Live Like A Dream

Keeping Secrets

The first week of the tour was over, now the real travelling began. The band had started the shows in Los Angeles, allowing Evelyn to stay home with Athena. Next were shows in the wider California area, forcing Evelyn into hotels and finally the tour bus as they travelled to their next destination.

Evelyn, Jared, Athena and the rest of the travelling crew had boarded the bus in the early hours and they were close to reaching their next stop in Malibu.
Shannon lay in his bunk. His ears filled with the sound of Evelyn puking in the restroom next door.
Jared wanders into the room bouncing Athena on his hip.
"Hey have you seen her bunny? I hope I remembered to pack it." Jared winces.
"Is Evelyn okay? She's been puking for a while now." Shannon sits up.
"Room service wasn't great last night, I think its effected Evelyn worse than me though." Jared searches his bunk for the stuffed toy.
Evelyn soon emerges from the restroom.
"Bunny? Shes in the diaper bag." She announces and lays down in her bunk.
"I was just telling Shannon about the room service making you sick. How're you feeling?" Jared leans over and kisses her brow.
"Oh yeah it was horrible, I'll be okay though, I always have a bad reaction to badly cooked food." Evelyn nervously giggles.
"I'll call Emma, if the hotel's made you sick surely they have to offer some kind of compensation?" Shannon reaches for his cell phone.
"Shan please, I dont want any fuss, I'll be fine I promise." Evelyn smiles.

The bus arrives in Malibu and as Evelyn breathes in the fresh air outside of the bus she feels much better. She stands in the parking lot of the venue and looks round. The sky is bright blue without a cloud in sight despite it being late October.
"Hey you've never been to Malibu right?" Jared asks climbing off the bus, a babbling Athena in his arms.
Evelyn smiles shaking her head.
"Come with me." Jared orders and starts to walk quickly down the road. Evelyn jogs behind him keeping up pace. Within a five minute walk they reach a beach with white powdery sand. Theres only two or three other people enjoying the coast and they were off in the distance.
Jared runs onto the beach and bends down. He tests the temparature of the sand with his hand before placing Athena down on the beach. As he removes her shoes she pats the sand excitedly squealing with delight.
"There you go kiddo, play in the sand." Jared watches admiring her.
"She really does love the beach." Evelyn comments sitting down beside them both.
"Shes a California girl." Jared smiles.
"Shes a daddy's girl." Evelyn laughs and helps Athena stack the sand up making a hill infront of the toddler.
"We were thinking of starting a summer camp kind of experience for the fans here in Malibu." Jared joins in building in the sand.
"That sounds fun." Evelyn grins.
"We thought that the echelon could camp, there would be all sorts of activities, food and a show in the evening." Jared explains.
"Why don't you? It sounds great." Evelyn rubs Jared's arm.
"I was planning on it, I just got too busy." Jared smiles and ruffles Athena's hair.
"Maybe I could help you plan it? If we hold it in the Summer, it'll give me something to do while I'm the size of a whale." Evelyn laughs.
"I'd really like that, really. But theres something I've got to discuss with you Evelyn." Jared looks off into the distance.
Evelyns stomach drops and the colour drains from her face.
"Last year I was sent a script, to play the lead in a really interesting piece, different to what I've ever done. But you were just about to give birth to Athena and I couldn't commit to something like that, so I turned it down. Anyway the director took on a new actor, but he doesn't fit the role. He's postponed the start of production in the hopes I'll say yes." Jared explains.
"Jared if you want to be in the film, call him now and say yes!" Evelyn gently punches his arm.
"Evelyn it'll be in London, for at least three months." Jared continues.
"We can work with that. When?" she encourages him.
"June." He sighs.
"June? Jared I'm due at the end of June? Can't they make it any later?" Evelyn starts to panic.
"He's pushed it as late as he can, June is the last chance or he'll lose the rights to the script." Jared helps Athena rebuild the pile of sand she has just destroyed with her tiny hands.
"Our baby will be born in another country?" Evelyn looks down at her stomach.
"This is why I've kept it a secret, I knew you would feel guilt for me turning it down." Jared runs his hands through his hair.
Evelyn takes a moment to think about the situation.
"Call him, say you'll do it. Dont miss out on an opportunity like this." Evelyn kisses Jared's cheek.
"But the baby, you're going to have to go through it all in another country, the birth, the first few weeks of having a newborn..." Evelyn cuts Jared off mid-sentence.
"I'll do it. It looks like we're going to have a California girl and a London baby too." Evelyn laughs.
"Won't you be bored when I'm off being an Oscar winning actor?" Jared winks teasing her.
"I'll have a thirty seconds to mars festival to help plan, I'll survive." Evelyn laughs.

Evelyn decided to stay on the bus during the show that evening. Athena slept in the bunk beside her as she researched healthcare centres in London. Her anxiety was rising by the second at the thought of giving birth so far from home but the thought of Jared missing out on this opportunity was worse. She had an appointment for her eight week scan in the afternoon of the following day in the next city, she made a mental note to discuss her worries with the doctor. Maybe it would put her mind at ease.
Evelyn lay down and snuggled into her daughter's growing longer chesnut brown curly hair. Within minutes she falls asleep.