Love at the Right Tempo

by Michael Mandrake

  The minute Frederick took his last bow, he rushed off the stage, running passed everyone to his dressing room on the left. He knew Vaughan and Kelliani would be in the backstage area very soon, and he had to make sure he didn’t look sickly as Deena had accused him of.

  Closing the door and locking it, Frederick placed Gabriel on the dresser, ran to the bathroom, and fell to his knees in front of the toilet. He dry heaved and clutched his chest, feeling his heart thumping rapidly, nearly cutting off his breath.

  “Fuck!” Frederick yelled at the top of his lungs. He leaned against the bowl and sobbed, while he ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve got to get ready for Vaughan.”

  Frederick wiped his eyes, knowing his mascara and eyeliner had probably run down his cheeks. He took his time, getting up, then stumbled out the bathroom, until he made it to the dresser. He eyed his reflection in the mirror. Five day old scruff, bags under his eyes, and as suspected, black streak marks on his cheeks. To try tidying up, he grabbed a wet wipe on the dresser and cleaned his face. Once satisfied, Frederick began applying the mascara and eyeliner quickly, then a douse of rouge and some chapstick. When he finished, he checked his breath the old-fashioned way and frowned. He didn’t have his toothbrush handy, but he did have some mints he’d purchased at the airport in Chicago. He popped a couple in his mouth then ran his hand through his messy locks, attempting to make himself look presentable.

  “Freddy? Hey, man, everyone wants to see you. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, Delaney, I’m fine. Is my boyfriend out there?”

  “You want to see him?”

  “Yes please, before I see anyone else, and can you make sure no photographers get back here? I’ll see them later on or tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  Frederick heard Delaney’s footsteps fading. Before he knew it, another knock sounded at the door.

  “Freddy? Hey, babe, you all right?” Deena yelled through the door.

  “I’m fine, just dehydrated,” Frederick lied. Well, not completely. He didn’t want to add that he felt nauseated and faint or she would have his hide.

  “Can you let me in, hon? Wanna make sure you’re good.”

  Frederick sighed and walked slowly to the door and unlocked it for Deena.

  When Frederick opened it, Deena eyed him with a worried expression on her face.

  “I’m so glad to see you. I was worried when you ran past everyone like that.”

  Frederick nodded and waved her in, then closed the door again. He leaned against it and suddenly the lightheadedness returned. The room started spinning as if he was on a ride at an amusement park. Frederick’s heart raced, and he clutched his chest again.

  “Freddy? Babe, are you okay?”

  “I…” Frederick’s legs and feet went numb. His whole entire body felt like dead weight.

  “Freddy!” Deena called out, and her footsteps came closer.

  Then everything went black.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Come on!” Kelliani squealed, grabbing Vaughan’s hand and darting away from the seats.

  “Jesus on a cracker! You wanna slow down?” Vaughan called. “We do have VIP passes, and I happen to know the artist personally.”

  “That’s not the point,” Kelliani said, squeezing through the crowd now heading back stage.

  Vaughan had to mutter apologies to a few angry people for he crashed into them—hard. This was one of the many reasons Vaughan hated concerts. Crowds—they unnerved him, made him feel trapped. Even when singers came to the battlefield to entertain the troops, while others fought to get on camera, he sat in the back, looking for the nearest exit.

  At the curtains leading to the back, there was a line. Kelliani groaned.

  “A line? Already?” Vaughan asked.

  “How many concerts have you been to?”

  “I try to avoid them.”

  But Kelliani wasn’t listening. She was busy pushing to her tiptoes and trying to peer over people’s heads. Though Vaughan was tempted to tell the guard he was Frederick’s boyfriend, he remained patiently by Kelliani’s side. Celebrities were weird, and just because he had sex with Frederick didn’t mean he should call him out in front of everyone.

  “Kelliani I think we should…” Vaughan stopped when someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Yes?”

  “Are you Vaughan?” A shorter man who appeared to be upset or nervous asked.

  “Uh...Yeah. Who are you?” Vaughan replied.

  “I’m Frederick’s manager, Delaney. Listen, you need to come with me. Frederick’s sick, very sick. He passed out and … oh my God. I can’t believe he’s done it to me again!” Delaney started crying.

  “Again?” Vaughan growled. “What do you—”

  Kelliani touched his shoulder gently, and that always reminded Vaughan to reel in the crazy and breathe. He looked at the sobbing man and took a deep breath before tapping his shoulder. “Okay, take me to him.”

  “Oh cripes. Gimme your key,” Kelliani said.

  “What?”

  “You’re staying with Frederick tonight,” Kelliani said. “I know you and you’re not going to want to leave his side. So, I’m going to spend the night at your place and make sure the queen doesn’t do her business all over the place.”

  Vaughan rummaged through his pocket for the key but didn’t allow Delaney to escort him away until he’d kissed Kelliani, given her a hug, and promised her he’d say hello to Frederick for her.

  Right after I kick his ass for not taking better care of himself.

  “When did this happen before?” Vaughan asked, walking beside Delaney.

  Delaney wiped his face with a handkerchief. “On his last tour. He wore himself ragged, and Doctor Prescott told him to take it easy. I swear, he pushes himself so hard. He eats, sleeps, and drinks music. Well, until you came along. All he’s been talking about is you. I’m glad you’re here, you know? Maybe you can talk some sense into him. He never listens to me.”

  Delaney stopped at what looked to be a dressing room door. “Deena is in here with him now, but maybe I can drag her out of there and she can help me explain to these fans that he won’t be able to do the signing. He’s refused to go to the hospital. He only called for you.” Delaney knocked on the door.

  The more Vaughan heard, the more he wanted to strangle Frederick. But, since he wasn’t feeling well, he figured he’d wait until later. Vaughan should have listened to his instincts. He’d known something was wrong that night at his place, but Frederick promised he was okay.

  Deena didn’t open the door fast enough, so Vaughan balled a fist and slammed it into the surface a few times.

  “Yes?” Deena’s voice sounded annoyed.

  “Open the door,” Vaughan growled.

  Footsteps sounded from the other side.

  “Deena, it’s me, Delaney, and Vaughan. Let us in, okay? I told you I was coming back with him.”

  Before Delaney could say another word, Deena opened the door wide with a worried expression on his face. “Hi, um. I guess we meet again. Can please try talking him into going to the hospital? Just for a checkup. I called his doctor already, but he cannot be here until the morning because he has a personal engagement.”

  Vaughan breezed by her as if she hadn’t even spoken. He fell to his knees before Frederick and cradled his face. “Baby?” Vaughan whispered. “Baby, how are you feeling? And don’t lie to me right now, Frederick.”

  Frederick’s blue eyes flickered open. “Vaughan. Is that you? God, please tell me it is. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Yeah. But how are you feeling?”

  “I’m better. Doctor Deena has been taking good care of me. I don’t know what happened on stage. I got overheated. I drank water during the whole set, and by the time I came back here, I was ready to hurl. I couldn’t. So, I tried pulling myself together, putting on makeup, trying to look good for you, and damn. Everything started spinning, and then it went dark. Darker than night.”

  “Yeah
, because you’re pushing yourself too damn hard. I told you that, Freddy!” Deena yelled at him.

  Delaney clearing his throat sounded behind them. “Um, Deena, let’s leave the two lovebirds alone, hmm? The last thing he needs is you accusing him of what we already know as the truth. Help me fight off this mad mob.”

  “Oh right, take me out of here.” Deena started swearing in what sounded like Spanish, and the door closed.

  “Oh God, now everyone is mad at me. Vaughan, I … I didn’t realize this would happen. Don’t be mad at me, love. Please? This isn’t the way I want us to spend our reunion night together.”

  “Don’t worry about that now,” Vaughan said, pulling out his cell. “I’ll be mad at you later.”

  Vaughan tapped away then pressed the phone to his ear. When Marietta answered, he took a breath. “Hey Mariette. It’s Vaughan.”

  “Vaughan! How are you?” She asked.

  “I’m good. Listen, my boyfriend worked himself into the ground and passed out from exhaustion. Can I bring him into the ER and you take a look at him?”

  “Sure. I’ll be here until one in the morning,” she said. “When you come in have me paged.”

  “Great. Thanks. We’re on our way.” Vaughan hung up. “Okay, get up. I’m taking you in.”

  Frederick shook his head no. “Please, Vaughan. I don’t want to go into ER. I’ll be fine. My doctor is on his way into Reading tomorrow afternoon. He’ll tell me to rest, eat more, and then I can go back on tour in a week.”

  “I love that you think this is democracy.” Vaughan said. “Do not make me carry you out.”

  Frederick pouted and eased up from the sofa. He leaned against Vaughan, rubbing his forehead against Vaughan’s chest. “Please don’t make me go. I promise you, I’ll make it worth your while.” He winked and planted a soft kiss on Vaughan’s lips.

  With a deep breath, Vaughan picked Frederick up and tossed him over a shoulder like a firefighter carrying a victim. He reached across the desk for Frederick’s cell and made his way out the door. A few people in the halls gasped, but the guards stepped out of the way.

  “Vaughan, I’m okay. You don’t have to take me anywhere but back to your place or to my hotel. Oh God, Gabriel. I’ll have to tell Deena to get him I suppose. Knowing how she feels about me right now, she might break him on purpose.”

  “Gabriel?” Vaughan asked. “Who is Gabriel?”

  “My violin. Oh, that’s right. I don’t think I ever properly introduced you to him.” Frederick snorted.

  “You are one weird dude.”

  As they made their way past Delaney and Deena, Vaughan stopped long enough to tell her to take care of his violin. Vaughan refused to call it Gabriel. Outside, a line of cabs waited so he approached the first one and tapped on the window.

  “I need to get to UVM,” Vaughan said.

  “Um…” the driver said looking up at Frederick over Vaughan’s shoulder. “Sure. Not like this is the weirdest thing I’ve seen today.”

  Vaughan said nothing. He set Frederick in the back seat and climbed in after him. When they were on their way, Vaughan pulled close to Frederick.

  “I didn’t think you’d actually follow through with that threat, but I suppose it was silly to question a veteran, hmm?”

  “Hopefully.” Vaughan eyed him. “I’m not going to lecture you about how important it is for you to take care of yourself, Freddy. You see what happens when you don’t. But if you ever let this happen again I will be spanking you, and you will not enjoy it.”

  “I think I would take pleasure in it, but…” Frederick sighed aloud. “I don’t know why this keeps happening. I’m a young man. I should be able to go full tilt when I need to. I’m in good shape. I don’t eat a whole lot, but I never have really. I don’t know what’s wrong with my body.”

  “When you need to?” Vaughan asked, trying not to get upset. “You do this shit all the time. Do you know how scared Delaney is? Jesus, Frederick. You are not Superman. I was trained for years to push myself, to trek through deserts and the coldest temperatures for hours. But even I need to understand that at the end of the day I am human, and, newsflash, so are you. Do not do this again! Do you understand?”

  Frederick nodded solemnly. “Delaney is mostly concerned about his pocketbook. He isn’t generally concerned about me. Why do you think he took Deena with him to talk to the fans? I don’t believe it was for moral support,” Frederick said, incredulous.

  “I don’t care why he did it. The point is, he did. Look, if you don’t want take care of yourself, there is nothing we can do to force you. But I’m not going to sit at home waiting for the phone to ring for someone to tell me you’re in a hospital or worse—dead. This is ridiculous. I shouldn’t be trying so hard to get you to take it easy or to take better care of yourself.”

  Frederick gasped. “I … I’m sorry, Vaughan. I don’t mean to upset you or anyone else for that matter. Sometimes I don’t know how to slow down, but I’ll try. I have more of a reason to now.”

  “Don’t do this because you think it’ll make me happy, Frederick. If you’re not doing this for yourself it makes no difference.”

  “It’s not only about you, it’s me, too. Because I want to build a life with you.” Frederick looked away from Vaughan and out the window.

  Vaughan said nothing else. When the taxi arrived at the hospital, Vaughan paid the driver and escorted Frederick into the hospital. He hoped all Freddy’s fans would be at the venue. At the front desk, he asked for Marietta, and the two were escorted to the third floor where Matt’s mom was.

  “Vaughan,” Marietta hurried over. “Is this him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, come with me.” Marietta said.

  Vaughan made to follow, but she stopped him.

  “Not you. Him,” she said, pointing to Frederick.

  “But…”

  “No buts, Vaughan Singleton. You have to wait here while I talk to your man. If anything is wrong, I will tell you. Now sit.”

  Vaughan growled at her, but she merely scrunched her nose at him then laughed.

  “Come on. Let’s leave the bully to stew for a bit,” Marietta said, wrapping an arm around Frederick’s shoulder.

  Frederick nodded at her, and he appeared to relax once she showed him a little affection.

  As they walked by him, Vaughan reached out and held Frederick’s hand. He held on until Frederick was too far away from him for their fingers to be clasped together before letting go. He blinked, and Frederick and Marietta were gone. Left alone, Vaughan wanted to call Kelliani, but his nerves wouldn’t let him.

  ****

  Frederick continued to follow the doctor through the double doors. Every part of him screamed to run as far away as he possibly could, but the woman seemed nice on the surface. She had to have been a friend of Vaughan’s because they wasted no time in triage or anything before being called back.

  “Um, so, doctor. I’m Frederick Tremblay. And you are?”

  “Marietta Ortega,” she said, motioning to a bed. “Sit here.”

  “Thank you.” Frederick took the seat she asked him to take. “Are you a friend of Vaughan’s?”

  Marietta lifted her stethoscope from around her neck and blew at the end that would be pressed to Frederick’s body. “Something like that,” she replied, sticking the buds in her ears. “Vaughan and my husband were on the same team in the war. Take deep breaths for me.” She lifted the back of his shirt and pressed the stethoscope to his back.

  “I see.” Frederick did as she asked. When he took the breath, Frederick winced from pain in his chest. He closed his eyes a moment to wish away the discomfort because it was truly annoying him.

  Marietta continued working on him. She checked everything, from his chest to his throat. She shined a bright light in Frederick’s eyes, and leaned in close to look in. She then had him open his mouth and used a popsicle stick to press his tongue down to check his throat. When she was finished she turned to grab a small, cl
ear jar with an orange cover. “I need you to pee in this,” she said. “As for Vaughan, my husband died on a mission. Vaughan tried saving his life—I’m sure you saw the scars on his back?”

  Frederick eyed the jar and frowned. “I did, and I’m so sorry for your loss, Doctor.” When Frederick stood up, his body protested the sudden movements. “I guess you want me to try doing this now?”

  “Yes please,” Marietta said, walking him to a door at the far side of the room. She opened the door and flipped on the light. “You’ll have some privacy in here. We will talk about what is going on with you when you get out.”

  “All right.” Frederick walked slowly into the room and closed the door. He immediately unbuttoned his pants along with his underwear, then held the jar in front of him. Once he finished, he sat it on the toilet and cleaned himself up. Then he washed his hands, grabbed the container, and opened the door, trudging back to the doctor to get the diagnosis. “Okay, Doctor. I’m done. What is that for anyway?”

  “You’re malnourished, Frederick. I’m pretty sure that’s what your urine is going to tell me.” She turned to a small desk to the side of the room to pick up a prescription bad before sitting on a small stool and wheeling herself to sit before Frederick. “We need to increase your proteins, your carbs, minerals, water, and vitamins. You haven’t been eating well, have you?”

  Frederick shrugged. “I have two bowls of cereal before every performance. Sometimes I’ll have some in the morning also.”

  “Seriously?” Marietta said. She sounded frustrated. With a shake of her head, she began scribbling on the notepad. “I am going to lay off giving you any medication. I’m trusting you to follow these instructions. The nutritional supplements, I need you to drink one a day for a week. Along with that, you need to eat a well-balanced diet. Fruits, vegetables, rice—Frederick. No cereal. Eat actual food. Now, if it were up to me I’d talk to Vaughan, make sure you’re listening, but you’re an adult and as a doctor I can’t discuss this with him. But I will tell him if anything happens like this to bring you back to me, and if he does, you and I will have a problem. Got that?”

  Frederick sighed inwardly. “Doctor, I have no issue with taking supplements, but in all honesty I’m not a big eater. Never have been. And I need my Rice Krispies before the performance. It is part of my ritual. I have to have that.”