Angel Standing By
Chapter 16
Aaron was barely able to make eye contact with any of them. A good night's sleep had not removed the guilt this ten-year-old was feeling. He knew that listening in on Nick and Claire's conversation had been wrong, and judging by the looks on their faces they knew he had done it. I'm so sorry!" Aaron bursted into tears as he ran to give Nick a hug.
"Hey, buddy, it's okay," Nick said compassionately. "You just have to do me one favor."
"What's that?" Aaron asked while wiping the tears from his eyes.
"Promise me that you won't tell anyone else about what you heard. It's important that Claire and I tell people, especially mom and dad."
Aaron glanced at Claire and then back at Nick. "Are ya gonna marry her?" His grin was getting bigger and bigger by the second.
"Hmmm, you think I should?" Nick asked, smiling mischievously.
"Yea, I'd like to have her as a sister!"
"Then you got it!"
Aaron ran over to Claire in full force and flung his arms around her waist. "Whoa kiddo, be careful," warned Nick.
"It's okay, Nick. He's not gonna hurt anything," she said in mid-laughter.
"So, when are ya gonna tell the guys?" Brian asked.
"Well, we should tell them soon." Claire was about to protest, but Nick continued on. "This is gonna affect all of them. I'm gonna need to arrange my schedules differently now and prioritize."
Claire felt awful. She had never intended on messing things up for BSB. In all actuality, the way this whole thing was turning out was the opposite of what she expected. Teen heart-throbs weren't suppose to be daddies. He was handling this remarkably better than any other guy would've......especially a guy with the career that Nick had. Just then, a knock at the door.
They all became quiet. "Come on guys, we know you're in there!" Howie's playful voiced chimed from outside the door. Claire glanced at the clock. 8:00. Where had the time gone?
Nick eyed Claire and stood up, taking small steps towards her. "No better time than the present." She gave him a frightened look, but knew that he was right.
"Okay," sighed Claire. "Let's do it." She grabbed on to Nick's outstretched hand and they walked toward the door while Aaron took a seat in Brian's available lap.
"Hey there guys!" Nick was sounding almost way too cheerful. The smiles on both his and Claire's faces were plastered on. They both knew that AJ, Kevin, and Howie could all read into this. The three knew something was wrong, but they weren't sure what it was. "Come on in. We were needin' to talk anyways!"
They entered the room, almost frightened of what they were about to hear. "What's on your minds?" questioned Kevin.
Nick suddenly got a lump in his throat. He stared at Claire and began to feel awful about getting her in this situation. 'Well, Nick, you weren't the only one in that bed......but you didn't make any attempt to use protection since the first time either,' Nick began thinking to himself. He looked in Brian's direction.
"Hey, I'm behind ya, bro!" he said with a grin. It was almost as if Brian could hear the cries for help that were going on in his head.
"Okay," he was regaining his confidence slowly but surely. "Umm....uh, okay, well....you see, we have a situation."
"Huh?" the three said in unison.
"Just let me talk," Nick said impatiently. "You see," Nick looked back at Claire and all nervousness faded. Her smile was all that he needed to take any fear or pain away. "Claire and I are going to......well, we're gonna be parents."
The room was silent. None of the three knew what to say. "Guys? Are ya gonna talk?" Claire was becoming uncomfortable in the silence, but couldn't have expected them to act differently. She felt almost compelled to stare at AJ, just to see his personal reaction. His face was practically blank, but it soon changed and became filled with anger, almost rage.
Well, I'm so glad that the two of you had so much fun playing house, but now that the damage is done, what's Nick gonna do about the freakin' band?!?!?!" AJ couldn't believe what he had just said. He knew it was stupid, but he needed something to cover up the deeper emotions he was feeling.
"What? You think that we enjoy having to do this?" Claire was blown away by his comment.
"Come on guys. There's no need to argue." Howie was doing his best at trying to keep the peace.
AJ felt the anger building to a boiling point. He stood up. "Ya know, I wish I would've known about your nympho tendencies before I even invited you to Germany last year! We wouldn't be in this damn situation right now!"
Claire was now pissed beyond belief. How could he? Not even thinking and without paying attention to the fact that Nick was about to defend her honor, she flew forward and socked him one right in the nose. As Claire looked over him on the floor, AJ quickly stood back up. "You bitch!" He went to push her down, but Nick flung himself in between them, knocking AJ back down on the floor, but in the process of Nick stepping between them Claire lost her balance as she stepped back and fell face forward.
"Oh shit!" Brian yelled as he quickly got up to aid Claire. Nick was so caught up in kicking AJ's ass that he hadn't even noticed Claire had lost her balance. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"
"My ankle, but that's only because I twisted it when I fell."
Nick and AJ were making such a racket that Mr. Carter and Mrs. McLean soon entered that room. Claire and Brian looked up, realizing that Nick had forgotten to lock the door.
"What in the hell is going on in here?!?!?"
"AJ! Nick! Stop that!" Mrs. McLean quickly stepped over to the boys. Kevin was finally able to peel Nick off of AJ. Mrs. McLean had to hold AJ back. "What on earth compelled you to start this?" she demanded. Everyone was quiet. "And what on earth happened to poor Claire? Who's responsible for knocking her down?"
"Poor Claire?!?!" Huffed AJ. "Yeah, poor Claire! Hey, poor Claire, care to inform everyone what this was all about? Then they'll all be able to call you poor, stupid Claire!" AJ was yelling by this time. Kevin had to restrain Nick from starting the whole fight again.
Claire laid there on the floor, shaking from everything that had just happened. Nick broke out of Kevin's hold and rushed over to Claire, embracing her. She began crying quietly. "Shhh, it's okay honey," Nick whispered as he held her and ran his fingers through her hair.
"Nickolas Gene Carter! Mrs. McLean asked you a question! What in the hell was going on here?"
"Yea Nick, tell them what was going on!" AJ's smug look and tone of voice made Nick just wanna hit him again, but he was too concerned with Claire.
"Shut up AJ! You're such a freakin' asshole," Claire let out in-between sobs.
"I'm still waiting for an answer!" Mrs. McLean was getting impatient now.
In all the commotion, no one had even noticed that Aaron was sitting in the corner, scared to death to come near any of them.......especially Nick. He'd never seen Nick act like that before. Aaron softly began to cry. Brian looked over at him and quickly went to hug him.
Aaron just stood there in Brian's arms, tears streaming down his face. "Brian, I thought Claire having the baby was a good thing." Claire and Nick froze while Mr. Carter and Mrs. McLean stood in shock. "Uh oh. Oh gosh! Nick, I'm sor-"
"No Aaron, it's okay." Nick felt like he was losing the battle at this point anyway. Aaron's slip up at least took the pressures off of Nick and Claire having to say it. Nick looked at the two guardians, still standing there in shock. "Go ahead dad, lay it on me. Tell me how stupid and young and immature I am. I'm ready for it all." Nick could feel all the energy and emotions slowly drain from his body as he sat on the floor and held Claire .
"Claire, honey, is it true?" Mrs. McLean knelt down next to Claire and Nick. Claire turned her head slightly away from Nick's chest so she was able to look her straight in the eye. AJ's mother had always kinda treated her like Claire was her own. Her voice was so gentle that it comforted her more than her own mother's. Claire slowly nodded and then turned to bury her head in Nick's chest once more. "Come here." Mrs. McLean opened her arms up for Claire. Nick was a bit hesitant in letting her go, but knew that she loved Claire dearly and would never hurt her. She slowly broke away from Nick and clung on to Denise McLean.
"Nickolas, we need to talk.......now." It was the words that he was dreading.
