The Bad Tour(ture): 2nd Edition

Chapter 42 - I Wanna Be Where You Are

All I could hear was my heartbeat.  I could feel my pulse throbbing all around me.  My head was pounding and my body was aching.  Is this how Michael felt when he was performing?

It was March 19 and we were in Indianapolis.  I did fine in the show the night before but this day, I was feeling ultimately miserable.  I had no clue how I was going to push myself to get out of the bed and perform.  I was sneezing every two seconds and mucus was flying everywhere.  I felt so hot and sweaty and dirty.  Just filthy.

Another thing that brought me misery was that I was missing Michael.  I hadn't seen him since St. Louis when I was 'doctoring' him.  Now that I was sick, they were quarantining me.  I wasn't even able to talk to him on the phone.  I was on vocal rest.  I missed him so much.  We saw each other only that one time during the show the day before but we were working.  That wasn't enough for me.

I was so happy when Michael decided to break the rules.  There was a knock on my door and of course I was too weak to get up and answer it but he just walked in seconds later.  I saw a housekeeper at the door before it shut. 

"You bribed housekeeping to let you in?"

"Shhh," he said walking over to me.  "Don't talk."  He had a satin, black face mask on.

"Really?  I'm not that contagious.  Plus you got me sick, so you can't catch the same virus."

"This is so you won't be tempted to kiss me."  He sat down next to me.

He actually made me laugh despite my pain.  "I missed you."

He kissed my forehead and rubbed my head. 

"Roles have changed," I mumbled.

"Listen, I missed you too.  But I came to tell you that you won't be able to perform tonight so don't worry about it."

"What?"

"Shhh," he said again.  "Hush.  We found a replacement.  Just for tonight and tomorrows show in Louisville.  You should be better by time we get to Denver."

I tried to sit up.  "Michael, no!"

But he pushed me back down.  "It's not an option."

"I'll take some more medicine and I'll be fine."  I felt a sneeze coming, so I hurried and grabbed tissue and threw it to my face.  "Aaachoo!" I sneezed into the Kleenex.

"See, we can't have that on stage."

I sneezed again.

"Button, I'm so sorry I got you sick."

I was becoming angry as I was wiping my nose.  "Who got you sick, Michael?  I still don't understand how you got sick yourself."

"I really don't know," he said in a contradicting tone.

"We were in New York and you were with Lissy the whole time."

"I was with her alone once.  And she wasn't sick then and I never even kissed her so I don't know why you keep assuming it was her.  She was not the only one sick in New York."

"Who else around you was?!"

"Don't raise your voice at me."  He grabbed my hand.  "If I tell you, you have to promise to relax and just let me explain."

"Explain."

"Promise?"

I nodded, closing my watering eyes.

"It wasn't Lissy but I'm sure I know how I got sick.  When we were in New York City, Jamila came to see one of our shows."

My eyes popped open. "Excuse me?"