Page 55 of Rising Star

Her glossy eyes stayed glued on mine. The doctor asked her questions, and the entire time, Madison watched me watching her. And it slid the bruised part of my heart that belonged to her to its rightful position.

The doctor’s hand touched my shoulder to catch my attention. “She’ll be in and out of it for a few hours. Don’t worry. It’s normal. We’ll come down later to get her to perform some tests. So far, everything looks promising.”

“Even her leg?”

“Even her leg. Don’t hesitate to call us.”

They all exited the room.

Madison had fallen back asleep. For the next hour, I watched her, counting her breaths and staring at the monitor to make sure her heart was still strong and her oxygen levels were high enough. Just in case the doctors missed something.

“I love you,” I repeated over and over. “I can’t believe you’re awake. God, I missed you.” Her hand squeezed mine back, and for the first time in almost two weeks, hope had fully returned to my heart.

17

SAM

“What do you mean she should stay in Nashville?” I asked Riley when he joined me later that day, fury bleeding from me as I spoke the words. “She just fucking woke up. What is it supposed to mean? Why would I leave her behind?”

His hand rested on my shoulder, forcing me to take a full breath in and calm down.

Madison was out of it. She’d been all day. That was the only reason I agreed to leave her room, and I couldn’t wait to get back to her side.

“I’m about to break at the seams here, and you wanna remove me from the only person keeping me sane. Tell me how being away from her is logical, especially when she is awake now. I’m listening.”

I sat down in a chair, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. My friend never screwed me over, and I couldn’t believe he’d do it this time. He knew what was at stake. Not only the tour, but also my heart. And my fucking sanity.

Restless, I fisted my hands and rested them on my thighs. “Talk.”

“If you wanna help Maddie, you gotta be at the top of your game. In every department of your life. Right now, you’re exhausting yourself. The doctors said her recovery would be long and painful. You can’t bring her on the bus. She needs constant medical care along with daily physiotherapy to learn how to walk. And above all, she needs stability. And to keep her stress levels as low as possible. How do you picture the next few weeks? Tell me. Because I’ve been trying to come up with a plan, but I can’t. Nothing makes sense except for keeping her here, where she has all she needs. And before you tell me, flying in and out every day or two is also not realistic, Sam. You’ve been doing it for two weeks, and already you look drained. How can you keep doing that for eight, ten, or fifteen additional weeks without collapsing?”

I stayed silent, doing my best to not bark at him. His words weren’t farfetched. Didn’t mean I had to agree.

“Mika and Justine need you too. Right now, they are spending more time with Doris than with their own father. And when you agreed to this tour, it was the one thing you were adamant about. To make them the priority.”

Riley pulled a chair and sat before me, elbows propped on his knees, leaning forward.

“I know it will break your heart. Madison won’t be on her own. Emily, her parents, and friends can visit her if she stays in Nashville. If we move her around, she’ll be alone when you’re busy. It’s not good for her recovery to feel like a burden. How will she be able to move around the bus in a wheelchair? Before you argue, I’m not saying you’re not doing all you can to make it easy on her, but she’ll be better here. In Tennessee. You can fly in once a week to visit.”

“Ry, I wanna watch over her myself. To make sure nothing bad happens ever again. How can I make sure she’s safe if she’s not around me?”

“Stevens, if you had been in that car with her, would you have been able to prevent that jerk from running the red light?”

“No.”

“And she would have been under your watch the entire time. It just took a split second for her accident to occur. Whether she’s with you or not, you don’t possess the power to prevent destiny.”

I ran a hand over my short stubble.

I hated the fact that everything my friend said sounded accurate. In my head, I had pictured Madison coming back with us, with medical professionals caring for her when I couldn’t. This scenario would appease me the most. But would it be what’s best for her?

“Ry, what you’re asking from me is hard. It goes against everything I wish for.” I paused, casting a glance down as the sole of my shoe rubbed against the floor. “I’ll talk to her. See what she thinks.”

“I already made all the arrangements. If she agrees, she could be moved to your home in a week. Her doctor said she’ll be discharged by then. Emily is on board already. It’s for the best.”

I got to my feet and kicked the chair next to mine. “Nothing goes as planned. It’s all a big giant fuck-up.”

Riley pulled me into a hug. “Life happens. It wasn’t part of the plan, but we’re all doing our best to accommodate you and your family. Trust me, okay?”