Face the Music (17 page)

Chris pressed his hand into the small of my back.  “Shall we?” he whispered.  We had only taken a single step onto the hardwood floor when I felt him tense u
p.  Under his breath he cursed.  “Dammit.”

I looked over my shoulder and saw Cynthia, escorted by Mr. Doveland, heading towards us. 

Chris gave me an apologetic look.  “They found me.”

Mr. Doveland clapped Chris on the back.  “
W
here did you disappear to?  People are waiting.  Come on, let’s go!”

Cynthia looked down her nose at me.  “Come on,” she demanded, looking back at Chris.  “
Celebrity Magazine
wants a picture of us, together.”  I was sure she emphasized that last part for my benefit.

Chris was not happy.  “Nice,” he mumbled, turning to me.  “Allie, I’m sorry…”

I shushed him before he could finish.  “Don’t worry about it; you are here for business, right?  We’ll dance later, after everything calms down.  How many pictures can they possi
bly take?”  I squeezed his arm
. 

Jake appeared out of nowhere.  Beside me, Chris stiffened
even more
.  “Allie!  Baby!  How about that dance you promised me earlier?”  He looked at Chris.  “I mean, if you’re available.”

“No, actually that would be great, Jake.  Chris has to go.  Business calls, you know.”  I glanced at Chris as I reached for Jake’s outstretched hand.  “Find me later, when you get a chance, okay?”

“I will,” he said flatly, his eyes still on Jake. 

Cynthia gave me another smug glance before happily linking her arm in Chris’s and pulling him away.

“Incredible,” I sighed, leaning into Jake.  “I don’t know w
here she gets off being so rude
.”

“Don’t feel too special,” he said, fixing me with a scrutinizing look.  “So, you and the big Superstar again, huh?”

I rolled my eyes.

The band played an upbeat song, and Jake and I went out onto the floor.  I followed his lead and tried to keep up.  “Wow, you’re really good!” I said breathlessly.  He grinned, spun me around, and caught me by the wrists before I lost my balance.  I wasn’t sorry when the band transitioned to a slower song.

I rested my hands on his shoulders, and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him.  “This is nice,” he whispered as he reached up to touch my ha
ir.  “I like being close to you.
”

My skin broke out in a cold sweat, and I tried to concentrate on something other than the loud ringing that was
pulsing
in my ears.  Faces around me went blurry, and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, hoping the spell would pass. 

Jake stopped dancing.  “Hey,
are you okay?  You’re as white as a ghost.”

I blinked a few times to try and stop the room from spinning.  “I need some air,” I said, grabbing his arm.

“Whoa, take it easy.”  He wrapped his arm around my waist.  “Come on, I’ll walk out with you.” 

He led me towards the front exit.  Chris was near the door talking to a reporter.  His expression
filled with alarm
as he watched Jake and I go out the door.

I quivered once we were outside.  The air was cold but felt good on my bare shoulders.  Snow fell from the heavy clouds, and I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, letting the frozen flakes fall on my cheeks. 

Jake peered into my face.  “Better?  Your color is coming back.”

I inhaled a few deep breaths and felt my heart slow back down to a normal pace.  “A little.  Thanks.”

I took a few steps across the terrace but slipped just a bit.  Jake caught me by the shoulders.  “Careful!  It’s gotten slick.”

I gripped the black steel railing and looked down to the street.  Traffic had died down, leaving only the occasional car to pass by. 

Jake stood next to me.  “What happened in there?”

“I don’t know.  The room started to spin.  I probabl
y should have eaten something.  T
hat champagne must have gone straight to my head.”

“You didn’t eat dinner?”

“Not much,” I admitted.

“When was the last time you ate anything?”

I thought back.  “Breakfast, I guess.  I was so excited to meet Emily this afternoon that I completely spaced lunch.”

He let out a groan.  “Jeez, woman.  What are you trying to do to yourself?”  He turned to go inside.  “Come on, they’ve got to have something in there.”

It all seemed to happen in slow motion.  My feet flew up in front of me.  My arms went above my head, and I crashed onto the hard stones of the terrace.  I then started rolling down the stairs that led to the street below.  Each one created its own, distinct thump.  One…two… three…and then there was nothing.

Chapter 10

I had
only fragmented memories of what happened next.  Jake was kneeling over me, his icy hands cupping my cheeks. 

Emily came out of nowhere.  Terror was evident in the tight line of her lips as she gathered the skirt of her dress and pressed it against my forehead.

A blinding pain radiated from my right ankle.  Searing bursts of heat traveled down my foot and up my calf.  My head throbbed.  Every breath drove sharp needles into my sides.   I looked up at my
frantic sister.  “It would be…a real shame…to ruin that…
dress,” I
managed to say between gasps.

Snow dusted her hair.  “
You’re worried about my dress?
”  Sirens of an approaching ambulance were deafening and drowned out the rest of her words.

Chris pushed his way through the crowd of onlookers just as the paramedics lifted the gurney.  He reached me in two long strides and took my hand, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying.  As if entering a tunnel of darkness, my consciousness was lost.

The next thing I remember, I was lying in a hospital bed.  The beeping of the monitors echoed in my ears.  My eyes were heavy, and I struggled unsuccessfully to open them.  Emily’s soft cry came from the other end of the room as the doctor gave her my diagnosis.

“Fractured ankle and two cracked ribs,” he said.  “I’m confident those will heal with time.  There was a good-sized laceration just above the hairline on her left temple.  It took twelve stitches to close it up, and I think it’s safe to say she’ll experience some tenderness and bruising.”

“She’s going to be okay though, right?”

“She’s very lucky.  It could have been
a lot
worse.”  He seemed to hesitate.  “She hit her head and has been in and out of consciousness.  I’m sure it’s nothing serious, but we’re going to run some tests to be sure.  We’ll know more after we have those results.  I’ve given her something for the pain, and you can be sure we’re going to keep a close watch on her.”

Poor
Emily.  I’d always been the one to take care of her and soften the blows of all the tragedies we’d suffered through years.  Who would be there for her now?  Who would take care of her?  Blackness again…

Th
e next thing I remembered, Jake
was sitting close to the bed and holding my hand.  He was arguing with someone, his voice a controlled, low growl.  I couldn’t quite hear what he was saying or tell who he was angry at.  Blackness….

Fingers brushed my cheek.  I again tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t budge.  I sighed, or at least I think I did, because I got a lungful
of Chris’s intoxicating smell.

“
Allie.”  It was him.  He picked up my limp hand and held it in his own, turning it over and running his smooth fingers across my palm.

Despite my state of consciousness, my body reacted to his touch.  The monitor beeped, registering my racing heart, and a jolt electrified my insides.  I tried to respond to him, but my lips
and eyelids
were so heavy I couldn’t will them open.

“You still owe me that dance, you know,” he urged as he traced circles on my skin.  The pleasure was maddening.  “Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to leave yo
u?  The last thing I wanted was-
.” 

I fought to hold consciousness, fought to hear his words.  Blackness…

I woke up for real sometime the next day.  The nurse was checking my vitals when I opened my eyes.  “Mmm,” I
moaned
, squinting against the bright light.  My mouth felt dry and sticky
, and any headache I’d ever had paled in comparison to the thumping
I now felt
behind my temples
.

“Good morning, sunshine!  How are you feeling?”  Her bright red lips curved into a smile.  She pressed he
r cool hand against my forehead, and I winced.

My entire body ached.   “Like I fell down three flights of stairs.  What day is it?” 

“It’s Friday afternoon, honey.  You hold still and I’ll go get your doctor.”

I glanced at the tangle of clear tubing
hanging from an IV hook and followed the lines to my arms.
“Do I have a choice?” I asked as she disappeared in the hallway.
I couldn’t go anywhere even if I’d wanted to. 

Within a few minutes, the doctor came in and looked over my chart.  “Well hello there, Ms. Banks, I’m pleased to see you awake.  How are you feeling?” 

I told him the same thing I told the nurse. 

“That’s a good sign, no memory loss?”  He shined his bright little flashlight into my eyes.

I grinned at the stupidity of his question.  “Um, no, I don’t think so.  But if I did lose my memory, how would I know?  What would I say I had forgotten?”

He chuckled.  “I think you’re going to be just fine.  Your ankle is fractured.  We’ll get it set and then have you fitted for a walking boot.  You might feel some tenderness in your ribs
, but only time will heal that.  T
ry to stay as still as possible, okay?  Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you,” I said just as Emily walked in.

Relief flooded her face.  “Allie!  Oh, thank God you’re awake.”  She rushed over and stood next to the bed, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. 

I took her hand and smiled
through my pain
.  “Emily, listen to me- I’m fine.  It’s just my ankle, nothing they can’t fix.  Don’t get upset.”

She wiped her eyes.  “Isn’t this just like us?  You’re the one in a hospital bed
,
and I’m the one who needs comforting.”  She smiled weakly.  “Are you okay?  You did fall down three flights of stairs, you know.”

“Yeah,
I guess.  What happened, anyway?  I remember not feeling well, and
Jake took me outside, but everything
after that
is kind of fuzzy.
”

Emily studied me, her lips trembling.  “
Jake
said he was going i
n to find you something to eat.  H
e thought
maybe
your blood sugar was low
, and that’s why you weren’t feeling good
.  But then you slipped on a patch of ice.  He said he tried to catch you, but you were just out of his reach.  And then you fell backwards and hit your head on the steps and just kept going until you were on the sidewalk.
  He called for an ambulance and ran inside, yelling for help.”  Her voice cracked, and s
he turned to the doctor.  “Did the tests come ba
ck? 
Is everything okay?
”