Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star (13 page)

Elizabeth had nothing to say to that, so she smiled uncomfortably and waited. “I’m not coming out tonight because, truthfully, I hate clubs. Too many people and too much noise.” He shrugged and flashed a quick smile. “I’m something of a homebody, I’m afraid.”

Elizabeth was speechless. This was the last thing she had expected from the imposing Fitzwilliam Darcy. She questioned how much she did know about this man she had been working with for two weeks. She realized he was staring at her, expecting a response, and quickly said the first thing that came to her mind. “Oh, well, I’m glad it’s not me,” she smiled nervously. “But I do hope we can be friends, Darcy.” She said his name uneasily.

“My friends call me Will,” he said, his deep voice warmer than she had ever heard it.

Elizabeth smiled genuinely and held out her hand. “And mine call me Lizzy.”

As Darcy shook her hand, she noticed his palm was warm, his touch firm, and she could feel the roughness of his calluses scraping against her own. A flash of something like desire bolted through her as she had a sudden vision of that rough skin against her most tender parts. Looking quickly away, she rose and moved toward the door. Darcy followed her silently.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow then, Will?” she asked pleasantly as she opened the door. Darcy nodded and took the door as she passed through it. “Bye,” she waved.

Darcy watched as she blithely returned to her suite and then slowly shut the door.

***

Four nights later found them in Pensacola, Florida, for a one-night show. This was one of the smallest houses they had yet played, a large civic center rather than a stadium or arena. Jane commented on how she was looking forward to performing in a more intimate setting. Elizabeth really couldn’t see how eight thousand was more intimate than twenty, but she wasn’t going to argue.

Before they went out, Alex informed the girls that their video would debut on MTV on Tuesday. Excited by the news, they took the stage, ready to play their hearts out.

The set progressed flawlessly until they reached Jane’s second song, “Good-bye.” Elizabeth was focused on her playing when suddenly she knew
something
was wrong. Jane abruptly stopped singing and fell to the floor. Elizabeth froze in shock until she saw the blood pouring out of Jane’s forehead and pooling on the stage.

Then her guitar was on the ground and she was pulling Jane onto her lap, saying her name over and over again. Jane was unconscious, her face very white against the bright red blood running into her hair. Elizabeth looked up, feeling very small and alone, wondering what to do, when suddenly Charles appeared.

***

Darcy was standing where he always stood during her performance, watching her at the bank of monitors. He didn’t know why. At first, it had been just to make sure she was good enough, then to make sure she was okay. But she had long since proven herself. Darcy knew her act by heart, still, every night he was there, watching her and listening to her songs. It was like he was bewitched.

Charles stood beside him, as always. At least Charles had no doubts, Darcy reflected in annoyance. Charles was absolutely clear why he was there. He wore his Jane smile, and Darcy wondered who was trying to fool whom. It was clear that Charles was completely hooked on Jane. It had only been dumb luck and separate tour buses that kept them apart. He didn’t object to his friend’s romance with Jane in principle. Jane seemed like a nice person. The circumstances were the problem. With only two weeks into the tour and another seven months to go, all their lives could become a total hell if their relationship went south. It wasn’t that Darcy was against his friend’s happiness, he told himself for the hundredth time; it was just that this was a national tour. It was more important than an infatuation.

His thoughts were broken by a shout. Darcy turned and watched Charles run from him, his face stricken. He turned back to the monitors and his breath caught at what he saw. Elizabeth was kneeling on the ground, Jane unconscious before her. “Rebecca!” he yelled, turning toward the stage.

She was there, firing orders into her headset, blocking Darcy’s path to the stage with her body. “Wait, Darcy! I think it was a bottle, but I don’t know yet. Don’t go out there!”

A moment later, Charles came back, carrying Jane, her arms swaying like a rag doll; Elizabeth, clothes bloodied, and Charlotte followed, both looking very frightened.

“Did you see what happened?” Rebecca barked.

Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I was playing and she just went down and there was blood.” She craned her head to see what was happening to Jane. Alex led a team of EMTs out of nowhere and they took Jane from Charles.

The roar of the crowd and Caroline’s voice coming over the loudspeakers suddenly brought Darcy back to himself. “Rebecca, I need to know what it was, now!”

Rebecca nodded, her attention divided between Darcy and her headset. “It was a bottle. We found it, and my people have the assailant.”

Darcy nodded, satisfied. “The police?”

“They’re coming.”

Darcy pushed between Charles and Elizabeth to look at Jane. “Is she going to be okay?” he asked the technicians working over her. Jane had regained consciousness and was crying softly. Darcy could now see the deep gash on her forehead that traveled up to her hairline.

“Yes, it looks like a concussion. We’ll transport her, but I think she’ll be all right.”

Darcy sighed. “Good.” He turned to his friend. “Charles, go get cleaned up. Caroline!”

“Right here, Darcy.”

“Get the stage cleaned up and our set out there ASAP!”

Caroline nodded and started speaking into her microphone. Charles stared at him stunned. “We’re going on?” he asked, astounded.

“We’re going on,” Darcy said firmly. “Go get ready.” Charles remained where he was, frozen. “Do it!” Darcy snapped. “She’ll be okay!”

Charles moved woodenly toward his dressing room while Richard came running up to the huddle of people Darcy was circling around like a shark. “What’s going on?”

“We are, as soon as possible. Get yourself ready.”

Elizabeth watched Darcy from the floor, where she knelt beside Jane, her eyes large and uncomprehending. Finally he turned back to her and gently pulled her to her feet. “Go with her, Elizabeth, make sure she sees a plastic surgeon.” Darcy looked at Jane’s prone form, then back to Elizabeth. “I’ll take care of all the costs, but I don’t want her to have a scar. Do you understand?”

Elizabeth searched Darcy’s eyes, trying to understand what he was saying. She nodded dully.

“We’ll come to the hospital when the show is over, but right now we have to make sure the crowd doesn’t tear the house apart.” He stopped and tilted his head. “Elizabeth, do you understand?”

Elizabeth’s eyelids flickered and she seemed to come back to herself. “I understand,” she replied softly.

Darcy stared at her a moment, then nodded. “Good. We will come right after the show. Take care of her.”

They separated, one group moving toward the stage, the other moving toward the door; both focused on their tasks and forgot about the other.

***

Elizabeth was staring at the floor of the private waiting room they had been given. She objected to being there. She objected to the bright lights, to the random droning of the TV that no one was watching, to the voices, some fearful, some calm. She objected to the waiting and worrying. Her eyes played over the brown, tan, and white pattern of the tile floor again and again as she waited.

Alex and Charlotte sat beside her on the vinyl couch; Charlotte flipped through a dog-eared magazine while Alex rubbed her back absently. The time for panic had long since passed and Elizabeth was left feeling tired and slightly nauseated.

She heard a bustle of footsteps and Darcy and Charles rushed into the room, with Richard following behind. “How is she?” Charles asked, his face stricken.

Elizabeth stood and walked calmly to him. She noticed he was still wearing his concert outfit, and she wondered in passing what Mrs. Wong, the wardrobe mistress, would think. “She’s okay,” Elizabeth told him, seeing his shoulders drop in visible relief. “She’s currently having a CT scan, then we can go back to her.”

“Why are they only doing the CT scan now?” Darcy asked impatiently.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Because her vitals were good, and the plastic surgeon insisted on working on her first.” She didn’t try to hide the weariness in her voice.

Darcy’s face softened. “It’s a concussion, then?” Elizabeth nodded. “What’s the prognosis?”

“If the CT scan comes back like they expect it will, she should be free to go in a few hours. She’s going to have to see a plastic surgeon again in a week, but it doesn’t have to be the same one she saw tonight. If we know what city we will be in, the doctor here will give her a referral.”

Darcy nodded and pulled his cell out of his pocket, while Charles took her hand. “Are you okay, Lizzy?”

The caring in his face was too much and Elizabeth’s eyes stung with tears. Without a word, Charles took her into his arms, holding her in a protective hug. Elizabeth took advantage of his strength for a moment, then forced her emotions down and pulled away, nodding her thanks to Charles as she did. She was helped by the distraction of Darcy’s voice speaking into the phone.

“Caro, she’s going to be okay… It’s a concussion… We’re staying here tonight. Cancel tomorrow night… Okay, thanks.” With a snap he hung up.

Elizabeth stared at him, stunned. “You’re stopping the tour?”

Darcy nodded once. “We stick together. I’m not leaving you behind.”

Elizabeth considered his words. They surprised her, since she half-expected that he would leap at the chance to leave LBS behind.

“The limo is waiting downstairs. Who’d like to go to the hotel with me?” Richard asked. “There doesn’t seem to be much point in waiting here,” he shrugged. “Might as well be comfortable.”

Charlotte was on her feet before he finished speaking. Alex rose as well and looked at Lizzy expectantly. “I’m staying here,” Elizabeth volunteered. Alex nodded and looked to the other two men. Charles stated emphatically that he was staying, and Darcy nodded in agreement.

“Is it okay if I go, Lizzy? Will you be all right?” Alex’s eyes searched hers.

“You go,” Elizabeth said as she waved him away. “You’ll probably have a ton of work to do back at the hotel.”

Alex nodded and stepped close, grasping her shoulders and kissing her forehead. “I’ll see you later,” he said quietly into her ear before he left with the others.

Elizabeth gestured to the couch, and Charles sat down beside her. Darcy remained standing, leaning against the wall. The private waiting room they had been given was tiny, but at least they were alone.

“What happened?” Darcy asked softly.

Elizabeth shrugged. “I wish I knew. I didn’t see it. I was playing along and suddenly she was down.” She looked at the floor, her expression somber. “I had just realized that I had to get her off the stage when Charles was there, and I followed him.”

“I saw it,” Charles said in a low voice. He was staring straight ahead, as if replaying a memory in his head. “I saw the bottle. It passed in front of Lizzy, and I could see it against her shirt a moment before it hit Jane.”

Elizabeth nodded in comprehension. “I didn’t know what it was. I thought that maybe she had been shot, but I didn’t hear anything. I didn’t know what to think.” She sighed. “How did the concert go?”

Charles’s expression hardened and he looked away.

“It was fine,” Darcy answered quickly. “We played an extra set and it was fine.” Charles refused to look at him, and Elizabeth could feel the tension coming off in waves between the two men. “Charles, do you remember the Montreal concert back in ’92? Metallica and Guns N’ Roses? The riot?” His voice was pitched low and deep. “I know you’re angry with me, and I know you wanted to go with Jane, but if we had left, there very well might have been a riot.” His eyes flashed. “And for what? So that we could sit here and wait?” He shook his head. “No way, Charles. I’m sorry if you are mad at me, but it wasn’t worth damaging our reputation and possibly someone getting injured. Jane’s going to be fine and you’ll see her in a moment.”

Charles turned to Darcy, his expression angry, when a nurse appeared in the doorway. “Miss Bennet?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said as the three faces turned toward the nurse.

“Jane is back in her room; you can see her now.”

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said, rising to her feet. “When will the report on the CT scan be in?”

“Not for a while. The doctor will speak to you when it’s ready.”

Elizabeth thanked the nurse and led the way to the room in which Jane rested on a bed. Her forehead was covered with a bandage that hid the sutures. She looked weary and her eyes were closed.

“Jane!” Charles cried out before Elizabeth could say anything by way of warning. Jane’s eyes opened and a weak smile lit up her features.

“You came,” she said, voicing her pleasure.

“Of course I did,” Charles said softly as he took her hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired.” She looked to her sister. “What did the doctor say?”