Chapter Four
Drew held me on top of him and tucked my head under his chin. His fingers stroked my hair as I nestled against him, more content than a cat in a patch of sunshine after a full bowl of milk. Stacked on top of each other was the only way we fit in the back seat of his old Ford pickup. 'Someday, I'm going to make it big, and then I'm going to make love to you in the most luxurious car I can find," he mumbled ruefully.
I propped my chin on his chest. "I was thinking of something other than a vehicle of any kind. Maybe somewhere of our own with a bed." I kissed his chest and rested my head back on his chest. Maybe after we graduated high school, our parents would consider letting us get an apartment together instead of living in dorms.
"Anything you want, baby. I love you."
"I love you, too."
I squeezed him tight. "I love you three."
He chuckled at our game. "I love you four...for the wonderful, sweet, supportive girl you are."
I closed my eyes as we rested a few more minutes. "Mercedes," he mumbled.
"Hmm?"
"A Mercedes is a luxury car, right? Someday, I'm going to buy you one. Just you wait."
I stretched so I could kiss him. "I'll wait for you forever."
He prolonged the kiss, and I felt his cock stir beneath my pelvis. "Seems something doesn't want to wait any longer."
I grinned and wiggled my hips. "Come here, you. I don't need a Mercedes, just you."
There was a knock on the window. “What are you doing in here? You need to leave.” Shit! Had our parents found us? They’d kill us both if they discovered us like this. But I didn’t care. I snuggled closer…
"I said, what are you doing here? You don't belong here."
Startled from a dream, I blinked the sleep from my eyes. Someone was towering over me. For a second, I thought I must still be dreaming.
"Lauren? I thought --" I was confused. Wasn't Lauren the band's manager? Didn't I hear that she was killed in the accident? Was it possible I was seeing a ghost?
“Drew wouldn’t want you here. You need to leave.”
I stood, any lingering sleepiness gone. “I have every right to be here.”
"Ladies, please." A nurse in the background looked irritated at the commotion.
"Lauren, this isn't the time or the place." I looked behind her to see Andy appear and place a hand on Lauren's solid shoulder. Nope. Definitely not a ghost.
She ignored him. "You don’t have any rights. You need to leave."
I was tired. Cranky. Confused. And now add pissed. "Oh, no? Make me. If I wasn't wanted, then Drew wouldn't have listed me as his emergency contact."
Her mouth dropped open.
The nurse stepped forward. "I suggest you both take this somewhere else before I call for security."
Ryan stepped between us. When had he gotten here? "Ladies, as much as I might want to see you two throw down, save it for a mud pit. This isn't the place." Leave it to him to find humor in any situation.
Andy still had his hand on Lauren's shoulder, and he used it to guide her firmly from the room. Ryan put his arm around my waist and drew me toward the door, squeezing me in a hug as he did. "For what it's worth, I know you could totally take her," he said, winking at me.
"Don't count it out, yet," I said, practically growling as I glared at Lauren's back. Even now she was still a bitch, putting her wants in front of Drew's. I also didn’t understand how it was that she was standing here.
Ryan pulled the door shut behind us. "Listen, Lauren. You don't speak for us on this matter. Your job is only about our public image, and if you keep this up, you won’t be here for that either. Not only did Drew have Emma listed as an emergency contact, a point you knew because we told you to make sure she was added to the approved visitor list, but the rest of us want her here."
"But she --"
"No." He pointed a finger at her face. Ryan was known for his sense of humor. In fact, I'm not sure I could recall ever seeing him angry, but he seemed to be working up a good lather now. "Emma is here to stay. Deal with it."
Lauren scowled but didn't say anything more. I was proud of myself for not sticking my tongue out at her, childish as it might have been.
Long seconds passed as we all stared at each other, Lauren and I with hostility, the men not bothering to disguise their amusement. The standoff was interrupted when the door opened, and the nurse came out, smiling. "Mr. Davisson is waking up."
All four of us headed for the door, each trying to be the first to see him.
The nurse blocked the door and held up her hand. "Oh, no. We're not going through that again. I'm going to get the doctor while you wait out here. In the meantime, are either of you Emma?" She glanced at Lauren and me.
I took a step forward. "I'm Emma."
The nurse smiled sweetly. "He's asking for you. I'd ordinarily ask you to wait until after the doctor has seen him, but he's very insistent, and I don't want him agitated."
My heart raced. "I promise, I won't upset him."
"Maybe I should go, too," Lauren said, trying to step between me and the door. But she was repelled by the nurse.
"Oh, no you don't. Mr. Davisson asked only for Emma. He's been calm and steady all night until you stepped into that room. You can be assured that if you upset him in any way, I'll remove you myself from seeing him at all. Permanently."
"How dare you..."
I slipped past them into Drew's room, leaving them to argue it out.
"Drew?"
"Emma." It was hard to hear, but it was definitely his voice.
I walked quietly to his side. "Hi. I’m here.”
His eyes fluttered. "Hi. What happened?”
Hoping to keep things lighthearted, I teased him. "Well, apparently, getting a Grammy on your first album wasn't enough attention, you had to go and make the news again."
He rolled his head on his pillow and made a sound that I think was supposed to be a laugh, but sounded more like a groan.
"Are you in pain? Let me hurry the doctor."
His grip tightened. "Stay."
I clutched his hand to my face again, so he could feel my nod. It was obvious it took a lot of energy to communicate. "Okay. I'm right here. Don't strain yourself."
His eyelids scrunched, then slowly revealed the dark blue behind the long lashes that drove women, including me, mad with desire. "What really happened?"
"Your bus was in an accident. But you and the other guys are all okay." I hoped he didn't pick up on my carefully worded answer. I didn't want to cause him further stress about the other people on board.
"Oh. Are you sure I was on the bus and not in front of it?" It looked like he tried to grin, but it was more like a grimace. I hated to see him in pain and wished the doctor would hurry up.
Right on cue, the door opened, and a man dressed in scrubs entered, followed by the same nurse. This time she carried a tray, and immediately went to Drew's I.V. and injected something into his line while the doctor spoke with Drew.
"Mr. Davisson. Glad you to see you awake. Can you tell me how you feel?"
"Awesome. Can I go home?"
Dr. Howard's stern expression eased into a smile. "Well, I think we'll keep you just a bit longer if it's all the same with you."
"Whatever, doc. As long as I've got my girl with me."
He said it with such devotion as if it had only been moments since we'd last seen each other. Was he playing some kind of game with me? I longed to ask him, but it would have to wait until we had privacy. The doctor briefly went over his list of injuries, but it was obvious Drew was on the verge of falling asleep. By the time the doc finished checking the incision where Drew's spleen had been removed, Drew was sound asleep.
"Rest is good for him. I'd suggest you go home and get some sleep yourself, but I suppose that would be asking too much." His eyebrow lifted knowingly.
I shrugged. "I'll sleep later."
He'd no sooner left then the door opened again, and Rick poked his head in. "I heard he’s conscious."
I held a finger to my mouth. "He did. He's sleeping normally right now," I whispered.
"That's good." He came further into the room and stared at his long-time friend. "I don't know what I'd've done if you, well...it didn't so, you just focus on getting better, you hear?
I sat quietly while Rick worked through whatever he was thinking. He finally patted Drew's good hand, then turned to me. He jerked his head in the direction of the door. "Can we talk for a few minutes?"
I nodded and followed him out the door, relieved to see Lauren was gone as were the Andy and Ryan. I suspect Rick had been nominated to get some more answers from me. He'd always been their spokesman for the group.
He looked uncomfortable. "We were surprised that Drew had you listed as an emergency contact. How did you get here so anyway? We're hours away from Charlotte, even by air."
"I live about an hour away now, near Providence." I leaned against the wall. "I was surprised to get that call, too. I thought he wanted nothing to do with me. He made it pretty clear the last time I saw him.”
Andy looked thoughtful. "I think that's what he wanted to want." When I lifted an eyebrow at him, he continued. "But I don't think he's ever gotten over you."
I digested that information without comment. "I, uh, I was surprised to see Lauren. I'd assumed she was the same person who was on the bus and was, well, you know."
"Courtney was our manager for the past few months. It was she who died," Rick explained, sadness tinging his tone. "Lauren flew in today from New York to help out since she knows us best of anyone else from the label. We aren’t thrilled about it, but anyone else capable isn’t available, and obviously, we need some help with everything that's happened."
I could only nod. It made sense, even if I didn't like it. Then the obvious hit me. "Why isn't Lauren still your manager?"
Rick smiled. "That's easy. Drew fired her."