Page 11 of Sustain

“Very good?” she asks, glaring up at me. I’d worry if the smirk wasn’t back along with it. “You think I’m just ‘very good’ at my job? Do you know how hard I work? I do the job of three managers – the tour manager, the band manager, the production manager--”

“That’s what you heard out of everything I said? Sorry. Sorry. I meant to say ‘best.’ You’re the absolute best in the business. Hands down.” She nods and leans further into me. “Geesh, overachiever.”

“I heard that.”

“I know you did,” I smile.

When I came to Aspen, I thought I’d get a few runs on the slopes, some Scotch by the fire in the lodge, and dive headfirst into the new manager gig.

I didn’t expect this. I didn’t expect this at all.

Another note to self: The old adage is true – When you least expect it – expect it.

seven

. . .

Otherside

Mackenzie

I guess it’s a good thing I’m on morphine right now. Otherwise, I’d be freaking the fuck out trying to figure out how I’m going to do my job when I can’t easily get around.

This is my worst nightmare.

A huge festival featuring the biggest acts in the business, and I’m benched. I’m not entirely helpless, but the blizzard just made my job a million times harder than it needs to be. Ian holding my phone hostage isn’t helping either.

I must fall asleep with my head on Ian’s shoulder, because the next thing I know, there’s another doctor in the room with a leg brace. When I move to sit up, pain shoots down my leg. I’d almost forgotten it was broken. I’m surprised I was able to fall asleep with all the adrenaline coursing through me.

Maybe that’s what happened. I finally crashed.

Ha. Literally.

“What’s so funny?” Ian asks, getting up from the side of the bed and shaking out his arm. I’m guessing it must have fallen asleep while he was holding me.

It’s then that I notice how much I liked it when he held me. How safe I felt in his arms. Safe enough to fall asleep, atleast. That’s new. I also notice he’s not wearing a wedding ring anymore. I could have sworn he was married.

“Huh? Oh, nothing,” I say, shaking my head and trying to clear the cobwebs. Unfortunately, pain medicine makes me chatty, and I have no filter. “What happened to your wedding ring? I thought you were married.”

I need to shut the hell up.

The doctor holding my brace looks at me, then looks at Ian questioningly. He’s apparently invested in the unfolding drama in front of him more than he is taking care of my leg. Fair enough.

Ian looks down at his hand as if to double-check that what I’ve said is true, and his brow furrows slightly. If I had to guess, I’d say the hurt that flashed behind his eyes for a second has a story behind it.

“I was,” he says, suddenly stoic. “I’m not anymore.”

I stare at his hand as he shoves it back into his pocket, wanting to know the story. In all of our meetings, we’ve never really talked about personal lives. It’s always been about business or the industry. I appreciated that about him. But now I’m curious. Something tells me getting him to talk about it won’t be easy. I should probably leave it alone.

The new doctor goes through putting the brace on and gives me instructions on how to use and care for it. It seems simple enough. I’ll also be getting crutches to use for the first few days or so. I really did luck out, considering how bad this could have been.

We’re barely done talking about follow-up care when the first doctor comes back. I didn’t catch anybody’s names. Though, I don’t think I’d be able to remember anyway. It’s hard enough to pay attention to my care instructions.

“Where are you two staying?” He asks, looking between the two of us.

“Oh, we’re not together,” Ian and I say at the same time. We were both awfully fast to dispel the notion that we’d be a couple. I look over at him to find him looking at me, and when our eyes meet, a jolt goes through me, making me feel like what I just said was a lie.

We both quickly turn back to the doctor.

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