"What happened?" Her heart was pounding in her chest and her face had already grown beet red from the built up nerves as he led her out of the lounge. "What's wrong with him?" She repeated, voice cracking as her brown eyes began to roam the circumference of his face.
Mick let out a deep sigh, keeping her hand tangled in his as he continued to pull her down the hallway right along side him. "He overdosed early this morning." His voice was so calm- almost too calm for a man that was talking about his only son.
"Oh, my god." She nearly shrieked, quickly yanking his hand back as she forced him to stop right in their tracks. "What?" Her chest was rising and falling quick as panic filled her insides within just a split second. "What happened?" She repeated, brown eyes glossing over with tears as her knees began to grow weak.
She had never, ever expected to hear something like that, even though she probably should have been a little more prepared... She wasn't in denial but she definitely never imagined news like that.
Rolling his eyes lightly, Mick couldn't help but sigh. "I don't know every fucking detail right this second, Stevie." He grabbed her arm, causing her jolt forward. "Let's go try to figure this out." He was obviously very upset and not just with her, but in general.
But like always, since she was there, she was bound to get the short end of the stick in moments like that... It was typical for them.
"You're right." She didn't want to argue, not with him, not right then and there. "We'll figure it out." Using her free hand to wipe away her tears, she gave Mick's hand a comforting squeeze with the other in hopes he'd just grow a little softer.
He was never assuring, or soothing... not to her at least.
"But can you just slow down for a second?" She half whined, almost tripping over her own two feet as he continued to hurry her towards her dressing room.
He didn't respond, instead he just causally took small strides in hopes she'd pick up the pace.
He didn't want to tell her, not right before a show, but he knew how serious this was- how serious Nash's addiction had been and he was actually scared for their son... He was also very scared that Stevie wouldn't be able to handle how different life would be moving forward.
"Stevie..." It was a huge sigh of relief when Karen emerged from the room at the very end of the hall, eyes instantly melting into her bosses sad orbs.
"Karen?" Stevie quickly let Mick's hand fall as she made a path towards her.
Shaking her head, she held out her hands for her. "You're alright." She assured, not hesitating to wrap the older woman in the comfort of her arms.
Stevie sank into her, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried her best to calm herself down before she actually made herself sick.
"It'll all be alright." She repeated, one hand meeting the back of her head as she gently rocked her back and forth for a moment.
Mick's hand landed on the small of her back, silently motioning and ushering for them to step out of the hallway and into the privacy of her dressing room.
Karen's jaw settled, keeping Stevie in her arms as she gave him a dirty look. "Back off." She mouthed, already aware of the fact that he hadn't been too sensitive with her on the way there... She could read the room fairly well and she'd been around long enough to know what was happening just based off tension in the air. "Come in." Her voice was soft, slowly trailing backwards and not letting go.
It pained Karen as well, it really did... She thought of both of those kids as hers too and to see Stevie in that much distress was enough to break her heart.
"Where's he at?" She was hardly even audible, feeling such a heaviness in her chest, it was unreal.
Nothing bad had ever happened to either of her kids, not like that.
"He's in a hospital in Phoenix..." Karen whispered, leaving a soft kiss on her head as she watched Mick close the door behind him.
"Oh..." Her body began to tremble, eyelids falling closed as her mind drifted back to just days earlier.
She knew then, just like she knew right in that very moment that he needed help... And she felt like, as someone who had vowed to always protect her children, that she'd failed them.
She should have been more understanding.
"Did you get ahold of my mother?" Stevie knew that if she couldn't be there for her son right in that very moment, Barbara would be... She was the most incredible woman and if anyone knew how to keep it together in times of crisis, it was her.
"She's on her way to hospital, yeah." Karen gave her a simple nod as her eyes remained in an incredibly sad state.
Taking a moment, she carefully rubbed Karen's shoulder. "I have to go," She pushed away softly, knowing full and well that being with Nash was the only logical place for her at that time.
"Stevie...?" Mick held out a hand, reminding them of his presence once more. "We have a show tonight and one tomorrow." He shook his head, shrugging lightly."Are you gonna be able to make it back?" His words left her completely stunned...
How was he expecting her to play through their show that night, make it to Phoenix by morning, be with their son long enough to ensure that he was stable and taken care of and then make it back to Los Angeles in ten hours... it would have been totally impossible.
She scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "You're pathetic, Mick." She told him, tears making a river down her cheeks once more.
Shifting all his weight from one foot to the other, he stayed standing a great distance from his ex. "We have one more show, Stevie..." he sighed, growing softer in the matter of just seconds, trying to talk to her with a little sense. "Can we please just finish this leg and then I'll go to Arizona with you... okay? I'll come and we can work through this together like a family." His hand met his heart, trying to assure her that he was just as upset as she was... He could just contain it a little bit better.
She stared at him for a second, trying to decide if he was being serious and when she realized he was, she replied. "You can do the fucking show without me."
~~~~
"Hey..." Lindsey held out his hand, creasing a brow as he caught the young woman in the hallway as soon as he stepped out of his dressing room. "There you are, kiddo." He added, a soft smile on his face as he stared into the deep brown eyes of the girl he'd been looking for.
She looked so much like her mom. She had her long blonde hair in natural curls, sunglasses on her head, rings on every finger, four necklaces on her chest, all accompanied by a pair of knee high boots and a black dress... Stevie had found a way to clone herself.
"Mom's on her way out of the venue." Laurel quickly announced, brow creased as she stared into her dads blue eyes. "The show is canceled and Nash isn't doing well at all."
