Tom glances at Jett from where he is by the window in his hotel room. Blood sticks to his face – his face that is now covered in nasty looking bruises and swelling. It’s as if he’s gone a round with a boxer. Spitting into the tissue in his hand, he mutters, “Turns out Van didn’t agree with the decision to go home and when we got into it, he raised some other things he has a problem with.”
Jett’s body is tense and anger is written all over him. “So he thought it was okay to use you as a fucking punching bag?”
Tom tries to speak but his face contorts in pain and he struggles to get the words out. We all watch him until West fills Jett in some more. “Van’s pissed that the label wants us to give up some promo he’s organised to go back and do their stuff instead. He’s also still pissed off at you, and when Tom shared his thoughts that you were right about not changing our sound dramatically, he lost it.”
“How’s Van looking?” Jett asks.
“Nowhere near as bad as Tom but he did take a couple of hits, too. Problem with Tom is that Van knocked him down and he hit the ground fairly hard. I’m concerned it’s caused more than just bruising and swelling.”
“And where the hell is Van now?”
There’s a knock at the door and Hunter leaves us to answer it while West keeps filling us in. “Fuck knows. He took off and said not to wait for him when we head to the airport.”
Jett’s body arches with anger and he grabs the back of his neck. “Jesus fucking Christ!” His wild gaze sweeps the room, taking it all in, and then he turns his gaze back to West. “What the hell is happening to us? Do we even have a band anymore?”
My attention shifts to Hunter who has let a man into the room, a doctor by the look of the bag he is carrying. They’re intent on getting to Tom so we all move to let them through, and a moment later the doctor is assessing Tom. Jett hasn’t calmed down but he’s reined his anger in while waiting to hear what the doctor has to say.
Time seems to drag on while we all wait, and I’m keenly aware time is edging closer to when we need to leave for the airport. Eventually, the doctor gives his verdict. “You’ve got concussion and need to rest. I’d actually recommend you go to the hospital to have it checked out.”
“I don’t have time. I’ve got a flight to catch to Australia,” Tom says while placing his hand to his head, grimacing.
The doctor shakes his head as he packs his equipment back into his bag. “No you don’t. No flying while you have a concussion.”
“Fuck,” West mutters, and I sense the tension in the room escalate while all the men look more pissed than they did a minute ago.
“He’s right, Tom,” Jett agrees with the doctor. “You can’t fly. I’ll stay here with you and get you checked out.”
“Like hell you will,” Tom argues, and his voice gets louder even though it’s obvious by the expression on his face that the noise is causing him more pain.
Jett crosses his arms over his chest and it looks like he’s settling in for an argument. “I’m hardly going to leave you alone while you’ve got a concussion.”
“Jett, the label were clear – they want the band back home and doing everything you can to fix the shit going down over there. Apparently, the rape scandal is only getting worse and they think it’s time you all did interviews in order to try to shift public perception.”
“Shit, maybe we should just pay that bitch off,” West interjects. Defeat hangs heavy in his words and I hate that he’s going through this.
Jett’s head snaps around to face West. “No fucking way are you paying her. That smacks of guilt and you’re not guilty.”
West throws his hands up in the air and stares at Jett. “Well what the hell am I supposed to do? She won’t go away on her own.”
I step forward and offer a suggestion. “Guys, why don’t you all go home and I’ll stay here with Tom? I’ll get him to the hospital and make sure he’s okay before we fly home.”
Four sets of eyes are suddenly on me, staring, and I wonder if I’ve said something wrong. Tom finally speaks, breaking the awkward moment. “Thanks for the offer, Presley, but I’ve got a sister in LA who can help me. You head back with the boys, and, for the love of God, please make sure Jett stays out of trouble.”
Jett frowns at him for a second. Cocking his head, he asks, “I never knew you had a sister here. You sure that’s not a bullshit story?”
Tom pulls his phone out and passes it to Jett. “Search for Tina and call her. She’ll verify it.”
Jett calls her and she agrees to come and take care of Tom. As he passes the phone back to Tom, he says forcefully, “I don’t want you coming home until the doctor clears you, yeah?”
“Yeah.” Tom waves him away. “You all need to get to the airport. I’ll be okay on my own until Tina gets here.”
Hunter nods, but doesn’t move. “What about Van?”
Jett scowls and grabs his phone out of his pocket. He dials a number and puts the phone to his ear. After a few moments, he says, “Van, we’re heading to the airport. You better be there, asshole.” As he shoves the phone back in his pocket, he mutters, “Fucking message bank.”
At this point, I’m guessing Van won’t be there. And wondering like hell where the band will go from here.
19