The Sweetest Chill

The hospital coffee sucked, it tasted like burnt Styrofoam and blood. Suzie had burnt her tongue on the dangerous liquid so badly she had to go see a nurse at the Walk-In section of the hospital.

Danni poured more Vodka into her own cup of coffee and took a deep breath. "Suzie-Q, can I ask you something?" Suzie looked up from her book and took off her glasses.

"Sure."

"How do you deal with the whole music biz thing?" Danni seemed to be fading in the tacky breezy green colored walls splashed with bubble gum pink polka-dots with Doctors and nurses rushing out of room with plastic hair nets and booties and dying Crusties hooked up to IVs.

Normally, Danni's pixie-cut white blonde hair, brown leather jacket with dozens of chains, striped leggings, short skirts, and cleavage bearing shirts made her pop the way she was known to pop. Now she just looked tired and pale.

Did she have to answer this question? "Music's always been a part of my life and I knew that I wanted to be involved in some way. When I met Simon, he kept the whole singer thing a secret so I'd kind of have to love him for him, you know? When he introduced me to the guys, I wasn't shocked. You can tell an artist from a regular citizen easily. I just kind of soaked the lifestyle all in. Sure, I wasn't too thrilled to find out the guy I loved was taking bathroom breaks every hour to inject heroin into himself. The strippers and groupies I wasn't too pleased with either, but Simon didn't seem interested in them because and I quote: 'Who would want to be with a girl who's a doll and is content with being a bloody fucking arm decoration?'. Overall, the music biz didn't change my mind about Simon in away." That, obviously, didn't answer Danni's question.

"Bobby said that you were seeing someone before you got back together with Simon. Is it true?"

"Yes."

"Why'd you break it off?"

"Because I wasn't over Simon and he cheated on me."

"Well, then he's a bastard just like my Bobby."

"Do you still love Bobby, Danni?" asked Suzie.

Danni was silent for a couple of minutes. "Yah. But I wish I could change him. Like I wish I could take away all of the temptations and always be there to watch over him and stop him from making a fool out of himself in front of the tabloids." Tears pelted down her face and onto her chin.

Suzie sucked at comforting people so she just stayed silent and miserable while watching Danni's break down. "It'll be okay. I got Simon clean." She soothed.

"How do you know? He could be lying to you!" wailed Danni.

"I know. But it's a risk I'll just have to take." She shrugged as if Danni's questioning didn't make her worry. She'd seen Bobby when they fought. He went on drunken rampages, invited strippers to his flat, and was normally arrested for assault and battery. Danni would always show up for him with the bail cash and they'd smooth things over after a couple of days of not leaving their sunny home in Scotland.

Danni ran a hand through her bleached blonde wild hair with feathers attached in little clips. She wore a long bohemian chic skirt that was multi-colored with waves separating each splash, her trademark brown leather jacket with chains that fell below her tiny waist. Her engagement ring glimmering dully against the metal of the chair she was sitting in, her wedding band was made up of beaten up pure gold.

Danni's voice was hoarse. "I sometimes wonder if I should have ever let my brother drive me to that stupid show in Germany. Do you ever feel that way?"

"Nope." That wasn't an entire lie. "Simon's affected my life, no matter how much I try to deny him or the fact that he's been such a big impactive influence. It's like thinking that you can keep your family away forever. Man, was I wrong about that. I've got to get home. You should get some rest, too." Suzie got up to say good-bye from Simon and pry his mother away from him.

"Suzie darling!" Aimee's face melted. Normally, she was a cold, sturdy woman who was the type to spend hours of her free time sorting through mismatching socks. She was wearing a rose-pink power suit with sandals. It was good too see that one thing about Simon's family hadn't changed.

"Hello, Aimee and Andrew." Simon groaned and Suzie smirked.

"Our Simon doesn't seem to want to speak to us…" Andrew trailed off and fidgeted with his silver and blue striped tie.

"Oh. You'd like me to get him to actually do something other then breath? No problem." Suzie went over to him; Simon's eyelids flickered.

"Hey!" Simon shot up, wide-awake.

Suzie hadn't attempted to do anything, Simon had just been under the impression that she had. "Hey yourself. I've got to go, but I'll be back tomorrow to come and pick you up since your folks'll be in Alaska." She winked at him and he covered his head with the pillow. "Make sure he behaves." Suzie left in a flurry.

Where had Jacob taken off to? She found him rather quickly; he was chatting up a rather attractive female nurse with angelic white-blonde hair falling to her bared shoulder blades with a stunning movie-star smile that made you want to floss more often.

"And here's my infamous daughter now!" Jacob waved her over and the nurse smiled softly.

"Who's this?" she asked. Suzie could tell when Jacob had found a new lady-friend.

"Susanna, this is Dolly, your uncle Howard's wife."

"Oh. Nice to meet you Dolly." The two women shook hands.

Dolly stopped smiling surprisingly. "I don't mean to pry, but who are you here for?"

"My boyfriend and his band. I'm sure you've heard about the resident Jungles. By the way, his name's Simon Costello, lead vocals and he can sometimes play the piano." Simon was always embarrassed to talk about how he had once aspired to become a pianist, but he was excellent and Suzie bugged him to practice more often.

"I don't care for their music much."

"I didn't expect you to." Suzie gave an innocent smirk in Dolly's direction, Jacob looked down at his feet. "Jacob, Felicity is probably out of her mind. Can you drop me off at home?"

"Sure, darling. I'll see you soon, Dolly. Tell How hello for me, will you?" Jacob fished into his pockets for his car keys.

"Of course! Have a sunny day!"

"Gag me with a fucking spoon." Suzie sneered as she stepped out St. Anne Hospital's doors.

"She's a lovely woman."

"Of course she is. By the way, I thought you were engaged." She raised one eyebrow suspiciously.

"I am…" they slipped into the car… in the same stride and way. Both of them noticed this fact, but neither brought it up.

"Then what were you doing flirting with Uncle How's wife?"

"I was not flirting. I've changed a lot since you've last seen or heard from me, Susanna." He gripped the steering wheel as if his life depended on it. "You should really consider getting your driver's license."

Suzie ignored him. "Let's just shut up for the rest of the ride, okay? By the way, I'm not going to the wedding."

Jacob focused the road. It'd meant a lot to him to believe that his favorite daughter would be attending his wedding. He tried to suppress his anger. He gritted his teeth. "Why not?"

Suzie considered this for a couple moments. "I'm not going to be involved in any of your relationships that aren't real. I remember all those women that you strutted around with and introduced Lucy and I to, they were all idiots and bimbos, but Lucy liked a lot of them. That girlfriend of yours, Gina Kentworth, I've spoken to her ever since the break-up. She's married now and has four kids. My point is, is that I'm not going to go there."

"Gina was a lovely and kind woman. I am very happy for her." Replied Jacob.

They had arrived at Suzie's almost immediately after Jacob avoided her decision about the wedding.

"Fuck you Jacob!" she yelled, slamming the car door behind her and kicking the car's back tire, puncturing it slightly.

Jacob looked straight ahead and tried not to be emotional or look at his daughter stomp into his ex-wife's house. He drove off, blaring Weeping Willows by King of the Jungle.