Mary was redressed in a hospital gown. I watched as they removed her clothes. A nurse used a wet gauze to wipe off some blood that had dried on her chest. Those round sticky pads were all over her, hooked up to wires that ran to monitors above her head.
Once Mary was stable, we were escorted out of the emergency room and into an elevator that went up to the fourteenth floor. David stood beside me as I held her hand. She smiled up at both of us; like she was reassuring us she was going to be fine. She looked at David and raised her hands, making a pen and paper gesture.
"I'll have it to you in no time," he assured her.
I leaned over the railing and kissed her on her cheek, "Angel," was all that came out before my own throat closed up. Her hand came up and touched my own. Tears welled up and she mouthed, So sorry.
"No," I growled. "Nothing to be sorry for. I'm just thankful we got there when we did. Do you know why this happened? Nod for me if you do." She nodded and because I didn't want her to talk I started asking questions.
"Did it come out of nowhere?'
She shook her head.
"Did you get choked on something?"
She shook her head again. Damn, I hated this. What in the world could've made her have an episode this bad? I'd woken her up early this morning; she was so excited for us to come. She said that she was going to wash the bed sheets for David and then get a shower. I'd never heard her so happy. I looked at her puzzled for only a second. As realization hit me, she must've seen it in my face, because she started to cry.
"Did you sing?"
She nodded her head.
"A lot?"
She raised a shaky hand and showed me three fingers.
"You sang three times!" The nurse and orderly jumped at my outburst. "Sorry," I mumbled to them both. She'd been excited for us to come. Now I understood our argument in the hotel room. She was going to become a mute all because of the urge to do what came naturally to her. She was a singer; there was no doubt about that. The one thing she loved the most would be the thing that destroyed her.
The orderly and nurse wheeled us into a room that had a couch and recliner. The nurse said she'd be back shortly with another sedative, since Mary was starting to look uncomfortable again. The medicine that was given to her in the ambulance was wearing off.
David was standing guard at the door and I was left alone with her. I lowered the guard rail on the side of her bed and crawled up next to her. She immediately balled my shirt up in her hands and pressed her face into my chest. Pulling her chin up where I could see her, I placed a soft kiss to her lips. "We're going to find out what the hell is going on with you. If I have to get the best doctors in the world in here, Mary, I will."
She didn't argue, or agree for that matter. The nurse came back in and scowled at me for being in bed with her, but as far as I was concerned they could kiss my ass. I wasn't moving from this spot until they pried my cold dead body off of the bed.
She came around the other side of the bed and injected the pain killer in her IV, telling me to call her if we needed anything. The nurse wrote her name on the board that was hanging on the wall under the television. She was an older lady, who looked like she was someone's grandmother. Her name was June.
I felt Mary relax next to me and her breathing evened out; she was asleep. Slowly, as not to disturb her, I slid out of the bed and went to the door. When I opened it, David was right there, "How is she?"
"Sleeping," I replied. "Have you talked to anyone?"
"Yeah, Liana is on her way. She's going by Mary's place to secure it and grab a few things for her then head this way. The nurse is getting a notepad and pen for Mary to use. Eric called for an update while we were in the ER, I told him that I wasn't sure yet. Gabe called wanting to know if they needed to come here, and I told him to hold down the fort in San Diego. You should probably call him." David's phone rang. "It's hospital security. Go call Gabe and I'll let you know if there's a problem."
"Okay," I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. There were three missed calls from Liana, and text from Kane, and another few missed calls from Gabe and Reed. Sitting down on the couch in Mary's room, I dialed Gabe. He answered on the first ring.
"How is she?"
"Stable for now. No one knows what the hell is going on. They want to run test and shit. Man, I'm not keeping it together really well." I ran my hands through my hair and tugged a little, the pain helped center me, slightly.
"Ash, you can't control what's going on with Mary and I know that it's killing you. Please remember that just because it's out of your hands doesn't mean that it's all going to fail. You have to put faith in those doctors." Gabe really knew me, much better than I realized until this moment.
"Okay," I agreed.
"Now, I have to know about the concert. What the hell are we going to do?"
Fuck! The show. The last thing I want to do is worry about the damn show, but there was a contract. The contract only allowed for personal injuries or immediate family emergencies. Mary wasn't immediate family. This meant that I'd own the concert promoters, the label, and all of the fans. I might even get us sued.
"I'll be there," I said. "But David and Liana are to stay with her. I'll fly out after the show tomorrow night and meet you guys here. That way I won't be gone but a couple of hours."
"Alright, we will have a car ready for you, just text me the time you're going to land. Give Mary big hugs for us and tell her we're thinking about her."
An hour later, Liana came in the door with a small duffle bag and a cup of coffee. Her midnight hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She was wearing jeans and a tank top. I was immediately pulled into a hug and she squeezed me tight. "I'm glad you showed up when you did."
"Me too," I rasped.
Mary stirred a little and I started to move toward her but stopped when she nestled back into her slumber. Liana pulled out a notepad and pen and placed it on the tray next to Mary's bed. "David said to bring this, the nurse gave it to him, so I'm assuming she is on vocal rest?"
"She can't speak at all," I admitted and Liana gasped. "She hasn't spoken a word since we were at the house, and even that was difficult to understand. The doctor should be in later to let us know what they're going to do."
"What are you going to do about San Diego?' she asked, concerned.
"I have to go back. The contract doesn't allow for girlfriends, only family." I stopped when she smiled wide, those pouty lips spread out into a toothy grin.
"Girlfriend, huh?" she laughed and tagged my arm.
"I'd say she's more, but that's the technical term for what we are I guess." Standing up, I stretched my arms and legs then went over to the bed to run my hands lightly over her hair. "Doctor says she has fluid in her lungs. She inhaled water before we got there. Does this mean she'll get pneumonia?"
Liana nodded," Yes, most likely."
I didn't say more, because there was nothing to do. Only wait.
Mary
My eyes opened and the first thing I noticed was that it was dark outside. Ash was asleep in the recliner next to my hospital bed. The harshness of his features were relaxed and he looked like a child. He was wearing tight denim jeans and another one of his vintage t-shirts he love so much. I liked this Led Zeppelin one.
Liana was asleep on the couch. She had her back to me and I really needed to pee. I noticed the paper and pen on the tray, and I sure didn't want to use my voice. The sooner it got better, the sooner I got out of here.
I pressed the call button for the nurse and she immediately slipped in the room. I wrote the word "Bathroom" on the paper and she quietly helped me up and rolled my IV stand with me. I was almost back to the bed when Ash's eyes popped open and he jumped to his feet. His eyes were cloudy with sleep and it took a minute for him to get his bearings.
"Angel," he questioned, his hands reaching out for me. I held onto his forearm shakily while he helped me back in the bed.
"She just needed the bathroom," she said softly while
plugging back in all of my monitors. "How's the pain honey?"
I knew how this worked. There was that pain scale from one to ten. Ten being what I assumed to be when someone lost a limb in a tragic accident. I held up all the fingers on one hand and my index on the right.
"I'll be back with some medicine. Doctor Starlington wants you to stay on vocal rest until he gives the go ahead." She patted my knee and promised to come right back.
Ash was back in his recliner, watching me with hawk eyes. I reached for the notepad and scribbled out my earlier request. I had so many questions; I didn't know what to ask first. So, I opted for what I tried to say earlier in the day, "I'm sorry you had to find me like that."
"Mary, please, if you value my sanity do not tell me you're sorry again." He pinched the bridge of his nose and continued. "Do you remember what happened?'
I nodded. I remembered everything that happened up until we got into the ambulance and the ER. Bits and pieces came to me, but it wasn't clear.
"Why on earth did you sing so much?" He looked at the pad as I wrote.
"I was happy you were coming, and I had been feeling much better."
"You scared me so bad when I heard you coughing from the other side of your door. It was locked and I'd just told David to break it down when you opened it. I'd never seen something so scary. I thought I was going to lose you." He slid his hand onto the bed and cupped the spot above my knee; like he had to keep some type of connection with me.
My hand shook as I asked my next question, "San Diego? I know you have to leave."
"I'll have to leave tomorrow afternoon, but I'll be taking a chartered flight back here after they show, and be here by the time you wake up Thursday morning."
"Take the key to my house. Use anything you need, and tell the guys that they can crash with me. I don't want them to have to stay on the bus. I have plenty of room." I set the pen and paper down.
"You need to worry about getting out of here and back home."
I nodded and leaned back against my pillows. The nurse returned with a syringe and I immediately felt the effects of the medicine. I sighed heavily and closed my eyes. Tomorrow we would find out why I had bled and how the hell to fix it.
With Ash by my side, I succumb to sleep, and prayed that things got better from here.
Chapter 10
Ash
Three days later...
The morning after the San Diego concert, I was back at the hospital with Mary. She was on the mend and we had gotten some fairly good news from the doctor. I'd learned a lot of things since finding her scared and bloody at her home.
Mary's stepfather was a closet drunk. When he was in public, the man was a charmer. Always the center of attention, but the man would come home and drown himself in a bottle of whiskey. The week that she'd found out that a record producer was interested in hearing more of her music, Steve Parnell lost all control.
Mary woke to hands around her neck. Not only did he squeeze her throat, but he would kick her, knee her, scratch her, punch her until she was nothing but a ball of bruised and battered young girl lying on the floor of her room. She'd screamed for help for hours, because he'd locked her in the room and left the house for the day.
By the time a neighbor had heard her and the police arrived, Mary was a broken, bloody shell. The damage to her throat was severe.
The doctor took in all of her testimony and after what felt like hundreds of test, he came back Friday with some news.
"I can tell you that your damage is some of the worst I've seen," he paused. "I've had a team going over your test and the footage from the camera we looked into your throat with. Ms. Montclair, science and medicine has progressed so much in the last five years. I'm pretty sure we can fix most of the damage to your vocal cords."
We both sat forward, and Mary started to cry. I wrapped my arms around her and turned toward the doctor, "Thank you."
"Now, you need to understand that this surgery will not make you one hundred percent over night," he paused to place a hand on the top of Mary's. "You're going to have a long road ahead of you. After the surgery you will need months of therapy. You probably will not gain back your original voice, but it will be less scratchy, and there should be no other episodes."
Mary scooped up her notepad and began writing, "Thank you so much. When can we do the surgery?"
"We are shooting for Saturday morning."
Mary nodded and continued to cry happy tears. The doctor said he'd be back in that evening to check on her before the surgery Saturday.
Saturday night was the last show in the tour and I'd hoped she'd be well enough to attend, but this news was better than anything I could ever give her.
She'd need therapy. We would have to be back in the studio in just over two weeks. I'd planned on asking Mary to come with me to my home and hang with us while we recorded. Why couldn't I do her therapy? I'm a singer. It only took a few minutes of convincing myself that I could do it before I turned to her and said, "I'm going to do your therapy." It wasn't a question.
She stared at me, a little shocked, before scrunching her forehead. Grabbing her pen and paper she scribbled, "You have an album to record."
"And?" I shrugged. "What better therapy than to help me write songs? We can work on vocal exercises together. If you feel like singing scales then that's what we will do. Hell, I can play Mary Had A Little Lamb on my guitar if that's what it takes."
Mary smiled widely and turned the pad toward me, "I'd love that!" Then she scribbled down something else, "The voice therapy...not the song."
"Then it's settled," I laughed. "You know, I'm going to require you to call me Dr. Martin, right?"
She broke out in a silent laugh and grabbed me by the collar. My lips slammed down on hers. Pressing my tongue to her bottom lip, she opened for me. I slipped inside and devoured my angel. Things were looking up. Mary was going to be fine.
Mary
Kissing Ash Martin rated right up there with winning the lottery. My lips were swollen from his kisses and even though I was in the hospital bed wearing a hideous gown, my thighs were soaked with my need for him.
Knowing that the nurse wouldn't be back for a while, I pressed my body closer to him, since he was now in the bed with me. My hand slid down his muscular arms, I absently traced his beautiful tattoo and I felt goose bumps raise on his skin in response.
He fisted his hands in my gown and growled, "Are you trying to kill me, angel?"
He returned to my lips and I moved my hand to the hem of his shirt. The tips of my finger traced the dark hair that trailed from his belly button to the waistband of his jeans. When my hands grazed his heavy erection, Ash carefully rolled me over. He pulled back, his breathing heavy, and looked me over. Emerald eyes darkened to tell me that he too was in need of what we were doing.
"You are a little minx. Are you sure you want to continue this? All I have to do is slip this gown up and have my wicked way with you." He mimicked the words with actions. The gown was pushed up to my hips and one calloused finger traced the lips of my sex. I don't know what came over me, other than my horribly impatient hormones.
Grabbing his wrist, I silently begged him to take me. My sex was parted and I felt him press one finger inside. My hips rose off the bed on their own accord. I needed his touch, his control. I slid one hand behind his back and into his pants, cupping his ass. It was soft and rock hard as he clinched them to move closer to me. I could feel the full effect of what I was doing to him and with his hand between my thighs I knew he knew that my desire for him was just as intense.
I wanted to tell him to get inside me, like now. I moaned and the sound almost shattered his ministrations between my legs. "No sounds," he growled into my mouth.
I nodded and reached around to unbutton his jeans. His fly was down and he was hovering over me before I could blink. He thrust inside and kept himself raised on his forearms so that he wouldn't lay on me or my exposed tubes and wires.
Feeling him inside was l
ike being home; he fit me like a glove. I tilted my head back on the pillow and just took the pleasure he gave. We didn't speak. We just made love.
Once the thrusting became punishing, Ash grunted and begged, "Come for me angel."
He didn't have to tell me twice. A million fireworks shot across my vision and I opened my mouth on a silent scream. My sex clinched down on his cock and I felt myself milking him, taking all he could give.
Ash pulled out and adjusted himself back into his pants. He spooned up behind me and my head rested on his bicep. He kissed the top my hair and said, "Sleep Mary, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." And with that I fell asleep in the arms of a rock star.
.
Coming out of surgery was horrible. I'd open my eyes and then they would fall. I was confused and disorientated. Ash was there every time and for that I was thankful. He was like a worried mother hen those first couple of hours. He'd fuss over me, held my hair if I threw up (apparently anesthesia didn't like me much), and when they brought food he fed me by his own hand. Of course, I got more of the broth on me than in me, but Ash just laughed and cleaned me up. My throat was on fire despite the warmth of the broth. I was tired and the nurse didn't want me to go to sleep just yet, so Ash talked and would shake me when all I wanted to do was just close my eyes....for like two seconds. That's all I needed was two seconds to close my eyes.
We did this for almost an hour when Liana showed up with Gabe, Reed, and Kane. My eyes flew open and I sat up in the bed. They were all here.
"Oh, so you wake up for them, but not me," he teased. I punched him in the side and held my arms out for hugs. Kane was there first and whispered, "Hey beautiful" in my ear. Reed was next and said, "You look good, doll". Gabe was next and he hugged me for a bit longer than necessary, but he had more to say, "Mary, you scared all of us. Liana has been beside herself with worry. I'm so glad you're okay. Ash needs someone like you, so you can't do anything to take that away from him, us. You're our family now."
Sing To Me: A Glory Days Production Page 9
