Reckless (Thoughtless, #3)(158)

Kellan was more like himself as the afternoon wore on. He was tired and in pain, but mostly in good spirits. Tory left soon after checking on Kellan; she said she was immediately going to issue a statement to the public that “It was touch and go, but Kellan narrowly escaped Death’s dark call, and he is slowly recuperating from his nearly tragic accident.” I thought her story was a little dramatic, but by the glow in her eyes, I could tell that framing it that way was excellent publicity. I found it really interesting that we couldn’t get her to lift a finger for us when we needed her to, but she was all over it when it benefitted the label.

Rock stars and roadies loitered around Kellan’s room as he recovered, much to the delight of the nurses who popped in every five minutes. The doctors and the head nurse, Carly, were less happy about Kellan’s numerous guests, and eventually made everyone leave Kellan’s room but me. Since Holeshot and the tour crew members had to go get ready for the show tonight anyway, they said their goodbyes and grudgingly left the hospital. Justin stayed, since his band wasn’t playing, but he gave Kellan and me some privacy by hanging out in the lobby with Anna and the other D-Bags.

When the sky began to darken, I wandered over to the window to peek outside. I’d heard from the nurses that the crowd of fans outside had swelled considerably since earlier today. As I started to peer through the blinds, Kellan asked, “Have you heard from Sienna? She didn’t come by. I’m kind of surprised by that.”

I looked back at him in bed. He was sitting up higher with fluffy pillows shoved behind his back, but still at an angle that was comfortable for his stomach. There was a tray of uneaten food hovering over his lap, and he was frowning as he poked at a cup of Jell-O with a plastic spoon.

“I’m kind of surprised by that too,” I answered. It wasn’t like Sienna to miss a photo op, and her rushing to the side of her fallen colleague seemed like a missed opportunity to me. Even if Kellan and I had come clean about our relationship and no one believed that they were dating—and I was really hoping that was the case now—visiting Kellan at the hospital would still make her look good. And after what we’d said about her, she probably needed a little positive PR.

“She sent flowers.” I pointed over to a modest floral arrangement that was resting between an elegant bouquet of lilies from Lana, and a monstrous vase overflowing with cloyingly powerful red roses from Nick. All the card attached to Sienna’s said was, “I’m so sorry. S.”

Kellan glanced at them, then frowned at me. “A subtle get-well bouquet isn’t exactly her style. I was expecting her to hand deliver them to me in a sequined, floor-length gown.”

I smirked at him. Yeah, something that outrageous that demanded people paid attention was much more Sienna’s style than being virtually silent with anonymously delivered flowers. Shaking my head since I didn’t understand it, I turned back to the window and pried open the slits. The sun had set not too long ago and it wasn’t fully dark yet, but I could easily see the many pinpoints of lights as fans crowded around the hospital with cups of glowing candles. My throat was thick at the display of love before me. “Kellan,” I whispered, “you have to see this.”

I knew he wouldn’t be up to standing yet, so I raised the blinds in a hope that he could see the lights from his bed. Since he was only a foot or two away, he had a pretty good view. I watched his face as he dropped his spoon to his tray. “What is that?”

“Those are your fans. They’re here for you.” I waved at the fans. Since the light was on in Kellan’s room and it was dark outside, I knew they had a full shot of me. I wasn’t sure how they’d react to seeing me here, but surprisingly the candles started moving in unison, like they were waving back at me. I took that as a good sign.

Kellan looked up at me, mystified. “That’s for me?”

Walking over to his bed, I sat on the corner and ran my hand through his hair. “You’re very loved. And not just because of what you are. Your fans see you. Through your music, they see you. And they love you.” I cupped his perfect, right-angled jaw, and stroked his cheek with my thumb. “It’s not just this that they love, you know? It’s you.”

Leaning down, I kissed his forehead.

I looked up when I heard a light tap at the door. When I saw the group of people who were watching us, I thought I was going to start sobbing. Standing just inside of the doorframe were my mother and father, and Kellan’s father, Gavin. Hailey and Riley were peeking into the room from behind their dad. I was so surprised, I was at a loss for words. I had just talked with each of them a few hours ago, and none of them had mentioned hopping a plane and flying out here.

Kellan was just as much at a loss as I was. “Gavin, Caroline . . . Martin? What are you doing in New York?”

Gavin approached his son; the worry on his face was as clear as day to me. It warmed my heart. Even if he’d kept his distance for most of Kellan’s life, he really did love him. “I’m sorry we’re so late. We got on the first flight we could.” Standing beside Kellan, Gavin put a hand on his shoulder. “We were all so incredibly worried about you.”

Hailey and Riley came up to stand at the end of the bed while Kellan’s eyes teared up. “You were worried about . . . me?” He still seemed stunned that they would care.

Gavin’s face softened into a smile. “Of course I was, son. When I heard you were in an accident, I was terrified.”