Falling Stars (39 page)

The
next morning I woke up feeling worse than the day before and refused to get out
of bed. I buried myself in my room and in my bed. The test results came back
that day and the doctor called to change my prescription. He called in
Rifampin, which he said was a stronger antibiotic. It was for a bacterial
infection. Apparently, my tests revealed this infection in my nose, throat, and
was most likely the cause my inner ear infection. I switched medicines as soon
as it arrived, soaked in a hot bath, and went back to lying in bed.

Swallowing
my own saliva hurt. Let alone trying to consume anything. The loosening of my
clothes made it clear I'd already begun to lose too much weight.

Una
had the rest of the girls, and Ryan, looked over as a precaution. To prevent
spreading germs, my interaction with everyone was limited. That was fine with
me. I curled into a ball in the middle of my bed and waited for death to put me
out of my misery.

*
* * * *

Laney
started to become a regular in our room and bus thanks to Jackson. They were
practically inseparable, and were absolutely sickening. If I had to listen to one
more make out session or moan, I was going to castrate him.

"Morning,
Christopher," she chirped as soon as I walked out of my bedroom. I was
still groggy and hadn't slept soundly for weeks now. The nightmares were not so
much the problem. It was my longing for Mia.

"Morning,"
I groaned.

"Okay
Jacks I want to go and check on Mia before we take off, okay?" she spoke
too quickly but I still made out what she said.

Jacks?
Wait…check on Mia?

"Check
on Mia?" It just blurted out before I could stop myself from asking about
her.

"Um,
yeah, she's sick," Laney turned away quickly and started toward the door.

"Sick?"
I pressed
. Jesus when did I get Tourettes?

The
smirk on her face made me uncomfortable.

"Yeah
she's been really sick with a bacterial infection in her throat. The doctor had
to send in stronger medications for her this morning." She looked worried.
"You know we're all worried about her throat and her voice, and Mia seems
to be really stressed by it. Anyhow, she's been stuck in her room for the past
couple days trying not to die." She smiled e and then grabbed Jackson's
hand before walking closer to the door.

"Oh,
Christopher?" I turned around when she yelled for me.

"Yeah?"
I raised my eyebrow.

"You
can't see her," she stated firmly. I furrowed my brow.

"Why
would I –?" she cut me off.

"She's
like quarantined in a sense. At least until her new meds have a full 24 hours
to work on her. She can't really be around anyone." She smiled slyly and
headed out the door with Jackson.

Plopping
down into a chair with my coffee, I flipped through the channels, but I couldn't
get past the fact that Mia was two rooms down and really sick. I tried a shower
to clear my head, but it didn't work.

Finally,
slipping into some shoes, I marched down to her room. Serena answered with a
questioning look on her face. I pushed by and headed toward the closed door I
assumed was Mia's.

"Christopher
you shouldn't go in there." Una stood in front of me, blocking me. I
grabbed her shoulders and moved her as gently as I could.

My
hand was grasped the knob.

"Christopher
she's really sick and possibly contagious." Serena chimed. Her hand on my
shoulder, she sighed. "Give her till tomorrow, and then come back."

It
was the first time I think Serena actually asked me to come back or to be
around Mia at all. I knew she hated Mia's involvement with me and I didn't
blame her one bit.

"Well
then someone better call the doctor now to get me the same stuff." Without
looking at either one of them, I turned the knob and entered her room.

Curled
up in the fetal position, she looked like hell. Her frame was smaller, her skin
paler, and she looked a mess. Still, the moment my eyes rested on her I
wondered how the hell it had been possible for me to stay away this long.
Swallowing my feelings and kicking off my shoes, I tossed off my sweatshirt and
climbed in next to her. She lifted her head to look toward the movement.

"Shhh…just
go back to sleep." I laid flat on my back next to her.

"Hhhrrissss…"

She
was trying to say my name, probably tell me the same thing Una and Serena
already had.

"Please
don't talk, you sound horrible." I gave her a teasingly disgusted look.

Her
elbow met my side quickly taking some air out of me.

"You
must not be too sick if you can still hit like that," I teased again.

This
time her hand slapped me in the leg.

"I
know I shouldn't be in here, but after all you've done for me…this is the
least, the very least, I can do. You shouldn't be by yourself." She
shifted and got comfortable. Then I heard the sound of her sleeping sighs.

I
don't know how long I laid there before falling asleep next to her, but when I
woke up with her head on my chest and my arm around her it was the best fucking
wake-up of my life. From this moment, there would be no more ignoring Mia.

I
stayed with her until she woke the next morning. Then I had to leave for my
session with Doctor J. Leaving was hard to do, especially when she was still
sick and I felt like I'd just gotten her back.

"Tahng
ew."

I
laughed at her attempt to speak.

"No
problem," I shrugged. "Please stop trying to speak. You really do
sound like shit." She gave me her middle finger as I walked out the door
chuckling.

*
* * * *

When
Christopher showed up in my room, I thought he was crazy. I couldn't believe he
was going to stop ignoring me at this particular moment, in my sickly
condition, to get some sleep. At first, I was going to kick him out of the bed
and my room, but then he disclosed he was there to comfort me. After all his
ignoring and avoiding, he was being genuinely nice. He confused me, thoroughly.
He continued to show up every chance he could while I was in bedridden.

Having
been sick for what felt like months, but had only been a few of days. Waking
the third day after starting my new medicines, I felt a hundred times better.
To the relief of everyone, I was well enough we could finally get on a tour bus
and head to South Carolina. To my relief I could finally shower and eat. It
took a week until I was performance ready, but I my antibiotics were a daily
regimen for fourteen days.

It
seemed like just yesterday we were walking into the record company for the
first time. Now, between the months of tour dates and my health set back, it
was September and close to my birthday. Knowing Laney, she would torture me
somehow. She has every year since we were kids. I always tried to go low key,
but Laney always had other, more elaborate, plans for us.

When
we arrived in Myrtle Beach I knew I was going to be in for one of her grand
schemes.

"Happy
Birthday, to you! Happy Birthday, to you!  Happy Birthday dearest Mia!"

Covering
my head, I groaned as Serena, Kat, and Laney barged into my room singing at the
top of their lungs. Kat was rocking out on her guitar. Christopher shook with
laughter next to me. I smacked him.

"What
was that for?" he yelled out.

"Don't
encourage them," I groaned.

Then
the blankets were ripped from my bed to the floor. Ryan managed to get up on
the bed and bounced as he sang Happy Birthday to me. Sitting up quickly, I
pulled him on the bed, tickling him.

"Top
it An Mia!" he laughed and let him go.

Laney
disappeared from the room and reappeared with balloons.

"Oh
god," mumbling, I fell back onto the bed.

"Mia
hurry and get dressed we need to eat breakfast and get on with our day!"
She was bouncing in excitement. "Oh and we will be outside a little so
dress casually." She added.

My
surprise was evident. I didn't have to dress up. She smiled large.

"I'll
have your outfit for later picked out and ready before we leave," she
giggled.

Sighing,
I headed to the bathroom. I shut the door and she yelled again. At least this
time it wasn't at me.

"Christopher,
go get dressed we are all going!"

Leaning
back out of the bathroom door, I caught Christopher's lounged attention.

"You
better hurry before Sergeant Slaughter comes back in here and yanks you out of
the bed."

He
chuckled and ran his hand through his overgrown hair.

"I
heard that," Laney shouted from the living room.

I
ducked back into the bathroom and closed the door.

After
breakfast, we went to the
NASCAR Speedway
. Starting with the bumper
boats and then moving on to six turns at go-cart racing. Elliott crushed us all
when it came to racing the go-carts. He was a really good and fast racecar
driver. Then Elliott took Ryan over to the children's go-carts and went around
with him a few times. Serena and I stood watching.

"So,
he's really good with Ry, huh?" I nudged her.

A
smile spread across her face.

"Ry
really likes him too," then her face fell.

"Hey…what's
with the sad face?" I put my hand on her shoulder.

"I
just…I don't know. What happens when we aren't touring with them anymore?"
she looked at me with a worried expression.

I
hugged her.

"It
will all work out."

She
sighed and nodded her head, but she wasn't convinced.

"Has
he said anything about it?"

"No,"
she shook her head. "And believe it or not, I haven't been able to bring
myself to ask him." She laughed a little.

I
feigned shock.

"What?
The great and powerful Oz is afraid of a boy?" I chuckled. She smacked me.

"Ouch!"
I rubbed my arm. "It will all work out." I kissed her cheek and put
my arm over her shoulder.

"Are
you sure I'm the big sister?" she asked, putting her head on my shoulder.

"Hell
yes! I'm not that old yet!" I laughed.

"You
little bitch!"

I
took off running with Serena close on my heels.

Elliott
let Ry win a few times and when they finished we went to play Jurassic Golf.
Ryan loved the dinosaurs and I loved the fact that I was actually kicking ass
at something. I did a couple of victory dances in Kat's face since we
partnered.

"You
are a sore winner!" she stuck her tongue out.

"Oh,
are you offering some tongue service for my birthday?" Everyone in our group
turned around to look at us.

"You
know it baby…I would love to get my tongue between –"

"Ewww…too
much information, Kat! That's like incest!" We both laughed.

"So
it's only because I'm like your sister?" she raised an eyebrow.

"You
know it baby!" I smacked her ass. "You are one hot bitch!" We
both burst into a fit of laughter.

When
the afternoon was over, we headed back to the hotel. Ryan was going to the pool
with Andrea and then having a movie night while the rest of us went out to
honor the birthday plans Laney arranged.

"Mia!"
Laney yelled from within my room.

I
walked into the bedroom and into her grasp. She pulled me over to the bed.

"Get
dressed" she smiled motioning to my outfit.

"Oh
hell no! It's my birthday I shouldn't have to wear –"

"Put
it on Mia!" she scowled.

I
could try to fight her and I could even try to negotiate, but eventually I
would lose this battle. I always did when it came to the birthday outfit.

"I'll
be back to do your hair," she said sternly and walked out of my room. With
a salute from me, she gave me one more unyielding look.

Turning
back to the bed, I sighed at the clothing lying before me. There was a pair of
black skinny jeans, which weren't the problem. That was pretty great. The
problem was the super tiny black vest looking top I was supposed to put on and
then the shoes. She was definitely trying to make this the last birthday I
would ever be able to walk.

I
put everything on before she came back into the room. She had my size
perfected. Everything fit like a glove. I stood in the mirror trying to cover
up my stomach. It was really exposed and the corset like effect of the vest
gave me more cleavage than I'd ever had in my life.

"Fuck!"
I turned at Kat's exclamation. "Mia, you look hot. I put my tongue offer
back on the table. Screw the incest shit. I would totally be your girlfriend."
She smiled and winked before she pulled me into the bathroom.