Solstice

Chapter Seven

"I am going to kill them; I am going to kill them both!" Nathan fumed as he paced up and down the corridor outside Tim and Tarquin's room. He had not been impressed when Ricky and Elizabeth had brought them back to the hotel on his orders. According to a report that the pair had gave him, they were sick at least four times each between the Pier and the hotel, once over the manager of Picalino, making sure that they were banned from eating there for all eternity. Victoria had called the doctor, her maternal instinct kicking in immediately from the moment they arrived back at the hotel, much to Nathan's annoyance. He wanted them to suffer for what they did, but thankfully Elizabeth and Victoria had managed to get him to see sense. Ricky found the whole thing more than a little inconvenient. He had finally got a wonderful chance to be alone with Elizabeth and Tim and Tarquin had managed somehow to be their usual idiotic selves and ruin it. He wondered to himself why, on that day ten years ago, he didn't turn them away and tell them never to darken his door again. But like many time before he let his heart rule his head.

After about fifteen minutes, the doctor finally emerged from the room shared by the bass playing and drumming twins with a glum look on her face.

"I'm afraid that they have a severe case of food poisoning." She informed Nathan and Ricky. "They will need complete bed rest and plenty of fluids."

"Bed rest?!" Nathan exclaimed at the top of his voice. "But they are the headline act! They need to rehearse!"

"I am sorry Mr Ashton but that is my professional diagnosis." The doctor said again, slightly taken aback by the manager's attitude. "Give them about three days and they should be able to start rehearsals."

"But that would mean putting off the set for three days." Nathan gasped. "They have to rehearse on a schedule. They are no good at winging it. None of them are!"

"Err excuse me I resent that." Ricky said finally taking notice of the situation. "We can wing it when required."

"Oh please." Nathan said turning around to face his most valuable accusation. "The last time you lot winged it, you ended up being booed off stage."

"It was our first ever gig!" Ricky defended.

"Excuse me gentleman." The doctor interrupted. "But if that is all I will be going now. Remember plenty of fluids and rest. Good day to you."

"Yeah whatever." Nathan said as the doctor disappeared down the corridor.

"Thank you." Ricky shouted after her trying to be more polite than his manager.

"Oh God what are we going to do?" Nathan said, hand pressed firmly to his head as he paced up and down the corridor huffing and puffing. "I think I am going to have a nervous breakdown."

"Well it was your idea to come here." Ricky said leaning back against the wall. "You said that it would be a good boost to the career not that we need it."

"Oh shut up!" Nathan said snapping his head around. "You don't have to deal with the press. What the hell I am going to tell them?"

"How about the truth for once." Ricky said pushing himself up. "It's not exactly a scandal is it. Food poisoning happens. Especially when fish is involved."

"The truth?" Nathan asked. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No I'm not but sometimes I wonder if you are." Ricky said as he began to walk off.

"And where the Hell do you think you are going?" Nathan huffed. Ricky turned around and smiled.

"Three days man," He said. "I have a lady downstairs that I promised a date to." He finished as he walked down the corridor turning the corner out of sight of Nathan.