Strings (36 page)

             
‘Luke! ‘Luke!’ she sobbed.

             
Beth wanted to go with her, but Dale told her to let the paramedics do their job. She shook as she watched her friend sprawled on the stage. Melissa was led back to them by one of the crew, and Dale held her tightly as she called Luke’s name over and over. He didn’t have a chance to wonder why on earth she was there, because Luke was motionless. Ray took control and cleared them all from the stage.

The crowd watched in silence
as the drama unfolded before them.

             
‘What's wrong with him? I have to talk to him! Luke!’ Melissa sobbed.

             
‘He’s going to be fine. He’s just being a drama queen,’ Dale whispered, trying to make a joke, but more for his own benefit than hers.

‘You don’t
know how glad I am to see you, girl.’

             
‘I need to apologise for punching him,’ Beth said suddenly. He looked so ill and she’d been so mean to him.

‘I don’t think that matters at the moment babe,’ Toby told her.

Silver Daggers stood, equally shocked, at the edge of the stage and Zac comforted Beth while Lyla helped Ray remove the other girls, who were all hysterical, while the medical team concentrated on Luke.

             
It looked serious, and after what seemed like a lifetime he was wheeled to a waiting ambulance with an oxygen mask attached to his face, then rushed to hospital.

             
The band released a statement just hours after the incident.

‘We are a
ll very shocked by what has happened tonight in LA. We are sorry to our fans for cutting the gig short, and we thank you for your amazing behaviour and understanding. We are concentrating on our friend, who is receiving the medical treatment he needs. Luke is now our main priority, and we will update you on his condition in due course. Dale, Toby & Tom.’

*****

‘You’ve been putting yourself through a lot of stress lately, both physically and mentally,’ the doctor said.

             
Luke had suffered an angina attack, caused by stress and his lifestyle. After treatment, he was ordered to have at least a month of complete rest, to relax and recuperate. Definitely no work, and most importantly, he had to lead a healthier lifestyle to avoid this happening again.

             
‘Thanks, doc.’ Luke sat up, feeling terrible. But at least he was alive.

The doctor left
, and a few minutes later he was surrounded by his friends and manager.

             
‘You’re a lazy bastard. Why do you have to be such a drama queen?’ Dale asked, deciding that he was out of the woods, so the mocking could start. Toby and Tom jokingly accused him of forgetting the lyrics and faking the whole thing to avoid looking like an idiot. Luke laughed and reminded them that he didn’t have to worry about being the idiot when he was on stage next to them. This was how they showed each other affection.

             
‘I just needed a lie down,’ Luke chuckled, but he knew he’d scared everyone, including himself.

             
Ray looked like he was himself on the verge of a heart attack. He told Luke that his parents had been kept fully informed. They were naturally worried, but were alright. The boys were due to be heading home in a few days so they had been told not to fly out because he’d be home soon. Luke called them straight away, to prove he was OK, and to stop them worrying. His mum cried throughout the phone call, telling him off, and telling him that she loved him, all at the same time. Luke wondered if Melissa knew or even cared, wherever she was.

             
Beth was standing next to Dale, holding his hand. She looked extremely shaken and upset, Luke thought. Then, she unexpectedly moved forward and threw her arms around him.

‘I'm so glad you’re OK
, you scared us to death you idiot,’ she said, sounding totally genuine. Luke found it surprising, considering how angry she had been with him over Melissa. But it was heart-warming to know that deep down she still cared, and he hugged her.

             
‘I'm sorry I scared you,’ he said. Beth whispered that she was sorry she’d punched him, and he told her he’d forgotten about it. They chatted and joked with him, all relieved that he was going to be OK. But they all warned him that they’d be watching him with eagle eyes from now on, and would kick his ass if he didn't sort himself out.

             
‘I promise I will,’ Luke agreed. He then came out with the important question that was on his mind – had Melissa been told?

             
Beth nodded and told him she’d spoken to her, and Melissa had sent him a message saying she hoped he was OK and she was thinking about him. His heart sank because part of him was hoping that she’d flown to LA to be at his side. She obviously still hated him.

             
‘I can't keep this up, it's cruel,’ Beth whispered to Dale. He looked at her and nodded. Everyone had seen Luke’s expression, and could see what he was thinking.

             
‘Oh, you do have one other visitor. But they didn't want to come in because they wanted to give us time with you first,’ Dale said walking to the door. Everyone followed him, leaving Luke wondering who else would want to see him. Maybe it was Jay-Den. When the door opened, Luke thought he was dreaming as Melissa peeped round it, and then gingerly came into the room.

             
She was still in her clothes from the previous night, her jeans were creased and Dale had given her his jumper which was way too big for her. Her eyes were puffy because she’d been crying almost non-stop, and hadn’t slept a wink. Add in the jetlag, and she definitely wasn’t looking her best. She was still a sight for sore eyes though.

             
‘Liss!’

             
‘Luke,’ she bursting into tears as she ran into his arms and buried her head in his chest. The emptiness he’d felt for so long was suddenly gone as he held the love of his life in his arms again.

             
‘Thank you for coming. I know you didn’t have to because…’

             
Melissa looked up and kissed him, cutting him off mid-sentence.

‘She lied, that bitch was lying
– she set you up. I am so sorry.’

S
he told him about Kelsey’s visit. ‘You need to feel better before I tell you the rest. It isn't nice.’ He wasn't ready for the full truth, not today anyway.

             
‘I told you!’

             
‘I know you did, and I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me? I have missed you so much.’ She asked him if she could come home, if he still wanted her. He looked at her, his face expressionless, and she feared that there was too much water under the bridge and he wouldn’t want her back. Then he pulled her closer to him and kissed her forehead, knowing there was nothing he wanted more than for them to be back together.

But they had so much to talk about before they rushed into things. Luke
knew he had to tell her everything, including the girls, if they were to move on with a clean slate. They had split up, so in theory he was free to do whatever he wanted, but he was worried she wouldn’t see it that way.

             
‘We need to talk first, babe. I have things I need to tell you, and if after that you still feel the same, then of course you can come home with me.’

             
Melissa had an idea what he would say, and she had already decided that she didn't care what had happened while they were apart. She had pushed him away, so she had to accept whatever had happened since then.

‘I don't care, I want you back. I don’t want to spend another day without you,’ she whispered
, holding him so tightly he had to remind her that he had a heart condition.

        ‘I have missed you to
o, so much.’ Luke said, as he held her against him.

I get it now

July 2014

‘Luke, I’m so sorry ... I should have listened.’  

Luke was in horrified by what he was hearing. He had no words to describe how he felt. ‘If I had done that to her...I’d be banged up.’ His hands clenched into fists.

‘Bitches,’ he cursed.

              Melissa watched him as he took another puff of his cigarette, trying to calm down. He was leaning forward as if searching the floor for something that wasn’t there. The lightning streak in his hair seemed to point at the floor. His frame was thinner, and she could see his ribs sticking out slightly. He looked so weary and his jeans and jumper looked much baggier on him than before. But it was the only clean set of clothes he had left.

             
They were staying in LA for a few extra days after Luke had been released from hospital, to give him more time to recover. Besides, the weather was much better than back home. They knew they needed to go home soon and see their families, but they had a lot to talk about first.

The conversation was intense as the truth
was revealed to Luke about what Kelsey had done at Amber’s request. Luke had also admitted what had been going on since their split.

             
‘Liss, I’m so sorry about the girls ... they meant nothing.’ He’d told her.

             
‘I don’t care about them. I just want us back together. We can start again …’

It hurt that he had turned to other women
, but she wasn’t angry. It wasn’t cheating because they weren’t together at the time, and that had been her choice. She knew he had been in a bad place.

‘
I told you it was over, so you could do what you wanted. That was my mistake. No, actually, my monumental fuck up.’              

             
Melissa’s main concern now was the drug problem, and she wanted to confiscate everything. He knew she would search everywhere, so he might as well be honest and hand over his stash.

‘
Is this all of it?’ She asked as he handed her a small plastic bag. Tears stung her eyes as he produced bags from several other hiding places, including one inside one of his guitars. Luke told her he hid it so that when Ray would check what he was doing or snoop in his room, he could pretend it was only a small amount.

             
‘Yes, that’s it now.’

             
‘Promise?’

Luke nodded.
Melissa looked at the stash in front of her. There must have been about £500 worth, and that was just what was left of his last purchase.

‘Oh, Luke.’ She was close to tears
, and felt angry with herself. This had been coming for a while before they split. She had sensed it in Milan but did nothing, and now she realised that his heart had been broken just as much as hers, maybe even more.

             
Luke laughed when she suggested rehab. No way was he doing that.

‘Waste of time. I just want to go home tomorrow with you.’ He took her hand and kissed
it. ‘I just need you, and I’ll be fine.’

             
Melissa closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of his lips on her hand.

‘One day at a time,’ she said. ‘
But I’m back now. I promise you I’ll help you get back on your feet.’

             
‘Who’s Curtis?’

             
The question threw her because she’d completely forgotten about him. ‘Curtis is no one, a guy in a bar who bought me a few drinks.’ She paused briefly. ‘I did take him home but I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, and I quickly realised it was stupid. It went no further than a kiss, I promise.’

             
Luke felt relieved, but even if she had gone further, he was in no position to judge.               ‘He wasn’t you,’ Melissa explained. ‘He kissed me and all I could think was ... it’s not Luke…it doesn’t feel right.’

             
‘I was thinking about you when I was with those girls,’ he admitted, knowing it sounded pathetic. ‘They were nowhere near as good, and in truth they made me feel worse. I felt like a scumbag afterwards, because some wanted more from me and I couldn’t give it to them.’

             
‘I guess we’re both pathetic losers,’ Melissa laughed.

             
‘I can live with that, if we can be losers together’ he said as they cuddled up on the bed.

‘
Let’s start again....’ he whispered, before he fell asleep properly for the first time in months. Melissa waited till she was confident he was properly asleep then took the cocaine to Dale and Beth’s room, where they flushed the lot away.