Haley curled up next to John on the couch. John had picked out a nice chick-flick. He was still only trying to make her happy. Haley wasn't used to being treated like a princess. John put an arm around her, and Haley sighed.
Am I falling in love?
Haley wouldn't know. She blew guys off in college. She was too busy with her career. She had plenty of guy friends, though. In high school, she'd had a few boyfriends. But who at that age knows that they're really in love? Haley certainly didn't.
**
Isaac carried a sleeping Mikey into his room. He layed him down on his toddler bed and covered him up and tucked him in. He kissed his forehead lightly.
"'Night, buddy."
Isaac plugged in his Sesame Street night-light, and left his bedroom door cracked.
The peace and quiet felt nice. After Isaac brought Mikey back with his visit with his grandmother, Mikey had strewn toys all over the house. Now was the time Isaac got to straighten things up. During the day, the house was always a mess, but that's understandable with a three year old in the house. Isaac began picking up toys, and putting them in a chest kept in the corner of the living room. When everything was back to normal, Isaac pulled out his CD collection.
He flipped through all the classics, and the punk CDs, when he went through a "punk" stage right before Mikey was born. He looked at the CDs, he and his brothers had released.
"That was so much fun." He said to himself. "I can't believe it's over."
After their fourth studio release, Hanson had decided to take an indefinate break. Mikey was born while he was on tour. He and Michelle had been with the band in Mexico when contractions started. That's when doctors realized something was wrong. Not only was it a month early, the baby was breached, meaning it wasn't coming head first. They made an emergency flight, back to Tulsa with the top doctors in Mexico on the private jet.
They landed in Tulsa, and Michelle was rushed into an emergency room. Isaac wasn't allowed in the room. He caught a look of her pale white face just as they rushed her in the room. It wasn't fair she had to be in this all by herself.
His mom was there with him, the rest of the family were on their way on a regular jet.
"Mom, I'm so scared." He said. He sat in a chair in the waiting room across the hall from where they took Michelle.
"I know you are, honey. Now's the time to pray for the safety of Michelle and the baby." Diana said. The truth was, Diana was scared too. Diana fell in love with Michelle when she first met her. Michelle was a small-town, old-fashioned Oklahoma girl. She loved her like a daughter. Diana sat next to Isaac and put an arm around him.
Michelle's parents rushed into the waiting room.
"We got here as quick as we could. We were almost to Oklahoma City when we got the call." Michelle's mom, Lillian said.
Isaac stood up and hugged them both.
Diana explained Michelle's condition.
"Oh my poor baby." Lillian said, "Dan, our poor baby."
Dan wrapped his arms tigtly around his wife. He looked pale.
A doctor came into the waiting room.
"The baby was a boy. Born at 6:20 PM, weighing 5 lbs, 3 ounces. He is in ICU for the moment." The doctor said. He looked pained.
"How's Michelle?" Isaac asked quickly.
The doctor winced. "I'm sorry, so sorry. We did everything we could, but she passed away during the labor."
Lillian wailed loudly, and Isaac started to fall to the floor, but Diana caught him. Dan didn't hold back the tears that fell as he hugged his wife. Diana was also crying.
"Can I see her?" Isaac asked.
"Of course." The doctor said. "But one at a time."
Isaac sat next to Michelle. Her face was so pale, and her eyes were permenatley shut.
"I love you so much." He said through tears. "Why did you go?"
Presently, Isaac wiped at his eyes. Although it had been three years ago, it still brought tears. How can anyone get over a loss like that?
Isaac looked at his first CD with his brothers, Middle of Nowhere. Everything was so innocent back then. Maybe what he needed was to go touring again. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to get back in the studio.
**
"Isaac, are you serious?" Taylor said over the phone, the next morning.
"Yeah, I want to get back to Hanson."
Taylor let out a whoop. "Yes! Isaac, that is so awesome. I'll tell Zac, and Dad, and Dad can tell the record company."
When Isaac hung up, he was actually smiling.
Mikey was watching his favorite TV show, Sesame Street, in the living room.
"Hey Mikey do you wanna take a trip to L.A.?" Isaac asked.
"Is Elmo there?" He asked.
"I'm sure we could find an Elmo." He said.
"Yay!" Mikey started jumping all over the house. Isaac laughed.
The phone rang, and Isaac jumped to get it.
"Hello?"
"Isaac, is this for real or is Tay playing another joke on me?" Zac demanded.
"It's for real." Isaac said. "Is Mom coming this time? I'm bringing Mikey."
"Yeah." he said. "At least I think so."
"Are you bringing Natasha?"
"No, we kind of broke up." Zac said sadly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. What for?"
"She said 'I love you'."
"And?" Isaac asked seeing nothing wrong with that.
"And I didn't say it back." Zac explained.
"Ouch."
"Yeah, so what ever happened with that girl you went on a date with?"
"Haley? Uh...I haven't called her back." Isaac said.
"What?! And I thought I was bad with girls!" Zac joked.
"So, you think I should call her?" Isaac asked.
"Yes! You need a woman." Zac replied.
"I dunno, Zac..."
"As a matter of fact, I'm going to hang up now so you can call her."
Before Isaac could respond,Zac hung the phone up.
"Well, that was just rude." Isaac said.
"What's rude, daddy?" Mikey asked.
"Nothing, son."
**
Haley buttoned her newly ironed white shirt. She looked through her closet for her gray tweed skirt. Not the sexiest outfit, but she had to start dressing like a teacher now. She slipped her feet into some gray Mary Janes when the phone rang. She smiled. John.
"Hey. I was wondering if you were going to call this morning." She said.
"Uh, you did?" Isaac was nervous about this call.
"John?" She asked. It certainly didn't sound like John.
"Uh, no this is Isaac. But if you're expecting a phone call-"
Her stomach flip-flopped.
"Isaac? I certainly didn't expect you to call. What made you call?" She couldn't believe it.
"Well, my brother sort of reminded me." He said.
"Your brother had to remind you to call me?! Isaac, thanks, but no thanks. I don't know what happened on our date, but I thought we were having a decent time until the end when you blew me off!! I waited on you to call me for days! And now you call me because your brother reminded you to? Sorry, Isaac but I don't want to date a guy like that."
"It's not like that!" Isaac said. "I've had a lot on my mind lately."
"Yeah, and obviously I wasn't on it." She said sarcastically. "I'm sorry for getting angry. But I'm dating someone now. It's not serious, but I think it could be going somewhere. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, me too." Isaac said. "Just out of curiousity, what are you doing today?"
"Working." She said. "I'm working at Lynwood Elementary."
"Well," He said. "I know you're dating this other guy and everything, but I wanted to know if after work, you and I could hang out? I will be leaving soon to L.A. to record a new album."
"You're recording again? That's great." She said, geniunely happy for him. "I guess we could hang out."
**
That evening, Isaac raided his closet. He really liked Haley, he was just afraid to fall in love again.
He pulled out a black t-shirt. He threw it in a pile of rejected clothes on his floor.
"Jessica!" He called through the house. Jessica had came over to babysit Mikey.
"What?" She said, walking into Isaac's room.
"What should I wear?"
She walked to his closet.
"You should've borrowed some clothes from Tay." She said, digging through clothes.
"Oh, gee, thanks." He said.
"No problem. So, do you like the girl or are you just friends?" Jessica said. She pulled out a gray shirt, wrinkled her nose, and discarded it.
"Yeah, I'm interested in her, but she's sort of dating another guy." He said. He sat down on his unmade bed.
"Isaac! Don't tell me she's cheating on him with you." Jessica said. She pulled out a light blue, long sleeve T-shirt, with a dark blue AE Outfitters logo on the front, and threw it on his bed.
"No! Her and this guy aren't serious. Yet, she says. She told me she didn't want to date me." Isaac played with the fringe on his blanket.
"So, why are you going over there?" Jessica asked.
"To win her over." Isaac said.
"Woo-hoo!" Jessica said. "There's the old Isaac."
She laid a pair of khaki carpenter pants next to the shirt she picked out.
**
Isaac was running down the aisle in a grocery store near Haley's house. He found the floral department, and slid to a stop. He picked up a bouquet of purple and white lillies. They had been Michelle's favorite. He took them to the check-out counter.
He went out to his car and laid them in the passenger's seat, with care.
He showed up at Haley's house, right on time. He knocked on the door, and when she answered, he held up the flowers.
"For you." He said.
"Thank you!" She said, letting him in. "Come in and sit down, while I get a vase with water."
Isaac sat on her couch.
"Would you like anything to drink?" She called from the kitchen.
"Got any Dr.Pepper?" He asked.
She opened the 'fridge. "As a matter of fact, I do. I have to keep a stock for when Katie comes over." She took a can out and brought it to him.
"How is Katie?" He asked as she took a seat next to him on the couch.
"She's great. She's been asking about you, but I've never really had anything to say to her because, you never called me back."
"And I apologize for that." Isaac said.
He popped the top on his Dr.Pepper, and the soda sprayed all over the front of his shirt.
"I did not shake that, I swear!" Haley said, laughing.
"How embarassing." He said. Haley quit laughing.
"I have some Spray'N'Wash I could put on it, then pop it in the dryer. You wouldn't want that to stain." She said.
"I dunno..."He said, doubtfully.
"It's not like you'll be naked." She said.
He pulled his shirt over his head and handed it to her. She disappeared with it, then heard the dryer start. She came back into the living room.
"So, what's been on your mind, Isaac?" She asked.
"Huh?" Isaac looked confused.
"You said the reason you didn't call me was because you had a lot on your mind. What was it?"
"Oh. That." Isaac started. "That's a long story."
"And? We've got time." She crossed her legs, Indian-style on the couch.
"It was Michelle." Isaac trailed off into his story about meeting Michelle, marrying her, and the day she died giving birth to Mikey.
"Oh, I'm so sorry Isaac." Haley said. Tears welled up in her eyes, as she felt his pain.
Someone knocked on the door, their heads snapped towards the door. Haley jumped up and answered the door.
"John!" She cracked the door. "What are you doing here?"
"I've missed you." He said.
"Well, now's not a good time."
"Why? What is it? Why can't I come in?" He demanded.
He handed her a bouquet of white roses. She'd been getting a lot of flowers lately.
"Thank you." She said.
"Can I come in?" He asked.
"I have a guest." She said.
"It's okay. I'd love to meet your friend." She let John in. He looked at a shirtless Isaac in confusion.
"What's going on here?" He asked slowly.
"Isaac and I were just--"
"You were cheating on me." He said. This statement angered Haley because he was assuming he was her boyfriend.
"You are not my boyfriend, John, so don't act like it." She said.
"I thought we had something." John said.
"We do." Haley insisted.
"Not after this." John said angrily.
"You didn't even let me explain." Haley said.
"No explanation needed. I'm looking for a wife, and you are not wife material." John stormed out of the house.
"Well, if that's the way he wants it." Haley said.
"Nice boyfriend." Isaac teased.
Haley ran towards Isaac, grabbed a pillow, and started hitting him with it.
"He is not my boyfriend!" Haley said.
Isaac was in a fit of laughter as he reached over and grabbed a couch pillow and started hitting her back. All of a sudden, Isaac dropped his pillow and grabbed her hands. They stared each other in the eyes. Isaac moved closer, and when she didn't pull back, Isaac kissed her lips softly.
Before either of them could speak, the dryer's timer went off, indicating Isaac's shirt should be dry.
"I'll get that!" Haley said, jumping up.
She tossed the warm shirt towards him.
Isaac pulled it over his head.
"I guess I can go now." He said. "Jessi's at home with Mikey, and she's probably wondering when I'm coming back."
"Okay." Haley said. Isaac stood up and embraced her. He kissed the top of her head.
"I'll call you." He said with a smirk.
**
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