A Rock & Roll Romance (18 page)

“I’ll call and get it.” Caroline said
picking up her purse.

“I’ll go change th
e payment information.” Tim started to stand up.

“You will not.” I argue
d. “Listen, I don’t care if I have to pay for the entire thing. I was just mentioning it, in case you have the information handy. You should know by now that money means nothing to me. Aubrey means
everything
to me. Sure I have enough of it, but I want to take care of her. You’ve done an amazing job of that for the last twenty-three years, it’s my turn.”

Tim just looked at me in shock.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you like that. I just want her to wake up.” I apologized and rubbed my face with my hands.

“I know, son.” He walked over and clapped my shoulder.

I decided that even though I didn’t want to leave I needed to. I needed to calm down. The longer I sat here the harder it was getting. I knew as long as they were here that Aubrey wouldn’t be alone. I told them that I would be right back and grabbed Brett. We headed back to the hotel so I could shower and change. We drove in total silence. As soon as he pulled into the entrance I practically sprinted to our room and jumped in the shower. I dug a hat out of my bag not wanting to waste ten minutes perfecting my hair. I grabbed a small bag of Aubrey’s and put some things in it that she might want when she got up. I tossed the pink floral bag over my shoulder like a champ and headed out the door. Brett was laughing, and I told him to shut the fuck up.

We were back at the hospital in
less than an hour. I walked back into the room, and they all looked exhausted. I told them to go get something to eat and get settled at the hotel. I promised that I would call if there were any changes in Aubrey’s condition. After they left I had Brett call the label and tell them to reschedule the next two weeks of tour dates. There was no way in hell that I was leaving Texas without Aubrey.

The days were
blurring together. The next day there was no change. The day after, no change. On the third day of Aubrey being in a coma, she finally started coming around. Her eyelids were fluttering, and she was starting to mumble a little. I kept a watchful eye on her for any clue that she was going to wake up. The minutes ticked by like hours. The hours seemed like days. Until at 5:42, I felt her squeeze my hand. I was out of my chair so fast it fell backwards with a crash. Brett peeked into the room to make sure everything was okay. Tim and Caroline had just left to get something to eat, and Granny mostly stayed at the hotel. It was just me, myself and I. Her beautiful brown eyes opened and peered into mine. I could sense her anxiety.

“Baby, it’s okay. You’re okay.” I cooed
moving close to her.

I hit the button and
called for the nurse. She came breezing in a couple moments later with the doctor in tow. I refused to let go of Aubrey’s hand. The doctor checked her pupils and started asking her basic questions. She didn’t really remember what happened.

“I remember going to
get something to snack on because I wasn’t feeling well from the heat. Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me away. I tried to struggle, but it was too crowded. They hit me in the head and I remember them taking my ring. That’s all I remember.” She was getting frustrated. I shook my head at the doctor to let him know that it was enough questioning for now.

I looked
down at her left hand and saw that the ring I gave her was missing. I must really be losing it.
How the hell did I miss that?
I made a mental note to send out Brett to get a replacement. There had to be a Cartier in Houston, right? I was just relieved that she was awake and talking. The doctor said that it was okay for her to have something light to eat, but she really needed to rest. I called Brett in and gave him orders to get Aubrey food and a replacement ring. I put my hand on the side of her face and lightly kissed her lips. They were dry, but I didn’t care.

“You gave us all quite the scare, baby. Your mom and dad are here. So is Granny Jean. I’ll
call and let them know you’re awake.”

She held a hand up.

“Just come hold me for a minute. I missed you.” She whispered.

“I missed you too.
So much.”

She scooted over so
that I could climb into bed next to her. She leaned over and put her head on my shoulder and her arm around my stomach.

“I dreamed about you.
” I raised an eyebrow. “Actually, I dreamed that we had a baby. I never thought that I wanted kids. But, after seeing you with our baby I want at least three.” She teased. My heart swelled. A baby with Aubrey would be amazing. I bet she would look fantastic pregnant.

“A
baby, huh? I’ll give you a football team if you want. I just want you to be happy.” I leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

“
I know. You make me happy.” She smiled.

“You’re going to
need to give a statement to police. It can wait until after you eat and see your parents.” 

Brett came back a little while later with some food and a
small red bag. I took the red bag and set it aside. I pulled everything out and set it up on the tray table. He got lemonade, soup and grilled cheese. I fed her bites of the broccoli cheddar soup. When she finished, I called Tim to let them know that she was up. They were on their way, but Granny Jean beat them over. Brett was going to let the police know she was awake. Granny stormed into the room.

“Bran muffin, you look like hell.”

“Thanks so much, Granny.” Aubrey said rolling her eyes.

“Glad to see
you’re back to your smart-ass self. I was worried when you hit your head that you’d become a regular.” She teased.

I
laughed. Tim and Caroline breezed into the room a couple minutes later. I got up to move off the bed, but Aubrey dug her nails into my leg. I looked quizzically at her. She shrugged and gave me a half smile. They came over and hugged her tightly. She assured them that she was fine, just a little achy. They visited until the cops showed up. They found her wallet in a garbage can and brought the contents from it. They were keeping the actual wallet hoping to pull a print and get a match. They questioned her about what happened and informed us that there were no surveillance cameras for them to cross check. Then they asked about the missing ring in question. I told them since it made the press that anyone could have known about it, and how much it cost. They asked about the price, and I told them it was just under fifty thousand. The cop looked at me dumbstruck. I didn’t tell them that I just bought a replica. I could only imagine the look they would have given me then. I explained to them that I was in love and that
nothing
was too good for my girl. They left and told us that they would be in touch.

Aubrey wanted to
shower, so I called for the nurse again. She said it was fine, but for her to be careful because she was going to be weak. I helped her out of bed and over to the bathroom. I untied the hospital gown and looked at the bruise that took up most of her side. She must have gotten it when she fell. I helped her into the shower and washed her hair for her. When she was done, I wrapped her in a towel and carried her back to the bed. I fished out a clean pair of underwear from the bag that I brought. She cocked an eyebrow at me, and it was my turn to shrug. I pulled out her hairbrush too. I helped her get into a fresh hospital gown and brushed her hair. She looked tired, so I told her to sleep. As I was watching her, I had an idea. Once she was sleeping I went into the hallway to talk to Brett. I asked the doctor when the discharge would be. He said as long as she was feeling up to it that she could go home tomorrow. I had Brett make all the necessary arrangements and went back to lay with Aubrey.

Aubrey

I opened my eyes and felt my head throbbing. Jake was still sleeping next to me, which was a first since he was always awake before me. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he was a supernatural or something since he barely slept and yet still had more energy than anyone I knew. I wanted to get out of here and sleep in a normal bed that didn’t smell like disinfectant. I tried to move so I could to get up to go to the bathroom, but Jake opened his eyes. He insisted on helping me, and I reluctantly let him, knowing fighting was futile.

My parents came with breakfast
sandwiches and to say goodbye. They were going home today since I was being released. My mom kissed my cheek. My dad hugged me tightly and told Jake to take care of me. Jake went back into my bag and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie for me to change into. I pulled my hair up in a hair elastic and piled it on the top of my head. He insisted on helping me get dressed. I may as well have been an invalid as far as he was concerned. He even tied my shoes. The nurse came in and went over the discharge instructions. Then she wished us a great trip.
Trip?
I looked at Jake.

“We’re going to LA for some R&R.” He looked at me intently.
“Everything is already in the car. We just have to get to the airport.” he grinned. “You’ll get to see how your better half lives.”

I climbed into the wheelchair for the mandatory ride. Once we were out the doors he helped me up
, and we climbed into the waiting SUV. There were a couple paparazzi waiting to snap a picture, but overall we got away unscathed. We went directly to the airport and boarded the plane. We arrived in LA at three in the afternoon. Brett said that it was business as usual, and he wasn’t taking any risks. He walked off the plane and checked the car and the surrounding area. Once he came back with the all clear we exited the plane. We drove to Jake’s house in California traffic. I decided that if I lived here I wouldn’t leave the house, unless I could walk.

We pulled up to a house on the ocean
. Brett punched in a series of numbers into a keypad, and the gate swung open. Jake was grinning like the Cheshire cat. He climbed out and held his hand out. Jake told Brett to go home. He said could come back tomorrow, but not before he called. He fished his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door pushing it open. He walked over to the wall and quickly shut off the alarm. The house smelled like the beach. As soon as the bags were inside he locked the door and reset the alarm. There were no walls on the inside, and the entire back of the house was glass. It was painted in varying shades of light blues and greens. It was filled with high-end electronics. There was a spiral staircase off in the corner. I looked at it in awe. Ever since I was little I always wanted a spiral staircase. I used to beg my dad to build me one. It was impossible since we lived in a single story ranch. He said it led up to his room. He took my hand and led me over.

I took the stairs up to
Jake’s room. The entire room was painted in ocean blue and white. His furniture was made of driftwood. He had a king sized bed in the middle of the room facing the ocean. I walked over to the sliding door that led to a balcony. He unlocked it and slid the door open. There were two turquoise chairs and an umbrella strategically placed on the white plank boards. I felt the warm breeze off the ocean across my face. I breathed in the salty air. I walked over to his bed and flopped down. It was comfortable and smelled like him. He came and sat on the bed next to me. I was already feeling much better. 

“What do you think?”
He asked.

“I think I never want to leave.” I told him.

“I was kind of hoping that you would say that.” He kissed me gently.

He leaned over and grabbed the remote to switch on the TV. He ordered us some
Chinese take-out and told me we would have to go food shopping tomorrow. He also said that we could go to the beach and the hot tub. I sulked and told him I wanted to go in the hot tub now. I won. After dinner, we were in the hot tub soaking away. I slipped across and straddled his lap. I brushed my lips against his. He tried to protest, but I wasn’t having it.

“I missed you.” I pouted
my bottom lip.

“Aubrey
, you were just in a coma for three days.”

“Exactly
, which means I was without this for three whole days.” I grabbed his crotch and massaged gently. “I’m feeling slighted.” I pouted.

“Baby
, my restraint isn’t that good. Come on.” He pleaded, but I persisted.

I slipped
out of my bottoms and pushed his down. I slowly slid down onto him. He leaned his head back, and I bit his neck gently. We made love by the stars, and I relished in every moment of it. Later when we were in bed, I remembered something and mildly freaked out.

“Jake, you’re going to be so mad at me.” I cried.

He looked slightly freaked out. “What’s the matter baby?”

“I haven’t been taking my
pill, and we just had sex.”

He let out a deep breath.
“Yeah, so?”

“So, I
could get pregnant.” As if it wasn’t blatantly obvious.

“You said
in your dream that we had a baby. It’ll just happen sooner if that’s the case.” He shrugged like it was no big deal.

“You’re not even
upset? I wouldn’t want you to feel trapped.” Gah, how could I have been so stupid.