by Amiee Louise
“Hey, honey, how are you feeling? I bought you your favourite Starbucks coffee, espresso macchiato. I know you must be desperate for a decent cup of coffee, and I bought you flowers,” he rushes out in a soft voice.
“Thank you so much, babe, I appreciate it.”
Sam looks over at me. “I’ll leave you two to it. I need to make a couple of calls, I’ll be back in a little while, angel. I promise.”
He kisses me on the cheek, nods to Seb, and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. Seb is standing awkwardly next to my bed.
“Sit down, babe, for fuck’s sake. You’re making the place look untidy!”
He laughs. “Still not lost your sense of humour then, honey?”
I shake my head, and the door opens. A nurse comes in and smiles brightly at me.
“I hope your visitors aren’t wearing you out, Peyton?”
She is a short, plump woman and looks to be in her late fifties. She has skin the colour of dark mocha, friendly hazel eyes, and a warm, infectious smile. Her greying hair is tied up in a neat bun, and she takes the flowers from Seb.
“I’ll put these in some water for you, petal.”
I nod and realise she knows my name, but I don’t know hers.
“Thank you…”
She smiles. “Estelle.”
I smile back, and she leaves the room. Seb sits down on the chair next to my bed.
“I came as soon as I heard you were awake; I was so worried about you, honey. I was here when you were bought in, I called Sam straight away.”
The look of pain and anguish in his eyes is apparent, as I regard him intently. There is an awkward silence between us, and I can tell by his body language that he is holding back. We haven’t had a chance to talk about the kiss from last Friday night either.
As if reading my mind, he says, “I’m so sorry about what happened on Friday, babe, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
I lean my head back in the pillow and tell him, “It’s OK. Honestly, it was just a moment of madness, and I was really drunk.”
That old chestnut, you’re fooling no one, Harper. I shake that thought away, and he smiles.
“Great, so I took advantage of a drunken woman. Well played, Seb!”
“It’s fine, let’s say no more about it, babe, and forget it ever happened.”
He nods, and with those words, our kiss is forgotten. We are back to being just regular Peyton and Seb.
“How are things at the shop?”
He takes my hand. “Things are good, busy, but good. You don’t need to worry about a thing, honey. Parker is back temporarily from paternity leave, and I have a guest artist in from across town. You remember Harley? Harley Hernandez from Black Tiger Ink. I’ve postponed my trip to America until you’re back on your feet.”
My eyes widen, and I suddenly feel bad for letting Seb down. A tear rolls down my cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Seb.” I sob. Seb strokes my knuckles and places a gentle kiss on the back of my hand.
“Hey, honey, please don’t cry, none of this is your fault, you didn’t ask to be in here. It’s all under control. You’re a friend first and an employee second, babe. You take as long as you need. You’re my shop manager, and your job is totally one million percent safe.”
I have never felt so useless. I fucking hate hospitals. Seb stays for an hour or so, and I find out that he is an uncle. Parker and Riley had their twin boys, born prematurely on the weekend, Joshua and Zeke. He gushes and shows me pictures on his phone. I am really happy for him and the new addition to his ever-expanding family. He leaves promising that he will be back to visit soon. I am in the hospital room on my own at last, and my eyes feel heavy. Soon, I am a slave to sleep.
The next morning, I am barely awake, and I hear raised voices.
“I fucking own you, Sam, I made you what you are today, and I can crush you. I’ll make damn sure your career is ruined and in tatters. No one in the music industry will touch you with a ten-foot pole.” J.D.’s familiar cold voice fills my ears.
“I don’t give a fucking shit, J.D, because I’ve got something you’ll never have.”
J.D sighs and sounds bored. “And what might that be, Sammy?”
“Love. I’ve got a woman who loves me more than life itself and someone who I love unconditionally. Being so close to losing her has made me realise that life is short. I intend to spend the rest of my life with her proving that she is the only woman I’ll ever want.”
Sam’s words warm me inside. He wants to spend the rest of his life with me. Wow! Peyton Leigh Newbolt definitely has a ring to it! J.D.’s voice cuts through my thoughts.
“That’s not who you are, Sammy. You’re one-quarter of the biggest rock band in the world. You should be balls deep in a different groupie every night of the week, more than one, just like the old days.”
I inwardly wince at J.D.’s crass words.
“Every night was a party; now all you want to do is be with her. It’s fucking sickening. Do you think the fans want to see you with a girlfriend? No, they want to carry on fantasising about their favourite rocker sprawled naked in their beds, willing to tend to their every fantasy, not settled down with some tart that got lucky.”
Sam growls. I know that J.D knows how to get under his skin, and I can feel the anger radiating off him in waves.
“Don’t you fucking dare talk about her like that ever. She is more than that, and I love her so much it hurts. Why don’t you understand that, J.D? Is it really that hard for you comprehend?”
J.D is about to speak, but their altercation is interrupted by the door opening.
“Good morning, Sam.” Estelle’s voice fills the room.
“Morning, Estelle.” I hear the smile in Sam’s raspy voice, and she sighs. My eyes flutter open; Sam comes over to my bedside and strokes my hand. “Good morning, my beautiful girl.”
He kisses my forehead and Estelle comes to stand next to him.
“If you could give me a minute to examine her please, Sam?”
Sam nods and salutes. “I’ll be just outside, baby.”
He leaves the room with J.D. hot on his tail. I can tell that their argument is far from over.
“Our hospital has never had so many famous people through the doors! You’re a very popular girl, Peyton.” I smile. “Marlowe Newbolt from the Lightning Bolts was here; even now he is still dishy!”
Her laugh is warm and infectious; I find myself laughing with her. Marlowe, Sam’s dad was here? I vow to ask Sam when he comes back.
“That rock band that your man is in Rancid something-or-other all the boys have been here. My daughter is itching to catch a glimpse; she is their biggest fan.”
I smile warmly and instantly like her. I vow to get the bands autographs for her daughter for being so kind to me. She takes my blood pressure and checks me over.
“Your Sam is so charming and generous; all the nurses are falling over themselves! I’ve never seen such a mess of hormones in all my life.”
We both laugh. We chat easily as if we have known each other forever and she informs me of my injuries. My left shoulder is dislocated, mild ligament damage to my knee, two cracked ribs, cuts and bruises. My stomach churns at the extent of the damage that has been done to my body; I shudder at the thought that it could have been so much worse. I am so lucky I wasn’t killed, but I thank God that the dislocation is not my tattooing arm. Estelle leaves the room and Ruby breezes in. She is wearing her black power suit and dragging my Ed Hardy overnight bag behind her.
“Good morning, sweetie.” She leans down and hugs me. Her familiar scent fills my nostrils, and I smile.
“Morning, Rubes, what’s with the power suit?”
Ruby smiles brightly. “I have just had a job interview with another advertising firm, Isaac Carter’s arch-rival Carlisle Cassidy!”
She pulls the chair out and sits down.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea, babe?”
She rolls her eyes, and tells me,
“Hell yes of course it is! Revenge is a dish best served cold and all that! I have access to some of Isaac’s most crucial and important clients. I’m sure with my fabulous powers of persuasion I can convince them to come to this new firm. Isaac-fucking-Carter will wish he’d never clapped eyes on me once I’ve finished with him.”
I reach for her hand and brush it reassuringly. I just hope she knows what she is doing. Ruby is known for being a tad reckless at times. She smiles and swiftly changes the subject.
“How’s the invalid doing today?”
It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “I’m not a fucking invalid!”
I put on my best sulking face, and she laughs.
“All right, babe, keep your knickers on!”
Laughing, I watch as she pulls the bag onto her lap.
“I bought some of your stuff from the flat—thought you could do with some of your stuff with you. I bought your iPod, your Beats headphones, some clean pyjamas, some toiletries. I have packed your iPad and Sam has bought you a new Kindle e-reader in case you get bored! I’m telling you, that boy has thought of everything!” Ruby giggles.
“Thanks, Ruby.”
We chat for a while longer, and she leaves a few hours later, promising she will be back. She closes the door, and I am suddenly all alone. I pull out my iPod and put my headphones on. I choose Ed Sheeran’s Give Me Love, I need something relaxing and soothing. I lie back on my pillows, close my eyes, and drift off.
***
“Can you hear me, love? We’re going to get you out.”
A kind, gentle voice breaks through my unconsciousness. I am aware of the dull cacophony of mid-morning Monday in London. My eyes flutter open, and I’m vaguely aware of my surroundings. My vision is blurred, I am disoriented and— Ouch, that fucking hurts. I can smell a strong, warm, metallic smell lingering in the air that makes me feel nauseous. Am I bleeding? Am I dreaming? What happened? Where am I? I have all these questions floating around and around in my head.
“Hey, what’s your name, sweetie?”
I look up into warm, blue eyes and a friendly smile. He has a shaved head and is wearing a green paramedic uniform.
“Peyton,” I manage to whisper.
“Hey, Peyton, I’m Jake. I’m a paramedic, and the firemen are going to get you out. I just need you to stay really calm for me.”
I nod, and he smiles reassuringly. That’s when the panic sets in.
“Where’s Sam?”
He looks at me, a puzzled look across his face.
“I want Sam; you have to get him for me, please?” I plead. “He is my boyfriend. Please, you need to get him, he’ll be worried.”
Jake whispers to his colleague, a young woman with short red hair.
“OK, we’ll get him for you, Peyton, I promise.”
He smiles. My shoulders sag, and I wince in pain. The pain is excruciating, and I am in agony. I have never felt pain like this before.
“Where does it hurt, Peyton?”
I let out a breath.
“Everywhere,” I sob.
“It’s going to be all right, Peyton. Look, you need to stay really calm for me. I need you to move your head from side to side. I need to check you haven’t broken your neck, can you do that for me?”
I look at him, and his face is calm and impassive, I nod and move my head from side to side.
“Good girl, can you wiggle your fingers and toes?”
I do as he says, and he smiles warmly.
“Brilliant, you’re doing really well, Peyton; we’ll have you out soon.”
I look around. I see a bus pulled to the side of the road and my car is askew in the middle of the road. There is an ambulance and two police cars. There is a police cordon around the area, and a large crowd gathered to see what is going on. There are around six or seven police officers talking to witnesses. I turn my head, and I hear shouting from the street.
“Oh, my God! That’s Peyton’s car. Peyton! Please, you have to let me through.”
Seb’s deep frantic voice fills my ears, and I hear a gentle voice trying to calm him. Jake looks up and then back at me.
“There’s a gentleman asking for you? He says his name is Sebastian Henry?”
I nod, knowing they will not let him anywhere near me if he is not family, so I improvise.
“He is my brother.”
Jake narrows his eyes, but nods to a tall police officer and Seb comes over to the side of the car, leaning his head in the driver’s side window.
“Peyton, honey, what happened?”
I shake my head, and wracking sobs escape me.
“It’s going to be all right, babe, the firemen are going to get you out, I promise.”
Worry mars his rugged features, and he reaches in for my hand. I accept it, and Jake whispers to Seb, who just nods.
“Peyton, darlin’, the firemen are going to get you out now. I need you to look at me. Don’t take your eyes off me, it’s going to be all right, you have to trust them, imagine you’re in a real-life action film!”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. I smile back and lock my eyes on his. I flinch as I hear a whirring sound and the sound of cutting metal.
“Eyes on me, honey.”
My terrified eyes lock with his. Seb smiles and strokes my knuckles softly in a reassuring gesture.
“Good girl, it’s all right, you’re doing brilliant. Keep looking right at me. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, babe.”
“Seb, please, you need to get Sam for me. I want Sam.”
“Shhh, it’s going to be all right. I’m here; I’ll get him for you, honey, I promise. I need you to keep looking into my eyes; don’t take your eyes off me.”
Then it went black.
***
I am jolted awake, and my eyes fly open. I’m back in the bright hospital room, and Sam is sitting next to my bed, gripping my hand.
“Hey, did you have a bad dream, angel?”
His handsome face is a mess of angst and days of pent-up worry. My skin is clammy, and my eyes glaze over. I will myself not to cry again.
“Hey, shhh, it’s all right. I’ve got you, you’re safe. Nothing’s going to happen. Not while I’m here, angel,” he whispers and climbs up on the bed. There clearly isn’t enough room in the tiny hospital bed for his large, muscular frame, but he snuggles into me and pulls me close to him. I am tucked under his arm; I have missed his strong, safe arms around me and his familiar soothing scent.
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
I look up at him and swallow the lump in my throat.
“I remembered something about the crash.”
He looks at me and strokes my face.
“That’s really good, you don’t have to tell me if it’s too painful.”
“No, I want to; Seb was there, why didn’t he tell me he was there?”
I feel Sam tense next to me.
“It should have been me, baby; I should have been there for you.”
His jaw tenses, and I get the feeling that his green-eyed monster is making an appearance at Seb’s involvement in my life.
“He was with you until they cut you out, he was picking up some stuff from a tattoo supplier near to my building, and he saw your car in the middle of the road. He stayed with you and went in the ambulance with you. He called me straight after. I was rehearsing with the boys, but I came as soon as I heard, baby, I promise you.”
The fact that Seb was there is really bothering him. Bloody men! We talk about my flashback in detail and Sam thinks I am making progress. I actually can’t wait to get out of here. I hate hospitals—they’re full of sick people. The day passes without any more drama and another quick visit from Ruby. She got the job at the new advertising firm, and I am pleased that she has finally got back on her feet. She deserves to be happy. She leaves promising me that we will definitely celebrate when I get out of here. I fall into a dreamless sleep that night and don’t wake until the next morning.
I am finally a
llowed out of bed, and I am glad to be somewhere other than lying in that Goddamn hospital bed. I have a crutch, and my shoulder is strapped up in a dark-blue sling. I am escorted to the shower room by Estelle, and we chat easily as we walk, enjoying the distraction. I am glad to finally wash the remnants of the crash away, relishing the hot water against my skin. After my shower, I am feeling a bit more like my usual self. Hobbling down the brightly lit corridor in my favourite pyjamas with the aid of just my crutch, Estelle is a few steps behind me just in case I fall.
