that it had something to do with whoever has been following her, but...I really just don't know."
"Following her? What is it, an ex boyfriend that's not too happy with you?"
He let out a weak laugh. "No. It's just..." He trailed off and leaned forward. "When I met Ne...Brooklyn, she had a boyfriend, and after a little while, they ended up engaged. He...uh...wasn't the perfect boyfriend, or fiancé, you could say. He ended up hurting her PHYSICALLY, and she came to where I was staying at the time. She was just so...so HELPLESS and I couldn't do anything to help her. It just all came back to me again."
Tim didn't say anything, just continued to look at JC. He could tell that there was more that needed to be said. "When we found her, she was bleeding from a cut on her forehead. The doctor thinks that she hit her head on the edge of a sink when she passed out. I remember the day that she came to me, and she had a cut just like it on her forehead...only it was worse then. And when he said that she needed stitches in her head...the same thing again. Not only that, but you have the same name as her ex boyfriend. It's like one long chain that keeps trying to screw the two of us over somehow."
"And it doesn't help that you're in love with her, I suppose?"
His eyes flew to the older man's face. "What? I mean, no...well, yes...I..." With a frustrated groan, he slammed further back in his seat. "Yeah, it doesn't help. It hasn't helped at all, but Brooklyn is...she's different. I just..." His eyes went down to his watch. "I'm sorry to cut this short, sir, but I said to the nurse that we would only be another ten minutes and well...it's already past that."
He started to stand up, and JC hurried to stand as well, helping him out of his seat. "Thank you, Joshua. Would you mind taking me down to my room? I never liked to walk there alone."
"Of course. Do you need any help with that?" JC asked him, gesturing to the oxygen tank.
"There's a reason why it has a handle, son." JC opened the door for him, and waiting for Tim to walk by before following by his side. Mia was standing in the waiting room alone, tapping her foot impatiently. She saw him, and opened her mouth to shout, but he shook his head, telling her not to say a word for a moment.
The two of them walked down to the room that Tim was staying in, and JC waited until he got into the bed. "Thank you for the talk, son. It's nice to talk to someone about something other than my medical problems."
He smiled weakly and started towards the door. "Thank YOU. I needed the distraction." He paused and looked back. "Uh...would you mind if I...came to see you tomorrow? If I can get Brooklyn out of her room when she wakes up, I'll see if she came come along."
Tim nodded. "Of course. I don't get many visitors in this place."
JC went back to the waiting room and looked at Mia. "Don't even start with me," he said lowly. She snapped her mouth shut, and started to pull him down the hall to the other waiting room, when she suddenly stopped and looked at him curiously. "Mia, what now? I can only take so much in one day."
Her head cocked to the side and she looked up at him. "Are you okay? When you left, you were pretty pale and shaky, and...I don't ever remember you being this quiet around me."
He frowned and looked at the ground. "It's just...you know."
She nodded and put her hand on his arm. "I know. I remember that day, too, but this is different. You know it's different this time."
He lowered himself into the chair and looked at Brooklyn carefully. She blinked a few times and swallowed thickly. "They sent me in here first. Austin's afraid that they did something drastic to you, like they gave you a nose job or something." A faint smile covered her face. "Mia's ready to kill you. Chris is ready to jump off a cliff because he never saw it coming, and Justin, Joey, and Lance went to go get food for everyone. I'm the only one left, I guess," he said, trying to smile more brightly.
"And I suppose that you're going to tell me that you weren't worried for me? Break my heart."
JC rolled his eyes at her sarcastic tone. "Thanks, sweetheart." He looked down to where his finger was brushing against the edge of the blanket that was covering her, and sighed. "Why didn't you tell anyone, New York? You must have been in pain, and you never told me."
Her head rolled on the pillow to look over at him. "You and I haven't exactly been on the best of terms lately. We've been avoiding each other like we'd avoid the plague, so you weren't exactly my choice candidate for telling what was going on." She groaned and balled up her hands in the blankets. "Damn it, I didn't remember how itchy stitches can get. Make sure I don't scratch them, all right?"
There was only one way that he could stop her, so he leaned forward and pried her fingers away from the blanket, holding her hands. Her shocked eyes flew to his. "You're the one that asked me to stop you," he said quietly, smiling softly. "I know that you and I haven't been talking that much, but...God. I don't even...I mean...New York, can't we just stop this?"
"Stop what?" she asked. "Stop fighting? Stop avoiding each other? Stop being so ignorant? Stop talking to each other? What do you want, JC. I'm just slightly curious here, and you're not answering. You ask me questions that I can't answer, and you damned well know it."
"Can't we just stop everything? And how back to how we used to be? That's what I wanted to ask. I can't...I can't do this anymore." He looked away and towards the window. "You know, a long time ago, I made a promise to myself. It wasn't that promise that I told you about before." She nodded, even though he couldn't see her. He had told her about that awhile ago, and while she thought that the idea was sweet, she was sick of hearing about it. There was no reason that she was sick about hearing it, but she was. "It was...I promised you that I wouldn't let anything hurt you again and that you would always be my New York. It's a hard promise to follow through with, I know, but now I'M the one that's hurting you. And you're not MY New York. I want all of THAT to stop."
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's...you're not...I don't know what you want me to do to stop all of this. I'm just as lost as you are. What do you want, for us to go back to being friends?"
"If that's all that you'll give me, I'll be more than happy with that. You KNOW how I feel, and you told me how YOU feel, but if you just want to be friends, that's fine."
"Yeah, but you forget. We tried this once before, and look what it got us. We were so uncomfortable with each other, and I...you've never been uncomfortable around me before. I don't like being uncomfortable around you. This is...what do we do? Draw straws or something? Flip a coin? Heads, we're friends. Tails, we're dating. Short straw and we're only friends. Long straw and we're trying it all over again? I've got a quarter if you want it."
He turned to look over at her, and a smile started to spread on his face. "Why not? You and I can't figure out what we want to do or anything. Why don't we just flip a coin?"
She stared at him for a moment. There was a look of disbelief in her green eyes. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yeah! Why not? Your purse is here. You always have at least one of every coin in your wallet. I know you, New York. You forget that all the time."
Brooklyn started to smile. "You're calling me New York again? I thought that you were stuck on Brooklyn."
His head shook. "New York. So, are we going to flip a coin or what?"
"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered. "My purse is over there. If I see that you steal so much as a PENNY, I will kick your butt so bad, it's not even funny."
He rolled his eyes and shook his head before getting up and walking to the corner of the room. Her performance clothes were folded up and put on a chair, her purse ontop of them. He opened it and dug through for her wallet, finally finding it. He brought it back to the bed with him, and sat back down. Opening the wallet, he looked in the change compartment, and took out a shiny quarter. "Heads, we're friends and tails, we're dating, right? That's what you said."
She nodded slowly. "Fine, go for it. Hold on, let me cover my eyes. Ooh, I'm going to kick myself HARD for this one. I'm blaming it on the anesthesia they used on me." He stuck out his tongue before she closed and covered her eyes. "Flip for it."
JC took a deep breath, hardly believing that he was doing this himself. Since when did he resort to this sort of thing? Why didn't he just give her a note asking her to circle yes or no to the age old question, "Do you like me?" He curled his thumb under his index finger and rested the quarter there, closing his eyes.
Before he could stop himself, he flicked his thumb up, and they both listened as the quarter bounced on the ground a few times before coming to a stop. Slowly, his eyes opened and he looked down at his feet, laughing quietly. The laugh started to grow before he had to lean forward.
Brooklyn uncovered her eyes and looked at him, almost surprised. "What the hell are you laughing about? What did it land on? Come on, tell me. I can't lean over and look. JC, TELL ME," she exclaimed, hitting his arm.
His eyes opened and he looked over at her. "Are you sure that this is what you want?" he asked mischievously. Slowly, he bent down and picked up the quarter, shoving it in his pocket. "I'm keeping the quarter, so don't you even try and talk me out of it."
"You owe me twenty five cents, then. WHAT DID IT LAND ON?"
To answer her question, he leaned forward to brush a kiss across her forehead. Winking, he started towards the door and turned back at the last second. "Tails." As he walked out of her room, he could hear her laughter filling the room. The smile dropped off of his face, and he brought the quarter back out, looking at it carefully.
"I'm telling you that it was tails, but New York, you're going to kick my ass if you ever find out that it landed on heads." With an annoyed expression, he dropped the quarter into a garbage can as he walked back to the waiting room.
Chapter Twenty-Three
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