Chapter 7 - Someone Only Seventeen

Three months later, the Monkees were in the studio again, recording a few new songs and generally having a good time. It seemed to Davy, Micky, and Peter that Mike was much better off than he had been when he came home after their week off, and they didn’t seem to notice the times he went off in a corner by himself. After all, he often worked on songs that way.

Mike did feel better, but that didn’t mean he didn’t think about his time in the town. There were days when he would wake up from a dream of Georgia and wish it were real. More than once he almost skipped out on filming or recording because of an emotional attack. But whenever he felt like his soul was going to pieces, he picked up his guitar and played the music that had come to him when he spent time with Georgia, and he felt better. Overall, he prided himself on coping quite well.

One afternoon, after the Monkees had finished filming the latest episode of their show and were back in the studio recording some vocals, Mike received a phone call. He took it in a secluded room, away from the noise.

“Hello? Hey, Nolan, how’s it goin’ man? Yeah. Uh-huh. Well that’s good. Really? How is she? No, no, I haven’t…what?? Are you sure? All right, all right, I’ll get back to you. ‘Bye.”

Mike tottered out into the hallway, his mind reeling. His first intention was to find someone to talk to, preferably Micky since he knew a little about this already. However, the only person he could find was Peter. Oh well, that would have to do.

“Peter, Peter, c’mere man,” he said urgently, ushering Peter into an empty sound booth.

“I take it from the crisis mode that you’re not going to yell at me about that key change again?” Peter asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Key change? No, Peter, geez…Pete, I’m in it deep. I am in so much trouble right now, you have no idea,” Mike ran a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath in frustration.

Peter’s face showed concern. “What’s wrong?”

“I…look, did Micky tell you about that girl I met when we had the week off?”

“Yes,” Peter nodded.

“Did he tell you how old she was?”

Peter nodded again. “Seventeen, right?”

“Right. Well,” Mike looked up at the ceiling, trying to compose his thoughts, “Nolan, I think I’ve told you about Nolan -”

“The annoying guy who bugs you all the time?” Peter asked, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Did I put it like that?” Mike shook his head, “No, no, listen…Nolan just called me and…God, Peter, the girl’s pregnant!”

“She’s what?” Peter exclaimed.

“Shh, shh,” Mike waved a hand frantically, “See why I’m in such big trouble?”

“Well, can’t you…work it out somehow?” Peter suggested uncertainly.

Mike sighed. “If the press gets hold of this…” he muttered, rubbing his face, then turned back to Peter, “I don’t know how. I haven’t heard from her in a month, and if Nolan’s callin’ me, she must be pretty upset. God, what the hell have I done?” He slammed his palm against the wall.

Peter caught Mike’s wrist before he could do any damage. “Mike, I don’t know what happed, but whatever it was tore you up. I can see that. If this girl got under your skin that much…”

“It’s not like that,” Mike lowered his voice before continuing, “This wasn’t just some one night stand, Peter, it was something real. She loves me, and I love her.”

Peter stared at Mike, his eyes growing wide as he realized the other man was serious.

“Shit, Mike,” he said finally, shaking his head, “A seventeen-year-old? She’s just a girl! Like those kids that come to our concerts and swoon when Davy goes by! What were you thinking?”

Mike went on the defensive. “Don’t go condemning me, man, I know how bad this is.”

Peter rolled his eyes and turned to leave the sound booth, but Mike caught his shoulders and spun him back around forcefully.

“Listen to me,” Mike said, his voice dangerously low, “Georgia isn’t just another teenybopper, all right? She’s got a soul, dammit, and she cares about more than what I am. You of all people should understand that.”

Fear joined the concern in Peter’s expression. Mike got intense sometimes, but Peter had never seen him quite like this. When you were in the spotlight, there was always the pressure, the deadlines, and, of course, the girls, but most of them were really all the same. How Mike had found, or thought he found, someone who wanted to share real love instead of just wanting a piece of his celebrity was beyond Peter, but somehow he couldn’t help thinking that it wasn’t all good.

“I’m leaving, Mike,” he said firmly when Mike didn’t let go of his shoulders. Mike’s grip relaxed and his hands dropped to his sides before he slumped against the wall. Peter felt sorry for him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’ll work out.” He had hoped that this sounded at least a little reassuring, but Mike shrugged his hand off and turned away. Peter sighed and left, closing the door to the sound booth behind him. It looked like Mike was going to need some time alone to sort things out.

Mike paced the length of the sound booth soon after Peter left. Pregnant! The word kept ringing in his ears, in his mind, filling his world. He had hoped talking to someone else would have helped to clear up his confusion somewhat, but all it had done was plunge him deeper. What could he do? Well, at the moment only one thing seemed right: he had to talk to Georgia.

Returning to the room he had taken Nolan’s call in earlier, Mike picked up the phone and dialed Georgia’s number with a shaking hand. What would he say? How upset would Georgia be? He tucked the phone under his chin and tried to slow his racing heart while listening to the rings as they passed one by one. For a moment he thought that nobody would answer, and he was debating on hanging up when suddenly a quiet voice said,

“Hello?”

Mike was caught a bit off-guard. “H-hello? Georgia?”

Georgia inhaled slightly. It wasn’t a gasp, really, more of a startled sound, as if she were suddenly nervous.

“Michael?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s me,” Mike put a hand against the wall to steady himself, “Listen, Georgia, I talked to Nolan, he told me…”

“I know,” Georgia replied quietly.

“And I…” Mike rubbed his face and sighed, “God, Georgia, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Georgia told him, “Please, don’t be.”

“But I…I shouldn’t…” Mike couldn’t find the right words to continue.

“It’s not your fault, Michael,” Georgia insisted, “We were in love.”

“But that’s not an excu - wait, did you just say we…we were in love?” The volume of Mike’s voice dropped as Georgia’s words registered in his mind.

“Yes, Michael, I said we were,” Georgia repeated, just as low.

Mike fought to comprehend what he was hearing. “Georgia, you’re…you’re not saying that…that you don’t love me anymore? That you’re not…in love with me?”

“Please don’t make this difficult,” Georgia’s voice was strained.

“How can I not?” Mike exclaimed, forgetting the original intention of his call, “Georgia, I wake up nights thinkin’ about you. I don’t care what’s happened or how long it’s been; I still want you near me. Whenever I play, I wish I was back at the house so that you’d walk by and stop to listen. Forgive me for soundin’ cliché, but - ”

“But you don’t play for me, Michael,” Georgia’s statement cut Mike off and left him in a shocked silence. He didn’t know how to admit it, but what she was saying was true. Once again, she’d gotten inside his head and told him what he didn’t consciously acknowledge.

“I…” he choked, unable to reply.

“You don’t. You can’t say you do, because you don’t,” Georgia continued, “I’ve been listening, and I can tell. It’s all for something else. I don’t know what or who it’s for, exactly, but it’s not for me. Not one single song. And you promised, Michael. You promised. You know how much it means to me.”

“Does that even matter anymore? Considering that you don’t feel anything for me, or for us?” Mike asked darkly, before he could stop himself.

“I just -” Georgia began, but Mike felt his anger building and cut her off.

“You said you loved me!” he cried desperately, “You told me that wouldn’t change!” His voice rose to a shout, “I’m not the only one who hasn’t kept a promise, am I? Dammit, Georgia, dammit, you lied to me!” The anger wasn’t like anything he’d felt when arguing with other people. This was more like being lost, falling through darkness and not being able to find a handhold, and finally just lashing out in an attempt to get back on solid ground.

“I didn’t think this would happen!” Georgia shouted back, surprising Mike again. He’d never heard her raise her voice, even slightly. “Time changes things, Michael, can’t you accept that? You’re way out there with your stupid career and I’m…” her voice broke and Mike could hear her sobbing, “I’m stuck here. With this.”

The sound of Georgia’s crying curbed Mike’s temper.

“What did your parents say?” he asked gently.

Georgia took a shaky breath. “They don’t know,” she replied, “And I don’t know how I’m going to tell them, but I have to.”

“I could…” Mike began, trailing off.

“No, Michael,” Georgia was firm in her refusal, although Mike could tell that she was still crying, “I have to do this myself. I’m the one who has to live with it, here.”

“All right,” Mike murmured, “And Georgia…”

Georgia didn’t let him finish. “Goodbye, Michael,” she said before hanging up. The dial tone sang in Mike’s ear.

“I love you, Georgia,” he whispered to it, then let the phone drop back into its cradle. Feeling like his heart was bursting into flames, he staggered to the corner of the room and lowered himself into it. And there, alone and removed from everyone, he let himself cry.

Continued