How to Be a Rockstar's Girlfriend: a fake dating, small town, rockstar romantic comedy (Cash &

Chapter 24

Fear – an emotion Mercy didn’t realize she’d never felt before today

Mercy

“Uncle Mercury! Your breakfast is ready!” I holler down the hallway.

I frown when he doesn’t respond. Usually he’s up before me and watching some news program on television. No one needs to watch the news as much as he does.

“Mercury! Come on. No joking around today. I need to get to work.”

I check the clock. I really need to get going. A potential client is coming in this morning and I need to prepare. I’ve never done business with people with enough money to hire someone to restore a car worth more than my annual income before. It’s intimidating.

“Mercury,” I call again as I walk toward his room. I knock on the door but there’s still no answer.

“Are you in the toilet?” If Mercury isn’t watching news, he’s in the toilet. I spoke to the doctor, but she said it was normal.

“I’m coming in,” I warn before opening the door.

Mercury is still in bed. “Time to get up, Uncle Mercury.”

He doesn’t move. My heart stops at the vision of him lying still in the bed. I rush to him and shake his shoulder.

“Uncle, you okay?”

“Gonna sleep in today, Adhara.”

Oh no. He’s confused. “It’s me, Uncle Mercury.”

“Vega, is that you?” His eyes open but they’re clouded over. He isn’t seeing me. “Vega! It is you. My baby girl has come home.”

Who’s Vega and what do I do?

“It’s not Vega. It’s Mercy.”

“Stop being silly, Vega. And let me sleep. I’m tired.” He rolls over away from me.

I shake his shoulder. “Uncle! Uncle!”

He doesn’t respond. I continue to try and wake him but I can’t rouse him. Fear latches hold of me. Something’s very, very wrong.

I run to the kitchen and snatch my phone from the counter to phone an ambulance. I scream and shout at the emergency services until they assure me an ambulance is on the way.

I rush back to Mercury’s room. I clutch his hand. It’s warm and his chest moves up and down with his breathing, but he doesn’t awaken. Why won’t he wake up? What’s wrong? Is he dying?

By the time the ambulance arrives, my fear has grown to terror. I can’t lose Uncle Mercury. He’s my only family.

I refuse to release his hand as the paramedics prepare him for transport. Once he’s in the ambulance, I climb in with him. I am not leaving him alone.

I don’t know how long the journey to the hospital lasts. I’m too busy staring at the monitors proving Uncle Mercury is alive to pay attention. When the paramedics unload him, I start to follow.

A nurse stops me. “You can’t go with them. They need to examine him.”

I debate storming past her anyway. She can’t stop me. But I don’t want to be in the way of the doctors. They need to help Mercury. They need to figure out what’s wrong. I can’t lose him. I haven’t had enough time with him.

I pace the waiting room for what feels like hours before a nurse calls my name. I rush to the desk.

“Yes? Can I see my uncle now? How is he? What happened?”

“They’re taking him upstairs. The doctor wants him to stay overnight for observation.”

I gulp. Observation isn’t bad, is it?

“Can I see him?”

“Third floor. The doctor will meet you in his room to explain once your uncle is settled.”

“Thank you,” I blurt out before hurrying to the elevators.

Once on the third floor, another nurse directs me to the correct room. I enter to find Mercury sitting up in bed. My knees wobble as relief pours through me. He’s okay. Uncle Mercury is not dying today.

“What the hell am I doing here?”

I’ve never been so happy to hear my grumpy uncle before.

“You wouldn’t wake up. You scared the hell out of me.”

“Maybe I was tired.”

“You thought I was someone named Vega.”

He scowls and glances away. I move further into the room until I’m standing next to his bed.

“Who’s Vega?”

“My daughter.”

Wait. What? He has a daughter? Where is she?

“I can’t wait to meet her.”

“You can’t meet her. She’s gone.”

Gone as in gone, gone?

I grasp his hand and squeeze. “What happened?”

“She died in the fire with Adhara.”

My heart squeezes at the pain in his voice. I didn’t know his wife – my great aunt – died in a fire. I want to ask what happened. But I don’t dare. The pain in his voice is hard enough to hear.

“I’m sorry, Mercury.”

“They were the lights of my life. My stars. Do you know Adhara is a star? Vega, too. The brightest star in the constellation Lyra.”

Lyra? My grandmother’s name was Lyra. “You named your daughter after my grandmother?”

“Adhara loved her sister something fierce. It didn’t matter how Lyra cut us out of her life when we moved to Winter Falls.”

“I wish I had known them.”

There’s a knock on the door and Dr. Vander sashays into the room. “What happened here?”

“I couldn’t get him to wake up this morning.”

She consults the chart. “It appears Mercury was severely dehydrated.”

My brow wrinkles. “But I make sure he has water.”

“He’s obviously not drinking it.”

“Uncle Mercury, you need to drink your fluids,” I scold.

“I’ll drink when I want to drink,” he grumbles.

“You’ll drink your fluids or I’ll make you wear adult diapers.”

He glares at me. “I ain’t wearing no diapers.”

“Guess you’re drinking more water then.”

“And you claim I’m crotchety.”

“She’s right,” Dr. Vander says. “If you don’t want to end up in the hospital again, you need to drink your fluids.”

“I can get you some of those nutritious drinks for the elderly,” I tease.

“And I can write you out of my will.”

“Go ahead. I don’t want your money anyway.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“I thought I was crotchety.”

Dr. Vander chuckles. “I’m going to keep you here until tomorrow to make sure your hydration levels are good before sending you home.”

“Stupid quack doctors,” Mercury mumbles.

“Be nice,” I order him.

Dr. Vander shuts the chart and replaces it at the bottom of the bed. “I’ll be back for rounds this evening.”

As soon as the door shuts behind her, I pick up the remote control and switch on the television.

“I’m not watching news all day,” I warn as I click through the channels.

“All day? You’re not staying with me all day.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not going home and coming back this evening again. It’s a waste of gas.”

“Now you understand how to be environmentally conscious?”

I shrug. “When it suits me.”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“I cancelled my big meeting. The rest can wait.”

“You cancelled your meeting? Why?”

“Maybe because I thought my uncle was on his death bed.”

He snorts. “I didn’t realize you’re such a drama queen.”

“When it suits me.”

“What about your young man?”

“What about him?”

“Don’t you want to spend the day with him?”

I want to spend every second with Gibson. I’m totally becoming obsessed with the man. Becoming? Snort. I am obsessed with the man. I’ve never felt the way I feel about him before. It’s intoxicating. And exciting. And exhilarating.

And scary. What if Gibson doesn’t feel the same way about me? What if he’s sees me as a challenge? What if he’s bored and messing around on me?

“Gibson’s busy. He has a meet and greet with fans today.”

“Did someone say my name?” Gibson peeks his head in the room. “Can I come in?”

“Yes. And take this one away with you,” Mercury says.

Gibson chuckles. “What did she do now?”

I scowl at him. “Hey! No ganging up on the girl!”

Gibson leans over and kisses my cheek. “Hi, sassy girl. You okay?”

“Is she okay?” Mercury asks. “I’m the one laying in the hospital bed.”

I sigh. “You’re also the one who yelled at me for phoning an ambulance.”

“I’m still in the hospital,” he grumps.

“How did you know we’re here?” I ask as Gibson pulls a chair up next to me.

“I switched on my phone after the meet and greet and it blew up. Everyone in town felt the need to inform me of the situation.”

I don’t bother asking how everyone knew. The town’s gossip network should be used as a model for spy networks. It’s beyond good.

“Since you’re here you can give this one a ride home.” Mercury scowls at me. “She refuses to leave.”

“Way to make a girl feel welcome,” I mutter.

“I don’t need you here insisting I drink water and monopolizing my television.”

“What if I need to be here to make sure you don’t harass the nurses?”

“I don’t harass anyone.”

I bark out a laugh. “Liar.”

“I’m serious, Mercy. Get out of here. You’ve been here almost the entire day already.”

I glance outside. The sun is waning. It must be late afternoon. I had no idea so much time had passed.

Gibson stands and holds out his hand. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride home.”

My nose wrinkles. “In an electric car?”

He chuckles as he helps me stand. “I don’t have any other choice until my mechanic finishes rebuilding my car.”

“Maybe your mechanic is busy.”

“Not anymore she isn’t,” Mercury interrupts. “Get on out of here now.”

I kiss his cheek. “I’m glad you’re not dead.”

“You’re still inheriting all my money when I die.”

“Not if I drive you crazy first.”

Gibson leads me out of the room to the elevator. As soon as the doors close, he pulls me into his arms.

“Are you okay?”

Tears well in my eyes. “No. I thought he was dead.”

He rocks me back and forth. “He’s not. He’s okay. And you’re okay, too.”

“Thanks for coming for me.”

He kisses my hair. “Anything for you, sassy girl. Anything for you.”

The line tethering him to me tightens at his words. Gibson is not the man whore I thought he was. He’s kind and loving and my heart yearns for him. I hope he doesn’t break it.