You Love Somebody

1 (Anna)

Anna sat on the curb in front of the stadium. Feathers in all colours of the rainbow circulated around her, dancing on the mild, summer breeze. Her ears were still ringing, even though she had been wearing ear plugs especially designed to protect her ears from the loud music and the screams. In the distance the crowd of young women in mini-skirts, feather boas and pink cowboy hats were moving away from the stadium, bringing the noise with them. What had been an intense cluster of voices singing and screaming in unison, was just a hum left in Anna's ears. Temporary tinnitus that would fade within hours, luckily.

Rainbow flags had been raised all over the crowd and signs with proclamations of love and admiration were held high. Now both flags and signs were left behind on the ground, covered with muddy footprints and feathers.

"You good?" A stage crew member passed by and stopped to look at her for a moment.

Anna nodded. Her ears were ringing so loudly, she couldn't stand the sound of her own voice, so she stuck her thumb in the air, and smiled at the crew member. That seemed a satisfactory reaction to him.

The crew were packing up instruments and equipment. Within the next eight hours the entire stage would be down and on its way to a new location somewhere in a new state, where it would be reassembled. The following night they would do all of this one more time. And that was just the beginning. All in all this would amount to around 120 shows worldwide, over several continents and for almost two years.

She stood for a while and took in the view of the stadium that had been filled to the brim with happy concert guests a little while ago. Everything worked like a well oiled machine, as the front apron, where the fans had been so close they could almost smell their idol, was nowhere to be seen anymore. Of all the operating rooms she had been in through her medical residency, she had never seen a more well functioning group of people working together.

Anna was lost in her own thoughts when someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Andy Troy, the tour manager, who had invited her to come see the show to experience the madness, before she accepted the position as the on tour backstage medic to the band and it's leading man, Eddie Wilde.

Eddie Wilde was the biggest star on the music scene. He was everywhere; on top of the charts, in movies, he modelled for several prominent fashion houses, he had his own fragrance and his own brand of streetwear. He was 30 years of age, and had been in the music business for 13 years. He started out with a boyband, Neon Vibes, at the age of 17, and with strict management and intensive publicity, stardom came faster than the speed of light. The band rose to superstar status and held that position until they grew apart, and needed to go their separate ways before things turned ugly. Eddie did what many boyband breakout artists had done before him; he reinvented himself and came back with a debut solo album that knocked him straight to the top of the charts. His sophomore album followed suit, and his third studio album solidified his position as a prominent artist. He was touring with his fourth solo album, when his longtime backstage medic fell ill, and had to resign his position.

Anna was part of a team of general doctors working in the Mount Sinai Clinic in New York, when a colleague referred her to Andy Troy. She had finished her three year residency, and was asked to stay aboard as part of the team. She was a very professional, effective and competent doctor despite her young age of 29 years. Her communication skills and compassion made her a genuine and comforting medical professional, and she was greatly respected by patients and colleagues. She was quick on her feet, and worked well with the teams she was part of. There was no doubt that Anna was an asset to Mount Sinai, and she appreciated working there, but when she was given the opportunity to travel around the world, and work within her field, she was intrigued. Her main focus since she was a teenager had been education, and when her friends had taken time off to travel and see the world, she had worked night shifts on a crisis hotline to put herself through medical school.