Time Goes On
by Chelle

~ CHAPTER 30 ~

I woke up to find Zac gone. That was rare since we both slept in whenever we got the chance. I climbed out of bed and wrapped my robe around me. As I walked down the stairs, I heard voices in the kitchen. Isaac was home. He and Taylor and... uh huh, Zac... were all talking in the kitchen. I walked in and leaned against the door jamb for a moment before I was noticed. "Morning sweetheart." Zac said as he looked up from the cup of coffee he held in his hand. "Morning guys." Isaac smiled and Taylor nodded, lifting his cup to his lips. "Everything alright?" I asked as Zac handed me a cup of coffee with a kiss on the side of my forehead. They all nodded and then I suddenly remembered what had taken place the night before. I walked over and placed my hand on Ike's shoulder. The hurt and worry were so obvious on his face. "I'm gonna go to the studio for a while," he said as he stood up and walked out. Zac and I now sat at the table. "Taylor, what happened?" I asked. "Oh hell, Melissa, I can't tell you. It was fine one minute and the next they were arguing over something. We didn't even know what it was. Then Karen says that she's coming back here to pack her stuff and Ike said that if she did that, that he didn't want her to come back. Karen said she was calling a cab and Ike took off out the door. Shortly after Karen left, so did we. Mom and dad are wrecks. Dad said Avery and Zoe got into a petty argument on the way home and Mac just kept asking about a divorce. Jessica rode with Tori and me and she cried the whole way. Tori was nearly in tears and I swear I almost crashed the car twice. I don't know what the hell is going on but this family's having to put up with too much shit if you ask me." Then he stood up, set his cup in the sink and as he walked out, he said he was going to check on Tori. "God Zac. What's going to happen now?" I asked. Zac sighed and then said "I don't know. I just don't know."
The rest of the day went by with no more said about Karen, the argument or what a disaster Ike was, as did the following days. Throughout the next week, Tori through herself into planning for the baby, Diana seemed to keep herself busy with her youngest children, who were being a little more restless than usual and Walker spent most of the time working outside.
I had taken an interest in hanging out with Jessica and Avery. We'd watch movies, do each other's hair and nails, look at stuff on the internet and play board games. Avery had a way of talking people into games of scrabble and monopoly and the guys spent the majority of their time in the studio.
Breakfast and dinners were quiet and I really can't say, honestly, that anyone slept. Zac would toss and turn throughout most of the night and I'd hear countless footsteps in the hallway until 4 a.m. Ike, I don't think, ever came upstairs to bed. I would always find him watching TV in the living room. One morning, at around 5 a.m, I had gone downstairs for a glass of juice and had found him there, again, lost in some old black and white western. I got my juice and sat down beside him. "Are you doing OK?" I asked quietly. He looked at me for a second and then nodded. "I've thought about things so much. Everything." he said as he turned the volume down on the TV. I waited for him to continue. "I hate saying this but honestly, I haven't been in love for a while. Not really. I did a hell of a job pretending though huh?" He gave a little laugh and continued. "I was so happy, thrilled actually, about Angel. I don't know what happened. Even before she was pregnant, I just found myself doing the one thing that I'd never thought I'd do again since we'd met." I sighed and asked "You thought about being with someone else?" He looked at me and kinda laughed, answering "No, no. I never thought about cheating. I started thinking about what my life would be like without her. I met her when I was seventeen. I guess I never had a chance to really date around a lot ya know. I just found myself not wanting her with me all the time and then we found out she was pregnant but I knew it even then, things were different already. I just wasn't in love with Karen anymore. I tried to be, I pretended I was, but I wasn't. I think she knew it too. I really believe that she knew I didn't love her like I had when we met or when we were first married. I couldn't help it. I didn't stop on purpose, it just happened." I sipped my juice as I tried to think of something to say. I really didn't know how to respond. "Isaac," I said finally, "I wish there was something I could do. I wish you didn't have to go through this." He looked over at me and smiled. "I just want it over with. I want to hurry up and start the tour. I think it'll do us all a lot of good to be on tour and see our fans again." I nodded and then he patted my shoulder and said "You go on back to sleep." I smiled as he leaned in and kissed my forehead and then I stood and walked back upstairs. Ike turned the TV back up and laid back on the couch. I sighed wondering how long it would take for him to be able to sleep through the night again.
I walked into the bedroom Zac and I shared and saw him beginning to stir. I crawled into the bed next to him and watched as his eyes opened. "Hey," he said with a dry, raspy sound in his voice. "Hey," I repeated. Zac stretched his arms over his head and groaned as his back popped. Then he turned onto his side and faced me. "You OK?" he asked as he raised his head and took the glass of juice in my hand. "Uh-huh. I guess so," I answered. Zac took a drink and handed the glass back to me, then fell back onto the pillow. "What is it baby?" he asked as he stretched again and turned over to lay on his back again. "Ike is downstairs watching TV. He hasn't slept through the night yet. I'm really worried Zac. He don't sleep, hardly eats and your mom practically has to shove the food down his throat." Zac rubbed his eyes and then laid his hand above my head and began running his fingers through my hair. "I know. It's hard on all of us. I think he just needs some time and we have to be understanding. He'll be alright. We just have to make sure that we are there when he does need us and that he knows that. I think once we get back on the road, he'll get back to his old self." I accepted that, knowing Zac was right.
It wasn't exactly a good day. The tour was going to start soon (Which meant chaos had once again taken over the house) and divorce proceedings had begun, Karen had filed three days earlier, with the first meetings taking place the next day. Ike had already agreed not to make it messy. Since there were no children and Karen had signed a prenuptial, there wasn't a lot to work out. They would meet a few times with their lawyers and a judge and divide everything they owned together and then it would be finalized. Ike had written out a statement to release to the press and Karen had agreed not to contradict it... after she'd read it of course.
The day went on with everyone busy with their own things to do. Zac and I had gone out to dinner that night and when we'd gotten home, everyone had gone to bed... except Isaac. He was sitting in the den playing his guitar. "You two are home late," he said as he walked into the living room. "Yeah, we stopped at the river and talked for a while," Zac said as he and I headed up stairs. Zac turned back and we watched as Ike stretched out on the couch and flipped on the TV. "Ike, man, why don't you at least come upstairs and get comfortable. You can watch TV in your room." Zac suggested. Isaac looked up and smiled. "Thanks but I'm alright here." Zac and I exchanged glances and Ike said "Goodnight, and please stop worrying, I'm ok." We both smiled at him, continuing upstairs to our room where we undressed and got ready for bed. "I hope he'll be ok." I said as I settled in the bed next to Zac. "Oh, he will be. Things will get a lot better as time goes on, you'll see," he replied as he began flipping through the TV channels.
When I'd woken up the next morning, the house was buzzing with activity. After a quick breakfast, Ike had left around eight and Zac and Taylor were in the middle of a brainstorm in the den with their tour manager on speaker phone. Diana was trying to clean the house around her three youngest children, who were all full of energy. Jessica was painting her toenails and watching the news on TV, which showed a group of Hanson fans standing outside a Ticket Master in Charlotte, NC, in the rain waiting for Hanson concert tickets to go on sale. "You have got to be kidding me." I said as I'd stopped to listen to the report about the 25+ fans that had stood in the rain for the last hour. "Oh Melissa!" Jessica jumped, saying "You scared me!" She grabbed her chest as I smiled and said "Sorry. Didn't mean to." She giggled and turned back to adding another coat of polish. I continued into the kitchen where I was nearly knocked over by Zoe running by, in a squealing fit, followed by Mac, laughing claiming to get her back, then Avery right behind him yelling something about the spilled Kool-aid on her carpet. Then came Diana in a fast pace walk screaming "I SAID NO RUNNING IN THE HOUSE!" I smiled and waved as I stood stirring coffee when she greeted me with "Morning hun," as she walked past. Taylor and Zac came walking in the kitchen and already looked tired. Zac grabbed a Dr.Pepper out of the fridge and while standing next to me and kissing my forehead, lifted the can and placed it on the back of my neck for the value of my reaction, a high pitched screech kind of noise that even surprised me... which caused him and Taylor to burst into laughter and earned me the nickname "Crash." Taylor made the mistake of asking his mother if she'd iron his slacks. At which Diana responded by smiling and quietly taking the slacks from him, laying them on the ironing board, resetting the iron and pulling Taylor over in front of the board, placing the iron in his hand, then walking out with a laundry basket full of towels to be folded. That caused Zac to nearly bend double with laughter. When able to contain himself to a certain level, and much to Taylor's surprise, Zac suddenly walked out yelling to Tori to get the camera. I couldn't help but assist Taylor.
So the day went on, much like it had been that morning. Ike returned with the news that Karen had agreed to the the statement, it would be released the next morning and final plans were being made for the tour... which would start in October. It had been decided that Tori and I would go with them. Diana, Walker, and the other children would meet up with us here and there but be in Tulsa throughout most of the four months that the guys would be on the road. Promotion would have to take place now... that would begin in two weeks, lasting only one and the dates had already been announced, with tickets going on sale that morning. I was about to get a taste of the real life with Hanson.

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