Chapter Text
The baby was born on July 17th, just days after the first single from the new album was released. John was, of course, there and was the first to hold our son, Zaxton Jack. Yes, we had a boy, and John was beyond ecstatic. Despite all the growing excitement over Duran, his Instagram was loaded with pictures of the baby and me. And us as a family.
The album was released in September, and it was just after the Life is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas on the 25th that we found out I was pregnant again. Seriously. After not wanting any kids, now I was going to have two. The ribbing that John got from the rest of the band was relentless, and then the worrying started. The logistics of the upcoming tour would have to be worked around my due date of June first. They usually had time off around his and Nick's birthday, so it would just have to be tweaked.
I survived having a newborn and being pregnant while John was on tour. Thank goodness for Skype and FaceTime, or I might have gone nuts. From the end of April until May 25th, there was a break in the tour schedule, and John and I relaxed at home in PA. It was fantastic that he got to share in my last weeks with all the baby appointments and decorating I did.
I was nervous about the two UK dates at the end of May. If I went into labor, then he would miss the birth. There was no way I could go with him as just the flight could start my labor. He left the morning of the 25th, and I tried my best not to worry. He would board a flight home in the early hours of the 29th, and as long as I didn't go into labor before then, everything would be all right.
Our daughter Lilianna Grace was born shortly after his arrival on the afternoon of May 29th. I had gone into labor during the night, and I was so scared that he would miss her birth. By the time he rushed into my room just before noon, my epidural was in place, and the doctor had just told me it was time to push. Talk about last-minute entries!
June 3rd, John disappeared for a few hours in the morning and came home groaning and soon was holding a bag of frozen peas on his balls. What the hell had he done? Had a vasectomy, that's what. I almost fell over when I saw the bruise on his dick and balls. I felt so bad that he had endured that. At least he had done it at a time when we couldn't have sex anyway. His pain had subsided three days later, the bruise faded, and then he was fine.
His four weeks home were glorious, and we spent so much time together and with the babies. We had two under one, but it was a blast! John was such a wonderful father and took such good care of the babies and me. I swear he posted at least three pictures a day on Instagram of the kids he was so in love with them.
Zaxton had been tentatively walking, holding onto the sofas and other furniture for weeks, and one day, John came into the room and said his name. Zax turned away from the couch and wobbly walked to John. His first steps! John and I smothered him with kisses as he giggled and squirmed in John's arms.
On our final night together before he returned to the tour, I put the babies to bed, and we spent a good part of the night fooling around like we had when we were first together. With condoms since he hadn't been confirmed as swimmer-free by his doctor. It brought back so many fantastic memories of those two weeks in August, almost two years before. We were still so crazy about each other, and I knew we would last forever.
* * * * * * *
Zax was eleven and Lili ten when John received some devastating news - lung cancer. Even though he never smoked around the kids or me and only smoked a few a day, he never stopped. He had been smoking since his teens. Almost fifty years of it. He had chemotherapy (he lost all of his glorious hair) followed by an experimental drug, which worked! The cancer stopped growing and shrunk away, so we breathed a sigh of relief. Until.
Almost four years later, they found cancer in his liver. Another side effect of his years of drinking and drugging. This time, although we fought it with everything we had, John lost his battle seventeen months later. He was two weeks short of 73 and died days after Zaxton graduated from high school.
Almost nineteen years with that glorious man. I cherished every moment that we had. He was buried in Birmingham with his parents, and I vowed never to set foot in England again. Too many memories.
Zax went to college at Drexel University and became an aeronautical engineer, getting a great job at Boeing. Lilianna was the musically talented one. John had taught her to play bass when she was 9, and she had honed her skills over the years. She formed an all-girl band called Vertigo (a tip of the hat to her dad and Duran), and they became extremely popular. Sure, part of it was who her dad was, but she was phenomenal in her own right. Nick produced their first three albums and then succumbed to a heart attack at 77 during the recording of their fourth. Roger died in his mid-80s of old age, and crazy Simon lived to be 98. He almost outlived me.
The day I died started like any other. I was up early, making breakfast for myself and a short walk around the block. When I came back, I felt a little out of sorts, but I pushed it aside and went on about my day. At lunchtime, I had a minor headache, so after I ate, I took a little nap. And I never woke up. At least not in this world.
I opened my eyes to see John, looking healthy and amazingly young, standing over me. He smiled when our eyes met and reached his hand to take mine. I slipped my hand into his, and he pulled me to my feet and into his arms. We hugged fiercely tight and then kissed.
"I've missed you so much," I told him, and he nodded.
"I was always right with you, darling, watching over you and the kids," he told me. "I am so happy that you are finally here with me," he added, taking my hand and leading me to the front door. When he opened it, I had to shield my eyes from the brightness of the light shining through. "Come, lovey. Time to go home," he said, squeezing my hand tight as we stepped into the light together.