Poison Rose (Sequel to "Good Love")

Four

The Morn after winding up in the hospital again for yet another surgery, Bobby woke to a cramp about as mild as the cramps he'd suffered the Day previous'd started out. He managed not to grunt or groan in pain as he cracked open his eyes, Silently praying to whatever Deities'd listen that he wasn't already having a recurrence of the intestinal blockage he'd been diagnosed with. Course, he still wasn't able to avoid waking his wife, who seemed to be more in tune with him and anything he did than most wives were with their husbands. In fact, he hadn't even managed to squirm into a comfier position before her eyes were flying open and locking onto him.

        Glad to see her husband awake, Aerin was quick to make sure they didn't wake the other man sleeping on the other side of his bed. Duff'd stayed up late with her, despite having given his all at the GN'R show the Night previous on top of his band's meet-and-greet after that. He hadn't been obligated to do anything beyond said meet-and-greet, but he'd still done it, and it was greatly appreciated by the other couple.

        Noting the look on the older bassist's face, she was quick to reach over and hit the Call button on his bed rail, already having an idea of what was wrong. She wouldn't have been surprised to find out that he'd to make a bathroom trip by now, and that couldn't possibly feel good with even a small, stitched hole in his large intestine. As it turned out, she was right in that assumption–he just hadn't wanted to admit it aloud when Duff coulda woken at any moment, or already been awake.

        Being helped up and outta bed by the pair of nurses that came in put an End to the younger bassist getting some rest pretty quick. He started with the first pained groan that met his ears, but was almost even quicker in surprising them yet again with his Selflessness. Even Aerin couldn't help looking surprised when he moved to help her husband to his feet, considering that he was taller and stronger than the women who'd answered her page. Still, they were all thankful that he'd jumped in to help with that part and letting him use him as a human crutch, even though one of the nurses still moved with them to make sure Bobby didn't fall or otherwise hurt himself by accident.

        "Just hit the Call button on the wall once you're done and ready to go back to bed," the nurse told him once he was settled on the toilet.

        "Or if I need help before then, 'cuz something goes wrong," he chuckled, gently shooing them off for privacy's sake.

        "That, too, but let's hope that's not the case," she laughed.

        "Thanks again, Duff," his wife said once they'd left him in Peace. "Ya didn't have to even come with us, let alone everything you've done since."

        "How many Times do I've to tell ya that I don't mind?" Duff asked with a chuckle. "I won't say Bobby's my best friend by any means, but I still consider him a friend."

        "I'm sure he does, too," she told him. "Even if he didn't before all this, despite thirty-plus Years in the same industry, he'd be crazy not to now."

        "Well, we're both pretty crazy," the younger bassist retorted, grinning. "I mean, look at the industry we choseta go into for our careers."

        "Oh, ya don't have to tell me twice," Aerin laughed. "I've always said that no rocker's entirely sane, or they'd never chooseta make a career outta Music."

        "No shit, and both those things combined can make normal parts of Life–like relationships–so much harder," he mused. "It takes a special person to be able to put up with this kinda Insanity, not to mention not getting to see us a lotta the Time, if we don't quit our bands like he did."

        "Well, it wasn't that he really wanted to in the sense of being tired of it," the young woman Revealed.

        "I kinda wanna ask, but at the same Time, I don't wanna pry," Duff told her.