Chapter Fourteen
Flame…
It was a blast playing the baby grand piano, and I totally lost track of time and everything else. When I looked up Michelle was gone. It was a spontaneous concert and we got lost in the music. For a little while it was like being back in Jack and Sally’s garage and playing just for the joy of it.
After the sixth or seventh song I looked around for Michelle and I freaked when I couldn’t find her. Cyn must have seen me looking around.
“Are you looking for Michelle?”
“Yeah. Do you know where she is?”
“They went upstairs.”
“They?”
“Teresa and Michelle. They have to go to work tomorrow.”
“Shit,” Wrath said. “I should have fuckin’ realized.”
“”You and me both, bro. I’m so used to our fucked up hours I forget everyone else isn’t on our schedule.”
Cyn nodded. “Don’t worry, they weren’t upset. Just tired I think.”
I was relieved to hear it. We’d had a fucked up day and I didn’t want to repeat it anytime soon. This relationship shit was fuckin’ hard.
“I’m gonna go up to the room. See if she’s still awake.”
“Good idea, I’m coming too.”
We said our goodbyes to everyone but Fury who was chatting up a woman in a business suit at the bar.
Then I remembered our bet, I wondered if he’d pull it off.
Wrath and I headed for the elevators. The lobby was empty this time, thank God.
I really didn’t want to deal with that shit every time we were in public.
I know it came with being famous but fuck man it was way over the top.
I think we both breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator doors closed and we were alone.
“What’s up with you two?”
“What do you mean?
“Michelle looked like she was crying when you got down here, and then she seemed extra freaked out when you hit the lobby.”
“Well it would have been fuckin’ nice if someone warned us, especially since you were all down here already.”
“I was going to but Chaos said it was your own fuckin’ fault for being late.”
“Mother fucker. Well I hope he remembers that payback is a bitch.”
“I’m sure he will. So what’s really going on?”
“I fucked up last night. I kind of might have jumped to conclusions.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I had an Ashley flashback and I might have accused Michelle of cheating on me while we were gone.”
“You did what? Have you lost your fuckin’ mind? Holy shit.”
“Yeah well I know it was shitty and I apologized and tried to explain. Then I kind of told her I loved her and she freaked out over that. I tell you I have no fucking clue when it comes to dealing with women.”
“Obviously. You’re lucky she didn’t tell you to fuck off.”
“I know.” I did know it too. I was freakin’ lucky she hadn’t left me. “I hope Cyn is right and she wasn’t pissed off again when she went to the room. I don’t think I can handle all this arguing. We never had a fight and since I’ve been here we’ve had two. I’m over it now.”
Wrath laughed and smacked me on the back. “You aren’t even fucking close to done. Trust me, bro. It’s just the beginning. You’ve been lucky with Michelle. Look at the shit Chaos and I did with our women. This is nothing.”
“It didn’t feel like nothing.”
“Yeah I get that, but just remember to think before you talk. You’ll save yourself a lot of grief. Sally told me that and I swear it saved my ass a few times.”
“Thanks. I’ll try to remember.”
The elevator doors opened and I almost walked right into a guy waiting to get on the elevator.
“Sorry dude, didn’t see you.”
“No problem.”
After the doors closed Wrath looked back at the elevator. “Hey did you know that guy?”
“No, you?”
“Nope. So what the fuck was he doing up here? We have the whole floor.”
I got a sick feeling in my stomach and ran down the hall to the room.
Sliding my keycard in the lock I opened the door with Wrath right behind me.
The bedroom door was closed and I couldn’t hear anything but the sitting area was trashed.
The cushions on the sofa were pulled off, the chairs turned over, and glasses smashed.
It looked like what you’d see on TV when the cops came in after a place had been tossed.
The weirdest thing though was the vase with the roses was fuckin’ fine.
Just sitting over by the mini-bar. It was moved but other than that perfectly fine. What the hell?
“What the fuck happened here?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.
” Opening the bedroom door I expected to find Michelle awake and pissed off.
Instead she was lying in bed, looking like she was asleep.
“Babe?” I put on the bedside lamp and as I reached to shake her I saw one single rose lying next to her.
There was something definitely wrong with this picture, especially when I shook her and she didn’t respond.
Exchanging glances with Wrath, I didn’t know what the fuck to think.
“I’m going to check on Teresa. I’ll text you, bro.”
I nodded and sat on the edge of the bed.
She was breathing but not waking up. There was a half empty water bottle next to the bed but no alcohol.
“Michelle, babe, wake up.” Shaking her a little harder she stirred, and mumbled something I couldn’t understand.
To say I was fucking freaked out would be a total understatement.
Why wouldn’t she wake up? I pulled out my phone and called Wrath.
“Hey, is Blue okay?”
“Yeah. She’s fine. She was sitting in bed watching TV when I came in. I asked if Michelle was pissed off and she swore she was fine.”
“Well something is fuckin weird. I’m calling the front desk. I can’t get her to wake up.”
“Fuck, okay. I’ll call Chaos. We’ll come over.
“Okay.”
I hung up and dialed the front desk from the room phone. “This is Eric Matthews. Do you have a doctor on call? I think something’s wrong with my girlfriend, and I think someone broke in.”
“Are you sure, sir?”
“Yes. I sure as fuck didn’t trash my own room. I just got here and I know she didn’t do it.”
“We don’t have a doctor but I can call an ambulance for you.”
“Yes, do that, and I want security up here now!”
“Yes, sir. We’ll send someone up immediately.”
I kept shaking Michelle, hoping to wake her up. I had a really bad feeling about this. She wouldn’t have taken something, would she? Downstairs she’d stuck with wine because of work so I didn’t believe she’d taken a sleeping pill. I’d never seen her with stuff like that before.
The bedroom looked just like we’d left it when we went to dinner.
Nothing was disturbed. It was not her, she had a temper but nothing to make me think she would trash a hotel room, not when she was constantly on me about spending too much money.
I was glad Wrath called Chaos, too bad Joe wasn’t still here. He would know exactly what to do.
Hearing a knock at the door, I expected it to be security but it was Wrath, Teresa, Chao and Cyn. Letting them in, Chaos whistled when he saw the room.
“Holy fuck did Michelle do this?”
“No way,” Cyn said before I had a chance. “She would never do this.”
“I don’t think so either.”
“Did you ask her? Where is she?”
“She’s in bed and I can’t wake her up.”
“What?” Cyn looked horrified and hurried into the bedroom with the rest of us following. She sat on the bed and shook Michelle.
“I tried that already. It didn’t work. I couldn’t get more than murmur out of her.”
“It’s like she’s drugged.”
“I know, I wondered about that too, but she doesn’t take anything does she?” I asked Cyn. She knew her best since they’d been friends for years.
“No, I don’t think so. I am pretty sure she’d tell me.”
“I’ve never seen her take anything,” Teresa added. “Maybe we should call an ambulance?”
“I did, well the front desk did, they’re sending up security too.”
“I think we should call Joe.”
I nodded, it was a good idea but I was glad it was Chaos who was calling. There was another knock at the door but it was Hotel Security this time.
“Mr. Matthews?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m Terry Masters, Hotel Security. You reported a break in?”
“See for yourself. I walked in to find this just before I called the front desk.”
“Were you alone?”
“No, I had a friend with me, he’s in the bedroom with a few other friends.”
Masters’ eyebrows shot up, and I could just fuckin’ imagine what he was thinking. “Wait. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m part of a band and my girlfriend is sick or something so my friends came over to see if we can get her up.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“I don’t know. She won’t wake up.”
Before I could stop him he was in the bedroom. “Could I ask all of you to step into the other room please?”
Chaos and I exchanged glances. He was on the phone and I hoped it was with Joe. I stayed by the bed and Masters looked around the room.
“Is this how you found her?”
“Yeah, except I turned on the light. It was dark in here.”
He nodded and stepped over to the bed. He took Michelle’s arm and held her wrist, checking her pulse. The bad feeling that started in my stomach now spread down my spine.
“When we were getting off the elevator I almost knocked over a man who was waiting. We have the whole floor, so I don’t know what he was doing up here.”
“Did you get a good look at him?”
“Not really. It happened so fast, maybe Wrath did.”
“Is he one of the people in the other room?”
“Yes. He and I came up from the bar at the same time.”
Masters nodded and made some notes on a pad he pulled from his jacket, this was feeling more and more like an old black and white movie, but I wanted it fucking over.
It was surreal standing there talking about a break-in while Michelle was lying in bed mostly unconscious. We needed to do something.
Chaos stood in the doorway. Masters looked at him. “Please wait in the other room.”
“I know, but I wanted to let Flame errr Eric know I talked to Joe and he’s on his way.”
“Who’s Joe?”
“Our manager.”
Masters made more notes. I didn’t like his attitude. It was obvious he believed Michelle did it and then took some kind of drugs.
“She didn’t. I know what you’re thinking but she wouldn’t have done this. She’s a fuckin’ kindergarten teacher not some skank I picked up off the street.”
Masters mouth was set in a grim line and I wanted to punch him. He nodded and grabbed his radio as it buzzed.
“Masters.”
“Ambulance is here for Tower Room 614.”
“Send them up.”
He hooked his radio on his belt and looked at me. “I guess we’ll know soon enough. I am not accusing any of you—yet. There is video for the elevators and hallways so we’ll know soon enough if someone else was on this floor.”
I knew the guy had been there, but the way Masters was talking I felt guilty and I hadn’t done a fuckin’ thing. A throwback from getting in trouble as a teenager maybe? There was something fucking weird going on and I wanted to know what it was. But first we needed to take care of Michelle.
The EMS guys came in with a gurney followed by a couple of New York City police officers, I guess you can’t get one without the other. The EMS guys checked Michelle’s vitals.
“Is she allergic to anything?”
“I don’t know. Her roommate is in the other room let me ask her.”
They’d pulled the covers back and were lifting her on to the gurney. She looked so still that if I didn’t know better I’d think she was dead. “Cyn?”
She popped her head in the doorway. “Yeah?”
“Do you know if Michelle is allergic to anything?”
“Umm, no I don’t think so.”
The EMS guys made notes and asked few more questions then started to wheel her out.
“I want to come.”
“Are you family?”
“I’m her boyfriend.”
One of the police officers interrupted. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay here, we have a few questions for you first.”
Fuck that shit. “And if I don’t?”
Chaos grabbed my shoulder. “Just cooperate. Joe’s on his way. It’ll be fine.”
After hesitating, I stepped away from the gurney and let them take her.
‘Which hospital are you taking her to?”
“Lennox Hill.”