Categories > Celebrities > Guns n' Roses > Faithfully I'm Still Yours
"How is she? Is she gonna be okay?" asked Izzy worriedly. Upon arriving back at the hotel, Axl had immediately taken Laurie upstairs and into he and Erin's room, lay her down on one of the beds, and refused to allow her to move, even though she insisted she felt better. Now, nearly two hours after the whole incident at the beach, the lead singer was finally letting the others come in and see her.
"Yeah, I think so. I gave her some flat Coke about half an hour ago and she's held it down."
Izzy nodded and moved past Axl into the room. Laurie was still lying on the bed, her cheeks flushed, hair spanning out from her head across the pillow. Upon hearing Izzy enter, she opened her eyes slightly and smiled up at him.
"Hey, Jeffrey," she whispered, using his birth name and causing them both to laugh. "I really am feeling much better. I think I just ate some bad sushi at the casino last night or something."
Slash and Duff joined Izzy by Laurie's bed.
"Doin' okay there, Stevens?" asked Slash, and Laurie nodded.
Axl walked up. "Don't crowd her," he said sharply, and the three men moved away. She's my girl, Axl, not yours, so let me take care of her, thought Izzy, but of course he didn't say it out loud.
Axl knelt down beside the bed. "I just went down to the front desk, Laur. Got one of those cheap disposable thermometers."
"Don't worry yourself on my account," she replied, but it was obvious that she was glad Axl was paying attention to her again. He slid his hand gently behind her head and helped her sit up. Once she was up and supported from behind by some pillows, Axl turned on the thermometer and stuck it in Laurie's mouth. They waited until it had beeped, then he withdrew it again.
"99.7," he read. "Laur, you're feverish."
"I feel fine," she insisted again, but he ignored her.
"Now we're leaving," said Axl. "Laurie, you can go to sleep." He turned the top light off, shut the curtains. On the way out, he paused, walked over to her.
"Laurie...just so you know: tonight, only me and Erin are gonna be in here. Okay?"
In other words, I want you out of my life by midnight, thought Laurie sarcastically.
Out loud she said, "Whatever you say, King Rose."
Axl shut his eyes and swallowed hard. He looked out the door at Slash, who had an odd, almost pitying look in his eyes. Upon catching Axl's gaze, the guitarist neutralized his expression and mouthed, c'mon, man!
Axl looked back down at Laurie. She was asleep, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. With a soft sigh, he turned and left the room.
~~~
Laurie was wandering through a field. The grass grew up tall and green around her; yellow and white daises dotted her vision. As she walked, she heard a hawk screech above her. She looked up, squinting against the bright glare of the sun. When she looked down again, two men were standing before her: Axl and Izzy. Axl had a faint sneer on his face and was pointing rudely at Izzy, who had turned slightly away from Laurie. He held something in a small bundle in his arms and had an ashamed expression in his eyes.
Laurie walked up to him. "Give me that," she demanded.
Axl started laughing. "He knows," he said mockingly. "Look at what you've done, Laur. Izzy can't give it to you."
"I--I don't understand. I just want it for a moment--"
"Bitch, I said look at yourself!" Axl yelled. He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, and there was a full-length mirror. Reflected in it was Laurie, wearing a nightgown, soaked in blood...and as she looked, the nightgown fell away, and she was clean again, holding the bundle Izzy had had previously. She couldn't see inside of it, but Axl was still laughing in her ear:
"You'll get what you deserve," and Izzy was gone and Laurie was falling with the bundle down a long, dark well...
~~~
She jerked awake with a start and looked down at herself. No blood, but...Laurie suddenly jumped out of bed. Her heart thudding, she put on some new clothes and walked down to the lobby. There, she called the limo driver and, once he'd arrived, said:
"Take me to the nearest drugstore."
Once there, she ran in and bought a $5 pregnancy test. She returned to the hotel, clasping the cardboard box in her hands and shaking a little.
Please, she prayed as she rode the elevator upstairs and then went into she and Izzy's room, let me be wrong.
The box said to pee on the stick for at least ten seconds, but Laurie only counted five before she ran out. It's all urine; same results, she thought as she washed her hands and waited.
A moment later, Laurie looked down at the pregnancy stick and burst into tears. She sank to the ground, sobbing, holding her stomach.
Never in all her life had Lauren Elaine Stevens imagined that a little pink plus sign could possibly have this much control over her entire future.
"Yeah, I think so. I gave her some flat Coke about half an hour ago and she's held it down."
Izzy nodded and moved past Axl into the room. Laurie was still lying on the bed, her cheeks flushed, hair spanning out from her head across the pillow. Upon hearing Izzy enter, she opened her eyes slightly and smiled up at him.
"Hey, Jeffrey," she whispered, using his birth name and causing them both to laugh. "I really am feeling much better. I think I just ate some bad sushi at the casino last night or something."
Slash and Duff joined Izzy by Laurie's bed.
"Doin' okay there, Stevens?" asked Slash, and Laurie nodded.
Axl walked up. "Don't crowd her," he said sharply, and the three men moved away. She's my girl, Axl, not yours, so let me take care of her, thought Izzy, but of course he didn't say it out loud.
Axl knelt down beside the bed. "I just went down to the front desk, Laur. Got one of those cheap disposable thermometers."
"Don't worry yourself on my account," she replied, but it was obvious that she was glad Axl was paying attention to her again. He slid his hand gently behind her head and helped her sit up. Once she was up and supported from behind by some pillows, Axl turned on the thermometer and stuck it in Laurie's mouth. They waited until it had beeped, then he withdrew it again.
"99.7," he read. "Laur, you're feverish."
"I feel fine," she insisted again, but he ignored her.
"Now we're leaving," said Axl. "Laurie, you can go to sleep." He turned the top light off, shut the curtains. On the way out, he paused, walked over to her.
"Laurie...just so you know: tonight, only me and Erin are gonna be in here. Okay?"
In other words, I want you out of my life by midnight, thought Laurie sarcastically.
Out loud she said, "Whatever you say, King Rose."
Axl shut his eyes and swallowed hard. He looked out the door at Slash, who had an odd, almost pitying look in his eyes. Upon catching Axl's gaze, the guitarist neutralized his expression and mouthed, c'mon, man!
Axl looked back down at Laurie. She was asleep, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks. With a soft sigh, he turned and left the room.
~~~
Laurie was wandering through a field. The grass grew up tall and green around her; yellow and white daises dotted her vision. As she walked, she heard a hawk screech above her. She looked up, squinting against the bright glare of the sun. When she looked down again, two men were standing before her: Axl and Izzy. Axl had a faint sneer on his face and was pointing rudely at Izzy, who had turned slightly away from Laurie. He held something in a small bundle in his arms and had an ashamed expression in his eyes.
Laurie walked up to him. "Give me that," she demanded.
Axl started laughing. "He knows," he said mockingly. "Look at what you've done, Laur. Izzy can't give it to you."
"I--I don't understand. I just want it for a moment--"
"Bitch, I said look at yourself!" Axl yelled. He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around, and there was a full-length mirror. Reflected in it was Laurie, wearing a nightgown, soaked in blood...and as she looked, the nightgown fell away, and she was clean again, holding the bundle Izzy had had previously. She couldn't see inside of it, but Axl was still laughing in her ear:
"You'll get what you deserve," and Izzy was gone and Laurie was falling with the bundle down a long, dark well...
~~~
She jerked awake with a start and looked down at herself. No blood, but...Laurie suddenly jumped out of bed. Her heart thudding, she put on some new clothes and walked down to the lobby. There, she called the limo driver and, once he'd arrived, said:
"Take me to the nearest drugstore."
Once there, she ran in and bought a $5 pregnancy test. She returned to the hotel, clasping the cardboard box in her hands and shaking a little.
Please, she prayed as she rode the elevator upstairs and then went into she and Izzy's room, let me be wrong.
The box said to pee on the stick for at least ten seconds, but Laurie only counted five before she ran out. It's all urine; same results, she thought as she washed her hands and waited.
A moment later, Laurie looked down at the pregnancy stick and burst into tears. She sank to the ground, sobbing, holding her stomach.
Never in all her life had Lauren Elaine Stevens imagined that a little pink plus sign could possibly have this much control over her entire future.
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