Chapter Thirty-one, Celebrate
Posted by DiF on Saturday, August 13, 2011
Title: Midnight Shift: Chapter Thirty-one, Celebrate
Rating: PG-13 [language, innuendo]
Summary: Jimmy takes care of Summer, including buying her a new wardrobe. Robert gets down to business, trying to do right by Summer. But is it too late?
Rolling off Summer after she loudly orgasmed, Jimmy smiled and folded his arms under his head. She sighed happily before rolling over and snuggling against his lean chest. His fingers instantly threaded in her hair, gently moving her soft curls in circles on her back. Her lips touched his bare chest, her face pivoting up to his a moment later. He shifted slightly to look down into her sapphire eyes. A soft smile curved his lips as he realized she looked at him with pure, true affection. It was an odd thing to realize. He did not think he had ever seen such a look in a woman’s eyes before. Other girls had looked at him in lust, maybe even affection, but the glittering sapphires of Summer’s eyes held a more intense and true emotion.
“Jimmy?” she breathed softly.
“Yes, my princess,” he responded, fingers still chasing her messy curls.
“That black box in the closet, what’s in it?”
Jimmy sighed, “Summer, I–”
Her eyes suddenly widened and she scrambled out of the bed, stumbling as her feet snagged in the sheets. Her palms hit the bathroom door, quickly shoving it open, causing the doorknob to slam into the wall. Concerned, Jimmy pivoted out of the bed just as he heard her retch into the toilet. Quickly finding a glass and filling it with water, he slowly approached the young girl, offering a towel and the glass of water. Leaning back from the porcelain toilet, tears streaming her cheeks, she accepted the towel first, pivoting to sit on the cold tile, her back against the wall.
Waiting until she lowered the towel from her face and sipped the water, Jimmy spoke softly, “Princess, I think you should see a doctor.”
Her eyes widened slightly and she shook her head, “No, please, no, Jimmy.”
He sat beside her on the tile, ignoring how cold it was against his bare skin, “Summer, you have been getting sick like this for the past couple of days. I no longer believe it is merely something that you ate. You need to see a doctor.”
“Doctors make me stay in bed for days and days on end. I don’t want that, Jimmy.”
He reached up and brushed hair from her face, “Princess, I understand your fear, but this shouldn’t be happening. You should not be getting sick all the time. Let me call a doctor so we can get you checked out.”
She sighed, “But, Jimmy…”
“I promise I will make it up to you. Just do this for my peace of mind?”
Summer sipped from the glass, “All right. But you don’t need to call up someone right now. It’s the middle of the night and–”
“I can still get a doctor here right away,” he interrupted.
“No,” she responded. “I’ll go to a doctor tomorrow. No more bringing doctors to me.”
Looking into her blue eyes for a long moment, he nodded, “All right. I will agree to that. Come back to bed?”
Summer nodded, “Just… let me brush my teeth.”
Quickly kissing her forehead, Jimmy got to his feet and helped her up. Leaving her in the bathroom to do as she wished, he quickly made certain the dog was still sleeping and considered opening another bottle of champagne. Discarding that due to Summer’s apparent upset stomach, he instead pulled on a robe and stepped out onto the balcony to smoke a cigarette. Eyes looking over the not sleeping city, he sighed. If it had been merely food poisoning, she would have not only gotten better by now, but he likely would have been affected as well. However, it had been a near constant for over a week, most often upon waking. It seemed like ever since she met them, she constantly needed some sort of medical attention. From catching Robert’s flu to the burns on her feet, she had not more than a couple of days of good health. Perhaps they were bad luck to Summer. No, he could not think that the band was cursed, despite his nightmares.
“Jimmy?” her soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning away from the balcony, he finished his cigarette before flicking it over the edge and approaching her, “Princess.”
“Are you coming to bed?”
His eyes quickly glanced at the satin nightgown skimming her slight curves and he smiled softly, “Of course, beautiful.”
Curling around her lithe body a few moments later, Jimmy kissed her shoulder, his arms circling her waist and pressing her back to his chest. She softly muttered her affections for him as her body relaxed in his embrace. He listened as slumber embraced her fully. Not yet ready to sleep himself, mainly because of his worry over her health, Jimmy merely listened to her soft breaths. His worries once more tried to figure out what made her so ill. She did not have a temperature and otherwise seemed healthy. She just merely was sick upon waking, rushing to the bathroom to retch. He could not – his eyes suddenly widened, his right hand slipping down her belly to press against her lower abdomen.
If his hypothesis was correct and Summer was in fact pregnant, the father could only be Robert. How would that affect everything, especially since he was doing his damnedest to keep the two apart? Sighing, he hoped he was incorrect. However, he doubted that was the case. Jimmy was rarely wrong.
Sitting in a hotel room in London, Robert inhaled deeply, letting the acrid smoke curl around his lungs. It was not the most ideal of locations to be, but he had no clue where to go. Summer clearly was no longer at the beach house and he did not particularly want to return to France and Bonzo. He supposed he had other friends in the UK, but… well he supposed they would not accept him with open arms considering the fact he was beginning separation proceedings against Maureen. Perhaps that was where he ought to be a lawyer’s office, not smoking the last of his California gold.
He did intend to do just that, once he finished his smoke. With as intense as the process was likely to be emotionally, Robert presumed it would be better to arrive at the lawyers’ office as even as possible. It made logical sense to him, even if this was not the most logical situation at all. He was leaving his wife, the mother of his two beautiful children because he fell in love with a girl while on tour. What the hell was he doing? Maureen was the good, sensible one to stay with. Summer was just an infatuation that would fade once he spent time with his family.
What the fuck was he thinking? Of course, Summer most certainly was not just an infatuation. He knew that the moment he saw her standing in the hallway at the hotel. She was something special. Hell, she could turn Bonzo back into himself with the mere touch of her hand when the Beast reared his ugly head. She was not merely a fuck. He believed that every time he told her and convincing himself otherwise was foolish. Summer was the One. In addition, he had no fucking reason to be talking himself out of it. He flew to England to do right by her. Moreover, that was exactly what he was going to do.
However, he had left her with Jimmy fucking Page. Robert did not doubt that the guitarist had charmed his sweet and innocent Summer. Losing her to his supposed best mate hurt, but it was his fault. He only hoped that by doing what was right, what he came to the UK to do, would win her back.
Getting to his feet as he finished off the last of his blunt, Robert ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and decided he could not go to visit the lawyers in only a tee shirt and jeans. Shuffling quickly through his clothing, he found something far more presentable before calling down to the front desk to ask for a car.
As he headed towards the main entrance of the hotel a few minutes later, Robert came to a complete stop. He stepped to his left, his blue eyes focused on the window further down the lobby. The woman passed the window and he was certain of her identity. Ignoring the front desk agent who was attempting to inform him of his car’s arrival, Robert hurried out the glass double doors and down the street.
Catching her at the corner, he casually greeted the blond woman, “ ‘Ello, Charlotte.”
Her face turned to his, dark eyes looking towards him through large sunglasses, “Robert! What are you doing here?”
He smiled, “Just out for a walk. Where are you headed?”
“Lunch with a friend,” she responded, glancing about. “Is Jimmy with you?”
His smile faded slightly, “Sadly no. He chose to remain behind once our American tour concluded. I am not certain of his current location.”
“Is he… is he with…?”
Robert sighed, “I know not, but I have reason to believe he is.”
Perhaps if he could see her eyes, he would have seen a stronger reaction. Instead, he was a bit disappointed to see hardly any at all. She merely nodded once.
“Well it has been nice seeing you, Robert. Should you see Jimmy prior to his return for the Earls Court shows, let him know that his daughter is doing well,” she stated evenly before hurrying across the street.
Digging his cigarettes out of his pocket, he turned back towards the entrance to the hotel and headed towards the waiting car, pausing to light one of the cigarettes. While he had not intended to upset Charlotte, did actually believe that she was a good woman, he did think it would perhaps help him when it came to separating Jimmy and Summer. Jimmy might lust for Summer, may have even seduced her into his bed at this point, but Robert did not think he would completely give up his daughter – nor her mother.
Maybe things were looking up. He had slid a wedge in between Summer and Jimmy and he was on his way to visit with a lawyer about leaving Maureen. Things were definitely looking up. All that was left was to actually find Summer once more. He would depart for California the following day… and visit with Joni.
Leaning against the brick wall outside, dark sunglasses on his nose, Jimmy inhaled deeply on his cigarette. It was his second one since the nurse led Summer back into the examination room. He knew that by the end of it, he would need to return to the waiting room, that she would likely be done by then. Though she had not pushed him, Jimmy presumed his silence since waking had unnerved her. Perhaps if she had not gotten sick nearly instantly upon waking, he would have pushed his discovery aside. However, just as she had for the past week, she rolled out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. He knew exactly what it meant and he still did not know what he wanted to do. He knew he should ring Robert and explain the situation to him, but he did not want to hand the pretty blond girl over to the singer like that.
Grinding out his cigarette once it burned to the filter, Jimmy pushed away from the wall and headed back into the building. He silently returned to the elevator, pressed the numbered button, and ascended to the doctor’s office. Barely sitting back in the waiting room, Jimmy smiled as Summer stepped out. She smiled in return but he could tell that it was forced. They signed the necessary paperwork for her to check out, he paying the bill, and headed from the doctor’s office. He did not ask about the doctor’s prognosis, letting her naturally come to sharing that information with him.
As the door closed on the car, her eyes went to his, “Jimmy, I’m pregnant.”
“I am certain you will be a wonderful mother,” he responded, squeezing the hand he held.
“Robert is…”
“Of course. Shall we ring him and inform him of his luck?”
“I…” her eyes looked away. “No. He made his choice by abandoning me. I will not force him back to me because I carry his child.”
“That is your choice to make.”
She turned back to face him, “Jimmy… what am I… what am I going to do? I don’t have anywhere to live. I don’t have anything to offer this baby. I shouldn’t even be having a baby.”
His thumb rubbed the back of her hand, “I promised you that I would take care of you always, Summer, and I meant it. This does not change things. If you choose to have this child and keep it, I will help you in any way that I can. If you do not choose that path, I will support you as well. Nothing changes between us.”
“I… I don’t know what I want to do… I… this is just so much to take in,” she admitted softly.
“I understand. Would you like to return to the hotel?”
Summer’s eyes looked into his, “Did you have other plans for us today?”
“It all depends on you. If you want to return to the hotel to let this sink in, then that it what we shall do.”
She remained silent for a long moment, “I just… can we go do something else so I cannot wallow in these thoughts?”
“But of course. What would you like to do? Go to the zoo? Go shopping?”
“Not really,” she frowned. “I want something bigger, something that will eclipse this… baby. If only for a moment.”
“Hmmm,” he fell silent for a moment. “Why don’t we go to a Broadway show tonight? That would be a bigger event. We would have to go shopping, however.”
“Why?”
Jimmy leaned over and kissed her temple, “Because, my princess, you need a dress fit for Broadway.”
Agreeing to shopping, figuring that would be one way to distract her thoughts, Summer slipped into boutique after boutique on Jimmy’s arm. Completely distracted, she barely even browsed clothing until the fourth store he led her into. When she did not react to the silken dresses, he held up to her frame, he pulled her into the fitting room and locked the door. His hands framed her face, forcing her eyes to his. Without pause, Jimmy kissed her deeply.
“Summer, my princess, everything is going to be okay. I am going to take care of you and this baby. Do not worry, darling,” he stated softly. “This is not the end like you are worrying that it is.”
“But Jimmy…”
He kissed her again, “This is a good thing. This is something worth celebrating. You are going to be a wonderful, beautiful mother. This is worth celebrating.”
She sighed, “But…”
“This is worth celebrating.”
“Do you really think so?”
He nodded, “The only thing I would change if I could is… I wish the child was mine.”
Her eyes widened slightly, “Really?”
“Really.”
“Jimmy…”
He kissed her again, “Really. In fact, as far as I am concerned, no one needs to know that it is not.”
Her eyes widened again, “Really?”
He smiled crookedly, “I will care for this child as if it were my own, Summer. I promise you that.”
Her arms circled his neck and she kissed him quickly, “Oh, Jimmy.”
“Come, my darling, let us buy you something pretty so we can celebrate the gift of this child.
She nodded, “All right.”
He unlocked the door and led her out. Within a few minutes, Summer had a pile of pretty dresses draped over her arms. While not at all similar to the kinds of dresses Robert purchased her, she trusted Jimmy’s judgment. He kissed her sweetly before allowing her into the fitting room alone. Each dress she changed into brought more light to her eyes, enough that by the third one she actually twirled when she showed Jimmy. Forty minutes after their dressing room conversation, Jimmy watched as six dresses were wrapped in dress bags, casually glancing as Summer moved about the rest of the boutique. Tucking his credit card away and motioning to her silently, he stepped away from the register and approached the pretty blond girl.
“Do you see anything else that strikes your fancy, my lovely?” he whispered in her ear, sending a happy chill down her spine.
“I… no… I don’t know.”
Jimmy kissed her ear, “You can have anything you want in this store… or really any store.”
“What if all I want is you?” she replies in a similar whisper.
He grinned, “That you may have as well… but not quite yet. We need to find you shoes for your dresses and such things.”
“Oh,” she closed her eyes, leaning back against his chest. “I suppose I can wait.”
His lips touched her ear again, “I promise it will be worth the wait, my princess.”
An hour later, they returned to the hotel room, laden with a wardrobe befit a princess. As the bellhop deposited their purchases in the room, Jimmy caught the puppy and clicked her leash on. He tipped the hotel worker before kissing Summer and promising to return promptly, once Queenie had done her business. Locking the door behind him, as Jimmy had the key, Summer headed into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. When he returned with the puppy, she had already dried her hair into soft curls and leaned closer to the mirror, trying to replicate on her face what the makeup counter woman had shown her.
Leaning on the bathroom door archway, Jimmy smiled crookedly, “You are the most beautiful woman I know.”
Summer’s eyes went to his in the reflection, a flush filling her cheeks, “Jimmy, I…”
“I know you do not believe me, but it is true,” he declared. “I procured tickets to the preview night of Chicago. I do believe you will enjoy it.”
“What is it about?” she asked, turning back to attempting makeup again.
“You shall see,” he smiled. “Will you be ready to head to dinner soon? Or shall we sup afterwards?”
“I will be ready.”
“Excellent. Which dress will you wear so that I can make certain we do not clash?”
She smiled, “The green dress, I think.”
He grinned again and stepped away from the bathroom to allow her to complete her task uninterrupted. A few minutes later, Summer stepped into the bedroom and pulled open the closet. She removed a floor-length, forest green gown. Though it had simple straps, the neckline drew great interest as it gathered in a keyhole, allowing view of the small swell of her breasts. Had she wanted, she could have pulled the tie tighter, practically obscuring view of her breasts, but as she knew Jimmy would not like that, she kept the hole a decent size. With her blond hair curling about her shoulders in loose waves and her face glittering with makeup, she was nearly ready for Jimmy to escort her about New York City.
Stepping into the room, Jimmy smiled at her, motioning for her to sit upon the bed. Without pause, he retrieved a pair of low heels from the closet, squatted before her, and slid them onto her petite feet. His lips touched hers quickly, leaving the slightly hint of lipstick on his skin, before he turned and retrieved a simple beaded necklace to slip about her throat.
“Beautiful,” he smiled.
Glancing over the dark man attired in a dark green silk shirt and black trousers, she returned the smile and the compliment.
With a chuckled, he held out his hand to her, “Shall we go, my dear?”
“I’ll go anywhere you want to take me, Jimmy. Anywhere.”
Sitting on a plane about to land in California, Robert looked wistfully out the window. It was certainly bittersweet returning to the golden land. He had in fact done exactly as he promised he would, though it took far much longer than he expected. Legal proceedings against Maureen had begun, something he was certain would be filled with difficulties, but legal separation papers had been drawn up by his lawyers. Now all he had to do was find Summer and tell her.
As he clearly could not expect to find her at the beach house he left her at and he had yet to get a hold of Benji, who was likely working on last minute details of the Earls Court concerts only five days away, Robert was not entirely sure where to seek out Summer. She had once mentioned staying with Joni if she could not go to England, so he presumed that would be a good starting point. He did not even intend to check into a hotel, but would merely visit the songstress, see if she knew Summer’s location, and hurry off.
Locating the familiar Laurel Canyon house, Robert requested the car to remain while he trotted towards the house. He knocked frantically, hoping beyond hope that she was home. The door did not open. Sighing he turned away, heading back to the cab. He had no clue what to do now, at all. There was no Joni and certainly no Summer.
“Where to?” the driver asked as Robert slipped back into the car.
He sighed, “Back to the airport.”
“Your girl not here?”
“No,” Robert responded. “I don’t know… know what to do now.”
“No one you can call?”
He shook his head, “Not really. Just take me back to the airport. I am supposed to be in London in two days for rehearsals anyways. I guess I’ll just go back and hope… hope she shows up.”
Once returned to the airport, Robert booked the next available flight back to London. With a couple of hours to kill and feeling so very unsettled with the fact his quest was for naught, he considered wasting the time in the airport bar. But for whatever reason, he decided to attempt to ring Benji one last time. If the manager was in fact in charge of getting Summer passage to England, he had to know where she was, right?
Surprised that Benji actually accepted his call, Robert quickly launched into the story of his life of the past couple of weeks since he actually spoke with his former assistant. The other man listened patiently, keeping his comments to himself. Ending with the fact he was in Los Angeles, waiting for a plane to return him to London, Robert sighed.
“Summer is in New York,” Benji stated. “Which I would have told you had you called me prior to getting on a plane. She is with Jimmy and they are waiting to hear about her passport. Jimmy boards a plane in the morning – with or without her – to come to rehearsals.”
“She’s in New York? With Jimmy? Are you sure?” his eyes instantly flicked to the ticket counter, wondering if he could change his flight and seek out Summer in New York instead.
“Do not consider going to New York to find her, Robert. If all goes as it should, she will be on the plane with Jimmy flying to London before you reach the city. Just come back to London. She should be here when you get here.”
Robert sighed again, “You think so?”
“I have not checked the status of her passport as of yet, but last I heard it was all going smoothly. I see no reason she will not be watching you perform to your home crowd. Just come back, Percy.”
“Okay, okay. I’m on the first plane back to London. I will see you – and Summer soon.”
Hanging up the phone, Robert felt more hopeful than he had in a very long time. Separation from Maureen was happening. Seeing Summer again was happening. Everything was looking up. And that was worthy of a drink, a celebratory drink.
Rating: PG-13 [language, innuendo]
Summary: Jimmy takes care of Summer, including buying her a new wardrobe. Robert gets down to business, trying to do right by Summer. But is it too late?
Rolling off Summer after she loudly orgasmed, Jimmy smiled and folded his arms under his head. She sighed happily before rolling over and snuggling against his lean chest. His fingers instantly threaded in her hair, gently moving her soft curls in circles on her back. Her lips touched his bare chest, her face pivoting up to his a moment later. He shifted slightly to look down into her sapphire eyes. A soft smile curved his lips as he realized she looked at him with pure, true affection. It was an odd thing to realize. He did not think he had ever seen such a look in a woman’s eyes before. Other girls had looked at him in lust, maybe even affection, but the glittering sapphires of Summer’s eyes held a more intense and true emotion.
“Jimmy?” she breathed softly.
“Yes, my princess,” he responded, fingers still chasing her messy curls.
“That black box in the closet, what’s in it?”
Jimmy sighed, “Summer, I–”
Her eyes suddenly widened and she scrambled out of the bed, stumbling as her feet snagged in the sheets. Her palms hit the bathroom door, quickly shoving it open, causing the doorknob to slam into the wall. Concerned, Jimmy pivoted out of the bed just as he heard her retch into the toilet. Quickly finding a glass and filling it with water, he slowly approached the young girl, offering a towel and the glass of water. Leaning back from the porcelain toilet, tears streaming her cheeks, she accepted the towel first, pivoting to sit on the cold tile, her back against the wall.
Waiting until she lowered the towel from her face and sipped the water, Jimmy spoke softly, “Princess, I think you should see a doctor.”
Her eyes widened slightly and she shook her head, “No, please, no, Jimmy.”
He sat beside her on the tile, ignoring how cold it was against his bare skin, “Summer, you have been getting sick like this for the past couple of days. I no longer believe it is merely something that you ate. You need to see a doctor.”
“Doctors make me stay in bed for days and days on end. I don’t want that, Jimmy.”
He reached up and brushed hair from her face, “Princess, I understand your fear, but this shouldn’t be happening. You should not be getting sick all the time. Let me call a doctor so we can get you checked out.”
She sighed, “But, Jimmy…”
“I promise I will make it up to you. Just do this for my peace of mind?”
Summer sipped from the glass, “All right. But you don’t need to call up someone right now. It’s the middle of the night and–”
“I can still get a doctor here right away,” he interrupted.
“No,” she responded. “I’ll go to a doctor tomorrow. No more bringing doctors to me.”
Looking into her blue eyes for a long moment, he nodded, “All right. I will agree to that. Come back to bed?”
Summer nodded, “Just… let me brush my teeth.”
Quickly kissing her forehead, Jimmy got to his feet and helped her up. Leaving her in the bathroom to do as she wished, he quickly made certain the dog was still sleeping and considered opening another bottle of champagne. Discarding that due to Summer’s apparent upset stomach, he instead pulled on a robe and stepped out onto the balcony to smoke a cigarette. Eyes looking over the not sleeping city, he sighed. If it had been merely food poisoning, she would have not only gotten better by now, but he likely would have been affected as well. However, it had been a near constant for over a week, most often upon waking. It seemed like ever since she met them, she constantly needed some sort of medical attention. From catching Robert’s flu to the burns on her feet, she had not more than a couple of days of good health. Perhaps they were bad luck to Summer. No, he could not think that the band was cursed, despite his nightmares.
“Jimmy?” her soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
Turning away from the balcony, he finished his cigarette before flicking it over the edge and approaching her, “Princess.”
“Are you coming to bed?”
His eyes quickly glanced at the satin nightgown skimming her slight curves and he smiled softly, “Of course, beautiful.”
Curling around her lithe body a few moments later, Jimmy kissed her shoulder, his arms circling her waist and pressing her back to his chest. She softly muttered her affections for him as her body relaxed in his embrace. He listened as slumber embraced her fully. Not yet ready to sleep himself, mainly because of his worry over her health, Jimmy merely listened to her soft breaths. His worries once more tried to figure out what made her so ill. She did not have a temperature and otherwise seemed healthy. She just merely was sick upon waking, rushing to the bathroom to retch. He could not – his eyes suddenly widened, his right hand slipping down her belly to press against her lower abdomen.
If his hypothesis was correct and Summer was in fact pregnant, the father could only be Robert. How would that affect everything, especially since he was doing his damnedest to keep the two apart? Sighing, he hoped he was incorrect. However, he doubted that was the case. Jimmy was rarely wrong.
Sitting in a hotel room in London, Robert inhaled deeply, letting the acrid smoke curl around his lungs. It was not the most ideal of locations to be, but he had no clue where to go. Summer clearly was no longer at the beach house and he did not particularly want to return to France and Bonzo. He supposed he had other friends in the UK, but… well he supposed they would not accept him with open arms considering the fact he was beginning separation proceedings against Maureen. Perhaps that was where he ought to be a lawyer’s office, not smoking the last of his California gold.
He did intend to do just that, once he finished his smoke. With as intense as the process was likely to be emotionally, Robert presumed it would be better to arrive at the lawyers’ office as even as possible. It made logical sense to him, even if this was not the most logical situation at all. He was leaving his wife, the mother of his two beautiful children because he fell in love with a girl while on tour. What the hell was he doing? Maureen was the good, sensible one to stay with. Summer was just an infatuation that would fade once he spent time with his family.
What the fuck was he thinking? Of course, Summer most certainly was not just an infatuation. He knew that the moment he saw her standing in the hallway at the hotel. She was something special. Hell, she could turn Bonzo back into himself with the mere touch of her hand when the Beast reared his ugly head. She was not merely a fuck. He believed that every time he told her and convincing himself otherwise was foolish. Summer was the One. In addition, he had no fucking reason to be talking himself out of it. He flew to England to do right by her. Moreover, that was exactly what he was going to do.
However, he had left her with Jimmy fucking Page. Robert did not doubt that the guitarist had charmed his sweet and innocent Summer. Losing her to his supposed best mate hurt, but it was his fault. He only hoped that by doing what was right, what he came to the UK to do, would win her back.
Getting to his feet as he finished off the last of his blunt, Robert ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and decided he could not go to visit the lawyers in only a tee shirt and jeans. Shuffling quickly through his clothing, he found something far more presentable before calling down to the front desk to ask for a car.
As he headed towards the main entrance of the hotel a few minutes later, Robert came to a complete stop. He stepped to his left, his blue eyes focused on the window further down the lobby. The woman passed the window and he was certain of her identity. Ignoring the front desk agent who was attempting to inform him of his car’s arrival, Robert hurried out the glass double doors and down the street.
Catching her at the corner, he casually greeted the blond woman, “ ‘Ello, Charlotte.”
Her face turned to his, dark eyes looking towards him through large sunglasses, “Robert! What are you doing here?”
He smiled, “Just out for a walk. Where are you headed?”
“Lunch with a friend,” she responded, glancing about. “Is Jimmy with you?”
His smile faded slightly, “Sadly no. He chose to remain behind once our American tour concluded. I am not certain of his current location.”
“Is he… is he with…?”
Robert sighed, “I know not, but I have reason to believe he is.”
Perhaps if he could see her eyes, he would have seen a stronger reaction. Instead, he was a bit disappointed to see hardly any at all. She merely nodded once.
“Well it has been nice seeing you, Robert. Should you see Jimmy prior to his return for the Earls Court shows, let him know that his daughter is doing well,” she stated evenly before hurrying across the street.
Digging his cigarettes out of his pocket, he turned back towards the entrance to the hotel and headed towards the waiting car, pausing to light one of the cigarettes. While he had not intended to upset Charlotte, did actually believe that she was a good woman, he did think it would perhaps help him when it came to separating Jimmy and Summer. Jimmy might lust for Summer, may have even seduced her into his bed at this point, but Robert did not think he would completely give up his daughter – nor her mother.
Maybe things were looking up. He had slid a wedge in between Summer and Jimmy and he was on his way to visit with a lawyer about leaving Maureen. Things were definitely looking up. All that was left was to actually find Summer once more. He would depart for California the following day… and visit with Joni.
Leaning against the brick wall outside, dark sunglasses on his nose, Jimmy inhaled deeply on his cigarette. It was his second one since the nurse led Summer back into the examination room. He knew that by the end of it, he would need to return to the waiting room, that she would likely be done by then. Though she had not pushed him, Jimmy presumed his silence since waking had unnerved her. Perhaps if she had not gotten sick nearly instantly upon waking, he would have pushed his discovery aside. However, just as she had for the past week, she rolled out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. He knew exactly what it meant and he still did not know what he wanted to do. He knew he should ring Robert and explain the situation to him, but he did not want to hand the pretty blond girl over to the singer like that.
Grinding out his cigarette once it burned to the filter, Jimmy pushed away from the wall and headed back into the building. He silently returned to the elevator, pressed the numbered button, and ascended to the doctor’s office. Barely sitting back in the waiting room, Jimmy smiled as Summer stepped out. She smiled in return but he could tell that it was forced. They signed the necessary paperwork for her to check out, he paying the bill, and headed from the doctor’s office. He did not ask about the doctor’s prognosis, letting her naturally come to sharing that information with him.
As the door closed on the car, her eyes went to his, “Jimmy, I’m pregnant.”
“I am certain you will be a wonderful mother,” he responded, squeezing the hand he held.
“Robert is…”
“Of course. Shall we ring him and inform him of his luck?”
“I…” her eyes looked away. “No. He made his choice by abandoning me. I will not force him back to me because I carry his child.”
“That is your choice to make.”
She turned back to face him, “Jimmy… what am I… what am I going to do? I don’t have anywhere to live. I don’t have anything to offer this baby. I shouldn’t even be having a baby.”
His thumb rubbed the back of her hand, “I promised you that I would take care of you always, Summer, and I meant it. This does not change things. If you choose to have this child and keep it, I will help you in any way that I can. If you do not choose that path, I will support you as well. Nothing changes between us.”
“I… I don’t know what I want to do… I… this is just so much to take in,” she admitted softly.
“I understand. Would you like to return to the hotel?”
Summer’s eyes looked into his, “Did you have other plans for us today?”
“It all depends on you. If you want to return to the hotel to let this sink in, then that it what we shall do.”
She remained silent for a long moment, “I just… can we go do something else so I cannot wallow in these thoughts?”
“But of course. What would you like to do? Go to the zoo? Go shopping?”
“Not really,” she frowned. “I want something bigger, something that will eclipse this… baby. If only for a moment.”
“Hmmm,” he fell silent for a moment. “Why don’t we go to a Broadway show tonight? That would be a bigger event. We would have to go shopping, however.”
“Why?”
Jimmy leaned over and kissed her temple, “Because, my princess, you need a dress fit for Broadway.”
Agreeing to shopping, figuring that would be one way to distract her thoughts, Summer slipped into boutique after boutique on Jimmy’s arm. Completely distracted, she barely even browsed clothing until the fourth store he led her into. When she did not react to the silken dresses, he held up to her frame, he pulled her into the fitting room and locked the door. His hands framed her face, forcing her eyes to his. Without pause, Jimmy kissed her deeply.
“Summer, my princess, everything is going to be okay. I am going to take care of you and this baby. Do not worry, darling,” he stated softly. “This is not the end like you are worrying that it is.”
“But Jimmy…”
He kissed her again, “This is a good thing. This is something worth celebrating. You are going to be a wonderful, beautiful mother. This is worth celebrating.”
She sighed, “But…”
“This is worth celebrating.”
“Do you really think so?”
He nodded, “The only thing I would change if I could is… I wish the child was mine.”
Her eyes widened slightly, “Really?”
“Really.”
“Jimmy…”
He kissed her again, “Really. In fact, as far as I am concerned, no one needs to know that it is not.”
Her eyes widened again, “Really?”
He smiled crookedly, “I will care for this child as if it were my own, Summer. I promise you that.”
Her arms circled his neck and she kissed him quickly, “Oh, Jimmy.”
“Come, my darling, let us buy you something pretty so we can celebrate the gift of this child.
She nodded, “All right.”
He unlocked the door and led her out. Within a few minutes, Summer had a pile of pretty dresses draped over her arms. While not at all similar to the kinds of dresses Robert purchased her, she trusted Jimmy’s judgment. He kissed her sweetly before allowing her into the fitting room alone. Each dress she changed into brought more light to her eyes, enough that by the third one she actually twirled when she showed Jimmy. Forty minutes after their dressing room conversation, Jimmy watched as six dresses were wrapped in dress bags, casually glancing as Summer moved about the rest of the boutique. Tucking his credit card away and motioning to her silently, he stepped away from the register and approached the pretty blond girl.
“Do you see anything else that strikes your fancy, my lovely?” he whispered in her ear, sending a happy chill down her spine.
“I… no… I don’t know.”
Jimmy kissed her ear, “You can have anything you want in this store… or really any store.”
“What if all I want is you?” she replies in a similar whisper.
He grinned, “That you may have as well… but not quite yet. We need to find you shoes for your dresses and such things.”
“Oh,” she closed her eyes, leaning back against his chest. “I suppose I can wait.”
His lips touched her ear again, “I promise it will be worth the wait, my princess.”
An hour later, they returned to the hotel room, laden with a wardrobe befit a princess. As the bellhop deposited their purchases in the room, Jimmy caught the puppy and clicked her leash on. He tipped the hotel worker before kissing Summer and promising to return promptly, once Queenie had done her business. Locking the door behind him, as Jimmy had the key, Summer headed into the bathroom and stepped into the shower. When he returned with the puppy, she had already dried her hair into soft curls and leaned closer to the mirror, trying to replicate on her face what the makeup counter woman had shown her.
Leaning on the bathroom door archway, Jimmy smiled crookedly, “You are the most beautiful woman I know.”
Summer’s eyes went to his in the reflection, a flush filling her cheeks, “Jimmy, I…”
“I know you do not believe me, but it is true,” he declared. “I procured tickets to the preview night of Chicago. I do believe you will enjoy it.”
“What is it about?” she asked, turning back to attempting makeup again.
“You shall see,” he smiled. “Will you be ready to head to dinner soon? Or shall we sup afterwards?”
“I will be ready.”
“Excellent. Which dress will you wear so that I can make certain we do not clash?”
She smiled, “The green dress, I think.”
He grinned again and stepped away from the bathroom to allow her to complete her task uninterrupted. A few minutes later, Summer stepped into the bedroom and pulled open the closet. She removed a floor-length, forest green gown. Though it had simple straps, the neckline drew great interest as it gathered in a keyhole, allowing view of the small swell of her breasts. Had she wanted, she could have pulled the tie tighter, practically obscuring view of her breasts, but as she knew Jimmy would not like that, she kept the hole a decent size. With her blond hair curling about her shoulders in loose waves and her face glittering with makeup, she was nearly ready for Jimmy to escort her about New York City.
Stepping into the room, Jimmy smiled at her, motioning for her to sit upon the bed. Without pause, he retrieved a pair of low heels from the closet, squatted before her, and slid them onto her petite feet. His lips touched hers quickly, leaving the slightly hint of lipstick on his skin, before he turned and retrieved a simple beaded necklace to slip about her throat.
“Beautiful,” he smiled.
Glancing over the dark man attired in a dark green silk shirt and black trousers, she returned the smile and the compliment.
With a chuckled, he held out his hand to her, “Shall we go, my dear?”
“I’ll go anywhere you want to take me, Jimmy. Anywhere.”
Sitting on a plane about to land in California, Robert looked wistfully out the window. It was certainly bittersweet returning to the golden land. He had in fact done exactly as he promised he would, though it took far much longer than he expected. Legal proceedings against Maureen had begun, something he was certain would be filled with difficulties, but legal separation papers had been drawn up by his lawyers. Now all he had to do was find Summer and tell her.
As he clearly could not expect to find her at the beach house he left her at and he had yet to get a hold of Benji, who was likely working on last minute details of the Earls Court concerts only five days away, Robert was not entirely sure where to seek out Summer. She had once mentioned staying with Joni if she could not go to England, so he presumed that would be a good starting point. He did not even intend to check into a hotel, but would merely visit the songstress, see if she knew Summer’s location, and hurry off.
Locating the familiar Laurel Canyon house, Robert requested the car to remain while he trotted towards the house. He knocked frantically, hoping beyond hope that she was home. The door did not open. Sighing he turned away, heading back to the cab. He had no clue what to do now, at all. There was no Joni and certainly no Summer.
“Where to?” the driver asked as Robert slipped back into the car.
He sighed, “Back to the airport.”
“Your girl not here?”
“No,” Robert responded. “I don’t know… know what to do now.”
“No one you can call?”
He shook his head, “Not really. Just take me back to the airport. I am supposed to be in London in two days for rehearsals anyways. I guess I’ll just go back and hope… hope she shows up.”
Once returned to the airport, Robert booked the next available flight back to London. With a couple of hours to kill and feeling so very unsettled with the fact his quest was for naught, he considered wasting the time in the airport bar. But for whatever reason, he decided to attempt to ring Benji one last time. If the manager was in fact in charge of getting Summer passage to England, he had to know where she was, right?
Surprised that Benji actually accepted his call, Robert quickly launched into the story of his life of the past couple of weeks since he actually spoke with his former assistant. The other man listened patiently, keeping his comments to himself. Ending with the fact he was in Los Angeles, waiting for a plane to return him to London, Robert sighed.
“Summer is in New York,” Benji stated. “Which I would have told you had you called me prior to getting on a plane. She is with Jimmy and they are waiting to hear about her passport. Jimmy boards a plane in the morning – with or without her – to come to rehearsals.”
“She’s in New York? With Jimmy? Are you sure?” his eyes instantly flicked to the ticket counter, wondering if he could change his flight and seek out Summer in New York instead.
“Do not consider going to New York to find her, Robert. If all goes as it should, she will be on the plane with Jimmy flying to London before you reach the city. Just come back to London. She should be here when you get here.”
Robert sighed again, “You think so?”
“I have not checked the status of her passport as of yet, but last I heard it was all going smoothly. I see no reason she will not be watching you perform to your home crowd. Just come back, Percy.”
“Okay, okay. I’m on the first plane back to London. I will see you – and Summer soon.”
Hanging up the phone, Robert felt more hopeful than he had in a very long time. Separation from Maureen was happening. Seeing Summer again was happening. Everything was looking up. And that was worthy of a drink, a celebratory drink.
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