Chapter 3 Coming Up Roses

While a glum Andrei sat with his lieutenants in one of the highly sought-after boxes at the Mirage, pondering his father's offer, on stage, under the dazzling spotlight, Holly Marie Anderson had none of his ninety-nine problems. In fact, life was going swimmingly for her. And why wouldn't it? After all, she was the star of the show, and the only reason the theatre was packed to capacity for the second night in a row. Drunk on the awe and adoration of her fans, Holly had one job and one job only: to deliver yet another jaw-dropping, heart-thumping performance. And that's precisely what she did. To say she was on fire was an understatement. Hell, she'd spent a tough three months preparing for the show and survived countless hours of gruelling practice sessions and dress fittings before embarking on a whirlwind press tour. In the twelve weeks leading up to this moment, Holly had lived and breathed Juliet, so much so that sometimes she was terrified she'd have a hard time letting go of her when the season wrapped up. For the audience, though, not a sliver of her anxiety showed. From the iconic balcony kiss scene in Act I, set to one of the most intensely romantic scores in ballet history, to the violence erupting in the streets of Verona in Act II, and finally to the lovers' tragic misunderstanding in Act III, the crowd was utterly spellbound by her magic, captivated by her graceful movements. Every leap she took, every twirl she made, brought them to the brink of euphoric tears. Everything was coming up roses for Holly. Until it wasn't. Until the scene just before the final intermission, when a popping sound, as deafening as a gunshot, echoed through the theatre just as she took off on her feet and soared in the air in what would have been a flawless grand jeté if Lola Thornton hadn't stepped on the hem of her dress. Convinced the floorboards beneath her had given way, Holly felt her soul separate from her body. For a frightening moment she could only describe as an out-of-body experience, she could see herself, pure horror and confusion contorting her face as she flailed her arms, trying to grasp at anything just to break her fall. But the pain...the sharp, blinding pain shooting straight from her knee to every part of her battered body was all she could focus on as the force of gravity sucked her down, and she landed on the floor in a lacklustre move amidst the stunned gasps from the audience. Holly didn't have to be a surgeon to know she was screwed and couldn't possibly continue with the show. Not when her knee was a mangled mess. But she'd never been in the habit of quitting before curtain call. So, despite the mind-numbing pain, she danced on, praying she wasn't dragging Cooper down with her sluggishness. But, her dance partner—and occasional lover—covered up for her beautifully with his magnetic movements as he followed her lead in an improvised routine. It was chaos the minute the curtains slid in place for the intermission, obscuring the cast from the audience. Russel, the choreographer, lost his shit all over Lola as soon as they were in one of the dressing rooms backstage, screaming at her for her rookie mistake, while Cooper and a few members of the corps de ballet tended to Holly's injury. "It was an honest mistake. Do you think I wanted to step on her gown?" Lola screamed right back at Russel. "I don't know? Did you?" Russel fired back. "Are you suggesting I did this shit on purpose?" Lola demanded, getting up in Russel's face. "Guys," Holly quickly stepped in before things could get ugly. "It's okay, I'm fine. I'm sure it was an honest mistake, Russ." Russel glared at Lola for the longest time before spinning on his heel and exiting the room. Just then, Naomi Saunders, the show's technical director, rushed in, her narrow face taut with worry as she fired fifty million questions at Holly. Holly calmly answered them all, assuring her she'd finish the show, and her pain level was a three when, in actual fact, it was an eight. "Are you sure you can do this?" Naomi asked over and over. "I think we should get Dr Baker to check you out." "I'm fine, really. Stop stressing; you're making me anxious!" Holly insisted, breathing a sigh of relief when the costume and makeup guys stepped into the room to help her prepare for the final act. While everyone hovered around her, touching up her makeup and smoothing down her gown, her mind drifted back to the mishap on stage. Mistakes were not unheard of during performances. But Lola was a seasoned soloist, and there was absolutely no reason why she should have been in such close proximity to her...Unless...Unless... "No," Holly shook the notion out of her head, refusing to even entertain such a thought. "She wouldn't do it," she told herself over and over as Russel rounded everyone up for the final act. A short while later, Holly was back under the dazzling lights, moving the audience to tears with her final pas de deux with Cooper. The closing scene was the most gruelling mentally and physically for her. But fuelled by her crippling fear of failure, she powered through, and the moment the curtains slid in place for the last time, amidst the thunderous applause from the audience, she finally crumpled to the floor, wailing like a wounded animal as she clutched her knee while Cooper and the rest of the cast and crew fussed over her. "You are such an idiot," said Cooper, rocking her in his arms. "Why didn't you say you were in so much pain?" "So I can miss the chance to finish the show and let you hog the spotlight?" Holly teased, clenching her teeth when another wave of pain shot up her knee. "You know very well that I hate leaving stuff unfinished." "Well, you are still an idiot," he replied, brushing her hair away from her face. "Hang in there, okay? The paramedics are on the way. You'll be alright." "You are such a shitty liar, Coop," she smiled shakily. She wasn't going to be okay. And everyone knew it. Before Cooper could pacify her with more comforting words she didn't want or need, the paramedics rushed in through the back exit door, and everything after that was a blur for Holly as they loaded her on the stretcher and rushed her to the Mediclinic in Glen Eagles.