Reckless (54 page)

“Damn, I’m going to have to go get them.” Which also meant I was going to have to barge into a room full of Kell-Sex supporters. I really didn’t have a choice,
though.

Anna nodded, a groan escaping her. “Get Griffin . . . I want Griffin.” She sounded like a little girl, lost and afraid.

I patted her back, then stood up to go find her husband. Her voice made me pause at the door. “Kiera!” she shrieked.

When I turned back to her, she was looking at me with panic clear on her face. “I think I just peed my pants.”

I shot back over to her. Her black stretchy pants were soaked, and the chair beneath her was wet. My mouth dropped open. “No, I think your water just broke.”

My sister officially started to freak out. “No, no, no! I am
not
giving birth backstage at a rock concert. I need to be in a hospital, pumped full of every drug that they can
legally give me!”

I was so shocked, my only response was, “Well, he was
conceived
backstage at a concert, so it’s sort of fitting for him to be born at one.”

Anna smacked my arm, and not gently. I was going to be bruised tomorrow. “Get me to a fucking hospital, Kiera!”

Not wanting to endanger myself any further, I turned and fled the room. For the first time since this tour began, I couldn’t find a single person. Not a damn roadie in sight. There were
usually people running around, doing something, but nobody was backstage. It was like a ghost town. Cursing my bad luck, I ran to the one spot I knew held people . . . lots of people. It was where
I needed to go anyway, since Griffin was in that room.

I could hear squeaks and squeals as I approached the room, and figured the parade past the rock stars had just begun. The doors were wide open when I got there, and a few excited fans were just
starting to trickle out. Some had red cheeks, like they’d been crying. Needing to get to Griffin, I breezed past them. One gasped and exclaimed, “Is that Kellan’s whore?”
Another replied, “Yeah, I think it is. I can’t believe her nerve. What is she doing here?”

I gritted my jaw and ignored them. I had much more important things on my plate right now than gossip. When I burst into the room, my eyes instantly locked on Kellan. His went wide when he saw
me. Alarm spread over his features as clear as day. He knew I wouldn’t come in here unless it was absolutely necessary. I knew the fans would take his alarm as panic—
Oh no, my
mistress is in the same room as my girlfriend
—but I knew that Kellan sensed something was wrong, very wrong.

Standing beside Sienna, he tried to step forward to get to me, but the crowd of fans wasn’t letting him move. He wasn’t who I needed to see, though.

Ignoring him, I cut through the twisting lines of fans to get to Griffin. That got me a lot of unwanted attention. A silence fell around me that quickly turned into harsh whispers. I made out a
lot of “It’s her! She’s here! What a bitch!” As people started realizing who I was, people started reacting. At first, they just wouldn’t let me get through them. I
asked politely, I nudged, but it was like the wall of fans had suddenly turned to stone; they all had questions, and they weren’t moving until they got some answers. Panic set in. My sister
was going to have a baby. She needed her husband. I needed to get through. That’s all I could think about. In my haste, I started shoving through them. None too thrilled with me, they shoved
right back. While the area around me started turning into a mosh pit, I did start making some progress . . . especially when they started shoving me from behind. Hey, whatever it took to get me to
Griffin.

Just as I was almost to him, I was shoved up against some tough-looking girl sporting a bright pink fauxhawk. She also was wearing a Kell-Sex shirt. I wanted to sigh when the recognition flashed
in her eyes. She didn’t even give me a chance to politely excuse myself so I could move around her. No, much to the delight of everyone around her, she full on slapped me. I’d never
been slapped before, and I had a newfound appreciation for how much it sucked. I vowed to never hit a human being again, even if they deserved it.

My left ear was ringing, but I clearly heard Kellan shout, “Hey!” There was commotion behind me, but I took the fans’ moment of distraction to finally make my way to Griffin.
His eyes were just as wide as Kellan’s had been. “Holy shit, she actually hit you. You okay?”

Anger clouded Griffin’s face as he glared at the fauxhawked fan. Not needing him to defend my honor right now, I grabbed his hand. “Anna’s in labor. Her water broke. We have to
get her to a hospital . . . now!”

His mouth dropped. “She’s . . .” His eyes flashed to the door blocked by hundreds of fans no longer waiting patiently in organized lines. I could hear Tory trying to calm them
down, and I could hear Kellan calling my name. I ignored it all as I focused on Griffin. His eyes came back to mine, concerned. “She okay?”

I shook my head and pulled on his arm. “No . . . she’s freaking out, and I had to leave her alone to come find you.”

Griffin nodded, then started shoving his way forward. He wasn’t as nice or as polite as I’d been. “Get the fuck out of my way!” Still holding my hand, he pulled me
through the sea of startled fans. Matt and Evan tried to follow, but they were swallowed up by the crowd closing in behind our wake. When I passed by Kellan, I yelled over the din, “Anna!
Hospital!”

Kellan understood immediately and turned to Sienna. The poor, frazzled fans in the room had absolutely no clue what was going on, but they took the chaos I’d created as an opportunity to
bypass social politeness and swarm their beloved stars. Kellan was crushed back into the wall by eager people wanting his attention. The fans not close enough to love on him hated on me. I was
cursed at, tripped, and I’m pretty sure someone spat in my hair. Griffin pulled me through the mayhem and out into the relative safety of the hallway. Things 1 and 2 rushed into the room
after we left. I hoped they took the time to free Kellan as well as Sienna. I quickly prayed his fans wouldn’t hurt him, then rushed after Griffin toward my sister.

Anna was pacing the room when we got there, rubbing her back and exhaling loudly. Sweat beaded her brow as she glanced at the door. The pain in her face eased to relief when she saw Griffin.
“Griff? This is starting to really fucking hurt.”

Griffin ran his hands back through his hair. “Okay, no problem. We’ll get you to a hospital, and they’ll knock you out.” He rushed over to her and supported her arm as he
helped her from the room.

I didn’t want to burst Anna’s bubble that it was probably too late for drugs, but I did feel like I should mention one tiny little detail that they both seemed to be forgetting
about. “What about tonight’s show?”

Griffin immediately remembered where he was. “Fuck!” His eyes bored into mine. “You know our songs. You play for me.”

“I can barely strum a guitar!”

Griffin patted me on the back as he walked past me. “You’ll do fine. Good luck!”

I watched him walk away, wondering if I’d really just become the replacement bassist for the D-Bags. Shaking my head, I ran after Griffin. “No, I’m coming to the hospital with
you guys. I’d probably get egged on stage anyway.”

Griffin was beyond caring about his band’s fate as he rubbed Anna’s back. “Matt will handle it. He handles everything.” I silently prayed Matt didn’t have an
aneurism tonight.

As we opened the rear exit, I wondered if I should call a cab or an ambulance. But it turned out that I didn’t need to call either. A car from the label pulled up as Anna huffed and puffed
her way down the stairs. The young driver looked startled at the sight before him, but swiftly opened the door for Anna and Griffin. As I climbed in, I remembered Kellan turning to talk to Sienna
before they were mobbed. He must have asked for her to get a car here. I made a mental note to thank Sienna later.

As the driver hurried us along the streets of Philadelphia, the phone still clutched in my hand rang. It was Kellan. Grateful that he hadn’t been crushed to death, I answered, “Hey,
you’re okay.”

Kellan let out a long exhale. “I was going to say the same thing. I can’t believe that bitch hit you.”

“I’m fine.” My cheek was still warm from the slap, and it wouldn’t surprise me if I had finger marks on my skin, but I was doing considerably better than my sister. She
was breathing hard, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she clenched her jaw and struggled to contain the pain.

“How’s Anna?” Kellan asked while I watched her from the front seat.

“She’s . . . okay.” Anna closed her eyes as a pained noise escaped her. More tenderly than I ever would have thought possible, Griffin held her in his arms and whispered words
of encouragement in her ear. They were a heartwarming sight, and suddenly the idea of Griffin beside my family on Christmas morning didn’t sound quite so odd.

In my ear, Kellan told me, “I wish I could be there with you, but Matt’s freaking out about the show. David is going to fill in for Griffin, and we’re having an emergency
practice session to get him up to speed. But I’ll tell Sienna I’m skipping the encore tonight and come after our set. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

I wasn’t sure if she would, but I also knew she’d have to chain Kellan up if she wanted him to stay put. “Okay, I’ll see you then. Good luck.”

“Yeah, you too.” He laughed dryly.

When we pulled up to the emergency room of one the many hospitals in the city, I quickly texted Denny. We had a plethora of friends back home who would want to know Anna was having her baby
tonight, so I asked him to relay the message. Griffin was helping Anna out of the car so I hopped out and ran around to help him. Between the two of us, we got her to the emergency room doors. She
kept trying to squat, like she had to pee. Hoping she wasn’t doing what I think she was doing, I urgently told her, “Don’t push yet, Anna, we’re almost there.”

Her eyes flashed over to mine. “It’s not exactly something I can control. You have no idea what this feels like!”

“I know, just try,” I nodded.

Heads looked up when the three of us entered the peaceful room; thankfully it was a slow night. Griffin met eyes with a nurse at the desk. “We need help! My wife’s about to
pop.”

A small bit of relief washed through me that Griffin had managed to state what he needed without cursing. The nurse hopped up and grabbed a wheelchair for Anna. She handed Griffin a clipboard of
paperwork. “I’ll need you to fill out these while I admit her.”

Griffin looked at the stack of papers like they were written in a foreign language. “I’m not filling out fucking forms while my wife gives birth. Are you fucking crazy,
lady?”

Exhaling in exasperation, I snatched the clipboard from Griffin. So much for him not swearing. “I’ll fill them out. You go with Anna.” To the nurse, I added, “We think
her water already broke.”

The nurse nodded and started wheeling Anna through the double doors. Griffin was right on her heels. Before he disappeared, he tossed over his shoulder, “Thanks, Kiera.”

I sighed and sat down, knowing that my nephew was most likely going to be born while I was filling out the damn paperwork. But Anna and Griffin doing this alone seemed appropriate.

When I finished with the clipboard, I handed it to the nurse who’d admitted my sister. She told me where Anna had been taken. I passed by a gift shop on the way there and stopped to buy my
sister a blue teddy bear. Feeling the silky blue ribbon wrapped around the bear’s neck, I made my way up to the birthing rooms.

Walking over to the nurse’s station, I started to ask for Anna’s room when I spotted Griffin. He was walking down the hall in a daze. A stream of fear washed through me at the look
on his face. Walking past me, he slumped into a chair in the waiting room. Torn between talking to him and rushing to my sister’s side, I tentatively sat beside him. “Griffin? You . . .
okay?”

His face still blank, he looked over at me. His pale eyes were wider than I’d ever seen. “That . . . was . . . the most . . . disgusting thing . . . I’ve ever seen.”

My fear vanished. She was okay. I patted his knee and his expression changed. Peace filled his face. “And the most incredible.” His eyes filled to the brim and I felt my throat
tightening. “You should have seen Anna, Kiera. She was so brave.” I nodded and had the oddest desire to hug him. Before I could he added, “You can see her now. She’s
absolutely beautiful . . . perfect, just like her mom.”

It took a minute for what he’d said to register. “She? Anna had a girl?”

Griffin nodded as a tear rolled down his cheek. “Damn tech was wrong. Anna was right . . . She usually is.” My hands flew to my mouth as a sob escaped me. Then I tossed my arms
around Griffin and held him tight. He laughed and cried in my arms, and I felt something for Griffin that I had never felt before—a deep, familial love.

Drying my cheeks, I hopped up out of the chair. “What room?”

Standing, Griffin pointed down the hall he’d just come from. “There. I’ll take you.”

My sister looked drained and radiant as we walked into the room. She was holding a tiny bundle wrapped in pink blankets and wearing a pastel striped hat. I started crying again. When Anna looked
up at me, her cheeks were wet. “I did it, Kiera.”

I leaned down to hug her, overwhelmed. “I knew you would do great.” She adjusted the tiny person resting on her chest so I could see the baby’s face. She was plump, pink
perfection, with pudgy cheeks that begged to be kissed. Like she knew I was watching, she opened her slate blue eyes and gazed at me. Her mouth opened, like she was already trying to smile. Griffin
was right, she was absolutely breathtaking, quite possibly the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. No, she
definitely
was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

One small hand was free of the blankets encasing her, and I gently reached out to touch her. Her fingers instinctively wrapped around my pinky, and I sobbed again. Lifting the blue bear in my
other hand, I told Anna, “I guess I need to go exchange this for a pink one.”

Anna nodded. “I told that cow I was having a girl.”