Lights, Cameras, Outsiders!

Chapter 41

LCO 41

"Okay, I want Tommy walking back here. Diane, over here and I want to pan across and get the close ups," Francis was saying.

"What about smoking?"

"You wanna smoke? Smoke. Tags okay Susie?"

"It's fine."

"Okay, then I want Ralph and Michelle and Emilio back here so that when they pull up, you can move up," Francis said gesturing to behind them. Matt put his arm around me and enclosed both of us in a blanket.

"Fuckin freezing," Matt said. I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his shoulder.

"Okay, okay," Francis settled them in and walked up to us.

"Look, Matt, I understand you and Essie want to go see some apartment you bought up in New York."

"Sure, Francis."

"Well, couple magazines up in New York want an interview about the movie and they don't want to come down. So how about I send you two to New York to do the interviews and y'all can do whatever while you're there and come back down?"

"You're shitting me right?"

"No the magazine people won't stop bothering me. We can talk the details later," Francis said.

"Hey, Francis!" Matt called after him. He turned.

"Thanks, man."

*******

"Okay, Matt, I gotta go," I said to him. He turned wideyed from talking with Francis.

"You're going now? Shit, Essie, we're shooting scenes," he said.

"I know, but I have to go," I said, kissing his cheek.

"But I need to go with you," he said.

"I'm getting tests done, not surgery," I said.

"Well someone's got to go with you. You can't just go alo-"

"I'll drive her, Matt," Cruise appeared.

"No you gotta be with her the whole time," Matt said.

"Okay I will. "

"Okay, well I have to go. Bye," I gave Matt a kiss and started towards Cruise's rental car. Once I was in the front seat, I saw Matt run up to Cruise before he got in.

"Look, man, there's a couple things you gotta know. When they're about to put a needle in her, she's gonna put her hand out and you need to grab it. When they take blood, you need to tell it's gonna be okay. Uh, when they inject the dye during the carthailzation test, you gotta hold her hand and I don't know why but she just feels better when you're playing with her hair or stroking her hair or kissing the top of her head during that. She gets real nervous, okay. You gotta make sure she's knows everything's fine," he said. I sat in shock. I didn't even realize I did any of that stuff until he just said it.

"Don't worry, Dillon. She'll be fine," Cruise said.

"She better. I gotta go," he said. Cruise started to go around the car and Matt tapped on the window.

"I love you," he mouthed. I smiled and we headed off.