Carter woke up in her own bed the next morning, remembering what had happened the day before. Had she actually cried in front of Taylor? Did she actually kiss Zac? Like... a real... this means business, kiss kiss? She shook her head from side to side and then moaned, feeling the pains of a headache. She yawned and rolled over slowly to the side, purposely falling out of the bed. She knew she was too tired to stand up. She hit the floor with a thud and yanked the blanket down with her.
"Do you mind? Some people are trying to sleep."
Carter groggily looked up at her sisters bed. "What the hell are you doing there?"
"It's my room too." Melissa shrugged. "Besides, I heard a bat last night."
"Whatever." Carter mumbled and threw her blanket back onto the bed.
"What's your problem?"
"I don't feel good. And... I can't get up." Carter grabbed the rail on her bed and pulled, trying to cause herself to instantly rise to her feet. Her hand slipped off the metal rail and her chin slammed into the bedframe. "Damn bed."
Melissa laughed.
"Shut up." She mumbled and walked on her knees over to her dresser. She grabbed a pair of black capri pants and a white tanktop. She threw them on as fast as possible and ran her brush through her hair. Then she ran out of the room, holding her chin, and went out the balcony door.
Carter pushed open Taylor's bedroom door and tried not to look at him as he stared up at her from his bed. "Hey." He whispered politely.
"Don't talk to me." Carter muttered and hastily walked out of his room and down the hallway to Zac's room.
He was sleeping on his stomach with his arm spread across the side of the bed. Carter smiled and laid down next to him. She grabbed his arm and put it over her stomach, cuddling up close to him.
Zac wimpered quietly and opened his eyes. He smiled his normal wide smile. "Hi."
"Hi." Carter yawned.
"What happened to your chin?" He asked, touching it lightly with his finger.
"Don't ask."
"Are you gonna sing tonight?"
"I dunno."
"I don't want you too."
"Why?"
Zac pulled her closer. "Because your sick. And.. I just don't want you too."
"Oh."
"Cause you're supposed to take care of me remember?"
Carter laughed. "Me take care of you?"
"Yeah." Zac closed his eyes. "I see a specialist this afternoon. A rheumatologist. He's going to poke me in weird places and tell me that I have fibromyalgia."
"What's the point of that if there's no cure?"
"Just so that he can tell us for sure and give my mom a real reason to worry about me. And it gives me a reason to be lazy."
Carter smiled. "You've never needed an excuse to be lazy before."
"So are you gonna sing tonight?"
"No I'm gonna go with you to the rheumy guy. You need moral support."
Zac smiled. "I need you."
"No you don't. You just need me to take care of you and bring you food when you're legs hurt too much to go and get it yourself."
Zac laughed. "What time is it?"
"I think... it was 11:00 when I got out of bed. What time's your rheumy gonna poke you in weird places?"
"Uhm... noon. I think."
Carter grabbed Zac's arm. "Well come on then. You gotta get out of bed and get ready! Lazy ass."
Zac laughed and rolled out of his bed.
When they got the to rheumatologist, the doctor invited them into his "check-up" room, as Zac called it. He looked at Zac's mom and smiled and then look at Carter. "You're ... staying too?"
"Yeah. Moral support. Is that allowed?" Carter grinned.
Zac laughed. He loved her attitude.
"You can stay if you'd like. But you might get bored. That is if Zac doesn't mind."
Zac shook his head. "She can stay. That's why I brought her."
The doctor nodded and told Zac to lay down on the little padded cot. Zac did so and closed his eyes. "This is pretty comfy."
The doctor told Zac to sit up. "Geez. Make up your mind."
"Ok I'm gonna test your reflexes now."
Carter smiled. "You don't have to do that. Zac has great reflexes. If you punch him, he punches you back."
The doctor smiled, obviously annoyed, and tapped Zac in the knee with his little metal thing. Zac's knee flew up and kicked the doctor in the crotch.
"OW! Ok... uhm... reflexes are fine."
Carter laughed. "Duh."
"Ok now lay down."
Zac groaned and laid back down on his back. "Now what?"
"Now tell me if I poke a sore spot. Ok?"
"Okie Dokie Dookie."
The doctor took his index finger and jabbed it into Zac's left leg. "OW! Ok that hurt." His right leg. "OW! Ok doc.. what exactly are we trying to accomplish here?" His hip. "YOW! Ok you can stop now. Can I go?" His upper arm. "DAMN YOU! KNOCK IT OFF!"
"ZACHARY!" Diana snapped from her corner of the room.
"It's ok, Zac's mom." Carter always called her that, ever since she knew her. "He swears more than you know. 'Damn you knock it off' is actually one of his nicer phrases."
Diana shook her head. She seemed too exhausted to handle Carter and Zac in the same day. They were quite the handful.
The doctor pushed his finger into the soft spot between his shoulder blade and neck. "OUCH! OK YOU STINKIN MOTHER FU...."
The doctor stared at him in shock. "That hurt?"
"Uhm. Yeah. Very much."
The doctor nodded and smiled. "Well Diana. I'm going to subscribe some pain killers and a muscle relaxant. Is he sensitive to medication?"
"Yes. He falls asleep when he takes advil."
"I see. Well I'm going to give them to him anyway."
Carter growled at him. "Great. So this will be like the time his doctor tried to kill him with migraine medicine right?"
Diana sighed. "Carter, I'm sure he knows what he's doing."
"Yeah. Ok. That college degree on the wall says it all. Stanford. That a good school?"
"The best there is." The doctor smiled.
"Just don't kill my friend with your shitty prescriptions."
The doctor shook his head slowly, he was more exhausted than Diana, and he'd only known Zac and Carter for 15 minutes.
Zac sat up. "Are we done now, or do you wanna jab me with a fork and see if I scream?"
The doctor finished filling out a paper and handed it to Diana. "I'm sure if there are any more problems, his regular doctor should be able to help."
"I'm sure." Diana smiled and shook his hand, giving him an 'I'm so sorry' look.
Zac hopped off of the cot and shook the doctor's hand. "See ya soon."
"Mmmhmm." The doctor sighed and took his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Ok mom. Ready to take us out to lunch now? I'm up for some pizza hut. How about you Carter?" Zac put his arm around Carter's shoulders.
"Why, I'm so glad you asked. Let's go. Oh, you can come too, Zac's mom, you have the money." She smiled, putting her arm around Zac's waist.
"Hmm." Diana sighed. She couldn't figure out what seemed different about Carter and Zac today.