Byron looks up from his computer as his girlfriend comes back into her dressing room, her sandals clicking on her feet. Miyana sits down onto the couch, looking at him before lying back, using his lap as a pillow.
"Told you-you shouldn't have eaten that Thai food," Byron remarks, sensing how uncomfortable Mia was.
"The problem isn't the Thai food," Miyana explains. "The problem is that Baby J has a problem with Thai food." She's cradling her seven-month-pregnant belly trying to get their unborn child - and indigestion currently ravaging her insides - to calm down enough for her to do the show that night. "If she comes out not liking spicy food, I'm gonna be mad."
Byron chuckles as he responds to another email. He generally used the break between shows to get a bit of work done, eat something, and relax before the craziness of their evenings started. "I wouldn't worry too much. We both love spicy food, so it's almost genetic our kid will love it too. And who knows, heartburn can also be a sign a baby will be born with hair."
"If that's true, then after today I'm sure she's gonna be born with dreadlocks! God!" Miyana whines, throwing a hand over her forehead.
"Thai Food?" Brynn asks, coming into the dressing room and seeing how miserable Mia is, a plastic bag of take-out in her hands. "Why do you keep eating that when you know Baby J has a problem with it?"
"See? I told you she has a problem with it!" Miyana says, looking up sharply at her boyfriend, glad someone agreed with her on the matter. She gets up and walks over to her dressing table, tossing aside discarded clothing and makeup tools, finally grabbing a bottle of antacid pills. She shakes out a few, replaces the bottle on her table and returns to her prone position on Byron's lap.
"You're not helping," Byron says to their castmate.
"But I do tell the truth," Brynn mutters, giving Byron a look that says 'i told you so'.
"I thought you went home?" Mia asks.
"I did, but I have physical therapy in like a half hour, so I'm here," Brynn says, with a half-hearted shrug, turning to leave for her own dressing room.
"Don't die! I need you!" Miyana calls after her.
"Love you too!" Brynn answers before her door clicks shut.
"See? I told you," Mia says, looking up at Byron again, rubbing it in.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Byron chuckles, rolling his eyes.
[][]
He thinks she's fallen asleep when a half hour goes by and Miyana hasn't said anything. But when he looks down at her, Byron sees his girlfriend perfectly awake. She's running her hands over her stomach, stopping every now and then when their daughter starts to move or kick. It's as if she senses him watching her because at that moment, Mia grabs his hand and puts it onto her belly and a second later, Byron feels his daughter kick against his hand.
"Hey, baby girl," he says, setting aside his laptop and sinking down so his head rests on the back of the couch. They lay like that, in the silence, feeling the baby moving, for a few moments before Byron's phone rudely breaks their bliss.
"Damn," Byron curses under his breath, moving to answer it. He misses Miyana's whine as he stands up, forcing her to move as well. "Hey, Tommy!" He leaves the room, heading into the, currently empty, stage management office to find some privacy. "Look, I know I'm a few days late. And I'll get it, I will. You know me, Tom. Just - can you tell them to wait? What do you mean 'outside'? What did he do?"
If his pulse wasn't racing before, it is now. Byron jogs down the hall, down the stairs, and out the stage door to the street beyond, ignoring questions from their amazing doorman, Daren.
The black town car before him is inconspicuous enough to not catch the attention of passers-by, but Byron knows it's really the person, or people, inside, that, could be trouble. When the door opens, Byron takes a few steps back; scared out of his mind, but not trying to show it.
"Little Brother, you must not know the meaning of a deadline." Danny towers over Byron, though he's not much taller, Danny's broad-shouldered, muscular body occupies more space. His deep, commanding voice carries with it a hint of a Jersey accent and years of being in control of many businesses - legal, and not.
"I told Tommy I'm going to get it to you guys. I just need more time," Byron defends, knowing Danny had talked to their mutual friend and had heard the plan.
"We already gave you more time, Little Brother. Your time is up." With a wave of a finger, Danny releases a pair of black-suited cronies, whose only job was to inflict pain upon whomever their boss deemed necessary.
Byron backs up further until his heels hit the brick wall of the theater. "Come on, Danny. Let's settle this like men. Give me one more month; that's all I need. Just a little more time. I have a family to think about!" Byron was pleading like a scared school-boy as the goons closed in on him. "What if it were Jack in this situation? Huh? You wouldn't let anyone hurt Michaela and the kids, right? Please, just treat me like you would him."
"If I treated you like I treated my son, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't be here on the street making a scene. This all would have been resolved quickly and privately."
One of the goons couldn't quite contain himself and takes the opportunity to slap Byron's face, causing him to cry out, grab his cheek and look away from Danny, earning him a loud snap and an icy glare from his boss.
"Well, then let's do it," Byron says, looking up, his cheek still red. "Give more just a bit more time and then we'll meet someone quiet and get everything taken care of."
The stage door opening again has all four of them looking and Byron's blood goes cold when Miyana appears. He looks between her, Danny, and the henchmen, praying none of them says or does anything.
"I was just coming to check on you," she says to Byron, not noticing the other men with him. She goes to him quickly, touching his bicep, clearly seeing his red cheek. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"He's doing just fine," the man says, his deep voice rumbling up from his chest.
"Who's this?" Mia asks, looking at Danny with a furrowed brow.
"This is Danny," Byron says, hoping Mia doesn't pick up on how he struggled to get the words out. "He used to work with my dad."
"Oh!" Mia smiles, not picking up on their sordid history, holding out a hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"You as well," Danny says, his hand engulfing Mia's when he reciprocates the shake. "And I hope the lucky guy is treating you well," Danny says, noticing Mia's pregnant belly. "Because if he's not, I know some people who could teach him a lesson."
"Oh, he is," Miyana laughs, picking up on the slight joke, looking at Byron.
Danny looks between the two of them, and something in his gaze makes Byron pull Miyana into him, an angry breath accompanying it. "Well, I'll see you soon, Little Brother. And you better take care of her."
"I will," Byron says, puffing out his chest.
"And don't forget what we discussed," Danny adds, starting to turn away. "One month, Little Brother."
"Come on," Byron says, pushing Mia back inside a bit too roughly. He's grateful Miyana had come out when she did otherwise he may not have gotten the extension he so desperately needed.
"What was that all about?" Mia asks, taking the stairs back up to her room, confused and a bit concerned.
"He worked with my dad. And after he left, Danny sort of took over the company. But there is still so much mess my dad left that I have to clean up."
"Oh." Miyana didn't know much about Byron's parents. Just that there was a falling out with his dad. "So is that what he meant by 'one month'? That you have a month to clean up your dad's stuff?"
"Kind of," Byron says, trying to end the conversation.
"There's something else you're not telling me, huh?" Mia asks, picking up on his body language. "Look, I get wanting to deal with issues on your own. But if you need help or someone to talk at, just know you can come to me." She goes to her dressing table and starts to set out her makeup for the next show.
"I know," Byron nods. If only she knew how much he couldn't tell her. He needed to protect her, and their unborn child and if she found out about how deep this mess was, he'd lose her.
"Hey! You didn't die!" Miyana laughs over his shoulder, and Byron is never more grateful for Brynn's arrival than he his now.
"No, but I do feel like death. I have no clue how I'm going to do the show tonight," Brynn sighs, going to Mia for a hug.
Byron takes that opportunity to retrieve his laptop from Mia couch and quickly head to his dressing room.
He had important work to do and he needed to be alone to do it.