| "Oh come on, Jamie." John grinned at her, then leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "Knock it off. I dunno how to deal with you when you are not trying to prove to the universe that you need nothing and NO one." "Sorry." she muttered and sniffled, then took a quick drink of water. "Why are you still in town, you big, dork? Shouldn't you be looking for an opener?" she asked him, not really wanting to have a serious conversation with him at the moment. "Thought that's what I was doing, you ditz." John gave her another of his winning smiles, his blue eyes still sparkling with mischief. "You think you'll be able to play in a month? Lemme see your leg.." he lifted her blanket and made a big show of checking out her scabbed hip. "That'll be a story for your kids some day." he told her. "Shut up, Johnny." she snatched the edge of her blanket and tucked it around her more tightly. She took a quick glance at the door to her room, nervous that Taylor would show up before she discovered what John really wanted out of this conversation. "I'll probably be able to play. But I still dunno if I wanna leave my Daddy here alone." she told him, pretending she had not had this conversation with her father already. "Oh bullshit, Jame. Your dad was happy about it. The man's chest was swelling before my eyes. Buttons almost popped off his shirt. HE wants you to. It's a fucking WASTE, Jame. You can write..." he launched into a tirade uncharacteristic even for him. John was known to talk quickly and without taking a breath when he was excited or passionate about a subject. "I was there," he continued, "I HEARD with my own two ears that song you and Jade wrote. JAMIE. TALENT. You have it. USE it. Or d'you want this business taken over by the cheesy bullshit that's flooding the market right now?" He chuckled when she only stared at him. He cleared his throat. "Ike tells me that ANGEL is moving to Florida. You don't REALLY want her to be the next "in" thing, do you?" He threw his head back and laughed out loud at the look of pure disgust on her face. "Didn't think so." he leaned over and kissed her forehead again. "Talk to Jade and the other girls, Jameson, so we can schedule. PLEASE? They're here enough." he said sarcastically. "You are an awesome songwriter, Jame. Robbie's even jealous. Don't know how you write so well when you're too busy trying to stuff your feelings so far down..." he looked into her eyes then and caressed her cheek. "John...I..." Jamie began and quickly closed her mouth, unable to decipher the look on his face. She took a quick glance at the door again, hoping that Taylor would not come walking in and get the wrong impression again. John stroked Jamie's cheek again, then lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. "Don't worry Jamie. I know how you feel about him. Makes me wish I could hate him. I wanted to. I loved you first, but he loves you more. He and I are cool, Jame. He's a good guy, great musician too..." he stopped, smiling at the look on Jamie's face. "Yeah, dummy. I loved you. I would have married you in a heartbeat, 'cept Jimmy threatened me with death if I asked, and you always had to act like you didn't care. Jimmy fucked up so bad, trying to make sure YOU got a break. And you...you LISTENED to him like he was the creator of the universe...jeez Jame. YOU are the one with the talent, oh hell yeah, Jimmy could play, you guys had a great...I dunno what to call it, you were always ON when you played together...but YOU Jamie...YOU were the one that stood out... and I wanted you, I just wanted to hold on to some of that fire...I'd have taken it anyway I could get it... but I guess that wasn't enough." he said, his voice low. "I'd already fucked up one marriage, Jame. I didn't know where to take it with you. That on top of death threats from Jimmy and, well.." he shrugged his shoulders and brushed her hair off her face. "Johnny I...I don't even know what to say." Jamie took a deep breath and, wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Don't say anything, Jame. I told you, it wasn't enough. Taylor on the other hand would have let Jimmy beat his ass, or turned around and knocked the shit out of him just to get to you. He didn't MOVE, Jame. I," he pointed to his chest and grinned, "brought him coffee and junk food in the middle of the night while he just sat here waiting for you to wake up. Don't fuck it up, Jamie. He loves you more. Talk to the girls and then get your ass on the road with me, PLEASE? He will be cool with it. Jesus. I actually LIKE the guy." he rolled his eyes, getting a weak smile out of her. "I gotta get my ass outta this hospital and back to work, Jamie. Lemme know by tomorrow, okay?" he brushed her hair out of her eyes and stood. "Okay." she tilted her head to look up at him. "I'm sorry, John." she stated, her voice low, her tone telling him that she was truly sorry for hurting him, and for many other things left unsaid. He bent over and tilted her chin, kissing her lips softly. "I'm alive." he smiled when he pulled away from her. "It's not like I don't get offers," he laughed then and gave her hand a squeeze. "I shit you not, Jame. Just last week a woman threw her big ass BRA on stage and she'd written her PHONE NUMBER in it." he told her. "D'you think if I wrote my phone number on my underwear and threw 'em at a girl, I could get a date?" he asked, an innocent look plastered all over his face. Jamie could not help but laugh. "Umm somehow I think that'd work for you." she told him. "Figures. What kind of guy d'you think I am?" he asked, joking. He was writing quickly on the pad of paper that was on her bedside table. "Better than you think you are Johnny." she smiled up at him as he laid the pad back down. "Call me when the girls agree to the tour. That's the direct line to the hotel room, the other is my cell. THAT one you can use any time. Talk to you tomorrow, kay?" he asked again. "Okay. Thanks John." she smiled a genuinely happy smile at him, one that widened when he and Tay shook hands as Taylor came back into the room. John and Tay exchanged a few pleasantries, then John blew out the door with a quick, "Call me as soon as you know, Jameson. Later babe. Good thing your head's so damn hard, huh?" "Bye, dork." Jamie grinned, then reached for Taylor's hand as he pulled his chair close to her bedside. |