Just Beyond the Curve (14 page)

John blinked, then tried to speak, but couldn’t, so
smiled a little.

“You didn’t come home a couple of weeks ago after
your practice. I came looking for you and found you here. Jake told
me you forgot to duck.”

John smiled and blinked his eyes, then raised his
eyebrow as if asking what happened.

“You were hurt real bad. But, you’re gonna be fine.
Half of Austin is out front rooting for you. Don’t let them down
John. They love you!”

“Family,” John managed to whisper weakly. “Love them.
How’s baby?”

Judy felt like jumping up and down and screaming to
the world that her husband was going to be just fine! He remembered
everything that was important to him, so the massive loss of blood
he had suffered hadn’t caused brain damage. She felt like she
wanted to put him inside her and keep him safe from everything that
could ever hurt him again.

“They know, John,” she said. “I told them you loved
them. The baby’s fine so don’t worry about anything. I need to go
get Momma and Billy. They want to see you. Do you feel up to
it?”

John smiled and his nod was barely perceptible, but
Judy saw it. She stood up, kissed his lips again, then went for
Misty and Billy. “I’ll be right back,” she said, then stopped and
turned back around. “Want some water before I go?” she asked.

He nodded his head and she stepped back and took the
cup of water from the nightstand. She directed the straw to his
mouth and watched as he tried to empty the glass. “Boy, I guess you
was thirsty!” she said with an unbelieving giggle and he finished
half the glass, then began on the second half. When he nodded Judy
took the glass away and sat it back on the nightstand. “I’ll be
right back,” she said, then went out the door.

She was back a few minutes later with Billy and a
crying Misty in tow. Billy went to the far side of the bed and
stood looking with an expression of awe on his face. Misty stood on
the other side with John’s hand held tightly in her own, she cried
tears of joy.

“I’m a wreck,” she said sorrowfully. “I’m sorry John.
We’ve been so worried. We love you terribly!” she admitted, then
kissed him tenderly on the cheek, then the lips.

“Can I see your scar?” Billy asked, hopefully.

John laughed a little, then grimaced in pain, and
laughed again when Billy smiled eagerly.

“Billy! You sadist!” Misty accused. “Don’t make him
laugh! He’ll tear his stitches!”

“It’s been weeks! He oughta be healed up by now! I
just wanna see his scar!” he said breathlessly.

John attempted to pull the sheet and blanket down,
but was too weak and couldn’t quite reach it. Misty saw his attempt
and assisted him. She stared unbelievingly at the trunk long
incision.

“Holey moley!” Billy exclaimed breathlessly. Look at
all them stitches! Boy, there must be a hundred of them! Hey, them
ain’t stitches! Them’s staples! I’ll bet that hurt like crazy!”

No one noticed when Dr. Black entered the room and
stood watching and listening. He stepped up beside Judy and placed
his hand across her shoulders, then looked down at her and smiled.
She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand excitedly, then pulled
him down and kissed his cheek. “He’s awake!” she said
excitedly.

“So I see,” Black replied, not saying that the
monitors alerted the nurses’ station and they notified him. He
stepped forward and looked down at John. “How, ya doin’, John?”

“Been better,” John said weakly.

“I ‘magine so,” Black said with a wry smile. “Well,
let’s have a look see.”

Black pulled the blanket down to John’s waist, then
slipped on some latex gloves and started probing and gently
squeezing the incision. “Hurt?” he asked, glancing up at John’s
face.

John shook his head no.

“Good,” Black said seriously. “This may a
little.”

He squeezed a reddish, inflamed looking area along
John’s lower sternum. A small amount of yellow-green pus came to
the surface. Black wiped it off with a piece of sterile gauze,
brought the pad to his nose and sniffed.

“Ooh, gross!” Billy exclaimed with a sour grossed out
expression.

“Pus is not always a sign of infection,” Black said
with a smile at Billy. “It is often a sign of healthy healing. No
rancid smell, no infection. Putrid smell, potential problems.
Better to catch it early. Wanna smell?” he asked offering the pad
to Billy for a whiff.

“I’ll pass,” Billy replied, turning his head away in
disgust.

“So you’re not potential doctor material, huh?” Black
chided.

“Heck no!” Billy replied. “I wanna be a superstar
like John!”

“Be a doctor, Billy,” John said softly. “It’s
safer.”

“Danny was just jealous ‘cause you learned so fast
and took Judy outta his future. He was really mad about that!”
Billy said flatly.

“Mad enough to try and kill him?” Black asked.

“A hunnerd times over!” Billy said seriously. “He was
really in love with Judy. Since grade school, he said.”

“I never knew that,” Judy said with a trace of wonder
in her voice.

“He was really shy and when he was sad or troubled,
he took it out on animals he could catch. He’s killed and tortured
no telling how many!”

“That’s not a good sign,” Black said.

“Why didn’t you tell someone, Billy?” Misty asked
disbelieving that Billy would keep something like that to himself
for so long.

“I ain’t no rat, Mom!” Billy replied. “Danny was my
friend. But not anymore! Not after this!” he indicated John. “I’d
never hurt someone he loved!”

They all grew quiet, deep in thought over what Billy
said. Then Black noticed that John was drifting off to sleep. “We’d
better clear out and let him get some rest. He’ll need a lot of it
in the months to come.”

That afternoon Judy led Jake and Janice in to see
John for a few minutes. Janice told John it was an honor for her to
meet such a superstar. He sighed and told her he was just a person,
same as her. She kissed his cheek and wished him the best, then
Jake led her from the room and out for dinner. During those hours
Jake learned a lot about her and he later passed it on to John.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A week later a silver Mercedes stretch limousine
rolled silently up to the front entrance to the hospital. A large
crowd stood around watching, waiting for their superstar to come
out and wave at them.

When he did he was surrounded by family and band
members and even some of the hospital staff were on hand for him.
As he came out the door in his wheelchair his fans cheered
excitedly.

Janice stood in front of the crowd smiling and at the
same time wiping her tears with the back of her hands, then waving
at him with the free one. She approached him hesitantly. Jake told
her John was expecting it.

John stood from the wheelchair and gently gathered
her into his arms. He kissed her tenderly and said, “Thanks for the
visit and your support and prayers.”

“You’re welcome, John,” she replied tearfully. “I
love you.”

“Thank you,” John replied. “Jake told me you’re quite
a little songbird.”

“I’m not that good,” she replied, thinking of her
father.

“Jake says otherwise,” John said smiling. “Come by
the studio when you can. Let us be the judge, okay?”

“I will,” Janice nodded with a tearful smile, then
accepted another kiss from John. “Thank you, John,” she said,
stepping back so he could get into the limousine.

“My pleasure,” John assured her, then slid into the
car. He was quickly followed by family members. The band members,
Allen, Sandy and Toby Jackson drove back to the studio in their own
car and John went back to Wimberley.

In the limousine, as it was pulling away from the
door, Misty and Judy stared accusingly at John. “What was that all
about?” Judy asked him.

“All of what?” John asked innocently.

“With Janice Reeves?” Misty said incredulously.

John stared at Misty completely baffled by her
question.

“She’s a singer looking for a break,” he said
finally, realizing what they were suggesting. “I’m giving her
one.”

“As long as that’s all you give her!” Judy said.

“Are you jealous?” he asked with a sly smile.

“A hint!” Misty said just as Judy said “Yes!”

“It’s just business,” John assured them. “She’s a fan
and Jake’s friend. You know you’re the only woman for me. I love
you, Judy. And you too, Misty.”

“How about me?” Billy asked seriously.

“You too Billy,” John said with a smile and a rub of
Billy’s tangled head.

“Tell ‘em John, to just leave you alone! You’re the
boss!”

“Doesn’t work that way, Billy; wish it did,” John
replied with a grin.

“If I was the boss, it would!” Billy said, then
crossed his arms angrily, for emphasis.

“And that’s why you’re not the boss, Mister,” Misty
said.

“A wife should trust her husband and not see every
other woman as a threat.” John stared out the window watching the
scenery go by.

“Every other woman
is
a threat!” Judy said
knowingly.

“How about Misty,” John asked. “Is she a threat?”

“I don’t know. Are you mom?”

“Every step of the way!” Misty grinned wolfishly.
“He’s
so
hot!” She shook her hand as if it were burning,
stuck her tongue out the corner of her mouth, and laughed when Judy
turned red in the face and said, “
Mom
!”

John and Billy laughed causing Misty to laugh harder,
then Judy, realizing she had been had, started laughing, too.

A few minutes later John stared out the window at a
passing truck stop/cafe off the service road. He had no idea at the
time but he would be buying it before long.

*****

Pam Jenkins was a young woman in her early thirties
whose son Josh was dying in the Children’s Hospital cancer ward not
far away. She was also a waitress in the cafe. She worked for her
brother-in-law, who blamed her for his brother’s death on a
construction site in Kansas City. Still, he felt obligated to look
out for her and her son. But even his generosity had its bounds.
And right now he was seriously considering firing her. She was on
the phone again with her weakling son. He actually doubted that
Josh was really his brother’s son. There had never been a case of
cancer in his family before.

“Pam!” he said angrily. “He’ll be there when you get
off work!”

She held her finger up, mumbled something, laughed,
then carefully replaced the receiver on the hook. She looked sadly
at Brian, her brother-in-law, whom she knew hated her and resented
her dependence on him. But, she earned everything she got from the
heartless animal, who’s cousin had tried to kill a famous country
singer,
had
killed a cop
and
his own parents and was
now sitting, in the county jail waiting to get the death penalty!
So who was Brian to claim purity? Too bad it wasn’t him and not the
teenager!

Pam looked out the window just in time to see a long
silver limousine streak down the interstate. She wondered what it
would be like to have that kind of money; never worrying about a
bill or food and choosing who, and if, you worked for someone else.
She figured she’d never get the chance to learn about that.
However, the wheels of fate were slowly turning and constantly
dragging the present just beyond the curve to what awaited us
all.

*****

In Austin, Janice sat in the recording room on a tall
four legged stool. A black foam covered microphone hung slightly
above her mouth, so she had to lift her head slightly, thus opening
her throat, in order to sing
into
it. On her head she wore
large headphones and music played loudly through them. She listened
intently, then perfectly in time and on key she began to sing the
lyrics to her song.

In the sound booth Allen and Toby sat with their
mouths open, spellbound at the crystal clarity of Janice’s
voice.

“Toby did we die and go to heaven?” Allen asked
softly.

“I don’t know,” Toby replied as if aggravated at
being distracted from Janice’s singing. “But if this is what it
sounds like, I won’t mind going so much!”

“Hear hear,” Allen agreed with a wistful look in his
eyes. “The tape
is
rollin’, ain’t it?”

“For my uncle, you ain’t very smart!” Toby chided
him. “Of course the tape’s rollin’!”

“We may have another hit maker on our hands with this
little girl!” Allen said.

“Yeah, but without John we’re back to one, again. But
one’s better’n none!”

“What tha hell’s John’s problem?” Allen asked
irritatingly. “Hell he’s well ain’t he?”

“Not according to him,” Toby said sarcastically.

“I’ll have a talk with him. See can I straighten ‘im
out!”

Allen turned and left the room, shaking his head as
he went out the door and closing it behind him.

From the studio Janice saw him and immediately got
the wrong impression. She got misty eyed as if knowing she had
failed, but put her entire soul into the last verse of the
song.

As the final note faded into silence. She took a deep
breath, reached up and removed the headphones and laid them on the
stool she had been sitting on, then wiped her eyes and started for
the door.

“Janice, is everything alright?” Toby asked with a
trace of concern in his voice.

“You tell me,” Janice said, stopping and looking at
him through the large plate glass window.

“You were beautiful, Sweetie,” Toby assured her. “We
need about a dozen more songs. Originals, if you have some?”

Janice turned and started for the door once again.
She opened it and stepped out directly into Toby coming from the
mixing room. He saw Janice was in silent tears. “What’s wrong,
Sweetheart?” he asked, his face a mask of concern.

“I don’t have any originals,” she said sadly.