You Love Somebody

2 (Anna)

  Anna joined the tour in New York. Eddie was playing Madison Square Garden 10 consecutive nights, every single show sold-out. Anna was instructed to report to Andy the tour manager, and he would make sure to set up a space for her, where she could examine members of the crew, band and Eddie. 

The doctor, who had been there before her, had been on tour with the crew several times, and he had his own system. Anna quickly determined that it wasn't going to work for her, so she made a list of requirements and presented it to Andy. He looked through the list and sighed. Then he shrugged and promised to get everything to her ASAP. She spent the first part of her day setting things up, and making sure she knew where everything was in case of potential emergencies. 

In the afternoon there was a knock at the door. A man in his mid-thirties entered and smiled at her. He was tall, tanned and broad-shouldered wearing an expensive outfit.

He stuck out his hand. "Hello there. I'm Ben Lane, Eddie's manager. I was looking for Dr. Owen?" 

Anna smiled and shook his hand. "You're looking at her! I'm Dr. Anna Owen," she said and made sure to give his hand a firm shake. 

He looked at her hand and seemed to acknowledge her assertiveness. "You're Dr. Owen?" He said sounding slightly surprised. "You're different than what I expected."

"Let me guess, you were expecting a man?" Anna said with a hint of sass in her voice. 

Ben chuckled and looked down on his shoes. That was answer enough for her. 

Anna offered him to sit down. "Can I help you with something?" She asked and sat down in her chair opposite him. 

He cleared his throat and looked around the room, as if he was looking for something. "It's different in here," he said as he looked around. "I think Jim had more stuff." 

Anna nodded. "There was a lot of outdated and completely unnecessary equipment, so I decided to clear it out to make a more efficient workspace." 

"Excellent." Ben said and put down a folder he was holding. "Jim was on board for a couple of tours, and he had his own approach to the job, I guess. He was very familiar with everyone and very personal too. I've brought the contracts that need to be signed when working with an artist like Eddie. And now that I've met you, I think it's essential we make sure both you and Eddie are protected." 

"If you mean confidentiality, I am well-aware. Comes with the job," she smiled knowingly. 

"There's that, yes. But there's also the matter of the relationship between artist and physician." He looked at her with a determined look, clearly referring to how close she was allowed to get to Eddie. "Dr. Jim was very close with Eddie, which made difficult decisions much harder."

She nodded slowly. "Hmm. Can you elaborate on that?" She said and leaned forward, resting her arms on the desk between them. 

He shook his head, and smiled mysteriously. 

She narrowed her eyes. "Drugs?" 

Ben laughed and shook his head. "No! Not at all. Eddie's not into that, his body is his temple. He can get anxious though." 

"I should hope he calls his therapist then?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Can I ask you to be direct with me? I need you to tell me what exactly it is, I need to be protected from?" 

He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, leaving the folder on the desk. "Physical contact other than that of medical nature." 

Anna held his gaze and didn't pull a muscle. "Are you referring to a relationship contract?"