“Curtain’s closed, can I come in?” He peeks in his head, then rushes across the room and gives me a big hug. After, he looks me up and down with a frown. “My God, Sis, Are you okay? They said you were in a car accident.”
“I’m fine. I just can’t remember anything. Do you know what happened last night? Were you with me?”
“Jeesh, I was going to ask you.” He opens another folding chair and sits next to Sexy-suit, his voice full of concern. “How much time did you lose?”
“I’m not sure. I remember getting ready for the gig, then waking up here. Did we play last night?”
He takes my hands in his. “Sure, we did. At the Blue Note. You were great. After, we had a quick beer with the band and you left.”
“Was anyone with me?” I keep the part about drugs and alcohol to myself.
“Not that I saw, why?”
“Nothing. Just wondering.”Shit. If I don’t start to remember, I am totally screwed.
My not-lawyer adds, “The police say she had opioids and alcohol in her system. Not only that, there was an unregistered handgun in her glove compartment.”
My mouth drops open at his accusatory tone. “No way. I hate guns.”
This whole situation is ridiculous. Maybe, if I close my eyes. I’ll wake from this nightmare but no such luck. When I look up, both men are glaring but I only have to put up with one of them.
I glower at my brother and point to the lawyer. “Tell him to get lost.”
“Why? Who is he?” My brother turns and eyes the guy from head to toe.
“Some ambulance-chaser. Can’t you get rid of him?”
“I don’t know. If what he says is true, you might need a good lawyer.” He shoots his hand forward. “I’m Sam Spade.”
“Andrew Quinn. Your sister can’t remember but she asked me to be her lawyer and even signed my contract. Was anything off about last night? Even the smallest detail could help.”
Shaking his head back and forth, Sam rubs his chin. “No man, there was nothing out of the ordinary. We showed up for our gig, played a few sets, and left. It was a pretty good crowd for the middle of the week.”
The guy I probably shouldn’t’ve fired adjusts his tie and sighs, about to say something but my harried doctor interrupts. “The orderlies need to take her upstairs, now. You guys can go too, but you’ll need to leave once she gets settled. You’ll have to wait until visiting hours, okay?”
“Don’t go, not yet, please.” Panic strikes and I grab the closest hand which happens to belong to the man I offered to sleep with then told to get lost.
His face, for the first time, gets all soft and his eyes kind. “I got you, luv. Don’t worry.”
A bit embarrassed, I hang on tight even as my brother lifts an eyebrow. I got no excuse so shrug. Sam knows how I feel about suits so he shouldn’t worry.
I can’t let go of the warm, strong flesh. In a parallel universe, I could see myself falling for the guy who walks beside me, his thumb stroking mine. His gentle touch makes the lips between my legs twitch as he walks me down a long hall and into an elevator. Thankfully, the paparazzi are clueless and are left far behind in the waiting area.
Upstairs, where everything smells of hospital antiseptic, I’m lifted off the gurney and onto a bed with crisp sheets.
You’d think with all the goings on, I could stay awake but when my cheek hits the pillow, I fall into a deep sleep. It’s weird; half hallucinogenic, half reality and disturbing as hell. No matter how hard I try, I can’t wake. The dream feels like it goes on for hours while my subconscious brain does a narrative.
First, I’m at the Blue Note singing one of my own tunes. Sam is on guitar, Joe on bass, and Zig on the drum kit. The club is dark, the audience full, and yet all conversation has stopped.
It’s a great moment until a frigging forest grows, filling the space. That’s when things get real strange. Suddenly, I’m in my hospital bed in the middle of these trees with a gurgling brook nearby.
I hear voices but can’t see anyone but my husband who died in a plane crash a couple years ago. Unfortunately, he’s very much alive and shouting something I can’t quite understand. When he sees me, he grabs a gun from my glove compartment. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how my car just appeared out of nowhere. Peter aims the gun and shoots directly at my forehead.
“Shit!!” Shaking, my heart pumping wildly, I wake.
All of the beeping things on the rack screech and a bunch of nurses run into my room. Someone even grabs paddles.
Crap.
