"Do you mind?" AJ snapped.
"Sorry....I'm just kinda nervous..."
"Yeah me too...sorry about that."
"I just can't believe he's Sara's brother. They're so different."
"Yeah, the most obvious difference would be that he's a psycho freak and she's halfway normal."
Nick laughed nervously. "Do you think Kate's gonna wake up?"
AJ looked at him. "I'm not sure, Nick...."
"Do you think Michael has a gun?"
"Yup."
"Do you think he'll kill us?"
"Would you stop with the questions, already? I don't know if he's gonna kill us."
"AJ...why are we even doing this?"
AJ sighed loudly. "Because if we let Brian go Brian would kill him and then go to jail. But if WE go, we just kick the crap out of him and say it was self defense." AJ pulled onto and street and slowed the car to a stop in front of a small suburban house. "Well, this is it."
"Okay....AJ?"
"Yeah?"
"If I die will you tell Casey I love her?"
"You're not going to die, Nick...but yes I will."
"Thanks." Nick grabbed a baseball bat from the back seat and got out of the car. AJ followed him up the path to the door. Nick rang the doorbell, which was next to a small sign that said "Jefferson".
On the second ring, Michael opened the door. "Holy sh - " He started to say, but AJ grabbed his shirt and threw him backwards into the house. Nick followed them with the bat, and shut the door behind him.
Brian stood up from the seat next to Sara, a very confused look on his face. "YOU'RE HIS SISTER?" He screamed, so loudly a nurse had to come over and quiet him down. When she left he sat down again. "You're his sister? All this time...was that an act? I thought you were my FRIEND, Sara....the man who beat up Kate....she may DIE....and you're related to him?"
"Please Brian....didn't you hear anything else I said?"
"What...he killed your parents? A thousand sorrys Sara....but you could have stopped this from happening then! You could have turned him in and then your best friend wouldn't be on the verge of dying right now!"
Sara struggeled not to cry as he went on. "You are no friend of ours, Sara." He got up as an announcement came over the intercom.
"Crash cart to room 7456 stat!" The voice boomed. Sara and Brian looked at eachother with nervous looks on their faces.
"Isn't that - " Brian started.
" - Kate's room," she finished for him. They both started running down the hall. Already standing in front of her room was Kevin, Howie and Casey. Casey ran up to Sara and hugged her.
"Casey, what's happening?" Sara asked, panic in her voice.
"I heard the doctors say there were more blood clots or something...she has to go into surgery or something. Oh God Sara, I can't take this anymore," Casey said, still in Sara's arms. Sara pushed her away to Kevin, and she grabbed Brian's arm.
"Can't you believe me? If I had known he would do this....can't you see I'd kill myself right now if I thought it would make you forgive me?" Sara said frantically.
"Don't kill yourself Sara....now we're even. We both did something stupid. I'm sorry and you're sorry. Right now all I care about is Kate," Brian said, grabbing a doctor who was running by. "What's wrong?" He yelled.
"Can't talk now!" The doctor yelled back, disappearing into Kate's room.
Sara dropped to her knees in the middle of the hallway and started praying to herself. Brian did the same, and eventually Howie, Kevin and Casey started in.
Then the doctor came out of the room and Brian stood up, dragging Sara with him. "Is she okay?" Brian asked.
The doctor stood there for a minute before smiling. "She's awake and asking for you."
There was an audible breath of air let out from the five of them, and Sara and Brian embraced, while Kevin patted Brian on the back and Casey hugged Howie. Then Brian pulled away and walked into the room.
"I can't explain it, Miss Donovan...I just can't explain it..." A doctor was saying to her. She looked past him and saw Brian. She held up her left hand to show her ring sparkle.
"That's Mrs. Littrell now," she informed the doctor.
Brian smiled. "You mean soon - to - be Mrs. Littrell." The doctor smiled at the two, and then left. Brian took Kate's outstretched hand. "God I missed you so much," he said, bending down to kiss her cheek.
"I heard you, Brian....they wanted me to leave but I heard you," she whispered into his ear.
"I heard you, too. Right here," he said, pointing to his heart.
"Brian, if you'll still have me....I would love to be Mrs. Brian Thomas Littrell."
"If I'll still have you? Kate, I've wanted this from the day I first saw you in the bar!"
"And AJ came over and asked me to marry him! I remember that. He'll be upset."
"His loss." Brian bent down and kissed her again, suddenly serious. "Kate....I'm sorry. I'm sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry I couldn't stop any of it."
"It's not your fault, Brian."
"He's going to pay, Kate....I promise you....he will NEVER hurt you or anyone else again."
"That's a nice thought," Kate said. "When can I get out of here?"
"I don't know. You want me to go ask?"
Kate sat up in the bed. "No, don't leave me. I never want to be away from you. It's like you said, Brian....I want to spend forever in your arms."
Brian hugged her, tears of joy forming at the corners of his eyes. "You will Kate, you will."
"Is Casey okay? She was with me when..."
Brian kissed her again and pulled away. "She's fine...she's here if you want to see her."
"That'd be nice...but I don't want you to go right now."
"I won't leave unless you tell me too," he promised. He took her hand in his and examined her ring.
"Brian, I want you to promise me something, okay?"
"Anything."
A tear fell down her face as she spoke. "Please don't let him hurt me again." Brian bit his lip to keep from crying, and he raised a hand to her cheek.
"I promise."
Kate smiled, and fell asleep in his arms.
AJ slammed Michael into a wall and kicked him in the stomach. Michael grunted and slid into a fetal position on the floor. "How do you like that Michael?" He asked as he kicked him again. Nick stood behind him, nervously clutching the baseball bat.
"Hey AJ - should we call the cops or something?" Nick asked as Michael groaned on the floor.
"Yeah....go in the kitchen and find the phone, okay?" AJ asked. Nick disappeared into the other room. Just then Michael swung up and pulled a gun from his jacket. He pointed it at AJ's head.
"You punch like a momma's boy, AJ....you think you could really hurt me like that?" Michael asked, smiled wickedly as he cocked the gun.
Just as he pulled the trigger, Nick jumped from the shadows and smashed him with the bat. Michael fell with a thud to the floor, and Nick kicked the gun away.
"Thanks, man," AJ said, looking at the bullet hole in the wall inches from his head.
"It was nothing. The cops'll be here any minute now."
AJ glanced down at Michael and shook his head. "I can't believe he's her brother."
"Not by choice, remember? You said she changed her name and everything."
"Right. Here's my cell phone, call Casey and tell her what happened. I'm gonna go outside for a minute," AJ said, tossing the black phone to Nick.
"Alright," Nick agreed, dialing Casey's cell phone.
As soon as Casey got off the phone she told Kate and the rest of the guys the good news. And Sara told everyone else her story. Kate told her she knew a long time ago, but she wouldn't say how. And she also said she didn't blame her one bit for not telling anyone.
The three girls stayed up until eight talking, but then the doctors announced visiting hours were over. Brian managed to sign some autographs and pull some strings, and he spent the night in Kate's room, in her arms like he promised her.
