Chapter Text
David audibly let out his held breath. "I wanna at least be there when my daughter's born. I understand if you hate me, but I was present when my other child was born to my wife, and I want to see her. Please, Rosette. Please," he pleaded. He couldn't believe he was begging, but there it was.
"Hrm," Robbi grunted. "And what does James dear have to say about it?"
"He's not upset you're having my kid, he's upset at being ignored and left out of everything. Don't you see how much he loves you? All you have to do, even now, is say the word, and he'd leave my cliff mansion in a heartbeat and run off to Morocco or wherever with you and raise Jessie like she was his. I'm not even jealous, and I'm not stupid, Robbi, even though everyone thinks I am. I know how things are."
"There's nothing for Jimmy to be left out of, and there hasn't been for years," Robbi spat. "And you should be pleased to know that I won't say the word, and I'd fucking DIE before I'd touch either of you again."
"Rob, darling, it's whatever. But I'm gonna be there for my daughter's birth." For the first time she could remember, there was steel in the undertone. He didn't care that she could and probably would break him in half, he was determined.
Robbi sighed wearily. Jessie had leached all the nutrients and energy the past week from her very bones, it felt like. A veteran at pregnancies and motherhood, she knew her girl would be making an appearance in the world quite soon, within a week or two, she guessed. The baby was energetic and growing more restless, and Robbi felt like she couldn't eat or sleep enough to be comfortable.
"Fine, David, if you insist. I really don't have the heart to keep a child from their father, even if it is you, ya cunt."
"Robbi," David began, then paused. At last he forged ahead. "I've loved you both for so many years now. You know this, you know it, don't you, darling?"
"I never loved you," Robbi snarled brutally, knowing how cruel she was being. "I never even liked you that much, you pretentious, backstabbing twat. I should've left you in that alley. Have fun fucking my ex."
"That's low, Rosie, even for you," he choked out. "This isn't you, it's not who you are. Or maybe it is, and I was too besotted and starstruck to see." The man's rolling baritone shook in hurt and anger.
Click.
David was the one to slam the phone down this time.
Robbi turned her head to find a pajama-clad Barb standing in the doorway chewing on a bagel and staring at her in shock and disgust. Barb had witnessed Rosette at her best and worst over the years, but she had never seen the singer be that vicious before. "Wow. The fuck, Rob?"
"Don't," the pregnant woman warned.
"Robbi, that was plain hard meanness."
"He brings all this out of me!" huffed Robbi in her defense. "I'm the fucking victim here, remember? A soon to be middle-aged single mom?"
"I'm hoping this is mostly pregnancy hormones, 'cause if not, I'm very disappointed in you," the redhead went on, finishing her bagel.
Robbi paused, mulling over the heated phone exchange. Maybe what she said was a dick asshole thing to say, but sweet baby Jesus the pair of idiots she'd been fucking were on a whole new level of audacity.
Then she felt as if she was being stabbed right through the middle. "Oh. Oh!"
"Robbi?" asked Barb in concern as the singer began hyperventilating. "Is it the baby?"
"Bleeding hell, she's coming!" Cried Robbi.
Barb had her hands full rousing Phil and getting someone to phone an ambulance while trying to get a nightgown on Robbi and telling Mina to calm down, as the diminutive drummer was running around in circles like a hyperactive wind-up toy. Somehow the rescue squad got the distressed blonde to the nearest hospital, where Jessie Leigh had decided with a vengeance that she was coming, ready or not.
Unbeknownst to Robbi, Barb had notified Jimmy and David, who pretty much sprinted there.
Robbi had been lucky with her three previous children; her pregnancy and labour had been fairly easy. She was young, strong, and had been happy and in good spirits. This time, though, she was much older and in turmoil, under a lot of stress. This child was much larger, as well, weighing more than her other siblings.
Robbi felt tremendous pain this time, felt as if the child was being wrenched from her, like she was being split in two. Was this a punishment for being so cruel to David? Did she do this to herself with her physical exertions and mental trauma? For the first time during labour, she was truly frightened.
Some time later…
"Congratulations, Mr. Coverdale, it's a girl!" Beamed a nurse, who handed the squirming bundle to the expectant father. All ten pounds of her, in fact. Barb joked that the kid was so large she was already ready for college by next week. David looked down to see an alert face gazing back up at him. A fluff of thick, dark hair like his natural hair crowned Jessie's round little head, and big round eyes, Robbi's eyes, greeted him. "Oh, darling," he cooed at her. "You're so beautiful! Yes, you are, you are," he crooned.
She smiled a lopsided, tiny grin at him. He turned to Jimmy, whose face wore an expression of love, excitement, and pain all at once. And yet, when he beheld Jessie, it seemed it was how things should be, and his face brightened. "She's--she's like the both of you," he blurted out.
"Yeah," David chuckled. "She is."
Robbi opened bleary eyes, stirred, finally came more to herself. They took Jessie Leigh Plant by c-section, it came back to her at last. She had birthed her other healthy, bouncing babies naturally, and all without even much pain, but Jessie had to be different, and difficult, it seems. Then she realised Jimmy and David were standing over her, and the Whitesnake singer pushed their daughter into her arms. "Roblove," he murmured. "She's perfect."
With practiced ease she cradled the infant to her tired, sore body and scanned her all over: healthy, fat even, baby; no marks, nothing wrong with her. Curly mop of dark auburn curls and wide mouth, and her own blue eyes. "She is. Look, she has your eyebrows, David."
"And your goofy grin already. She's such a happy baby," David responded warmly, his eyes full of love for mother and child.
Robbi felt a slender hand on her arm and glanced up to find Jimmy hovering over her, then he bent and kissed her cheek. "I worried for you," he admitted while their heads were close together. "I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. I..I miss you, love," he muttered in her ear, then stood and straightened.
"Jim, I hope your album does well," Robbi told him, with kindness in her tone this time. "I hope everything works out for the both of you, I really mean it." It was as much as she was willing to concede at the moment, but it made the two men smile. She balanced the infant with one arm and took hold of Jimmy's hand with her free one.
Both pairs of eyes widened with preternatural shock. They both saw in their minds themselves playing together, but it was far in the future--Jimmy with white hair and Robbi wrinkled and majestic, on a stage with Jonesy, playing Zeppelin songs. They saw themselves, old and bent, holding hands and watching their huge extended family, their descendants, gathered around the old couple talking and laughing. When she dropped her hand, the images ceased, but both parties appeared shocked and silent.
"Is--is everything all right?" Wondered David, confused. "Should I summon a nurse?"
"No," answered Robbi, and looked at him, but not with anger, but with new clarity. "No, I think everything will be all right."