Chapter 18

            The music flowed in his ears, the small soft white lights hung around the trees and white daisies with baby breath hung from the lines, lighting the field of blue grass and trees around them.  His head rested against hers as they slowly danced in one spot.  Their hands clenched together against his chest, his other hand lying on the bottom of her back as he held her close to him.  The image of Chelsea in her wedding dress floated through his mind and he smiled.  She wore an A line, white, strapless, Tulle dress with a dropped waistline.  Her veil hung loosely down her head it reminded him of a veil that maid Marion would wear.

“Alex?” He heard her whisper and he lightly smiled.

“Yes darling?”

“Alex?” She repeated but this time he heard a whimper in her voice.  Then her hand squeezed his hand tightly and he felt her slipping in his arms.  Quickly he wrapped his arm tighter around her and stopped her as he looked down.

“Chels?” He asked as he looked at her, her face was buried in his chest, her hands grabbed the front of his tux and he felt her pulling on it, pressing her head harder against him as she wailed in pain. 

“Chelsea” He gasped breathless his voice scared and panic.  Suddenly he wasn’t in the blue grass fields anymore but in the back bedroom of their tour bus.  A little breathless from the scare he just had, he took a deep breath and that’s when he heard her moving.

“Alex, are you alright?” She asked tired and groggy.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, go back to sleep babe.” He said before he lightly kissed her and watched her lay back down.  She fell back to sleep pretty quick and after a couple of minutes he got up from the bed, grabbing his robe and Journal.  Wrapping his robe around him he opened the door and walked down the very small hallway.  He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of juice, sitting down with it at the small booth.  With his head in his left hand, elbow on the table he stared at the surface, recalling the dream that had woke him.  It confused him a little, starting out so wonderfully and then turning into a very frightening nightmare.  He could hear her screaming, almost feeling how tight she had grabbed onto him and the panic and helpless feeling he had in the dream remained with him out of it.

His heart went into his throat and he fought back the tears that rushed into his eyes but only for a moment.  Grabbing his journal he opened it and pulled the pen from the middle.

October 12th 2008

            I don’t know what to do.  I can protect her from Tim and Jerald, I can protect her from my Mom but I can’t protect her from these damn headaches.  It worries me and I hate worrying, I hate feeling anxious, I hate the unknown.  I don’t know if I can keep pretending they don’t bother me, I don’t want to upset her and I defiantly don’t want to pressure her but I’m scared.  I don’t want to be scared because when I’m scared I run.  I don’t wanna run from her.  No, fuck that I can’t run from her…but I just dunno what to do…

“Everything ok Alex?” Chelsea asked and it scared him a little.  Quickly he looked up and saw her standing by the booth. 

“Thought you were sleeping?” He asked as she slid into the booth beside him.  “I’m fine.” He told her, closing his journal.  “Just a nightmare.”

“About the accident again?” She asked as she watched him wipe his eyes.

“No, just a regular old nightmare.” He replied with a light smile.

“Wanna talk about it?” She asked as she took his hand.

He gently wrapped his fingers around hers, her scream of pain still echoing in his mind.  “Just me worrying I guess.” He replied with a light smile.

“About?” She asked.  When he didn’t say anything she slid closer and laid her head on his shoulder.  “Tell me Alex.”

“We we’re in the bluegrass field, and it looked like it was all done up for our wedding.” He told her as she listened.  He told her how beautiful she looked and how wonderful everything seemed in the dream, and then told her what happened next.  Her saying his name, her body falling, and the wail of pain he heard before he woke up.

He was done talking and took a sip of his juice as he wiped his eyes again.  “It’s really bothering you huh?” Chelsea said.

“I’m not Tim or Jerald, I’m not going to push you into something you don’t want to do, but yes, it is worrying me.” He told her as he looked at her.

She took a deep breath and then replied.  “Then I’ll go see that doctor in Chicago.”

“Chels, you don’t have too…”

“I know.” She replied with a light smile.  “But you’re right, they’re not going away and I want to worry about flowers and bridesmaids dresses not when the next time I’m going to have an attack is.”

AJ smiled at her and then leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.  They sat around the table talking a little bit more, AJ filling her in on what this doctor specialized in and how he might be able to help her.  About a half hour after he woke up the couple returned to bed, and fell asleep holding each other in their arms.

The next morning Chelsea was the first one to wake up.  She noticed the bus was stopped and looked out the window, the hi-way in the distance and a parking lot around them, she realized they were parked at a rest stop.  Deciding to let AJ sleep and would grab him something, she got dressed and headed off the bus.

“Hey kiddo.” Brian smiled at her as she walked up to Howie and him.

“Hey Baby duck.” She smiled back sarcastically; Brian got a quick look of disgust on his face.

“Where’s Alex?” Howie asked as they walked inside the rest stop.

“Sleeping.” She replied.  “Where’s Nick?”

“Why?” Brian asked quickly.  “What do you have planned?”

“Nothing” She replied with a giggle at Brian’s paranoia.

“He’s sulking cause we could only find a McDonalds and he wants to watch his weight and all.” Howie told her as they waited in line.

“I’m sure he can eat a McMuffin or something.”

“Not when he still has another three hours to sit on the bus, I dunno something about his metabolism.” Brian shrugged and Chelsea snickered. 

“He’ll be out when we start heading back to the buses.” Howie smiled.

When Chelsea had gotten food for her and AJ she returned back to the bus, putting the bags down on the table she walked into the back room.  He was still sleeping, wrapped up in the blankets, on his back, one arm over his head and the other draped across him.  Slowly she crawled up the bed and laid beside him but before she could get close to him, his arms shot out and wrapped around her.  Instantly she was rolled onto her back and looked up at him shocked.

“Morning.” He smiled at her.

“Morning” She replied with a laugh.  “I got breakfast.”

“I can smell.” He said with a smile and then kissed her.  “Was Nick out there? Did he give you a hard time?”

“No, he’s pouting.” She told him.

“Still?” AJ laughed as he got up from the bed.

“Well this time it’s over McDonalds.”

“He can eat the damn pancakes, he gets it every time.” AJ sighed rolling his eyes.

Chelsea lightly laughed as she sat down at the booth with her food.  “So this thing in Chicago, what are they going to do?” She asked.

“They told me just some background info, talk to you, and find out how they’re affecting you.” He told her as he walked out in a pair of jeans.  “If they think they can help then we’ll make another appointment and go from there.” AJ looked up at her as she poked at her hash brown. “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I know.” She said as she looked up at him. “I told you last night why I wanted to go.”

He lightly smiled and returned his attention back to his food.  Just as he finished eating the bus drivers returned and everyone started rolling down the hi-way again.  AJ made his way to the back of the bus and pulled out one of his bags and began to get dress. 

“Every thing’s clean.” Chelsea said as she walked into the back room, closed the door and lied on the bed.

“I wonder if Nick ever ended up eating.” AJ asked with a light laughed as he took a shirt from his bag. 

“Who knows?” Chelsea sighed

“Are you thinking about what you’re going to do next?” AJ asked as he pulled his shirt over his head and crawled into bed next to her.

“Actually I was thinking what we would do for the next couple of hours.” She smiled as she raised her eyebrow slightly and he chuckled as her lips pressed against his.  His cell phone started to ring and he went to reach for it but her hand beat him to it.  He felt her hand slip into his pocket and pull the phone out as she rolled him onto his back.  AJ was about to pull his lips away but then he heard the thud of his phone hitting the floor and felt her hand slide under his shirt after it had discarded the cell. 

Chelsea moved her kisses down his neck and onto his chest as she slid his shirt up.  She pecked her way down the middle of his torso as she began to unbuckle his pants.  His fingers slid through her hair as she moved her lips down further.  As she pulled his pants off he felt her soft lips brush along his hip and he lightly sighed as he felt her hand wrap around his growing erection.  His fingers tangled in her hair tighter as she slipped him into her mouth.  He lied on his back, his mind a dizzy with pleasure, when she let a soft moan escape her lips it sent a shivering sensation through his body.  Slowly he sat up on his right arm, his fingers still tangled in her hair, he watched as her head bobbed up and down between his legs.  His body started to tense and he felt himself reaching the top of his climax but just as he got there she pulled away.

AJ grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head as she straddled over him.  Her lips pressed against his and they kissed aggressively as he unsnapped the back of her bra and tossed it to the floor.  Returning his hands to her body he slid his fingers down her stomach and unbutton her jeans, pulling them and her underwear off her.  Still sitting up on his right arm, he slid his left hand down her side, letting it rest on her hip as he watched her slide down onto him.  He thrusted against her grinding hips, his eyes floated over her body as he watched her.  She bent down and brought her lips to his as he let a small moan escape.  He could feel a small smile break from her lips as she kissed him, pushing him back against their pillows. Chelsea slid her hands up his chest and up his arms, pinning them over his head as she clasped her hands around his.  She moved her lips from his and slithered them down the side of his neck, stopping at his skulleerose tattoo.  Gently she brushed her lips along his neck and up to his ear so he could hear her gasps and moans as he reached his climax.  His eyes rolled back into his head as her voice echoed in his ears and he grabbed her hips pushing her down onto him harder as he bucked against her.  He could hear and feel her hitting her climax and a small sigh departed from his lips.

AJ laid still, his hand across her bare sweaty back as she laid on top of him, both of them trying to catch their breath.  He let his fingers trickle along the back of her neck, under her semi damp hair as she lifted her head and looked at him.  She brought a smile to his face as his fingers drifted down the side of her neck and rested there.  He pulled her towards him and kissed her, letting his tongue slowly snake into her mouth and then he rolled her over onto her back.

“What are you doing?” She asked with a light giggle as his lips pulled away from hers and turned their attention to the small dip between to collar bones and neck.

“We still got an hour and twenty minutes.” He replied softly as he pecked his way down the middle of her body.