Down In A Hole

Chapter 2

Shannon let Layne have the window seat on the plane. Layne rested his head against the window, headphones in his ears, hood over his head. Shannon would glance over at him every now and then. Layne was a broken man. The plane ride was silent. Shannon stared straight ahead and his thoughts started to overtake himself. He thought back to when he first found out he was pregnant.

* * *

January 1994

Shannon barely made it to the toilet. He couldn't keep anything down lately. He hacked his guts out in the toilet. Once he was done, he wiped his mouth and sat back against the wall. This was not good. He was on tour with his band, Blind Melon, and he was sick as a dog. He had been to three different doctors in three different towns and they all told him the same thing, that he had a stomach bug. Shannon had this stomach bug for almost 2 months. It would come and go. When he ate something like pickles dipped in peanut butter, it would go away for a little while. He lay on the dirty bathroom floor for while before he hoisted himself off of the floor. He looked up at himself in the mirror. He began to wonder if he had some sort of STD or something. He hadn't told any of the doctors that he was participating in homosexual sex. His eyes grew wide. What if he had AIDS? Or HIV? Shannon looked away from the mirror and shook his head. He didn't even want to think like that.

He left out of the bathroom. Band mate Christopher Thorn was waiting outside.

"Shannon dude, did you get sick AGAIN? Man what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I don't know. I feel real naucious." Shannon groaned, putting his hair behind his ears.

Shannon found a payphone and reached in his pockets for some quarters. He put the money in and decided to call his on and off again boyfriend. He dialed the number where he knew he could reach him. The phone rang a few times before someone answered.

"Can I speak to Layne?" Shannon asked.

"Hold on." The other person said.

Shannon waited and then he heard his voice.

"Hello?"

"Layne? It's Shannon."

"Hey babe...long time no talk. How you been?"

Shannon sighed. Layne sounded high.

"I've been good. How have you been?"

"Real good. Me and Mike McCready and these guys got some really good jam sessions going on here. We're gonna make a record."

"Oh. That sounds good." Shannon smiled.

"So how's touring?" Layne asked.

"It's going fine. Real fine. I miss you ya know." Shannon replied.

"I miss you too. I can't wait until you have some time off so you can bring your pretty tail up here again." Layne said into the phone.

"Me neither. Say Layne, have you been getting sick lately?" Shannon asked.

"Sick? Like, what do you mean?" Layne asked.

"Well, it's just, I have some sort of stomach bug. I have had it for like 2 months." Shannon replied.

"Oh poor baby." Layne said on the other end.

"Layne, have you been tested for any STDs?" Shannon asked.

Shannon knew Layne was screwing around on him. There was silence on the other end.

"Layne?" Shannon asked.

"Why do you have one?" Layne asked after a few moments of silence.

"No...I don't know, its just, ever since the last time we, ya know, I've been sick with this stomach bug."