She circled back around the way JC would have gone and as she was driving towards a stoplight her phone rang. The light turned red and she stopped at it as she grabbed her phone and answered it. “Hello?”
“Abbey, sweetie, it’s me.. I’m at the hospital.”
“Baby, I’ll be right there.” Abbey hung up the phone and rushed to the hospital. When she got there, she parked the car and ran into the emergency room. She looked around for someone at the front desk. “Excuse me, is a patient here by the name of Joshua Chasez?”
“I’m sorry miss but I can’t allow you to go in there. No fans allowed, I’m sorry. You can wait over there with the rest of those young girls, but please, I’d advise you to leave, Mr. Chasez is a patient in need of care.”
“But wait.. My name is Abbey Carlton..” she said as she began searching for her driver’s license.
Abbey was interrupted, “I’m sorry I was told not to let anyone in the room with him.”
“Please, I promise you that I know Josh. Would you please go in there and tell him my name and he will surely let you know that I am his.. fri.. fiancée.” The nurse gave Abbey a strange look and Abbey held up her left hand with a ring on her ring finger.
The nurse turned and walked away from Abbey. Oh my god I can’t believe I just told this woman that I am JC’s fiancée. Thank goodness I was wearing a ring her grandmother gave her when she was young. They damn well better let me in! She thought to herself.
I hope he is alright. Me, too. Wouldn’t it be awful if.. Abbey could hear girls talking behind her. She hid her hands from the fans’ sight behind her so they wouldn’t find out what she was talking about if any of them were listening.
A few minutes later the nurse came back and told Abbey to follow her. The girls sitting in the waiting area saw that Abbey went with the nurse who had rejected them from getting into JC’s room and they all were appalled and couldn’t figure out who Abbey was and why she got to go in JC’s room.
“This is his room and the door will be locked at all times. The only people who are allowed in it have a key and are on the medical staff. Please try not to cause a commotion and stay in the room at all times. They just finished giving him medicine so he might be a little groggy but that’s all,” the nurse explained.
Abbey’s eyes welled up with tears as the nurse opened the door for her. Abbey walked in and the nurse closed the door and walked back to the front desk to be questioned by the girls in the waiting area.
“What happened to you?” Abbey asked. “I called your cell phone and I was so worried.”
“Yeah, my cell phone. It’s in your car.”
“Then how did you get here?”
“An ambulance. I kind of wrecked your car. Really it wasn’t my fault. Some idiot swerved around me from the right and there was someone passing me on the left and it caused a three-car accident. The whole front end is done for. Your car was the worst one that got wrecked.”
“JC.. I don’t care about the car right now. I want to know that you are ok.. Are you going to be fine? You are in a hospital for goodness sakes, I’d give less crap about my car right now.”
“Yeah, the doc says I’ll be alright. The worst cut is on my forehead and they stitched that up,” JC explained. Abbey stared at JC’s bandaged forehead as he began talking again. “I just got a few stitches cause glass was stuck in my hand and leg. I’ve also got a few scratches and cuts, but otherwise your car got the most of it.”
“Are you sure you are alright?” Abbey asked walking up to JC trying to examine his forehead from the edges of the bandage.
“I’m fine,” JC told her. JC took Abbey’s hands and pulled them away from his head. “Abbey, the doctor’s have already examined me, I don’t need another person poking at my head again.”
“Sorry,” Abbey apologized.
“It’s alright.”
“Are you sure they checked everywhere? You don’t have any more cuts on your head or arms? Anywhere?”
“Sweetie. I am fine. Believe me, all right? The doctors told me I will be good as new in a couple of days.”
“Thank goodness,” Abbey sighed hugging JC carefully.
“Kiss me.”
“What?” Abbey asked.
“I need you to kiss me.” Abbey paused and leaned toward JC kissing him lightly on the lips.
“Thank you,” JC told her.
Abbey was silent for a minute and she spoke. “Has any cops come in to talk to you?” she asked.
JC threw his hands in the air laughing to himself. “Yeah, they already were here. They told me that the guy who was driving like an idiot was drunk.. typical. And they made sure I had no major injuries and they wanted to know about the car and I just told them that it was wrecked completely and that they don’t need to worry about the expenses, that I would take care of it all myself,” JC explained.
“JC, why don’t you just let the drunk’s insurance take care of it? You don’t need to pay for anything.”
"Yes I do. I was driving your car and I know how much you adored that thing. I feel responsible.”
“Look, lets not worry about that right now. We’ll talk about it after you are out of here,” Abbey told him. “I’d better call Madelyn though cause she’ll be worried too.”
“Don’t worry I called her when I was told that my fiancée had arrived,” he paused. “My fiancée, eh? And you wear my clothes too!”
Abbey looked down to see that she was wearing JC’s jean jacket. She put her hand against the pocket, where she had put the letter from Nick. “I had to figure out a believable excuse to get in here. The nurse wasn’t gonna let me see you.”
“As for my jacket?” JC questioned her.
“Hey, you gave me this to wear in Florida, you never asked for it back. So it’s mine until you do!”
JC winked at her, “Don’t worry, you can keep it, you just have to let me borrow it tomorrow and then you can have it.”
Back at the apartment
“Thanks for calling JC.” Madelyn hung up the phone as Justin, Joey, Lance, and Chris all looked at her for information on what was going on. “JC’s in the hospital.” They all were stunned. “But he is fine, and he says that he doesn’t need any of us to come down, it would just cause a scene that seems to be already building in the lobby. He also said that he called Abbey and she was on her way to come and get him.”
The guys all just starred at Madelyn with concerned expressions on their faces. “He also said that he probably wasn’t going to come home until tomorrow, but that the doc said he should be alright to do the shows here in New York.”
“Are they sure he is alright?” Justin asked Madelyn.
“That’s what JC tells me and he sounded like his normal peachy self so I don’t think anything will be a problem,” Madelyn explained trying to keep the guys from worrying.
“You said Abbey is going to stay with JC tonight?” Lance asked.
“Yes, she will stay with him and bring him home tomorrow,” Madelyn told them.
“What exactly happened?” Chris asked.
Madelyn updated the guys on what had happened and explained how JC got in an accident. She also told them about Abbey’s car being totaled and she reiterated about him being able to do the shows and that they would release him in the morning.
The four guys sat in astonishment. They wanted so badly to be at the hospital with JC no matter what, but they knew it would cause a scene. And even though Abbey was with him, they felt as if JC needed them there anyway. But JC knew best and they believed him when he told Madelyn that it was nothing to worry about and it would cause a commotion to come to the hospital and have chaos in the building.
As the night went on eventually Madelyn got each one of the guys to go to sleep and try not to worry about JC. Justin was the hardest to get to go to sleep. Madelyn told him that he could sleep with her but he had to stop working himself up about JC being in the hospital.
Justin had a hard time falling asleep that night, even if he had Madelyn cuddled against his side. Justin didn’t want to see JC in the hospital, none the less hurt. He had always thought JC was the strong one, the one he could depend on, almost like an older brother. Justin knew Abbey would be there to take of JC but Justin almost felt obligated to be by his side to make up for the times that JC had been there for Justin during hard times.
Thinking so much about getting up and going to the hospital and staying where he was to wait for JC to come home in the morning made Justin fall asleep after about ten minutes of debating in his head.
Madelyn had stayed awake until she knew Justin was asleep but she pretended that she had already fallen asleep to make sure Justin didn’t decide to leave suddenly.
Almost midnight at the hospital
Abbey paced around JC’s hospital room thinking about what she would do about her car and how she would figure this one out with her insurance company. JC had fallen asleep about an hour ago and Abbey had been awake watching over him.
At first she sat next to his bed and prayed that he would be all right and nothing else would come from his head injury but a few stitches. Then she paced around JC’s bed listening to the monitors beeping and people’s voices and footsteps outside. After that she stood at the end of JC’s bed thanking God that JC was not hurt worse.
Abbey looked down at JC in his bed sleeping, when she found him staring at her.
“Abbey,” he said in a quiet voice, “Please, go to sleep, you don’t need to be worrying about anything. And I know you are so don’t tell me you aren’t. Come here and lie down,” JC said as he patted the space next to him on the hospital bed.
Abbey walked over to the bed and kicked off her shoes. She kneeled onto the bed and then set her head down on JC’s chest as she lay her body on its side next to him. JC stroked his hand through Abbey’s long hair and quietly sang to her.
Girl in your eyes, I feel your fire burn
Oh, your secrets I will learn even if it takes forever
With you by my side, I can do anything
I don’t care what tomorrow brings
As long as we’re together
My heart is telling me
That you could be my meant to be
I know it more each time we touch
Cause, something happens when you look at me I forget to speak
Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knees get so weak
Could it be true, this is what God has meant for me
Cause baby I can’t believe, that something like you could happen to me
JC kissed the top of Abbey’s head and laid his head back falling asleep quickly knowing Abbey was with him and safe in his arms. JC had felt for Abbey exactly how the song explained. And Abbey felt the same back. Without knowing both thought of the song, “Something Like You” as a way to describe their love for the other.
The next morning at the hospital
Abbey opened her eyes slowly. She was surprised to find herself lying with JC in a hospital bed because she had slept soundly and forgot where she was. She lifted her head and JC picked up his arm from around her back.
“Good morning sweetie,” he said to her. Abbey just squinted at him and grinned. She laid her head back down on his chest and he set his arm on her back again.
“Morning,” Abbey said to JC quietly as she closed her eyes and opened them trying to wake up.
JC smiled down at Abbey and spoke, “I’m sorry sweetie, but you need to get off of me. I’d really like to go to the bathroom.”
“Mmhmm,” Abbey said not comprehending what JC was telling her.
Abbey didn’t move and JC spoke again, “Hey you, wake up. I need to get out of this bed before I explode.” Abbey moved a little and then she finally realized that JC was talking to her and she got up from the bed.
JC stood up, “Thanks,” he told her and walked to the private bathroom in his room. JC had decided not to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night because he didn’t want Abbey to wake up. Abbey sat down in the chair that was next to JC’s bed and waited for JC to come out from the bathroom. Right after she sat down she heard the door being unlocked from the outside. It opened and the nurse from the front desk walked in.
“Good morning,” she said to Abbey.
“Morning,” Abbey answered. “I hope it wasn’t a problem that I stayed the night.”
“No, that’s perfectly fine. I understand how worried you must have been and I’m sorry about last night. I just had no way of telling if you could have been a fan pretending to be someone you weren’t.”
“I understand. Will he be released today?” Abbey asked.
“Yes, as soon as the doctor comes in to see that everything is going fine then he may leave. But you will have to leave the room while the doctor is in here. It’s policy.”
“That’s quite alright. Is it still crowded out there? Any press, news cameras, or more fans building up?”
“Just a few more fans than last night. And only one press person came in so far, but I assured them that he would be all right and his wife was coming to take him home. I also told them that he would be fine to do the shows the weekend, according to the last of the doctor’s results.”
“Thanks, we really appreciate it,” she said.
“Anyway, I just came in her to update Mr. Chasez on what will happen so he can be released, but I’m sure you can tell him that just as well. The doctor should be back in here in about a half hour or so,” the nurse said as she started to open the door. “I hope you two have a wonderful life together. It’s always so nice to see such a young couple in love like you two.” The nurse winked at Abbey and left the room.
Abbey sat with her head in her hands thinking about what the nurse told her. JC walked out of the bathroom and asked Abbey whom she was talking to.
“It was the nurse from the front desk, she just wanted to tell you that the doctor will be in to see you in about a half hour,” Abbey told him.
“Then we can go home?” JC asked.
“Yes.”
“Did she say anything about the situation in the waiting area?”
“Yes, she said that it wasn’t bad. Only a few more fans showed up after I had and it’s not that many,” Abbey started. “She also said that only one press person came in and that she assured him you were all right. She told the man that you were going to still perform in the shows coming up because the doctor said you would be fine.”
“Did she say anything else?” JC asked hoping the nurse had said nothing else. The least he wanted was chaos after he got home from the hospital. He already felt bad enough about Abbey’s car, he didn’t need stupid rumors and press people going around saying things that weren’t true.
“No, I think that’s all she said,” Abbey told him. Suddenly Abbey remembered something the nurse said and her eyes shot up to JC’s. “She also said that they need not to bug you because your.. oh no.. she didn’t..”
“She didn’t what?” JC asked.
“She told the press man that your wife was coming to pick you up and take you home,” Abbey broke her eye contact with JC’s and set her face in her hands.
JC sat down on the bed. “I can’t believe she told him that. Talk about keeping someone’s life private.”
“I can’t believe I told her that. It’s my fault that she assumed that and told the press guy that I was your wife. I’m sorry JC.”
“It’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing she would go and tell something personal to people she didn’t need to be talking to at all. Don’t worry about it. I’ll fix it, ok?” JC told Abbey as he took her hand and kissed it. Abbey looked up at JC and smiled back to him.
“I’ll try not to,” Abbey told him.
Just then the doctor came in. Abbey got up and walked out of the room as the doctor shut the door behind him. He began examining JC’s stitches on his arm and his cuts on his legs and arms. Then he unraveled the bandage on JC’s forehead. While examining he asked JC how he was and told him what he needed for medication and that he should be fine to do the show just as long as he relaxed today and tomorrow.
The doctor then began to talk to JC about the commotion that developed in the waiting room earlier in the morning. Both JC and the doctor laughed off the story of two young girls fighting over who would give JC CPR first in case the doctors died.
“You seem to have someone special here with you though,” the doctor said as JC nodded back to him. “The nurse at the front desk told me that you two are to get married soon. I hope the best for you two.”
“Thanks,” JC responded trailing off in his thoughts.
“Ok,” the doctor said breaking JC’s daydream, “you are all set. I will let your fiancée know that you are ready to leave. I’ll tell her to pull the car around to a back door where you can leave. Once you’re done changing just push the button to let the nurse know that you are leaving. But please wait here so she can take you to the back entrance without being noticed.”
“Thank you for everything doctor, I really appreciate it all.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. But please, be careful, I don’t want to see you in here again unless you’re visiting. Take care and once again congratulations and good luck with your marriage,” the doctor said leaving the room.
“Thanks,” JC said smirking as the doctor left.
As JC got dressed inside his room the doctor showed Abbey where to pull the car. He also gave her the prescriptions that JC needed for some medication. Abbey thanked the doctor once again and she quickly went to get the car to leave the hospital as soon as possible.
JC was trying to get ready as fast as he could because he wanted to get back to the apartment and see everyone. As he was about to call the nurse he saw his jacket, that Abbey had worn the night before, laying over a chair. JC grabbed it and slipped it on. He then pushed the button to call the nurse.
While JC waited for the nurse to come he paced in the room, and when he turned around to pace back the other way something had poked him in the chest. JC reached in the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a piece of blue paper.
Nothing was written on the outside so JC opened the letter to see what was inside. He figured it was a letter that he had left in there and Abbey hadn’t found it. He opened it up and began to read the letter.
“To Abbey? I didn’t write this.. what the heck?” JC said as he began to read further into the letter. JC didn’t know how to react to this letter he was reading. All he wanted to know was who wrote this and why had Abbey gotten it from this person.
JC finally got to the end of the letter. “I will love you always, Nick. I’m gonna kill this idiot. If he comes near my girl again he is gonna get it,” JC said furiously.
The nurse came in and saw JC’s face. “Is there a problem, Mr. Chasez?”
JC turned to see that the nurse had come in the room. “No, there’s no problem, I just found out something I probably shouldn’t have,” he said in a calmer tone.
“This way to where your fiancée will be waiting for you to leave.”
“Alright,” JC said shutting the door to the room.
As they walked down the hallway toward the exit, JC passed by a garbage can. He pulled out the letter quickly and tore it in half and threw it in the garbage can. That better be the end of that asshole, JC thought to himself.
