Page 61 of Our Moon
When we return to Charlotte after the tour, we’re plus one. Joey met the love of his life, Evie, in Dallas about two weeks in and they got hitched on our tour stop in Vegas. It was totally insane, but totally Joey, and I have to say that the two of them are perfect for each other and so happy together. It’s also pretty cool for me because now I get the apartment to myself since they’re moving in together.
We hit the studio almost immediately, and our first single, “Fall Down,” is a huge hit with tons of airtime. We spend some time in New York and L.A. doing radio interviews and attending award shows. Who would have thought that not even a year after meeting Bill at the restaurant that all this would have happened?
I steal visits with Ally in between studio time. I can’t believe she hasn’t woken up yet. The doctors are still optimistic and always comment positively about her brain activity.But still, I never would have imagined that eleven months after the accident, Ally would still be asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Take five, then we’ll put it all together,” Jerry, the sound guy at the recording studio, calls over the speaker.
I set down my guitar and raise my hands over my head to stretch. We’ve been at it all day, laying down the first couple of tracks for our second album. My arms and fingers are almost numb. The rest of the guys are doing the same thing, stretching and shaking out their hands and arms.
I wouldn’t change a thing though because we are on point today. Ever have one of those days where everything is going right? The sun is shining, birds are chirping and all that shit? Well, today is that day. We nailed twosongs already this morning, each in under two takes. It’s a beautiful day.
So yeah, I might not be able to feel my fingers, but when you’ve got something good going like that, you don’t quit. And I can tell all the guys are feeling it, too. We’re all humming with the energy. None of us can really sit still, and I’m glad this break will be a short one because I’m already ready to get back to it.
I had no idea it was all about to get better.
We step outside of the recording room to grab some water, hot tea for Alex to soothe his throat, and a snack, and to check our phones for messages and do the whole social media thing. I down half of my water bottle in one swallow as I go through the notifications on my phone. One of the label’s marketing people recommended we each have our own social media pages – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – to keep in touch with our fans. It’s fun, but it takes forever to sort through everything and determine what to respond to. It’s impossible to respond to everything, but I’d hate to piss off a fan. After all, they made us what we are today. I just wish I could filter out all the spam.
Halfway through my notifications, I see a missed call from a local, unknown number and a few text messages from that same number.
Unknown:Call me!!
Unknown:It’s Amy.
Unknown:The nurse.
My heart thumps in my chest. Ally. Is she awake?
Before I can tap to call her, a loud cheer breaks out behind me, and I turn to see Alex down the hallway, jumping on Trevor’s back, smiling like someone just told him the McRib was back.
Or that his sister is awake.
She’s awake.
Trevor is on the phone, shaking Alex off his back, but he’s smiling, too.
I step over to Joey and nudge his shoulder. “What’s going on?” I ask, already knowing what the answer is and damn near ready to jump out of my skin and get to the long-term care center where Ally is.
He shrugs. “Not sure. But by the looks on their faces, I think it has something to do with lil’ sis.” He looks at me and smiles wide; I match his expression with a big smile of my own.
Best. Day. Ever.
***
After quickly explaining the situation to Jerry, we hightail it out of the studio and pile into Trevor’s SUV.
“We need to call Humph,” Alex says, bouncing in the front passenger seat.
“I got it,” I tell him. I pull my phone out of my pocket and see the text from Nurse Amy still up on the screen. I type out a quick text telling her we’re on our way, then find Humphrey Morris in my contacts and tap to call.
Turns out the suit/exec/label guy had a name. Humphrey Morris. He was apparently born to be an executive with that given name. Poor guy. He’s actually really cool, though. He kind of took us all under his wing and treats us like his kids. Probably doesn’t hurt that we don’t ever give him any shit.
“Morris,” his gruff voice stated.
“Hey, Humph,” I say. “It’s Chase.”
“Chase! To what do I owe the honor? Heard you boys are doing a bang up job in the studio today.” I could hear the smile in his voice. I’m positive we’re his favorite band to work with, but he would never admit that. No matter how many times Alex and Joey have asked. It would be like a parent admitting who their favorite child was.
