Keira's Backstory

[Keira Kelly]

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1989
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Keira left the stage with a crush of people around her. Marie was beside her as well as their other bandmates as they tried to push through the throng of fans blocking the hall. A number of security guards were also there acting as the human bulldozers for the band as they made their way through frantic fans towards the dressing rooms. Keira ran a hand through her sweaty hair as she tried to avoid any direct contact with the masses at this moment; she was tired and didn't feel like dealing with signing autographs for the rest of the night. She just wanted to get into the quiet and take a break. They'd been up on stage for hours and as much as she loved it, it has been a long day and she was tired.

Finally they made a checkpoint where the security turned away the fans and the band continued more freely to their dressing rooms. Marie and the others were still in party mode, talking excitedly as Keira opened the door and entered the large room. She knelt in one corner, carefully packing her own guitar away into it's soft case resting on the floor as the others did the same. She ran a hand over the instrument lovingly before closing the case. She loved the guitar, she loved the music they created. She smiled, knowing how lucky she was to be here, doing what she loved so.

"Hey, Keira," Marie called out, noticing that her friend has been quiet since leaving the stage. "There's a party going on in the basement. Come on, let's go have some fun."

Keira smiled, waving her hand. "Nah, thanks. I just want to have a bit of a rest. You all go and have a good time." she told them.

"You sure?"

Keira nodded with a smile. "Yeah. Go have fun. I'll be here." she replied, shooing them off.

They tried to convince her a bit more to come along but she just didn't feel up to it and finally they left her, closing the door behind them. Keira sighed to herself as she basked in the quiet for a moment before grabbing one of the half-empty bottles of alcohol that still lay around from before they had gone on stage. She took a swig of the vodka before lying down on a couch pressed up against the wall, still clutching the bottle as she closed her eyes. She wasn't worried about falling asleep; the others would wake her whenever they finished with their partying and returned.

She was just starting to drift off when she heard something move in the room. She rubbed at her eyes, wondering at how long she'd been lying there. It hadn't felt like long; could the others have gotten back already. "Uhh.." She let out a small moan at the headache she had. She opened her eyes and was surprised that she didn't see anyone in the room with her. She took a drink out of the bottle she had still in her hand but this time got up and set it down on a table against the wall.

Suddenly she just knew there was someone in the room with her. She whipped around, starting in surprise at the man standing there, holding a single red rose. He was handsome enough, a part of her thought but she was still shocked at him being in here. "How did you get in here? You're not suppose to be in here.." she said in warning.

The man smiled enigmatically. "I opened the door and in I walked." he answered.

Keira cocked an eyebrow. It wasn't exactly the answer she had been looking for but it was more or less what she'd asked.. technically. What an odd bloke, she thought to herself. "Uh.. yeah... Security didn't try to stop you?" The man shook his head in negative. She realized she should be running out the door and getting the man thrown out but for some reason she didn't, she couldn't as she stared into his eyes. There was something about him, something... different than anyone she'd ever met.

She studied him closely. He was very pale but then again, there were plenty of goths in London but what drew her were his dark, cryptic eyes. Before she realized it, he was standing directly in front of her, holding out the rose. Her mouth opened in a small 'O' of surprise but she recovered herself, reaching out and gently taking the flower from his hand. The rose felt as if it had just been picked. She brought it to her face, taking in the rich fragrance of it. This wasn't a flower that had been at a shop for days in a bucket.. This guy had picked it specially from somewhere.. for her apparently. Keira smiled at him, her face a mixture of appreciation for the gesture and confusion as to his intentions.

Transferring the flower to her left hand, she slowly held out the other in greeting. "Keira..." she said in introduction.

The man smiled again, a smile that seemed to say that this man knew many things and shared little. "I know." he said. "I was watching you.."

Keira cocked her head. "You were watching the performance?" she asked.

The man kept smiling and nodded once. "I am Cyrus and I am at your service, my lady." he replied, taking her hand but instead of shaking it like she expected, he brought it to his lips and kissed the top of it instead.

She might have been taken off guard by that act but it was the coldness of his lips that really caught her attention. A shiver ran through her. His hand, still holding hers was cold as well. She wasn't feeling all that great tonight; maybe she had a bit of a fever and he only felt cold to her because of that, she reasoned. Her head was pounding pretty hard. She suddenly felt dizzy and reached out to try to keep herself from falling over.

The man, Cyrus, caught her shoulders, looking concerned. "Are you well?" he asked her.

Keira started to move back for the couch and Cyrus helped steer to over to it and sat her down, kneeling in front of her. "I.. I just don't feel too well." she answered. "I think I've got a fever or something." He put a hand to her forehead and she winced at the coldness of it. He pulled his hand back, grabbing a blanket that lay on the floor nearby and threw it around her shoulders. She smiled at him in gratefulness.

Yeah, she was definitely coming down with something, she thought. She was feeling like she was going to fall over even sitting down like this. She moaned again. She was really beginning to feel terrible. She lay back on the couch as Cyrus made sure she was well wrapped in the blanket. They sat here talking a bit for what might have been a couple of hours; she wasn't sure at how fast the time passed. She was having trouble keeping her thoughts straight and she just felt drained of all energy. This wasn't right and it was getting worse. She felt like she might pass out.

She shook her head slightly, chills racing through her body despite the blanket and she thought that she was pretty sure she was sweating. "Cyrus, could you go and get my mates please?" she begged. "They are at a party in the basement.. Get Marie, I think I need to go to hospital.." she said through chattering teeth. She felt like she was struggling to keep from fainting.

He got up but she didn't even see him leave. Whether she fainted or merely fell asleep, she had no idea but vaguely noticed waking up at some point later to Marie and the other members of the band there in the room, shaking her. "Uhhh..." she let out.

"What's wrong Kier?" Marie asked with worry, feeling Keira's head. "I think you have a really high fever!"

"Don't.. feel well..." Keira replied shakily. Her voice sounded far away to her. That was odd, she thought before she passed out again.

She awoke again to being lifted up by hands. Her band mates were carrying her. She looked back, seeing Cyrus standing nearby as the others carried her from the room. She tried to wave in thanks but only half succeeded.

She was taken, only about half-conscious to a car and driven to the local casualty department. They immediately diagnosed her as having a bad infection as well as dehydration and the stress of the tour adding to the severity. She woke up there in Casualty on an IV the next day. Marie was slumped in a char, with her head lying on the end of the bed that Keira occupied.

[Keira Kelly]

Keira rubbed at face. She felt like hell warmed over but it was better than what she'd felt like the night before. She sat up, being careful not to let the IV pull too much and reached out for Marie, shaking the other woman's arm gently. Marie shifted, raising her head groggily. The next thing Keira knew, she was being hugged. She chuckled quietly. "No need for that..." she joked.

Marie pulled away with a smile. "We were worried. You were really bad last night... The docs said if we hadn't gotten you here when we did, it could have been a lot worse." she said, sitting back down in her chair beside the bed. "You caught a really bad bug.. and why haven't you been drinking anything?"

"I did..." Keira began.

"Yeah, alcohol! Which didn't help with the dehydration..." Marie cut in with mock sternness and upraised finger.

"Yes, mother!" Keira laughed, raising her hands, knowing she couldn't win the argument. They'd all been drinking a fair bit the whole of yesterday and arguably, if she had known she was going to be getting sick, she probably wouldn't have. Hindsight and all that. Her head still ached but it wasn't as bad. She started trying to scrunch back on the bed but Marie stopped her, helping to raise the head of the bed and propped up some pillows behind her. Keira smiled her thanks as she leaned back in a more comfortable position.

"Thanks for bringing me here." she said seriously. Marie waved it away, the sentiment not needed. Keira had to say it though. "I need to thank Cyrus too.." she muttered.

"Who?" Marie asked in confusion.

"The man who came to get you. He stayed with me for a few hours before that, before I was feeling completely horrid." She noticed Marie's suspicious look and laughed again. "We sat and talked." she explained. "Kind of odd chap but.. there is something about him..." she said, looking off as she thought about the mysterious man.

Marie chuckled. "Sounds like something has a love interest... But ah yeah, him... Who is he?"

Keira shook her head at the remark and the subsequent question. "Haven't the foggiest. He showed up in the dressing room. Didn't even hear him come in and apparently security hadn't tried to stop him... At least, I think that's what he said... The night was kind of a blur... Oh, by the way, where are the others?" she asked.

Marie hooked a thumb over her shoulder. "The rest of the band was made to wait out in the waiting room." she answered. "They only let me stay in here cause I said I was your sister." she said with a conspiratorial smile.

"Despite the fact that we do not really look similar and that you're an American?" Keira said with a laugh. Marie merely shrugged, joining in the laughter. "Well done. Glad you did get to stay though... What about Cyrus, did he come too?" she asked as an afterthought. She really did want to see him again.

Marie gave Keira a curious look. Her friend really did seem to be hooked on this guy she had only just met. "Yeah, he showed up for a little while. I went out to talk to the guys at one point and he was out there but the hospital staff wouldn't let him in. I think he took off just before sunrise." she answered. She had thought a little odd but she had supposed that he had been worried having seen Keira that sick.

Keira nodded wistfully. Damn, she had wanted to speak to him. She wondered why he'd left; probably had to go to his job or something. Just then a hand pulled back the curtains surrounding the little cubby-like room. A doctor walked in, reading a chart before looking up. He looked at both of them, one after the other, the checked the chart again.

"Umm, Miss. Kelly, I see you are doing better than when you were admitted last night." he said formally. "I wasn't on shift but one of my colleagues handed your chart off to me this morning."

Keira smiled. The man had obviously recognized the both of them. This kind of thing was beginning to happen more often. They had only recently had their first #1 hit. "Yes, I am feeling a touch more chipper." she answered. "When can I get out of here?"

The doctor checked the chart again. "Well, we are giving you IV antibiotics right now and probably through today to make sure and we will want to keep you under observation tonight so I would say if there is no regression, you can be discharged tomorrow morning."

"Aww.. Can't it be sooner?" she asked, pulling puppy-dog eyes. She kept a playful smile on.

The doctor smiled back but shook his head. "Sorry, even if it wasn't hospital policy, I wouldn't want to take that risk."

Keira chuckled and shrugged. "Fair enough. Thanks."

The doctor nodded back, looking at Marie. "You know that only family members are supposed to be allowed back here.." he said, to Marie's wide-eyed face. He smiled at her. "I won't tell anyone." he said before he left, closing the curtain again behind him.

The two women looked at each other and giggled. It was still unreal at how they were sometimes treated differently since their music success. Keira shook her head as she leaned back again. She was still tired. "Go home and get some rest. Tell the others too and that I said I was fine." she told Marie. Their performance had been in London for once which is where they all currently lived. It was lucky that it had been here that she'd gotten sick. They had tour dates next month in France and Germany and that would have been a fair bit longer of a journey.

"But.." Marie started.

"I'm fine." Keira repeated. "I think I just need some rest myself and it can't be comfortable for you sitting in that chair for hours on end.."

Marie could see the logic in that. She stood up, groaning as she stretched her back and arms. The chair really hadn't been very comfortable. "You're right.. I'll check back in on you tonight before visiting hours are over. Glad that you are okay though!" she said, giving Keira another hug.

Keira returned in before shooing Marie off. "Go, sleep!" she ordered. Marie laughed and waved as she left. Keira waved back and then the little room was quiet, except for bleed-over noise from the adjoining areas of the Casualty department.

She lay back, falling asleep again.