Authors note: Thanks again to Celibacy For Jealousy for the edits.
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Brett and Kim's time together in Chicago had been amazing. Unfortunately for both, the coming weeks proved to be very trying. Outside factors weighed on them as the holidays approached. For Kim, the tour was going fine, but disagreements with her manger and support staff grew more frequent.
Brett sensed trouble was coming and tried to help during his chats, but his own issues prevented him from giving Kim his full attention. Deadlines at the office were fast approaching, and between people getting sick and vacation, his department was extremely short staffed. To make up productivity, Brett's boss leaned on him more and more, which wore heavily on Brett.
Not helping matters either was the constant pressure by friends and family to reveal the identity of the 'mystery woman' he spoke to so often. Ever since his friend had caught him talking to Kim on the phone one night, the teasing had been non-stop. Of course he knew that revealing the truth would only make things worse.
Then of course there was the fact that between the tour, the holidays, and the rash of storms that had hit the Midwest, there was no way they could meet again until the New year. With that being weeks away it did not please either Brett or Kim very much. It seemed they would have a small window to be together right before the world leg of the tour
It was precisely that tour that was on Brett's mind while he pondered his last conversation with Kim. The label was making plans, and for the European leg she was inviting friends and family to come with her. It was a great opportunity, and Brett had no doubt it would bring him and Kim closer, but there were problems.
Some were silly, like the loss of most of his vacation time. But some were far more serious, like the fact that the past few weeks had revealed a flaw in their arrangement. During their time together, Brett had never had a lot of stress, and so he was able to easily help relieve Kim's. However, when Brett's own stress levels began to rise, he found the easy going nature of their phone calls evaporating. He hated to say it, but he was beginning to feel resentment at the one-sidedness of the relationship. Only in his agitated state did he realize how needy Kim was at times.
He realized, of course, that most of it was due to the stressful tour and spending hours and even days at a time in a cramped bus. Still, Kim's insistence that he be her magic stress outlet while barely offering any assistance in return weighed on Brett.
Despite this, they persevered, believing that when the tour was over, things would get better. They also figured the time apart was not helping either. They tried several times to meet, but their schedules and the weather did not allow for it. So in a move of desperation, Kim got her manager to schedule a small promotion around New Year's, during the break between the North American and overseas tour.
Not wanting to waste time on this trip, Kim had Brett cleared to help backstage and the plan was to whisk her off right away for a night on the town. After she cleaned up, they did just that. Within an hour of her show being over, he and Kim were taking a stroll in a park. To make sure they weren't interrupted, they turned off their various electronic leashes. They walked carefree through the park on a beautiful winter evening, simply enjoying each other's company. When they were finished, Brett's plan called for dinner, but Kim had forgotten something in her room, so they made their way back to the hotel Kim was staying at.
Upon their return to the hotel, they noticed an unusual amount of attention surrounding the place. Using Brett's car to gain entry to the garage, they snuck in from below. Upon reaching the room they found out what all the fuss was over.
Brett and Kim entered her suite only to find a group of people. Brett came to the quick realization that they were the people who had helped things run smoothly on the tour. When the group saw Kim enter the noise and commotion they were making stopped.
"There you are, Kim! We've been going mad trying to find you," said a man who Brett recognized as one of Kim's agent Marty's underlings. Brett would later find out the man's name was Greg , but tat that moment it did not matter. "We have to talk and it can't really wait. We are putting you on the first flight to Atlanta."
"Atlanta? What happened? What's wrong?" Kim pleaded, fear clearly in her voice.
Apparently the man took no notice of this because he said very matter-of-factly, "Your dad is dead, heart attack. It happened about a half hour ago. We've been..."
That was all Brett heard before he felt Kim collapse against him as her knees gave. Looking over at her, he saw her eyes glass over. Brett was sure all she had heard was that her father was gone, and her brain had shutdown.
Brett could deck the man still talking. Greg hadn't a hint of sympathy in his voice, never thinking that someone might react badly to the idea of their father dying. The man had handled the situation with all the sensitivity of a sledgehammer, and that was about what it looked like Kim had been hit by.
When his sense of hearing returned, it seemed few others had noticed Kim's condition. They began firing questions at her the same way the Greg now was. Brett's focus was on the Kim, still in deep shock next to him.
Wanting first and foremost to help Kim, Brett lifted her up and, carrying her in his arms, took her to an adjoining bedroom and laid her down. When the Greg tried to follow, Brett turned to face him
Then in a calm voice that surprised even himself, Brett said, "If you have any sense of self preservation, you and the other vultures will stay out of this room until I'm ready to speak to you, which will be when I have cleaned up the mess you made of things." The man went to object but Brett cut him off, "And before you start spouting at me, let me first say I don't care who you are, who you work for, or why you are here. What you did is just wrong. I have a nephew in first grade that could have broke that news better. The lot of you should be ashamed of yourselves. A man is dead. How about a little respect, or at least some compassion for his little girl? I swear, the press downstairs would have been kinder. In fact, if you're looking for something to do, there's a place to start."
Everyone in the room stood in stunned silence as Brett closed the door between the rooms without a word. He then made his way over to comfort Kim. While he held her speaking words of comfort, he felt her begin to shake with sobbing.
After a few minutes of holding her, Kim sobbed herself into a sleep. Brett took the opportunity to speak to the people. It was then he found out Kim's brother, Trent, had called, and now wanted to speak with Brett. Trent had been on speaker when Kim and Brett had come in, so he heard the whole discussion Brett had had.
Brett was nervous, but he picked up the phone to talk to Trent.
"Ah, hi, this is Brett. First off, sorry for your loss, and sorry about my temper back there. I'm normally pretty cool headed."
"Thank you, and no need to apologize," the southern voice said on the other end of the line. "I heard what they did, and they earned every word. I'm just glad somebody in that room had my sister's wellbeing foremost in mind. By the way how's she doing?"
"Not great. Once she got over the shock, she sobbed herself to sleep."
"Yeah, I figured. She was always real close to dad." Then after a pause he asked, "Can I assume that you're the mystery boyfriend that Kim talks to all the time?"
"Ah, yeah, I guess that's me," Brett admitted.
"Then I got a favor to ask you. Since we can't get Kim out of there for a few more hours and we're a little busy down here as you might imagine, would you mind staying with her until the plane is ready, and accompanying her on the flight? From what I know about you and her, I'm sure she'll want you here for the funeral for support. It would mean a lot to her I'm sure, and I would feel better knowing she's got someone with her." Brett's mind was reeling at this.
Not sure what to say he spoke the obvious, "Listen, I can stay with her tonight. I was planning on it anyway. As for the trip, I have to make some calls. I may not be a superstar, but I have commitments too."
"I understand. You have a life too. Do what you can."
"Okay." Then, looking around, he asked, "What about the people here?"
"Leave them to me. I know them better. Although, if I hit an impasse, I might threaten to sic you on them. You left that room dead silent, and believe me, that's a feat. Now I know why Kim likes you so much."
"Speaking of Kim, I had better get back to her before she wakes."
"Okay, I'll let you go. Just don't forget to make those calls and have Kim call me when she feels up to it."
"Will do," Brett said before placing the phone back on speaker and heading back to check on Kim.
She awoke a little later and called Trent. While she did this, Brett began making calls. He pondered who to call first, but in opening his phone to decide he found he had a voice-mail from his sister-in-law.
"Brett, its Sarah. I just heard about what happened on the news, and yes, I know the truth about your friend Kim. I know who she is, music label PR rep my ass. She is Kelsey Rhodes, I'd know that voice anywhere. Since her dad just died, I'm sure she needs a lot of support, and you should give it to her, even if she needs you to fly across the country. Oh, and don't worry about stuff here. I'll cover for you. Just take care of her."
He marveled at how she had known. Of course, in order to get his family off his back, he had told them Kim's initial story about doing marketing at the label. To better convince his family, Kim had chatted via phone with the family a few times, and apparently Sarah had recognized the voice. Glad of a way out of the predicament, Brett texted her a quick thanks, and got a, "ur welcome, don't f this up," back. He then informed Kim and Trent, to their great relief, that he would be flying to Atlanta.
The next few days were a blur of activity. They were whisked off to the airport, and a few hours later arrived at Kim's parents' home outside of Atlanta. In light of her recent success and the need for privacy, the family had moved to a more rural and secluded spot in order to help keep the press out.
One benefit of this and the increased security presence surrounding the funeral was that it allowed Brett to be with Kim at all times. Free from worry of exposure, Brett gladly stayed at Kim's side for virtually the whole time. He felt she was taking it very well, and after her initial breakdown in Chicago she proved to be a rather tough cookie.
Overall Brett thought the services were a nice and fitting tribute. Although he had never met the man, he had heard stories. Brett also got along well with the family and some of Kim's friends that he met. He noticed a slight hostility when he first arrived, but noticed attitudes change during his trip around the room. It seemed after people met him and word about him spread moods softened. Brett was pleased to see that so many people were looking out for Kim, and even more glad that they seemed to approve of him.
A few days later, when the funeral was all done, Brett found the house empty except for himself, Kim, and her mother. That night he sat alone with Kim in an old chair, her in his lap, but she seemed entirely too quiet.
