Lennon's Jinx (32 page)

When
Lennon and Jonathan are done, the two bodyguards cart in boxes of autographed Rage
CDs. The kids shriek with delight.

A
girl and boy about ten walk up to Lennon after they get a CD. “Would you sign
this?” the girl says.

“Sure.
Who do I make it out to?”

“Fay
and George,” the girl says. “We can’t wait for you to get your own CD. You’re awesome.”

“Thanks.”
Lennon gives him that half smile all the girls adore. The little girl gives him
a big hug, and he hugs her back then the little boy. They grin big.

The
teenaged girl comes up to Lennon. “Can I have your autograph, too?”

“No
problem,” he says. “You’re so pretty I bet your name is Terri.”

She
blushes hard. “How did you know?”

“A
little bird told me.”

“Is
that your girlfriend?” She points at me.

“Not
yet. Jinx plays in my band.” Lennon turns around and winks at me. I’m curious
what being his girlfriend entails since he’s never had one as long as I’ve
known him.

“She’s
really pretty,” Terri says.

He
gives me a sideways grin. “She most definitely is.”

His
smile envelopes me like his kisses did this morning. It gives me the good kind
of shivers.

“I
know I shouldn’t ask you this,” the girls starts, burying her gaze into the
floor she’s so shy, “but when I got sick, I was supposed to go to the dance
with this really cute boy. He wouldn’t go with me when I lost my hair.”

I
can feel my heart sink into the cold tiled floors. What a jerk.

“Anyway,
I just want to be kissed before my life…” She swallows the lump in her throat.
“By a really handsome guy, like you,” she says, biting her lips. “Would you…be
that guy?”

Lennon
doesn’t seem shocked at all. He touches her waist with a tentativeness that
sends goosebumps up my arms. He glances at the nurses and doctors for their
okay, though there’s no doubt he would do it anyway without their permission.
Most of them nod. I’m guessing her mom is standing behind Lennon because she
dabs her eyes with a tissue and so do a few nurses.

“I
know I’m not pretty anymore.” The girl fingers her bald head. “You may want to
close your eyes.”

“Never.”
Lennon caresses her cheek and tenderly kisses her lips. It’s not long enough that
it upsets the mom but long enough to give a lasting impression. The girl flips
up her heel like in the movies for a really great kiss.

I
touch my lips where he kissed me. It was pretty awesome. The kids whistle and
shout catcalls.

“How
about a song from you and Jinx,” Terri says.

The
whole floor claps their hands as if at a real concert, begging for an encore. I
could so totally dig being a rock star.

Lennon
nods me over. Jonathan hands me his guitar. Just like my dad’s Guild, the neck is
too large for my hands. Lennon gives me his guitar. The Taylor is much smaller.
“Switch?”

“Thanks.”
Lennon understands. He’s thoughtful sometimes like a girl would be.

“Let’s
do that duet we’ve been working on.” Lennon plucks the Guild. “Ready?”

He
plays the intro to
Into the Black
. The song is fairly sexed up, so I
assume Lennon will G-rate the tune.

Every
night we go into the Black.

First
you, then me.

You
close in on me, and the world slips away.

I
could hold you like this all day.

When
we finish, Jonathan applauds along with everyone else. If our fans react like
these guys, we could cut an album easy. Lennon will never ask his dad though.
I’m not sure Lennon would even do it on his own.

I hate coming to hospitals,
especially the ones for children. They’re filled with people waiting to die. If
I get sick, I’d rather rot away in my own bed than come here.

Betsy
came up to me prior to us playing to tell me about Terri. The fifteen-year-old
girl has come to the hospital to die. It kills me to be up close to these kids.
It was a good thing I just had to play and not talk too much.

In
a few days, I’ll walk out of here with Currie, but Terri and some of these kids
won’t. What kind of dickhead denies a stupid dance with a girl who’s terminally
ill? Why do some get to live and others don’t?

It
doesn’t help that Jonathan and I play well together, but Jinx was the clincher.
She did awesome.

I
take her hand as we ride up in the elevator. She no longer flees from my touch,
so I go one step further and kiss her hand. I want someone to lean against.
It’s been a hard week. I’ll be glad when it’s over, and I can go home without
Jonathan and his entourage.

“I
can’t imagine how hard this is for you,” Jinx says, squeezing my arm while
resting her head against me. “Your dad loves you. The look on his face while
you played and sang showed how proud he is of you. I would give anything to
have my dad back. Don’t let Currie do without him or you. Jonathan’s not
perfect, but he’s trying.”

“It’s
hard for me to forgive him.”

“I
understand.” She hesitates. “I overheard your dad talking to your mom. He wants
custody of Currie.”

My
heart sinks to my feet. “He does?”

“He
can’t take her away from you, can he?”

“My
lawyer says I have a strong case, but he’s her dad.”

“Has
he done anything about it?”

“Not
yet. He’s told Currie that he wants to discuss something with me.” Maybe that’s
it.

“You
should talk to him then.”

I
know deep in my heart she’s right. But what if he screws up, and Currie gets
hurt?

Jinx
stands on her toes and cranes her neck up at me. I recognize this move. I bend
down and give her the kiss I’ve been dying to give her. She relaxes in my arms
until the elevator stops.

Doctor
Yeager is standing in Currie’s room when we get there. “I’ve taken her off the
drugs. Currie should wake up within the next six hours. I’ll check on her in a
few hours. The nurse is right down the hall if she needs anything.”

I
touch Currie’s dark hair. “Is the virus gone?”

“Her
immune system is fighting the virus now. We’ll continue treatment with
antivirals to ensure she’s virus free after she wakes.”

“How
long will she be here?” I ask. “Currie will want to make up school.”

“Let’s
see how she does once she’s awake. If her progress is good, we’ll discuss
moving her treatment to the hospital in Naperville.”

“That
would be good.” Currie will be upset if I don’t graduate.

Mom
sits beside Currie. Jinx curls into a chair and pulls out her books. I join
her. It’ll keep me busy until Currie wakes. Jonathan and Denage go out for
Chinese and bring back food for all of us.

Jinx
and I both go for the spicy pork. Currie would have a cow if she knew I was
eating pig. It’ll be back to greens and yogurt soon enough.

After
two hours, Yeager checks on Currie. Her eyes flutter but don’t open. He takes
her off the oxygen. “She’s breathing fine on her own. We don’t need this
anymore.”

Another
hour later, Betsy comes in, examines the monitors, and says, “Everything looks
good.”

After
I finish my schoolwork for the week, I say to Jinx, “Let’s go for a walk.” I’m
craving her touch again, and I don’t really want to share that with Jonathan.

Jinx
stands up and stretches. “That sounds good.”

When
I take her hand, Jonathan smiles. God, I wish he wasn’t here. I scowl at him on
my way out. This seems to hurt him. For the first time, it makes me feel
shallow.

I
take Jinx to the front, but when I see the paparazzi hanging out, I steer her
to the side exit. We walk around to the back of the building.

“I
can’t wait for Currie to wake up,” I say. “It’s taking long enough.”

Jinx
rubs my arm. “This must be driving you crazy. It’s been five hours. You haven’t
cried once. Don’t you ever cry?”

“When
I was ten, Currie would have nightmares. She’d run into my room, scared. I
couldn’t tell her I was afraid of the dark or lightning peeling through the
sky. I had to be strong for her. No one else was going to be there for her.”
That’s why I don’t cry.

“You
never got to be a kid,” Jinx says. Her head rests against me.

My
head leans down to kiss Jinx. From the way she’s holding onto me, she’s longing
for the kiss as much as I am.

I
open the door for her at a different side entrance to go back into the
hospital. “Let’s stop by Terri’s room.”

On
the fourth floor, Terri sits up in bed, watching a DVD, some romantic comedy,
with her mom and probably her younger sister. When Terri sees me, she smiles
and blushes.

“Can
we come in?” I ask, knocking on the open door. 

“Yeah,
sure.” Terri straightens her hospital gown.

“How’s
it going?” I ask, though I’m not sure I want to know. My hand holds onto
Jinx’s. She squeezes mine back.

“Actually
much better,” Terri’s mom says. “We’ve had a break.”

Terri’s
grinning. “I want to tell him.”

Her
mother pats her hand. “Okay, dear.”

“They
tried this new experimental treatment on me last week. Kind of like what they
did with Lance Armstrong, and I’m getting better. I’m actually getting better.
I’m almost cancer free,” she squeals.

“If
I keep improving, I’ll be home in time for the school dance.” Her cheeks burn,
which brings out her real beauty.

“That’s
great,” Jinx says.

“This
is the best day of my life. A hot guy kisses me and now this.” Terri’s bubbling
as much as a cheerleader after a touchdown.

We
stay with her for a few minutes, mostly talking about music until I feel Currie
pulling me away.

“We’ll
stop by before we leave,” I say.

“Thanks,”
Terri says. “For everything.”

Jinx
and I both give her a hug before we leave. We go up two more floors to Currie’s
room. In one way, I hope she hasn’t woken so that I’m not in trouble.

She
hasn’t. I’m not liking this. The room is empty, no Mom, no Jonathan and his
troop. Anger boils inside me for them leaving her alone.

Jinx
rubs my shoulder. “I’ll be right back. Want some coffee?”

“That
would be good.”

She
leaves, her gaze lingering on me. Worry burrows into her brow. It’s nice to
have someone show concern for me. All my life, I’ve been the worrier, always
fretting over Currie’s skinned knees while no one other than the Nowaks ever
cared about me. Someday, I want someone to be there for me.

I
edge onto the bed next to Currie. “Please wake up,” I whisper. “Please don’t
leave me alone.” My fingers twirl in her hair. I did that when she was an
infant. Her hair was a mass of dark curls. She kept me going. Her deep smiles,
her jabber, her hands tugging my hair. “I was so alone until you came. I can’t
make it without you.”

Jinx
returns with coffee. She hands me a couple creamers and sugar. I like mine
black. I almost feel guilty as the black liquid scorches my tongue, like
somehow Currie knows and is torturing me for drinking caffeine.

Jonathan,
his gang, and Mom filter into the room. She chatters with Denage like they’re
old friends. That won’t last if Jonathan stays with Denage. Mom wants him back,
and she’ll do anything to steal him away. Denage seems completely unsuspecting.

Jinx
touches my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Those
pretty eyes blink at me. “No.”

“I
wish there was something I could do other than wait.” She hugs me close to her.
Unlike me, she’s not afraid of PDA.

While
she stands, I wrap my arms around her waist and bury my face in the warmth of
her belly. She lets me. Her hand rubs my head and scratches it like a dog. It feels
good. It’s nice of her to be here when she doesn’t have to be. “Thanks for staying
with me.”

“No
problem. I guess I’ll read. If I hate this waiting, you must really be going
crazy.” Jinx curls up in the recliner with a book.

Yeager
stops by. He examines my little girl. “Currie’s fine. She might take a while
longer though.”

My
jaw clenches. “There’s always a possibility she may never wake up.”

“That’s
not likely,” Yeager says. He pats my back. “Be patient, son.”

I
rest my chin on her bed. Jonathan remains silent. Mom lays her head next to
Currie on the other side.

We
sit in there until midnight. Currie isn’t going to wake up. I can feel it from
the raging headache I’ve developed to the pins and needles in my toes from them
falling asleep, no different from Currie.

I’ve nodded off a few times. Jinx
sleeps in the reclining chair and snuffles in her sleep. I got her a blanket
and pillow. Denage hasn’t left Jonathan’s side. Mom went back to the hotel,
which irritates the hell out of me. This is her daughter for crying out loud.
Sorry, that this is an inconvenience for her. God, she pisses me off. Even the
crack-head has managed to stick around for his child.

Clive
called around one in the morning. He’s keeping Danny Boy and Susan in the loop.
He even went to church last night with his mom to light a candle for Currie.
His family sent a beautiful bouquet along with their prayers. His parents have
been through this. Clive’s sister Cassie was thirteen when a kid joyriding
jumped the curb and pinned her to a tree. He holds onto Zoe like she’s his little
sister.

It’s
four o’clock in the morning when I get up and pace the room. My mind races over
the Indy 500 course of her treatment, skidding around the corners and barreling
out of control. Dammit, why won’t she wake up?

How
long will this go on? Does she just go on sleeping? It’s not like she’s on life
support.