Saving Motley Crue

Chapter Fourteen- A New Hope

The picture doesn't really have much to do with the storyline, but it's just so frickin' adorable.

For the rest of the night, nothing much else eventful happened, with Tommy and I just scarfing down our food without more than two words to Mr. Collins and then going right to sleep with our clothes still on because we were so exhausted. For the record, I slept on the bed and Tommy got an armchair in the corner of the room- I could see how hesitant he was to give up the bed, and I felt halfway sorry.

When my eyes flickered open to morning light streaming through the window, I was puzzled because it had been one of those times when you're so tired that the night passes like you've blacked out and it seems you wake up only a second later.

Remembering where I was, adrenaline flooded through my limbs that made me spring out of bed and step over a soundly sleeping Tommy, who had somehow found it more comfortable at some point in the night to sleep on the floor then in the chair.

I brushed some fingers through my hair and splashed some cold water on my face before slipping downstairs past Nikki and into the kitchen. I paused for a moment when I caught sight of Mr. Collins leaning over the stove, and I debated just going back upstairs; but when I saw the coffee he was brewing, I drew a steeling breath and sat down at the table. He turned to look at me, seeming a little surprised, but pleasantly so, and said at half volume so as not to wake Nikki, "Good morning. How did you sleep last night?"

"Oh, great. Better than the rock the boys had for a bed back in their apartment."

He laughed and offered me a mug of coffee, which I more than eagerly accepted. It was a moment before Mr. Collins spoke again, "For some reason I pegged you all as night people. Most young adults usually are."

"They are. Night owls to the extreme. But my dad always had me wake up early when I was growing up, and I guess it just kind of stuck because of how much I could do while everyone else was sleeping!"

"Your father sounds like a very wise man."

"He is." Mr. Collins nodded slowly as he sat beside me, steam furling from his coffee before it faded from sight. "Can I ask what you're trying to do? Why you're here?"

I gazed down at the table pensively, brows furrowed as I tried to decide what to tell him of the truth. "Well . . . I guess I'm here because I need a place outside of the city for Tommy and Nikki to . . . clear their minds."

"This would be the place." He smiled at me with eyes that crinkled at the corners in such a way that for a moment I felt like I wasn't so alone . . . like I was at home with my dad again.

"But can I make a suggestion?"

"Of course! I need all I can get."

"I'm sure you've experienced this in your own life, but one's mind tends to clear more quickly when awake in the morning hours."

"Right! I totally forgot about that!" I almost facepalmed; my mind was everywhere with all the chaos and change. "Thanks!" I called out over my shoulder as I ran out of the kitchen and back upstairs to the bedroom.

Tommy was stretched out on the floor so that his shirt was riding high up on his back, and as I bent down to wake him, I caught sight of a spot near his hip that most people would have pegged as a mole, but that I knew with a sinking feeling was an electrical prod scar.

With a renewed dedication to get Tommy to heal and break away from the darkness, I gently tugged his shirt back down to cover him and then pushed his shoulder. He didn't open his eyes, but a hand lifted halfheartedly to bat my hand away. I suppressed a grin, and kicked his leg gently with my bare foot.

He finally sighed aloud and cracked open his eyes a centimeter. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"What time is it?" His voice was little more than a croak, heavy with sleep, and I shook my head in amusement, "7 o'clock."

"At night?"

"No, stupid! In the morning! Now get up!" I pulled on his arm, and he shook his head, putting his free arm over his eyes. "Hey, come on, you can't sleep forever! You got 9 hours of sleep last night!" I poked his shoulder again, and he finally groaned in defeat, "Fine, I'll get up, but just to get you off my back."

Content, I turned to leave, but at the last moment, I grabbed the pillow from under his head. "You'd better be downstairs in five minutes- don't go back to sleep, Tommy!"