Page 109 of Tortured Tones

“Me too. See you later.”

As I stepped out of the elevator onto my floor and headed toward my room, my own head spun. Cole was worse than I’d expected. I’d been through everything he was experiencing when Mom died—the demanding job, worrying about your child, stresses, grief and life changes. He had additional pressures of dealing with the fans, the media, performing every night, and strangers lurking outside his home.

I should’ve raised concerns about his health sooner. I’d tried not to get involved. But now I was.

I cared about him.

Shit.

Beckett would hate doing yoga or meditating with Cole.

Could I bury my feelings and stay covering Cole? Probably not. But maybe I could just do yoga with him in the mornings. Teach him to meditate. Then Beckett could cover Cole for the rest of the day. Slip was a late riser, so that might work.

No . . . it had to.

Was I prepared to risk my heart and my job for Cole? Risk Josh?

Fuck no.

But I had to do something. As long as I was never alone with Cole, and I kept my distance at all other times, everything would be fine.

Cole’s friends would help him though this, and so could I.

It was only for two more months.

Surely Cole and I could keep our hands off each other for that period of time.

Chapter 25

COLE

Calling the guys to meet me in my room and admitting I wasn’t well wouldn’t be easy. I was the consistent one, the one who showed up, the one who kept everyone together. I’d never expected to be the one to fall apart. I’d been fucking stupid. I’d pushed myself too hard for too long. But fainting had been my wake-up call.

I had to get better for Charlotte. She needed me. I couldn’t think about myself. And definitely shouldn’t be thinking about Ava.

But I did.

I’d gotten two hours sleep after Jade and Ava left before Charlotte rushed into my room to wake me. So much for resting. When Hannah had peered through my open bedroom door and gaped at my IV, I’d told her what happened. She seemed glad I’d been ordered to slow down. Charlotte rushed from the room and returned with her doctors play set. As she crawled around me on the bed, she took my temperature, wrapped a bandage around my head, and stuck a Band-Aid on my hand. Her smile did make me feel better.

Just after nine, Jade gave me a second IV bag to tackle my dehydration. At ten, the door buzzed, and Hannah let the guys into my suite.

Flint’s face blanched the moment he saw the IV, and he rushed to sit beside me on the bed. “Fuck. What happened?”

Slip pulled up a chair. Lewis sat on the end of the mattress.

“I fainted.” I shrugged like it was no big deal. “In the gym. Ava was with me. She called Jade.”

“Why the IV?” Slip eyed the bag hanging off the metal pole.

“My blood pressure’s low. I’m dehydrated and haven’t been handing stress well.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? Can we help?” Lewis asked.

“I don’t think so.” As I filled the guys in on the long list of issues I’d been dealing with, from my pending review with Charlotte to my security concerns at home and my dizzy spells, their faces grayed. Every word burned my lungs but at the same time, a weight lifted off my shoulders. It felt good to spill what I’d been struggling with. I had always strived to be strong. To be the best. Do more. Be better. Be everything to everyone. I could thank my parents for that mental fuck-up. But no more. This scare had shaken me to the core. I’d never make my parents happy, so fuck ’em. These guys and Charlotte were all that mattered.

Flint swiped his hand over his unshaven jaw. “Fuck. I knew you had shit going on. Why didn’t you talk to us?”

Oh, there was more messing with my mind, but I’d told them enough for one day. “I didn’t want you to worry. You’ve got enough going on with the tour.”

---