****
"I know you're in there," Joey said loudly as he continued knocking on the door. "I'm not going away until you let me in."
He proceeded to pound on the steel door, causing his knuckles to go numb before grabbing for the golden knocker on the door and hitting it against the hard surface. It echoed throughout the quiet hallway even more annoyingly than his knocking, yet still no response from her.
"Fine, if that's the way you want it. Just don't say I didn't warn you," he shouted as he sat down on the floor, leaned back against the door and began to sing in an excruciatingly loud droning tone.
"I Henry the Eighth I am"
"Henry the Eighth I am, I am"
"I got married to the widow next door"
"She's been married seven times before"
"And everyone was an Henry, Henry"
"Wouldn't have a Willy or a Sam, no sir"
"I'm her eighth old man, I'm Henry"
"Henry the Eighth I am, I am"
"Henry the Eighth I am"
Joey took a deep breath and a deliberate pause to see if he'd enticed a reaction yet before beginning again.
"Second verse, same as the first"
"I Henry the Eighth I am"
"Henry the Eighth I am, I am"
"I got married to the window next door"
"She's been married sev…"
"Do you know what time it is?" she screamed staring down at him as he fell backwards onto the floor of the entryway after she flung open the door.
"Hi," he smiled brightly.
"I'm serious Joe, it's the middle of the damn night. I have to work in the morning. What are you doing here?" she quizzed as he stood and shut the door.
"I'm sorry, I forgot my watch," he shrugged. "And I'm here because we need to talk this out."
"Can't it wait until a more sensible hour?"
"No, it's waited too long. Let's sit," he directed, motioning for her to walk with him to the sofa. Inhaling deeply before he continued, Joey began to express the thoughts that had been streaming through his mind for the past couple of months. "I've already told you this, and I know it probably doesn't mean much coming from me, but I really am sorry. I panicked and tried to escape because I figured it'd be the easy way out, but it wasn't. These past couple of months have been the most difficult and miserable I've ever had."
"Joey I don't want or need to hear this now," she interrupted.
"I know you don't but I need to say it. Just please let me finish," he said not bothering to wait for her approval before continuing. "I know I've acted like everything you don't need right now, the irresponsible jerk. But I'm ready to be everything you want. I want to be there for you," he said sincerely as he took her hands in his, his warm brown eyes staring directly into the vibrant blue of hers. "And our baby."
"What are you talking about?" she asked with an air of confusion in her voice.
"I'm talking about taking responsibility for our actions. When you told me I freaked out a little."
"A little?" she questioned accusingly. "You ran away, I'd say that's more than a little."
"I left on tour, I didn't exactly run away," he said feebly.
"I told you a week before you left for Biloxi Joey. And this is the first time I've seen you since then."
"I know, I know," he said bowing his head down and holding it in his hands. "I was an idiot and nothing I say or do is ever going to make up for that. I understand that, but I'm here now and I'm not leaving this time," he reassured as he lifted his head up to meet her gaze.
"Joey just stop it," she said shaking her head and pulling her hands away from his as she stood.
"No. I'm not going to stop. I want to be the kind of man you deserve, and I want our child to have the kind of father that it deserves."
"There is no baby damn it, there never was," she blurted out.
"What!?" Joey screamed. "But you told me that you had missed a period and that it had never happened to you before so you were almost certain that you were pregnant."
"I guess there's a first time for everything," she shrugged. "It was just a false alarm."
Joey looked at her, the baffled expression on his face turning into one of anger as he spoke again. "And you couldn't pick up a fucking phone and let me in on that fact?"
"Hey, you're the one that pulled the disappearing act, not me."
"Because I was scared!" he yelled. "And I called, I stopped by, and you ignored me."
"Two weeks ago Joe," she hollered back as her eyes began brimming with tears. "What about the two months before that?" she asked, turning her back to him as the tears fell down her cheeks. "I know I should've called when I first found out but I'm sorry if I wanted you to feel as worthless as you made me feel when you walked out."
Joey sighed deeply before standing and walking across the living room to her. "I'm sorry," he repeated as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Me too," she replied as he turned her around and wrapped his arms around her tightly.
"Do you think we can just start over? Wipe all this away, and try again?" he asked as they released from their embrace.
"Honestly, no I don't. The wounds just cut too deep for me to erase them," she explained. "I mean lets face it Joey, this has never been a healthy relationship from the beginning. I thought I was okay with the way it was but as time passed I realized I wasn't. I wanted more than you were willing to give me. I wanted it all, the whole committed thing, and I knew that wasn't something you were capable of in this point of your life."
"But I do care about you, I really do," he stressed.
"I know you do, and in your own way you might even love me," she smiled. "But you're not IN love with me, and I'm trying to make myself believe that I deserve someone who will love me completely. Getting back with you now just because it's the comfortable thing to do wouldn't be good for either one of us."
The words she spoke rang true in his ears and Joey knew she was right. He did care for her, but it wasn't the kind of love that she deserved and he had a lot of growing to do as a person before he could ever offer what she was looking for.
She knew looking at the expression on his face that he agreed with what she had said. "Uh, aren't you supposed to be touring the country right now?" she teased.
"Oh yeah, that," Joey said waving a hand in the air as he chuckled slightly. "I think I need a little R&R before I head back."
"Well would you mind doing it in your own home? Because I really do have to work in a few hours."
"Oh right, I'm sorry," he apologized. "So I know this is cliché and all, but I really would like it if we could keep in touch."
"I would like that too," she said walking him to the door. "Our friendship is the thing I've missed the most these past couple of months."
"Me too," he said before giving her another quick hug.
As he walked out of the building to his car, he felt a mix of emotions. Mostly relief that the whole ordeal was settled, a little bitterness that he has spent so much time stressing over nothing, but also sadness that the relationship was officially over. He also felt the strange impression that he'd been given some sort of wake up call, or a second chance, that maybe it was time to evaluate the way he had been living his life. He drove away feeling that he wasn't so happy with the lifestyle he had created for himself and decided that it was time to make some changes.