Catch 22

17

"Sage! Sage!" Ashton yells and my head whips around with everyone else's following his eye line to the dark haired girl slumped on the floor backstage.

Fuck.

Ash beats me to her but I'm hot on his heels.

"Find her some water and call the fucking medic." I scream to anyone who will listen and moments later a clear bottle is shoved into my hands.

I lay her head on my lap, pressing the water to her lips and hoping she'll come to.

"Does anyone know what she's eaten today?" I ask, my voice panicked.

"Uh, no?" Caleb says in a condescending tone. That alone is enough to make me want to beat his face in.

"She's probably exhausted and dehydrated, Cal. She didn't want you to know but they had her drum teching alone." Ashton says quietly.

I grind my teeth together, my hands forming into fists at my side as I glare at Caleb. I'd have already punched the fuck out of him if I weren't so concerned for the girl who's head is in my lap right now.

The medic arrives and I try to stay calm as she looks Rowen over, relaxing slightly as the girl finally opens her eyes.

"Oh thank God." I breathe out as her eyes flash over to me, a confused look on her face.

"Just stay down, okay. The medic is trying to figure out what happened. Have you eaten today?"

She nods her head.

"Are you thirsty?" I try.

She nods again and I bring the water to her lips, letting her sip as she slowly sits up after the medic indicates it's okay.

"What happened?" She asks, her voice slightly slurred and her eyes struggling to focus as she is looking over to me.

"Um, we went to start soundcheck and I guess you went side stage and blacked out. Ash saw it happen."

"It looked bad Sage. Your whole body just went limp and you fell out." He says nervously, his gaze wandering from me to her.

"I just overworked myself is all. I didn't want to complain." She offers in a hushed tone.

"I told you to come find me if anything like this happened. Why didn't you tell me about the markers? Or that they had you doing fucking drums alone?" I ask, trying to reign in my emotions.

"I just didn't want to make a big deal of it." She says sheepishly, glancing around at the people who still linger just out of hearing range.

"Yeah? Well it's a big deal that you've blacked out twice, Row. You can't just work yourself to death for the sake of not stirring up problems." I say, my voice raising more than I like.

"Cal, I appreciate what you're trying to do." She says, wincing and holding her head. "But I need you to be my boyfriend, not my dad."

I bite my tongue after that remark, the medic returning over to her and I.

"Sage, you hit your head on your fall and you're extremely dehydrated. I want you to ride over to the hospital and get IV fluids and be monitored for a concussion."

My heart sinks hearing her words.

"I have to be here though. Ash can't just not have a tech." She says, shaking her head seemingly hellbent on going against the medic's orders.

"Rowen, no. We'll pull someone from Lennon's crew for tonight. It will be fine. You need to go make sure you're okay. You can't be of use to us if you're hurt." She frowns but gives a small nod as I help her to her feet and escort her out to the van that will drive her over to the hospital.