"Kiss." The toddler squirmed in Chris’ arms. "Dada?"
"Peaches, I told you! I am taking you to see your Daddy." Chris walked quickly and confidently through the Hospital Lobby.
"Is she asking you for a kiss?" Joey inquired, as he played "peek-a-boo" with her.
"No, Joey, that’s CHRIS." The three of them got into the elevator along with their bodyguards. "Did you see the chica with that movie poster? Aren’t you gonna sign it for her?"
"Yeah, I will if she’s still there when we come back down. Lance would have our heads if we hang around the Hospital lobby with Ellie." Joey smirked, "When Lance, Mercedes and I were in Toronto filming last year he was a NUT about having Ellie out in plain view anywhere. That hasn’t changed much."
"You can’t blame him, after everything that went down." Chris responded.
"I’m glad Lance’s hunch on that film paid off."
"Number one at the box office, Joe. You and Lance did a nice job." Chris commented.
Joey leaned his head against the wall of the elevator. "What a difference a year makes, huh?"
"You’re telling me? What would I do without Baxter in my life?" Chris smiled, it absolutely drove Dani insane when Chris referred to their son as Baxter. Joey shook his head and laughed.
"Ellie, your Uncle Chris is going to be in deep do-do if Auntie Dani hears him call the baby, ‘Baxter’ one more time!"
"Yeah, well." Chris became quiet and reflective, "It was also a little over a year ago when I stood on the beach at that house in Tampa. I didn’t know if Lance was in that boat, or in the water. I remember the look on Mercedes’ face to this very day. SHii...excuse me Ellie, SHOOT. I meant to say Shoot! If ever there was a woman who would‘ve marched straight into the jaws of death to reclaim him...that was the Mermaid."
"She handed Peaches over to me...and she just dove into that surf. The Paramedics had a hell...HECK of a time checking each of them out...they couldn’t pry her off of him. Rumor has it she gave him mouth-to-mouth, although he didn‘t need it!"
Joey laughed. "I am reminded of Mercedes and Lance whenever I find myself doubting that there is any such thing as ‘a match made in heaven.’ Lance is a happy man."
"Well, after everything they went through in January 2001. It’s nice to know that this new year is a very happy one." Chris said, switching Ellie to his other shoulder. "Right Ellie? Are you happy Peaches?"
"Hap-peee! Hap-peee!" Ellie clapped her hands together.
"Okay, remember we had an agreement about this pee stuff...you promised not to need a diaper change until your ‘nana’ has you. Right?"
As they exited the elevator, Ellie immediately spied her Grandmother. "Na-na! Na-na!" Diane smiled and held her arms out.
"How’s Grandma’s sweet baby girl?" Diane kissed her and gave her a bear hug. "How are Chris and Joey today?" Diane asked.
"Mrs. Bass, we’re doing fine. What’s the word?"
"Any minute now!" Diane told them.
Stacey held her hands out to Ellie and kissed the baby. "Thanks for watching Ellie, Chris. Lucky for us you and the family were in Jackson this weekend."
"Well, Lance had said he thought it was going to be around Valentine’s Day and he was right!" Chris said.
" Leave it to my brother. Hey, Joey!"
"Your Mom said any minute now, is that true?" Joey asked.
"Joe, she’s been saying that since 3 am this morning. Who knows?!"
"This looks like the same scene when my sister gave birth. I swear it was like a party. Anyone bring ziti?" Joey asked no one in particular.
"It IS a party Joey! A birthday party! Right Ellie?" Diane said. "Everyone was cheated out of the chance to be there when Ellie was born. And the circumstances surrounding her birth...well, no use in rehashing THAT. But, today...sometime...we welcome another Bass baby! Nothing is worth a party more than that!"
"You’re right Mrs. Bass." Joey said.
Out of the birthing room came Lance. Looking a little frazzled, exhaustion written across his face...but beaming as soon as he spied Ellie! "There’s my sweet cheeks! Give your Daddy some sugar!"
The expression of joy on her face as her Daddy scooped her up out of her Grandmother’s arms was priceless. Ellie gave her Daddy a perfect puckered up kiss! Then she clapped her chubby little hands so happy and pleased with herself.
Lance smiled and nuzzled her neck with his whiskers. "You are so sweet, that Daddy’s gonna eat you all up! Yum yum yum yum."
Ellie giggled. "Dadadadada."
"I’ll go in and sit with Mercedes awhile. Take a break." Diane told her son.
"Thanks Mom."
Ellie held onto Lance tightly. "Mamamama."
"Mommy is resting. Pretty soon, you will have a brother or sister and it’s kind of tough work, so she’s resting right now." Lance kissed her cheek. "But, as soon as it’s okay, you can come in and see Mommy. Mommy told me to give you a HUG and a big ole KISS!"
"Thanks for watching her last night, Chris." Lance said shaking his hand.
"No problem. How’s the Mermaid?"
Lance smiled warily, "She’s doing GREAT. When I think I’m about to lose it sometimes, she just keeps me going. But, this having babies thing is hard work. I had no idea. They have her on an IV drip to help move the labor along, but it really makes the contractions harder. I love her and I hate having her go through this." Lance said pensively, "And at the same time...we do love the babies." Lance chuckled and kissed Ellie’s cheek.
Diane comes and puts her arm around Lance. "How are YOU holding up, honey?" She kisses his cheek.
"Don’t worry about me, Mom. Should I get back in?"
"The Doctor came in and is checking to see how many centimeters dilated she is now." His Mother told Lance.
"Then," Lance looked around, "Could we talk for a minute?" Lance asked his Mom.
"Sure, honey." Diane and Lance found a quiet corner. "What’s on your mind?"
"Mercedes is really struggling. It‘s been a lot longer than we anticipated." Lance said.
"Your Doctor Bob doesn’t seem unduly concerned. He hasn’t talked about having a C-section has he?" Diane asked.
"No, no. I’m sure all this is pretty normal. It just seems like an awful lot to ask."
"What is honey?"
"What Mercedes is going through. It’s a lot of work. It’s a lot of pain."
"Lance, son, she’ll forget all about it once that baby’s here. Trust me. Every husband who has ever loved his wife has felt exactly what you’re feeling now. It’s a miracle...but you love her and you can’t stand to see her in pain...this isn’t like that, it’s a labor of love...Just hold her hand, put a wet wash cloth on the back of her neck, keep feeding her ice chips...and tell her how much you love her. It’ll be okay."
Lance’s eyes lowered. "I just can’t stand it, Mom. It’s rough for her."
"Knowing our Mercedes, she’s probably equally concerned about you."
"Concerned about me? That‘s crazy." Lance said flabbergasted.
"She knows how sensitive you are to her needs and how helpless you must be feeling."
Lance wipes away a tear, "Yeah, that does sound like her." He whispered. Then in a sigh he said, "I love her." His Mom hugged him and squeezed her son tight.
By this point, Ellie has her head on Lance’s shoulder, her eyes half closed, sucking on her thumb. "Geez, I hate to move her." Lance said noticing his little girl’s comfortable position. Chris came over to join the conversation.
"How was she for you last night, Chris?" Lance asked.
"Wonderful. Dani was in heaven. One of each. Thanks, Lance, now we’ll just have to put in for another adoption." Chris patted Ellie’s head and played with one of her curls by twirling it around his finger.
Lance grinned. "Not a bad idea."
"You REALLY don’t know what sex this baby is going to be?" Chris asked.
"No. Mercedes and I wanted it that way." Lance answered. "Mom, I want to get back in there. Can you please take Ellie?" Lance said softly.
The baby twitched, and her drool had Lance’s delivery room garb all wet on the shoulder. But, as his mother took the baby, Lance kissed her head again. "See you in a little bit, Sweet Cheeks." Then, he leaned over and kissed his Mother’s cheek, "Thanks for the talk, Mom."
Stacy gave her brother a hug before he left the waiting room. "Are you enjoying this, Bro?" She asked. "Now, you’ll finally have your chance to cut the cord and give the baby it’s first bath."
Lance smiled. "At the moment ‘enjoying’ is not exactly the word I’d use." Lance pushed the door to the birthing room open, then stepped back and grabbed his sister and gave her a big bear hug. "Thanks, Stace."
"What? Thanks for what?"
"When I needed an extra little push to pursue Mercedes, you were there for me. You told me to leave the past in the past, and start a new chapter with this woman. I had already fallen in love with Mercedes. I didn’t really think I had much of a chance with her, but I HAD to tell her how I felt. It was just killing me, I had so much love for her. I might not be here today, if you hadn’t just told me to ‘go for it’. I owe you a lot. I love you, Sis."
Stacey was too overwhelmed with emotion to speak. He hadn’t been her baby brother in a long time, but they were still close. She hugged him and then pushed him towards the birthing room door. Lance grinned this wide, toothy...happy grin.
Lance returned to Mercedes side and told her to hold tightly to his hand. "Just squeeze my hand. Scream, if it helps, baby."
"No. No...I‘m scared, Be. Why is this taking so long?" Her breathing had become so erratic, that Lance had started to become really concerned. The nurse gave him a paper bag and he asked Mercedes to breathe into it. At one point, he thought back to...the night she clung to him in Tampa.
When they found Lonnie’s body in the hallway near the front door. She trembled. Lance thought that was the most frightened he had ever seen her. He held her because he knew how scared she was and he was afraid she might hyperventilate. Luckily, Lonnie was alright and later recovered from the drugs Daniel had given him, as did Wes.
"Focus, Baby. Let’s focus on the honey jar." Lance told her. The nurses were getting a HUGE kick out of the couple having brought this adorable Winnie The Pooh, "Honey Pot" into the Birthing Room. They would stare at this jar and Mercedes would vacillate between thinking about all the little honey bees that lived together and made that honey...and that she’d like to have Lance lick that honey off of her! A little incentive to get the labor over with and get the bode back to normal again. Sometimes, she’d just look at the jar and giggle. Lance would blush or get an embarrassed grin on his face. Not lately though. Not in the past two hours.
The Nurse brought the Doctor the latest reading from the fetal monitor. Doctor Bob looked over at Lance. There was something in the Doctor’s glance that failed to comfort him. "What?" Lance asked.
"Let’s go out in the hallway for a second. Just the seventh inning stretch, Mercedes."
Lance reluctantly leaves Mercedes’ grasp and follows the Doctor into the hallway. "What’s going on? Why isn’t the IV drip working? She’s been in labor since yesterday afternoon!"
"I think we should consider a C-Section, Lance. Let’s bunt. I’ll need you to help me convince her."
"It won’t take any convincing if you can honestly tell her it’s the best course of action for the baby."
"Yes, I think it is. It‘s the bottom of the ninth, Lance."
"Alright then, that’s all you need to tell her. I’m behind you 100%."
When he returned to the room, he saw his wife lying there. The perspiration was dripping from her face. She was pale. She was exhausted. He knew he wouldn’t be able to mask his concern. He recalled the look she wore on her face that night in Tampa when she finally reached the boat.
Lance had heard her screaming his name on shore. He had raised his voice to answer her, but with all the commotion she hadn’t heard him. Suddenly, he heard her wading through the waist deep water near the boat. She was petrified with fear. She called his name. "Please God...LANCE!"
Lance answered her, "I’m in the boat, Baby. I’m right here in the boat."
Mercedes touched him in every conceivable place on his body. Through their tears, they kept saying each other’s name over and over. "Are you alright? Are YOU alright?" Lance still couldn’t move his limbs, but the way Mercedes was handling him....he wouldn’t have been allowed to move anyway. She would barely let him breathe! Lance was smothered in her kisses.
They were always going to be there to support one another. She had felt helpless as Lance was beaten and abused by Daniel. Now Lance felt helpless to take the pain away from her. He wanted to shield her from the inevitable disappointment that she would feel, having to undergo a C-Section rather than having the baby naturally.
Lance gave her a smile, held her hand and kissed her forehead. "I love you, baby."
"Something’s wrong!" Mercedes pleaded, "Tell me, what’s wrong with the baby?"
"What’s our ultimate goal here today, Darlin‘?"
Mercedes started to weep, "I’m having a C-Section aren’t I."
Lance nodded, "Now I know that’s not what we had planned on. But, I will stay right by your side. I’m not leaving you, baby. You can stay awake and we’ll still be able to share every moment together." Lance kissed her reassuringly.
"Hold on!" Doctor Bob called to Lance. "There’s been a change in the batting order."
Before, Lance had almost smiled at the Doctor’s constant use of baseball metaphors. Only now, he wasn’t exactly in the mood. "What are you trying to tell us?" Lance said exasperated.
"I’m saying you’ve got the thumbs up, Mercedes. Time to bring in the winning run." Doctor Bob looked at Lance, who was just about to pop him one. "Lance, we don’t need to do a C-Section. Mercedes is 100% effaced and 10 centimeters dilated. I’m going to let Mercedes push now."
"WHAT?" Mercedes smiled in relief. "Oh thank you God!"
Lance wiped her brow and kissed her, "Amen to that, Darlin’!"
The Nurses’ helped position the mirror so that they could see the baby’s head as it popped out. Lance positioned himself behind Mercedes, at one point, in an effort to help her gather the strength she needed for the final series of pushes.
They heard the baby cry. Lance and Mercedes held onto one another.
"Thank you God." Lance said aloud. He kissed his wife.
"Don’t you want to know what it is?" A Nurse asked Lance. "Usually that’s the first thing I hear. The parents ask, ‘What is it?’ Don’t you want to know?"
"Is everything alright with the baby?" Lance asked, calmly as he tenderly continues to kiss his wife’s face.
"Everything’s fine, Lance." Doctor Bob told him.
"Then, that’s all that matters." Lance said, smiling. As he places his forehead to Mercedes’ forehead.
"It’s a boy, Mr. Bass."
Mercedes starts to giggle. Lance grins broadly, "You said you thought it was going to be a boy. Good work, Mrs. Bass."
"This morning at 11 am Pop singer/ Actor Lance Bass and his wife welcomed a baby boy into their family. The baby weighed 8 lbs 4 oz. He is 20 inches long. Mother and son doing fine. James McKenzie Bass joins sister Eleanor Faith who was born during a New Year’s Eve murder attempt on her parents 13 months ago. Ellie Bass is reported to be very happy to welcome a baby brother into the household."
"Reminds me of when you had Ellie baptized, Lance. Could it be any more hush-hush?" Chris inquired as he heard his echo from the back of the Church.
The retirees and elderly parishioners at Our Lady Queen of Peace had just filed out from morning daily mass. There had never been such a beautiful sunny day in Florida in February. Lance grinned, "Last year, we didn’t want a media circus after the horrible stuff that went on over Super Bowl weekend. This time around...we kind of like it quiet. Huh, Ellie?" Lance squeezed his daughter and gave her a kiss.
"Dowwwn." Ellie demanded. "Dowwwwn dada!"
Lance smiled, took off her jacket and let her down to toddle down the main aisle towards the altar.
Chris glanced back towards the main doors and elbowed Lance in the gut. "Did you invite him?"
After taking a look upwards to heaven, Lance walked calmly back to the man standing next to the very last pew. With the man was his daughter, Liv.
"Steven." Lance spoke first. "Liv."
"Hi, Lance. Is Mercedes here?" Liv asked.
"No, she hasn’t arrived yet. You know, until after the blood work is completed..." Lance fidgeted with Ellie’s jacket. "What I’m trying to say is, you don’t HAVE to be here." Lance looked away nervously.
Steve Tyler uttered his first words, "You barge into my studio session, make all sorts of accusations, then bolt. You get a lawyer to force me to take a blood test...which, by the way, was total bullshit because there’s no law that says I had to. But, I DID. And what do you base this on? A story I told you about some under aged chick in the backseat of a Mercedes Benz. Jesus."
"Cool it, will you?" Lance said heightened irritation. "I don’t like the prospect of you being my children’s grandfather any more than I’m sure the idea appeals to you. But, Aerosmith was in Boston the month Mercedes’ mother conceived. It’s possible...that you’re Mercedes’ biological father."
Steve Tyler gave Lance a nasty look, "Whatever."
"You know, I don‘t think I‘m up to mending fences with you today and I’d appreciate it if you’d leave." Lance told him, angrily. "I don’t want Mercedes to arrive and find you and I arguing."
"No problem." Steve puts his sunglasses back on and makes an about face.
"No Dad! We talked about this." Liv pulled him back. "Lance, Dad, BEHAVE." Liv looked at Lance and said, "We’ll just sit back here. Then, if the tests come out positive, at least he had been here. I know a little bit about what Mercedes is going through. I never knew who my biological father was until I was an adult. It crushed me that no one was honest with me. We’re staying." Liv forced Steven into a pew.
Down the aisle, Ellie waddles towards her Father. "dadadadadadada, Up!" Lance scoops her up.
"Okay, baby." Lance pats her back and kisses her cheek.
"She’s cute." Liv comments.
"She looks nothing like me." Steven says.
"Thank God for small favors." Lance replies under his breath, holding Ellie tighter.
The little girl puts her soft, eager arms around her Daddy and puckers up. "Mmmmmm, Dada." Lance couldn’t help but laugh. It occurred to Lance that rather than being angry, he should feel sorry for Steven Tyler. Look at all he missed out on.
"I love you, Ellie." Lance whispered in her tiny ear.
Ellie giggled and squeezed her Daddy tighter. "Ickle! Ickle, Dada."
Chris comes up behind Lance and Ellie screams, "Kiss, Kiss!"
"Hey, Peaches." Chris smiles. He taps Lance on the shoulder and asks if everything was cool.
"Everything’s fine." Lance said, keeping a careful eye on Steven.
As the Priest makes his way to the back of the Church to welcome the new baby into God’s house, Lance helps Mercedes and ‘Mac’ out of the car. "Why don’t you take Ellie’s hand and I’ll carry Mac. Ellie’s been a little sensitive lately about you spending time with him." Lance observed.
Mercedes smiled, "Okay, Be. Sounds good."
Then, as his Mom fusses with Mac’s baptismal gown, Lance whispers to his wife, "By the way, Liv and Steven are here." He looked into her eyes, which by now were as big as saucers. "Is that going to be alright with you?" Mercedes just froze there. Lance put a hand on her head and kissed her. "Whatever you decide is alright with me."
"How did he hear about it?" Mercedes asks dumbfounded.
"How did who hear about what, honey?" Diane Bass asked her daughter-in-law.
Lance made an expression with his eyes, a ‘not now, Mom’ look. "Never mind." He says to his Mom. Then he turns his attention back to Mercedes. "I mentioned it to Liv last week when she called. I already told you that she wanted to talk with you."
"I...I told you, I wasn’t ready to..." Mercedes started, but couldn’t finish her sentence.
Lance leaned closer to her. "It’s alright. Whatever you decide." He kisses her lips, "You know I love you, Mrs. Bass."
"I love you, too." Mercedes said in barely a whisper. But, Lance saw her form the words and they made him smile.
There was a nod as they caught each other’s eye during the ceremony, but neither Liv or Mercedes or Steven or Lance exchanged words to one another in the church. Outside, as they were getting into their cars to leave, Lance and Mercedes asked Liv and Steven back to the house. To everyone’s surprise, they accepted the invitation.
At the house, after the baptism, they had brunch. Lance caught himself actually warming up to the guy who could possibly be his father-in-law. But, just when he thought maybe Steven wasn’t a total asshole after all, Lance couldn’t help but remember everything Victoria said that night she died. How was he ever going to be able to be civil to the man who wanted Victoria to abort Mercedes? Who was so callous and hurtful to Victoria that she was never able to develop a positive relationship with another man? Even more important to Lance, because of Steven, Victoria became jealous, hateful, bitter and resentful towards Mercedes.
It was at those times during the party, that Lance would take Ellie for a stroll in the garden. To that baby swing he had put in out back. Then, during the later part of the afternoon, while the guys, including Steven, were watching "March Madness" Lance answered the phone. The test results came back earlier than expected. He spoke to the doctor and then slipped into Mac’s room and watched his son sleeping peacefully.
"I thought I might find you in here." Mercedes put her arms around Lance. "Are you, ok?" She asked giving him a loving cuddle.
Lance smirked, "That’s just like you." He raised his arm and put it around her shoulder, kissing her forehead. "Don’t you think I should be asking YOU that?"
"Me? I’m not the one bailing on my buddies when I could’ve been raking in the dough betting on a basketball game." Mercedes smiles widely.
Lance exhaled deeply. "How blessed I am. I was just thinking how blessed I am." He noticed her disbelieving face and added, "I was, baby!"
"Sure." Mercedes paused. "You said it yourself Lance, I know you too well. Now, please tell me what’s wrong."
He held Mercedes closer to him, "The test results came back today." Lance said tenderly, kissing her face. He kept his face pressed against her cheek. Lance wasn’t sure how she was going to take his. "It’s not Steven."
Days passed into weeks and weeks into months. It seemed Lance had a new routine now, at the tail end of the winter he would film another movie for the second year in a row. Then, rush to gear up for a tour and be out on the road.
For the most part, Mercedes, Ellie and Mac would be with him. Only, this summer Mercedes also planned on fulfilling one of the promises she made to herself. She was finally starting that camp for challenged children at the Farm on Martha’s Vineyard.
It was the second week of July, after ten days straight of being out on the road away from one another, finally, Lance was flying home for a visit.
Mercedes stood outside of her Wagoneer with the wooden inlaid panels on the sides and waved as Lance quickly walked out towards the airport parking lot. Ellie jumped up and down excitedly. As he hugged his daughter and kissed his wife, Ellie was still pointing to the sky, "pane, pane, dada."
"She got a big kick out of watching your flight land." Mercedes said mumbling into Lance’s shoulder, breathing him in and cherishing his embrace.
"I MISSED YOU GUYS!" Lance exclaimed, gathering the baby into his arms and kissing him. "Mac, you’re another 10 pounds heavier I swear!"
Mercedes acknowledged Wes as he caught up to Lance eventually. "Hey, Mercedes!" Wes smiles. "Enthusiasm certainly gives you speed, boy! And how are you Miss Ellie?" Ellie always had a smile for Wes, but there was nobody she wanted to go see, but Daddy. "You best get in the car, Lance, I can see the light of recognition in the eyes of some tourists already."
Lance had a hard time putting Ellie into her car seat. "NO Dadadadadada NO!" Lance ended up having to sit next to her, in between her and Mac while Mercedes drove.
"I missed you." Lance reminded her later that night. They laid in their bed with the windows wide open, and watched the shadows dance as the moon peaked through the tree limbs outside the windows.
"Me too, Be."
"How’s the Lizard and Mrs. Serke getting along? Do I have any prayer of a reprieve here, baby? Can’t you leave the camp in their capable hands?"
Mercedes could’ve been mad. She could’ve shouted at him for being so selfish, after all their whole schedule revolved around his career. But, she wasn’t. She understood where he was coming from. He was lonely without her and the children there with him on the road. "Be, I know it isn’t easy for you. You know lover, I miss you all the time. It isn‘t easy for us, either. Camp will be over in less than three weeks."
"Mercedes, I won’t be able to fly home again for another two weeks!" Lance leaned back onto his pillows and sighed. "That’s too long!"
Lance smiled as she stretched and laid her naked body on top of him. "Oh bay bee." He moaned in his deep, sexy voice. "I was thinking how much I wish we could run through the house, like we did the night it rained and we made love in the playhouse."
"And outside the playhouse..." Mercedes sighed seductively. She tilted her head, "Lance, after the camp is over, we can have the whole farm to ourselves again. In the meantime, we can always...play...house. Be...let me tell you about the dream I had about you, while you were gone..." She rubbed her body against his and whispered in his ear. Lance’s eyes lit up.
"You KNOW how much I love chocolate, Baby." Lance murmured against her neck. But, never far from his mind was the loneliness he was feeling when he had been away. His head popped up. "Couldn’t you leave the Farm next weekend and meet me out in Chicago?"
"Could we talk about this a little later, lover?" Mercedes plead. "I have been looking forward to this night for 9 nights now!"
Lance snuggled her to himself and chuckled. He lost himself in her curly hair, her fragrance, her soft womanliness. "Baby, I’ll shut up now..."
They rocked gently back and forth as they caressed one another. They expressed their passionate longing for each other. Lance became quite vocal as he had his orgasm, calling her name as he kissed her with an open-mouth raw, passionate and hungry. As he continued to satisfy her, Mercedes began to cry.
"Shush...Baby, baby, what’s wrong?" Lance held her close. "Did I hurt you?"
Mercedes shook her head, "No. No. I’m sorry."
Lance tenderly whispered to her, "What could you have to be sorry about? Don’t be sorry for showing me your true emotions, whatever they might be at the time. I love you, Baby." He brushed her curls from her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "What’s wrong?"
"If you want me to fly to Chicago next weekend with Ellie and Mac, I will. I will, Be." Mercedes said in an almost fearful voice.
Lance held her, he was so happy! "That’s great, Baby. Thank-you! You don’t know how happy that makes me." He kissed her forehead.
Mercedes nodded her head, buried her face in Lance’s chest, and continued to sob.
"Wait a minute, Baby. What is wrong? I don’t understand why you’re still crying." Lance squeezed her tighter. "Please tell me what has you so upset."
Mercedes eyes were downcast. "I don’t want to lose you." She said quietly.
"Lose...LOSE ME?" Lance blinked dramatically. "Mercedes, Darlin’, look at me." Lance held onto her shoulders and tilted his head to look in her eyes.
"You and the children are EVERYTHING to me. I miss you all like hell, Baby." Lance placed his face against Mercedes’ cheek, "But, I would NEVER EVER do anything that would compromise what we have here. I am your husband for the rest of my life."
Lance placed his hands under her chin and lifted her face to look in his eyes, "Besides nobody else could ever hold a candle to you, baby." He grinned. "You are my world. This other stuff is just details. If you have to be here, okay...but, don’t you dare let me bully you into giving up this idea you’ve had....I was being self-centered. This Camp is a wonderful idea for these kids, and I was being selfish. It’s only a little while longer, Mercedes. I’m sorry I upset you."
Morning found them cuddling together, intertwined. They braced themselves from the cool morning air by pulling the sheet up and over their bodies. "Ummmm, Bay bee. Did you say something about chocolate last night?" Lance smirked, all sleepy eyed and with his hair all unruly, just as Mercedes loved it. The ‘just got tossed out of bed’ look, she called it. He started to suck on her shoulder and give her his ‘humph, you are too sexy’ look.
Then the children began to wake and morning was off and running.
Mercedes had always planned that some special guests would come and make each fantasy come true for her campers. Lance was going to teach a special group of children some dance moves to the latest hit on their recent CD. Then, in the afternoon he was going to help the drama group rehearse for their closing night "Talent Show".
One of her special guests, last weekend, had been her friend and neighbor, James Taylor who helped teach guitar lessons. This Tuesday morning found James walking over to help some campers who were spending another week and having trouble tuning their guitars.
"James!" Lance waved. "Heard you were making a house call."
"Yeah, Dr. James. I heard you were home for a visit. Welcome home."
"Oh, I miss my family." Lance said, and James could hear the ache in his voice.
"I hear you. I was once where you are now. Except, it seems I was gone from May through October. It can be a cold, lonely life on the road." As if he wanted to shake that memory, James makes fun of himself adding, "Now I am too old to rock and roll and too young to die."
Lance laughed with him. James was a gentle person with southern roots. Whenever Lance and Mercedes were on the Island, they enjoyed his company.
James’ children were all grown up now, and although in his mid-fifties he was still drawing in his fans at the Great Woods in Foxboro, MA and SPAC in Saratoga, New York...and other venues that seat somewhere around 12,000 to 18,000 ticket holders a night. It was a good living, playing his music on his guitar and he loved it. But, like a lot of people, James had demons in his past. Many years ago drug and alcohol abuse landed him in mental institutions.
Maybe that’s why he reached out for Mercedes as she made her way back into the real world after leaving Fall Brook mental hospital. James having enough confidence in her to hire her to produce his album, really helped her regain confidence in herself. Lance never fully appreciated how instrumental James had been at helping Mercedes be her whole self again. And now he was making himself available to help her with this project.
They ate lunch outside under the willow tree with the campers. Lots of them knew James from their parents, and all of them knew who Lance was. When ever Mercedes showed up and Lance would give her so much as a peck on the cheek, the kids would go, "OOoooo!"
After lunch, James gave Ellie a push on the baby swing while Lance helped the drama group rehearse. When Lance came over to pick up his baby girl, she was asleep in the swing sitting with her head on her arm, drooling down her little overalls.
"Oh, my sweetie. That looks incredibly uncomfortable!" Lance chuckled softly.
"She reminds me of my baby Sally, who’s 27 now." James told him. He took a deep breath. "That’s a little miracle I was never quite deserving of." James commented quietly.
Lance gave him a puzzled look, "Now, why would you say that James? You’re a good man." Lance pulled Ellie up out of the swing and cradled her in his loving arms.
"Lance, everybody has skeletons in their closet...or at least periods in their lives that they aren’t proud of. I have a period in my life, I am very ashamed of."
Lance briefly thought about the separation he and Mercedes endured and that his drunken, confused mind had allow him to stray from his marriage vows. He nodded his head, "I think I know what you mean."
"I was on a concert tour, this one time I went back on a promise I made to my wife and I took some concert dates up until Thanksgiving that year. I had been on the road 7 months straight...and hardly saw my wife Carly at all. I allowed myself to fall into abuse again. No longer clean, rarely sober, I don’t know how I made it up on stage night after night."
"I never cheated on my wife, although I surely did enjoy flirting a little now and then. I’d always go back to the hotel and sleep it off...alone. But, not that night in Boston. I knew that girl was under age. She was a summer resident here on the Island with her family. She’d even sneak into the Hot Tin Roof whenever I’d play there. She was so cute. She was just a teenage girl. Her name was Vicki. It was that one night in Boston. I was a drunken ass and she became pregnant. I asked her to have a abortion. It scared the crap out of me that I was so irresponsible. I was so heartless. That and John Belushi’s death years later are what’s kept me clean and sober ever since."
It was as if the world around them stood still. Lance could hear the seagulls hush, the children’s yells dissolve into whispers, and a tear fall from his eye.
"James?" Lance asked. James turned and rubbed his bald head with an inquisitive gaze. "Are you certain about the girl’s name, the month, the year...the abortion?"
"Everything, ‘cept the abortion. They were Catholic. I’m ashamed to say, I don’t know whether or not I might have a child on this earth I’ve never even seen." James paused, "I never tried to look Vicki up. Her parents sold their house here on the Vineyard. I never even asked her forgiveness except in my dreams, I guess."
Lance looked heavenward, he praised God in his heart and smiled. "James, would you be willing to take a blood test for me?"
"Alright, alright...first of all I want to thank our Mississippi family for giving up their traditional Thanksgiving in Clinton. I want to thank my Granny for baking my favorite sweet potato pie."
"I second that." James said, making a kissy-face to Ellie.
"And I want to thank all of our Vineyard family for sharing this very special day with us." Lance looked around the table, he saw Mercedes’ half-sister, Sally and half-brother Ben, both musicians. Ben and Stacey were both the same age. Ford and Stacey were finally going to have a baby early next year. Mac and Ellie were good, adorable and loving babies. His grandmother was in good health and still calling him ‘baby boy’ although now she called Mac, ‘baby boy’ also. And asking Ellie to give her some ‘sugar’...and Ellie always complied!
"Most of all, I want my wife to know that my life is only whole because of her presence in it. To paraphrase the Bible, you can have all the power and riches in the world, but if you don’t have love, you’ve got nothing. Because of you, my beloved, I have everything. You are my everything, Mercedes."
As Lance raises his glass and wishes his guests a Happy Thanksgiving, Mercedes mouths the words, "I Love You, Be."
Later that same night, as an early winter chill was descending upon the Farm...laughter could be heard as Lance and Mercedes race through the field in a mad dash to the playhouse.
"I’m FREEZING!" Giggled Mercedes.
Breathless from the chase and anticipation, Lance smirks, "Ooo Baby, let me warm you up!" They smile as Lance scoops her up and slides her onto the familiar playhouse counter.
"Oooops! Watch those play skool pot and pans on the counter there, Baby...that’s gotta hurt!" Lance laughs, "Let me kiss it and make it all better."
