Page 21 of Hot Shot Rock Star
“Your mother is out of the woods, Ms. Majisky.” I don’t bother correcting him. The female doctor in the trio, reaches out and touches my arm.
“She’s resting now and will recover.” I hear the but in her voice, see it in her eyes. Her colleague clears his throat and delivers the dagger blow I’ve been waiting for as inevitable.
“She has congestive heart failure and though she can recover from this episode with work, patience and time, she’ll need to change her way of life.” I jump, almost lunging toward the man on purely primal instincts. But Ben is ready and traps me in his strong grip. I feel the rapid beating of his heart against mine and look up into his eyes. They glisten with unshed tears.
“No, Bennie. Don’t you cry.” I break down into sobs, dirty ugly snotty sobs and he takes me aside. They end up giving me a sedative because I’m that weak, that vulnerable and in more pain than I’ve ever experienced in my life. Which is a fucking tanker full.
* * *
“Majik wants to talk to you,”Dr. Weaver says as I sit with Bennie, the sedative taking it’s effect, the pain down to a manageable dull ache, the kind I remember living with most of my life. I stand.
“Both of you,” he says.” Bennie stands with me and takes my hand like I’m a child. I yank it away. Then I clutch his arm and we follow Dr. Weaver to her room in intensive care.
The sight of her laying in bed surrounded by monitors makes my knees buckle and Bennie catches me. Fuck.
“I’ll be alright,” I promise, pasting on a smile.
“That makes one of us,” he says, his face drawn, an ironic tilt of his mouth not helping to erase his worry. I caress his cheek.
“No worries, Bennie. I’ll be strong. I promise.” I try for bravery and wonder if I should switch from singing to acting. Until he gives me a skeptical brow raise and kisses me on the mouth.
“Glad to see you two getting along.” The voice isn’t as strong and gruff as her usual, but it’s unmistakable. Majik sounds weak and breathless, but she spoke and we both rush past the doctor to her side. She stares through those knowing dark eyes, bloodshot and tired.
Neither of us speak because asking how she feels seems absurd. My heart hammers waiting for her next words because I know they’re coming. And because the message in her first words finally hits me.Why would she think Bennie and I aren’t getting along?
Bennie touches her arm and smiles a real genuine smile of gladness, shiny and real. That spurs her to speak.
“You each need to make a choice, either your career or each other.” Full stop.
“What the fuck?” I blurt, my chest tightening against my stammering heart and my gut churning.
“Majik, I don’t know what you think, but—” Bennie says, his voice shaky. I stare at him.
“I thinkyou’re having problems with your priorities.” She stops and breathes, closes her eyes. I nudge Ben’s arm. Majik takes a long slow breath and starts again. “You could give up on each other or you could work hard and make things work out like mature adults. Make a commitment to each other and have your careers too.” The monitors bleep and the doctor steps forward, clearing me and Bennie out of the way. It was a long speech for Majik on a good day.
“She needs to rest now. No more visits for a few days,” doctor no-personality says with his back to us.
Bennie takes my arm and drags me from the room. I feel the tension raging from him.
“What the fuck did you say to her?” He says the minute we get out of the room. He has me backed against the wall in the corridor with quiet surrounding us. “Why would she say—”
“Fuck if I know. I figured you went crying to her about Hal—”
“She knew all about Hal without me telling her,” he says. We both turn to look down the end of the hall to the waiting roo where Dooley is sitting with his parents.
“Fucking Dooley,” I say. He takes a deep breath and pushes a shaky hand through his hair. My stomach churns.
“Either way. Majik has a point.” Boom. It’s the anvil from hell I’ve been waiting for to drop on my head. I turn and frantically look for a lady’s room, but he catches my arm.
“I’m not calling it quits. I’m ready, willing and able to make a commitment, Jaz and you know it.”
“And I’m not, is that it? I’m the immature one? It takes two to balance things.”
“You’re right. I swear I won’t bug you about Hal.” He pauses a a beat. “I trust you to tell me if he gets out of hand.”
“Majik.” Her name comes from my mouth in a strangled mess and I don’t care about anything else right now. Not Hal, not music. Maybe not even Bennie. Closing the gap between us, he takes me in his arms.
“What the fuck are we fighting about? You’re right. This isn’t about us. We need to help Majik recover. We can move her in with us. I’ll hire a nurse. My mom and dad can help.”
