Taylor laid his head back against the headrest on his seat, one hand on the wheel of his blue mustang convertible. He had to go different from when the white one got messed up; every time he looked at a white mustang convertible, he cringed. So he opted for the blue. And he put a roll bar on it.
�I told you, Kris. Did I not tell you were we gonna sit in traffic?� he said, sighing. He was clearly annoyed with the problem.
�It�s rush hour. It�s Chicago. We�re downtown. Duh.�
�Well if we�re late, David will have my ass.�
�He�ll understand.� Taylor glanced at the clock. He banged his hand on the edge of the steering wheel.
�SHIT! Come on,� he said.
�Relax, hun.�
�You�re not going to get yelled at.�
�I�ll take the blame. Tell him I was driving. Tell him it was my fault we�re late.�
�Like that�s going to do anything. He�ll still yell at me.�
�Taylor�� Taylor looked over at her through his 200 dollar sunglasses.
�Calm down.�
�I�m sorry, I just have a thing for being late. I hate it.� Kris laughed. �What?�
�Honey, I�m always late. People know me for being late.�
�Well we just make the perfect couple, now don�t we?� Kris smiled. �Alright! We�re moving.� He inched forward. �Okay, we�re stopped.�
�We got far.�
�I think it would be easier to get out and walk there.�
�Shut up, we�re almost there.�
�No, we�re not.�
�If you turn right up here, it�s a few blocks down,� Kris said, pointing to an intersection ahead.
�Sure, I�ll turn right up here. Onto a one way street going the other way!�
�Okay, then maybe it�s the next one.�
�I think so. I don�t want to ruin yet another car.�
�With you driving.�
�Are you implying that I do not drive well?�
�Yes.�
�Shut up. That was my first and only accident. I�m sure you�ve been in more.�
�Not when I�m driving. I�m a safe driver. I haven�t had an accident.�
�That�s what you want to think�hey! We�re moving again! Let�s see if we move more than a foot.� They crossed the intersection ahead, and was rather close to the next one when they had to stop again. �Damn.�
�Okay, here�s where you take a right.�
�Yes, I�ve noticed that.� She gave him a look.
�We�re not going to be that late.�
�Yeah, a half an hour isn�t that late.�
�Not for me.� She sat back and looked out into the daylight. It was bright out, and she didn�t bring her sunglasses. She turned around, grabbed Zac�s, and put them on.
�Hey!!�
�I can�t see.�
�You don�t need to see. Give them back.�
�I need them more than you do.�
�No you don�t!�
�Sure I do,� she said, grinning. �We�re almost there anyway. We�ll be inside the whole time. You can suffice until then.�
�Kristina!�
�Zachary!�
�Give them back.�
�Oh shut up,� Taylor said. �Both of you.�
�Yes, dad.�
�I�m the oldest person in this car, so you have to listen to me. And I happen to be driving.�
�We can always drop kick your ass out of here,� Kris said.
�Drop kick? You�re going to drop kick my ass?�
�Yes. And don�t think I won�t do it. I will.�
�I don�t know how you could.�
�I will.� They started moving again, and Taylor turned onto the street. This one was less crowded, and they didn�t have to stop before they got to Milani. A camera was there waiting for them. Kris was getting sick of the camera constantly in her face, but it still wasn�t uncomfortable.
�You�re late,� David said.
�I�m sorry about that,� Kris immediately said. �Traffic�s a bitch.�
�Oh, okay. Guys get to makeup, we�re behind.� They walked away, Taylor a bit stunned. They�d worked with this director before, and this was the first time he hadn�t yelled.
�That wasn�t that bad, now was it?�
�Cause you took the blame. He won�t yell at you.�
�Told you.�
�You did not!�
�Yes I did.� She looked at him, laughed, then ran off.
�Hey!� He ran after her. She looked back. She didn�t expect him to run after her, so she squealed and ran faster. She knew no matter how fast she ran he�d catch her, but the chase was fun while it lasted. The cameraman gave up pretty early, not anywhere near in shape enough to go running after them.
Taylor caught her and flung her over his shoulder. She screamed, laughing the entire time. �Put me down!!�
�Don�t go running off, then maybe I won�t have a reason to pick you up.�
�I�ll beat your butt! I got a perfect shot too.� She smacked his ass, then giggled.
�Hey! That would be my butt.�
�Taylor, put me down. It hurts.� He immediately put her down, looking at her with a concerned face. She giggled again. �Got you!!� She ran away.
�I�m not going after you.�
She stopped and turned around. �Come on! You�re a wimp�AHHH!!� Kris found herself back over Zac�s shoulder. She started kicking. �Let me down!!�
�Why?�
�Cause I said so.� Her back cracked. �Ow!!! Oh my God that hurt.� He let her down. She held onto her upper back with one hand, holding onto Zac with the other. She wasn�t sure what happened, but whatever it was, it hurt like hell.
�Are you okay? I heard the crack.�
�No, I�m not. My back hurts and I don�t have my medication. Where�s Misty? Maybe I can send her to get it.�
�She�s over there.�
�Go get her.� Kris looked for a chair close by. Upon finding none, she sat on the floor. Zac ran over and quickly brought Misty back.
�What?�
�I need my medication. I put it in my bag back at the hotel. I�m sure it�s the only prescription bottle in there. If there�s more than one, bring both.�
�Okay. I�ll be right back�where�s Taylor. I need the keys.�
�Yeah, that might help.� Kris looked around. �I think he�s over by makeup.� Misty walked off. Zac looked around.
�There�s a sofa over there. Can you walk?�
�Probably.� She held out her arms and he helped her get up. With one step, her back sent waves of pain through her and she fell onto Zac. �Okay, no.� He picked her up and brought her over to the sofa. Misty passed by, along with Taylor. Taylor stopped to see what was going on.
�What happened?�
�I had her over my shoulder and her back cracked. Something happened.�
�I can�t walk.�
�Turn over. Let me see.� She laid on her stomach, letting him look. Without even lifting her shirt he saw she was bleeding. �You�re bleeding again.�
�Shit.�
�It�s by your ribs.� He noticed a lump on her rib cage. He lifted her shirt to look. �Ahh!� he jumped back.
�What? What does that mean?�
�There�s a bone poking out.�
�Out of the skin?�
�Not entirely. The skin is broken, but it�s not completely out.� She banged her hand against the sofa.
�Shit!! What�s that, 80 broken bones now? How many more can I break just by standing around?�
�Kris, you really are in no condition to be walking around. Especially doing all the stuff you�ve been doing. You have so many broken bones right now, I don�t know how you do it.�
�Tylenol 4.�
�You can still function with that in your system?� She nodded. �I want to be you. I took that before, I was out cold in five minutes.�
�Well, I�m unique.�
�Duh.�
�I want my medication! It hurts!!�
�I think you need a doctor, to tell you the truth.�
�Yeah�that�s true.� David walked over.
�What seems to be the problem?�
�Kris broke a rib.�
�What? How?� David looked at Kris. �Oh my God you�re bleeding!�
�Yup. It happens. I think I need to get to the hospital. It kinda hurts, a lot.� David nodded.
�Yeah, we�ll do that. We�re going over there anyway. We have to do the break up scene.�
�Break up scene? We�re doing a break up scene?� Kris asked, looking to Taylor. He looked away. �Taylor! You never informed me of this.�
�Well, I didn�t want to say anything cause I knew you wouldn�t agree to it.� She sighed and put her head against the sofa.
�Fine. Whatever. I�m not happy. I don�t exactly want to relive that too. It�s bad enough you made me come here to film a part of my life that took months to heal from, and I know I�ll never forget it. Why do you think I�ve been breaking bones so easy? They�re still brittle from the accident.�
�I'm sorry, we had to change it. You decided to run out of Johnny�s and could very well have gotten killed by Brian. You�re lucky we went after you! I did not plan on getting into a fight with him.�
�You were the one who wanted to go to Johnny�s in the first place!�
�Johnny�s?� David asked. �Why does that sound familiar?�
�That�s where we�re doing the final scene,� Zac piped up. Kris looked, wide-eyed at Taylor.
�Taylor! Oh my God he�s probably going to be there! What the hell are you thinking?�
�They�re shutting it down for filming. I�m sure Brian will be called so he doesn�t show up.�
�Why are we filming there? Anywhere in the world, you have to pick Johnny�s. Oh my God.� Kris groaned and turned to Zac. �We have to tell Misty we�re going to the hospital. I�m sure they�ll have something to give me.� Zac grabbed his cell phone.
�Yours is in the car, right?� Zac asked. Taylor nodded. �K?� He dialed the number and put the phone to his ear. �Hey, we�re going to the hospital. Where are you?�
�I'm not far from there.�
�Okay, just go there. We�re bringing Kris over there and they�ll have some stuff there.�
�K, bye.�
�Bye.� He hung up. �Okay, let�s go.�
Kris groaned. Her usual doctor stood by, shaking his head. Misty, Zac and Taylor stood behind the bed, waiting for her to be done. �You three again? Haven�t you learned that went you hang out with her, you always end up in the hospital?�
�Well, we are here filming, so it�s not entirely her fault.�
�I broke a rib, so yes it�s my fault.�
�We were going to come here anyway.�
�Not to get me checked out!� Kris groaned again. �Are we done yet?�
�I haven�t started.�
�Well start! Work! Set!� She shivered. �It�s cold in here, if you�re not gonna work, you could at least let me put my shirt back on.�
�I�m working, I�m working. What�s this?� he asked, looking at the big cut along her back. �Huh? What happened to you there?�
�That appeared out of nowhere. I swear. I don�t know where it came from.�
�Well appearing out of nowhere and not knowing where it came from are two completely different things. It�s pretty deep.� He poked around, looking at it. �Yup, you�re gonna need stitches.�
�Shit.�
�Well that�s not very ladylike. I�d appreciate you not swearing in my hospital.�
�We�re going to be doing a lot of swearing later��
�We have to film a breakup scene,� Taylor said, filling in the doctor with what was going on. �That�s going to be harsh.� David walked in to check and see how everything was going.
�How�s everything�Holy nakedness!!� Everyone laughed. �Are you guys sure you�re supposed to be in here?� he asked, directing towards Zac and Taylor.
�She�s covered,� Zac said.
�Not really.�
�Well�we�ve seen it before.�
�Zac, you�re making me sound like a whore.�
�Well we have.�
�Go with him, you�re annoying me.�
�Kris!�
�It�s gonna get ugly here any minute now�ow!� Everyone took a step back as she started to bleed again. �That hurts��
�You�ve had worse and haven�t complained. Don�t start now.�
�I had my medication in me every other time. Now I don�t have anything.�
�Fine. I�ll make sure to numb you up before I start sewing.�
�You better.� The doctor left to get the supplies he needed to sew her up, and to get someone to give her anesthetic. Kris turned her head to look at her three friends and David. �Guys, go get ready. I�ll be done in a little bit.�
�You sure?�
�Yeah. All he�s got to do is stitch me up, he set the bone already.� Taylor looked at her back.
�That�s pretty gross.�
�That�s why I choose not to try and look at it. Go, by then I�ll have two more scars to take care of.�
�Okay, we�ll see you in a few.�
�Bye guys.� She watched them leave, then sighed. Two more scars to take care of�what hell that was going to be. In not even a week�s time, she�d done more damage to her body then she ever had before.
She waited for the doctor to come back. When he did, she bit her lip and waited for the shot. �Ow!� she said, feeling the prick of a needle in her back. It let out the anesthetic so she wasn�t in so pain and so she didn�t feel when she was sewed up. It was funny, two years ago if a needle came within ten feet of her she�d pass out in fear, but now she just accepted it. Too many needles had crossed her path since the accident to be afraid of them anymore. She could feel the tug of yet another needle, but this time it was sewing her up instead of getting rid of pain.
�You okay?� the doctor asked.
�I�ve been better.�
�I�m almost done. Then you can go over to your friends. I hope you don�t have anything too strenuous to do.�
�No, I get to sit in a hospital bed and yell. Basically what I�ve been doing since I got here.� The doctor laughed. �I think that�s pretty much it, there�s another scene back at the club, but I can be sitting down the entire time.�
�Okay.� He finished up. �You�re done. Bye.�
�Thanks for your hospitality.�
�Shut up, you�ve been here too many times to get hospitality.�
�You mean there�s no sucker?� she asked, grinning. �After all I�ve been through, there�s no, �you�ve been a good girl, here�s a sucker for your trouble?��
�No.�
�Come on!!�
�Fine.� He reached in a jar.
�Green!�
�I know.� He gave her a green sucker and sent her on her way. She was able to walk better now, so she walked over to where the rest of the crew was.
�Okay, I�m ready,� she said. Taylor turned around.
�He gave you a sucker?�
�I had to beg for one. So, what�re we doing?�
�Waiting for you. Let�s go.� He grabbed her hand and led her into the room. �Okay, we�re ready.� Kris got into the bed and waited for makeup. They�d go over the scene a few times before they actually did anything, to wait for her to get her makeup done. She didn�t need a whole lot, mostly because most of it was done already.
�What am I supposed to do with this?� Kris asked, pointing to her green sucker.
�Give it to Zac. He�ll eat it,� Taylor said. Kris handed the sucker to Taylor, who took a few licks of it before giving it to Zac. Zac put it in his mouth, only to have it taken out again by Misty, who put it in her mouth. Kris smiled.
�Community sucker.� David walked over.
�Okay guys, you�re gonna break up. I want you into it, but not to the point where you�re going to end up killing each other when shooting�s over. I know you�re prone to fighting, so try to keep it in your mind that you�re acting, not being real.�
�We know.�
�I just have to remind you, okay? Taylor, you�re known to get too into things, so try to not really blow her head off.�
�Me? You�re warning me? Talk to her. She�s the one who gets too into things.�
�I do not!�
�You so do.�
�Guys, save it. We�re not filming yet.� Kris shifted to a more comfortable position. Taylor walked out of the room and waited for the call from David. �Okay, and action!� Kris looked around. No one was there, not even outside. She pulled her knees to her chest and started to rock. Taylor appeared by the window, and looked in. She was still rocking, not noticing he was there.
Taylor walked in and sat in the chair next to the bed. Kris didn�t want to look at him, acknowledge him, or even think about him. Her heart was feeling so heavy over the whole issue, but she made herself do it. She took a shaky breath and looked at Taylor. Just seeing him that way so innocent, made her want to cry. Then she thought about what he did to her, and instantly scooted away from him.
�Hi,� Taylor said.
�Hi.� Tears welled in her eyes quickly. �Um, how are you doing?�
�I could be better.�
�How many stitches?�
�166.� She bit her lip and looked away. �Is there something wrong?� A tear rolled down her face and she nodded. �What?�
�You hit me.�
�What?� he asked, blinking a few times. �I did what?�
�You hit me. You hit me and you threatened me and you nearly left me at Milani to fend for myself. I could have gotten home, but just everything you said made me so scared that I couldn�t even think straight.�
�Kris? I don�t�I would never��
�It�s why I can�t see you anymore.�
�What?!!� She wiped at another tear. �No, no, Kris, not now. We can�t just end like this.�
�Well we are.�
�Kris, I love you.�
�And I love you, you know that. But you told me that if anyone ever hit me that the first thing I should do is break up with them.�
�You were never the one to go by my advice. Especially now.�
�No! Don�t you even bring that up. You don�t talk about that anymore. That is my business, that is myself, it�s not something you should bring up.�
�Why? Why can�t I? You never listen to me, ever! Why the hell do you have to start now?�
�Because this is the right thing to do.�
�No, it isn�t. You don�t know what you�re doing, you don�t know how to deal with the pain you�re in right now so you immediately pull it on me! I am so sick of your shit, Kristina. I don�t want to be your target anymore.�
�Then leave! And don�t come back!�
�Fine.� He got up and walked out of the room, slamming the door as much as he could behind him. Kris immediately pulled her knees to her chest and started crying. Outside, Taylor leaned against the door. The tears in his eyes rolled down his face, and he slid to the floor.
�Cut!� Taylor ran back in the room and grabbed Kris.
�I love you, I love you, I love you��
�Why�d you have to mention that?�
�You weren�t crying enough.� She smacked him. �Ow! Hey!� He let go of her. She wiped at her tears and looked at him. �I guess it worked.�
�I hate you.�
�No you don�t.�
�Yes I do.�
�Fine then. I�ll just have to find someone who doesn�t hate me. Where�s Misty?� he asked, walking away.
�Taylor!�
�What?�
�Get back here,� Kris said. �Come here.� He walked over. She kissed him, then smacked him.
�That�s not fair! You can�t do that.�
�I can do what I want.� David butt in.
�Guys, that was great, but shut up now. We have to do it again.� Kris let her head hit against the wall. �You took too long to break up!�
�Yeah, well, it�s gonna take a while, okay?� Kris said.
�Speed it up, or at least try to. We can�t use the whole video for just the two of your breaking up. The song is not that long.� Kris sighed.
�I can�t wait to see us when we�re done.�