Disclaimer: I receive nothing for this little story since I don't own the copyrights to any of the TV characters from the Nickelodeon show Victorious used here. They are owned by Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon. This is purely a work of fiction from my fertile imagination.
Xxxxxx
Tori's Vacay
Chapter 10
Hospital and Celebration
Xxxxxx
Tori Vega nervously sat in one of the waiting room chairs in the hospital emergency room as she filled out the registration form she was given when they'd arrived. Paul was amiably talking with the receptionist, both laughing and joking like they were old friends while Cat had disappeared, saying she was hungry again and was going to check out the vending machines if the cafeteria was closed. (Which it was at seven-thirty on a Saturday night).
Tori had just filled out the 'Next of Kin/Emergency Contact' portion of the form before a thought struck her. She had automatically filled in her parent's information but wondered if she should also put Mason Thornesmith's info in there, too. After all, if she were to suddenly become incapacitated her manager should be one of the people to find out right away. Shows might have to be canceled, the band and crew laid off etcetera, etcetera etcetera.
But then another idea struck her like a bolt of lightning. Maybe she should put Paul's information down somewhere on the form.
She and Paul Bowman were now... What? Dating? Boyfriend and girlfriend? She really didn't know what she could call their relationship that'd only started that afternoon. Tori could definitely see her and Paul someday getting married and her living on the ranch.
Tori sat up at that thought. She had only been in Montrose and known Paul for less than a week and she was already thinking about forever with the guy?
Tori suddenly realized that the idea didn't concern her too much. They'd only met five days ago but she felt like she knew him better than any of her other boyfriends she'd had during high school. Tori felt extremely comfortable when Paul was around and was growing to love Montrose Colorado like a second hometown. The people she'd met were very friendly, but not pushy like a lot of fans could be.
Yes, maybe someday in the near future she would put Paul's information in the 'Next of Kin/Emergency Contact' box.
Anyway... Tori finished up the form and brought it over to the receptionist, a beautiful blonde that looked to be around the same age as Paul. She anxiously said, "Here you go," and handed the clipboard to the lady.
Paul snaked his arm around Tori's waist and said to her, "Tori, this is Janet, an old friend of mine. She was working at the hospital as a Candy Striper after the accident in Florida and helped me get back on my feet."
Tori immediately realized Paul was talking about THE accident, the one were he had lost his parents and finacée, but something struck her as odd. Paul had moved from Florida to Montrose sometime after the accident so he wouldn't have met Janet in this hospital, but probably in Venice Florida. Did Janet follow Paul here? Maybe she fell in love with Paul and moved to Montrose to sink her claws into him.
So maybe Janet was a gold digger or a stalker?
Jealousy reared its ugly head. Tori warily greeted the lady and went fishing for information as she nestled in to Paul's embrace, wrapping both of her arms around him, "Hi Janet. If you don't mind my asking, how did you get your job here at the hospital? I'm only asking because I love the town and wouldn't mind moving here myself in the future. If that happened, I wouldn't mind helping out here at the hospital when I can."
Paul immediately sensed Tori's potential jealousy in the question and how possessively she had her arms wrapped around him, but let his blonde friend answer.
Janet smiled at the brunette and said, "Oh, I grew up here in Montrose. I worked as a Candy Striper while attending college in Florida and after finishing, I moved back here because I just love the area." She slyly smiled as she saw the position the brunette was in, nestled in Paul's arms, and asked, "What drew you to the area? As if I couldn't guess."
"Actually," Paul took over the conversation, "I invited Tori and a few of her friends out here to get away from their careers for a little vacation."
"I'm a pop singer," Tori proudly tossed in.
"Wait!" Janet gasped as her eyes shot down to the paperwork Tori had just handed her and then quickly looked back at the lithe girl. "You're that Tori Vega? I've listened to you on the radio, I just love your music. I especially like your song, Make It Shine."
"That was the song that got me into Hollywood Arts," Tori chuckled before she told the blonde receptionist about the time she'd helped her sister get ready for the Big Showcase at school, only to have Trina sabotage her own performance with a Chinese herb gargle that'd made her tongue swell. Tori had to reluctantly fill in for Trina and the rest, as they say, is history.
"I didn't know that," Paul laughed along with Tori and Janet at the story. "I always assumed you applied to get in like everyone else."
The happy mood was interrupted when a nurse came up to escort Tori to an examination room and Paul accompanied them. The nurse took Tori's vital signs, for the record, and then left to inform the doctor that the patient was ready to be treated.
When they were alone Tori anxiously asked her beau, "So, Janet is just a friend?"
Suspicions confirmed, Paul knew he had to nip Tori's jealously in the bud. Of course that didn't mean he couldn't play her a bit beforehand. He took her hands in his and sadly said, "I was in a deep, dark place after the accident, as you can imagine. Janet was there during my therapy and brought me back. I'm extremely grateful to her for that."
"So, why didn't you hook up with her then?" the brunette nervously questioned.
"Well, for one thing," Paul slyly said as his sadness slowly evaporated, "I'd just lost the girl I'd planned on marrying." His smile amped up a bit when he noticed the doctor entering the room and continued, "And second, Janet was engaged to her high school sweetheart and I'd never try to take another guy's girl from him. As a matter of fact..." Paul motioned to the doctor waiting just inside the door with a broad smile.
"What?" Tori queried as she turned and finally noticed the new person in the room.
"Good evening," the doctor said to Tori with a sly smile since he had heard the last part of the conversation. He extended a hand to shake and introduced himself, "I'm Dr. Gil Hotchkiss. I'm Janet's husband."
"Oh," Tori moaned, totally embarrassed.
But before she could shame herself further by blurting out an apology or something equally as lame, Tori was saved by the arrival of a very perky redhead. "There you are, Tori," Cat called out as she merrily skipped into the examination room. "I was wondering where you went."
"We were in the waiting room where you left us before being escorted to this room," Tori warily said, wondering if her friend was just having a normal 'Cat' moment. "Where have you been? I thought you were just checking out the vending machines down the hall."
"I did," the petite redhead giggled as she pulled a piece of candy out of her cleavage and popped it in her mouth. As she chewed the gooey gum drop, she continued, "Then I went and talked to those two guys from the airplane. We had a nice little visit."
Confused, Paul begged, "You were able to find the two men from the plane? This building is four stories tall and has seventy-five beds."
"I was talking to the nice lady at the front desk and she told me which room they were in," Cat answered with another giggle. She turned to her fellow singer and said, "They want to meet and thank you and Paul before they're released tomorrow. They're only being held overnight for observation and then they need to get to Grand Junction for a meeting on Monday. That's where they were heading when they crashed."
Dr. Hotchkiss had been examining Tori's leg and said, "I can take you to their room after we're finished here. I'd like to check on them once more before my shift is over."
The doctor questioned Paul about what he did to the wound while cleaning it. Paul told him that he'd simply washed it with a little soap and water before putting an antibacterial gel on it, and that he hadn't covered the wound because he knew he was going to bring Tori here to get it checked out anyway.
Then came the part of the treatment that Tori feared: The dreaded shot.
As the nurse came in with the hypodermic needle, Paul took Tori's hands in his, looked directly into her eyes and said, "You don't have to worry at all, it's just a simple shot."
"Yeah, but I really hate needles," Tori whined. "One time I had to give three pints of blood one evening so our friend Robbie could have an operation."
Cat gleefully piped in, "He had a car parked in his butt."
"A car?" Dr. Hotchkiss questioned as he swabbed down Tori's arm with an antiseptic wipe.
Tori glanced over to the doctor and answered, "He swallowed a toy car when he was young and it finally worked its way to his lower intestines and lodged there. The doctor was worried that it might rupture his intestines so they were going to operate that same night."
"And you gave three pints of blood?" the doctor indignantly begged. "An operation like that should've only required a pint, maybe a little more. What happened to the other two pints... And I hope they did something to replace that amount of blood loss. Three pints is almost half the blood volume you have in your body."
"I'm not sure what happened to the first pint," Tori shrugged, only hearing that it had somehow disappeared. "The second pint broke open when Robbie dropped it and they had something they called a saline solution going into my other arm when I gave the second and third pints; And after all three times they made me drink a small juice box."
Paul gently squeezed Tori's hands to get her attention again as he said, "So you endured five needles in one evening; The three for the pints of blood and two more for the saline solution. You must've been extremely brave that evening. If you endured five needles back then, you can certainly stand one little needle tonight."
"I don't know..." Tori warily started to say before the doctor stood back and announced, "All done."
Tori looked down at her arm and saw a small adhesive bandage in place where a shot would normally be given. While Paul had been talking to her, distracting her, Dr. Hotchkiss had administered the Tetanus shot and bandaged her up.
"Whoa," the brunette marveled with a light chuckle. "I didn't feel a thing."
After the nurse wrapped Tori's leg wound, Cat giddily led Paul, Tori and Dr. Hotchkiss up to the second floor room where the pilot and passenger from the light plane crash were being held overnight for observation. The perky redhead almost bounced into the room and yelled, "I'm back and I have visitors."
"Caaaaat," Tori quietly but firmly chided her friend as she entered the room. "You need to keep your voice down. We're in a hospital."
"Oops, sorry," Cat giggled to the brunette singer before she turned once again to the occupied beds, raised her arms like she was going to yell again and enthusiastically whispered, "I'm back and I brought my friends you wanted to see." The interaction between the two girls brought smiles to everyone else.
After Dr. Hotchkiss check over the two men, he departed telling Paul that they should all get together sometime soon. Paul agreed and explained to Tori and Cat that the doctor was finishing up his internship at the Florida hospital and was one of the doctors who treated him after the accident.
The pilot and passenger thanked the three locals, they assumed, for getting help so quickly. The pilot had thought that since they were crashing so far out of town that help would've been a long time coming.
Xxxxxx
As Tori, Cat and Paul neared the SUV in the hospital parking lot, ready to head back to the ranch, the petite redheaded singer suggested, "I think we should go out and celebrate a job well done."
"That sounds like an excellent idea, Cat," Paul nodded as he unlock the vehicle and slipped into the driver's seat. He waited until the two girls were seated and the passenger door was closed before he continued, "But you know you'll probably be recognized wherever we go. Do you mind if that happens?"
"I think I up for a little notoriety," Tori said as she slid up close to Paul on the wide beach seat. "We've spent practically the whole trip so far at the ranch and haven't seen any of the town except for the airport and two stores. Besides, I could use a drink right about now."
"Okay," Paul smiled as he started the silver SUV. "And I know just the place to celebrate."
Xxxxxx
Tori was a bit surprised when Paul stopped only a few block from the hospital. There was off-street parking on one side of the small, single story building and an alley behind, but what was odd about the place was that the other two side were closed in with a four foot high wooden fence. Above the fence one could see a few large, strategically placed umbrellas and a tree to shade the outdoor tables.
"Why is it named after an insect?" Cat curiously begged as she got out of the SUV and pointed to the sign above the door. It read, Horsefly Brewing Company.
Tori also noticed the sign denoting the establishment's name and asked, "And why is it called a brewery? It doesn't look like it's large enough to have any brewing vats and such. I got a chance to tour one of the breweries when I did a couple shows in Milwaukee and those vats were huge."
"Well," Paul answered as they walked over to the fenced in areas and took a seat at one of the open outdoor tables, "the story goes that they wanted to name it after something local. When they had trouble spelling Uncompahgre, they decided to name it after one of the local mountains, Horsefly Peak, which has an elevation of just over ten thousand feet."
He turned to Tori and continued, "And it's a microbrewery, something Colorado is famous for. There are over two hundred of them in the state and three or four of them are here in Montrose." He noticed one of the waitresses coming their way and asked, "Now, do you want to try one of their microbrews or would you like something else to drink?"
Cat had discovered one of the menu cards on the table and her face lit up as she read it and said, "Oh! I wanna try a Jazzy Razzy that has just a hint of raspberry taste." She pulled a wisp of her long, red velvet hued locks in front of her face and marveled, "I bet it'll be the same color as my hair!"
"I don't know what looks good," Tori whined after getting the menu card from her friend and glancing over it.
Paul took it from his girlfriend's hand, turned to the waitress and ordered, "I'll have a twenty ounce Highland Scottish." He pointed first to the magenta hue-haired girl and then to Tori as he continued, "Cat will have a sixteen ounce Jazzy Razzy and make it a Bug-Eyed Blond for Tori, same size."
The waitress wrote down the orders and asked, "Would you like anything to eat?"
Tori and Cat had scooted together to look over the appetizers and food that was available on another menu card. The brunette slowly shook her head and said, "It all looks so good but I'm not really that hungry."
Cat handed the menu to Paul as she pulled another gum drop from her cleavage and said, "Me too. Why don't you decide what to get us."
Paul set the menu down on the table, turned back to the waitress and said, "We'll have an order of Beer Battered Mushrooms, some of Phil's Hoppin Buffalo wings and an order of Rocky Mountain Oysters with ranch dressing, please."
"Okay," the waitress said as she finished writing up the order. "I'll be right back with your drinks." With that, she turned and walked back into the restaurant.
"That's a lot of food," Tori marveled to her new beau.
"It's okay," Paul laughed as he leaned back in his chair. He had noticed two men he recognized walking toward him before placing the food order. "I think we're about to get a little help eating it." He stood up when the men arrived and introduced everyone, "Cat Valentine and Tori Vega, this is Fire Chief John Cedar, and you may remember Frank Cross from earlier."
"Oh my gosh!" Cat squealed in delight as she quickly got up and wrapped the younger man in a hug. "You were the fire-guy at the plane crash who talked to us!"
Frank was a little taken aback by the bubbly redhead's forward greeting, but quickly recovered and laughed, "That's me." When Cat released him, he motioned to the other man and said, "And this is my boss."
As pleasantries were exchanged between Tori and the two men, Paul moved his chair closer to Tori's and motioned for them to sit.
The Fire Chief complimented the trio on assisting with the plane crash so professionally, then, after the drinks were served, (John and Frank already had theirs in hand when they came over to the table,) he got down to the subject he wanted to talk about. He looked to Tori and stated, "I understand you're a famous singer."
"I don't know if I'd call myself famous just yet," Tori blushed at the compliment, "but I'm getting there."
"Don't be so modest," Paul playfully chided the brunette as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You opened the Platinum Music Awards show, your first album is selling extremely well and your shows are always sold out. I'd say that puts you in the famous category."
"Well, thanks," Tori blushed and snuggled into her new boyfriend's embrace. "But I think you might be just a teensy bit biased." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in gratitude.
"Wait a minute," Frank jumped in, pointing to the couple. "You two are a couple already? I thought Tori only came out here for a little vacation." That was something Tori and Paul had explained to all of the firefighters before leaving for the hospital.
"Yeah, actually we realized we really like each other a lot just today," Tori's blush deepened as she wrapped both of her arms around Paul. "And I could really get used to the country lifestyle: The fresh air, the horses and all that goes with them. Montrose is a great little town."
"Anyway," Chief Cedar jumped in, trying to get back to what he wanted to talk about and went with the opening Tori had given him. "Since you like our little community so much, would you consider helping out with a good cause?"
"Um, sure," Tori noncommittally shrugged. She sat up when the waitress brought out their food. "What do you have in mind?" She picked up one of the breaded mushrooms and bit into it, letting out a yummy sound when she discover she really liked the taste while Cat tested out the other two appetizers. (The redheaded singer had let out a screech of distress when she tried the extremely hot, hot wings and promptly downed half of her beer, causing the others to laugh.)
"One of our fellow firefighters was killed while working a wildfire last fall and we're setting up a trust fund for his son," Frank explained after Cat had settled down and started on the other appetizers. "We're putting on a little fund-raising concert next weekend at The Pavilion, just a few local bands are playing, and I was wondering if you would sing a few songs? We wouldn't be able to pay you anything but your name would certainly draw a bigger crowd."
"Well," Tori mulled it over for a few seconds before she slowly nodded. "I'd have to check with my manager before I can commit but I don't see why I shouldn't be able to."
"Perhaps," Paul jumped in with an idea, "you could sell some of Tori's CDs at the concession stands and split the profits?" He turned to Tori and added, "I'm sure Mason would go for that idea. Plus, performing would get your name out there in this area. I'm sure most of the teens know who you are but a lot of adults might also like your music enough to buy it."
"Yeah," Tori giggled. "I'm sure Mason would agree to that. He'd jump at any chance to increase sales." She checked her PearPhone for the time and groaned, "But it's already a little past eight o'clock and he heads home at eight so he wouldn't be in his office. I won't be able to check with him until Monday."
"But we're in the Mountain Time Zone here, not the Pacific Time Zone," Paul pointed out. "So it's just past seven in Los Angeles."
"Oh, that's right," the brunette said in realization. She quickly dialed and immediately recognized the British accent when the call was answered and said, "Hey Chelsea, it's Tori. There's gonna be a charity concert next week for a local firefighter who was killed on the job and they're asking if I could participate." She nodded briefly when Mason's assistant said something, but then frowned and answered, "I don't know."
Paul reached over and said, "Let me talk to her. I might be able to explain things better since I know a little bit about the event and where it's being held."
"Oh, okay," Tori chirped and turned back to the phone conversation. She said, "Here's someone who can answer your questions." She handed Paul her PearPhone.
The redheaded rancher stood and started to walk away from the table for a bit of quite as he said, "Hi Chelsea, my name is Paul. Tori is staying with me during her vacation. Now, what do you need to know?"
Tori tried to listen in on the phone call but Paul was far enough away that she couldn't hear what he was saying. Cat also took the opportunity to pipe in as she pushed one of the appetizer baskets over to the brunette and squealed in delight, "You gotta try these, Tori. They're absolutely delicious!"
"What are they?" Tori questioned as she picked up one of the round breaded things in the half full basket, dipped it in the ranch dressing and took a bite."
"Those are the Rocky Mountain Oysters," the bubbly redhead perked. She turned to the two firemen and said, "But I didn't know they raised oysters here in Colorado. I thought they could only be found in the ocean."
"Yeah," Tori piped in as she finished chewing one of the breaded 'oysters' and started on another. "I thought they were salt water things."
John Cedar held back a laugh as he answered, "They're not really oysters, that's just what they're called." The Fire Chief may have been holding in his laughter but Frank couldn't. Actually, he'd fallen out of his chair and was rolling on the ground, laughing his head off.
Neither of the two girls could figure out what was so funny. Curious as always, Cat begged, "Then what are they? They're great! I gotta know!"
"Well," the chief started, trying to find a delicate way to put it, "out here in Colorado we raise a lot of sheep. In order to control breeding and make the males a little more docile, they... castrate them. The testicles are then breaded and deep fried. They're considered a real delicacy."
"These are sheep balls?!" Cat yelped in shock, holding one of the breaded items out away from her and stared wide-eyed at it. Her loud outburst caught the attention of the other patrons on the patio and most of them snickered at the redhead, knowing what she was talking about.
"Usually sheep, but sometimes horse, bull or pig," John Cedar answered with a light laugh. Like the other patrons, he had seen that same astonished reaction from quite a few tourist over the years who didn't know what they were eating until someone told them.
Tori simply shrugged a shoulder as she looked over the 'oyster' in her hand and said, "Actually, they are very good. I wonder if they serve them anywhere in Hollywood?"
"Yeah," the little redhead said in sudden realization as she took a small bite of the one in her hand. "I bet they'd be a big hit at Karaoke Dokie."
Paul returned to the table, handed the closed phone back to Tori with a huge smile and said, "Mason is thrilled that you would like to do a charity concert. He said the positive publicity would more than make up for the lack of pay."
"Yeah, that sounds like Mason," Tori chuckled. "He's usually more interested in my image and the bottom line than anything else, and getting my name out there would help with that."
Paul took his seat, turned to the two firefighters and added, "Mason also said he'd immediately ship out a thousand CDs right away to sell at the concert. I told him that the Pavilion only seats 600, but he said that maybe she could do a signing at the music stores in the area to increase sales and awareness of the concert."
"That might not be a bad idea," Chief Cedars said with a slight nod while appearing to be in deep thought. "The concert isn't selling very well right now. With Tori's name behind it, we should do a lot better in ticket sales. I'll tell the local media about the change of lineup when I get a chance on Monday."
Paul chuckled and waved him off as he said, "You don't need to worry about that. Mason is sending out a press release to them as we speak. He wanted to include the Denver and Salt Lake City media but I reminded him of the seating capacity at The Pavilion and he decided to only notify the local Montrose and Grand Junction media."
Tori grumbled, "It's beginning to sound like Mason thinks that I'm headlining the show." She brightened with an idea and added, "Maybe Cat could sing a song or two, too."
"Yea, I love to sing," Cat cheered, both fists raised in the air. She turned to Paul and asked, "But can we get some more Rocky Oysters?" She snatched up the empty basket, showing it to everyone and said, "These are all gone."