Alexis: In love with a rockstar (The Hamptons Series Book 2)

by Drucie Anne Taylor

  After I managed to inform Joel, I was allowed into the ambulance with her, and we drove to the hospital. I pray that she’s okay. What the hell happened? I’m sitting in the waiting area of the emergency room, staring despondently into space.

  “Here, drink that. It’s some sort of instant Chinese soup,” Mike instructs me. He’s followed us with the others.

  I refuse the steaming cup. “Thanks, but I don’t want anything.”

  “You’ve been sitting here for three hours, shaking like a leaf. Drink this; it will at least warm you up again,” Linden chimes in. He’s sitting next to me.

  “I want to know how she is.”

  “You can’t find out until the doctor tells you,” Azer says matter-of-factly. “I assume that you had a hand in causing her breakdown, so I’d advise you to fucking stay away from her, instead of suddenly acting all concerned like some pining lover.”

  I scowl at him. “I want to know whether she’s okay precisely because I feel guilty about what happened. Believe me, even I possess something resembling a conscience.” My voice cuts the air like a samurai knife.

  “Then why don’t you listen to it occasionally, instead of breaking hearts like it’s a new sport.”

  “How’s she doing?” Lane asks as she storms in, looking frazzled. “Gavin and I came as soon as we got your message, but the damn cab was stuck in traffic.”

  “We haven’t been told yet,” Linden tells her. “Jayden said that maybe she collapsed because of all the whole swivvet.”

  “She doesn’t have any chronic health issues, does she?” she inquires, looking at me. “Maybe it’s only the stress. I’m at the end of my rope after all this traveling, I can tell you. We’ve been flitting back and forth between time zones as if that were nothing.”

  I get up from my seat. “I’m going to try to play the celebrity card.” Then I stalk over to the admittance desk.

  The nurse gives me a look of bewilderment, then recognition. She seems to know who I am.

  “Do you speak English?” I ask her.

  She nods. “Yes, I do. What can I do for you?”

  “One of your patients is a very close friend of mine. Miss Honor Prescott. I’m dying to know how she’s doing.”

  She hacks away at her keyboard. “Miss Prescott is currently being brought to a room. The doctor says he wants to keep her overnight, to monitor her vital functions,” she explains in heavily accented, but flawless English.

  “Would you be so kind and give me the ward and room number?”

  “Of course, Mr. Kingston.” She writes it down on a piece of paper, both in Latin and Chinese characters. “Can I get an autograph for my daughter?”

  “Sure.”

  She hands me her pen and notepad.

  “What is your daughter’s name?”

  She spells out the girl’s name, and I write it down, sign my own name and add ‘Downstair Alley’ so she knows who it’s from.

  “Thank you.” I offer her a tired smile before returning to the waiting area. “Honor was assigned a room for the night. I have the room number. Are you coming?”

  They get up in silence and follow me down the hallway, into the elevator, and up to the ICU. There I tell the nurse on duty that I am Honor’s fiancé, but that she shouldn’t tell anyone since we’re not allowed to make it public yet, and so on and so forth. Another white lie, but I’d do anything to see her right now. I need to see for myself that she’s alive and well. I’ve seen too many horror flicks to trust hospitals anymore.

  “We’ll wait out here,” Gavin says softly. “You go in and check on her. Maybe stay with her so she doesn’t feel so alone.”

  I nod. “I’ll let you know how she’s doing.”

  “Alright.”

  I follow the nurse into Honor’s room. “Oh my god,” I hiss under my breath when I see her. She’s very pale, hooked up to various things, and has a breathing tube in her nose. An IV is sticking out from the back of her hand.

  “I’m going to leave you two alone, Mr. Kingston.”

  “Thank you.” I nod at the nurse and then step up to Honor’s bed. “Hey,” I whisper. “What in heaven’s name happened to you?” She seems to be sleeping. Gingerly, I put my hand on top of hers.

  “Lex?” she asks in a weak voice.

  “I’m here,” I answer a bit louder. “I’m here.”

  Her eyes open with a flutter. “What … where am I?” She seems disoriented and confused.

  “Mike and I found you unconscious in your room. Do you remember what happened before that?”

  She breathes in clumsily. “I think I … hyperventilated, and then everything went black.”

  “So you’re not sick. You just overdid it?”

  She nods sleepily. “I guess so. Can I go home?”

  “They want to keep you overnight for monitoring. If you want me to, I’ll stay with you.”

  She pulls her hand away from under mine. “No, you don’t need to stay here.”

  “I know I don’t need to, but I’d like to know if you want me to, Honor. I can shut up and just sit here to keep you company.”

  “Okay.”

  I pull up a chair, sit down and study her in silence.

  “Sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “For the way I probably scared everyone,” she replies quietly before closing her eyes again.

  I lean in closer and put my hand on hers once again. “It’s okay. I’m just glad that we found you before anything worse could happen.”

  “You don’t need to stay, Alexis.”

  “I want to.”

  “Okay.”

  I raise her hand to my lips, pressing a light kiss on her knuckles, but she pulls her hand away. I heave a sigh of frustration. “I’m sorry.” She’s not going to allow me to come close to her again, I’ve blown it. I could try and fight like a lion for her forgiveness and her trust, but I’m not sure I can win either of those back.

  “I’m tired,” she whispers and looks at me.

  “Then try to sleep.”

  “You need to sleep as well.”

  “I can sleep later,” I reply calmly. I’m far too wired to think of sleep.

  She gives me a look that could mean, go away, return to the hotel, but she doesn’t say anything. I would leave her, if I didn’t feel the pressing urge to stay by her side and guard her sleep.

  “May I?”

  “What?”

  “Just tell me, yes or no?”

  I reach out my hand to gently stroke her cheek. “I’m only going to stay until you have fallen asleep.”

  She closes her eyes. “That shouldn’t take more than a minute.”

  “Then you’ll be rid of me quickly,” I promise with a half-hearted smile.

  The corner of her mouth twitches, but she doesn’t smile. It’s hard for me to elicit an emotion from her, besides the many tears I caused. Her breath becomes shallow again, and I can see her head turn to the side in slow-motion. Sleep is claiming her. I stroke her cheek one more time. I don’t want to leave her now, not even for a minute, but I need to let the others know how she’s doing, and what happened. So she hyperventilated. I must have upset her like nobody ever did before. Oh fuck, my conscience is going to kill me one day. I’m such a wreck of a man.

  When I’m sure Honor is fast asleep, I pull my hand away. Then I get up and leave the room to talk to the others.

  “How is she doing?” Lane asks me immediately. “What’s going on?”

  “She is tired, which is really no surprise. Honor told me she hyperventilated and then fainted,” I explain after I’ve taken a seat.

  “Fuck, she must have been extremely upset,” Mike blurts.

  I nod. “Yeah, but she doesn’t look sick at all. They’re releasing her tomorrow if she’s stable. We need to watch her closely, and can only let her go on stage when she’s clearly okay.”

  Linden tilts his head. “What the hell were you thinking, trying to apologize for your crap?” He gives Mike a dark look. �
�Or rather, what the hell were both of you thinking?”

  Mike rolls his eyes. “I only wanted to help, and you were okay with the idea, so don’t put the blame on me now. Honor got more upset than anyone could have guessed, but we found her in time. She’ll be fine tomorrow, and I bet she’ll be ready to go on stage. She has to, since Alexis has a really nice surprise for her.”

  “She needs to be on stage for the final concerts,” I agree anxiously.

  “I still think Joel is going to send her home,” Gavin pipes up. “The man is practically foaming at the mouth.”

  Linden snorts. “I’m going to talk to him. In the end, this is our decision to make. Honor is primarily our employee, not the management’s. He can’t make a decision like that without our consent.”

  I feel a flood of relief wash over me. “Thank you, Linden.”

  “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it for her. If we sent her home now, she would probably feel terrible. She would think we’re firing her.”

  “I know you are doing it for her and not for me, but I’m still grateful, because it would be wrong to send her home at this point.” I sigh. “She told me earlier that she wanted to quit, but I’m not sure how serious she was about that. One of you guys should talk her out of it.”

  Azer gives me a look that spells trouble. “Why does she want to quit, Lex?”

  “Because of me,” I admit sheepishly.

  “Isn’t that just great, guys? The amazing Alexis Kingston has done it again, shaming yet another background singer into wanting to quit her job. Congratulations, dude,” Azer says sharply.

  “You can shove your sarcasm where the sun doesn’t shine. I know I overstepped the mark, but that is not the reason for her decision. Honor and I had an agreement that we were only in it for the fun, so it’s not entirely my fault. But I accept all the blame, and your anger. I even told her that I would quit rather than she does, because I don’t want you to be mad at me,” I defend myself confusedly.

  “What?” Gavin blurts. “You want to quit the band?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “We’re not getting anywhere if we start fighting. Honor is staying; she can’t just go and quit. Her contract is rather clear on that. If she quits anyway, she won’t find another job in the industry any time soon,” Linden explains. “But I do think we should find a replacement for Charlotte. Her awful mood is worse than that of a veteran diva. She’s a disruptive element.”

  I nod quickly.

  “And thank god, these women signed a confidentiality clause, keeping them from telling the press about your indiscretions, Lex,” he continues with a sigh.

  “I know I’ve said this before, but I’m going to change,” I announce flatly.

  “Are you sincere this time?” Mike wants to know.

  “Yes, I’m actually very serious.”

  “Wouldn’t that be wonderful if it was true? I stopped counting the times you told us that very same thing,” Azer comments dryly, leafing through a magazine without really looking at the pages.

  He only said that to annoy me. I know that he’s been frustrated forever, since he was dumped by his girlfriend, but that’s no excuse for taking it out on me. I’m well aware that I’m not a model of fidelity, love or even affection, but I do know when it’s time to change my act if I want to win someone’s heart. And I want to win Honor’s heart. My feelings for her are still there, stronger than ever after we found her unconscious in her hotel room. My heart dropped into my boots when I saw her lifeless form on the floor. I immediately pictured the worst-case scenario and all kinds of devastating diagnoses. After Honor told me that it was probably all due to stress and anxiety, I have calmed down, but on the inside, I’m still tense. Now I studiously ignore Azer’s jab, since I know only too well that he and I would start a fight if I didn’t.

  “I’m going back to the hotel; who’s coming?” Linden asks.

  “I think we’re going with you. We’ll come back tomorrow morning to pick up Honor, and then everything will hopefully go as planned from there on out,” Gavin says.

  They all decide they are leaving, except for me. “I’m staying, guys. I don’t want to leave her alone now.”

  Mike gives me an irritated look. “You are the one that should go to bed ASAP. You look damn tired.”

  “I’m staying.”

  “Lex, you can’t do anything for her now. She’s asleep and you are exhausted, so please come with us,” Gavin interrupts us.

  “He’s right,” Lane agrees with him.

  “But she’s going to sense that I’m there with her. I can sit in the armchair and prop up my feet. That’s the way I sleep on the bus all the time.”

  “No, you’re coming with us,” Linden decides.

  I shake my head. “That’s not your decision to make. I’m staying.” I get up. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then I head back into Honor’s room. She is sleeping soundly, lying on her side. She took out the oxygen tube, and I wonder why they gave her one in the first place. With a sigh, I sit down in the armchair, take off my shoes, and put my feet up on her bed, cautious not to wake her up. When I hold her hand in mine, I close my eyes. I don’t think I will be able to fall asleep like this, but I’ll have to be fine with just dozing off for a bit.

  Honor

  “What are you doing here?” I ask when I discover Alexis in the chair next to my bed. He’s waking up now, too, so my confused question will be answered soon.

  He gives me a sleepy look. “I didn’t want to leave you alone.”

  “But I was asleep.”

  “So? I thought you might sense it in some way if I stayed and kept you company. Sorry if it bothers you.” He pulls his legs off the bed and slips into his shoes. “You can go home today.”

  “Home?” she asks, sounding wary.

  I shake my head and sigh. “Back to the hotel I meant. Sorry, I’m not fully awake yet.”

  “It’s okay.” I sit up and realize that I’m wearing a hospital gown. “Where are my clothes?” Alexis glances into the closet. “Right here.”

  “Would you give them to me?”

  He places them on the bed and looks at me. “I’m going to try and get a cup of coffee. Do you want anything?”

  “A Coke or a bottle of water; anything cold and refreshing.”

  He nods and leaves the room. I exhale with relief as I slowly get up, and then I go and lock myself into the bathroom, where I quickly wash my face. Then I return to my room and get dressed. I sit down on the bed and wait for a nurse or doctor to come and hand over the discharge papers. I hope the guys are not going to fire me for collapsing like that. It was the first time this has ever happened, so I assume that I’m okay, but who knows whether Alexis has already told them about my decision to quit after the end of the tour?

  Alexis wraps an arm around me, but I protest weakly. “No need to support me like that; I can walk on my own.” In a way, it feels soothing that he is so concerned about me now, but on the other hand it’s embarrassing, because there is no longer anything that connects us.

  “I know, but this is the only opportunity to be close to you that I have right now.”

  “You’re treating her like an invalid, Lex,” Mike smirks. He’s walking on the other side of me. “Honor, do you feel well enough to join us for a round of sightseeing later on?”

  “I think I’d rather lie down when we’re back at the hotel. I can take a tour tomorrow, after the sound check.”

  “That’s today,” Alexis corrects me.

  “Oh.”

  “I don’t think you have to come. The most important thing is that those of us who play an instrument are there.”

  “I’m coming; I feel good enough to do that,” I reply tiredly. Hospitals always make me tired. I honestly don’t see why they brought me here in the first place. The doctor gave me an injection to help get my low blood pressure going again, the nurse drew some blood for running various tests, and they did some superfluous examinations – at least that’s ho
w I see it – and that was it. Now I’m afraid I’ll have to pay the bill out of my own pocket, because I don’t know whether the record company has to carry expenses like this. And as far as I know, hospital treatment abroad is effing expensive.

  We reach the car, and Alexis assists me as I get in and huddle in the backseat.

  “Thank you.”

  He sits down next to me. “No biggie.”

  Mike sits in the passenger seat and tells the driver where to go. “Sound check is at two p.m. You have more than three hours to rest before we need to leave.”

  “Alright, that’s good.”

  The car starts rolling and I lean my head against the window. I want to fall asleep again.

  “Tired?” Alexis asks.

  I nod just once.

  He wraps his arm around me, places my head on his shoulder, and I close my eyes. He smells good, which leads me to the automatic question when he had the chance to take a shower. Well, Mike brought him some fresh clothes, so maybe he seized the opportunity while the doctor was talking to me and writing his discharge report. I was glad the nurses spoke English, because the doctor did not.

  Alexis kisses the top of my head, and though I want to protest or pull away, my heart soars at the gesture of affection, and my body is flooded with a sensation of warm bliss.

  I can feel my thoughts become sluggish and my head heavy. And then I fall asleep.

  I wake up because it’s too warm. I’m not lying on a pillow either. I open my eyes and flinch, because I didn’t expect to be lying in Alexis’s arm, with him sleeping soundly so close to me. I’ve secretly wished for this moment to happen. For weeks, I have wished I could experience this just one more time: Lying in his arms and letting the world go by, lost in the fact of his presence. But now I stir and move my body, trying to sneak out of his embrace.

  “Don’t,” he says softly and pulls me closer. “Don’t leave.”

  I don’t reply anything, but lay my head on his arm again.

  “Thank you,” he whispers when I put my arm around him.

  I don’t know what to think of the fact that he chose to lie down beside me and hold me while I was sleeping. I don’t even remember getting here; my last conscious memory was of falling asleep in the backseat of that car. Maybe he really meant what he said. Maybe he really is in love with me, but if that is the case, can I just forgive and forget? He hurt me, hurt me deeply, and I don’t think I can just let him get away with that. I think that if Alexis needs to learn a lesson, it’s that he can’t have anything he wants at the snap of a finger; that he needs to do a lot more than smile and show off his perfect teeth, if he really wants me. I want him to fight for me if he’s really serious. In fair weather or foul, I don’t care, but I want to be conquered. I gotta admit, however, that I enjoy being so close to him. It still feels as amazing as it did four weeks ago.