How to be a Teenage Broadway Starlet

Chapter 7: A Double Trouble Package

"Porsha....Porsha...Wake up!"

I awoke to the sound of Calvin's voice repreating my name. Slowly, I opened my eyes to reveal Calvin's looking right at me. It was actually quite nice for a while, until it set in that the entire street was also watching me, and trhe fact that the back of my head was throbbing!

"Are you ok? Can you talk? Who am I?" Calvin rambled off a number of questions, while I tried to regain understanding of the situation.

"I'm fine if you disregard the fact that my head feels like it was run over my a steamroller, you've obviously figured out I can talk by now. And you are Calvin Evans."

He rolled his eyes at me, and his look of concern became a smile.

"She's fine people!" Calvin said loudly to the onlookers.

He helped me to my feet, and I stood, a bit woozy, while holding on to Calvin's shoulder for support.

"What happened?" I aksed finally.

"Well, actually..." Calvin began.

"Miss Taylor! I am SO SORRY!" A young man about collage aged emerged from the dcrowd.
"You honestly just appeared out of no where! I didn't see you, and by the time I did, I stopped as soon as I could....I...I.."

"It's okay!" I said, trying to get in a word between his apoligizing.

"Really, I'm fine!I just need a Tylenol or something and I'll be good to go!"

Calvin, however, interjected. Realizing i was still holding on to his shoulder, I let go abrubtly.

"I don't iknow, Porsha, you hit your head on the pavement pretty hard, I think we should go to the hospital just to make sure you don't have a concussion,"

He was so sweet and protective, I could see why Josie liked him as a friend so much. Actually, I was surprised that she didn't like him as more than a friend!


Despite all that, however, I did not want to go to the hospital, those things creeped me out! Dad made me go to one once for good publicity, ugh, it was so creepy.

"Calvin...I don't think..."

Except right then, I noticed several cameras and a film crew down the block from where we were. If they caught me on camera, it would be on the news, and my mother would know I wasn;t home sick!

The hospital was sounding better and better.

"...we should waste anymore time talking! Get me to the hospital!"

He noticed my change in attitude and when her gave me a questioning look, I nodded toward the film crew approaching. Realizing the situation, he quickly flagged down a cab driver that had stopped to watch, and asked him to take us to Mount Sinai Hospital. Geez...he knew his medical institutions. So off we went, leaving the film crew and the shocked bicyclist behind.

"I'm sorry, Calvin I really didn't mean to ruin our da-" I way about to say 'date', but stopped myself just in time to make a quick save.

"DAY! I...I...didn't mean to ruin our day!"

I momentarily forgotten that we wern't technically on a date.

Fortunantly, he didn't seem to notice my stumble, and if he did, he probably blamed it on my so called concussion.

"No problem! The hospital's in our schedule anyway, we'll just make a slight detour," He said with a smile a wink my that , of course made my heart melt. I wish it wouldn't.

But wait, did he just say that the hospital was on our schedule? Meaning that I'd have to spend more time there than absolutly necessary?

I groaned mentally, but put on my best smile manageable. Calvin knew the 'Real New York' better than I did apparently, and I guess I trusted him.

We arrived at the emergency room entrance a few minutes later and got out of the cab, not before the cab driver waved the fee, and asked that I get well soon.

Calvin told the nurse my situation while I sat down and filled out paper work. Minutes later, he joined me.

"So, what's here that we need to see?" I asked him, looking about at the bleeding and wounded people surrounding us.

"Well, actually, nothing here, but plenty in the pediatric ward.

"Children?"

Hospitals and children, my two least favorite things together in a double-trouble package.

Great.

"Yeah, I volunteer here as much as I can, to visit sick children! he explained.

"Oh...Wow..."

He really was a good guy! Suddenly, I felt really intimidated by him. And that didn't happen often.

"I don't know, Calvin," I said slowly, trying to think up a good excuse.

Unfortuantly, though, Calvin didn't quite sense my hesitation and if he did, he conveniently chose to ignore it.

"Aww...no sweat. If you can sing, danse, and memorize a billion lines and perform in front of hundreds of peopl every night, you can can visit a few kids!"

I honestly preferrred the previous activity.

"Porsha Taylor!" The nurse called.

I rose from my chair and Calvin did the same. We both follwed the nurse into a small room where we waited for a docter.

"The children's ward is just around the corner, we'll head over there after this,"

"great..." I mumbled under my breath, as the docter entered.