Keith slammed the car door shut, and basically pushed me into the hospital. The hospital was like an endless series of white hallways; creepy, if you ask me.
It's not a very pleasant task to describe labour, so I don't think I will. But as soon as it was over, Moonie hugged me and our new baby girl. She was so precious - I just held her in my arms, tears of happiness streaming down my and Keith's faces. She was so tiny, too! (She was, after all, premature.) Our little girl! What should we name her? We had been talking about names before, but...
"Name, please," a nurse asked us.
I looked at Keith, and he gestured for me to pick out her first name. I smiled, and said that she was Magnolia.
Keith smiled, and pronounced her middle name to be Valleri (noticing a trend here?).
Last name? "Moon," I said, because I knew that one day, we'd be wed. Keith grinned. He knew it, too.
I was lying in the hospital bed, Magnolia Valleri Moon in my arms, so tiny, so pink! Keith sat next to me, holding my hand.
A nurse told us we had visitors. We told her that they could come in, and in walked Roger, Pete, and John!
We chatted for a little while, and then another nurse had to come and take newborn Magnolia into the nursery. I was a little sad, but just happy that she was okay.
Now was the time for the blood test, to see who her father was. Magnolia was B-, unlike me and like... Keith! Though I was A-, Roger was O+, so the only one who could be the father was Keith. He jumped for joy, screaming and laughing wildly until a nurse came and told him to be quiet, patients were sleeping. Roger looked relieved, and spirits were lifted.
I was so happy when I got to get out of the hospital! The food and the feeling of being cramped up were really starting to get to me. I wanted to be at home, with Moonie and Magnolia.
When we got home, I let out a huge sigh, as did Keith. Magnolia seemed to like the house, at least, as much as a one-week-old baby can.
One month later, things were still going great, and the Who had gone into the recording studio, to record various things, but not quite "Tommy" yet. It was so hard to fight the urge to break into song, singing "Christmas", my favorite song off of the album.
The time came to be March 7, and now Mag (as we had nicknamed her) had just turned two months old. That day, Keith and I had to go to the doctor's for her checkup.
The appointment was going fine, until... "She has a hole in her heart, and the only way to cure it is through surgery. It might be risky, but it's the only way we can try to save her."
I was about to burst into tears, but Keith held me.
They had to do the surgery immediately. I was crying as I was waiting. Keith held my hand, telling me, "Don' worry, 'un, it'll have to work. C'mon luv, it'll be okay, I promise." I only hoped that he was right.
About an hour later, the doctor came out and told us, "Miss Nesmith? Mr. Moon? I regretfully inform you that... Little Magnolia didn't make it. She... just passed away."
I couldn't believe it. The expression on my face must've been the same as Keith's when he found out about me and Roger. I couldn't speak. I broke down right there. The tears wouldn't stop flowing. All of everything - the waiting, wondering if it was Roger's or Keith's - for nothing? And not only that, this was my baby, my little girl full of unconditional love! I fainted.
When I woke back up, I was in my own bed. Then I remembered what had happened, and wept again. Slowly, Keith crept into our bedroom, into our bed, and held me tightly. We both cried our eyes out.
For a few weeks, Keith didn't go to record with the rest of the band, and Pete didn't throw a hissy-fit, because he knew the reason. But sometime in mid-April, both Keith and I went back to the studio.
John had taught me a few chords on the bass, and I used to play until my fingers bled, trying to relieve my emotional strain. And I know the reason why Keith's drumming was so good on "Tommy". He used his drums for the same kind of therapy that I did.
Keith decided to do a few more songs, and recorded "Girl's Eyes" a few more times. I was there when he did, and I couldn't stop from crying when I heard it. The only girl I could think of was Mag.
One thing had yet to make me feel better, and that happened on May 11th, 1968. That was the day Keith proposed to me, and gave me a beautiful diamond solitare engagement ring. I didn't actually care what type of ring it was; it was Keith's, that's all that mattered.
We planned, set the date, and everything. My heart raced every time I thought of October 22nd. I couldn't wait.
My eagerness was so incredible that time seemed to fly. Before I knew it, October 9th was here, John's birthday. He had a happy birthday, and the guys really started to record the album now. It was astounding to sit in on these sessions, listening to Roger's painful "See Me, Feel Me" throughout a dozen takes.
October 22nd came, and all I could remember were the smiles on everyone's faces, and my dress. Oh, my dress! I loved every lacy and powder-white detail, right down to its long and luxurious hem. My pearl, teardrop-shaped earrings were really accented by my firery hair. I wiped a tear from my eye as I remembered that none of my family could attend; I hadn't even been born yet, technically.
All thoughts cleared my mind as I said, "I do." We kissed, and everyone cheered.
Keith and I were showered in rice, but as we went into the car and drove back to the house, we knew we didn't have time for a honeymoon. So there wasn't going to be one. However, I didn't care, being content with knowing that I was Mrs. Moon, and Keith was my own.
We kissed again. I sighed. My escape route from time was finished. I was here to stay.
Maybe one day there would be a baby Moon for us, for the world. For now, we had each other. And that was all that mattered.