A/N-Hello all! Sorry for the delay. The holidays are kicking my ass. Here is a little update and my HOPE is to get another one out before Christmas.
As always, I am loving your comments. Thank you so much for the support. Love you!
"What the hell are you doing in here?" Nikki demanded as he stood in the doorway of Tommy's dressing room glaring at Ashten with his hands on his hips.
"Well, I'm trying to do my job but I sense you find that unacceptable," she muttered quitely, rolling her eyes.
"You're damn right I do." He clamped his hands down on her shoulders and ushered her back down the hall to his dressing room. "You're sick. You shouldn't even be here."
"I'm fine," Ashten grumbled back. It was a lie. It was a total lie. Tommy may not have been speaking to her at that point but had been kind enough to pass along his flu germs. Ashten woke up that morning with horrendous body aches and a 102 degree fever. She felt like walking talking garbage but still insisted upon doing her job.
"Babe, you are NOT fine. You're burning up and you haven't stopped shivering since you woke up this morning. You're sick. Just let yourself be sick."
"I don't have time to be sick," Ashten protested again as he directed her to the couch and all but pushed her to a seated position. "Tonight is the last night of the tour and tomorrow we fly home. I can be sick then."
Nikki didn't respond, only stood behind the sofa and looked down at her before planting a kiss on her forehead as she frowned up at him.
"You know you'll get sick too if you don't stay away from me," she warned.
"I thought you werent sick and felt fine," He mocked reaching down and pinching her nipple.
"Stop," She whined at him through shivers and chattering teeth.
"I can't help it. They are just staring at me." He smirked and plopped down next her her, wrapping his arms around her shaking body.
"Nikki, you are gonna get..."
"You tell me I'm gonna get sick one more time and I will spank your ass."
"Is that's suppose to be a threat?"
He pulled her tighter and she finally gave in, sighing as she took in his warmth. "Please just at least rest so you don't make yourself worse.
"Fine," Ashten grumbled and turned on to her side to recline and rest her head on Nikki's lap as he placed his leather jacket over her in a makeshift blanket. Her body was aching so much it was the only position where she found any comfort. "I'm resting. Happy now?"
"No. I would have been happy if you'd done what I told you to do and stayed your ass in bed at the hotel," Nikki sighed, leaning is head back against the the couch and closing his eyes, fatigue and stress taking its toll.
Ashten closed her eyes and replayed the nightmare that had been the past twenty-four hours. Tommy was still stomping around mad as a hornet and had some additional choice words for them after the intial blowup. It happened right after he saw them kiss before the guys hit the stage.
"You think you're the only one?! That you aren't just another on a LONG list of assistants or dancers or whatever he's nailed?" Tommy snarled at her. "Jesus fucking Christ he's the reason we even have those rules!"
"That's bullshit! It's because of ALL of us. And you fucking know it!" Nikki spat back at him.
Tommy shook his head and glared at Ashten. "This is some bullshit I'd expect from him but not you. Thought you were better than this. Hope it was worth it."
The tension had been strangling ever since
and, as if that weren't enough, Nikki's lawyer had called that morning to let him know that Donna was now seeking full custody of Frankie. Nikki took it better than expected but it was clear he was fuming beneath the surface and was wound tighter than a nun at an orgy.
Truth be told Ashten probably would have stayed in bed per his request had Donna not dropped the custody bomb. But since that piece of bad news was delivered Nikki had been visibly rattled and she wanted to stay close. She was waiting for him to snap. He hadn't yet, but she knew one more hint of bad news would probably push him to his ultimate limit.
"Are you bugged about all the shit Tommy said to you last night? Ya know, about me?" Nikki asked quietly.
"About you being a man whore?"
"Former man whore," he corrected.
Ashten chuckled slightly as she sat up, wincing at the ache in her neck and shoulders.
"No," she replied, wrapping his jacket tighter around her torso and nestlng her head in his chest. And it was the truth. Sure Nikki hadn't mentioned any previous escapades with former employees but she wasn't stupid. "I know you are no choir boy, Sixx. You have a past. So do I."
"Fair enough," Nikki looked down at her frowning at her pale and just overall sickly appearance. "I really wish you'd go back to the hotel."
"Nikki...."
"Ashten there is no reason for you to be here. Tommy's stuff is all present and accounted for and he's with your brother," he argued, his patience wearing thin. "Have you always been this damn stubborn?"
"Since birth," Alex replied for her upon entering the room, removing his coat. "Actually, since before birth. She was ten days late. Refused to come out until she was ready."
"Imagine my surprise," Nikki dryly replied. Ashten rolled her eyes and attempted to stand only for Nikki's grip on her to tighten.
"No one asked you," Ashten scowled at her brother and pointed to the large file envelope on his hand. He had taken Tommy to the hospital that afternoon to get his shoulder scanned. "Are those Tommy's films?"
"Yep," Alex confirmed.
"I wanna see them....whoa." This time she was able to stand without interference from Nikki but instantly regretted it when she was met with an intense head rush.
"Sit. Down." Nikki said with emphasis and grabbed her by the back of her jeans as she used his shoulder to steady herself with one arm while her free hand rubbed her lower back.
"Has your fever gone down at all?" Alex studied his sister.
"Nevermind me. Was I right? Is it his rotator cuff?"
Alex nodded. "Yes. It's torn and needs to be surgically repaired. I'll come out to California after the holidays."
"He wants you to do it?" Ashten's surprised look turned to a grimace when she felt another wave of pain.
"Yeah, he still likes me." He frowned watching her favor her right side. "What's going on with your back?"
"Nothing. It's just aches, I'm sure."
Unconvinced, Alex shook his head. "You need to go in and get seen."
Ashten scoffed in frustration. "Alex, it's the flu. I know it and you know it. And you know as well as I do there is NO way to treat a viral infection like this. It has to run its course."
"And you know as well as I do that a fever combined with lower back aches can mean a kidney infection."
Nikki's stood up at Alex's suggestion and threw his jacket over Ashten's shoulders. "Yeah, you're going in."
"Nikki, it's just a flu bug. Don't listen to him he just wants to be right. That's how surgeons are. They're arrogant assholes who think their opinions are the only ones that matter," she whined and shot a glare at her brother.
"Yeah, that's exactly it, Ashten. I want you to have a kidney infection, a condition that left untreated can be deadly, just so I can be right," Alex grunted at his sister.
"Don't fuck around with your body," Nikki warned before his demeanor softened. "And please don't give me another thing to worry about."
"That was cheap, Sixx," Ashten's heart lurched at his plea. She couldn't stomach making him stress about anything else. Especially her. She groaned placing her head in her hand and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ok, look. Let me take a nap and if I don't feel any better afterwards I'll go."
The two men nodded at her in agreement, seemingly appeased at her suggestion.
"Fine. Lay down here. Get some rest and I'll reassess when you wake up," Alex made her recline and get under Nikki's jacket for warmth. She closed her eyes and felt Nikki press his lips against her forehead before the boys left the room while she fell into a deep sleep.
Not sure how long she'd been asleep, Ashten woke up in a slight haze. She shivered but her face and neck were covered in sweat, a sure sign that her fever was breaking.
She pushed Nikki's leather off her her body and sat up slowly her head fuzzy and thick. She winced when she noticed the ache in her lower back had not subsided. Carefully, she placed her feet on the floor and stood up only to feel a searing pain wrap around her torso and land in her lower abdomen.
Alex was right. This isn't the flu.
She gasped deeply, gritting her teeth and clutching her stomach as she took the few painful steps towards the door. The perspiration continued to drip down her face and she became dizzy with every movement.
Her breath hitched when she felt another jolt to her gut, her vision becoming blurry as she crossed the threshold into the hallway. As soon as she did she slammed straight into a long torso, the force of the weight pushing her into the wall.
Tommy
He scowled at her and muttered a quick irritated sorry. He looked as is if he was going to breeze right past her without even a second look. Short of breath and fearing she wouldn't be able to stand on her own feet for much longer, Ashten reached out and grabbed his forearm to stop him mid stride.
Tommy looked down at the grip on his arm and did a double take between her hand and face. His eyes widened quickly.
"Ash....Ashten, what's wrong?!" He grabbed her by her other arm and held her up, alarmed at the sweat pouring from her along the pained look in her eyes.
"Alex......" She breathes out, slowly sliding down the wall.
Tommy nodded in understanding at her request and eased down with her until they were both seated. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and dialed Alex, his other hand grasping Ashten's while she cried out in pain.
She knew it took longer but it seems that only a few seconds passed before Alex as squatting down next to her asking what hurt. Not able to answer clearly, she pointed at her abdomen to which Alex nodded and presumed it was either her gallbladder or appendix. Either way they needed to get to the hospital.
They made it in record time and Ashten was immediately ushered into the ER, treated as a VIP at Alex's insistence. Apparently, her brother being the chief of surgery at said hospital made her a big deal.
Once Ashten disappeared with Alex behind the ER doorway the change in the atmosphere was staggering. Chaos quickly turned to stillness and Nikki and Tommy found themselves alone in a torturously silent waiting room.
And all they could do was wait.