DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Hawaii Five-0" or any of it's characters. I do own Maddie, Pete, Tina, Doc, Ryan, etc.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys! I wanted to thank all of you that reviewed. Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. To be honest, I wasn't feeling very inspired to finish it. Not because of the story itself, but because I didn't get a ton of reviews the last two chapters. I know you guys like the chapters where Maddie and Steve interact. Trust me, I DO TOO! But, these chapters are ESSENTIAL for what comes next. I promise! So, the next chapters you will be getting a lot of Maddie and Steve. A lot of Maddie pushing Steve's buttons, which I must say I enjoy writing! :o)
Anyway, please please let me know what you think. The more I hear from people, the sooner I post a chapter. Especially now that I'm home from the east coast. I've taken a couple weeks off before my life gets really busy again. So, I have time to really spend a lot of time updating, which I hope makes you ALL happy! :o)
As always, thoughts are in italics. Also, in this chapter text messages are in BOLD. Also, you meet a new character in this chapter. His full name is Dr. John Warsten, but mostly he's referred to as Doc. I just didn't want you guys getting confused when you saw a couple different names.
Well, I'll stop rambling and let you get to it!
I hope you all enjoy! And again, please review!
xoxo,
Laura
CHAPTER 26
The partners remained incredibly quiet for the first few minutes of the drive. Steve continued to exceed the speed limit, however not as bad as before.
Besides being beyond worried and upset about whatever trouble Maddie seemed to be in, Steve felt so guilty for what he'd said to Danny. He wanted to say something, to apologize, but didn't know where to begin. Finally the silence became too much. "Danny…" Steve began.
"Just don't," Danny told him, sighing.
"Excuse me?" Steve asked surprised by his response.
"Seriously, just don't. I don't want to talk to you right now. We are having quiet partner time. Just drive," Danny explained obviously angry.
"Fine!" Steve retorted. The fact that now Danny was mad at him and wouldn't even let him apologize just made him more upset. Like all the other times he was furious when he was behind the wheel, he unconsciously pressed his foot down on the gas pedal, taking his frustrations out on the road. The car picked up speed as it flew down the roads, Steve avoiding cars that were 'in his way'.
"Great…" Danny muttered grabbing hold of the handle so he wouldn't fly around the car.
"What was that?" Steve snapped. "I thought we were having 'quiet partner time'?", his tone mocking.
Pulling into a parking spot in the Five-0 Headquarters lot, Steve slammed his foot on the brake, the tires squealed as they came to an abrupt stop. "You're unbelievable, ya know that?" Danny sneered as he opened his door and got out. Steve's only response was to smirk in his direction.
Before he closed the door and walked away Danny bent forward, poking his head in the car. "Reach out to her. Try and fix whatever stupid thing you did because I won't deal with you being a complete asshole for the next four days." With that said, Danny slammed the door and walked towards the building.
Steve didn't know what to say. He knew he was being an ass, but somehow he couldn't help it. He was so mad, and not at Maddie, but at himself. And, he was scared. He was scared he wouldn't be able to find whoever was after Maddie. But most of all, he was scared, no terrified, that he couldn't fix things between them. That she would decide to not honor their deal, but instead leave with Pete. And he knew that would be it for them. God, I wish I was with her, or at least wish she'd talk to me. Tell me she's okay, he thought.
Rubbing his hand through his hair Steve closed his eyes before reaching in his pocket for his cell. He went to his favorites folder and pressed his thumb on her name at the top of the list. Exhaling he placed the phone to his ear and listened to it ring. He couldn't say he was surprised when it rang and rang and rang, eventually going to voicemail. "Hi! You've reached Maddie! I OBVIOUSLY can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a BRIEF message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thank you and have a wonderful day!" His heart ached at the sound of her voice, wishing it were her actually talking to him.
Once the beep sounded Steve spoke, his voice quiet. "Hey…it's me. I just…I was hoping you would have answered. I really need to talk to you…Mads…this morning….seriously, I didn't mean it.… Also… why didn't you tell me how much pain you were in? How are you doing? I'm worried about you. Baby, please call me back." With that said, Steve hung up, shaking his head. He slowly got out of Danny's Camaro and trudged towards headquarters. "Now to fix things with Danny. Or at least try," he whispered to himself as he walked in the building and into the elevator.
As Maddie's band played through one of her new songs, she sat on the padded stool in front of them. She glanced down at her watch. 11:50am? I've only been doing this for two hours? Are you kidding me? It feels like I've been here for at least double that! ….Man, this is going to be a long 4 days, she told herself.
As she waited for Ben to finish working on the arrangement to the song, she took in her current state. Her head was pounding and every part of her body was aching. Her throat hurt even more than earlier and she knew it was only going to get worse as the day went on. Having had to sing and talk over the last few hours had caused her voice to become nonexistent, which made her worry about how she was going to sing Wednesday. Where is Doc? I thought he was supposed to be here at 11:30am? she wondered.
No sooner had she thought it than her phone chimed. Maddie pulled it from her purse to see a text from Pete. Doc's here. Is it okay for me to come in and get you? You still playing new music?
She looked up at the band as they ended the song. "Let's take lunch," she tried to whisper as she texted Pete back.
"What?" Ben asked, unable to hear her because she had no voice. He made his way over to Maddie, leaning in close.
"Lunch," she croaked.
"Got it," Ben replied. He straightened out and turned his head to the band. "Lunch, guys." As he did so, he rubbed Maddie's shoulder sympathetically. His head jerked to her giving her a concerned look. Ben waited until the band was gone before saying, "Mads, you're warm. Are you okay?"
She nodded, apparently unconvincingly. "You need to lay down or something, not mention see a doctor. Here, let me help you." He reached his hand out and pulled her up. She wavered as she kept all weight off her right leg.
"How ya feeling Shorty?" Pete asked as he stepped foot on the stage, walking towards them.
"Fine," she whispered still holding on to Ben.
"I see your voice has gotten worse," Pete said stopping in front of her.
"Don't let her fool you," Ben began. "She's warm, a slight fever."
"Tattletale," Maddie mumbled.
Pete reached his hand forward and placed it against her forehead. She immediately pushed his hand away and took a step back. However, she wasn't thinking about how much pain she'd be in when she put weight on her right leg. Her face scrunched in pain and she cried out, well as much of a cry as her voice would allow. Her right leg gave out and she began falling backwards. Luckily both Pete and Ben were right next to her and grabbed her before she could completely fall and hurt herself.
"Woah," Maddie uttered huskily.
Pete picked Maddie up. Once safe in his arms he joked, "Well, I see your leg isn't any better either….Good thing we're going to see Doc." He turned to Ben. "Thanks. She should be done soon."
"No problem. We are taking lunch and then Lyle's supposed to be here at 1pm to start the choreography. We have the arrangements worked out already. Still a few bugs, but those will be straightened out by playing them over and over," Ben said as they walked together off stage and entered the hallways off the backstage area. "Well, good luck Mads! See you guys later!" He kissed her on the forehead and walked in the opposite direction they were going.
With Ben gone and it now being just the two of them Pete took the opportunity to talk to Maddie. "How do you really feel Mads?"
"Fine," she lied.
"Don't make me call Steve down here because I can't trust you to tell me the truth," Pete threatened.
"Whatever, I don't care," Maddie claimed, her heart aching at the mention of his name.
"Now, we both know that isn't true."
"Yes it is," she argued.
"Maddie…I know what he said this morning hurt, but," Pete started.
"No it didn't. Why would it? I don't know what you're talking about," Maddie interrupted.
"Mads,"
"No, seriously, everything's fine. No big deal. He and I are good. I'm good. We're all good!" Maddie lied, trying to pretend like everything was okay, but Pete knew differently. She was protecting herself. Stupid Steve, he cursed inwardly.
Pete walked them through the door to her large dressing room. A sign, "Madeline Lily" marked the front of the door. The inside was decked out with two everything she was going to need for the next four days. It had been decorated in a very beautiful, peaceful, and comfortable way. There was a comfy area with two overstuffed couches and two big armchairs in front of a big TV on one side of the room. It was a place for her to rest and hang out. A little kitchen with a table was located more in the back center of the dressing room. On the other side was a hair and makeup station. Also near that were her racks of stage clothes with a large three-way mirror for the fittings that would be happening. A door off the left side of the room led to a large bathroom. Another doorway on the left side led to a smaller room with a pullout sofa, so if she needed to sleep she had a bed.
As Pete entered carrying Maddie, he spotted a man in his late thirties sitting on the plush couch, medical supplies sitting both on the coffee table in front of him and next to him on the floor.
"Uh oh," the man said seeing Pete carrying Maddie. "I see the knee's bothering you."
"Hi Doc!" Maddie greeted as Pete set her on the couch next to him. "Yeah, it is."
"Anything happen? Or is it just bothering you from all the touring?" he asked.
Maddie glanced at Pete just standing there listening. Taking the hint he said, "Okay, I'll be right outside. Holler if you need me." He turned to Doc. "Good seeing you John! It's good that you're here."
"You too Pete!" With that he walked out leaving Doc (John) and Maddie alone. "What happened Shorty?"
"I tripped and fell on it," Maddie mumbled avoiding eye contact.
"Oh Mads! I told you what would happen if you fell on it."
"I know, but it was a complete accident. Really! It wasn't stage related or anything like that. I was heading into my house from the backyard and tripped over the threshold. Went right down on my knee," she explained, her voice cutting in and out. However, she decided to leave out that she'd been running inside because she was upset, effectively distracting herself from the threshold.
"Wow, you're voice. I'll take a look at your throat and vocal chords after I look at your knee," Doc said. "However, I can't tell through the jeans. You're going to have to take them off."
"Okay." Maddie pulled her motorcycle boots off, discarding them next to her on the floor. Carefully she stood, keeping all weight on her left leg and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. She began pushing them down her legs, but quickly realized using her left hand for this caused pain, however she toughed it out.
When the dark wash, skinny jeans were at the middle of her thighs she continued to push them down further, but made the mistake of putting the littlest bit of weight on her right leg. Maddie cried out as she fell back on the couch. A couple tears escaped her eyes, but as quickly as they came they were gone as she fervently brushed them away using the back of her hand.
"Let me help you." Doc stood and took hold of the ankle cuffs of the denim jeans. Delicately he pulled them the rest of the way off, leaving Maddie sitting there in her boy shorts. "Oh man…" he mumbled seeing how badly swollen her knee was. He barely touched it and she slightly jerked away, wincing. "This is not good! How did you even get the jeans on? To be honest I'm surprised we didn't need to cut them off!"
"They're a little big….Can you get me through rehearsals and this show?" Maddie asked nervously.
Doc paused, thinking it over. "Yeah…I can, but….it's going to be really painful Maddie." He sighed hesitating. Knowing she wasn't going to like the next part. "And you HAVE to stay off it every moment your rehearsals don't require you to be on it. You're going back into the knee brace. And not the normal one…the ice one."
"NO!" Maddie exclaimed. However, her voice cut off mid word due to a tickle in her throat. She began coughing. Once recovering she said, "The ice one makes it so I'm cold ALL the time!"
"It's necessary if you don't want to damage this even more. I mean, this is already such a stupid idea. You should cancel the show and stay off of it for weeks." Before Maddie could argue Doc continued. "But, I know that isn't an option with this show. So, I'm going to get you through this. If I wasn't going to be here with you for the next five days, I wouldn't do this. But because I get to monitor things, I will. But know that I don't like this. It's not my first choice here."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Doc looked questioningly at Maddie and she nodded at him. "Come in," he called.
The door opened to reveal a gorgeous, blonde, green-eyed nurse around the same age as Maddie, maybe a couple years younger. As she entered her dressing room Maddie inwardly groaned, not a very big fan of Doc's new nurse. She wasn't sure why, but ever since the day she'd met her six months ago, there was something about her. She just didn't trust her.
"Hi Maddie! How are you sweetie?" The tall blonde cheerfully greeted, however Maddie knew she was being fake. She knew for sure she didn't care for her. She'd basically told Maddie to her face.
"I'm pretty good Kendall!" Maddie lied as she flashed her a big smile.
"So good to hear!" Kendall returned with an over the top smile and over exaggerated, enthusiastic tone. She approached the couch where Maddie and Doc sat. "Is there anything I can do to help Dr. Warsten?"
"Actually, perfect timing Kendall! Can you set up the scale? I wanna get her weight. And then can you fill a couple bags of ice for Maddie please? I want to get ice on her knee while I continue my exam."
"No problem!" Kendall smiled as she walked into the kitchen section of the large dressing room to do what her boss asked. She quickly brought the small portable scale over. "Here ya go Dr. Warsten."
Doc helped Maddie stand on the scale. He waited for her weight to show and then quickly jotted it down on a new blank page in her chart that he had sitting on the coffee table. By the time he was finished she was already comfortably sitting back down on the couch.
"Alright…so, I spoke to a Dr. Malia Waincraft on the phone the other day…" Doc began.
Maddie looked down, her face blushing from embarrassment.
"Want to tell me what happened?" he asked her.
She shrugged before whispering, "I was so tired. Guess all the lack of sleep the last couple weeks finally caught up to me. And you know me, I'm such a klutz…I had to faint on a marble floor…while holding glass." She tried to lighten the mood by attempting to softly chuckle, however it didn't work.
"…So….then, you're still not sleeping?" he asked. "That's been going on months now and it's not getting any better. In fact, I'd say it's getting worse. Is something bothering you?"
"Nothing, just busy. Plus, I've always had a difficult time sleeping," Maddie lied, something Dr. Warsten picked up on.
"What about since you've been home? How's the sleeping? Getting any more?"
Maddie tried to keep the smile from her face at the thought of spending her nights snuggled into Steve. However, the happiness she felt was short lived when she remembered his words that morning. Suddenly her happiness was replaced by sadness and her heart began to ache. "Yeah, I've been sleeping a little better," she admitted to him.
"That's great! I knew you just needed to take some time off and go home! How long have I been recommending this?" Doc smirked. Maddie shrugged her shoulders avoiding eye contact. "At least a month! At least!" he exclaimed, smiling triumphantly.
"Here you go Dr. Warsten," Kendall interrupted handing him three bags of ice.
"Thanks Kendall." Doc pulled the coffee table closer to Maddie and propped her right leg on it and then positioned the ice all around her knee. Once finished he carefully pulled off her right sock. He slowly began unwrapping the bandage on her foot. "Ouch!" he whispered finally able to see the deep gashes on the bottom of her foot. "Wow, this looks painful!"
"It is," Maddie admitted solemnly.
"Well, it's not infected, but it's a little red. It could easily go that route. I do think it needs a little air, so why don't you leave it like this until you need to go start dance rehearsal at 1pm." John looked at his watch. "An hour from now. You can rewrap it then."
Biting her bottom lip, Maddie nodded, trying to keep the talking to a bare minimum in hopes of resting her voice as much as possible.
"Let's take a look at that hand."
Maddie stretched her left arm out and he took her hand in his. Gently he unwrapped it. "Ouch! Damn Shorty! You really got yourself good!" He studied it for a second. "The cut closer to your wrist looks good. A bit irritated and red, but not bad. But, the cut on your palm is worse. It's quite red and if you aren't careful it'll be infected quickly. So, make sure not to use it!"
"Guitar," Maddie whispered.
John immediately shook his head. "Nope. That'll rip open the scabs. We want them to heal, not keep ripping open!"
Maddie's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Whatever, I'll still play. I have to. It's part of the show, she thought.
"I'm going to let this one air out until 1pm too." Doc reached in his bag and pulled out a small pen lighter. "Look at me," he instructed.
Maddie did as he asked and he began flashing the light in her eyes, moving it back and forth between the two. He watched her begin to squint and close her eyes from the intense light he was flashing directly in her striking blue eyes. "Try to keep from closing your eyes Mads. I know it's hard." Maddie did her best to follow his instructions even as she wiped a tear from her cheeks. The light was making her eyes water. "Look to the left." She did as he asked and he said, "Now to the right." He watched her look to the right as he continued to point the light in her eyes. "Now directly at me." That was the hardest for her. "Okay, looks better than what Malia described. I'm sure you still have a slight concussion, so don't fall on your head." Doc smiled as he placed the pen on the table. "How's your headache?"
"Not terrible, but definitely still there," Maddie lied. She knew she'd have to play down how badly she felt when it came to certain symptoms. One of which was her pounding headache. "It's better than last night." That wasn't a complete lie. It had been better this morning, but now it was almost the same as it had been when she'd gone to bed last night.
"Good! However, I would revise any choreography with flips in it. I'm not sure you're ready for that. Are you still getting dizzy?"
"No," she lied again.
"That's good because if you were then you absolutely should NOT do any flips! I know how you like your acrobatics!" Doc smiled at her. "If the headache isn't gone by Thursday, I'll order another MRI…just to make sure nothing else is wrong. ….Alright, let's see the throat."
Maddie nervously opened her mouth. Using a wood tongue depressor and a special tool with a light on it, he began looking in her throat. "It's a little red. Is it sore?"
A sheepish look appeared on her face before she nodded.
"I thought you felt a little warm, but thought maybe you were under the lights on stage." Doc grabbed a thermometer and put it under her tongue. He studied her appearance as they waited for it to beep. He hadn't seen her in nearly 3 weeks and noticed that although she had makeup on and looked beautiful, she was pale. He could see the bags under her eyes that she'd attempted to cover, and for the most part she had succeeded. The biggest thing that concerned him was that she looked so sad. Like all she wanted to do was start crying. He'd been her doctor for years and considered her not only a patient, but also a friend and he hated seeing her like this.
The high-pitched beeping of the thermometer interrupted his thoughts. Doc quickly pulled it from her mouth and looked at it. "100.3…Not terrible, but you definitely have a slight fever. Have you taken anything?"
Maddie nodded. "Prednisone."
"How much?"
"Two pills last night, two this morning," she croaked.
"Yeah, that should help get you through the next four days, but you're so run down I don't know if it will keep you from getting sick. It'll just mask some of the symptoms. But…it will help your voice a lot." Doc grabbed a thin, small cord that was actually a camera. "I'm just going to check the top of your vocal chords. Open up."
Maddie opened her mouth wide and using a cotton pad Doc grabbed her tongue holding it tightly. Gently he slowly slid the camera a bit down her throat. Kendall held a small screen towards him. "Say 'ah'," he instructed.
"Ahhhh," Maddie squeaked out.
"Hold a note."
She did as he asked, although no sound came out.
"It's nothing serious, just big time over use. The fact you haven't been sleeping kept your chords from getting any rest," Doc explained as he pulled the camera from her mouth handing it to Kendall. She took the equipment to the kitchen and began cleaning and packing it up. "Guess what?"
Maddie eyed him, eyebrows furrowed. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "Hm?"
"Don't fr-," Doc began, however was interrupted by the song "Bad" by Michael Jackson being played from Maddie's phone. He noticed the way she froze the second it began. Although she knew exactly who it was she reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone. She held it up and stared at the screen until it stopped, a sad look of longing on her face.
Steve… Maddie thought, her heart aching. Suddenly the large room felt incredibly small. Should I get it? …..No, it's a bad idea. He's just going to tell me he didn't mean what he said and I'll believe him only for him to say or do something similar in the near future. Breaking my heart all over again. Face it Maddie, you and Steve are JUST FRIENDS! Always have been. He's never going to see you as more than that and you're just going to continue to get hurt. As she told herself this she couldn't tear her eyes away from the photo that popped up on her iPhone when he called. We look so happy. I wish we could go back in time.
"Do you need to get that? Go ahead and call them back, I can wait. I'm not going anywhere," Doc told her.
Sighing she shook her head. "It's fine. It wasn't important," she said trying to convince herself more than him. "What were you sa-" She stopped mid-word as her phone chimed, signaling a new voicemail.
"Go ahead and listen to it," Doc told her picking up on the fact that whomever had called had been important.
Maddie hesitated knowing she shouldn't listen to the voicemail, that it would just upset her. But, she didn't listen to her inner voice and after highlighting the new message from Steve she placed the phone to her ear. Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. "Hey…it's me. I just…I was hoping you would have answered. I really need to talk to you…" The sound of his voice made her feel guilty. He sounded sad and upset as she strained to hear the rest. "Mads…this morning….seriously, I didn't mean it." Maddie rolled her eyes. Yeah, right. I've heard that before, she thought. "… Also… why didn't you tell me how much pain you were in? How are you doing? I'm worried about you. Baby, please call me back."
It was him calling her baby that did it. The new pet name normally caused her insides to flutter and a smile to grace her face, but this time it only made her heart feel like it was breaking in two. She couldn't hold back the tears that began slowly sliding down her face. Not one to cry, especially not in front of people, Maddie immediately became embarrassed and did her best to wipe them away and keep anymore from falling
"You alright? Is everything okay?" Doc asked, concerned.
"Yeah, fine. Just something in my eye. Anyway, what were you saying?" Maddie asked taking a deep breath hoping it would help calm herself down.
"Um…" Doc began. He wasn't sure whether to keep prying or let it go. He had never seen her cry like that before. I knew she seemed sad about something. I wonder what's going on? I'll have to have Pete fill me in, he thought before continuing. "No talking. Only sing if you HAVE to. Otherwise play the vocals from your track."
"Great…Well, how am I supposed to communicate?" Maddie asked not liking the sound of this.
"Kendall? Can you pass me the Dynavox? Oh, and the small dry erase board?"
Rooting around in another bag he'd set down in the kitchen she finally began walking towards them with a small device in her hands. "Here ya go Dr. Warsten," she said handing it to him.
"Thanks Kendall…Anyway, you can use either one of these or both to talk. With this one," he held up a small electric pad about the size of an iPad, but thicker. "Type in what you want to say and it will say it for you. And you obviously know how this old-school dry erase board works," he joked.
Maddie's shoulders slumped and her face fell. "Hey, I know this isn't the most convenient thing for you right now, but at least I didn't tell you you have nodes on your vocal chords or need to have surgery. However, if you don't follow my instructions that's what will happen."
"Fine…" she huffed taking the device and small dry erase board from him. "About my knee?"
"Yeah…this is gonna hurt," he told her.
Kendall handed him a tray with some sterilization pads and a huge syringe filled with some kind of liquid. "This is all I can do for you right now to get you moving better."
"Will it help the pain?" Maddie asked.
"Yeah…but it's still going to be really painful. I'll also give you some pain meds, but I know how sensitive you are to medication. So, you might want to choose the times you take one wisely." Doc began sterilizing her right knee. "I need you to be still, do you want Pete to come in and help keep you from moving?"
"No, I don't really want him knowing what you have to do. It'll just get back to Steve and he'll freak out," Maddie answered not realizing she'd just brought up Steve's name until it was out of her mouth.
"Steve? The one and only? Your childhood best friend?" Doc asked giving her a tiny shot of some anesthetic. She winced a little, but not much.
"Yeah," she mumbled trying to prepare herself for what she knew would be excruciatingly painful.
"Is he still overseas?" Doc asked trying to distract Maddie with conversation.
"Nope. He's here in Hawaii. He's the head of a special task force."
"That's great that you get to see him! Hopefully that means I get to meet him!" As he said this he stuck the large needle into her knee at such an angle that it went under her kneecap.
"Son of a bitch!" Maddie cried out doing her best to keep herself still because she instinctively wanted to pull away.
Finished pushing the medication into her knee, Doc pulled the needle from it and quickly handed it to Kendall to dispose of. "I know it hurts…it'll calm down in a minute. Have you eaten anything recently?"
Wiping at her teary eyes Maddie muttered, "Not since breakfast."
"Well, as soon as you eat something you can take a pain pill." He set a bottle of them on the coffee table. "Also, as much as I hate to do this, double the prednisone and maybe we can keep this virus from getting bad for a couple days. At least until after the show. But that means you have to try and get some rest. That will really help. Also, the prednisone should help your voice a lot."
"Ok, I'll eat something before rehearsal starts."
Doc looked over at Kendall cleaning up in the kitchen and then hesitantly looked back at Maddie. "So," he began, his voice lower. "How's the stress level? Everything okay?"
Maddie immediately felt embarrassed and uncomfortable knowing exactly what he was alluding to. "I'm fine Doc."
"Are you sure?" He looked down at her chart, flipping through pages. "Looking at what you weighed almost three weeks ago, you've lost two pounds."
"I'm on tour, running around stage every night. Of course I did! I'm fine. I promise!"
"Okay. But speak up if you feel overly stressed over the next couple days. They are going to be hard and I don't want it affecting y-"
"I'm fine, but I promise to speak up if I'm not," Maddie interrupted, not wanting to talk about this anymore, especially with Kendall in the room. She couldn't risk anything getting out to Steve. She thought he was overprotective now, he would absolutely NEVER leave her side if he found out certain things. She couldn't risk him becoming more distracted and worried at work. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her.
"Okay, I believe you…..You have to promise me that you'll force yourself to eat with this prednisone. I know how it affects you. Most people it makes them really hungry, but with you it's the complete opposite. I don't like you taking it for very long and definitely not on this high of a dose."
"I'll be fine. And trust me you're not the only one that feels that way," Maddie whispered.
"Steve?" Doc smirked.
Maddie nodded and rolled her eyes remembering the times in the past when he'd completely freaked over her taking the medication. Which is exactly why I lied to him this morning when I took it, she thought.
As Doc packed his bags back up he recalled what Maddie had said right before he'd injected her knee. "Why would Steve freak out if he knew what I was doing?"
Why does my heart literally ache every time his name is brought up? Maddie wondered. "He's overprotective. Especially since I got home."
Nodding in understanding Doc stated, "I take it he knows you fainted and hurt yourself."
"You could say that. It happened in front of him…After not seeing him for two years."
He chuckled. From the little he'd heard about Steve, he could only imagine how overprotective and worried he'd been. He'd never met him, but from what Pete and the rest of Maddie's team told him, the two were completely in love with one another and had no idea. He couldn't wait to meet him and see for himself.
"Is that what you're wearing for rehearsal?"
Maddie looked down at her clothes. Well, at some of them since she still sat in her tank top and boy shorts, her discarded jeans still on the coffee table in front of her. "No. I'll wear leggings."
"Well, get those on and I'll put the brace on. I want your knee surrounded by ice until you absolutely have to be on it."
She stood to stand, but Doc stopped her. "Tell Kendall where they are and she'll get them. Even though I gave you a shot, I still want you staying off of it as much as possible."
"Where are they sweetie?" Kendall asked, her over the top, helpful attitude an act.
Maddie glanced around the room looking for the bag Tina had packed. "They're in that Louis Vuitton duffel bag over on that chair. The one near the makeup and hair station.
"Alright Shorty, you're good to go. Have something to eat and rest until 1pm," Doc told her.
"Will do," Maddie agreed.
"Oh and no talking!" he smirked.
Maddie glared at him before looking down at the small device on her lap. She quickly typed something on it. Once finished she hit the play back button and a robotic voice said, "Whatever you say."
"Here," Kendall said as she handed Maddie the black leggings.
"Thanks Kendall," she replied nicely. "I appreciate it." Doc helped Maddie carefully stand.
"Any easier to put weight on it?" he asked.
"Yeah," she admitted. "But you're right, it still hurts." Maddie bent over and pulled her leggings on before sitting back down on the couch.
"Here Dr. Warsten," Kendall said handing him a massive knee brace.
"Thanks." Doc carefully placed her leg in it and began fastening it. It went from the middle of her thigh to the middle of her calf. Ice packs slipped inside the parts of the brace surrounding her knee, effectively keeping ice on the injury. "When you're sitting in your dressing room for an extended amount of time, I want you in the other brace. The one that hooks up to the ice water tank, which will be set up by the time you're on your next break. When you're not in here for a long time, this brace will be fine. You'll still be getting ice on it." He stood up and asked, "How's that? Good? Too tight?"
Maddie nodded, giving him a thumbs up before typing in the machine. She hit the play button and the robotic voice said, "Brrrr."
He laughed as he walked to the door. "I'm going to go out and talk to Pete. Eat something and then you can take a pain pill if you want." Maddie nodded to him before he exited.
PAGE BREAK
She'd only been forced to be alone with Kendall for a few minutes before Tina came through the door with lunch for the two of them.
"You hungry Mads?" Tina asked.
She shrugged her shoulders and typed something in to the Dynavox. "Not really," the female robotic voice said.
"Dr. Warsten said she needs to eat something. Especially with all the prednisone she's on and if she wants a pain pill," Kendall tattled, all too happy to do it.
Tina caught Maddie's eye and forced herself to stifle a laugh. She knew how Maddie felt about Kendall, in fact she herself felt the same way. There was just something sketchy about her. Just someone you knew you couldn't trust. "Good thing I have this for you then."
Tina set the plate of chicken and vegetables on Maddie's lap. "Eat up."
Maddie hesitantly began to cut the meat and take a couple bites.
"So…wanna talk about what happened this morning with Steve?" Tina asked.
Maddie whispered, "Not sure what you mean."
"Come on Maddie," Tina said, her head tilted and eyebrows raised.
"Nothing happened," Maddie denied.
"It's me! You don't have to hide from me," Tina reminded her.
Maddie took a couple more bites of chicken replaying what he said to her. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Tina take a quick photo of her sitting there knee brace on eating her food. Once she'd finished her lunch, or at least three quarters of it, Kendall handed her a pill, which she happily swallowed. "Thanks," she croaked.
"You're not supposed to be talking," Kendall commented.
Maddie ignored her and set the plate on the coffee table. She caught Tina's expectant look as she waited for her to answer. Maddie looked down at her hands. "So, what? He hurt me? My own fault for believing him last night. Especially after he'd made similar comments all evening. As soon as he'd realized that he'd hurt me, he would take them back. But he meant them. He meant every word. And he did this morning too."
"Maddie, you know that's not true," Tina told her standing from her spot in the comfortable chair next to the couch to sit beside her.
"Yes, it is Tina. It's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine….I mean it is what it is."
"Have you heard from him?"
She nodded, remembering the message he'd left her. The sound of his voice. The way he'd called her baby. She felt the familiar sting of tears behind her eyes. No! You are not crying anymore over him! she told herself.
"What'd he say?" Tina asked.
"Here, you can hear for yourself." Maddie handed her friend her cell.
Tina was quiet a moment while she listened to the voicemail. Once finished, she handed the phone back to her friend and boss. "Mads, he sounds really upset and sorry. Why don't you call him back? Talk about this."
"There's nothing to talk about. Plus, I'm not supposed to be talking. Look, it is what it is. We're just friends. Always have been. I mean Tina, he laughed at the idea of us being together. Like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. And after last night…"
"What about last night?" Tina questioned.
"It doesn't matter. It was just a mean joke," Maddie mumbled wiping at her watery eyes. Don't cry! Don't cry! she chanted to herself.
"What do you mean a mean joke?" she asked, confused.
"He kissed me a couple times before we went to bed," Maddie finally admitted. "But it was just so I wouldn't be upset anymore. Oh well, I fell for it."
"Oh my God! Maddie! No! What you're thinking is completely wrong! I do understand why you would think that. I mean, I would too if I didn't see how he looks at you! He didn't mean what he said this morning. Trust me!" Tina tried to convince her. I'm going to KILL Steve! How could he make her feel like this? It's the LAST thing she needs right now! she thought.
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Plus, I'm not supposed to be talking," Maddie whispered.
"Mads, call h-" Tina began.
"I'd like to be alone until rehearsal starts back up in 30 minutes," Maddie interrupted, shutting down.
"Okay, but I'll be close by if you need anything." Tina sadly stood up. "Come on Kendall." She gave her friend one last look before walking outside.
Interesting…so Maddie's in love with her best friend. Hmmm, Kendall thought.
Maddie was left alone sitting on the couch unable to think of anything besides Steve as her heart ached.
They'd been picking apart Walter Seasius' car the last five hours. Well, actually it was his girlfriend's car, Raquel Linney. Steve and Danny had taken a break from the car to go speak with her. They'd discovered she worked in the building next to theirs. She was a paralegal for the District Attorney's office.
After they finished speaking with her the partners began their short walk back to headquarters. The silence finally became too much for Steve. "Danny, look…I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I was a complete asshole," he admitted.
"Yeah, you were," Danny affirmed.
"There's no excuse. I'm really sorry. You know that's not why Rachel left you. She's an idiot…She made the biggest mistake of her life."
Danny sighed. "I really thought things were looking up. And when she told me she was pregnant, I was sooo excited to be a dad again. But to find out it was Stan's. Oh man."
"And she's sure it's Stan's?" Steve questioned.
"Yeah, she said that she was too far along for it to be mine," Danny sadly said.
"I'm really sorry D."
Danny stopped walking forcing McGarrett to do the same. "Enough about me. You gonna tell me what stupid thing you did this morning?"
Steve looked away from his partner, biting his bottom lip. "I screwed up."
"That much I know," he chuckled.
"I freaked out when one of my old Seal buddies, who is also part of Maddie's security team, asked me if we were together yet. He asked me in front of everyone."
"Oh crap! Steven, what did you say?" Danny asked his voice rising a bit.
Steve winced remembering what he'd said. "I told him we were just friends…and I might have…"
"Might have what Steven?" Danny asked, the irritation evident on both his face and in his voice.
"I might have laughed at the idea of us being together. And thrown in a 'I mean, seriously?' as I did so," Steve admitted. He prepared himself for the lecture.
"You're an idiot. You can only hurt her so much before she walks away." Danny seriously told him as he shook his head.
"Yeah, I know. I screwed up," Steve put his hand to his head.
"Did you call her?"
"Yeah. She didn't answer."
"Well, what did she do when you said that?"
"She tried to hide how much she was hurt, but I could see it in her eyes. She turned to walk away and I stopped her. I tried to convince her to go inside and talk to me for a second, but Pete was trying to get her in the car. I eventually convinced her to give me a hug goodbye."
"Did she hug you?"
"Umm…not really. It was mostly me. At first she wouldn't even touch me. Her arms just hung at her sides. Eventually she put them on my waist, but it was obvious she was uncomfortable. I told her I didn't mean it."
"What'd she say?" Danny asked.
Steve closed his eyes for a brief moment remembering what she'd said and how sad she'd sounded. "She said she had no idea what I was talking about."
"Well, I guess just keep trying to call and hopefully she'll either answer or call you back. When can you see her?"
"Well, she's supposed to be home tonight. I was there when Tina gave her her schedule. She said she was going back to the house every night around 11. So, I think I'll just wait for her there."
"Well, good luck. And stop saying stupid things you don't mean," Danny said to him.
"Why aren't you yelling at me more?" Steve asked, curious as to why he wasn't receiving the normal, angry lecture from his partner.
"Well, because it's obvious you already know how much you messed up. If you didn't, you wouldn't have been acting like you were all morning. And you already know you might have lost her by what you said. You don't need me to tell you that. It would have been different if you already hadn't said things along the same line to her. Telling her she was like your sister was a great move on your part, by the way."
Steve dropped his head, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. After a second he brought it back up and looked at his partner. "How'd you find out about that?"
Danny smirked. "Pete."
"Damn it!"
"Speaking of which, what about calling Pete? Or Tina?"
"I already texted Tina. I asked her if she wouldn't mind keeping me in the loop on Mads. I want to make sure she's okay. When she left this morning she told me her leg was okay, but she lied. She can barely walk and is in a ton of pain. Not to mention her voice was almost non-existent and she didn't eat very much this morning. And then I upset her. I don't know…I'm really worried about her. I just need to know she's okay."
"Huh, well what did Tina say?"
"Nothing. She hasn't responded yet." Steve checked his phone for the millionth time that day. Hoping to see at least a text from Tina, but he'd prefer to hear from Maddie herself.
"And Pete?"
McGarrett let out a mix between a snort and a chuckle. "Yeah, but he was already mad at me and after this morning, I'm not holding my breath. Plus," he sighed. "My gut tells me he has his hands full with her."
"Well, let's try and figure out who's stalking Maddie. That will help things…What do you think about Raquel?" Danny asked hoping to take Steve's mind off Maddie.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that she works next door," Steve answered.
"Me neither. I was hoping you thought differently."
"Yeah, I knew deep down whatever Mads was hiding was bad. And now these little pieces are telling me it is. Damn it! I wanted it to be an open and shut case so I could get that stress off her!" Steve angrily said.
"We'll figure it out," Danny assured his partner. "Let's go see if Chin and Kono found anything helpful while we were gone."
The partners began walking the rest of the short distance to headquarters. Just as they entered the doors to the building Steve's phone chimed, signaling a text message. He knew it wasn't Maddie because she had her own tone. Quickly pulling his phone from his pocket he saw who the text was from. "Tina," he whispered.
"What does it say?" Danny asked, curious.
The text said nothing, but instead was a picture. It was of Maddie sitting on a big, overstuffed couch barefoot. Her right leg was in a huge brace that went from the middle of her thigh to the middle of her calf and was elevated on the coffee table. On her lap was a plate of food. Tina had taken the picture just as she brought a fork full of chicken to her mouth. Steve smiled seeing she was safe. That yes, she'd been looked over by a doctor and she was eating. Knowing this caused some of the worry he was feeling to dissipate. He quickly texted Tina back. Thanks T!
"Steve! Are you going to tell me what she said?" Danny loudly questioned interrupting his thoughts.
"It didn't say anything. Just a picture." Steve showed Danny what Tina had sent.
"Okay, there you see she's safe. She's being taken care of. She saw a doctor. Do you feel any better?"
"A little," Steve admitted.
"Alright then, let's go find the asshole messing with her!"
With that the two partners made their way to the forensics area where the car was being looked over.
At 6pm Maddie was pulled from rehearsing the choreography to the new songs. The dancers, Lyle (choreographer), and Maddie were in a meeting with wardrobe deciding on the new costumes that would be needed.
"How about this?" Sheila asked, holding up a sketch.
"That's perfect! Exactly what I envisioned!" Maddie wrote down on the small dry erase board and held it up to them. She flashed a smile and gave a thumbs up as she sat on the couch in her dressing room. Her knee was in a different brace. This one was attached to a small machine filled with ice water beside her. It was continuously pumping it through the brace. You would never have guessed she was in Hawaii by her attire. Besides her leggings and thick, white socks she wore a tank top under a long sleeved, thermal shirt. On top of those, she wore her favorite, grey, cable knit, Vince boyfriend sweater. A royal purple, fleece blanket laid on her lap.
"Now, not only do we need these new costumes ready on Tuesday, but we need outfits similar to these-" Tina placed two different piles of sketches in front of the wardrobe team. "They are for two different filler videos. Because these new costume changes will take longer than thirty seconds, we need to make two segue videos to play while they are changing. This first one…everyone will be on roller skates, including Maddie. The second one is simple. It will be them dressed as themselves. Footage of Maddie and the dancers in lingerie will also be shot, but that's not for a video. It's just simple footage to be played behind them during a number. Clips will be thrown in here and there."
"Okay…well these shouldn't be too hard. When are the videos being shot?" Andre asked as he took notes on the sketches he'd just been handed.
"Tonight. Basically as soon as they can be done," Tina informed them.
Andre, Sheila, and the other four people part of the wardrobe team eyed one another. "Okay, we'll get them done as soon as possible."
From her spot on the couch Maddie cleared her throat. "I really appreciate all your hard work on this you guys. I know these are crappy circumstances. Thank you," Maddie whispered.
"Maddie! No talking unless you have to," Pete chastised.
"I needed to," she wrote, a smirk on her face as she held up the board to Pete.
"Alright, well, we need to get back out there and work on some changes for the second and third songs of the show. Let us know when the costumes for the videos are done," Lyle said.
"Okay, we'll get right to work!" Sheila and Andre stood and walked towards the door, the other four following them. They exited and walked a few doors down to a large room that had been turned into their working area.
"Alright, back to work!" Lyle began unhooking Maddie from the brace and helped her stand. "How's it feeling?"
"Good, it feels good," Maddie lied. Yeah, good…right Maddie. More like it'd be less painful if someone cut it off! she thought to herself as they walked back down the hall towards the stage.
Just as they were entering through the doorway that lead to the backstage area Maddie stopped and turned to Pete. She met his eyes, a knowing look on her face. "Oh, come on Mads? Aren't you working on old songs now?"
"We have to finish up one of the new ones and then we'll be working on the second and third songs in the show. So….come back in thirty minutes. 7pm," Lyle explained.
Pete was not happy. "Maddie…I promised him I wouldn't leave your side. And I have barely been with you at all today. I don't like it…and if I don't like it, you know he's REALLY not going to like it."
Maddie scowled at him. "Steve is NOT the boss of my life! He doesn't get a say!" she hissed.
"Talk to him…I know he's called you a couple times today. He's called me," Pete told her.
"So," she scowled.
"Talk to him," Pete demanded.
"No! He's not the boss of me and neither are you! I'll do what I want, when I want!" Maddie stubbornly said before she turned and walked through the door leading to the backstage area. Lyle followed right behind leaving Pete standing there with Tina.
"She's going to run herself into the ground because she wants to forget about what he said. Damn him!" Pete exclaimed.
"She'll get through this. It'll all be fine," Tina told him, placing her hand on his forearm. "I promise."
It was 11pm and Maddie, the dancers, backup singers, and band were still rehearsing. "What is wrong with you? Madeline, why aren't you getting these changes? This should be easy for you!" Lyle yelled at her through the microphone (mic) he was holding. It was such a large venue that he used a mic to speak to everyone, that way they could all hear him.
They'd been rehearsing the show's second and third numbers since 7pm. They were the same numbers they'd been using the last few months, but with a lot of changes. A lot. And they were more difficult. Maddie and her dancers weren't rehearsing it in full costume, but they were in the shoes they'd be performing them in. Maddie's were 4.5-inch stilettos and because of the way the shoes fit she wasn't able to have the cut on her foot wrapped. To say it was killing her was an understatement. And it wasn't just her foot either; her knee was throbbing too. The shot had made it so she was able to walk and dance, but it had only gotten rid of some of the pain. Her headache was pounding and her throat hurt even more than earlier. But as much discomfort as she was in, she didn't want to stop. If she stopped she would think about Steve and she just couldn't do that anymore. She had to keep going. Suck it up Madeline! Keep going! You can do this! she told herself.
"She's exhausted. We all are!" Ryan spoke up from his spot to her left. If she continues this way for the next 3 days, there won't be a show. She's going to run herself into the ground, he thought as he took in her tired stance. He had danced with her long enough to tell she was babying her right foot.
"I'm sorry, but that's too bad. There's a lot to do in a short amount of time. What's throwing you off about this change Maddie?" Lyle asked, trying to take a more sympathetic and understanding tone.
Maddie walked forward to where she'd set the dry erase board. She quickly wrote, "Nothing. I'll get it. Sorry," and held it up so he could read it.
"Okay. Let's try this part again. Ronnie, start from the second chorus please!"
Ronnie counted the band off and they began the second chorus. Maddie and her dancers started dancing. She didn't completely nail the part she was struggling with, but it was a lot better. Lyle watched them as they continued through the song.
From his spot next to Lyle Pete kept his eyes glued to Maddie. She's looking more tired. A little pale. I gotta get her home to bed, Pete thought as Tina walked in and whispered something to Lyle.
When the song was finished Lyle said, "Better Maddie…it was sloppy, but definitely better. Okay, we are going to take thirty minutes. Wardrobe needs to do a quick fitting. Then take the rest of the time to relax."
Everyone immediately sighed happily and rushed offstage before Lyle changed his mind. They all hurried to their respective dressing rooms. Everyone had to share except for Maddie. She had her own. The ten male dancers were split between two large dressing rooms. The six female dancers had their own massive dressing room. The band had yet another extremely large one and the four backup singers had a medium sized room. Still big though. Each room had a place for them to rest and sleep if they needed to.
Pete and Tina were immediately at Maddie's side as she came backstage, walking towards the hallway that lead to her dressing room.
"Want a lift Shorty?" he asked.
"No, I'm fine," she told him, although there was part of her that wanted to say yes.
Once in her room she immediately sat on the couch and pulled off her shoes, hissing in pain as she did so.
"Hurts?" Pete asked.
"Nothing I can't handle," she replied.
"Maybe Doc should look at it," Tina suggested.
"No, I'm fine. I promise. He already looked at it earlier today anyway." Maddie slipped a pair of socks on to keep anyone from seeing how bad her foot looked and walked over to the side of her dressing room where her wardrobe team waited.
"Here sweetie, slip this on," Sheila, a petite woman in boyfriend jeans and a white t-shirt, said to her as she handed her a short dress.
"Thanks Sheila," Maddie replied as she stripped down to her underwear. Pete immediately turned his back, wanting to give her privacy.
Once in the costume, Sheila motioned for her to stand on a raised area in front of the three-way mirror. Being sure to stand up straight, Maddie giggled at Pete. "I'm dressed Pete. Plus, you've seen me in my underwear before."
He quickly turned around, but before he could say anything Tina spoke up from her spot next to Maddie.
"So, it's 11pm now. I know originally that was when you were supposed to be home, but there's a lot left to do. We need to shoot the filler videos tonight, so that they can be edited and ready in time for the show Wednesday. Once they are shot, you can get some rest."
"No problem. I don't need to sleep anyway. I'm not tired. I'd prefer to just keep going," Maddie disclosed. "You're right, there's a lot to do."
Her statement concerned Pete. Is she lying? Or is she just in denial? She'll be in worse shape than I brought her here in if she keeps going like this, he thought.
"So, let's go over all the details to the first video." Tina began recapping the first filler video. The one where she would be wearing the old style waitress uniform she was currently trying on.
"So, I'll shoot the whole thing in roller skates?" Maddie asked making sure she understood correctly.
"Yes."
"Okay, cool."
"There are just a couple minor alterations I need to make, but they should only take me twenty minutes!" Sheila said as she pinned the waist of the dress. Once she was finished she unzipped it and helped Maddie out of it.
Once again Pete became flustered seeing Maddie in her bra and underwear. "Pete, what is with you today?"
He immediately blushed. "It's just weird now…"
"What? Why?" Maddie asked confused. Do I look bad or something? she wondered suddenly becoming self conscious.
"It's just with how things are between you and Steve. It feels weird to see his ….well whatever you are to him… in her underwear. It feels wrong."
"Pete, Steve and I are nothing but friends. Nothing's changed between us. It's the same as it's always been, so stop being weird," she said in a matter of fact way as she slowly walked across the room. She slipped into her leggings and tank top before plopping down on the couch.
"Yeah, we both know that isn't true," Pete told her as he started fastening her right leg into the big brace and flipped on the ice water machine on the floor.
"He said it himself this morning. And last night when he told me I was like his sister. I really don't want to talk about him anymore. There's nothing going on between us." Maddie shivered as she finished.
"You can keep trying to lie to yourself, but we both know you wish he was sitting here with you right now," Pete forcefully told her as he grabbed the fleece blanket and placed it on her. "Rest for the remainder of the thirty minutes. We'll be outside." With that said, Pete motioned everyone out of the room, leaving Maddie in there alone.
Sitting there on the couch, Maddie's thoughts drifted to Steve. He's right! I'm mad at him and hurt by what he said…so why is there a part of me that wishes he were here right now? she wondered. Let it go Maddie. You know he's only going to keep hurting you. You're just friends. As much as she tried she couldn't stop thinking about him. Finally it became too much and she threw the blanket to the side and began unfastening the brace. She slipped her light Nike tennis shoes on and walked towards the door grabbing her 4.5-inch stiletto shoes she would be wearing at the beginning of the show.
"What are you doing?" Pete asked as she exited her dressing room door.
"I'm going to rehearse the changes we were just working on. I wasn't quite getting them," Maddie announced as she walked by him.
He immediately followed, his eyes wide. "No, Maddie! You need to rest a little bit. This is just the first day. You have 3 more jam packed days. You need to rest. Make the most of your breaks."
Maddie didn't stop, she only continued to proceed forward down the hall towards the backstage entrance to the stage. "You worry too much! I'm fine! I gotta do my job Pete! The whole reason this show is happening is because my last few shows were sloppy. I have to make sure that doesn't happen with this show or else I don't get my time off. More importantly, this is being televised worldwide. I can forgo sleep for a few days if it makes sure this show is amazing!" She walked through the doors leading to the backstage area. She quickly climbed the stairs leading to one of the stage entrances. "You can watch from out there if you insist," Maddie said, pointing to where the audience would be sitting. Pete didn't want her out there rehearsing alone so he stood in front of the second part of the stage, which is where she was rehearsing the choreography.
He watched Maddie carefully. He could tell she was tired and it was obvious she was forcing herself to do this. She's so stubborn, he thought. I was afraid she would do this after what Steve said this morning and she's impossible to get through to when she's like this. Oh man, I really hope she chills out tomorrow and realizes she needs to pace herself.
Steve had ordered everyone home at 10pm. The team was tired and frustrated, having no real leads or any more information on who sent Maddie the text message.
Normally he would have stayed late working, but Maddie was supposed to be getting home around 11pm and he wanted to be there waiting. On his way to her house he stopped by to see Kamekona. He had called ahead and Kamekona had made her her favorite. Steve had some groveling and explaining to do and he thought he better not go empty handed.
He'd gotten to her house around 10:40pm and after taking a quick shower he waited for her on the couch in the living room. However, 11pm rolled around and she wasn't home. So, she's a little late. That's normal. They probably wanted to finish up choreography for a number, not wanting to start in the middle of a song in the morning. She should be home by midnight. 12:30am at the latest, he told himself. However, deep down he had a feeling she was going to be a no show, although he pushed the feeling away, refusing to even acknowledge it.
Steve dozed off for a short time around midnight, having had not only a tough and frustrating day, but also the last few days with Maddie had been hard. Worrying about her was exhausting, not to mention the first couple nights he had to wake her up consistently, never getting any sleep himself.
He woke up at 1am and looked around the room. There was no sign she'd come home. "Damn it Maddie! Don't do this!" Steve cursed out loud. Reaching in his pocket for his phone he called the familiar number. He sat there rubbing his tired face as it rang and rang. "Of course," he mumbled as he was sent to voicemail. ""Hi! You've reached Maddie! I OBVIOUSLY can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a BRIEF message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can! Thank you and have a wonderful day!"
He shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he left her a message. Finally the beep sounded and he began speaking. "Maddie, it's 1am. You should have been home two hours ago. You really need to get some rest….I'm really hoping you're on your way!" Steve paused, not really knowing what to say to her. He didn't even know if she was listening to his messages. "Baby…for the millionth time…I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it." With that said he hung up. I don't know what else I can say in a message that I haven't already said?
Steve decided he'd try calling Pete, hoping he would answer. He listened to the rock song that Pete had as his ringer until it eventually went to his voicemail. "Hello! This is Pete and I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a quick message and I'll return your call as soon as possible. Thank you!"
Once the beep sounded Steve spoke up. "Pete, I know you're probably pissed at me, but you have to let me know what's going on. Maddie should be home right now. She needs to sleep. Call me back and let me know what's going on! I need a damn update!" He hadn't meant to sound so irritated at the end, but he was frustrated. He didn't know how she was doing. He was completely in the dark and it was getting to him.
Both physically and emotionally exhausted, Steve decided he needed to try and get some rest. Reluctantly he trudged upstairs to her bedroom. Slowly he stripped down to his boxers and climbed in her bed. Hopefully, she'll be home in a little while, he thought. Although he was worried about her, he fell asleep pretty quickly, the last few days finally hitting him.
Maddie was in her dressing room getting her hair and makeup done for the first filler video when Michael Jackson's "Bad" filled the room for the third time that day. Just like the other times she picked up her phone and watched it ring as she stared at the photo of the two of them. Why won't he just leave me alone? How is he not getting the hint? I don't want to talk to him, she told herself. I'm just not ready. I need some time.
"You going to get that sweetie?" her makeup artist Nicole (Nikki) asked as she finished the last little touches to her makeup.
Maddie slightly shook her head making sure to not make her hairstylist, Lorali's, job more difficult.
"Why not?" Lorali asked from behind her. Although Maddie was trying to hide the sad look on her face, both women could see it in the mirror. They shared a knowing, confused look.
"It's not important. I'll call them back later," Maddie whispered.
"Why do I get the feeling that you won't?" Nikki laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Boy problems I take it?"
"Something like that. But it's fine. No big deal."
"Well tell us about it. Maybe we can help," Lorali said.
"It really doesn't matter. There's nothing there. Just going to forget about it. But, thanks," she mumbled.
Nikki and Lorali looked at one another. They had both noticed Maddie hadn't been herself the last few months, but now she seemed to be even more withdrawn.
"Okay, you're good to go," Nikki said, setting down the makeup sponge she'd been using.
Maddie looked up and met Lorali's eyes in the mirror. "Hairs done too. I'll give you a touch up right before you start filming."
"Me too. I'll have to touch up your lips," Nikki added.
"Thanks guys," Maddie whispered, flashing them a slight smile at she stood. "I'm going to get dressed." Standing, she reached down and unhooked the knee brace, not wanting to use the crutches to walk with it. It's not that she couldn't put weight on it, but she couldn't bend her knee in the brace, which made walking extremely difficult. Therefore, the crutches.
"What can we do to help?" Lorali asked. It was just Nikki and her in there with Maddie. Her wardrobe team was all across the hall working tirelessly on the rest of the costumes for the show.
"Um…I think just zip me up when it's time," Maddie responded as she slipped out of her black leggings.
Nikki helped her out of the sweater she had on, while Lorali helped pull her tank top over her head, stretching the neck in such a way that it wouldn't mess up her hair.
Maddie was left standing in her beige bra and black boy cut underwear. "You're so teeny! I'm so jealous!" Lorali told her.
"Pretty sure we wear the same size," Maddie laughed.
The two women grabbed the old-fashioned style pink waitress outfit and together brought it over her head and down her body. While Lorali straightened it out Nikki zipped the back up.
Lorali turned and grabbed the accessory Ziploc bag that was hanging from the hanger, opened it and pulled out a pair of black fishnets. "Here sweetie."
Maddie sat in the makeup chair and began pulling them over her bare legs while Nikki grabbed the thick pink socks and brand new white roller skates with bright pink laces over to her.
Once Maddie had her fishnets on she took the big pink socks from Nikki and slipped them on. "I'll wait to put the skates on until we are ready to shoot," she told her.
"Yeah, probably a good call. Knowing you, you'll fall the second you stand in them!" Nikki joked causing the three women to burst out laughing.
"You speak the truth," Maddie whispered just as there was a knock on her dressing room door.
Because Maddie could only whisper, Nikki yelled, "Come in!"
"How ya doin Shorty?" Doc asked entering the room.
"Great," Maddie lied as she slowly walked over to the couch.
"I not only can see you've been talking, but I can tell. Your voice is getting worse," Doc said giving her a look. "Mads, ya gotta trust me on this. Either write or type what you want to say. You're going to want to save your voice for Wednesday. All the interviews and the show. Trust me!"
'Fine' she mouthed to him, not making a sound.
Doc sat beside her and looked her knee over. "Well, at least it's not more swollen. So, the ice and meds are helping." He placed his hand on her forehead. "Fever seems to not be rising either. That's good news. How's the headache?"
'Same' Maddie mouthed.
"Any dizziness?" he asked.
Maddie shook her head lying. She had experienced some dizziness at certain times when they'd been rehearsing choreography, but it hadn't been terrible. Mild enough that she didn't think anyone had noticed.
"Okay. Good. Let me see your foot. I want to check the cut." Doc reached for her foot, but Maddie pulled it away avoiding eye contact.
"I have my fishnets and socks on already. It's fine," she whispered.
"Talking!" he laughed. "Mads, you really think I don't know you well enough to know that the reason you don't want me looking at it is because it's worse. Let me see it!" he demanded.
Reluctantly Maddie let him take her foot as she narrowed her eyes at him in a childlike way. Gently he pulled off the pink sock and looked through the fishnets. The cuts were starting to rip open and were significantly redder and inflamed. Especially the big, deep one. "Ouch! Definitely worse! Did you not wrap it back up?"
"It wouldn't work with the shoes," Maddie answered.
"You need to wrap it now. Should be fine in the roller skates. Take the tights off and I'll wrap it. I want to put some antibiotic ointment on it."
Maddie pulled down her fishnets, slipping her right leg from them, but leaving them up to her knee on her left leg.
"This has to be really painful. Why didn't you say anything?" Doc asked, concerned.
"It is what it is," she replied quietly.
"Maddie, you have to speak up. I know you don't like complaining and worrying people, but telling someone you're in pain or not feeling well is NOT complaining…and when you don't speak up it just makes people worry about what you possibly aren't telling them." He grabbed some items from his bag on the coffee table and began cleaning the cut. "This is bad. A lot worse. It's starting to get infected. You really need to keep this wrapped when you're dancing. It must have gotten sweat and bacteria in it."
Maddie sat there staring at her hands while listening to Doc lecture her as he put antibiotic cream on it and wrapped it. Once he was finished she pulled her fishnets back on and the pink sock.
Doc noticed that once she was dressed she rubbed her knee doing her best to hide the grimace appearing on her face. "When was the last time you ate anything?" he wondered.
Maddie was quiet for a minute as she thought back. "Lunch?" she whispered hesitantly, knowing he wasn't going to like that answer.
"Madeline! It's after one in the morning! That was twelve hours ago! You have to be more on top of this…I know the Prednisone makes you not feel hungry, but you have to force yourself to eat."
Maddie nodded. It wasn't that she wasn't hungry, sure she wasn't, but it was more that she had lost track of time. She had been so focused on work, burying herself in it to forget about everything going on with Steve that she'd just forgotten.
"Here, I'll go get you something from craft services hunny! Anything in particular sound good?" Lorali asked from her spot at the table in the small kitchen where she and Nikki sat eating a snack.
"No, just whatever looks good," she whispered. "Thanks Lorali!"
"No problem! I'll be back in a few," she smiled as she left the room.
"Alright, looks like you have a little time before you film these videos. So, back in the brace." Doc caught Maddie's eye roll and said, "I know, I know. But it's helping. Trust me!" He put the huge brace back on her and attached it to the ice water machine on the floor. Once he was done she grabbed the big, royal purple, fleece blanket and covered herself with it.
"I'm going to head back to my hotel for the night kiddo. After you eat, take a pain pill. I can tell you're really hurting right now. When you're done filming, go home and get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning. But, if you need anything, call me and I'll come over."
"Thanks Doc!" Maddie croaked out.
"And for God's sake, STOP TALKING!" he chastised as he bent down and gave her a quick hug.
Maddie reached for the Dynavox and typed something. Just as he was opening the door to leave he heard the robotic voice say "Yes, sir!" making him laugh.
"Goodnight Maddie," Doc smirked as he closed the door behind him.
Maddie stood up after putting on the white roller skates. Pete folded his arm and she slipped hers through it. She began to carefully skate towards the small set across the large, high-ceilinged room. I can't remember the last time I was on skates, she thought to herself as she held tightly to Pete. The last thing I need to do is fall.
"Alright, this shouldn't take very long. This should only take an hour to film at the most. You all know what to do! Let's aim for a three a.m. wrap time on this first video," Ron the director announced. Walking over to Mads he made sure she was on her mark and knew what to do. After did the same thing with the dancers. They sat at small tables that had been set up. A large green screen was behind them. Because of the time frame it was easier to build a bare bones set and use a green screen than to build an elaborate set. This way they could easily input whatever background they wanted to using a computer. There just wasn't enough time to build an entire set.
"Alright, Maddie you know what to do…skate through there holding the trays of food. Let's just get that first shot. Guys, you're all excited and loud. You're having fun!" Ron turned to his director of photography (the guy in charge of the camera). "You ready Michael?"
"Yeah," he responded.
"Okay…speeding…action!" Ron yelled.
Maddie came skating out looking like a pro in her waitress outfit holding the trays of food. As she came around the slight turn to the tables she suddenly had an extremely bad feeling. My skates feel really weird all of a sudden, she thought. However, the thought came too late as something happened to her skates causing her to lose her balance. Her feet flew above her head and she came crashing down on the tiled floor straight on her tailbone. The trays and food flew every which way. Some hit people when they came down while others just fell to the floor.
It was as if it all happened in slow motion and although he tried to get to her before she hit the floor, Pete just couldn't make it in time. She was too far away from him. "Shorty!" he cried as he ran to her.
The pain she was experiencing was excruciating. Although she'd hit her tailbone the pain was spreading through her arms and legs. It felt like her bones were all breaking. "Owww," she mumbled.
Suddenly thirty crew members were coming towards her all asking her if she was okay. She wanted nothing more than to start sobbing, but she was already so embarrassed she'd fallen the second they started filming, that she couldn't cry in front of them too.
Maddie tried to play it off as no big deal as she chuckled and began trying to get up. However, she quickly realized she couldn't. The pain was too much.
"Mads, you okay?" Pete asked from his spot on her left side. She met his eyes sending him a look. He immediately understood she couldn't get up, but was too embarrassed to say anything. "Here let me help you up Shorty!" Carefully he slid his hands under her and picked her up. The movement made the pain worse tenfold and it took everything she had to keep the tears that so desperately wanted out from falling.
"We'll be right back. I just want to make sure she's okay," Pete said as he walked out of the large room and down the hall to her dressing room. The second they stepped foot in the room Maddie started bawling, feeling safe since it was just Pete, Tina, and herself.
"Talk to me Mads…are you okay?" Pete asked frantically. Because she was so clumsy, she was always hurting herself, but he'd never seen her cry like this when she had.
"I just need a few minutes," she managed to say between her tears. Due to the adrenaline coursing through her veins from the fall, she found herself incredibly shaky.
"Let me call Doc," Pete said as he reached for his phone.
"No, let me finish filming this video and then we can call him," she mumbled.
"I don't know Maddie. I think we should call him now."
"I agree with Pete, Mads," Tina said as she sat next to Maddie on the couch and began wiping her tears, trying to keep her makeup from running down her face.
"Just…give me a few minutes guys," Maddie whispered.
Deciding he could at least give her time to get over the shock of falling so hard, Pete asked, "What happened? How'd you fall?"
"I don't know. My skates started to feel weird and the next thing I knew I was flying through the air," she revealed.
"What?" Pete responded as he quickly unlaced her skates and pulled them from her feet. His stomach dropped as he began inspecting them. "Tina…where were these?"
"In wardrobe I think. Then they brought them over to her dressing room. Why?" she answered, a look of confusion on her face. "Why does that matter?"
"They're missing screws in the wheels. She fell because the wheels weren't secure."
Suddenly Maddie felt like she was going to vomit as she realized exactly what had happened. This is his message to me, she thought. Fear took over as a thought popped into her head. Is he going to mess with Steve too? Oh my God…no…!
TO BE CONTINUED….
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