“I know. I know. What do I have to do to get her back, man? Please tell me what the fuck to do.”
Kip sighs and looks up at the sky, “Couldn’t tell you. The girl loves you, but fuck if I know where her head is. She keeps shit bottled up tight until she is ready to talk about it. Time is the only answer I have. I hope when the world knows this baby isn’t yours, she can let go of the shit she is hanging on to.”
“Is she really recording again?”
“Yeah, they go in the studio next week. She’s been writing for three weeks nonstop. Koi’s read some of it, helped her when she got stuck, and he has walked out of her room with a heaviness about him on more than one occasion. Shit must be deep.”
“She’s gotta a lot of deep shit to get out,” I say knowing I only added to it.
“Send her flowers every day, or reminders of the two of you together. Remind her of what y’all shared. She isn’t immune to it, but don’t smother her.”
I nod understanding, and Kip joins the party with a blonde on his arm. What in the hell do I send her that reminds her of what we share? How do I bring her back to my arms?
***
Henley
I ride home in the limo with a heavy heart, and the scene on replay in my mind. Kai must’ve sensed my change in mood, because he keeps his distance for the rest of the evening, shooting me small little smiles. Rhys reaches for me, and envelopes me in his strong arms. He knows my head isn’t in a good spot right now.
He kisses me on my temple and whispers where I can hear, “We will get through this, boo. It’s all going to be okay.”
I nod my head, hoping that his words will seep in my pours and give me the strength I need.
Rhys stays with me when the limo arrives home, but Griffin and Kai go their own homes. Cash is excited to see us, so we change and take the little guy down to the beach for some playtime. After a few beers, I am exhausted and my stomach cramps from my nerves standing on end. I take a shower and lie down and surprisingly sleep pulls me under rather quickly.
***
Henley
Kip wakes me in typical Kip style screaming about “Popping that Pussy”.Kip is dancing around my room to 2 Live Crew, popping his ass and twerking. He is pulling his shirt up and rubbing all over his stomach while the music continues to scream through the speakers. Then he jumps on top of me and throws one hand behind his head and humps me. He sings every word as I laugh hysterically. He jumps up the bed and thrusts his pelvis in my face, and I laugh even more. Off the bed he goes, and to the closest wall where he places his hands and turns around with his best “Blue Steel” face. He swivels his hips like a woman and drops it like it's hot on the wall. My ribs hurt I laugh so hard. Once 2 Live Crew is done, Kilo’s “Nasty Dancer” comes on, and he turns from the wall and takes his shirt off, then pulls it back and forth between his legs with “Blue Steel” firmly in place. After a while of that, he swings the shirt over his head and lets it land on my face.
I sit up in bed and scream, “Oh my God! I have Kip Paxton’s shirt!” I breathe in the smell, “Oh his sweat is even on it! I am so never showering again!”
“Damn skippy, woman!” he says with a wink.
He continues to dance and kicks his right shoe off taking out the bedside lamp. He then kicks his left shoe, which hits Rhys in the face, who is standing in the door watching this idiot. Kip never misses a beat. He looks over at Rhys who is amused and gives him seductive eyes with a few eyebrow wiggles. He unbuttons his pants, and seductively removes them over his hips, and down to his ankles. He steps one leg out and then flings the jeans at Rhys hitting him in the face. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” comes on next, and he moon walks in his socks and boxers. He pulls out lots of Michael Jackson moves and thrusts his pelvis as many times as he can fit into the dance routine.
When the music ends, Kip is out of breath. Rhys and I applaud loudly, with whistles and hoots. Kip takes a bow and collapses on my bed, making my entire room smell like tequila.
“Estoy durmiendo con ustedes esta noche,” he says.
“What?” I ask.
“¡Mujer! ¿No habla español?”
“Not at this late hour.”
“El tequila me hablo español,” he says.
“Okay. I deciphered something about tonight, speaking Spanish, and tequila makes you speak Spanish, correct?”
“Si.”
“I think he says he is sleeping with you tonight,” Rhys advises.
“Are you going to puke?” I ask.
“¡Joder! Quizás.”
“What?”
“He said, ‘Fuck! Maybe,’” Rhys translates.
“Are you going to speak English tomorrow?” I implore.
“Mi ano no lo hará.”
Rhys bursts into laughter, “His asshole will be.”
I laugh too, but pat the pillow for Kip to crawl up to. He manages to get there while singing a song in Spanish, I am almost sure he made up himself. His arms pull me into him, and his breath evens out in a few moments. As I am drifting back off to sleep, major wood pokes into my back.
“Your dick is in my back. Put it away or I am kicking you in the balls.”
“Lo siento, señorita.”
He snores almost immediately. I forgive the wood in my back, but place a pillow between us. I watch him for a while to make sure he won’t get sick, and as the sun rises, I find sleep.
***
Henley
“Jesus Christ, Jose, I thought we were friends! How could you do this to me?” Kip screams from my bathroom.
Great, I won’t be able to go in there for a while.
“Are you talking to your shit?” I yell through the door.
“No, I am talking to Jose. Speaking of shit, do you know who shit in my mouth last night?”
“Jose Cuervo?”
“The one and only deceitful mother fucker.”
“Deceitful?”
Kip sighs, and with a faux choked up voice he says, “Jose makes you feel like you are the only girl on earth at first. He makes you so happy and carefree, and you feel loved by everyone. Hell, you love everyone. He has his way with you all night long, and then the next morning, he is gone, and you feel like you’ve been ass raped. He just tears my heart out every time, Hen.”
“Jesus Christ,” is all I can manage after that dramatic performance.
Kip lets out a loud fart. “No, fuck you Jose. How dare you talk to me like that!”
“Courtesy flush, please,” I ask.
Another fart lets loose, “Oh yeah? Well how about I enjoyed it! I enjoyed being your whore last night, so I used you just as much as you used me, asshole.”
“Does it smell like tequila?”
“Fuck no, it smells like the D.A.D.S.,” he answers.
“The D.A.D.S.?” I ask and another fart rips through the paint on my walls.
“Shut up Jose, I am going to tell her. Impatient little motherfucker. I tell you, these kids got no respect these days. D.A.D.S. is the Day After Drinking Shits.”
“Oh, those suck.”
“Happens to the best of us.”
“Can you repaint my walls when you are done?”
“Are you making me breakfast?”
“Sure.”
“Fuck yes, I will.”
I leave the bed in search of food and find Rhys already cooking with Cash nipping at his toes. I love the smell of bacon and coffee. It reminds me of my grandfather’s home, and the Saturday mornings I spend eating breakfast at his table. He always cooked Saturday morning breakfast, and I never missed a day during my childhood. The man’s scrambled eggs are an art form. You can’t cook that shit too long, and you have to make sure you throw the eggs in the pan right after the bacon so it flavors them. After years on the road together, all of my boys can cook eggs to perfection.
“Good morning,” I lean over and kiss Rhys on the cheek.
“Mornin’ gorgeous. This dog will
be ferocious. I mean he was giving the sand crabs hell this morning. I kept waiting for them to pinch his nose, but the pup has ninja skills you wouldn’t believe.”
“So, I am safe from being attacked by sand crabs then.”
“Fo’ sho’,” Rhys says.
Kip joins us as soon as we sit at down to eat, and his stomach has a conversation with us through most of breakfast. Been there, and it’s no fun. I lie down after breakfast since my own stomach hasn’t been well since last night. When I finally drifted off, Rhys and Kip were arguing about a drum arrangement.
***
Henley
When a hand touched my face, I startle awake. Rhys is sitting on my bed, staring at me,
“Hen, you’ve been asleep all day. You are burning up and moaning in your sleep. Let’s get you to a doctor.”
I look towards the window to discover the sun is no longer up, and I have indeed slept all day. My stomach still hurts, and I’m achy all over.
“I must have a stomach bug, it will pass in a couple of days. There’s no need to rush off to a doctor,” I say.
“Hen, you are really hot,” he says again.
I touch my face with the back of my hand and agree that I’m warm. I throw the covers back, and pad to the bathroom to wash my face.
“Oh shit!” Rhys says, and as I turn to look at him the room spins.
Chapter 11
Kip
I am playing with Cash when that fuck wad of a drummer screams. I mean he is a damn good drummer, but he is no Kip Paxton. His set up is crazy as hell, and no drummer in his right mind would set it up like that.
“Kip!” he screams.
What the fuck he is going on about?
“Kip!” he screams again, but he sounds scared this time. Shit.
I run towards his voice into Henley’s room, and the first thing I notice is the amount of blood on the sheets. What the fuck? I turn towards the bathroom, and Rhys is holding Hen.
“Dude, there is blood running all down her legs. Get me a towel. We have to get her to a hospital now!” he screams.
He keeps calling her name, trying to get her to respond, as I step around them to retrieve a towel. I see the blood down her legs. The seat of her boxer shorts is soaked in it, and I panic. I grab the towel and fling it at him.
“I am putting Cash in his kennel, and I will meet you in the car!” I yell behind me as I leave the room.
I meet Rhys at the door as he carries her. Shit, not Hen. I open up her Range Rover and Rhys slides in the back as I jump in the driver’s seat. I try to remember protocol in an emergency as I back out of her driveway. I fly out like a bat out of hell and reach down for the emergency flashers. I need to call Koi so he can notify everyone, but I struggle with waiting so I can concentrate on my driving. Hell if I don’t call him now he will kick my ass.
I drive on the shoulder around cars, run red lights, and almost take out a few pedestrians. Flashers are on fuckers, and the flashers never lie! Get the fuck out of my way! Rhys is still talking to Hen in the back seat and attempting to coax her to consciousness. Once I turn on to Mesa Road, I pick up the phone and punch Koi’s contact info and then “call”. I press the speaker and throw it on the dash in front of me. I continue to drive like a damn Indy racecar driver.
“Yeah,” Koi answers.
“Koi, we are headed to UCLA Medical Center with Henley. She is losing a lot of blood, but we are about two miles out. I need you to get there and call your parents.”
“What do you mean she is losing blood?!!” Koi sounds frantic.
Rhys speaks up from the back seat, “We had a late breakfast, and she laid down for a nap afterwards. She never sleeps like that so I kept checking on her. When I went in a little while ago, she was burning up with a fever. She pushed the covers back to get out of bed, and there was blood all over the sheets, and man it is running down her legs. She passed out on me.”
“I am already in my car with Cam and Jessica. We will meet you there. I will call mom and Sam, so we can get everyone notified. Please take care of my little sister,” he disconnects.
I come to a screeching halt in front of the emergency center and jump out screaming for help before I even see anyone. A nurse is running towards the sliding glass doors, and a few paramedics run from the side of the building. I sling the door open, and Rhys hands Henley over as he emerges from the vehicle. I take her and turn around to the nurse who speaks to the paramedics and turns on her heels and runs back into the building. I hope she will get a doctor.
A paramedic advises he will retrieve a gurney, so I walk into the building, and wait. I rock Henley like a child and kiss her forehead. Rhys wasn’t kidding. She really is burning up. Rhys smoothes her hair back as I hold her in my arms. He is covered in blood, so there is no doubt I will be too.
A man in a white lab coat runs towards us with a gurney and an entourage of nurses. When he reaches me, I hesitate to put her on the bed, because they’ll take her away, and I’ll have to wait and wonder if she will be all right.
The doctor must see my hesitation, “Son, we will take care of her. If you will place her on the bed, I need you to walk back with us and give us all the information you have.”
I nod, and place my friend, my sister, on the bed, and run beside her as they wheel her towards the belly of the hospital. Rhys and I spout off answers to their questions… her age, how she felt today, and then ... her name. The entire emergency room comes to a halt, and you could hear a pin drop. The doctor raises his head and looks at me as though I told him it were the President of the United States. He snaps out of it, and yells for everyone to get in motion. They place her in a room with a curtain and pull it to.
A nurse greets us and informs us we will have to wait in the waiting room until the doctor has more information. Rhys and I exchange glances, neither of us wanting to leave her.
“Dr. Smith will take care of her. He is one the best doctors I have ever met. She couldn’t be in better hands,” the nurse says.
Her face tells me she really believes he is the best doctor, so Rhys and I nod at each other and turn to follow the nurse, when we hear the curtain open with a gush.
“Sir?” Dr. Smith calls.
We turn and cover the ground between us.
“How far along is she?” he asks.
“Sorry?”
“She is pregnant and miscarrying. Do you know how far along she is?”
“I don’t think she knew she was pregnant,” I advise in shock.
“I need someone to sign for her to have surgery. We need to get her in there now before she loses any more blood. I also need someone to sign for a blood transfusion.”
I nod, and the nurse brings us the paperwork. I sign as I say a little prayer for Henley. Please be okay, Hen.
We follow the nurse to the waiting room where Koi, Jessica, and Cam are already seated. When Koi sees the blood on us, his face pales, and he sits down with a thunk.
“That’s a lot of blood,” he says to no one in particular.
I kneel down in front of him and wait for him to make eye contact. “Did you know she was pregnant?”
Koi’s eyes dart to mine, and I can see anger, fear, love, and surprise all at once in his face.
“No. She would’ve told me.”
“I don’t think she knew, bro. She is miscarrying, and I had to sign for her to have emergency surgery and a blood transfusion.”
“Fucking Christ!” Koi shouts and runs his hands through his hair.
Jessica sits down beside him, and touches him for comfort. Tears are streaming down her face. Cam is pacing the waiting room, and Rhys looks like he is lost in his own little world.
“Someone has to call Jagger. If she’s pregnant, it’s his baby,” Jessica whispers.
Koi nods his head but makes no effort to move to his phone.
“I’ll call him,” Cam says, and steps outside to do so.
We sit in silence for half
an hour when Jagger walks into the waiting room. Jessica stands and hugs his neck, but I don’t want to look him in the eye. He fucked her like a whore last night in a public bathroom, and now she’s in emergency surgery. Fuck him.
Koi is surprisingly calm with Jag, and Rhys remains in his own world.
***
Kip
“Kip… is that… is that her blood?” Jagger asks.
“Hers and your baby’s. I guess we don’t have to wonder if this one is actually yours or not,” I seethe.
“Kip, I didn’t know she was pregnant,” he whispers.
I lunge at him, grab him by the throat, and pin him to the wall, “It doesn’t matter. All the stress you put on her in the last few months is more than anyone can handle. This is on you. Your baby’s blood is on your hands.” I lean in closer so that only he can hear, “Let’s not forget what you did to her last night. That shit’s on you too, bruh.”
I release my hold on him and push him back. I pace the floor opposite Cam, and Jagger pretty much crumples to the floor.
Two hours later, the doctor arrives to a waiting room full of people. Samantha, Meghan, Griffin, Shaun, and Dale came to the hospital once they heard.
Dr. Smith took his scrub cap off, and runs his hands through his hair, “Is there any family here?”
“I’m her brother,” Koi stands from his chair and offers his hand to the doctor.
“Ms. Hendrix is in recovery now. She lost a significant amount of blood, so we have given her a blood transfusion. She appears to have been twelve weeks along in her pregnancy when she miscarried. Nine out of ten times, a woman’s body knows what to do in this situation, but ten percent of the time, the miscarriage can cause hemorrhaging, which is what happened to your sister. We performed a D&C during surgery to clear the uterus and stop the bleeding. She will be in recovery for close to an hour, and if she wakes and responds well, she will be moved to a floor for overnight observation. As long as there is no further excessive bleeding, she will be released tomorrow evening.”
Guitar Face Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 36
