Disclaimer: Let me just say... I DON'T OWN DIGIMON! I do own Wakoki Records, Jack, Corey, Corbette, Kevin, Sakira. The music is Dream Street's and I don't own it. I also don't own Play.
A/N – Happy Anniversary to this fic! I am proud to announce that The Ishida Brothers celebrated its one year anniversary on February 19th. Yay!
Sorry about how long it took to get this chapter out. It's been a rough couple of months, with schoolwork and stuff, and I didn't really get a chance to edit and upload it.
So... Chapter 9. Should promise to be an interesting chapter. The boys figure out what to do about their current situation, the tour resumes, we see the return of Cammie and Annabelle, and Kevin tries to play matchmaker. Jam-packed with loads of stuff.
Shout outs to Dreamer4, Dark Gamer, Light Gamer, Somnium87, Knight, EvilTenchi, SaturnsChild, Galassos Gal 127, PhoniexChild, Wolfie, TogetherAgain, ArchangelUK, Arylwren, Digicowboy, Blackout12, Phire Phoenix, Authormon, Insane Friend 02, alfogamer2, Takari's Baybee, Immia, AlexPG13, and shadow2k. Dedication (as usual) to DJ Clue for a reason to keep going.
The Ishida Brothers
By: Hopeful Writer
Chapter 9 - Complications of the Heart
The boys heard screaming from where Jack was talking to the doctors. Matt let out a stream of curses that rivaled anyone's vocabulary. "What are we going to do?" he hissed. So far, as if luck was on their side, the girls hadn't noticed their huddle (minus Sakira, of course, who was involved).
Kevin made the decision. Steeling his resolve, he began to hand out orders. "TK, get in the driver's seat and get ready to drive the damned bus. We're going for a getaway. Sakira, you need to distract the doctors for one second. Go out the back and act like an orderly. Tell 'em one of their patients is dying or something. We'll leave the door open so you can hop back in. Matt, Corbette, the minute the doctors turn their backs, pull Jack onto this bus and we'll shoot out of here. Got it?" There was a round of nods, although they were nervous.
"What about me?" Corey looked put-off at not being included.
"Make sure the girls are okay. I know it sounds like a sissy job, but if they start screaming and get the attention of the doctors, none of this will work." Kevin looked at his brothers and girlfriend and rubbed his palms together. "We've only got one shot. Let's make this work."
TK and Corey went immediately into action. TK slid into the driver's seat and studied the controls. Once certain he could use them, he nodded to Kevin, who gave Sakira a thumbs-up and a wavering grin. Corey, meanwhile, was talking quietly to the girls from Play, comforting them and instructing them not to scream.
"Um, doctor. The patient in Room 105 is hemorrhaging! Come quickly!" Sakira cried, looking panicked.
The doctors began muttering something about how they'd be right back and stay put, and they ran into the hospital. "Go!" Kevin yelled, as Matt and Corbette hauled Jack onto the bus. Reaching out the back door, Kevin grabbed Sakira's hand and helped her up, just as TK sped away.
Once they were a safe distance from the hospital, TK dropped down to normal speed, and Kevin let out a cheer. "We did it. Congratulations, guys." His tone came off sounding loose and casual, but his heart was pounding. He turned to Sakira. "You ought to go into acting if this whole singing thing doesn't work out, you know." She grinned at him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I could have given them the money, boys," Jack told them.
Kevin shook his head. "If you gave them the money now, they wouldn't stop. They'd blackmail you forever."
"But what are we going to do about them now?" Corbette asked, having collapsed in a nearby seat.
Matt answered. "They won't try anything now. If they claim he was driving drunk, he can deny it."
Kevin nodded. "They have no proof because they didn't make any records. They didn't want anyone else finding out."
"And they won't want us to tell that they were trying to blackmail him," Matt continued. "Wouldn't be good for their record, and I think they're more worried about themselves than getting him in trouble."
But Corbette was a really strong pessimist. "But what if they try anyway?"
"We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it," Matt told him.
Kevin turned his attention to Jack. "We do need to think about something though, Jack. You have a problem. This isn't the first time you've been drinking. We... I've seen you do it before and sometimes worse. You need to stop drinking. It can get you into a lot of trouble and we won't be able to bust you out of it so easily next time."
Jack clapped a hand on his shoulder with a forced laugh. "Don't worry about me, Kevin. Thank you for getting me out of that mess. There won't be a next time."
"So you're going to quit?"
Jack hesitated. Finally he repeated, "There won't be a next time."
! ~ ! ~ !
As much as Kevin didn't want to perform, they arrived in Yuzawa with only one hour until the concert. Originally, there had been a day scheduled for relaxation, but Laila had canceled it when she was postponing the tour, so things weren't too off. "Hey, Jack?" Corey piped up as they were changing into their concert wear. "Do our parents know about the car accident? How come they didn't come to the hospital?"
"We told them, Corey, but they said they were having trouble at work and couldn't make it," Laila told him.
Corey sighed, looking hurt. "Of course. Work."
"It's always work," Corbette complained, patting his little brother's shoulder. "It's all right. There's nothing they could have done anyway, except fuss over us."
As he was walking away, he didn't hear Corey mutter, "I wish they had fussed over us."
Sakira opened as usual. Again, Kevin found himself breathless as he watched her grace and poise on stage. When she came backstage, she was rewarded with a searing kiss that left Corey and Corbette in hysterics, although Kevin couldn't figure out why.
Play followed, performing a routine of songs the boys had never heard before. "They're good," Matt commented as they sang. Corbette and TK nodded their agreements.
This time it was Corey who was entranced. He couldn't stop watching Faye. So this is what Kevin feels like when Saki's performing, part of his brain registered. He felt oddly lightheaded and he was sure he was wearing a goofy grin.
When they finished, The Ishida Brothers performed. TK sang I Miss You again, but this time the others managed some backup parts. When they were done, the crowd roared.
The table for signing autographs was bigger than usual to accommodate Play. Corbette watched anxiously for Annabelle, but was disappointed not to see her. He sighed. She wasn't here and she hadn't called him. Maybe he had been wrong in his assumption that she liked him.
! ~ ! ~ !
"Hey, Matt!"
Matt looked up and studied the girl in front of him. She looked familiar, long blonde hair, cute smile, but he couldn't place her.
"Hi..."
"Cammie. Don't you remember me?"
Matt had a flashback to about three days ago. The girl was saying, "I promise not to tell anyone you were lying to me, and I'll save your reputation, if you go out on a date with me. Take me out after your next concert. I'll be there, no matter what. Bye."
The blood in his veins went cold.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath. To her, he said, "Oh, Cammie! Hey!"
She smiled, obviously glad to be recognized. "So are we still on for tonight?"
Matt paled and rubbed the back of his head like he always did when he was nervous. That's when he got a brilliant idea. "I don't think I should go out, Cammie. I just had a concussion. My manager wants us all to turn in early tonight."
"Oh, okay. Some other time then."
She didn't look nearly as disappointed as Matt would have liked. "Yeah. Some other time."
She was about to move on when she leaned close and whispered, "You know, Matt, rumor has it that Jack was driving drunk."
Matt felt the blood completely leave his face. "How'd... where'd you hear that?" he demanded, his voice choking up.
She smiled secretly and moved on. Inwardly, Matt cursed. Things had just gone from bad to worse.
! ~ ! ~ !
"You're not listening to me! A fan knows! Who's to say more fans don't know?"
Matt was hysterical and it truly wasn't helping matters. Kevin sat on Corbette's bed in their new hotel, his knees curled up to his chest. Sakira was next to him, trying not to look as utterly terrified as she felt. Corey was on his back on Matt's bed, staring at the ceiling with a defeated expression, and TK was perched on the edge of Matt's bed. Corbette was seated in a chair, and Matt was pacing anxiously.
Finally TK spoke up. "This fan, from what you've described, Matt, seems like she'd do anything to get close to you. I don't know why, but I've got this feeling that she has connections to people in high places."
"There shouldn't be any rumors," Kevin added. "We've already been through this."
Corbette, whose head had been resting in his hands, looked up. "I think TK's right about one thing. Cammie's definitely got connections. Remember when she conned you into a date the other day?' Matt nodded. "She said, no matter what, she'd be at the next concert. She's either go a lot of money or connections."
"Or both," Corey piped up.
There was a sharp knock on the door, and Sakira fell off the bed. Matt moved to open it.
Faye and Anais were standing outside. "Can we come in?" Anais asked, sounding nervous.
Matt glanced at his brothers, then nodded. "Yeah," he replied gruffly. "Come on." He ushered them in and shut the door.
Corey sat up when he saw the girls and grinned. "Hey, guys. What's up?"
Faye shakily returned his smile, but Anais didn't. "We need to talk to you," the brown-haired girl said.
"We saw Jack in the bar," Faye continued.
"He was drinking."
"A lot."
There was a moment of dead silence before Kevin let out a string of profanity. "He promised me! He promised he'd quit. He lied to me!"
It was Matt who came to comfort him. "He only said the crash would never happen again. He's going to get what he deserves, Kevin. If he won't quit, if he'll trick a 13-year-old into thinking he'd quit, he's going to get in trouble."
But Kevin didn't want to hear it. "That bastard!" He slammed his fist into the wall and ran out of the room.
"Kevin!"
Matt started after him, but Corbette stopped him. The younger twin turned to the girl sitting on his bed. "Sakira?" He searched her eyes imploringly.
She nodded. "I'll make sure he stays out of trouble, Corbette." She disappeared from the room.
Faye sat lightly next to Corey. "I'm sorry."
"There's no reason for you to apologize," TK told her. "Thanks for telling us. This isn't a new thing. He's been drinking at least since the tour started. After the crash..." TK sighed. "After the crash, we kind of thought he would stop." He shrugged.
They heard Take Me Out to the Ball Game from somewhere nearby.* "My cell phone!" Corbette cried, running to his bag. "Hello?" There was a moment's pause, then, "Oh, Lord. I'll be there in 20 minutes. Give me directions." Another pause, then, "Okay. See you soon. And whatever happens, don't go anywhere. What's you number in case I get lost? Okay. Bye."
Corbette hung up, his face pale. He turned to his twin. "That was Annabelle. There's been a problem and she needs some help. I have to go pick her up."
Matt nodded without hesitation. "Go with him, TK." The younger boy looked surprised, but agreed, no questions asked.
Corey stood up. "Corbette!"
The one in question turned. "Yeah?"
Corey smiled deviously. "Take this." He handed Corbette a set of car keys. "There's a blue '97 Volvo parked in the lot."
Corbette looked stunned. "How do you know? How'd you get these?"
"Jack rented the car. He left the keys on a table downstairs and I picked them up." Corey looked a little guilty. "I was going to give them back, but we had this little meeting."
Corbette smiled. "Thanks, Core." He left, followed closely by TK.
Matt, Corey, Faye, and Anais sat in silence before Matt asked, "Well, now what?"
! ~ ! ~ !
Sakira didn't have much trouble finding Kevin. He had gone down to the bar and was arguing with a guard, who wouldn't let him in.
"There you are," she muttered, running up to him. "Come on. Let's take a walk."
Kevin was reluctant to leave, so Sakira grabbed his arm and dragged him into the lobby. He spun on her, furious. "Damn you! When I get my hands on that lying piece of—Well, when I get my hands on him, I'll kill him."
"No, you won't."
He glared at her angrily. "I will! He deserves it. He tricked me. He made me believe he was going to change, and then he just goes and does it all over again!"
Sakira took a step closer to him and enveloped him in a hug. "He's been drinking for as long as I can remember. He's never going to change."
Kevin pulled away. "You told me you didn't know your uncle was an alcoholic."
"I didn't. I knew he drank, but I didn't know he was this bad. I swear." She ran a hand through Kevin's hair adoringly. "Come on. Let's go for that walk. It'll do us both some good."
! ~ ! ~ !
Corbette was driving way too fast for TK to be comfortable. "What's going on?" the younger boy demanded, clutching the handle above the window for reassurance.
"She's in trouble. Something really bad happened."
That answer didn't satisfy TK. "Corbette, you're driving down the road at 90 mph, putting both our lives in danger. I want to know what the hell is going on."
Corbette dropped his speed a little and sighed. "I can't tell you, T. It's not my business to tell. When Annabelle gets here, she can tell you. She trusted me, and I'm not about to break that trust."
At those words TK leaned back in his seat and bit his lip to keep from retorting. Corbette stopped the car in front of an ordinary-looking, tan split-level. He hopped out of the car and ran up the steps. TK moved into the back seat and watched as his brother pounded on the door. It opened slowly and Annabelle crept out. Corbette led her to the car. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tear-stained, but she looked like she was trying her best not to cry. She was wearing a backpack.
Corbette opened the back door and tossed TK the key. "You drive," he ordered.
TK didn't argue. He knew enough about Corbette to know that this had to be serious if he was turning down the opportunity to drive. TK started up the car as Corbette and Annabelle loaded into the back seat. "Are you okay?" Corbette asked quietly. TK began to drive.
Annabelle sniffed once and squeezed her eyes shut against the fresh onslaught of tears. "Yeah," she whispered, but it was quite clear that she really wasn't.
TK bit the inside of his cheek to keep from asking about what happened. Instead he drove, following Corbette's occasional directions and his own sense of direction. They were back at the hotel in 15 minutes.
"Come on, we'll go up to my room," Corbette instructed, helping Annabelle out of the car. TK shut the car and followed, never saying anything, even though his mind was spinning.
Kevin and Sakira were outside. "What's going on?" Kevin asked, seeing his brothers so serious.
Corbette and Annabelle kept walking, but TK fell back and motioned the younger kids to follow him. "I haven't the faintest, actually. Corbette just keeps saying Annabelle's in trouble and he had to save her. I suppose they'll tell us upstairs maybe."
The three ran up to the rooms after their brother and knocked on Corbette and Matt's door. Matt answered and ushered them inside. "What's up?" Kevin asked again, this time looking more anxious and less curious.
Corbette looked at Annabelle who was sitting in a chair, a vacant expression on her face. She met his searching eyes and nodded. He sighed. "When she called before, she told me... her father was drunk and he... he..." Corbette couldn't finished the sentence. He looked at Annabelle.
Kevin, Matt, and TK looked at each other. "Raped you?" Kevin guessed. Annabelle shook her head, and Corbette raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hit you?" Matt offered. Another shake.
"Killed himself?" TK tried.
This time Annabelle snorted. "I wish!" she exclaimed fervently. "He killed one of my brothers!" The words came pouring out of her and, despite her obvious attempt to control herself, she burst into tears again. Corbette began to rub her back.
"Holy shit," Matt muttered under his breath.
Kevin's face was red with rage. "Alcohol never did anything good for anybody," he muttered furiously, not only talking about Annabelle's situation.
"I can't go back!" Annabelle cried. "He'll kill me next. He's crazy."
"Tell the police what happened," TK suggested.
"I... I can't. No one will believe me. My dad will cover up all the evidence and deny it... or worse, he'll say I did it!"
"You'll stay with us." Kevin, Matt, and TK turned to see Corey sitting on the bed, a determined look on his face. "It makes sense. We're going to God-knows-where on this tour. We can take her far enough away from her father that she'll be safe."
"What about Jack?" Kevin asked, gritting his teeth at the mention of the name.
Corey managed a wry grin. "If he tells about Annabelle, we'll tell about him driving drunk."
TK and Matt protested at the same time. "That's blackmail, Corey!"
"That's illegal!"
Corey looked serious. "He won't say a word about it."
Corbette glanced at Annabelle. "What about Patrick? And your mother?"
She shook her head, tears welling up again. "Patrick... he ran... right after the gunshot, right after Ryan hit the ground, Patrick ran. The look in his eyes... you could tell he's never coming back. As for my mom... I don't know. I really don't know. But I can't go back! I won't!" The sadness had disappeared from Annabelle's eyes and was replaced by a look of determination. "If you don't want me to stay with you, I'll go. I'll find someplace else to go."
But Corbette shook his head firmly. "You're staying with us."
She smiled shakily, the first time she'd smiled since she'd gotten in the car. "You can room with me and Kevin," Sakira piped up generously. Kevin shot her a desperate look, but she ignored him and he sighed resolutely.
Annabelle's eyes shined with tears again, but she blinked them back. "Thank you," she whispered.
Kevin felt a guilty pang for his reluctance and patted her back awkwardly. "Don't worry about it. We'll keep everything under control."
! ~ ! ~ !
Everyone slept uneasily that night, except Kevin, who didn't sleep at all, and Jack, who had passed out shortly after he left the bar. When they awoke the next morning and met in the lobby, Kevin was surprised to see Corey looking the worst. "Are you okay?" he asked in an undertone, knowing Corey hated to be babied.
"I'm fine," he replied. "I had a rough night."
Kevin nodded understandingly. "Didn't we all?" He tousled Corey's blonde locks.
Faye came over just then, and Kevin grinned silently when Corey greeted her. "Are you okay, Corey?" she asked. "You look sick."
He blushed and managed a wry smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't get a lot of sleep."
"Maybe you should kiss it and make it better, Faye," Kevin suggested.
Corey glared sharply at him as Faye turned a color resembling a tomato. "Kevin, don't you have someplace else to be?" Corey demanded, scowling.
The older blonde smirked. "No, I don't think so. Why?"
"Because I want you to GO AWAY!"
Kevin winced at once, feeling properly abashed. "Sorry about that. I think I'll be off. Ta." He escaped to Sakira's side, where he studied his feet intently, feeling extremely guilty for torturing his little brother.
"Sorry about Kevin," Corey said to Faye. "He has no life."
She grinned at him weakly. "It's no problem."
"Yeah, well, he shouldn't have opened his big mouth."
"Corey, really. It's no big deal."
Corey sighed. "Okay. If you say so. How are you?" he asked conversationally, smoothly changing the subject.
Jack came down just then, and the group stopped talking to face him. He looked a bit pale and unshaven. Kevin unconsciously clenched his fist and moved closer to Sakira, who gripped his shirt sleeve tightly. "Who're you?" Jack demanded of Annabelle, his words only slightly garbled.
She opened her mouth to respond, but Corbette was a step ahead of her. "Her name is Annabelle. She'll be joining us on tour."
"Isn't she a fan?"
"The biggest," Annabelle replied with a sardonic smile.
"Sorry, kid, but fans can't come on the tour with us."
Corey jumped in. "She's coming on the tour if we say she is. Unless you'd like us to tell everyone what really happened that day we crashed..." He let his voice trail off meaningfully, and Jack's eyes widened.
"That's blackmail!"
Corey looked bemused. "So it is," he retorted, pretending to have just realized it. He put on his innocent look. "Please let her come, Jack. She's got nowhere else to go, and Corbette really likes her, and it'd be good for her to come on tour. It may not even be the whole time. She's got relatives somewhere near where we're going, so she can probably stay there." He was now officially lying through his teeth, but it was for a good cause, so nobody denied it.
"Fine," Jack replied with a sigh. "She can come."
Kevin grinned at Corey, who wore a triumphant smile. Annabelle hugged him tightly, and Corbette clapped his shoulder, obviously ignoring Corey's statement about his (slight) crush on her.
They got ready to go to the concert hall, nervous, both about the concert, and about what would happen as the tour continued.
A/N - Wow, I'm stressed just thinking about it. This chapter is so much more intense than the others, and it's only going to get worse. I hope you liked it.
* - I don't know if cell phones in Japan play Take Me Out to the Ball Game, but it was the best I could come up with.
NEXT TIME - Another concert, Matt's date, Corbette gets slapped, and Corey and Annabelle have a heart-to-heart.
