Overwhelmed
Title: Overwhelmed
Series: A Year in the Life - April 2010
Date: April is “Stress Awareness Month”
Author: cunningdeb
Rating: G (some language)
Pairing: adam/kris
Summary: Kris takes on too much alone and it catches up with him
Warning: angst, medical stuff
Disclaimer: Pure fiction.
Part of my Allen-Lambert universe. Timeline kind of jumps around, hope you can follow it alright.
--*--
“Daddy, are you okay?”
Hannah stood in the entrance to the family room, her Madeline doll clutched tightly in her little grip. She was watching her Daddy on the couch. He was breathing funny and his hand was on his chest.
Kris looked over at his daughter, plastering a smile on his face so as not to frighten her. “I’m fine Sweetpea. Why aren’t you in bed?” he asked quickly, trying to sound normal through his ragged breathing.
“I heard yelling.”
The cell phone lay on the floor, smashed, at the base of the wall. He’d been on the phone with his production manager, arguing over his apparent lack of interest in completing his next album. There was no lack of interest on Kris’ part - there was a lack of time. When she wouldn’t accept that he had other responsibilities that took precedent, he had let go a royal train of profanity and whipped the phone against the wall. That’s when he started having trouble breathing and developed pain in his chest.
“I’m sorry, the TV must have been on too loud. Go back to sleep Hannah, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“When’s Papa coming home?”
“Soon.”
“I miss him.”
Kris felt like bursting into tears. “I miss him too. Good night Sweetpea.”
“Night Daddy.”
--*--
It had been the longest two weeks of Kris’ life.
It all began when Adam got a call from his mom asking if he could go with her to Indianapolis. Her aunt was dying and she wanted to go say goodbye but didn’t want to go alone. Adam’s work schedule was light and a couple of days later he had cleared it and was packing for the trip.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Kris had asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching his husband pack.
“Depends on how long she holds out. It could be one day or more, I don’t know. Are you sure you don’t mind? I hate to leave everything in your lap.”
“What everything? Mrs. Willowby has the kids in tow and I think I can handle being Daddy and Papa for a few days.” He scuffed one runner with the other. “I am going to miss you though,” his voice softening as he confessed.
Adam dropped his socks into the open suitcase and gathered Kris into his arms, enfolding him in a warm hug. “Same here baby.” He cupped Kris’ face in his hands and they shared a lingering kiss. “I wish I could show you how much but Mom will be here soon.”
“I’ll take hugs and kisses if that’s all I can get.”
They held tight to each other, hands exploring, tongues exploring. They could both feel themselves getting hard; it was hard to ignore.
Adam released at tasty bottom lip. “Maybe, if we hurry, we get in a little f….”
“Papa, Nanna’s here!”
Kris rested his head in the crook of Adam’s neck, sighing. “Time’s up. I’ll help with the luggage.” He reluctantly left Adam’s arms and grabbed the carry on bag. Adam tossed a few more things into the other suitcase and locked it shut.
Silently, they headed downstairs. Leila was visiting with her grandkids and Mrs. Willowby. Unfortunately, they couldn’t prolong the goodbye. The boys took the bags out to Leila’s car and held each other once more.
“Same routine?” Kris asked.
“Same routine.”
They’d been apart many times with work and family obligations. The ‘routine’ was calling each other every couple of days and texting each other at night before they went to sleep. They had a world clock avi on their phones so no matter where they were, they knew when the other was going to bed. It was kind of silly but what could they say, they were madly deeply in love and needed the contact, however they could get it.
Leila finally came out, having given them a few minutes alone, and got in the car. Adam kissed his kids and Mrs. Willowby, then joined his mom. The car drove out of sight and that was that.
--*--
The first few days after Adam left went great. Daily routines continued, meals were eaten, and one-on-one time with the kids was just as special.
Then came the phone call.
Mrs. Willowby’s daughter had been in a car accident back in England. She was on the next flight out. That left Kris alone with Hannah and Joshie and no back up.
Kris tried to run all the errands after he dropped Hannah off at pre-school. At least Joshie couldn’t run around like Hannah did; he thought he lost her in the frozen foods section once. His life became a routine of wake up, get everyone dressed, make breakfast, take Hannah to school, run countless errands, house clean, pick up Hannah, play, fix dinner, nighttime routines, check in with his manager, and miss his husband all the while caring for a nine month old.
When Adam called, Kris didn’t tell him about Mrs. Willowby being away. He knew Adam had enough to worry about with his mom. It seemed her aunt was holding out as long as she could and Leila couldn’t bring herself to leave just yet. Adam told Kris all he had to do was say the word and he’d be on the next plane home.
Kris’ was sure he could handle anything tossed his way.
--*--
The start of his second week alone was when things fell apart.
The production manager called, informing Kris the release date of his new album was being pushed up by over a month. Apparently, the marketing team rethought releasing it after the New Year and instead wanted it out just after Thanksgiving. He still had three tracks to record and then post production was needed and they had to finalize the CD cover and a host of other details.
Kris told them it was impossible for him to get into that much work until Adam and/or Mrs. Willowby came home. They didn’t care. He’d signed a contract and he had to fulfill it.
His new routine became wake up himself, review work and family schedules for the day, wake up the kids, get them dressed, make breakfast, take Hannah to school, go to the studio with Joshie in tow, do what had to be done there, pick up Hannah from school, run errands, corral Hannah, come home, play, fix dinner, nighttime routine, do household chores, stay up til early morning working at home on the album, try to sleep, achingly miss husband, up early, repeat.
Something had to give and it ended up being Kris’ emotional health.
Genuine smiles and heartfelt laughter went out the window. He did his best, and barely succeeded, at keeping his moodiness from his kids. He stopped cooking vegetables for them when he nearly snapped at Hannah one night for refusing, like she always did, to eat them. Better to eliminate the problem then start another, he figured. Every smile his children saw was forced; luckily they were too young to know the difference.
Others weren’t so lucky.
Kris didn’t like hurting anyone’s feelings but he seemed to be doing it all the time now, from the grocery clerk he yelled at when they sold out of apples to the recording engineer who had to keep repeating instructions to Kris because he couldn’t concentrate. They had to take a 30 minute break after Kris told him in no uncertain terms where he could stick the headphones.
He didn’t even let himself go unpunished. Anytime he made a mistake, he berated himself. He began eating all the time and when he was working at home after the kids went to bed, he started having a couple of whiskeys to calm himself as his life spun out of control.
When Kris finally made it to bed, he couldn’t sleep. Every demand being made of him bombarded his mind relentlessly and his body ached for his husband. It wasn’t so much the love making he missed - although he did miss it - it was having Adam hold him and tell him he could get through this. His other half was missing and the space it left was cold and empty.
--*--
Adam sat in the hospice waiting room as his mom visited her aunt again. He was checking his messages - nothing from Kris. Not an email, tweet, text or voice mail.
The first week, there was constant contact. They called everyday, making sure to get in touch when the kids were home so he could talk to them. He and Kris texted every night, writing a great erotic story in the process. They had discussed a little phone sex but Adam and his mom were staying with his cousins and Adam didn’t feel comfortable, well you know…
Seven days later, the contact started slacking off despite Adam’s efforts. They still texted at night but the phone calls dwindled to every other day then stopped completely on Kris’ end.
Yesterday, Adam finally made human to human contact and the conversation wasn’t what he’d been hoping for.
The phone picked up. “What?”
Adam was taken back by the abrupt hello. “Hey baby, it’s me. Boy, you’re hard to get hold of.”
Kris voice softened, almost to a weariness. “Sorry lover, it’s been a hard day.”
“So how is everyone? I miss you all.”
“Good, good.”
“Kris, is there something wrong? You sound…funny.”
“No, no, everything’s fine, just busy at the moment.”
Adam noticed his tone getting lighter and he also knew it was fake. “I hope to be home in a few days.”
“You’ve been saying that for over a week!” Kris snapped.
“I, ah, I’m sorry, but you understand right? It’s family.”
“Well, you have family here to you know!”
Adam was so startled, he lost his voice. He heard someone in the background talking to Kris and then heard his husband bite that person’s head off.
“Look, Adam, I can’t talk now. Bye.”
And he had hung up, leaving Adam curious and a little scared.
Back at the hospice, he checked his other messages. There were several from his record company over the last few days and he held off checking them as long as possible. When he did, he was shocked that they were all about Kris.
They claimed Kris was growing increasing difficult and they wanted to know if Adam could talk to him and get him to realize that moving up the date of his album’s release was a good thing, not something to fight. The most recent one must have been sent right after Adam heard that background conversation. It said Kris refused to do any more work and that if they couldn’t come up with something viable with what he’d given them, then they could, and they quoted, ‘go fuck yourself, fire me’.
Adam decided to call Mrs. Willowby. Maybe she could enlighten him.
“Hello, Mrs. Willowby? It’s Adam.”
“Mr. Lambert, how wonderful to hear from you.”
“Just wanted to see how you were doing….and ask how things are at home.”
“I’m doing as well as can be expected. Amanda is out of intensive care and the doctors tell me she’ll make a full recovery.”
“Amanda? She’s in the hospital?”
“Well of course laddie,” she replied, as if the answer were obvious. “The car accident was quite serious.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Why don’t you go back to England and see her. I’m sure Kris can get along for a few days on his own until I get back.”
There was silence and then a shocking revelation. “Mr. Lambert, I am in England. The accident happened just after you left. I’ve been here nearly two weeks.”
Now things were making sense. A strange feeling washed over him.
“Take as long as you need. I’m heading back home today anyway.”
“Your great aunt has passed on then. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t try to correct her and just said thank you. He sent his love to her family and hung up. Leila had joined him in the waiting room by now.
“Mom, I have to get back home. Something is very wrong, I can feel it. Will you be okay on your own?”
She rested a hand on his arm. “Of course I would but I’m coming with you. I’ve said my goodbyes and my being here isn’t going to change anything for her. You and Kris, however, I can help. Let’s go.”
--*--
That night, they were on a plane back to LA. Both Adam and Leila tried contacting Kris and neither could get hold of him. Adam called their record company and they told him they couldn’t get hold of Kris either. As they landed, he received a message. The production manager finally got hold of him but all Kris did was scream and then the line went dead.
Leila gave her keys to Adam as they approached her car. He concentrated on driving and Leila continued trying to get hold of her son-in-law. Finally, after hitting every traffic jam in the city, they pulled up the driveway to the Allen-Lambert House.
Adam rushed in. “Kris! Kris! Where are you?”
“Papa!”
Hannah had been half way up the stairs when he rushed in. She turned and ran down the stairs, flying at him. He fell on his knees and gave her a big hug.
“Sweetpea, where’s Daddy?”
She pointed to the family room. Leila took over, leading her granddaughter back upstairs. Adam hurried into the adjoining room. Kris was stretched out on the couch, covered in sweat and panting heavily. Adam brushed the wet hair from his forehead.
“Oh my God Kris, what happened?”
“Adam, you’re home,” he gasped.
“Baby, my God…”
Kris’ hand flew to his chest and he pressed, wincing. Adam covered his shaking hand. “What is it?”
“My chest…it hurts.”
Two improbable words jumped into Adam’s brain - heart attack. “Hold on baby, I’ve got you.” He scooped Kris up like he scooped up Joshie and headed for the foyer. He looked to the second floor and called out, “Mom! Mom!”
Leila appeared immediately. She took one look at her boys “Go, go! I’ll stay with the children. Take my car; the keys are still in the transmission.”
--*--
Adam had been ushered into a private waiting room to keep him away from the media. Word had spread quickly that he was seen running into the emergency room with Kris in his arms. On the drive, the floodgates opened and Kris talked nonstop, telling Adam everything that had happened over the last two weeks, crying and apologizing for not getting help. He had been so sure he could juggle everything.
Adam couldn’t fault Kris for feeling that way; he would probably have been just as stubborn.
The doctor came in, prompting Adam to his feet. “Was it a heart attack? Is he going to be okay?”
A hand rested on his shoulder, urging him to sit. “It wasn’t a heart attack and he’s going to be fine.”
Adam’s head fell into his hands. “Thank God. I was so fucking scared. Oh, sorry.” The doctor gave him an understanding smile. He straightened up, ready to hear the news. “So what happened?”
“Kris was suffering from heart palpitations.”
A ding went off in Adam’s brain. “Could that be caused by stress?”
“In some individuals, yes.”
Adam repeated what he had learned over the last twenty four hours from the record company, Mrs. Willowby and Kris himself.
“Being overwhelmed could definitely be the cause. We’re doing tests however just to make sure we know exactly what triggered it. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘fight or flight reflex’?”
“Yeah, isn’t it how our mind and body react to a dangerous situation?”
“Pretty much. Without getting too technical, stress can put you in a highly emotional state. When you become stressed, your body sees it as a threat and releases hormones to make your body go into fight or flight mode to protect itself. This surge in hormones makes your heart race, which can cause palpitations.”
“So how can we prevent it from happening again?”
“Kris needs to learn ways of relieving that stress effectively. I’ll give you both information on that when we release him tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Kris’ body and mind are exhausted. When we’ve completed the tests, I’d like to give him a sedative so he can get a good sleep. I also want to keep an EKG going all night to monitor his heart, just to be on the safe side.”
“Can I stay with him? I don’t need a bed, just a chair.”
The doctor got up. “I’ll see what I can do. Give us half an hour and then you can see him.”
--*--
Adam stretched out and watched over his sleeping husband. The doctor had really come through; not only did he arrange for Adam to stay, he put Kris in a room with two beds so Adam could have one. If Adam had his way, he’d be sharing the same bed with Kris but he didn’t want to screw up the EKG results. When he first came in, he kissed Kris and the machine beeped erratically, attracting the attention of the night nurse. When Adam sheepishly explained, she maternally told him to behave himself.
He’d talked to his mom and she was going to stay with the kids. The whole situation made the late news reports. Their record company released a statement claiming Kris Allen was suffering from exhaustion and would be taking some time off. Adam thought it would be difficult to convince them that Kris really did need time off yet they made the offer. His health came first and while they couldn’t move the release date back to the New Year, they moved it to Christmas, affording Kris a week off.
“Adam?”
Swinging his long legs onto the floor, Adam was at Kris’ side before he could call out his name again. “Hey baby, I’m here.”
“What happened to me?” he asked through a yawn.
“You wore yourself out and your body retaliated.”
“Am I going to be okay?”
Adam kissed his forehead. Beep. Oops. “If you take care of yourself and ask for help when you need it.”
“I’m stubborn.”
“I know.”
Kris looked around the hospital room and at the darkness outside the window. “Whose with Hannah and Joshie?”
“Mom. She’ll stay as long as we need her.”
A hand came out and another hand clasped it. Adam sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you staying with me?”
“Badgered them until they gave in.”
“Sure you did, you just oozed your usual charm and they didn’t have a chance.”
“I didn’t have a chance Kris when I met you.”
Lips met again and again and they didn’t care how crazy the heart monitor went. The night nurse rushed into the room with a crash cart and more staff behind her. They came to an abrupt halt in the doorway when they saw what was setting it off. The extra staff left with the cart and the night nurse slipped past Adam and Kris, unnoticed, and turned the external volume down.
She shut the door behind her and let Kris take his medicine.
Series: A Year in the Life - April 2010
Date: April is “Stress Awareness Month”
Author: cunningdeb
Rating: G (some language)
Pairing: adam/kris
Summary: Kris takes on too much alone and it catches up with him
Warning: angst, medical stuff
Disclaimer: Pure fiction.
Part of my Allen-Lambert universe. Timeline kind of jumps around, hope you can follow it alright.
--*--
“Daddy, are you okay?”
Hannah stood in the entrance to the family room, her Madeline doll clutched tightly in her little grip. She was watching her Daddy on the couch. He was breathing funny and his hand was on his chest.
Kris looked over at his daughter, plastering a smile on his face so as not to frighten her. “I’m fine Sweetpea. Why aren’t you in bed?” he asked quickly, trying to sound normal through his ragged breathing.
“I heard yelling.”
The cell phone lay on the floor, smashed, at the base of the wall. He’d been on the phone with his production manager, arguing over his apparent lack of interest in completing his next album. There was no lack of interest on Kris’ part - there was a lack of time. When she wouldn’t accept that he had other responsibilities that took precedent, he had let go a royal train of profanity and whipped the phone against the wall. That’s when he started having trouble breathing and developed pain in his chest.
“I’m sorry, the TV must have been on too loud. Go back to sleep Hannah, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“When’s Papa coming home?”
“Soon.”
“I miss him.”
Kris felt like bursting into tears. “I miss him too. Good night Sweetpea.”
“Night Daddy.”
--*--
It had been the longest two weeks of Kris’ life.
It all began when Adam got a call from his mom asking if he could go with her to Indianapolis. Her aunt was dying and she wanted to go say goodbye but didn’t want to go alone. Adam’s work schedule was light and a couple of days later he had cleared it and was packing for the trip.
“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Kris had asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching his husband pack.
“Depends on how long she holds out. It could be one day or more, I don’t know. Are you sure you don’t mind? I hate to leave everything in your lap.”
“What everything? Mrs. Willowby has the kids in tow and I think I can handle being Daddy and Papa for a few days.” He scuffed one runner with the other. “I am going to miss you though,” his voice softening as he confessed.
Adam dropped his socks into the open suitcase and gathered Kris into his arms, enfolding him in a warm hug. “Same here baby.” He cupped Kris’ face in his hands and they shared a lingering kiss. “I wish I could show you how much but Mom will be here soon.”
“I’ll take hugs and kisses if that’s all I can get.”
They held tight to each other, hands exploring, tongues exploring. They could both feel themselves getting hard; it was hard to ignore.
Adam released at tasty bottom lip. “Maybe, if we hurry, we get in a little f….”
“Papa, Nanna’s here!”
Kris rested his head in the crook of Adam’s neck, sighing. “Time’s up. I’ll help with the luggage.” He reluctantly left Adam’s arms and grabbed the carry on bag. Adam tossed a few more things into the other suitcase and locked it shut.
Silently, they headed downstairs. Leila was visiting with her grandkids and Mrs. Willowby. Unfortunately, they couldn’t prolong the goodbye. The boys took the bags out to Leila’s car and held each other once more.
“Same routine?” Kris asked.
“Same routine.”
They’d been apart many times with work and family obligations. The ‘routine’ was calling each other every couple of days and texting each other at night before they went to sleep. They had a world clock avi on their phones so no matter where they were, they knew when the other was going to bed. It was kind of silly but what could they say, they were madly deeply in love and needed the contact, however they could get it.
Leila finally came out, having given them a few minutes alone, and got in the car. Adam kissed his kids and Mrs. Willowby, then joined his mom. The car drove out of sight and that was that.
--*--
The first few days after Adam left went great. Daily routines continued, meals were eaten, and one-on-one time with the kids was just as special.
Then came the phone call.
Mrs. Willowby’s daughter had been in a car accident back in England. She was on the next flight out. That left Kris alone with Hannah and Joshie and no back up.
Kris tried to run all the errands after he dropped Hannah off at pre-school. At least Joshie couldn’t run around like Hannah did; he thought he lost her in the frozen foods section once. His life became a routine of wake up, get everyone dressed, make breakfast, take Hannah to school, run countless errands, house clean, pick up Hannah, play, fix dinner, nighttime routines, check in with his manager, and miss his husband all the while caring for a nine month old.
When Adam called, Kris didn’t tell him about Mrs. Willowby being away. He knew Adam had enough to worry about with his mom. It seemed her aunt was holding out as long as she could and Leila couldn’t bring herself to leave just yet. Adam told Kris all he had to do was say the word and he’d be on the next plane home.
Kris’ was sure he could handle anything tossed his way.
--*--
The start of his second week alone was when things fell apart.
The production manager called, informing Kris the release date of his new album was being pushed up by over a month. Apparently, the marketing team rethought releasing it after the New Year and instead wanted it out just after Thanksgiving. He still had three tracks to record and then post production was needed and they had to finalize the CD cover and a host of other details.
Kris told them it was impossible for him to get into that much work until Adam and/or Mrs. Willowby came home. They didn’t care. He’d signed a contract and he had to fulfill it.
His new routine became wake up himself, review work and family schedules for the day, wake up the kids, get them dressed, make breakfast, take Hannah to school, go to the studio with Joshie in tow, do what had to be done there, pick up Hannah from school, run errands, corral Hannah, come home, play, fix dinner, nighttime routine, do household chores, stay up til early morning working at home on the album, try to sleep, achingly miss husband, up early, repeat.
Something had to give and it ended up being Kris’ emotional health.
Genuine smiles and heartfelt laughter went out the window. He did his best, and barely succeeded, at keeping his moodiness from his kids. He stopped cooking vegetables for them when he nearly snapped at Hannah one night for refusing, like she always did, to eat them. Better to eliminate the problem then start another, he figured. Every smile his children saw was forced; luckily they were too young to know the difference.
Others weren’t so lucky.
Kris didn’t like hurting anyone’s feelings but he seemed to be doing it all the time now, from the grocery clerk he yelled at when they sold out of apples to the recording engineer who had to keep repeating instructions to Kris because he couldn’t concentrate. They had to take a 30 minute break after Kris told him in no uncertain terms where he could stick the headphones.
He didn’t even let himself go unpunished. Anytime he made a mistake, he berated himself. He began eating all the time and when he was working at home after the kids went to bed, he started having a couple of whiskeys to calm himself as his life spun out of control.
When Kris finally made it to bed, he couldn’t sleep. Every demand being made of him bombarded his mind relentlessly and his body ached for his husband. It wasn’t so much the love making he missed - although he did miss it - it was having Adam hold him and tell him he could get through this. His other half was missing and the space it left was cold and empty.
--*--
Adam sat in the hospice waiting room as his mom visited her aunt again. He was checking his messages - nothing from Kris. Not an email, tweet, text or voice mail.
The first week, there was constant contact. They called everyday, making sure to get in touch when the kids were home so he could talk to them. He and Kris texted every night, writing a great erotic story in the process. They had discussed a little phone sex but Adam and his mom were staying with his cousins and Adam didn’t feel comfortable, well you know…
Seven days later, the contact started slacking off despite Adam’s efforts. They still texted at night but the phone calls dwindled to every other day then stopped completely on Kris’ end.
Yesterday, Adam finally made human to human contact and the conversation wasn’t what he’d been hoping for.
The phone picked up. “What?”
Adam was taken back by the abrupt hello. “Hey baby, it’s me. Boy, you’re hard to get hold of.”
Kris voice softened, almost to a weariness. “Sorry lover, it’s been a hard day.”
“So how is everyone? I miss you all.”
“Good, good.”
“Kris, is there something wrong? You sound…funny.”
“No, no, everything’s fine, just busy at the moment.”
Adam noticed his tone getting lighter and he also knew it was fake. “I hope to be home in a few days.”
“You’ve been saying that for over a week!” Kris snapped.
“I, ah, I’m sorry, but you understand right? It’s family.”
“Well, you have family here to you know!”
Adam was so startled, he lost his voice. He heard someone in the background talking to Kris and then heard his husband bite that person’s head off.
“Look, Adam, I can’t talk now. Bye.”
And he had hung up, leaving Adam curious and a little scared.
Back at the hospice, he checked his other messages. There were several from his record company over the last few days and he held off checking them as long as possible. When he did, he was shocked that they were all about Kris.
They claimed Kris was growing increasing difficult and they wanted to know if Adam could talk to him and get him to realize that moving up the date of his album’s release was a good thing, not something to fight. The most recent one must have been sent right after Adam heard that background conversation. It said Kris refused to do any more work and that if they couldn’t come up with something viable with what he’d given them, then they could, and they quoted, ‘go fuck yourself, fire me’.
Adam decided to call Mrs. Willowby. Maybe she could enlighten him.
“Hello, Mrs. Willowby? It’s Adam.”
“Mr. Lambert, how wonderful to hear from you.”
“Just wanted to see how you were doing….and ask how things are at home.”
“I’m doing as well as can be expected. Amanda is out of intensive care and the doctors tell me she’ll make a full recovery.”
“Amanda? She’s in the hospital?”
“Well of course laddie,” she replied, as if the answer were obvious. “The car accident was quite serious.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Why don’t you go back to England and see her. I’m sure Kris can get along for a few days on his own until I get back.”
There was silence and then a shocking revelation. “Mr. Lambert, I am in England. The accident happened just after you left. I’ve been here nearly two weeks.”
Now things were making sense. A strange feeling washed over him.
“Take as long as you need. I’m heading back home today anyway.”
“Your great aunt has passed on then. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t try to correct her and just said thank you. He sent his love to her family and hung up. Leila had joined him in the waiting room by now.
“Mom, I have to get back home. Something is very wrong, I can feel it. Will you be okay on your own?”
She rested a hand on his arm. “Of course I would but I’m coming with you. I’ve said my goodbyes and my being here isn’t going to change anything for her. You and Kris, however, I can help. Let’s go.”
--*--
That night, they were on a plane back to LA. Both Adam and Leila tried contacting Kris and neither could get hold of him. Adam called their record company and they told him they couldn’t get hold of Kris either. As they landed, he received a message. The production manager finally got hold of him but all Kris did was scream and then the line went dead.
Leila gave her keys to Adam as they approached her car. He concentrated on driving and Leila continued trying to get hold of her son-in-law. Finally, after hitting every traffic jam in the city, they pulled up the driveway to the Allen-Lambert House.
Adam rushed in. “Kris! Kris! Where are you?”
“Papa!”
Hannah had been half way up the stairs when he rushed in. She turned and ran down the stairs, flying at him. He fell on his knees and gave her a big hug.
“Sweetpea, where’s Daddy?”
She pointed to the family room. Leila took over, leading her granddaughter back upstairs. Adam hurried into the adjoining room. Kris was stretched out on the couch, covered in sweat and panting heavily. Adam brushed the wet hair from his forehead.
“Oh my God Kris, what happened?”
“Adam, you’re home,” he gasped.
“Baby, my God…”
Kris’ hand flew to his chest and he pressed, wincing. Adam covered his shaking hand. “What is it?”
“My chest…it hurts.”
Two improbable words jumped into Adam’s brain - heart attack. “Hold on baby, I’ve got you.” He scooped Kris up like he scooped up Joshie and headed for the foyer. He looked to the second floor and called out, “Mom! Mom!”
Leila appeared immediately. She took one look at her boys “Go, go! I’ll stay with the children. Take my car; the keys are still in the transmission.”
--*--
Adam had been ushered into a private waiting room to keep him away from the media. Word had spread quickly that he was seen running into the emergency room with Kris in his arms. On the drive, the floodgates opened and Kris talked nonstop, telling Adam everything that had happened over the last two weeks, crying and apologizing for not getting help. He had been so sure he could juggle everything.
Adam couldn’t fault Kris for feeling that way; he would probably have been just as stubborn.
The doctor came in, prompting Adam to his feet. “Was it a heart attack? Is he going to be okay?”
A hand rested on his shoulder, urging him to sit. “It wasn’t a heart attack and he’s going to be fine.”
Adam’s head fell into his hands. “Thank God. I was so fucking scared. Oh, sorry.” The doctor gave him an understanding smile. He straightened up, ready to hear the news. “So what happened?”
“Kris was suffering from heart palpitations.”
A ding went off in Adam’s brain. “Could that be caused by stress?”
“In some individuals, yes.”
Adam repeated what he had learned over the last twenty four hours from the record company, Mrs. Willowby and Kris himself.
“Being overwhelmed could definitely be the cause. We’re doing tests however just to make sure we know exactly what triggered it. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘fight or flight reflex’?”
“Yeah, isn’t it how our mind and body react to a dangerous situation?”
“Pretty much. Without getting too technical, stress can put you in a highly emotional state. When you become stressed, your body sees it as a threat and releases hormones to make your body go into fight or flight mode to protect itself. This surge in hormones makes your heart race, which can cause palpitations.”
“So how can we prevent it from happening again?”
“Kris needs to learn ways of relieving that stress effectively. I’ll give you both information on that when we release him tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Kris’ body and mind are exhausted. When we’ve completed the tests, I’d like to give him a sedative so he can get a good sleep. I also want to keep an EKG going all night to monitor his heart, just to be on the safe side.”
“Can I stay with him? I don’t need a bed, just a chair.”
The doctor got up. “I’ll see what I can do. Give us half an hour and then you can see him.”
--*--
Adam stretched out and watched over his sleeping husband. The doctor had really come through; not only did he arrange for Adam to stay, he put Kris in a room with two beds so Adam could have one. If Adam had his way, he’d be sharing the same bed with Kris but he didn’t want to screw up the EKG results. When he first came in, he kissed Kris and the machine beeped erratically, attracting the attention of the night nurse. When Adam sheepishly explained, she maternally told him to behave himself.
He’d talked to his mom and she was going to stay with the kids. The whole situation made the late news reports. Their record company released a statement claiming Kris Allen was suffering from exhaustion and would be taking some time off. Adam thought it would be difficult to convince them that Kris really did need time off yet they made the offer. His health came first and while they couldn’t move the release date back to the New Year, they moved it to Christmas, affording Kris a week off.
“Adam?”
Swinging his long legs onto the floor, Adam was at Kris’ side before he could call out his name again. “Hey baby, I’m here.”
“What happened to me?” he asked through a yawn.
“You wore yourself out and your body retaliated.”
“Am I going to be okay?”
Adam kissed his forehead. Beep. Oops. “If you take care of yourself and ask for help when you need it.”
“I’m stubborn.”
“I know.”
Kris looked around the hospital room and at the darkness outside the window. “Whose with Hannah and Joshie?”
“Mom. She’ll stay as long as we need her.”
A hand came out and another hand clasped it. Adam sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you staying with me?”
“Badgered them until they gave in.”
“Sure you did, you just oozed your usual charm and they didn’t have a chance.”
“I didn’t have a chance Kris when I met you.”
Lips met again and again and they didn’t care how crazy the heart monitor went. The night nurse rushed into the room with a crash cart and more staff behind her. They came to an abrupt halt in the doorway when they saw what was setting it off. The extra staff left with the cart and the night nurse slipped past Adam and Kris, unnoticed, and turned the external volume down.
She shut the door behind her and let Kris take his medicine.