Too Much For One Heart

1

"All alone in my arms I hold such beauty
I want time to stop right here
Make perfection last forever
In which I could disappear

Yours... Half of all of this is yours
And now I feel you coming near
Here you will see
The best of you and me
Both our stories combining
In this life we've begun
I have been living with such wonder
That my soul could burst apart
Knowing soon we'll be together
And it's too much for one heart"

-Miss Saigon

September 17, 1997

Sharon tapped gently on the bathroom door.

"Stevie? It's me." A muffled groan met her in response and she pushed open the door to find her friend still doubled over the toilet, hand outstretched for the glass of water Sharon had gone to fetch her. She rocked back onto her haunches and sipped the water gingerly as Sharon sank to the floor next to her and brushed her hair back from her face. She'd seen and handled Stevie in these states before, but not for a few years.

"Maybe it's a bug lingering in your system?"

"I think it's nerves." She shuddered as another wave of nausea rolled over her. They were at the venue for the first night of The Dance tour. The concert broadcast had been a runaway success and the anticipation of the subsequent tour featuring the Rumours line up had built to a fever pitch, tickets selling out in hours.

"But it's been weeks now...I know you get nervous but not like this, Stevie. I think you should see a doctor." There was real concern in her voice as she started to mentally run through Stevie's various symptoms. Aside from the sickness, she was exhausted, emotional, she had complained of headaches and feeling bloated. They were all related, and could feasibly have been a result of stress or anxiety around the shows, but this just wasn't like her. Worryingly, she also seemed to be getting worse, not better. At this rate she wouldn't be able to perform by next week.

"Ugh." She stretched and tugged at her dress. "I need to stop eating so many carbs. Karen warned me this would happen. That's probably it, tour food. I always gain like ten pounds."

"You've been on tour one day." Stevie caught her friend's eye and they giggled at each other.

"Lame excuse. You're right. What?" Sharon was staring at her, brow furrowed.

"Don't...don't take this the wrong way, Stevie, but - have you had your boobs done again? I mean there's no shame in it if you have -"

"God, no! It's this stupid dress, it's too small." She glanced down at her chest. "Damn. Lindsey is going to go wild."

Lindsey. Suddenly the penny dropped and Sharon gasped.

"Oh my god, Stevie..."

"What? What is it?"

"That night, you told me about it! How long ago was that night you had with Lindsey?"

"Uh, It was Mick's 50th. So what is that, June 24th? Three months ago? And it was hardly a night..." They had flirted like teenagers throughout rehearsals for the concert broadcast, Stevie refusing to get into a love triangle once again with Lindsey and be his "other woman". But too much champagne at Mick's birthday bash a few weeks later had ended up in an ill-advised drunken quickie against the door of the guest bathroom.

"Didn't need to be a night, it was long enough - Stevie, I think you're pregnant."

Stevie looked at Sharon as though she had just grown three extra heads before bursting into uncontrollable laughter.

"Are you fucking insane? I'm 49 years old, Sharon! Oh my god, can you even imagine if that were true?"

Sharon opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock on the door.