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Stuck by a Drummer- The Adventure Continues
For one long, sweet moment, hearing his voice made me forget that I was in a hospital, possibly pregnant, and with my face still wet from tears that he'd indirectly brought on. I grabbed the teddy bear and cuddled it to me, drawing my knees up to my chest to hold it tighter.
"Steve," I whispered. "I was wondering if you'd ever call."
"I was wondering if you'd ever wake up," he replied, not sounding at all facetious. "Your sister rang me about five minutes ago and told me you'd regained consciousness today and were in pretty good shape despite everything. I had to call and check for myself."
So that was how he knew- Kerri must have been at the payphone all this time. "I'm glad you did. We need to talk."
"Yes," he said, now sounding sober as well as concerned. "I'm no contraception connisseur, but I do know that you were out too long for any emergency birth control pills to have any effect now. When do you plan on having a pregnancy test?"
Squeezing the bear until its glass eyes bulged, I replied, "As soon as it's possible to get a definite result. I'll have to talk to the doctor about that."
"All right then." He sighed. "So how do you feel?"
"My head feels like it's been steamrollered and the realization that I've slept away a few days of my life is weirding me out, but all told, I'm okay."
"Thank God. KC, I haven't had an easy life. I thought that by the time I was 16 I'd been every disgusting or frightening situation life could throw at me. But when you fell off your chair that night and didn't wake up no matter how much I shook you or called your name, I realized a new dimension of fear. Simply put, you're under my skin, woman."
"You really mean that?"
"I don't waste my breath saying things I don't mean, KC. I-" He paused, in response to a loud beeping I could hear in the background.
"What's that?" I asked.
"My pager. Hang on. Who the hell is- oh, damn, Brenda."
Brenda. That name shattered my mounting sense of well-being like a stone hitting a glass window. The sting initially brought on by that cozy photo and caption in NME returned with a vengeance. "Well," I said, aware of how childish I sounded but unable to help myself, "I'll not keep you from your new girlfriend. Thanks for calling. I'll let you know what the test results are."
"What?"
"I saw the article in New Music Express. Photo too. I can see what attracted you to her- she's very pretty."
"Oh, for fuck's sake!! KC, she's a friend of ours. Not just me, but Pete and Lynne too. She moved from New York to London to take a job with the BBC, and met us on the plane trip over. That's all. NME is nothing but a toilet paper rag, and you shouldn't waste time on anything it says. Don't do this to me, KC. I get enough daily drama from Pete."
"You're not dating her?"
"She wishes I was," he said, sounding both annoyed and flattered. "Honestly, she's a nice enough girl. But no self-confidence whatsoever off camera. I've lost track of how many faxes, emails, and ansaphone messages she's left me in the last few days, asking me where this or that place is or whether I want to meet her for dinner and drinks. I don't think the word 'subtle' is in her vocabulary."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. I'm not too concerned about it. It will likely pass as soon as she settles in England and meets more people. Brenda's a nice girl, and as you so charitably pointed out, quite pretty, but too clingy for my taste." He paused. "However, as long as she doesn't get obsessive on us, I think being on good terms with her would be good for the band. She has a lot of entertainment industry connections and could get us positive exposure on the BBC for once."
That sounded more than a little manipulative, but I was so grateful to hear that Steve was not dating her. He was a businessman- perhaps it was normal to press an advantage like this. As long as he didn't let his dick to the negotiating when it came to lovely Brenda, I could handle it. Tears welled in my eyes, this time in relief. I had to look like an allergy sufferer right now. "Steve, I wish you were here."
"Me too, babe. But we'll keep in touch until we can manange to connect again, which we will. I'll see to that personally. I'm just glad you're going to be ok."
"I will be now."
The pager sounded again, a persistent noise that set my teeth on edge. Steve sighed. "KC, I have to go now. But I'll call again soon."
"Okay." We both paused. Then Steve said awkwardly, "Bye. Take care."
"You too. Bye."
After hanging up, I laid there, letting the tears drain my earlier fear and misery. He did care. And he was not dating the lovely Brenda. I would sleep well tonight.
Famous last words. Just then, Kerri returned. Behind her, carrying a stack of those huge red roses aptly titled Forget Me Nots, was the last person I wanted to talk to right now.
More soon, folks!!
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