Bluebird

27

Annabel was putting her stuff away in the green room and Karen laid into her again, this time her songs weren't happy enough. She just ignored it and tried to drown her out. Lori tried to talk to her, Cory tried to talk to her, she wasn't letting anyone through. Karen was still going off on her when Mick, Lindsey, and Stevie got into the green room.

"Annabel," Stevie says. 

That does draw her attention, but all she does is quickly swivel her head and then she goes back to packing up her stuff and she doesn't respond.

"Annabel." Stevie tries. 

She still doesn't respond and Stevie finally approaches her and touches her shoulder. Annabel gasping at the contact.

"Honey what's the matter? You're in your own little world, talk to me." Stevie looks at her. 

Annabel just scans her eyes across the room and she completely brushes Stevie off and wraps her arms around Lindsey's waist. He hugs her tightly and kisses her head and then Karen opens her big mouth. 

"Are you two fucking?" 

"No Karen, no we aren't fucking." Lindsey states his voice booming in his chest, seeing as how Annabel's ear is placed right on it.

"Well I mean you do tend to go for the young ones." Karen shrugs.

That pisses Annabel off, so she whirls around. 

"You know what you're just mean..." 

"And you're a spoiled brat, wouldn't surprise me if you're fucking him." Karen spits. 

Annabel just looks between Lindsey, Mick, John, Lori, and Stevie and then she spits her reply. "He's my father you crazy bitch." And with that she stormed out of the room. She really honestly, didn't know why Karen didn't like her, she just didn't like her and it hurt. A lot. 

Stevie's heart fell to her stomach when Annabel said that and her hands came up to her mouth in a choked sob. "Baby Belle?" 

"Yes Steph...it's Annabel, our Annabel Alice...Baby Belle." Lindsey nods sticking his hands in his pockets and following Annabel out of the dressing room. 

He found her at the car port and he snorted."Running away again?" 

"I think I'm just going to go home. I can pay for a flight back to Los Angeles in the morning." She shakes her head.

"If that's what you want, all I can do is support you. I know Mick'll understand." Lindsey nods. 

"I'm surprised you didn't stay with mom." She bites her lip.

"Nah, you're more important." He nudges her shoulder.

"Daddy what should I do?" She asks.

"I can't tell you that bud...I know what I want you to do, but you have to do what is going to be best for you." 

"What do you want me to do?" Annabel inquires.

"Personally, I want you to stay. I've missed so many years of your life, and getting to have them with you now, it's great." He tells her.

"I'll think about it...do you think Ray could get us a new hotel?" 

"Yeah, I think he can. Head on back, pack our stuff and wait for his call." Lindsey nods.

"Okay, see you later daddy." 

"I love you Baby Belle." 

"I love you too." 

Annabel had just gotten into the car and it was pulling out when Stevie ran out. "She's leaving...I..." 

He just looks at her and he nods.

"Yeah, she's going back to the hotel." Lindsey tells her. 

"Oh I should've just followed you, but I couldn't...I couldn't process it." Stevie sniffles shaking her head. 

"Steph, pull yourself together. We go on stage in about 20 minutes...You need to be your happy smile-y shining self okay. We'll talk after the show, God knows we have a lot to talk about...Annabel is fine, she's a little upset, but she's okay. She's our daughter, she has a little bit of both of us in her. She's going to be okay." Lindsey assures grabbing her biceps. 

She was still teary but she nodded he smiled leading her back into the building. 

***

Annabel had packed and gotten settled. Ray was going to meet her in the lobby at eleven to move to the new hotel, but it was just coasting on nine, so she opened up her notebook and looked at the dates that she was scheduled to perform. 

4/8-New York

4/9 Washington DC

4/26 Pittsburgh

4/28 St. Paul

5/3 Little Rock

5/22 San Jose

5/25 Los Angeles

5/26 Las Vegas

There were more in her notebook, but she grabbed her pen and etched them out. Ideally she'd stop when they were back in Los Angeles so she could just go home, but she really wanted to go to Vegas, and she knew it was her mother's birthday and she had formulated a plan in her head. 

She smirked when she had it all written out and then she grabbed her guitar and she started strumming on it. 

What you gonna do when the show is over
What you gonna sing when the song ends
How you gonna cope when there is no closure
Where you gonna reach when the goal gets higher
How you gonna make it through
When you think you lost the chance

Play on
When you're losing the game
Play on
'Cause you're gonna make mistakes
It's always worth to sacrifice
Even when you think you're wrong
So play on
Play on

Even when the flood gates swing wide open
Never let the currents sink you down, no
Even when you're not sure where you're going
Swimming through the mess and you can't get out
Just going through the motions, and trying not to drown

Play on
When you're losing the game
Play on
'Cause you're gonna make mistakes
It's always worth to sacrifice
Even when you think you're wrong
So play on
Play on

Even though it's the storm on the darkest night
Don't you ever give up the fight
Even when you feel you're all alone
Play on
Play on

Play on
When you're losing the game
Play on
'Cause you're gonna make mistakes
It's always worth to sacrifice
Even when you think you're wrong
So play on
Play on

Play on
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Na na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na

She was going to stick it out until Vegas, and she knew that she had to have a bang up exit song for Vegas. The only one she was going to tell about her plan was her father. She knew it'd hurt her mother, at least she thought it would...based off of what Lindsey had told her about Stevie. But she just felt indifferent. Of Course she wanted to get to know her mother, but Karen wasn't making it easy and she wasn't going to make it easy.