Chapter 42
“Stop shaking Brian, you’re freaking me out,” AJ gave
Brian a poke with his elbows.
“I can’t help it Jay, something’s not right and I
know it,” Brian bit his nails, “I wonder what Nicky’s doing. You think he’s
outside waiting for us?”
“I bet he is,” AJ nodded, “and nothing’s right about
this whole situation. What, do you think we’re gonna get screwed over....
again?”
Brian continued to shiver and didn’t answer, he
instead bowed his head and began to say a quiet prayer. This made AJ start to shiver. He looked around for Kevin. Kevin was sitting on the base of the stairs,
“Don’t worry AJ...” his eyes seemed to say as they caught AJ’s worried gaze.
Howie.... AJ looked over hatefully at Howie who sat
in the far corner away from them all.
He and Howie made brief eye contact.
Howie’s eyes glittered with malice towards AJ. AJ flinched... Howie used
to be calm one, the peacemaker. He had
never seen Howie look that way at anything... not even the paparazzi. AJ looked away. Howie had changed.... perhaps down here they had all
changed. He really began to think about
it. Had he changed? He felt his body
give another involuntary shiver.
He looked at Brian sadly. He knew Brian would be different once they got out as would
Kevin. The only person AJ wondered
about was Nick. Would he be different too? Nick was the one who could always
manage to surprise them. AJ smiled
thinking about it. He could almost see Nick waiting outside for them now
tapping his foot and gazing at his watch. What would he say when they got
out.... probably, “Well, it took ya long enough.”
“What are you smiling about Aje?” Kevin asked from
the stairs.
“Thinkin’ about getting out of here.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah...”
BJ watched her brother pacing around the room. Aaron and Angel had long since left. No one could stay calm with Nick in the
room. Every now and again he would
throw himself on the bed and groan loudly.
She knew how he felt, she really did. Just a week ago it was her wanting
to go to the site and her parents forbidding her. As she thought about it she
realized it wasn’t fair to her or to Nick.
They were both old enough to make their own decisions. Mom and Dad
thought they could still be dictators in their lives and in reality they
couldn’t.
“BJ....” Nick was looking at her, “Please?”
“No Nick,” he’s sick, she thought. It’s too cold. Mom
and Dad will kill me... Rationalization was a wonderful defense mechanism.
Leslie came into the room with a bottle of thick pink
liquid, she tossed it to Nick along with a spoon. Nick grimaced and set the
medicine aside. “I’ll only be gone an hour or two. I just need to see...”
“Gone where Nick?” Leslie was grabbing the bottle he
had set aside and was twisting off the cap, “I know you are not still talking
about going back to that horrible place. Get it out of your head Nick it’s not
going to happen. Now open up.”
Nick turned his head away from the spoon Leslie was
holding to his face. “I will not get it
out of my head. I’m gonna go support the guys with or without your help.”
“You’re wheezing,” Leslie said, ignoring what he had
said completely.
“I don’t care,” Nick grumbled. He tossed his inhaler
on the floor and lie back on the bed.
“Nick!” Leslie sounded angered, “You are being a
brat! Now take this and pick your inhaler up!”
Nick shook his head, and Leslie’s face turned
slightly red from anger, “Nick! You’re gonna give yourself an attack! It’s just
the antibiotic, you used to like the way it tastes.”
Nick made a face, “If I take it will you take the
child lock off the television?”
Leslie’s eyes narrowed, she gazed at BJ who snickered
at her, “We’ll think about it. Now open wide.”
Nick rolled his eyes, “Give me the spoon.” Leslie carefully handed the spoon over and
Nick swallowed its contents, “Happy?”
Leslie’s face looked anything but, “I’m gonna go get
your juice.” She left the room. Once
the door had completely closed, “Hurry up and grab your coat.”
“Huh?” Nick whipped his head around to look at BJ,
“My coat?”
“Yeah, and put on a sweatshirt or something warmer.
If we’re going outside you’ll have to bundle up” BJ was saying getting together
her purse and grabbing a notepad and scribbling down a quick note.
“You’re... you’re taking me?” Nick’s voice squeaked a
bit with incredulity.
“Yes, now hurry up before Mother Leslie comes back,”
BJ said giving Nick a conspiratorial smile.
She picked his inhaler up off the floor and slipped it into her purse
along with her cell phone. Nick pulled a sweatshirt over his head and grabbed
his jacket out of the closet, “Lets go.”
“Wait, wait....” BJ grabbed her oversized bathrobe
off the chair and draped it over Nick’s head, “OK, now lets go.”
They got as far as the hallway, “Where ya going
Beej?” Angel stood in front of BJ and the cloaked figure holding an orange
soda, “Hi Nick.”
“Hi,” Nick sad softly.
“We’re uh... we’re going to.... we’re going to check
out the restaurant downstairs,” BJ grabbed Nick’s arm and gave it a tug.
“Do I have stupid stamped across my forehead?” Angel
demanded, “You’re going back to the motel aren’t you?”
“No,” BJ said at the same time Nick went, “Please
Angel, don’t tell.”
Angel blinked and looked from BJ to Nick, “I won’t
tell Nick... just take me with you.”
“Ok we can... what?” BJ did a double take, “I can’t
do that , I’ll be in enough trouble as it...”
“Oh Leslie...” Angel pretended to call down the
hallway.
“Damn you,” BJ cursed, “Come on.” The three of them
walked hurriedly down the hall and got into the elevator. So far they had avoided all of the
bodyguards. They entered the garage
area, “Thank the Lord...” BJ was grumbling fumbling around for the extra keys
to the car her parents had rented. They
had only used it once, they preferred being chauffeured by the FBI, or
bodyguards. BJ unlocked the doors to
the car with a single button, “Nick get in back and keep your head down.”
Nick climbed into the car and Angel got into the
passenger seat, just as BJ was getting into the driver seat a low voice asked,
“And where are we going this fine morning Miss Carter?”
It was David.
David, Nick’s personal bodyguard that he always had when he was on
tour. “Blockbuster. We need some new
movies, Nick really hates the Disney crap.”
David chuckled, “I knew he would. Why didn’t you tell
one of us, we would have gladly gone down and rented a few videos.”
“Hmmm... I guess I just felt like getting out of the
hotel,” BJ said with a nod.
“Hmm... you and who else felt like getting out?” he
glanced at Angel in the passenger seat, she waved. He waved back then glanced
at the backseat which appeared to be empty, “Nick, get your ass out of there,
you aren’t fooling anyone.”
The backseat remained quiet.
“I’ll drag you out Carter,” David was saying opening
the backdoor. A large robe occupied the seat. David pressed down on it
suspiciously and Nick made a noise, “Get out here.”
“Aw come on Dave...” Nick was sitting up, “I gotta
go.”
“Not today buddy. You’re not going anywhere. You need
your rest,” David was reaching inside the car to get a grip on Nick. Nick backed up and smacked into the window,
“David, please, you don’t understand. I have to be there. They’d be there for
me! Please!”
“Nick I...”
“David, what’s going on over there, man? Who ya got?”
another voice called. David was about to yell back, but stopped at the look in
Nick’s eyes. He sighed, “Just the Carter girls, we’re going to Blockbusters.”
All three Carter faces lit up as they stared at
David.
The shadow on the other side of the garage nodded and
soon left.
They all let out their breath, “You know I could get
fired for this right?”
“I’d just rehire you, you wonderful man you,” Nick
was laughing, “Lets get out of here!”
BJ jumped into the backseat with Nick and David got
into the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life, “Nick, remember to keep your
head down.”