Chapter 68

Finally, it was time to go to Chicago.  David and Brie left ahead of the rest of the family because everyone had to work.  Brie loved being retired.  She couldn’t have enjoyed life more because she was free to get on the first flight to wherever with her husband and just go.  The day they arrived in Chicago made sure that the reservations for the rest of the family were in order and went to Millennium Park to meet with the other guys and the construction crew that was building the stage.  David actually had all of the blueprints that the foreman needed to make the final show of Disturbed’s career a reality.

As soon as their car pulled up to the park, Brie was practically tackled by the other wives.  True, they had all just seen each a couple of months before, but Brie had baby pictures to share with everyone.  They just had to see what Little Mattie looked like.  As Brie satisfied the curiosity of the other wives, the men met with the foreman of the crew that was going to make the dream come to life.  David explained everything that each of the bands wanted for the production.  The foreman chuckled as he explained the catwalk.  “You want it to extend out during two separate sets but NOT during the rest of the show?” the guy asked.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” David said, not quite getting the joke.

“Yeah, I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t hearing things.  Just how do you propose we make that possible?”

“It’s called a motorized pulley system”, Brie said in the distance.

The foreman looked at her like she was insane.  “Do you realize how much that’s going to cost, lady?”

“Do you realize who you’re talking to, you retard?” Brie spat back.  “Obviously not or you’d realize that money for this endeavor is no object.  We have plenty of sponsors and a nice portion of this production is coming out the personal pockets of each band performing.  Now, I think you need to just do what my husband is saying and not freaking argue, young man.”

The guy looked at Brie as if she had grown a second head as she went back to telling the other women about the new baby in the house.  “Is she always like that?” he asked David.

“She was being nice, believe me.  Now, are you actually going to listen or are you going to keep being a dumb ass?”

The guy decided that he was actually going to listen to what David had to say about the blueprints he had drawn up.  The park was going to be flooded with fans the day of the show.  They all knew it.  They could all feel it.  They had the schematics drawn up so that the overflow areas had over flow areas.  There were only so many people that Millennium Park in Chicago would hold and many of them would not be able to see the stage from where they were seated.  That’s what the massive Jumbotron screens that were going to be set up all over the park were supposed to be for.  They wanted the fans to see everything.

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After finishing up with the crew, the guys all took their wives to one of their favorite places for lunch.  Every record cycle, they would hole up in the studio and have this restaurant deliver to them.  The restaurant was the premiere chicken place in Chicago- Nick’s Chicken.  Nick’s was actually one of the local sponsors for the show.  They were setting up so that the fans had decent food while the watched the bands rock.  They were also one of the places catering for the acts.

As they all sat and ate their lunch, the guys sat and told stories of the countless recording sessions and tours.  “The tour I’ll never forget is Uproar”, David chuckled with a shake of his head.

“Personally, I’d rather forget it”, Brie said sardonically.

“Why do you want to forget that tour?”

“Let me think about that, David Michael.  You and I were fighting all the time.  I was HUGE pregnant with Jake and Jordan.  I was having nearly debilitating nightmares of you dying and you were dreaming of having to choose between me and the kids. Finally, the last night of that tour, you got shot and we all ended up spending eight years bouncing from safe house to safe house during a Civil War that was sheer nonsense.  What about that should I want to remember?”

He laughed.  “What makes me want to remember that festival is the fact that I assumed that I was going to be making that trip alone.  Instead, you were there.”

“I seem to recall you mentioning an ex of yours that was a spy for the Establishment.  Do you remember who it was?” Dan asked.

David really gave it some thought.  “Nope, not a clue anymore.  Had you asked me all those years ago, I would have been able to tell you.”

Brie looked at her husband.  “What makes you say that?”

“I know it’s going to sound sappy and cliché, but I’ve pretty much forgotten every other woman but you.  It’s hard to hold on the unpleasant feelings and memories of past lovers when you’ve replaced them all with positive, happy ones.  Yes, I can still access the darker side of myself to write, but why write songs about love gone sour and having my heart broken when I’m married to the love of my life?”

That made her smile.  She leaned across the small space between them and kissed his cheek.  “Who said you weren’t a romantic?” she whispered in his ear.

He turned his head and gave her a kiss on the forehead.  “I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll give them an ear full should they every say this to you.”

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“Miah, what about little Mattie?” Jona asked as she fed their newborn son.  “I mean, I know I’m the new kid on the block when it comes to being a mom, but I’m sure that a heavy metal concert is no place for a newborn baby.”

“You’re right, but we should still go.  This is my father’s retirement party.”

“But what about Mattie?”

“There’s going to be a sound proof greenroom for those who have just had children.  He can be at the show and not have his little ears damaged.”

“How do you know this?”

“Dad told me.  Baby, we’re not going to be the only ones back there.  James is going to be in there with the twins, my cousin Jonathan will be in there with his wife and new baby.  We’ll have plenty of company if you’re worried about being bored.”

“I’m not worried about being bored, ‘Miah”, she said with a soft laugh.  “I just want Mattie to be safe and healthy.”

“And I want the same, love.  I told my father that we wouldn’t go because of all of the noise and Dad told me about the room.  It’s being set up for all of us that have small children that are under the age of two.”

“At least your Dad thought of something like that for everyone one of us that’s had a baby recently.”

“I don’t think that it was my Dad’s idea.”

“Who’s idea do you think it was?”

“It sounds like something Dad would have thought of and Uncle Danny or Uncle John said something first.”

“Well, whoever it was, they have my gratitude.”

“Yours and mine as well.  I can say that in all honesty.  I’m grateful that was thought of by whomever.”

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David and Brie went to bed that night after Jake called to let them know how everyone was doing.  He wanted to let them know that the plans for everyone to drive out was coming together.  It was nice to know that everything was coming along just fine.

The next day was when Brie would shoot her interview for 60 Minutes.  She was excited and nervous about having a camera in her face and not being able to lean on her husband for support.  She voice said uncertainty to him as they lay in bed that night.  “I’m nervous about my interview tomorrow”, she said in a mouse like voice.

“What has you so nervous, baby?” he asked.

 “I’m afraid to put my foot in my mouth, to be honest.”

He laughed.  “Well, I know you’re limber enough to do that, but I don’t know why you’d want to”, he joked.
She gave him a look that said, Was that supposed to be funny?.  “Really, David?  That was a poor attempt at humor.”

He chuckled a sigh.  “I know, baby.  You’re not going to put your foot in your mouth.  You’re going to do magnificently.  Don’t worry.  Just be yourself.”

“That’s my fear, I’m going to be too much myself.”

“You can’t be too much yourself.  If they don’t like you for who you are, then they can go to hell.  You’re my wife and if they don’t like you the n they can kiss your ass.”

She laughed and settled into his chest a little more.  “Your funny.”

“You know I’m right, Brie.  But, you’ll do beautifully tomorrow.  How long do they want to shoot?”

“All fucking day”, she groaned with a roll of her eyes.

“It will be fine, baby.  Just be yourself and you’ll be ok.”  Though she nodded her agreement to his statement, he could tell that she wasn’t as certain.  He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up to meet his eyes with hers.  “You trust me, don’t you?”

“Of course, I trust you.  Why wouldn’t I?”

“Then why don’t you let me help you forget about that interview for a little while?  How does that sound?”  He didn’t give her a chance to respond.  He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.  He was determined to chase the doubt from her mind.  She was one of the most confident people he knew and for her to be feeling insecure was a crime.  He was going to rectify that, even if it took him all night long.