World Turning

XII

"I think I've made up my mind on what I'm going to do." Christine wrung her hands together in anxiety.

Mick laid back in the office chair of the sound room. "Okay."

There was a deafening silence that rang throughout the room. A lump formed in Christine's throat. Spit it out, Christine. She thought. Just get it over with. You have to.
"Mick, I've got to-" She teared up, and it was killing her to break his heart. "I've got to get back.. back home.."

Mick cleared his throat. The words Christine spoke hit him like a loaded freight train. "If that's what you feel is best."
Christine began to cry and lose control of herself. Mick moved over to the couch she was sitting on and wrapped his arms around her. "Christine, these past couple of weeks we've spent together have been some of the best in my life. I've never felt the way I feel about you about anybody else in my entire life. I don't want you to feel like you cannot leave, but I don't want you to go back to somebody who doesn't give a damn about your feelings. You know I would do anything to protect you and to make you happy." He pulled away from her to find her face streaked with tears and black mascara. "You know I love you."

She sobbed for a few minutes before she finally composed herself enough to speak. "I can't anymore, Mick. I am married to one of your best friends. We've all been a team and have stuck together since '68 before I even joined the band. What if he finds out about all of this? What will happen to your friendship, and what will happen to Fleetwood Mac as a whole. I cannot masquerade around this studio and on the road as this emotionless pit everyday. Something has got to give eventually." Christine's heart was thumping as hard as it could, and it felt like she would pass out if she didn't calm down. Her face had lost the redness of crying, and it turned into a white-green color.

"Christine, are you okay?!" Mick began to panic as well.
She was breathing heavily and was mumbling something loudly, but Mick couldn't understand her. "Christine, calm down!" Her blood ran cold. She couldn't speak. She couldn't feel anything but her heart pumping quickly. Mick ran to the sound room's door. "Someone call 911. Something's wrong with Christine!"

Carol Ann whipped around at her desk and dialed the paramedics. John dashed back to the sound room and Stevie flew in from the bathroom to find Christine on the velvet couch of the sound room. John was beginning to panic and was obviously shaking with nervousness. Stevie jerked Christine's hand into hers. "Chris, squeeze my hand if you can hear me." There was no movement.

"Chrissy, sweetheart, can you hear me?" John managed to talk. He was now shaking. He couldn't imagine what he would do if something happened to her. A few minutes of high strung anxiety passed before Lindsey dashed back to the sound room to tell the others that the ambulance was there. John never once released her hand and rode in the ambulance with her.

Mick, Keith, Lindsey, and Stevie all rode in the same car to the hospital. Stevie was crying. Mick was holding back tears. Keith and Lindsey were as pale as sheets because of everything happening so fast. "Who was with her when all of this shit happened?" Keith asked, while driving way too fast. Stevie glanced at Mick but remained silent.

"I was." He spoke up. "She was telling me about something, and then she just turned green and was panicking. I don't remember details."

There was another awkward, panicked silence that Keith broke with, "You know damn well that you're going to piss John off, big time."

"How is it my fault that she was talking to me when all of this happened!?" Mick was beginning to get angry.

"Hell, Mick, almost everybody knows you two have been shacking up ever since they separated."

"Where in the hell did you get that idea?!"

"It's pretty fucking obvious, Mick. Do you think we don't see you staring at her all day-"

"Well that doesn't mean I've been 'shacking up' with her."

"Oh, come off it-" Lindsey and Stevie sat in the back seat stunned by all that was happening. Thoughts of confusion and all Christine had told her ran through her mind. Stevie knew exactly what had happened to Christine. She knew how stressed Chris had been, and she knew what she was trying to tell Mick when all of this happened.

They finally arrived at the hospital after a twenty minute drive of panic and tension. They walked into hospital's waiting room to find John in a squeaky leather chair. He was terrified of the unknown. After all, he hadn't had a full conversation with his wife since the night she had left him. Stevie rushed to face John, and she grabbed his shaking hands. "What are they saying about her?"

"She's showing signs of acute anxiety.. something. I can't remember exactly what all they were saying. She started convulsing really bad." John trembled. Nobody, not even Mick, had ever seen him this way. "Who was with her when she started?" Everyone's glances bounced of each other and back to John.

"I was." Stevie blurted out. John nodded. John couldn't know about Mick and Christine now, especially with the shape that Christine was in.

"What'd she do?" John pressed.

"She was just talking about something, and she turned whitish-green, and then she passed out. That's when I yelled for someone to call 911." John nodded. Mick was silently panicking. When John turned back to go talk to the doctor, Mick gave Stevie a look of thanks. Stevie breathed heavily. Lindsey grabbed her arm.

"Why did you do that?" He asked.

"I had to cover for Chris."

"Well, you just dug a hole for yourself."

Great.