That Blue Gibson

CH 78

The weeks had simultaneously flown and dragged by for Liz as she spent her time between the house on Cavendish and Abbey Road, waiting for the next appointment with her doctors, hoping that the next one would be the one in which she was told she could go home.

"Good morning, Elizabeth!" her nurse said cheerfully.

Liz smiled back, trying not to read too much into her sunny disposition so early in the morning. Maybe today was the day? Why else would she be so excited?

"Brian finally proposed," she gushed, holding her hand out so Liz could see her ring.

Oh. "That's so exciting!" Liz hoped she didn't sound as disingenuous as she felt. Had she really been in London so long that even her nurses were divulging personal information? "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," she blushed. "Feels so good to finally get him nailed down!"

Liz grinned and nodded, but internally recoiled a little at the age-old notion of "trapping" someone in marriage. Kyle had always joked about that, calling Liz his ball and chain and making her feel like an incredible burden when all she had asked of him was to love her. She dwelled on the thought as the nurse left her alone in the exam room and wondered why people even got married anymore. The idea seemed foreign and bitter, almost creepy in its long-reaching aspect of getting the government involved in one's love life. Because of that, marriage had even been written into the contract with her new management company making her legally obligated to inform the company of an impending marriage so they could make the necessary adjustments to her taxes and investment portfolio or risk being unceremoniously dropped like the spontaneous simpleton that she obviously was.

Her doctor walked into the room, breaking her from her thoughts as he pulled the wheeled stool close to her side.

"Liz!" he said cheerfully as always and wasted no time in getting right down to it. "It's been such a pleasure knowing you and this case has been, well don't take this the wrong way, but it's been a really interesting one to work on..."

She stared at him, barely registering his words before interrupting him. "Wait... are you saying...?"

He nodded and flipped her chart closed once he finished his signature. "You're free to go!"

She jumped off the table and hugged him before impatiently sitting through his post-care instructions and recommended physicians in LA. The moment he opened the exam room door, she was off like a shot, tearing her phone from her jacket.

"Andy? I get to go home."

*

Dave stood with the rest of the band just behind the stage while they waited for their cue. They were still laughing at something Chris had said, which was the exact mood Dave wanted everyone to be in before they performed in front of 35,000 people. The actor that was introducing them was clearly wasted and Dave could only understand every other word of French he was spewing into the Belgian crowd. He kept his eyes firmly on Gus, who was standing a few feet away where he could see the stage and bounced a little, ready to run onto the black riser beside them.

A flash of auburn hair caught his attention and he looked, as he always did, even though he knew it was Josie. Every night he would see her at the soundboard and for a split second his heart would jump thinking it was Liz, just like the night months ago at The Roxy. The second week when they were in Germany he almost asked her to stand where he couldn't see her because it was too hard knowing Liz was so far away. Tonight wouldn't be any different apparently. He had one more show and then four days off, which by some divine intervention was centered on Liz's birthday.

Gus gave the cue and Dave raced on to the stage, screaming into the mic and blasting the first song that would blend into several more resulting in almost an hour of continuous playing. There was nothing in the world that could give him a high like playing in front of thousands of people that were screaming back at him. Damaging their eardrums, he thought as Liz had so eloquently put it. Knowing he would get to talk to her after the gig, he shoved all thoughts of her aside and focused on ruining the hearing of 35,000 people.