by Laura Ann
Steven nodded. Great. The jealous girl’s dad. “Good to meet you, she’s a great girl. Look man, I’m trying to help these kids, but for some reason Ms. Millicent has decided to mark me as an enemy. All I want to do is go help them put on the play, that’s it.” He splayed his hands out to the side, trying to show he had nothing to hide.
The man shook his head. “Can’t do it. Ms. Millicent said you were a bad example for the kids and had a habit of breaking rules. As a single dad I struggle enough with my daughter, I don’t need people like you making it worse.” SLAM!
Steven felt his hair blow back from the force of the air. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on and put his back to the building. Sliding down, he sat with his knees up, arms hanging over. I’m out of ideas. He let his head hang between his arms, ready to give up.
Steven wasn’t sure how long he had sat there, when he heard voices close to the door. His head perked up and he strained his ears. He was pretty sure one of the voices was the same man he had spoken to before, but one was decidedly higher pitched.
Maybe it’s Aurora! He jumped to his feet and prepared to knock again. Just as he raised his fist, he heard the latch open and he stepped back before the door could hit him.
“Oh Mr. Phillips, we’re so glad you’re here.” Fauna stuck her head out and grinned.
“Hurry up! Let him in!” An identical voice whispered from behind Fauna.
“Right. Hurry! Hurry! Before he comes back.” Fauna waved him in, and shut the door as quietly as she could.
Surrounded by both Flora and Fauna, he smiled his thanks. “Ladies, I owe you. What’s been going on?”
“That nasty woman put the whole play on Rory’s shoulders,” Flora explained.
“She’s doing fine, but the students were so disappointed they almost didn’t do the play.” Fauna added.
“It’s got to be late, how much of the play is left?” Steven started walking to the room entrance, which led backstage.
“Only a few minutes.” Flora spoke, following him.
“It took us awhile to figure out how to get Mr. Laughlin out of here.” Fauna said, from his other side.
Steven looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
“Christina’s dad, the one at the door.” Fauna explained.
Steven nodded, then stopped at the door. Peering out, he looked to be sure the coast was clear. Walking out he spotted Rory with her arms high, helping guide a large backdrop to the ground. His heart stopped when he saw the chain jerk and the backdrop swing. The twins rushed past him when the tree started to wobble, but he quickly began sprinting, knowing it was too late when he watched Rory hit the ground.
CHAPTER 19
“Aurora....” A deliciously deep voice called Rory’s name.
I think I know that voice...I think....Her thoughts were still swirling and she couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.
Suddenly, something soft and warm pressed against her lips. They lingered for a moment, before letting go. Mmmm...That was nice.
“Come on, Aurora. Wake up, darling. I’m here, Aurora. I’m here.” That same deep voice whispered the words in her ear, sending a shiver through her.
Suddenly a thousand voices seemed to surround her.
“Did you see that? She moved!”
“Come on, dear. Wake up now.”
“Rory, dear, you need to wake up.”
“Come on, Ms. Briar...you can do it!”
It was a mix of young and old sounding voices. I should know them...I should—
Those warm lips pressed to hers once again and took her attention. She found herself responding to the kiss and returning it. Arms tightened around, helping her feel safe and secure. Electric shockwaves burst through her body and she enjoyed every single one of them. Slowly the shocks reached her brain and suddenly everything snapped back into place.
The play! The tree! Steven! With a gasp she pulled back, as much as she could and opened her eyes.
Directly above her were her favorite green eyes. Right now they were filled with concern, and it broke Rory’s heart.
With a shaky hand, Rory reached up and pushed Steven’s dark hair out of his face. “Hey. You’re here.” Her voice was scratchy and her throat felt dry. She tried to swallow, but there was a distinct lack of moisture in her mouth.
“I told you...I’ll always be here.” Steven’s twinkle was back and a grin pulled at his lips. “You gave us all quite a scare, love.”
Although she enjoyed laying in his arms, Rory pushed herself to sit up.
Steven helped support her back, easing her gently. “Take it slow, you’ve got a lovely goose egg on the back of your head.”
Rory reached around and winced when she found the bump. Lovely is not the word I would use. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees and letting her head hang in between. “Did I ruin everything?” She tried to look up at the crowd watching her, but it hurt to focus her eyes.
“Oh no, dear.” Flora kneeled down in her line of vision. “The kids were wonderful, they just kept going as if nothing happened. Steven got in just as you went down and the rest of the crowd gathered after their standing ovation.” The older woman looked up and smiled at the cast milling around.
Rory had to hold her jaw in place. I missed all that? She shook her head and immediately regretted it. “Ouch.” She hissed.
“Just take it easy, sweetheart. You’re gonna have a decent headache for awhile.” He cupped her face and looked intently between her two eyes. “I can’t tell in this light if your eyes are dilated, so I’m not sure if you have a concussion or not, but since you blacked out, I think we should probably have you checked out to be safe.”
“No, thank you.” Rory went to stand, but was immediately hit with a dizzy spell.
Strong arms wrapped around her, holding her, protecting her, making her heart go crazy. “I’m thinking you don’t have much of a choice.”
Rory held onto him, as much for the enjoyment as for the need. “How did you even get in here? I heard Ms. Millicent kicked you out, even took away your key.”
Steven snorted. “Yeah. The dragon totally broke our contract. Dad’s gonna have a field day with her.” He shook his head. “But it doesn’t really matter. Flora and Fauna worked their magic—” he winked, causing the twins to giggle. “And got me in the back door. I arrived just in time to see you fall. Took ten years off my life.” He leaned down and kissed her head. “Please never do that again.”
Rory leaned her head against his chest. “Then you have to promise never to leave me to do a play on my own again.”
“Deal.”
“What is going on here?” A sharp voice interrupted their moment.
Steven and Rory both jerked their heads towards the sound. Rory grit her eyes at the pain and wave of dizziness the movement caused.
“Ms. Briar was hurt and we’re taking care of her.”
Ms. Millicent glared at the crowd and the students scattered as if she was shooting them with lasers. Her dark, narrowed eyes soon turned themselves back to the couple still holding each other.
Rory thought about stepping out of Steven’s arms, but not only did she want to be there, she wasn’t sure her legs would support her quite yet.
“Mr. Phillips, I believe we have already been through this. You broke the rules of my establishment and were summarily dismissed.” Her eyes darted directly to Rory. “It’s a good thing you already gave me your notice Ms. Briar, or I would be forced to get rid of you as well. As it is, you two need to leave. You are not allowed here any longer.”
Rory’s heart broke. Right now? What about the kids? We can’t even go to the party to congratulate them? “But what about—”
“I said you are dismissed. Remove yourself from the premises immediately.”
Rory squeaked, then moaned in pain when Steven swung her into his arms. She automatically threw her arms around his neck to steady herself.
Steven’s long, confident stride took them quick
ly to the back of the theatre, where he used his back to throw open the door and walk them into the cool night.
“I can probably walk by myself.” Rory whispered into his ear. She grinned when she saw goosebumps prickle across his skin where her breath had touched him. Oooh. I’ll have to remember that.
“Why take the chance?” He asked lightly, giving her a slight squeeze.
Rory grinned. “I, uh..didn’t get a chance, before, but thank you for the rescue.”
Steven quirked an eyebrow, his mouth twitching into a smirk. “Your rescue? Why fair maiden, do you mean...” he leaned into her ear this time. “The kiss?”
Rory felt her cheeks heat, and instead of fighting it, she let the warmth wash over her. A sudden thought brought down her enjoyment. “What are we gonna do?”
Steven was silent for several minutes as he walked them to his car. Once there he set her down and unlocked, then opened the door. “What exactly are you referring to?”
Rory gingerly sat down, pulling her legs in. “The Center! Those kids need us.” She looked up at Steven, her brows were drawn together, creating worry lines around the edge of her eyes.
“Don’t worry. I know just the person to help us.” Steven leaned in, gave her a quick peck on the nose and closed the door, before walking over to the driver’s side.
Rory turned her head sideways, and leaned against the headrest. “What do you mean, you know someone to help us?”
“Just what I said.” His eyes remained intent on the road. “There’s got to be a reason Ms. Millicent is so adamant about getting us out of there. Her reaction to us was way out of bounds, fraternization rule or not.”
“I don’t understand. We broke the rules, so she has every right to have us leave.”
“True, but she’s crazy uptight about it. She was also sneaky about when she did it. Her behavior started getting suspicious when I discovered we were short some of the funds I thought we had.” He glanced at her for a moment, before going back to the road. “We technically broke the rules several weeks ago, but she actually didn’t kick me out until she felt sure the money had all been spent and couldn’t be refunded. And why do it before the show? It would have been much better for everyone involved if she had waited til the show was over before getting rid of me. Now her actions seem almost desperate. I do believe the old hag hideth something.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
Rory giggled, but quickly stopped when it caused a shooting pain in her head. “Well...I can’t think straight enough to do anything about this right now, so if you know someone who can look into the situation, I’ll leave you to it.” She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.
“As enjoyable as it was to wake you, please don’t fall asleep. I think you’re supposed to stay awake if you have a possible concussion.”
“Mmm...I know, but I’m just really tired all of a sudden.”
“Aurora. Come on, sweetheart, stay awake.” Steven reached over and shook her arm a little.
“Mmm....” The weight of sleep was too strong and Rory felt herself drift off once again.
CHAPTER 20
Rory woke up to a beeping sound in her ears and a heavy weight over her ribs. Cracking her eyelids open, she gasped when she saw white walls and machines. Her eyes flew open the rest of the way and she took a better look at her surroundings.
A deep grunt sounded from her left and she realized a body was next to her. Looking over, her eyes met up with a well structured chest, attached to an arm that was laying over her rib cage. The warmth and electricity radiating from the body let her know who it was without having to look up at the face.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” His voice was deeper than normal, the huskiness of sleep not having left yet. He put his nose against her neck and started running circles up against her jaw line.
“Like what? In the hospital? I’ve never been here before.” Rory mumbled, tilting her head a bit so he had better access.
“No. I mean you blacking out and me waking you with a kiss.”
“You didn’t wake me with—” Her words were cut off as he took her lips. The kiss started sweet and light, almost as if he were afraid to hurt her.
When she didn’t resist, and did in fact return the kiss, he shifted his weight and put his arms around her, pulling her closer. Tilting his head, he ran his fingers up to the side of her face, cupping her head, to better control the kiss.
When he deepened the kiss, Rory’s head spun. Will it always be like this? Her body felt as if it were on fire and she couldn’t seem to bring in enough oxygen. Her heart rate began spinning out of control and she wondered for a slight moment if it would register on one of the machines in the room.
The moment was broken when his hand wandered deeper into her hair and touched her wound, causing her to wince.
He pulled back, breathing heavily, with a panicked look in his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I got carried away. Are you alright?”
Rory chuckled lightly at his concern. “I’m fine, just still tender I guess.”
Steven brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and then ran his fingers down her cheek. “I’m sure it will be that way for a few days.” He sighed, leaned his forehead down to hers and closed his eyes. “I didn’t say it last night with everything going on, but I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. You did awesome without me, but I’m sorry I let you and the kids down.”
Rory shook her head, dislodging him from their intimate touch. Reaching up, she put a hand to his cheek. “Don’t take the blame. This is all on Ms. Millicent. This could have all been handled in a much different manner than her locking you out of the building. Broken rules or not, that was unfair to the entire cast.”
“Speaking of which. I need to call my dad.” He stood and walked over to his jacket, which was hanging over a chair.
“Wait a second, before you do that. Why am I in the hospital? I mean, I know I hit my head, but was it really that bad?” Rory put her fingers on the back of her head and felt around as gently as possible.
“No. You ended up staying because you blacked out, again, in my car. When you didn’t rouse, they wanted to keep an eye on you. But the bump itself, although a lovely bruise, wasn’t that bad. They’ve been monitoring your vitals and said you just slipped into regular sleep after a while.” He smirked. “It’s morning, you went clear through the night.”
Rory’s eyes widened. “Really? Good grief. I’m surprised Charlotte didn’t come check on me if I’ve been gone that long.”
“Oh she has. She and lover boy were here late last night, but I sent them home. Told them I would stay.”
Rory giggled, then sobered as she thought of his words. “You stayed all night?” Her voice suddenly sounded vulnerable.
Steven’s eyes darkened and he walked purposefully back to her side. He leaned into her space and whispered back, “I’ve told you, I’m not going anywhere.”
Tears swam in Rory’s vision, and she bit her lip to keep them from falling. “I know. Thank you.” She whispered.
Steven’s smile could have made an ice maiden swoon and Rory felt herself sigh as he pulled back and started dialing on his phone.
Just as Steven sat down, the phone on his ear, a nurse walked in the room.
“Well hello! It’s good to see you awake. Let me just check on your numbers and I’ll let the doctor know you’re up.” The middle aged woman walked over and started looking at the equipment on the wall.
Steven started talking into his phone in a low voice that Rory couldn’t quite understand, so she turned her attention back to the nurse, who was now recording information she was reading.
“Am I going to be able to go home soon?”
“Only the doctor can give you an answer to that, but your vitals look good and provided you don’t have any more fainting episodes, I can’t imagine they will keep you much longer. However, you will have some restrictions for the next couple of weeks. Someone will come in to go over those with you when they’re ready
ing you for discharge.”
Rory nodded her understanding and lay back against the pillows, relaxing as the nurse finished up. She still felt drained, even though she had slept the whole night through.
Steven came back and perched on the side of the bed, grabbing her hand and linking their fingers.
Rory squeezed his hand, causing him to look at her. “What are we going to do about the kids? They need us.”
Steven nodded, his playfulness was gone, his eyes sad. “I know. Try to be patient, I’ve just talked to my dad and asked him to look into a few things. Something’s fishy with Ms. Millicent and my dad has one of the best teams of lawyers on the planet. Give him a few days to figure it out and then we’ll know what to do next.”
“You really think there’s an ulterior motive, other than just hating the fact that your dad was holding the purse strings?”
Steven pursed his lips. “Her timing and behavior are too odd to ignore.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “But don’t you worry. We’ll get it all figured out.” He squeezed her fingers. “Together.”
Rory couldn’t stop the smile that slowly grew on her face. She let her eyes close, the warmth of his presence putting her into a comfortable sleep.
CHAPTER 21
“I know you...”
A shiver shot down Rory’s spine that had nothing to do with the cool, evening air she stood in, as she waited outside a restaurant for Steven’s arrival. Smiling, Rory spun around and put her arms around his neck. “You do huh?” She spoke into his neck, grinning when goosebumps arose from her light kiss.
His hands immediately pulled her into his body, wrapping securely behind her back. “Absolutely...I saw you last night...in my dreams.” He rubbed his nose against her cheek before drifting down to just below her ear. “If we weren’t in public right now, I’d kiss you.” The sweet words were whispered against her ear.
“When has that ever stopped you before?” She whispered back.