“When can we see him?” Sed asked.
The doctor glanced at him and shook her head. “He needs uninterrupted rest for several hours. He’s heavily sedated, so he won’t wake for a while anyway. Why don’t you all go get some sleep and come back in the morning? We’ll know more by then.”
“Someone needs to stay here in case he wakes up,” Dare said. “I’m not going to leave him here by himself.”
“I’m staying too,” Jace said.
“So am I,” said Brian.
Dr. Angelo smiled. “I’m glad he has so many people who care about him. He’s going to need you all during recovery, but you aren’t going to do him any good if you’re sleep deprived.”
“Why don’t we take turns staying with him?” Myrna said. “Split the time into four hour blocks. When he wakes up, a phone call will get all of us here quickly.”
Jessica had to admire Myrna. She had this group of egos eating out of the palm of her hand.
“I’m staying first,” Dare said.
“I’ll stay with him,” Jace said. “I’m wide awake.”
“Me too,” Eric said.
“Okay, Brian and I will come back around…” Myrna checked her watch. “Eight a.m.”
“Then Sed and I will come at noon,” Jessica said. It earned her a glare from Brian, who obviously despised her on a visceral level, but Sed squeezed her hand.
“Sounds good,” Myrna said, elbowing her husband in the ribs.
Dr. Angelo smiled. “They’ll bring him back to the ICU after his anesthesia wears off. I do have high hopes for his full recovery. There was some slight bruising to his brain tissue, but I didn’t see any necrosis. That’s a good sign.” The doctor gave Dare a gentle hug. “Take heart, kiddo,” she whispered.
Dare nodded. Dr. Angelo cupped his cheek, her mouth set in a grim line, and then left.
Jessica stood and pulled Sed to his feet. “Let’s go to the hotel and get some sleep. You look zombified.”
Sed nodded slightly.
Brian refused to look at either of them. He clasped hands with Dare, Jace, and Eric, but turned his back on Sed and grabbed Myrna’s elbow. He directed his wife from the room. Over her shoulder, Myrna mouthed to Sed, “I’ll talk to him,” just before she disappeared from sight.
“Brian is pissed as hell,” Eric said unnecessarily.
All four men glanced at Jessica.
Jessica’s heart dropped. “Yeah, I know. It’s all my fault. I should just stay away.” She released Sed’s hand and crossed her arms over her chest.
Why did they all hate her so much? What had she ever done to them? She could understand if Sed hated her for leaving, but why the rest of the guys? It made no sense.
Sed headed for the exit and Jessica followed him against her better judgment. Waiting near the elevator, Myrna had her arms around Brian, talking into his ear in a hushed tone. Jessica wished they’d already left. Brian seemed to be the source of everyone’s animosity toward her, but now wasn’t the time to confront him.
“I know,” Brian said to Myrna. “I just can’t deal with it on top of everything else.”
Myrna leaned away and cradled Brian’s face in her hands. “We’ll sort it out when Trey’s better.”
He nodded and she kissed him tenderly.
Sed shifted Jessica behind his back as they approached. Annoyed, Jessica scratched her head behind her ear. Did he think they’d forget she was there if they couldn’t see her?
“Hey,” Sed said quietly.
“Hey,” Brian answered.
“I know you blame me for this—”
“Wrong.”
Sed hesitated. “Then what’s with the cold shoulder?”
“You really have to ask?”
Jessica couldn’t stay quiet any longer. She moved to stand beside Sed. “Our relationship is none of your business, Brian. So why don’t you just butt out?”
“Normally, I’d agree,” he said, “but he doesn’t think straight when you’re around, so someone has to try to bring him to his senses.” He grabbed Sed by his coat lapel. “Tell me, Sed, what was the happiest moment of your life?”
Sed glanced at Jessica nervously. “Don’t do this now, man.”
“Just answer the question.”
“You already know the answer. You were there.”
“Myrna was wondering.”
Myrna grimaced. She obviously didn’t want to be caught up in the middle of this.
“Post-Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,” Sed whispered.
Jessica’s heart froze in her chest. It was the happiest moment of her life too.
“I asked Jessica to marry me, on my knees in front of thousands of fans.” Sed smiled, both dimples showing. “She said yes.”
“But she didn’t mean it,” Brian said.
“I did too mean it!” Jessica sputtered.
“Uh-huh,” Brian said. “Did you still mean it when you threw your engagement ring at him and left without a backward glance? What was it? Three weeks later?” He looked at Sed again. “And when was the hardest moment of your life, Sed?”
Sed swallowed. A muscle in his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. “That would be now, you f**king prick.”
Brian gaped at him, and then his eyes narrowed. “Bullshit.” He shoved him against the elevator doors. “You’re still trying to protect her? After everything she put you through?”
“Don’t start this, Brian. I’m not in the mood to take it.” Sed straightened and shoved Brian back.
The elevator door opened and Sed stepped inside.
Myrna pushed her husband into the elevator and grabbed Jessica’s arm. “We’ll meet you at the bottom. You two have a little talk. Or slug it out. Whatever.”
“How could you take her back?” Brian yelled at Sed. “Do you realize how much shit you put me through while you were trying to get over her?”
“Is it my fault your chicks like to f**k me better than they do you?”
Brian threw a punch. It connected with Sed’s jaw with a loud crack. Sed stumbled against the back of the elevator car.
Jessica tried to wriggle free of Myrna’s hold, but Myrna refused to release her.
Sed’s hands balled into fists and he advanced on Brian, who took another swing at him. The elevator doors slid shut.
Jessica turned to glare at Myrna. “Are you an idiot? They’ll kill each other.”
The doctor glanced at him and shook her head. “He needs uninterrupted rest for several hours. He’s heavily sedated, so he won’t wake for a while anyway. Why don’t you all go get some sleep and come back in the morning? We’ll know more by then.”
“Someone needs to stay here in case he wakes up,” Dare said. “I’m not going to leave him here by himself.”
“I’m staying too,” Jace said.
“So am I,” said Brian.
Dr. Angelo smiled. “I’m glad he has so many people who care about him. He’s going to need you all during recovery, but you aren’t going to do him any good if you’re sleep deprived.”
“Why don’t we take turns staying with him?” Myrna said. “Split the time into four hour blocks. When he wakes up, a phone call will get all of us here quickly.”
Jessica had to admire Myrna. She had this group of egos eating out of the palm of her hand.
“I’m staying first,” Dare said.
“I’ll stay with him,” Jace said. “I’m wide awake.”
“Me too,” Eric said.
“Okay, Brian and I will come back around…” Myrna checked her watch. “Eight a.m.”
“Then Sed and I will come at noon,” Jessica said. It earned her a glare from Brian, who obviously despised her on a visceral level, but Sed squeezed her hand.
“Sounds good,” Myrna said, elbowing her husband in the ribs.
Dr. Angelo smiled. “They’ll bring him back to the ICU after his anesthesia wears off. I do have high hopes for his full recovery. There was some slight bruising to his brain tissue, but I didn’t see any necrosis. That’s a good sign.” The doctor gave Dare a gentle hug. “Take heart, kiddo,” she whispered.
Dare nodded. Dr. Angelo cupped his cheek, her mouth set in a grim line, and then left.
Jessica stood and pulled Sed to his feet. “Let’s go to the hotel and get some sleep. You look zombified.”
Sed nodded slightly.
Brian refused to look at either of them. He clasped hands with Dare, Jace, and Eric, but turned his back on Sed and grabbed Myrna’s elbow. He directed his wife from the room. Over her shoulder, Myrna mouthed to Sed, “I’ll talk to him,” just before she disappeared from sight.
“Brian is pissed as hell,” Eric said unnecessarily.
All four men glanced at Jessica.
Jessica’s heart dropped. “Yeah, I know. It’s all my fault. I should just stay away.” She released Sed’s hand and crossed her arms over her chest.
Why did they all hate her so much? What had she ever done to them? She could understand if Sed hated her for leaving, but why the rest of the guys? It made no sense.
Sed headed for the exit and Jessica followed him against her better judgment. Waiting near the elevator, Myrna had her arms around Brian, talking into his ear in a hushed tone. Jessica wished they’d already left. Brian seemed to be the source of everyone’s animosity toward her, but now wasn’t the time to confront him.
“I know,” Brian said to Myrna. “I just can’t deal with it on top of everything else.”
Myrna leaned away and cradled Brian’s face in her hands. “We’ll sort it out when Trey’s better.”
He nodded and she kissed him tenderly.
Sed shifted Jessica behind his back as they approached. Annoyed, Jessica scratched her head behind her ear. Did he think they’d forget she was there if they couldn’t see her?
“Hey,” Sed said quietly.
“Hey,” Brian answered.
“I know you blame me for this—”
“Wrong.”
Sed hesitated. “Then what’s with the cold shoulder?”
“You really have to ask?”
Jessica couldn’t stay quiet any longer. She moved to stand beside Sed. “Our relationship is none of your business, Brian. So why don’t you just butt out?”
“Normally, I’d agree,” he said, “but he doesn’t think straight when you’re around, so someone has to try to bring him to his senses.” He grabbed Sed by his coat lapel. “Tell me, Sed, what was the happiest moment of your life?”
Sed glanced at Jessica nervously. “Don’t do this now, man.”
“Just answer the question.”
“You already know the answer. You were there.”
“Myrna was wondering.”
Myrna grimaced. She obviously didn’t want to be caught up in the middle of this.
“Post-Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,” Sed whispered.
Jessica’s heart froze in her chest. It was the happiest moment of her life too.
“I asked Jessica to marry me, on my knees in front of thousands of fans.” Sed smiled, both dimples showing. “She said yes.”
“But she didn’t mean it,” Brian said.
“I did too mean it!” Jessica sputtered.
“Uh-huh,” Brian said. “Did you still mean it when you threw your engagement ring at him and left without a backward glance? What was it? Three weeks later?” He looked at Sed again. “And when was the hardest moment of your life, Sed?”
Sed swallowed. A muscle in his jaw flexed as he clenched his teeth. “That would be now, you f**king prick.”
Brian gaped at him, and then his eyes narrowed. “Bullshit.” He shoved him against the elevator doors. “You’re still trying to protect her? After everything she put you through?”
“Don’t start this, Brian. I’m not in the mood to take it.” Sed straightened and shoved Brian back.
The elevator door opened and Sed stepped inside.
Myrna pushed her husband into the elevator and grabbed Jessica’s arm. “We’ll meet you at the bottom. You two have a little talk. Or slug it out. Whatever.”
“How could you take her back?” Brian yelled at Sed. “Do you realize how much shit you put me through while you were trying to get over her?”
“Is it my fault your chicks like to f**k me better than they do you?”
Brian threw a punch. It connected with Sed’s jaw with a loud crack. Sed stumbled against the back of the elevator car.
Jessica tried to wriggle free of Myrna’s hold, but Myrna refused to release her.
Sed’s hands balled into fists and he advanced on Brian, who took another swing at him. The elevator doors slid shut.
Jessica turned to glare at Myrna. “Are you an idiot? They’ll kill each other.”
