Decades

And The Days Go By

Lindsey held his phone in his hand. He'd received a message that a file he'd been hoping for was in his inbox. He opened the message, pleased with what he saw. He spent quite a few minutes looking over what he found, and lots of emotions seemed to well up inside him.

This had to work, he thought. It finally, after a million chances, had to work. They'd been apart long enough. He feared neither of them had that many good years left, and he certainly wasn't willing to entertain the idea of spending the remainder of his life without Stevie beside him. One way or another, he was finally going to make it work.

—-------------------

Not only did Stevie and Lindsey's world change dramatically in the years following the MusiCares-Fleetwood Mac firing debacle, but the entire world shifted in quite a frightening way. COVID-19 changed everything. Stevie became deathly afraid of catching the virus. She had chosen her career and the fans who loved her over every other personal option she'd ever had. Though, often, it was less about performing than it was about Lindsey, her time on stage was what she had in life.

The idea of losing her voice and thus losing the ability to connect with her fans presented her with a paralyzing fear. Stevie sequestered within her small bubble with her closest companions and pups. She spent lots of time creating, but it was a lonely time. She'd been in a sort of bubble until she felt semi-safe emerging again. Because there were so many precautions to be taken because of the virus, she found herself fortunate to be able to implement them. Not everyone was so lucky. But it left her feeling more isolated than she'd ever been.

Stevie Nicks had always drawn energy from being on stage, and without that kind of experience, life became lonelier than she'd imagined it could. But she was determined to protect herself and others from this deadly virus, so she dealt with being alone.

Sometimes, she thought she had entirely too much time to think. She began to watch the news rather obsessively. Already a night owl, she found herself unable to turn it off to go to sleep, so she leaned into being completely nocturnal.

She canceled shows and took every necessary safety precaution for herself and the people she could protect. When she heard that Lindsey was touring, she had a gut feeling that he wasn't taking it as seriously as she thought he should, especially given his heart condition. She found herself worrying about him quite a bit. He'd never been off of her mind, but the idea of him contracting the virus was now a real concern.

She inquired around. There was enough overlap in their worlds that she could still access some gossip when she wanted. And what she heard made her more angry than the shots he'd taken at her in the media over the last couple of years.

The idea of him surviving his heart attack only to be careless with the pandemic and having this virus threaten his life began to prey on her mind. It was really none of her business. But that didn't stop her. She began issuing warnings, encouraging others to take the threat seriously. She became an outspoken advocate and talked about protecting older, medically fragile family members from the virus. She knew it was pointed, but she wanted Lindsey's kids to think about their dad when they were out living their lives.

That man. He is so irritating. I haven't laid eyes on him in person in years, and he's still grating my nerves. What an ass he is.

Stevie didn't care if she sounded preachy or paranoid. She could only protect herself, and not being able to look out for Lindsey left her in a bit of a doom spiral. She wondered if he'd been vaccinated, if his family and the people who worked with him had been, as well. When she'd wake up in the middle of the day, still needing hours of sleep, she'd catch herself adding whether Lindsey was wearing a mask or if he was washing his hands properly to the things she worried about.