Mike did come home, hours later. It was already 2pm when he came in through the door. They tried to talk to him or apologize, but all he did was grab his bag and head out the door again. He didn't so much as look at the other band members.
"You think Mike's still mad at me?" Davy asked quietly.
"I don't know, maybe he was just in a hurry or something?" Micky asked. "He said he was going out tonight so he might just needed to leave." Davy sighed.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Davy said then sat down on the couch and picked up a magazine.
"What time do we have to go for the gig?" Peter asked and Micky checked his watch.
"Well, we'll have to go there and set up and stuff. We're supposed to play a few numbers before the contest so that'll be at about 5:30-5:45 ish. So we don't have to leave until about 4, I think."
"Okay," Peter sighed, staring out the window.
"I hate this." Micky said. Peter looked at him as Davy lowered the magazine he was reading to look at his as well.
"Hate what?" Davy asked.
"Hate the waiting for a gig. It drives me crazy, I get nervous energy." Micky said.
"Here," Davy said, tossing the magazine to him "read this."
"What is it?" Micky asked, picking it up with interest.
"One of Mike's car magazines," Davy answered "how he can spend hours reading that I have no clue." Micky laughed.
"This is acutely mine." He said "and it's old." He tossed it aside.
"You like car magazines?" Peter asked, genuinely curious. "I didn't think you cared much about cars."
"Yeah, well, it's mine." Micky sighed, tapping his foot nervously.
"I'm sorry," Peter looked down, thinking he had offended Micky. "I was just asking."
"It's okay Peter," Micky said smiling "me and Mike both like cars so it was a logical assumption to think it was Mikes."
"Okay," Peter nodded and smiled, turning his gaze back out the window.
"I hope Mike's okay," he said after a while. Davy sighed.
"Me too."
"I'm sure he is," Micky offered. "He sometimes just needs to blow off steam every now and then. I think he'll be back in time for the gig tonight."
"But what if he's not?" Peter asked with big worried eyes.
"Well…then it'll be okay, Peter. Let's not worry about that now." Micky said.
"Okay," Peter whispered.
"Do you know if Mike took the car?" Davy asked.
Micky went over and peeked out the window.
"Nope, the car's still here," he muttered with a sigh.
"Well, that's good at least," Davy said "we can pack our instruments into it."
"Yeah, I guess," Micky sighed, looking down. "We won't be leaving for another few hours though. You wanna do something in the meantime?"
"Like what?" Peter asked.
"I don't know, I spy?" Micky suggested.
Davy shrugged. It would pass the time, after all.
"I'll start," Peter smiled, looking around the room. "I spy with my little eye…Mike!"
"Peter, that's not how you play it!" Davy said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No, look!" He said, pointing out the window. Mike was out there, making his way toward the door through the balcony. They watched as he made his way up the steps and knocked on the door. Peter hurried to answer it.
"Mike!" He said as he threw the door open and Mike stumbled in.
"Hey Pete." He smiled and accepted the hug the blond gave him and made his way over to the couch to pull his boots off.
"Why did you knock?" Micky asked.
"Didn't think I'd be welcomed back." Mike answered as he rubbed one of his feet.
"What?" Davy said "why, because you and I got into an argument?" Mike shrugged.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Davy said.
"So my teachers at school said." Mike answered, giving him a quick smile and started rubbing his other foot.
"Do your feet hurt Mike?" Peter asked.
"No Pete, I'm just rubbing them because I can." Mike quipped.
"What did you do to them?" Micky asked.
"Nothing too bad." Mike answered "I've just been on them for too long."
"Oh okay," Peter said quietly.
"Where'd you go?" Micky asked with a frown. Mike sighed.
"Just out," he shrugged, not looking at any of them. "Needed to clear my head."
"I was worried you weren't coming back, Mike," Peter said sadly, becoming choked up. "I was worried that…that we upset you so much…a-and that you were…"
"Oh, Peter," Mike said, wrapping his arm around him. "I'm not gonna leave y'all. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. Which I don't. I was just frustrated, that's all."
"Sorry about earlier, Mike," Davy said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to upset you so much."
"It's okay Davy," Mike said "I shouldn't be getting upset with you guys either. You're just doing what friends do. I promise though if you don't understand after the gig tonight I'll explain it."
"Pinky promise?" Peter asked holding up his pinky.
"Pinky promise." Mike said locking pinkies with Peter then giving his hand three squeezes.
"Good," Peter said smiling, "I don't like worrying about you."
"Yeah," Mike laughed, "now you know how I feel on a daily basis."
"Hey, Mike," Micky said. "We don't have to leave for the gig until about four. Do you wanna practice or rest?"
"Can I practice resting?" Mike asked, smiling slightly.
"How do you do that?" Peter asked.
"Like this." Mike said as he laid down on the couch and closed his eyes.
"I guess he wants to rest." Davy said laughing.
"You would to if you got up at 5AM." Mike said his eyes closed.
"You got up at 5?" Peter frowned. Mike seemed like he was in a good mood earlier in the morning. He would've never guessed that Mike hadn't slept great. "Why were you up at 5?"
"I don't know. I couldn't sleep any more. So I got up, went for a walk, got the paper, did this that and the other thing, came home and made supper."
"Supper?" Davy said.
"Breakfast, I mean breakfast." Mike said as Davy and Micky laughed.
"Shut up you two." Mike said as he yawned and rolled his shoulder again, wrinkling his nose.
"Is your shoulder bugging you?" Peter asked.
"A bit." Mike muttered.
"Better or worse than this morning?"
"Hmm, better," Mike sighed. "But it's fine, really."
"Okay," Peter said in a whisper. "You'd tell us if it stopped being fine, right?"
Mike let out a groan as he closed his eyes again.
"Yes Pete, I'd tell you if it got worse." Mike growled through gritted teeth.
"Okay," Peter said "sorry. I just-"
"It's okay Peter, I'm just on edge right now." Mike said "I have a lot on my mind."
"Like what?" Micky asked, knowing from experience that sometimes the best way to get Mike to let something slip was to get him half a sleep.
"Just things, this contest, the band, how I'm going to pull this whole thing off." Mike answered.
"Pull what thing off?" Davy asked, exchanging a look with Micky. Mike smiled.
"I may be tired, but I'm not that tired yet Davy." Mike answered.
"Damn it." Micky sighed.
"Micky!" Peter said, looking at the drummer in shock.
"Oh, someone has to put a quarter in the swear jar." Davy teased.
"When did we get a swear jar?" Mike asked.
"About five seconds ago." Davy answered.
"Hmm." Mike answered wrinkling his nose again as he moved his shoulder.
"You sure you're alright?" Peter asked Mike who only nodded in response. Peter nodded and then knelt down next to the Texan.
"Roll over so you're on your stomach." The blond said.
"Why?" Mike asked, opening one eye and looking at Peter.
"Just do it Mike. Please." Peter asked. Mike sighed and did as Peter asked.
"Okay, now you tell me if I'm hurting you or making you uncomfortable okay?" Peter said. Mike grunted in response and Peter hesitated for a second or two before gently rubbing Mike's shoulders.
"Am I hurting you?" Peter asked when Mike jumped a little at the contact.
"No." Mike said.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He asked.
"No…it feels weird, but not uncomfortable. At least, not my shoulders." Mike said.
Peter nodded.
"What are you doing?" Davy asked. Peter smiled.
"When my brother was in cross country he fell one day at a meet and bruised his shoulder," Peter said "he had to go to physical therapy for it and the doctor said that a massage would help loosen the muscles on the shoulder after his exercises he had to do."
Mike nodded, at least as much as he could in the position he was in, as Peter went back to massaging his shoulder. It did seem to help, even if it was just a little.
"Are you okay Mike?" Peter asked.
"Hmm hmm." Mike said then hissed as Peter hit a tender spot.
"Sorry," Peter said and gently poked it "your muscles are really tight here."
"Yeah, I can feel it!" He exclaimed angrily. Peter knew it wasn't an attack on him, Mike was just in pain.
"Sorry," he said again and gently went over it "how's this?"
"That…that's okay." Mike said.
"Okay, good." Peter said and he continued to gently massage Mike's shoulders. Soon he looked down and let out a soft chuckle.
"What?" Micky asked, looking up from the checker game he and Davy started.
"Mike's asleep." Peter said, getting up.
"Aww," Davy cooed, looking at him.
"We should let him rest," Micky whispered to the other two. "If he's not awake by 3:30, we can wake him up."
Davy and Peter nodded in unison and went about their business quietly, as to not wake up Mike.