More To Come...
"I know what you mean baby. I’ll stop at the next exit."
It was about 7 am and Maire had been driving all night, hoping to get to her condo in Orlando before the movers did. Duncan had been pacing in the pet taxi for about 20 minutes, his whines getting progressively louder. They had just crossed into Florida and she needed to stop too. All that coffee to stay awake was finally catching up with her.
She pulled off the highway to a mostly deserted truck stop. It was open, but the only other vehicles were three large buses. She rifled through the junk in the back to find the leash. "Hang on, I have to get your leash!" she said as the puppy scratched at the door. She looked up and nearly screamed at the sight of a very large man next to her door. Cracking the window while she locked the door, she asked, "Can I help you?"
"Sorry miss, I need to ask you to stay in the car for a bit, we have the place shut down for a while."
"Can I just go to the bathroom? It will only take a minute..."
"Sorry I need to make sure the area is secure."
"Secure, who is on the bus?"
"Just some people I need to look out for..."
"Well, look, I dont care if its the Pope himself...if you dont let me out you will be dealing with two exploded bladders!"
The mans stern look softened and he chuckled. The chuckle evolved into a full force belly laugh and he smiled at Maire. "How can I say no to a threat like that? You seem pretty harmless...go ahead."
As she opened the door Duncan rushed out the door, trying to take her arm with him. The man caught the leash before it slipped out of her grasp.
"I’ll watch him miss, you go freshen up..."
"Well, ok, I probably shouldn’t trust you, but I need to go. I will be back in a few minutes. And this is my baby, so please be careful." She turned and rushed into the truck stop.
A bit later Maire reemerged, relieved and refreshed. She had pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, changed her clothes, washed her face, brushed her teeth and even put on a little makeup. It was amazing how a little lip gloss could make her feel alive again. She looked up and let the warm Florida sun beat down on her face. The air smelled green, that heavy warmth mixed with floral scents. God, she was going to love living here. She shook off her reverie and looked around to find her puppysitter.
"Thanks so much for watching him...wait...where is he?"
"Huh?"
"My puppy! You said you would watch my dog, remember?!?"
"Lady, relax...he’s over there..." He pointed off to the picnic area, where she saw Duncan playing with two other puppies.
"C’mere Duncan...what are you doing?" she called after the dog. The puppy looked up but continued to play. She sighed and walked over to the grass. "We have to go!"
"So he’s yours, huh?" asked a voice from behind a picnic table.
"Excuse me?"
A head popped up from behind the picnic table. She instantly recognized the dark haired man with the mischievous dark eyes. Looking back she would never know how she had found the ability to remain as calm and cool as she had.
The man turned around and grinned at her, "Is this fella yours?"
"Guilty...c’mere baby! You playing nice?" The puppy leaped into her arms and licked her face excitedly before struggling to be let down again.
"Oh yeah, he’s great! I think Korea is in love. By the way, I’m Chris." He got up and offered her a hand in greeting.
She took his hand gently, "Yes I know, I recognized you."
"So you are a fan?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "No screams, no tears...what kind of fan are you?" he asked jokingly.
"An old one!"
He smiled widely and chuckled at that. "So this is where you introduce yourself...." he hinted.
"Oh sorry, I’m Maire Cartwright."
"Pleased to meet you Miss Cartwright." He gallantly took her hand and kissed it as she laughed.
"So I saw Illinois tags on the car, what brings you to Florida? On vacation?"
"No actually, I am moving to Orlando," she said, twisting to the side to stretch her back. "I am trying to beat the moving van down here."
"Orlando...hey that’s where I live!"
"Yeah, I know..."
"Of course you do! You probably know more about me than I do..." He smiled and laughed. He didn’t mean it rudely, but he had a feeling she was a bigger fan than she let on.
"Dude who are you talkin’ to?" A voice boomed from across the way.
"JC, this is Maire, she knows who you are..." Chris said quickly, chasing Busta under the table.
"Nice Chris, very smooth. Hi I’m JC...hey cute puppy!"
Duncan jumped from under her feet and ran to JC, hopping about his ankles.
"Well," Maire laughed, "he certainly seems to like you!"
JC picked up the dog, who began to lick his face to the point that he couldn’t see.
"Maire’s moving to O-town..." Chris told JC while struggling with a writhing pug under each arm.
"Oh yeah? Going to college?" JC asked.
"No actually...I am starting my residency...its actually Dr. Maire Cartwright. I know I look young...its a curse now, but it will be a blessing someday I hope!"
"Wow! I feel dumb..." JC looked at her in admiration and amazement.
"Don’t, I do seminars in high schools and was almost given a detention earlier this year for being in the hall without a pass. Everyone thinks I am younger than I am...no big deal."
They laughed through their embarrassment and locked eyes, an awkward moment of blue meeting blue.
"Hey slow pokes! Time to get goin’!" A curly head peeked out of one of the buses and looked at JC, Chris and Maire. "Oh hey there, sorry but we have to go!"
"He’s right, we have to be at a photo shoot in 4 hours, and I would really like to get into town before that," JC told her, as Chris and the bodyguard, Dre, took the dogs back to the bus.
"Yeah I have to go too..." He handed her puppy over to her.
"Maybe I’ll see you around town...nice meeting you Doc." He extended his hand and she took it, shaking it as he slipped a card to her. He winked at her playfully then ran off to the bus.
Maire walked to her car and looked at the card. It was an e-mail address. HIS e-mail address. She was near fainting. He was attractive enough in magazines, but up close, he was phenomenal. She looked back to the buses and saw Justin and Chris each holding a pug, making them wave to her. She laughed and made Duncan wave back. No one was ever going to believe her. She settled into her car and took one last look at the buses. Joey and Lance were just stepping off their bus, rubbing sleep from their eyes. The whole experience was surreal. She honked the horn and waved as she sped off down the interstate.
Lance stepped off the bus, rubbing his eyes. He had been out cold on the bus and needed to get some fresh air for a bit. He stood on the steps of the bus and looked up, letting the warm Florida sun hit his face, inhaling the scent of the state. He looked up at the sound of the motor and saw a young woman driving off, waving. Just a glimpse of chestnut hair. Man, you are losing it. You need to get off the computer once in a while... He shook his head, it couldn’t be her. She wasn't moving until next week. Ugh, snap out of it! He looked to the grass and noticed that the puppies had escaped and the Three Amigos were chasing them and wrestling with them. He yelled to them, "C’mon guys! We gotta go!"
"Hello?! Earth to Mississippi!" Joey waved a hand before his friend’s face.
"Huh?" Lance shook off the daydream and focussed his eyes on Joey. He had no idea how long he had been sitting there, lost in space. He was turning her face over and over in his mind. He had stared at it so many nights, sitting alone in a hotel room talking to her on his laptop. He couldn’t shake the feeling he had gotten from the young girl at the rest stop. Having been on the bus since then, he hadn’t had a chance to ask Chris and JC about her. In reality he was terrified of finding out that it truly had been her. What would he do? Would he tell her, and pray to God that she believed him? Or would he hide his feelings, treat her like anyone else, and miss his opportunity?
"Who is she?" Joey smirked at him. The dreamy look on Lance’s face was too obvious to let the moment slide without comment.
"I don’t know what you are......how the hell do you know? How do you always know? It’s uncanny!" Lance laughed at the man in front of him. Lance was good at keeping secrets, but Joey always seemed to know what was going on. People wouldn’t know it, because Joe was quite the actor, but the image he presented to the world, the image of the woman chasing goof-ball, while somewhat true, was merely drop in the pool of his personallity. Joe was one of the best listeners Lance knew, and he knew he could trust him.
"It’s a bit obvious Romeo. So really, who is she?"
"Promise not to laugh?"
"Well, that all depends..." Joe saw the desperate look on Lance’s face and grew serious. "Yeah man, I swear, tell me."
Lance got up from the couch and grabbed a Coke from the fridge. "I really don’t know who she is. I met her online," he confessed, bracing himself for the laughter. When it never came, he turned to find his friend looking at him slack-jawed.
"You met her where? Online? As in on the computer? As in..." The look on Joey’s face changed from one of shock to one of amusement and he began to sing, "Digital digital getdown..." before nearly falling off the couch laughing.
Lance shook his head. "I know it sounds crazy, but I really like her. I can be myself with her, you know?"
Joey stopped laughing long enough to look at Lance. Seeing the serious look on Lance’s face he realized that this was not a joke. He hadn’t seen his friend this torn up about something in a while. "Tell me about her..."
"Well, her name is Marie...and she is a doctor..." Lance told him everything, about the chat rooms, the late night talks, his feelings for this woman he had never really met, and the fact that she was moving to Florida.
Joey didn’t pretend to understand. He wasn’t sure how Lance could fall for this woman he had never seen face to face, but it was quite obvious that he had indeed fallen...hard.
"Well man, I don’t get it, but if you like her you should meet with her."
"I can’t. We live in different worlds; it would never work out and I just can’t put either of us through the pain of another failed relationship. I won’t do it, Joey, I won’t."
Joey watched as his friend got up and went to the back of the bus, closing the door behind him. He hadn’t seen him this upset in a while. Only another hour to Orlando and then he would talk to the other guys, knowing that Lance wouldn’t get upset. They shared everything, and Joey couldn’t help Lance alone. He needed help from his brothers.
Lance hadn’t told Joey everything. He hadn’t told him that she was a fan. He wasn’t about to tell him that she sent a picture. That was for his eyes only for a while. Someday he may let his friend see the photo, but not now. He sat in his bunk for a long time and stared at it, memorizing the contours of her face. He wanted to be able to recognize her at 50 paces, should he ever run into her again. He laughed to himself, knowing she could probably recognize him at 100 paces. But she wouldn’t know he was the man she talked to every night. What will I do if I do see her? Will I introduce myself? Will I run up to her and profess my love? No, you chicken, he laughed at himself, you will watch her and then walk away. He shook his head because he knew that it was true.
When the buses pulled into the Jive lot, the guys unloaded their stuff and headed to their cars. The woman at the bus stop had been almost forgotten, by all but two people. Joey forgot to talk to the guys about Lance. Life was going on as if nothing happened. But for two men, both climbing into their respective vehicals with the same face in mind, something was definitely happening, they just weren’t sure what....
2 months later
"Man, C, you ok?"
JC tossed back the last of his water and looked at Justin, whose forehead was wrinkled with concern. "Yeah dude, its just a little cold. I’m fine."
"Sure, man, you have only gone through about 2 gallons of water and 3 boxes of tissues today. You sounded like shit earlier." Joey stared at him, not being mean, but stating the obvious. JC had hardly been able to hit a note all day, and with another round of promotional appearances coming up, he really couldn’t afford to be sick.
"Thanks, Joe, kick me while I’m down," JC whined, before launching into a coughing fit.
"Seriously C, you need to take care of your voice, we can’t have you out of commission with the next tour leg coming up," Lance said, bringing his friend another bottle of water.
"Yeah, maybe I should call Dr. Wallace. My ear had been bugging me too, it hurt like hell to put the monitor in."
"Call him JC," Justin warned. "If you get too sick we will have to give all of your solos to Chris."
Chris looked up at the mention of his name and began singing, "Over and over I fall....when I hear you call..."- about an octave higher than normal. He grinned widely at the look of shock on JC’s face.
"OK, I’ll go call now." JC left the room to call.
"That works every time," Chris said innocently, high-fiving Justin before they all collapsed in laugher.
The St. Anthony Orlando Medical Arts Center was amazing. Maire had been impressed with it when she came to interview, but knowing that this was where she worked was awesome. Medical school had not been easy for her. After a lifetime of breezing through school, she hit a brick wall of reality. But some unseen Hand kept guiding her, keeping her from dropping out. As she walked toward her new life, she thanked God for keeping her on track. The building was 5 stories, with a botanical garden on the roof and more gardens surrounding the site. Huge fountains flowed in the lobby and the tall windows let in the sun to warm the rooms. The atmosphere seemed more like a hotel than a doctor’s office, which was the intended effect. The warmth and peace of the surroundings helped to calm patients, and led to a better overall experience.
The technology here was state of the art and the support staff was huge. That was what she liked best. With a large staff, the doctors able to spend longer with patients. The 15 minute visit did not exist here. The splendor around her was likely due to the clientele of the practice. Although it wasn’t Hollywood or NYC, Orlando was home to its share of celebrities, as well as important businessmen and women. This practice had become known for its understanding of the special situation fame and fortune brought. The staff here was trained not to be star struck and to provide security, privacy and anonymity to celebrities and their families. These people in turn gave generously to the center’s clinic in town. The clinic was a free family clinic in one of the poorer areas of Orlando. Maire would work a dream schedule, 4 on/3 off, with one day a week spent at the clinic, and the rest at the center. She also planned to moonlight at the local hospital, since the cost of living was a bit higher here, and she could always use the extra cash.
"Dr. Cartwright? Hello, I’m Dr. Richard Wallace, the director here. It’s a pleasure to see you again." Maire was pulled from her daydream by the strong, friendly voice. She turned around, and would have sworn she saw Santa in a white coat coming toward her, hand extended. "I trust you have settled in?"
She shook his hand and smiled, "Yessir, I am very excited to get started."
"Well, good, because we have a busy day today. Dr. Hioto is out sick and Dr. Jamison is at a conference, so its just you, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Patel in Family Practice/Quick Care today." Dr. Wallace looked at her, seemingly concerned that she wouldn’t be able to handle the load.
Wow, these people are spoiled... she thought to herself. I did a clinic with just one other doc, and I was still a med student. "I’m sure we will be fine, sir," she told him, smiling.
"Alright, well, I will introduce you to the staff and let you get started. We normally don’t throw residents in the deep end like this, but we are swamped today." They walked through the offices, and he gave her a refresher tour and reemphasized the info she had been given last week at training. "The patients still have folders, which are backed up on the computer. The red folders are VIP patients, so we can notify staff without a big scene. Just remember your PR training, treat them like any other patient, but be aware of their special concerns."
The nurses were all great. Paolo was a pediatric nurse, a tall man with the most amazing smile. He could charm a kid in a second, and usually the mother too. Dianne was thin and bubbly and Maire knew they would be good friends. Margie was head nurse. She was a bit young to be a head nurse, but it seemed that the entire staff was young.
The other 2 doctors were men. Dr. Ryan Anderson was about 30, with chocolate skin, shaved head and a goatee. Immediately after their introduction he pulled out pictures of his children. He seemed like a wonderful doctor and father. Dr. Kieran Patel was breathtaking. His ethnic blend of Irish, Spanish and Indian gave him the most amazing look. He had grown up in Portugal, but moved to the States in his teens, so a slight accent remained. Everyone was wonderful, but intros had to be short. Apparently there had been some food poisoning in one of the theme parks and patients had been calling all morning.
So, she got right to work. She grabbed a stack of charts and looked over the complaints before starting the day. It looked like the morning would be spent with prenatal visits, immunizations, a few colds, a broken finger and of course, food poisoning. She had been started in the Quick Care Clinic to help her establish a patient base. She glanced up from her charts to head to Exam 3 and saw Paolo heading to the neighboring room, syringes in hand. She grimaced and waited for baby Emily to start wailing.
JC and Dre drove to St. Anthony’s Center and went to the supply entrance, or as they lovingly called it, "The red carpet." Even to go to the doctor, they had to sneak into the building. Dr. Wallace had been booked for 3 weeks, so he suggested that JC go to the Quick Care Clinic. That seemed fine, as the docs were just as good and just as aware of their need for privacy. The guys really appreciated this place, as did all area celebrities. They were constantly fighting colds and flu due to lack of sleep and overwork, so this center was a godsend. They did benefit performances for the free clinic and when they got a chance, the brought gifts to the small pediatric ward. Today JC was loaded down with a duffel full of Beanie Babies, stuffed toys and other small toys that always ended up on stage during their shows. He would drop these off after his appointment.
As he waited for the elevator, he smiled at a little girl who waited with her mother. She eyed him curiously. She continued to stare as the four stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed, he removed his sunglasses and winked at her. Her face bloomed in recognition and amazement. He reached into the duffel and pulled out a small teddy bear. "Here ya go, sweetie," he said softly as he handed it to her. She took the toy timidly and he laughed, a beautiful sound even though his voice was scratchy.
The elevator arrived at his floor and he stepped out, leaving the girl and her mother. As he walked past her, the little girl grabbed his hand and hurriedly said, "Thank you JC...I hope you feel better!" She let go of his hand, he stepped through the doors, turned and flashed a winning smile, blowing her a kiss and the doors closed. She smiled contentedly and snuggled with the bear from JC Chasez. Oh her friends would be jealous!
Maire came to her last chart of the day. It was a red one, her first. She hoped she would be OK. Her time in NYC had desensitized her to celebrity, but she was still in danger of being starstruck. She grabbed the chart from the door, not even looking at it. It had been a long day and she was hurrying through this last patient. She walked into the door and gasped. She quickly looked at the name on the chart. Joshua Chasez. Like you needed to read it, Mare. Jeez. He sat on the exam table, clad in a white undershirt and khakis, flipping through "Redbook."
"Anything interesting in there?" she asked jokingly.
He jumped and then blushed furiously. "I didn’t hear you come in," he spoke quietly, in pain.
Even sick he looks good. God!
"Hey, you’re Duncan’s mom!" He laughed when he recognized her.
She looked at him, utterly shocked, then laughed herself, "Yes! I can’t believe you remember me!"
"Of course I do, and you never emailed me." He eyed her confidently, trying to appear put out, but obviously gauging her reaction.
Oh my word, he was serious?!? "Oh, I’ve been so busy with moving in and starting here...sorry."
"No problem."
"So, Mr. Chasez..."
"JC, please," he interrupted.
"Alright...JC...what’s the problem today?"
"Well, I can’t seem to shake this cold. My throat is killing me and my ear hurts. I can’t sing right."
"OK, lemme take a look...open up and stick out your tongue...say AHHH. Yikes! That is a nasty case of strep throat you have. I mean, I’ll do a culture to be 100% sure, but it looks pretty textbook. Now, is the cold in your chest at all?"
"A little, my cough is kinda nasty."
"OK." She pulled on her stethoscope and listened as he breathed. Under her hands, she could feel every muscle of his back. She blushed when she realized that she was going to have to listen to his chest as well. She moved to his chest, feeling the hardness of the pectorals. "OK, that’s fine," she said quietly, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Let’s take a look at that ear."
"Alright, JC, do you have any performances in the next few weeks?"
"Well, yeah, we have a taping in NY and then one here at Disney. We fly to NY in 10 days."
"10 days, huh? Well, I don’t want to take any chances, then. I’ll give you a shot and then a prescription for Septra just in case."
At the word shot, the color drained from his face. The beautiful man before her became a nervous child. She was honestly waiting for him to scream and cry. Then she remembered. Of course, he is afraid of needles....Jeeze Maire, every fan worth her salt knows that.
"Hold on JC, I’ll be right back...don’t worry...I have a solution."
She returned a few minutes later to find JC sitting on the table chewing his fingers off. She smiled at this man who was on top of the world yet was so incredibly scared at this moment. He is only human... "OK, JC, this is what I will use." She held out a small device that looked to JC like it was from a Star Trek movie.
"What’s that?" he asked with a mixture of fear and curiosity, trying to keep his voice from shaking.
"This will give you an injection without a needle. It uses carbon dioxide gas pressure to push the medication through the skin into the muscle. Now it is gonna feel like I am pushing my thumb through your arm, and it will hurt like hell in the morning, but it this or the needle."
"That!"
"Ok. That’s what I thought. Now, just close your eyes and you can squeeze my arm if you need to." She felt bad saying that, like she was treating him like a child, but she thought the offer was valid.
"That’s OK, I’ll be fine," he whispered, obviously still wary. He screwed his face into the look she had seen on thousands of children and quite a few adults. She called it "the big boy look." The "I-swear-I-am-not-going-to-cry" look.
She grabbed his arm to inject the drug and had to calm herself. She had never felt such powerful arms. She sat for a moment, just holding it, then blushed when she noticed JC looking at her. She laughed, "Wish I had you in Med School, I could have learned surface anatomy a lot easier."
He gave her a half hearted grin and closed his eyes as she found the injection site. As she placed the device on his arm, she felt him tentatively reach for her arm. She allowed him to get a grip on her biceps and then pulled the trigger. The canister of gas emptied with a hiss and sent the antibiotic beneath the skin. He gasped at the feeling. It wasn’t pain exactly, just a strange pressure.
"There you go, all done."
"Really? Wow, that wasn’t so bad..." He rubbed his arm in amazement.
She smiled tenderly at this man-turned-child in her exam room. She handed him a prescription and then told him what he didn’t want to hear. "OK, JC. You are hereby on voice rest for at least 5 days. No singing, no yelling and no whispering. You can talk softly, but not too much. That will hopefully save your voice so you can be back in top form by your taping." She held up a hand to silence his protests. "Don’t even think of arguing with me on this one. You have an amazing voice and you are not going to screw it up by singing sick. If you do sing, you will eventually get nodes on your vocal cords, and could lose your voice permanently. I suggest 5 days. That will give you 5 days to rehearse before you tape. Now I want to see you before I release you to sing, to make sure the swelling has gone down. Will you follow orders? Or shall I call Mr. Wright and your friends to tell them to watch you?"
His look of dismay turned to confusion at the mention of his manager.
"Don’t look so shocked," she told him. "Chris told you I was a fan. How else would I have known not to use a needle?"
He smiled and spoke softly, his voice deeper than normal, "Can I talk like this?" When he spoke like that, his voice took on a sexiness that was almost too much to bear.
Oh God, please do! "Yes, don’t whisper though, it will strain your voice. Now, remember, absolutely no singing. Push fluids and sleep! Get better. I wouldn’t want to have to disappoint all those teenaged girls."
"I promise. Thanks Doc!"
"My pleasure, JC." Believe me!
"Hey!" he said as she opened the door to leave. "Since I never got an e-mail, maybe I’ll just get a phone number?"
"Nice one Romeo," she laughed, trying to hide her shock and excitement. "Alright, here, if you need anything or feel worse call me." She scribbled the number down on a prescription pad and gave it to him.
His blue eyes locked with hers...for the second time...and he flashed that dreamy smile.
"Thanks, I’ll call soon," he said, so softly that she could barely hear him.
She turned and left the room, made a beeline to her office and closed the door. She sat back and sighed, remembering those eyes and the feel of his arm. Whew. She shook off the daydream that was coming and started to transfer her chart information into the computer. What a first day. Oh yeah, I am definitely going to like this job.
JC couldn’t believe his boldness. He was not normally one to ask for phone numbers, that was Joey’s job. It wasn’t that he was shy - far from it - but he was one who just fell into having a date. He never really needed to ask for a number.
The surprised look on her face and her witty comeback when he had asked made him smile, but it also made him sad. She probably thought I was joking. She isn’t the type of woman the world expects to see on my arm. He instantly berated himself for such an arrogant thought. His last few dates had been models, little things who complemented his masculine physique. Trophy dates. As it turned out, he was the trophy. The women used him to get into the MTV awards, the Billboards, and the Grammys. They loved being on his arm, with cameras flashing away. But there was never substance to his relationships.
He had all but sworn off dating after his last breakup. But there was something about the kindness that Maire had shown him that made him want to see her. Not to mention her ease around him. And the way she carried herself was utterly sexy. He smiled as he sat in the car, rubbing his arm, complete with Scooby Doo bandage. He couldn’t wait to call.