strong>

Dear Readers,
When I took some time off, it was easier to rewrite the story from the beginning. Here's the newer version.
.

After showing their tickets, Lisa and Smith walked down the ramp into the waiting plane. Lisa chuckled at the flight attendant leading them to their seats. The woman couldn’t take her eyes off Smith. She imagined that the woman was old enough to remember EBR and had probably seen her boyfriend in a movie or two. Lisa knew he radiated that star charisma. After being in a world-famous band and several big movies, she liked that he didn’t notice the fuss surrounding him as they quietly sat in the corner of first class.

After getting settled in their seats, the same flight attendant stood in the aisle, blocking the view of their seats so the rest of the passengers who were headed in wouldn’t notice them. As much as she enjoyed the Wildcats' success, sometimes she just wanted to be herself. She knew she’d never complain, but having the most beautiful man on the planet for a boyfriend made her conspicuous, too. People who saw them together probably wondered who she was. After all, she was part of a band, whereas Smith had been a rock star for years and now was featured in big movies, too. She made a note to ask Grace Goldman’s advice on how to avoid passive-aggressive jealousy.

After they took off, Smith leaned over and buried his nose in his iPad on his tray table. He was working on lyrics for new EBR music.

Lisa looked over and read some of the words. “Hmm. Storm clouds, lightning, heavy rain. Sure sounds like a recycled Eaten song to me.”

He turned his head slowly, smiling into her face. “Uh-huh. Except this one might have the sun coming out. You never know, maybe I’ll throw some love into the mix.”

Lisa squeezed his thigh and inched up his leg using her fingers. She whispered in her sexiest voice, “The sun is coming out, huh? Like in the itsy-bitsy spider? When the sun came out and dried up all the rain, and the itsy-bitsy spider went up the spout again.”

Smith inhaled as her fingers moved up her leg like a spider, then caressed him. He pretended to shake his head. “Why did I have to fall in love with such a sexy, wise-ass? But how come your mom’s not crazy like you?”

Lisa made a fist and smacked him hard on the bicep before she went back to stimulating him. “Crazy, huh? I think that’s the part of me you like the most. I’m just not one of the hundreds of women who have thrown themselves at your feet begging for your love. Speaking of crazy, that reminds me. When things settle down, I want to hire a private detective to track down my sperm donor, my biological parent. Wouldn’t it be ironic if he’s a musician?”

“Or a wise ass.”

Lisa’s hand grabbed down hard on his crotch and grinned devilishly. “Maybe you don’t need this boy for a while.”

“Hey! I’m finally eating real food!”

Jenn smiled as she looked at her girlfriend. Teri was sitting up and wide awake. She had a little bedside table pushed in front of her, and she was eating. “What is it?”

Teri smiled broadly. “I never thought that applesauce could taste so good! But they’re still being careful about my throat and the danger of my choking. So far, I’ve had oatmeal and hot chocolate. Baby food!”

Jenn grinned and leaned over to kiss her. “You look a lot better this morning than you did yesterday.”

“Do I? I don’t remember a thing.”

“That’s okay. You were pretty doped up. How about this morning?”

“I’m good. I don’t think they are giving me much in the way of pain killers, but I’m still numb down there.” Teri finally took a deep breath, sitting in bed, feeling the ice machine between her legs. As she looked across at Jenn, there was a knock on the door. Another smiling nurse was standing there, washing his hands with an antibacterial scrub before he entered. “Hi, Teri Nelson. I’m Dr. Hank. I’m a pulmonologist and here to check your lungs and breathing. This is a standard practice after surgery. Your nurse told me that you sing and play guitar for a living.”

Teri nodded and hoarsely croaked, “I’m in the Wildcats, a band from Allentown.”

The doctor smiled. “I know just who you are. I watched you on Labor Day.”
 
Jenn looked at him. “Do I need to leave?”
 
“Nope.” He beamed. “I’ll only be a few minutes.” Hank admired the two women as he smiled at them both.
 
Jenn was fascinated to watch as the doctor had Teri blow into a tube and recorded the information. He used a stethoscope to listen to her lungs and nodded. “You’re in great shape. You’ll be released and going home in no time at all! My assistant will return this evening and show you exercises. I want you to build up your lung power. Knowing that you sing and play for a living, I want to make sure we send you home in perfect shape.”
 
As he was working, no one noticed Tiffany walk through the door. She immediately came over and gave Teri a warm kiss. “Surprise, Little. This is wonderful. Seeing you stuck in bed, I can keep on kissing and you can’t run away!”
 
She laughed and turned to Robyn and the doctor. “Excuse me, doctor. Can I climb up into bed with my girlfriend? I want to get under the covers with her. Is it too soon to have hot monkey sex?”
 
Robyn looked frantic, not realizing Tiffany was putting on. “Oh, please don’t. She’s still hooked up to too many tubes, and we don’t want anything to go wrong.”
 
Jenn covered her mouth and giggled. She knew Tiff so well and was enjoying her outlandish, impulsive behavior. The woman could make anyone laugh.
 
The man’s jaw dropped. The beautiful, tall, leggy blonde who was carrying on and the exotic-looking brunette were an eyeful. He didn’t know where to look. Even his patient was gorgeous, with her silver punk haircut and perfect skin. He slowly exited the room, realizing that Jenn and Tiffany were laughing and talking like this happened every day. He made a note to return to this room soon and check on the patient more frequently.
 
As everything was settling down, Jenn’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it and asked Robyn if Teri’s mom could come in, too.
 
“No problem, Jenn. I’ll go get them. The whole floor is quiet, so we can even steal chairs from the other rooms.
 
Before too long, Teri and Amy hugged while Tiffany talked to Conor. As a surgical nurse, Amy was interested in what the nurses and doctors said.
 
Robyn was bringing everyone up to speed. “Well, Teri’s surgeon came in last night at around eleven. She said that she was very pleased with the whole operation and felt that, because Teri was so young and intersex, it made it much easier to complete the surgery. She also said they had to do less cutting and suturing so healing would go faster. She promised to come back again this morning and help pull out the catheter and check on the dressings.”
 
Amy was smiling at Conor. “I’m happy to hear that. Complications are a bitch.” She paused and shook her head. “Excuse my language. I’ve been really agitated with worry through this whole business, and knowing all that could happen in this surgery has had me on edge. I’m relieved.”
 
An hour later, Robyn was trying to get everyone’s attention. “I need to kick all of you out. The doctor notified us that she’s on her way. When she gets here, we’ll need to disconnect all of Teri’s tubes and her catheter. And after the doctor finishes checking her dressings, I’ll bring you back in so you can talk to her. Then we get Teri up and walking. The whole procedure should take us about thirty minutes, and when we’re done, I’ll come get you.”
 
Conor smiled. “That’s fine. We’ll all take a lunch break. We packed food and left it in coolers in the Recovery Lounge. C’mon, gang, let’s go eat.”
 
Teri sat up and waved her hands. “Hey! What about me? Who’s going to feed me?”
 
Robyn laughed. “Your cafeteria tray is on its way. Sorry, it’s not catered, just hospital food. You’ll get used to it. You’re on a pretty strict diet for the next three days while you’re under our care.”
 
Teri could be heard moaning and pretending to complain as everyone filed out.

Amy and Conor pulled out sandwiches, sodas, and pretzels. Jenn and Tiffany got out the napkins and paper plates as Tiffany spoke. “This looks good, Mrs. Nelson. Thank you for feeding us. You, too, Conor.”
 
Jenn always smiled that Tiffany was on a first-name basis with Conor. She remembered hearing about how, in the old days, when Conor was smuggling arms worldwide, he was very selective about who Zoe could bring home to their very secure home. Teri had told her all about the fortress the first time she visited. Conor built a mansion with high-security walls and lights everywhere. Teri visited when she’d just joined the Wildcats. That night, Conor gifted her a classic Fender Telecaster to welcome her into his daughter's band.
 
Since then, Conor had fallen in love with Teri and Lisa’s mom, Amy. The Wildcats played Cupid and were all pleased with themselves that the two parents had found each other. Amy had never married and was a single parent. Zoe’s mom had died of cancer when she was nineteen, and both Conor and she had been heartbroken. When her mom had been diagnosed, Conor Finely had given up being an outlaw and dedicated himself to his family’s well-being.
 
Now, Conor was content to dabble in importing Japanese Saki and fine French wines. He was still sore that the US Government wouldn’t give him an export license to sell Kentucky Bourbon throughout the world. He simply said, “They’re still mad. The government was never able to make a case against me, and this is their revenge. But now it’s too late because I haven’t done anything illegal in years.”
 
A new voice could be heard as everyone was munching down on Italian hoagies and Herr’s potato chips. “Hey, gang! Did you leave anything for me?” 
 
Everyone stood up and exchanged hugs and kisses with Gina. As they found her a soda and a sub, she told them all about what she’d been doing for the past couple of weeks. “I’m keeping myself busy during the day, and then Grace and I go out to eat and visit clubs in Soho and the Village to listen and watch bands. It does make me itchy to drum.”

At that point, the nurses invited them back into Teri’s room. They were all surprised to see Teri looking a bit more like herself after she’d been disconnected from her IV lines.

Then, everyone listened while Gina told them all about her conversation with her dad: “We’re each twenty thousand dollars richer. I never knew it, but online services pay us royalties for every play online. Our checks are already deposited. Mine is earmarked for a Grace present.”
 
Even though her voice still hurt, Teri whispered, “What are you getting the most beautiful woman in the world?” She loved her counselor dearly and still had a huge fantasy surrounding her.

Gina happily described her idea for a new painting for Grace’s office.

“That’s a great idea. I’ve spent a lot of sessions sitting in there, and she has quite a gallery of original paintings and photographs hanging on her walls.”
 
Tiffany turned. “Twenty grand is sweet. I also want to see the statistics from William Wiggins on which songs were requested, as well as the breakdown from the streaming services. I’m curious to see what songs were most popular and where. Maybe we could get age demographics, too.”
 
Gina looked at her. “What’s that going to tell you?”
 
Tiff nodded. “It’ll give us insight into which songs were the favorites and help us to plan for the next record.”
 
Gina laughed and held up a wrapped package. “Yeah, speaking of records. Richard and Phil gave me a present to give to Teri.” They all watched as Teri unwrapped her gift.

“Oh, my gosh! Look!” She held up the three album covers. “They found mint-condition vinyl recordings of my rock gods playing live! Cool, huh?”
 
Jenn was smiling and shaking her head. “I can see it now. You’re not going to be able to relax until they’re played at full volume on your stereo back at the house.” She turned to the nurse. “Keep an eye on her. She’s going to be climbing out of bed just to hear them. All she’s been doing since she was on the Tonight Show and met Questlove is going crazy shopping everywhere for vinyl. I don’t even ask her how much she spends anymore.”
 
Gina smiled. “Buying vinyl? I thought she was getting all of her stuff through Questlove.”
 
“No. The pair of them are music nerds. And since Questlove is in New York, he’ll search out albums for Teri, too. Even DJ Blank has been helping her track down vinyl.”
 
Tiffany smiled. “Blank! How’s he doing? Is he still at the Rendezvous?”
 
Jenn was nodding. “Yep. But he’s branching out since he helped remix Show Me Some Love. He’s become pretty popular in the recording studio and told us that he’s doing shows all along the East Coast.”
 
Tiffany gave a thumbs-up. “It’s so good to hear that he’s become successful. It’s hard to believe that Teri conceived a club song and sent it to him the second night we played at the Rendezvous together.”
 
Gina laughed and pointed at Tiffany. “Remember how she just taught the song to us on the fly. And you threw a fit and didn’t want to do dance music.”
 
Tiffany was shaking her head. “Yeah, when I heard what she wanted to do, I worried about our cred as punk. Yeah, I wanted nothing to do with all of that. And then she sends it to Blank, who was DJing in Philly. He played it all weekend, and suddenly everybody was wondering who the Wildcats were.”
 
“Yeah, the Playroom.”
 
Tiffany kissed Teri. “Back then, you really were our Little Shit. And to think, I was worried that making a disco song would affect us. Little did I know that that club song would make us famous.”
 
Gina laughed. “Yeah, I remember. You held a band meeting and wanted to kick that girl to the curb, saying that we didn’t need a fifth member and it would only slow us down.”
 
Tiffany was rolling with laughter. “And I was so right! I’m truly gifted when it comes to reading our future. Yeah, that Teri kid sure has been nothing but trouble.”

Robyn kicked everyone out, saying she needed to help Teri for a few minutes.

The whole crowd retreated to the lounge to wait.

Ten minutes later, Teri appeared through the lounge doors using a walker. She was excitedly smiling until her mom came over and started hugging her.
 
Teri felt the tears through her hospital gown and realized that her mom was coming undone. “Mom, mom. I’m here and everything is fine.”
 
“Oh, I know,” she whispered. “It’s just how much I love you. My baby is the most amazing woman I know.”
 
Robyn cleared her voice to get everyone’s attention. “We need to go back inside recovery. Teri and I need to walk a few more steps. When we return, I'll get you from the lounge. We won’t be long.”
 
Gina’s phone buzzed in her back pocket. She looked at the phone. “Hey, Jenn.”
 
Jenn looked up from putting the waters back in the cooler. “Uh-huh?”
 
“How many people did you text about Teri’s surgery?”
 
Jenn nodded. “Teri and I made a list. You know Teri. Not a lot of subtleties.”

“Well, everybody we know seems to be texting. Word is out.”
 
 
Robyn looked at Teri as she slowly walked. She knew how uncomfortable she was, but was impressed at how hard she was trying. “Hey. You’re doing great, and I know you’re all about recovery, but we’re not here to overstrain.”
 
Teri shook her head. “How many painkillers do they have me on?”
 
Robyn still held her arm. “Tylenol and something to help you sleep. Not as much as you’d think. You’re still pretty numb down there. By the time you head home, you’ll be better.”
 
 
Smith closed his laptop. About two hours had passed. He looked over and saw that Lisa had her eyes closed. He was very content to just gaze at her while she slept. Then he heard her whisper.
 
“Why are you staring at me, cowboy?”
 
“‘Cause I like to.”
 
Lisa popped a mint. Then she leaned over and kissed him softly. “Thank you, even if it’s a little creepy to wake up to feel all that electricity coming off you.” She snaked her arm out and around his neck, pulled him towards her, and gave him another kiss. “Mmm. How horny are you?”
 
Smith perked up. As he stood up, he grinned. “First class has its own bathroom. You coming?”

Lisa took his hand as she stood up. She swore she could feel the heat coming off his body.
 
 
A flight attendant came their way after they had settled back in their seats. She was holding two flutes of champagne on a tray. When they looked up, they could see that she was grinning.
 
After they had taken the glasses and thanked her, Lisa leaned over. “She knows, doesn’t she?”
 
Smith turned bright red. “Hey, I’m going to plead innocence here. In all my travels, you’re my first mile-high club partner.”
 
Lisa shook her head. “I can’t believe Eaten by Raptors never had a private plane and groupies begging the lead singer to show them fireworks.”
 
Smith shook his head. “You’ve watched too many rock and roll movies. In the three years we toured, there were no private jets or crazy buses full of groupies. Sure, I partied like crazy, but we were country boys still full of those Texas manners.”
 
Lisa nipped his neck. “I don’t buy it, but if that’s what you’re selling.”
 
“C’mon. Seriously. The guys will back me up. No mile highs.”
 
“Oh, baby. I love you. I really do. But you’re an old guy who probably has a ton of scalps on his belt.”
 
Smith sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit to some of what you’re saying. We’d been on the road since I was around eighteen. I secretly had had three families: one in New York, one in Florida, and one on the West Coast. I’ve got three children, and love them all. Do you want to see some photos?”
 
When Lisa smacked him, she remembered to tuck her thumb so the impact left a large impression on his arm.
 
“Ouch. Lisa, that really hurt. Stop picking on an old man.”

She laughed and readied another punch. “Before I hit you, I want to see photos of your kids.”