Time Makes You Bolder (Sequel to No One's A Fool)

Chapter 5

Mick waited a day before he showed up at her house.

"Unless you're here with an apology, I really don't want to talk to you right now." Stevie told him.

"Well, you're going to have to talk to me sooner or later, we're in a band together. Plus, I brought you some things." He motioned to the plastic bag he was holding. "Come on, let's go sit on the patio." With a huff, she led him through the house and out the back doors. When they were seated, he handed her the bag.

"Gatorade? What is this for?"

"Because when you throw up, you need to rehydrate. This is what Jenny recommended. I phoned her and asked her. And these," he retrieved a pack of what looked like hard candy from the bag. "are for the nausea. Jenny sucked on them all the time with Lucy. She had horrible nausea with Amelia. This helped a lot when she was pregnant with Lucy." Stevie's eyes began to water, but she refused to look at Mick.

"Thank you." She mumbled, opening one of the candies and putting it in her mouth.

"I'm not a monster, Stevie. Just an idiot at times." He told her.

"I know that." She acknowledged.

"I'm sorry, Stevie. I just thought, based on what you've said before, that you weren't even considering keeping it. Had I known, I wouldn't have asked you that. I wasn't trying to be callous."

"I know, I know. And you're right: I have always talked like I never wanted kids."

"That was a lie, wasn't it?" He guessed. She only looked at him. "I remember how you were with Amy and Lucy when they were small. How you are with them now. I always suspected you weren't telling yourself the truth."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do now." She admitted.

"I don't think anyone ever does when children are involved. Mine are 15 and 13, and I'm still trying to figure it out."

"But I have to make a decision soon. I'm already six weeks." She told him. "I heard the heartbeat." Mick would look back, years later, and realize that in that moment, he already knew what choice she would make. He had been around, a decade earlier, when she had ended her pregnancy with Don Henley. He had seen the change in her then, and how, despite trying to hide it, she was heartbroken after that. He had even told Jenny once, "She won't do that again. I don't think she can handle it." Now, sitting on her patio while she sucked on mint candy, he knew that Amy and Lucy would not be the only band babies for very much longer.

"You're the only one who can decide this, Stevie. Not Joe, not the band, you. You have to figure it out."

"You don't think the band will be mad?"

"Oh I think there will be a lot of reactions. But that's not for me to decide."

"Joe and I aren't speaking right now."

"That doesn't matter either. This is your body, not his."

"I can't believe you're talking like this. I thought you'd try to convince me to have an abortion."

"Stevie, I don't have to tell you what the easiest decision would be – for everyone. You're not stupid. But this isn't for anyone else to decide. This is all up to you now. You let me know when you figure it out, and we can accommodate in the studio and all that. We are going to need you to come in and lay vocals – soon. But we have some space to work around your parts for now."

"And Lindsey?"

"I can't speak for Lindsey. I don't know what he's going to think. He's heavily involved in cutting this record."

"Can you talk to him for me? Let him know I need some time?" She asked. Mick had always been good at mediating between other band members, and he agreed to talk to Lindsey this time too. What she didn't tell Mick was that sometimes, Lindsey still scared her. He had been vocal ten years earlier about her terminating the pregnancy, and his reaction to this news was much of the same. She didn't know how he would react if she decided to keep it, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know at the current moment.

She and Mick chatted for a while longer, and then he left her in peace.

~~~~~~~~

The next day, Joe called her from tour.

"Hey, I was thinking, if you want, I can take you to the clinic when I come back into town next week." He offered. The silence that followed was deafening.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" She asked him.

"No, not at all." He replied.

"The clinic?! You spent two weeks begging me to have unprotected sex with you. You talked about names. You said you still had Lucy's bassinet. You were frenzied about it. YOU got me pregnant. And now you want to take me to have an abortion? What drugs are you even doing right now, Joe, because this is insane!"

"I didn't think you'd actually go through with it." He said, casually.

"You didn't think when I wasn't taking birth control, and you weren't wearing a condom, and you literally said to me, 'I'm going to have a baby with you,' that I wouldn't go through with it? Are you a fucking idiot?"

"Well, if you're gonna have it-"

"I haven't decided yet if I'm having it. But you calling me and offering to take me to have an abortion is NOT helpful. I thought you'd show a little more interest, Joe. What changed? You were excited when I told you."

"I'm fine if you want to have it. I just didn't think you would. But Stevie, I'm not gonna settle down and stop working."

"I didn't ask you to settle down and stop working. I asked you to not bring coke or alcohol or any kind of drugs around me while I am pregnant with your child. And if you can't respect that, we have a problem."

"Just because you decided to go to rehab doesn't mean I can't have a few drinks or get a pick-me-up every once in a while." He argued.

"Yes, it does. That's exactly what it means. You know that. You can't do those things around me. Not right now, and definitely not around the baby after it's born."

"Well, that's gonna be a problem." He said, laughing. Stevie hung up on him, and he didn't call back.