Love is a Drum Beat (Rockstars Anonymous)

by Michelle MacQueen

  Pushing to his feet, he walked back to the desk.

  The woman sighed. “Doctor Lawrence called. You are allowed to go up.” She handed him a visitor pass that he clipped to his shirt.

  “Thank you.”

  As he pushed through the doors, a single thought rolled around in his brain.

  I’m coming, Jo.

  7

  Jo

  Jo had mostly avoided the hospital for the first seven months of her pregnancy, paying her doctor to come to her with the equipment she needed for appointments, but now her streak was broken.

  “What do you mean I’m not having the baby?” She scowled as pain seared through her skull. “Get it out of me! I don’t want to be an alien vessel anymore. It hurts.”

  Dr. Lawrence smiled like she found Jo amusing. “Jo, it’s too early. You weren’t in labor when you came in.”

  “Then, what the heck was that? Doc, you mean labor is worse than that?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t hold back her words. “What you experienced was only a fraction of the pain you’ll have in two months’ time when the baby wants to make an appearance.”

  “You know, it’s a wonder the human race has survived this long. I’m surprised women haven’t stopped having babies. I mean, I get it, miracle of life and all. Actually, being a mom will be cool, but this… this sucks.”

  Dr. Lawrence gave her a kind smile. “It will be worth it. I promise. Now, as to the problem you’re experiencing today—”

  A knock on the door cut her off followed by a “Jo?”

  Jo sighed. What was Dax doing here? She didn’t have the energy to deal with his brand of awkward, but she couldn’t turn him away. “Let him in.”

  The doctor opened the door, and a disheveled Dax walked in, his eyes not leaving Jo. “Are you okay?”

  Jo closed her eyes as the headache intensified. “I don’t know. The doc was just about to tell me if I’m dying or not.”

  Doctor Lawrence gave her an indulgent smile. “You aren’t dying, but maybe we should speak alone.”

  Jo waved a hand. “It’s just Da—Dillon.” She’d almost given his name away. Sure, she trusted Dr. Lawrence, but it wasn’t her secret to tell. “You can tell me.”

  “Okay.” She set her clipboard on the table. “Have you ever heard of preeclampsia.”

  “Do I look like someone who has heard long medical terms?” She raised an eyebrow.

  Dr. Lawrence shook her head with a small laugh. She’d been Jo’s doctor since she first found out she was pregnant. “Have you had any extra swelling?”

  Jo gave her a deadpan stare. “I’m pregnant. Of course I have. Every part of me has ballooned.”

  “Well, we tested your urine sample.” She cast a glance at Dax.

  “Oh, don’t mind him.” Jo shrugged. “He already doesn’t like me, so talk about my pee all you want.”

  A strange look she couldn’t decipher passed over Dax’s face, but he remained quiet.

  Dr. Lawrence glanced between the two. “We found proteins in your urine. And your blood pressure is quite high.”

  “I’m an overachiever.”

  “You’re at thirty weeks, Jo. You need to take this more seriously.”

  Jo sighed. “I am, doc. I promise I am.”

  “You will most likely continue to have some pain. You can take some baby aspirin, and I’m giving you a prescription for a blood pressure medication, but those will only do so much. What you need now is rest.”

  “That’s all I do, doc. I’m sort of lazy.”

  Dax snorted at that, and Jo flashed him a smile.

  Doctor Lawrence gave her a stern look. “I’m talking bedrest, Jo. Do you have someone you can stay with who will take care of you?”

  Jo thought of Noah, but he wasn’t here. “Not really.”

  “Yes, she does.”

  Both Jo and Doctor Lawrence shifted their eyes to Dax.

  He straightened and stared them both down. “She can stay with me.” It was the most confident Jo had ever seen him, but there was no way she was going to stay at his house for the next two months.

  He was now in possession of one of her biggest secrets—the fact that Blake demanded an NDA—but if she lived with him, if she saw Dax every day, what else might he learn about her?

  “Dax,” Dr. Lawrence started. “Think about this.”

  Jo’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute, you called him Dax.” She pointed to him. “You know who he is?”

  She smiled and reached up to pat Dax’s cheek. “Of course. I gave birth to the boy, after all.”

  “This can’t be happening.” Jo closed her eyes. Her doctor was Dax’s mom. And Dax… he didn’t like her, didn’t say much around her, yet he offered to take care of her when she couldn’t take care of herself. The man made no sense at all.

  Dr. Lawrence walked to the side of the bed. “You’re okay to be discharged. Dax, hand me the chart on the table.”

  Dax did as she asked, and she scanned over the information.

  Jo didn’t like the worried frown on her face or the way she stopped talking. “Am I…” She took a breath. “Am I going to be okay? Is my baby going to survive?”

  “Yes, Jo. You both will be fine as long as we monitor you closely. It will have to be here at the hospital though. My portable ultrasound machine won’t be enough now. No more house calls.”

  Jo groaned. “Great.”

  “Now, I know you haven’t wanted to know the sex of the baby yet, but has that changed?”

  Jo’s eyes widened. “Is it in the chart? Right there?”

  “It is.”

  She searched around the room, her heart hammering in her chest. She should want to know, right? Then, she could be prepared.

  “Okay.” She said the word slowly, like she had to force it out.

  Dr. Lawrence smiled. “Congratulations, you’re having a boy.”

  “Oh, thank heaven.” A weight lifted off her shoulders. “I wouldn’t know what to do with a girl. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

  Even Dax smiled at that.

  Dr. Lawrence looked from Jo to Dax. “So, Jo, are you going to take my son up on his offer? You could also hire someone to stay with you and take care of you. Like a home nurse.”

  She could. It wasn’t like Jo couldn’t afford it, but something about having a stranger in her apartment gave her the creeps. At least she knew Dax’s brand of strange. And his house was a dream. She met Dax’s gaze. “Okay, roomie, I’m in. But I get the feeling you’re the kind of person that eats healthy, and I will not be subjected to salads as meals. They aren’t meals! They’re sides.”

  Dr. Lawrence sent Jo a playful scowl. “You’re pregnant, Jo. You should be eating healthier.” She leaned in and dropped her voice. “And my son could stand to have his ordered world cracked a bit.”

  “I’m standing right here.”

  His mom turned to him. “You better take care of her, Dax. Anything she needs. And call me if she has trouble.” She looked back at Jo one more time. “And you… don’t be difficult.”

  “I’m never difficult.”

  “Mmhmm. Well, this should be interesting at least. Your discharge papers are done. I will email you some preventative measures. Mostly, just rest and drink plenty of water. You were a bit dehydrated today. You can leave any time. I’ll have a wheelchair brought.”

  “I don’t need a wheelchair.”

  She arched a brow. “Policy. You will sit in that chair, and you will be grateful. I’ll see you in a week.” As she left, silence stretched between Jo and Dax.

  Jo sat up, the pain in her head intensifying. She groaned, and Dax’s eyes widened in alarm. “Jo…”

  “I’m all good, Dax. I just want to get out of here.” She glanced at the door. “I think your mom just mothered me.”

  An affectionate smile graced his face. He was much more attractive without the broody awkwardness. “She does that.”

  They barely spoke as they waited for the wheelchair. A nurse k
nocked before opening the door. “Hello? I have a chair for you.”

  Dax blocked him, and Jo was grateful. The fewer people who saw her here, the better.

  “I’ll push her.” Dax’s tone left no room for argument, and the nurse left. “Do you have a disguise with you?”

  Jo sighed. She did, but he was going to laugh at her. She pointed to her bag sitting in the empty leather chair next to the bed. “It’s in there.”

  Dax unzipped the bag and froze. After a moment, he pulled the Batwoman mask out. A smirk came to his lips. “Y-you came to the hospital dressed as Batwoman?”

  “I didn’t have many options. Just hand it here.” She held out a hand.

  He relinquished the mask. “We can’t go out the front. It’s flooded with paps.”

  She sat up so suddenly, it felt like her brain sloshed around in her head. “The paparazzi?” That could only mean one thing. “They know.”

  True remorse shone on Dax’s face. “Yes, they do.”

  Jo’s hands clenched the mask until her knuckles turned white. “I can’t… Dax, I can’t breathe.” She’d felt it coming, the panic. Soon, the entire world would know she was pregnant. Then, the guessing would come. Who was the father?

  Yet, even if the fans found out it was Blake, it wouldn’t change how they saw him. But her… a woman… She lowered her face to her hands as she tried to catch her breath.

  The bed dipped as Dax sat beside her, and a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders. “Jo, it’s going to be okay.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t you get it, Dax? Nothing is going to be the same. I will forever be Jo Jackson, the drummer who got knocked up by a guy she’s not even allowed to talk about. This is so not rock-and-roll.”

  “Forget rock-and-roll. Jo—”

  “Can we just go? I need to get out of this room.”

  He nodded and stood. “Sure.” Helping her from the bed, he didn’t mention her hospital gown or bare feet. Instead, he slid off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. “Come on. We can exit through the south parking garage. My car is with valet at the front, but I’ll take care of that.”

  Jo wobbled on unsteady legs before collapsing into the wheelchair. The Batwoman mask slid down over her face while Dax collected her belongings. Out in the hall, they stopped at the nurses’ station.

  “Do you have the number for valet?”

  “What are you doing?” Jo asked.

  “Solving a problem.” He pressed his phone to his ear after entering the number the nurse read to him. “Hello, I left my car with you not long ago. My ticket is 358921.”

  He paused, and Jo assumed the person on the other end of the call was talking.

  Dax nodded. “Yes, I need it brought to the south parking garage. I’ll pay whoever brings it five thousand dollars.”

  Jo’s breath caught. Five grand to bring his car to them? Jo hadn’t been hurting for money over the past few years, but they all knew Dax was practically swimming in it.

  He hung up, his in-charge persona dropping as he glanced down at her. This man was a conundrum. He was a nervous wreck most of the time but could still compel people to do his bidding.

  Would the real Dax Nelson please stand up?

  He didn’t talk as he pushed Batwoman through the halls to the exit that led into the parking garage. He’d spoken a lot in the last hour, and she wondered if he’d run out of words. It was the most she’d ever heard him say, and it only added to her confusion.

  “Why don’t you have the same last name as your mom?” She tilted her head back to look up at him.

  He kept walking. “Lawrence is my stepdad’s last name. I have my father’s.”

  She wanted to ask about his dad, but the firm set of his jaw told her that wasn’t a good idea. Finally, something about him she understood. She had a family she didn’t speak of either, and it was better that way.

  “If I’d have known she was your mom, I wouldn’t have chosen her for my doctor.”

  He sighed a deep sigh that told her something else was going on. “My mom is the best doctor in this entire hospital.”

  “Totally unbiased opinion, right?”

  “I’m glad you have the best.”

  He pushed her out into the parking garage, and exhaustion crept over her. Hospitals were awful. Paparazzi were worse.

  And Dax? Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

  8

  Dax

  Dax was an uncomfortable companion. He knew that. He liked his quiet, his silence, never feeling the need to fill space with meaningless words.

  Jo was the opposite. A chatterer. Sarcasm dripped from many of her words, but Dax learned long ago the sarcasm wasn’t disdain or anger. She simply liked to keep people at arm’s length. He didn’t know what she’d been through in life or if someone had hurt her, but whatever it was, it kept her from getting close to anyone except Noah.

  Noah. Finally, a topic came to him. The car had been quiet since they picked up a few of her belongings at her apartment. “So, Noah is coming home.”

  “What?” Her eyes snapped to him.

  He gave her a sideways glance, confused by the single word. Didn’t she want him to come? “He’s getting on a plane tomorrow. He’s your emergency contact, so they called him.”

  “That’s why you showed up at the hospital? Because Noah asked?”

  Yes. And also, no. Noah did ask, but Dax would have gone regardless. From the moment he’d heard Jo was there, he’d worried.

  About her. For her. For the rest of Rockstars Anonymous if something happened to her. They didn’t work without Jo. They all needed her.

  “Okay.” Jo blew out a breath. “I’m going to need you to explain the whole coming home thing.”

  “I… okay. He told me he was able to get on a flight tomorrow.”

  She shook her head, surprising him. “No. No way. Noah can’t leave London so soon. I gave him grief about leaving me, but I also know he needs it. Time with Melanie and Stella and his nan. I won’t take that away from him. What’s he going to do here? Sit by my bed all day while I sleep?” Her chest heaved as if she’d been running. “Just… no.”

  Dax wasn’t sure how to respond, but that was pretty much his natural state of being.

  “I can’t reach my phone with this giant alien incubator belly, so I’ll call him when we get to your place. I don’t need him hovering over me right now.”

  “Okay.” Dax drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he pulled into his long driveway in front of the oceanfront house he called home. It was larger than he’d wanted, but he didn’t buy the house for the size. He bought it for the view.

  He turned off the car and unbuckled his seat belt. “Hold on, I’ll come around to help you out.”

  “Dax, I can get out of a car.” She tried to pull herself out, but her legs were still weak, and she flopped back onto her seat. “Fine.” She held out a hand. “Help me.”

  Dax’s brow furrowed. His parents drilled manners into him as a kid. “You’re rude, Jo.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip as they remained in a silent standoff before words burst out of her. “I know, and I’m sorry. I can’t seem to keep the words in, and then I get angry easily, and I babble. But please, Dax, will you help me into the house you so graciously offered me for the next couple months?”

  He stepped out of the car, rounding it to her door. “Better.” He reached for her arm.

  “I really do appreciate this, even if it doesn’t seem like it. The minute I cramp your style, you can send me home, and I’ll hire someone to help.”

  A growl started low in his throat. “You are not hiring a stranger.” Plus, he didn’t have a style to cramp. Sure, he occasionally went on dates, but he never brought them to his place. Only Jo. He grabbed her bag from the car and slung it over one shoulder while keeping his other arm around her.

  He’d never been so close to Jo, and he didn’t hate it. After unlocking the front door, he led her into the entryway. There were four guest b
edrooms, each with their own bathroom. But only one of them was right for Jo.

  He led her through the living room to the back hall and into his favorite room. If it was larger, he’d have made it the master. Instead, he came in here sometimes to work on his songs. The entire back wall was glass, looking out onto the beach and ocean beyond. Shades came down on a voice command, but he couldn’t imagine wanting them to close.

  “Dax…” Jo stepped away from him to survey the room. “It’s beautiful.”

  His cheeks flushed, and all the confidence he’d had at the hospital faded away. Only this girl could make him forget his words, only she had the power.

  And she didn’t even know it.

  “Thanks.” He coughed to hide his nervousness at having Jo in his house. What had he been thinking when he offered? He should have let her hire someone to help her. Heck, he should have hired someone for her. Instead, he let her into his world. She’d been to his house once before, but that was different. The group stayed in the living room, and he hadn’t offered to give them a tour.

  Because that would have changed things. People didn’t like to be surprised by who someone really was. They wanted the facade, the social media presence, the voice behind the music.

  He realized he’d stared at Jo too long as she perused the room. “Um.” He pulled on the back of his neck. “Do you think you’ll be comfortable here?”

  She nodded, her eyes going to the view. “This place makes me wonder why I still live in an apartment in a crowded building.

  Even if she didn’t, he knew the answer to that. Jo was simple. She didn’t like extravagant things, fancy things. She was the kind of person who didn’t keep many belongings. He just didn’t know why she was that way.

  Dax wasn’t a pack rat by any means, but he’d painstakingly chosen everything in this house, every color and style.

  “Alexa, shade down.” The off-white shade lowered, throwing the room into complete darkness. “See? You should be able to get some rest in here.”