More Than Just A Mark On My Sheets

Zack’s POV:

“Taylor, wake up,” I heard Alex say. Why was Alex calling me Taylor? I suddenly felt a body stir next to me and sit up.
“Why?” She asked. Oh, she slept in my bed. I didn’t remember that, but I guess she did, because she was in my bunk right now.
“Jason’s crying,” Alex said.
She groaned and got out of the bed reluctantly. I pretended to stay asleep.
I heard the bus door open and shut, and open and shut again. The cries of my son filled my ears. “Don’t we go to Jersey today?” She asked Alex, yawning.
He must have nodded because I didn’t hear him say anything back. Jason’s crying began to subside and she sighed.
“Zack!” Jack screamed in my ear suddenly, making me jump and hit the bunk on top of me.
“What the fuck?” I slapped him.
“Your wife is awake,”
“Shut up,” I mumbled, climbing out of bed.
“Zacky is awake!” Jack squealed to nobody in particular.
“Thank you captain obvious,” I muttered groggily.
“Someone’s grumpy,” Taylor mentioned, looking down at Jason, holding back a smile. For some reason, her voice instantly made me wake up. I shrugged and flopped down on the couch.
“When do we leave?” Taylor sat down next to me.
“As soon as Rian” He jerked his thumb towards the window where Rian could be seen with his phone pressed to his ear. A smile was clear on his face. “Gets off the phone with his lover,”
“I’ll get him,” Jack grinned poking his head out the window. “Rian! Get your ass in here!” I watched Rian flick him off and hang up his phone.
“Why is he in our band?” Rian questioned once he was on the bus, pointing to Jack.
“Because I’m sexy,” Jack retorted.
“No,” We all said in unison. He pouted and we felt the bus begin to move.
- - -

“Thank God, I thought he would never go to sleep,” Taylor sighed after trying to put Jason to sleep for a good forty-five minutes. “Are we almost there?”
“In another three hours,” Matt told her, looking at his watch.
“Blah,” She sprawled herself out on the couch, her legs going across my lap. Jack and Alex eyed me curiously and I just rolled my eyes and shrugged. “I’m so tired,”
“I think you should stay back and rest tomorrows show,” Rian suggested.
Her eyes were closed but she shook her head no. “I want to be there, there’s only a week and a half left of tour,” She whined. “Then I have to rent an apartment again,” She mumbled. We all stared at her in shock. “What?” She opened her eyes, watching us stare.
“Once tour is over we’re not putting you out on the street, Tater Tot,” Jack said.
“I don’t have anywhere to stay,” She said, oblivious the fact we were saying she was going to stay with one of us. I wasn’t going to let her go now.
“You’ll stay with me and Zack,” Jack announced. She looked at me and Jack to make sure he was serious, and then smiled.
“Thanks,” Jack and I both nodded.
“You need sleep,” Alex said. She shook her head.
“He’s gonna wake up soon,”
Alex, Jack, Barry, Matt and Rian sighed. They had been taking care of Jason when Taylor couldn’t. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Why aren’t you doing that, Zack? He’s your son.
The answer to that is I’m still scared I’m going to kill him somehow. And I don’t want that to happen. I was starting to get used to having a son.
“We’ll take care of him,” Rian said.
“No,” She sat up. “He’s my son, I have to do that, I feel like shit just handing him off to you after I’ve only known you for a week,”
“But that’s what friends do,” Alex offered.
“I know but,” She sighed and fell back onto the couch again, too tired to even sit up straight. “I don’t know,”
Jack shook his head at me and shot me a look that said, “You have to man up and take care of your damn son before this girl dies.”
“Somebody keep me entertained,” She smiled tiredly, her eyes sliding shut. She had the most beautiful smile.
“Want me to do back flips?” Jack suggested.
She laughed and shook her head, her eyes still closed. She looked so peaceful.
“Zack should strip!” Jack screamed, making her open her eyes and she rolled them at Jack before closing them again.
She became silent for a while and we were all watching her. I could tell she was trying to keep herself awake by moving ever few minutes, but it wasn’t working. “Somebody wake me in twenty minutes,” She yawned.
“Okay,” I said quietly, placing my hands on her legs, which were still resting on my lap without thinking. I decided to keep them there.
We all began to fall asleep as well, and not ever ten minutes after everybody but me fell asleep, Jason began wailing, waking everybody up.
“Mother fucker!” She whispered harshly, pushing herself off the couch and stumbling to Jason’s crib, and we all followed her. She was about to pick him up when she seemed to lose her balance and leaned herself against the wooden post of the bunks.
“I’m so tired,” Taylor whimpered, her voice shaking and her body swaying. We all eyed her cautiously.
“Tay, are you crying?” Alex asked.
She nodded and slid down to the floor. Meanwhile, Jason was still screaming, but we were learning to block it out.
“I can’t handle it anymore, I only got an hour of sleep last night, and you guys are probably getting pissed off because you have to take care of him,”
All of the guys looked at me, knowing I hadn’t done much to help out. I looked down at the floor and then kept my eyes on the poor, nineteen year old girl who was crying and tired as anything. I had to help.
She suddenly looked up at me. “Zack,” She whispered.
“I know,” I murmured, knowing she was silently asking me to help.
“You need to sleep, okay? You’re gonna go insane,” Jack said, sounding worried and rubbing her back. Taylor and Jack had become close quickly. She had a good way of making friends fast.
Taylor stood up slowly and made sure she was stable before she leaned down into Jason crib and pulled him up and into her arms, and Jason reached his arm out to me, making Taylor eye me hopefully, her body shaking.
I nodded and she motioned me to follow her to the couch.
“Sit down, I’ll show you how,” She exhaled, her voice still shaking. Alex and Jack were behind her just in case she fell.
I did as I was told and sat down, and she took a seat next to me. She positioned my hands so it looked like I was cradling thin air and slowly replaced the air with Jason. I held my breath as she did so, praying to God I didn’t drop him, and I didn’t.
“Now just lean back, and make sure you keep him like that. Stand up and walk around if he gets cranky,” She instructed.
Holding Jason actually made me feel complete. “I’ve got it from here, go to sleep,” I assured her. She smiled and nodded at be, falling back onto the couch, her head falling on my shoulder. She was out like a light in two seconds.
Jack patted my shoulder. “You’ll be a good father,” Jack nodded at me.
“I hope,” I whispered, looking down at my sleeping son, and then looking at my sleeping… Taylor. She wasn’t anything to me except the mother of my child… Yet.