“Lah you, daddy,” she said, her brown eyes cheerful and happy. I ruffled her blonde little head one last time before I hurried out the door.
Shannon shouted behind me, “Love you. Drive safe.”
“You too, babe,” I said. “I'll see you soon.”
“And don't forget your guitar!” she added.
Shit. I closed the door and ran over to where I kept my guitar in the corner of our small living room.
“Guitar!” Ava cooed. “I play guitar?”
“Later, sweetie,” Shannon said, wiping the potatoes off our little girl's face. “After daddy's show, okay?”
“Okay,” Ava said, pouting slightly.
I waved as I hurried on out. I rushed to my pickup truck and threw my guitar in the back. Thankfully, tonight's show was at a family-friendly restaurant in town, not the usual smoky bars and clubs. It was one of the first shows Ava would get to attend, and I was looking forward to seeing my daughter in the crowd. She'd be up past her bedtime, but both Shannon and I agreed it’d be worth it. She'd finally get to see daddy perform, in front of a crowd. It might be a small crowd for now, but one day, we’d fill stadiums.
I pulled up to the restaurant and parked, my drummer, Landon, was already waiting for me by the back door.
“Took you long enough,” Landon joked.
“Yeah, well, when you have a wife like mine, you'll get distracted sometimes too,” I said with a grin.
“Nough with the monkey business. Big crowd tonight,” Landon said. “Hell, I'd say most of 'em are even here to see us.”
“Or maybe it's the half-price appetizers they're serving at the bar,” I said. Landon was the optimist, while I was the realist.
“Maybe, but I'll take it.”
The band that was on had just finished their set and were leaving the stage. We exchanged greetings as Landon and I hit the stage, and I felt that old familiar energy filling me up.
“Showtime,” I said.
Landon handed me a beer from the cooler he'd brought along, but I shook my head. I might have the jitters before going on, but with my wife and baby girl in the audience, I wanted to be my best. I didn't want my senses or energy dulled in the least.
“No thanks, man,” I said.
“Suit yourself,” he said.
He downed the beer in one, big gulp and then let out a loud belch. The crowd was buzzing as I stepped up onto the stage, I eyed the audience but didn't see Shannon anywhere. Our friends were already in the crowd.
I did ask Shannon not to worry about arriving early. Probably in the parking lot now. We finished setting up, and still, she wasn't there. No biggie, she'd get there when she could.
Landon started on them drums, and I played a few chords on the guitar, tapping my foot along with the beat. It wasn't the new song I wrote for Shannon and Ava – that was coming later. I sang an old favorite, the words rolling out over the crowd as people started dancing anywhere they could stand. A few were even singing along with me. If I didn't know better, I thought that maybe Landon was right. Maybe these fine folks were here to see us. Hot damn.
As I played a solo on my guitar, I heard busty redhead call out my name, “Drake! Marry me!”
Her boobs were hanging out of her tiny little crop top, and she wiggled them in my direction. I shook my head, thinking Shannon would be amused if she saw. I strode over to the side of the stage where an older woman was standing, dancing by herself, and reached for her hand. She looked surprised but let me pull her up on stage. With gray hair and Amish-style dress, she looked like she could be someone's granny, but she sure as hell smiled when she was on stage with me.
I wanted to make this sweet little grandma's day.
I sung to her, and together we danced. She shook her butt, and the audience laughed, clapping and cheering wildly. When I held the mic out to her, she sang along, not stumbling over a single word.
Damn. It felt nice to touch people with my music.
I helped her down and continued on my way. The busty redhead had pushed her way up to the stage, reaching her hand out for mine. I knelt down as I started the next song, giving her hand a squeeze and a shake. She held on tight, pulling me closer to her and handed me a slip of paper. Her eyes sparkled, and she smiled wide.
“Call me, handsome,” she said.
I laughed, even in the middle of a verse, and tucked the number away in my pocket. I'd toss it later. Shannon would be amused. Hell, even if she were the jealous type – she had nothing to be afraid of. She was the finest woman I'd ever laid eyes on, and I was married to her. There was no way a busty red head would lure me away from my wife, no matter how much she shook her tits.
Landon had a cocky ass smirk on his face – he was probably jealous. He had nothing to worry about. He was single and could hook up with all the girls he wanted, but I'd be going back home with my wife.
Our set went pretty quickly, we were just one of five bands performing tonight.
“Thank ya'll for coming out tonight!” I said, waving at the crowd and flashing them a smile. “Hope you enjoyed the show. We'll be playing at Whisky River Bar and Grill next Friday night. Come and check us out.”
The crowd applauded, and I took one final look around the place. No sign of Shannon. My heart raced a bit, and a cold feeling of dread came over me. It was a quick set, she was probably running late. She'd be here, and we could watch the last few bands together.
Landon and I finished packing everything, and I reached for my phone.
Fifteen missed calls.
A sickening sensation hit me in the pit of my stomach.
All from mom. She'd texted me several times as well. She'd obviously been trying to get through to me. As I opened the texts up, my heart was no longer racing, it stopped beating entirely.
Mom: Drake, call me. Something has happened.
Mom: Drake, this is serious. You need to call me, now.
Finally, one last text, sent only two minutes before I picked up my phone.
Mom: There's been an accident. Shannon and Ava are in the hospital, it's bad. Get here now!
The world around me no longer felt real. Landon walked up behind me, took one look at me and his eyes flashed concern.
“Dude, what's wrong?” he asked.
“I need to go,” I said, though the words didn't seem to be coming from me. “There's been an accident.”
“Everything okay?” Landon asked.
“I dunno. Shannon and Ava... Oh God,” I said.
My knees turned to rubber, and I almost fell but managed to hold onto the wall for support. My baby girl and my wife, my whole world.
It’s bad. Those two words from my mom echoed around my mind, drowning me a little more with each passing moment.
“Come on, let me drive you,” he said.
I couldn't argue. I couldn't even breathe. The world was suffocating me, literally. I felt a heavy weight was on my chest, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't take a breath. There was no way I could drive.
The ride over to the hospital had been a blur. Landon dropped me off at the emergency room door to go find parking. My legs were like jelly, and I stumbled into the hospital, holding on to everything I could for support. I was swerving around so much, I probably looked drunk. A nurse at the counter looked up at me and smiled politely. I remembered thinking that she had a nice smile. Why in the hell had I thought that?
“What can I help you with?” she asked.
Her name tag said, Tina.
“Tina, I was told my wife and daughter had been in an accident,” I said.
Her smile wavered as if she knew exactly who I was talking about. A voice called to me from down the hall.
“Drake.”
It was my mom. When she saw me, she burst into tears. I refused to give into my emotions. Everything was fine. My girls were fine.
“Oh sweetie,” mom said, burying her head in my shoulder. “I'm sorry.”
“Sorry for what, Mom?” I asked.