A Face in the Crowd Page 13

  “Hey, how’d you sleep?”

  “Okay, while it lasted. I can’t wait to get back to my own bed. I don’t even remember what it’s like to sleep for a whole night uninterrupted.”

  “I second that,” Oliver added from his place in the chair where he’d been dosing a moment earlier.

  “Yeah, that’s a misguided preconception people have about the hospital. People always think they’re going to get rest here, but this is not where you come to rest, this is where you come to get better. If we let people sleep when they wanted, they’d never get the drugs when they’re supposed to. It would be counterproductive.”

  “Are you always so smart?”

  “Hardly. I’m not the doctor.”

  “I see you way more than I see him, so in my mind, you’re the smart one doing all the work.”

  “I’m beginning to like you more and more, Bailey Honeycutt.”

  “Back at ya, Lexie.” Bailey laid his head back on his pillows, his eyes immediately heavy.

  “Try to get some more rest.”

  Bailey nodded, but didn’t re-open his eyes.

  “So,” she said to Oliver in a quiet voice when light snores started from Bailey’s direction, “did you remember any fun stories you want to share with me? The least you can do is entertain me since it’s supposed to be my day off.”

  Oliver smiled and leaned forward, his gown crinkling as he moved to rest his elbows on his knees. “There are lots of stories. What kind do you want? More wild girl stories? Craziest crowd? Best city? What kind of entertainment are you in the mood for, Miss Lexie? We here from Survival of the Fittest aim to please.”

  “Well, since we have all day, you can decide. Whatever you feel like talking about.”

  “How about I give you a little taste of each?” He rested his chin on one of his gloved hands and even with the mask slightly muffling his voice, it was rich and one she could listen to for hours.

  “So, check this out. One time a fan sent me a breast implant.”

  “Gross,” Lexie scrunched up her nose.

  “I know it really was. I mean, what was I supposed to do with it?”

  She shook her head, appalled but intrigued. His life was so different than hers and crazier than she could comprehend.

  “Best city to party, other than the obvious Las Vegas, was Argentina. Those folks are wild. We danced all night in the middle of some street and there were goats wandering around in the middle of it. Leo was wearing some sort of crazy ass hat and some of the locals even got David to dance, which I never would’ve thought possible.”

  “I’ve never been to South America.”

  “You have to go sometime. It’s a culture unlike any other.”

  Lexie found Oliver’s enthusiasm contagious. What would it be like to travel the world? Eat exotic foods and dance in the streets. She couldn’t help but wonder. She’d never been out of the United States. “What other places have you loved visiting? Europe? Asia? Australia?”

  “New Zealand is one of the prettiest, Singapore was fascinating, but one of my personal favorites is Ireland. We found this little pub after a show one night and we hung out. People either didn’t know who we were or didn’t care. There was a little local band playing and it just felt right being there. It felt comfortable. The following day, we visited several old castles and battlefields, which Bailey loved. He’s a total history nut. I’d love to go back.”

  “You’ll get there. You guys tour all the time.”

  “We do, but every time it’s like there’re more concert dates being crammed into an even shorter amount of time. There’s no time to explore the city. Half the time we don’t even know what city we’re in we’re so jet-lagged.”

  “That sounds exhausting.”

  “It is and it’s just another reason we want to have more control over own career.”

  She fiddled with her gown, smoothing the wrinkles to pass the time. “I’ve never been to Ireland either, but I would love to go. There’s something about the pictures, all the rolling hills and the history. It seems fascinating.”

  Oliver hooked a finger under Lexie’s chin, forcing her to look at him. “Your eyes remind me of Ireland.”

  “What a line,” Lexie rolled her eyes, but her face heated anyway. For once, she was thankful for the mask covering her cheeks.

  “I know how it sounds, but it’s true. They’re so green. Like the fields you were talking about.” He reached for her face, his thumb slowly caressing her cheek over the mask. He stared into her eyes with an intensity like she’d never known, like he was trying to see what lay behind them. “They’re beautiful.”

  She sat frozen, afraid to break the moment. No man had ever looked at her the way Oliver was.

  “Thank you,” her words sounded breathless. Never in a million years would she have believed Oliver would refer to her as beautiful, but then again he hadn’t. Not exactly, he’d said her eyes were beautiful.

  Bailey grunted in his sleep and Lexie shot to her feet. She’d almost forgotten he was there. She checked his lines and searched his face, but he continued to sleep.

  “His lips are chapped from the meds and he needs some fresh water. I’ll be right back.” She stepped out into the hall and reminded herself to breathe. As she’d feared, she was letting her emotions get involved. She’d liked Oliver’s compliment too much.

  When she reentered the room and set the water on the table, Oliver smiled at her. She couldn’t make out his mouth, but his eyes were crinkled in the corners the way they always did when he smiled. “Always taking care of us.”

  “It’s what I do.”

  “I know it’s not all you do.” He leaned back and rested his ankle on his opposite knee. “Tell me a little about you. I feel like I hardly know anything other than who you are inside these walls and I want to know more. I want to know everything.

  Chapter 12

  Lexie bit her bottom lip as she tried to discern an answer. What could she possibly say that this man, who travelled the world and had tens of thousands of fans screaming his name, would find interesting? “There isn’t much to know.”

  When he remained quiet, waiting for her to elaborate, her hands began to sweat inside her gloves. “I don’t know what you want to know about me. I’m from Georgia. I’ve lived here my whole life. I went to college in my hometown. I became a nurse and that’s about it.”

  “You have no imagination.” He leaned back and folded his arms behind his head, the slight smirk giving away his pleasure in putting her on the spot. “Try again.”

  Lexie shrugged her shoulders. “I like to go to concerts.”

  “It’s a start, but I already knew that.” He held his hand out to the side, “And, again.”

  “Wow, how did this get turned around on me? I thought you were the entertainer here?”

  “Nice try at deflecting.”

  “Thanks, I thought so, too.” She sighed and then the glimmer of an idea presented itself. If she was going to endure this particular line of questioning, she could at least have a little fun with him. “Okay, I’ll tell you something only a few people know.” She leaned in close so she could whisper. “I have a tattoo right here.” She tapped her hipbone twice with slow deliberate movements. When his eyes followed her finger and lingered, she smirked.

  “Well, what is it?”

  “I guess you’ll never know,” she winked and rose back to her full height, measly as it was.

  “That’s wrong. You can’t tease a man like that.”

  She laughed, “Sure I can.”

  “Okay, you want to play hardball?” he narrowed his eyes. “I’ve got a question for you. What is it you really want? You know, out of life. What is the one thing you really want to do and don’t say being a nurse. This is a job, not a dream.”


  His question caught her off guard. No one had asked her that before. No one had ever cared enough. Especially not the mother too caught up in her own search for the perfect man or her absentee father. She let her thoughts drift to the dreams she only visited at night when she was feeling wistful. The ones always out of reach, but the ones she longed for just the same.

  “Oh gosh there are lots of things I want to do. It’s hard to narrow it down.”

  “Skydiving?” he suggested helpfully.

  “I’ve already done that.” His eyes widened in disbelief. “No, really, I have. I have the video to prove it.”

  “Lexie, you never stop surprising me.”

  She smiled, unsure why his comment pleased her so much.

  “So, to recap, you have at least one tattoo,” he let his gaze drift toward her hip and blew out a breath, “and you like adventure. Hmm, what else makes up this complicated woman before me?” He tapped a finger to his chin. “What is it you want for the long haul? Do you want a husband? Kids?”

  “Maybe someday,” she turned away from him and before she changed her mind, told him her greatest wish. “My dream is to travel the world.”

  When she turned around, their eyes met and Oliver nodded his approval. “That’s a good one. There are a lot of cool places to see.”

  “And, I want to see them all. I want to go to Ireland and see the old castles. I want to go to Australia and see the Great Barrier Reef. I want to cage dive with sharks and see the Great Wall of China.” Unleashed, the deepest longings of her heart spilled out, but she wasn’t embarrassed. Not in front of Oliver, because much the same way as several times since meeting him, the invisible connection was once again there between them. Whatever linked the two of them was fragile, but at the same time almost tangible like a guitar string pulled taught.

  “Sounds like you’ve put some thought into it.”

  “It’s hard not to when you work in a place like this. I see people all the time who die too young. Those people will never get to do everything they wanted to do.” Her gaze drifted to the window and fixated on the clouds floating by. “We never seem to realize how short life can be until it’s too late to do anything about it.”

  “So, why don’t you go? Just pick up and go everywhere you want to go and do everything you want to do. Surely, you make pretty decent money in nursing. Or, at least you should.”

  “I think about it all the time.”

  He leaned forward from his place in the chair. “What are you waiting for? Wait, don’t tell me you’re waiting for Mr. Right so you can do it together?”

  Lexie’s shoulders tensed. “I need to go by the nurse’s station.”

  “Wait, Lexie,” he stood and held out a hand, “I’m sorry if I said something—”

  “No, it’s fine. I need to check on your brother’s labs.” And, just like that, the string of understanding between them snapped.

  Oliver crossed the room ready to go after her, but at the same moment Lexie went out the door, his mom returned. She looked refreshed and much happier than she had that morning.

  Cathy waited for the door to close behind her and turned her disapproving eyes him, the same icy look he’d received as a kid. “She seemed upset. Oliver, what did you say to her?”

  “Nothing intentional I assure you.”

  “Oh, Oliver,” Cathy collapsed into the chair by Bailey’s bedside.

  “Mom, everything’s fine. Just let it go.” Even as he said the words he wasn’t entirely sure they were true. In trying to get to know Lexie better, which he desperately wanted to do, he’d crossed some sort invisible line and exposed a nerve. The small amount of progress he’d made went up in smoke with a few words.

  He took the chair opposite his mother’s and stared at the ceiling while his mom chatted about a contest the label wanted to do. The label. Their upcoming battle for independence was important, but he couldn’t think about it when his mind was wrapped up in Lexie.

  “Leo’s coming back into town tomorrow.”

  Oliver nodded. That was at least some good news. He wanted to run a few new songs by him. Normally, he didn’t write songs on his own, but the words were flowing out of him. He chalked it up to all the alone time and newfound life experiences.

  He reached up and rubbed his hand over his smooth head, the sensation still strange. He had yet to break the habit of trying to tuck his hair behind his ear, a habit he’d had since high school.

  Bailey stirred and they both turned to study him. Between the lack of sleep and the events of the night before, Oliver was on edge. The muscles in his shoulders were stiff after the stress and restless night in the chair. His brother’s lips were cracked and his skin dry, which Lexie explained were a side effect of the drugs, but it didn’t lessen the impact of seeing his brother so weak. It was starting to seem as though the drugs were worse than the cancer.

  Staying positive was easier when he didn’t look at his brother or his heartbroken mother as she sat beside his bed. The hair loss was one thing, but he also seemed to be losing weight and he didn’t need to. Bailey had always been trim and muscular, but now he looked the way he was, sick. He barely recognized the man in the bed. The man he’d been only a few weeks before.

  Oliver tried to push his negative thoughts away, but he couldn’t. “Mom, could you pass me my guitar?”

  There had always been one thing in his life that enabled him to channel and deal with his feelings. He definitely wasn’t good at discussing them. Enough girls had pointed that out to him over the years.

  He strummed his fingers over the familiar strings and smiled. Lexie had been right about that, too. She’d told Bailey to use this time to work. She always seemed to know the right thing to say or do. How was it she’d become so important to him, to his family, in such a short time? It had only been a matter of weeks since they’d met and yet, when his brother had struggled to breathe the night before, she was the first one he’d thought to call.

  She was also beautiful. Not in the same obvious way as the models he’d dated in the past, but in her own way. It was more than just her face and her body. Everything about her was different than other’s he’d dated. Lexie was real. There was a depth to her he couldn’t reach, but he knew he wanted to keep trying.

  Back when the band had first taken off, the amount of female attention had been intoxicating. Every night there would be girls hanging out backstage and fawning over all of them. He was aware his ego had taken on a life of its own for a few years. Every night there had been someone different. Some girl he met, took to bed, and sent home with a peck and thanks-for-a-fun-night speech. He remembered the first morning he woke up and couldn’t remember the girl’s name who was lying beside him. Her hair had been sprawled across his hotel room pillow and she had black smudges of makeup under her eyes. He had looked over at her and realized she was a complete stranger.

  The realization hit him like an iron fist to the stomach. He was delving farther and farther into the lifestyle and slacking where the music was concerned. He changed things gradually after that, focused more on the music and less on the perks which came with it. He didn’t turn into a monk by any means, but he limited his dalliances with groupies after that. He tried to stick with girls who he might actually date, even if most of the relationships were short lived.

  He strummed a few chords on the guitar and found his mind wandering back to Lexie. Her face stayed with him even when he was sleeping. He wouldn’t have forgotten her name. He couldn’t if he tried.

  Dr. Milo, his usual crease in place, stopped in front of Lexie. “How’s Mr. Honeycutt doing?”

  He really was worried about a lawsuit. “Better now than he was this morning. Have you gotten his latest test results back?”

  “Not yet, but I’ll be by to see him as soon as I get them.” Not one for small talk, the wor
ds were barely out of his mouth before he continued down the hall.

  “Hey, Lexie,” Laura called causing Lexie to turn around, “wait up. I found out something about the patient I was telling you about, you know, Dorothy?”

  “Yes, I remember,” Lexie straightened, more than a little interested in her friend’s findings.

  “It turns out she’s not my patient today because she’s in the ICU. She was moved there last night. I thought she’d been discharged.”

  Lexie’s adrenaline spiked as the implications of Laura’s news set in. “Thanks for letting me know. I’d planned to check her file next. This is . . . thanks.”

  “No problem. I figured you were looking into it, but after you came to see me I had to look for myself. Something’s off isn’t it?”

  “I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know.” Lexie waved a hand over her head as she hurried to the nurse’s station and pulled up Dorothy’s file. As she read through the latest notes she did a double take. Dorothy had been rushed to the ICU when her fever had escalated and it was discovered she had a MRSA infection.

  What were the odds Dorothy and Oliver had each been infected? Lexie pulled her chair closer to the screen, pulled up Bailey’s file, and reread the notes from the night before. Halfway through her reading, she remembered what Laura said about Ashley taking blood for her. Ashley had taken blood from Bailey and Dorothy. It could be she had mixed up the vials, but there was no way to know for sure until Bailey’s test results came back. What if Bailey didn’t have an infection at all?

  Lexie strode back down the hall to his room and had the pleasure of listening to him play the guitar as she suited up to go in. “How’s it going in here?”

  “Oh, you know me, just working on the next number one for the band.” Bailey grinned. Some of his energy had returned. “Oliver did the best he could, but now it’s time for the expert to take over.”