Petty Little Beatles

Act II: Scene vi

After the show, Tom was grinning proudly and widely. "Thank you, thank you." He shot one last smile at the crowd before he walked off the stage.

Backstage, Stan Lynch had cracked open a beer and offered Tom one. He took it, sipped, and leaned against the wall. "That...was a good crowd."

"Yeah, Tommy, it was." Mike Campbell handed the roadie his guitar.

"Did you see that girl throw her bra?" Stan smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, everyone did, everyone," Ron said.

Tom laughed.

"Who didn't?" Benmont asked, shaking his head. "I'm surprised it didn't hit Mike!"

Mike blushed but smiled, too.

Tom finished off his beer. The band left the backstage and got into the bus, talking still about girls and bras and guitars. They returned to the hotel. Tom had just lied down when the phone rang.

He leaned over, picked up the receiver from where the phone rested on the bedside table. "Hello?"

"Hey, your order will be up right and soon."

"Huh? I didn't order -"

On the bed opposite the one Tom lied on, Stan snatched the phone. "Uh huh...Alright, thank you. Good night."

Tom smiled. "Room service? Seriously, Stan?"

"Oh, I am very serious about room service."

When Tom rolled his eyes, he was still smiling. Tom had fallen asleep, somehow, perhaps, because he was so exhausted, but pleased, from the show.

When the room service arrived, Stan smiled and flirted a bit with the server, who seemed to not be interested. She bid him goodbye with a wave of her hand and left promptly.

With his sandwich balanced in a hand, Stan glanced over at Tom. He had fallen asleep, but, beside him, Stan thought Mike may have been awake.

"Mike?" Stan's voice was a whisper, but it appeared to be almost a shout in the silence of the hotel room.

"Yeah, Stan?"

"Do you think...How's Tom doing?"

"...He's asleep."

Stan nodded, even as Mike could not see the gesture.

"Are you worried or something, Stan?"

"Nah, he just seems off, I guess."

"Well, when you're a parent, things happen to you."

Stan chuckled.

Next to him, Benmont grumbled, "I don't mean to be rude, but when the hell are you going to sleep?"

Stan could not contain his laughter, and it echoed off the walls.

"Good one, Stanley, real good," Ron called from where he lied on the couch.

"This," Ben said, "is why we need Tom to lead us all around. It's like a zoo."

Stan snorted. "What's that make me - a monkey?" He started making monkey noises, and Benmont threw a pillow at him.

"Good night, Stan," Ben said.

"Good night, darling Benmont," Stan joked.

Ron chucked a pillow that hit both of them. Mike shook his head, but he smiled, too.

~

Sometime, George had finally shut off the radio, and he was asleep on the couch. Within the same instance, Kay had awoken, slightly disorientated. It was not typical for her to fall asleep in the living room. She glanced at George, saw he was asleep. Then, she stood up and went into Tom's studio.

She coughed. It smelled like cigarettes, but that was not bad. It reminded her of Tom, and how he would spend long nights here, writing and rewriting, and playing, trying to get it right. Kay sat on the stool that lingered to a side of the room. All around her, records were stacked carefully. She knew the names: Presley, Sinatra, Cash. They were all good. In a box a few feet away, she knew were Tom's own copies of his records. She smiled. Being in this room was almost like Tom had returned. But his return was only a week away. Only a week and nothing more.

Kay smiled. She let her eyes wander across the records on the wall. She could not play any for the boys slept, but she could still look.

So many Elvis, she thought, as she had before. She was not surprised. Tom adored Elvis, and so did she. It was merely human nature for them to have quite a lot of Elvis records. And the boys liked Elvis, too.

Kay sat in the studio for a bit. It was almost like she was meditating. Her eyes were closed, and she just sat there, letting her mind rest at ease. Only a week, nothing more but a week. Maybe even less than that.

After a bit, she stood up and went back up the stairs. George was still sleeping on the couch, and Richie, John, and Paul were in their room. Kay crept into her and Tom's room. She went over to bed and lied on it. She was thinking again (only a week) and she closed her eyes (and nothing more). She was asleep soon, though it would not be long until the sun came up and tomorrow was upon them.