I set the table up with the best flow through for the fans and look around at the other bands. I get a little lightheaded and grip the side of the table to steady myself. Declan is at my side in an instant.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been feeling a little off today, I can’t explain it but it’s probably from stress and anxiety.”
“What are you stressed about?”
“Just the end of the semester, graduating, our wedding celebration, starting a new job, being married to a Rock God. You name it.” I try to joke with him, but his face is serious.
“Baby, you getting a migraine?”
“I don’t think so, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Maybe I need to eat something. I haven’t really eaten today.”
“You want me to have Jay drive you home? I don’t want you to stay if you feel bad.”
“No, I’ll be fine. You sit and start your thing, and I’ll be right back when I get some food.”
“Okay, we’ll plan on going straight home after the show. Then if you feel like it, I’m going to show you exactly what I think about your little stunt earlier. Although I’m thinking that you calling me a Rock God maybe lessened your punishment.” he smirks and hugs me against him.
“You’re crazy. I’ll be back.”
“I may be crazy, but I’m your crazy.”
Cooper, Nate, and Blake sit at the table and motion for some fans to come over. I see several over anxious girls staring at us, so I lean up on my toes and kiss Declan passionately in front of everyone. He grins at me when I step away, knowing I did this for a show.
“Jay, will you go with Raven to get something to eat? She’s drawing as much attention as I am today.”
Jay comes over and takes my hand instructing me not to let go until we get back across the stage and to the
vendors. We are on the back side of the stage, and I see the crowds pushing into the plastic netting that separates us. I can’t be sure, but I swear there’s a little sway under my feet. The next band is setting up with their stuff and a bunch of people are running around. Right about the time we hit the middle there’s a scream from the front. I see a group of girls fall into the pillars at the front, and it buckles underneath them.
Everything happens so fast, but it almost feels like slow motion. The front of the stage disappears and then the connecting plates start falling too. People are yelling and screaming as equipment and lighting starts crashing down. Jay grabs me and throws himself on top of me as the floor falls out from under us, and we drop. He uses his body to shield me from the debris hitting us. The sound is deafening as I hear what I think is the rest of the stage collapse around us.
The pain shoots through me as soon as my hip hits the ground. Something inside me shakes, and I think my ankle is broken. I’m clenching Jay’s shirt as he lays on top of me. Liquid runs down my neck into my shirt, and I smell blood.
I try to shake him again but he has me pinned down. There’s light through the cracks, and I see people lying near us not moving. I try to scream, but nothing comes out. The panic sets in when I realize I don’t feel Jay breathing against me. I start squirming to get from under him. We are stuck in a tight space, so I can’t move too far but I get him to his side. His eyes are closed and with the limited light, I can see a huge gash on his head and another on his neck squirting blood.
Fuck! I’m not in any way medically trained, but it looks like something cut close to an artery. I pull my arms away enough to get to the hem of my shirt and tear as much as I can. I use it to try and plug the gaping wound and then my instincts kick in. I start screaming!
*****
Declan
FUCK, FUCK, FUCK! I run around the back of the rubble to where I think I saw her and Jay before the stage went down. Security and medical personnel are everywhere trying to pull people out from under the shattered mess. People all around me are bleeding and moaning in pain, and my heart seizes in my throat. She has to be okay, THEY have to be okay.
What the fuck just happened? One minute I’m sitting down watching my wife’s ass sway across a stage and the next there’s a loud boom and everything crumbles. People started running away, but me and my guys started running towards what was happening. Security held us back as long as they could until the evidence of the accident became too much. We all run in and start throwing the fragments over our shoulders trying to get to the people caught underneath. I’m so thankful we are in the back of the stage and not the front. From what I can tell looking around and hearing the screams, there are a lot of people up front hurt.
My phone starts ringing and I know without answering it, who it is. James has a sixth sense about his children and no doubt by now this has hit the news. I need to find her. My heart is racing so hard I hear it in my ears. I’m scared to death and do the only thing I can think of.
“Raven! Sparkle, can you hear me?”
Nothing.
“Rave! Answer me! I need to hear your voice to find you!”
Nothing.
If I thought I was scared before, I’m now terrified.