A Saviour

Two

The next morning luckily was a lot more calmer than most. Katie was working from home which meant she didn't have her usual 5:30am alarm set and that Belle would at least be around her mother for the day even though said mother would be working as much as she could. Katie was incredibly grateful for how flexible her company had been since she told them she was pregnant. If it hadn't of been for Colleen her manager, she honestly thought she might not have survived. She was determined to make things work, she couldn't go home, too many bad things had happened there, and besides she had nobody there either. LA was a big pond and she was just one of the many millions that lived there and it suited her just fine.

She settled Belle down in front of a children's Tv show with some breakfast as she logged onto her laptop and opened her emails. She knew it wasn't the best parenting but it was all she had, even on the good salary she was on, paying for childcare when she didn't strictly need it was not an option. It was only when she checked her phone a few moments later to work out her schedule for the day based around Belle's nap, did she realise she hadn't text Johnny back the night before. She penned many a draft response but in the end decided to keep it simple.

Hi, I'm so sorry for the delay in responding, that's not usually like me. You caught me in between meetings, our next meeting can work around your schedule no problem. I was briefed you would be rehearsing for the next two - three weeks and your first date on tour is the 5th? We can meet before then no problem so let me know when works. As for joining you on tour, I appreciate the incredibly kind offer but due to other commitments here I'm afraid I must decline, that being said I assure you I'll work to your timezone, and even harder than usual to ensure things run smoothly, you won't even notice I'm not there. Please feel free to get your team to call me if they need to discuss anything further prior to our next meeting. Katie Baxter.

She was shocked to get an almost immediate response. She assumed he had been up all night partying or with a load of women like a typical rockstar would usually be.

My god that's a lot of words for this time in the morning. Do you ever rest? If you were working into the evening last night and are texting me at 7:55 in the morning that doesn't leave much room for pleasure, surely it can't be all business? That works for me, are you sure I can't persuade you about the tour? I assure you we aren't all just boring old men with guitars and you'll be fully compensated for your time and inconvenience, JD.

Johnny fired off the text whilst pausing in the weights section of his home gym. "John! You're the one who wanted to start these early morning workouts, the least you can do is actually do them" Stephen shouted from a treadmill. "I am I am, and anyway who do you think you are my trainer?" "No I don't, if I had my way I would still be in bed with my wife but I'm a good pal and I'm helping you out." "Ok ok.. I'm doing it." Johnny smirked. Getting clean was a big thing, cutting back on the booze was even bigger but getting fit and healthy was something he was focused on for his new chapter, and he was damn sure he would make it work.

Thank you once again for the kind offer but I must decline. Let me know when you would like to meet. Katie B.

6 days later, Katie was putting a sun hat on her daughter and spraying sunscreen on her little cubby bare arms when the buzzer went. She sighed and stood up heading to the phone.

"Yes?"
"Miss Baxter, you have a visitor."
"Oh? Anyone we know?"
"Umm it's a little hard to say."
"Stanley you know my rules on strangers."
"Yes but this is different. I suppose they aren't a stranger as such as they are known but I'm not sure if you're on a friendly basis?"
"Stanley you don't make any sense..." She heard some mumbling before Stanley continued
"He says to tell you it's your favourite vampire."
"Vampire? Ohh.... God he's here?"
"Yes Mam."
"I'll be right down."
"Umm he is hoping to come up, there's a quite a crowd on the sidewalk and now in the lobby."
"Oh Christ. Sure ok, send him up."