Chapter 5
Mike went to get the phone before Vicky could grab the receiver, but she went to snatch it off him.
“Give me that and get out of here now. I’ve no idea who you are, or why either of you are in my room.” She grabbed her purse from the side of the bed.
Pete went to sit beside her and she put her purse down to form a barrier between them. While she was busy watching what Pete was doing, Mike got the chance to call Ronnie. Annie picked up the phone.
“We’ve found her. We’re in a motel room not far from the Strip. It looks like she ran the car off the road. She’s got quite a bruise on her forehead—I think she had a knock to the head. She seems in a very confused state.”
“Vicky.” Pete tried to take her hand. “It’s me, Pete, and that’s Michael. You know us.”
“Don’t touch me! Move away from me or I’ll hit you.”
Pete tried again to touch her hand. Instead she hit him in the face and raised her other hand to attack him. Mike threw the phone down and went to get in between them to stop her.
“Vicky, please calm down. Come on, relax and breathe deeply in and out. Mike, go back and talk to Ronnie. Tell her we’re bringing Vicky home and ask her to call their doctor.”
Mike did as Pete asked but kept his eye on them. Vicky had gone quiet and now looked disoriented. She was nearly in tears. “I don’t know how I got here or why I’m here. My head hurts and I feel dizzy.” She still seemed wary of the two of them.
Pete decided to ask her some questions to see how she was. “Do you recognize me at all?”
“No, I don’t.” She shook her head.
“Do you know your name?”
She replied no again.
“Have you any idea where you are? And what day or date it is today?”
“I know I live here in LA, but I’m not sure where I am now, apart from in a motel room. It’s Tuesday morning and it’s November.”
“Does the name Ronnie mean anything?”
Vicky seemed to react when Pete asked her that. “The name Ronnie seems familiar. I think I know a Ronnie.”
Pete decided to try something else. He started to hum a piece of music they’d played together when they duetted at the hotel and she joined in with him. He looked over at Mike and smiled.
“Can I look in your purse please?” She nodded and Pete took out her wallet, finding her driving licence. “Look that’s you, and that’s your address. Michael and I will take you home. Is that okay?”
“I guess so.” She was staring at her driving licence.
“I’m gonna call a garage and get your car towed in. It looks like you ran off the road. My friend will sort it out for you. I told Ronnie we’ve found you. She’s relieved and can’t wait to see you. I promised her we’ll get you back home safe.” Mike sat beside Pete on the bed, trying to keep a slight distance from her.
Vicky was busy looking through her purse and wasn’t paying much attention to the guys. She picked up a letter and looked at the envelope. “I live with Ronnie, don’t I?” Peter nodded to her;
“You okay, Pete? She hit you pretty hard.” Mike moved Pete’s bangs to check his face. “You two are gonna have matching bruises. I wouldn’t want to take her on in a fight.”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. She just freaked out, but she seems better now. She seems to remember a few things.”
“I’ll call, then get the car sorted. You try and persuade her to come to the car with us,” Mike said.
“Vicky, we’ve got our car outside—are you gonna come with us? Michael will take the keys back to the front desk and check you out of this place.”
Mike knelt down in front of her. “Listen I’m just gonna ask you this once, and tell me if you remember anything at all… The guy on the front desk is a bit of a creep…did he lay a finger on you, or even try and flirt with you in any way?”
“I can’t remember much at all, but I don’t think he did.”
Mike noticed a bruise on her left arm. “Do you know where or how you got this? If it was from that punk, I’ll kill him.”
“Sorry no. God I feel so stupid. I can’t even remember who I am, and I’m still not sure who either of you are and why you’re here, but I know I feel sick all of a sudden.” Vicky got up and ran to the bathroom.
“I’ll go return the key.” Mike headed to the door.
“Michael, just one minute. Promise me one thing, that you won’t do or say anything to that guy? Just give him the keys and walk away? I don’t want you getting into any trouble.”
“Okay, no problem. See you both at the car.”
Mike left to go to the front desk and Pete waited for Vicky to finish and they then went and sat in the car. Pete noticed she seemed to recognize the Monkeemobile.
“You’re both in a band, right? And I work with music too—I found some sheet music in my purse.”
“Yeah that’s right. You play the piano! You’re a teaching assistant, hotel pianist and give private lessons too. We often play together at the Windsor Hotel.”
“Your friend seems a bit angry. Doesn’t he like me? You…you’re not my boyfriend, are you?”
“No, Vicky, just friends. I’m with Michael. He’s my boyfriend, and you both get on well. He’s angry with the guy who works here—he gets protective.”
“So you two are together? Are people okay with that?”
“Most people we know are, but we have to keep it a secret,” Pete answered.
Vicky nodded. “I understand. Ronnie, is she my girlfriend?”
“Yeah she is.” Pete replied “
Mike got back and they were soon on their way. When Mike drove slowly past the hotel, Vicky seemed to be staring at the place and smiled. “I know that place—we play there, don’t we, Pete? I seem to remember us playing for an older couple having an anniversary.”
“That’s right! That was the other month. That’s when we first played together.”
Vicky took a notepad from her bag and started looking through it, then looked at her watch “I’m supposed to be teaching Susan a lesson in about twenty minutes—we need to get to the Strip. I don’t want to keep her waiting. Her mom won’t be happy if I’m late.”
“We’ll be there soon. Don’t worry.”
A few minutes later they were at the Dive and Mike pulled into the lot. Vicky grabbed her purse and got out. “Good—Mrs. Richards car isn’t here yet. I need to get up to the apartment.” She started to walk off in front of them.
Mike put his hand on Pete’s arm. “Some things seem to be getting familiar to her, but I think she needs to go slowly—we don’t want her getting too overwhelmed.”
“She seems better than she was earlier. She remembered about her and Ronnie being together. At first she asked if I was her boyfriend, and she was cool when I told her I was yours. I think it triggered a memory back to her.” Pete gave Mike a big smile and held his hand as no one else was around.
They soon caught up to Vicky as she got to the side entrance. She opened the door and heard voices, so she went up the stairs. Pete stayed behind her. Annie was the first person she saw, and then she noticed Ronnie on the couch in the living room.
Ronnie came up to her. “Vicky, are you okay?” She went to hug her, but Vicky stepped back for a moment. After looking around the room, she went over to Summer who was lying on the couch. “Hello, little one. Is Dylan here too?” She turned around to Annie.
“Yeah, they’re both here. We stayed overnight with Ronnie. We’ve all been so worried about you. The guys have been looking for you since yesterday.”
“Sorry…I’m confused. I can’t remember too much. Some things are still a bit of a blur.”
Ronnie tried again to approach her. She stood next to Vicky, who’d now sat down next to Summer. “Do you know who I am?” she asked her.
“Yeah, of course, Ronnie! How could I forget you? I love you—that’s one of my best memories. We live here together, don’t we?”
“Yeah, I manage the club downstairs, and Annie, Mike and Pete are our friends.” Ronnie looked happy.
“I better get ready. I’ve got spoilt Susan coming for her piano lesson and don’t want to give her mom anything to complain about.” She went over to her piano. “I’ll be okay up here, if you want to get back to work.”
“Don’t worry—your lesson’s cancelled. I called Mrs. Richards and told her you were ill, so you’ve got all day free. Just the doctor will be here soon—you don’t mind me calling her, do you?”
“No, it’s okay… Have I got time to get a shower? I need to wash my hair.”
“Yeah. Do you need anything—something to eat or a cup of coffee? Have you eaten since yesterday?” Annie asked her. “I’ll go make drinks for everyone.”
“I just had a bar of chocolate and an apple that was in my purse yesterday evening. I’d love a coffee, though, please, and maybe some toast.” She went off to the bathroom.
Ronnie looked straight at Mike and Pete. “Thanks so much for everything, all your help. I let the police know you found her. Does she seem okay to you? I understand that she’s a little confused, and I saw the bruise on her head.”
“Well this guy helped her into a room. I didn’t like the look of him, but she claims he didn’t lay a finger on her but there’s that bruise on her arm… Could he have dragged her in or held her down in the room? I didn’t want to ask her too much,” Mike said before Pete got chance to talk.
“Michael, let’s not think about that please. She didn’t seem to know us at first, but we did seem to wake her up, so we know she at least slept in a bed last night.”
There was suddenly a knock on the door and Annie went to see who it was, coming back a few minutes later with the doctor. “Hello, Ronnie. I got here as quick as I could. Is Vicky about? Does she have any injuries we can see?”
“She’s got bruises on her head and arm, and seems confused. Maybe she’s got concussion? She remembers a few things. I asked her some questions, but she was vague on some. She’s just in the shower,” Pete answered her.
“Okay, I’ll take her to the bedroom and examine her when she’s finished. I’ll check to see if everything’s all right with the baby. Has anyone asked her if she’s had any cramps?”
Everyone shook their heads to say no. “No one mentioned the baby to her,” Ronnie replied.
“Good, we don’t want to rush things. Just be patient with her for now.” Annie passed her a coffee when she brought everyone’s drinks in.
The doctor went to examine Ronnie. “How are you feeling? You’re pregnant too, remember? Did you manage to sleep last night?” She got some equipment out of her bag and checked Ronnie’s heartbeat, blood pressure and felt her stomach. “You seem fine, but you need to get plenty of rest and avoid any stress, both of you.”
“I didn’t sleep well. I was worried about her. I’m just so glad she’s back home. I was scared she’d had an accident.” Ronnie started to cry and Annie came and put her arm around her. “Just give her some time and things will be all right.”
“I hope so. She just isn’t her normal self. It’s horrible seeing her like this. Please concentrate on Vicky, not me,” she said to their doctor. “I’m worried about her and the baby.”
They heard Vicky go from the bathroom into her bedroom, and Ronnie took the doctor through to see her. Ronnie came back and left them alone. “She’s gonna do some cognitive tests as well.”
Inside the bedroom, the doctor sat Vicky down and went through similar questions to those Pete had asked her earlier. It took a while, but she got her name, the day and date, and she knew the name of the club, the hotel and school where she worked.
“That’s good so far.” The doctor checked into her eyes with her torch and tested her reflexes. “It looks like the knock to your head has given you concussion and caused a temporary amnesia, but things seem to be coming back to you gradually. I just want to look to see if you have any other injuries. Is that okay.” Vicky nodded yes.
“I feel better than when I woke up earlier. I hit one of the guys, I think. I just panicked when he touched me. They must be mad at me.” She quickly put her hand up to her mouth. “I won’t be long. I need to go and be sick again.”
Vicky came back about five minutes later, clutching a glass of water. “Sorry about that. That’s the second time today already.”
“Don’t worry, Vicky, it’s just morning sickness. It’s something most women go through early on in pregnancy. Ronnie’s going through it too—you’ll be going through so much together.”
“I’m pregnant?” Vicky responded looking shocked. “How…wh…when…who?
“You’re just over a month gone. I don’t know all the details, but I know you and Ronnie wanted to start a family, and the guys out there, your friends, helped you out. You need to try and calm down and relax—stress isn’t good for the baby. You’ve both had a rough few days.”
Meanwhile in the living room, Ronnie was getting anxious. “I hope everything’s okay with Vicky and the baby. I was so scared I’d never see her again. I don’t know what I’d do without her, if I could go through with this pregnancy on my own.” She put her hand on her stomach.
“I’m sure she’ll be okay. You’re both pretty tough, and you don’t need to think like that now. She’s home, and this baby will be as strong as you are. You’re gonna be a family! The twins have made my life complete,” Annie said as she hugged her.
The doctor joined them a few minutes later. “Vicky’s just getting dressed.” She noticed the worried look on Ronnie’s face. “She’s fine, Ronnie. She had concussion but everything seems to be coming back gradually to her.”
“Oh good. Thanks for coming.”
“That’s no problem. One thing I suggest is that she needs to rest for a while. Get her to take some time off work—both of you need it. I can see how stressed you are too. Can you take a break?”
“The club’s really busy, and we’re short-staffed, so I can’t take time off, but I’ll make sure Vicky does.”
“Ronnie, I think the best thing is for you to go away for a while. You need to stop working all the late nights. Have you got staff that can take over what you do?”
“There’s Christine and Jacob, but they mostly just know the bar side. I look after everything else—the bands, parties, events…and we’re now in a competition for best club on the Strip.” She noticed Vicky coming back into the room and got her to come and sit down next to her.
Mike went over to her. “Listen to me, Ronnie. How about if we take over for a while? I’m good at organizing things, I’m like a manager to our band, and I seem to do okay there. I helped you out with the promotor the other night.”
“Mike, I’m grateful for that, but I can’t expect you to do that! Thanks all the same for the offer.”
“Hey, Ronnie, me and Pete are concerned about both of you. We’ve got a vested interest too, being part of the babies’ lives, so surely I can have an opinion on this?”
“I don’t think you’d last a minute! There’s so much to do—the club’s my baby too. I wouldn’t trust just anyone to take over from me. No offense, Mike.”
“None taken, but why don’t you give us a chance? There’s four of us, so how about you let us run things tonight? You can be here and watch over us, show us the ropes, put us to the test?”
Ronnie stared at Vicky. “What do you think?”
“I say let Mike have a go, but what about my jobs? I’ve only just started at the school last month, then there’s the hotel, and I’ve got private lessons most days… I can’t afford to lose my pupils—if they go to another piano teacher, I won’t get them back.”
“Pete, you could help out there, can’t you, babe? You already work at the hotel so that should be okay. You’re good at teaching Davy the bass, you’re patient… You think you could help?”
“Of course! Anything to help you out, Vicky. I’ll even have a go at your school hours if they say it’s all right if I cover for you,” Pete answered, to Mike and Vicky.
“I’ll call the school and some of my pupils. I can’t see it being a problem. You’re a better pianist than me. Thanks, Pete.” She hugged him then went to make a few calls.
Ronnie didn’t notice her dad watching them all. He was also talking to the doctor. “I’ve got a friend who runs a health spa. I’m gonna book you both in for a week’s stay. I’ll drive you there tomorrow morning myself.”
“But, Dad—”
“No if or buts, you’re going. Mike, isn’t it? I own this club and I’m cool with you taking over for a week. You’ve got my number and you can call me anytime for advice. I’ll make it worth your while of course.”
“All right, Dad. I’ll see the four of you here tonight and I’ll go through everything with you.”
Vicky came back to Pete. “The school want to meet you this afternoon, and if they like you, they’ll let you cover for me. I only do three four-hour blocks a week, so it’s not too much.”
A little later the guys were in the car ready to go back to the pad and talk to the others. “You really think we can do this, Mike?”
“Sure, Pete. I organize everything in the pad and for the band and you know what a handful looking after Micky and Davy can be—how hard can running a club be? I really think we can do this, don’t you?”
Mike didn’t know whom he was trying to convince more, Pete or himself. “Oh my god, what have we let ourselves in for?” he was thinking as they pulled out of the parking lot.