Nick came running into the room. "Shhh," he said, helping Jenn bring in the rest of the bags. "She just fell asleep a short time ago."
"Uhh, hi, Nick," Jenn said, stunned to see him there. "What's happenin'?"
"Not much. I--I came over before cuz I figured Laura could use some company and some T.L.C.," Nick replied, helping Jenn unpack the shopping bags. "I brought some soup for her and some orange juice. I thought they would help," he said with a smile.
Jenn smiled back. "Well, aren't you Mr. Helper Helperton," she said sarcastically.
"Hey," Nick said, defensively, "are you makin' fun of me?"
"Not at all, Nick... not at all," Jenn said with a smile and a wink as she put some groceries in the refrigerator. "In fact, I think it's incredibly sweet, that you came over to see her."
"I was just concerned, that's all," Nick said, trying to sound casual about the situation.
"Concerned, huh? OK, whatever you say..." Jenn said, rounding the corner to take some toiletries to the bathroom. Just as she came to the door, Laura was coming out of her bedroom. "Hey sickly, how you feelin'?" Jenn asked, putting her hand on Laura's forehead to feel if she was too warm.
"I'm just fine, 'Mom,' " Laura joked, entering the bathroom. Jenn followed her to put the items away. "Just get back from grocery shopping, I assume?"
"Don't try to make small talk with me," Jenn said, a slight accusing tone in her voice, but the smile on her face gave it away that she wasn't serious. "What is Nick doing here?"
"I'm sorry, 'Mom,' I didn't realize I had to ask before I had a friend over to play," Laura answered sarcastically, laughing. "Just chill out. Nick just came by to see me, that's all. He is still here, isn't he? He didn't leave, did he?"
"Yeah, he's still here. He's helping me put away groceries. Now tell me what happened. He said he brought some soup over?"
"Yes, he did. Jenn, he's just been so sweet to me. Literally waiting on me hand-and-foot. I don't know what I did to deserve it, and if it's a dream, I hope I never wake up, ya know?"
"Yeah, I know," Jenn sighed, patting her sister on the back. "Do you want me to let him know that you're awake now?"
"That's not necessary," Nick said, peeking his head in the doorway. "Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" Nick laughed. Laura blushed, wondering if Nick had heard anything that she said about him. If he did, he wasn't letting on.
"It's only by special invite, I'm afraid, but tonight's your lucky night, you're on the guest list," Laura said, smiling as he put his arm around her. "Actually, I'd like to move this party, if possible. Let's go out to the living room."
"Laura, you should really go get some sleep. You didn't sleep that long," Nick said, a tone of concern in his voice. Jenn winked at Laura as she left the room.
"I know I should get some sleep. I tried, but every time I get comfortable, I start coughing. I figured maybe I'd watch some TV to get my eyes tired." Laura started walking out of the bathroom, and turned to Nick in the doorway. "Join me if you wish," she said with a wink, and walked out of the bathroom. Nick, of course, followed her.
A couple hours later, Jenn came into the living room, smiling at the sight before her. Nick and Laura were sitting on the couch, snuggled together under a blanket. Nick had his arm around Laura and she was fast asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. "Nick?"
"Shhh, sleeping again," Nick whispered, motioning for Jenn to come closer so she didn't have to talk loud. "She just fell asleep about 5 minutes ago."
Jenn smiled. "Well, I'm heading to bed myself. Just wanted to know if you needed anything before I went."
"No, I think we're fine," Nick said, smiling as Laura snuggled her head into his chest. "I'm just glad she's asleep."
Jenn smiled again. "Yeah, me too. Thanks for coming to see her tonight, Nick. I'm sure that means a lot to her. I know it does to me." Jenn's tone turned serious, and her voice became even more hushed. "Can I ask you something, Nick?" she asked, sitting down next to him on the couch.
"Sure," Nick said, turning down the volume on the TV.
"I just... I wanna know what your intentions are with my sister."
"If you're asking me if I like her, then yes, I do. I--I don't know what it is about her, but I can't seem to get her off of my mind, and when I'm with her, the time moves too fast for me. But..." Nick hesitated.
"But, what? What's the 'but?' " Jenn said, urging Nick to continue. He sighed.
"Well, I just got out of my relationship with Mandy. I mean... I was glad to be single again. It was just getting too hard because of all the time we spent apart, and we fought more then we got along with each other. I--I just don't want to get too close to someone again. At least not for a while. But, like I said, I find myself thinking about her at the oddest times... I don't know, maybe I'm nuts," Nick finished with a nervous chuckle.
"No, you're not nuts. I can understand about not wanting to get close to someone right away, but you're definitely sending Laura the wrong signals by coming over here to bring her chicken soup. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice gesture, but--"
"Yeah, I know what you mean, Jenn. I guess I have a lot of things to sort out. Thanks for the talk, Jenn."
Jenn stood up and smiled at Nick. "Not a problem," she said. "Goodnight!"
"Goodnight," Nick said, as Jenn walked out of the room. She's right, Nick thought to himself as he watched Laura sleep. I've got to figure out what I want before I bring someone else into the equation. Maybe I need to lay off for a while. Nick grabbed Laura around her shoulders gently and laid her down on the couch. Putting the blanket over her, he kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight," he said softly, brushing her hair out of her face. He grabbed his keys off the table, and walked toward the door. As he opened the door, Nick looked back at Laura. He sighed as he walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.
