Maid for the Rock Star

Part 33

Thirty-Three

Jason couldn't help laughing. "So let me get this straight. Your little brother's old bomb of a car had dodgy brakes, cracked cylinders and stalled more often than it started, but he still drove it, crashed it into a tree on his way to a party and just walked away, booze in hand, leaving the wrecked car in the middle of a roundabout, wrapped around a tree? And still went to the party like nothing had happened? Fuck, that sounds like something I'd do!" He thought he might have actually done something like that in high school, except he hadn't crashed the car, he'd just left the clunky old thing by the side of the road.

Audra managed a small smile. "Yeah, I guess it is funny when you put it like that. He was late, so the party was well underway by the time he got there. He just joined in drinking with the rest of them. The next morning, I came to pick him up like I'd promised, and he was passed out like most of them were. The thing is, he didn't wake up, and in the morning light, we could all see there was blood in his hair, but no one knew how he'd gotten hurt." She paused, as if debating whether to say something. She made her decision and continued, "I drove him to hospital. They pumped his stomach, said it was alcohol poisoning, slapped a dressing on his head and said he'd be fine. So I took him home and he went to bed to sleep it off. I heard strange sounds a few hours later and I found him having a fit on the kitchen floor." She passed a hand before her eyes. "It was frightening. Like he'd been electrocuted. All jerky and...shit." She grabbed a tissue and swiped at her eyes. "I took him back to hospital. We couldn't...couldn't afford an ambulance or health insurance to cover it. So I had to drag him into the car. When we got there, his lips were turning blue and I didn't know what to do. I just parked in the ambulance entry and...and..." She covered her streaming eyes with her hands and her shoulders shuddered with what Jason realised were sobs.

So much for a funny story. He'd made her cry again, too. Awkwardly, he shifted to the seat beside her. "I'm sorry," he began. "I'm sorry about your brother. How long ago did he...did he..."

"Today." Audra sniffled. "A year ago today."

Fuck. Making jokes on the anniversary of her brother's death. Well, wasn't he a fuckwit and a half.

"They kept him in hospital for weeks. He kept saying he wanted to come home, but they wanted to do one more scan..."

Wait – what? Dead people couldn't talk.

"Eventually, they had to discharge him. They couldn't find anything wrong. But he couldn't drive and he didn't have a car and he couldn't go back to his apprenticeship. I had to stay home with him and keep an eye on him, watch him for...symptoms of concussion. Like I'm supposed to be doing for you, instead of telling you sob stories you don't need to hear." Audra turned her teary eyes on Jason and gave an enormous sniff. "It's still not too late for me to call my supervisor and say you want someone else. Someone who won't go to pieces."

She saved her brother's life. Why the fuck would he want anyone else watching out for him?

Jason shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll take you, thanks. You know what you're looking for. Just as long as you call the Flying Doctors and don't try to drive me to the hospital. And guard me from that matron. She wants to get her hands on my dick."

Audra clapped her hands over her mouth. "I almost spat out my drink. Did you just say she wants your – "

"Dick. Cock. Penis. Say the word and I'll show you, in case you need to see it."

Audra opened her mouth and Jason grinned in anticipation.

"Room service," the recorded Englishwoman's voice announced over the intercom.

"Fuck," Jason swore. He stomped to the door and yanked the trolley inside, to the surprise of the kitchen hand wheeling it. "Go away." Jason made shooing motions at the kid. He wheeled the trolley into the lounge room to find Audra cheerfully setting the dining table with cutlery. If it weren't for her reddened eyes, he'd swear he'd imagined her tears.

"You said steak, so I hope this is okay." Audra set a plate on the table, piled high with huge prawns. "The steak's under the prawns." Her own plate held a slab of fish surrounded by a jungle of salad. "Thank you for this. The food in the staff dining room isn't this nice. Definitely no salmon unless the chef's burned it." Audra dropped onto a chair and transferred a forkful of greenery into her mouth.

Jason took a seat behind his steak. It did look good, he had to admit. A million times better than hospital food, for sure. He grasped the steak knife and swore.

"What?" Audra's wide eyes were on him.

"Nothing." Carefully, he kept his face blank, but the more his fingers tightened around the knife, the more the gashes on his hand hurt. Gritting his teeth, he clumsily cut himself a bite of steak and shoved it into his mouth. At least it tasted all right. He started slicing another piece.

"I can help you with that."

He met Audra's eyes and lowered his gaze quickly to his plate. Did she think he didn't have the guts to tackle his own steak? It was just a bit of pain. Not like he was a baby. There were just cuts on his hand. Cuts covered by gauze. And one that was now bleeding...

He forced himself to look away, his stomach rebelling even at that tiny spot of red. Fuck. Stay conscious, don't throw up. Fuck. He was going to, whether he wanted to or not. "Not hungry. Going to go...to the..." he mumbled, shoving away from the table. He stumbled for the bathroom and barely made it before he vomited violently. He stayed on his knees for a while, until he was sure he wasn't going to bring any more up. Fuck, what would she think of him?

He flushed away the mess, rinsed his mouth, then brushed his teeth to get rid of the taste of bile. Reluctantly, he dragged himself back to the dining room.

Audra glanced up from her almost empty plate. "Are you all right? Can I help?"

"No." Jason felt his body swaying and forced himself to stay still. "Tired. Going to bed."

Audra looked uncertain. "Do you...do you really need me to sit by you while you sleep? To keep watch?"

What, and have her see if he threw up again? "No. The nurses didn't stay in my room in the hospital. Just...I'll leave the door open. So you can hear if I need your help." Fuck. What if he had a fit like her brother? He wasn't ready to die. "Don't let me die."

"I won't." Sincerity seemed to gleam in her eyes. Of course he believed her.

"Thank you." Jason stumbled to bed, praying to any deity who'd listen to let him wake up again. He needed to thank this girl in true rock star style and he needed a body to do it. Not to mention hers.