Justin woke up during the whole night, trying to help Mackenzie every time she opened her eyes. He helped her to the bathroom and waited for her outside, iced her ankle when she complained it was hurting, got her a cup of water, and rubbed her hair so she could fall asleep. He didn't care if he was going to wake up tired in the morning, he just really wanted to be there for her.
Mackenzie woke up once again but this time, it was already the next day. Her ankle was throbbing, and she couldn't fall back asleep. She sat and looked at her side to spot Justin sleeping, spread out in the middle of the bed and Ryan curled up right next to him. She felt a bit guilty to keep Justin awake all night, knowing well that he had a concert later on. She slowly got off the bed, jumping up and down on one foot to try and get herself to the living room. When Scooter spotted her, he got her arm and helped her get to the couch, where he was sitting with Pattie and eating some breakfast.
"Hey, honey"- Pattie greeted, running her hand thru Mackenzie's clean hair. After she dozed off with Justin last night, Ryan woke her up and helped her shower so she could get off her bikini and into some comfortable sweats- "How are you doing? You're up early!"
"I'm alright"- she answered, smiling sweetly- "My ankle is sore but I'm okay. Kind of bummed I need to be in a cast for so long".
"I know, it sucks, honey"- Pattie frowned- "But, we got you some crutches, so you'll be able to move a bit better by yourself. It should be here in an hour or two".
"Thanks, guys. It will be much better to be able to go to the bathroom by myself"- she laughed.
"What would you like for breakfast, kiddo? I'll make you a plate"- Scooter offered, standing up and going to the small food table- "We've got bagels, grilled cheese, yogurt, fruits, pancakes, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and muffins".
"Some yogurt and fruit would be great, thanks Scoot!"- she smiled and after making her a bowl with Greek yogurt, strawberries, honey, and granola, Scooter handed her the container and a small spoon.
While she ate, Pattie went to get everyone up. Justin had an interview so the team needed to be ready in an hour and then, everyone would go to soundcheck. It was an exciting day because the interviewer warned Justin that they would play some games during the interview and that he should wear something comfortable. Some fans were going to be there as well. But, as they all ate breakfast together, Mackenzie's face dropped:
"I'm sorry, Kenz. But there's no way you're going with Justin. There will be a bunch of girls and I can't risk you falling in the middle of a crowd. I have to go to the venue, and you can come with me, but no hopping from one place to another today"- Ryan said and Mackenzie just nodded. She really wanted to go with Justin, but she knew Ryan was just looking out for her.
"Can't we just figure something out? Her crutch is here, so it's okay. And if it isn't, Kenny could carry her inside"- Justin tried to find a way, and Mackenzie smiled lightly at him.
"Man, the day is going to be a bit crazy today. I think is better to let Mackenzie hang with Ryan, alright?"- Scooter told him, and once again, Kenzie felt disappointed.
"But maybe we..."- he started again, but Mackenzie cut him off by touching his hand over the table.
"It's alright, Jus. We'll see each other tonight at the concert, huh?"
Justin nodded, frustrated as well, but didn't say anything else. After a while, Ryan helped her get ready as the room felt silent when the crew went out for the day. Once she was ready, Mackenzie laid down on the bed and waited for Ryan to shower and get dressed. They hung for a while before the car arrived and took them to the venue.
The place of the concert for the night was huge just like the one in Paris. The stage looked the same, but the lights were kind of different. Mackenzie was much more comfortable wearing a crutch because she could "walk around" by herself, without any help. She placed herself on the leather couch and began to help Ryan by folding some clothes. She watched Carin organizing the outfits for the night and her brother ironing Justin's white jackets for over three hours.
"Why are you so quiet today, miss?"- Ryan asked, finally sitting by her side as he handed her a small salad bowl for a late lunch. Mackenzie was trying to keep up a good mood, but she was not happy being alone with Ryan as everyone seemed to be having fun. After all, she was still a seventeen-year-old kid.
"Just tired"- she answered, chewing on some greens as she looked over her brother, that studied her deeply.
"Are you sure that's it?"- he asked again. He knew her with the back of his own hand and knew something was bothering her, but at the same time, he didn't want to pressure her into talking about it she didn't want to "Are you in any pain?"
"No, I'm alright, Ry. Don't worry!"- Mackenzie reassured him, smiling lightly when he nodded his head and finally stood up- "What time are they coming?"
"They should be here in no more than 30 minutes. Scooter texted me a little while ago saying that they were already in the car".
Mackenzie nodded and decided that a nap was the best way to make the time run faster. She was overly bored and didn't want to wait anymore so she just laid down and closed her greenish eyes. She couldn't go to sleep, feeling sorry for herself to get hurt.
"Kenzie!! Look what I got you!"- she woke up by Justin's loud scream. She hadn't realized she fell asleep until that moment. She sat up and rubbed her eyes groggily as she looked at the door- "Oh, sorry! I didn't know you were asleep!"
"Hey, J"- she laughed- "Is that what you got me?"- she said, looking at him pushing a wheelchair inside the dressing room.
"Yeah! I asked the paramedics and they let me borrow it until after the concert!"- he smiled- "C'mon! Get your butt over here, we are going for a ride!"
Mackenzie laughed and slowly got up and into the wheelchair. Justin turned her over and started to push her along the venue corridors until they were on stage. When they got there, he started to run and speed Mackenzie on the chair.
"Faster!!"- she screamed, laughing as he spun her over and ran even faster. Alfredo chased them and they started to play tag with him.
"I'm done, guys!"- Alfredo said, laying down on the floor, breathless. His face was all red and he was out of breath from running so much.
"Jay, I'm going to puke!"- Mackenzie said when he turned her once again. He stopped and just tried to catch his breath too.
Pattie called him after a while, as he needed to start getting ready for the concert. He went into the shower and Mackenzie was back in the dressing room. After that, Mama Jan called Justin to warm up as they had dinner. He ate his chicken sandwich right before going on stage as his team went to the reserved area. Mackenzie saw Justin whispering something to Ryan before he started the show, but because of "bro secrecy", he wasn't allowed to tell her.
Watching Justin perform was definitely Mackenzie's favorite part of the whole tour. Of course, she loved everyone and was always having a blast with the crew, but there was nothing like watching him shine on stage. She loved his songs and singing along kept her entertained during the whole show. They always got back backstage when "Baby" was about to start, but this time, Justin wasn't even near the end of his setlist as Ryan guided her back.
"I wanna watch the rest of the concert, Ry!"- she pouted but her brother insisted she followed her backstage.
"Stop complaining, punk! Just follow me!"- he stressed, and she rolled her eyes. She was mad that he was making him miss Eenie Meenie to go somewhere with him.
The music was soon over, and Mackenzie stood right at the back of the stage, where the dancers changed their clothes. She asked her brother multiple times what was going on, but he kept telling her to wait. Mackenzie saw the dancers running back on stage and Justin starting another song.
"One less lonely girl. One less lonely girl"- the music started.
"How many I told you's and start overs
And shoulders have you cried on before?
How many promises be honest girl?
How many tears you let hit the floor?"
"Ry, I'm serious! This is my favorite song, let me get back there!"- Mackenzie screamed over the music, getting mad at him for real- "Can I go? Carin is already helping you with the outfits!"
He ignored her and she was about to scream at him again, but Aja George, one of Justin's dancers, came running toward them:
"Ry, is she ready?"- he asked, and Mackenzie looked at both of them, confused- "C'mon, Kenzie. We have to go!"- he took her hand.
"What? Go where?"- Mackenzie asked, a small desperation in her voice.
"You're going to be the One Less Lonely Girl! Let's go!"- Aja said.
"What? I am? Why?"- Mackenzie stammered and Ryan laughed. She looked at him and he just nod his head.
"Go, kiddo. Justin insisted to sing for you tonight! Have fun!!"- her brother said, screaming as Aja started to pull Mackenzie on stage.
Mackenzie felt her whole stomach turning as the crowd screamed even louder once she was on stage. Her leg trembled and she felt like throwing up as butterflies had a party on her belly. Aja and some other dancers helped her onto a black stool right in the middle of the stage and she was glad to sit down because her whole body felt weak. The look of the venue from the stage was much more beautiful as it was all illuminated. The energy was crazy, and it was so nice to feel a little bit of what Justin saw every night.
The dancers pointed to her right and she looked at Justin coming down the side of the stage stairs. He looked beautiful with that bright light on his face and carrying a big bouquet of red roses. She felt her stomach turning a little bit as he got closer, his voice echoing in her ear even more beautifully.
"I can fix up your broken heart
I can give you a brand-new start
I can make you believe
I just wanna set one girl free to fall
Free to fall
With me
Her heart locked and nowhere to get the key
I'll take her and leave the world with one less lonely girl"
He sang as his warm hand wrapped gently around Mackenzie's cheeks. She was sure she was blushing. His face was very close to hers that she could smell his minty breath. Justin was singing and looking deep into her eyes, not breaking eye contact even for a small moment.
"I'm gonna put you first
I'll show you what you're worth
If you let me inside your world
There's gonna be one less lonely girl"
He finished the lyrics and hugged her tightly. Laughing a little bit as he saw a bit of tears in her eyes. Another dancer came to guide her backstage as Justin finally let go of her hand, whispering "see you in a while".
"This was Mackenzie Good, everybody! Make some noise for her!!"- he screamed.
Once Mackenzie was back in the private area with the crew, everyone laughed and took turns hugging her as she was still trembling.
"You look like a crazy Belieber, Kenz"- Allison said as the girl wiped her eyes as she had cried a little bit.
"I am a crazy Belieber!"- Mackenzie joked as she watched the rest of the concert.
Justin didn't take long to finish his setlist, and quickly, the concert was all over. He ran off stage and into the dressing room, after chugging a bottle of room-temperature water. He went straight to cool down as everyone got their belongings in the car. Once he was ready, he met his crew inside the vehicle.
"Hey, One Less Lonely Girl!"- he said, sitting next to Mackenzie and laying his sweaty head on her shoulder.
"You're crazy, Justin! I wasn't expecting it, oh my God!"- she exclaimed, still out of words.
"Ryan said you needed some cheering up! But you loved, right? You even cried!"- Justin pointed, making everyone laugh.
"Yeah, I loved it! But you're still crazy!"
"You call it crazy, I call it 'Bieber power'!"
The traffic was chaotic, so they spent almost an hour inside the car to get back to the hotel. Justin was tired and Scooter was stressed about a scheduling issue. Pattie made sure to guide Justin into the shower as Allison was the one to order dinner as Scooter was busy. Mackenzie was getting good with her crutch, so she didn't even need any help to get herself all clean and change into warm pajamas.
The whole team was having dinner together when she checked her phone and saw that her picture was all over the internet and she gained almost 10 thousand Twitter followers. She answered her friend's messages, that were already knowing that she was Justin's One Less Lonely Girl for the night.
"Justin, your dad wants to talk to you"- Pattie said, giving Justin the phone. His face suddenly dropped, and he shook his head, looking frightened- "Justin, take the phone! He's waiting!"
Justin took the phone from her and got inside his bedroom, closing the door gently after him. The crew couldn't hear the conversation, but by the look on Pattie's face, it didn't seem like a pleasant one. They kept on eating but after several minutes, Justin's voice was heard:
"Momma!"- he screamed for her, but by the tone, he was definitely crying.
Pattie frowned deeply, running her hand thru her hair before answering:
"I'm going, baby"- she screamed back, standing up as she excused herself from the table- "I'm going to check on him".
Ryan groaned and let her disappear inside the room before mumbling:
"I don't know why Jeremy insists on making Justin miserable. The kid misses him like crazy, but he only seems to call to argue".
"Don't even mention it, Ry"- Scooter said, agreeing.
Pattie slowly opened her door and her heart clenched at the scene she found. Justin was sitting on the bed as hot tears streamed down his flushed cheeks. He had Pattie's phone still in his hands and his white T-shirt had some wet spots from his tears. His whole body trembled as little sobs escaped his plump lips.
"Oh, baby"- Pattie said, making her way to her bawling child and pulling him into her arms. Justin hugged tightly to her neck as Pattie wrapped her arms around him, holding her son close and rubbing his back, as Justin sobbed against her- "It's alright, bubba".
"He hates me"- Justin let out, desperately as more and more tears ran down his face.
"No, love. He doesn't"- Pattie comforted, kissing his head. Justin coughed a couple of times, almost choking on his own sobs- "Baby, you're getting yourself all worked up. Try to calm down. Mommy is here, you're alright".
Justin took some deep breaths until he was down to just hiccupping. Pattie laid him down on the bed, sitting on the edge as he kept on crying a little bit.
"I'll just go and get..."- Pattie said but Justin clung onto her arm, whimpering.
"No, momma. I don't want to be alone"- he looked so adorable that Pattie couldn't just resist so she laid down again, pulling Justin back into her arms.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"- she asked, slowly running her hands soothingly over Justin's bangs.
"He hates me because of Jazzy's birthday still"- he barely whispered, tears wetting Pattie's shirt now.
"He's just upset, baby. He doesn't hate you, stop saying that".
"Why is he upset then? You would never scream at me and call me selfish if I had to work"- he cried.
"I know, my love. It's not your fault, okay? Any of it. But people deal differently with frustrations. He really wanted you to be there, so he's being mean. Don't cry, bubba. Everything will be alright"- Pattie kissed Justin forehead. Justin smiled at her using his childhood nickname- "You need to rest, alright?"
Pattie started to hum as Justin's eyelids fluttered shut. She always sang "Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon for Justin to sleep, since he was a baby.
"Close your eyes
Have no fear
The monster's gone
He's on the run and your momma's here
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful
Beautiful boy"
Justin sang with her for a few verses before soft snores could be heard. Pattie smiled, studying his angelic face as he slept, his head securely in her chest and his hand holding her shirt. She covered him with the blanket and kissed his forehead before she saw Scooter standing by the door:
"Hey"- he whispered from a distance- "How is he?"
"He just fell asleep"- Pattie smiled, whispering back- "He's going to be alright. Just a little sad as Jeremy makes everything harder"
"Get me if you need anything, alright?"
"Sure, thanks Scoot. He's fine!"
"Do you want me to make him some warm milk? He's barely eaten dinner".
"I think I rather let him rest"- she said, looking down at her sleeping son- "I'll make him some if he wakes up".
"Alright, goodnight, Pat!"
Hey, babies!! I was super fast with the update this time lol. I wrote two chapters tonight so I'm tired now!! Some of you asked for a sicky Justin, and I promise this is coming!! Thanks for being sweet with this story! Hope you love it! Xoxo