Sheet Music - A Rock 'n' Roll Love Story

by Ann Lister

  “You want to go for a walk out there, downtown New York City, in broad daylight with no security?”

  “Correct. Now, lets go.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  He shrugged his shoulders and slid his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. “I like living dangerously.”

  Five minutes later they were on the sidewalk, Annie still in full protest. Michael ignored her complaints and pulled her against his body as they walked. It was chilly with a brisk March breeze blowing in between the tall concrete and steel buildings but the sun was shining.

  He flipped his coat collar up close around his throat and adjusted Annie’s as well. They walked the few blocks to Central Park and Michael flagged down a horse and buggy.

  “Take us through the park,” he requested, handing the driver money. Annie turned to him and smiled. It seemed like a lifetime since he had seen her do so and it was brilliant, bright and warmer than the sun on the hottest day of the year.

  “I’ve always wanted to do this,” she commented quietly, as Michael draped a wool blanket across their laps.

  “I know. I remember you telling me that,” he smiled back.

  They rode in silence with Michael’s arm securely behind her neck and her head resting on his shoulder. “This is wonderful,” she said. “I’m glad we came outside.”

  “Sometimes a change in scenery is all it takes to get a different perspective,” he answered, peering down at her.

  She gazed up at him and watched as the smile curling his lips relaxed and then grew serious. Without thinking, she reached and stroked the unshaven morning stubble on his chin with her fingers. Her heart began to beat fast in her chest. She closed her eyes when she saw his mouth descend toward hers. It made no sense to try and stop something she wanted more than the air filling her lungs.

  He brushed against her tentatively at first, expecting resistance, and feeling none. Then his hand pulled her neck harder against his mouth. He felt her open and reach for him, first with her lips then her tongue. Happily, he reciprocated.

  They were so absorbed in each other they hadn’t noticed that the buggy had returned to the spot where they had started. Or that several people had recognized who the famous occupant of the buggy was and had begun snapping photographs of him perched in the seat beside Annie.

  Michael signed a few autographs and posed for pictures then hurried Annie down the sidewalk, slipping into a deli Michael frequented when in the city. The owner recognized him immediately.

  “Hey, Mike! How the hell are you?”

  “I’m doing great, Reuben,” he replied with a smile.

  “Who’s the girl?” Reuben asked with a wink.

  “This is my wife, Annie.”

  Another lewd wink and lecherous laughter broke in the room making Annie blush.

  “What can I get for you?” Rubin asked.

  “Ah, I don’t know,” Michael replied and turned toward Annie. “Are you hungry?”

  “Not really,” she answered, suddenly feeling queasy from the many pungent smells in the deli. She swallowed hard as her stomach began to knot.

  “I’ll make you lunch to go then,” Rubin suggested.

  “Okay, do that,” Michael agreed.

  “What can I make the lady?”

  Annie’s face turned white. “Michael, I’ll be right back,” she said and headed toward the bathroom.

  Michael waited for the sandwiches and Annie. Several minutes passed. Something didn’t seem right. She was taking too long. He knocked at the bathroom door and called her name but got no response. He pushed open the door and found her inside a stall clutching at her stomach.

  Instantly he was on his knees beside her. “What’s the matter? Are you all right?”

  She looked at him, tears staining her face. “I’m bleeding,” she cried. “I think I’m losing the baby!”

  “God no!”

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, quickly dialing 911. In the few minutes it took for the ambulance to arrive, he prayed. He made every promise imaginable for her to keep that baby, their baby, the child that would make them a family.

  The ambulance zigzagged through the city traffic, arriving at the hospital with Annie and Michael on-board. Then, the EMTs rushed Annie into the emergency room. After a through examination, the doctors informed Annie she was in the early stages of labor. She was hooked up to a fetal monitor and watched the needle jump every time her uterus contracted. An intravenous line was run into her arm with drugs intended to prevent the progression of labor.

  “It’s too soon, Michael. The baby isn’t due for another month!”

  “I know, babe. Don’t worry. They know what to do.”

  “Can you call Taylor and let her know what happened. If she can come, I’d like her to be here.”

  Even with the medication, Annie was feeling the contractions. Helpless, Michael paced the floor to her private room.

  “You do realize this happened because of the stress I've been under – that you put me under.”

  He spun around to look at her, emotion straining his face. “Annie…”

  “If it weren’t for your little indiscretion I wouldn’t be here right now! We’d probably be back home getting a room ready for this baby.”

  “I’m sorry. I never intended…”

  “Shut up, Michael. Even better - why don’t you leave?”

  Michael reached for his coat and headed for the door. “I’ll go call Taylor,” he said softly.

  “Why don’t you call her from the plane on your way home!”

  Michael went to a private waiting room and dialed Taylor’s apartment.

  “Hey, Taylor, it’s me.”

  “Where the hell have you two been? I figured you’d be back hours ago.”

  “Annie went into labor while we were out so we’re at the hospital now.”

  “Oh my God, Michael! It’s too early.”

  “I know. The doctors are giving her drugs to try and stop the contractions, but so far, it doesn’t seem to be working.”

  “Is she all right?”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” he sighed. “But she’s asking for you. If you’re not busy, she’d like you to come down.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Michael was still in the waiting area when Taylor breezed in behind him.

  “Hi, Michael,” She said, spreading her arms to hug him tightly. “Why aren’t you in with her?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Because she doesn't want me in there.”

  Before Taylor could answer, a nurse suddenly appeared in the doorway. “Mr. Wade?”

  Michael turned quickly. “Is Annie okay?” he asked.

  “Her water just broke. I’m afraid this baby doesn’t want to wait.”

  “Oh shit.”

  Taylor hooked her arm around Michael’s. “Come on. Lets go see her,” she instructed, dragging him with her down the hall.

  As soon as Annie saw Taylor, her face lit up. “Taylor! Thank God you’re here,” she whimpered, breathing through another contraction.

  Nervously, Michael hung back by the door. He saw Annie’s eye’s drift beyond Taylor and focus on him. He dug his hands deeper into his pockets.

  “What’s he doing in here?” she asked Taylor.

  “Annie, he is the father of this baby. He has a right…”

  “He gave up his rights the night he cheated on me!”

  Everyone in the room turned to glare at Michael. His face burned with anger and tensed, but he stood his ground. He wasn’t leaving before their baby was born.

  “I’m staying,” he mumbled quietly with defiance.

  Annie was about to protest further when another painful contraction demanded her attention. A doctor quickly moved into place to examine her.

  “She’s fully dilated. It won’t be long now,” he said to the nurse beside him.

  The contractions came one on top of the next, leaving Annie little time to catch her breath. Out of necess
ity, Michael took his place beside her head and tried to help her breathe while Taylor kept her forehead cooled with a face cloth. When it was time to push, they each took a leg and coached her through the process. Minutes later, Samantha Logan-Wade rushed into the world with the cry of a healthy full term baby. Annie fell back onto the bed in exhaustion.

  Michael cut the umbilical cord and handed their tiny baby girl to Annie, who’s eyes were brimming with tears of pride.

  Sensing the privacy of the moment, Taylor inched toward the door, blowing her friend a kiss and saying congratulations.

  “We did it,” Annie sighed, peeling back the blanket to inspect her newborn.

  “No, you did it,” Michael replied.

  “She’s so tiny, but perfect. Look at her. She’s got all her fingers and toes.”

  He bent in close and kissed the baby’s tiny forehead. “She’s beautiful, just like her mother,” he whispered, his eyes expressing his sentiment better than his words.

  Annie gazed at him. She saw the tear he blinked away and reached to wipe it. Did he really look different to her or was it the raw emotion of the moment that made him appear that way. He was the father of her baby. So handsome and strong, and yet this tiny baby had reduced him to tears.

  “It’s okay, Michael,” she reassured. “It’s over and she’s going to be all right.”

  His face fell to her shoulder just as the wave overtook him. He cried for his transgression and the deep regret that came with it, he cried for losing Annie’s respect, but mostly he cried tears of joy. Annie had given him the most precious gift of all, a daughter.

  He lifted his head and wiped at his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he choked. “For everything.”

  “I know,” she answered.

  “And I promise, no matter what it takes, I will be a great father.”

  Annie smiled. “I never doubted that.” She stroked his face with her fingers.

  “I love you so much, Annie,” he sighed, kissing the palm of her hand.

  Annie opened her mouth to speak but the baby in her arms began to wiggle and fuss. “I think she’s hungry,” Annie said, offering her breast to her new daughter.

  Annie stayed the night, but right after breakfast Michael began negotiations for her departure.

  “Can I bring Annie and the baby back to Boston?” he asked the doctor.

  “Absolutely not. I don’t want her going any further than she has to. Where are you staying in the city?”

  “I have an apartment,” Annie answered.

  “Then stay there. Give it a week, come back to see me, and I’ll make a decision on Boston from there.”

  Michael took her back to the apartment and settled her and the baby into her bed. It didn’t take long for him to understand the closeness they had shared in the hospital was merely something that happened in the heat of the moment. Annie’s animosity burned just below the surface of her skin.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked, pulling the quilt up around her waist.

  “Yes. I made some chicken soup the other day. Would you mind heating that up for me?”

  “I’ll be right back and I’ll let Taylor know you’ll be staying for another week, too.”

  “Of course. Considering this is her apartment, I think that justifies her getting fair warning.”

  Michael came out of the bedroom and crossed the hall into the kitchen. Taylor saw him approach and stepped off her stool at the breakfast bar.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked like a concerned sister.

  “Yeah, they’re both perfect,” he said lightly. “Annie said she made soup the other day?” he asked.

  “Yes, it’s in the refrigerator in the blue container,” Taylor replied.

  “There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?” Taylor nervously asked, watching him heat the soup in the microwave.

  “Not really, except the doctor doesn’t want her traveling just yet so it looks like we’ll be taking up space here for at least another week. If that’s okay. If not, I can get a hotel or something.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course you’ll stay here,” Taylor blurted.

  He looked at her curiously. “You really don’t mind us staying here another week? I mean, with all the screaming we’ve been doing, I’d understand if you didn’t want to be dragged into the middle of that.”

  “Of course not. I love having her here. She’s like a sister to me. Besides, I’m hoping the fighting is over, now that Sammi is here. The stress is killing her.”

  “I’m well aware of the stress, Taylor, and the source it comes from. Me! I’m the cause of everything that led to this and the conclusion that will ultimately come from it. Don’t think for a second I don’t realize that. If anything happens to her or our baby, it rests squarely on my shoulders, no one else’s! And that’s a pretty big piece of fucking baggage that I’ll have to carry around for the rest of my life.”

  Taylor handed him a bed tray and placed a bowl of soup in the center with a glass of milk and saltines on the side. “Here, take this to her and try and relax. You’ll be no good to her if you freak out now. Take a deep breath and try and relax. Okay?”

  “Easy for you to say,” he commented.

  Annie saw him enter her room and slid up against the headboard of the bed. “Did you have fun talking about me?” she asked with a half smile.

  “Taylor wanted to know what was going on, that’s all. You said you wanted her to know,” he answered, tenderly placing their sleeping baby into the bedside cradle and setting the tray down over Annie’s lap.

  “Of course. Like I said, I have no secrets from Taylor.”

  Michael nodded and took the chair beside the bed, crossing his long legs at the ankle.

  “Aren’t you going to eat or would you rather sit there and stare at me while I do? He stood and went to the window. “I’ll wait,” he sighed. Exhaustion and emotion burned at his eyes. His head swirled with thoughts of doubt.

  “How’s the album coming?” she suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

  He turned and looked at her, amazed she had cared to ask. “We’ve produced better,” he answered. “Too much internal fighting this time around.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” she commented, spooning soup into her mouth.

  “I think we’ve got half an album of songs done but they’re still in the raw stages. We’ve got a lot of work left to do.”

  “Brian must be upset you’re here with me, then,” she said.

  “Not really. We departed last week on the agreement we all needed a break from each other. Actually, to be honest, the producers stepped in and told us to leave. We have two weeks off then we’re supposed to have a meeting and decide where we want to go with the project from there.”

  “Did you tell him what you did?” she asked quietly.

  “Contrary to what you think, Annie, Brian does not know everything that goes on in my life. I had no intention of telling him what happened. It’s none of his fucking business. But your phone call…”

  “My phone call was necessary to end the harassment you were giving me,” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low.

  He turned away from her hateful eyes.

  “What did he say?” she asked.

  “What do you think he said? He was beyond disgust. He said I didn’t deserve you and that he hoped you dumped me.”

  Annie set her spoon down in her soup bowl. “He’s right. You don’t deserve me.”

  He spun around to face her. “What are you trying to say, Annie? Do you really want me to leave? Are you asking for a divorce? What? Say it and get it out in the open!”

  “Why? Do you want a divorce?” she asked.

  “No. I want another chance! We haven’t even been married a year yet. I want this to work. And if you think I’m going to walk away from you and our baby, then you’re wrong. I won’t agree to a divorce and I’ll fight you through the whole process. It won’t be pretty.”

  Annie took a deep breath an
d wiped at the fresh tears filling her eyes. “Right now I need to focus on Sammi. Even the doctor wants me to eliminate the stress in my life. I’ve already sidelined my career and stopped touring, which causes a lot of stress, and I’ve agreed to stay at home. But the main cause of my stress isn’t of my own doing, it’s you. I don’t think you realize, just having you in the same room as me right now is causing me stress. So, how am I supposed to rid myself of the stress when the main stress-causing factor remains in my life?”

  Rage filled his body. He wanted to scream, throw something, anything to vent the heat surging through his veins. He opened his mouth to speak and then stopped.

  “Michael, I can’t deal with this or you right now,” she said. “I’m tired of the arguing and the yelling. I can’t take this anymore. I just want to be left alone.”

  He turned away from her and left the bedroom. Every muscle in his body was tense to the point of snapping. His hands balled into tight fists.

  “Do you want to tell me what all the screaming is about?” Taylor asked, dropping herself into a plush leather chair in her living room.

  Michael shook his head, still too mad to explain. Several minutes passed, while Taylor watched him pace a rut into her carpet. Finally, he sat across from her on the couch, only to shoot back to his feet and pace some more.

  “I think she wants a divorce,” he finally said.

  “What? Did she actually say that?”

  “In so many words, yes. She says removing all the stress in her life would include removing me.”

  “I don’t believe for a minute she really meant that. You must have misunderstood.”

  “You heard the screaming! I don’t think I misunderstood anything. With Annie, sometimes it’s what she doesn’t say that carries the most weight.”

  “Michael, she loves you. I’ve seen the way her face lights up when your name is mentioned in conversation. Even the other night when you showed up here, I saw the same light dance in her eyes. But, she’s hurt. You can’t expect her to heal instantly over something like this.”