An Illicit Gentleman II

                                      Chapter Twenty-Eight

            “So what happened with the police?” Kevin asked when AJ sat down from showing the officers the door.

“They said they won’t charge me if I don’t charge him.” AJ sighed.  “Asshole should stay off my damn property.”

The room went quiet when there was a knock on the door and with a light moan AJ stood up and walked out of the living room.  When he arrived at the door he looked out the peep hole and saw Brian standing on the other side. 

“Fucking perfect.” He moaned as he unlocked the door and opened it.  “Hurry up.” AJ said as he motioned for Brian to come in as the people camping outside his house started again.  When he turned around he saw Brian staring at him.

“Married?” His friend said in a tone that was anything but celebratory.

“Yes Married and if you hadn’t notice from the pictures, my Mother was there so why the hell are you bitching about it.” AJ replied ready for the fight he knew was coming.  “And keep your damn voice down Eve’s trying to sleep.”

“Oh I am sooo sorry.” Brian replied as AJ walked past him. “And I have every right to bitch because it affects the group?”

“And how does Eve and I getting married effect the group?” AJ asked as he spun around, knowing Brian was about to bring up her dancing.  “Say it, I dare ya, I almost went to jail once today, I don’t mind trying again.” He barked at Brian angrily but kept his tone low. 

“Alright into your corners.” Kevin said as he gently pulled AJ back and into the living room.

“I’m just saying you didn’t think this through.” Brian spoke again when he walked into the living room.

“I didn’t think this through?!” AJ yelled.  “I didn’t think this through?” AJ said again quickly but lowering his voice, he really didn’t want Eve to wake up to this but knew there was no way around the confrontation.  “I had enough time in that fucking house to think this through.” AJ growled at him.  “While I was unconscious from them beating the fuck outta me, while I sat awake, tied up and alone with nothing but thoughts of marrying that woman upstairs, you have no damn idea what we went through!” AJ snapped as he swung his arm with anger in front of him.  “Just like you had no idea what she went through with Mats and Thomas or her Mother and Brother.”

“And you did.” Brian mumbled.

“Damn it Brian.” Kevin sighed knowing it was going to send AJ off the deep end.

“Yes I do.” AJ snapped back.  “I was the one that heard what happened in her voice when she called, lost, alone, terrified and god only knows what else, I was the one that found her at the phone booth and I was the one that kept her from fucking killing herself over everything one night, so don’t you stand there and judge her or me with your holier than thou fucking attitude!”

“Come on dude let’s go for a smoke.” Nick said as he started to pull AJ away.  AJ wanted to say more, AJ wanted to hit him but he let Nick pull him from the room and onto the back patio.

He sat there on the patio chair, his leg shaking as his foot tapped the ground.  The rage, emotion, and adrenaline ran through his body but each drag of his smoke eased it away.  It may kill you but there was nothing more relaxing than a cigarette, well nothing legal anyways.  He didn’t want a drink, drinking got him excited, made him feel good and he was hyped up enough.  All he wanted was peace, quiet, no questions, no pictures, no yelling, or fighting; he just wanted to be alone with his wife.

“What if you guys went away?” Nick said and AJ looked at him.

“They’d just follow.” He sighed.  “Besides we have that meeting with Jive in two days.”

“They’re loving this you know.” Nick told him.

“I know” AJ sighed again.  “I wish Kevin was going with us.”

“Me too, he always knew how to push their buttons.” Nick replied with a light smile and AJ returned it. “Well I just want to say I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks man.” He said. “I would have invited you, ya know.”

“I know I get it.” Nick replied.  “I can’t believe you got your Mom to go.”

“Me neither, but I think I have Tony to thank for that.” AJ told him.

“I wonder if their out in the mountains with their photoscopic lenses.” Nick asked as the two sat outside.  AJ raised both hands and raised his middle fingers.  “Nice” Nick replied laughing a little.

“What are you doing?” Kevin asked as he poked his head out the patio door.

“Saying hello to the assholes in the trees.” AJ replied with a smile.  “Is he gone?”

“That’s why I’m out here were going back to my place, he needs to cool off.” Kevin said rolling his eyes.  “Howie said he’s heading out too since Q has everything all set up for ya now.”

“Well then you get the hell out too.” AJ said looking at Nick.  “I need quiet time.”

“Fine” Nick said with a sigh standing up.

When everyone was out of his house he walked into the living room and plopped down onto the couch and listened to the nothing that surrounded him.  His head hurt from the fight with Brian and he just felt emotionally drained from the entire weekend.  The thought of everything that had happened, his mind finally catching up with all that was going on around him and it made the room spin.  The room spinning made his head pound even more so he decided to get up and go lie down with Eve.  When he stood up the room spun faster and it caused him to stumble forward, his hand reached out trying to stop himself and his hand touched something but it gave way.  Everything went dark as he heard things crashing around him and he felt the carpet beneath him.

Slowly his eyes fluttered opened, the strange images half blurred filled his eyes and the sounds of the room filled his ears.  The mumbles of people talking, the shuffling of people walking around and some weird annoying beeping noise.  Sluggishly he raised his arm to rub his eyes and he noticed something in his hand.  He looked down and saw an IV stuck into the back of his hand.

AJ looked around the room confused as he saw a large green curtain around him, monitors by his bed and Eve sleeping in the chair beside him.  Her legs were tucked under her, her head rested on her arm as it lied on the back of the chair.  He thought back to how he got here and he couldn’t really remember. He remembered the headache and he remembered going to bed, or did he go to bed.  Slowly he pulled the blankets off of himself and revealed the light cotton hospital gown he wore.  The sound of the plastic mattress under his sheets cracking was enough to pull Eve from her sleep.

“You need to lie back down.” She said still half asleep as she stood up.

“I’m ok” He told her as he put his hand on her arm.

“No you’re not, please lie back down.” She said and he looked at her confused.

“I’m not?” He replied confused.  “I feel ok.”

“You’re stressed out.” She told him as she started fussing over him.  “Do you remember passing out and almost pulling the glass shelf onto you?”

“No” He replied.

“Your blood pressure is through the roof and the doctor said you could have had a heart attack.” She said and he heard the fear in her voice but he didn’t believe it, he was almost thirty not sixty.

“How long have I been here?” He asked as he got back under the covers and she pulled them over him.

“A few hours.” She told him.  “I called your Mom, I told her I would call when you woke up and I called Kevin from the ambulance, he was here for a little bit.”

“Ok” He replied he was still blown away by the seriousness of everything.  “Are you ok?”  When she didn’t say anything he knew what that meant.

“Eve…” AJ was interrupted.

“Ah good Mr. Mclean you’re awake.” Said a Doctor as he pulled back the curtain and walked into AJ’s bed area.

“I’m going to go call your Mom.” Eve told him as the Doctor walked along his bed side.  He watched her walk behind the curtain and it worried him.

“How are you feeling?” The Doctor asked him as AJ looked at him.

“Tired, slight headache, either than that I feel fine.” AJ told him honestly.

“Does your chest hurt at all?” He asked.

“Nope” AJ replied shaking his head lightly.

“Ok” The Doctor replied as he put his stethoscope ear plugs into his ear.  AJ did all the things the Doctor told him to do as the cold metal piece was put to his chest, he breathed in, and out.  When the cold metal piece was put to his back he repeated everything, breathing in and out.  The Doctor took his blood pressure and told him it was much lower, at a safer level.  He then removed AJ’s IV and it sent him into boy mode as he looked away from the needle coming out.

“You need at least a couple of days of bed rest, nothing stressful for at least a week and your Doctor will call you with an appointment next week, for a check up.” He said as AJ sat on the bed and listened.  “I want you to understand the seriousness of this, just because you’re still young doesn’t mean anything, put your heart under enough stress and it will still break.”

“I understand” AJ nodded and he thought about how he could go stress free for a week when his stress was at home.

“Alright I’ll fill out the papers and then you can go the nurse will bring you a wheel chair and help you out.” The Doctor said before he left AJ’s room.

He saw his clothes sitting on a table and crawled out of the bed.  Grabbing them he began to dress himself getting ready to go home.  By the time Eve got back he was dressed and sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Did you talk to the Doctor?” AJ asked her.

“No” She replied as she sat down beside him.

“He said I can go but I need to take it easy for a couple of days and stay away from stress for at least a week.” He told her as he took her hand.

“And how are we going to do that?” She asked with a worried look on her face.

“I’ll be ok at home.” AJ said and he lightly squeezed her hand in reassurance.  “We’ll just hunker down and considering what happened, I’m sure Kevin won’t mind doing things for us. We can make him our bitch.” AJ joked and it brought a smile to her face, which made him smile and feel ten times better.  “I’ll be fine, I got myself too worked up over it but I hope I didn’t scare you to much.”

“I just didn’t know what was going on, the crashing woke me up and then when I got to the living room and saw you on the floor…” She stopped.

“I’m sorry.” He frowned and pulled her into a hug. 

“It’s ok, I’m just glad you’re alright now.” She replied as her hands slid around his back.