I've Loved These Days: A Billy Joel Fanfic

Chapter 17 - You're My Home

••••
When you touch my weary head
And you tell me
Everything will be all right
You say use my body for your bed
And my love will keep you warm
Throughout the night
Well I'll never be a stranger
And I'll never be alone
Wherever we're together
That's my home
••••

Monday, June 14, 1976
Dear Diary,

Well, here goes nothing. Sandy and I are about to hop on a plane to Chicago, and all I can do is hope my plan works. Nobody knows we're coming. It took quite a bit of finagling on my part to get everything lined up without alerting Vince, Bill, or anyone else, but I was determined to make this an anniversary surprise for both of them.

I can't wait to see Bill. It's only been a few weeks since he left, but I know I won't make it the entire summer without him. The disastrous meeting with my parents has made me realize that Bill is basically the only family I have. I suppose I could try reaching out to my brother, John, but we were never close to begin with, and I haven't spoken to him in years. Is it possible to choose your own family? That can be a thing, can't it? In that case Sandy is certainly my sister. But either way, realizing that reconnecting with my parents is a lost cause has me feeling a bit alone in the world. I need to be with Bill and feel that connection we have.

xoxo,
Kat

****

I looked at Sandy in the seat next to me. "How are you feeling?"

"All right..." She took a deep breath and swallowed uncomfortably.

I reached over to gently rub her back, praying she'd make it through the cab ride without hurling. Morning sickness was no joke, and apparently flying only made it worse. No amount of ginger ale or crackers had helped earlier on the plane, and she'd ended up having to use the airsickness bag more than once. I felt horrible for Sandy, but she hadn't complained once. She was just as determined to get here as I was. Our morning had been extremely hectic, but we were finally on the last leg of the journey.

Sandy and Vince's anniversary was tomorrow. Billy's tour was in the middle of a two night stint at the Chicago Theater, and I'd been able to get us plane tickets for an 8AM flight into O'Hare this morning. Three hours in the air plus a 30 minute cab ride, and we were finally standing in front of the hotel housing Billy and his team.

We approached the check-in desk and I passed another glance at Sandy as I wrangled our two suitcases. She was looking greener by the minute.

"Good afternoon, can I help you?"

"Hi, yes," I replied. "Could you give us the room number for Vince DiNapoli?"

The receptionist flipped through the pages of her check-in roster. "DiNapoli... Ah, yes here we go. He's in room 607."

"Thank you," I smiled at her and then turned to Sandy. "Come on, let's go surprise your husband."

The elevator ride was silent and I could tell Sandy was focusing all her energy on not getting sick. We got off on the sixth floor and easily found the room we were looking for. I gave a quick knock on the door, hoping Vince was up and about. It was barely past noon, and I was well aware that the guys kept some very unusual hours while on tour.

The lock clinked and the door slowly opened. "I told you we didn't want maid serv—" Vince's voice cut out as he blinked at us. "What the...?"