HER

Chapter 30

Catherine left Marco's early that evening with Gina taking over their shifts. She went home to get ready for her opening night at The Fin and ran into Nina.

"You're leaving already?" Nina stopped on her way up the stairs when she spotted Catherine coming down.

"Yea." Catherine smiled. "I want to be in time to see the other performers."

"Oh." Nina said. "I'm really sorry I wouldn't be able to make it."

Catherine touched her shoulder.
"It's fine Nina, I understand."

Nina smiled back and nodded.
"Break a leg."

"Thanks." Catherine smiled before she walked past her, down the stairs and out the front door.

Nina watched her step out of the house and made her way up to her room.

Kaylie made her way down the hall of the eleventh floor in search of room number forty-three. She stopped in her tracks when she came in front of the room then reached for the knob and pushed the door open. Her gaze went straight to the bed and her breath caught when she found Lily lying there.

"Hey." Kaylie shifted her gaze when Dana called her.

"Hey." Kaylie gave her a small smile as she stepped inside the room and shut the door behind her. "How are you?"

Dana hugged her as she walked in.
"I'm ok. You?"

Kaylie nodded.
"Anything?" She looked to Lily.

Dana looked at Lily too.
"Nothing. She sighed. "Doctor Miller said she should be out of it soon with everything they've given to flush her system."

Kaylie sighed.
"You should go home; you've been here all day."

"I can't." Dana shook her head.

"You need to rest Dana, I'll stay."

"I can't leave." Dana looked at her, tears in her eyes. "I won't be able to relax; I need to be here."

Kaylie nodded and lifted the duffel bag.
"I had a feeling you'd say that. So, I packed a bag; I brought some clothes for you and some essentials."

Dana smiled and looked inside the bag.
"That's a lot of clothes."

"For both of us, not really."

Dana looked up at her.
"You're staying?"

Kaylie nodded.
"Lily might have been out of the apartment more than she was in it but when she was in, she was amazing and I got to know a little bit of who she really was." She said. "I want to be here for both of you."

Dana smiled and hugged her.

"You know, I saw Alex today." Dana let go of her, a smile on her face.

"And?"

"Well, he mentioned the whole Sebastian situation and..."

"And...?" Dana chided.

"He kind of, sort of wants us to date."

"Oh, that's the best news I've heard."

Kaylie frowned at her.
"You need to get a new life."

Dana smiled.
"Work in progress in that aspect." She said.

Kaylie studied her for a moment before a thought crossed her mind.
"Isn't Cheryl supposed to be here with you?"

Lily's smile fell and Kaylie felt her chest tighten.
"What happened?"

"Cheryl and Lily were brought in together but she didn't make it to the hospital."

"What?" Kaylie asked breathlessly.

Lily released a breath.
"She's...gone."

Kaylie's mouth was left hanging open.
"Oh my goodness. Lily's..." She swallowed.

Dana nodded.
"Devastated."

"I hope she doesn't..." Kaylie stopped and looked at Dana.

"Me too." Dana said.

They both hoped Lily wouldn't drown herself in her old ways.

They looked away from each other and at the topic of their conversation lying still on the bed.

Catherine smiled throughout every single artist's performance. When her turn came, she sighed.

"An amazing new artist performing tonight at The Fin, presenting Catherine Summers." Frank – one of the Fin brothers introduced her to the stage and she walked on with her guitar as the crowd welcomed her with a round of applause.

She smiled at Frank.

"I'd say Goodluck but you don't need it." Frank smiled at her before he walked off stage and left her with the band to back up her play.

"Hi." She said into the microphone. "So, I got back from LA over a week ago, I met someone there and I had to leave him behind. So, this song is for him...even if he wouldn't get the chance to hear it."

Catherine pressed her fingers on the first chord and strummed and few seconds into the strumming she began singing:

"Like a childhood room when you're home for a long weekend
Everything's the same but it all feels different

I remember when I used to
Know that I was safe next to you
Now I'm standing in the same place
And I don't feel anything at all

'Cause letting go of you feels like I'm letting go of me
Without you here I won't know who I am or who to be
If I walk away I'm scared I'll never see you again
But I'm fighting for a memory, I'm starting to forget
'Cause the thought of losing you is sinking in

You were the ground that I used to stand on
Now the familiar's gone and I'm trying to hold on

I've been trying to resist it
Tryna keep it at a distance, oh
But I'm standing in the same place
And I don't feel anything at all

'Cause letting go of you feels like I'm letting go of me
Without you here I won't know who I am or who to be
If I walk away I'm scared I'll never see you again
But I'm fighting for a memory I'm starting to forget
'Cause the thought of losing you is sinking in

Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here
Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here

Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here
Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here, Don't leave me here

'Cause letting go of you feels like I'm letting go of me
Without you here I won't know who I am or who to be
If I walk away I'm scared I'll never see you again
But I'm fighting for a memory, I'm starting to forget
'Cause the thought of losing you is sinking in"

She strummed the last chord and before she even had time to inhale, she got a standing ovation in the packed bar with people standing at the back smiling and clapping then she froze.

"Mum?" She called smiling.

Gina smiled at her daughter from across the crowded bar with Nina by her side. She hadn't heard her daughter sing since she left for LA, she couldn't give up on the chance to hear her sing and especially on her first night.

"She's...amazing." Nina said with a smile beside Gina.

"She is." Gina said.

Although Gina loved the performance but she wondered who this guy was. This man that had her daughter's heart. She just hoped he deserved it because her girl deserved the best.