Chapter 64

Richie entered the room and slammed the door muttering under his breath. What was going on? What was happening to them? There'd never been tension like this between the band, never, and threats? Jon was a business minded guy but he'd never resorted to tossing his position up in their faces before.

 Ever since he met Shannon he'd been...... just crazy!

She flinched then whimpered as the loud sound snapped into her brain. God, what had she done last night? she rolled over pulling the pillow on top of her head. She wanted to just stay huddled, until the knives slicing through each piece of her brain went away, wanted to bolt for the bathroom, wanted to hurl, but she knew if she moved she'd never make it. Damn, it just hurt.

Oblivious to the hung over woman laying in the bed he rummaged thru his things, slamming one thing then another and muttering curses.

Her hand fisted in the pillow as she aimed towards the sound, a soft growl on her lips. "Could you be any louder?"

He started and turned around "huh?" He took in the site of her disheveled state and remembered. She was snot nosed drunk last night. Damn she must be feeling like hell. "Oh sorry Mel."

She groaned, shit, it was Richie. "What Truck ran over me?" she pried her eyes open and even through the pain could see the tenseness in his shoulders. “Sorry I threw the pillow."

"A truck named Jack Daniels darling,'" he said tersely

Her head thudded back against the wall, a little whimper leaving her at the jolt. "oh god why'd I do that? What were we doing?' She patted the bed beside her. "Where’s my medicine huh?"

He flopped none to gently on the bed then realizing what he did tossed her another "sorry....What were we doing? I was playing you were drinking.....Jon was being an ass"

She rolled to curl into him, her nose burrowing down into his hair. It suddenly hit her, the reason why she'd started drinking and she sighed. her hand slid up to brush over the cloth of his shirt, "You’re so tense."

He sighed "yeah....." He shook his head but pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. "I just don't know what's happening anymore Mel"

She snuggled closer. "Me either, I quit knowing weeks ago.” She shivered and winced at the near whine in her voice. He'd always made it better, when she was lower than low, but now he was low and it was her turn to make it better, but her head felt like lead. And then it hit her, she could go teach little Jonny a thing or two about hurting her Dork.

 She pushed off the bed and wobbled to the luggage and dug out her sturdiest jeans and sweat top. She swallowed back the bile and let the anger of being hung over, and Richie fuel her motions.

"Where ya goin?" He crawled to the edge of the bed and dragged her back down "Get back here."

She fell back and almost growled. "To knock some sense into Jonny."

"Don't even bother," he pulled her back against him. "Won't do no good anyway."

She muttered and curled into his chest, her legs twining with his. "Might make me feel better."

He sighed and ran his hands over her shoulders soothingly "I just gotta get thru this tour..." he dipped his lips to her neck and brushed light kisses there.

"Well at least now I don't gotta go take care of Shannon, Let the twerp have at it. Now I can concentrate on taking care of.." Her eyes flew open as she bolted from the bed into the bathroom, the sounds of violent nausea echoing behind her.

Richie blinked and stared after her. His stomach churned at the sounds coming from within the bathroom. He got up from the bed and hesitantly peeked in at her. "Babe......" He stepped in the room and grabbed a hand towel from the sink. Running cool water over it and wringing it out her stooped to where she was knelt, breathing heavily but the heaving seeming to be over. He placed the cool rag on her forehead and brushed her hair back "easy now.... that Jack's got quite a bite eh?"

She leaned back, her mouth tasting like burned toast and something she didn’t even wanna describe. "Supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around." She took a deep breath and pushed up to rinse her mouth out. It was her job, what she did, take care of others, she wasn't so good at being the one taken care of. "First thing we need to do is get you relaxed."

Richie looked up at her "No first thing we need to do is get you some food."  He glanced at the contents in the toilet as he flushed. "Preferably food that isn't already chewed"

He got up from the floor and waited for her to finish rinsing her mouth then scooped her up and walked her to the bed placing her in it. "There"

She paled slightly and wavered, "That was so, just nasty Dork."

 "Sorry," he managed a sheepish grin

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her skin slightly pale, but the worry for him swamping over everything else. "I won’t eat unless you tell me what’s wrong."

Richie growled lightly and recanted the meeting to her in full detail. As he told his story he felt the anger leave him. He tightened his arms around her and held her tightly, finally falling silent.”

She pressed a light kiss to his lips, her arms tightening around him. "Don’t matter what he thinks,  If I worry over that I’m gonna let him have it." Her brow lifted a moment, "She chose what she wanted too, I can't change it, she didn't care enough, he didn’t, to let their friends and family in."

 She wiggled a moment to get more comfortable and smiled. "First time in my life I'm sorta free."