Nothing Is Ever Simple

AMELIA

By the time Amelia had gotten away from Castle Bam and dropped Brandon off with April and Phil with as little explanation as possible, she had missed her scheduled flight and was forced to get a later one. She was incredibly frustrated and upset as it meant that she would not make it to LA in time for Steve’s intervention. She had also managed to leave her phone behind in the process but Dico had graciously offered her his as she would need it to get in touch with Jeff.

The flight had been a miserable one as she pondered her future. All she could be certain of was that there was no future for her in Westchester anymore. Simultaneously she wondered whether or not she would see Johnny during this trip. This time she would be staying in a hotel, which did not particularly fill her with excitement. Eventually she landed in Los Angeles airport feeling extremely exhausted and upset. Her life was steadily falling apart and she had no idea what to do about it or who to turn to. Luckily Jeff had been expecting her and she spotted him as soon as she passed through security. He was on his own and she tried not to think too much of this as she flung her arms around him, grateful to see a familiar face.

“Hey Jeff, thank for picking me up.” She smiled as convincingly as she could.

“Jeez Amelia, are you ok?” Jeff looked her up and down. Her face was void of makeup and she looked as if she had lost a lot of weight since the last time he had seen her. Her jeans and jumper seemed to hang off her body and her skin was unhealthily pale.

“I’m fine.” She laughed. Now was not the time to start explaining herself so she brushed him off as they made their way to his van to go and see Steve-O.

“How did the intervention go?” she asked as Jeff started the engine. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there.”

“It’s ok Amelia. I know he’ll be glad to see you today. He went with us ok last night but as you can probably imagine he kicked up a storm when we got him there. I don’t think he realised that they were going to actually lock him up so to speak.”

Amelia grimaced. She felt bad for Steve but at the same time she knew it was for his own good. She was also glad that Jeff did not press her on her reason for missing the flight. She would have to explain herself eventually but for the time being she was just trying to focus on Steve.

When they arrived at the centre, Jeff lead her inside and over to a reception desk. They waited patiently before a nurse beckoned them over. “He’s doing a lot better today.” She told Jeff. Jeff smiled politely and they followed her to Steve’s room. As they arrived outside the door, Dimitry and Rick were just leaving.

“We’ve been trying to keep him company as much as possible.” Jeff told her as Dimitry and Rick stopped briefly to chat to them. Jeff explained that Chris, Dave, Wee-Man, Ehren and Preston were planning on flying over that weekend to pay their friend a visit. Eventually her curiosity got the better of her and before entering the room she found herself asking Jeff were Johnny was.

“Oh, he flew to Tennessee this morning.” Jeff explained casually, wishing that Johnny had told Amelia this himself rather than leaving him as mediator. “He’s filming a new movie.”

“Oh.” Amelia replied, feeling more than a little put out. She wondered why Johnny had not told her this himself, but then again they hadn’t spoken about anything since she had left LA so what business what it of hers if he didn’t feel the need to tell her his every moment. She shook these thoughts to the back of her mind and walked in to see Steve.

Steve was lying on the bed at the far end of the room, with his hands behind his head, looking the picture of serenity in contrast to his surroundings. The room was sickeningly sterile with bright white painted walls and the bare minimum in terms of decor and furniture. Amelia was reminded of a hospital but without the machines.

“Hey Steve.” Amelia called across the room, causing him to look up from his position and jump to his feet when he saw who it was.

Amelia walked slowly across the room to meet him as he hurried over to wrap her in his arms. “Meels, thank God you’re here. The guys… they think I’m crazy! They’ve got me locked up in this hell hole. You need to get me out.”

“Steve…” she sighed gently, rubbing his back and trying not to let it show that she was slightly phased by his manic ranting. “They’re just worried about you. We all are. This is for the best you know.” She heard the door shut behind them. Jeff was obviously giving them some time alone.

“But I’m fine Amelia!” he said, pulling away and looking at her with big, scared eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with me. You have to believe me.”

Amelia ignored his last comment and took a seat in the chair beside the bed, running her hands through her limp and lifeless hair. She could tell Steve’s last binge of drinking and drugs had not quite worn off yet, but when it did she hoped that there would be a marked improvement and perhaps he would be able to admit to himself that there was a problem. Steve remained in his position in the middle of the room and watched her suspiciously.

“You look like shit Amelia.” he stated simply and out of the blue, causing her to twitch her lips into a faint smile.

“Thanks Steve.” She laughed as he came closer to her. “So do you.”

“No seriously.” He said when he was standing directly in front of her. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. We’re here to talk about you, not me.” She reminded him.

“Well seeing as you also seem to think I’m insane and you’re clearly not gonna help me with my escape plan, you better spit it out. I’m bored solid here and a good dose of drama is just what I need. You wouldn’t deny me of that now would you Amelia?”

Amelia shook her head in exasperation. “Steve…I don’t think you’re insane…”

He cut her off. “You owe me an explanation Amelia. I want the details.”

Amelia sighed and decided she would have to use this situation to her advantage. “Ok ok. We talk about me and then we talk about you. Deal?”

Steve simply shrugged and sat down on the bed so Amelia took this as an agreement. “I’m leaving Bam.” The words sounded strange coming from her mouth. She had known since she walked out yesterday that she was going to leave him, but saying it out loud made it seem so much more real. Steve raised his eyebrows and listened intently as she described everything that had happened since New Year, careful to miss out anything to do with Johnny. She did not want to talk about him right now.

“Shit.” He exclaimed once she had finished talking. “I told you Bam’s a dick. So what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “I need to get away from Westchester and then find a new job and somewhere to live I guess. Now it’s your turn. What’s going on Steve?”

Steve shrugged and started to tell her how he had been feeling recently, questioning the point of everything and wondering what he was supposed to do with his life if he wasn’t making films. Amelia sympathised with him and was glad to see she had managed to break down some of the wall that he had built up around himself.

Amelia was starting to feel a little better as she and Jeff climbed back into the van a few hours later. Talking things through with Steve had helped her come to terms with her situation and she was hopeful that Steve would start to improve once the drugs had had time to leave his system. She had promised to visit him every day and all that was left now was to find accommodation. She did not know how long she would stay in LA. Obviously she would have to return to Westchester soon, she could not be parted from Brandon for long, but she wanted to be there for Steve for as long as he needed her. Despite this, Amelia could not shake the overwhelming feeling of loneliness, out here in a big and unfamiliar city with her two closest friends unavailable. Jeff and the other crew members were there but she was not as close to them as she was with Johnny and Steve.

As Jeff drove through the streets of LA towards a hotel, Amelia felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She wondered who it could be, seeing as not many people knew she was using Dico’s. In fact, the only people who knew she was using this number were Dico himself, April, Phil, Jeff and… Jenn. On the spur of the moment she had called Jenn at the airport after seeing that Dico still had her number stored. She had thought she may as well keep herself available as Jenn had promised to help her out.

The picture made her heart stop. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised by the content, perhaps she was more surprised by the fact that Jenn had actually kept to her word and sent it. It was exactly the kind of evidence she had been waiting for, second only to seeing it with her own eyes. There was no mistaking Bam in the picture and the woman wrapping her legs around his waist certainly wasn’t his wife. Underneath, Jenn had written a simple but effective message.

Sorry you had to find out like this but I thought you would want to know. I saw them in a club in town last night. The girl is Terri. Hope you’re ok. Love Jenn x

“Are you ok?” Jeff asked worriedly as he realised that Amelia had gone quiet. Amelia struggled to find her voice. She had been expecting to see something of this sort but nothing could have prepared her for how it would make her feel. She was angry, upset, confused but most of all she felt embarrassed with herself for allowing Bam to make a fool of her in this way. There was no point in lying to Jeff. This new revelation, coupled with Johnny’s absence had sent her emotions over the edge and she shook her head slowly and bit her lip to try and stem the flow of tears. Jeff watched her concernedly and rather than stopping outside the hotel he continued to drive.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked gently as the tears streaming down her face became obvious.

Amelia nodded silently, still unable to find her voice.

After a short while Jeff pulled up outside a big house that she assumed must be his. He opened the door and took her bags from the trunk, gesturing for her to join him.

“Let’s go inside and talk. I’m not having you staying in a hotel.” He told her sincerely as she climbed out of the car and stood by his side. “The spare room is yours for as long as you want it.”

Amelia smiled gratefully and followed him inside. Jeff made sure she was comfortable in the living room before reappearing with two cups of coffee. “I’m listening whenever you’re ready.” He said, sitting down beside her on the sofa.

“I don’t know where to start.” She mumbled. For some reason it had been easier to tell Steve, but perhaps that was because he had his own, more important problems and she had not received Jenn’s text at that point. “Bam’s been cheating on me.” She sighed eventually, showing the photo on her phone to Jeff. “I suspected it all along but now I have proof.” She continued to explain the reason for her delay in arriving in LA and how Bam had told her not to bother coming back.

As she spoke she found herself unable to stem the flow of her tears and the fell rapidly down her cheeks. Jeff pulled her into his arms and she sobbed uncontrollably onto his shoulder until she had no more tears left to cry. Jeff was surprisingly comforting and she wished she could disappear into his arms and never face any one again. She felt so stupid for allowing Bam to walk all over her and now her whole life had come apart. How could she have been so stupid? She should have trusted her instincts on her wedding night and not gone ahead with it. Everything would have been so different now. Perhaps Johnny would have been here with her.

“I’m leaving him.” She told Jeff finally. “I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do but I’m not going back to him.”

“Amelia. Come and work for me.” Jeff said gently. “Please think about it. I was serious about what I said on New Year’s Eve.”

Amelia promised to think about it.