*Trisha*

Madison Square Garden, often called "The Garden" or MSG, is what we have all been waiting for. Tonight, this room will come alive. Not one seat unclaimed. A sold out show. And though I am nervous about telling Nate the surprise I had planned, feeling the silent energy while standing in this venue, I know Nate will be cool with it.

"Wow, look at this place!!" Casey's eyes are as wide as saucers as everyone enters the arena. 

"This is it, playboy! This is what you've been waiting for!" I climb up onto the stage. It was set up days ago, everything is in place and waiting for this week.  "Can I tell you a secret?" 

I take a deep breath and grab Nate's arm with both hands.

"What's that, love?" He looks down at me with soft eyes.

"You know how we told you both tonight and tomorrow night are sold-out shows??"

 "Yeaahh?"

"Well. I kind of lied." I smirk, and he squints his eyes at me. Ok, here it goes. "Nate. We're here for seven days. You sold out FIVE shows. FIVE!"

"WHAT?!" He gasps, and everyone's eyes are on him now. He's excited. Happy. Thank GOD. "How am I just hearing about this now??"

"It just... happened. I mean, you had already sold out your two nights here. Then Leslie had the idea, worked some magic behind the scenes while you were in The Avalon, but no one said a word until yesterday. The announcement dropped at 8 am yesterday morning, and you were sold out within the first hour. Sooo, she added a day. Then another. And before we even had time to process it, all five shows were completely sold out. All while we were on the road."

"Holy Shit Trisha!" Nate's eyes water and the expression on his face is something I will never forget. He smacks a hard kiss on my lips and smiles.

"But that's ok, right? I mean... You won't have a day off like you usually do...I was trying to get rid of that extra 'fluff' you were talking about with Richard, so you could focus on doing what you love. Performing. But....that didn't work, did it?" I second-guess myself, but he pulls me in for a tight hug.

"Are you kidding? This is fucking awesome! A dream come true!" Nate buries his head in my shoulder, and I melt into his arms.

"And we're all staying at The Plaza Hotel right near Central Park. You, of course, have the Penthouse Suite. Just you. Mila has her own venues to be at for fashion week. She's staying with her entourage at a hotel in Greenwich Village, closer to where she will be working, and her shows will be over the same day as your final concert, which works out perfectly. Everything is falling into place." I continue.

"It really is. This is unbelievable." His eyes wander around the room, taking it all in. "This is really happening." His lips graze my ear when he whispers, still holding me in his arms.

"This is really happening, Playboy." 

"Good luck tonight, Nate." Mila ruins our moment, now standing on the stage right next to us. Nate lets go of me, and I lose the warmth of his body. "- uh. Go.  Devo preparami"

Nate looks at me, but I shrug, not able to translate what she said this time, so Mila pulls out her phone and talks into it.

"I need to get ready."

"Oh yeah, of course. Good luck to you, too." He smiles brightly at Mila, who then throws her arms around him and whispers something in his ear. I caught the "I'm proud of you" part but didn't understand the rest. Neither did Nate but it didn't stop him from fucking hugging her back. For the first time in a long time, I understand how Julia feels. Granted, we aren't together, but seeing Mila hug him puts a jealous pit in my stomach. Just because- Hello? It's Mila Fucking Giovanni!

I watch her get escorted out by her own bodyguards and sniff Nate's shirt, scrunching up my nose. "God, Moretti was right. You fucking smell like her now. Go change your shirt, Playboy. You have soundcheck soon.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Nate brushes me off and rolls his eyes.

We walk out together and split up. Jonah and Casey are off to sightsee while Nate heads for soundcheck. Evan stays close, guiding us through the busy backstage halls. The venue is alive with movement, crew making adjustments, voices overlapping, and last-minute preparations.

Nate barely reacts. He's locked in and focused. Tonight will be amazing.

*****

It's now four in the afternoon. I sat in the audience to watch the entire soundcheck, and it was perfect. Now everyone is back together in the rec room, killing time before tonight's show. Nate is attempting to eat a little, though I think his nerves are getting to him about the concert tonight. His plate is still full. 

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and check messages.

[Wanted to keep you in the loop. Not texting Hollan because I know he has a big show tonight.

Oh, shit. It's Paul. This can't be good.

[Hey, Paulie. What's going on?]

[ It's all my fault, Trish. I should have known better.]

I want to get up and call him, but that would just draw attention and alert Nate. Whatever Paul has to tell me is stressful.

[What happened?]

[Julia. She got hold of extra Ativan and took all three of them. AFTER  already having two doses in her system. It's a shitshow here now, and she had to be moved to a regular room for IV fluids. Donovan is trying to flush out her system. Fortunately, Julia told me right away and didn't hide it this time, so she is getting the treatment she needs right away.]

Oh my God. SHIT! Paul is right. We can't tell Nate this before his concert. No way. But I do need to let Jonah know, so I open another text box and send him a screenshot of the conversation before replying to Paul.

[How is that your fault, Paul? What do you mean you should have known better? The girl's a fucking addict!]

[Yeah, I know, but.... she wouldn't have gotten the pills if she hadn't gone through my pockets. Jeremy thought she was still sleeping this morning when he handed me the meds. I put them in my pocket but she must have seen the exchange because she fucking got them while I was in the shower! I grabbed a nurse to get Donovan right away. It's such a mess, Trish. ]

Christ. Paul is going to beat himself up for this one. I can already tell he's blaming himself for this.

[Paul- none of this is your fault. Again, Julia is a substance abuser. She will find all kinds of ways to get her hands on that shit. That's what addicts do, so don't you dare start blaming yourself.]

While waiting for Paul to respond, I glance at Jonah, who is on the couch with Casey. I watch him look down at his phone. His eyes snap up to look at me, and my shoulders drop.

[Do NOT tell Nate this. Not right now. How did she get the Ativan?] Jonah texts back, but Paul doesn't. I had a feeling he wouldn't.

[Paul had her doses in his pocket. He said she must have seen Jeremy give them to him. They both thought she was still sleeping. She took them when Paul was in the shower. Good thing he only had three pills on him.]

I exhale sharply and watch Jonah show his screen to Casey. She throws her hand up to cover her mouth. Nate notices that and looks at all three of us now.

"What? What's going on?" He asks suspiciously.

"Everything's under control, Playboy."

"Bullshit." He snaps. "Is it James? Julia? What?"

"Julia, Nate. It's Julia." Jonah pushes his plate aside, wipes his mouth with his napkin, and walks from the couch to the table to sit across from Nate. "But everything is being handled, so there is no reason to worry, ok?"

"Tell me."

"Maybe we should wait-"

"Fucking tell me, Jonah!" Nate slams a fist on the table, making me flinch.

"Julia got her hands on some pills. Just a few, but enough to move her into an Avalon room for IV fluids. Trevor and a nurse are with James." Jonah explains, and I watch Nate's expression change from anger to shock to... sadness.

"Wha—what?" he stammers. "How many pills?"

Jonah hesitates. "It's... under control now."

"How many pills, Jonah? And how did she get them? How can she be in a FUCKING detox facility and get her hands on FUCKING pills?!"

Evan walks over and puts a firm hand on Nate's shoulder, his voice low. "Boss, let's go outside...get some air."

"No." Nate shoves his hand off, his gaze locked on me and Jonah. "I need answers."

Jonah exhales, rubbing a hand over his face. "She had two doses in her system. Then took three more Ativan pills."

"Oh my God..."

I shift in the chair and study Nate's face. "She told Paul right away."

"What?" His brows knit together.

"She didn't hide it this time," I explain. "She told him as soon as it happened. He had a nurse get Jeremy right when he found out, and they got her into an Avalon room right away...."

"She told him," Nate repeats.

Jonah nods. "Yeah. She knew she had done something wrong. She found the pills in his pocket. Apparently, Donovan gave Paul her daily doses when they thought she was sleeping. But she saw the transfer and when Paul was in the shower...she... went through his clothes. She's an addict, Nate. You and I would most likely do the same stupid shit if Paul was carrying bottles of whiskey in those pockets."

"This is all Donovan's fault. He NEVER should have started her back up on that shit in the first place."

"She's bipolar, Nate." I remind him.

"I know what she fucking is!" He stands up and slams his chair into the table, clearly pissed.

"So what happens now?" Casey asks in a small voice from the couch.

Jonah exhales sharply. "We wait."

"You're right." Nate turns to Evan. "I need air."

He pushes through the Rec Room doors, and Evan quickly follows him. I drop my head into my hands, feeling tears starting to form.

"She's gonna give him a fucking heart attack one of these days." I cry, and feel Jonah put a hand on my shoulder.

 Moretti will be the thing that kills Nate.

*****