by Moody, Diane
“Shhh . . . don’t cry,” he whispered.
“What do you think you’re doing? Young lady, get off that bed!” A nurse they’d never seen before was the first to enter the room, followed by an anxious group of doctors and other nurses.
“Sheila, she’s okay,” Jackson’s primary doctor said, moving to the side of his bed. JT and Tracey made room for him, but JT refused to let go of Jackson’s hand. “She’s the best medicine he could have right now,” the doctor added. “Hello, Jackson. Nice of you to join us. How are you feeling?”
Jackson took a ragged deep breath and nodded. “Kinda strange . . .” he answered softly.
“Did you hear that?” JT shouted. “Did you HEAR that!” JT did the ritual hand gestures with Jackson that he and the guys always gave each other before a performance. “Jax, I’ve gotta go get the guys! And your mom and dad and—”
“Whoa, whoa—just a minute there, partner,” the doctor interrupted. “We need a little time with Jackson here before we invite the troops in. Why don’t you all step outside for a minute and give us a chance to check him out first, okay?”
“Oh please don’t make me leave, Dr. Williams! Please let me stay?” Alli begged.
Jackson’s countenance fell as he shook his head at the doctor. “Please?” he whispered.
“It will only be for a minute. I promise. She hasn’t left your side for days, except when we’ve booted her out to examine you. Alli, I promise this will only take a second and you can come right back in.”
Alli turned her face only a couple inches from Jackson’s. She smiled, relaxing for the first time since that horrible moment on New Year’s Eve. She looked into his eyes and kissed him, oblivious to the roomful of people around them. “I love you, Jackson.”
“Always mine?” he mouthed, his smile weary.
She laughed, kissing him again. “Always and forever, Jackson. Always.”
“Hannah? Hannah, open this door right this instant. Do you hear me?” Kylie banged on the door of her best friend’s apartment. “You either open up or I’ll use my key. Did you hear that?”
Exasperated, Kylie dug her keys out of her coat pocket and forced one into the door. She pushed against it, but the door refused to give way. She grumbled, realizing the deadbolt would be in place since Hannah was home. She pulled up another key, shoving it into the deadbolt and pushing her way into the apartment.
“All right, Hannah, all I can say is you better have a darn good reason for all this. Hey! Where are you?” She poked around the small apartment then headed for the bedroom.
She dropped her purse on the floor and put her hands on her hips. “Okay, excuse me, but you’re not sick, I’m not stupid, and I’m not leaving here ’til I get some answers. Got it?” She stomped over to the window and yanked on the cord throwing the curtains open. Daylight flooded the room.
The body in the bed moaned. “Kylie! I’m trying to sleep. Do you mind?”
“Yes, I mind!” She yanked back the covers only to have them yanked back.
“Kylie, stop it! I’m freezing—just cut it out!” Hannah rolled over onto her stomach pulling the covers over her head. “Please, just leave me alone and give me some space,” she mumbled from deep under the covers.
Kylie picked up the remote control off the bedside table and clicked on the small television resting on the chest of drawers. She plopped onto the end of the bed and pulled her legs up Indian style. “Fine. You go ahead and sleep. I’m gonna watch TV.”
She surfed through several channels catching pieces of Friends reruns, some old western on AMC, the news on CNN . . . “Oh, look at this. Hannah, did you hear what happened to Jackson Greer of Out of the Blue over the holidays?”
No response.
“Well, you had to have heard something. It happened right here in Chapel Hill. I mean, I was all the way out in California and I heard about it. Oh wait, look. It’s a live report.” She pressed the volume control and the voice of a young reporter filled the room. She felt Hannah moving on the bed behind her.
“Word swept across Chapel Hill and certainly all around the world as the good news was announced concerning Jackson Greer.”
“Oh my gosh, he’s okay?”
Kylie turned to look at Hannah. Best friends since kindergarten, Kylie knew Hannah had once been an avid Blue fan, but was surprised at her reaction. “Well, I should have known I could count on Blue to still get your attention. Y’know, Hannah, you look awful—”
“Shhh! I want to hear this. Turn it up.”
Kylie stared at her, appalled at how bad Hannah looked. Bewildered by her strange behavior, she turned back around to see the reporter extending a microphone to a man in a suit. His name flashed across the screen, identifying him as the hospital spokesperson.
“We are pleased to announce that Jackson Greer regained consciousness a few hours ago. His doctors report that his condition is stable and they are continuing to monitor his progress. His friends and family wish to—”
“I can’t believe it. He’s really okay.”
Kylie cocked her head at an angle, staring at Hannah. “You know, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve heard you even mention the band. I mean, sure—Jackson getting shot is a big deal, but I wouldn’t have expected this much of a reaction out of you. Not after all these years. And certainly not after the despicable way you’ve been treating me today.”
Hannah looked sideways at her and took a deep breath. “Look, Kylie, I’m sorry about running off from work. And I didn’t mean to be rude just now, it’s just that . . . you woke me up. That’s all.” Hannah rubbed her eyes.
The unanswered questions still hung in the air.
“You’re not really sick, are you?”
Before Hannah could respond the phone rang. Kylie watched her, realizing she wasn’t going to answer it. She peered at Hannah, adding this to the long list of questionable behaviors. While they waited for the recorded message to play out, Kylie looked around the room. She took a double take at the royal blue evening gown sparkling with rhinestones that hung on the doorframe of the closet door.
“And where did you get that gorgeous dress? You creep! You had a date for New Year’s? Well, c’mon! Out with it. Who was it?”
“Hey, Hannah? Are you there, girl? This is Marissa,” the voice on the answering machine asked.
Kylie raised her eyebrows. “Marissa?”
The message continued. “—and we need to talk. You just disappeared and we all got really worried but then George told us he’d taken you home.”
Kylie mouthed the name at her. “George?”
“—and the thing is, well, Jackson finally woke up and everybody’s goin’ nuts over here and—well, Hannah, I know how hard it must have been when—wait, I don’t want to leave an epic message here, so here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to have George drive me over there and—”
“Who’s Marissa?” Kylie interrupted. “How do I know that name? What a minute . . . wasn’t that the name of the tour manager for—”
Hannah snapped up the phone. “Rissa, I’m here. I just . . . yeah, I’m okay. No, really, I’m okay . . . I know, but I just couldn’t . . . but I . . . No, no please—you don’t need to come over here . . . I know but . . .”
Kylie worked a thousand pieces of the puzzle in her mind. And then, as if reaching for the last piece, it hit her. “Ohmygosh!”
Hannah closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Okay, Rissa. Okay. Yeah, I’ll be here. I look like I’ve been run over by a freight train, but I’ll be here . . . Okay, see you in a few minutes.” Hannah slowly clicked off the portable phone and tossed it on the covers beside her. She pulled the quilt up to her chin, stole a peek at Kylie’s shocked expression, and pulled the quilt over her head.
Kylie exploded. “Oh my GOSH, Hannah! You’ve been hanging out with—and that’s Marissa as in Marissa-the-tour-manager for Out of the Blue . . . and you went to some kind of New Year’s par—”
It suddenly hit her. It al
l finally made sense. The air vanished from her lungs so fast, she felt faint. “Hannah! YOU WERE THERE?!” she wheezed. “You were there when Jackson got shot and—but WHY were you there? And who were you there with?” Another gasp. “JASON! It has to be Jason! Because you weren’t talking about my brother Jason at break—you reacted when I said his name because it was Jason McKenzie and—but how did you meet him and—OH MY GOSH, HANNAH!” Kylie finished her rampage with a squeal that echoed all the way back to their groupie days.
Hannah threw back the covers. “Kylie! Stop! You’re gonna hyperventilate. Now just calm down, will you?”
Kylie stopped, staring at Hannah as unanswered questions continued to storm her mind. “But—”
“Look, Kylie, I promise . . . I’ll tell you everything. Everything!” Hannah jumped out of bed. “But I can’t right now. You heard her, Rissa is coming over and—”
“Oh, ‘Rissa’ is it? Well, my, my, my, aren’t we all chummy with the celebs? Good grief, I was only gone for two weeks. I left town and you were supposed to be working the entire holiday and I get back and you’re all chummy with a bunch of celebrities? And for crying out loud, Hannah—you’re Jason McKenzie’s girlfriend?!” Another squeal bounced off the walls of her bedroom.
Hannah stopped in her tracks. Kylie stared at her friend’s face, a profound grief covering her countenance. She watched Hannah lean over to pick some clothes off the floor.
“No, Kylie. No, I am not Jason McKenzie’s girlfriend.”
Kylie watched a tear roll down her best friend’s face. “Hannah?”
Hannah looked up at her. “It seems the clock struck midnight . . . and Cinderella woke up.”
Chapter 18
“I can’t believe this. You are so unbelievable, Hannah. I’m totally freaked out here trying to figure out what in the world has been happening, and look at me! You’ve got me cleaning your apartment like some maid or something. I feel liked chopped liver.”
Hannah stood in the door to her bedroom. “Kylie can you just give it a rest please? I told you we’d talk and we will. Can you just forget about it for now?”
Kylie muttered as she dashed through the room picking up clothes and dirty dishes. Her running commentary only made Hannah more nervous, so she headed back to her bathroom. The ranting from her living room followed her. On any other day, she would have laughed at Kylie’s soliloquy.
“So there you are trying to salvage that pitiful crybaby face and here I am cleaning up after you like some hired maid. Don’t mind me, missy,” Kylie mimicked. “I’ll just dust your furniture and mop your floors and scrub your toilet—”
“I heard that,” Hannah yelled. She hurried out of the bedroom, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. “How do I look?”
“Like a wet puppy, if you want the truth, but—”
The doorbell rang followed by a series of rapid knocks.
Hannah headed for the door. “Kylie, can you just please try to be nice and stop being so witchy to me?”
“What? I’m not being—”
“Hannah! Oh, girl, how are you?” Marissa immediately rushed into the apartment and engulfed Hannah in a hug. “We’ve been so worried about you.” She pulled back, taking a long look, holding her at arm’s length.
“Rissa, the last thing you should be worried about right now is me. I heard about Jackson on the news. I was so relieved—is he really okay?”
Hannah was aware of Kylie’s presence. It was awkward to talk to Marissa like this, especially since she hadn’t had a chance to tell Kylie all that had happened.
“Hannah, why did you just take off like that? You didn’t have to run, you know.”
“Rissa,” Hannah stopped her, stalling for answers as long as she could. “I want you to meet my best friend. Kylie, come over here for a minute.”
Kylie twisted the dishtowel in her hands and slowly approached them.
“Kylie, this is Marissa.” Hannah smiled, pleased to finally make the introduction. Marissa extended her hand to Kylie who stared at her with the goofiest grin Hannah had ever seen.
“Hey, Kylie, nice to meet you,” she said, forcing her hand into Kylie’s. She laughed easily at the redhead’s reaction.
“Wow, this is such an honor,” Kylie responded, shaking hands diplomatically as if meeting the president of the United States.
Marissa looked back at Hannah, her countenance etched with curiosity. “Hannah, she’s great. Very . . . verbose, isn’t she?” They laughed, Kylie joining them at her own expense.
“Okay, Kylie, you can stop shaking her hand now,” Hannah teased. “Rissa, come on in and sit down. Can I fix you some tea or something?”
“No, you can’t and don’t get comfortable because I’m on a mission here.”
“What?”
“I came over to see how you were doing, but there’s someone who’s very anxious to see you right now and—”
“No! No, I can’t.” Hannah backed away from Rissa, shaking her head.
Marissa looked perplexed then leaned her head back. Her expression changed as she picked up on Hannah’s interpretation of her statement. “Oh, Hannah, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“No, really—it’s okay.” Hannah sat down on her rocking chair.
“No, you don’t understand. I came here to get you because Alli and Jackson want to see you. They’ve been really worried about you. Everybody has. That’s why Gevin suggested I come by and pick you up.”
“Oh, wow—Gevin . . .” the third voice responded.
Hannah and Marissa turned to look at Kylie. She still had that silly grin on her face. It was a welcome diversion for Hannah who couldn’t help smiling despite the anxiety needling her.
“Jackson Greer wants to see you,” Kylie muttered. “Jackson Greer wants to see my friend, Hannah. Who’da thought . . .”
Hannah turned her attention back to Marissa. “Look, I would love to see Jackson. And I’ve wanted to talk to Alli, and I’m so thrilled that Jackson’s okay and all, but—”
Marissa dug her gloves out of her coat pockets. “Hannah, there’s not a lot of time. We’re going. Just get your coat.” She turned toward the front door.
“But I can’t! I won’t. I just couldn’t bear it if I ran into . . . well, what if—”
Marissa turned around and faced her directly. “Look, I give you my word. You will not run into Jason. Okay?”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because they . . . I mean, he left just before I did. He was going home to get some rest. He said he wouldn’t be back for probably five or six hours. So you don’t have to worry, okay?”
“But Rissa, this is ridiculous. They don’t need me there. None of them do. They hardly know me! I told you the other night how out of place I felt. Well, I still do, no matter what you say. Why can’t you understand how I feel?”
“Because right now, all I care about is how Jackson feels. He asked to see you and I’m gonna make sure he does. Got it?”
The sharp tone of Marissa’s voice startled her. She immediately regretted sounding so self-centered. If Jackson had asked to see her, the least she could do was swallow her pride and go see him.
“Rissa, I’m sorry. Of course, I’ll go.”
“Good. Now grab your coat and let’s go. George has to be wondering what’s taking me so long.” She opened the front door.
“George? Who’s George?” Kylie asked, walking toward the door. “Whoa, you’re in a limousine. Maybe the longest limousine I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“Oh, Kylie,” Marissa said. “I wouldn’t hesitate to invite you, except that—”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Rissa—I can call you ‘Rissa’, right?”
Marissa laughed. “You can call me whatever you want to, girlfriend. And I would really like to get to know you better, only—”
“Only, hey—we can’t keep Jackson waiting, can we!” Kylie laughed at herself. “Jackson Greer! I can’t believe you’re . . . and Hannah . . . and, oh jus
t go!”
Hannah wrapped a wool scarf around her neck then pulled on her long black coat. “Kylie, I’m really sorry. I hope you understand.”
“What’s not to understand? Out of the Blue awaits you! Ha! Can you imagine? They’re waiting on you . . . I never saw this one coming, Hannah. Not in a million years.”
“We’ll talk later, I promise,” Hannah called over her shoulder as she and Marissa hurried out the door.
Hannah and Marissa walked briskly through the back corridors of the hospital. The routes were all too familiar to them after the last few days. Hannah’s heart raced as she followed Marissa down the long halls of the hospital basement. She prayed Marissa was true to her word and she would not run into Jason.
They stepped into a service elevator and rode silently up to the seventh floor where Jackson had been moved. When the elevator doors opened, Hannah was relieved to see a familiar hospital security guard. He recognized both Hannah and Marissa and allowed them to pass.
The closer they got to Jackson’s room, the more uncertain Hannah felt. She took a deep breath as Marissa knocked gently on the door.
“Anybody home?”
Gevin appeared at the door, opening it wider for his fiancée to enter. His serious face broke into a wide smile when he saw Hannah behind her. “Ah, mission accomplished. It’s about time, Hannah. Come here, girl,” he said reaching out for her. He gave her a warm hug. “You okay?”
She had to take another deep breath if she was going to answer. “Yeah, Gevin, I’m good. Your girlfriend here doesn’t take no for an answer, but I guess you already know that, huh?”
He draped his arm over Marissa’s shoulder. “Yeah, I learned that a long time ago.”
“Hey, you guys having a convention out there or what?”
Hannah followed the sound of Jackson’s voice and peeked around the corner into the suite. An explosion of color amid hundreds of flowers came into view. Huge bouquets of roses, daisies, sunflowers and every other imaginable flower. Stuffed animals and large fruit baskets dotted the floral scenery. It took a minute before she finally saw him sitting up in the hospital bed, Alli seated on the foot of his bed.