Chapter 71

"Ow!" he flinched back and frowned "Grovel?? But she...."




"Richard!"  She turned to Shay and sighed, "You said he scared you yes?"




Shannon nodded then gave Richie a pitifully pouty look.






She whirled back around, her eyes boring into Richie as her heart started racing. "why?"




"Cause she came in here all motherly like. Was I was gonna listen to her when all she's doing is taking orders from Mr. Big Britches! Hell no!"




Her toe started tapping, as she watched him squirm. At fifteen the squirms were cute, at twenty seven they were freaking potent. "Then its all about that fuckin' competition. All about Jon. I see. You didn't need me at all." 


She turned to Shay and winked. "Where did you say..." Her voice went a little breathless, “Sebastian was?"




"I uh... he went to sound check..."






Richie frowned and sniffed. "What do you mean competition? I don't need you? What the fuck is that? Did you fly over here to bitch at me Mel or what? Because seriously I don't need it right now ok? I’ve been missing you like fuckin crazy. It’s so bad I can't fucking think and you come on over and say I don’t need you?"




Her head twisted as she glanced his way, "Fuckin' coke has you where you can't think, missing someone don’t do that.... Soooo Shay, does he dress all skimpy like Jon? Or in spandex like Rich?"




"Huh?" Shannon looked at Mel with a confused expression, "Who?" 






Richie rolled his eyes "SO I snorted a few lines.. so what?"




“What was it you called him? Bax? Baz?"  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Ignoring Richie was the hardest thing she could do, but she needed him clear headed. Risky as it was, she'd always managed to clear his mind when he had a good mad on. "Maybe Baz," She drew his name out long and slow, "Could show a lady a nice time without being all doofy from stuff that shouldn't be in his body anyways."





“Woman!" Richie’s eyes fired up along with his temper, his mind clearing in an instant, "I'll knock that little kid into next Christmas if he lays one hand on you."




She risked a glance back, one fine brow arching slightly, only to start laughing. "I choose who lays hands on me."




Seeing the sparks flying between her sister and Richie, Shannon meekly said "Um.. I'm leaving now... bye." She ducked quickly out the door only to lean against the wall. [i]Oh man, I’d never make Jon mad like that, jesus she’s nuts.[/i]






"Oh no you don't Melanie you're my woman!"




Her laughter trailed off as he stalked forward, her hand going up to stall him inches away. "MY Man doesn’t ruin his life and his health with crap cuz he don’t get his way, MY Man, don't sit around pouting cuz he can't have what he wants."




Richie grasped her hands and dragged her up against him, "Well then it's a good thing you came out and stopped me, I was tired of pouting anyway."




"Richard Stephen," she sighed and tried to keep the anger flowing, "Don't do this to me again. If you died... if...."  Her eyes welled up at the thought, "I'd die too."




Richie looked curiously down into her face,"Aw Mellie, I wasn't in any danger, I was just...." he frowned, "Coping that’s all, I would never do anything like that."




She stood there watching him silently, her head shaking. It was more than coping. No one coped at the bottom of a bag. He’d scared Shannon to the point she didn’t want to even come to his door. She'd kept rubbing her wrist too. 


Her brow flicked upwards as the thoughts circled. He wouldn't get physical would he? He was usually a happy drunk. She didn't know what to do, hug him, slap him or kiss him, and in her indecision she stood there saying nothing.


Richie watched her watching him and loosened his grip a bit, he couldn’t remember exactly what had happened with Shannon the day before, he only remembered being angry, her yelling and flushing his stash then running out. "Look Mel, I.. I guess I haven't been myself the last day or two ok? And... I'm sorry just... I NEED you."




"YOU are an idiot YOU know that? So many things you could have done. Shay said it wasn't Jon, SHE said he didn't care if I came. IT was Doc.. and you could have fixed that, YOU, Dork who figures out how to get exactly what he wants.... But did you figure out how to get me here? Huh? NO.... you figured out how to get that damned baggie though."




Richie let go of her and crossed to the bed sitting perched on the edge. He sighed, "I'm just so tired Mel"




She winced slightly, he was tired? Of course he was. Non Stop touring did that, but it went a bit deeper and she knew it. "So tired you couldn't think, so tired..." 


She huffed and stalked too him, pulling his head onto her chest. "So tired you chose the easy way out?"


He breathed in the scent of her perfume and wrapped his arms around her waist reveling in the comfort she gave, "Yes."




She sighed softly as the first little doubt tried to work its way into her heart, "I guess I need to change, it was easier to fry that crazy brain of yours than to figure a way to bring me here. I'm so sorry Rich, with all you have on you, you don't need me being all nuts too."




: He pulled her down onto his lap, "I like your brand of Nuts Mel, without it I feel so lost."




Her arms went around him as she held him. "Why baby? For as long as I've known you.. you've always .." She sighed unsure exactly how to help him. "I am so not helping this am I?"




"You're here now Mel, that’s all I need." He held onto her silently. As nuts as she could be, with everything else going on, people falling apart around him, friends biting and hissing at the least little thing, she was stable to him, he needed nothing else when she was with him.






It was them doing this to Richie, he'd always been so happy, nothing ever got to him. She closed her eyes as anger started creeping in, anger at Doc for pushing them all so hard then USING them to cover his own mistakes. She felt the stirrings of anger at Jon, who trusted the fat jackass so implicitly he was letting it ruin them all. No one would do that to her Richie, not to the point he had to use drugs to stay upright. "Honey, where's Doc and Jon?"






He was tired, too tired to even think for himself, and she knew she had to get him through the next two or three days. The only way to do that was fill him with energy, a good kind of energy, the  protective kind, and that meant one thing. She'd have to play up her crazy, at least until bed time.


"I dunno" Richie shrugged, "Mellie, just lay with me? Please?" His voice was a barely there whisper, his voice rough with the feeling that he was a bit more like a child than a grown man at that moment. He knew he'd done wrong and he knew he'd have to atone for it eventually but at the moment he just wanted to sleep, to sleep and know she was there and everything would be alright.




She sighed as her eyes glanced at her watch, then mentally shrugged as she stood up. When his beautiful eyes glanced upwards she cursed under her breath. The shadows were digging deep underneath those brown eyes. Without a word her hands moved up to slide her jacket from her body and let it drop to the floor. Moving forward she pushed him backwards, her body dipping to slide the boots from his feet before lifting them to the bed. 


Without thought she settled herself beside him, tugging his head to her chest as she whispered little nothings too him. The time to argue had flashed past, the time to give Doc and Jon pain loomed, but right now, in this second, he needed sleep, and that she could give him.




As he sighed and shuffled closer, his hands roaming to her ass she chuckled, "Sleep now, play later. I'm not done with you yet you know."