by Rhonda Bowen
JJ stretched her neck, waited for Diana’s count on the drums, and came in right on beat like she was supposed to. She caught a grin from Sabrina out of the side of her eye and knew she had gotten it right this time. She reached somewhere deep inside her and pulled out her reserve energy, pushing through the vocals, catching the harmony with the other three women. She had to admit, they sounded tight. If nothing else, Deacon and Sabrina’s fights made sure they sounded better than ever.
“Okay, ladies, let’s call it a night,” Sabrina said finally, turning off her keyboard.
“Thank God,” Diana murmured, dropping her drumsticks on the floor and pulling herself up off the stool. “My arms were about to give out.”
“I know I’ve been killing you ladies,” Sabrina said after swallowing a gulp of water. “But you all sound awesome.”
“Well, after all that, we better,” Kya said, working over a wad of gum. JJ grimaced as she watched the woman chew. That gum had spent as long in Kya’s mouth as they had all spent in rehearsal.
“Get out of here,” Sabrina said, shooing them through the doors with a grin. “Go enjoy what’s left of your night. Except for you, JJ. You look terrible. You need to take something . . .”
“Or get some. . . thing,” Kya said with a laugh.
JJ ignored Kya’s comment. She had gotten used to the crass remarks that floated around among the Deacon Hill team. She was a far cry from Granville Church and the life that she lived around it. She was in the real world now. She had figured that out not long after she joined the band, when she realized the true nature of Sabrina and Deacon’s relationship. No one seemed to mind that they were involved with each other, and only Sabrina seemed to mind that Deacon was often also involved with several other women at the same time. It’s not like she didn’t know these things went on. But when you went on tour with people, pretty much living with them from day to day for weeks, everything was more in-your-face.
“The only thing I’m going to enjoy right now is a long soak in that tub in my hotel room,” Diana said as she stepped out the door behind Sabrina and Kya.
“I hear that,” JJ said, glad to feel the cool night air on her face as she stepped outside. “Maybe that will do me some good.”
Diana and JJ waved to Sabrina and Kya as they went off in different directions.
“Wanna split a cab with me back to the hotel?” JJ asked.
“Here’s one now,” Diana said as one stopped in front of them. Both women slipped inside and JJ closed her eyes for a moment as the car slid away.
“Girl, you really do look terrible,” she heard Diana say.
“I feel terrible,” JJ said, barely having enough energy to respond. Her head pounded and her brow was damp with sweat, despite the coolness of the evening. “Thank God we’re off tomorrow night. I am not sure I’ll be able to make it out of bed.”
“You better get as much rest as you can,” Diana said. “No one can afford to be sick right now. We’re barely halfway through the tour with four more weeks to go.”
“I know, I know,” JJ mumbled. “I think I just need to rest. We’ve been having some crazy forty-eight-hour days lately.”
“Don’t I know it,” Diana said. “I haven’t spoken to my son for days. I know my baby misses me.”
JJ had seen a picture of Diana’s three-year-old son. He was a darling. JJ couldn’t imagine leaving her child like that to go on tour. But she never said that to Diana. She knew the woman already felt enough guilt about being away from her child so many days out of the year.
They didn’t talk anymore on the ride to the Marriott Hotel. In fact, the last thing JJ remembered was saying bye to Diana before slipping into her hotel room. She was barely able to kick off her shoes and drop her bags at the door before falling onto the couch. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around a thick cushion. Maybe she would make it to the bed later.
She didn’t know how long she had been sleeping when the phone woke her. She reached blindly for it, every ring adding an edge to her headache. She finally managed to grab the receiver from where she had knocked it on the floor.
“Hello?” she moaned.
“Uh, Judith Isaacs, please?”
JJ let out a deep sigh. “Simon, it’s me.”
“Wow, you sound awful.”
She buried her face in the cushion to block out the light. “Thanks. It’s only worse than it sounds.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yeah,” JJ mumbled. “I just need some rest though, and I’ll be fine.”
“What are your symptoms?”
She smiled despite her discomfort. “You gonna diagnose me over the phone, Doctor?”
“Humor me.”
She took a deep breath. “Pounding headache, aching joints, nausea, disturbed sleep, chills and cold sweats. Did I mention headache?”
“Hmm,” Simon murmured. “Sounds like you might be dehydrated. Or on the verge of the flu, or suffering from withdrawal. Or having morning sickness.”
“That specific, huh?” JJ asked.
He chuckled. JJ liked the sound of his laugh. Something about it was comforting, making her miss Toronto, miss home. How long had it been since she had talked to her sisters? Even her talk with Sheree that morning had been more like a two-minute check-in on the drive over to the rehearsal studios. She would have to do better than that.
“How is Sheree?” she asked, unwilling to end their easy banter but knowing that it was the reason for his call.
“She’s doing well,” he said, his voice deep and soothing to her ears. “We did an ultrasound this afternoon and the baby’s growth is progressing nicely. There seems to be no further separation of the placenta and her levels are stable. If she continues this way over the next six weeks, then she should have a healthy delivery.”
“Hmm,” JJ said, letting his words settle in. “Is there anything you’re worried about?”
She heard him pause at her question.
“Simon,” she probed. “Just tell me what it is.”
“Right now, I’m more worried about you than I am Sheree.”
He said the words quickly, as if trying to do it before he lost his nerve. Her heart sped up suddenly, and she wondered if that was just the effect of the energy drinks she had been imbibing all day, or something else.
“I’m . . .” She was going to say fine, but even she knew better than to try and pull that off. “I’ll be better with some sleep.”
“You sure about that?” he asked gently.
“No,” JJ said, too tired to fake optimism. “But I hope for the best. Thankfully I’m off all of tomorrow. No rehearsal during the day, no performance at night. I think I’ll probably spend the whole day in my hotel room. Probably in bed.”
“Sheree’s worried about you,” he said. “She can tell you’re not okay.”
“Tell her not to worry,” JJ said. “I’ve got it—”
JJ dropped the phone and rushed to the bathroom, as a sudden tightening in her stomach sent a tide she hadn’t expected rushing to her throat. She made it to the toilet just in time to expel the contents of her stomach.
What in the world was happening to her? She hadn’t been this sick in ages. It was like her whole body was fighting against itself. She sat on the floor, resting her back against the door, waiting until she mustered up enough energy to move back to the couch, or better yet, the bed. She had just closed her eyes when she heard her cell phone ring. She contemplated letting it go to voice mail but didn’t want to chance someone coming to her room and finding her on the floor in the bathroom like this.
Crawling back to the main area, she dug her cell phone out of her purse near the door.
“Hello?”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
It was Simon.
“I’m fine. My stomach just raised an objection.”
“Maybe you should call a doctor . . .”
She let out a single laugh at the irony of the situation. “I’m talking to a doctor.�
��
She heard him sigh on the other end, in what sounded like frustration.
“Judith.”
Warmth flooded through her when he said her name. “Say it again,” she murmured.
“What?”
“My name. Say it again.” She didn’t know where her brain was. Maybe she had left it in the bathroom with the contents of her stomach. But right now, all she wanted to know was if she would get that feeling again if he repeated her name.
“Judith—”
Yup. There it was.
“—you need to see a doctor,” he finished calmly.
Gripping a side table, she pulled herself up to her feet, then waited to see if she would be able to stay upright. When she was sure she could, she made her way back to the couch and replaced the hotel phone on the console. Then, holding on along the way, she shuffled over to the bed.
“Simon, I’ll be fine,” she said, with more conviction than she’d thought she could muster. “Thanks for updating me on Sheree.”
“Judith, listen . . .”
Wow, that never got old.
She smiled. “Goodnight, Simon.”
Then before he could protest further, she ended the call and fell into bed.
Chapter 18
Boom-boom-boom.
JJ wasn’t sure if she was sleeping or awake.
She opened her eyes to the light of the sun reflecting off the wall.
Boom-boom-boom.
She stretched and sat up. Her headache had downsized to a dull ache behind her eyes, a big improvement from the night before. But she felt dazed and somewhat disoriented. Like she wasn’t sure what was real and what was not. She yawned and tried putting one foot on the floor. A little wobbly, but she would manage.
Boom-boom-boom.
By the time the pounding stopped, she had made it to the door. When she pulled it open, her heart stopped.
“Simon!”
There he was, standing in the door of her hotel room in all six foot five of his glorious mixed-heritage beauty. His broad frame, which JJ was sure was zero percent fat and 100 percent bone and muscle, filled her doorway. His intense, greenish-gold eyes stared down at her from under thick brows and long lashes. His locks, pulled back, framed his strong face.
This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t actually be here, standing in her doorway, looking unbelievably gorgeous and like a gift from heaven. She must be delirious and this must be a hallucination. A very good hallucination. And as if confirming it, JJ suddenly felt light-headed. She closed her eyes as she felt the room begin to spin.
“Easy, don’t pass out on me now.” Simon’s voice was close to her ear as his hand grasped her upper arm, holding her steady. She in turn wrapped her arm around his for more support before opening her eyes.
“Hey,” she said again, her words coming slower than normal.
“Hey.” His eyes searched her face in concern. “Can I come in?” She nodded and he stepped carefully inside, dropped a bag on the floor, then closed the door behind him, all while holding her upright. Then he turned his eyes on her again. More concern.
“I’m okay,” JJ said slowly, loosening her grip on his arm while trying to focus her eyes on him so the room would stop spinning. “Really, I’m fine.”
He watched her cautiously as she let go of him completely.
“You’re sure?”
“M-hmm.” She smiled and took a step back from him. Then her legs gave out.
This time he caught her with both hands and led her over to the couch, where he sat down next to her. She closed her eyes and laid her head back. She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn’t look. She couldn’t deal with the room spinning anymore.
“Simon,” she began, her words heavy on her tongue. “What are you doing here?”
“You needed a doctor.” His voice rumbled gently through her. “And I had a feeling you weren’t going to call one. Was I right?”
She smiled.
“That’s what I thought,” he said knowingly.
She felt him get up from beside her and she opened her eyes slowly. She saw him digging through the contents of his bag by the door. When he found what he was looking for, he straightened and brought the bag and the item over to the couch. He sat down beside her again.
He touched her face gently and turned it away from him. “Have you eaten this morning?” he asked, putting something in her ear.
“I don’t know,” JJ murmured. “What time is it?”
He seemed to pause for a moment. “ Around nine a.m.”
“Then no.”
He took out a stethoscope and placed it in his ears before gently turning her to the side so she was facing away from him. She felt the flat surface press against her back.
“When was the last time you ate?”
JJ shrugged. “Yesterday. Lunchtime. Maybe.”
He was quiet for a moment as he listened to her heartbeat and breathing. Then he turned her back around so she could rest against the back of the couch.
“Did you throw up again last night?” he asked, his brows furrowed.
JJ nodded.
He placed his hand against her forehead and she let her heavy eyelids fall closed, his cool fingers a comfort to her hot, clammy skin.
She heard him let out a deep breath.
“Judith, I’m going to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth.”
“Okay.” She would tell him anything when he called her Judith.
“Have you been taking anything? Any medication, drugs?”
JJ’s eyes snapped open and she pushed his hand away from her face.
“No,” she protested, sitting up. But it was too fast. The room began to spin again and she fell back against the couch.
She took a couple deep gulps of air to settle her racing heart.
“I’m not stupid, Simon. I don’t do drugs,” she said, winded.
“Okay, okay,” he said gently. He had taken her hand and was rubbing his thumb against the back of it. It was having a relaxing effect on her.
“Maybe not drugs, but supplements. Any kind of pills?”
Oh no. JJ groaned and covered her face with her hands.
“Where are they?” he asked.
“My purse, by the door.”
She felt the couch shift as he got up. She heard rustling, then silence. Then he was sitting beside her again.
“Judith, look at me.”
She dropped her hands and pulled herself up slowly, turning slightly so she was facing him.
“You know what these are?”
“Caffeine pills.”
“How long have you been taking these?” His brows were drawn so tightly together that they almost met.
She sighed. “Not long. Two weeks, maybe. It was just so I could get through the shows. I haven’t taken any for a couple days.”
He held up her empty energy drink can.
“Have you been drinking these?”
She nodded.
“Have you ever had both of them together?”
JJ shifted her eyes away. She couldn’t bear the look on his face. It was a mix of concern, frustration, and some other things she couldn’t read but were too much for her to handle.
He sighed. Then slipped a hand behind her neck, pulling her to him. She rested her head willingly against his chest and closed her eyes, preferring the firm strength of his torso to the plush softness of the Marriott sofa.
“Dear God.” He mumbled the words in her hair. “Do you know what could have happened to you?”
“Very bad things?” she murmured.
She felt his chest vibrate with his grunt.
“No more caffeine pills.”
“Okay.”
“And no more energy drinks.”
That was going to be a hard one. “Simon . . .”
“No more,” he said. “I don’t care if you have three shows in a row and no sleep in between. No more energy drinks. Promise me, Judith.”
Well, when he said
her name like that. . .
“Okay,” she said.
“Good.”
“Are you going to have to save my life again?” she asked, against his chest.
“Luckily it didn’t get that far this time,” he said. He gently eased her away from him, retrieved something from his bag, then moved over to the tiny counter area that held a kettle and coffeemaker. She watched his back as he mixed something. Then he returned to the couch and handed her a half-full glass.
“Sorry I don’t have a straw,” he said, holding the almost clear liquid to her lips.
She drank the slightly sweet beverage slowly, allowing her stomach to get used to the presence of the substance. It took a while, but she finally got to the end of it. Then he pulled her back to him, letting her rest against his chest again. Her eyelids were almost closed when his voice interrupted their descent.
“I think you should be good to lie down again,” he said. “What’s it going to be, couch or bed?”
She closed her eyes. “Bed, please.”
Slipping an arm around her waist, he helped her to her feet, then supported her all the way to her king-size hotel bed. The sheets were still rumpled from where she had just gotten up and the room was a mess, with her clothes from the night before in a pile on the floor. Her mother would be ashamed that she let someone see her place looking like this. But then her mother probably wouldn’t approve of her entertaining her sister-in-law’s doctor in only pajama shorts and a tank top.
Leaving those thoughts for when her head felt more like her own, JJ crawled back into bed and fell back onto the pillows. When he was sure she was settled, he turned to leave the room.
