Punk Rock-A-Bye Baby(45)

Jessi sat next to him and ran her hand down his arm. “It’s understandable. She’s your mother. I’ll call her.”

Her empathy reminded him that soon she too would be a mother, and his eyes dropped to the curve of her belly. He loved that baby so much.

Angel circled to the other side of the bed and sat on its edge. “Everyone’s been calling. Especially Damien. Even Mr. Abelman called. Everyone’s worried about you, mi amor. The fans have followed you here and banded together to set up vigil in the hospital parking lot. They have posters and candles. You’re loved by millions. But if you bundled all of their love together, it would never equal the love my heart holds for you, mi amor.” Sentiment and longing projected from Angel’s deep, dark eyes with an intensity that stabbed Tommy right in the heart.

Jessi leaned forward and placed her head on Tommy’s shoulder. “We both love you so much, baby.”

Tommy draped his arms around the two of them and they nuzzled into his shoulders. They stayed like that, all squished in the single hospital bed, for the rest of the day without saying much. There really wasn’t anything left to say. They had spent most of the night opening their hearts, professing their love, and now they waited for the inevitable trip to the O.R. in the morning.



A team of nurses wheeled a stretcher into Tommy’s room at exactly 7:00 a.m., along with the ghostly shadow of doom. He would give his right arm, along with his Les Paul, to diffuse the bomb that lay ahead.

Jessi knew what he was thinking. “It’s just a bump in the road. It’ll be over before you know it.”

She was holding it together remarkably well, but Angel was misty-eyed and wore a quivering smile. “We’ll spend the next few months in our home, mi amor.” He placed his hand on Jessi stomach. “Just the four of us.”

Tommy nodded and bit back the growing lump in his throat. He tried to give Angel and Jessi a small smile, but his lips were clamped shut. Instead, he grabbed them both and pulled them to his chest. He held his breath and fought like hell to hold back the sob that threatened to escape his lungs. “I love you both so much.” His voice shook. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that you both brought me more happiness than any human being deserves.” His emotion stole his voice, and he couldn’t continue.

Tommy took a long look at Angel. His lashes were wet with tears and one slipped down his cheek, but he still wore an adoring smile. That man came crashing into Tommy’s life like a bulldozer and stole his heart. Angel brought so much balance into Tommy’s life. He had no idea how he got through the day before Angel showed him how to live freely.

Tommy turned to Jessi, the mother of his child. She wore a serious expression. There was no smile, just extreme concern and love that beamed from her eyes. She was his soulmate. She had his heart from the moment they met and never let go.

Tommy gave them each one last kiss, and they exchanged I love yous. He cradled Jessi’s belly in his hands. “I love you, little baby. I’m doing this for you, so I can see you come into this world.” When he looked back up at Jessi, a lone tear streaked down her cheek.

He walked to the stretcher with a tightness in his chest. It was so fucking hard to contain his emotions. There were so many fears and what ifs swimming around in his head, it made him break out into a cold sweat. As they wheeled him out of the room, he took one long, last look back at Angel and Jessi.



Angel watched the attendants push Tommy down the hallway until they turned the corner toward the elevator bank. His heart was ripped to shreds, torn and splintered into jagged shards. The deep, searing ache inside his chest made him bring both fists to his sternum. He was filled with the overwhelming feeling that his chest was about to cave in and his heart would drop to the floor in a million pieces. He pressed his lips together to steady the tremor that infiltrated them. He squeezed his eyes shut to summon the image of his one true love being wheeled away toward the operating room. It could be the last time he ever saw Tommy and now he wanted that image. He called it back – burned it into his memory.

Jessi’s soft sobs trickled from the hospital room. Angel pulled himself together and drew on his inner strength. He went to her, wrapped his arms around her and held her. She hid her eyes in the crook of his neck and clung to him, while tiny sobs wracked her body. He worried about the fragile state of her emotions. His hand glided over her back in a soothing motion, but he still felt her quiver with each deep breath. The tightness in which she gripped him reinforced the fears and doubts he had about the surgery. It took all his willpower to withstand the aching sob that wanted to leap from his throat. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. He wanted to scream so loud that Tommy would be able to hear him yell that he loved him one more time. But he had Jessi to worry about and pushed his own fears aside. She and the baby were more important now. “Shh, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear and hoped she didn’t notice the tremor that rocked his voice.