Music of the Soul

by Katie Ashley

  “How will we top it next year? Sky diving?”

  I shuddered. “Not with my fear of heights.”

  “Go back to our island and stay naked for days.”

  Steve cleared his throat. “What?” I asked.

  “Are you trying to kill me? That statement either puts a totally inappropriate picture of Abby in my head—” At Jake’s low growl, Steve shook his head. “Or, I see you and your naked ass parading around. Neither is a win-win situation.”

  “Finish the damn tattoo,” Jake ordered.

  Steve narrowed his eyes. “You forget that I’m working on you next. Don’t make me take out my aggression on you.”

  Becs stepped up with an ink gun in her hand. “Why don’t I help things along and take care of Jake?”

  “Then I can’t hold his hand for support,” I whined.

  Jake grinned. “Besides, this twatcanoe,” he motioned at Steve,” is the only one who does my ink.”

  “He really doesn’t think a woman can do it,” AJ called.

  “Shut up, dickweed,” Jake muttered. He glanced at Becs and shook his head. “I appreciate your offer, and despite what that asshole over there says, I have confidence in your work, despite the fact you’re a chick. But my lovely wife needs me, so I’m staying here.”

  I smiled. “My hero.”

  “No more talking, especially the lovey-dovey shit,” Steve instructed.

  “I thought the customer was always right,” I countered.

  “Not in my parlor,” he replied before he brought the needle back to my skin.

  I sucked in a breath as Jake hovered over me. His breath warmed against my ear. “As long I whisper to you, Mr. Jackass can’t get his panties in a twist,” he whispered.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “Do you know what I’m going to do when I get you home and into our bed?” After I shook my head, he replied, “I’m going to strip you down and bury my face between your legs until you scream my name.”

  His words caused my face to flush as well as a tingle between my legs. He continued to whisper all the naughty things he intended to do to me and for us to do when we got back home. By the time he finished, Steve was done with the shading of my tattoo. As I sat up to admire it, I secretly hoped there wouldn’t be a puddle of wetness left on the chair that Jake’s sexy words had induced.

  “Like it?” Steve asked.

  “I love it. It’s amazing.”

  He gave me a genuine smile. “I’m glad you like it. It’s always an honor taking one’s tattoo virginity.” While I laughed, Jake gave a contemptuous grunt. “Your turn,” Steve said pleasantly to Jake. As Becs put on a thin layer of ointment and got ready to wrap my foot, Jake sat down in the chair opposite me to get inked.

  As the needle entered Jake’s skin, he met my gaze. His dark blue eyes burned with desire, and I felt my cheeks flushing. “Remember everything I said earlier?” My breath hitched as I bobbed my head furiously. “Just as soon as we get home. Every. Single. Thing.”

  A shiver of anticipation and need went over me. “What about your chest and my foot?” I dared to ask.

  With a sexy grin, he replied, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  I had never wanted a tattoo to be finished more than I did his because I knew I had an amazing night waiting for me.

  After a multi-orgasmic, all-night sexathon, Jake and I barely made it to the bus at seven am when the caravan was pulling out for the next tour stop. We immediately headed straight for the bedroom and crashed. The following day we pulled into Louisiana. Between my foot and ankle aching from the tattoo and my side continuing to hurt, I felt like ass through most of the morning’s rehearsal. The instant we were through, I streaked off the stage, desperate for some Advil. I barely gave Jake a fleeting kiss before heading for the bus. Once I had stripped down to my sweatpants and a T-shirt and thrown back some pills, I headed over to AJ and Mia’s bus for some downtime with Bella.

  Coloring pictures and watching movies helped to take my mind off the pain. But when dinner rolled around, I was hurting so badly I couldn’t eat. As I swept my full plate into the trash, Mia eyed me. “Are you okay?” I could tell her spidey-nurse senses were tingling.

  “Just a little achy from the tat and then there’s this stupid pain in my side.”

  “Which side?”

  “Right.”

  “You still have your appendix?”

  “Yeah. This is an intense, dull ache. Not like the typical stabbing, shooting pain of an appendix.”

  Mia crossed her arms over her chest. “Intense and dull sounds like an oxymoron, but I get what you’re saying.”

  “I’ll be okay.”

  “You sure about that?”

  I sighed. “Look, if it gets too much, I’ll go to the emergency room after the show, okay?”

  “You better.”

  I couldn’t help smiling at her expression. “You’re so bossy.”

  “I’m a board certified nurse. I don’t have the option not to be bossy.” Her lips quirked up in a smile. “Plus, I’m married to AJ. We both know he needs a firm hand.”

  I giggled. “Yep, you got that one right.”

  Jody, one of our bodyguards, poked his head in the bus. “Abby, it’s time for you to go to the arena to get ready.”

  “Hope you feel better.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, before heading down the stairs to follow Jody. The Advil I’d taken before I tried to eat dinner kicked-in, and I felt a little better while Marion was doing my hair and makeup. But by the time the show started, the pain was back with a vengeance. As I sang and danced and interacted with the audience, I wanted nothing more than to just lie down.

  The show went by in a blur, including when Jake came out for us to do our duets together. When we finished our last song, Jake took the microphone and smiled into the audience. “You guys ready to get rid of us yet?”

  The roar of the fans grew even louder to the point where my ears rang with the noise. He turned to me and grinned before leaning back into the microphone. “Maybe the lovely Mrs. Slater and myself could be persuaded to sing just one more song.”

  Usually, the first act left the stage during set changes and house music played. Jake and I had talked about doing something to keep the fans engaged between the shows. It was also a way to bridge the musical gap between Jacob’s Ladder, which was country rock, and then Runaway Train, which was pop/rock. Since Jake had learned guitar at his grandfather’s knee to all the classic Johnny Cash songs, he suggested we do a little bit of Johnny and June. I had just enough sassy in me to capture June’s show style, so I was all for it.

  After we finished our set of duets, we then sang Jackson together. I usually really got in to the performance, wagging my finger at Jake, playfully shoving him, giving him lip that went along with the lyrics, but tonight, as I handed off my guitar to a roadie, the pain in my side raged so hard I didn’t know if I would be able to perform. During my set with Jacob’s Ladder, it had grown even more intense. I’d even popped four more Advil during our costume change. The last thing I wanted to do was have to go the emergency room in some random city, but at the same time, I knew if it wasn’t better by morning, then I had to go.

  When the last chord echoed through the stadium, Jake leaned over and kissed me. “Give it up for my own little spitfire!” I forced a smile to myself as the audience roared and clapped.

  “And to my very own Johnny sans all the black clothes,” I said.

  The roadies took Eli’s guitar while Gabe came out from behind the drum set. “Show some big love for Jacob’s Ladder!” Jake shouted into the mic.

  Sandwiched by my brothers, I clasped both their hands before bowing. I had to grit my teeth when it came time to pick myself up. It took everything within me to smile into the microphone and say, “Goodnight everybody and God Bless!”

  Jake gave me a brief kiss before heading off the opposite side of the stage for his entrance with Runaway Train. When I started off stage,
the pain in my side grew so intense it caused me to stagger momentarily. Once I had regained my footing, I drew in a few deep breaths before continuing into the wings. Gritting my teeth, I wove in and out of the roadies and stage crew. As I bypassed the backstage waiting room, Eli called to me. “Where are you going?”

  I glanced over my shoulder. “Back to the bus. I want to lie down.”

  Eli’s brows furrowed. “You okay, sis? You look kinda pale.”

  Since I didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily, I nodded. “I’m fine. I just need some more Advil that’s all and to lie down for a little while.”

  “Jody, make sure Abby gets to the bus okay,” Gabe instructed.

  I rolled my eyes at their being so overprotective. “Guys, I’m fine.”

  “Just shut up and let Jody do his job,” Eli replied.

  Since the pain had grown even more intense, I merely nodded. In silence, Jody followed me to Jake’s and my bus. Without the driver, Jody had to unlock the door. “Perry is inside with the rest of the crew. Will you be okay by yourself?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll lock the door behind you.”

  “Thanks,” I murmured.

  When I started up the stairs, I felt something trickling between my legs. Pain seized me so hard I bent double and screamed in agony. My knees gave way, and I collapsed onto the floor. With trembling hands, I felt of the stickiness that ran down my thighs. Bringing it up to the light I saw it was dark red blood. “Oh God,” I muttered.

  Reaching out, I grasped hold of the side of the couch and tried to pull myself up. I knew my cell phone was somewhere in the bedroom, and I desperately needed to get to it. When I flung myself onto the couch, the stabbing pain caused me to shriek again. On trembling legs, I took two steps. A roar came through my head as everything grew black. I pitched forward and fell to the ground before everything faded around me, and I was enveloped in the darkness.

  When I came off stage after our set, I was a sweaty, exhausted mess. Peering around the back stage room, I searched for Abby, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. During our duets, something had been off with her, and I was worried. “She went on to the bus after our show. She wasn’t feeling well,” Gabe informed me.

  Icy apprehension ricocheted through me. Abby wasn’t one to ever complain, so the very fact she had gone to lie down meant there was something wrong. “Oh okay,” I mumbled, raking a shaky hand through my hair.

  When a roadie thrust a clean shirt and bottle of water at me, I shook my head. “Thanks man, but I’ll grab something on the bus. I wanna check on Abby.”

  The roadie nodded as I brushed past him out the door. “Wait up, Jake,” Perry, our bus driver said. I slowed my fast pace as he jogged up to catch me. “Figured I better come with ya since Jody locked her in.”

  I was glad Perry didn’t give me any shit about starting out without a body guard. As I eyed the bus in the distance, I was surprised to see there weren’t any lights on. A feeling of dread entered the pit of my stomach, and I couldn’t help breaking into a run. When I reached the bus, Perry was right at my side. Once he unlocked the door, I pounded up the stairs. As I gazed wildly around the living area, my instincts had been spot-on because something didn’t feel right. “Abby?” I called.

  When she didn’t answer, I started down the aisle. My shoe hit something firm in the middle of the aisle floor. I jerked my gaze down, and my world to shudder to a stop. Abby lay crumpled in a heap. I dropped to my knees at her side. “Abby?” After I pulled her into my arms, I patted her face several times, but she didn’t open her eyes.

  “Call 911!” I shouted at Perry.

  He ripped his phone out his pocket and was dialing within an instant. My wild gaze took in Abby’s unconscious form. At the sight of the blood on her thighs, my heart shuddered to a stop. “Oh, God. No.” I rubbed Abby’s arms and gently shook her shoulders. “Angel, please wake up. Please…don’t leave me.”

  The piercing wail of the on-site ambulance filled my ears as did the glaring red and white lights. The next few seconds seemed to crawl by in a painful haze. As I cradled Abby in my arms, loud voices came from the front of the bus. The paramedics shoved me to the side as they started working on Abby. I barely felt Perry lifting me up and pulling me out of the bus. He dragged me down the stairs to where my bandmates stood.

  “What’s happened?” Brayden demanded.

  “I dunno,” I murmured absently, staring at the pavement.

  Perry, whose arm around me was probably the only reason why I was still standing, spoke up. “She was unconscious on the floor when we got there. There was…blood.”

  A feminine gasp caused met to raise my head. Mia stood beside AJ with Bella on her hip. “You need to tell them that she’s been experiencing lower abdominal pain, right flank, the last few days.”

  “Could it be her appendix?” Rhys questioned.

  Mia shook her head. “Not if she’s hemorrhaging. It sounds like something reproductive like a…” Her eyes widened, and she pinched her lips shut.

  “Like a what?” I demanded.

  “A miscarriage,” she replied in a whisper.

  I sagged against Perry. How could Abby be pregnant? She was on the pill, and most mornings, I saw her take it. “No method is one hundred percent,” Mia said softly, as if she were reading my mind.

  It was then the paramedics brought the stretcher down the bus steps, which was no easy feat. Even in the dim lights from the arena, Abby’s face appeared ghostly pale. Without a thought, I raced to her side. “Is she…” My voice choked off. I couldn’t even form the words I feared so much.

  “No sir. She’s stable. Her vitals are strong, but we need to get her to the hospital for some scans to see what’s causing the bleeding.”

  “Can I ride along with you?”

  “Sure,” the paramedic replied.

  His partner hurried to the cab of the ambulance and cranked up. I glanced back at the others. “Go on. We’ll be right behind you,” AJ said, and Brayden and Rhys nodded.

  “Thanks,” I murmured, before trailing behind Abby’s stretcher. Once she was loaded inside, I hopped in and slid across the bench to sit beside her. I grabbed her hand, the one with her glittering diamond engagement ring and platinum wedding band, and squeezed it in mine. “I’m right here, Angel. I’m not going anywhere.”

  For the first time, I noticed she had a reaction, even though it was just her forehead crinkling. When he pressed on Abby’s stomach, she shrieked and tried to turn away. “Stop it! You’re hurting her,” I cried, trying to push him away.

  “Sir, I have to check your wife’s injuries. If you don’t stop, we’ll have to restrain you, so you don’t prevent us from doing our job.”

  With a defeated wail, I buried my face in my hands. If I could have, I would have plugged my fingers in my ears just like a child, so I didn’t have to hear Abby’s cries. When I glanced up again, she had quieted, and I saw the paramedic tossing a hypodermic into the medical waste bin. “Just something to help ease her pain.”

  “Thank you.” I once again took Abby’s hand in mine. I brought it to my lips and kissed it gently. The rest of the way to the hospital, I spoke softly to her in between fielding a barrage of questions from one of the paramedics. With the drugs in her system, she rested easily on the stretcher.

  I didn’t know where we were, least of all which hospital they were taking her to. I found out soon enough it was St. Augustine Memorial. When the ambulance doors flung open, a doctor and a nurse were already there, waiting on us. I don’t know if it was standard protocol or if it was because Abby was famous.

  After they took Abby from the ambulance, I trailed along beside her into the emergency room. When I started into her room, a tall nurse with auburn hair stopped me. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you go out to the waiting room, so we can ascertain your wife’s condition. We’ll come and get you when we know more.”

  I shuddered as I felt a horrible sense of Déjà vu coming over
me from the last time I’d been in this position. I remembered that horrible night when Bree, an ex-groupie of mine, in a jealous rage had almost killed Abby. She had been beaten so severely it had taken weeks for her to recover.

  Now we were back almost in the same situation—a strange hospital, Abby being worked on by doctors and nurses, and me alone in the waiting room, wondering if the woman I loved more than anyone else on the earth was going to be taken from me.

  AJ and Mia suddenly appeared, followed by Brayden and Rhys. AJ sat on one side of me while Mia sat on the other. I don’t know how much time went by as I sat there staring into space, tuning out all the conversation around me. It seemed like an eternity before a middle-aged, male doctor in a white lab coat appeared.

  “Are you Jake Slater?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “I’m Dr. Miller. I’m the physician assigned to your wife’s case.”

  I swallowed hard. “How is Abby?”

  “She’s being prepped for emergency surgery.”

  “W-What?” I demanded, my heart shuddering to a stop before restarting.

  “After an ultrasound and CT-scan, we discovered that Mrs. Slater had a large ovarian cyst rupture. This caused the hemorrhaging that she experienced.”

  “So you’re going to operate on her to stop the bleeding?”

  “Yes, but we will also need to remove her ovary and fallopian tube.”

  “Oh…fuck. But why?”

  “It seems that during the growth of the cyst, it caused torsion or twisting with the ovary. That, along with the rupture, caused too much damage to the ovary and fallopian tube. We will also remove her appendix while we’re in there as it has also suffered damage.”

  In the past, I had kept my knowledge of the female reproductive system to an as needs to know basis. That was one of the reasons I wasn’t entirely clear what the doctor was trying to tell me. I did know that whatever they were taking out was part of what made babies. That thought alone caused a deep ache to burn through my chest.