Urs was still struggling with the pain and the doctors had told him it would be with him for a while yet. They had also told him he would find it hard to sing. Urs had almost collapsed at this news thinking it was permanent but the doctors reassured him that once his lung was fully healed he would be as good as new. So Urs being the stubborn person that he was tried a few notes from his practice scales one morning. That had been a big mistake. Not only did the shock of the pain almost cripple him it sent him into a coughing fit which was excruciating. Nurse Tracie had found him doubled up on the floor only just holding onto consciousness.
She had managed to get him back into bed and set about telling him off, turned up his morphine drip and made him sleep for the next twelve hours. She was having none of that.
Once he woke up again Urs had decided that it was just a little early to try anymore singing but not too early to have his morphine drip removed, for two reasons. The first, to stop that crazy nurse from knocking him out and the second, he did not want to become dependant on it to help him overcome the pain. He didn’t use drugs. Sure, he had experimented in his youth but he had seen what it had done to some of his friends. And you couldn’t sing and perform like he was expected to using drugs. Your body needed to be healthy and clean and fit. Knowing he would more than likely have an all out fight with Nurse Tracie, he waited until her shift had finished and asked one of the others. Even then she had only agreed if he promised to tell her if it all got too much and she would give him a needle. Once he got rid of the morphine drip it also meant he had no more tubing hanging off his body, he felt a little freer.
However, more than once through the first twenty four hours without the medication Urs had almost asked to be hooked back up again. The nurse had given him some oral medication that seemed to take the edge off the side effects and it was this he was taking while he and Tam spent time together. Again ever mindful that he did not take too much.
The rest of the Divos popped in to check on him and get away from all their so called training. Always bearing gifts either from Mama Hilda or from his favourite Italian restaurant, even Tony at the café had sent him something as well as a copy of his new menu which now had Buhler buggers and Divo desserts added to the list.
They all told him about their training with Rica. If he thought Lea was a tough cookie then Rica was solid. She was a hard task master and a few times had forgotten that she was not training navy seals.
Carlos said there was so much to remember his head hurt constantly and wanted to know if he could share Urs’ bed for a while.
Urs loved his daily visits with the guys and the updates of their so called training but it just meant that the inevitable was getting closer. Lea had been obvious by her absence. Sebastien told Urs that Rica had her off doing extra training as she was a bit out of practise, needed toughening up. Urs wondered at that and Sebastien had ideas of what kind of training she was getting. But hopefully in a week it would all be over.
Urs would have jumped for joy if he could. He was ready to get out of the hospital and away from Nurse Tracie. But he worried so about Tam. The guys had convinced Lea to ask Rica if Urs could be hooked up to the communications system once things got moving so he could stay in touch. They all figured she had a much better chance of getting it than they did. If Carlos or Sebastien really had known how David and Rica felt about each other they would have sent him off to ask ‘The Boss’.
If it kept Urs in the hospital it was a request she could live with. So a few days before the operation was to start Rica sent Danny to the hospital supplied with all that Urs would need to keep in touch and a quick lesson on how to use everything. Well it would have been a quick lesson if it had been David. By the time Danny had taught Urs what he needed to know both men had had enough. Urs spent the next few days practising with the equipment just to make sure he didn’t stuff anything up. Oh how he hated all this technical stuff. He had enough trouble with a simple laptop.
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Monday morning arrived none of them having slept very well at all. At some point during the dark hours of the night Tam had knocked on David’s door. She had not expected him to answer but he did and he was still fully clothed. He’d been watching his LOTR movies. All of it including the special features. He couldn’t sleep either. Rica had told them just to be themselves but he had a hard time believing he could do it knowing what they were going to be doing until they caught this guy. David sure hoped it was sooner rather than later. David smiled at Tam. “Bed’s all yours if you want.”
“Can I watch for a while? I’ve never seen those movies.”
“I am up to the third one it might not make sense.”
“That’s okay. I don’t feel much like sleeping and Urs’ place is too lonely without him.”
So David and Tam sat and watched the movie. Just before the end David turned to her to ask how she liked it. He smiled, she was sleeping. Tam had fallen asleep with visions of Aragorn and Legolas running through her head.
David covered her with the throw rug from the sofa and went to change the DVD. Someone had given him the full season of Firefly and the movie Serenity, neither of which he had seen or knew much about. So he decided to watch the movie first.
Well it was science fiction and he had a few more hours to kill until day break. He rested his hand gently on the sleeping Tam as he watched.
Carlos had been pacing his place on and off until giving in and calling Felicity. Rica had told them she wanted them to stay put but never said anything about having visitors. So once again Carlos informed their bodyguard that Felicity was on her way. He nodded and smiled at Carlos. He was a little envious. When he had first been given the assignment he expected to be looking after the spoilt rock star types that usually come with the trouble but this job had been anything but. They had all been very nice. Making sure they did not need anything, asking if they wanted coffee, bringing home extra food for who ever was on shift and generally all round nice people. It beat being used as a slave by some coked up has been. Though Carlos seemed to have a way with ‘the ladies’ as he called them. If only some of that charm would rub off on him.
The elevator door opened and Felicity walked out. She smiled at the guard. “I guess we both got called out for the graveyard shift.”
The guard nodded. “Ma’am. Mr Marin is expecting you.”
Flea smiled and handed the guard a thermos. “Thought you might like this. Hot chocolate.”
“Thank you Ma’am.”
The guard smiled after her as she entered Carlos’ apartment. Yep, nice people.
Carlos pulled Felicity towards him. “It’s been such a long week without you. I missed you my sweet.”
“Carlos, if you are like this in just a week what is going to happen when you go on tour.”
“I do not want to think of such things. Not tonight.”
“Then we shall have to get your mind onto something else.” With that Felicity dropped her coat to the floor to reveal that she was wearing nothing but suspender stockings and shoes.
Carlos growled, actually growled.
“I take it you like what you see?”
He growled again, pulling her close and kissing her passionately starting at her neck and working his way down her body.
They never made it to the bedroom nor did they sleep.
Sebastien lay next to the naked body of the woman he had fallen in love with back in Florida, gently washing his hands up and down the outline of her spine, feeling every ridge, every valley. Wondering how she had come by the scars he could see. Other parts of her body bore scars of healed wounds. He’d seen them, kissed them but never asked her about them. It seemed an intrusion somehow. He bent over and kissed the one on her shoulder. Lea stirred, turned and gazed into his eyes. She melted. Putting her arms around his neck she pulled him down further so she could kiss him. While she was kissing him she wrapped her legs around his body and pulled him on top of her. Sebastien groaned as he gave into her sensual seduction, unable to brake free, not wanting to. His body was hers to do with as she pleased, he had surrendered. What Lea did to him pleased him a great deal.
Simon was sleeping but not soundly and only with the help of sleeping pills. He dreamt and he tossed and turned. By the time morning arrived it was with some relief he switched off the alarm and took himself off to have a shower before meeting up with the rest of them at the TV studio.
Since Tam had arrived back on the scene Vaga had not slept much at all. Mostly he brooded. This night he had every press release he could get his hands on spread out across the table. All their faces smiling back at him. Those four lover boys and that witch. See if she ever got back on stage. He would show them. No one took his spotlight, no one. Vaga violently swiped the press releases off the table and began to play with the gun, throwing it from hand to hand and twirling it in the air. If he had ever been a reasonable man it was all gone. He was now a man possessed, he had one mission and that mission was to kill Tamara Teasdale.
Rica rousted them all by having her men go down the hall way banging on the doors while she stayed near the elevator. To their credit they were all ready. She had expected to hound them like children unwilling to get ready for school but there they were, quiet and subdued but ready. “Okay ya’ll let’s get this caravan mov’in shall we?”
When they got to the TV Studio David spotted at least a dozen security type persons and figured that was only what he could see. There would be others. He tried hard to see if he could pick them but they were good at their jobs. He felt sorry for their fans that had probably waited for hours outside just to get a glimpse at them and they had been brought through the delivery dock. A few wirily fans had taken the chance that this may happen and hidden themselves. Every one got a shock when they jumped out to see Il Divo and the next thing found themselves looking down the barrel of a gun, with the arms behind their backs about to get handcuffed. All of them. David, Sebastien and Carlos began to shout at the guards to let the ladies go.
David voice being the loudest. “Damn it Rica. Get them to let go!!! They are fans. Look.”
David pointed to the autograph books, teddy bears and other gifts that had fallen to the ground and the tears falling down the two fans faces. They were crying and scared to death. “Does that look like an assassin?”
Rica gave a silent command and her guards let them go. The two fans were in shock. Sebastien and Carlos went over to console them and dry their tears.
While they tried to console their obviously traumatised fans David went over to Rica. “Geez Rica was that necessary? I mean look at them.”
“David this is a serious business. You’re lucky they didn’t shoot and ask questions later.”
David went to say something but she stopped him. “I’m sorry David they obviously got in here somehow and that is not good. Not good at all” Rica’s team knew they were in for a very real dressing down once they were back in the office. For now they had two very scared Il Divo fans to worry about.
Lea spoke up. “May I make a suggestion?” David and Rica looked at her. “Let them come with us. I am sure they would be happy to and it may just stop any law suit headed our way.”
“Fair enough” Rica said as she motioned to her boys to move off.
David was already over to the fans each one now cradled in Sebastien and Carlos’ arms.
“I am so sorry ladies you had to go through that but security has been pretty tight since Urs got shot. You understand?”
Both ladies nodded, still trying to hold back tears.
“Would you like to join us in the studio while we do the interview?”
Hearing this they both sat up straight and looked from each other to David, then over to Rica who was waiting for them.
“Are you sure David she doesn’t look to friendly?”
David gave them one of the biggest smiles he could muster and held out his hand which they both took. “You’ll be okay with us ladies I promise.”
The two fans dried their eyes one taking hold of David’s’ good arm and the other gently taking hold of his cast.
“So ladies what are you. Uber, Siren?”
“Simultaneously they replied “DIVA”
David’s booming laugh echoed through the delivery dock
Sebastien and Carlos had picked up the gifts that had been dropped. Sebastien had a smile from ear to ear.
“Hey guys they brought us jelly babies and toblarone.”
Urs watch the live broadcast from the TV in his room as well has having the two way radio turned up and tuned into anything that was said. He smiled as Tam began to play. As usual one of the others had answered the questions for her, mostly David but when she played she captivated the world. Without sheet music she conquered some of the hardest pieces of classical music there was, making it look so effortless. She was a genius.
Vaga sat in his own apartment fuming as he watched the broadcast. He was so mad he actually shot the TV. Pity the bullet never ricocheted, it could have done Rica’s job for her.