Love Me Tender (W. Axl Rose) (Izzy Stradlin)

Chapter Eleven

Keeping the front door locked and of course a wooden chair to keep it locked in place, Axl and I helped clean up Izzy's apartment. Whoever hurt Izzy and tore the place apart was surely after something, like a blood thirst. Izzy's words kept repeating over in my head, just like I was trying to comprehend the meaning behind it all.

'I-I was ready to go when some 'friends' paid me an unwanted visit. They beat me and tore the place apart.'

Izzy was mostly fine, bruises here and there but he was alright. A bit sore really. Izzy was still showering while we at least fixed up the place, to make it a bit more reasonable.

"You know, I'm more use to tearing places apart. Not cleaning and fixing 'em up." Axl jokes, throwing the pillow to one side and picking up the ruined guitar. "Than to also be cleaning someone else's place!" Axl's eyes trail to the broken guitar, moments later he approached it. "Poor thing didn't live such a long meaningful life." He carefully carries the guitar over to the bench and lays it there. It looked like he was saying goodbye to someone special who he knew, that had passed away. It was sweet, for a musician to do such a thing. It was kind of weird also.

"How's little Nath doing? He okay?" Axl spun on his heels and gazed towards the lounge. He was pretty much strapped into his pram. I didn't want him wandering around and cutting himself on something, or worse, swallowing something he may choke on. That was definitely always a mothers fear, I had learnt that myself.

"He's fine, see for yourself." I reply, pointing to Nathaniel. Axl's grin grew as he approached his own son, he adored him from the looks. Way to make everything harder for me, Axl.

Hearing a noise, I glanced over my shoulder to see Izzy walk through the bathroom door in a pair of tight blue jeans and a black skin tight shirt. Reminded of the shirt he wore for the Sweet Child O'Mine music video. For all I knew, it probably was the same shirt.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, this had soon caused Axl to look up from admiring Nathaniel. I'm surprised anything could take his attention away from Nathaniel. Within the couple of days that Axl re-met myself, he was always all over Nathaniel and flirtatious towards me. Nathaniel was the band member-magnet. Like a chick-magnet to the band members.

"I've been better, but I'm alright." Izzy's eyes flickered from me to Axl behind, a smirk plastered across his lips as if he knew something. "You told him, eh?" Izzy looked pleased, too pleased actually.

"What?" I breathe, unsure of what he was talking about. But soon after that's when it hit me, I had slightly began to panic once I heard Axl speak.

"Told me what?" Axl left Nathaniel's side and walked towards us. He was mostly standing to one side, next to Izzy and myself.

"What?! You didn't tell him Ethel?" Izzy raised his voice in frustration.

"No I didn't! And now you've opened your big mouth about it!" I roused at Izzy. It wasn't up to him to tell me or even force me to tell Axl about what Nathaniel was to him. It was my choice if I was to tell him or not. I was the mother of Nathaniel, he was my son. But seeming that Izzy had to open his mouth about it, I had no choice but to tell him.

"What is going on?! Tell me what?" Axl's tone of voice changed as he glared expectantly at Izzy and myself.

"Christ, just tell the guy. I think he's been kept in the dark about it for a while." Izzy points at Axl and crosses his arms, simply staring at me.

"Izzy it's not as easy to admit something like that!" I could feel Axl staring at me alongside Izzy. The more this continued on, the more flustered and frustrated I got.

"Yes it is! Axl, you and Ethel met back in '88 in Sydney after the concert. We all left and you were the only one there with Alan when Ethel turned up. You walked her to her car and of course you two fucked. She was knocked up after that and gave birth to Nathaniel. That little guy over there in the pram is your son. Was that so hard?" He grinds his teeth and stares at me. I could feel the anger rise in me, he had no right to tell Axl such a thing. Unable to stop myself, I swiftly smacked my palm across Izzy's cheek.