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| Subject: *Eclipse* Chapter Four~ Secret's Out and Someone KNOWS... | |
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Author: *Kira* |
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Date Posted: 19:11:04 05/05/02 Sun Chapter Four~Revealed Joey winced as Alexandria applied another large bag of ice to his battered leg. She even helped him change the bandage. He chuckled because she was almost as bad as JC when it came to injuries and blood with the frantic look in her eyes and the paling of her cheeks. For a second, he almost though she was going to pass out as she secured the gauze around the two stapled gashes, puffy, discolored and thick from swelling. Now, he leaned back on the mound of pillows, his eyes closed as Alexandria performed an impromptu concert, the rich berry sound of her cello. ** Alexandria was in the kitchen, clad in a large apron, her hands submerged into a bowl of raw hamburger. Joey was seated at the small snack bar his leg propped up in the other seat. He leaned over and inspected the texture of the meat that she was kneading with her long, ringed fingers. “Okay, that’s good, now you have to add the seasonings and a bit more water,” Joey explained. “How much water?” she wondered. “I’ll tell you when.” Alexandria poured some water into the large bowl and waited until Joey said stop. Then she began shaping the meat into large balls. “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep, Joey? You’re supposed to be resting. I don’t want to get in trouble.” “I am resting. After you’ve been active for 20 hours a day everyday, you get used to it. I’m fine. And after we finish making this, I can take one of those nasty pills,” Joey rolled his eyes. His leg was throbbing, but it wasn’t anything it couldn’t handle. Alexandria flicked her striking hazel eyes toward him and arched a shaped eyebrow. “We? I’m the one with raw ground beef under my nails, what’s with this ‘we’ business,” she scoffed. “Hey, I’m giving you my grandmother’s secret recipe. Yes, we,” he laughed. Alexandria smiled and Joey took her lightened mood to pose a question that had been burning on the tip of his tongue since the cello had been delivered. “Alexandria. Why were you so upset that the cello was delivered?” he posed cautiously. Her head didn’t lift her head. She just continued to watch her hands. They continued rolling the meat into medium sized meatballs, but her shoulders stiffened and she winced audibly. “I didn’t mean to have that conversation in front of you, Joey.” “I didn’t mind. I was just curious,” he replied. Alexandria gazed up at him, her lips pressed into a thin line, her golden eyes filled with sadness. “Some…things happened, before I left home and um, I just had to leave, you know?” Joey nodded. “Yeah, I know.” “I played the cello since I was nine. I wasn’t in the best emotional state when I left, so I forgot it.” “Where are you from?” Joey tried. “Maryland.” “JC’s from Maryland!” he exclaimed. Alexandria smiled. “I know.” “Can I ask you something else?” “Don’t push it, Joe.” ** Chris rolled his eyes up into his head as he fell dramatically off the chair on to the floor of the large studio. His rolled back in his head and he gurgled loudly, his legs twitching for good measure. Justin, Joey and Lance just ignored him and continued their conversation as the leagues of dancers all gasped and asked what was the matter. “He died of boredom,” Lance answered blandly. “He does it all the time.” “Chris, you’re scaring the dancers,” Justin kicked his shoe. “Instead of playing the tragic seizure victim, why don’t you tell us how you ended up in the same bed with your personal assistant.” “God, don’t you people have anything better to do, but to dissect some innocent moment? She was scared. And I wasn’t even under the covers. Leave it alone.” He dug into his back pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He dialed quickly and pressed the tiny gadget to his ear. After the third ring, the phone was answered. “Joey, sit down. No, I got it! Hello?” Alexandria answered breathlessly. “Well good morning, blossom.” “Good afternoon, Chris.” “Is Joey giving you a hard time?” “Yes, punk,” she cursed, glaring playfully at Joey, who was currently limping and hopping his way to the bathroom. “What’s he doing?” “Being a dumbass and not letting me help him to the bathroom…” “Doesn’t your back hurt?” “Not as much as his leg. I’m feeling some pain, but I’m okay, Chris…” she responded softly. Chris sat up and turned his back to the guys. “Even after last night. Sweetie, you were screaming…” Alexandria returned to the kitchen and checked on the meatballs that were baking in the small oven. She ran her fingers through her long, black hair and sighed. “I’m okay, Chris. Really. But thank you. For being there and everything.” “No problem. Did you get any work on FuMan done yet?” he questioned. Alexandria giggled. “Not yet. I put on a little concert for Joey and now I’m making him some food so he can take some pills and GO TO SLEEP,” she hollered at him as he returned from the bathroom. “Concert? What kind of concert? You sing?” Chris asked incredulously. “I don’t sing, but I play a mean cello. It’s a long story, Chris. I’ll will tell you when I get there tomorrow. I will promise to get some FuMan done.” “Sure. Don’t forget to rest too.” “I will…bye.” ** Alexandria’s neck instinctively arched upward to take in the views of the massive studio lots. She slipped her access pass over her head and stepped out of the suburban, turning around to help Joey. He growled under his thankful smile and Alexandria stood back, letting him do it himself. As soon as Joey stepped out the vehicle, Alexandria heard the eager slapping of several pairs of feet against the hot pavement and she looked up to see the men of NSYNC barreling towards Joey, their faces brighter than she’d ever seen them. She had just enough time to step to he right before Justin halted in a pink and red shirt, hugging him tightly. Leaning against the hood of the suburban and watched them all happily greet him. They stood in a tight circle, blocking most of their emotions from the MTV cameras that seemed to be everywhere. Feeling completely out of place, she began to walk away from the family, she moved slowly, stretching out the angered muscles in her lower back, pulling her arms over her head. Retrieving her prescription, she pulled out two pills and swallowed them dry before digging out a sealed bottle of water from her bag. “Back bothering you?” Justin asked. “Yes.” “You should have stayed at the hotel.” “And miss this extravaganza, I think not. I’ve been stuck in hotels for two days straight…I forgot how great the sun feels,” she laughed. “I did get some charity work done, so everything is organized. I just need some large plastic bins to make them road ready and we’re set. Donations keep coming in by the way,” she grinned. “All from the teenies that want the boy wonder to think they’re special.” Justin blushed and ran his hand over his buzzed hair. “Hey, whatever works.” The guys dove into filming their first video off the Celebrity album and Alexandria was following Justin and Chris around learning their likes and dislikes and the intricacies of how they performed. Alexandria had more fun simply watching them dance and do what they loved than she ever could have imagined. As Chris worked twice as hard to lift Joey’s spirits, something changed in the way she viewed him. He wasn’t just the impish boss with gorgeous brown eyes and a witty sense of humor. He was Chris- a big-hearted man with a knee weakening smile and a heart of gold. Alexandria felt her cheeks blush as she followed him out in to the back lot of the studios. The California sun was setting and her hair was tossed in the winds as she watched him flounder and leap and do anything just to keep Joey laughing and not concentrating on his throbbing leg and the fatigue that coupled with the injury. With a light-hearted sigh, she smiled. She hadn’t felt that way about someone in such a long time. ** It was early in the morning and they had just settled into their rooms after returning incredibly late from the studios. Alexandria was sitting on her balcony, clad in a pair of lavender silk bottoms and a matching silk tank. Simply watching the stars. It was a beautiful night and surprisingly, just two weeks after running to California, so much had changed. She was apart of something loving and tender and it didn’t scare her. She welcomed in. Her hair blew freely as she gathered a strand to braid. The stars streaked sporadically through the sky like diamonds spilled across black velvet. Alexandria startled as Chris peered in through the door from her room. “Blossom?” he called. “Out here,” Alexandria answered. “Aren’t you tired?” “I didn’t spend 18 hours dancing on a lighted stage, therefore no.” “I can’t keep my eyes closed,” Chris grimaced, sitting down on the patio next to her. “Every time I close them they pop open.” “Why?” she pressed, abandoning her braid, turning to face him. Chris shrugged his shoulders and ran his fingers through his hair. “Don’t know.” Alexandria shuddered with a chill and she stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. “You want to come in and order a movie or something.” “Sure.” Chris avoided her gaze as she walked past him into the palatial hotel suite. There was a large full bed with a cluster of soft pillows. A bathroom with a whirlpool detailed in marble, with curved brass fixtures and deep purple walls and a small sitting area near the large window. “Christopher, what’s up?” she asked as she crawled on the bed, tossing him the tiny booklet. Chris ignored her, ordering a romantic comedy for her sake and he asked the desk clerk to send up a beer. “Do you want anything?” “Yes…um, two cans of pepsi and some cheese fries.” “Cheese fries, at three AM?” “Yes and a two hot dogs please, ketchup, no relish or mustard,” she answered matter-of-factly. Chris relied the order and hung up the phone, turning on the television. He felt the hot gaze on his back and growled under his breath. “You’ve known me for what, two weeks, how do you know something is bothering me?” Alexandria shrugged. “It’s a gift,” she grinned. “Tell me.” “I’m just worried, I guess. About Joey. Touring is rough and Joey has a record a mile long of always putting on a brave face. And this tour, man, this tour is bigger than anything anyone has ever done, almost. I just don’t know if I’m ready for it.” Alexandria sat behind Chris and leaned her chin against his shoulder, letting him know someone was there. She didn’t analyze her actions or let her fear of emotion detour her from comforting him. She simple stroked his shoulders underneath his soft gray tee shirt and nodded against him, silently conveying that his worries were valid. “You know what, Chris? When I applied for this job, I didn’t think that you all would be so close, that I would even matter to you. I just thought, it’s a job where I’d get to see the country and get paid. It’s what I went to school for. But you all are close and you all ARE incredibly talented. This tour is going to be great. You just gotta roll with it you know. If you make a mistake or something breaks, then fine. It was meant to be. If you perform flawlessly every show and just completely rock, then fine. It was meant to be. But you can’t stay awake and worry about the tour and worry about Joey’s leg or Justin’s love life. You have to just take some time and relax and have fun. This is the time of your life,” Alexandria warbled. She wrapped her arms around his soft middle and hugged him tightly before getting up and bringing in the room service cart. “Now, let us pig out and relax…” ** Chris snored softly, cured up on his side, arm draped over the edge of the bed, mouth opened slightly. Alexandria drained her second pepsi before walking quietly to the mini-fridge and popping open another one. She winced and whirled around sharply to face Chris, who didn’t budge. Alexandria pulled the comforter over his shoulders and took a swig of her drink, picking up the phone and pulling it into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and stared at the gadget. Brushing the tears from her eyes, she dialed the familiar numbers. After four terse rings, someone snatched the phone off the hook. “Lacey! Sweetie, don’t hang up!” Alexandria began to sob at the sweet sound of her mother’s voice laced with desperation. “Mom?” “Yes, honey, I’m here. You’re okay?” “…yeah…I’m doin’ okay.” “Sweetie, where are you? Just tell me and I’ll be there and we’ll figure this out together, okay?” Alexandria shook her head. “No, mom. I need to do this, okay. I’m safe…” “Money? Lacey, let me wire you some money then,” she interrupted. “I have money too. Mom, I got a job. I’m starting over here.” “Where? You can’t just leave and not tell me where you are! Lacey, I love you, but you’re not the only one that’s hurting!” Alexandria nearly hung up the phone, but she steeled herself against hurting her mother, disappointing her yet again. “The next time you give birth to a child three months early and then lose that child, you tell me what it feels like! I can’t believe this! You want to think I’m being selfish, fine…but I’m barely hanging on here mom and I couldn’t stay there and mourn with you and the twins there. I couldn’t stay there and imagine what he would smell like or sound like or what it would feel like to nurse him when he’s not there. The next time you know what’s it’s like to have MILK, but no baby to nurse, you tell me, because I’m not aware of how I’m supposed to act! How I’m supposed to mourn!” Alexandria growled, her voice wet with tears and hot with anger. “I will call you again. But I will live my life the way I see fit.” She slammed the phone down and threw it up against the wall, watching the plastic crack as it collided with the floor. ** In a few hours, Alexandria found herself back in her tiny, concrete office, hot, exhausted and surrounded by emails from fans, requesting this, commenting on that or just using the Fuman’s email account to praise Chris or propose to JC. She weeded out the useless complaints and kept the feasible ones, responding to the senders. Alexandria rubbed her eyes, dry and weary from lack of sleep. The conversation with her mother had left her completely on edge and very emotional. She hadn’t admitted that she’d lost a child. She hadn’t admitted that her son had perished because for some freakish reason, he was born early. She hadn’t admitted that she blamed herself. Thousands of women could carry to term and deliver healthy, beautiful babies with lungs that could draw in the air or life, but she couldn’t. She hated herself for that. Alexandria sighed tiredly and pushed away from the computer. She took out her contacts for her eyes were red and raw from spending the night curled up in the large tub, crying for the son that wasn’t. But she managed to pull herself together for the plane ride back. Lance ducked into the office, his thin lips turned up into a mirthful grin. “Dria, you afraid of heights?” “Not really, why?” she answered, adjusting her glasses. “Just wondering. You know sometimes, um, the crew can get kind of rough with you, don’t fight them, okay?” he winked at her and left before she had the chance to question him. ** Alexandria sat in between Justin and JC in another private waiting room. They were at a small clinic in New Orleans, waiting patiently to receive their physicals needed to be able to tour. Alexandria shifted uncomfortably in her seat, shoving her hands underneath her thighs. A few moments later, her knees began to virbate nervously. She nibbled on her dry bottom lip and gazed uneasily around the office. “Nervous?” JC questioned. She nodded emphatically. She hadn’t been to the doctor since she had delivered her premature infant son. It was about time for her next check up, but she was still frustrated and scared. A nurse in white uniform and pale green shirt entered the room. “Um, okay…Lacey Kinsington, you’re in exam room 4. Justin, you’re in number 5 and JC, my favorite patient of all, you’re with me in 2,” she exclaimed brightly. JC stood up eagerly, rubbing his hands together as he draped an arm around the nurse’s neck. “Love you too, babe,” he cooed as they walked down the hall. Alexandria slipped in her room and changed into a gown. She sat on the hard table and shivered as the air conditioning kicked on, chilling her to the bone. The paper crinkled as she laid back on the paper covered pillow. The doctor entered the room and moved to the sink without bothering to greet his patient. He pulled on his gloves and sat down on the stool. “Good afternoon, how are you feeling today?” he droned stolidly. “I’m…um, fine,” she commented as he began shining a light in her eyes, checking their dilation. The nameless physician scribbled on her chart and tapped her chin. “I don’t know what that means,” Alexandria slapped his hands away. The doctor sighed in annoyance. “It means open your mouth, so I can see your tongue and tonsils.” Alexandria shook her head. “I want another doctor.” She proclaimed, crossing her arms across her chest. “Come one, sweetie, I don’t have time for this. Really…” “And I don’t have time for your rudeness. I want another doctor. Now,” she demanded. When the doctor made no move to implement her request, Alexandria hopped off the table, tugging her paper gown closed in the back. She stalked out into the hall and looked around for anyone with a friendly face and a white coat. “May I help you?” A tall, regal woman in a coral business suit asked. “Yes…um, I need another doctor. The guy I have is a jackass and a man and um…I’m postpartum and I’d feel more comfortable with a female.” “I’m Dr. McNeal. Um, I have an appointment in forty-five minutes, but I’m sure I could take care of you. Are many weeks, since the birth?” “Almost seven.” “I can examine you right now….” “Really? Thank you. I’m here with the NSYNC crew.” “Okay…let’s go…what’s your name, sweetie?” Alexandria licked her lips and willed herself to calm down. “Lacey Alexandria.” “What room are you in, Lacey?” “Four.” “I’ll be in there in five minutes, go on in and wait for me.” “Thank you.” Alexandria scampered back into the room, her hand still firmly clamping the back of her gown shut. As she shut the door, she heard the Dr. McNeal register her with the lab. ** Justin followed the nurse to the lab waiting room. The corridor was very narrow and he stopped, pressing himself against the wall to allow a woman to pass. She held a chart in her hands, smiling at him in thanks before leaning over the open window a few feet behind him. “Hey, Jan, can you call Booker at the hospital and tell him I’ll be a few minutes late? I have this nearly frantic postpartum in exam room 4 and it looks like the lovely bedside manner of Dr. Blithe frightened her. It’s, um, Lacey Alexandria…yeah, set her up with the normal labs and…” “I know what you want, Grace, go on…” “Thanks.” Justin’s eyes widened as his head whipped back and fourth from the doctor to the lab assistant to the doctor. Alexandria had never said anything about a child. His head swam with possible scenarios and his heartbeat picked up to a painful cadence that echoed in his ears and caused his fingers to twitch with the extra energy. He backpedaled into the lab with one clear thought visible in the din of whirring conclusions. He discovered a secret. A secret she obviously wanted kept… [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Re: *Eclipse* Chapter Four~ Secret's Out and Someone KNOWS... | Mandee | 14:40:31 05/06/02 Mon |
| Re: *Eclipse* Chapter Four~ Secret's Out and Someone KNOWS... | Gina Z. | 15:17:52 05/06/02 Mon |
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