DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Hawaii Five-O" or any of its characters. However, I do own Maddie, Pete, Tina, Ryan, Lyle, Harper, Carl, etc.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
As promised, here is another update! Again, this is lengthy and I experimented in this chapter (Ch.36 as a whole) with trying to show you guys what Maddie's doing when rehearsing. I want you to see it, but it's hard because what is only a few minutes takes pages and pages to say. I won't be doing this for the show because it just takes too long. I think it's fine to do little pieces here and there, but when writing it, I lose my drive after awhile because it moves so slowly and I'm sure it's kind of the same for you guys. It's hard to explain dancing when I don't know the proper wording. So what might really take a couple words to explain, takes me a paragraph.
In this update the song I used was Britney Spears "Gimme More". Again, please remember that I'm not saying Maddie sounds like Britney, I'm just using the song because I liked the way Britney arranged it for her Femme Fatale tour. I borrowed the theme from that tour, so if you want to hear it, youtube "Britney Spears Gimme More Live Femme Fatale Tour". Maddie isn't performing it how she does though.
Also, in this update, texts, flashbacks, and song lyrics are in bold. And thoughts are in italics.
Oh, and if you don't know what a Nebulizer is, look it up. It's a portable breathing treatment. Helps the lungs.
A big thing I want to say is that Maddie and Tina are not wimpy, immature, women who are always injured. I wanted to make it like that for the rehearsal chapters to show how hard Maddie's life is. And that it doesn't just impact her. Her schedule impacts everyone that works for her. If she doesn't sleep, neither does her assistant or her security. So you can see that they are a family. They feed off one another. They love one another and they'd do anything for each other. It's a unique world she lives in. Anyway, I just wanted to explain why I've really made Maddie pushing through being sick and hurt. How Tina got hurt and why she's so exhausted. She's always with Maddie, so if Maddie doesn't sleep, neither does she. You're gonna see how these women really are and then you'll realize why everyone's so concerned.
Again, I cannot stress this enough... I am NOT a dancer. I've NEVER taken a dance class in my life, so don't ream me if I make any mistakes when discussing dance stuff. For example, Maddie puts on Pointe shoes in this and she wears them in the next update as well. I'm sorry if I explain things wrong or am not completely accurate. I did research a bit and asked a friend of mine who is a ballerina. Just be kind if I made any errors. :o)
Anyway, I'll let you read on.
Enjoy!
xo
DivaLola
Chapter 36, Part 5
"That was much better," Lyle remarked as they finished their third run-through. "That's the closest it's been." He smiled widely.
Doc had arrived a few minutes before with a small device and set it up at the end of the table. As Maddie stood coughing, he called her over.
"It looks awesome, Mads!" Kono exclaimed.
"Tha-nks," she murmured in between coughs as Doc took hold of her upper left arm to assist her as she stepped over the bench to sit at the table.
"Here, breath into this," Doc instructed, handing her a tube with a mouthpiece at the end. As she put it in her mouth he turned on the device from the small rectangular box attached to the tube. "I'm only going to have you do this for two minutes. Before the show you'll use it for ten. This should help with the coughing spasms. We're not gonna be able to eliminate them completely, but we can at least reduce them." He paused.
"Long time no see, Steve," Harper said as she approached.
Reluctantly, Steve looked away from Maddie. "Yeah, it's been forever," he smiled.
"You're really good!" Lori complimented. "How long have you been dancing?"
"Since the moment I could stand really, but I took my first class when I was two and a half."
"Holy crap!" Kono exclaimed. "That's crazy young!"
"Yeah, I guess," Harper shrugged. "But I can honestly tell you that I've been in love with dancing from that first moment. And you know what? I love it just as much now, if not more."
"Like me and surfing," Kono added.
"I'm glad you're gonna get to see the show!" Harper beamed as she gave Steve a flirty smile. She'd always had a crush on Steve, something she and Maddie had talked a lot about over the years.
"Yeah, me too," Steve grinned, excited at the thought of getting to see Maddie perform after so many years.
Pete pulled his right hand from Tina's, using it to hurriedly throw the black Cadillac Escalade into park before quickly jumping out of the car.
"Tina," he said, opening the door and leaning inside. "Come on. Wake up," he tried again. Nothing. "Damn it," he cursed, mad at himself for letting her convince him to stop. He should've taken her right back to the arena.
Gently he caressed her cheek. "Tina... come on now. Wake up." He continued lightly rubbing his knuckles against her cheek. "Tina..." He placed his other hand on her left shoulder and began to gently jostle her. Relief filled him when her eyes began to flutter as she groaned softly. Slowly, her tired, green eyes opened. They widened briefly, surprised by his close proximity before they closed again; the exhaustion too hard to fight.
"No, no. Come on now. Gotta stay awake," Pete whispered, his knuckles still skimming the soft skin of her cheek while his right hand rubbed her left shoulder. Her eyes opened again, however only halfway. But he was fine with that, as long as they were open.
"Where are we? What's going on?" she slurred sleepily.
"You scared the crap out of me for the third time today," he admitted, trying to relax now that she was awake. She said nothing, only stared at him through hooded eyes. "You fell asleep, T, and wouldn't wake up. Let's not make a habit of that, okay?" he said, attempting a joke in hopes it would help his heart rate return to a more normal level. "We're here. Let's get the flowers and then head back. I want Doc to look you over ASAP."
"I'm fine. He already saw me and said I was okay," Tina assured. She couldn't help but lean the slightest bit into his hand as it continued gently rubbing her cheek.
He studied her face and eyes. Whatever was bothering her wasn't there. She seemed to have let it go for the time being, something he was grateful for. He forced himself back to their conversation. "Did you happen to tell him you were experiencing any dizziness?" he asked seriously.
"It hadn't happened yet," she lied.
"Tina," he admonished, raising his eyebrows.
She sighed loudly. She was too tired to lie or argue with him. "Fine... No."
"Seriously, T? You could've been seriously hurt, or worse." He paused, the idea making his stomach churn and his heart ache. Don't even go there, he told himself, pushing the thought from his mind. "I told you to take someone from security with you... why didn't you," he asked, moving his hand from her cheek to her head. He rubbed down her thick, wavy chocolate brown hair.
Tina forced herself to ignore the goosebumps the gesture caused. "Maddie's the one who needs security. She's the one with the psycho after her."
Pete's jaw clenched, recalling the text from the stalker. The one who, in this particular instance, had threatened Tina, not Maddie. There was no way he was going to tell her. It would scare the hell out of her, something he didn't want. He'd just have the team keep a close eye on her. She wouldn't be going anywhere without security over the next several days. "Well, then why didn't you call me when you started feeling like this? I would've come and gotten you."
Tina looked down as everything came back to her. She tensed slightly, something Pete felt. Slowly, he pulled away his hands away as she shrugged.
With the ache in her chest back full force, she couldn't stop herself from her response. "Because I'm not your job. Your job is not to come get me if I call you. Your job is to keep Maddie safe. Not me. I can take care of myself."
Pete furrowed his brows as he studied her, trying to control the sudden anger her comment caused. "Not my job, Tina?" he nearly growled. "You think I flew out of there like a bat out of hell when you didn't answer your phone because I think of you as part of the job? What the hell?" When she didn't say anything, he continued. "I came because I was worried about you. Because I care about you. You're my friend, and I don't want anything to happen to you."
Friend, she thought bitterly. She bit her lip before smirking sarcastically. "Let's just do this." She turned her head and looked away to unfasten her seatbelt.
"Woah," Pete said as he reached out and stopped her when she turned to get out of the SUV. "What just happened?"
Tina clenched her jaw, furious that she was so bad at hiding her emotions. "Nothing."
"Tina, what is going on?" Pete asked, both concerned and exasperated.
"Nothing. I just want to get these flowers for Steve," she replied, still refusing to make eye contact. "You can wait here. I'll only be a minute. However, I'm gonna need my sunglasses."
He laughed sardonically. "You're funny, T. You think you're goin' in there by yourself?" He shook his head, smirking out of irritation. "You'd be staying in the car if I thought you wouldn't fall asleep." However, knowing she was at least right about needing her sunglasses, he practically slammed them angrily into her open palm.
"Thanks," Tina said curtly before scooting forward and mumbling, "Let's do this."
Pete took a step back each time she moved forward, giving her just enough space to move, but still staying close. His hands hovered near her as she slid from the car. "Holy crap," she whispered as she stumbled slightly. Even with her sunglasses on she was forced to use her left hand to shield her eyes from the piercing sun.
Not willing to risk her falling, his strong arms immediately wrapped around her, his anger from seconds before disappearing. Once he felt she was a bit steadier, he leaned his upper body away from her, wanting a good look at her face. "You think you can walk? Or you want me to carry you?"
With her eyes closed beneath her sunglasses, Tina scoffed. "I am perfectly capable of walking."
"Alright, then," he smiled. Carefully he lifted her sunglasses a smidge. "However, it might be easier to walk if you had your eyes open." He chuckled at the scowl she shot before maneuvering them so he could wrap his left arm tightly around her shoulders. Without realizing it, she leaned into him as she wrapped her right arm around his waist. With the tips of her fingers she felt his sidearm at his right hip. She wondered if just knowing he had it made Maddie feel safer like it did her.
"How do you feel, Mads?" Doc asked tentatively as he took the Nebulizer from her.
"Fine," she answered as she began to stand. She felt awful, but pushed it from her mind since she still had three songs to rehearse. "Which one next?" she asked Lyle as she walked to where he stood in the middle of the marked off stage.
Steve eyed her female dancers laying on the floor taking advantage of the little bit of downtime, and knew if they were that tired she had to be at least ten times worse.
"Um-" Lyle glanced around. While they'd been rehearsing "Come and Get It" most of her male dancers had arrived and spread out to stretch. "Ryan's still not here." He cocked his head slightly as he set his eyes on Maddie. "Wasn't he here earlier?"
"Where'd he go?" Harper asked from where she sat in front of Steve, Kono, and Lori.
"Errands," Maddie answered.
"Huh, well," Lyle paused, debating his options. "With Ryan not back yet, we should run 'Shattered Glass', but I want to get 'Gimme More' done first. Once you guys are in Pointe, I want you to stay in them." Maddie nodded in understanding and agreement. "I imagine Ryan should be here any minute, so we'll run 'Gimme More' and I'll stand in for him until he gets here. Okay?" She nodded again.
Lyle turned to the same two stagehands that had been holding the rolling practice tower. "Can you grab the throne for 'Gimme More'?" He turned back to Maddie. "Your shoes are in the bag by the table. Why don't you get them on while they grab the throne?"
"Okay," Maddie quietly replied and groaned lightly as she began reaching down to grab the shoes from the bag. Without saying a word, Kono bent over and peered inside. "The gold ones?"
"Yeah," Maddie answered.
"These are awesome, sistah!" Kono exclaimed as she stood and knelt down in front of Maddie with the shoes.
Slowly Steve slid towards his best friend, closing the gap left open by Kono. He smiled inwardly, knowing his colleague had stood for that very reason.
"Do these match the costume?" Kono asked as she guided Maddie's left foot into the four-inch heel.
"Yeah."
Once both shoes were on, Kono helped her stand. "Thanks Kono. You didn't have to do that. I could have managed," Maddie sheepishly said.
Kono only smiled as she wrapped her arm around Maddie's shoulder. "No worries, sistah! Plus, you didn't fight me on it even a little bit, which means you really needed help."
Lori's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Wow! Those are gorgeous!"
Each shoe was entirely gold. There was not one, but four gold, leather straps that went up to the middle of her calf with two inches space between each. Each strap was covered in square, gold mirrors with Swarovski crystals between and around them. Ten strands of Swarovski crystals attached to the strap around her ankle. Five of the strands draped along the outside of her foot and attached to the outer edge of the shoe's sole, while the other five strands draped down the inside of her foot, attaching to the inner edge of the sole. Coming down the middle of the top of her foot, also attached to the ankle strap, were a handful of squared, gold mirrors surrounding long rectangular ones. They draped down the top of the foot and attached to a final gold leather strap that went over her dark purple painted toes.
"Thanks," Maddie whispered as she took a few careful, and painful, steps forward.
"Who makes those?" Lori asked, her eyes transfixed.
"Christian Louboutin," Maddie answered, looking down at the shoes herself. Like many women, she loved shoes. Getting a new pair of shoes always cheered her up when she was down. Sure, it was absurd and materialistic, something she rarely was, but there were moments they could be a light at the end of a dark tunnel. She especially loved these because she'd helped Christian design them, letting him know what she wanted and was looking for. Then he took her ideas and added his own unique twist to them. She had to say, he nailed it; they were much more than she had ever envisioned.
"I don't know how you walk in them, but they're sexy!" Kono smirked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Seriously," Lori added.
"Thanks, guys," Maddie replied just as her hand flew to her mouth and she coughed.
Trying to give Steve an opening, Kono asked, "Aren't they sexy, Steve?"
"They look high. Don't hurt yourself," Steve answered, glancing at her shoes.
At his response, her father's words came back. Steve, he'll never love you... He'll always see you as damaged and broken.
"I'll be fine," Maddie said, trying to sound normal.
"Ready?" Lyle asked as he walked over to the group. Maddie sniffled and coughed while she nodded. "Good," he smiled before reaching his hands out to Harper and pulling her to her feet. He eyed the dancers and was happy to see them in their flat Gladiator sandals, a variation of Maddie's. "I'm not gonna have you guys perform the entire thing, only the middle." He looked to Maddie. "The part you've been struggling with. The rest of it's fine. I just want Doc to tell me whether he thinks the reason you're struggling is because of the tailbone stiffness. I know there's been changes in the choreography, making it more difficult, but I don't think that's the problem." She nodded, her frustration with herself evident on her face. "Mads, don't be too hard on yourself," Lyle stated, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "I don't know how you're able to do anything with how bad you feel. So, having a little difficulty here and there is nothing to be ashamed of."
"Let's just do this," Maddie grumbled. Not wanting to talk about it any further, she turned and began silently walking to her starting position.
Lyle watched her with a concerned look and sighed, "Let's go."
Before joining the other dancers, Harper flashed Steve a flirty smile, one he returned with a smile of his own, before she turned and rushed to catch up to Maddie and the others.
It took everything Kono had not to smack her boss. God, how can someone be so bad at this, she thought. Completely clueless. She plopped down beside him, sighing loudly from irritation.
"You okay?" Steve asked, cocking his head to look at her. She glared at him, refusing to soften at his look of concern.
"You're an idiot," she quietly mumbled before looking away and staring at Maddie.
"What?" he asked, too surprised to hide his shock.
"I'm starting to wonder if maybe we were all wrong," she whispered.
"About what?" he asked, confused.
"That you care about her only as a friend," Kono whispered. "Since that's the case. Stop playing hot and cold. Treat her only as you would a friend."
"Wait, Kono... I... um," Steve began, his heart hammering at Kono's words. His eyes flitted to Maddie as Lyle quietly spoke to her, his hands on her shoulders as she looked at the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw four male dancers carry something large and gold to the center of Stage 1, right in front of the start of the catwalk.
He looked back at Kono. "No... I..." He stopped. What did I do? he wondered while watching his coworker and friend glare at him. "No, that's not true," he finally whispered.
Kono shook her head in frustration. "I gave you the perfect opportunity to say something that would help her begin thinking she has it wrong, but you screwed it up... again!" she whispered, her voice growing slightly louder by the end.
"Wait! What?" His eyes grew large, afraid she was right, that without realizing it, he had screwed up again. However, he and Maddie had barely spoken since she'd started rehearsing, so he wasn't sure how that could be possible. "When?"
"The shoes comment. All you had to say was 'yes'! A simple one word answer!" Kono hissed. "I couldn't have made it easier for you!"
Steve's eyes closed as it all clicked. "Damn," he whispered.
"Yeah, way to go, Boss," Kono snapped, turning her head to watch Maddie and her dancers.
"Kono, I," Steve began.
"She's about to rehearse, and I want to watch," Kono interrupted, her tone still harsh and irritated.
He sighed loudly and turned his head to watch his best friend. His stomach felt heavy at the thought he'd hurt her again. However, his thoughts on the subject immediately disappeared, replaced by worry as he watched Lyle and one male dancer help Maddie onto the large, gold object while four other male dancers each held it in place. As his eyes studied it intently he realized it was a portable throne (a palanquin), something ancient Egyptian kings and queens were carried on. It was gold and quite elaborate with some sort of red, velvety looking material covering the top of it. There was a long handle at each of the four corners, each held by a male dancer.
Steve watched Lyle speak to Maddie as she kneeled on the red material. He hoped it was as soft as it looked since she was kneeling on her injured knee. He watched her face closely for signs of discomfort, but didn't see any. He had to give it to her; she was pretty good at hiding things when she wanted to. A fact that also scared the hell out of him. However, he noticed the way she was trying to inconspicuously put more weight on her left, uninjured knee.
Suddenly Ryan rushed into the room, tossing his bag down near Kono. He hurriedly pulled his shoes off before he quickly grabbed his gold, Gladiator sandals from the bench and slipped them on. Although Maddie's shoes had buckles up her legs, the dancers were Velcro, making it easier for them to get them on quickly since their costume change was much shorter than hers.
"Sorry! I got back as soon as I could!" Ryan declared as he jogged towards them. When he reached the group, he immediately began stretching.
"It's fine," Lyle said. "Perfect timing. We're about to run through the middle of 'Gimme More'. Starting right before the second verse."
"Got it," Ryan answered, nodding his head as he rushed through a few quick stretches.
"Do you need to stretch more?" Lyle asked, not wanting him to get hurt.
"Um…" Ryan debated. "I'm okay. This part isn't too strenuous for me. I'll stretch more before the next song."
"Alright," Lyle smiled before focusing on the entire group. "Well, luckily Ryan arrived in the nick of time, saving you all from having me as a stand-in," he joked, earning him laughs and teasing comments. He walked back to the table, stopping between Kono and Doc. "Ready?" Lyle called out before hitting 'Play'. As soon as the music started he fast forwarded to the spot they'd be starting from.
"This show is gonna be sick!" Kono suddenly squealed as the familiar song came on. However, it sounded a bit different than it normally did. The instruments and track now had a more Egyptian influenced feel.
"I get the shoes now!" Lori exclaimed, smiling brightly.
"I bet the costumes are incredible! And I bet the performance on the actual stage with the lights is so badass!" Kono added.
Steve looked between his co-workers and found himself unable to keep from grinning. There weren't a lot of opportunities to see this side of them.
When Lyle found the right spot in the song Steve looked back to Maddie. His jaw clenched as he watched her carefully stand on the portable throne while four dancers held it in the air. Please don't fall, Mads, he mentally told her. Here she was exhausted, sick, and in pain, with a concussion, and she was now standing on a moving object four feet in the air while wearing heels. He sighed and subconsciously licked his bottom lip in nervousness, his back and shoulders tensing as he crossed his arms and watched her.
Maddie stood in the center of the throne held by four of her male dancers parallel to Stage 1 while four more, including Ryan, stood spaced out in front of it, two to her right and two to her left. Her remaining two male dancers were on each side of the throne. Four female dancers, two on each side of the throne, book-ended the male dancer on each side. The remaining two stood behind the four dancers in front of Maddie. However, she was in the center of them all, completely unblocked.
Maddie looked straight ahead and began lip-synching the second verse.
The center of attention
The four dancers holding the portable throne began moving it to the music as they started repositioning it so it was now perpendicular to Stage 1. The remaining twelve dancers moved and danced as the throne's position changed. Disguising it in the choreography, Maddie made a quarter turn to her left, so that she was facing the audience again.
Even when we're up against the wall
The four men carrying the throne began slowly walking forward, making sure to keep it as steady as possible. Two female dancers followed by two male dancers were in front of the throne as it began moving down the catwalk. Behind it were two more female dancers, with two male dancers behind them. All of whom were evenly spaced out. One each side of the throne was one female dancer with a male dancer behind her.
You can do this, Maddie told herself as she swayed her body and hips back and forth on the next line.
You got me in a crazy position
Steve tensed as he realized she was going to dance while standing on a moving object. He assumed that's why she'd been having problems with balance.
If you're on a mission
You got my permission, oh oh
By the end of the verse they'd all reached the start of Stage 2. The four dancers carrying the throne turned it so it was once again parallel with the stage. Four female dancers positioned themselves towards the front of Stage 2. The first two were three feet apart, and the other two, three feet behind them. It looked as if they were beginning to form two lines, and if you looked down the center you could see Maddie standing on the throne.
Four male dancers were spaced two feet from one another to the right and left of the female dancers. However, they were a bit further back, closer to the throne. One of these was Ryan. A male and female dancer stood three feet apart on each side of the throne.
The music changed and Kono and Lori suddenly glanced at one another and smiled as they realized the song wasn't just different stylistically, but was a different arrangement all together. They returned their focus to the rehearsal, watching as the four men holding the throne starting swaying back and forth, the throne swaying with them. Steve immediately swallowed hard, a nervous lump caught in his throat.
Maddie began lip-synching to the track as they broke out into a sort of dance break.
I just want more
More
More
More
More
Lyle watched Maddie intently, worried, but also happy. So far, she was pulling it off and there wasn't too much left on the dance break. However, no sooner had he had these thoughts than he watched her stumble. "Oh, come on Mads," he whispered. "You can do this." He broke into a smile as he watched her recover.
In rehearsals, Maddie had either fallen on that part or gotten past it. However, the next part she had never nailed and this time was no different.
The next move involved a small, hop-like step while the throne continued to sway. For Maddie to nail it, timing was key. "Ryan," Lyle yelled the second he realized she wasn't going to make it.
Ryan immediately turned just in time to take a rushed step forward and catch her. As his arms made contact with her back, he pulled her tightly to his body.
"Thanks," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her face inches from his.
"Any time," he smiled.
She should absolutely not be doing choreography that is difficult for her right now, Steve fumed, knowing she couldn't afford to fall.
"You okay?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah," she softly answered, taking a step back. "Thanks again."
"Of course, Inspector," he smirked.
Maddie shot him an irritated look, however he could see the light smile behind it. He knew she didn't mind the nickname, although she usually pretended she did.
Having paused the music, Lyle turned to Doc. "What do you think?"
Doc was quiet for a minute before finally answering. "It's either that or dizziness caused from the concussion," he answered. "I'd need to see it again to give you a more definitive answer."
Steve closed his eyes as he tried to breathe through his need to put a stop to the rehearsal.
"She's fine," Kono whispered as she subtly patted his left forearm where it rested on his thigh. "This is her job. She can handle this." She paused, trying to think of a way to relate Maddie's job to his. "It's like when you take crazy risks to catch a suspect. You do it for the end result. Well, that's what she's doing. This is for the end result... the show tonight."
"I know," Steve sighed. "But I don't have to like it."
"Of course not," Kono smiled. "You know, you're doing a good thing right now. Just letting her be."
"Debatable," he scoffed, turning to look at Maddie as Ryan and Justin, another one of her male dancers, helped her back up on the throne. Steve shook his head and looked back at Kono. "I'll tell you right now... I'm not gonna watch this for much longer." He glanced at his watch. "She has twenty more minutes before I step in."
Kono fought to keep from laughing. "You really think you're gonna make it another twenty minutes? You think you'll really last that long?"
He clenched his jaw. "Probably not," he stated honestly.
She chuckled. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"Alright, let's do it again!" Lyle called out as he started the music at the same spot as before. Maddie and her sixteen dancers started the second verse again.
As they started making their way down the marked off catwalk Steve felt his phone buzz. He quickly pulled it out and saw a text message from Chin. He'd been repeatedly, and casually, checking his phone, hoping for news on Tina. We found Tina. She's safe. He never got to her.
Thank God, he thought as relief washed over him. "Tina's okay," he whispered to Kono and Lori.
"Thank God!" Kono replied.
"That's wonderful!" Lori exclaimed happily before sharply adding, "Oh crap!" Steve's head shot to Maddie just as she'd fallen, but luckily Ryan had caught her again. However, it wasn't as clean a catch, and he'd just barely kept her from hitting the ground.
Steve groaned as he shook his head. This was torture. All he wanted to do was intervene. He glanced at his watch again. Seventeen minutes, he thought. This was the slowest forty-five minutes he'd experienced in a long time.
"What do you think?" Lyle asked Doc.
"It's her tailbone. Her hips are stiff and it's affecting her balance," Doc answered.
"Can you fix it?" Lyle asked hesitantly.
Doc paused. "Fix it? No." Before he could continue, Lyle interrupted.
"What do you mean? I thought you said there's an injection you'll give her that will help?" Lyle exclaimed, his worry and concern coming out as slightly panicked. If he can't fix it, she's going to be falling all over the place tonight, he thought miserably.
"Yes, it will help her, but it won't fix it. She's still going to struggle during the show, but at least the injection will give her a shot at being able to keep her balance enough so that she won't fall. But she'll have to focus to keep her balance. I mean really focus... But it will help her," Doc assured, noting Lyle's worried look.
Lyle was quiet as he digested Doc's words. "Okay. That's better than nothing. Thank you."
"Uh huh." Doc gave him a sympathetic smile. He knew Lyle was extremely stressed and worried whether Maddie would be able to pull off the show.
Lyle sighed before turning his attention back to Maddie and her dancers. He hated what he was about to say, especially because he knew Steve would argue. Because of that, he walked to the dancers so he couldn't overhear. "We're gonna run it once more before moving on to 'Shattered Glass'. However," He paused, taking a deep breath. "Ryan, keep going. Don't turn around." He looked at Maddie. "If you lose your balance, you lose your balance. You need to know what you're gonna do if it happens in the show. You're just gonna need to keep going. Improvise." Ryan made a move to argue, but he shot him a look.
As he walked back to the table, Lyle looked at his watch. They had a little bit more than fifteen minutes left, but he already knew they'd need an extra ten minutes and he could only imagine how well that was going to go over with Steve. He groaned at the thought as he hit 'play'.
As they continued rehearsing, Steve's phone vibrated again. Glancing down, he read the new text from Chin. We're pretty sure she's got a concussion. We're on our way back. Can you let Doc know he needs to check her out as soon as we get there?
Steve texted back. Yeah, I'll tell him. How bad is she?
He didn't have to wait long for Chin's response. She's sleepy and got sick.
Steve glanced up at Maddie. Knowing it would upset her, he didn't want her to see Tina hurt. Wanting to protect her and keep her as calm as possible, he texted Chin. Please don't bring Tina through the main room. Maddie's rehearsing and I don't want her to see T like that.
Chin immediately responded. Say no more, I get it. I'll let Pete know. He's driving her in the other car. We should be there soon.
Steve stood, slipping his phone back into his pocket as he passed Lyle. He leaned forward and whispered to Doc, letting him know what was going on.
"Damn, I should've checked her out further," Doc quietly said, shaking his head.
"It's not your fault," Steve responded. "I was with her right before she left. She was acting strange and I should've stopped her."
"What made you guys go looking for her?" Doc asked.
"She wouldn't answer her phone," he replied, keeping it simple.
"Really? That's all?" Doc remarked.
"Yeah," Steve lied, not mentioning the photo and accompanying message Maddie's stalker had texted. No one outside of Pete, the rest of Maddie's security team, and Five-O needed to know that information. He didn't want to risk it getting back to Maddie.
Steve didn't understand why her stalker was focusing on Tina now. It would've made more sense if he'd sent it to Maddie, but to Pete? It only showed that they were not dealing with your typical, everyday stalker. Every single move he made was meticulously thought out and planned. It was becoming more apparent that there was more to his agenda than just stalking Maddie.
"Don't Ryan," Lyle ordered when he saw him begin to turn to watch Maddie.
Lyle's voice brought Steve back to the moment a second before she stumbled. His eyes widened as he watched Ryan continue on with his choreography, making no move to try and catch her. "No," he mumbled as she fell.
It was as if the world suddenly began moving in slow motion as Maddie stumbled and began falling. Knowing she was going down, she at least tried to make sure she landed on her feet. And, by some miracle she did. However, her landing wasn't exactly graceful and her arms flew out and waved around as she tried to keep from completely losing her balance. Justin, who was positioned a couple steps behind and to Ryan's right, saw what was going on. He took a few hurried steps towards her, masking them as choreography, and sidled up to her. He placed his left hand on her back while he used his right to caress down her body. Maddie smiled, thankful for his help as she continued lip-syncing.
Knowing she needed to improvise and get back onto the throne, she gave him a look and pushed him away. She then walked to Ryan and caressed his face before also pushing him away. With two male dancers left in front of the throne, she interacted with them similarly. However, she only pushed the third dancer away. Once she'd interacted with the fourth, Leo, he lifted her back onto the throne as if she were a queen.
"Great job," Lyle smiled happily after he'd stopped the music. The way they'd improvised made it seem like the fall was part of the choreography.
Ryan and Justin turned and reached their arms up to her. She slowly leaned down and hopped into their arms. Once safely on the ground, she and her dancers walked to the table where Lyle waited.
As Maddie approached, her eyes darted to Steve. She knew he'd be upset Ryan hadn't caught her and most likely make a scene. Suck it up, Mads, she told herself knowing what she needed to do, no matter how hard or painful it was.
Steve was fuming as he walked to where the dancers were congregating. As Ryan came to a stop in front of Lyle, Steve caught his eye. Just as he was about to ask him what the hell his problem was, he felt a hand on his right forearm. His head whipped to the right and was surprised to find Maddie standing beside him, her hand on his arm. She met his eyes, and with one look she warned him not to say anything while also letting him know she was fine. His jaw visibly clenched as he looked at her.
Seeing he was still upset, Maddie swallowed her uneasiness, reminding herself she needed to act like she used to with him. Before everything. You can do this, she told herself in encouragement. Taking a deep breath, she cocked her head slightly and gave him a big smile, flashing her dimples. She rubbed his forearm several times before sliding her small, delicate hand down his arm, past his wrist, and to his hand. Hearing Lyle begin speaking, she looked forward towards her choreographer and creative director. Her heart was both pounding and aching as she slipped her small hand into Steve's larger one.
As much as he wished he didn't, Steve felt the anger fade as she took hold of his hand. Although he was surprised it was a welcome gesture.
"That was great!" Lyle repeated, his happiness and excitement emanating from every word. He looked to Justin. "Quick thinking, Justin! That was fantastic!" Turning his head to Maddie, he continued. "And you, immediately finding a way to play off it and make it work. Seriously, great job!" He paused, looking to each dancer. "All of you!" He glanced at his watch before looking to see if he noticed her favoring her right leg any more than she had been. She seemed to be standing the same way she'd been all rehearsal, so he took it as a sign that the injection was still doing its job. "Let's do 'Shattered Glass' right into 'If You Seek...'."
"Sounds good," Maddie replied, still holding Steve's hand. A huge part of her wanted to rip her hand from his, but there was also a small part that wanted her hand to stay safely tucked in his. She tensed as her dad's words came back. Steve, he'll never love you. Why am I holding his hand? Why did I think that that was the thing to do?, she wondered as embarrassment washed over her.
As soon as Steve felt her hand tighten, he worried she was going to pull away. Not ready, or wanting, to break contact with her, he began gently rubbing his thumb along the top of her hand. His stomach slightly clenched as he felt her go even more rigid. DO something, he told himself. Use this moment to try and get through to her.
Maddie's heart ached as his thumb rubbed gentle circles on her hand, reminding her how badly she wanted more from him than just friendship. Pull away, she ordered herself, the pain becoming too much. Urgently needing to distance herself from him, she began to pull her hand from his. He immediately tightened his hold, his thumb never stopping its ministrations. She nervously nibbled her bottom lip as she tried pulling away again. However, he only continued to firmly hold it. She turned to him, puzzled. His demeanor only further baffled her. He was just standing there listening to Ryan and Kono's conversation.
However, Steve was definitely not paying any attention to Kono and Ryan, or anyone else for that matter. After feeling her eyes on him, he nonchalantly turned and looked at her. He shook his head while squeezing her hand lightly when she tried to pull it away again. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Steve unconsciously licked his bottom lip as he gave her hand a good tug.
Maddie's eyes widened in both surprise and uncertainty as the force from his tug brought the left side of her body colliding into his right. She couldn't help but think how hard yet soft he was which only reminded her how badly she wanted to be pressed against him, clothing optional.
Steve smirked at her look of utter shock. Seeing the sudden desire flash in her eyes, his smile grew, and he hoped they were having similar thoughts.
Does he know what I'm thinking? she worried as she watched him grin. Panicking, she tried to pull her hand away again, but he still wouldn't let her go. Instead, he leaned towards her, bringing his free hand to rest on her right shoulder, a move that forced their bodies to partially face one another.
With his mouth close to her left ear Steve whispered, "Stop." He paused briefly before continuing slowly. "Stop pushing me away." He paused again, letting his words sink in. "Saturday night you agreed to stay three weeks after the show."
Don't remind me, she thought miserably. She had no idea how she was going to handle him staying with her for three weeks. Just his whispers were driving her insane. She closed her eyes and clenched her jaw in frustration. Great, now all it takes is him whispering to turn me on.
"And," he continued, "you agreed to stop pushing me away." He paused, a bit concerned at how she'd react to what he was about to say. "And we both agreed to go with the flow."
She swallowed hard, too panicked by what she was afraid he'd say next to notice the pain in her raw throat. With her heart racing, she tensed and tried to subtly pull her hand away again.
"No," he said. "I know I screwed up. I'm sorry, Mads." Before she could even open her mouth to respond, he beat her to it. "Let me guess? You have no idea what I'm talking about?" he whispered, his words laced with sarcasm.
At first Maddie thought it was a rhetorical question, but when he remained silent she realized he was waiting for a response. With her body completely rigid, she nodded.
Steve sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought," he clipped.
Goosebumps spread over her whole body as his breath ticked her neck. She debated using all her strength to pull away, but it hadn't worked out well the last time she'd tried. She also worried that if she did then he'd know he was getting to her, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.
"I'm not gonna force you to talk about it. At least not right now. But believe me, we will have a conversation about it... and other important things," he whispered. Just because she couldn't see his face didn't mean she didn't know what it looked like. She could tell just by the sound of his voice that he was in 'dead serious, there's no getting around it' mode.
Like the eating disorder rumor, taking off on Pete, Maddie told herself, already knowing what some of the other 'important things' were.
"Until then, stop pushing me away. I know I screwed up and hurt you, baby," Steve said, purposely calling her by the pet name to try and get to her. "But give me a chance to show you and prove to you that I didn't mean it. But that can only happen if you stop keeping me at arm's length." He was quiet as he waited for her to digest everything he'd said before finally asking, "Okay?" His left hand reached up and tugged lovingly on her ponytail.
Maddie knew he was done by the way he pulled his head away. He met her eyes as she stared at him, her guard completely up. She didn't know what to say. More than anything she wanted to believe him. Believe he really hadn't met what he'd said to Carl. But it wasn't just about that. It was the circumstances surrounding it. The kiss and its unspoken promise the night before along with all the other times he'd hurt her. Simple little comments that had dug deep and slowly chipped away at her heart. His response to Carl had just been the last straw. When she thought about all the things he'd said or done collectively, they led her to the conclusion that he felt only friendship for her. Plus, her heart could only take so much and it was already at its limit.
She swallowed roughly, wincing at the pain in her throat. Just focus on rehearsing these songs. Focus on the show, she told herself. At the moment, and for the time being, she just couldn't do what he asked. She couldn't risk it. "I need to rehearse the next song."
Damn, Steve inwardly cursed as disappointment filled him. She'd given him her answer. She wasn't going to let him in, at least not anytime soon. He licked his bottom lip before briefly clamping his teeth down on it and releasing it. "Okay," he sighed while shaking his head in frustration. He let go of her hand slowly and she forced herself to ignore the fact she immediately missed the contact.
Seeing he was hurt, she felt bad, but at the same time she was kind of happy he was upset. He's hurt me enough, she mused. He can hurt a little. However, that only made her feel worse and immature. She hated how unlike herself she felt lately. "We're fine Steve." She smiled, but he could tell it was forced.
He chuckled in frustration. "Are you hoping that if you keep saying that, then it'll suddenly be true?" he retorted, his voice slightly icy and much harsher than he intended.
She leaned away, as if he'd physically struck her.
Crap, he thought. "Mads," he began, his tone apologetic as he reached for her.
She stepped away before his hand could make contact. "I gotta finish this," she said emotionlessly. He sighed as she walked away, hurrying towards Lyle who was standing on Stage 2 talking with Jackson and Nate, two of her male dancers. Seeing her approach, he eyed her feet before bringing his eyes to meet hers. She seems upset, he thought, before looking behind her to Steve frowning and looking frustrated. "What are you doing?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" he smirked playfully.
Maddie nibbled her bottom lip in uncertainty as she racked her brain for what Lyle was referring to. However, not only was she still flustered and upset over her conversation with Steve, but she was utterly exhausted, her head was pounding, her body ached, and she had the most unbearable pain in her right foot and knee, all of which were affecting her thought processes.
Seeing she wasn't figuring it out, Lyle said, "Shoes."
Maddie's head immediately dropped, and she stared at her feet. "Right," she mumbled, lifting her head to meet his amused eyes. Her face immediately flushed, embarrassed she'd been so desperate to get away from Steve that she'd forgotten to change her shoes. Especially for these next two songs. The choreography couldn't be rehearsed without them.
Maddie reluctantly turned and walked back towards the table she'd left Steve standing in front of. She quickly plopped down in the large space between Kono and Lori and unhooked her gold, custom heels. Then she grabbed the tan shoebox with white writing from the bag and set it next to her on the bench, all the while ignoring Steve's eyes on her.
"Wow! More Christian Louboutin's?" Lori asked, her eyes wide as she stared at the box.
"Yeah," Maddie mumbled, taking the lid off and digging into the tissue paper. She felt nervous and awkward under Steve's gaze. Part of her wanted to look up at him, but she was scared of what she'd see when she did. You just had to hold his hand, she chastised.
"I didn't know Christian Louboutin made ballet slippers," Lori stated, as Maddie pulled red satin ballet Pointe shoes from the box and began to put the left one on, lacing the satin, ribbon-like strands up her leg and snapping them securely.
"He doesn't," Maddie responded. "He custom makes them for this tour. All the shoes actually."
"They snap? Don't they normally tie?" Kono asked.
"Yeah, but the costume change is too fast, so he put a few snaps to make it easier," she answered.
"Uh... Christian Louboutin... is that good?" Kono hesitantly asked.
Without thinking, Maddie met Lori's eyes and they shared a genuine smirk before Lori looked over at Kono with a knowing smile. "Yeah, that's good."
Satisfied the left slipper was comfortable, Maddie grabbed the right one. Just before she began easing her injured foot into the constricting shoe, she looked at Kono and smiled. "There's a lot we need to teach you, Kono... Good thing I'll be around the next few weeks."
Eavesdropping, Steve couldn't help but smirk. What is the deal with women and shoes? He wondered. However, he didn't have to wonder long when he heard Maddie mention she'd be around for a few weeks. Oh, thank God. He exhaled a quiet sigh of relief. He hadn't realized how worried he'd been that Maddie might have changed her mind and decided to leave with Pete and not stay. I can get her to realize how I feel in three weeks, he told himself confidently.
Kono grinned. "And I'll tell you anything you need to know about every kind of gun there is."
"Stop hanging out with Steve," Maddie joked while fighting the hiss that so badly wanted to escape as she tried to force her wrapped foot into the Pointe shoe. However, she quickly realized it wasn't going to fit with the bulky wrap on. She dared a quick glance in Steve's direction. Maybe if she was lucky, he was no longer paying attention and she could quickly pull the wrap off. In that moment, someone was answering her prayers because just as she looked up, she saw Steve's focus pulled to the door. He wasn't the only one either; they all were. Although she was curious to see what they were all looking at, she decided it was her only chance to pull the wrap off and get the slipper on without being seen.
Maddie wasn't sure how she was able to keep the cries and whimpers from escaping as she began hurriedly tugging and pulling apart the wrap which rubbed at the infected wound. As she heard someone approaching, she dropped the discarded wrap into the bag and quickly jammed her foot in the slipper. She thought what she felt before was pain. However, it was nothing compared to what she was experiencing now. She could have sworn her vision blurred at the searing pain radiating from the bottom of her foot.
"Hey cuz," Kono greeted.
"Hey," Chin smiled.
The second Maddie saw him, she quickly rushed out, "Did you find Tina? Is she okay?" The fear she'd forced herself to ignore while rehearsing rushed out.
Chin smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we found her. She's fine." Noticing her eyes flick to the door he added, "She and Pete are in the other car. They should be back soon." Wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible, he asked, "What's going on here?"
"Rehearsing a couple numbers," Lyle answered, joining the group. "In fact,-" He glanced at his watch, "we need to run this."
Steve also checked the time. Seven minutes, he thought before taking in Maddie's appearance. She was looking more tired by the second.
Lyle looked to Maddie. "Just run through 'Shattered Glass' one time. You know it. Your solid on it. My concern is the new choreography in 'If You Seek...'. However, it's crucial to go from one to the other because how tired you are from the first one will affect the second one. You need to find a balance," Lyle explained. "Even if that means taking 'Shattered Glass' back a notch. If that gets you through 'If You Seek...' and the harder choreography then that's what you need to do."
Maddie nodded and stood, swallowing the moan that so badly wanted to escape at the pain.
"Starting positions," Lyle ordered as he queued the songs up.
Maddie, and her six female dancers made their way to the marked off Stage 1.
As he watched her walk, Steve felt a knot of worry build in his stomach. He could see that she was in pain. Only a few minutes left, he told himself as he fought the urge to stop rehearsal.
"Steve," Chin whispered, capturing his attention. "Pete and Tina will be here in a few minutes."
Steve turned his head to Doc. "They're almost here," he whispered.
Doc nodded and the three headed towards the hallway. However, Steve couldn't help but watch Maddie dancing out of the corner of his eye. It had been a long time since he'd seen her in Pointe shoes, and she was even better than he remembered.
"So, where was she?" Steve asked as they leaned against the outside wall.
"She was pulled over on Kalakaua Avenue, passed out in the driver's seat. She must've gotten sleepy."
"Are you serious?" Steve asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Chin replied. "We think she fell asleep at the wheel because the right front tire and rim are scuffed as if she hit a curb."
"Oh my God," Doc mumbled as his eyes closed. "I should've questioned her more when I looked her over."
"No, it's not your fault Doc," Steve assured him. "I should've realized she wasn't feeling well."
"If we're gonna play the 'blame game', then I'm to blame, too. I saw Tina before she left, and I had no idea it was that bad," Chin stated.
"Well, I'm just glad you guys found her in time," Steve said.
"Yeah, it could've been so much worse," Chin admitted.
"Is there something you guys aren't telling me?" Doc finally asked. He'd gotten the feeling there was more to the story when Steve had filled him in earlier.
Steve pushed away from the wall. "Here they are." He walked forward, Chin and Doc following close behind, as Pete pulled into the parking spot closest to the door.
Steve opened the passenger door. "Hey there, T."
"Hey," she whispered as she turned her head towards him.
He let his eyes roam over her, making sure that besides the concussion, she was unhurt. She was pale. That he immediately noticed. Much paler than she'd been when she left. Although they were in the shade, safe from the brutal mid-afternoon sun, she was squinting, a sure sign her head hurt. "How ya feeling?" he asked, satisfied that, for the most part, she was okay.
"Fine," she replied as she shifted the roses on her lap. "Pete's completely overreacting." While Steve had been checking her over, Pete had exited the car and was now standing directly behind him. She shot him a narrowed look over Steve's shoulder.
Pete rolled his eyes. "Yeah, completely overreacting." He smirked at her. "Normal people take naps on their steering wheel, throw up, and can't keep their eyes open. Those are all signs of someone who's totally fine."
Tina glared at him.
"She got sick?" Doc asked as he peered in the car.
"No, he's lying," Tina lied.
"T!" Pete exclaimed, his eyes widening as he shook his head at her. He then turned to look at Doc. "She's lying. She's been sick twice with me. I don't know if she was sick before." Tina's eyes narrowed even further at him. "Glare at me all you want, T. It's not gonna change a thing."
"I thought your job was to hover over Maddie," she retorted.
Pete only sighed as he shook his head. He really wished he knew what was bothering her. "Alright, let's go."
"Here," Tina said, handing Steve the two-dozen sparkly roses.
"Thanks, T," Steve replied, feeling a bit on the spot. He was grateful when no one asked any questions. Suddenly he smirked, jokingly narrowing his eyes. "Card?"
"Oh right, I totally forgot," she said, smiling brightly as she pulled his credit card from her pocket and handed it to him.
"Yeah, I'm sure," he laughed. The fact she was joking around made him feel a sense of relief. She's gonna be just fine, he thought, smiling at her as he stepped back to give Pete access to her.
She began sliding out of the car, but before her feet hit the ground, Pete had her in his arms.
"I can walk!" she cried, pushing at his buff upper body.
"Good for you!" he retorted, which earned him an exasperated groan.
As they walked down the hallway, Tina gave in to the exhaustion and finally laid her head against his shoulder.
"T, stay awake. Open your eyes," he instructed. When she didn't respond, he quickened his pace.
Steve looked over to see her eyes still closed. "T, gotta open your eyes." He reached over and tapped her nose in a very brotherly manner. She opened her eyes and smiled, surprised by the gesture.
"How's Maddie? She asleep?" she asked.
He chuckled sardonically. "Yeah, right," he replied. "What do you think she's doing?"
Tina smirked. "Rehearsing."
"Yeah."
"How is she still going?" Tina asked in disbelief. "Maybe I should go talk to her. I'm worried about her."
"Don't worry, T," Steve said, turning his head to meet her sleepy eyes. "I got it covered. Just worry about yourself, okay?"
Tina hesitated, knowing Maddie needed her. But then again, what good was she to her when she couldn't keep her own eyes open? Maybe I'll just take a quick nap, she thought, her eyes fluttering closed. "Mmkay," she murmured as Pete carried her into Doc's room.
"Put her here," Doc instructed, pointing to a chair at the table.
"It's customary to allow one privacy when seeing a doctor," Tina stated, glaring at Pete when he hovered after setting her down.
"Ha! If you could be trusted to tell Doc the truth, then I'd follow customs, but since you've been taking cues from Maddie today, you're stuck with me," Pete replied, smiling at her scowl.
Doc asked her questions about how she felt, and every time she hesitated to lie, Pete loudly cleared his throat. As much as she disliked doctors, she knew lying would only prolong the exam, so, reluctantly, she answered the questions honestly.
"Alright," Doc said, finishing. "I just want to look at the back of your head." Carefully, he moved her hair and studied the same area he'd looked at only a couple hours earlier. "You must've hit it in the exact same spot," he stated, seeing the small wound was now a bit larger. "Did it bleed more this time?"
Tina hesitated. "Yeah," she finally admitted.
"Bleeding? What the hell, T?" Pete exclaimed. He leaned his head back in exasperation.
"It still doesn't need stitches, but I am gonna clean it up a bit, okay?" Doc said. "It might be a little tender, but shouldn't be too bad." Tina immediately clenched her hands into fists on her lap. "Alright." Doc leaned back and watched as she fought to keep her eyes open. "The concussion is really very mild. You're just overly tired, making it seem much, much worse than it is. You just need to get some rest and I guarantee you'll feel like a new person!"
"Does she need to be woken up every so often?" Pete asked, his eyes never leaving Tina's pale face.
"No, she'll be fine. It's really not that bad. She just needs some rest," Doc reassured.
"You sure?" Steve asked, the first couple days of Maddie's concussion still fresh in his mind.
"I'm positive. Let her get some sleep and you'll see a huge difference." He smiled at the worried men. "I know you don't want Maddie knowing about what happened, so why doesn't she stay here and rest. The couch is actually really comfortable. I've taken several naps on it over the last few days."
Pete, Chin, and Steve eyed one another as they thought through their options. Leaving Tina in Doc's office was a great idea. It would be quiet and she'd be able to sleep without Maddie knowing what had happened. However, they all had the same big concern. Doc's office was close to the side exit they'd just used. They didn't want to give Maddie's stalker easy access to Tina.
The three walked towards one another and huddled close together.
"I'll put a guy outside Doc's door," Pete whispered.
"This room is really close to the outside door, where else besides Maddie's dressing room could she sleep?" Chin asked.
"Both the male and female dancer's dressing rooms are too loud. Same with the security room. Guys are in and out all day, many taking quick naps when the opportunity presents itself," Pete replied. "There's a handful of places she could rest, but they're all going to be loud and I don't want her being disturbed." He glanced back at Tina, her eyes closed, her face pale. "She needs to sleep." He turned back to Steve and Chin. "This is the perfect place. Quiet. Comfortable. Only issue is that it's too close to that outer door."
Steve brought his left arm up and rested his elbow on his right forearm around his middle. He rubbed his index finger above his top lip as he thought through their options. Once he had a plan, his hands dropped to his sides. "Alright, we leave her here. But, Chin, you stay with her while she sleeps. You good with that?"
"Of course! I was going to offer anyway. I can look over more of Maddie's fan mail," Chin replied.
"Okay, great!" Steve looked back to Pete. "Even though Chin is in here, there still needs to be a man outside the door as well as another one at the outside door. I know you had one placed a bit up the hall, but move him to just inside the door and have that door locked. No one needs to be using it anyway. Not with some psycho out there. The fewer entry points, the better."
"Sounds good," Pete replied, feeling confident with their plan.
Satisfied they had it all worked out, the three moved away from one another to see Doc watching them suspiciously. Now more than ever, he was convinced there was something they hadn't told him.
Chin walked to the couch and began moving pillows around while Pete approached Tina, who appeared to already be asleep.
"I'll go grab a blanket from the dressing room," Steve stated before hurrying out.
Although Pete tried to fight the urge, he brushed a strand of hair away from her face. I'm so glad she's okay, he thought. Carefully, he reached forward and scooped her into his arms. She groaned as she nestled her head against his shoulder.
Gently, he laid her on the couch making sure he was careful with her head.
While they waited for Steve, Chin began gently pulling Tina's boots off.
"Here," Steve announced as he re-entered. Just as he was about to hand the blanket to Pete, Tina's eyes flew open and she started groaning.
"What's wrong?" Pete asked as he sat on the coffee table in front of her.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," she mumbled.
"Here," Doc immediately passed Pete a trashcan before walking back to the other side of the room and looking through his supplies.
"Here ya go, T," Pete quietly said as he set the trashcan down between his legs. She immediately leaned over and began dry heaving in the object. Pete rubbed her back while Steve held her hair.
Once she laid back down, Pete looked at her green eyes, glassy from unshed tears, and could tell she felt terrible. He glanced over at Doc. "Is there anything you can do about the nausea?"
"Yep!" Doc answered, walking towards them with a small tray. On it was a syringe, a small vial of liquid, and a square packet. He came around the back of the couch, setting the tray on the top of the cushion next to him. He ripped open the small packet from the tray to reveal an antiseptic cleansing pad. He reached down and began cleaning her upper right arm.
"No!" she cried, jerking her arm away.
"T," Pete began. "It's okay. It's gonna help you feel better."
When she shook her head violently Steve reached down and held her upper body in place while Pete grabbed her arms and held them still so Doc could do his job.
"Pete," Tina whimpered, betrayal swimming in her glassy eyes. "No."
"I know. We're sorry. We're doing this because we want you to feel better," he explained.
While Doc hurriedly finished cleaning the area on her arm, Steve and Pete held a struggling Tina in place. Quickly he filled the syringe with the liquid from the vial. "Just relax, T," he instructed, knowing it would hurt a lot more if she continued to fight and tense her muscles.
"Please, don't do this," Tina begged, terrified.
"It's okay, T. He's not going to hurt you. I would never let him do that," Pete told her, hoping to calm her down. He knew a little bit of why she hated doctors, why they terrified her, and he couldn't blame her. "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you."
Something about his statement upset her even more. If she'd been in a rational state of mind, she wouldn't have said a word, but she wasn't. "No, you do that yourself!" Here he was taking care of her, being overly protective, and he was dating someone. She knew she didn't have a right to be mad at him. That she was being ridiculous. They'd only ever been friends, but she couldn't help her feelings. She was jealous. Jealous of a woman she'd never met. Hell, she didn't even know her name!
Pete looked at her with hurt and confusion, but it was only there a split second before he hid it. When did I hurt her? he wondered. What did I do? He knew that whatever she was referring to was why she'd been weird with him the last few hours. "T," he began.
"Ow!" she cringed as Doc stuck her with the needle. She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut as the liquid was pushed into her system.
"Sorry, T," Doc apologized, pulling the needle from her arm and placing it on the tray while the two men let her go. "That's gonna kick in really quickly."
"You're okay, T," Steve said, smoothing her hair back with his hand. Seeing that Pete seemed to only be able to stare at her, obviously bothered by her comment, he decided to fill her in. "You're gonna stay here and get some rest. Chin's gonna stay with you."
"But Maddie," Tina began to argue.
"Don't worry about Maddie. I got her. She's gonna be doing the same thing you are in just a few minutes," Steve assured her, flashing her a gorgeous smile.
"Will you come get me if she needs me?" she asked.
Knowing she wouldn't sleep if he didn't agree, he nodded. "Of course!"
"I'm just gonna be at the table working," Chin told her, standing behind the couch.
"Okay," she murmured. Now that she was calming, she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open.
While Steve and Chin walked to the door, talking under their breath, Pete snapped out of his thoughts. He reached for the blanket, opened it, and very gently placed it on Tina. As he tucked her in, making sure she was completely covered from her toes to her shoulders, she watched him through hooded eyes. Once he was satisfied, he brought his hands to his sides and sat back down on the edge of the coffee table.
They watched one another for what felt like minutes before he sighed. "Feel better, T." He was just about to stand when he changed his mind. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I don't know how I did it, but I'd never intentionally hurt you. You know that, don't you?"
Tina averted her eyes. "I know, Pete."
"T..." He paused, unsure of what to say. He watched her eyes flutter closed only for her to force them back open. He sighed knowing this could wait. She needed rest. "We'll talk about it later. For now, just get some sleep, okay?"
She nodded as he stood, but her voice stopped him before he could walk away. "Pete?"
He turned back to her. "Yeah?"
"Thanks for coming to get me."
He gave her a small smile. "No problem. Anytime." His smile grew. "But next time, and there better not be a next time, just call me if you don't feel good and I'll come get you. Deal?"
"Deal," Tina smiled.
"Okay. Get some sleep. Call or text me if you need me." He placed her phone on the coffee table beside her, but not before flipping it to silent.