Chapter 17
"I'm back!" Kevin snarled slamming the door behind him.
Brian beamed. "Get any oatmeal?"
"You have enough damn oatmeal!" his cousin grouched storming away. "And Howie told you to sleep!"
Howie drug his weary body into the living room. "You think anyone actually listens to me? Did you get something to help, Nick?"
"Yes."
"Good, then give it to him. I'm going to bed."
Kevin's jaw dropped. "It's a war zone with Nick."
Howie walked away. "Then, I suggest you get a helmet."
Kevin clutched the sack entering Nick's bedroom as Brian followed.
"Hi, Kevin!" AJ greeted hugging him tightly.
"EW!!!! GET OFF ME!!" Kevin demanded. "I don't want your germs! I don't even have a mask or lysol as protection!"
"Told ya'," AJ sang pointing his finger at Nick. "You owe me five bucks!"
Brian sat down beside Nick. "What's he talking about?"
Nick groaned handing AJ the money. "We had a bet about what Kevin would do if AJ hugged him. AJ said he'd scream bloody murder and I thought Kevin would stand there until his face turned bright red and he stopped breathing, because he was too pissed to scream."
"Aw, that was silly, Little Man," Brian sighed. "You know Kevin, he's always good at screaming."
"Excuse me! I am in the room, you know!" Kevin complained. "Do you mind?"
Brian shrugged. "No, I don't mind, Old Man."
"Humph!"
"Whoa, Kev!" AJ gasped in amazement. "When you get mad your nostrils flare out so far they could be used as floatation devices."
"Shut up, AJ." Kevin tossed the sack onto Nick's lap. "Here, wash your mouth out with that."
Nick grimaced. "Hydrogen peroxide? You expect me to put that in my mouth?"
"Yes."
"But my mom puts that crap on cuts."
"So? That's what the dude at the store said to use."
AJ wrinkled his nose. "I wouldn't trust him, Nick. He might be trying to poison you to get back at you for injuring him in the balls repeatedly."
"AJ, shut up!" Kevin groaned. "Nick, use it, or quit whining and eat."
"But-"
"Just try it, Nick," Brian encouraged. "Just don't put much or it'll burn badly."
Nick crossed his arms. "I wanna' see Kevin use it first."
"What?" Kevin squeaked. "I'm not the one with chicken pox."
"Yeah, he's the one with the deformed crotch," AJ stated.
"Hush up, Spotty Pants!"
"Oh, that was below the belt!" AJ growled.
Nick lifted an eyebrow. "Of course, it's below the belt. Where did you think it was located?"
AJ rolled his eyes. "Let's change the subject."
Kevin snatched the bottle. "I cannot believe I'm doing this."
"Ah, you nervous, Kev?" Brian snickered.
"Brian, if you don't leave me alone I'm flushing all the oatmeal."
Brian paled. "Sorry, Kev, I love you, cuz."
"That's more like it." Kevin twisted off the top bringing the bottle to his lips. "God, help me," he whispered allowing the liquid to enter his mouth.
The younger singers watched in amusement as Kevin fought to scream. He ran out of the room, well as best he could, the pesky injury was interfering.
"GROSS!" he shouted.
Nick stuck his nose in the air. "I won't."
Kevin returned wiping his mouth. "You will or you'll eat the generic soup."
"Gimme the bottle," Nick pleaded extending his hand.
Kevin handed it to him. "Go into the bathroom and DON'T swallow it!"
AJ fidgeted about clawing at his skin. "I'm bored!"
Brian smiled. "I know what we'll do."
"Please not singing more Christmas carols," Kevin groaned.
"No, I'm going to tell AJ and Nick the Christmas story."
AJ lifted his head. "You mean that movie where the kid wants a beebee gun? Then, all the adults tell him he'll shoot his eye out?"
"No!" Brian gasped. "I am referring to the true meaning of Christmas!"
"Being greedy?"
"No!"
"Santa Claus?"
"No! AJ, I am referring to the birth of Christ the Lord!"
AJ crossed his arms. "Christ isn't the Lord, he's the son of the Lord."
Kevin walked toward the door. "I'm getting out of here while I still can." He paused lifting Nick's bunny into his hands. "Come on, Patches, even a rodent doesn't deserve to have to suffer through this."
"The rabbit wouldn't be suffering, it's a beautiful story, Kevin!"
Kevin stared at his cousin before exiting. "Not the way you tell it."
AJ lifted his brow. "Yo, Bri, ain't that the story with the Wise Asses?"
"That's wise men!" Brian hollered in digust.
"Whatever, same thing."
"Gross," Nick whined as he returned tossing the hydrogen peroxide aside.
Brian patted the bed. "Sit down, Nick, we're going to take a moment to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas."
"Commercialism?"
"No, the birth of Jesus!"
"Oh."
AJ stared at the ceiling. "Hey, Brian don't you need your Bible to tell the tale?"
"No, I know it by heart."
"Typical....."
Brian cleared his throat. "Joseph and Mary, his expoused wife, being great with child..."
"Say what?" Nick asked.
"Pregnant," AJ defined.
Brian sighed. "AJ, it's not nice to call Mary 'pregnant'."
"Well, she was, wasn't she?"
"Well, yes....Moving on...The couple went on searching for a place to stay, for there was no room at the inn..."
"Even for Jesus?" Nick interjected.
Brian smiled. "They weren't aware the baby was going to be Jesus, Nick."
"Mary did. Why in the sam hell didn't she tell them?" AJ asked bluntly.
Brian bit his lip. "I don't know, AJ, I wasn't there."
"Could've fooled me."
"Anyway, Mary and Joseph settled in the manger..."
Nick wrinkled his nose. "God wanted his son to be born near pigs?"
"Apparently, he did."
AJ yawned. "Someone should've called the children's welfare agency."
"It didn't exist back then!"
"Why not, Brian?"
"I don't know!"
AJ turned to him. "When do the three Wise Asses show up?"
"That's Wise Men!"
Nick stratched his head. "Yeah, and why did one of them bring Jesus Frankinstein?"
"THAT'S FRANKINCENSE!" Brian exclaimed falling back against the covers tossing a pillow over his face.
Nick poked his stomach. "What ya' doin?"
Brian groaned. "Praying for patience. And apologizing for everything I ever put Kevin through, I now feel his pain."