Page 56 of Never Too Late
Gradually as the days went by, she began seriously considering plan B – what to do if she really did give up life with the band. The problem was that, for now at least, there was no plan B, and she spent hours in lonely hotel rooms turning over alternative ideas. Like it or not, she was now a celebrity. Was there any way she could capitalise on her fame to create a new career for herself which would remove her from the limelight? Using her celebrity to achieve anonymity seemed like an oxymoron but surely there had to be some way…
She spoke to Rob almost every day, although as soon as he flew off to Japan the same old problem of the time difference between them raised its head and communication became ever more fraught. She wished with all her heart that there could be some way of spending more time together but she owed it to the band to stick with them.
For his part, Rob told her he had been missing her hugely and he gave her a shock one evening in a video call from Tokyo. He was sitting on the end of his bed wearing what looked like a kimono and, behind him, she could see the remains of a breakfast tray on a table beyond which was the ultra-modern skyline of the city.
‘Steph, I wish you were here with me now so I could tell you this face to face, but I’ve made a decision. I don’t need the money, so I’m going to radically reduce the number of concerts I do every year so as to spend more time at home. Is there any way you might be able to do something similar? That way we could be together because I really miss you.’
She stared at his face on the screen and wished she could be there with him now. ‘I miss you terribly, as well. There has to be a solution but in fairness to your father and the other guys it isn’t going to happen overnight. It wouldn’t be fair to leave them in the lurch after they’ve been so generous to me. You do understand that, don’t you?’
She saw him give a resigned nod. ‘Of course I do. It’s just tough, that’s all.’
Her heart went out to him. ‘You’re telling me!’ She mulled over what he had just said for a few moments as an idea gradually came to her. ‘If that’s what you’re going to do, then I’m going to see if I can do something similar; not straightaway, but soon. I’ll wait until the new album has launched and the O2 concert has taken place, before sitting down with the guys and telling them that I’m not cut out for the celebrity life. I’ll ask them if there’s any way I could cut right back on the promotional stuff so I can just concentrate on the music… and you. Hopefully that way I’d regain some control over my life and, above all, I’d have more free time to spend with you.’
‘You’d do that for me?’
‘I’d be doing it for both of us. Like I’ve told you, I want to get my life back and if that brings me closer to you then everybody wins.’
In the meantime, Faye and Lottie, in particular, had taken her under their wing and taught her the best ways of managing to avoid the media and continue to lead a vaguely normal life. In the studio Steph was able to relax and she enjoyed playing with the band more and more. In the course of the practice sessions Keith spotted that she had a good voice and she found herself promoted to lead singer for some of the numbers. On several occasions she came close to telling him of her decision to cut right back on her extra-curricular commitments, but she stuck to her plan of breaking it to the band after the O2 concert.
As the big day approached, Steph began to feel that same mix of apprehension and anticipation she had experienced before going on stage at Santa Monica. Now, as well as the prospect of standing up in front of twenty thousand people, there was the looming moment when she would have to sit down and talk to Keith and the others. She hated letting people down and she hoped they wouldn’t be too unhappy with her. Her anticipation increased as she counted down the days until Rob would return from the Far East. She had been thinking about him an awful lot and when he called her on Wednesday the thirtieth of November to report that he had arrived back in Italy and would be flying across to London on Friday just in time for the concert, she felt a wave of happiness sweep through her. If she had needed any proof of how much he now meant to her, this was more than enough.
With the concert imminent, Steph and the group spent hours at the huge O2 arena, rehearsing and watching the preparations being made to the stage and the intricately choreographed light show that would accompany the songs. This was also the first time she had seen Ethan since Italy, and she was delighted to find that he had stuck to his promise to moderate his drinking and steer clear of drugs, and he looked all the better for it. Although he once again looked and sounded presentable, she knew deep down that Rob had now irrevocably replaced him in her affections. Still, they were able to chat amicably and the atmosphere between them wasn’t strained.
A final running order for the different numbers they would perform, including an encore, was decided, and Ethan and the technical director prepared a detailed checklist for the lighting engineers as well as the camera operators, so that the individual performers could be highlighted when they were playing a particular part. It was intricate, highly professional, and a bit scary. Steph did her best to memorise what she had to do and hoped she wouldn’t mess things up. She and the others checked and rechecked their instruments while the roadies ensured that the whole complicated series of amplifiers and speakers that would pump the music out to the audience were functioning perfectly. The concert had sold out within an hour of tickets going on sale in October, so it was going to be a full house of twenty thousand fans plus live streaming to millions around the globe. It promised to be noisy both on and off stage.
When the big day arrived, Steph was nervous; maybe not quite as nervous as at Santa Monica, but still apprehensive. She received a text from Rob half an hour before the start, telling her his flight had been delayed, but had now landed and he was on his way to the arena in a taxi, but not likely to get there in time to wish her well. He just added the usual showbiz idiom ‘Break a leg’. She replied, telling him how much she was looking forward to being with him again. She was still thinking about him as she squeezed into the glitzy costume that Bexley had picked out for her. If she had been in any doubt as to the depth of her feelings for Rob, the fact that she was looking forward more to seeing him tonight than to her first official concert in the UK with this legendary band proved it. She had no doubts about her priorities: Rob was what she wanted above all.
As in Santa Monica, the performance started with the lights dimmed and she followed the others out onto the stage in readiness for the start. When they were all in position, Johnny set things off with his usual ‘One, two, three, four’ and as they launched into the first number, the spotlights bathed the stage in light, and the audience erupted into an explosion of screams and raucous applause. This time, now that the new album was out, they worked their way through all the new songs as well as a few old favourites and the show took well over two hours. Steph’s various solo pieces were well received, and her newfound singing role also drew noisy applause from the crowd. For her part she thoroughly enjoyed herself and couldn’t help a feeling of regret that this life might have to come to an end if Keith didn’t agree to let her step back from the spotlight, even if the trade-off was being able to settle down with Rob. But it was the only way.
When they finally reached the end of the show, the audience bayed for more, and Keith led them into ‘Summer Nights’, the same number they had played as an encore at the last concert. As before, this started with a virtuoso performance by him as he produced his guitar solo. The crowd were shouting and screaming in appreciation and clapping in time to the music with their arms aloft and there was a real buzz about the place. But then, just as he reached the climax of the piece, when Steph and the others were about to join in, something unexpected happened. The guitar, his beloved silver Stratocaster, slid from his hands and hung limply around his neck as he fell to his knees and then keeled over sideways, crouched in a foetal position, his feet flailing uncontrollably. The crowd roared, but Steph could see at once that something was seriously wrong. She abandoned her piano and ran towards him. So did Ben, and she and he got to Keith at the same moment. Keith was mouthing gibberish, his eyes staring unseeing up towards the roof. Ben saw at once what was happening.
‘He’s having a heart attack or a stroke.’ He turned towards the wings and shouted at the top of his voice, only just audible over the racket coming from the crowd. ‘Get help. Now!’
The newspapers next morning led with the story. The headlines spoke for themselves:Rock Star Suffers Stroke on Stageor the more populistKeith Struck DownandRoyalty Brought to its Knees. EvenThe Timesreported it at the bottom of the front page:Keith Bailey (59) leader of world-famous band, Royalty, in critical condition after collapsing on stage.
Steph scanned through the article before dropping the paper back on the table and picking up the lukewarm cup of black coffee Rob had brought her from the hospital cafeteria. It was just after nine o’clock in the morning and she hadn’t slept in over twenty-four hours, but she was determined to stay with Faye and Rob and show solidarity for as long as it would take. Behind the closed doors of the ICU, she knew that medics were working feverishly to save Keith’s life. Out here, Ben and Johnny were dozing, and Steph sat on one side of Faye with Rob positioned on the other side, both of them doing their best to comfort her. From time to time Steph caught Rob’s eye, but she had hardly had a chance to exchange more than a few words with him since his father’s collapse.
Her phone buzzed and she saw that it was Sky. As Faye had been barely coherent, racked with worry, Steph had called her and Denver while the paramedics were still working on Keith at the venue, and she was fielding their calls now.
‘Hi, Sky, still no news, I’m afraid.’
‘How’s Mum bearing up?’
‘It’s a struggle but she’s coping. Rob’s looking after her. We’re all together here at the hospital. Don’t worry, I’ll stay with her until they tell us he’s all right.’
‘And do they think he will be all right? It’s been, what, almost twelve hours since it happened, hasn’t it?’
Steph was just glancing at her watch when the door opposite opened, and a doctor came out and headed over towards them. She muttered a few words to Sky and turned her phone on to speaker, before taking Faye’s arm as she got to her feet. The doctor pulled down his mask and addressed himself to Faye.
‘Mrs Bailey? I’m pleased to report that your husband’s doing better. He needs to rest, so we’re going to keep him sedated for a day or two. I think you should go home and get some sleep. We’ve got your contact details. We’ll call you when it’s time to come and see him.’
Faye let out a massive sigh of relief and Rob spoke for her. ‘Is he going to be all right? I mean, is he going to live?’
The doctor nodded. ‘Yes, we’re confident now that he’ll live, although it was touch and go for a while. As for the final prognosis, we probably won’t know for a few days. For now, it looks as though the left side of his body is partially paralysed, but that might be just a temporary phenomenon. Like I say, we’ll know better in a little while, but the important thing is that he’s out of danger.’
‘Can I go in to see him?’ Faye finally managed to find her voice.
‘It’s best if you don’t, Mrs Bailey. He’s heavily sedated and likely to stay that way for twelve, maybe twenty-four hours. He wouldn’t even register that you’re here. Take my advice. Go home and get some sleep.’
