A nurse knocked on the door before coming into the room.
“Oh, it’s a full house in here. Hello, everyone.” She moved around the room and over to Jake’s side, where she looked at his monitor and checked his vitals. Once she finished, she turned around to face everyone.
“I’m going to need you all to clear out for the night. This one needs his rest.”
The guys all came over and gave Jake a fist bump before leaving the room. Claire trailed last. She stepped up to the bed, and her eyes suddenly filled with tears.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Jake opened his arms and leaned forward. She sat on the side of the bed and leaned into him.
“This isn’t your fault.”
“You aren’t sleeping because of me,” she said so softly he almost didn’t hear her.
She was right. She was exactly the reason he wasn’t sleeping, but that didn’t make it her fault.
Claire lightly wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his neck.
He took the opportunity to turn his head and press a kiss to her temple. The nurse still stood beside the bed, but was looking down at his charts. Lonnie stood in the doorway, looking out into the hallway. He appreciated their attempts to give them some privacy, but knew they could hear everything they said.
“I’m not sleeping because ofmeand the grueling schedule. You cannot blame yourself for this. Promise me you will go back to your hotel room and put this behind you. I can’t have you worrying about me.”
She pulled back and wiped at her eyes before nodding. “I’ll try.”
He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek, and for the first time, she didn’t flinch. He smiled.
“Go. Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She nodded and stood up, giving his hand a squeeze before going to the door, where Lonnie waited.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Claire gave him a small smile before stepping out the door. Lonnie tipped his head, and Jake waved slightly before the door shut behind them.
The nurse smiled at Jake. “Well, let’s get you down for the night, shall we?”
Jake gave her a small smile before leaning back in his bed.
12
Seven days after Jake’s collapse, the tour picked up again. The shows that had been canceled were added on at the end of the tour, with more days between them to allow the guys to rest. Besides canceling shows, a few media events were canceled, too. Fans sent gifts in for the guys, several with get-well cards for Jake.
Celine checked in with the guys regularly, more than the once-a-week she originally told them. She hung around more often, but Jake thought it had more to do with the glances that were thrown between her and a certain best friend of his.
While Jake’s strength returned, he could see Claire’s diminishing. Celine, Ben, Will, and Lonnie paid special attention to Claire, but tried not to fuss over her when anyone else was around. Although, Jake noticed.
Everyone piled onto the bus to head toward their next destination. Celine got on their bus with them, since it would be only a few hours of driving to get there. It allowed her time to catch up with the guys individually. Lonnie also remained onboard with them.
Claire immediately went to her bed to nap. The rings around her eyes seemed to darken as the days passed. Lonnie took a seat in the front lounge with a book while the rest of the group went to the back lounge to play video games. Jake remained up front and waited for everyone to leave before sitting down in front of Lonnie and narrowing his eyes.
Lonnie rolled his eyes and leaned back. “Spit it out, kid.”
Jake tipped his head toward the bunks.
“What’s going on with Claire?”
