Dark Times in Still Waters
Chapter 12
By Dottie
Copyright 2013
Teagan slips into shorts and a t-shirt and in minutes is fast asleep. A gentle knock on the door awakens her. She groans, pulling the covers over her face as Natalie breezes out of the bathroom wearing a bright, tropical print dress. It’s a backless halter dress that reaches almost to her ankles in the back, but is cut high in the front to show off her legs up to her lower thighs. The tan she’s gotten on the cruise makes it look ten times better than it did when she bought it three months ago.
She opens the door to find a messenger waiting with a note. “Excuse me, Miss. I have a message from our VIP guests for Miss Teagan Michaels.”
Teagan groans as Natalie thanks him and ushers him out. “Come on Teag; let’s see what the boys want.”
Teagan throws the covers back. “Whatever it is, I don’t care. I told Kevin last night…”
Natalie pounces. “So you DID see him, didn’t you? Is that why he came by so worried about you? What happened?”
Teagan pulls the covers back up. “Drop it Nat. I told him to leave me alone and pay attention to the other fans. I just can’t…”
Natalie sits on her own bed and opens the note and begins to read.
“Dear Miss Michaels, We are under the impression you do not wish us to make over-the-top gestures to ensure you are enjoying your cruise and we will abide by your wishes. Under one condition. You join us tonight at the concert before the bachelorette party. Please. Sincerely, Kevin, Howie, Brian, AJ, and Nick.”
Teagan throws the covers back again and sits up. “It does not say that.”
Natalie holds out the note. “It does. They are offering you a deal here, Teag. You want them to leave you alone…why I don’t know…and they are willing if you meet them half way. What can it hurt to come to the concert? It will be dark. No one will see you.”
Teagan shakes her head, staring at the note. “I don’t know Nat.”
Natalie stands, smoothing the front of her dress. “Think about it. Now get dressed. Time for the photo shoot.” Teagan lowers her eyes and Natalie feels like a jerk. “Teagan, I’m so sorry, I…forgot.”
“I wish I could forget.” Her agonized whisper makes Natalie want to cry. Teagan shakes her head, refusing to let the tears fall. “Have fun, Nat. And tell them…I’ll think about coming.”
Natalie hugs her. “See you in a while.”
After she leaves, Teagan curls up on the bunk to re-read the note. The handwriting is bold and strong. Has to be Kevin’s. And she can read between the lines. He’s trying to make amends for going too far last night. The problem is she doesn’t feel like he went too far. She wishes he’d never stopped.
When Natalie’s turn comes for the photo shoot, she can feel Brian’s gaze on her body like a caress. He smiles and slides an arm around her waist. “You look delicious.”
She blushes. “I like the uniform, but could you turn the hat around?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. I’m a rebel you know.”
She laughs. Kevin walks over. “Is she ok?”
Natalie’s smile fades a little. “I think so. This is…too much to expect of her yet.” She waves her hand at the camera and the crowds. “She said she’d think about the concert though. She had fun last night.”
A wistful smile crosses his face. “So did I. Tell her I said that, will you?”
Natalie nods. “I will Kevin.” When he starts to walk away, she reaches out to touch his arm. When he turns back, she has tears in her eyes. “Thank you Kevin. I couldn’t help her. You did.”
Kevin shakes his head, tears in his own eyes. “I wish I could do more.”
When Kevin walks away, Natalie turns to Brian. “Teagan’s so confused Brian. She thinks Kevin pities her and that’s all it is. It’s not just pity is it?”
Brian shakes his head. “Darling, Kevin has the biggest heart in the world and he feels the deepest. He does feel sorry for her, but…it’s not pity that keeps him going back. He’s worried about her… he cares. And it scares him.”
Natalie sighs, watching Kevin talking to some fans. She can see sadness in his eyes. “She’s scared too Brian.”
Teagan can’t sleep anymore. Tired as she is from the emotional roller coaster she’s been on the last couple of days, she just can’t relax. She stares at the note, wondering what it means.
Deciding to take a chance, she gets up and pulls a dress from her bag. It’s a high necked, purple halter dress with a matching scarf. She almost laughs. She’s always hated scarves before. She even hated wearing them in the coldest of weather.
She takes a quick shower and pulls on the dress. After making a real effort with her makeup, she pulls her hair over the side of her face. Not dwelling on what could happen, she timidly enters the hallway.
A few girls say ‘hi’ as she makes her way around the ship. Many look away in shame. Most ignore her, for which she’s grateful. She finds her way to the Dynasty lounge, hoping to find Natalie. Instead, she’s recognized by one of the security guards. “Are you Miss Michaels?” Teagan looks away, nodding bashfully.
He steps aside. “You can go in, Miss Michaels. Mr. Richardson made it clear you were to have all access. Did you need to speak with him? They are doing the sound check.”
Teagan shakes her head. “No…no, I just…it can wait. Is it ok if I listen in?”
He nods as he smiles. “Of course you can. Go ahead. Let me know if you need anything.”
Teagan slips through the door and stays in the shadows as Nick and Kevin sit on the stage talking into their microphones getting ready for the show. Out of the blue, Nick says, “Seriously, Man, how can you be SO nice to her? She’s a fucking fruitcake.”
Kevin sighs, seeming tired of Nick’s line of questioning. “Nick, regardless of what you think…what ANY of us thinks, that’s still our fans. I should just ignore her because she’s different?”
Nick shakes his head. “Different? You call that DIFFERENT? She’s four-alarm freaky. Why can’t you just say ‘hi’ and walk away like everyone else?”
Teagan doesn’t stay for the answer…blinded by tears, she stumbles out into the hallway. The guard stops her. “Are you ok, Miss?”
She shakes her head, shoving him away. “I’m fine. Just fine. Please…leave me alone.”
She runs away as fast as she can, getting lost in the process. She finds herself at the infirmary. The nurse on call can see how upset she is and pulls her into a tiny, private exam room. “Are you ok?”
Teagan shakes her head. “I’m so sick of everyone. Why can’t they leave me alone?”
Not understanding, the nurse pats her hand. “Now, now. You calm down. You’re gonna make yourself sick.”
Teagan sighs. “I’m already sick. I just want off this fucking ship and away from all of them. NOW!”
The nurse is worried. “Miss, let me get the doctor. Maybe a mild sedative…”
Teagan sighs, defeated. “No. I don’t need anything. Just a fast way off this ship as soon as it docks. Who can I see?”
The nurse paces nervously, afraid the angry girl before her will do harm to herself. “The captain would be your best choice for getting off as soon as we dock. We could call it a medical emergency if you were sick…”
Teagan pounces on that idea. “Yes! Please, tell him I’m sick. Anything. I just want to get out of here.”
The nurse isn’t sure what to do. “You lie down and rest and let me get Dr. Pender. He’ll be more apt to help you, ok?”
Teagan nods. “Can I…stay here? At least until the concert starts?”
Seeing how important it is to her, the nurse agrees. “Of course you can. Should I tell your roommate?”
Teagan thinks of Natalie and shakes her head sadly. “No…please don’t. I just want to be left alone.”
Natalie feels ill-at-ease when she gets back to her cabin and finds Teagan missing. She goes back out, making her way up to the Serenity Deck, hoping to find her hiding in solitude. When she finds it empty, she starts to panic.
Making her way to the Dynasty lounge, she shows her pass at the door and gets in easily. The sound check is over and the guys are sitting around relaxing and talking. When Brian sees her, he knows something’s wrong. “Natalie, what happened?”
Natalie is almost in tears when she whispers, “I can’t find Teagan anywhere. It’s like she’s disappeared.”
Kevin jumps up. “I’ll help you look for her.”
Howie grabs his arm. “You can’t. The show starts in half an hour. We have to stay here.”
Kevin jerks his arm away. “Howie, for the love of…”
Nick butts in. “He’s right Kev. Remember what we promised her. We leave her alone, she’ll come to the show.” Turning to Natalie, he says, “Try not to worry. I’m sure she’s just exploring a little. The fans have calmed down considerably. And she did have fun last night, right?”
Natalie nods. “Yeah, but…I’ve got a bad feeling. I don’t think she’d be out running around the ship during the day. Something’s wrong.”
Brian takes her hand. “Come on, Sweetheart. You said yourself she’s doing a lot better. Maybe she’s shopping. Really, I don’t think anything will happen to her. We’ll see her tonight at the show, ok?”
Natalie nods, her eyes meeting Kevin’s. He doesn’t believe a word of it either, but there’s nothing they can do now. She leans her head over on Brian’s shoulder and fights back the tears.
Back in the infirmary, the doctor has convinced Teagan to take a sedative. She’s sleeping peacefully in the exam room, oblivious to the doctor talking to the captain just outside the door. “Captain, I think it’s best if we get her off the ship as soon as we dock. She’s a nervous wreck and anytime I mention calling her roommate she just flips out.”
The captain nods gravely. “Is she the one with the scars that everyone keeps talking about?”
The doctor nods. “She is. Captain, I…she told me what happened. It was the school shooting in Pennsylvania.”
The captain nods. “I heard it from our VIP’s. She’s had a rough time of it. Is she…is she stable, Doctor?”
He nods. “Oh yes. She’s not suicidal, from what I can tell. But something’s made her very upset. I want to do what I can to keep her calm and quiet.”
The captain nods. “Very well. Tell her she can get off as soon as we dock. I’ll send her ashore with the security team as soon as we’re tied off. Don’t tell our VIP’s. That may only make this worse.”
The doctor nods. “Her roommate should know.”
The captain shakes his head. “That’s her call to make. Until then, keep her here.”
As he leaves, the doctor steps back into the exam room to find Teagan staring out the window. “Miss Michaels, the captain will send you ashore first thing tomorrow morning. Before anyone else leaves the ship. But…we have to let your roommate know what’s going on.”
Teagan nods slowly. “I know. I can’t let Natalie worry. But I’ll talk to her after the show. Not now.”
He nods. “Fair enough. Until then, why don’t you sleep? You look exhausted.”
She closes her eyes, nodding sleepily. “I’m so tired…so tired of everything.”
As she drifts off to sleep, the doctor wonders what happened to upset her and how anyone could be so cruel as to kick a person when they are already down. Stepping out of the cubicle, he instructs the nurse to keep an eye on Teagan and makes his way out of the infirmary thinking it’s a shame she’s so scared. And there’s nothing he can do to help her.
Chapter End Notes:
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