Finally she called..............................

"Isabelle.." Johns relief was palatable to her ears but she was still rather angry and wouldn't give him much chance to get a word in, as he came to soon realise.

Although she had had hours to go over the words he had uttered she worried that he might descend back into the man he had been when they had met.

If a hiccup like this made him banish being sober as a daily habit from his mind what would or could happen if he, dare she think it, lost someone again....

Of course, maybe she shouldn't call a baby a hiccup. Having a baby, after all, was life altering in anyone's book and with John being famous it made something that should be personal in your life, public property.

Yet it was still a little human being, that couldn't fend for themselves. A part of you, someone you can share your love with. Even the very hardened amongst us are flattened and decimated by the sweet musings of a baby. Oh dear, now I'm getting clucky! A woman rightly or wrongly was all that more closer to that new life she grew inside for nine months. From umbilical cord to death, a mothers love can span the world and has forever been a strength for the child, whether conscious of the super strength invisible link or not.

"I need you to listen John I-"

"Darlin-"

"John please listen, I want to get all I have out, ask questions an-"

"It isn't-"

"John stop!"

"OK, ok. Sorry darlin"

"Right... I am just going to come out with all this and you need to answer alright? ... Alright. Ready?"

"Rea-"

"Is it yours?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb"

"Oh the sprog, I wouldn't think so"

"John please don't call it sprog, it's still a baby.."

"Alright, I'll try an' be nice"

"Thank-you"

"You're welcome"

"How far along is she?"

"I said it wasn't mine!!"

Hands rubbing his face he was pissed and pissed, and both played on his mind.

One, a hangover and one the crippling thought of Heather carrying his child. Fuck this is shit.

In his mind he knew it wasn't his, yet logic doesn't come into play in the right order in his brain. Usually bull-headed flat out denial, acid tongue rebuts and caustic nasty humour shut everything down and made it all go away... for someone else to enjoy the chaos he undoubtedly created.

Take the 'God' thing for instance. A few innocent yet pointed words caused, on the other side of the bloody world, chaos and destruction if only destruction of albums and plastic wigs; yet the ripples of discourse was widespread- from Mimi to Brian to the lads standing beside him, he had created bedlam and fear because of his huge 'foot in mouth' problem.

"And I want all the facts in case it is"

"Yes, your honour"

"Don't be smart"

"No your hono-"

"Ok. If that's how your going to be I'll ring off.... Well then, enjoy your lif-"

"Isabelle! Sorry!! Shit sorry ok, it was one of my shitty jokes"

"Really?!? A joke? You call up drunk after months and months of being sober and tell me that, that John! And the other-"

"Oh yeah I do lov-"

"Nope don't you dare, shush!"

"Bloody hell I do like 'ordering about' Isabelle... continue sweetheart"

"Thank-you John"

"You're welcome darlin'"

"Now. How far along is she?"

"How would I know. Bun just rising sized? Quarter loaf of family sized multigrain. Avocado sized- shit, I don't know Iss"

"So, the answer is I don't know"

"Yeahhh oh, and a by-note to all that- I WORE A FUCKING RAINCOAT"

"They are not totally infal-"

"Yarda yarda yarda- I know that, I'm not thirteen"

"Thirteen!"

"Fourteen then"

"Anyway, so you haven't a due date"

"Not mine I'm telling you Iss"

"It could be John" Issy broke the words with a little more gentleness in her voice.

It was no good if both of them started tearing strips off the other over this, though prodding John with a proverbial stick was always a nice pastime she had to try not to press the red danger buttons tonight. They were both hurt and stinging.

"But it won't be. Because, you know..."

"What? You're secretly infertile or steriliz-"

"Fuck off"

Issy scrawled those particular words down on her notepad not the F word the other ones... Was there something she could do with them ...? She didn't know but she would try anything. Anything.

"You know John- It can happen the first tim-"

"Still not thirteen, sorry fourteen"

"Are you high?"

"What?.... NO. Come on Issybelly I'm not high, I wouldn't .. Look I stuffed up with the grog but I wouldn't go that far. Believe me darlin'"

"You don't sound high, I guess"

"Because I'm not!... Come on what are these things you want to know because I've had enough of thinking bout that cow and her spr- sorry baby and could do with a bit of shut eye"

"You and me both"

"Did you have a nightmare again" His voice warm and caring and Issy wanted the whole forty-eight odd hours to go completely away and have him back with her again. His kisses. His arms around her. Keeping her by his side. Holding her... that's a Beatle song you idiot, focus. Oh his tongue, god, the things he can achieve with the tip of-.... Nope, don't daydream... back on track girl.

"Noooo, well yes actually... Some looney rang up and waffled on for-"

Ok,ok, I get it, I'm the nightmare... Right let's clear this up- the unborn foetus child is pretty small from the looks of her but I took that with a pinch of table salt because Cyn didn't show til she popped"

"And you last had......."

"A drink- 4 hou-, no five. Five hours-"

Intercourse"

"A few days ago, don't you remember. I did that thing you like, you were really horn-"

"Not me!"

"Oh right, Herrr  oh ages, must be like 3 mon-"

Issy groaned loudly and John took the hint that he hadn't the right month.

"Iss... when you and I crash landed on planet euphoria I never went intergalactic exploring again"

"So you're saying...."

"Your honour under oath - I have only had one sexual partner whilst with the delectable Isabelle- the delectable Isabelle. Happy?... My sex life laid out on the table like a fucking empty platter for your singular enjoyment"

"Are you always a prick when you're sobering up"

"Pretty much... depends if I mix drinks or not. Like with vodka I-"

"I don't want to know" Issy rubbed her forehead, John was giving her a bloody great migraine with his witty come backs and it really wasn't the time. "Ok...The facts are-"

"Your honour?"

"You call me that one more time I shall.... I don't know. I shall... geez, what shall I do...? I know, I shall be Heather's bridesmaid at your wedding"

"You've got to be kidding"

"Nope, poofy sleeves and pastel dress and everything"

"Christ it ain't easy"

"Where have I heard that before?"

The line was silent... he was pushing it again and she was getting fed up, he stopped and breathed, rubbed his eyes and settled himself slightly for her sanity's sake if nothing else.

That being said he wasn't entirely devoid of retorts so he prayed he wouldn't cross any Isabelle blurred lines in the next ten minutes.

"Iss, please tell me you have an amazingly spectacular plan to make that nasty woman go away forever so I can make your toes curl and you moan my name once again"

"We might need a break fr-"

"Don't you dare. I demand a retrial!"

"John, please lets just get over this and make the wedding happen without incident"

"Alright but I still want you"

"And I want you...."

"And I lo-"

"Nope! Not over the telephone please John, not like this...."

"Sorry darlin' I'll make it up somehow, promise"

"Now here's what I need from you. You need to book into that semi seedy motel-"

"The one with the bible?"

"I don't know, yes ok, the bible one" Issy smiled he was all over the shot his voice loud then soft, questions in the back of his throat and then jumping out at her. "Now you need to get onto her and get her to meet you-"

"Nope, no way, nada, no"

"It's ok, you won't be there. Cyn and I will be"

"Cyn? What?! Why Cyn?... Why bring Cyn into this. No don't; For the love of your future orgasms, don't! All she'll do is roll her eyes at me for the rest of the time she's here. No, not Cyn"

"Too late. Cyn and I have this handled. She's the first wife and I'm the ... I'm the ..."

"You're the sexy thing I tumble around with repeatedly"

"That's not a very catchy name"

"But it is a very nice thing to do ... with you"

"I'm the bitch who is keeping you for herself. Cyn said it and I wasn't sure but yeah right on. I'm keeping you"

"You're keeping me?" John shook his head, he wasn't at all sure what was happening but he assumed he was now a 'kept man' "Like a pet?"

"Yeah, why not. I always wanted a kitten" Issy smiled waiting for John to bite.

"Kitten! No way. I'm your lion, woman!"

'You're mine and I want you to leave all this up to me. You get her to come to the room and you go drink some lion milk or something"

"Lion milk... that's sounds crap but I do like that you're being bossy... Like I sai-"

"Come on let's keep going... I'm driving down. I'll leave at dawn, be there by eleven, sort all my puzzle pieces and then go see darling Heather"

Issy scrawled a few more notes, she was making plans, but right now the page was a mess, very much looking like a dogs breakfast but she would sort it out and gather what she wanted from the doodles and scrawl so she could save her sanity from the whole debacle and hopefully stop John from tumbling into the alcohol again. "John...."

"Yes Isabelle" Issy's voice throughout was strong and he didn't know what she was going to do but she was certainly being no nonsense and that was sexy as hell....

"Please lay off the grog" The whole conversation had been fast, rapid fire on both their parts yet it all came down to this. Johns regression into her worst fears. "I care about you and I don't want to see you like that..."

"I know. You'll come to me soon and then you'll look after me"

"That's not the point John, you have to do this for yourself... I'm not always going to be able to save you from this. One day I might not be around. What then John? You need to do this for yourself; Above all else, for yourself"

Issy stood up from the floor and checked the time while stretching her tired muscles. It was only an hour or so from when she needed to leave.. it was going to be a long day "I care for you, you know I do and I will see what this girl is on about, for you. But if she is pregnant with your baby.... I don't know what I'll do and if-"

"Isss-"

"No John don't. I think.... No scrub that. Lets just get through today, you let Sally know the room number and the time and I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

"Hold up- tomorrow?!?" He didn't want to give her that long to fume or digest Heather's words the wrong way. It was too long to let Isabelle stew on whether she trusted him or even wanted him anymore. Way too long. A fool waits, a fool hesitates and he was sick of being the fool and come hell or high water he wasn't waiting any longer.

No, he needed to show her what he should have shown, and told her, before all this.
Before she expressed it to him and he left her lying in that bed with silence surrounding them. "Tonight darlin', I want to see you tonight... I want to hold you tonight.. And I won't take no for an answer Iss"

Issy smiled tiredly into the telephone, his turn to be bossy and his voice, how he sounded, sent shots of wildfire up her spine... Maybe a debrief was best. Calling up, not being face to face, after that particular little meeting, may not be the best choice.

Yes, face to face, no chance of hiding how you felt. No chance of slamming the phone down because all this Heather business didn't go in the right direction.... And she could see him, see he that was ok and not drunk again because if he was, if he was drunk...she wouldn't know what to do.. She just couldn't fathom being back in that situation again, even if he was a better everything to her.

She couldn't be with him if he took up the bottle again. She wouldn't.

"I'll stay in another room out of the way Iss. Then, afterwards I'll see you and hold you and you will forgive me and I will-"

"Stop" Issy laughed, it was nice he was so adamant on seeing her, it meant the world to hear him being so hard-nosed about it. "See you later John. Get the hotel sorted and I'll see you later"

"Ok...Promise?" John grinned. He could hear the smile in her voice. That wonderful positive energy was returning and she could carry them both on all that she held within.

"I do, I promise"

"I'll make it worth your while.........."

"You and your promises..."

"I know you can't resist my promises..."

His voice was deep, totally lustful and enticing. It immediately sent another shiver and heartbeat explosion surging through her body. It wasn't fair he had that effect on a person. And the cheeky bugger knew it too!

Iss grinned, she needed to make it worth his while too, she could easily get herself in a rut so that was something else she had up her sleeve- change. Whatever this Heather had offered, she would ignore it.

Ignore the youth and focus on the things she herself had- experience, knowledge and access to the best damn sexologist in lower Manhattan.