You'll Never Stand Alone

Chapter 16

(Part II)

(1995)

Over two years had passed since Whitney and Kevin spent time together. As promised, Kevin kept his word and didn't come near Whitney. It was very hard for him to accept that Whitney had meant business this time and that there could never be anything more that could come from their "Bodyguard" fling. It had hit him that he had fell in love with the beautiful songstress and it took everything in him to sequester the strong feelings about her. As for Whitney, she didn't want to admit that her feelings for Kevin ran very deep. She didn't even dare herself to admit that she too was indeed in love with him. All she knew is that she had married who she considered her "soulmate" in Bobby Brown and that she needed to remain faithful to her vows with him. For better, and definitely , worse.

The only other time that the mingled with one another was at "The Bodyguard" movie premiere in November 1992. Each was there with their respective spouses, and naturally kept it cordial for the cameras. Bobby held Whitney close to him the entire night and made sure he was in the midst of any conversations that went on between her and Kevin. Katie could care one way or another as she didn't want to be there in the first place. It was also that night that Kevin had seen Whitney with her protruding belly; she was five months pregnant. He knew that all had to be done since she was naturally carrying her husband's seed. He did have to pause and count back to make sure that the baby wasn't his....but the timing clearly pointed in the other direction. Meanwhile, the movie broke box office records, surpassing the critics' mixed reviews and embraced by date night audiences. The movie had the perfect combination of romance and action to keep the viewers at the edge of their seats. The "controversy" on interracial relationships in the 90s became conversation starters and majority of the audience were hip to the concept.

Even better, the soundtrack broke all-time records, becoming the bestselling soundtrack of all time! Whitney was featured on six songs on the album, her ethereal voice making chart toppers for almost all of them. The cream of the crop was the very song that Kevin had chosen, "I Will Always Love You." The song stayed on the top of the charts for an unprecedented 13 weeks. All radio station formats and balladeer fans alike could not get enough of the sweet, soulful and sorrowful melody; it stayed on constant rotation. Although it was initially Dolly Parton's song, it quickly became Whitney's signature tune and a must done in her performances. The success catapulted her even more into the limelight and she became a mega-star overnight. It all was a bit daunting to her, because she didn't expect even more success so soon. It also meant more fodder from the tabloids to make up crazy stories about her life, which both angered and frightened her.

She tried to keep her panic attacks down as much as possible; she knew that she had to keep calm for the baby growing inside of her. She was extremely excited to be having her baby and practically waited with baited breath until her baby girl was born healthy on March 4th, 1993. The process wasn't with drama however; Bobby didn't even show up until she was ready to have her C-section. Everyone could tell he had been drinking a bit before finally showing up. Her mother Cissy wanted to go after it, but kept her sanity for the sake of her daughter. They both decided upon the name of Bobbi Kristina Brown, and Bobby was pleased another child had been named after him. Whitney and Cissy however, decided that they would call her Krissy for short. From the moment Whitney laid eyes upon her daughter, it was love at first sight. It was an beautiful experience that didn't compare to anything else she had ever done in her life. Sure she was a instant stepmother to Bobby's children, but nothing compared to carrying and giving birth to her own child. Each day she enjoyed nurturing and watching her little girl grow and take on her own personality. And she would melt every time Krissy looked up at her with her tiny brown eyes and call her "Mama". It was a dream come true.

However, she wished that she could say the same thing about her marriage with Bobby. It had turned sour rather quickly, with his late night partying, drinking and womanizing. Whitney really wanted to have some sort of trust in her husband. However, it had become apparent that he wasn't trying to put the same effort in that she was. On top of everything else, she had to deal with run ins that Bobby was getting into with the law. Bailing him out of jail for lewd behavior at concerts, shooting involvements and DUI got extremely old- and fast. All the while, she had to smile in the public and make it seem that their marriage was perfect when it was the complete opposite. She had to defend his behavior in every interview and make everyone believe that they were in a committed union.

Among her personal life, The next few years of Whitney's professional life was on fire. A few months after having Krissy, she embarked on a "Bodyguard Soundtrack" World tour. Although it started out shaky with her Miami appearance, she garnered huge reviews for her show-stopping performances and drop-dead gorgeous appearances. In addition to her tour, she did a lot her promotional appearances, including the Billboard Music Awards, World Music Awards, The World Cup, American Music Awards, AT&T commercials, The Oscars and the unprecedented Grammy's where she cleaned up awards in all major catagories. The only time she had time to catch her breath was at the end of 1994 when she finished her record-breaking concert in South Africa for Nelson Mandela.

Unfortunately, with all of the stress of touring and being in the public's eyes for an extended amount of time and all of her problems with Bobby, it had caused her to go back into partaking in drug use. It was a secret only her brothers and Bobby knew about (and seemingly encouraged). The usage was light, however, it was becoming more habitual than Whitney wanted to admit to herself. It was the only way that it seemed like she could temporary forget about everything that was going on in her life and gain some control back.

As for Kevin, he had experienced an even bigger growth in his popularity as well and continued to work on successful films such as "A Perfect World" and "Waterworld". He also took a big turn in his personal life, dumping...or rather divorcing his wife Katie in 1994. The two were able to leave on cordial terms, especially when Katie knew she would be keeping the house, cars and a monthly stipend for her and their three children, in which they have shared custody over. Kevin felt a sense of relief to no longer be living a lie and was glad to move on to hopefully better things. He would catch Whitney on TV and think back on what the briefly had and still yearned to be with her. However, he knew that wasn't possible and had to pray that she was somehow happier than what she was putting on for public.