Perfect Denial

The feeling of unease in the bottom of Bills heart erupted the moment he woke up. Blinking sleepily as sunlight filtered into his room.

It grew larger as he got up and dressed and he called out to Tom, checking if he was okay.

Tom appeared in the doorway
“What is it Bill? You sounded worried…everything okay?”

Bill frowned “Yes…I’m…I’m fine”

Passing Tom, he walked out of his room, patting Scottie on the head and turning on the coffee maker and waited for his mug to fill.

“Bill?”

Bill looked over at Tom, who was standing by the window, twirling his hat in his hands nervously

“Yes?”

“I’m…I’m sorry about yesterday”

Bill felt his eyebrows rise in surprise. It took a lot for Tom to apologise. He liked to be right…all the time.

Tom continued “I didn’t know you still felt that way about Dana. I didn’t know you were still so deeply in love with her. I was wrong to give out to you. I should have known ho you felt…you’re my twin! And I should have minded my own business…I’m sorry”

Bill smiled and walked over to Tom, hugging him

“It’s okay Tomi; I know you’re only looking after me. I guess I was being a bit of a pain in the ass too…”

Tom smiled too, clapping Bill on the back brotherly “Forget about it”

Bill grinned, but though he had made up with his twin, his soulmate, his other half the feeling of deep unease was still laying heavily in his chest…

~PXD~

Walking into the studio for another busy day of recording of the album, which thankfully was nearly finished, Bill looked into the corner where Gustav and Cody were talking.

Bill walked over to them “Hey…where’s Dana?”

Cody narrowed his eyes at Bill “She’s not here yet…”

Gustav pulled Bill aside “Bill…maybe you should stop bothering her, let her get used to having you around again…She doesn’t need any more trouble and she needs to record her own album and we have to finish off ours…distractions aren’t needed and all you’re doing is upsetting her!”

Bill sighed, scratching his forehead

“I just want to explain myself Gustav…I need to make things right. Yesterday was a mess, what she heard I didn’t mean! I have to talk to her…”

“I’ll try and reason with her Bill…when she arrives”

Bill nodded, slightly relieved and rubbing his chest as the feeling still bubbled inside him went to work.

Gustav walked back over to Cody who was putting his phone back into his pocket
“She’s not answering her phone…she’s never usually late”

Gustav sighed “Leave her…she may be still asleep, you know she’s exhausted. The extra rest won’t do her any harm. She’ll probably ring apologising in an hour”

Cody nodded, and went over to the rest of The Static Undertones, who were gathered lazily around the television in a small room. Gustav joined Bill, Tom and Georg.

~PxD~

By early afternoon, the boys had had a successful day and were heading out for some lunch when Bill spotted Gustav on the side of the pavement, cursing at his phone, worry clearly written across his face.

Bill frowned “Gustav…what’s wrong?”

Many emotions passed over Gustavs face in a space of two seconds and for a moment Bill thought he wasn’t going to tell him until he took a deep breath and blurted “Dana never showed up today and she isn’t answering her phone”

Bill bit his lip. He knew Dana and he knew that she always had her phone wherever she went and she never left it unanswered. The feeling in Bills chest intensified and he suddenly knew he had to get to Dana.

Gustav took out his car keys “I’m going to see if she’s alright…I’m worried.”

“I’ll come too”

Gustav didn’t object, but hurried to his car, Bill pausing to tell Tom and Georg to go without him.
“I’ve had a feeling all morning Gustav…something’s wrong…I know it is”

Gustav didn’t say anything but Bill noticed the speed of the car increase before it screeched to a halt outside a dingy apartment block.

“She lives here?” Bill asked incredulously, remembering the luxury beach house in LA.

“Yes...she can’t afford anything else and she won’t accept any money off me” Gustav muttered hurrying up the stairs “The beach house was Aarons” he added as if reading Bills mind

They stopped outside apartment 2E and Gustav knocked loudly

“Dana” he called “Dana…it’s Gustav”

There was no answer and Gustav sighed loudly “She’s not here”

He turned to go but Bill stayed where he was

“No…Gustav she’s in there”

Gustav stopped “How do you know?”

“I…I don’t…I just know...Kick the door open…”

Gustav looked at Bill strangely but two strong kicks later and Bill walked into the small apartment

“Dana!” he gasped

Bill ran towards the bed in the middle of the room where Dana’s body was sprawled across the surface, pale and motionless.

She looked asleep, her legs curling slightly under her long body but her lips were tinged with a deathlike blue and her hand lay over the side of the bed, brushing the floor like a corpse.

“No, no baby, no” Bill pulled her seemingly lifeless body into his lap and wrapped his long arms around her “Don’t be dead…please don’t be dead”

He faintly heard Gustav ring for an ambulance and blocked out his voice asking for help.

He rocked back and forth unable to believe this was happening. He held Dana, pleading silently to her to wake up and he realised with a pang how thin she had become. He could feel almost every bone in her body…

“Where’s the ambulance?” he screamed frantically to Gustav who appeared from the bathroom

“They’ll be here in a minute Bill”

“What were you doing?” Bill asked Gustav who was strangely calm.

Gustav’s voice trembled slightly, portraying his hidden fear “I had to see what she might have taken…the doctors will need to know”

Bills eyes widened and he clutched harder onto the girl in his lap

Gustav rubbed a hand over tired eyes “Bill…she can’t have collapsed from natural causes…she’s addicted to prescription pills, she’s been battling it for months”

Bill looked back at Dana “No…” he muttered softly. Not his Dana

His thoughts were interrupted by a paramedic team. With difficulty, he let go of her body and allowed the professionals to take over. He numbly followed them outside and got into Gustav’s car, and waited to follow the ambulance to the hospital. He looked away in pain as he saw the paramedic’s frantically pump Danas chest praying for a heartbeat…