My Way Home Is Through You

Less than an hour later, Ray and Anna headed back down into the elevator and to the lobby. Mikey, Gerard, Bob and Frank were waiting for them near the door to the pool.

At Brian's insistance, they had asked the hotel to close the pool down for an hour or two to keep any unexpected "guests" from ambushing them. Much as the guys hated to do it, they had all agreed that it was a good idea, especially now that Anna was with them. So Ray wasn't surprised to see a sign on the entrance to the enclosed pool that read Pool Closed due to Chemical Imbalance.

No pun intended, he thought with amusement.

"The guy at the desk said we could have the pool for as long as we want," said Bob happily. "I'm liking this hotel, dude, look what they sell at the desk!" He held up a deflated child's-sized innertube that was bright green.

"Dude! Why didn't you buy them out?" Frank exclaimed as they entered the pool and relocked the door behind them.

"No, Frank. Just no," Mikey said firmly.

Ray and Gerard laughed at their friends' antics as they made their way over to the shallow end of the pool. There were towels already set out on the bench against the wall, another nicety of the hotel.

Ray knelt beside Anna and helped her take off her sandals. He'd been able to find a suitable purple bathing suit for her in her suitcase, but as there had been nothing to cover up with, he'd given her one of his old t-shirts. It was long enough to hang down to her ankles, but she had been thoroughly pleased with it. He had also had the foresight to braid her hair to keep it from tangling in the chlorine water. Messy though it was, the plait was tight enough that it wouldn't come loose in the pool.

He helped her to peel the t-shirt off and then began to strip off his own t-shirt and shoes. Bob and Frank were already in the pool, and he could see that Anna was itching to join them.

"Go ahead, Anna," he said gently. "You can get in, I'm coming. Just be careful."

Fully expecting her to head toward the walk-in steps, he was confused when she came to a halt at the edge of the pool.

His heart stopped as she leapt off the edge into the water.

"Anna!"

Immediately, he, Gerard and Mikey were in the water, wading over to where she had jumped. Thankfully, Frank and Bob had both been near her, and it was still only three feet deep. Bob had lunged toward her the moment he saw her feet leave the cement.

However, by the time Ray got to her, she was paddling around happily with her head clearly above the water. Ray's heart was pounding as he held his arms out for her to swim to him. He plucked her out of the water and propped her on his hip.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to keep his voice even and gentle.

"Daddy, I jumped!" she exclaimed, her smile fading a bit. "Wasn't it good?"

Ray was still shaking slightly. "It was a very good jump, sweetie, but next time you need to make sure we know what you're doing. You could have gotten hurt! Nearly gave Daddy a heart attack."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she said somberly.

Ray couldn't help but smile as he dropped a kiss on her forehead. "It's okay, baby. Just be careful, okay?" She nodded and he released her back into the water, where she paddled off toward Frank, who was now trying to inflate the innertube.

Gerard came to stand by Ray and murmured, "Your heart still going a mile a minute?" Ray merely nodded.

"Look on the bright side," Mikey said as they watched Anna dog-paddle through the water. "She swims better than you, Ray."

Ray glared at Mikey and knelt slowly in the water, getting wet up to his chest. With his knees planted firmly on the bottom, he ducked his head underwater for a moment, then stood quickly. After the horror of the flooded boat on the set of "The Ghost of You" video shoot, Ray still wasn't completely comfortable in the water. As he watched his daughter splash happily with Frank and Gerard, he supposed he would have to get over that.

After two hours of splashing and playing and catching Anna as she took leaps into the pool, the guys decided it was time for a break. After a small amount of coaxing, they managed to get her out of the pool and dried off.

"Hey, we're going to go get changed in the bus and then we'll come up to your room and do lunch," Gerard said.

"You're welcome to, man, but we don't have anything up there right now," Ray replied.

"We'll bring stuff," Frank said as he slid into a pair of flip-flops.

They parted ways in the lobby, which was thankfully empty of people, and Ray and Anna headed back up to their room.

"Did you have a good time, kiddo?" he asked her as he helped her into a fresh set of clothes.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed with a big smile.

"Good, I'm glad," he said.

The guys showed up moments later, bearing bread and sandwich fixings. As they ate, Ray explained to Anna what would be happening later that night.

"We have to go out and play music for a lot of people," he said. "And Brian's going to stay with you while I'm gone, okay? You remember Brian, right?"

She nodded slowly, but didn't seem particularly pleased with the plan. She continued eating in silence.

After lunch, the guys decided to go back down to the bus and chill before going to the venue. They each gave Anna a hug and kiss in turn, then left them alone.

Ray noticed Anna yawning and rubbing her eyes, and it occured to him that she should probably go down for a nap at some point. Thinking back, he could remember that he's still been taking naps when he was in kindergarten. Anna was definitely still small enough to need one.

"How about you, baby, are you ready for a nap?" he asked. She shook her head, but didn't argue as he lifted her onto the bed and removed her shoes. As he tucked her in, she spoke up in a small voice.

"Are you going to come back?"

"What?" Ray was puzzled. "I'm not going anywhere, sweetie. I'll be right here when you wake up."

"No," she said, sounding a little distressed. "Later."

Ray was startled by this. "You mean tonight? Of course I am. Why do you think I wouldn't?"

" 'Cause Mommy didn't."

Ray's breath caught in his throat as he tried to speak. "Baby, Mommy was in an accident. A bad, bad accident. But you don't need to worry, honey, because I'm not going very far. Just a little ways down the road." She looked up at him uncertainly.

Ray sighed. "How about if you come with us to the venue? You can hang out in the back with Brian and the crew while we're on... And you can watch us warm up. How does that sound?"

She looked relieved and nodded. "I like that," she said.

He tucked her in and handed her bunny to her. She snuggled down as he kissed her forehead and told her, "I'm not going anywhere, Anna. I'm staying right here with you."

Once she had drifted off, Ray collapsed onto his own bed in exhaustion. Soon enough, he'd fallen asleep, too.