I Think I'm in Trouble {Reimagined}

XLIV.

Shannon suddenly began to twitch in her sleep, stirring after a very long time.

Both Stevie and Lindsey looked at her, though her mother watched her carefully.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, doll?" she replied softly after looking away from Lindsey.

"Where's daddy?" she questioned, eyes still shut tightly.

"She's sleep talking," she assured Lindsey. "She's dreaming... I hope those meds kick in soon," she sighed, pressing her lips to her daughter's forehead to see she still had a fever. "Can you hand me that ice right there?" she pointed.

"Yeah," he nodded and did as asked.

"And that?" she pointed to the napkin on the table.

He handed it to her.

She then moistened the napkin with the cold water and she placed it to her daughter's forehead, all the while swiping her sweaty curls back.

The girl shuddered.

"I'm pretty sure she's having night terrors again," she sighed. "She used to have them really bad as a kid. And then her dreams, if she had nightmares would not help..."

Lindsey was rather quiet; he was watching the love of his life be a mother and it was heartwarming, but then he was also annoyed with her for not listening.

"It's alright, you're alright," she stated, kissing her daughter's head.

"Look, I'm sorry if I'm nagging--"

"No, you're fine," she cut him off. "I'm just having a hard time coping with everything and this is making it a little bit harder... Aside from being Stevie Nicks, this is my job," she paused. "And I have to help her cope with this feeling of guilt."

"I want to help you."

"The only way that's gonna happen is if you can do what you came here for... You have to help my daughter. I know it's hard for you to understand, but in this world that I've lived in for the last twenty-five years, not much of it has to do with me. So, if you wanna help me, do it by helping her... She needs you."

"What about you?" he questioned.

"That's not important to me, right now," she shrugged. "I'm thinking about Robert's health, her mental health... My health is on the back burner for now. And that's okay, because my concern is making sure that Robert and my kids come out alright from all of this."

"Putting your health on the back burner takes away from one of your kids," he glanced down at her stomach. "So, you really can't think of things like that... The only way you are going to be able to put your kids first, is if you put yourself first, especially in your condition. You can't not take care of yourself, otherwise, you're just leaving them all for abandonment."

A lump in her throat had formed as she took in his words, doing her best to not shed tears as she swiped her daughter's hair.

He got up and walked out of the room.

...

Lindsey's words had stuck rock solid to Stevie's mind; the words echoing in her head over and over again as her lack of sleep began to get the better of her only because she knew he was right about everything he had said.

While Shannon slept deeply, the singer noticed she was beginning to break her fever and so she slipped out of bed carefully and quietly and she headed to Robert's room, praying the girl would stay asleep for the night.

Fixing the slight crick in her neck with just her palm on the tight muscle, she entered her husband's room quietly.

He opened his eyes from his slight sleep, having been watching the television off and on.