*James*

"I think I'm almost done with detox," I hear Julia's voice loud and clear. "I feel like it didn't last as long this time compared to all the other times. Maybe my body is getting used to the constant back and forth. I'm gonna be healthy. I'm ready to take care of you, James. You just need to wake up."

I know you are, babe. God, I'm trying.

"I'm not giving up on you. You're gonna get up and live."

I feel her tears soak through my shirt. This is fucking killing me right now. I need out. I need to get back. 

*****

*Trisha*

"What the hell is taking Nate so long to fucking walk up and down a few hallways?" I'm friggen talking to myself. I took a much-needed shower in his hospital room, rummaged through my purse to find any type of makeup I could to make me look alive, and they still aren't back yet. 

I lean against the big floor-to-ceiling windows of this suite and text Evan while enjoying the Boston city view. One of Nate's favorite cities, now tarnished.

[Where are you fucking walking him to? Rhode Island?]

Evan surprisingly responds right away.

[Nice mouth, Miss. Banks.]

A smirk forms on my face. The first one in days.

[Listen motherfucker] I egg him on and can almost hear the bodyguard's laugh.

[Things are going down.]

Ok, well, you can't fricken say something like that and then not continue. I wait a beat, hoping Evan will tell me what the hell is happening while a knot forms in my stomach. Did reporters get to Nate? Fans? Was the walk too much for him right after surgery like this? Did Jonah push him too hard? Worry consumes me to the point I almost didn't notice Evan responded.

[Some guy, Luke, is here. Julia's ex?]

"Oh shit!"  

I want to call Evan, but I know better. He's on the job. You don't call a bodyguard while on the job unless it's an emergency. 

My mind wanders more. Why the hell would Luke Moretti be here? I mean, yes...the guy lives in Massachusetts.  But is he fucking stalking his ex-wife or something? Doesn't he know she didn't go on tour with Nate? What the hell does he think he'd get out of the encounter anyway?

[What does Luke want?] I fumble with my fingers a few times before getting the text sent, anxious for Evan to spill the tea.

[Ma'am. I need to go. We'll be up soon]

What the hell, Evan! You suck.

I sit down on the couch, impatiently waiting for either a response or someone to come back up to the room. Meanwhile, my mind goes straight to the phone conversation I had with Paul earlier. Dave Brennan. Julia. Sullivan's Tap. Paul getting drunk?? It's just not like Paul.

I'm saddened thinking about Dave relapsing. He was doing so well. Sober Dave is so nice. A good guy. But Drunk Dave....well, he's a monster. Doesn't he realize how bad he gets when he is under the influence? Does he remember the things he's done? The things he has done to me?

No. Dave never could remember, could he? He was always so far fucking gone, so out of control, and then so shocked when he sobered up and realized what he did.

*****

"Trish, can you please open the door?" The banging on my apartment door was relentless, and I was worried a neighbor might complain. It was early in the morning, yet Dave never did have a sense of time, did he?

I slowly stood up and winced at the pain between my legs. The night before, Dave decided to get plastered at Sully's. He didn't like the idea of me breaking up with him, and he let me know. Two stitches later, and another forced sexual encounter has me with a raging headache and sore body. Before I opened the door, I looked down and noticed the bruises on my wrist.

"Shit," I muttered to myself. How the hell am I gonna hide this one from Nate? Wear long sleeves in the middle of summer in L.A.? I swing the door open so Dave would stop knocking, and my breath hitched at the sight of him.

"What the hell do you want?" I studies him for a minute. "Jesus Christ, have you even gone home yet? Are you still drunk? You look like shit."

Bold to say to a man who...raped? Was it rape? I mean. We were gonna get married. But I said no. He heard me. Yes. That's rape. Right? Christ, why the hell am I second-guessing this shit? I'm not an idiot.

The second Dave laid eyes on me, his demeanor dropped more, and his shoulders slouched. I rolled my eyes at him and turned away, letting him in and closing the door behind me.

"Oh God." His eyes saddened to the point they watered as he gently touched the bandage above my eyebrow. "I did that?"

"Let me guess. You were too drunk to remember. Is that the excuse you're using?" I tried to act tough, but the second he rested his hand on my cheek, I closed my eyes and leaned my face against it. "You hurt me so bad, Dave. Why do you keep doing this?"

The next thing I knew, I'm in my fiancé's embrace, listening to his apologies and soft sobs while he held me close. Not remembering a fucking thing that went down last night and crying out for help. My help.

Again.

*****

All the memories come back so vividly. Memories I'd do anything to erase. Dave is still struggling. He may always struggle with his addiction. But hunting down a mental patient at a bar and getting under her skin is NOT the smart thing for this guy to do. And does Dave really think JULIA is the reason me and him didn't work out? Is he that fucking delusional??

I need to get my mind off this. I grab my laptop and begin paying some of Nate's bills that are due, since I'm the one who does that shit for him.  Every once in a while, I glance at the time, wondering why it's taking Nate so long to return, as well as why Luke is here.

I'm snapped back into reality when the hospital door swings open to a very distraught group of people.  Evan rushes flustered Nate into the suite, and I almost drop my laptop and cup of tea when I bolt up. Before I can ask anything, Nate snaps orders at me.

"Get Elliott on the phone." He looks at me while trying to get back into his hospital bed. "Now."

But it's too late. All eyes gravitate towards the display on the TV when we hear "Breaking News."

"Chaos erupts at Mass General Hospital as an altercation breaks out between America's heartthrob, Nate Hollan, and Luke Moretti, the ex-husband of the infamous Julia Moretti. Julia, the former America's Voice winner, made headlines last year for breaking contracts with NBC over her involvement with Hollan. The two were later engaged, but rumors suggest the engagement was called off due to Hollan's relationship with supermodel Mila Giovanni. Nate Hollan is currently in Mass. Gen, recovering from surgery due to his ongoing heart issues."

My Styrofoam cup of tea slips out of my hand and splashes all over the floor. Shit.

Casey is the one to jump into action, grabbing a towel to clean up my mess while I stand here...fucking dumbfounded while watching the scene.

Susan Hardy stands next to Julia's ex-husband, who is clutching an ice pack against his swollen jaw. I whirl around, wide-eyed, to find Nate tending to the split knuckles on his right hand. Oh my God. Did Nate... no... He's not like that.

"The altercation erupted moments ago on the 6th floor after words were exchanged between the two men." Susan turns to Luke with an evil smile on her face.

"First, before we get into details, let me congratulate you on the birth of your son."

My eyes widen. "Did they just say..."

"Yep." Casey shakes her head. Jonah says nothing, keeping himself busy tending to Nate's hand, but I can tell he is pissed. Either from the confrontation, or hearing Julia's ex has a new baby, which will for sure fuck up her head more, or the fact that Nate friggen turned into James the Hulk and headlining the news, causing him more stress. I scramble to grab my phone, and right as I'm about to call Elliott, he calls me.

"Shit," Nate is staring at me, reading the look on my face. He knows his publicist is the one calling and signals for me to hand him my phone. Once he has it, I step back, moving closer to Evan, still in shock.

"Nate really punched the guy?" I whisper to Evan while keeping my eyes on a very distraught Nate.

"A banger of a right hook, ma'am," Evan responds.

"I'm not sure Nate has ever physically hit a person before."

"With all due respect, that guy Luke had it coming." Evan continues, leaning into me to whisper while Nate's on the phone.

"Don't say a fucking word, Hollan." Elliott's voice comes through the call loud and clear before he hangs up. Just as Nate moves to throw my phone in frustration, I lunge at him and snatch it away, giving him the death look. He drags one hand down his face while Jonah bandages up his other hand. I sit down next to my best friend and rub his back.

"What were you thinking, Playboy?"

"You're only hearing one side. You don't know what he said, Trish."

"It was pretty bad." Casey gives Nate a nod. Both Jonah and Evan do the same. "I wanted to slug the guy myself, but Nate beat me to it."

Jonah laughs a little, knowing Casey would never. 

"What did he say?" I ask and see Nate clench his jaw. Whatever it was, it was bad. So bad Nate can't bring himself to say it. So, of course, Evan steps forward with his...what is it again? Hyperthymesia? The gift of remember everything? He has a photographic memory. I know this from when James's father attacked James in a church. Evan could recite word-for-word what Nate spewed to Joe Gallo. It was pretty impressive.

Evan clears his throat. "The guy said Julia pulled the plug on their son before he could say goodbye. He then said, 'What if Danny had a chance..... She made the decision without her husband. She never should have texted Danny. He would still be alive today."

My mouth drops. My stomach drops. I'm stunned. Does this douchebag really blame his wife for a car accident? Wasn't he cheating on her at the time or something? 

"Wait.....is this baby..." My thoughts trail off as a whisper,  as the pieces fall into place, and Evan gives a confirming nod.

"You need to get to a reporter." I blurt out. Something I am usually fully against.

"WHAT?!" Nate's face is a mix of shock and disbelief.

"Nate, it's the only way to redeem yourself. You need to tell them what was said. Make it public. After hearing that, people will be on your side." I explain.

"Elliott said-"

"Fuck what Elliott said! This is about you. Your reputation."

"Better yet...." Evan is deep in thought. But before he finishes the sentence, he leaves the room, letting the door slam behind him.

"What the hell is going on?!" Nate throws his hands up in frustration. "I can't handle this right now. I just had surgery...one to keep me alive, for crying out loud! Where's my phone? I need to FaceTime Jules."

"Do you really think that's a wise idea, Nate?" Jonah asks, concerned about Nate's stress level now.

"She's with Paul, anyway, remember? She's not your girlfriend-" I remind him. 

"Doesn't mean I don't still care about her!" Nate grabs my phone before I can respond and starts a FaceTime call with Paul. "I need to know she's ok."

The screen lights up. Paul is sitting on the couch in the living room. Julia sits right beside him, gazing up at the TV as she absentmindedly braids her damp hair in a trance. She's oblivious to all things around her, including my call. She's in shock.

"How is she?" Nate asks Paul, and I get up to let them have their call.

"This whole thing is a shitshow," Jonah mumbles while our eyes are on the news. God, I can't stand Susan Hardy. She must be loving this story.

We sit quietly watching the news as Nate chats with Paul on the phone for a solid ten minutes. Suddenly, the repeated clip of Luke speaking to the reporter is interrupted, and the news anchor cuts in with more breaking news.

I slap my hand over my mouth at the scene. "Nate...hell... Nate?!" I'm fumbling to grab the remote to turn the volume up on the television.

"Holy shit." Nate fucking drops my phone.

I do a double-take, locking my eyes on the news like it's the dramatic finale of a TV series.

I didn't think Nate had it in him....

*****