Niko came and brought his guitar. He sat and played for her as she rested. The doctor came in during his visit.
She wrote. What happened to me?
The doctor frowned and glanced at Niko. “I’m not sure it would be good for you to know.”
Please?
Niko sat aside his guitar, and his face indicated he might already be aware.
The doctor sighed. “You attempted to stop a man determined to kill Mr. Acton.”
Her eyes grew wide. No!
The doctor nodded. “You were beaten and strangled. Which is why you can’t talk yet. You have some bruised ribs. You were shot. The bullet hit your side, and we repaired things. You have a concussion from the beating, and while your vision is probably blurry in the right eye, that should return in time.”
She glanced to Niko and scratched out, Did they catch him? The doctor read it aloud.
Niko nodded.
The pencil moved. How long will I be here?
“We’ll see how you recover. We’re worried about your lack of speech and brain swelling. Once we are sure you are on your way to being well, we’ll release you into the care of this man here.”
Tia wasn’t sure how to respond. Her mind stuck on the idea of murder. She had been assaulted. She hoped she never remembered the event. Given her history though, she’d probably remember and regret it. She’d prefer death to that. My, she’d become quite morbid. She wondered if it was a side effect of the pain or the medicine. The doctor left.
Niko stood and walked over to the bed. “You saved my life, Tia. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
I’m glad you are safe, but why are you here? She scratched out.
“You don’t want me here?”
Tour is over.
“I’m worried about you.”
Go home.
“I thought maybe you kind of liked me.”
?
“Because you…” He choked up. “Listen. I’ve been an awful friend. You did everything for us. For me. We took advantage of your kind heart and help. I took you for granted, and I’m sorry. We—I—owe you for that at least.”
You owe me nothing.
“I thought you liked me.”
A tear slid down her face, and he wiped it away with his thumb. He bent over and kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. “I was blind to you. Always you. Listening. Loving. Protecting me. Without you, there would be no songs, no tour, and no laughter.” He pulled away and searched her face. “I’d like to kiss you. Would that be okay?”
Tia stared at him. Her heart raced. Nikolos Acton wanted to kiss her? She must be having weird delusions with the medication. Her heart beat a rhythm faster than any drummer. She wrote. Confused.
Niko moved away, his eyes downcast. “I can wait. Should I play?”
She nodded, and he picked up his guitar.
Johnny entered a short time later, and Niko left to get dinner.
“Has the old lug been bothering you?”
She shook her head.
“Good. He’s been moody, morose, and nigh on impossible to live with since you were hurt.”
She wrote. Why?
Johnny smiled. “Because he finally realized how much you mean to him.”
I’m nothing.
“I think your accident shook something loose in his heart.”
Screw?
Johnny chuckled.
Tears seeped from her eyes.
“Hey, Tia, what’s wrong?”
Attacked.
“You remember?”
Doctor told me.
“So?”
Not worth it.
“What’s not?”
Life.
“Tia?”
You should both go home.
“Why?”
I’m not your responsibility. I can die here in peace.
Johnny frowned. “We’re not leaving you. We care. We can’t allow you to die.”
Not your choice.
“It’s not yours either. You love the Lord, and only He gets to make that decision. Don’t let the pain rule your better judgement.” His brow furrowed, and he frowned.
Was he angry with her? Did it even matter? Please leave. She closed her eyes, and the moisture betrayed her.
Johnny took a few steps back. She turned her head away. Soft steps indicated he had obeyed her request. Why did that make her even sadder?
* * *
Niko overheard Tia’s fight with Johnny, or at least Johnny’s side of it. He’d returned to the room to see if Johnny wanted anything. Johnny was normally a happy-go-lucky man, but after his conversation with Tia, his face was lined with grief as he exited the room. He hadn’t seen him like this since his diagnosis. Well, except for when his wife abandoned him.
They walked down the hall. Johnny leaned against the wall in the waiting room. “You heard?”
“Only your side of it. I’m guessing it’s similar to what I told you she wrote in her journal.”
“You’re still reading it?”
Niko nodded. “She wrote that she loves me.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“Like a heel. I’ve been blind to someone so wonderful right in front of me.”
“Do you even know her?”
“I’m getting to.”
“Do you love her?”
“I’m not sure. I want to.”
“You can’t want your way into love, Niko. Either you love her or you don’t.”
“I need to spend more time with her.”
“Under these circumstances?”
“Got any other suggestions?”
“Be her friend.”
“I’m trying, Johnny.”
“We both are, Niko. Guess we should try harder. She needs a reason to live.”
“It can’t be us, though.”
“Nope. She has to live because she wants to.” Johnny paused. “What keeps you living, Niko?”
Niko sat down and hung his head in his hands. “Good question. Music. Friends. Family. Realizing God is using me and doing a job I love.”
“What if the music disappeared and you couldn’t play or sing? What if you lost the ones you loved? What if everything good in your life was taken away?”
“Like Job?”
“Yeah.” Johnny’s jaw clenched as he held back emotion. “I understand some of what she is going through. When Donna left me after the cancer diagnosis and the music was gone—I didn’t want to live either.”
“You never said.”
“No. I didn’t possess the courage to be so honest with you and utter the words. They were still there. I think Tia was the only one who understood the truth.”
“She was there? I don’t remember that. But you still had your family and friends.”
“True. But does Tia?”
“She has us. The band.”
“Her job ended after the last concert.”
“We should do something about that.”
“If we discover a way out of having Paige with us on our tour, I’d be grateful. That woman scares me.”
Niko nodded. “Let’s help Tia. Were you aware she wrote a book? Check her laptop. She was working on edits. We need to figure out who her editor is and get it back to her. Maybe we can give her several reasons to live.”
Johnny grinned. “You do love her, don’t you?”
He frowned. “She described herself as comfortable, like an old worn pair of shoes. As if she could be tossed away and easily replaced. But she’s wrong. It’s true she’s comfortable—but more like a soft blanket that keeps one warm and protected, the kind a little kid wants to take with them everywhere to feel safe and secure.”
“We are talking about a woman, not a child’s security blanket.”
Niko grinned. “Yeah, but when it comes to Tia, maybe that’s what I’ve needed.”
Johnny nodded. “Perhaps it is. You’d better figure this out before the next tour when we leave her behind. How would that feel?” Johnny p
ushed away from the wall.
“We can’t tour without her. She’s as much a part of our band as we are.”
“I’m glad you realize it. I think we need to make some phone calls. Do you want to remain here, or shall we leave for a while?”
“This kind of work takes business hours. Let’s take care of some things and come back later.”
“Tia won’t be happy with us dabbling in her business.” Johnny led the way down the corridor.
“Worth it if it gives her a reason to stay in this world and keeps her with us.” Niko followed and soon walked side by side with him.
“Let’s pray we’re successful.” Johnny kissed his fingers and raised them to the sky in supplication.
CHAPTER THREE
Music expresses that which cannot be put into words
and that which cannot remain silent.
Victor Hugo
“Angela. Listen. We refuse to work with Paige. It has to be Tia or we won’t go.” Nikolos rolled his eyes as he spoke on the phone with Jazzy Records.
“Be reasonable, Niko. We planned for a new tour bus, much nicer than your current one. Paige will book you into nicer hotels, get you connected, and put a wonderful face on the band.”
“We never agreed to any of this. I’m serious, Angela. We’ll start from scratch if we need to, apart from Jazzy. Did Tia give you all the information on the tour?”
“No, we are waiting for that. We received concert venues, dates, and tickets are on sale, but Tia has routed details through her own company. She was to turn it over to us and Paige when you returned.”
“Looks like we don’t need you. Tell Paige to keep her bus. We prefer ours, and we’ll do our tour and make you your money for this record, but we’ll deal with Tia for everything now, including finding our next label.”
“You’ll find it impossible to get another recording contract if you do this.”
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take. I read over our contract. We are not obligated to do tours through you. We don’t owe you another album.”
“Tia had the new contracts for you all to sign. We sent them to her prior to this tour. She was to have had your lawyer look them over, but we never received them back. She doesn’t get paid until all her accounting is received along with those contracts.”
“We haven’t seen them, but I’ll search. Remember, she was the one who kept me from being killed and is still recovering in the hospital. I can tell you right now. We’ll not be signing. Not after how you treated Tia. You can’t keep her pay from her even if we don’t sign.”
“She negotiated the agreement. We wanted to send you without her. Your profits would have improved. Of course, if we don’t have to pay her, you’ll all have a bonus.”
“No. She sold our concerts and albums. We needed her. We still do.”
“Nikolos, you’ll regret this.” Angela’s voice contained a warning.
“Angela, relationships are more important than money. In this case, I’ll choose to care about my sister in Christ and what’s best for her over our profit or the promise of fame you hold out as a carrot but cannot guarantee.”
“You believe the rest of Specific Gravity will go along with this?”
“Yeah. I do.”
“Good luck.”
“Thank you, Angela.”
Niko hung up and slumped in his chair. The conversation exhausted him. How had Tia managed to spend so much time making contacts like this? Had he done the right thing by her and the band? Could they really withhold her commission like they said? As an artist, he was running on pure emotion—and he hoped that when all was said and done, Tia still loved him and they might make something happen between them. But if that relationship fell apart, the fallout could be devastating to them all.
Lord, please be leading us in this. Without Tia, we’re lost. Without You, we’re doomed.
Johnny smiled. “You did well, coz. I’m proud of you. Let’s video chat with the band and fill them in on what’s going on.”
“Sounds good.”
* * *
Niko fingerpicked on his guitar with his paper in front of him. “Tia? I wrote something I want your opinion on. Possibly for the next album.” He started to sing.
I keep searching for your smile, in every crowd I see
The one I long to sing to, who really loves me
I inspect the crowd, longing to see your face
The curve of your cheek, lips that speak grace
And I’m missing you when you’re not here.
Your encouraging wink, and the private jokes we share
So, never leave me, sweetheart
Or my singing days are through
Don’t ever let us part
The music means little, if there’s no you.
A chord rang throughout the room. He set the instrument down, leaning it against the chair, and stood to go by her side. “What do you think?”
Tia sniffed as a tear trickled down her face. “Beautiful.” The word escaped as a raspy whisper.
His jaw dropped. “You spoke.”
Tia glanced up at his short dark curls, the chocolate eyes alight with joy, and she saw it. The smile he would give other women in the audience. He gave that smile to her.
“Niko.”
She doubted his grin could get wider, but it did, and he leaned over to kiss her cheek. “This is wonderful.”
Johnny walked in, and knitted brows showed his confusion.
“She spoke!” Niko crowed.
“Hey, Johnny,” she whispered.
Johnny’s eyes grew wide, and he smiled. “How did this happen? Did Niko find the magic key to unlocking your vocal chords, or are you feeling better?”
She loved Johnny’s cheekiness. After all he’d gone through, he still had the ability to make wisecracks and irritate his cousin. To her, he was always a delight—and a friend. “He sang a new song.” She gave a small smile. “I loved it.”
“You wrote a song without me? Let’s hear it.”
Niko picked up the instrument and sang through the lyrics. Johnny smiled and grabbed the lyric sheet with chords scribbled on it. “Try it again, and I’ll see what harmony I can add.” They did, and the sound was heavenly as they stood by her bed blending their voices.
Love wrapped around her like a soft cushion. She wasn’t alone. And maybe, just maybe, she’d be okay.
* * *
Recovery was brutal. The next day, Tia’s therapist made her walk up and down the hallway to regain her strength and balance. As a result, exhaustion weighed her down like lead. Speech therapy proceeded well, and a magnetic resonance imaging test assessed and found no permanent damage done to her brain. Tia yawned and longed to sleep. It was not to be as the boys returned. Two guitars accompanied them, along with their big grins.
“Great news. The doctor hinted he might let you out in two days if you continue this well. We’ll rent a car to head home. He said we have to make the trip slow, though. No driving all day and night, but still. We’re going to break you out of this joint. Oh, and listen to the song now.” Johnny winked at her as he looped the guitar strap over his neck and behind his back.
The melding of their different guitar styles and the smooth blending of their harmonies made the words even more potent.
“I love it. Do it on your next tour.”
Niko nodded as he glanced at Johnny. “We will. We hope you didn’t make other plans, because you’re coming with us. As a band, we decided since you did all the work, you should share in the glory. And the money too. We can’t do it with anyone else.”
“Paige?” She frowned. It sounded like they’d stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Johnny shook his head. “We cancelled that deal. Fortuitous that you never sent those contracts. We only want you. When you’re better, you can read over our proposal that Roberto drafted for us. We’re not doing this through the record label.”
“I didn’t? I’m sorry. I intended to. They’re in my briefcase somewhere for
you guys to sign. Jazzy’ll be ticked. They are not an enemy you want to make.” She fought a yawn. There goes my income. What next?
“We’re happy you never gave them to us to sign. You believed in and sacrificed for us. Suffered for us. You should also be there to reap the blessings. You’re a member of our band, and we can’t move forward without you. The guys all agree. I hope you don’t mind. Will that get you in trouble with Jazzy?” Niko frowned, and creases appeared on his forehead.
“They were getting you a bigger and better bus.” Tia couldn’t believe what they were giving up. And what they took from her in the process. Was it worth losing her income to be able to continue on with them? Her heart said yes, but could she really move forward now with Niko paying her attention?
“Do you know how much they wanted to charge us for that monstrosity? We’d rather pay you and keep the bus we already own. We all talked, prayed, and we leave in a little more than two months on tour, so you only have that long to get well.” Johnny gave a nod as he set his guitar down.
“You put my recovery on a deadline?” Seriously? Were they nuts?
Niko nodded. “We’ll help you however we can. We need you with us. We also hired a security guard to travel with us. A former United States Marshal.”
“Carries a gun?”
Johnny nodded. “Yeah, and he’s cool. He attends Orchard Hill and is retired, but his wife died six months ago, so he’s kind of at loose ends and game for the adventure. This is perfect for him.”
Niko set his guitar aside. “You’ve been taking care of us for a long time. Now it’s our turn to return the favor.”
“I’m being managed.”
“We turned the tables on you, didn’t we?” Niko chuckled.
“I’m not complaining. You guys are the best. My fondest memories are of touring with Specific Gravity.”
“Tia?” Niko’s voice was soft, pleading.
“Hmmm?”
“We want to be part of your reason to live.” He bent over, kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear. “And when you’re ready, I still want to kiss you.”
A shiver rippled through her body. She blinked rapidly. How was a girl to respond to something so outrageous? Or maybe this was all a trick of her brain. The swelling. Part of her injuries. Or the meds must be messing with her. Yeah. That must be it. What else would explain this sudden focus of Niko—on her of all people?
Feta and Freeways Page 3
