Meeting the Jokers

Part 22

Q's heart rate rate had fallen. I ran.

Ran.

Ran.

I caught up with some doctors hidden behind their clip board.

"Excuse me," I panted, clutching my stomach, "I need a doctor, my friends heat rate has dropped."

"Patients name?" The doctor asked, getting the receptionists attention next to him, disinterestedly.

Until...

"Brian Quinn."

He stopped dead in his tracks, threw the clipboard to one side and raced towards Q's room.

They must be keeping extra attention to make sure Q is ok.

Is there something more worrying about him that we don't know about?

That I don't know about? Sal looked pretty upset, Joe was nervous and Murr too.

Do they know something I don't?

My trail of thought finished and I followed the signs back to Q's ward- opening the door I saw the doctor listening to Q's heart through the stethoscope, and doing something with one of the wires.

Don't even ask me what.

My eyes were all fuzzy from my worry- or maybe too much running around the halls.

"What's going on?" I asked, focusing on Joe's solemn expression.

"It's just not looking good," Joe patted the seat next to him, beckoning me to sit, "it looks as though we need to carry on the show without him for a few weeks without any fans noticing."

"I think the fans will realise somethings up." I admit.

"We just don't know what to do. If we tell the fans then they'll try and find him- overwhelm him, but if we don't tell the fans they'll give us crap for keeping it secret."

I paused. I wasn't sure how I could help now.

I gave a half hearted smile to Joe and welcomed Sal into the discussion.

"You guys ok?" He asked.

Only then did I realise that this must be so much harder for them. They have been best friends with Q for over 20 years, I'd only known him a month.

I nodded, Joe smiled and looked at Q.

"Q was diagnosed with encephalitis and meningitis a few years back, and we didn't realise how serious it was." Joe admitted, looking gutted, "now I guess it's getting worse."

"How are you now?" I asked.

"I'm ok," he said, leaning on the wall, "so much for leaving tonight to get to Florida in the morning."

"So what's happening with the tour?" I asked.

Sal and Joe exchanged glances, "we discussed this morning that we have to cancel it. We don't know how to let the fans down yet though."

My heart began beating faster; not sure why, but it just felt so much sympathy for the three guy torn away from their best friend. The worry that they could be the only ones left.

"You think Q's gonna be ok, though?" I asked, sensing tears again. Sal had watery eyes too.

He nodded sharply, but his facial expressions saying no.

Here come my tears, "I'm so sorry you guys."

Sal opened his arms wide and I ran into them, crying into his shoulder. It's all my fault. If I didn't meet them after the show- stayed overnight with them in a hotel- they wouldn't have gone to that theme park. Q would be fine and I would be at work right now cleaning up the spilled milkshake.

Sal snuffled and sniffed but remained a brave face when I let go, nodding sharply again.

"I'm gonna leave for a minute." I said, leaving them to be alone. I needed to breathe.

I wiped away the tears- thank god for no makeup today. I got myself a glass of water from the water fountain and sat in the waiting room for a good 10 minutes.

Thinking.

I left everybody in this mess. The guys are lost. Their careers on the line. I got them in serious trouble- have I apologised enough?

Slowly, I went back to his room, walking through each unnecessary hallway, from room 1 to Q's, taking the stairs, not the elevator, and not looking anyone in the eye.

I just can't.

I opened the door and was greeted with Sal, a tear in each eye, whispering 'please don't leave me.'

It was so heartfelt and beautiful that my eyes clouded over with tears I had just gotten rid of, I came up to him and offered my water to him, and squeezed his hand for moral support.

Joe had left. Murr had been gone ages.

"Hey, where's Murr?" I broke the silence, Q wiped his nose on his sleeves and turned around to me. His face red and his eyes were exhausted.

"I don't know."

We had been here 3 hours now, and things were looking worse. Still with no real explanation. We were just given a 'maybe' or 'possibly.'

"Are we staying overnight?" I asked.

"If we want."

I can understand his bluntness.

I got a message on my phone, but I ignored it, quickly putting it on silent.

Sal didn't look up from Q.

Suddenly, Joe ran in, breathless and panicked.

"I saw..." He began, "swarms of people, I don't know what they're here for, maybe its not for us, but I ran anyway."

"Wait," I held up my hands in surrender, "you think someone leaked the information? No one even knows we're here."

"Someone does."

My face turned panicked and Sal looked up for the first time in 5 minutes.

"So what do we do?" Sal asked, standing up quickly.

"Well first," Joe said, "we don't get panicked. Maybe someone else famous is here. Second, try not to leave the room too much, and also... shut the blinds."

Including the blinds behind the door, because passers by could see in. Now it was isolated, but there was a good reason.

"We'll find a hotel close, but if they're here to see Q, we cant give them what they came for." Joe said, running out the door. This was the most serious I've ever seen him.

I looked down at my phone.

It was a message. From my best friend, Emily:

News is just out that
Q's in hospital. What's
happened?

The word was out. Everyone knew. Now they were here, at the hospital.

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Thank you for reading this far! I will hopefully attach a song to this chapter which I discovered yesterday, which fits perfectly with this chapter.

With love x