False Starts || Dave Grohl

Chapter 37

"With This Ring Surrendering To You"

Present

I place my phone face down on the counter, sighing happily at the thought of seeing Frances so soon. The last time she was in town was to ring in the New Year with me; making sure I wouldn't be alone like she did every year.

The young Cobain became the light of my life the day her small infant hand wrapped around my finger, refusing to let go. Kurt had snuck her away from the nanny, saying he 'wanted to spend the day with his daughter alone', when in reality he was introducing her to me.

Courtney swore up and down that I'd never lay eyes on the child; going as far as to threaten Kurt when he mentioned calling Shelli and I the day Frances was born. She was so certain that she was going to come out on top, but next thing everyone knew, the newborn was being swept away by Child Protective Services.

The couple was fighting tooth and nail for weeks, doing everything in their power to prove that they were fit to be parents. What the blonde she-devil didn't know was that without my testimony in favor of them raising Frances, assuring the organization that the newborn would be surrounded by responsible adults at all times, she probably would have never seen her baby again.

Courtney Love is many things to me; a crude, money hungry bitch being some of my less vulgar descriptions. She purposely did things to make my life, and in turn her daughter's, a living hell because of my relationship with her husband.

No matter how much the blonde frontwoman may have angered me to the point of contemplating murder though, I firmly believe that no mother deserves to go through the pain of losing a child.

I lightly drum my fingers against my countertop, shaking away any stray thoughts about Eva that popped up. She automatically reminds me of Dave, and right now, he's the last person in the world I want to think about...

"Rosemary!" Amy sprints into the room holding a polaroid that instantly made me heart sink to the floor. "This is the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

Casey lurked behind our tan friend, a look of worry appearing on the blonde woman's face as she watched the scene unfolded in the middle of my kitchen. I lightly tug the tattered print from Amy's hand, unfolding the edges before laying it on the countertop in front of me.

January 29, 1992

Adelaide, AUS

"Kurt are you sure you don't want to go?" Dave's arm was looped around my shoulders, a beer hanging from his hand as he talks with Shelli and Krist about the club we are headed to. "I know you haven't been feeling well, but maybe being out and about will help? Fresh air and all that, you know?"

The blond man shrugs me off though, his blue eyes looking dead as they lock with mine. "Go make a mockery of yourself. I'm going to be the responsible adult and stay in like the doctor told me to."

"Do you need anything before we go then? A drink? Food? Someone to stay behind..." I trail off, silently begging the older man to ask us to stay with him. It isn't that I don't enjoy going out, because trust me I do, but the thought of being crammed into a small room like sardines for the next couple of hours does not sound appealing tonight.

After the engagement ring debacle earlier this week, I've done everything in my power to avoid being alone with Dave for longer than ten minutes. Thankfully, the packed schedule allowed my intentions to go unnoticed, but my luck had come to an end when Kurt asked to cancel tonight's show.

As the bus drove through the small coastal city of Adelaide, Krist caught sight of a local club, requesting that our small group attend tonight once the bus parked at the venue. For once, I have no escape plan, and the giddy looks that Shelli and Krist were sharing put me on edge.