Chapter 6

Riley stood at the bathroom sink brushing her dark hair up into a ponytail. She wound a white rubber band around it, holding it tightly in place. She pulled out a few strands in the front, to frame her face, and then dropped the brush back into her makeup bag. Taking once last glance in the mirror, she turned off the light and went back into the bedroom. She tossed the bag into her purse before kneeling down beside her suitcase in search of her sandals.

A knock on the door startled her, causing her to drop the shoe she held. Standing up, she went to the door. After a failing attempt to look through the peephole, on the account she was too short, she opened it, surprised to see Leighanne standing outside.

“You’re definitely not AJ,” Leighanne laughed. She reached over and hugged Riley. “How are you?”

“I’m great. How are you?”

“Just great. I thought I heard AJ come in last night, but I guess it was you.”

“Yeah. He insisted I take the room for the night.”

“Well the reason I was coming to find AJ was to tell him that we’re leaving in about twenty minutes.”

“Brian and you?”

“Yeah. We’re going to head back to Georgia.”

“Is Brian here?”

“Uh-huh. He’s in the room with Baylee.” Leighanne said, nodding towards their hotel room. Riley’s eyes widened at the name.

“Can I see Baylee? I’ve only seen pictures.”

“Sure.”

“Let me find my shoes real quick.”

Leighanne stood in the doorway while Riley found the other matching shoe. She slipped them on before grabbing the room key.

“All right.”

Allowing the door to shut, she followed Leighanne down the hall to their room. She opened the door, exposing a near-empty room. Several suitcases sat near the door beside a stroller.

“Are you guys going to stop by the hospital on the way out of town?”

“Uh… I don’t think so,” Leighanne said.

Riley nodded, peering around a wall divider to see a toddler playing on the floor with a plastic truck.

“Aww…”

She knelt down beside him and he looked up at her with his big blue eyes.

“Hey there.” She said softly. “I’m Riley.”

“Lee?”

“Yep. That’s right.”

“Riley?”

She looked up to see a worn-out Brian standing across the room.

“Hey Brian.”

She stood as her neared her, pulling him into a hug, though the one he gave was weak.

“I’m going to take these bags downstairs. Good seeing you, Riley.”

He left suddenly, taking the suitcases with him.

“What’s wrong with him?” Riley asked, kneeling back down beside Baylee.

“He’s had a rough few days.”

She nodded, thinking she understood.

“Well little guy, I think you’re leaving soon. But it was really good to finally see you. High five?”

He gave her a grin before slapping her hand.

“He’s adorable. Looks like his daddy.”

“I know.” Leighanne replied, a smile on her face.

“Well, I’ll let you guys get out of here. I’m going to head down to the hospital soon.”

“Okay. It was great to see you again,”

“You too.”

“And… will you tell Nick I’m thinking about him?”

“Sure.”

They hugged once more before Riley let herself out. Returning to her room, she gathered several items and put them into her purse before leaving again.

~~

“So how do you like the new room?” Nick asked as his brother walked in.

“Much better.” Aaron said, settling down in a chair beside the bed. “The masks were annoying.”

“Sorry. So is Dad still here?”

“Yeah. He went to a hotel last night, but he’s here now. He’s on his way in, I think.”

As if on cue, Bob Carter walked into the room.

“Hi Dad.” The boys said in unison.

“Hey.” He sat down in a vacant chair beside Aaron. “You look much better than you did yesterday.”

“Sorry about that.” Nick said apologetically.

“It’s okay. Not your fault. I’m just not for all this medical stuff. So are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah. For one thing, I don’t have a tube down my throat.”

Aaron snickered. “How he went nearly two days without talking, I don’t know.”

For the first time in a long time, the three were able to have a decent, family conversation. Over an hour later, a knock on the door interrupted them. A volunteer entered carrying a tray.

“Lunch,” She said, setting the tray on the over-bed table, and then rolling it towards the bed. “Enjoy.”

She left as quickly as she came.

“Speaking of lunch, why don’t we run down to the cafeteria and get some for ourselves?” Bob said, standing. “We’ll be back later.”

“Okay. Thanks guys.”

As they left, Nick felt slightly disappointed that he had to eat by himself. He lifted the cover of the tray to expose several bowls and cups. In the center bowl, there was what looked to be chicken broth. Another smaller bowl contained red Jell-O cubes. Two clear cups contained tea and apple juice.

Taking the soupspoon, he filled it with broth and tried to make it to his mouth, finding it extremely difficult, as he could hardly move body forward in order not to spill it. His hand felt weak and shook. After several tries, he dropped the spoon in defeat.

“Giving up already, Carter?” Riley whisked into the room, eyeing the spoon he had dropped onto the tray.

“It’s near impossible.” He said. “I can’t sit up any further without it killing me. And my hand keeps shaking.”

She offered him a grim smile.

“Mind if I help?”

“If you want.”

“In other words, please, or you’ll regret it later when you’re starving.”

She sat down gently on side of the bed, careful not to hurt him.

“Is that okay?”

”Yeah.” Picking up the spoon, she dipped it in the soup and moved it slowly to his mouth, allowing him to get the first full taste of the soup.

“Is it edible?”

“I believe so.”

He was able to eat half of the soup and a spoonful of Jell-O before he was full.

“Not bad for your first meal.”

“I feel like an invalid.” He said as she pushed away the table.

“I hate you tell you this, but you basically are right now. It’s okay though. Get used to letting people help you. You’ll definitely need it.”

He sighed, leaning back into the pillows.

“Brian and Leighanne were leaving earlier. Leigh wanted me to tell you she’s thinking about you.”

The eyes that had been so lively suddenly clouded over. “They went home?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. So how’d you sleep?” He asked, quickly changing the subject.

“Great. AJ loaned me his room for the night. I was surprised to see it so clean.”

“He’s changed a lot.” Nick said.

“It’s already obvious and I’ve only spent about five minutes with him. It’s great.”

Time passed quickly as the friends caught up on the past few years they had missed of each other’s personal lives. Aaron soon joined them, but Nick was beginning to get tired.

“Do you think the nurses would kick my ass if I moved the bed a bit?” Nick asked.

“I don’t think so. You’ve been sitting up for a while.” Riley replied, handing Nick the remote for the bed and television. He moved the head of the bed down, so he was only slightly propped up by it. “Why don’t we get out of here and let you rest for awhile?”

“Sorry. I hate being tired all of the time.”

“It’s okay. Just sleep. You’ll feel better.”

Aaron playfully slung his arm around Riley’s shoulders as they left the room.

“You know… I’m not sure I like you being this tall.” Riley teased. “Last time I saw you, you like… went up to my chest. And your voice… well…”

“It’s called puberty. Obviously, in your situation, it didn’t help your height.”

“Thanks.”  She ruffled his hair as they collapsed into chairs in the waiting room. “Where’d everyone go?”

“Dad’s still downstairs with AJ and Howie. And Kevin is walking in behind you.”

Riley turned to see Kevin entering the waiting room. His eyes lit up as he saw her, and she jumped up in time to receive a hug from him.

“Hey you.” Kevin said as they released. “How are you?”

“Good. And you?”

“I’m good. Thanks.”

“I’m going to run downstairs. I’ll be back later,” Aaron said, leaving the waiting room.

Kevin sat down on the couch across from Riley.

“So what’s going on between Brian and Nick?” She asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw Brian this morning. He hardly talked and when I brought up the subject of Nick, he left to go downstairs. And then I told Nick about them leaving, and he kind of blew it off. What happened?”

“They left?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you know?”

“No,” Anger passed through Kevin’s eyes.

“So what are you all not telling me?”

“Nick and Brian had a scuffle that day, I guess.” Kevin lied. “He hasn’t been here to see Nick or even called.”

“So Brian’s just being a jackass in the situation and not talking to him?”

Kevin shrugged. “Who knows what’s going through his mind. He’s stubborn as a mule.”

“How’s Nick feel about this?”

“I don’t know. He’s only brought it up once, and then changed the subject. Not something he wants to talk about, apparently.”

“That’s so sad,” Riley said, leaning back in her chair. “At least he’s got you guys to count on.”

“And you.”

“And me.” She said, smiling. “So what happens when he gets released? No one lives in Florida. Well, Howie, but not very close. Where does Bob live?”

“California.”

“Oh. Well, maybe he could stay with him for a few weeks at least. Or Nick could go with him. But there’s no way he can stay by himself.”

“I know. I guess if all else fails, we could get him a nurse.”

“What if…” Riley trailed off, deep in thought.

“What?”

“I’ll do it. I can stay.”

“What about your career?

“The fall line is all ready to be put out. I’ve got people there that can manage everything. And everything they can’t, I can do from here in the States. It’d be great to be home for a while.”

“Whatever you want to do is just fine with me. Telling Nick might be the hard part,” Kevin winked.

”Actually, I think he might realize that he’s going to need help for a few weeks.”

“I hope so. Otherwise he’ll be a pure pain in the ass until he’s back on his feet.”

“I’ll whoop him.” She laughed. “He’s injured, therefore, I have more of a chance to beat him up if he annoys me.”

“Mr. Richardson?” Kevin turned, seeing a nurse standing in the doorway of the waiting room. “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

Kevin gave Riley a confused look as he stepped into the hallway with the nurse.

“Don’t worry, nothing bad. I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to move Nick upstairs to a regular room shortly.”

“I thought they were going to keep him in ICU for one more night?”

“We were, but Dr. Resnick decided to go ahead and move him today. We’re in dire need of beds here in the ICU this afternoon, and because Nick is progressing so well, Dr. Resnick gave the okay to move him upstairs.”

“Is he doing okay though?”

“He’s actually doing much better than most do after extensive injury and surgery. He’ll probably be more comfortable upstairs. The rooms are bigger and he’s allowed to have as many visitors as he wants.”

“All right.”

“We’re going to move him shortly, so if you’d like to go on upstairs, you’re welcome to. I’ll tell the nurses you’re there so they can let you know when he’s settled in.”

”Okay. Thank you.”

“He’ll be on the ninth floor. There’s a waiting room right as you step out of the elevator.”

“Thanks.”

Kevin returned to the waiting room where Riley sat, nervously awaiting his return.

“Is he okay?” She asked as soon as she saw him.

“Yeah, he’s fine.” Kevin chuckled. “They’re going to go ahead and move him upstairs.”

“Is he ready?”

“Dr. Resnick thinks so. They need beds down here, and he saw no reason why to keep him here any longer.”

“Okay then.”

“We can go on up, she said, but I’ll go down to the cafeteria and let everyone know.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Go ahead. He’ll be on the ninth floor. A nurse will come and get you when he’s ready.”

“Okay. See you later, then.”

Riley slung her purse over her shoulder and followed Kevin to the elevators, but rather get in with him, she got into another, this one going up. Pressing the ‘9’ button, she stepped back and waited for it to begin moving. It arrived quickly, not stopping to pick up anyone. She stepped out, immediately greeted by a large mural of New York City. Turning to the right, she stepped right into the waiting room. She sat down nearest the door. The room was empty, though the television had been left on. She soon found herself interested as they began talking about fashion for the upcoming fall season.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” An older woman asked from the hallway. Riley turned to face the woman. “Are you with Mr. Carter?”

“Yes.”

“He’s ready for visitors, now, if you’d like to see him.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“He’s in room nine-sixteen. Go straight down that hall and take a right.”

“Thank you.” As the woman walked away, Riley stood, debating whether or not to wait for the others. Deciding against it, she picked up her purse and followed the woman’s directions down the hallway. She stopped short, the room closer than she thought. The door was slightly open, but she knocked anyways.

“Come in.”

She opened the door, seeing Nick sitting up in bed, watching as a male nurse fiddled with his I.V.

“Hey babe.” He greeted cheerfully.

“Hey yourself. Nice room.” She motioned to the view of the river out of the large window.

“Yeah. Prefer the ocean, but that doesn’t seem to be an option at the moment. Come sit.” He pointed at the chair beside the bed. “There’s even a little built-in couch over there so if someone decides to stay, they don’t have to sleep in the waiting room.”

“I wouldn’t know. I had a lovely hotel room last night.”

The nurse finished with I.V., and then turned off the sound on the SAT monitor.  “I’ll get out of here now. I’ll be here until midnight. My name is Ethan, if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

As the door closed, Riley fell back into the chair with an exasperated sigh.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m in love.” She said seriously, before beginning to laugh. “He’s hot.”

“Sure. Whatever you say.”

“So did the doc give you any idea when you can bust out of here?”

“He said possibly by Thursday morning. That doesn’t help me though, because I don’t know what day it is.”

“It’s Tuesday.”

“Okay. Ugh. I don’t even want to think about how to get home.”

“Gee, maybe a plane?”

“Yeah… but to the airport… and then home from airport.”

“You’ll live.”

“I hope.” He winked.

“I’ve decided to stay here in the States for a while.”

“Not on account of me, right?”

“Well. Sort of.”

“Riley.” Nick whined. “Don’t stay because of me. You have a life over there.”

“Nick,” She mocked. “I’m not staying here just because of you. I’ve missed it here. And I definitely need a break from work. They can manage without me for a while. Plus, you’re going to need help when you get home.”

“I-“

“Don’t argue. It’s either me, or Kevin.”

“On second thought…”

“That’s what I thought.” She snickered. “It’ll be like old times.”

“Your room is the same, too.”

“Good.”

“But what about your stuff? You didn’t bring much, did you?”

“Just the necessities. I’m sure if I need something, I can find a store.”

“They still haven’t put in a Wal-Mart or Target. It’s such a shame to have to go all the way to Miami to go to Wal-Mart.” Nick said.

“I’ve lived without Wal-Mart for two years. It’s not so hard once you’re used to it.”

They were silent for a moment, enjoying each other’s company, as they hadn’t been with each other for almost two years.

“Know what?” Nick asked out of the blue.

“What?”

“I missed you a lot.”

***

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