Retrieving my phone, I call Kat, hoping she'll answer at this time of night, and she does, on the fifth ring.

"Asia?" Her voice is scratchy and muffled.

"Kat, I'm so sorry to call you so late, but I need a huge favor."

"Sure…of course. What time is it? Are you all right?"

"Yes. No… Talon is in the hospital in Florida, and I need to go there right away. But I need you to watch Pixie for me. Do you want to stay here and house-sit for me?"

"Oh no! Is he okay? What the hell happened?"

"'I'm not sure." I lift the cat out of my suitcase and snap it shut so I don't end up taking her with me by accident. "Asher called me and said Talon fell off the stage."

"Holy shit. Was he wasted?"

"Kat! No, he doesn't do that! They think he may have an ear infection, but Asher sounded worried. Talon hit his head when he fell. I need to get there, and my flight leaves at five a.m."

"Your flight? You're getting on a plane?" She doesn't even try to hide her shock.

"I have to. I need to get to him, Kat. He hasn't been right since the fight we had. I feel terrible. If anything happens to him, I'll never forgive myself." I choke on my words as tears well up in my eyes.

"Okay…anything you need, hon. Please don't cry. Should I come now?"

"If you can, that would be great. I'm so sorry to do this to you."

"For God's sake, Asia. Don't apologize. I'll be there in half an hour."

"Thank you! You're a doll."

While I wait for Kat, I scribble a list for her about what and when Pixie eats, the alarm code, and leave her a few hundred dollars left over from the cash Talon set aside for me when he went away in October.

I read over the text Asher sent me, which has details for everything I need about the flight, the hospital, and hotel. He also noted at the end that he hasn't yet talked to a doctor, but he will text me if he hears anything before I get there.

"I'm so excited to be staying at Chateau Valentine!" Kat exclaims when she arrives, throwing her arms around me in the foyer. "Don't worry, Asia. He's going to be fine. You're pale as a ghost."

"I appreciate you coming over so fast. I'm not sure when I'll be back, though—"

She waves her hand at me. "No worries. I can stay as long as you need me to. Rob can come here if he wants to hang out at night. I promise we won't trash your beautiful house."

"I know that, Kat. There's food in the fridge, I left you cash in case you need anything for Pixie or yourself… The guest room is clean—no one's ever slept in there. Help yourself to anything you need. I left the alarm code on a note in the kitchen, too. If you don't set it before midnight and when you leave the house, it will send us a text message."

"Swanky."

"And don't drive the monster truck," I tease.

"Well, damn, now you've wrecked my day. I was planning to go off-roading."

I scoop up Pixie from the floor and give her a little kiss. "You be good for your auntie." I stroke her little head and put her back down before turning back to Kat. "I can't thank you enough."

"Stop. Do you even know where the airport is? I could drive you."

"I actually do know where it is, and that's okay. I can leave my car in the lot."

"Do you want a sedative for the flight?"

"Why are you always offering me pills?"

"Because you're a nervous wreck and you've never been on a plane."

Sighing, I grab my purse and my suitcase. "I'll be okay. I need a clear mind when I see him."

She hugs me before I get to the door leading to the garage. "Call or text me when you get there. And don't worry."

The airport is only about forty minutes from our house and I find it with only one wrong turn, thanks to one of those epically confusing traffic circles. I follow the signs to the long-term parking area and trek to the terminal.

After collecting my ticket, I check my bags and go through security, then wait until I can finally board the plane. My fear of flying is totally confirmed when I see how tiny and close together the seats are. It is seriously ridiculous and frightening to be in such a cramped space, with total strangers—thankfully not many on this flight—up in the freaking air. I'm really rethinking my decision to take Kat up on her sedative offer right now. Between worrying about Talon and being in this claustrophobic space, I feel like I'm going to have a meltdown.

Breathe.

I finger my necklace, which usually helps me calm down, and it does now. I'm always with you.

Closing my eyes, I say a silent prayer, Please let him be okay. Please help him forgive me for being so stupid. Please give us the strength to get through this.

* * *

As promised, there's a driver waiting to take me to the hospital when I get off the plane. Half an hour later, I'm walking through the lobby doors, texting Kat as I walk, and I literally run right into Asher.

"Good timing," he says, kissing my cheek hello.

"How is he? I've been worried sick."

"Let's go sit down." He motions to a couch in a secluded waiting area off the lobby, but I don't want to sit down. I want to see my husband. Now. He puts his arm around me and leads me to the couch, motioning for me to sit.

"I spoke to the doctors about half an hour ago. They've run a bunch of tests and are pretty sure they have a diagnosis."

A diagnosis. That sounds bad to me. It isn't, "Hey, it's just an ear infection." It's something that's been given a name and required testing. And it's obviously something Asher wants to speak to me about alone first.

I swallow hard and wait for him to continue, my legs shaking.

His eyes soften and he touches my hand, just like Talon does. "You look petrified. He's going to be okay, Asia." His voice is so deep and calm, it soothes me instantly like verbal sedative, taking the edge off the fear that's been racing through my veins.

"So what's wrong with him?"

"They're pretty sure it's something called Ménière's disease."

Disease. Disease. Disease.

"Wh-What's that?" I've never even heard of what he just said. Which probably means it's rare.

"I didn't understand all the technical mumbo jumbo of what the doctor said, but from what I did understand, it's a sort of disorder of the inner ear. It causes episodes of severe dizziness, ringing in the ears, exhaustion, irritability, a pressured feeling in the ear, like when you want to pop your ear, ya know?" I nod, hoping that's the end, but it's not. "The other symptom is fluctuating hearing loss. If all that isn't bad enough, he'll most likely go completely deaf in that ear. He already has partial hearing loss, according to the tests."

I blink at him, feeling dizzy myself just absorbing that horrible list of symptoms my husband is going to experience. Talon will go completely insane if he loses his hearing; there's no doubt in my mind about that.

"Does it only happen once? Like, after this, is it over?" I ask hopefully.

He shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no. I did a quick web search while I was waiting for you, and from what I've read, he'll continue to have random dizzy spells. Some will come on very suddenly, like what happened last night on stage. Other times, it might be mild but last hours or days. There's usually vomiting caused by the vertigo, which he's had all night and this morning."

"He's getting sick? And he'll have this for the rest of his life?" That can't be. He was totally fine just a few days ago. Yeah, he's been tired and distracted and had a few headaches. But nothing like this.

"Yes. The ENT specialist said sometimes, after a few years, the symptoms will diminish, but there isn't a cure. But, he did say that each case is different. Talon may only have a few episodes per year that may last a few hours or a few days, and then he might not have another one for years. Or, in bad cases, the person has episodes weekly or monthly. It's too soon to tell."

"Oh my God, Asher. This can't be happening to him. He's such a happy, active person. This will make him miserable."

He nods slowly. "I know that, trust me. He'll be okay. We have to be positive and help him get through it."

This must be why he was so unusually harsh with me over the Danny disaster. He must have been starting to feel sicker.

"Did the doctor talk to him?"

"The doctor spoke to him, so he knows what's wrong with him now. I gotta warn you, he's pretty pissed off. I can tell he's scared."

I rub my forehead, overwhelmed with all the horrible info Asher just described. How is Talon ever going to get through this? This will destroy him.

"What do we do next?"

"They're running a few more tests, then they'll start some meds until he can see an ENT back home. He did hit his head last night, so he has a concussion. They think they might release him in two days. They're a little worried about dehydration since he's vomiting so much, so he's got an IV for fluids. He's not gonna be able to fly, the cabin pressure will make this way worse for him, so we're going to have to find a better way to get him home."

"Oh my God." My body starts to tremble, and I break out in a cold sweat.

"Let me get you some water. Stay put."

I sit in a shaking daze while I wait for Asher to return. How can this be happening? Talon is so young, healthy, and happy. He works out every day. He practices his music every day. He listens to music constantly. I can't even imagine how this is going to affect his music—or his life, for that matter.

"Here ya go." Asher hands me a paper cup of water and sits next to me again. "Asia, I know this is hard, but we have to look at the bright side. He's alive, he's going to be okay, and he can find ways to cope with this. Yeah, it sucks, but you two can get through this. He's a good kid, and he's always been very driven. He'll learn to deal with this."