Chapter 36
“God,
it’s great to see you again.” Ciara pulled back from
Kevin’s warm arms, returning the smile he offered. Such a gorgeous man.
“You
too…Ci, I want you to meet Krystal. Krystal, Ciara Watkins. She’s been hanging around us since the very
beginning. A good friend.”
“Hi,
nice to meet someone actually smaller than me!” What a killer smile this girl
had.
“Yeah,
we’re around.” Nick slid his arm around Ciara’s waist
and kissed the top of her head, guiding her through the crowd and following his
manager’s directions to get through the media circus.
At
a lull in the movement, “Ciara,” Krystal turned
herself around in the hoard of people, pulling on an arm smiling as the face
she was looking for appeared. “I want YOU to meet someone…Mook…”
“CIARA!!!!!!
Oh God, girl. It’s been so long!”
The
two hugged and Krystal just stood in silent shock. “I take it you’ve met!”
“I
told you she’s been around since the beginning, Krys. She’s like an appendage.”
“Thanks,
Kev. I think. Mook, how in the hell are you?” He’d
lost the goofy hair, but not the deep, penetrating eyes.
“I’m
good, baby…I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Well,
WE didn’t know we’d be here either. You know Kevin…can’t say ‘no’.”
“True,
true….well, why don’t you hang with me while they do the red carpet thing?”
“Good.
I was dreading that.”
And
so the evening went. Ciara and Mook
hung in the background, really quite content to be there. Nick, Kevin and
Krystal worked the red carpet, did their schtick
onstage and spent much of the show sitting up front. During a break, Nick had
had enough of that mess…he came with Ci for God’s sake,
so he made his way back to where Ciara and Mook were sitting.
“Mook. Out. Your woman wants you and I want my woman.” He
smiled brightly keeping his attention on his beautiful woman, ignoring the
shouts from fans up in the balcony.
“Oh,
absolutely…be my guest.” Mook gave Nick a friendly
pat on the back as he passed in the aisle, winking at Ciara
as he made his way up to Kevin and Krystal’s row.
“Catch you at the parties, girl.”
Smiling
at him as he took his seat, “Hey…you allowed to do this?”
“I’m
done. What are they gonna do? Kick me outta the industry?”
“You
mean we flew out here for THAT!? I thought you’d be doing something else.”
“That
and to get you this gorgeous dress…”
“True,
true…can’t complain about that.”
“Me
either. You do look beautiful tonight, Ci.”
“Thanks,
I feel great.”
“Really?
I mean, even physically?”
“Well,
yeah, for me I do, yeah. It’s a good night.”
“Good…you’re
lookin’ the part.” Nick scooped Ciara’s hand in his
and settled in to finish the show out with her. Boring, long, self-serving, and
ridiculous. At least he was with her. At this point, that’s all that really
mattered.
******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
“Holy
shit, Nick…look at this place!”
“Yeah?
What?”
Jaded.
The damned fool was completely jaded and unaffected. First, they were at THE
party to be at after any kind of music industry event…Puffy’s.
Second, Ciara had never been to such an event, party,
thing…whatever this was. She felt like a tourist. She was a tourist.
Celebrities everywhere. Bottles of Cristal flowed
like water. Money definitely grew on tress. She was now convinced of it.
“This…this…it’s
insane, Nick.”
“This
is Puffy. Come on, let’s get something to drink.”
And
drink they did. Plenty. Too much. Thank God for limos. And bodyguards to remind
you what your room number was. And fans that were there for everyone else, so
one little Backstreet Boy didn’t really cause much of a stir. Nick and Ciara stumbled into their room giggling like school
children. They didn’t even remember what was so damned funny.
Then
Nick remembered. “Did Kevin just scold us for sharing a room?”
“Um,
yeah…I think he did. Are you not allowed to have a girlfriend or is he just
jealous of your time?”
“You’ve
been readin’ too much fan fic. I’m thinkin’,” he slid
off his jacket, “…I’m thinkin’,” and tossed it on a chair with a flourish. A
wobbly flourish. “…that maybe I’d better sit my ass down.” And he did…on the
floor in the middle of the room.
So
she joined him, dress hiked up her thighs sitting Indian style, wrap hanging
haphazardly off her shoulders, and hair mussed from an out-of-control make-out
session in a corner at the party. “You know sumpin’?”
He looked at her blankly. “You’re drunk.”
“Yes,
I am. So are you.”
“Yes,
I am. So, uh…what’s Kevin’s problem?”
“He’s
probably drunk. He’s probably lonely.” Burp. “And…he probably doesn’t know.”
Lying down on the floor with his head in her lap, he continued, “And I don’t
care anymore…I just wanna go to sleep.”
“Me
too.” She looked up at the bed and down at the floor. How was she gonna get him
up, get herself up, undress and then fall back DOWN to the bed? This was quite
perplexing.
Thunking him on the head, “We need to get up.”
“Ouch.
Yes, we do.” He rolled over on his back looking up at her. Woah.
Upside down Ciara…funnnnnky.
She
looked down at him. And up at the bed. And down at him. “You go first.”
“No.
I like it here.”
“Nice…Nick,
get UP,” she scooped her hands under his shoulders and pushed with her knees.
“I don’t like it here.”
“Fine.
Woah!” Grabbing his head, and spinning around on his
behind, he looked at her meekly. “No more champagne for me. Now what?”
“Gimme
your hands.”
He
obediently did. Then he kissed her. Sloppy. Tasty.
“Stop.
Now let’s get up on our knees.”
With
much struggling they did just that. And he kissed her again. Still sloppy.
Still tasty.
“You’re
very yummy. Okay, one foot up…aaaaaaannnnnnnddddddd….push.”
They pushed themselves up, leaning on one another for balance and when all the
wobbling was done, they were somehow still standing, arms around each other.
“We
did it. My head hurts.”
“Poor
baby. Now we have to get undressed. And Nick, I’m a bitch when I’m drunk. Do
NOT get freaky with me.”
“Yes’m. Nooooooo touchy.” He
unbuckled his belt and quickly ripped his turtleneck up over his head, tossing
it somewhere in the room.
She
yanked her wrap off her shoulders and tried to unzip her dress, almost falling
over in the process.
“Lemme.”
“No
touchy!”
“No
touchy…Jesus. Just lemme unzip you.” After a few false starts, the cool
air-conditioned breeze hit her bare back and the chocolate satin dress fell to
her ankles. She stepped out and wrapped her arms around herself at the cold.
“You
got a shirt or something?”
“Yeah,
in my bag there.” He somehow managed to finish undressing and she slid out of
her hose, tossing them to the pile…well, she made a new one. Clothes were
strewn everywhere.
“You
know with the mess we’re making it’s a shame we’re not getting any action from
this.”
“True.
No touchy. I’m gonna brush my teeth. Cotton mouth.”
Eventually
they met in bed. It was a true miracle. Even more miraculous? No touchy. Not
tonight anyway.
******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
One
set of hangovers, one long flight back to
Thing
is, parties can get boring too, as can sleeping the days away. He preferred it
when Ciara didn’t work. He needed to get busy on his
own. Fortunately, he could put that off for another week because just as his
common sense arrived telling him to cut back on the clubbing scene a bit, it
was time for Ciara’s stretch to be over. And he had
an idea.
******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
There
were definite benefits to Ciara’s
“Hi.
Can you tell me where I can find Ciara?”
The
older nurse looked up from her chart and smiled. So THIS is who is making Ciara smile so much lately. “She’s in with a patient right
now. Do you want me to go get her?”
“No!
No, no…I, uh. I don’t want her to know I’m here. Just need to deliver a
message.”
“I
can do that for you…”
“I
need some paper. I guess I didn’t come prepared.”
“Oh,
well, if you go up that way to the nurse’s station, they’ll have something for
you. She’ll be occupied long enough you should be okay.”
“Great.
Thanks. What room is she in now?”
“Um…842
I think.”
“Great.
Thanks.”
He
made his way further down the hall, checking room numbers so he wouldn’t
haphazardly plow right into her. Fortunately, it was beyond where he needed to
be.
“Can
I help you?”
“Yeah,
I need to leave a message for Ciara, but uh…I need a
piece of paper.”
“Sure…hang
on.” Ciara never talked about her co-workers, which
Nick found odd. His life was surrounded by his co-workers. Or was it his
co-workers surrounded his life? Either way, how she distanced herself from
these people was beyond him. They seemed nice enough, but who were they?
The
gentleman came back with a pad of paper and handed it to Nick. “Knock yourself
out. I’ll just slide it in one of her charts if that’s okay.”
“Um…can
you hold it until she gets off?”
“Whatever,
sure. What are you plotting, Romeo?”
Now
how did he know that? Obviously she didn’t keep her private life private from
these people. Curious. Nick finished his note, folded it and handed it to the
man without answering his question. “You promise she’ll get it?”
“Yep.
I’ll even keep my mouth shut that you were here.”
“Appreciate
it. 842 is this way?”
“Yup…she’s
in there though…you sure?”
“Yeah,
I just wanna…I like to watch her work. Will the patient mind?”
“No,
won’t even notice. Go ahead.”
Nick
nodded in thanks and quietly made his way further down the hall to the room
where she was working. Obviously a very sick patient for them to know she
wouldn’t emerge anytime soon.
The
door was slightly ajar and he peeked inside and once he saw that her back was
turned to him, he pulled it open a bit more. Her long curls were tossed up in a
sloppy bun and her scrubs of the day had dancing bears on them…just for the
kids. But, instead of standing by the bed, checking the patient, writing in a
chart or doing something “nurse-like”, she had pulled up a chair next to the
child and was reading from a large book, one hand holding it open, the other
hidden under the sheets, obviously holding the child’s hand. The girl couldn’t
have been much more than 4 years old and was obviously not awake. But still, Ciara read.
Draw
me a star.
And the artist drew a star.
It was a good star.
Draw
me the sun.
And the artist drew the sun.
It was a warm sun.
Draw
me a tree, said the sun.
And the artist drew a tree.
It was a lovely tree.
Draw
me a woman and a man.
And the artist drew a handsome couple.
Draw us a house, said the couple.
And the artist drew a house.
It was a strong house.
Nick
smiled as the child stirred and Ciara looked up from
the book long enough to move her touch from the girl’s hand to her head,
calming her back to a peaceful rest. “We’re at the doggie now, Catie. Your favorite part.” The child moaned softly and Ciara continued.
Draw
me a dog, said the house.
And the artist drew a dog.
It was a big dog.
Draw
me a cat, said the dog.
Draw me a bird, said the cat.
Draw me a butterfly, said the bird.
Draw
me a flower, said the butterfly.
And the artist drew red and yellow and blue and purple flowers.
Nick
leaned up against the door frame and shut his eyes, just drinking in her voice.
He could see the flowers growing all around the bedside, butterflies flying,
birds chirping, peace and contentment everywhere.
Draw
us a cloud, said the flowers.
And the artist drew clouds heavy with rain.
Draw me the night said the rainbow.
And the artist drew a dark night.
Draw
me the moon, said the night.
And the artist drew a full moon.
Draw me a star, said the moon.
Down,
over, left, and right, draw a star oh so bright.
It was a good star.
Hold
on to me said the star to the artist.
Then, together they traveled across the night sky.**
Nick
opened his eyes as the story ended, watching Ciara as
she kissed the child’s brow. “G’night, Catie.” Nick
quickly moved out of the doorway and looked for a place to hide. He’d stayed
too long.
Fortunately
the room next door was empty and he slipped in as Ciara
came out, grabbing a chart hanging by the door and making some notes. He peeked
out of the door as she walked towards the nurse’s station and quietly slipped
into Catie’s room.
He
probably shouldn’t have been there, but he wouldn’t stay long. Catie. Definitely no more than four years old. Where were
her parents? Why was she here? Nick had no clue, but she was a very sick child
with wires and machines surrounding her and her coffee colored complexion
looked pale and splotchy.
He
looked around at all the equipment, flashing back to moments in rooms such as
these with Ciara through the years. No wonder she
knew what these kids needed. She had needed it herself at one time or other. He
picked up the book Ciara had been reading, looking at
the colorful pictures that went with the story.
Putting
the book down, feeling a bit helpless, he bent down and brushed back the hair Ciara had just brushed back, kissed the brow Ciara had just kissed. “G’night, Catie.
You wake up and I’ll come back and draw you a star.”
*******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
“Okay,
Tom. I’m out.”
“Oh!
Wait. I have something for you.” He shoved his hand in his scrubs and pulled
out a small note. “Here ya’ go. Have a good night.”
“What
is it?”
“No
idea. Go on now…”
She
gave him one more questioning look, but seeing that he wasn’t budging, she
shrugged and made her way to the elevators. Truth was, he’d peeked. He’d read
it and there was no way he was going to tell her a thing about it.
Ciara waited until she was in the elevator
to read the note, grateful for the morning quiet of the hospital. She’d lost a
patient tonight and was feeling incredibly stressed.
Cici,
I
know you’re tired and want your own bed. So, I hope you have a great sleep,
resting up from your week. I also know you said you liked being spontaneous
with our trip to California. So, I’m going to ask that you trust me and just
follow my directions. You’ll find the rest at home on your pillow. Wish I was
there.
Nick
“Wish
you were, too you brat.”
She
couldn’t have made it home quick enough, hoping maybe his note was a decoy and
he actually would be there waiting for him. Tonight she really didn’t want to
be alone. But, she was. Slipping off her clothes and going through her nightly
routine, she was finally able to curl up in bed with Nick’s second note.
Cici,
Close
your eyes. Go to sleep. Dream of warm beaches, old friends and me. I’ve set
your alarm to wake you at 4:00. Get up, shower up and throw together an
overnight bag. We’ll buy whatever you forget. A car will be here to pick you up
at 5:30. See you soon. Sleep tight.
Nick
What
the hell was he up to? She had no idea, but she really didn’t care. Eight days
off awaited her. He had an escape planned of some kind and she’d be fool to
walk away from it. She slid deeper into her sheets and did just as ordered.
Dreamt of warm beaches, old friends, and as always…of Nick.
******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
“Nick,
my God, what are we doing here?”
“Flying.
Usually you get on a plane to fly somewhere.” He hiked her bag up in the
overhead compartment and sat down next to her, kissing her cheek as he buckled
in.
“Thanks,
Genius. Where are we flying?”
“Away.
Now hush. The flight attendant will tell us I’m sure. Don’t get TOO worked up
about it.”
“I’m
not worked up…just curious.” She laid her head on his shoulder, arms
intertwined making way to fingers intertwined.
She
must have instantly dozed off because no sooner had she laid her head down than
Nick was waking her up. “Come on, baby. We’re here.”
“Oh…okay…where’s
here?”
“You’ll
see.” She took hold of his hand and pulled herself up, grimacing at the aches
in her hips and knees from sitting still. “You okay?”
“Yep.
Just stiff.” They made their way out of the small aircraft onto the tarmac.
Wherever it was, was warmer than
Warm
beaches. Yep, she could see them. It looked like it could be…nah. The car
pulled into a large gated entrance winding down to a huge estate. Two homes,
one smaller than the other sat in the distance. “Nick?”
“You’ve
never been here…thought I’d bring you down.”
“
“Yup.
Is that okay?”
“Yeah…it’s
great!”
“Good…I
wasn’t flying you back even if you griped.” The car pulled around to the larger
of the two homes and stopped. Nick slid around, helping himself out and
offering a hand to Ciara. She unfolded out of the car
and just looked around her.
“What
a contrast from just a few hours ago.” He had no idea. This was perfect.
“No
kidding, huh? Come on…there’s someone here who is missing you terribly.”
***
