Lis followed the crowd of people through the gate and into the terminal. Her eyes took in the piles of people waiting and she sighed, she'd never be able to find her friend in this crowd. From behind her she heard someone yelling her name. Lis spun around on her heel and came face to face with Shan.
"Found ya!" Shan said, smiling warmly at her friend.
"And frightened me half to death! Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on a..." she almost said pregnant woman, "a person."
"I thought you knew it was me. C'mon we'll grab your bags and get going back to the apartment before the traffic gets worse."
Shan led Lis through the crowd and down to the baggage claim. "I was so glad you called this morning...but really why are you here?"
Lis kept her eyes on the conveyor belt. "Sometimes things happen and a person needs to get away." She glanced at her old high school friend. "And so, what is there to do in LA?"
Shan groaned. "We're not going to play tourists are we?"
Lis laughed, the look on Shan's face was as if someone had suggested they feed her to a pack of hungry wolves. "No, not tourists. I can do that when I come with the boys."
"And where would the boys be?" Shan asked with a smile.
"Who knows..." Lis grabbed her bag. "Can we go now or does a traffic jam appear in our future?"
"We can go." Shan said slowly, watching Lis walk away. Something was definitely wrong with her friend, she'd never acted that way before.
Brian sat in the kitchen across from Han, they were both staring at their coffee not really doing much of anything. Nick's letter sat on the table between them.
"Maybe they'll meet up on a plane." Han said, breaking the silence.
"Maybe..." Brian said, his voice trailing off. "You think we should try to find them?"
Everyone had different opinions on that subject, they'd been up to three in the morning arguing over that. Kevin thought it would be best to just give them time away to let them get their heads straight, AJ said Lis shouldn't be alone and they should start trying to find her and D and the girls pretty well thought Nick should be told the truth as soon as possible.
Han sighed. "I guess the best thing is to wait for one of them to contact us."
Brian nodded. "I'm going to head back to Orlando if that's okay with you."
"It's fine. Thanks for staying here with Lis this long."
"I was looking out for her like I told Nick." he smiled weakly then flinched as his lip started to hurt.
Nick sat on the beach and looked around, he hadn't gone that far yet. Down to the keys for a few days, he was trying to think of a spot no one would think to look for him. It came to mind he should at least let Aaron and his family know he was all right, he hadn't mysteriously disappeared into the night.
Lis sunk onto the couch in Shan's apartment and looked out at the palm trees. She looked up as Shan sat across from her. "All right, what's the real reason you're here?"
"Can't a girl want to get away?" Lis asked, her eyes going back to the palm trees.
"Yeah...but there's something else going on. I know about Nick's accident, is he okay? Did something happen?"
Lis knew she had to tell her the whole story before Shan started coming to her own conclusions. "Nick's fine..." and so she began the story.
Shan sat there in shock, her mouth open in disbelief. "So Nick beat up Bri? He thinks you and B actually...for lack of better words got jiggy?"
Lis laughed, the first time in days. "Pretty much. Bri's lip was swollen, probably got some nice bruises now too. And yeah, Nick thinks me and B got jiggy."
"Stupid, didn't I always say he was stupid?"
"Actually I thought you said he was cute, then begged me to introduce you to quote 'the sweet short guy'."
"And you led me over to Howie!"
"How was I supposed to know you meant B, you coulda pointed to him or something. Plus I think D enjoyed talking to you...the three seconds you looked at him."
Shan laughed, brushing the hair out of her face. "I'm sorry but I wasn't into the latin lover, a little southern charm yes...which according to Nick you've been experiencing." she raised an eyebrow.
"I did not...I'm married to Nick! How can you think I'd cheat on him."
"Didn't say you did...and I know you wouldn't. I almost used to think Nick was the only word you knew."
"Ha ha ha."
"Seriously, I used to feel sorry for everyone back in Florida who had to listen to you go on and on about the," she paused, "Great Nicky Carter."
Lis threw a pillow at her friend. "Can you grow up or has college turned you back to the immature girl you were in high school?"
Shan grabbed the pillow. "Hi I'm Shan, and I go to Jacksonville High..." she smiled sweetly at Lis.
Lis rolled her eyes. "At least I know. So mind if I crash or..."
"Go crash, you need anything for the baby?"
"Do I look like I'm ready to deliver?"
Shan rolled her eyes. "Go to bed!"
"Yes ma'am." Lis curtsied and left the room.
Brian walked through his front door and set his suitcase down. Who would have thought he'd have stayed in Tampa as long as he had. He never expected it when Lis had called him that day. He rubbed the back of his neck and went upstairs to his bedroom to lay down, not noticing the blinking light on his answering machine.
Nick walked around his small hotel room. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been alone in a hotel room. Wait, yes he could...the night or rather the day before his wedding to Lis. Nick flopped on the bed and sighed, staring at the picture he had of them on his night stand. He reached over and traced her face with his finger. "How...where did we go wrong?" he asked outloud, turning off the lamp above the headboard.
~~ Flashback ~~
Nick stood outside Lis' hotel room door, she was right in front of him, leaning against it. "So next time you see me...we'll be getting married." she said, playing with the key in her hand.
A grin appeared on his face. "I know...and then after that we won't have to be apart anymore."
"It's only one night, er day...a few hours!" she answered, it was only early afternoon but everyone was going to bed because of the strange hour of the wedding, but it was the only way they were guaranteed privacy.
Nick leaned against the wall. "When you aren't beside me. Who knew a bed could be that lonely." he said seriously, looking across the hall at his own hotel room door.
"Me! You think I like this idea either?" she replied, looking up at him.
"Then we'll do this our way, c'mon." he took the key from her hand and unlocked the door to her room, pulling her inside.
"Nick! You're going to see the dress." she said, not wanting to ruin the surprise.
He froze and covered his face with his hands. "All right, go hide it, move it, do something."
Lis ran over and pulled the dress down from its spot hanging from the closet door and set it inside. "Okay, you can turn around."
Nick removed his hand and turned to face her. "I was thinking..." he said as he walked toward her. "I'd stay here till you fell asleep, then go across the hall to my lonely bed." he pouted.
She sighed. "We're supposed to be awake by 10 right?"
He nodded, sliding his jacket off. "You're getting ready around midnight, me and the guys are heading to the gym to shoot some hoops, then head to the casino. Everyone's at the chapel by 2:30."
"So then if you leave by 9..."
A smile spread across his lips. "I can stay with you..." he grinned.
"Told ya I had a few good ideas." she said, going to change into her night shirt.
"Yeah I knew you tended to have them occasionally."
Lis turned and threw her shirt at him.
Nick caught it with one hand. "Who knew, a strip show?" he laughed.
"Oh I hate you!" she teased, shutting the bathroom door.
Nick stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He laid there for a few minutes thinking when Lis walked out in her hockey jersey. "I thought you got lost in there." he said as she laid down next to him.
"Well the bathroom is bigger than our bedroom back in Tampa but I didn't get lost." she smiled and laid her head on his chest. "Do you think we're actually going to be able to sleep?"
Nick looked down at her. "Probably not." he smirked, "But there are other ways to kill a few hours."
~~Time Elapse~~
Lis watched Nick unlock the door to his room. "Why is this a good idea again?"
"Because with you over here, neither of us will get any sleep." Lis said, tying her robe up.
He sighed. "Fine...this is unfair treatment you know." he said, opening his door.
"Well either I kick you out now or we're zombies at the wedding, and we fall asleep in the cake." she reasoned.
"Good point." he smiled. He walked over to her quickly and kissed her softly. "Now go, sleep and then get ready to be married."
"Aye aye sir!" she teased, and walked back inside her room, closing the door behind her.
~~ End flashback ~~
Lis woke up in the middle of the night, forgetting where she was for a minute. She sat up in bed and kicked the covers off, not feeling tired anymore. Lis pulled a notebook out of her tote bag and started writing down everything her and Nick had ever planned for the baby. Even if Nick wasn't going to be there, she knew he'd influence the baby somehow. Lis sat there for hours writing down names, and places he wanted to take them and of course what the nursery should look like.
Shan walked by Lis' door early the next morning. She didn't want to disturb Lis since she figured she was still sound asleep, she thought she'd leave her a note saying she'd gone on her morning run and that she'd be back within an hour. The sound of movement in her room startled Shan and she knocked on the door and opened it halfway. "Lis, what are you doing up at 6am?"
"It's 6am?" Lis asked blankly.
"You're probably still on Florida time. Come on, we'll get some breakfast. I was going to go on a run..."
"Go, we can eat when you get back. I've got to make a few plans."
"Okay, be ready in about an hour and we'll go out to eat." Shan smiled and disappeared down the hallway.
