Backstage Smiles

Chapter 6 -- Michael

Six — Michael

"Michael, you should really answer your phone," mum said. She had entered my room without knocking. Again. My phone was in her hands, buzzing and making noise.

"I'll answer it when I have a break," I replied without taking my eyes off the screen in front of me.

My mum just rolled her eyes. "Kim's called you at least seven times, and you have texts from someone named Brooke?"

All I did was hold out my hand for the phone. I was almost finished with this level, and then I'd take care of the bloody messages.

"Who's Brooke?" mum asked as she handed over the phone. "She a new friend?"

"Uh-huh," I said, only half paying attention. One more kill; then I'd be able to take the tower and level up.

"Is she your new special friend?"

"Sure, mum."

Mum actually squealed in excitement. I didn't even know that girls actually do that, let alone my mother. "Are you planning on introducing her to your father and me? We're free Saturday the eighteenth for dinner. I know that's two weeks from now, but it's all your father can squeeze in."

Instead of answering her, I just kept slamming buttons on the controller. Why wouldn't this boss just die already?

"Michael? Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, mum, sounds great." Finally! The boss collapsed and the words "LEVEL UP" flashed across the screen.

"I'll call Angelo's for reservations, then," mum said coming over to kiss me on the top of my head. "I can't wait to meet this Brooke!"

My eyes widened. "Wait, what?" But it was too late. Mum was already out the door and down the hall.

"Fuck," was all I could think to say. Just then, my phone buzzed. Kim's name flashed across the screen. "Fuck," I said again.

"Michael Gordon Clifford, where have you been? Do you care to explain why you were at the hospital last night? The press is having a field day with this," Kim rambled without so much as a hello. "Some of the rags are saying you were there with a girl? You know you're supposed to let me know this shit so I can keep people quiet! Explain yourself."

I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers. "Yeah, I was at the hospital. No, it wasn't for me."

Kim was quiet for a moment. "Care to tell me why you were there?"

I grimaced. Should I tell her the truth? Brooke and I haven't exactly had the 'where are we in this relationship' talk yet, and we had definitely not talked about going public.

Brooke was laughing at a joke I had told, tears streaming form her eyes. She looked absolutely gorgeous in a black dress, her blonde hair curled in pools around her shoulders. It was our first formal dinner date. I had made reservations and everything. We were on only our first glass of wine and had ordered our food ages ago, but the service here was really slow.

"Have I ever told you how pretty you are?" I asked her, my chin resting on my hand.

"Once or twice already tonight," she replied taking a sip of her wine. "Remember? Your jaw dropped when I opened my apartment door."

I gave a small chuckle at the memory. "I'm saying it a fourth time, then. You look really pretty tonight."

"Thank you, Mikey," she giggled. Just then, her phone started to ring. "I'm so sorry, I thought I had turned it off." She went to do just that, but her eyebrows drew together when she saw who was calling. "Hello? Anna, slow down...A fever? How high? Are you sure...Yes, I'm on my way home right now." She hurriedly dropped her phone back into her purse and stood to go. "Sara has a 102 fever. I have to take her to the doctor," she said hurriedly.

I instantly stood with her. Of course, our food arrived at that moment. I apologized to our server and left a bill on the table large enough to cover everything. I put a hand around Brooke's shoulder to steer her towards the entrance. The valet recognized me and sent for my car immediately. Brooke started pacing and wringing her hands. At one point I caught her by the arm and rubbed her shoulders, promising that everything would be okay.

I think I broke about thirty traffic laws getting her back to her apartment in half the time it should have taken. I stayed with the car to keep it running while she ran upstairs to get Sara. I cleared the backseat of food wrappers and empty soda cups so she'd have a place to sit. What was taking them so long up there?

Brooke finally appeared, Sara wrapped in a large blanket. She buckled her daughter in and jumped into the front seat. As I maneuvered the car towards the hospital, Brooke tied her hair up and called her dad to let him know what was going on. I still hadn't met the guy, but Brooke and her father seemed pretty close.

When we got to the hospital, I did my best to ignore the cameras snapping our picture. Of all nights for paparazzi to be on the prowl, they chose tonight?

"I took a friend to the hospital," I told Kim. "Her daughter had a bad fever." It turned out to be just a really bad ear infection. Brooke was surprised her daughter hadn't shown any symptoms earlier; apparently Sara should have been in ten different kinds of pain, but she was just sitting in her hospital bed coloring and eating jello like a normal four-year-old.

"That's it? You weren't being tested for drugs or holding your baby mama's hand while she gave birth?" Kim joked. "That's what some of the press are trying to say, anyway."

"No, nothing like that," I said. "Look, can we just keep this between you and me? Brooke isn't exactly that comfortable in the spotlight, and she'd hate it if she and Sara were smeared across page six tomorrow."

"Already on it, Mikey," Kim promised. "I'll just tell them that you were there for a friend, nothing big. Your friend is doing well and you'd like some time to yourself."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Kim"

"See you tomorrow, dude," she replied before hanging up.

One crisis down, one to go. How on earth was I going to explain this dinner invitation from my mum to Brooke?