Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story (17 page)

For the first time in years, he thought about the drugs he used in another lifetime to dull the pain.  If he could have one drink, he thought, just to take off the edge.  Maybe that would cloud the reality of the situation.  He raked his fingers through his long hair and felt a burning knot begin to boil in his stomach.  Glancing at the clock, he realized it was almost dinner time and he hadn’t eaten all day.

“Where’s your closest bathroom?” he asked a nurse behind the admittance desk.

“Around the corner and to your left,” she answered.  “Are you all right, sir?”

Michael didn’t wait around to give her a reply and bolted to the bathroom.  With seconds to spare, he threw up the one cup of coffee he’d consumed earlier that was now gnawing through the lining of his stomach.  When he was finished, he found a chair alone in a corner of the waiting area and hung his head between his knees.

“Can I help you, sir?” the admitting nurse asked Brian.  Hearing her voice, Michael lifted his head.

“Yes, I’m looking for Michael Wade.”

“I’m over here,” Michael said, staggering to his feet.

The expression on Brian’s face reflected shock and concern.  “You’re covered in blood.”

Michael glanced down at his shirt and hands and realized what Brian was referring to.  “It’s from Annie.”

“Hey, I’m really sorry.  Is she…okay?”

“She’s still in surgery.  I’m waiting for a God damned doctor to come out and talk to me,” Michael said, raising his voice.  Then his knees began to buckle beneath him.

“Whoa, sit down,” Brian insisted.  “Do you know what happened?”

“I don’t know.  By the looks of it, Sammy must have been driving Annie home.  She was still wearing the clothes she had on at our gig last night.  Jesus, Brian, you had to see it!  I can’t get the images out of my head,” his voice cracked and he bent his head to hide his emotion.  “She died right in front of me, Brian.  I saw the life drain from her body and she flat-lined.  Three times they used the paddles on her.  Three fucking times before the EMT’s got back a heartbeat,” he said, looking up at Brian again.  “You know, out of all the music we’ve created in the last twenty-five years, hearing the beep of her heart on that monitor was the best God damned sound I’ve heard in my life.”

Michael stood and began to pace again, his steps teetering.  “This is my fault, you know.”

“How the hell do you figure that?  You weren’t driving the car and, until we see an accident report, we don’t even know if Sammy was at fault.  Maybe someone cut him off or something.”

Michael sat back down beside Brian.  “You don’t understand.  After the photographers left the dressing room last night, Annie and I got into a fight.  Actually, it was more of a screaming match.  I wasn’t mad at her.  I was pissed off at myself.  But she got into my face and gave it right back to me.  And you know what she said before she walked out?”

“What?”

“She told me to go to hell.”  He dropped his head again between his knees and exhaled loudly.  “Do you realize, if she dies, that fight will be the last memory I’ll have of her.”

“Don’t talk like that, Mike.  She’s not going to die.”

Michael ran his fingers through his hair and tipped his head back to rest against the wall.  “If we hadn’t gotten into that fight, she wouldn’t have left with Sammy.  Maybe then the accident wouldn’t have happened and Sammy would still be alive.”

“Mike, you can’t think like that.  This isn’t your fault.”

Michael drew a deep breath and glared right into Brian's eyes.  “I love her Brian.  I'm
in love
with her,” he said slowly, exaggerating each word.  “How many times have you heard me say that about any of the women you've ever seen with me?”

“Never,” Brian quickly answered.

“That’s because I’ve never been in love with anyone before Annie.  Not even my God damned ex-wife!  I can’t lose her now.  It took me too long to find her.”

“Trust me, you’re not going to lose Annie.  You’ll see.  She’ll pull through this.”

A long silence fell between the two men until Brian finally spoke.

“Listen.  I called Sammy’s parents.  They’re going to meet me here.  I told them Thrust would pay for all the funeral arrangements,” Brian said, his voice a somber whisper.  “I thought it was the least we could do for all the help Sammy has given us through the years.”

“I agree.  How’d they take it?”

“Not too good.  I think they’re in shock.  Sammy’s older brother is going to drive them here so at least they won’t have to come alone.  Before I left, I also contacted everyone else I thought needed to know about the situation.  Hopefully, the press won’t get wind of this.  Otherwise, we’ll be dealing with a major circus event here.”

“Shit.  I hadn’t even considered that.  What about Annie’s band?”

“I was told someone from the promotion office would contact each of them.”

Suddenly a man dressed in full surgical attire stood before them.

“Are you the man that came in with Annie Logan?” a young doctor asked Michael.

“Yes, I’m Michael Wade,” he replied attempting to stand.

“No, please sit,” the doctor insisted, and took a seat opposite Brian and Michael.  “Annie is out of surgery,” he sighed, then he shook his head.  “I’m sorry, I wish I had better news for you, Mr. Wade.”

“Please, I want you to give it to me straight.”

“Okay.  Annie has sustained several serious injuries.  Any one of them could have killed her.  But she’s young and she’s still hanging in there.  She has a skull fracture and there is some swelling of her brain; which we’ll have to watch.  If it continues to swell then we’ll have to consider another procedure to reduce the pressure before there is brain damage.”

Michael sighed softly.  Skull fracture, brain damage, he couldn’t even consider the reality of it.

“She received severe blunt trauma to her stomach area, probably from wearing her seat belt.  I was able to repair a substantial laceration to her liver, which stopped her internal bleeding.  But we had to remove her spleen.”

“Does she need that?” Brian asked.

“No, thankfully, you can live without a spleen,” the doctor answered, then returned his eyes to Michael.  “I’m not sure if you noticed her leg injury?”

“Yes, I did.”

“At this point, that has me the most concerned.  Usually, when the injury is that substantial, we are unable to save the limb.”

“What are you saying?  Did you amputate her leg?”

“No.  For the moment, we’ve stabilized the bones in her ankle by surgically implanting steel plates and screws which are literally holding all the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle.  Hopefully, it will be enough to stimulate the healing process but I can’t guarantee normal mobility or that she will be able to walk on it again.  And if the bones don’t show adequate healing, we may have to consider other options.”

“Can I see her?”

“Well, she is still under anesthesia, but if you keep the visit brief.”

Suddenly, the doctor pulled the beeping pager from his pocket and quietly read the message.  “I’m sorry, Mr. Wade, but your visit with Annie will have to wait.”

Michael turned to Brian, anger and frustration distorting his facial features.  “I can’t take much more of this.  Either someone is going to let me in to see Annie or I’m going to find her myself.”

“Let them do their jobs,” Brian tried to soothe.

Moments later, Sammy’s parents arrived through the emergency room doors.  Brian escorted them down to the morgue to identify their son, leaving Michael alone to wait for word on Annie.  Two hours later the same doctor reappeared.  Michael stood up to greet him. 

“Annie had a seizure in the recovery room and has slipped into a coma,” the doctor said cold and matter-of-factly.

Michael fell back into his seat.  “So, what does that mean?”

“There is swelling of her brain.  We inserted a drainage tube into her skull to try and relieve some of the pressure.  Tomorrow we should be able to give you a better prognosis.  But for now, it’s a wait and see situation.  In most cases, once the pressure is released, the duration of the coma is a matter of a few days.  But like I said, we’ll know more tomorrow.  The next twenty-four hours for her are critical.”

“Can I see her now?”

“Yes, please follow me,” the doctor instructed.

CHAPTER TEN

The doctor took Michael down a cluttered corridor and stopped outside a swinging door. “She’s in intensive care so we can monitor her injuries around the clock.  But there are other people in this room, so please keep your visit short.”  With that said, the doctor opened the door and motioned Michael inside the room.  “Annie is in the third bed on the left,” he said.  “If you’ll excuse me, I have another emergency coming in downstairs.”

Michael stood frozen for a moment.  Beeps, buzzers and other mechanical noises echoed throughout the room.  Several nurses and doctors rushed about attending to the dozen or more patients.  Suddenly a nurse whooshed back the white curtain surrounding Annie’s bed and then moved to her next patient.  A narrow crack remained open in the curtain, making Annie visible to Michael.  He stood outside the curtain and stared at her for several minutes, unable to move.  He swallowed hard and balled his hands into tight fists.

Annie lay motionless; machines were doing everything for her from breathing to eliminating waste.  Her mangled right leg now hug in traction above her bed, heavily encased in a white cast.  The right side of Annie’s face and head was obscured beneath heavy gauze.  What skin he could see was deeply bruised and puffy.

A nurse walked past and stopped beside Michael.  “It’s okay.  Go on in.  There’s a chair beside the bed.”

He was reluctant at first, but forced his feet to move forward.  Behind the curtain he found an empty chair to the left of Annie’s bed.  Careful not to touch any of the machines keeping her alive, he squeezed past and sat in the chair.  Besides a one-inch stitched wound above her eyebrow, the left side of Annie’s face was unharmed.  Michael cautiously reached for Annie’s tiny hand.  Gratefully, it was warm to his touch.  Using his thumb, he tenderly rubbed her palm.  She looked so peaceful to him.  As badly bruised and broken as she was, she appeared to be sleeping, unaware of the fight her body had just endured.

Michael leaned forward and pressed his face against her cheek.  Her appearance was completely different but her sweet feminine scent was the same.  Remnants of it still lingered on her skin.  Inhaling deeply he tried to force a smile.  Inside he choked back a sob.  “Annie, I’m here, right beside you and I’m not going to leave,” he whispered, then sat back in his chair.

“Excuse me, sir,” a nurse said, pushing back the privacy curtain.  “There’s a man in the hall asking for you.”

“Well, let him in,” Michael replied.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.  You’ll have to speak to him out in the hall.”

Reluctantly, Michael left Annie to speak with Brian. “How’s she doing?” Brian quickly asked.

“She’s alive, but that’s not saying much.  The doctor said she had some swelling in her brain which caused her to have a seizure and now she’s in a coma.  It’s supposed to be temporary.  I tell you what though, I’m getting her moved out of there and into a private room!”

“Mike, I’m sure they have her in there for a reason.”

“It’s unacceptable.  She has no privacy.  I don’t want people walking in to visit other patients and gawking at her lying there with her leg up in the God-damned air!”

The next day, Michael helped move Annie into a private room on the same floor.  He had to use his celebrity status to make it happen.  It meant him spending an hour in the Chief of Staff’s office describing the circus the hospital would have on their hands, and a safety concern, if Annie stayed where she was.  It also meant him giving a rather large donation to the new south wing project, but it was done.

The new room had two beds in it and a window overlooking Lake Quinsigamond.  Michael planned on occupying the empty bed.  He had made up his mind that he wasn’t leaving until Annie could leave with him.  Bull brought up a duffel bag filled with clean clothes, shaving and shower essentials, and a well used acoustic guitar.  A security guard was posted at the door, warding off unwelcome visitors.  Besides a few select people, no one was allowed into her room.  Michael also arranged for two private nurses to care for Annie.

The days crept by, as Annie remained imprisoned by her coma, and Michael became a familiar fixture on her floor.  His guitar riffs could be heard day and night, echoing down the halls.  Only a few patients complained.  Those that did were moved to another floor.  The staff felt grateful to be witnesses to the musical process of the next Thrust album.

Every few days, Brian would visit, bringing news and well wishes to Michael.  The nurses loved Brian’s arrivals and the spontaneous jam sessions that occurred soon after.  The sick children on the other hospital floors often benefited too by the impromptu visits that Brian and Michael made.

Everyone was thrilled with the famous inhabitants in room 410.  That is, everyone except Michael. Lack of sleep and poor nutrition were beginning to take a toll on his emotional state.  He wanted Annie to open her eyes.  Each day that passed without progress made his hopes strain to a breaking point.  He was beginning to wonder if she would remain catatonic forever.

She had missed Sammy’s funeral, slept through her thirty-second birthday and periodic visits from her band mates.  Even Gary had come to see her.  Michael was less than thrilled to see him, which kept Gary’s visits brief and extremely tense.

Michael hated the loneliness of the night the most, and relentlessly worked on his guitar to keep his mind occupied.  During the day the fourth floor was a continuous flow of energy but at night the floor fell to an eerie silence that depressed Michael to the core.  He had barely slept since moving in to share Annie’s room and the stress was evident on his whiskered face.

“I’m going to miss your guitar playing when you leave here with Annie,” Nancy, the nighttime nurse, said to Michael, as she prepared to sponge bathe Annie.