Chapter 8

            AJ stood in the elevator the smell of the burgers rising into his nostrils and the smell made his stomach growl.  He opened the top Styrofoam box and stole a fry from his dish.  As he closed the lid the elevator stopped and a bell went off informing him he had reached his floor destination.  Making sure the boxes were steady on top of each other, he walked off the lift and onto this floor.  Slipping his hand into his jeans pocket he pulled out his keycard and slipped it into the magnetic lock, balancing the boxes in his other hand.

            “Ok, one burger with cheese as you asked.” AJ said as he walked into the room and set the boxes down on the table.  He looked over to the bed when he didn’t hear anything.  When he took a step towards the bathroom something hit his foot almost tripping him.  He looked down after he caught himself and saw the phone receiver sitting on the floor.

            Picking it up off the floor he put it to his ear and heard a busy single.  With a confused look on his face he hung the phone up.

            “Chels?” AJ called out as he headed to the bathroom door.  As he reached for the knob he heard a beep from outside the room and then the hotel door open.  “Chels?” AJ said as he moved towards the small room hallway.

            “Yeah” She said as she walked out a bucket of ice in her hands.

“Why was the phone of the hook?” He asked.  She looked over and frowned when she saw he had hung it up.  Then the phone rang and she looked back at him. 

“That’s why.” She said.  “Is this mine?” She asked pointing to the top box.

“Bottom one is.” AJ said looking at her.  The phone was still ringing but AJ ignored it, he was more worried about her than who was calling.  Chelsea took her box and set it down on the other end of the table and then walked over to the mini fridge. She was calm but this calm made him feel a little uneasy.

“Better answer that, or take it off the hook again.” She said and his eyebrows fell in more confusion.  Slowly, he walked over to the phone and picked it up.

“Chels?” He heard Kevin say on the other end.

“No. It’s Alex. What’s going on?” He asked as he looked back to Chelsea.  She sat at the table eating her burger, a glass of soda now in front of her, with ice in it.

“Where is she, is she ok?” Kevin asked quickly.

“She’s in front of me eating a cheeseburger.” AJ said and she didn’t look at him. “What’s going on?”

AJ listened as Kevin told him what he told Chelsea, about the injunction.  He then explained how he spent the past fifteen minutes trying to call.  He got through once but she just hung up, after that the line was busy.

“Alright man.” AJ said after Kevin finished.  “I’ll call you later.” And then he hung up.  He looked at her and now her calmly manner really made him uneasy.

“Chelsea” He said as he stepped towards her.

“I guess I don’t have a choice.” She said to him as she put her burger down.

“You have a choice; they can’t run your life like this.” AJ said to her as he sat down in the chair beside her.

“Kevin doesn’t think so; he says I have to go home, and that they will arrest me if I don’t.” She said looking at him.  She still showed no emotion.

“I’ll get someone..”

“No” Chelsea said.  “I’m going back. I don’t want to ruin this trip or tour for you and they are just going to keep pushing and pushing and something bad will happen.” She said as she looked at him.  “I’ll go home, but that’s it.  I’m not going to go stop being with you, it’s not even an option.”

He looked away, he didn’t want her to go, and he didn’t want to have to worry about how she’s sleeping at night because he’s not there.  Worry that she’ll have another attack and no one will be able to calm her down.

“I’ll be ok, just promise you’ll call every night?” She said and he looked up at her.

“Every night” He said with a light smile.

Chelsea sat at the table and stared out the door to the hallway.  AJ was down loading the rental car Tim and Jerald had arrived in and probably having some words with who ever went down with him.  She didn’t know who, she didn’t care, and she really didn’t pay attention when they talked.  She told them she would go home with them, she would leave Alex, leave the only person, and the only place she felt safe.  Taking a deep breath she looked up when she heard someone walk into the room.

“Ready?” Tim said as AJ followed behind him.  She said nothing as she pushed her chair out standing up.  “I’ll go let Jerald know we’re ready.” Tim said as he walked out of the room.

“Did you have a good time with your Mom?” She asked him finally getting a moment alone.

“I guess.” AJ shrugged.  “I wish you would have let me stay here.”  She took his hand and rested her head on his arm.  Chelsea kept quiet, he was right, she wished she would have too but there was no point in hurting him and Denise to just hang with her and sulk all day.

Chelsea held onto him all the way the down to the garage under the hotel and she didn’t let go until they reached the car.  She wanted to cry but she held it back.  Pulling away she looked up at him and he lightly smiled as he looked down into her eyes.

“I’ll call as soon as I get there.” She told him, hugging him one more time.

AJ didn’t move as he watched the car pull away.  The taste of her lips still on his, he waited until the car had disappeared and he pulled his glasses from his face, wiping his eyes on his T-shirt sleeve.  Placing his sunglasses back over his eyes, he looked back at the exit on more time, hoping she asked them to turn around but after a couple of minutes and no car, he knew she wasn’t coming back.

He looked back at the door to the elevators, and then looked around the parking lot, he was so mad he wanted to send his fist through one of the pillars.  He looked up and took a deep breath trying to calm himself.  Slowly he walked to the garage door leading into the private back elevator entrance. 

His finger pushed against the button and he looked up and waited.  He waited for the elevator, waited for the doors to open, and he waited for her to take his hand.  The elevator came, the doors opened and as he looked beside him, no one was there.  Taking another deep breath he pushed back the tears, wanting nothing more than to be alone, in his room.  When he got up stairs he was relieved to see no one hanging out in the hallway.  So he went straight to his room, locked the door, switched to the Do Not Disturb sign and then walked into him room.

The room looked empty now, only his bag by the nightstand.  He walked over to the phone and punched in a code which directed all calls to front desk, alerting them he did not want to be disturbed and they would take a message.  Laying down on the bed, he began to think.  What if she tried to call, maybe he should leave the phone on.  Reaching over the other side of the bed, he pulled his cell out of his bag. 

“If she can’t get through, she’ll try my cell, and I can screen calls on here.” He thought as he placed the phone by the night stand. Taking his glasses off he placed them beside his cell phone and laid his head on the pillow. His mouth frowned when he saw no one laying across from him.  It was like she was gone all over again, one minute she was here, the next she was gone.  He closed his eyes pushing away the thoughts, she was alive, and just going home to Kentucky, he’d see her soon.  There were only a couple of weeks left on the tour, then a break before the South Africa tour.

Chelsea stood at her door, listening to Kevin rip into his brothers. He had arrived with the family an hour or so ago.  After she had visited with him, Kristin and Mason, she went to bed.  A few minutes later is when she heard them starting to fight.

“You guys seriously need to back off now, or you’re going to do more damage than he ever could or would.” Kevin shouted.

“Oh and cheating on her..” Jerald started to mumble.

“Shut up, you two sound just like a pair of fans. Yappin your mouths off about shit you know nothing about.” Kevin snapped interrupting his brother.  “Keep pushing her you two, keep pushing and watch her walk out that door and not come back.”

“Where’s she going to go?” Tim asked.

“Where do you think?” She heard Kristin snap.

“There’s no way she’s going to live with him.” Jerald said.

“You guys don’t know him like I do, he looks at her different, he treats her different, his whole mind set is different with her.” Kevin said.  “And I don’t know what to tell you if you can’t see how much she needs him.”

“They were sixteen years old.” Jerald snapped.

“So what?” Kevin said.  “That’s how old Liz and I were when we met.” Kevin said with shrug.  “You don’t know when love will happen, you’ve never been through what she went through, what he went through; we had a great Dad.”

There was a moment of silence and she strained to hear more.  “You have no right to judge what she needs, to go against her own doctor’s wishes and take her away from him the way you did, and you two are lucky she didn’t have an episode because of it.”  Kevin said.  She sighed as she closed the door lightly, not wanting to hear Jerald or Tim fight that argument.

As she laid down on her bed, she looked at the small alarm clock beside her.  She didn’t know what time it was in Glasgow but she knew it was late into the morning and didn’t want to wake him.  Even though she knew he wouldn’t mind.  Her eyes fluttered but a knock at the door forced her to open them.

“Go away.” She said loud enough so the person on the other side of the door heard her.

“It’s Kev.” He said from the other side.  She waited a moment wondering if he would just leave but she knew better.

“Come in.” She said as she sat up.

“Sorry if I woke you but I wanted to see how you were before I went to bed.” Kevin said as he walked over and sat down in front of her.

“I’m fine I guess.” She said with a shrug.

“Did you get to talk to Alex when you got home?” He asked.

“Yeah” She nodded.

“Good, how’s he doing?” He asked.

“He didn’t really say much.” She told him.  “Is that all, because I have a long night ahead of me and I’m pretty tired.”

“Long night?” Kevin said confused. She just looked at him and he clued into what she meant.

“Night Chels.” Kevin said with a small frown.

“Night Kev.” She said as he laid back and rolled onto her side.  Noticing it took him a minute to get up, she closed her eyes and waited.  She waited for Kevin to leave, the door to close and for his arm to wrap around her, like it did every night.  Kevin left, the door closed, but his arm didn’t touch her.  A tear dripped from her eye as she pulled her blankets tighter around her.