Stop Fighting It

2. Daniel

There was an annoying buzzing in my ear. Why was there buzzing in my ear? I wanted the buzzing to stop. Someone stop the buzzing! 

I groaned and tried to roll away from the buzzing. The buzzing stopped. Good. Good, good.

"Hey, Mitch." Now someone was whispering in my ear. I wanted the whispering to stop. Go away whispering.

"Mitch. Mitch. Mitch! Miiiitch!"


"Stawp!" My head hurt, every square inch of my body hurt. No, I didn't want to open my eyes. Closed eyes are better.

"Mitch. Scott's been calling you for hours and the calls are coming in non-stop now."

Scott? I wonder where Scott is? Don't care. I'll find out later.

"Mitch! You have to get up!"

Then the owner of the evil soft Austrialian voice did something unforgivable. He started rocking my body gently with his hand.

"Nooooh. Sleep. Noo."

"No, he is calling non-stop. He might get your phone tracked or call the cops. Mitch, you have to wake up!"

Cops? Why? What? Where? I opened my eyes. There was evil sun coming through a window. I was laying on a very comfortable bed, under covers, naked. My hand was bandaged. My other hand went to my aching head and I felt bandages around my head. What the hell?

There was a blur in front of me. I blinked and blinked until I could make out a face holding an evil cell phone at me.

"Who the fuck are you?"

He smacked his lips, rolled his eyes and said, "Your hero. Now answer the phone before Scott comes and kicks my ass.... Please."

My phone had stopped buzzing while I was waking but was now buzzing again.

I took it and answered.

"Mitch?! Mitch?! Is it you? Are you alive? Are you okay? Mitch?! Say something! Mitch?"

"Yes! Scott shut it. Yes. I'm alive."

"Oh my god, I was so worried. Where are you? Um... with a guy? Fuck. God, you had me so worried. You are supposed to text me god damn it. We have a system so I don't freak!"

"Scott stop please! My head." His screaming voice was killing me.

"God damn it Mitch." He said softly. "Okay, okay. Where are you? Do you need me to pick you up?"

"No! I mean no."

"Well, I'm glad you're alive. Not glad you just decided to blow Alex and me off."

Oh I had forgotten. I was supposed to have picked up Scott and Alex at the airport. "Oh, uh sorry."

"Yeah, yeah. It did take forever to get an Uber though. Did you get the message that Jonathan wants all of us to meet up later today?"

"No, uh, I didn't. I can't make it." I said quickly. There was no way I could show up the way I think I must look.

"You have to Mitch. It's about the tour."

"I have to leave for Arlington. Dad's not feeling well." Damn I'm good when I have to be.

"Oh my God Mitch! You want me to go with you?!"

Okay, maybe I'm not that good. "No! No, mom doesn't even want me to go. But I just want to see him real quick. I'll be back in a few days. Just let me know what Jonathan says. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Of course. Keep in touch. Don't worry about anything. Let me know how your dad's doing okay. And ... well, when you get back I want to talk to you about something too, okay"

"Yeah, I gotta run."

"Does hero have a name?" I asked as I placed the phone on the night stand and sat back against the head board.

"Daniel. So Scott is not calling the cops, right?"

"Before I answer that, who are you?"

"I am Daniel, bartender at Prazziada. I beat your date off of you. He ran. You said no to a hospital or ambulance but wouldn't give me a phone number or address and your phone was locked. This (gesturing to the room) is my humble home."

He seemed nice enough, GREAT accent. I think I remember him saving my life. I know he wasn't the guy punching my kidney.

"Are you a doctor, too?" looking at some pretty impressive bandage wrapping. I closed my fist a bit. It hurt but the bandages weren't too tight or too loose.

"Paramedic. In Tuscon for a couple of years."

"Hero, handsome, can mix a drink and fix me right up. Too bad my face is beaten and I got fall down drunk in front of you."

"Uh no. As a bartender, I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is drinking enough to be a fall down drunk. You didn't. He must have slipped you something in your drink."

"Well, that explains the pounding headache, although the couple kicks to the head could explain that as well."

He quickly got up and headed out the door saying, "Oh yeah, let me get you some meds and water."

"Thanks!" I yell after him and immediately regret it. My head really hurts.

He was back in a quick minute.

"Here you go. If you're hungry, I have some broth you could try. Should start slow and see how that goes."

"How do you know my name and how do you know Scott?"

"One, your caller id said "King Scott" and two I live in California. Everyone knows Scott and Mitch, Avi, Kevin, Kirstie and Pentatonix."

"Aw, that's nice." I try to smile and bat my eyelashes at him. Nope, that hurts. "Oh God, I have to get home," I sigh.

"I'd be more than happy to give you a lift, but if you still don't trust me after I saved your life, nursed you back to semi-health and brought you your Scott, then I can give you my address and you can have someone pick  you up. I wouldn't recommend an Uber though.I think you've taken too many risks already."

"What does that mean?" I said in a deeply offended voice. I didn't need a lecture about how I live my life.

He put up his hands in defense, "Hey, hey, sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything other than you were just attacked. You should be treating yourself with some extra special care."

I closed my eyes. Yeah, I overreacted. "Yeah, I'm sorry. You're right. Okay, I want to go home. Could you please drive me?"


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Daniel was a perfect gentlemen. He drove me home and brought with him meds, bottles of water and a Tupperware container of broth. He fed Wyatt who took a liking to him but probably because he fed him. He tucked me in, turned off the light and left. But not before I had given him my private number and I had collected his. I wasn't dead.  Just hurt.