Everything in Transit

"Clean it," Kay demanded in a way that left no room for protests.

Pat and Jared were stood outside on the road next to the van that would be the living space for five boys, a hormonal female and a baby for the duration of about four weeks. It wasn't the tidiest and most hygienically clean van that had ever roamed the roads of the United States of America.

In fact if truth be told, it was probably one of the most disgusting vans in existence.

"What do you mean clean it?" Pat asked genuinely baffled. "It's tidy!"

"Then why can I see mould?" Kay shrieked, holding baby Corrine close in her arms for fear of a bacterial infection spreading her way.

"Oh so that's where that piece of pizza went!" Jared said delightedly, ignoring the shocked white face of Kay, who just clutched onto Corrine for dear life.

"You look worried," came the amused and amiable voice of John from beside Kay. He chuckled at her facial expression as he laced his arm around her waist bringing her closer to him, in some way of attempting to sooth her organisation nerves.

"Hey John guess what? We found that piece of pizza that we thought Garrett stole!" Jared and Pat said in one delighted voice.

John only proceeded to laugh again as Kay stayed quiet for fear of freaking out totally.

"From which tour?" John asked.

"The one we did with Forever The Sickest Kids," Pat said feeling very proud with himself at being able to remember the exact tour details.

"That was half a year ago…." John faltered, looking down at Kay with some trepidation, knowing what was about to happen.

She however inhaled sharply and when she spoke again her voice was shaking and she forced herself to keep it calm.

"We," she said and gestured at Corrine and herself, "are not putting one foot in that van until it is disinfected from roof to floor. Just so you know that," she said and marched away from the bacterial infestation that was the van, leaving the three boys to stand there looking altogether rather clueless.

Despite novelty moments like that, the preparation for tour was a smooth operation.

The van was disinfected, but only after Kay called upon the family doctor to examine the van and explain to Pat what the health dangers of mould actually were. After this pep talk, Pat became an obsessive cleaner, never needing Kay to remind him anymore.

Despite the few of Kay's 'bitch fits' she was welcomed with open arms by the boys, with every one of them saying that it was about time that John and Kay got together and that it had been a long time coming.

Everybody was surprisingly supportive of Kay's decision to go on tour, from her parents to her employer; they sent her on the road with their best wishes and promised that they would send baby food recipes via text messages.

However despite all the reassurances and support there was still a tiny coroner in Kay's mind that was weary of what was about to happen. Normally she would have kept this thought inside of her, letting it fester and eat away at her. But now she had John, someone whom she could trust with everything.

So she voiced her doubts to John two days before they were due to go on tour.

Corrine was sat on the wooden floor, playing with yet another toy bought by doting Uncle 'Ga Ga'. John and Kay were sat intertwined on the sofa, half watching Corrine, half watching the old black and white film that was playing the on TV screen.

"John I'm a bit worried about this tour," Kay said slowly focusing her brightly pink painted nails so she didn't have to see John's reaction to her statement.

But he had been expecting something like this; he had watched Kay work through all the preparations for Corrine, the stock of homemade baby food that Kay mixed in a blender, the clothes, her stack of personal items and the other mountain of stuff that still needed to be sorted out, all these things were completed with at first excitement but then an ever increasing sense of trepidation and John realised this.

"You don't need to be worried," he said and placed a loving kiss on her forehead. "It'll work out just perfect." He tried to reassure her.

"But John, you know what tour can be like and the stuff that goes around. Drink, drugs and god knows what else…" Kay began, ready to let all her worries flow out, but John put a simple stop to her talk by placing a finger to her lips.

"The bands we're touring with know what's going on, they know Corrine is coming and everybody promised to behave because they want you and her to feel as comfortable as possible."

Just like John always managed to do, he completely soothed Kay's anxious nerves with a few calming sentences and a reassuring hug.

Kay didn't usually believe in miracles, but John O'Callaghan defiantly was one. Out of her dreary and monotonous days, he had managed to create spontaneous days that Kay looked forward to with every waking. Her life felt like that life of a complete family, even despite the fact that she was barely even 19. But all of it was worth it because she had what she had always wanted.

Her very own personal happiness.