| "Hi everyone." Joey, Chris, and Lance surrounded the bed Justin was in, animately telling a tale of some sort. "Hi." Chris pointed to one of the extra chairs that had been brought in, telling her to sit. "How are you feeling?" She put the back of her hand to Justin's forehead, receiving glances of amusement from the other guys when she did. "That's what the doctors are for." Lance pulled her from Justin and into the seat Chris had pointed to. "You're right." A light pink took her cheeks as she thought of how silly she had been. "We were just talking about you." Justin reached for a juice cup and took a long sip, making her wait for the reason. "What about?" "Doctor says I need someone to take care of me when I go home, will you?" "I can't Justin, I have a job to do." "Johnny said you can work from my house, if you want to." "You know I will." "Where's JC?" Joey fiddled with his cell phone, finally returning it to his pocket. "He stopped off at his house to shower and change." As soon as the words left her mouth she knew she had made a mistake. "Stopped off? As opposed to just being there?" "Yes, we got in late and he slept on my couch." She looked around to the guys, challenging them to say something more about it. "I'm getting a drink, anyone want anything?" Joey stood, waiting for any response he would get. "I'll come with you." Chris stood to meet him. "I have to get going, Justin I'll call you later." Lance left the room, pulling his cell phone from his pocket in the process. "Can you grab me a bottle of water?" Brianne dismissed them after they had nodded their heads in agreement. "Thank you, sis." "You're welcome, you'd do the same for me." She pulled his free hand into her own, rubbing it gently in comfort. "You know I would." "So when do you get to go home?" "I'm waiting for discharge papers right now. Then I'll have you all to myself for a while." He playfully put his hand to her cheek, rubbing it briefly for affect. "I don't think you can handle it." She winked to show she was playing, then pulled his hand from her cheek, letting it rest with hers. "I am sure I can." "Not in your condition." She refused to give in, even if it was just playful banter. "You win, I can't." He turned his attention to the television along with Brianne, which they watched intently for a few minutes until Joey and Chris returned. "Where's JC?" Chris looked around the room with a confused look, as if he fully expected JC to be there. "He stopped off at his house." Brianne didn't even look up, thinking Chris was being his normal quirky self. "I know, but we saw him on the way to the machine, he should be here by now." Chris handed her the bottled water, as she stood. "Joey get him to his house, I'll be there as soon as I can." She ran from the room, leaving them to look after the spot her form had disappeared. She quickly pulled her cell from her purse, cursing herself for not knowing JC's number off the top of her head yet. After a few minutes of thought, she made her way to her house to get the number. When there was no answer, she looked over her caller ID for his cell number, which he had called her on before coming over on Saturday. She left him a short message when she was connected to his voice mail, then looked around her house helplessly. Finally she grabbed her keys from the hallway table, planning to drive around until she found him. She drove by his house, not finding him there, then to the studio. "I thought so." She mumbled to herself, spotting his car in the parking lot of the studio. Quickly she parked, then made her way into the building, and up to the third floor. "Josh?" She ducked her head into her office, not even sure herself why she had, then continued down the hallway. "Josh?" She peeked into the recording studio that had been designated for them, to find JC's back facing her. "What?" He didn't turn to look at her, instead kept his place at the table. "What's wrong?" She could hear the hint of anger in his voice, and took the few steps to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nothing, could you leave me alone?" "Josh, please talk to me, why didn't you go see Justin?" She decided not to tell him she knew he was at the hospital, hoping he would tell her instead. "I didn't feel like it." She took a seat next to him, noticing a piece of paper he had been writing on. "What are you working on?" "Nothing." He turned the paper over so she couldn't see the words he had scrawled across it. "Josh, please, I know something is wrong. I know you were at the hospital, why didn't you come to the room?" "Bri, don't make me do this." He put his head in his hands, blocking her view from his face. "Make you do what?" She put a hand on one of his, trying to gently guide it from his face. "Here." He handed the paper to her then quickly left the room, leaving her with no other choice than to read what he had written. She quietly made her way to her office, not feeling comfortable in the men's recording studio by herself. She settled herself behind the desk, then took a few steadying breaths before reading the words. Brianne and Justin? hospital, his hand her cheek, wink, then holdong hands Afterwards was the beginning of a song, or so she guessed. She looked over the words at the top of the page again, figuring JC had seen her and Justin through the window and misunderstood. There was nothing she could do it about it then, she had no idea where he would be, and didn't have the energy to go running after him. She still had to get to Justin, but decided to go home to pack a few things and unwind first. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She threw the last of the clothes in a suit case, then carried it to the front door, leaving it next the door for when she left. She laid on the couch, turning on the television to fill the silence, while she thought over all that had happened in the past twenty four hours. First rushing Justin to the hospital, then waiting for him to come out of surgery and now JC was mad at her. It was all too much to handle, she shed tears. What else could she do? She had promised to watch over Justin and JC was upset with her. |
| Chapter Fourteen |