by Anthology
I smoothed the hair above his forehead. "So much has happened, Drew. Some good, some bad. I just never thought I’d experience any of them without you. Now I just want you to open your eyes, so I can tell you everything, to somehow find our way to being friends. I need you to be okay.”
There was still no change. I rambled on about some of the places I'd traveled, little tidbits about my family. As I spoke my eyes grew heavy, and my thoughts grew farther apart, but I couldn't make myself leave his side. I started recalling some of the silly adventures we'd gone through when we were young and foolish, like skipping class to sneak into a theater to watch a movie we couldn't wait to see, only to be caught by a police officer who stopped us to question why we weren't in school. Terrified he'd return us to our parents, we'd darted and run as fast as we could until the stitch in our sides kept us from going further. Then we'd laughed and laughed.
On and on I talked, not sure what I was saying made sense after a while. Nurses came in and out to check on the machines that monitored Drew, but other than a small smile or nod, they left me alone. The long night began to catch up to me, and my head began to nod. Still, I couldn't bring myself to go. I thought I'd be strong enough to check on him and leave. But seeing him for the first time in so long, I finally acknowledged what my heart had always known - I'd never gotten over Andrew Davisson.
Chapter Four
Drew held me on top of him and tucked my head under his chin. His fingers stroked my hair as I nestled against him, more content than a cat in a patch of sunshine after a full bowl of milk. Stacked on top of each other was the only way we fit in the back seat of his old Ford pickup. 'Someday, I'm going to make it big, and then I'm going to make love to you in the most luxurious car I can find," he mumbled ruefully.
I propped my chin on his chest. "I was thinking of something other than a vehicle of any kind. Maybe somewhere of our own with a bed." I kissed his chest and rested my head back on his chest. Maybe after we graduated high school, our parents would consider letting us get an apartment together instead of living in dorms.
"Anything you want, baby. I love you."
"I love you, too."
I squeezed him tight. "I love you three."
He chuckled at our game. "I love you four...for the wonderful, sweet, supportive girl you are."
I closed my eyes as we rested a few more minutes. "Mercedes," he mumbled.
"Hmm?"
"A Mercedes is a luxury car, right? Someday, I'm going to buy you one. Just you wait."
I stretched so I could kiss him. "I'll wait for you forever."
He prolonged the kiss, and I felt his cock stir beneath my pelvis. "Seems something doesn't want to wait any longer."
I grinned and wiggled my hips. "Come here, you. I don't need a Mercedes, just you."
There was a knock on the window. “What are you doing in here? You need to leave.” Shit! Had our parents found us? They’d kill us both if they discovered us like this. But I didn’t care. I snuggled closer…
"I said, what are you doing here? You don't belong here."
Startled from a dream, I blinked the sleep from my eyes. Someone was towering over me. For a second, I thought I must still be dreaming.
"Lauren? I thought --" I was confused. Wasn't Lauren the band's manager? Didn't I hear that she was killed in the accident? Was it possible I was seeing a ghost?
“Drew wouldn’t want you here. You need to leave.”
I stood, any lingering sleepiness gone. “I have every right to be here.”
"Ladies, please." A nurse in the background looked irritated at the commotion.
"Lauren, this isn't the time or the place." I looked behind her to see Andy appear and place a hand on Lauren's solid shoulder. Nope. Definitely not a ghost.
She ignored him. "You don’t have any rights. You need to leave."
I was tired. Cranky. Confused. And now add pissed. "Oh, no? Make me. If I wasn't wanted, then Drew wouldn't have listed me as his emergency contact."
Her mouth dropped open.
The nurse stepped forward. "I suggest you both take this somewhere else before I call for security."
Ryan stepped between us. When had he gotten here? "Ladies, as much as I might want to see you two throw down, save it for a mud pit. This isn't the place." Leave it to him to find humor in any situation.
Andy still had his hand on Lauren's shoulder, and he used it to guide her firmly from the room. Ryan put his arm around my waist and drew me toward the door, squeezing me in a hug as he did. "For what it's worth, I know you could totally take her," he said, winking at me.
"Don't count it out, yet," I said, practically growling as I glared at Lauren's back. Even now she was still a bitch, putting her wants in front of Drew's. I also didn’t understand how it was that she was standing here.
Ryan pulled the door shut behind us. "Listen, Lauren. You don't speak for us on this matter. Your job is only about our public image, and if you keep this up, you won’t be here for that either. Not only did Drew have Emma listed as an emergency contact, a point you knew because we told you to make sure she was added to the approved visitor list, but the rest of us want her here."
"But she --"
"No." He pointed a finger at her face. Ryan was known for his sense of humor. In fact, I'm not sure I could recall ever seeing him angry, but he seemed to be working up a good lather now. "Emma is here to stay. Deal with it."
Lauren scowled but didn't say anything more. I was proud of myself for not sticking my tongue out at her, childish as it might have been.
Long seconds passed as we all stared at each other, Lauren and I with hostility, the men not bothering to disguise their amusement. The standoff was interrupted when the door opened, and the nurse came out, smiling. "Mr. Davisson is waking up."
All four of us headed for the door, each trying to be the first to see him.
The nurse blocked the door and held up her hand. "Oh, no. We're not going through that again. I'm going to get the doctor while you wait out here. In the meantime, are either of you Emma?" She glanced at Lauren and me.
I took a step forward. "I'm Emma."
The nurse smiled sweetly. "He's asking for you. I'd ordinarily ask you to wait until after the doctor has seen him, but he's very insistent, and I don't want him agitated."
My heart raced. "I promise, I won't upset him."
"Maybe I should go, too," Lauren said, trying to step between me and the door. But she was repelled by the nurse.
"Oh, no you don't. Mr. Davisson asked only for Emma. He's been calm and steady all night until you stepped into that room. You can be assured that if you upset him in any way, I'll remove you myself from seeing him at all. Permanently."
"How dare you..."
I slipped past them into Drew's room, leaving them to argue it out.
"Drew?"
"Emma." It was hard to hear, but it was definitely his voice.
I walked quietly to his side. "Hi. I’m here.”
His eyes fluttered. "Hi. What happened?”
Hoping to keep things lighthearted, I teased him. "Well, apparently, getting a Grammy on your first album wasn't enough attention, you had to go and make the news again."
He rolled his head on his pillow and made a sound that I think was supposed to be a laugh, but sounded more like a groan.
"Are you in pain? Let me hurry the doctor."
His grip tightened. "Stay."
I clutched his hand to my face again, so he could feel my nod. It was obvious it took a lot of energy to communicate. "Okay. I'm right here. Don't strain yourself."
His eyelids scrunched, then slowly revealed the dark blue behind the long lashes that drove women, including me, mad with desire. "What really happened?"
"Your bus was in an accident. But you and the other guys are all okay." I hoped he didn't pick up on my carefully worded answer. I didn't want to cause him further stress about the other people on board.
"Oh. Are you sure I was on the bus and not in
front of it?" It looked like he tried to grin, but it was more like a grimace. I hated to see him in pain and wished the doctor would hurry up.
Right on cue, the door opened, and a man dressed in scrubs entered, followed by the same nurse. This time she carried a tray, and immediately went to Drew's I.V. and injected something into his line while the doctor spoke with Drew.
"Mr. Davisson. Glad you to see you awake. Can you tell me how you feel?"
"Awesome. Can I go home?"
Dr. Howard's stern expression eased into a smile. "Well, I think we'll keep you just a bit longer if it's all the same with you."
"Whatever, doc. As long as I've got my girl with me."
He said it with such devotion as if it had only been moments since we'd last seen each other. Was he playing some kind of game with me? I longed to ask him, but it would have to wait until we had privacy. The doctor briefly went over his list of injuries, but it was obvious Drew was on the verge of falling asleep. By the time the doc finished checking the incision where Drew's spleen had been removed, Drew was sound asleep.
"Rest is good for him. I'd suggest you go home and get some sleep yourself, but I suppose that would be asking too much." His eyebrow lifted knowingly.
I shrugged. "I'll sleep later."
He'd no sooner left then the door opened again, and Rick poked his head in. "I heard he’s conscious."
I held a finger to my mouth. "He did. He's sleeping normally right now," I whispered.
"That's good." He came further into the room and stared at his long-time friend. "I don't know what I'd've done if you, well...it didn't so, you just focus on getting better, you hear?
I sat quietly while Rick worked through whatever he was thinking. He finally patted Drew's good hand, then turned to me. He jerked his head in the direction of the door. "Can we talk for a few minutes?"
I nodded and followed him out the door, relieved to see Lauren was gone as were the Andy and Ryan. I suspect Rick had been nominated to get some more answers from me. He'd always been their spokesman for the group.
He looked uncomfortable. "We were surprised that Drew had you listed as an emergency contact. How did you get here so anyway? We're hours away from Charlotte, even by air."
"I live about an hour away now, near Providence." I leaned against the wall. "I was surprised to get that call, too. I thought he wanted nothing to do with me. He made it pretty clear the last time I saw him.”
Andy looked thoughtful. "I think that's what he wanted to want." When I lifted an eyebrow at him, he continued. "But I don't think he's ever gotten over you."
I digested that information without comment. "I, uh, I was surprised to see Lauren. I'd assumed she was the same person who was on the bus and was, well, you know."
"Courtney was our manager for the past few months. It was she who died," Rick explained, sadness tinging his tone. "Lauren flew in today from New York to help out since she knows us best of anyone else from the label. We aren’t thrilled about it, but anyone else capable isn’t available, and obviously, we need some help with everything that's happened."
I could only nod. It made sense, even if I didn't like it. Then the obvious hit me. "Why isn't Lauren still your manager?"
Rick smiled. "That's easy. Drew fired her."
Chapter Five
"You have a few options, Drew. You can go home with someone who can help you, your parents maybe. Or, you can always go to a rehab facility here. We have some great ones we have connections to that will cater to your every need as well provide you the physical and occupational therapy to get you moving and more independent as you recover. What you can't do is be released until you have a plan that doesn't involve you going home alone. You’re not ready for that, yet.”
The doctor was right about that. Drew had spent most of the first two days after he regained consciousness sleeping or groggy, but once he was more coherent, he'd been moved to a quieter wing of the hospital. They’d gotten him up and walking a few steps, but with his hand still in a cast, and his opposite shoulder still sore, using a cane to help him get around was a limited option.
It had also become clear that Drew was experiencing short-term memory loss - unable to recall much about their tour, awards, other activities, and certain people. As far as he knew, they'd just signed a contract with a recording studio and were planning a tour. He was missing almost two years of his life, the same amount of time that we’d been separated.
It also meant he didn't remember our breakup; as far as he was concerned, I was there as his devoted girlfriend. Not wanting to upset him until he was further recovered, the rest of us agreed not to say anything until his memories came back on their own. I didn't mind that role; it felt natural, like coming home again after a long absence, which was pretty much the truth. Lauren had not been happy about it. I'm not sure what one or more of the guys said to her or threatened her with, but she'd reluctantly agreed.
Drew wrinkled his nose, and I knew he was struggling with the idea of losing his independence. His parents looked uncertain. "We can see what's available near us." I'd learned earlier that they'd sold their house and moved into a retirement community in Florida, so they didn’t have space for him.
"You could come home with me. I'd take excellent care of you." Lauren's voice dripped with sweetness. There was no question as to how she wanted to take care of him.
"Why would I do that?"
Lauren looked caught off guard. "Well, even though I know you can't remember, we've grown very close. Very close."
Gross! I closed my eyes and silently prayed that Drew wouldn't take her up on her offer. I’m not sure I could handle that.
"Umm." Drew's eyes moved to me, almost pleading. There was no one else in the room; the rest of the band had gone home to rest and assure their families they were fine.
"I have space." The words were out of my mouth before I even knew it.
"Really?"
I plastered a smile, wondering what the hell I’d just done. Being here for Drew in the hospital surrounded by people was one thing, having him in my home, just the two of us, was another matter altogether. But seeing Drew's eyes light up, I knew I couldn't take my invitation back. "Yeah. Sure. I have a single-floor home with an extra bedroom. I live near Providence, so you wouldn't have to travel very far."
The doctor beamed. "Excellent! I know some excellent therapists there. I can call and make the arrangements."
"Oh, this is a relief." His mom came over and gave me a big hug. "I feel so much better knowing he'll be with you. I know you'll take good care of him. You always did." Sometimes I wondered if she also didn't remember that her son and I had broken up, but then, she never made it a secret that she thought we made a good couple. For all I knew, she was planning this all along. Right, Emma. Like they knew months ago this would happen and sold their house and moved so that they could say 'no' to Drew when he needed a place to live.
His mom leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Now that that's settled, we're going to go back to the hotel and rest a bit. We'll be back later to visit with you some more. I'm sure you have some things to work out."
The calm lasted until they were out the door.
"What do you mean you're going to go home with her?" Lauren sounded apoplectic.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"A lot has happened that you don't remember."
"My leg and wrist are broken, not my brain, Lauren. We've established I don't remember everything."
"I mean about her. You don't remember the things she's done."
I sucked in a breath. Apparently, the gloves were off, and we were going to have our showdown.
I’d give her one warning. "Lauren, don't."
She laughed, a crazy I'm-going-ape-shit kind of laugh. "You two aren't even a couple anymore. She dumped you, Drew. She left you when you needed her most, and you haven't spoken in forever."
"You made sure of that, didn’t you? From what I’ve heard, you haven’t been around either. I’m here now, by his ch
oice.”
"Like that's enough?" She laughed some more. "You think you can just waltz in here and pick up where you left off like nothing ever happened?"
"No, I --"
"Enough!" Drew's voice cut through the shouting with more strength than I would have given him credit for having after all he'd been through.
"Drew, you don't know what she's done."
"No, I don't. Nor do I remember anything I may have done. Whatever happened between us is between her and me."
Lauren threw her hands up in the air. "I'm the one who's always been there for you, Drew. I'm the one you should be turning to, not her. We had a connection. One that you have obviously also forgotten. You don't remember the truth of how things were with her. Maybe there's a good reason you don't remember them. You're just romanticizing her. She put your needs last, She's selfish and an opportunist, and she --"
How dare she? If anyone was an opportunist, it was her! I was about to storm across the room and toss her out on her designer clothed ass but Drew grabbed hold of my arm.
"Enough! Obviously, I don't remember certain things, including anything that may or may not have happened between Emma and me or you and me for that matter. But she's here now. She dropped everything she was doing to be here when she didn't have to be, and that's not the actions of a selfish person. And I know my feelings are so strong for her, I can't imagine anything changing that, nor having anything of worth with you."
Lauren's mouth flapped open and closed several times like a fish's, and I did a mental fist-pump at how Drew didn't allow her to manipulate him.
"I appreciate all you've done to help handle the media, but maybe it's time to return to New York. As I’ve been told, you’re only temporary anyway. You can do the same job just as easily there as here. The crew has mostly gone home already, and the guys are already gone. My family is leaving today. And so am I. With Emma." He stared firmly at her when it appeared she about to argue further. "I'm done discussing this with you, Lauren. I don't owe you anything, and you're just a little too eager to keep Emma and me separated. You’re giving me a reason to suspect that’s part of the reason you were fired the first time.”