Mike stayed by Andi’s side, stroking her hair until she fell asleep. When her clenched fists had finally relaxed Mike slipped silently from the room. Andi’s uncle was there waiting.
“Well?” he said, his normally even voice wavering slightly.
Mike just shook his head. “She looks awful, man. I mean, I was mad when I came up here but now that I’ve talked to her . . . can I use your phone?”
“Of course,” Dellin said, gesturing for Mike to follow. He showed Mike into his office and quietly departed. Mike sat down uneasily in Dellin’s chair and reached for the phone, silently composing in his head just how he was going to explain . . .
~*~
“Yeah, Mike. Yeah, I understand. No, I’ll tell them. Yes, I got all of it.” Peter nodded, listening intently to Mike’s voice. “Are you coming home soon? Oh, good. Is . . . is Andi coming with you?” At the sound of Andi’s name, Peter found Micky’s and Davy’s eyes locked on him. “Well, of course we want her to come home! Okay . . . all right, Mike. I will. Bye.”
“What’d he say?” Micky asked.
Peter joined them at the table. “He went to see Andi’s uncle, and he took Mike to see Andi at his apartment. Mike’s still there.”
“How is she?” Micky asked, directing his question to the table top.
Peter relayed what Mike had told them about Andi’s fall, watching as Micky’s and Davy’s expressions softened slightly.
“But she’s gonna be okay,” Micky said.
“Yes,” Peter said. He explained slowly and with as much accuracy as he could what had happened to Mike that morning, and everything Mike had been told. Micky and Davy listened quietly, and when Peter finished they sat in silence.
“This changes a few things,” Peter said quietly.
“What do you mean?” Micky replied. “This doesn’t change anything! She still did what she did!”
“Yeah, but she didn’t mean to,” Peter said.
“What does that matter?” Davy snapped. “She wrecked our big chance, and you’re telling us she didn’t mean it?”
Peter shook his head. “Well first of all, she didn’t walk in there saying ‘I’m going to ruin their demo tape.’ Mike told me it was kind of a last-second thing, and Andi didn’t even realize what she was doing until she did it.”
Davy snorted and rolled his eyes. “Peter, do you really believe that?”
“Yes, I do. I know her and she’d never do anything like this on purpose,” Peter said with more conviction than he felt.
“Okay, okay,” Micky said, standing up and gripping the back of the chair for support. “Let’s look at this. Andi messed up our demo tape unintentionally. She knew what she was doing but she didn’t plan it or anything, and she didn’t do it out of malice, agreed?” Peter and Davy nodded. “And from what Peter says she feels terrible about it and thinks she’s blown it with us, right?” More nods. “But what I don’t understand is why?”
Peter cleared his throat. He hadn’t explained Andi’s reason. “She thinks we’re going to leave her.”
“She what?”
“She thinks we’re going to go off and be famous and successful . . . and that we’re going to change as people and then we won’t need her anymore. Mike said that Andi’s uncle used the words ‘morbidly afraid’.”
Micky waited a few moments. “What does Mike think?”
“Mike thinks she made a really bad, stupid mistake—and she does too—and I think . . . I think he wants to forgive her . . . and I think we should, too.”
Davy sat back and bit his lower lip uncertainly, and Micky stared intently at the wall.
“Well,” Micky said, sharing a look of mutual affirmation with Davy. “Let’s wait until she comes home and see what she has to say.”
~*~
“Mike, are you sure about this?”
Mike parked the Monkeemobile outside the pad and shut off the engine. “Yeah, Andi.” He turned sideways and gave her a stern parental stare. “You can’t run from this. You messed up and you need to apologize to ‘em. You told me you’re sorry and I believe you. Now you need to tell them.”
She picked at one of the scabs on her knuckles until it bled. “Do you . . . forgive me?”
“You mean is everything okay and fine like nothing happened? No. But you made a mistake and you’re human and . . . I can’t stay mad at you for long.” He smiled reservedly. “Now come on. There’s three other guys you have to talk to.”
On to Chapter Six
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