Feel Like Makin' Love (Rock and Roll Trilogy #3) (29 page)

“What?” Andy asked,
“Occasion?”

“
I wanted to cook! I found a recipe and made one of your favorite dinners!”

Andy rais
ed an eyebrow and looked at her. “What is it that you want?” he asked, squinting his eyes in a suspicious manner.

“Why Papa, what on earth? I made your favorite chicken Marsala
, and you believe I have ulterior motives. Seriously, I just wanted to cook! Sheeesh…” she said sarcastically and returned to the kitchen.

Andy looked first to Geni; she shook her head to let him know she had no idea. He turned to Matthew, standing there with a
big knowing grin; he shrugged his shoulders and went to the kitchen to help Carlee.

“How’s the chicken?” Carlee asked after Andy took the first bite.

“Very goo
d,” he replied, still eyeing her in wonder.

“I wanted to make you something special, because I feel good, and I love you so much. I’m just so happy that I can be home and do things. I know I’m limited
, but I feel so blessed that I can be here with all of you,” she looked to both Andy and Geni and felt a lump in her throat begin to form.

“
I’m starting an online class on Monday.” She saw Andy look up and added, “I feel that well. I’ll do the course work from here and go in once a week to take a test. We explained everything about my health and my limitations, so they set it all up so that I can take the tests on Matthew’s short days and go in and back with him. The instructor knows I can’t be left alone, so it’s all set. I’m ready to do this. It’s a step in getting back to normal. Child psychology,” she added and gave Andy a big smile.

“This will still give me the opportunity to spend time with
Kyliejo, too. Hatchet told me yesterday that Kyliejo will probably never get to go home. Johanna keeps bringing things from home to make it more comfortable for her. We’ve been coloring those butterflies and putting them all over the walls, and she loves them. She feels OK as long as they have her on whatever is going through the pump, and she seems in good spirits… Hatchet said nothing will happen soon, but that she can’t go home.”

Andy watched
- he knew that tender heart.

“I crawl up in
to the bed with her, when it’s just the two of us, and we take the ear buds to my phone and both stick one side in our ear, and we listen and sing Traveler songs; her favorite is “Timeless.” She looked up at Andy and smiled. Matthew shook his head and grinned. Geni still had no idea what was going on.

But now Andy knew… He sat quiet a minute, thinking.

“I didn’t make it, but I got a peach cobbler when Matthew took me to the market yesterday. I just need to warm it,” she said and rose from the table to go slip it in the oven.

Andy
looked at Matthew. “She’s good.”

“You know it!” Matthew laughed.
“When she hatched her plan last night, I wanted to call and warn you – give you some time to prepare for the bamboozling!”

“I know this concert is for the little girl in Minnesota,
” she said when she returned to the table. “But I wanted to ask, will you sing “Timeless” and dedicate it to Kyliejo at the concert?”

“No.” As Andy said the word
, he saw the shock on her face and stifled a grin. “I’ll sing the song; you know we can’t bypass that one, it was too big. But I have a surprise for you.”

Carlee looked up and he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer.

“The London concert is to benefit Kyliejo. We talked with PRI and the Cancer Foundation, and I’ve talked with Hatchet and all of Kyliejo’s doctors, and Johanna. If she can be there, we have everything in place for a private suite to keep her comfortable. Johanna doesn’t want to tell her until the day of the concert in case something happens that she can’t attend. You will be there with her if you want.”

“Oh my goodness, Papa, where else would I be?” she asked with tears rolling down her cheeks. “I’m even gonna put vanilla ice cream on your cobbler!”

She jumped up to put her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek, and he petted her back, lovingly. As she pulled away he grabbed her hand, holding onto the pinky finger. “Wrapped around that lil’ finger,” he laughed. “See what’s ahead of you, Matthew?”

“Oh, I know that finger
; you may be wrapped around one, but she’s got me twisted and tied in knots around the other one,” he laughed and added, “And I hope to stay right there.”

Andy
didn’t tell Carlee how big the concert was really going to be. That was
her
surprise.

~ ~ ~

The concert was a week away. The band was returning in two days to get in some more practice. The special guests were sneaking in as well, and Andy had set up separate space, so that while Carlee was visiting rehearsal, she didn’t know who else was taking part. He made excuses to sneak away a few times to meet with them.

Geni loved his excitement over the whole thing, and she was anxious to be part of it.

“Are you ready to be a rock star groupie?” Andy asked, as it got closer.

“
I’m excited to share this with you,” she replied. She sat in on the rehearsal sessions and couldn’t wait to experience this with him.

“The media are gonna be all over this. It’s a big deal, Traveler’s first time together in this many years… You know the mystery woman thing from New Years’, mul
tiply that by about a thousand. Can you handle it?” And as he said the words, they both thought of Beth.

“
I’m along for the ride, whatever it is,” she replied, and he kissed her

~ ~ ~

Kimmy and Lane were coming, along with Jenna and Maxx. Marissa was on spring break, and Carlee sent her a plane ticket to come visit. Due to other commitments, Thomas and Brian were unable to attend. And Carlee snuck a call to Paul, the barkeeper from her and Andy’s trip to southern England, and he and his wife were joining them.

~ ~ ~

Carlee was beyond excited over everything – her family and friends, Traveler together again, but mostly she was excited over the thought of the money that would help Johanna and Kyliejo. Andy, Geni and Matthew were still tag-teaming her trips to the hospital to spend time with Kyliejo, and when she was there, she talked with Tamara as well as Hatchet about her ability to attend the concert.

“Papa
has a private suite for us, and of course both of you will be there to watch over her,” she said with a big smile.

“Of course we will!” Danni Matchett replied
, and both she and the doctor laughed.

“I’ll work it out with the other physicians to make sure she’s OK to go,” Tamara replied.

~ ~ ~

March
16 arrived, and everyone was caught up in the excitement, knowing what the afternoon held. Andy was gone, and Geni was with the family and friends who gathered to share in the festivities. Matthew and Carlee had gone to the hospital to see Kyliejo. Carlee had called five times that morning to make sure she was feeling OK, and the hospital was abuzz with the same excitement, getting everything in place for the little girl to leave. With Roddy’s help, Andy arranged for several large flat screens to be placed throughout the hospital for the patients and staff to be able to view the concert as well.

“I brought you a big surprise,” Carlee told her when they entered the room. She looked tired
; dark circles shadowed her eyes, but no matter how she felt, anytime Carlee was there, Kyliejo had a smile on her face.

“What surprise?”

Carlee reached in her bag and pulled out a Traveler t-shirt. “You need to put this on!”

“OK, but why?”

“It’s a BIG surprise!” Carlee said.

Johanna helped her as
Hatchet and Tamara entered the room wearing Traveler t-shirts as well. Kyliejo looked and finally noticed that Carlee and Matthew had them on too. Johanna stepped into the bathroom and came out wearing one also.

“What is going on?” Kyliejo
demanded.

Two aides entered the room and started unhooking monitors and IV lines, hooking her up to portable devices. The
y unlocked the wheels on the bed and started for the door.

“Wait…
” Kyliejo said. “Where are we going?”

“To a concert!” Carlee replied.

Kyliejo, Johanna, Hatchet, and Tamara got in the transport vehicle with her, and Carlee and Matthew made their way to Royal Albert Hall. Andy had special entry lined up, and when they arrived, Kyliejo was brought into a special room where the Traveler band waited for her arrival.

When she realized who was there
, a big happy smile crossed her face. “Oh my goodness…What. Is. Going. On?” she demanded.

Andy walked to her bedside and hugged her. “You are the guest of honor for a concert! Let me introduce you to the guys. This is Nathan Perry.”

Nathan stepped up and kissed her hand. “My pleasure Princess Kyliejo!”

~ ~ ~

Carlee watched Johanna as each of the band members made a fuss over her. She saw the joy on Johanna’s face at seeing her little girl so happy. Carlee moved to her side and hugged her. “Papa said there’s more,” she whispered. Matthew was moving quickly around the room taking pictures of all of it.

After the introductions, Andy moved over and whispered in Kyliejo’s ear. “I heard you had another favorite singer and he’s here to meet you too.”

“Who?” Kyliejo asked, and at that moment a door opened and Zane Rogers walked to her bedside.

“Zane! I can’t believe it!”

He leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Hello, beautiful…” and as he said the words, Carlee rolled her eyes – just as Andy looked her way and they both started laughing.

“One more surprise,”
Andy, told her. “This is Slater Markert.”

The tall young man made his way to the bedside
, and Kyliejo said, “You aren’t famous yet, but Carlee let me listen, and I think you will be very soon”

Carlee slipped to Andy’s side
, and he put his arm around her. “Papa, thank you. She is so happy!”

Everyone was pleased
with the meet-and-greet for Kyliejo and her over-the-moon reaction to it all. Hatchet and Tamara were like schoolgirls, red-faced and excited over meeting everyone, and finally it was time for them to go to the private suite. Carlee and Matthew, along with Kimmy, Lane, Marissa, Jenna, and Maxx made their way there, and Carlee was pleased to find Deb and Michael, Cook and Adrian, and Dan Patrick and his wife. And then she saw Paul and his wife there waiting.

Carlee
introduced everyone. “I’m so glad you could all come!”

“I wouldn’t have missed it! When are you coming south
to sip some Scrumpy with me?” Paul asked.

“Soon as I can travel!” she replied and Matthew smiled.

~ ~ ~

From their vantage point
, they looked out and down at the stage - it was an exciting evening. Geni stayed backstage with Dina for the show and was happy to be there. There were cameras set up in the suite to capture Kyliejo’s reaction to it all, and every once in a while her smiling face would grace the screens, and the crowd would cheer.

Roddy walked out on stage and took the microphone. “Welcome! As you k
now, tonight is part of a Making Miracles Happen event. This concert, along with one in St. Paul, Minnesota, New York City, and Los Angeles are being recorded for a worldwide television event next week. Tonight, you are here to be part of that, as well as to meet our local Making Miracles Happen recipient, Kyliejo Smithson!”

A camera moved toward Kyliejo
, and her smile could have lit the hall as it flashed on the screens throughout the place.

“We have several performers tonight who are here to help raise fund
s for cancer patients, and tonight’s event is sponsored by the World Cancer Foundation, Making Miracles Happen, and PRI Productions. Enjoy the evening. Ladies and Gentleman, Slater Markert,” Roddy said and left the stage to thunderous applause.

Slater opened with
“Can’t You Feel It,” one of three songs that he and Marco were in the process of tweaking for release. Andy stood with Geni to watch, impressed with the young man – more impressed with Marco and his work.

My heart beats – can’t you feel it?

My knees are weak – can’t you feel it?

I’m watching you with burning eyes

Can’t you feel this love I hide?

When
Slater left the stage there was shuffling going on in preparation for Zane to take the stage, and when he did, the hall was loud with squealing girls, and Kyliejo was part of it! He opened with “Love Drunk,” and Carlee watched Kyliejo sing along to every word.