Page 116 of Doc Rock
Mai nodded.“Yeah. I was supposed to work today, but one of my colleagues took mercy on me, and I slept all day. Which is good, or I would have been a wreck.”
“Were you awake all weekend?”Ford reached out and gently touched the side of her face.
“Pretty much. It seemed like all the babies wanted to be born over the weekend, and then one of the junior doctors called in sick.It wasawful.”Mai couldn’t help herself; she leaned slightly into his hand and smiled up at him.
Scotty clapped her on the back, jolting her out of Ford’s touch.“We’re glad you made it. Shame we didn’thavetime to practise some of the newer stuff with you, but the crowd will love the classics, so it’s no loss.”
“We’ve got a few minutes. I’ve listened to every song that Midnight Thunder ever recorded, so you can run me through a couple,”Mai suggested.
“You’ve listened to everything we’ve ever recorded?”Ford questioned, a self-satisfied smile on his face.
“Of course I have.”A cheeky grin pulled at the corner of her lips.“I wrote most of them. Why wouldn’t I want to check andseeif you guys had messed up my lyrics?”
Ford smirked while Scotty and Joel guffawed with laughter.
Mai’s grin broadened.“I want to doUp in Flames,Ten Years in an HourandAll the Roads End in the Beginning.I loved the lyrics for all of those songs, and I loved what you guys did with the music.”
Gloria clapped.“Oh. I adoreUp in Flames. Did you write the lyrics, Mai?”
“Some of them,”Mai said.
“Most of them,”Ford amended.
“You are a very talented young lady.”Gloria reached over and gave Mai a hug.“While you practise, I’m off to find some good champagne.”The older woman pulled away and sauntered over to the bar, smiling winningly at the bartenders, who weren’t supposed to be working yet.
“Okay, we’ll run through those three,”Ford said, taking charge.“It’s a small venue, so we’ve set the amps pretty low, and we’ve muffled the drums.”
“Boooo,” Scotty jeered. “I wanna play loud!”
“And everyone here wants their eardrums.”Ford rolled his eyes and led the way over to the stage.
Mai followed in the band’s wake. While they were bouncing and excited about the upcoming show, she was more hesitant and her walk slower. She almost ground to a halt completely when shehearda raucous cheer from the bar.
“Go, Mai. We loveeeee youuuuuu.”
Mai looked over her shoulder toseeGloria hollering for her and dancing, holding a champagne glass in one hand.
“I’m grabbing the table for the doctors.”Gloria waved towards the big table they usually sat at when they came for the pub quiz.
Mai raised her hand in acknowledgement and walked the rest of the way to the stage,feelinga little lighter. She hesitated before she climbed uptherewith them, staring at the three men who were successful beyond the wildest dreams they had when they were kids and just starting out.
With a final deep breath, she stepped up onto the stage to join them, laid her guitar case down, and pulled out the instrument that she'd bought all those years ago with Ford.
Plugging in her guitar, she spent a couple of minutes tuning it, anticipation buzzing under her skin.
As she played a few bars ofThunder Nights, her gaze rose to meet Ford, who stood at the microphone, grinning at her.
“What?”Mai touched her face self-consciously. Was her makeup smeared?
“Nothing.”Ford shook his head.“Are we all ready? We’ll start withFlames, thenRoads Ends, and lastTen Years.”
Mai didn’t hesitate when Scotty counted them in on the drums. Her fingers flew over the guitar, playing the songs they released after she left them. Chills ran down her spine when Ford sang the lyrics she wrote and left behind.
It didn’t take her any time to sync with the band, playing music she’d only strummed at home. While it didn’tfeelas comfortable as playing the old tunes, sheknewno one wouldnotice.
When they finished the three songs, Scotty called for one more, but Mai held up her hands. She wasn’t show-fit.It wasgoing to be tough enough playing for over an hour without exhausting herself before the audience even arrived.
“I need some food before we play,”Mai complained. Her grumbling stomach reminded her that for the last twenty-four hours, she’d basically lived off coffee.
