For All The Right Reasons (Band Of Brothers Book 1)

by Ann Lister

  “Come on, I'll introduce you to him,” the woman said. She motioned Sydney to follow, but Sydney didn't budge.

  “He's all yours,” Sydney said.

  “Suit yourself. I'll see you inside.”

  Sydney nodded and turned back to the mirror. Emotion bit at her eyes. She was curious to know what Ben was going to do when he saw the woman, considering the history the woman claimed to have with him. Sydney pressed a cold paper towel against the back of her neck and chest, then straightened out her clothing before leaving the bathroom.

  The press room was over-flowing when she returned. It was all she could do to push her way to the corner she had her camera equipment secured. She quickly slid one camera around her neck and picked up a second and began drifting around the room taking candid snapshots of the fans while they waited to meet with the band. After several minutes, she still could not see Ben or the girl from the bathroom. Finally, Sydney spotted Ben leaning up against a table at the end of the line of people with the brunette draped around him like a scarf. Sydney moved in beside the girl and tapped her on the shoulder.

  “Look over here and I'll take a picture of you together,” Sydney said. She purposely avoided Ben's eyes. She clicked off two quick shots then re-positioned them. “This time, get closer…like you really know each other,” Sydney said.

  Ben saw the look on Sydney's face and knew all to well, what it meant. He tried to put more space between him and the girl, but Sydney pushed them back together.

  “Let's get one more shot,” Sydney said.

  In the last shot, the woman planted a kiss directly on Ben's mouth.

  “Excellent,” Sydney said. “You make a lovely couple.”

  “Can I have copies of those pictures?” the woman asked Sydney.

  “Of course. I'll make sure Ben gives you a whole set.”

  “Thank you!” the woman beamed.

  “Don't mention it,” Sydney replied, her eyes momentarily shifting to Ben. “I'll let you get back to what you were doing,” she said, and disappeared into the crowd. Once again, her stomach began to knot and the need to find another bathroom became an urgency.

  Sydney ran into the hallway and found the first empty dressing room and ran inside. She dashed into the adjoining bathroom and shut the door, quickly vomiting again. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She was just about to flush the toilet when she heard voices coming from the outer dressing room. Sydney cracked open the bathroom door and peered into the connecting room.

  Ben had come into the room with the brunette. They stood in the center of the room, loosely embraced, while the woman continuously made attempts to kiss Ben.

  “Come on, Ben! Why are you playing so hard to get?”

  Ben tried to pull the woman off his body again. “I told you, Janis, I have a girlfriend.”

  “You're hardly the type,” she protested, her hand moving lower on Ben's stomach.

  “I'm dead serious,” Ben argued, lifting the woman's hand before it reached its intended target.

  “Then, where is this girlfriend? Why isn't she here with you?”

  “She’s around here somewhere…working. In fact, you've already met her,” Ben said.

  “She works here?”

  “She's our tour photographer.” Ben said.

  “Are you talking about the blonde that was just taking our picture?”

  “Her name is Sydney.”

  “I don't believe you,” Janis said. Her hand headed south and attempted to cup Ben's crotch. Again, he stopped her.

  “Whoa! Look, Janis, this isn't going to happen.”

  “Oh, my God! You're really serious.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Do you love her?”

  “Very much.”

  The woman touched Ben on the chest. “I have to say, I'm jealous. She's a very lucky girl.”

  “I'm the lucky one, Janis.”

  “And you don't cheat?”

  Ben laughed. “You saw what she looks like. Why would I want to?”

  Janis stepped away from Ben. “Well…if you change your mind, I think you remember how to get in touch with me,” she smiled.

  “It was nice seeing you, Janis,” Ben said.

  “You're not going to call, are you?”

  “No, but I'm flattered by the offer.”

  Janis pulled open the door and turned back to Ben. “Good luck with her.”

  Ben waited for the door to close then swore loudly, startling Sydney in the bathroom. She bumped into a metal trash canister and made it rattle. A few seconds later, Ben opened the bathroom door.

  “Sydney? What the hell are you doing in here?” he asked.

  Sydney flushed the toilet and rinsed her hands in the sink. “I came in here to get sick.”

  “You were in here the whole time?”

  She nodded and dried her hands on a paper towel.

  “Then, you heard everything?”

  “Every last word,” Sydney said. She walked by him and into the dressing room.

  “I'm sorry about that,” he said. He moved in front of her and tried to get her to look at him.

  “What are you sorry for? At least you turned her down. If not, we'd be having a completely different conversation right now.”

  Ben reached for her. “Then, why do you seem so mad?”

  Sydney set her head against his shoulder.

  “I only know one small piece of you, Ben, and there is obviously a whole other part of you that has a lot of history - like the history you have with that girl, and I don't know that part of you at all. It's hard to compete with that.”

  Ben tightened his arms around Sydney. “Honestly, I don't want you to know that side of me, Syd, because I'm not that person anymore. I'm different now…older, a lot wiser and I'm in love.” Ben cupped her face in his hands. “They are part of my past and you are my future. You have nothing to compete with.”

  Sydney sighed loudly. “Thanks, I needed to hear you say that.”

  “You're the only one I want to be with,” he said, and brushed his lips against hers. “Remember that.”

  Sydney stepped away from Ben. “I should get back to work.”

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “I mean, you said you were in here getting sick again?”

  “Yes. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so tired these days. I think I might be coming down with something. Maybe it's the flu?”

  “Do you want to see the tour doctor?” he asked.

  “I'll be fine. Only three more weeks to the tour, right?”

  Ben nodded. “Well, I was going to ask if I could see you after the show, but I'm thinking you should probably go back to your room and get some sleep.”

  Sydney forced a weak smile. “That's exactly what I plan to do,” she said, and opened the door to the hall. “Have a good show.”

  When Sydney finally returned to her hotel room, she called her agent to express her concern about her sickness.

  “I think it might be some kind of stomach bug,” Sydney said. “Maybe I should have Peggy come in and finish the last few shows of the tour.”

  “You're probably run-down from not getting enough sleep, Syd. Maybe Ben is occupying too much of your time?”

  “I haven't seen much of him since Maryland. Whatever this is, it seems to be getting worse, Carol, not better. I started throwing-up tonight and I'm nauseous all the time.”

  A long pause filled the phone line.

  “Syd, do you think there could be any possibility you're pregnant?”

  “Pregnant? No way! The doctors told me seven years ago that I would never be able to…oh dear God! Do you think that's what this is?”

  “Well, have you missed a period?” Carol asked.

  Sydney was silent for several seconds. Her brain ached at the thought Carol might be right. “Shit! I honestly don't remember the last period I had, Carol. I've been so preoccupied with working, I haven't noticed what's been going on with my body. What the hell am I going to do?”

  C
arol laughed loudly. “Well, for starters, I suggest you get yourself to a drug store and buy a pregnancy test and see what that tells you. Then, I want you to call me back with the results. And, you might also want to give Ben a ‘heads-up’ on what is going on with you.”

  It took Sydney a whole week to get up the courage to buy a pregnancy test and another three days before she actually took it. The test came back positive. Three additional tests had the same results. Sydney sat on the floor of her hotel bathroom and cried. She wondered how she was going to tell Ben. She wondered if he would think she did it on purpose to trap him. She wondered if a baby would change their relationship or their careers? Her head swirled with crazy thoughts, none of them particularly pleasant, then she called Carol again.

  “It's positive, Carol. I'm pregnant.”

  “That's wonderful news!” Carol cheered. “What did Ben say?”

  “I haven't told him.”

  “Why not? What are you waiting for?”

  “I'm afraid of what he'll say. What if he thinks I lied about being able to get pregnant?”

  “Why would he think that?” Carol asked.

  “Because that's what I told him.”

  “You weren't lying when you told him that, Syd. Your doctors were the ones that said you couldn't get pregnant.”

  “They said it would take a miracle for me to get pregnant.”

  “Well, it looks like Ben is your miracle.”

  “I can't believe this is happening,” Sydney said quietly.

  “You better start believing it, Syd. You need to focus on taking care of yourself now and you sure as hell better tell Ben about his impending fatherhood!”

  “I guess I'll have to tell him.”

  “You guess?” Carol asked.

  “Yes. I'll tell him.”

  “That sounds more like it! He'll be thrilled, Sydney. Why wouldn't he be? He loves you - he's going to love the baby you created.”

  Sydney decided to tell Ben about the baby before the last Pennsylvania show in Pittsburgh. She got to the arena early and dropped her equipment into a private room, then went to search for Ben. She checked around the stage area and his dressing room but saw no sign of him. She saw people outside the dining hall door and decided to see if Ben was inside. She played through her prepared announcement in her head, wanting to get the words just right for Ben.

  She entered the room and saw Simon sitting at a dinner table with a reporter, finishing up an interview. She spun around to leave, hoping Simon hadn't seen her enter the room, but he called her name.

  “Are you looking for Ben?” Simon asked.

  Sydney's shoulders slouched as she turned to face Simon.

  “Have you seen him?” she asked.

  An evil smile formed on Simon's face. “Last I saw him, he was on the bus getting a blow-job from a groupie.”

  Sydney's face turned white. She knew Simon was merely baiting her for another confrontation, but this time she was going to walk away from it. Without saying a word, she started walking toward the door.

  “Syd!” Simon called to her again. “I was kidding.”

  Reluctantly, Sydney faced him again. The grin on his face should have told her to run before the other proverbial shoe hit the floor, but she tipped her head defiantly at him and stood her ground.

  “Since you're here, maybe you can clear up something for me,” Simon said, clasping his hands behind his head.

  “What would that be?” Sydney asked.

  Simon leaned across the round table toward her, like a lion preparing to attack his prey. “I'm wondering if my brother owes me five grand or not.”

  Sydney sighed in irritation and rolled her eyes. “What the hell are you talking about, Simon? Spit it out so we can end this conversation.”

  “Ben and I made a bet at the beginning of the tour. We do shit like that all the time. It breaks up the monotony of the road.”

  “Get to the damn point, Simon!”

  “I bet him five grand that he couldn't get you into bed before the end of the tour - only because you're such a cold bitch. He bet me that he could. So, which is it? If he's nailing you, then I'm the one that needs to write him a check and I never welsh on a bet.”

  Sydney felt light-headed. Tears began to sting at her eyes. She wasn't sure if Simon was trying to bait her again, or if he was telling her the truth.

  “Is that factual, Simon? Did you two really make such a bet over me?”

  Simon started laughing. “It's true, Syd. Looks like you've been had in more than one way.”

  Anger washed over Sydney, blinding any rational thought she may have had for taking the highroad and leaving. Instead, she approached the table where Simon was sitting and pushed it over on top of him, sending him and the table crashing to the floor. Sydney stepped beside him and watched as he struggled to get out from under the table, and kicked him in the ribs. “You are the biggest piece of shit I've ever met.”

  “I'm a piece of shit? I think you should talk to your boyfriend - he's the piece of shit!”

  “Go to hell!” Sydney screamed, stepping backwards into the hallway. She turned away from Simon and walked directly into Ben.

  “What's all the yelling about?” Ben asked. He held her in place by the shoulders.

  Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides, then she slowly tipped her head up toward his.

  “Apparently your brother owes you some money for a bet you two had,” She said. “Something about you getting me into bed.”

  Ben's entire body went tense. “Sydney, there was no bet.”

  “Oh, really? So, Simon made up that story for my amusement?”

  Ben squeezed her shoulders. “There was no bet, Syd. It was a joke.”

  Sydney dropped her gaze. “Sleeping with me was a joke?”

  “That's not what I meant and you know it!”

  Sydney pulled away from him and began walking down the hall. Ben quickly flanked her side and stopped her again with his hand. Sydney glanced at his fingers gripping her arm.

  “Get your hand off me,” she said.

  “Sydney, we need to talk about this.”

  She jerked her arm free from his grasp and fixed her eyes on his.

  “Did you or did you not make a bet with your brother?” she asked tersely.

  “Syd…”

  “It's a simple question, Ben. Yes…or…no?” Her eyes were glued to his. She saw the panic in his eyes and knew his answer without him having to say the word. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

  “You're no better than your brother,” she said.

  “Sydney…please,” he said quietly. “Let me explain…”

  “Don't bother, Ben. I understand completely, but before your brother writes that check, you might have him add a few grand to your winnings.”

  Sydney slipped her hand into her pant pocket and pulled out the positive pregnancy test stick, then she slapped it forcefully against his breastbone.

  “I figure if I'm worth five grand to you,” she said. “This should up that ante.” She stared at him for a moment, her hand still pressing against his chest, then she shook her head and stepped away. “Good bye, Ben.”

  The pregnancy stick hit the floor as Sydney moved away, but she kept on walking, leaving Ben standing there alone in the hallway.

  “Sydney! Don't walk away,” he called after her.

  His eyes dropped to the floor. He saw the stick and picked it up, studying it carefully. “Holy shit!” he said, and ran down the hall after her.

  Ben found Sydney packing up her camera equipment in an empty press room. He approached her with the stick held in the air.

  “Is this why you've been so sick, Sydney? Are you really pregnant?”

  She looked at him over her shoulder and continued to pack her things.

  “No, Ben, it's a joke. You like jokes, don't you?”

  “Syd…please.”

  She zipped the last of her bags and stood up, slipping one bag over her shoulder and clasping
the other in her hand.

  “I'll call Peggy and have her come finish up the last few shows for me,” she said matter-of-factly. “Maybe you and your asshole brother can wager another bet on which one of you can get her into bed.”

  Sydney walked toward the door.

  “Sydney, where are you going?” Ben asked. “We need to talk about this,” he said, waving the pregnancy stick in the air.

  She slowly turned to face him. “Its over, Ben. Peggy will finish the tour for me. I'll give her a call on my way to the airport. She can be here by tomorrow.”

  “You can't leave now!”

  Sydney narrowed her eyes. “Watch me.”

  She left the room and moved quickly down the hall toward the back exit.

  Ben ran into the hall after her. “Sydney!”

  She ignored him and left the building.

  The stage manager called Ben's name from the opposite end of the hall.

  “We need you for a sound check.”

  “Damn it!” Ben grumbled.

  Ben went directly to the stage area. He saw Simon talking to his drum technician and without warning he grabbed his brother by the head and shoved him to the floor. The two brothers quickly started rolling around on the floor with fists and feet flying wildly. Fresh cuts immediately began to bleed.

  “After this tour is over, I'm done with you, Simon!” Ben screamed. A roadie pulled Ben off of his brother and steadied him. “You're dead to me!” he yelled, wiping the blood from beneath his nose. “Do you hear me? I'm done!”

  Ben and Simon managed to do the show, but they did it bruised and bandaged. After the concert, Simon went to the emergency room at the local hospital for an x-ray of his arm. No bones were broken and Simon was cleared to finish the tour, but neither brother spoke again.

  Ben called Sydney's cell phone several times, but she ignored all of his calls. The next day he booked a flight to New York City and went directly to Sydney's apartment. No one answered her door.

  When the tour ended two weeks later, Ben took another flight back to New York City. This time he went to see Sydney's agent, Carol Lambert.

  “Can I help you?” the secretary asked Ben, as he strolled into Carol's office.

  “I'm Ben Gallo. I'm here to see Carol,” Ben said, and approached the secretary's desk.