Tag Team
Posted by DiF on Sunday, August 14, 2011 Under: Mother's/Father's Day
Title: Tag Team
Characters: The Townshends and The Entwistles
Word Count: 4,605
Rating: R [nudity, alcohol, language, angst]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Father's Day, 1980. The Who are on tour and Pete is very lost. Cady flies to California to surprise him and John for Father's Day. Things don't go as planned at all. Contains spoilers.
June 15th, 1980
With her five-month-old daughter on her hip, Cady trailed behind her two older children and Chris as the three tried to pick out gifts for their fathers. Their very presence in California was a bit of a surprise, as she had not previously told anyone in the band that she and the children would be joining them on tour. School was out for the summer, so she gathered up all four children and booked a flight and a hotel suite in Los Angeles. In her mind that was enough of a gift for the two men, but the children wanted to surprise their fathers with wrapped gifts, so Cady followed the eight-, nine-, and eleven-year old children in and out of stores in Hollywood.
“Mum?” Audrey stopped, her fingers on silk shirt.
“Yeah?” her blue eyes looked to her daughter.
“Do you think we can go to the beach?”
Cady smiled, “Absolutely. We will be here for about a week, so I do not see any reason we should not spend time at the beach. Did you pack a suit?”
The eleven-year-old girl instantly frowned, “No.”
She turned to the boys, “Did you guys bring your swim trunks?”
“No,” they replied in unison.
“Hmmm. Well once we find presents for your dads, we better get new swimwear too. What do you guys think about that?”
“We get one for Zooey too?” Audrey asked.
“Absolutely.”
The children found gifts within the hour. Audrey even picked out an additional one to be from Zooey. They headed to a trendy children’s boutique in Hollywood for the children to find swimwear. The boys chose matching trunks before spending the rest of the time in the store chasing each other in and out of clothing racks. It took twice as long for Audrey to find something suitable for herself before insisting she help choose one for her little sister.
“Good?” Cady asked, taking the pile of swimwear to the cash register.
“What are you going to wear, Mum?” Audrey asked.
“I packed my suit,” she winked. “Go find your brother and Chris for me?”
“Okay!”
Returning to the hotel suite, Cady left the children to their own devices. Audrey chose to work on wrapping the gifts while the boys sat down in their room in front of the TV, flipping through channels. Retreating to the living room, Cady sat down to nurse the baby. Once Zooey happily latched on, her little fingers gently kneading Cady’s breast, Cady picked up the phone. Without pause, she dialed the band’s hotel and waited for it to ring through to Pete’s room. It continued to ring without answer, making Cady frown. Once it was bounced back to the front desk, she asked to be routed through to John’s room.
“Hello?”
“Hello there, handsome,” she smiled. “Are you enjoying the California sun?”
“Oh you know…”
“You miss dreary old England.”
“Something like that. What’s up, beautiful?”
Cady smiled again, “Well… I do miss you… and…”
“And what, love?”
Her smile disappeared, “Pete didn’t answer.”
John remained silent.
“John, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Pete’s in… touring form.”
“How much is he drinking now?” she frowned.
“Don’t worry about it, Cade. I can take care of Pete.”
She sighed, “John, you’re not all that sober yourself. I know that.”
“I promise to take care of Pete. And myself. We’ve got beautiful children to watch grow up,” he declared.
Cady smiled, her free fingers reaching down to caress the top of Zooey’s head, “We do.”
“Are you holding Zooey right now?”
“Yes,” she responded, gazing lovingly down at the baby. “She’s nursing right now.”
“Is she crinkling her nose like she does when she’s happy?”
Cady chuckled softly, “That she is.”
“Adorable. Just like her mother.”
“I think she looks at lot like her father.”
John remained silent for a moment, “I’m really glad you called, Cady. I needed to hear your sweet voice today. How’s Chris?”
“Well…”
“Is he okay? Did Alison–”
“Alison is just fine, I guess. Chris is with me, as always. Would you like to talk to him?”
“Absolutely.”
“Hold on. Let me get him.”
Slowly shifting the baby off her breast, Cady got to her feet and went to the door of the boys’ bedroom. She called Chris over, telling him his father was on the line. The young boy happily jumped up and hurried over as Cady covered herself. He plopped down in the seat she had just vacated and quickly began to chat with his father.
“Mommy?” Alec’s large blue eyes went to hers as she laid the baby on her shoulder.
“Yes, sweetie?” she rubbed Zooey’s back, trying to get her to burp.
“I want to talk to Dad.”
She approached her son and hugged him as well as she could with a baby on her shoulder, “I’ll try him again later. He was probably out at an interview. We’ll talk to him soon.”
“You think so?”
She kissed his forehead, “I do. And remember, tomorrow morning we’re going to surprise him with a Father’s Day brunch.”
“Mum?” he asked softly. “How come Dad doesn’t love us anymore?”
“Audrey? Can you take your sister?”
The older girl quickly accepted the baby from her mother, hushed her softly, and sat on the couch. Cady instantly pulled her son into her arms. Her lips touched his forehead and she held him tightly as he began to cry.
“Shhhh, my love, there’s no need to cry. Your Dad loves you very much. He loves us all very much. He’s just… a little lost right now,” she stated softly. “That doesn’t mean for a moment he doesn’t love us.”
“But, Mum, he wasn’t even around when Zooey was born!” Alec pointed out.
Cady squeezed him a bit tighter, “Alec, your dad loves us. He does.”
“Cady?” Chris’s voice interrupted. “Dad wants to talk to you again.”
“Tell him I’ll call him back. And tell him to find out where Pete is,” she commented softly over her shoulder.
“Okay.”
“Alec,” she pulled back and looked into his eyes, “do you know how much I love you?”
He bit his bottom lip and nodded.
“And your father loves you just as much, Alec. He does.”
“Mum…”
“I love you, Alec. I love you.”
With all of the children sleeping, the older children in their own rooms and the baby curled up on the king bed in master bedroom, Cady sat back down next to the phone and dialed the band’s hotel again. A part of her wanted to talk to Pete, a big part of her, but instead she rang up John. It rang three times before he answered.
“Hullo?”
“John?”
“Cade… is everything okay?”
She instantly broke into tears, “…n-no.”
He sighed, “Did you talk to Pete?”
“I h-haven’t t-tried yet.”
“Cade… what happened?”
“Alec th-thinks… Alec th-thinks Pete doesn’t love him. I d-don’t…”
“Cade, hold on for a moment.”
Agreeing, she tried to get her sobs under control. Her empty hand reached over and caressed her sleeping baby’s face, trying to find solace in the child. She heard quiet words on the other line and quickly ascertained that John was directing someone out of his room. Even though she was friends once more with Marlene, his longtime girlfriend, it did not bother her at all that he was sleeping with someone on the road, or at least that was what she told herself. Her soul was aching. Her son believed he was unloved by his father.
“Cade, you still there?”
“Uh huh,” she muttered.
“Cade, love, you know Pete loves you. You know Pete loves his kids. You know this.”
“Then why is he doing this to us?”
“Pete is… He needs… Fuck, I don’t know what to do or to say… Cade… I don’t know.”
“We flew all this way to surprise him and… and… Alec doesn’t even think he loves him. John, what…”
He sighed, “Cady, are you in California?”
“Yes! I brought Audrey and Alec and Chris and Zooey so that we could be with you on Father’s Day. I thought… what if it was all a mistake? What if I should not have–”
“Where are you?”
“The Four Seasons.”
“I’m going to go and talk to Pete. And he’s going to call you.”
“He can’t know we’re here. John, if–”
“Worry not, Cade. I’ll dial it and he won’t know. I’ll handle this, Cade. I promise.”
“I… thank you, John.”
“You’re welcome. Oh and Cade?”
“Yeah?”
“I do love you.”
“I love you too.”
Hanging up the phone, Cady reached over and caressed her baby’s cheek. Zooey instantly rolled her face towards her mother. With a smile on her face, Cady leaned over and kissed the infant softly. The baby cooed, her small eyes opening.
“Your daddy loves you, Zooey. Never forget that. Your daddy loves you.”
With little pause, John pushed in Pete’s door. A naked girl fell off Pete, scrambling to cover herself until she realized it was the bassist who interrupted her attempts to get through to the drunken guitarist. She got to her feet and rolled her hips suggestively, winking at him.
“Oh for Christ’s sake, get the fuck out,” he pointed to the door.
“But–”
“Get out.”
She scooped up her clothes and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. The bassist stomped over to the bed and glared down at the drunk. His pants were gone, but his shirt remained. John knew without asking that nothing had actually happened with the groupie, but she wanted Pete to believe something had. He knew his best mate well enough to know he likely passed out as soon as he hit the bed, especially since John had seen Pete knocking back over a bottle of brandy earlier that evening.
Shaking his head, John headed into the bathroom and filled the ice bucket with cold water. He did not pause and returned to the bed. With little pause, he emptied the entire bucket of water on Pete’s head. The guitarist instantly flailed about, tossing out a thread of unrelated string of swearwords. His wild, bloodshot eyes searched for the source of his sudden awakening.
“John! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?”
“When was the last time you spoke to your wife?”
“Why does it bloody matter to you?”
John stared at his best mate.
“It doesn’t matter!”
The bassist reached down and yanked Pete up by his shirt, “It bloody does matter. It matters to Cady and it fucking matters to your children. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“It’s none of your fu–”
He threw the guitarist back down on the bed, “Get yourself together, Pete. You have a beautiful wife and family that loves you and you’re fucking pissing on everything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh don’t you even,” he paced away and lit a cigarette. “You have until I finish this cigarette. Then we are fucking calling your family. Sober up. And put on some fucking pants.”
The phone ringing woke Cady from her dozing nap. She quickly rolled over and answered it, smiling when she heard John’s steady voice. He spoke softly, words she needed to hear. It soothed her soul, enough that she knew she would be able to speak with Pete once he was placed on the phone. She thanked him, took a deep breath, and sat up as he put Pete on the phone.
“Cady?”
“Pete,” she responded without emotion.
“Cady, Iloveyou.”
“Oh fuck, Pete. You’re drunk,” she groaned. “I’m not doing this.”
“But, baby–”
“Don’t you dare baby me,” she retorted. “ You’re drunk and I have told you before that I don’t want to deal with you when you’re like this. And I sure as hell am not letting you talk to the children.”
“Cady… but Cady, Iloooooooooooveyou.”
“Put John back on right now,” Cady ordered.
“ButCadyIloveyou.”
“Now.”
A moment later, John spoke, “Cady?”
“John, I don’t even want to speak to him in that condition and I sure as hell am not about to wake up the children to listen to his shit. Don’t–”
“I’ll make sure he gets sober and stays sober in the morning, Cade. We’re going to fix this.”
“John, this isn’t for you to fix.”
“Like bloody hell it isn’t. I will see you in the morning.”
“John…”
“Good night, Cade. Kiss those beautiful children good night for me. And remember… you are loved.”
Hanging the phone up, she turned and caressed Zooey’s head. The baby did not stir. Smiling slightly she leaned down and kissed the girl before getting up and heading to the other bedrooms.
First, Cady slipped into Audrey’s room. Previously when touring with the band or really any time outside of their home in London, the older girl shared a room with the nanny. However, with all three being in grammar school, Cady found little need for a nanny any more. Esme had been treated well during the 70s and retired a very happy and financially stable nanny once released from serving the Townshends and Entwistles. So on this trip, Audrey had a room to herself, something even Cady thought important as the girl got older. Quietly she approached her daughter’s bed and leaned over. Before she could kiss Audrey’s forehead, the girl woke and met her mother’s eyes.
“Mum? Did you talk to Dad?”
Cady sat on the edge of the bed, watching as the girl rolled fully onto her back to look at her, “I did, briefly.”
“He was drunk again, wasn’t he?”
She sighed, “Audrey… you know how your father gets when he’s working. I don’t… I don’t really understand it. I think it has to do with losing Keith and… I don’t know. That might have just… Grandma has a drinking problem too. I…”
The young girl grasped Cady’s hand, “Well as long as we have you, I know we’re going to be all right. You’re a very good mum.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” she leaned down and kissed Audrey. “I do love you very much.”
“I love you too, Mum.”
“Good night, sweetheart. Sleep well.”
After another kiss, Cady left the girl’s room and headed to the boys’ room. She pressed her ear to the wall to see if the two were still up and chatting. Hearing nothing, she carefully opened the door. Unsurprisingly the light was still on between the two queen beds and both boys sat in their respective beds. Clearly, she had listened in on a lull in the conversation.
“Uh uh. Now boys, what did I tell you,” she glanced at the clock, “an hour ago?”
They both sighed and lay down.
“That’s better. Now tomorrow we’re going to see your dads, aren’t you excited?” she sat on Alec’s bed.
Chris instantly chimed in with a yes, but Alec did not. Cady frowned and turned to him, leaning over to kiss him lovingly.
“Your father loves you, Alec. I know he does.”
“My dad loves you too, Alec,” Chris offered. “And he loves your sister too.”
“I know…” the older boy sighed. “I just… I just wish…”
“I know, sweetheart,” Cady caressed his cheek softly. “But things are going to get better. You’ll see.”
“I guess.”
“It will,” she glanced over at Chris. “Can you boys keep a secret?”
“Uh huh!” John’s son chirped.
“Alec?” her eyes went back to her son.
“I guess.”
“Well… I wasn’t going to tell you guys until Monday but… we’re all going to go somewhere special…”
“Where, Mama?” Chris asked excitedly, reverting to what he used to call her.
“It’s up to you boys and Audrey of course. We can either go to Disneyland or SeaWorld.”
The boys’ eyes widened.
“You think about it,” she stood up, tucking the blankets around Alec. “We’ll discuss it with Audrey on Monday.”
“Why not in the morning?” Alec asked.
“Because,” she kissed his forehead, “tomorrow is Father’s Day and we’re going to try and focus on that, okay?”
Cady moved to Chris’s bed, tucked him in and kissed his forehead as well. She clicked off the lamp between the two and headed to exit the room.
“Good night, boys. I love you.”
“I love you too,” they replied at the same time. “Good night!”
After closing the door, she took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She wondered if Pete had any idea at all how his behavior was affecting his family – and if he even cared. At this point, she did not think he cared any more. It was easier to drink himself into a stupor and not feel anything, than it was to be a husband and father. And that hurt more than he probably knew.
But she attempted to push those thoughts out of her mind as she crossed the living room to the master bedroom. Zooey gurgled and wiggled on the king-sized bed, awake but not crying. Cady scooped her up, kissed her loudly, and quickly moved to change her diaper. With the baby dry and swaddled again, she nursed her back to sleep before nestling her into the makeshift bed made of pillows on the large bed. Cady turned out her own light and slipped into bed beside the baby. With the blankets tucked around her body and no one awake to hear her, Cady cried until she felt asleep.
“Christopher! Do you have your shoes on yet!?” Cady called as she shoved baby items into the diaper bag. “Alec, make sure your socks match!”
Audrey poked her head into the master bedroom, “Mum, we’re all about ready.”
Her eyes looked up to her older daughter and she smiled, “Gifts all wrapped?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Do you want me to take Zooey?”
Cady closed the diaper bag and turned to Audrey, “Come here, Auddie.”
The girl stepped closer, smiling as her mother wrapped her arms around her.
“You are such a blessing to me,” she kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “You’re always helping out around the house and making me smile. You’re such a good, good girl. I am so very proud of you.”
“Mum…”
“So proud,” she kissed her again before pulling back. “Let’s get everyone together and head out.”
Pulling away from her eldest, Cady picked up her baby and rested her on her hip. She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and followed Audrey into the living room. With the boys carrying their gifts, the family headed from the penthouse to the elevator. The boys eventually passed the gifts off to Audrey and bolted out of the elevator, chasing each other through lobby. While Cady probably should have told them to stop their horseplay, she smiled and let them have their fun.
When they reached the door, Cady whistled for the boys, who popped out of their hiding places and ran to join the girls. Cady held open the door, waiting for the children to pile into the back of limo. The boys wrestled for who got to sit by the window. Sliding in with the baby, Cady shook her head.
“You can each sit by the window,” she pointed out. “Sit across from each other.”
With the boys settled in their seats and their seatbelts fastened, the limousine headed to the hotel across town. The drive was not long, only taking approximately thirty minutes, but it was enough for the boys to settle down. Cady could see that Alec was beginning to get nervous. With a smile, she leaned over and tickled the boy, eliciting happy giggles from him. He was grinning when the car stopped at the band’s hotel.
“Okay. Remember what we talked about? Pete and John should be sitting in the dining room, probably back towards the back of the restaurant. We’re going to sneak in real quietly, okay?” she smiled.
With the baby on her hip, Cady followed the three older children into the restaurant. They paused to look around and for a moment she thought John had not come through with sobering up Pete. However, as her eyes panned about, Cady spotted the two men in the back corner. Pete had a half-finished Bloody Mary in front of him. She hoped it was his first or else this visit would not last long.
“There,” she pointed for the children, “in the corner.”
The children slowly made their way over to the table, hoping to sneak up on the two. For whatever reason, Pete glanced up and in their direction. His bloodshot eyes widened and he grinned in shock.
“DADDY!” all three of the children exclaimed and rushed over to the table.
John turned at the exclamation, a grin on his face. His arms opened as Chris leaped into his lap. Audrey quickly embraced Pete, kissing his cheek, but Alec stopped short of reaching Pete. He glanced sideways at John who was already in conversation with Chris before glancing over his shoulder at Cady. She nodded, encouraging him forward silently.
“Hi, Dad,” Alec held out the three presents to Pete.
“What are these?”
“It’s Father’s Day,” he stated softly, setting them on the table.
“Is that why you guys are here?” he asked, glancing to Cady.
“We miss you, Daddy,” Audrey proclaimed.
John opened his arms as Cady stopped near the table, “Let me hold that beautiful baby girl.”
With little pause, she handed the baby over, smiling slightly as John pulled her close and began to speak softly to the infant. Her eyes returned to Pete’s, but she remained silent. He pulled his attention away from her, focusing on his children, mostly Audrey as she told him stories.
During a lull in the storytelling, Pete shifted in his chair, “Well since you are all here, why don’t you join us for breakfast?”
The two shifted to a larger table to accommodate all of the children. Cady purposefully chose to sit next to John, not only because he still held Zooey, but also to be away from Pete. Wisely, the guitarist did not finish his Bloody Mary nor did he order any more alcohol. Instead, he sipped orange juice and stole food from his children’s plates. By the end of the breakfast, both of the children were happy and at ease with their father.
Towards the end of the meal, Zooey began to fuss. John attempted to silence her but it continued. Cady set down her fork and reached for the baby. Without saying much, she excused herself from the table with the baby and the diaper bag. She stopped in the restroom, changed her diaper, and then headed out to find a quiet, secluded location to nurse the baby.
With a light pink blanket draped over the baby’s head and covering her breast, Cady sighed and looked down at her daughter. She took a deep breath and tried to chase away her negative thoughts and feelings. She did not need that to transfer to the baby.
“Beautiful,” a familiar voice stated. “There is nothing more beautiful than a mother and her child.”
Cady glanced up, “What are you doing out here, John?”
“Checking on my girls,” he sat next to her. “Pete’s really happy that you and the kids are here.”
“Sure.”
“He is,” he reached over and rubbed the baby’s covered head. “So am I. It was such an unexpected thing for you to do. I think that… I think it shows Pete more than anything else could, that his family should be the most important thing to him. You’ve shown him how important he is. He’s not going to forget this.”
“Until the next bottle of brandy. Or is he drinking vodka on this tour? I can never keep track anymore.”
John sighed, “Love, talk to him. If anyone can get through to him, it’s you. He lovesyou.”
“I can’t, John. I can’t do this. I have two children and a baby to take care of. I cannot be responsible for Pete as well. I can’t,” she declared.
He sighed, “You came all this way for someone you no longer want to try with anymore?”
“I…”
“Love,” he reached for her hand, “come back, once Zooey is done with her breakfast, and show Pete what he’s missing. I think it will make a bigger impact than you think.”
“But John–”
“We don’t have a show today. Would you rather have him spend that time with the kids at the beach or in his hotel room drinking and whatever else?”
She sighed, “Okay. I’ll try.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek, “I’ll head back and make certain the kids haven’t overwhelmed him.”
Lounging under an umbrella with the baby, Cady watched as the children buried Pete in the sand. He laughed and wiggled his toes, trying to get free from the sand. Alec noticed and quickly jumped on Pete’s sand-covered legs and attempted to re-bury his father’s toes.
“Hey! What happens if I need to piss?” Pete asked.
Chris sat down on Pete’s stomach, “Just pee, Uncle Pete! You’re in sand!”
“Ew,” Audrey crinkled her nose. “You can’t do that, Daddy.”
“Oh I think I’m going to have to…”
Chris jumped off Pete and ran towards Cady and John who played with Zooey under the cover of the umbrella, “Mama! Dad, Uncle Pete is peeing in the sand!”
As both adults looked over at the guitarist and the children, Pete broke up out of the sand and chased both of them into the water. Cady smiled as he lifted both children up and waded deeper in. From their frantic wiggling, she was certain he was threatening to toss them into the water.
“Maybe you should go rescue them,” John suggested.
Cady shook her head, “And leave you here with the baby?”
He glanced over at the sleeping baby in her baby bikini, “I think I can handle it.”
“I don’t know about that,” her eyes flicked back and forth between Pete and the kids and Zooey.
“Go on. Go have some fun with Pete and the kids. I’ve got this.”
Cady slowly got to her feet and pulled the wrap off, “Why don’t you come with me, Chris?”
“Okay!”
Holding Cady’s hand, the boy pulled her towards the water. They quickly joined the other three, splashing and giggling. Soon the children were focused on each other and Pete’s arms circled Cady. Her eyes locked with his. As they stared into each other’s eyes, she saw the man she married, the man she fell in love with.
“Pete, I miss you,” she muttered.
“Oh, Cady…”
“MOMMY!”
Cady quickly pulled away from Pete and turned away. Her eyes fell on Chris and Alec collapsed on the beach, Audrey standing over them. Without pause, Cady hurried out of the water to the children. She collapsed down onto her knees, reaching for the boys.
“What’s happened?” she asked, panic in her voice.
Alec quickly sat up and touched her, “YOU’RE IT!”
Taking a few seconds to process what had happened, Cady allowed all three kids to quickly escape. Pete glanced down, confusion in his eyes. Slowly she got back up, tugging her bathing suit back into place. Her eyes met his and with a wink, Cady leaned forward and quickly kissed him.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Mmmhmmm,” she nodded, stepping away from him.
“Then what just…?”
“Pete?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re it!” she announced and hurried away.
Chuckling he glanced around the beach, wondering which of the children to chase after. In that moment, he realized Cady really had given him the greatest gift that year for Father’s Day. She made him realize what family was all about – again.
Characters: The Townshends and The Entwistles
Word Count: 4,605
Rating: R [nudity, alcohol, language, angst]
Warnings/Spoilers/Summary: It's Father's Day, 1980. The Who are on tour and Pete is very lost. Cady flies to California to surprise him and John for Father's Day. Things don't go as planned at all. Contains spoilers.
June 15th, 1980
With her five-month-old daughter on her hip, Cady trailed behind her two older children and Chris as the three tried to pick out gifts for their fathers. Their very presence in California was a bit of a surprise, as she had not previously told anyone in the band that she and the children would be joining them on tour. School was out for the summer, so she gathered up all four children and booked a flight and a hotel suite in Los Angeles. In her mind that was enough of a gift for the two men, but the children wanted to surprise their fathers with wrapped gifts, so Cady followed the eight-, nine-, and eleven-year old children in and out of stores in Hollywood.
“Mum?” Audrey stopped, her fingers on silk shirt.
“Yeah?” her blue eyes looked to her daughter.
“Do you think we can go to the beach?”
Cady smiled, “Absolutely. We will be here for about a week, so I do not see any reason we should not spend time at the beach. Did you pack a suit?”
The eleven-year-old girl instantly frowned, “No.”
She turned to the boys, “Did you guys bring your swim trunks?”
“No,” they replied in unison.
“Hmmm. Well once we find presents for your dads, we better get new swimwear too. What do you guys think about that?”
“We get one for Zooey too?” Audrey asked.
“Absolutely.”
The children found gifts within the hour. Audrey even picked out an additional one to be from Zooey. They headed to a trendy children’s boutique in Hollywood for the children to find swimwear. The boys chose matching trunks before spending the rest of the time in the store chasing each other in and out of clothing racks. It took twice as long for Audrey to find something suitable for herself before insisting she help choose one for her little sister.
“Good?” Cady asked, taking the pile of swimwear to the cash register.
“What are you going to wear, Mum?” Audrey asked.
“I packed my suit,” she winked. “Go find your brother and Chris for me?”
“Okay!”
Returning to the hotel suite, Cady left the children to their own devices. Audrey chose to work on wrapping the gifts while the boys sat down in their room in front of the TV, flipping through channels. Retreating to the living room, Cady sat down to nurse the baby. Once Zooey happily latched on, her little fingers gently kneading Cady’s breast, Cady picked up the phone. Without pause, she dialed the band’s hotel and waited for it to ring through to Pete’s room. It continued to ring without answer, making Cady frown. Once it was bounced back to the front desk, she asked to be routed through to John’s room.
“Hello?”
“Hello there, handsome,” she smiled. “Are you enjoying the California sun?”
“Oh you know…”
“You miss dreary old England.”
“Something like that. What’s up, beautiful?”
Cady smiled again, “Well… I do miss you… and…”
“And what, love?”
Her smile disappeared, “Pete didn’t answer.”
John remained silent.
“John, what’s going on?”
“Nothing. Pete’s in… touring form.”
“How much is he drinking now?” she frowned.
“Don’t worry about it, Cade. I can take care of Pete.”
She sighed, “John, you’re not all that sober yourself. I know that.”
“I promise to take care of Pete. And myself. We’ve got beautiful children to watch grow up,” he declared.
Cady smiled, her free fingers reaching down to caress the top of Zooey’s head, “We do.”
“Are you holding Zooey right now?”
“Yes,” she responded, gazing lovingly down at the baby. “She’s nursing right now.”
“Is she crinkling her nose like she does when she’s happy?”
Cady chuckled softly, “That she is.”
“Adorable. Just like her mother.”
“I think she looks at lot like her father.”
John remained silent for a moment, “I’m really glad you called, Cady. I needed to hear your sweet voice today. How’s Chris?”
“Well…”
“Is he okay? Did Alison–”
“Alison is just fine, I guess. Chris is with me, as always. Would you like to talk to him?”
“Absolutely.”
“Hold on. Let me get him.”
Slowly shifting the baby off her breast, Cady got to her feet and went to the door of the boys’ bedroom. She called Chris over, telling him his father was on the line. The young boy happily jumped up and hurried over as Cady covered herself. He plopped down in the seat she had just vacated and quickly began to chat with his father.
“Mommy?” Alec’s large blue eyes went to hers as she laid the baby on her shoulder.
“Yes, sweetie?” she rubbed Zooey’s back, trying to get her to burp.
“I want to talk to Dad.”
She approached her son and hugged him as well as she could with a baby on her shoulder, “I’ll try him again later. He was probably out at an interview. We’ll talk to him soon.”
“You think so?”
She kissed his forehead, “I do. And remember, tomorrow morning we’re going to surprise him with a Father’s Day brunch.”
“Mum?” he asked softly. “How come Dad doesn’t love us anymore?”
“Audrey? Can you take your sister?”
The older girl quickly accepted the baby from her mother, hushed her softly, and sat on the couch. Cady instantly pulled her son into her arms. Her lips touched his forehead and she held him tightly as he began to cry.
“Shhhh, my love, there’s no need to cry. Your Dad loves you very much. He loves us all very much. He’s just… a little lost right now,” she stated softly. “That doesn’t mean for a moment he doesn’t love us.”
“But, Mum, he wasn’t even around when Zooey was born!” Alec pointed out.
Cady squeezed him a bit tighter, “Alec, your dad loves us. He does.”
“Cady?” Chris’s voice interrupted. “Dad wants to talk to you again.”
“Tell him I’ll call him back. And tell him to find out where Pete is,” she commented softly over her shoulder.
“Okay.”
“Alec,” she pulled back and looked into his eyes, “do you know how much I love you?”
He bit his bottom lip and nodded.
“And your father loves you just as much, Alec. He does.”
“Mum…”
“I love you, Alec. I love you.”
With all of the children sleeping, the older children in their own rooms and the baby curled up on the king bed in master bedroom, Cady sat back down next to the phone and dialed the band’s hotel again. A part of her wanted to talk to Pete, a big part of her, but instead she rang up John. It rang three times before he answered.
“Hullo?”
“John?”
“Cade… is everything okay?”
She instantly broke into tears, “…n-no.”
He sighed, “Did you talk to Pete?”
“I h-haven’t t-tried yet.”
“Cade… what happened?”
“Alec th-thinks… Alec th-thinks Pete doesn’t love him. I d-don’t…”
“Cade, hold on for a moment.”
Agreeing, she tried to get her sobs under control. Her empty hand reached over and caressed her sleeping baby’s face, trying to find solace in the child. She heard quiet words on the other line and quickly ascertained that John was directing someone out of his room. Even though she was friends once more with Marlene, his longtime girlfriend, it did not bother her at all that he was sleeping with someone on the road, or at least that was what she told herself. Her soul was aching. Her son believed he was unloved by his father.
“Cade, you still there?”
“Uh huh,” she muttered.
“Cade, love, you know Pete loves you. You know Pete loves his kids. You know this.”
“Then why is he doing this to us?”
“Pete is… He needs… Fuck, I don’t know what to do or to say… Cade… I don’t know.”
“We flew all this way to surprise him and… and… Alec doesn’t even think he loves him. John, what…”
He sighed, “Cady, are you in California?”
“Yes! I brought Audrey and Alec and Chris and Zooey so that we could be with you on Father’s Day. I thought… what if it was all a mistake? What if I should not have–”
“Where are you?”
“The Four Seasons.”
“I’m going to go and talk to Pete. And he’s going to call you.”
“He can’t know we’re here. John, if–”
“Worry not, Cade. I’ll dial it and he won’t know. I’ll handle this, Cade. I promise.”
“I… thank you, John.”
“You’re welcome. Oh and Cade?”
“Yeah?”
“I do love you.”
“I love you too.”
Hanging up the phone, Cady reached over and caressed her baby’s cheek. Zooey instantly rolled her face towards her mother. With a smile on her face, Cady leaned over and kissed the infant softly. The baby cooed, her small eyes opening.
“Your daddy loves you, Zooey. Never forget that. Your daddy loves you.”
With little pause, John pushed in Pete’s door. A naked girl fell off Pete, scrambling to cover herself until she realized it was the bassist who interrupted her attempts to get through to the drunken guitarist. She got to her feet and rolled her hips suggestively, winking at him.
“Oh for Christ’s sake, get the fuck out,” he pointed to the door.
“But–”
“Get out.”
She scooped up her clothes and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. The bassist stomped over to the bed and glared down at the drunk. His pants were gone, but his shirt remained. John knew without asking that nothing had actually happened with the groupie, but she wanted Pete to believe something had. He knew his best mate well enough to know he likely passed out as soon as he hit the bed, especially since John had seen Pete knocking back over a bottle of brandy earlier that evening.
Shaking his head, John headed into the bathroom and filled the ice bucket with cold water. He did not pause and returned to the bed. With little pause, he emptied the entire bucket of water on Pete’s head. The guitarist instantly flailed about, tossing out a thread of unrelated string of swearwords. His wild, bloodshot eyes searched for the source of his sudden awakening.
“John! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?”
“When was the last time you spoke to your wife?”
“Why does it bloody matter to you?”
John stared at his best mate.
“It doesn’t matter!”
The bassist reached down and yanked Pete up by his shirt, “It bloody does matter. It matters to Cady and it fucking matters to your children. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“It’s none of your fu–”
He threw the guitarist back down on the bed, “Get yourself together, Pete. You have a beautiful wife and family that loves you and you’re fucking pissing on everything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh don’t you even,” he paced away and lit a cigarette. “You have until I finish this cigarette. Then we are fucking calling your family. Sober up. And put on some fucking pants.”
The phone ringing woke Cady from her dozing nap. She quickly rolled over and answered it, smiling when she heard John’s steady voice. He spoke softly, words she needed to hear. It soothed her soul, enough that she knew she would be able to speak with Pete once he was placed on the phone. She thanked him, took a deep breath, and sat up as he put Pete on the phone.
“Cady?”
“Pete,” she responded without emotion.
“Cady, Iloveyou.”
“Oh fuck, Pete. You’re drunk,” she groaned. “I’m not doing this.”
“But, baby–”
“Don’t you dare baby me,” she retorted. “ You’re drunk and I have told you before that I don’t want to deal with you when you’re like this. And I sure as hell am not letting you talk to the children.”
“Cady… but Cady, Iloooooooooooveyou.”
“Put John back on right now,” Cady ordered.
“ButCadyIloveyou.”
“Now.”
A moment later, John spoke, “Cady?”
“John, I don’t even want to speak to him in that condition and I sure as hell am not about to wake up the children to listen to his shit. Don’t–”
“I’ll make sure he gets sober and stays sober in the morning, Cade. We’re going to fix this.”
“John, this isn’t for you to fix.”
“Like bloody hell it isn’t. I will see you in the morning.”
“John…”
“Good night, Cade. Kiss those beautiful children good night for me. And remember… you are loved.”
Hanging the phone up, she turned and caressed Zooey’s head. The baby did not stir. Smiling slightly she leaned down and kissed the girl before getting up and heading to the other bedrooms.
First, Cady slipped into Audrey’s room. Previously when touring with the band or really any time outside of their home in London, the older girl shared a room with the nanny. However, with all three being in grammar school, Cady found little need for a nanny any more. Esme had been treated well during the 70s and retired a very happy and financially stable nanny once released from serving the Townshends and Entwistles. So on this trip, Audrey had a room to herself, something even Cady thought important as the girl got older. Quietly she approached her daughter’s bed and leaned over. Before she could kiss Audrey’s forehead, the girl woke and met her mother’s eyes.
“Mum? Did you talk to Dad?”
Cady sat on the edge of the bed, watching as the girl rolled fully onto her back to look at her, “I did, briefly.”
“He was drunk again, wasn’t he?”
She sighed, “Audrey… you know how your father gets when he’s working. I don’t… I don’t really understand it. I think it has to do with losing Keith and… I don’t know. That might have just… Grandma has a drinking problem too. I…”
The young girl grasped Cady’s hand, “Well as long as we have you, I know we’re going to be all right. You’re a very good mum.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” she leaned down and kissed Audrey. “I do love you very much.”
“I love you too, Mum.”
“Good night, sweetheart. Sleep well.”
After another kiss, Cady left the girl’s room and headed to the boys’ room. She pressed her ear to the wall to see if the two were still up and chatting. Hearing nothing, she carefully opened the door. Unsurprisingly the light was still on between the two queen beds and both boys sat in their respective beds. Clearly, she had listened in on a lull in the conversation.
“Uh uh. Now boys, what did I tell you,” she glanced at the clock, “an hour ago?”
They both sighed and lay down.
“That’s better. Now tomorrow we’re going to see your dads, aren’t you excited?” she sat on Alec’s bed.
Chris instantly chimed in with a yes, but Alec did not. Cady frowned and turned to him, leaning over to kiss him lovingly.
“Your father loves you, Alec. I know he does.”
“My dad loves you too, Alec,” Chris offered. “And he loves your sister too.”
“I know…” the older boy sighed. “I just… I just wish…”
“I know, sweetheart,” Cady caressed his cheek softly. “But things are going to get better. You’ll see.”
“I guess.”
“It will,” she glanced over at Chris. “Can you boys keep a secret?”
“Uh huh!” John’s son chirped.
“Alec?” her eyes went back to her son.
“I guess.”
“Well… I wasn’t going to tell you guys until Monday but… we’re all going to go somewhere special…”
“Where, Mama?” Chris asked excitedly, reverting to what he used to call her.
“It’s up to you boys and Audrey of course. We can either go to Disneyland or SeaWorld.”
The boys’ eyes widened.
“You think about it,” she stood up, tucking the blankets around Alec. “We’ll discuss it with Audrey on Monday.”
“Why not in the morning?” Alec asked.
“Because,” she kissed his forehead, “tomorrow is Father’s Day and we’re going to try and focus on that, okay?”
Cady moved to Chris’s bed, tucked him in and kissed his forehead as well. She clicked off the lamp between the two and headed to exit the room.
“Good night, boys. I love you.”
“I love you too,” they replied at the same time. “Good night!”
After closing the door, she took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. She wondered if Pete had any idea at all how his behavior was affecting his family – and if he even cared. At this point, she did not think he cared any more. It was easier to drink himself into a stupor and not feel anything, than it was to be a husband and father. And that hurt more than he probably knew.
But she attempted to push those thoughts out of her mind as she crossed the living room to the master bedroom. Zooey gurgled and wiggled on the king-sized bed, awake but not crying. Cady scooped her up, kissed her loudly, and quickly moved to change her diaper. With the baby dry and swaddled again, she nursed her back to sleep before nestling her into the makeshift bed made of pillows on the large bed. Cady turned out her own light and slipped into bed beside the baby. With the blankets tucked around her body and no one awake to hear her, Cady cried until she felt asleep.
“Christopher! Do you have your shoes on yet!?” Cady called as she shoved baby items into the diaper bag. “Alec, make sure your socks match!”
Audrey poked her head into the master bedroom, “Mum, we’re all about ready.”
Her eyes looked up to her older daughter and she smiled, “Gifts all wrapped?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “Do you want me to take Zooey?”
Cady closed the diaper bag and turned to Audrey, “Come here, Auddie.”
The girl stepped closer, smiling as her mother wrapped her arms around her.
“You are such a blessing to me,” she kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “You’re always helping out around the house and making me smile. You’re such a good, good girl. I am so very proud of you.”
“Mum…”
“So proud,” she kissed her again before pulling back. “Let’s get everyone together and head out.”
Pulling away from her eldest, Cady picked up her baby and rested her on her hip. She slung the diaper bag over her shoulder and followed Audrey into the living room. With the boys carrying their gifts, the family headed from the penthouse to the elevator. The boys eventually passed the gifts off to Audrey and bolted out of the elevator, chasing each other through lobby. While Cady probably should have told them to stop their horseplay, she smiled and let them have their fun.
When they reached the door, Cady whistled for the boys, who popped out of their hiding places and ran to join the girls. Cady held open the door, waiting for the children to pile into the back of limo. The boys wrestled for who got to sit by the window. Sliding in with the baby, Cady shook her head.
“You can each sit by the window,” she pointed out. “Sit across from each other.”
With the boys settled in their seats and their seatbelts fastened, the limousine headed to the hotel across town. The drive was not long, only taking approximately thirty minutes, but it was enough for the boys to settle down. Cady could see that Alec was beginning to get nervous. With a smile, she leaned over and tickled the boy, eliciting happy giggles from him. He was grinning when the car stopped at the band’s hotel.
“Okay. Remember what we talked about? Pete and John should be sitting in the dining room, probably back towards the back of the restaurant. We’re going to sneak in real quietly, okay?” she smiled.
With the baby on her hip, Cady followed the three older children into the restaurant. They paused to look around and for a moment she thought John had not come through with sobering up Pete. However, as her eyes panned about, Cady spotted the two men in the back corner. Pete had a half-finished Bloody Mary in front of him. She hoped it was his first or else this visit would not last long.
“There,” she pointed for the children, “in the corner.”
The children slowly made their way over to the table, hoping to sneak up on the two. For whatever reason, Pete glanced up and in their direction. His bloodshot eyes widened and he grinned in shock.
“DADDY!” all three of the children exclaimed and rushed over to the table.
John turned at the exclamation, a grin on his face. His arms opened as Chris leaped into his lap. Audrey quickly embraced Pete, kissing his cheek, but Alec stopped short of reaching Pete. He glanced sideways at John who was already in conversation with Chris before glancing over his shoulder at Cady. She nodded, encouraging him forward silently.
“Hi, Dad,” Alec held out the three presents to Pete.
“What are these?”
“It’s Father’s Day,” he stated softly, setting them on the table.
“Is that why you guys are here?” he asked, glancing to Cady.
“We miss you, Daddy,” Audrey proclaimed.
John opened his arms as Cady stopped near the table, “Let me hold that beautiful baby girl.”
With little pause, she handed the baby over, smiling slightly as John pulled her close and began to speak softly to the infant. Her eyes returned to Pete’s, but she remained silent. He pulled his attention away from her, focusing on his children, mostly Audrey as she told him stories.
During a lull in the storytelling, Pete shifted in his chair, “Well since you are all here, why don’t you join us for breakfast?”
The two shifted to a larger table to accommodate all of the children. Cady purposefully chose to sit next to John, not only because he still held Zooey, but also to be away from Pete. Wisely, the guitarist did not finish his Bloody Mary nor did he order any more alcohol. Instead, he sipped orange juice and stole food from his children’s plates. By the end of the breakfast, both of the children were happy and at ease with their father.
Towards the end of the meal, Zooey began to fuss. John attempted to silence her but it continued. Cady set down her fork and reached for the baby. Without saying much, she excused herself from the table with the baby and the diaper bag. She stopped in the restroom, changed her diaper, and then headed out to find a quiet, secluded location to nurse the baby.
With a light pink blanket draped over the baby’s head and covering her breast, Cady sighed and looked down at her daughter. She took a deep breath and tried to chase away her negative thoughts and feelings. She did not need that to transfer to the baby.
“Beautiful,” a familiar voice stated. “There is nothing more beautiful than a mother and her child.”
Cady glanced up, “What are you doing out here, John?”
“Checking on my girls,” he sat next to her. “Pete’s really happy that you and the kids are here.”
“Sure.”
“He is,” he reached over and rubbed the baby’s covered head. “So am I. It was such an unexpected thing for you to do. I think that… I think it shows Pete more than anything else could, that his family should be the most important thing to him. You’ve shown him how important he is. He’s not going to forget this.”
“Until the next bottle of brandy. Or is he drinking vodka on this tour? I can never keep track anymore.”
John sighed, “Love, talk to him. If anyone can get through to him, it’s you. He lovesyou.”
“I can’t, John. I can’t do this. I have two children and a baby to take care of. I cannot be responsible for Pete as well. I can’t,” she declared.
He sighed, “You came all this way for someone you no longer want to try with anymore?”
“I…”
“Love,” he reached for her hand, “come back, once Zooey is done with her breakfast, and show Pete what he’s missing. I think it will make a bigger impact than you think.”
“But John–”
“We don’t have a show today. Would you rather have him spend that time with the kids at the beach or in his hotel room drinking and whatever else?”
She sighed, “Okay. I’ll try.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek, “I’ll head back and make certain the kids haven’t overwhelmed him.”
Lounging under an umbrella with the baby, Cady watched as the children buried Pete in the sand. He laughed and wiggled his toes, trying to get free from the sand. Alec noticed and quickly jumped on Pete’s sand-covered legs and attempted to re-bury his father’s toes.
“Hey! What happens if I need to piss?” Pete asked.
Chris sat down on Pete’s stomach, “Just pee, Uncle Pete! You’re in sand!”
“Ew,” Audrey crinkled her nose. “You can’t do that, Daddy.”
“Oh I think I’m going to have to…”
Chris jumped off Pete and ran towards Cady and John who played with Zooey under the cover of the umbrella, “Mama! Dad, Uncle Pete is peeing in the sand!”
As both adults looked over at the guitarist and the children, Pete broke up out of the sand and chased both of them into the water. Cady smiled as he lifted both children up and waded deeper in. From their frantic wiggling, she was certain he was threatening to toss them into the water.
“Maybe you should go rescue them,” John suggested.
Cady shook her head, “And leave you here with the baby?”
He glanced over at the sleeping baby in her baby bikini, “I think I can handle it.”
“I don’t know about that,” her eyes flicked back and forth between Pete and the kids and Zooey.
“Go on. Go have some fun with Pete and the kids. I’ve got this.”
Cady slowly got to her feet and pulled the wrap off, “Why don’t you come with me, Chris?”
“Okay!”
Holding Cady’s hand, the boy pulled her towards the water. They quickly joined the other three, splashing and giggling. Soon the children were focused on each other and Pete’s arms circled Cady. Her eyes locked with his. As they stared into each other’s eyes, she saw the man she married, the man she fell in love with.
“Pete, I miss you,” she muttered.
“Oh, Cady…”
“MOMMY!”
Cady quickly pulled away from Pete and turned away. Her eyes fell on Chris and Alec collapsed on the beach, Audrey standing over them. Without pause, Cady hurried out of the water to the children. She collapsed down onto her knees, reaching for the boys.
“What’s happened?” she asked, panic in her voice.
Alec quickly sat up and touched her, “YOU’RE IT!”
Taking a few seconds to process what had happened, Cady allowed all three kids to quickly escape. Pete glanced down, confusion in his eyes. Slowly she got back up, tugging her bathing suit back into place. Her eyes met his and with a wink, Cady leaned forward and quickly kissed him.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Mmmhmmm,” she nodded, stepping away from him.
“Then what just…?”
“Pete?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re it!” she announced and hurried away.
Chuckling he glanced around the beach, wondering which of the children to chase after. In that moment, he realized Cady really had given him the greatest gift that year for Father’s Day. She made him realize what family was all about – again.
Tags: "father's day" 1980
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