Southern Gentleman's Club

It'll Take a Minute

Two days later, after a medically induced coma, Freya blinked her eyes against the bright morning sun. Her vitals had the doctors nervous, so they induced the coma. What they couldn't understand was how so quickly her numbers leveled just for a moment and then went back up...

"I've done that already, Marcus." Luna gave him a stink eye. "I just hate the tour is canceling this way. Nobody deserves it but I understand." Titan stood at the window, just out of their eyesight.

"Canceled why?" Freya's voice floated. A bit raspy but clear. She looked around with a frown on her face.

"You...had an accident on stage a couple of days ago. At the suggestion of the doctors who received you, we canceled your tour immediately."

"What? I'm fine..." Freya started snatching wires out of her arms. "I have to get back to the tour. So many people depend on me!" Luna and Marcus tried to hold her down to the bed.

"Freya, stop." Titan's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Ya docta said you gotta rest and that's what you gon do." He held her chin between his thumb and forefinger. His eyes sad, tired, worried...and naturally dominant.

She opened her mouth to retort but nothing came out. Truth was, even now she was exhausted. The little bit she just did wore her out. She laid back in the bed. "Where's Demetri?" Her voice croaks to change the subject.

"Mane, fuck that nigga." Marcus blurted without a second thought. Within reason.

Since Freya was in a coma, Demetri had been doing interviews on her behalf to the media, creating an even more of a storm that Luna and Meadow couldn't handle on their own. His interviews were generating him more revenue and exposure to his movie premieres.

To the detriment of Freya's brand and character in some instances.

Fans were showing up every day, making it harder to get in and out of the hospital safely. "If I ever catch cuz alone..."

"Marcus, stop." Titan sent him a serious head shake.

"What is going on?" Freya suddenly looked sunken and a shell of herself.

"Just rest...let me get the nurse." Luna drags Marcus with her out of the room.

Titan sits in the char where Luna was previously. "Shawt..." he's equally worn out. Between finding strategies to keep Luna and Meadow sane, Titan was also trying to stay abreast with his own duties.

And force himself not to worry about Freya.

"I haven't heard that in years." She cracked a smile. "How long have you been here?"

"Since your accident." He answers. "Cuz ain't been here since the first day."

Freya stays quiet. Her hands start shaking. Her eyes watering... "I've let so many people down, Ti. So many people counting on me to show up."

"You need to rest." He held her shaking hand. "Can you do that for me?"

"What about..."

"For me?" he continued holding that hand. Freya's breathing slowed into a consistent breath.

Luna and Marcus came back with a nurse. The woman checked her vitals. "Perfect. She should be able to leave in the next day or so. Have you thought about where she'd be discharged to?"

Demetri enters the room. Titan stands to eye the other man across the room. Marcus just waits for a signal...any signal.

"I have a couple retreat locations lined up..." Luna offered.

"No need for all of that, Luna. She'll be coming with me." Demetri makes his presence known to the rest of the group.

"No the fuck she ain't."

"If she's in her right mind, she will." His arrogance was killing Luna from the inside out.

The next day, that's exactly what happened. Freya woke up and chose to go with Demetri almost immediately while her sisters and the Minnelli brothers weren't present.

Luna's rage was something Titan had never seen before in a woman when they found out. "Don't let him take my sista, Ti!" Marcus was struggling to hold the slippery woman. Meadow started running after the car, slapping the window.

"Don't let him take her! Don't let him get away with this!" Luna screamed in tears. Titan was really at a loss.

Marcus held an inconsolable Luna in the hotel room. "Cuz really got a hold on her..."

Titan thought about what she said when she woke up. "He's the reason...of course. Why didn't I see it?" he blurted. "He's the 'people' that she's disappointed."

"I'm not following you..." Meadow spoke up. "Why would she be so hung up on Demetri's approval?"

Meanwhile, Freya sat in the private plane, listening to Demetri. "I got five interviews lined up for us to show that you're better. Then we can get you back in rehearsal to salvage some of the tour."

"I have to rest, Demetri. That was doctor's orders."

"You look rested to me..." he frowned. "Now, you can do a few cities in the US first and then slowly we can get you back in Europe and-"

"What about my sisters? They handle that..."

"You don't need they leeching asses! You got me. I'm all you got now. I'm all you need."

She blanked out. A warm hand held mine. His voice was so sad. Like his world was ending in front of him. He'd asked me what was it that he needed to do, and I keep telling him. I need to rest. Why did he change so suddenly?

"You want to make your fans happy? Don't you?" His brown eyes stared into hers.

"Okay, Demetri. Whatever you say." She mumbled.

Later that night, Luna, Marcus and Titan met in their hotel room. Luna walked from the window to the seat and back again. "Why are you so against Demetri?"

"Aside from his behavior recently, Demetri always had impeccable timing. And in the beginning, I was the main cheerleader for him. But over time, he's all but tried to isolate Freya from us. He's completely iced Sasha nem out. But I make sure they have time when she's with me.

Now that she's gone with him full time, I can't imagine what all lies he's telling her."

"But...why?" Marcus pushed.

"Freya's preoccupation with making everything go smoothly and make everybody happy..." Luna doesn't hesitate. "But I will say this, Demetri would love nothing more than to have me and Meadow completely out of the picture. Like we are right now...for good."