Call Me Home

10 Years

Florida, August 5, 1980

He looked out over the sea of enraptured faces and was almost overcome. Of the flood of memories rushing through his mind, one stood out prominently. His idea of heaven. The night he'd shown Stevie her portrait. The night he'd told her he wanted to stand by her side and take over the world. The night they'd created a life.

And here they were, side by side, having taken over the world as he promised. The journey to this point had been far from easy. He looked over to that profile he knew so well as she sang. Almost 11 years older, she'd grown into her beauty. Her hair, darker again now, was half piled up on her head and she swayed gently, her trademark shawl rippling against her body.

Things between them were tempestuous. Their troubled relationship was long since over but neither had really moved on, still finding comfort in each other's arms too often. Watching her move now, her knew every detail of her. Every curve, every freckle, every tiny, barely visible silver line on her lower abdomen, the only sign her body had housed and grown another person.

"Thank you!" Her voice echoed around the stadium. She turned on the spot, catching his eye as she did so. There was a barely perceptible moment between them. They had been dreading this, ever since finding out the dates of the tour. They had both tried to have the date reworked somehow, or to change the setlist. Mick wouldn't hear of it.

"It's one of the biggest songs to come off the record," he'd said. "It brings the house down."

Lindsey choked out his usual introduction, and Christine began to play the unmistakable opening notes that had filled the airwaves. Stevie took a deep breath, closed her eyes and began to sing. She made it through to the final words without breaking, belting out "call me home" with everything she had to stop her voice from trembling. It was only as she sang the last line that the emotion took over and she faltered.

"All I ever wanted was to know that you were dr....dreaming."

As her voice gave out and the tears came to her eyes, she looked up into the stars.

"Happy birthday, baby."