Fic: Purple when bruised...part 5
PURLE WHEN BRUISED...PART 5
David woke up with a jolt, pain crackling through his body and bringing tears to his eyes, even as he sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to slow down the rapid beating of his heart. It thudded so hard against his ribs that it pulsed in into his temples, making his head ache.
“David? Honey?”
He knew that voice. Opening his eyes he was surprised to see his mother sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him with eyes dark with worry. Sitting up slowly, trying not to wince at the pain in his ribs and entire right side, David reached for her and almost sighed in relief when she enveloped him in her careful embrace.
After a long moment of outright clinging to his mother, David eased back and whispered, “You shouldn’t have come.”
“Where else would I be?” Beth countered, blinking hard in an obvious attempt to hold back tears, even as she smoothed his hair off his forehead.
Which David hated, but allowed. It was comforting and he soaked it up in waves.
Beth pressed a kiss to his temple then said, “You’re father’s here too. And your brother. We’ve been so worried since we got the call. But seeing the attack on the internet made it worse. I was so afraid…” her voice broke on a sob and this time she was the one clinging to him for comfort.
David bit back a curse as he did what he could to comfort his mother. He was pretty sure he fell short in his attempts, but figured it was the thought that counted. In the end they were pretty much just clinging to each other when his father opened the door and found them.
The next few minutes were a bit of a blur for David. He ended up ensconced in his father’s strong arms, soaking up his strength. Then Andrew was there, hugging him and cracking jokes before David shooed them all away so he could use the bathroom and grab a shower. He felt overwhelmed with emotion and used the time to ground himself. Besides which, he hadn’t showered in a couple of days and felt incredibly grungy, which wasn’t helping his present state of being.
Because he was so sore it took what what felt like forever to shower. Certainly too long for his mother’s comfort because she sent Andrew in to check on him after 15 minutes. David was actually glad for his help. He’d managed to wash his hair and self and rinse, but he was feeling wiped out by the time he managed to -sort of - dry off. Andrew didn’t say a word as he helped David get dressed. Which David was grateful for since Andrew brought in the clean clothes that David hadn’t remembered to grab before hitting the shower.
He was feeling crappy enough to allow his brother to help him back to his bed, which his mother had changed herself, and didn’t quibble over being tucked in by her. But he didn’t want to talk about what happened and he was more than happy to take some pain meds and fall back asleep.
His father was sitting with him when he woke up again. David knew it was time to talk, but he put it off for a bit by making a bathroom run. When he came back out his Dad asked if he was hungry. He wasn’t really, but knew he needed to eat.
Twenty minutes later, Room service delivered dinner for everyone. David insisted on eating in the living room with everyone else, but it started out being awkward and tense, until Neal belched after a swig of beer and David couldn’t help laughing.
It hurt to laugh, but at the same time it felt wonderful when everyone else laughed with him. It broke the tension enough for conversation to become normal. Or what passed for normal these days.
Not wanting the feeling of normalcy to pass, David asked for the remote. Joey handed it over and David flipped through the channels, pausing when he saw an image of himself. He stared at the screen and realized it was the local news. The news interviewer was talking to a pretty young woman who looked like she’d been crying.
“David, don’t watch that,” his mother beseeched, trying to grab the remote.
He shushed her, apologized quickly, then focused on the screen. There was a video clip of the attack and David froze as he watched himself being kicked repeatedly, while down. It still boggled him more that someone had taped it instead of helping him, than the fact that he’d been beaten to begin with.
Arms wrapped around him and David realized he was shaking and that his mother was hugging him. But he didn’t stop watching, and then the news lady was back with the young woman and David listened as she apologized to him.
It was Brian Werner’s girlfriend. The one who had turned him in to the police. David stared, in disbelief, as she dissolved into tears as she apologized over and over again. He didn’t blink until his brother snagged the remote and turned the channel. Still wrapped in his mother’s arms, David turned to Michelle.
“I want to talk to her,” he stated. “Amy, right? Isn’t that her name? I want to talk to her.”
“I can arrange that,” Michelle replied, reaching for her phone. “I’ll set it up for tomorrow.”
David shook his head. “Tonight, if you can. I want her to know I don’t blame her for this. She shouldn’t feel guilty. It wasn’t her fault.” Wriggling free of his mother’s hug, David searched the room for Joey, who still looked sad and guilty. Pointing a finger at him, David stated, “That goes for you too. Stop blaming yourself for what happened. Okay?”
Joey grimaced, his curls bouncing limply as he shook his head. “I can’t help it. I should have been there. I should have stopped it.”
“No!” David felt anger course through him and he ignored the pain crackling through him as he surged to his feet. “The only person who should feel guilty is the bastard who filmed the attack and didn’t do a damn thing to stop it! I’m not half as pissed at Brian Werner for beating the shit out of me as I am for that camera jerk for filming it and posting it all over hell and back!” The adrenaline rush David was experiencing at the moment dulled any pain. He was pissed and shaking and he wanted to punch something or smash things. He even searched the room for something to throw.
“David.” His father’s tone was soft but firm and cut through his fury like a hot knife through butter.
“Sorry. I’m sorry.” His legs suddenly felt rubbery and David slumped back down to the couch, his ribs and arm protesting the movement. “This is just…it’s senseless!” It was frustrating as hell not being able to put what he was feeling into words.
Warm, soft, hands cupped his face and David looked into his mother’s worried eyes.
“Maybe you should come home for a while,” she beseeched him. “Just come home and give yourself time to heal and for this whole thing to quiet down in the media. You’ve been go go go since you won, David. You need time to breathe.’
“I can’t stop now.” He didn’t know how to explain it to her. There was no way she would understand unless she walked a mile in his shoes. His bandmates could relate, but convincing his Mom wasn’t going to be easy.
To David’s surprise, his father stepped up for his cause. “He has to do this, Beth. He’ll be fine. We’ll all get through this, but it’s David’s call how to proceed.”
“Thanks, Dad.” David was more grateful than he could say. He focused on his mom again, plastering a tired smile on his face. “I’m going back to LA tomorrow, and you guys are going back home. I’m sore, but I’m fine and at this time next week we’ll be back on schedule with the tour. Meanwhile I’ll do a few interviews to tell my side of the story and then the press will be bored. Right, Michelle?”
His manager nodded. “Best way to go,” she agreed. “Ellen is ready when you are, and I’ve got ET lined up as well. And, I just arranged for you to talk to Amy whenever you’re ready. I have her cell phone number.”
That surprised David a bit, but he decided now was as good a time as any.” He got up, slowly this time, and glanced around. “Anyone know where my cell is?”
Andy found it for him.
“Thanks.” David moved to Michelle. “What’s the number?” He punched it in as she recited it, then headed for the bedroom while it rang. Amy picked up as he closed the door behind him, wanting to keep the conversation private.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Amy, it’s David Cook.” He didn’t know what else to say.
There was a long and heavy silence and he feared she might hang up on him. “You there?”
“Y-yes. I’m so sorry, David. So very sorry. I wish I could make it up to you.” Amy babbled on until her voice broke into tears.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” David was quick to reassure her. “You’re not to blame for what happened.”
His words apparently fell on dead ears because Amy continued to babble apologies in between bouts of weeping. By the time David managed to calm her down, assure her he didn’t blame her for anything and that he would be fine, he felt as drained as if he had run a tri-athalon.
Tossing the phone on the bed, David went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He wished he could turn back time and go back to before the beating and start over. He didn’t have the energy to deal with the fall out, but he knew he couldn’t avoid it. On any level. His family and friends were feeling it right along with him, and the media sure as hell wasn’t going to fade away. Dealing with them was part of the gig.
David wouldn’t trade his life for anything. He loved what he was doing. He loved every show and every crowd and making music with his friends. It meant everything to him. Never in a million years would he have imagined being where he was would mean dealing with getting the shit beaten out of him because of some fan’s jealous boyfriend. It was insane. And headache inducing.
Knowing that he couldn’t will any of the bad shit away, David dried his face and returned to his friends and family. He brushed off his mother’s concerns that he should take another nap and convinced everyone into watching movies. Although he had to accept lying on the couch covered with a blanket as a concession to getting his way.
Halfway through the movie, David fell asleep. And dreamed.
THE END...of part 5
David woke up with a jolt, pain crackling through his body and bringing tears to his eyes, even as he sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to slow down the rapid beating of his heart. It thudded so hard against his ribs that it pulsed in into his temples, making his head ache.
“David? Honey?”
He knew that voice. Opening his eyes he was surprised to see his mother sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him with eyes dark with worry. Sitting up slowly, trying not to wince at the pain in his ribs and entire right side, David reached for her and almost sighed in relief when she enveloped him in her careful embrace.
After a long moment of outright clinging to his mother, David eased back and whispered, “You shouldn’t have come.”
“Where else would I be?” Beth countered, blinking hard in an obvious attempt to hold back tears, even as she smoothed his hair off his forehead.
Which David hated, but allowed. It was comforting and he soaked it up in waves.
Beth pressed a kiss to his temple then said, “You’re father’s here too. And your brother. We’ve been so worried since we got the call. But seeing the attack on the internet made it worse. I was so afraid…” her voice broke on a sob and this time she was the one clinging to him for comfort.
David bit back a curse as he did what he could to comfort his mother. He was pretty sure he fell short in his attempts, but figured it was the thought that counted. In the end they were pretty much just clinging to each other when his father opened the door and found them.
The next few minutes were a bit of a blur for David. He ended up ensconced in his father’s strong arms, soaking up his strength. Then Andrew was there, hugging him and cracking jokes before David shooed them all away so he could use the bathroom and grab a shower. He felt overwhelmed with emotion and used the time to ground himself. Besides which, he hadn’t showered in a couple of days and felt incredibly grungy, which wasn’t helping his present state of being.
Because he was so sore it took what what felt like forever to shower. Certainly too long for his mother’s comfort because she sent Andrew in to check on him after 15 minutes. David was actually glad for his help. He’d managed to wash his hair and self and rinse, but he was feeling wiped out by the time he managed to -sort of - dry off. Andrew didn’t say a word as he helped David get dressed. Which David was grateful for since Andrew brought in the clean clothes that David hadn’t remembered to grab before hitting the shower.
He was feeling crappy enough to allow his brother to help him back to his bed, which his mother had changed herself, and didn’t quibble over being tucked in by her. But he didn’t want to talk about what happened and he was more than happy to take some pain meds and fall back asleep.
His father was sitting with him when he woke up again. David knew it was time to talk, but he put it off for a bit by making a bathroom run. When he came back out his Dad asked if he was hungry. He wasn’t really, but knew he needed to eat.
Twenty minutes later, Room service delivered dinner for everyone. David insisted on eating in the living room with everyone else, but it started out being awkward and tense, until Neal belched after a swig of beer and David couldn’t help laughing.
It hurt to laugh, but at the same time it felt wonderful when everyone else laughed with him. It broke the tension enough for conversation to become normal. Or what passed for normal these days.
Not wanting the feeling of normalcy to pass, David asked for the remote. Joey handed it over and David flipped through the channels, pausing when he saw an image of himself. He stared at the screen and realized it was the local news. The news interviewer was talking to a pretty young woman who looked like she’d been crying.
“David, don’t watch that,” his mother beseeched, trying to grab the remote.
He shushed her, apologized quickly, then focused on the screen. There was a video clip of the attack and David froze as he watched himself being kicked repeatedly, while down. It still boggled him more that someone had taped it instead of helping him, than the fact that he’d been beaten to begin with.
Arms wrapped around him and David realized he was shaking and that his mother was hugging him. But he didn’t stop watching, and then the news lady was back with the young woman and David listened as she apologized to him.
It was Brian Werner’s girlfriend. The one who had turned him in to the police. David stared, in disbelief, as she dissolved into tears as she apologized over and over again. He didn’t blink until his brother snagged the remote and turned the channel. Still wrapped in his mother’s arms, David turned to Michelle.
“I want to talk to her,” he stated. “Amy, right? Isn’t that her name? I want to talk to her.”
“I can arrange that,” Michelle replied, reaching for her phone. “I’ll set it up for tomorrow.”
David shook his head. “Tonight, if you can. I want her to know I don’t blame her for this. She shouldn’t feel guilty. It wasn’t her fault.” Wriggling free of his mother’s hug, David searched the room for Joey, who still looked sad and guilty. Pointing a finger at him, David stated, “That goes for you too. Stop blaming yourself for what happened. Okay?”
Joey grimaced, his curls bouncing limply as he shook his head. “I can’t help it. I should have been there. I should have stopped it.”
“No!” David felt anger course through him and he ignored the pain crackling through him as he surged to his feet. “The only person who should feel guilty is the bastard who filmed the attack and didn’t do a damn thing to stop it! I’m not half as pissed at Brian Werner for beating the shit out of me as I am for that camera jerk for filming it and posting it all over hell and back!” The adrenaline rush David was experiencing at the moment dulled any pain. He was pissed and shaking and he wanted to punch something or smash things. He even searched the room for something to throw.
“David.” His father’s tone was soft but firm and cut through his fury like a hot knife through butter.
“Sorry. I’m sorry.” His legs suddenly felt rubbery and David slumped back down to the couch, his ribs and arm protesting the movement. “This is just…it’s senseless!” It was frustrating as hell not being able to put what he was feeling into words.
Warm, soft, hands cupped his face and David looked into his mother’s worried eyes.
“Maybe you should come home for a while,” she beseeched him. “Just come home and give yourself time to heal and for this whole thing to quiet down in the media. You’ve been go go go since you won, David. You need time to breathe.’
“I can’t stop now.” He didn’t know how to explain it to her. There was no way she would understand unless she walked a mile in his shoes. His bandmates could relate, but convincing his Mom wasn’t going to be easy.
To David’s surprise, his father stepped up for his cause. “He has to do this, Beth. He’ll be fine. We’ll all get through this, but it’s David’s call how to proceed.”
“Thanks, Dad.” David was more grateful than he could say. He focused on his mom again, plastering a tired smile on his face. “I’m going back to LA tomorrow, and you guys are going back home. I’m sore, but I’m fine and at this time next week we’ll be back on schedule with the tour. Meanwhile I’ll do a few interviews to tell my side of the story and then the press will be bored. Right, Michelle?”
His manager nodded. “Best way to go,” she agreed. “Ellen is ready when you are, and I’ve got ET lined up as well. And, I just arranged for you to talk to Amy whenever you’re ready. I have her cell phone number.”
That surprised David a bit, but he decided now was as good a time as any.” He got up, slowly this time, and glanced around. “Anyone know where my cell is?”
Andy found it for him.
“Thanks.” David moved to Michelle. “What’s the number?” He punched it in as she recited it, then headed for the bedroom while it rang. Amy picked up as he closed the door behind him, wanting to keep the conversation private.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Amy, it’s David Cook.” He didn’t know what else to say.
There was a long and heavy silence and he feared she might hang up on him. “You there?”
“Y-yes. I’m so sorry, David. So very sorry. I wish I could make it up to you.” Amy babbled on until her voice broke into tears.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” David was quick to reassure her. “You’re not to blame for what happened.”
His words apparently fell on dead ears because Amy continued to babble apologies in between bouts of weeping. By the time David managed to calm her down, assure her he didn’t blame her for anything and that he would be fine, he felt as drained as if he had run a tri-athalon.
Tossing the phone on the bed, David went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He wished he could turn back time and go back to before the beating and start over. He didn’t have the energy to deal with the fall out, but he knew he couldn’t avoid it. On any level. His family and friends were feeling it right along with him, and the media sure as hell wasn’t going to fade away. Dealing with them was part of the gig.
David wouldn’t trade his life for anything. He loved what he was doing. He loved every show and every crowd and making music with his friends. It meant everything to him. Never in a million years would he have imagined being where he was would mean dealing with getting the shit beaten out of him because of some fan’s jealous boyfriend. It was insane. And headache inducing.
Knowing that he couldn’t will any of the bad shit away, David dried his face and returned to his friends and family. He brushed off his mother’s concerns that he should take another nap and convinced everyone into watching movies. Although he had to accept lying on the couch covered with a blanket as a concession to getting his way.
Halfway through the movie, David fell asleep. And dreamed.
THE END...of part 5