Page 26 of Revived

“You don’t have to thank me, Mel. It’s my pleasure and don’t worry about your legal fees either. I wish you had said something sooner. That lawsuit was our fault. I will take care of all your expenses where that’s concerned. No arguments. You have enough to worry about already.” She nodded her head, either in agreement or acknowledgment that it was my fault, I wasn’t sure. Either way, I’d take it, so long as she allowed me to help take some of her burden away.

10 – Rock and a Hard Place

My first day as a nurse on a concert tour was something else. The only thing I could liken it to was my stint working in a busy emergency room in New York. Everything was organized chaos. The crew flitted from bus to bus and trailers or vehicles, making sure each piece of equipment was exactly where it was supposed to be.

Deacon actually had his assistant, Everly Dawson, show me around and introduce me to some of the members of Dusty Rose. One woman in the band walked immediately when we joined them. “Don’t worry,” Everly told me. “That’s not about you. She dislikes me because she wanted my boyfriend and didn’t get her way.”

“Okay then,” I mumbled as introductions were made. I also curiously wondered who Everly’s boyfriend was and how old because there was a definite age gap between the two women. It didn’t seem as though they should be fighting over the same man. Then again, to each their own.

“I’m Calista, but everyone calls me Cal,” a petite, blond haired beauty sang out to me. I knew exactly who she was. The lead singer of Dusty Rose was an icon among women in rock. Fortunately, she seemed extremely friendly and approachable, rather than having an ego to fit her fame. Sky is the one that wandered off already,” she went on to tell me. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing against you, but you should know she can be very prickly. This is Roni and Macy.”

“It’s very nice to meet all of you. I’m Melanie. Everyone calls me Mel, and I am a Nurse Practitioner, so if you have any issues come see me and I’ll get you squared away.”

“You’re Gabe’s chick?” Roni asked.

I shook my head. “I’ve just been working as a nurse for his son while he was recuperating.” The women of the band glanced between one another, but didn’t say anything about my clarification.

“This must be exciting for you,” Cal finally said. “Is this the first time you worked for a concert event?”

“It is. I’m looking forward to it. Everything seems so out of control, but also like each person knows exactly what’s happening at all times. It reminds me of working in the emergency room, actually.”

Cal and Roni both laughed. “I imagine it does. Honestly, it’s been a long time since I paid attention to all the hoopla. It’s easy to forget what it all looks like to a newcomer. Just wait until you see the crew put the stage together for the first time.”

“I honestly can’t wait to see all of it.”

“I was told my favorite person is around here somewhere,” a familiar voice called out. I turned to see Chevy who had been escorted to me by Alex Lakeland.

“Chevy!” We met somewhere in the middle and hugged. “I didn’t realize you were coming right away.”

“Yeah, well, there was a slight change in my schedule.” His voice remained cheery, but it rang false in combination with the tension that pulled his eyes tight.

“I’m sorry to hear about the change, but at least now I’ll have someone to show me the ropes.”

“Hey Alex, Where are your bandmates?” Cal asked, her voice chipper and expectant.

Alex responded with a knowing smirk. “Wen was running late as usual. The rest are over by our bus getting the run-down from Deacon.”

“How did you manage to get out of that?” Roni asked, looking for all the world like she was about to take notes. It also appeared as if she had more of an interest in the slightly older rocker than might be healthy on a tour like this.

“I was the first to see Chevy here, so I slipped off to bring him to Mel before anyone noticed,” Alex sounded rather proud of himself before turning to me and offering a quick wink, like we had a shared secret. We didn’t. Chevy noticed the wink too, and wasn’t too happy about it. His whole demeanor changed and I decided to help break the tension by ignoring Alex.

“So, are you hanging out on your dad’s bus with him?” I asked.

“Yeah, I guess that’s where he’ll have me stay for now. I’m just tagging along for a few weeks. Then, I have to go back for an appointment.”

“Well, I guess we better make the most of the next few weeks then.” Chevy leaned in to hug me again. It was only then that I realized everyone was staring at us. “What?”

“You seem close,” Cal stated, though there was no judgement in her tone as she did.

“That’s because we are. I love me some Nurse Mel. She’s the best kind of people,” Chevy told her while smiling down at me.

“Right back at ya, Chev.”

“So, can I stay on this bus with you?” He teased as he wagged his brows up and down. “Seems like a far better option that the sausage fest mobile over there,” he joked as he hitched his thumb toward where Valhalla Rising’s bus was parked.

We all laughed at that. “Welcome anytime, little Northman,” Roni called out, making Chevy beam with pride.

It wasn’t until just before we boarded the busses that I saw Gabe. He hadn’t seen me yet, and I just watched and waited, trying to get a feel of who Gabe, the rock star, was rather than the man and new father I’d come to know. A woman, I wasn’t sure if she was part of the crew or an eager fan who slipped through the barriers, ran and launched herself at him. He caught her and smiled, while also quickly returning her gently to her feet. It was then that I stopped watching. Eventually, I would run into the guys and their groupies backstage. It was better to prepare myself for that eventuality, but not yet. I had grown fond of both Gabe and Chevy. Too fond. Too close. Too possessive. In all honesty, I should have never taken this job. I knew that distance was what I needed so that moving on could happen, but that didn’t stop the ache of seeing someone jump into Gabe’s arms right now. I don’t know when they became my people. My family, almost, but they had, and it hurt to share them with people who were strangers to me.

---