Daron's Guitar Chronicles: Vol 4

279 BAD MEDICINE

BAD MEDICINE

Dallas was still really far away when I woke up. Marty didn't nap. Or maybe I slept through that part. I don't know. It kind of blurs together.

We stopped at a rest area at one point, though, and Carynne got on a pay phone to check her beeper messages. When she got back to the bus she didn't look happy.

"What is it?" I asked. I was standing outside the bus, stretching a little.

She looked inside and waved me in to follow her. Everyone else was still in the rest room or grabbing some snacks. We sat down at the front dinette.

"Paco's not coming back," she said.

"Ouch. Is his ankle that bad?"

She shook her head. "He got caught trying to steal painkillers in the hospital. Well, I mean, if he was on crutches or whatever we'd have to replace him anyway, since he's sure as hell not going to do his job like that. But... no way."

"Painkillers?"

"That's the way it was described to me," she said. "He's been bailed out, but we're not taking him back, if you see what I mean."

I didn't ask who bailed him out or how much it had cost. "Does Digger know about this?"

"He's the one who told me. He was handling the follow-up with the hospital, and, well, yeah." She shook her head again sadly. "Stupid motherfucker. Do you want to tell Chris or should I?"

"You better," I said. "Chris and I are... I don't know."

She frowned. "Anything I should know about?"

"He's just been acting really touchy lately. He told me last night he's having trouble sleeping. Maybe that's making him grouchy."

"Maybe." She stood up. "I'll tell everyone, but I figure he should be the next to hear it. And then we'll figure out what to do."

I went to hide in my bunk then, but she must've told him before they got on the bus. Once we got rolling again, she closed the pocket door between Marty's driving compartment and the rest of the bus and convened a meeting.

"Paco's out," she said simply. "And I left a message for Petey and the crew to see if there's someone there who can step up or if we need to find somebody."

I waited for someone to ask what happened to him or for her to tell them the details, but neither of those things happened.

Colin raised his hand like we were in school and Carynne called on him just like a schoolteacher. "Yes?"

"Could I learn to do drums as well as guitars? And if I did, do I qualify for double pay?" He ducked his head a little. "I mean, not that I wouldn't do it anyway, just to help out, and not like I'm trying to be greedy, but if it's in the budget..." He coughed. "I owe you both money, too. I don't care if you pay me more so I have it to pay you with or if you just deduct it against what I owe."

"You're only a month behind on rent," I said.

"Two months," Christian corrected.

"How is it two?" I asked.

"June also," Chris said.

"How can we charge him rent when he won't even be there all month because he's on tour with us?"

"How can we not? Just because someone goes on vacation doesn't mean they don't have to pay their rent."

"This isn't a vacation and we aren't regular slumlords," I insisted.