When I See You Again

XI. Will It Be The Same?

Lindsey, for the first time heard, Lucy say 'mom' and he was really confused, but not, at the same time.

"Stevie?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she started walking away. She really didn't think this would be the night.

"Stevie, stop walking away from me and talk to me, right now!" he demanded. The sound of his stern voice, only made her fear for his next reaction.

She stopped and turned around. "Lower your voice," she said in a harsh tone. And suddenly they were in their past, looking at each other with the same rage and fear. She gestured for him to follow her, with her finger and he did.

They stepped outside and Stevie started.

"Let me explain," she said, putting a hand up.

"Well, from what I can tell, you have a fuck of a lot to explain."

Stevie sighed and her hands grew cold while her chest and cheeks felt like they were on fire because, she was so nervous. She knew it could only get worse once she told him.

"Is that your daughter?" he asked sternly with his arms crossed.

"She is," Stevie assured, nodding. "She's yours, too."

All the color drained from his face. "What?!" his arms dropped to his sides.

Stevie nodded. "She's our daughter."

"How? when? does she know?" Lindsey was completely frustrated. He thought Stevie was joking, but he thought about it. Why would Lucy come up and say 'mom'? Lindsey had no idea what to think.

"No, she doesn't know," she shook her head. "I never told her," her eyes averted to the ground as she rubbed her hands together because, they were so cold. "I found out I was pregnant with her at the end of '86."

"We were still married. Why didn't you tell me?" he exclaimed.

"Because, we were getting ready to divorce, Lindsey. We needed to be away from each other, we fought so much and I knew that if I told you, you'd have wanted to stay married."

"Damn right, I would've wanted to stay married. I wanted to stay married even then, didn't you? I loved you no matter how hard we fought. We loved just as equally."

"I did, Lindsey. I've loved you since day one---the day I met you and I still love you. But in the end we were toxic. I was not going to put our baby in the crossfire."

"Twenty years later, now she's our baby?"

"Lindsey, she is. I didn't see you for five years, so I thought I wouldn't see you again. Then I saw you briefly and then I didn't see you for another six."

He looked up at her face, full of tears, as she tried to recall everything.

"I went to Arizona while I was pregnant, I had her there. I brought her home, the next year and Sharon and Lori helped me take care of her. I hired Karen in '91 'cause, I needed help with Lucy. I only did a few albums after Tango and then one day- out of the blue, we get a call to do the Inauguration Ball and I thought that was going to be the last time I'd see you. Then you guys decided, we were gonna do The Dance and by that point Lucy was already nine or so. I couldn't tell you, that late into her life. Why do you think, I've turned down marriage so many times? I was happy with what we'd started in the '97. I was happy to be falling in love with you again because, I missed you and then you asked me to marry you and I said, no. You didn't even know I had a daughter," she paused. "She doesn't know you're her father and I'd hoped it would have stayed that way. But then here you are and here she is not ten, but twenty years later and finally you're finding out."