Learn to Spell, God!

Brian’s POV.

Doors slammed behind me and I stormed through various corridors in tonight’s venue. This was a new place for me, and finding the place I was looking for was a little harder than I had thought. I kept on running, not discouraged by being lost. I wanted to comfort Sophie and to call the hospital and have them tell me it was all a mistake but no one deserves to be around me when I’m this angry.

The side of the stage caught my eye. I took a sharp left and ran out into the main stadium. I jumped down off the side of the stage, falling to my knees as I landed. All emotions broke free from me in the form of tears. I moved so my chin was resting on my knees and my back being propped up by the stage. My sobs were muffled by my jeans. I don’t know which made me feel worse; that fact that I had been a father temporarily or that Sophie was probably more cut up about this than I could imagine.

I tried calming myself down, knowing I wouldn’t want anyone seeing me in such a state. Who ever heard of a big, hardcore rock star running off and crying like a baby? I pulled my phone from my pocket as it started buzzing. I was about to hang it up straight away, not really being in the mood to talk to anyone, when the ID caught my eye.

“Sophie?” My voice betrayed my need to sound strong.

A chorus of blubbered, incoherent words, hiccups and sniffs was all I gained in reply.

“Shhhh, it’s okay. We’re going to sort this out, I promise.” I hugged my knees tighter into my chest with my free arm, wishing they were Sophie I was hugging.

The four voices of my fellow band members echoed through the stadium as they approached. They knew me well enough to know that I would escape to the stage. Damn my predictable habits. Their footsteps became louder and their calls of my name clearer. The phone line had gone dead, so I replaced the device in my pocket.

“Down here.” I managed to call out. I had to face someone soon enough, and the guys had a right to know what was going on.

I looked to the side to see the four pairs of trainers landing a lot more gracefully on the floor than I had previously done. Come to think of it, my knees were throbbing a bit after their intimate encounter with the hard floor.

“What the hell is going on?” Matt asked, joining me on the floor.

Zack sat on my other side, Jimmy and Johnny crouching in front of me. I hate interrogations like this. I’d much rather I didn’t have any bad news to tell them, or to even have to remember what the email had said. Their stares were unbearable, but I knew they were all concerned.

“You remember what happened in March, when we were in Cheyenne?” Stupid question really, how could they forget the shit that went down there? “Well, Sophie got an email from the Director at the hospital she was admitted to. It said . . .” I could feel my eyes pricking with tears again. “. . . it said that the bastard Doctor – the P. Doe guy – fucked up big time. She was pregnant, just not with the rapist’s child.”

“You mean -” Jimmy probed. I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. I wouldn’t even believe it still.

I buried my face in my hands forcing back a new wave of tears. I have never cried this much in my entire life, ever. Both my shoulders had the weight of Matt and Zack’s hands come down on them.

“Bri, I think you need to know something,” Zacky murmured. I’m guessing this wasn’t something the others were in on.

“If you’re going to say you had a drunken one night stand with Sophie around five days before she was raped, I may kiss you. However, I may also just kill you. But then I’d know it wouldn’t be my child that was . . .” I couldn’t bear to even think about finishing that sentence.

“I-err. No. The day Layla and I took her to the drug store, well she told me something. I swore I wouldn’t tell anyone – especially not you – but I think you need to know.” Zack’s voice wavered.

I didn’t like the sound of this at all.

“She told me that she . . . she said she regretted having the abortion. She never said why, but it was obviously really bugging her.” His voice trailed to a whisper as he finished this.

All of this was just too much for one person to handle and I can’t keep processing all of it. It was all just too confusing. Why did I have to go and be such a dick and sleep with Varkatzas’ girl in the first place?! If I hadn’t been unfaithful, then Sophie wouldn’t be suffering like this. It wasn’t even her I was unfaithful to, so why is she the one suffering?

I shot up from my spot on the floor, unable to bear the thoughts racing around my mind any more. I jumped the metal barriers that were already blocking off a good few feet of floor in front of the stage. I couldn’t hear the guys following me, so I’m assuming they realise I just need to be alone this time.

I left through the main entrance of the stadium; it was a lot less complicated to find my way. The cool air was welcoming and was just what I needed to clear my mind. I walked, breathing deeply to calm myself, around the side of the building to see a figure leant against a dumpster. Her face was in her lap but the bright hair gave her away immediately.

My feet sped up their pace, slapping hard on the asphalt. She must have heard me approaching because she lifted her face away from her knees to meet my gaze. Her eyes were red and puffy and tear tracks ran all over her cheeks, but she managed to smile ever so slightly at me. She stood before I made it to her. My arms were around her, holding her tightly into my chest as she began to cry once again. I kissed the top of her head, leaving my face nuzzled in her hair.

I could feel the tears begin to soak through my shirt once again, and my own began to fall onto her hair. I held her closer to me, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair and perfume. We were going to work through this, no matter what. I could tell she was broken far beyond repair this time, and I was going to sue the living hell out of that hospital for doing this to her.