I woke up to the sound of several teenage guys fighting about what they should wear and who was borrowing whose hat. There were clothes spread out all across the living room and I was totally surrounded by arguing. “Hey!”
They all looked at me. “If you guys are going to fight then someone‘s going to have to take me somewhere else. I‘m trying to sleep.”
Austin came over to my side. “It‘s getting too late for sleeping. You have to get dressed whether you‘re meeting people or not. You need to try and eat something too. We have to know if we need to find another place to put you.”
“It‘s only two!” I argued. “The meet and greet isn‘t until six.”
“I know, but we have to be at the pizza place before we announce it because otherwise we‘ll get mobbed on the way in like at the mall.”
I glared. “I don‘t wanna.”
He brushed my loose hair back from my face. “I know, Livi, but you have to come. What are we going to do if you get more sick and you‘re home alone?”
I stared at him. “Dave will take you back upstairs to get dressed and I‘ll have some toast all ready for you when you get back.”
“What should I wear?”
“Jeans and a t shirt,” he answered.“My mom will fix your hair. Don‘t worry about anything.”
I took my good old time getting dressed and had no problem letting Dave carry me back down the stairs. Austin was waiting in the kitchen already dressed and the other guys were still arguing in the basement over hats.
“Your toast my fine lady,” he said and handed it to me. I crashed into a chair in exhaustion from walking all the way from the stairs. “Thanks. Now bring my bucket over here.”
He delivered it and I slowly made my way across the piece of bread to try and finish it. I wasn’t successful. Austin wiped my face. “I‘m sorry you‘re not feeling better,” he apologized.
“It‘s not your fault.”
He sighed. “I know.”
Mama Mahone came in and re-braided my hair before trying to get everyone out and into the van they’d rented for the evening. I sat in the back between Austin and Robert with my bucket conveniently placed on my lap. They alternated turns wiping my mouth after the disposal of my toast particles I had recently tried to eat.
In the parking lot of the pizza place I laid my head back and closed my eyes. “Can I stay here?”
Austin kissed my forehead. “No. We have some blankets, pillows, and a little gate so we can set you up inside.”
Without opening my eyes, I smirked. “What‘s the little gate for? Are you afraid I‘ll run away?”
He chuckled quietly as everyone else climbed out. “No. We‘re afraid someone else will run in. The gate will slow them down long enough for someone to get there. Unless they‘re trained to jump hurdles.”
I sighed. “Encouraging.”
“Come on. I‘ll be in the same gate. It‘ll be wedged between my table and the wall. You‘ll be right behind me on the floor I‘m going to make them mop before you lay down.”
“I don‘t wanna walk!”
“Well you still have to get up. I can make Dave carry you, but you‘ll get hurt if he tries to pull you out. Come on,” he said while lightly pulling on my wrist.
I finally opened my eyes and met his. “Not until I get a hug.”
Austin sat back down and pulled me gently into his warm arms. “I love you,” I whispered.
He buried his face in my hair. “I love you more.”
Austin crawled out of the van first and then lifted me to the ground like a little kid when I got to the door. Dave was already there to sweep me into his arms and carry me inside. We all gathered in the kitchen, and because there were no chairs, Dave continued to hold me.
Pablo greeted everyone with a firm hand shake until he got to me and Dave. “Olivia! What‘s happening darling?”
“I have the stomach flu.”
He took a dramatic step backwards. “Are you going to be puking on the fans this evening, or laying low?”
Austin laughed. “She‘s going to be laying low. Literally. We have some blankets and stuff for her to crash on the floor behind me. Can you guys mop up that area maybe?”
Pablo nodded. “I‘ll get CARTER right on that,” he explained and called his son at the same time.
Carter mopped up the floor behind where Austin was going to be standing, and I was set down in a booth while it dried. Drew sat across from me and we all tweeted about the meet and greet.
“It‘s been a crazy couple of days hasn‘t it?” I asked him.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “The crazier part is that my mom just texted me and told me they think Alex has the same stomach flu you do. I bet you we‘re all doomed to your illness.”
I grinned. “Is it bad that I‘m not sorry about that?”
“Not as long as I‘m spared from the vomit.”
We were smiling at each other when Austin came up and sat beside me. “How‘re you feeling now?”
I shrugged. “How do you think?”
“I feel bad that you‘re sick. I wish I could just make you better. At least we got rid of the fever.”
“Don‘t feel bad, Austin. You and the guys are really good at taking care of me. You‘re all going to be really good daddies one day.”
He smiled at me and looked out the window next to me. Girls were starting to line up and scream outside.
“Do you want to lay down now or wait with us in the back until right before they open the doors?” He asked. I stared at him, not knowing how to respond. “You have nothing to worry about by the way. Everyone swore on their lives that they wouldn‘t say anything about us being together, and Dave has another one of his friends coming, so he‘s going to be able to stand guard next to me so you‘ll be safe.”
Out of nowhere my eyes started to tear up. “What‘s wrong?” he asked as his forehead crumbled up in worry.
I shook my head and exclaimed. “I don‘t know! I‘m sick, and tired, and… and… I just don‘t want to be here like this. I want to be at home where it‘s quiet and spend time with you and maybe even the guys. Not hundreds of girls who want to be your girlfriend and who totally hate me!”
Austin looked anxiously at the crowd outside the window. “Not here, Olivia. Let‘s get to the back.”
There was a chair in the back corner of the kitchen that I had to walk to where Austin knelt down in front of me and took both of my hands.
“Calm down, Liv,” he said. “There‘s nothing to worry about. I know you want to be at home and I want some time alone with you too, but we have to do this. These other girls don‘t mean anything to me the way you do. They‘re my fans, and I do love them, but I love them as my fans. They got me to where I am. You keep me going. You‘re beautiful. You‘re the one I want to hold in my arms tonight when this is over. Not any of them. I love you more than all of them combined. Just don‘t tell them that.”
My tears fell harder. “Where‘s my bucket?”
Robert rushed it to my side, obviously eavesdropping. I used it and Austin wiped my face with a paper towel he pulled off the counter beside us. “You‘re fine, Olivia,” he whispered. “We‘re fine.”
“Wipe up them tears, Olivia,” Rob said. “You‘re only making yourself more sick. Austin‘s the most trustworthy guy I know. You‘re relationship is safe. I‘ll pinky promise on it.”
Robert held out his pinky and I wrapped mine around his. “We‘re heading out in five!” Scott called from across the kitchen.
Austin stood up and pulled me to my feet. “Dave is going to take you out there in a second and get you settled in, okay? I‘ll be right in front of you the whole time, but I‘m going to be busy. Just get Dave if you need anything. He‘ll be there too.
I nodded and looked into his eyes. He wrapped his arms around me and sweetly kissed my forehead, my nose, and then my lips. “I love you,” he whispered.
I leaned into his chest, “I love you, too.”
I was passed around from person to person in the kitchen after that and given a hug by each of them. Dave was the last one and was at the door with his arms full of blankets and other things.
As we walked out in view of the windows all of the girls screamed. I looked at Dave who took me behind the last table that they had set up. He laid out a thick comforter and tossed down the pillows on the side closest to the wall. “Alright,” he said. “Lay down.”
“How am I supposed to sleep with a bunch of screaming girls around?”
He pulled a pair of sound proof headphones out of the last blanket and handed them to me with Austin’s iPod. “These should take care of that.”
I laid down and he pulled the last blanket over my body and took the hat off of Austin’s chair at the table. “Now you can hide your face so they can‘t take pictures. Austin has a play list labeled with your name on there. He said you should fall asleep to that.”
Robert pushed my bucket across the floor from the kitchen to where Dave was standing and he set it by my head. “Have Austin bring out paper towels,” Dave called. Shortly after that, everyone came out of the kitchen and took their places at their tables. “Put on your headphones, Liv,” Austin said. “They’re about to open the doors. It‘s going to get a lot louder.”
I put them on and found the playlist he’d labeled with my name. I purposely didn’t look at the song titles, but just let them play. The first song was an acoustic version of one of Austin’s favorite songs. I’d heard him cover it hundreds of times, but I never heard the real version before that.
I continued to face Austin and the doors as I listened. The girls were starting to trickle in and scream, but I was glad the headphones blocked out their noise. I couldn’t see the first table right, but I saw the camera flash of the first girl taking a picture with Zach and Tyler. Her feet moved to the next table where Robert and Drew were. She stayed for awhile until she made it to Austin. I could see her face then and she was pretty. Her skin was clear and she looked perfect without any makeup. Not a hair on her head looked out of place. I was immediately jealous of her appearance and wanted to stop her from talking to Austin. They smiled sweetly at each other and the girl blushed to a deep shade of red as he stood there and signed the poster she’d brought of him. As Austin stood to take the picture with her and pushed his chair carefully out of the way the song in my headphones changed.
Be Alright by Justin Bieber was coming through my ears and I knew Austin had timed it perfectly, so that this would play as he met the first girl. “For you, oh, I would walk a thousand miles, to be in your arms, holding my heart, Oh I, oh, I, I love you, And everything‘s gonna be alright.”
I knew this was a message straight from Austin to me. He loves me and in comparison the other girls meant nothing. I rolled over to face the wall and fell asleep to the sound of Austin’s music.
I woke up when the sound in my headphones faded away at the end of my play list. I rolled over towards Austin to see that the meet and greet was still in full swing. I kicked Dave in the shin and he knelt down to me and pulled my headphones off. “I think my fever‘s coming back,” I whispered.
He felt my forehead and nodded. Sitting down on the floor, he pulled a the head thermometer out of Austin’s backpack under the table. 102.6. “What are we going to do, Dave?” I asked anxiously. “What if it gets too high?”
He looked sideways and made a decision. “Just lay back down. I‘ll keep an eye on it and if it goes up too much more I‘ll get you out of here.”
“I‘m scared,” I whispered.
He brushed my hair back with his fingers. “I am too. Try to keep down Tylenol. It‘ll bring down your fever if you can.”
He handed me the pills from Austin’s bag and jacked Austin’s water bottle from the table for me to chase them down. “Lay down now,” Dave pleaded. “Maybe they‘ll stay down.”
They didn’t. I lost them within five minutes and Dave took my temperature again. 102.7. I was starting to get light headed and shaky from not eating or drinking in so long, but I didn’t want to say anything. I was too scared. Pablo cut off the line and explained that everyone needed a quick break before they continued the meet and greet. Dave carried me back to the kitchen with the guys and quickly explained my rising temperature.
Austin stayed by my side and held me. “I‘m scared,” I said. “What if something happens?”
Worry was written all over his face. “Someone needs to take her to the hospital and get her fever down. We can‘t let something happen to her.”
I shook my head. “I can‘t go there! I‘m scared!”
“Liv, I can‘t risk something happening to you. We can‘t let your temperature get that high. It‘s not safe. Whoever takes you will make sure you‘re okay.”
“I want you to come with me,” I begged.
“I have to finish the meet and greet. I can‘t disappoint my fans.”
There was a lot of debate, but it was decided that Dave would borrow Scott’s car and drive us to the hospital with Mama and she would bring the car back to the pizza place so they could meet us there when everything was over.
My heart was pounding as they talked about the hospital and I clung to Austin’s arm like it was the last thing on earth. I didn’t have many fears, but I couldn’t stand doctors and hospitals. They scared me to no end and I was glad I didn’t have to deal with them as anything more than a visitor before. Dave packed up the few things I had and got us ready to go.
I faced Austin and hugged him as close as I could with the little energy I had left. “I‘ll be there as soon as we‘re done here. They‘re going to cut off the line soon. It won‘t be long,” he promised, but I still wouldn’t let go. “I‘ll come straight to the hospital when I‘m done. Dave will take care of you. He‘s as good of a protector as I am. He gets paid for it. You‘ll be fine.”
There was a long silence as we held each other. “Come on, Liv. The sooner we get on with this, the sooner it‘s over. Go.”
He kissed the top of my head and pushed me away gently. All of the guys were heading back out. “Good luck, Livi!” Drew called on his way back to his place.
I was left in the kitchen with Mama, Dave, and Pablo as we watched them all go back out and saw the line start to move again. Dave pulled one of his arms around my shoulders and steered me towards the back door. “I hope you get better, Olivia,” Pablo said as he held the door open. “I never want to seen a superstars girl in the hospital. Especially not a superstar that‘s bringing me so much business and has such a beautiful girl.”
I used all of the energy I had left to smile at him. Dave guided me across the parking lot at my turtle pace as Mama started the car. “You‘re going to be just fine, Olivia,” he promised me. “It‘s just a nasty stomach virus.”
I kept quiet, but what if it wasn’t? What if we got there and they did a routine blood test to find out I have advanced cancer or something? What if this is just a symptom of some other deadly disease and I have twenty-four hours to live? What if…? I stopped myself. I was getting over excited. Dave had to be right. Why would he be wrong?
I shivered as we arrived at the car and we both slipped in the backseat. He pulled my seat belt across my body for me, even though I protested that I could do it myself. I lied though. I couldn’t have if I tried. He strapped himself into the awkward middle seat and arranged himself so that I could lean my head against his chest for the ride. Pablo ran out with my bucket right as we were about to pull out and passed it through the window. Dave carefully placed it at my feet and Mama pulled away.
“Dave,” I whispered. “I‘m scared.”
He stroked my hair the way my dad used to at home. “I‘m going to be there as long as they let me, okay? There‘s nothing to be afraid of.” I closed my eyes and fell asleep on his chest as we rolled closer to the hospital by the second.