It was a month later. Charlie is packing up his guitar and looks over his shoulder. "You coming?" Charlie asks. Claire's voice comes from the bedroom as she replies, "I'm coming." Claire comes out of the room, hopping as she slips her shoes on. Charlie laughs, standing and grabbing his guitar case. He holds hands with Claire and they walk out of the apartment flat and to his car. Charlie drives through town, tapping the wheel excitedly. Claire smiles at him, patting his shoulder encouragingly. Charlie casts her a nervous smile before pulling into a small club's parking lot. He clambers out, grabbing his guitar case. Claire joins him and heads to the back entrance with him. He flashes the security a badge of identification before they were allowed to enter. Claire watches him set up his guitar and amplifyer with Liam and the band. Charlie grins back at her. This wasn't the band's first gig, but it was their most important thus far.
Claire walks up to Charlie, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to be watching over here," she tells him, pointing to the backstage area to the right.
"M'kay," he hums, kissing her lips lightly.
Claire scurries off stage and watches the band chit-chat anxiously. The spotlight suddenly shone on them and they all looked at each other with smiles. Liam pressed his lips to the mic, yelling, "Hello, Sydney!" A round of excited cheers and claps follow his greeting. After the clapping becomes less loud, Charlie and his bandmates begin their first song. The music is loud and intense. The fans don't know any of the songs at first, but by the time DriveSHAFT gets to the second chorus of each song, the crowd is singing along. Charlie and Liam are jumping around stage, giddy with excitement. Charlie and Liam sing into the microphones and Claire cheers from the sidelines. Then, after the fifth song, Charlie walks to the side of the stage and grabs an acoustic guitar and a barstool. He pulls it up to the main mic and Liam falls into the backup spot Charlie had once occupied. Charlie pulls the guitar's strap over his shoulder and sits on the barstool. He smiles nervously, leaning forward to speak into the mic.
"This song is called 'Claire.' I wrote it for the most amazing girl I know." Charlie tells the crowd.
A chorus of "aawwws" follow his introduction. Charlie blushes, glancing over at Claire briefly before strumming out the song. Liam backs up his brother and they maintain perfect harmony as the audience sways to the love song. Charlie plucks the guitar strings, putting his lips to the mic and swooning to the audience. He casts Claire a few sideways glances throughout the performance, smiling a little more each time he did so. Claire sings along, swaying like many of the audience members. She feels tears well up in her eyes and cheers along with everyone as the final chords are plucked and the final note has been sung.
DriveSHAFT played one more song before their gig was over. They left the stage with waves, looking like rock stars. Claire wraps her arms around Charlie in a hug as he exits the stage. He hugs her back and squeezes her tightly. "I'm gonna get everything loaded up, then, we'll go home. Okay?" he asks her.
"Okay," Claire smiles, kissing his cheek.
The drive home, Claire falls asleep, leaning against the window. Charlie parks the car before grabbing his guitar case from the backseat. He walks over to Claire's door and gently opens it. This startles Claire from her sleep. Her eyes blink open slowly. "Hmm?" she asks, yawning widely. Charlie laughs, telling her that they were home now. Claire nods and sleepily fumbles to unbuckle. Charlie supports her as she groggily walks with him to their flat. Charlie lays her in their bed before putting away his guitar. He takes a quick shower before slipping into bed himself. Claire takes her shower next and once she is done and in her nightgown, she flops onto the bed and instantly falls asleep.
Charlie falls asleep soon after. His dreams transport him to another place and time. He looks around, seeing that he is riding in the back of a school bus. He furrows his brow, looking at all the seats filled with still, silent children. Charlie waves his hand at one sandy-haired boy. He looks at Charlie with empty eyes and a blank expression. Charlie jumps, startled by the child's reaction. Or lack of reaction. Charlie walks shakily to the front of the bus as it swerves and sharply turns down crooked roadways. The busdriver was an man in his forties. His bald head was covered by a brown baseball cap displaying an image of a sunny beach with swaying palm trees. The man turned and looked at Charlie with glassy eyes. Charlie startles, tripping backwards out of the bus. The driver looks at him with a blank face. Then, his lips part.
"You didn't save him." the driver says before closing the bus doors.
Charlie stands and looks as the bus as it sits idle on the side of the road. The children are staring blankly out the window; their eyes are glazed over like the driver's. Their eyes seem dead. Then, Charlie spots the sandy-haired boy. Charlie looks at him as the bus slowly pulls away. The boy's jaw drops open and his head swivels from side to side as a horrifying scream echoes from his chapped lips.
Charlie shoots up in bed in a cold sweat. His heart is racing. He puts a hand to his head, brushing the hair from his damp forehead. He looks over at Claire who is still asleep before laying back down. He releases a breath and a shudder before curling up and-- with difficulty-- falls back asleep.
Claire wakes up at six a.m. Her stomach is rolling and she feels vomit rising quickly in her throat. She races to the bathroom, clumsy from grogginess. She leans over the toilet annd begins puking her guts out. Charlie's shuffling footsteps are heard as she breathes heavily, coughing. "Oh, bloody..." she hears him mutter before she grips her stomach again. Charlie hurries over and sweeps her hair up in his hands, attempting to help her in any way. Once Claire feels her puking is over, she leans back. Charlie helps her stand. She heads over to the sink and thoroughly brushes her teeth, ridding herself of the sick.
When she finishes, Charlie asks, "What happened?"
"I dunno... I just woke up." Claire mutters hoarsley.
"Oh... Well, maybe it was that fast food place we ate at before the show? That Gomez place, yeah?" Charlie guesses, shrugging his shoulders.
"I guess that's it..." Claire agrees.
"We're never eating there again." Charlie vows, looking intense.
"Why aren'y you sick?"
"I don't really get sick easy, I guess. Iron stomach." Charlie jokes, pointing to his stomach.
Claire weakly laughs, heading into the bedroom to get dressed.
One week later, Claire is still sick. She hears Charlie knock on the bathroom door weakly. "Is it normal for food poisoning to last this long?" his voice is muffled from the door between them.
"I don't know," Claire moans, standing and brushing her teeth.
She opens the door to see Charlie standing there, brows knitted with worry. She hugs him tightly. "Hey, don't worry. I'll be fine." she soothes.
"Really?" he asks.
"Yeah... I'm, uh, going to the store to get some stuff. Okay?" she asks, grabbing the keys to their car.
"Oh, alright... Remember to pick up some milk?"
"Alright, love you." Claire calls as she slips on a pair of shoes that match her outfit.
"Love you, too." Charlie responds.
Claire drives to the nearest conveneince store. She gets a small, hand-held basket before going to the dairy immediately. She sets a gallon of milk into her basket. Then, she headed to a specific isle. She grabs a small, purple box, dropping it into her basket nonchalantly. She checks out before clambering into the car. In the seat next to her was a bag. In that bag was a carton of milk... and a pregnancy test.