The show must go on
I own nothing...Since I've been spending a lot of time with teenage Jordan and Angela, I thought I'd go back to the future and pay them a visit. I've been missing them. :) And Jared, you need to take a break!
"Jordan, you're sick. You don't have to do this right now. How are you going to perform like this? Postpone them." Angela is standing in the doorway of their bedroom in Three Rivers watching Jordan pack a small bag to take with him to California. He wasn't packing much because everything he needed was at their California home.
"I'll be fine." Jordan says, but he doesn't sound fine. He has a stuffy nose and he'd been coughing all night. "I called ahead and told them that I was sick, so I'm sure we won't be performing. We'll just do the interviews. That way, I can get it over with so that I can get back home. I don't want to miss Maddie's birthday."
Ever since the album had dropped a few weeks ago, the record company was setting up interviews and performances on all the national TV outlets. Residue had performed on Live with Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. They'd sat in on the countdown on MTV. They'd just gotten home from New York two days ago after having performed on Late Night with David Letterman. Jordan had been coughing since.
Angela takes note of Jordan's glassy eyes, red nose and flushed face. "Babe, you need to be in bed, not running around getting ready to fly across the country. If you don't want to postpone, then let Shane and Tommy go."
"Just get me some Dayquil. I'll be good enough to do the interviews. In three days it will all be over and I can get back here." He starts coughing, having to stop to catch his breath.
Angela walks over to him and puts her hand to his forehead. He was burning up. "Jordan, you aren't fine. You need rest. If you leave, you won't get any rest at all." She makes him sit on the end of the bed. "And I know you. You'll take some Dayquil and you'll go out there and try to perform anyway."
Jordan closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them to look up at her. "I won't sing. I don't think I can anyway." His voice is as raspy as sandpaper.
"Stay home. Don't do this to yourself." When he doesn't say anything, she says, "Fine. Finish packing. I'll be back in a minute."
She leaves him sitting on the end of their bed and heads downstairs to get her phone. The first person she calls is her dad. "Hey, Dad. Can Maddie stay with you and Hallie for the rest of the week? Yeah, everything is fine." She pauses to let her dad speak. "Jordan has to go to LA for a few days and he's not feeling well. I'm going with him to make sure he takes care of himself. Yeah, I'm going to call Sharon to see if she'll keep Justin for me. Thanks, Daddy. I'll bring her by the restaurant in a little while. Love you, too."
After she ends the call with Graham, she calls Sharon. Shane answers. "Hey, Shane. Is Sharon around? Yeah, I'm going to LA with you guys. Yeah, that's what I was going to ask her. Jordan's sick. No, he doesn't want to postpone. You know how he is. Ok, I'll hold on."
Jordan walks into the kitchen just as Sharon comes on the line. He pulls out the stool at the end of the bar and sits with his head resting on his arms. "Sharon, I need a big favor. Can you keep Justin for me until the end of the week? Yeah, you and the boys can even stay here if you want." Angela watches as Jordan's forehead creases in a puzzled frown. "I'm flying out with the guys this afternoon. Jordan's sick and he insists on going anyway, so I'm going with him. Thank you. Ok, we'll see you in a little bit." Angela shuts the phone off and sticks it in her pocket.
"What are you doing? You don't have to come with me. I'm not a little kid, I can take care of myself." Jordan starts to cough again.
Angela goes to the cabinet above the sink and takes out the box of cold medicine. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, she hands them both to Jordan. "Here, take some of this. I'm going upstairs to get ready. Shane and Sharon will be here in a few minutes." She doesn't give him time to argue, she just leaves the room.
It's really late that night when they arrive at their home in California. Jordan had slept the whole flight and he was still a little groggy. The medicine had helped to keep his fever down, but he was still coughing. Angela unlocked the door and ushered Jordan inside while Shane and Tommy headed to their apartment over the garage.
She turned on the light and dropped their bags on the floor by the door as Jordan flopped down on the sofa. "God, my head is killing me. Maybe I should have stayed home," he moans.
"We're here now. I have some Nyquil in my bag. You need to take some of that and then you're going straight to bed." She digs the medicine from her bag and carries it to him on the sofa. She measures out the amount he needs and watches him make a face as he takes it.
"Ugh. That stuff is disgusting," he croaks. "How is that going to make me feel better?"
"It's just like the stuff you've been taking all day. This will help you sleep. Let's get you upstairs and in the bed. Maybe you'll feel better in the morning." Angela puts her arm around him as he stands up, swaying.
She walks with him upstairs and helps him strip down to his boxers before tucking him into bed. She leans down to kiss him on the forehead. Running back downstairs to collect their bags, she grabs a bottle of water from the refrigerator and turns to head back upstairs. As she's making her way across the family room, Shane comes in the back door.
"Hey, Ang. How's he feeling? He didn't look too good earlier." Shane walks over to the back of the sofa and leans against it.
She lets their bags fall to the floor as she moves over to sit on the end of the sofa. "He shouldn't have come out here. He's still running a fever and he was complaining of his head hurting. He's in the bed right now."
"Well, Tommy and I will do the Tonight Show without him tomorrow. If he starts to feel better, then he can do Lopez and Chelsea Lately like he planned on Thursday. I'll tell Mark we can't perform on either show. If he's that sick, then he needs to get his ass to the doctor." Shane, knowing how Jordan is, says, "If you need me to, I'll drag him there for you."
Chuckling, Angela says, "Thanks. Let's just see how he feels tomorrow. I think he has the flu, but if he isn't better we'll make him go."
"I'm gonna grab some water to take back out there with me. I'll see you guys in the morning." Shane leans over to kiss Angela on the cheek. "Get some rest."
As Shane heads to the refrigerator, Angela picks their bags up and climbs the stairs. When she enters the bedroom, Jordan is softly snoring, huddled down under the covers. She strips down to her panties and pulls an old t shirt from the dresser drawer. Slipping it over her head, she goes in to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She climbs into bed with Jordan and puts her arm around him before falling asleep.
Jordan wakes up the next morning with a pounding headache and his throat feels like he'd swallowed broken glass. As he tries to sit up on the side of the bed, the room starts to spin around him. Dropping his head to his hands, he waits for the dizziness to pass. When he gets up to walk across the room to the bathroom, it feels like his body is weighted down. It's all he can do just to hold himself up.
After he uses the bathroom, he makes his way back to bed. Laying back, he takes a deep wheezing breath. That only makes him cough. He has to sit up again. Sliding up in the bed, he leans back against the headboard. Leaning his head back, he groans.
"Shit, that hurts." Jordan starts coughing again, holding his ribs.
"Hey, are you ok?" Angela sits up beside him, reaching for his forehead. "Babe, you need to go to the doctor. You're burning up!"
"I'll be fine." He croaks out to her. "Just get me some medicine, please."
"Why are you being so damn stubborn? You can hardly talk. You can't go on TV like this." She gets out of bed and grabs her bag from the floor. Rummaging until she finds the Dayquil, she pulls it out and hands it to him. "Take some and then get your butt in the shower. We're going to the doctor."
She pulls her robe on and takes her phone with her as she leaves the room. Jordan takes the medicine, washing it down with a drink from the water bottle Angela put on his night stand the night before. He continues to sit there for a few more minutes before he gets up. He makes his way back into the bathroom and turns the shower on as hot as he can stand it. Stripping his boxers off, he steps under the spray.
When he leaves the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, Shane is standing propped in the doorway with his arms crossed. He makes it as far as the bed and sits down on the end of it. Looking at Shane, he says, "What?"
"Angela is on the phone with the doctor's office right now. You have to be there in 30 minutes. I came to make sure you were ok." Shane looks at Jordan, the concern he has for his friend is evident. "I won't let you argue with us."
"I'm not arguing. I don't have the energy." He starts to cough again. "Grab me some clothes, will ya'?"
Jordan watches as Shane goes to the closet and pulls out a pair of jeans and a t shirt. He stops by the dresser, opening two different drawers before finding Jordan a pair of boxers and some socks. Carrying them to the bed, Shane hands them to Jordan before turning his back to him. He waits as Jordan puts them on.
When Jordan is dressed, he slips on his sneakers. When he doesn't reach for his phone or his wallet, Shane grabs them and hands them to him. "Jay, you must really be sick. You aren't arguing with me and you didn't even grab your phone." Putting his arm around Jordan he helps him down the stairs.
After spending a few hours at the doctor, Jordan is sent home with clear diagnosis of Bronchitis and a handful of prescriptions. He's told that he must rest, and he most definitely shouldn't be singing. Angela and Shane get him back home and tuck him into bed, where he stays for the rest of the day and all of the night. He watches Shane and Tommy do their interview on the tonight show from the bed and that's where he eats the soup that Angela made for him, too.
When he wakes the next morning, he still feels bad, but he no longer feels like he's going to die. Rolling over to his side, he looks at Angela who is laying on her side facing him, still sleeping. She'd done nothing but take care of him since she woke up two days before. She had been waiting on him hand and foot while he laid in the bed. He smiles to himself, thinking how lucky he is that he has her to take care of him.
Reaching over, he brushes her hair back. He caresses her cheek before running his hand over her shoulder and down her arm. She slowly opens her eyes.
Blinking the sleep away, she says, "Good morning." She studies his face. His eyes are clearer and he his face isn't flushed. Clearing her throat, she says to him, "I can already tell you're feeling better."
Hoarsely, he says, "Yeah, I do feel better. My throat still hurts and my chest feels like an elephant's sitting on it, but I think I'll live."
She reaches over to him and caresses his cheek, just like he did to her a minute before. Searching his face, she tells him, "I was really worried about you, you stubborn man." She slides closer to him.
He puts his arm around her and drags her against his body. "I know you were." He gently kisses her mouth. "I just thought it was a cold or something. I should have listened to you and stayed home."
Giving him a sleepy smile, she says, "Yeah, you should have." She kisses him back. Not wanting to further infect herself, she pulls back before he can deepen the kiss. She is very much aware of his erection pressing into her stomach. "I'm so gonna get sick if we keep this up."
Rolling over on top of her, he says, "I'll just have to take care of you if you do." He drops his head to her neck and starts to lick and suck his way down to the exposed skin of her collarbone peeking out from the top of her too big t shirt. His hands make their way under the bottom of her shirt and he pushs it up to her shoulders as his mouth is working on her ear.
"Mmmmm," she moans, "I guess you are feeling better." She leans up for him as he pulls her shirt over her head.
When her shirt is gone, he immediately moves his mouth down to her breasts. Feasting first on one and then the other. His hands move down to her hips, traveling across her thighs, pushing her panties down as they go. With his mouth on her belly, licking and biting, he slips his hand between her legs. When he feels her wetness on his fingers, he lets out a moan of his own.
Moving to the bed beside her, he pulls the panties down her legs and then makes quick work of removing his boxers. He settles himself between her legs, taking her lips with his as he slides into her body. Slowly, he starts to move. His mouth leaves a hot, wet trail across her jaw and down along her neck as he continues to stroke into her hot, wet heat.
Angela's hands, traveling up and down Jordan's back, settle on his hips. She holds him to her as he continues to love her with his mouth and his body. Their lovemaking, this time slow and gentle, is just as passionate as any other time. It doesn't take long before Angela is crying out his name in release. Jordan soon after.
Kissing her softly, Jordan rolls to the bed beside her, laying on his back. He's asleep within seconds. Angela quietly gets up from the bed and tucks the blankets around him before slipping into the bathroom to shower.
Later that afternoon, Angela, Shane and Tommy are sitting around the family room when Jordan comes downstairs. He's showered and dressed. Not in his usual blue jeans and t shirt. He's wearing a pair of black jeans with a black, long sleeved button-down shirt, rolled to the elbows and open at the neck. His dark brown hair, starting to get long again, it spiked up on his head. His ever present sunglasses in his hand.
Having slept for almost three straight days, he looks much better. The only indication that he is sick, his raspy voice and occasional cough. Angela just stares at him for a minute, taking in the sight of her husband, in all his Rockstar glory.
When he catches the way she's looking at him, he chuckles breaking the spell. Giving her a smile, he says, "Are you coming with us? We have to be in Burbank by 4 o'clock."
"Not unless you want me to." She wasn't really dressed to go to a TV studio in her cut off shorts and tank top. "I figured Shane would keep you in line. Me and Tommy are just gonna hang out here."
Jordan bends to kiss her before slipping his sunglasses on his face. "Ok, we're heading out. I took my medicine and I promise I won't overdo it. We'll see you in a bit. Love you." He and Shane head out the door to do their interviews. Sick or not, the show must go on.
I love these guys...writing about them makes me happy! Hope you enjoyed it! ~gagirl29