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Whenever Orlando called over the next few days, it took everything I had not to tell him about my trip. It was a surprise, after all. I had to start back into training my voice, to get my stamina back, so I didn’t have a lot of time to think about going to see Orlando. I found I was exhausted after only a few songs, and I was having trouble hitting the notes in “Defying Gravity,” neither of which were a good sign. I had an appointment with Dr. Cuthbert, at his office, two days before I was to leave for St. Vincent’s, so I asked him about it.

“How are you feeling, Charlie?” he said when I was settled in the chair across from him. His office was large, with an examination area as well as his desk and shelves upon shelves of books. “You’re certainly looking better.”

I smiled. “I feel a lot better than I did last week,” I said. “The pain is lessening every day, and the bruising is going down. But I have no stamina, and I get tired so easily. Is that normal?”

“After what your body went through, yes,” he said, consulting my chart. “You have to understand that every bit of strength you have has been concentrated into healing your body, so of course you’re going to tire easily.”

“And my voice? Why can’t I hit the notes I need to hit?”

“That will come back, with time and practice,” he said. “Your support area has been damaged, so it’s not as strong as it used to be. Without the support, your voice can’t do what it once did.”

“I have to be back on stage in less than a week,” I said, trying not to get upset. “Will I be able to do what I need to do by then?”

“That depends on you,” he said softly. “You can work on your voice now, it won’t hurt you very much. Don’t push too hard, though, only do a bit at a time to start, and if you increase it a bit each day, you might be able to do an entire show by the time you’re due back.”

“But nothing’s for sure?”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no, it’s not. You’re in good shape, you’re strong, and you’ve been used to performing every night. Your body should bounce back quickly, but I can’t guarantee that. I’d like to take a look at your ribs, to see how they’re coming along, and we’ll check on your cuts to see if there’ll be any scarring.”

“I didn’t know fingernails could cause scarring,” I said as he stood up to leave the room so I could change into a gown.

“Unfortunately, they can,” he said, turning at the door. “You’re just fortunate he didn’t have something worse.” He left the room.

As I changed into the little paper gown, I thought about what he’d said. What would have happened if Sean had had a knife, or worse? I felt a shiver run through my body at the idea that what had happened could have been a lot more severe than it was. I was trying to force the thought away when the doctor came back, this time with a nurse.

“Okay, just get up on the table, and we’ll take a look,” Dr. Cuthbert said. I sat on the examination table and laid down, my hands at my sides. He lifted the paper gown and began pressing down gently on my ribcage. I winced a little at first, since the area was still pretty tender, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been.

“I want you to wear the brace around your ribs while you’re performing,” he said, as he moved down to look at my legs. “They’ll take awhile yet to heal, but if you wear the brace, you shouldn’t be in too much pain with them.” He lifted first one leg, then the other, checking on some of the larger marks. “I don’t think any of these will scar, they’re healing very nicely. Keep an eye on the bigger ones, but I think you’ll be as good as new in a week or so.”

“Will I be able to travel?” I asked, sitting up.

“I don’t see why not,” he said, writing something in my file. “Just take it easy for a few more days, and you’ll be on your way to a full recovery. I’d like to see you next week for one more check-up.” He went to the door, then turned and grinned at me. “And tell Orlando that you’re not as fragile as you were before, so certain activities should be okay now, in moderation of course.”

I felt my face heat up as a wild blush spread across it. “I will,” I said, smiling. “Thank-you.” He left the room so I could get dressed again.

When I got home that afternoon, Lisa was waiting for me. I let myself into the apartment, then went into the kitchen for a drink, before going to the living room, where she was sitting.

“How’d it go?” she said, as I sat down beside her on the couch. “You were gone awhile.”

“I stopped to pick up some things for my trip,” I said, gesturing to the bags I’d left by the door. “Dr. Cuthbert gave me an almost clean bill of health. I have to wear the brace a bit longer, but otherwise, I’m fine.”

“Orlando will be glad to hear that,” Lisa said, and I could tell by the look on her face that her mind was in the gutter, as usual. “Keira called while you were out.” She couldn’t keep the excitement from showing on her face. “She wanted to know what time your flight comes in, so someone will be there to pick you up.”

“Please tell me you didn’t say anything embarrassing,” I said, suppressing a groan. I knew how Lisa could get sometimes.

“No, of course not,” she said, grinning. “I just told her I think she’s fabulous, and that your plane is set to land around four Friday afternoon.”

“Great,” I said, then got up. “I’m going to go do some packing. Want to help?”

“Sure,” she said, flipping off the TV and following me to my room. “What did you buy?”

We spent the next few hours going through some of the clothes I’d bought for my trip. Keira had said to bring a bathing suit, and as much as I hated the idea of being seen in one, I bought a simple navy one-piece suit, and a pink and sky blue cover-up to go with it. Somehow the idea of swimming with Orlando was just too good to pass up. I’d also picked up a few things for Orlando’s birthday, even though I had no idea what to get him. I figured clothes were my best bet, since he’d definitely wear what I gave him.

Later that night, Orlando called to see how my appointment had gone. I was bursting at the seams to tell him I was coming to see him in less than 48 hours, but I didn’t want to ruin the surprise. Lord knows he’d surprised me enough during the course of our relationship.

“What did the doctor say?” he said when I picked up the phone.

“Hello to you, too,” I laughed. “He said I’ll be back to normal soon. And, certain, uh, activities are okay now.”

He chuckled. “A lot of good that does us now, love,” he said, with only a hint of bitterness in his voice.

“We’ll be together before you know it,” I said, smiling at how soon that actually was going to be. “Just don’t think about it.”

“My birthday is in a few days,” he said, his tone sad. “I wish I could have stayed in New York just a bit longer, then we could have spent the day together.”

“There’s always next year,” I said, though I really wanted to take the sadness out of his voice. I guessed that would make the surprise so much sweeter. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful day with your friends on the set down there. Just don’t think about it, okay?”

“Easier said than done, love,” he said. He seemed a bit more negative than usual that night. As we talked, I noticed that he really seemed down.

“Orlando, is something wrong?” I asked finally, after a particularly long rant about not getting what he wanted for lunch that day. Normally he wasn’t a prima donna, but the way he was talking, he was beginning to sound like one.

He sighed deeply, and cursed under his breath. “It’s nothing, darling,” he said, but there was something in his voice that I didn’t like.

“Orlando?” I said, softly. “Please, baby, tell me what’s going on.”

“I guess I’m just tired,” he said. “We’ve been working on this big stunt since I got back, and it’s not going at all as planned. Throw that on top of feeling a bit lonely, and it’s just getting to me. Don’t worry, love, I’ll be okay.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me,” I said. “Orlando, I know you well enough by now to know when you’re hiding something. Come on, talk to me.”

“I don’t want to upset you.”

I felt my stomach clench, but I ignored it. He needed to talk now, and I could deal with my own feelings about what he had to say later. “You won’t upset me,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I promise.”

“Kate called me today.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“She wants to come down for my birthday,” he said. Suddenly him wanting me there made sense. “I told her not to, but I don’t know if she’ll listen or not.”

“If she does, you’ll deal with it,” I said. “She’ll get the hint sooner or later, right?” I smiled, wanting to lighten the mood. “Besides, it’s good to know that if we break up, you have a back-up plan.” My voice was dripping with sarcasm, but I don’t think he picked up on it.

“Why would you say something like that?” he said, almost sadly. “Charlie, you know that’s not the case.”

“I know, it was a bad joke,” I said quickly, not wanting to upset him. “I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want her to come here,” he said softly. “I want you here.” He was definitely tired, because he was starting to sound like a child.

“Why don’t you go to bed?” I suggested. “You’re obviously tired, sweetheart. We can always talk tomorrow.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” he said. “I’ll ring you tomorrow, love, okay?”

“Of course,” I said, smiling sweetly. “I love you, Orlando.”

“I love you, too, darling,” he said softly.

I hung up the phone and laid back on the bed. It was after midnight, so I reached over and turned my light off, sighing as I settled in to sleep. Only two more nights alone, and then I’d be in his arms. I went to sleep with a smile on my face.