Four Months
Part Four
Another agonizing two weeks went by before Nicole was able to schedule a doctor's appointment. She wanted to get in sooner, but the doctor had been booked solid, and then he'd gone on a vacation. Nicole took the car early one afternoon while the kids were in school and went downtown to see the doctor. She needed his confirmation on something she already knew to be the truth.
Peter glanced at his watch out of morbid curiosity as he boarded the bus after that night's concert. It was midnight, and there was still another hour's bus ride before they would get to the hotel room.
He sat down, picked up his notebook, and began to write. After the first letter he'd written almost a full month ago, he found it easier and easier to write letters. He'd only been able to call home once, but still wanted to maintain some sort of contact with home.
He paused in his letter writing and glanced out the window. A realization hit him that he'd been on the road for almost a full month. And with each passing day, he missed being home a little more.
Micky sat down next to him. "Hey Pete," he greeted. "How's it going?"
"Terrible," Peter replied with a frown. "Do you realize we haven't been home in almost a month? That's a long time."
Micky thought for a moment before he responded. "You miss her, don'tcha?" he asked somberly. Peter sighed.
"Immensely," he replied. "And the kids, too."
"So do the rest of us, Pete," Micky replied. "I mean, not as much as you do, but we still miss them all." He paused for a moment. "You're lucky, Pete," he told him. "Real lucky."
"I know," Pter replied with a sigh. "But don't worry, Mick," he assured his friend. "You'll find someone."
"I know that," Micky sighed. "I just wonder how old I'll be before I find her."
"Yep, it's true," Nicole told the children. "I'm three months pregnant."
"Only three?" Thomas asked. "That's a big baby." He looked at his mother's large stomach.
"Yes, well, remember, it's a surprise. Don't tell your dad. Either of you, okay? I don't want him to know yet."
Both children nodded their agreement.
Thomas wasn't home that night, so Nicole had no one to warn her when the phone rang at seven-thirty.
"Hello?"
"Hey gorgeous," Peter replied.
"Peter, hi! I wasn't expecting you," she told him. "Thomas isn't home."
Peter chuckled. "How are you doing?" he asked.
Nicole heard the concern in his voice, and she reminded herself that Peter didn't know about the baby. So she stopped herself from mentioning that the morning sickness she'd been experiencing was nearly gone and she was starting to show even though it had only been three months.
"I'm fine," she replied instead. "No problems here. How are you?"
"Lonely," Peter replied honestly. "And getting lonelier everyday."
"Me, too," she confessed. "But there's less time everyday. And we'll get through it." She paused a moment, and then changed the subject. "How's the tour going?"
Peter seemed to perk up. "Pretty good," he replied with a bit more energy. "The shows are going great, but they're tiring. I'm glad we've got tonight off. "
"How are the others coping?" she asked.
"Davy seems to get more energized after every show," Peter informed her. "We'll be on the bus at two a.m., falling asleep standing up, and he's still going strong, ready to do another ten shows that night."
Nicole giggled, picturing the short man bouncing over the bus. "More than Micky?" she asked. "Micky was always the hyper, bouncy one."
"Not now," Peter replied. "Micky couldn't hold a candle to Davy now," he paused a moment, thinking, and sobered. "He's been a bit depressed lately. I think he's thinking about Maggie," he told her.
Nicole nodded, understanding. Poor Micky seemed cursed after Maggie when it came to girls. "And Mike?" she asked, remembering her brother.
Peter was silent a moment as he thought about Mike. "He's doing okay," he replied after a moment. "He seems to be enjoying himself. You know, I've always thought that Mike was a musician at heart, and now I know why. He seems to be in his element, really enjoying the shows." Nicole heard the happiness in his voice.
"What about you?"
"I love them," Peter replied honestly. "It's great to be playing every night, even if it does tire me out. And the audiences have been great so far. But I miss you."
"I miss you, too," she replied.
