Cadence

by J. M. Nevins

  They headed into the hospital, eager to find out details. Kyle quickly learned that the surgeon on call was stuck in a sig alert on the 405 freeway and wouldn’t arrive for at least an hour. The attending surgeon, Dr. Perry, specifically requested Kyle, knowing he had just left the hospital and was in close range.

  As he hastily shed his tuxedo for scrubs, he had a bad feeling that confused him. He took a second look at the silver Tiffany cufflinks engraved with his initials, a gift that he still held so dear. They were the only item from his past that he took with him to start the new chapter of his life years ago. He frowned, confused by his intense focus on them and the memories attached. He squeezed them in his hand for a moment, before carefully tucking them away in his locker.

  The impending sense of doom returned as he left the physician’s lounge for the operating room. He had done so many emergency surgeries before, but something about this one felt strange and he couldn’t place it. He entered the prep room apprehensively, feeling a momentary ease come over him seeing Emily already scrubbed up and ready to assist.

  Her brown eyes were wide and reflected a level of concern he had never seen as she stared up at him. He frowned, concerned. Rarely had he seen her shaken by anything. “Em, what’s wrong? Is it bad?”

  She gulped and spoke slowly. “Kyle, it’s her on the table.”

  He frowned again. “Her who?”

  She stared at him. “The girl from the magazine covers.”

  He felt his heart skip a beat and then calmed down, hoping he wasn’t jumping to conclusions. He figured Emily was confused. “What girl from what magazine covers? What are you talking about?”

  She pointed into the operating room. “The redhead that spun you out that night. She was on the cover of Platinum Magazine and Billboard. You drank way too much alone on your couch. Remember? Those magazines you asked me to buy for you when you were coming off a crazy thirty-eight hour shift. She’s some big music exec or producer or something. I think she won a Grammy last year. I think her name is Kit…”

  He followed her gaze into the operating room, his worst nightmare coming true at that moment. He felt like someone was ripping his heart out again and wondered how this happened. He swallowed hard, his eyes remaining trained on her through the glass as he spoke slowly. “Kit McKenna.”

  She nodded. “Yes, now Dr. Perry looks like he’s about to kill you, and you do not want to piss him off. You know you’re his golden boy resident. Don’t screw that up. C’mon, focus. So what if she’s a celebrity? They’re just like normal people. Forget your celebrity crush and be the amazing surgeon you are. We got to get you scrubbed up and into the O.R.”

  He entered the operating room moments later, trying his best to shove his personal feelings aside. When he stared down at her lying on the table, helpless and fighting for her life, he stalled. Dr. Perry’s urgent, curt voice jolted him back into the severity of the situation, and he got to work.

  * * *

  Sully and his brother Danny sat at opposite ends of the jet in complete silence. After the flight attendant refreshed Sully’s drink for the third time, he reached for the phone and dialed a number. Moments later he started with small talk. As Danny tried to focus on reading the paper, he overheard Sully speaking.

  Sully sat back, drink in hand as he stared out the window. “How are you feeling, sweetie? Yeah… I’m on my way to L.A… I can’t talk about it right now. I can call you later. I won’t be back on the road until things get figured out… Hang in there. I love you… Yeah, ok… bye.”

  He hung up the phone and let out a long sigh. Danny got up from where he was sitting and headed over to the table to sit across from Sully who had proceeded to lay out a few lines of cocaine and snort them.

  Danny donned a disapproving stare. “Pat, when are you gonna stop this shit?” He shook his head.

  Sully sniffled, wiped his nose clean and met Danny’s eyes. “When this fucking tour is over. You have no idea the pressure I’m under every fucking day.”

  Danny chided. “You may look a little older, but you’re singing the same old sad song you always did. You’re selfish, Pat. When are you gonna grow the fuck up?”

  Sully glared. “Where the fuck is this coming from? Is this about Kendalle? I don’t really need this right now. My wife could be dying.” He shifted his gaze away and stared out the window at the bed of fluffy white clouds doing his best to distract himself with thoughts about song ideas.

  Angered, Danny shook his head and couldn’t hold back. “Wouldn’t that be more convenient for you?”

  Sully jumped up from his seat and raised his voice. “Excuse me? That was fucking out of line! Take that back. Dammit! If I could throw you out of this plane right now I would. Once we touch ground, you’re fired!”

  Danny folded his arms in front of his chest. “Kendalle is a piece of work. I don’t get it. I don’t understand that connection.”

  Sully shook his head. “It’s because you’re a fucking bigot. You’ve never liked her and she’s been nothing but kind to you.” He shook his head, incensed.

  He picked up the phone and dialed. When Sean answered he spoke into the phone. “Danny’s services are no longer needed once he delivers me to the hospital. We’re terminating his contract effective today.”

  “Sull? What’s going on? Aren’t you on the jet right now?”

  He continued to glare at his brother as he puffed up his chest, standing tall. “Yep. We had a discussion. We both think it’s for the best.”

  Sean sighed. “Right then. We’ll need to find him a suitable replacement.”

  He nodded. “I’m sure you’ll do a great job with that, Sean. Any word from Giselle?”

  “Nothing yet. Give me the number for the jet and I can call you if there are any updates. Shannon has arranged a helicopter to take you to the hospital from the airport. You’ll be landing at the beginning of rush hour and even with a police escort, you’d still be sitting in traffic. Time is of the essence.”

  Sully nodded. “I agree, thank you. Sean, what are we gonna do about tomorrow night’s show? Are you flying out to L.A?”

  “I cancelled the three shows we had left this week. All of us are flying out tonight. The band and our team wants to rally around Kit. Doesn’t seem right to be out here while she’s…” His voice trailed off.

  Sully immediately picked up on it. “Let’s hope for the best. Kit’s a fighter. She’ll pull through. I’ll be in the air for another two hours so call me here. After that, call my mobile. I have it on me. How’s G?”

  “Not good. Shook-up. No doubt, with good reason.”

  Sully took his seat once again. “Give her my number here on the jet if she wants to or needs to talk.”

  “You got it, Chief.”

  “Thanks, Sean.” Sully hung up the phone and looked at his brother. “Hope you packed up all your stuff ‘cuz you’re done, bro.” He guzzled his drink and stared out the window once again.

  CHAPTER 2

  Freshly showered and wearing new clothes, Giselle waited on the outskirts of the roof near the entrance to the hospital, observing the helicopter as it descended slowly onto the helipad.

  She watched as Sully stepped out of the helicopter, collar flipped up on his coat, ducking from the whirl of the blades above his head, a stream of burly bodyguards dressed in black following him. As he approached her, he outstretched his arms. She forced a grin as she hugged him.

  He held onto her tightly. “G, I’m so glad you’re ok.” He pulled back and braced her arms gently as he looked into her eyes. “You are ok, aren’t you?”

  She swallowed hard. Physically she was fine. Emotionally, she felt like a train wreck. The last thing she wanted to do was share that with him though. She bobbed her head and spoke softly. “I’m ok.”

  He forced a grin and shook his head. He could see the remaining terror in her normally sparkling hazel eyes and it left him feeling concerned. “No, you’re not. G, you’ve worked for us for years and I call bullshit.
I can tell.” He placed his arm around her and led her toward the doors to the hospital.

  Once inside the hospital, Giselle stopped and faced him. “She’s still in surgery. It’s bad, Sull.”

  He sighed and leaned up against the wall. “I know she got shot, but where?”

  Giselle could see the event replaying in her mind on a disturbing, endless loop she wished she could erase, but couldn’t. She spoke matter-of-factly in hopes of keeping her emotions out of it. “Point blank range. In the chest. The EMTs were amazed she was even alive. She lost a ton of blood. The surgeons are doing their best to repair the damage, but it’s really touch and go. I have some good news though.”

  He searched her eyes in anticipation. “What?”

  She looked at him. “The guy that was hired to take you out, Mark Mason, has been detained in San Antonio. You’re safe now.” She motioned to the bodyguards. “So unless you want to keep these guys, I can send them on their way.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll take care of it. Gimme a minute.”

  Giselle watched as he spoke with the bodyguards. She was tired and wanted to go home, but another part of her wanted nothing more than to remain busy. Being alone with quiet time didn’t appeal to her. When she went home briefly to change and shower after meeting with the police to give her statement, the events from that morning ran through her head constantly. Her roommate was out of town and she knew she didn’t want to be alone.

  Sully approached her and put his arm around her. “Let’s go talk.”

  She stared at him. “About what?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “About things. I trust that you have some updates for us to discuss.”

  She chuckled. “Oh. Yeah.” She shook her head. “Sorry. My brain is jumbled today. Spencer and your mom are here. Let’s go meet up with them first. And then if you want to join me in cafeteria, I can tell you what happened.”

  He searched her eyes, concerned. “Are you sure you’re ready to talk about it?”

  She bobbed her head. “I can’t get it out of my head. Maybe talking about it will help.”

  He shook his head. “I still can’t believe that our fans have gotten this crazed.”

  She stopped and grabbed his arm. “Sully, this was not a random fan. This was someone from Kit’s past.”

  Stunned, his eyes widened. “What?”

  Spencer stood up as Sully and Giselle approached. He gave him a nod. When he got closer they quickly embraced.

  Sully searched his eyes looking for a glimmer of hope. “How is she? Any news?”

  He shook his head. “No. She’s still in surgery. I’m glad you’re here and you’re safe. Listen, we need to talk.”

  Giselle knew her cue. She nodded and was about to leave when Spencer’s words stopped her in her tracks. “This concerns you too, G, so hang in with us.”

  She silently sidled up to Sully. He frowned and looked at Spencer. “What’s up?”

  Spencer met his eyes. “The tour is cancelled as of an hour ago. The formal announcement hasn’t gone out yet, but it will later in the week.”

  Sully’s eyes widened. “Spence—we’re talking two legs of a tour, one of which is North America—our largest fan base. That’s a little under three months of shows… sold out shows! That’s a massive revenue hit. Sean told me he was only cancelling the remaining three shows from this week.”

  Sully couldn’t mask his frustration. “Who the hell authorized this? The next manager in command after Kit is me. It’s in the KMK contract, Spence.” He gave him a disapproving glance.

  Spencer shook his head and continued. “Not when the chairman of Diamond Entertainment, the CEO of the record label and the CEO of the management company override it. That’s in your contract too. At the time when Kit drafted the original contract, she was the acting CEO of KMK and I suspect she never knew it would get as big as it is now.”

  He sighed. “Regardless, it’s done. Yes, it’s a substantial revenue loss, but we have insurance and may be able to make up some of the dates for the larger arenas and stadiums later down the road. We’re looking into that.”

  Sully glared as his temper started to flare. “Who the fuck is we?”

  Moira walked up and exchanged a look between Spencer, Sully and Giselle. She frowned. “Watch your language, Pat. People are here trying to heal or trying to relax while their loved ones are healing. The last thing they need are your foul-mouthed antics.”

  Sully refused to look at his mother and broached the subject again, using a more calm, centered approach. “Spencer, please help me understand who came to this decision and why I wasn’t part of the conversation. You mentioned you were talking to the label.”

  He nodded. “We weren’t intentionally keeping you out of the loop. You were on route here and we didn’t want to disrupt your travel for a meeting that I could brief you on later.”

  He continued. “Here’s the run down. Kit is CEO of Flat 5, your label, and you know that’s an imprint of Diamond. With her incapacitated, the leadership of the imprint rolls to corporate, meaning, the CEO of Diamond Records, Jonathan. Sully, when Lew and Jonathan Diamond call you and tell you to cancel the tour, it’s in your best interest to do it. The call came from them moments after I informed Lew’s assistant about what happened to Kit. They’ll be here later tonight, in person, so I suggest you play nice. Sorry to pull rank here, but you’re not management, you’re the talent and no doubt they’ll remind you of that if you try to fight this.”

  Seeing the look on Sully’s face of sheer shock and horror paired with disappointment, he placed his hand on his shoulder. “Listen, we may be able to negotiate rescheduling dates. It’s just not going to happen today. Focus on being here for your wife today. That’s your priority.”

  He met his eyes. “Take a moment to get your head on straight, Sull. I get it. You’ve got a lot coming at ya. Let’s give it a week and then we can schedule a meeting with Lew and Jonathan. If we do that, it’s best to come up with a strategy beforehand… and a really good one. I’d be happy to help you do that.”

  The wheels turned in Sully’s head. He was determined to come up with a solution.

  Giselle interjected. “So if the tour is cancelled, does this mean everyone is heading back?”

  Spencer nodded. “They’ve got the jet scheduled to fly out of San Antonio in two hours. We have the rigs and crew staying in Texas until we decide if we’re going to reschedule soon.”

  Sully pointed. “So a timely reschedule is a possibility.”

  Spencer shook his head. “Sull, give it a rest.”

  Moira linked her arm in Sully’s. “C’mon, let’s go for a walk.”

  He glanced over at her and wanted to protest, but seeing the look in his mother’s eyes, reluctantly went along with it. “Ok.”

  Moira led him outside to a private patio where they couldn’t be seen. She let him go and folded her arms in front of her chest. “What is up with you, Pat, huh? Your wife is fighting for her life right now and you’re more concerned about going back out on the road? I can tell you’ve been using drugs again—you’ve got that wild look in your eyes. Is that what this is about?”

  He avoided her gaze and started fidgeting as he paced. Reality was sinking in and he wanted to avoid it at all costs. His mother had stirred up everything that he had been trying to avoid. Now that he wasn’t able to go back out on the road, the facts of what had transpired in the last twenty-four hours were staring him in the face. He felt like he was teetering on the edge of a panic attack, yet pushed it down.

  He nodded, trying to convince his mother and himself. He looked terrified. Thoughts rushed through his mind in staccato as his words were harried when he spoke them. “Kit will land on her feet. She always does. She does. Always. She’ll do it again.” In a barely audible voice he mumbled. “She has to. She can’t leave me… I can’t do it without her. I need her.”

  Moira watched him and understood exactly what was going on. “Pat.” When he wouldn’t stop pacing
nor look up, she called out again, using a more forceful tone. “Patrick!”

  He stopped and looked at her, desperately trying to disguise the tears that were welling up in his eyes. She sighed, seeing his deep anguish. “It’s ok to be afraid, Pat. Let yourself process this. You don’t have to be strong right now, no one is watching. You’re safe here with me.”

  He closed his eyes, feeling solace from the words his mother spoke to him. His bottom lip started to quiver and before he could compose himself, the tears started streaming down his cheeks. Moira rushed over to him and held him tightly as he sobbed.

  She stroked his back in hopes that it would soothe him. “There you go. It’s not good to leave all that bottled up inside you. It’ll be ok, Pat. Yes, it doesn’t look good right now, but you said it yourself. Kit lands on her feet. She’s a fighter. Somehow everything will be ok.”

  Sully pulled back and looked at his mom. “God, I sure hope so. I don’t know how to do this without her.” He hung his head.

  Moira grinned and lifted his chin to stroke his cheek and wipe a tear. “She’s not the kinda woman that would leave this world from the bullet of some asshole that tried to hold her down years ago. Not her style.” Her eyes reflected a hope that served as a life preserver for him.

  Sully tilted his head to the side. “Do you know who this guy was?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I just learned about him from Spencer. He gave me the background.”

  Sully sighed. “Well then can you clue me in? ‘Cuz I’m feeling left out in the dark here and supposedly this guy wanted to kill me too.”

  Moira met his eyes. “That was someone that worked with him. Ok, I’ll tell you the story—what I know at least, and you’ll have to consult with Giselle or Spencer for more. I’m only doing this because Kit can’t tell you herself. Normally I wouldn’t…”

  Sully placed his hand on top of hers. “Please, Mom.”

  She nodded. “Ok.” As she started going back into Kit’s history, Sully listened intently hanging on her every word.