Chapter 9

“Nick,” A voice whispered into his ear. “Nick… wake up.”

“Hm?” He rubbed his eyes before opening them. Riley was several inches from his face, trying to keep from laughing.

“We’re about to land.” She said, peering out the window. “You can see the ocean.”

Nick leaned over her slightly, peering out her window. “Frank, are you heading home after this?”

“Oh no. Last year, I promised the wife a nice vacation when I had some time off. And when I told her I was coming home early, she started planning like none other. So I’m headed down to Miami to meet her, and then go from there.”

”So what’s the destination?” Riley asked.

“Some island in the Caribbean. Couldn’t tell you if my life depended on it.”

The flight attendant interrupted their conversation. “We’ll be landing in Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale within the next few minutes. At this time, I ask you to make sure your lap trays are secured and your seatbelts buckled. The current weather in Fort Lauderdale is ninety-two degrees with mostly sunny skies. I hope you enjoyed your flight with United Airlines. Please fly with us again soon.”

“Almost home,” Nick said softly, watching out the window as the water soon disappeared and turned into buildings.

“Ninety-two?” Riley repeated. “It was sixty-five when I left Paris.”

“Welcome home, Rye,” He replied, a tease in his voice. “It won’t be quite as bad in Marathon though.”

“Is your air condition still on?”

“Yeah. I have someone taking care of the place so I didn’t have to close it up.”

“Good.”

The plane jolted from the wheels coming out, then bumped along quickly on the runway before landing completely. As it rolled in front of the terminal, the seatbelt light clicked off. Everyone began shuffling around for their belongings and standing up.

Riley slid her purse over his arm, and then stood to help Nick up.

“You guys got everything?” Frank asked.

“Yep,” Riley replied from behind him. Frank stepped into the aisle, and then moved back to let them out. Nick fumbled for Riley’s hand. Finding it, he grasped it as he entered the aisle. Once in the terminal, she linked her arm into his, giving him support with walking.

“You okay?” She asked as they arrived into the airport.

“Yeah.” He took a hat he had been holding and placed it on his head, pulling it down to right above his eyes.

“Do you guys want me to wait with you for the flight?” Frank asked, catching up with them.

“Nah, I think we got it.” Nick said, glancing at Riley who nodded.

“All right. You take care of yourself. Riley, if he gives you any problems, you know my cell phone number,” He winked.

“Thanks for everything,” Nick said, hugging Frank gently.

“No problem. Take care of yourself and be careful.”

“I will. Thanks.

“And you. It was great to see you again.” Frank told Riley, pulling her in for a hug. “You be sure to come back and visit more often.”

“Okay.” She smiled at him. “Have fun on vacation.”

He waved to them as he began walking away.

“Should we find our gate before we do anything?” Riley asked, pulling the tickets from her purse.

“Probably.”

“We have to get out of the area first and go find the right part of the airport.”

“Well, we’re in United, right?” Nick asked, leading Riley towards the escalator.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Well, we don’t want to go outside, because that’s just pick-up. We need to go upstairs and to the right.”

“Lead the way.” She said.

Arm-in-arm, they went up the escalator. Nick stopped to look around before going in a different direction.

“It’s right through these doors.” He said, pushing through clear glass doors.

“Hi, welcome to the Keys Airline,” A woman greeted from behind a desk. “Do you have your tickets?”

“Yes.” Riley said, handing her the tickets.

“Marathon. Okay. You just go right beyond those chairs right there. You can wait there for the flight to arrive. They’ll announce it when they board.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

They walked over to the small waiting area.

“I’m going to use the restroom real quick before we leave.” Nick said.

“Are you okay?”

“Why does everyone ask me that before I go to the bathroom?” He asked. “Can’t a man pee before he goes on a bumpy plane ride?”

She laughed, waving him on as she sat down in one of the chairs. Large windows filled an entire wall, allowing the outside of the airport to be seen.

Nick returned, sitting down beside Riley.

“Do you have any Tylenol?” He asked.

“Yeah.” She opened her purse and took out a small white bottle. “Are you hurtin’?”

“A little. I figure this ride isn’t going to help much either.”

“Yeah.”

She handed him two pills and a bottle of water.

“What else do you keep in that thing?” He raised his eyebrows, looking at the water.

“I always have a bottle of water in my purse. It’s habit.”

“How old is this?”

“I just bought it this morning.”

“Yeah, it’s probably like three years old.”

“Shut up and take the damn pills.” She retorted. He obeyed, swallowing the pills and handing the water back to her.

Outside the windows, they could see a small plane landing. As it stopped, the woman behind the desk from earlier went to the door and opened it. Only minutes later, passengers began to exit.

“All passengers going to Marathon, Florida may now start to line up at the door.”

Several more people had walked in since they arrived and lined up. Riley helped Nick up before walking to the door.

A flight attendant greeted them and took their ticket before letting them on. As they stepped on the plane, a pilot greeted them.

“Have a good flight.” He said. They walked down the short aisle to a pair of seats.

“Window or aisle?” Riley asked.

“Aisle?”

“Okay.”

She slipped in and sat down first, and then Nick sat down beside her. They hooked their seatbelts before leaning back into their seats. Before long, several others had joined them and the flight attendant closed the door.

“Welcome to the Keys Airline. This flight will be approximately thirty minutes. We do ask you keep your seatbelts on at all times. It may become a bit bumpy at times, so please keep that in mind. Enjoy your flight.”

(AN: I don’t know the name of the airline that goes from Fort Lauderdale to the Keys… so we’ll just call it the Keys Airline… lol)

Nick gripped the armrest as the plane began to descend down the runway. Riley smiled at it, placing her hand on top of his. They remained this way through most of the flight, as it was rather bumpy from the turbulence.

“Hey, I see the house,” Riley joked, looking out the window at the island beneath them.

”I hate this landing,” Nick mumbled, closing his eyes. Riley had to agree as she watched the plane begin its descent down over the ocean. It got closer and closer, looking almost as if it was going to land in the water, but soon found the concrete runway.

“All over.” Riley whispered. Nick opened his eyes, relief crossing his face. “Now that wasn’t so bad.”

“It never is after you land.” He replied, unhooking his seatbelt and standing up slowly. She did the same and followed him into the aisle as he led her off the plane. Once in the airport, they linked arms again.

“At least we don’t have to wait forever at the baggage claim.” Riley said.

“Or not.” Nick pointed at the large crowd around the claim. “I think they used this for other airlines, too.”

“Gee, how nice.” They neared the crowd, standing in a place where they could see the bags come out. “Do you want to go sit down? I can wait here for them.”

“No, I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, concerned about his worn out appearance.

“Yeah.”

They only had to wait several more minutes before Nick spotted the bags.

“Stay here. I’ll get them.” She moved her way through the crowd to the front where she was quick to grab both Nick and her suitcases. Popping the wheels out on the bottom of hers, she wheeled it beside her as she carried Nick’s.

“Want some help?”

“Psh. Get your hands away, buddy. You’re not allowed to lift anything over ten pounds, so don’t even think about it.”

He smiled sheepishly, leading her from the busy airport to the outside. A warm ocean breeze blew by as they stepped outside.

“Home sweet home,” Nick said, stepping to the curb. A cab pulled alongside and the driver opened the trunk before getting out. He took the suitcases from Riley and placed them in the trunk.

“Thanks,” She said.

“No problem.”

She let Nick get in first, and then she climbed in beside him.

“Where to?” The driver asked, pulling away from the curb.

“63rd Street Ocean West.” Nick said.

“Okay.”

Riley gazed out the window most of the time, watching the ocean she had missed so much. She looked over at Nick, his head resting against the back of the seat as he watched out the other window.

“Are you okay?” She asked.

“Yeah. Just tired.” To prove it, he yawned.

The ride ended quickly as Nick instructed the driver where to turn. The cab soon pulled in front of the beachfront property.

“Thirteen even.” The driver said. Nick pulled his wallet from his pocket, withdrawing a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks. Need some help with the bags, ma’am?”

“No thanks, I’ve got it.”

The driver popped the trunk open as they two got out of the car. Riley lifted both bags from the back, then closed the trunk and walked towards the house.

“Do you have my keys?” Nick asked.

“Oh yeah.” She dug through her purse, coming up with a set of keys. Handing them to Nick, she followed him to the front door where he unlocked it and let her go in first with the bags. She set them down; taking in a view of the house she had missed so much.

“Why did I even leave this house?” She asked.

“Emily.”

“Oh yeah.” Leaving Nick in the living room, she went down the hallway, first stopping in the master bedroom and placing his suitcase in there. Then, she continued down further to the room she used to occupy. As she opened it, she was hit with the smell of lavender. Her candles still sat along the windowsill that overlooked part of the beach. She smiled, grateful to be home, even under such traumatic circumstances. She left her suitcase on the bed before returning to the living room.

“Where are you?” She called out.

“The kitchen,” His reply came, echoing throughout the house. Going into the kitchen, she saw him sitting at the table with a stack of envelopes and other mail items in front of him.

“You don’t have to do that now. Why not save it for when you’re bored tomorrow?” She said, sitting down beside him.

“Good idea.” He put the mail and returned it to the basket that sat in the center of the table. “I think I’m going to go lie down for a while. Help yourself to anything.”

“Do you have any groceries?”

“Doubt it. If you want to go get some, the keys to the cars are in the drawer nearest the fridge.” He took his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a credit card, tossing it onto the table in front of her.

“What are my driving options?” She asked, standing up. “Anything off limits?”

“Nah,” He chuckled, remembering when he wouldn’t let anyone drive his Prowler. “I’ve got a mustang that you might like.”

“Ooh. I’ll take it. Do you want anything while I’m out?”

“No, I think I’m good.”

“Okay. Need any help getting to your bed?”

“Nope,” He yawned, going down the hallway.

“Call me if you need me.”

“Will do, boss.”

She opened the drawer finding several sets of keys. She checked the name on all of them before finding the Mustang keys. Shoving the credit card into her pocket, she slung her purse over her shoulder before going into the garage. Turning on the light, she only shook her head, seeing four cars lined up. The Mustang sat nearest the door; it’s sleek black appearance immediately catching her eye. She opened the door and climbed in, looking around. Finding the garage door opened in the glove compartment, she opened the door before starting the engine. Quickly deciding the air conditioner over having the top down, she turned the air up as high as it could go before backing out of the garage, then the driveway. She waited for the garage door to close pulling out of the driveway. Putting the car into drive, she went down the street, stopping at the end for the stop sign, and then continuing on the main street until she arrived at the local grocery store. It was rather empty, as hardly any tourists were probably in town yet. In only a couple months, the whole town would be packed with tourists.

She found a parking space near the entrance. Taking the key from ignition, she dropped it into her open purse as she got out. Stepping inside, she realized how much she had missed the typical American grocery store. In the area of Paris that she lived in, they only had open-air markets. She took a basket from a stack near the carts, and began walking down the produce aisle.

She finished in nearly fifteen minutes, getting mostly necessities, but also a few items she knew Nick would eat. She got into line behind an elderly lady who slowly placed her items on the counter, one-by-one. Trying to wait patiently, she glanced at the magazine rack above the counter. Only one had anything about Nick on the front and it was a weekly entertainment magazine. She thumbed through it, seeing just a small article since not a lot of information had been given away on it. Looking up, she saw the woman opening her pocketbook, so she replaced the magazine to the rack and set the basket on the counter.

“Hi, how are you today?” The cashier, a teenage boy, asked as he began scanning her items.

“Great. And you?”

“Fine, thanks. Did you find everything you needed?” He asked, finishing up with the items.

“Yes.”

He gave her a total before she handed him the credit card. He slid it through the machine quickly, and then gave her a receipt to sign. As she handed it back, he handed her a different receipt.

“Come back soon,” He said.

She picked up the two paper bags and walked back out into the heat. Setting one bag on the ground, she opened the passenger door and put one bag in the seat, and another on the floor before walking around to the other side.

It didn’t take long for her to return home. She pulled into the garage and shut the door as she stepped out of the car.

As she got into the kitchen, the phone rang. Setting the bags on the counter, she picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey you,” A raspy male voice came through the line.

“AJ?”

“Yep. How’s it going?”

“Good. Just got back from grocery shopping.” She held the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she began to put away some of the groceries.

“How’s Nicky?”

“He’s okay, I think. The flight really wore him out, but he seems to be okay pain wise.”

“Good. Well, I was just calling to check up you guys. Kevin said you were heading home today. Call me if you guys need anything.”

“I will. Talk to you later.”

“Later babe.”

She returned the phone to the cradle before finishing with the groceries. Abandoning the kitchen, she peeked in on Nick, finding him sound asleep atop the blankets on his bed. She left the door slightly ajar before going down to her room. Riley quickly unpacked her few items, hanging most of her clothes in the closet, and putting the rest in a whicker dresser. She then took her laptop out of her messenger bag. Returning to the kitchen, she connected an Internet wire to the phone jack before going outside. The new deck was stained with a light color. A new patio set had been added to it, along with a barbeque grill and a swing. She opted for the swing, allowing it to rock as she sat down. Stretching her legs, she opened the computer, greeted almost immediately with new e-mails.

~~

Nick woke hours later, his abdomen aching, but his stomach hungry. An aroma of cooking food had ventured into his room. He sat up slowly, grunting from the nagging pain of his abdomen. Looking at the clock on the nightstand, the red numbers blared seven-thirty. Easing himself out of the bed, he slowly walked into the hallway. He could see Riley hovering over the stove in the kitchen. She stirred something in a pan, then went to the island and began cutting something on a cutting board.

He quietly entered the kitchen, sitting down in a chair at the table.

“Hey sleepyhead. How do you feel?”

“Eh.” He replied.

“Do you want your pain meds?”

“No. Maybe after dinner. I don’t want to get drowsy yet. I promised you a sunset.”

“There will be another tomorrow night.”

“I know. I just don’t want to miss this one. So what’s for dinner?”

“Spaghetti.”

“Sounds good. Can I help with anything?”

“Want to make the salad?”

“Sure.”

She stopped chopping the vegetables and moved the board to the table. She handed him the knife and set a tomato and cucumber in front of him. She got the bowl of lettuce from the counter and placed that on the table before returning to the stove.

“Since when do you cook?” He asked, slicing into the cucumber.

“Since I moved and didn’t want French food every day. You catch on real quick over there. And it’s not too hard to empty a jar of sauce into a pan.” She smiled sheepishly at him as she emptied a handful of spices into the sauce. “I just add some Italian seasonings and wah-lah. Spaghetti sauce.”

She stirred the noodles, and then placed a fork into the pot to take out a single noodle. Letting the water drip from it, she then grasped it in her hand and threw it at the wall.

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked, looking at the spaghetti that was now stuck on the wall.

“Checking to see if it’s done.”

“By throwing it?”

“If it sticks, it’s done.”

“Right…” Nick replied, going back to the vegetables. She drained the spaghetti before returning it to the pot, and then turned off the flame beneath the sauce. Nick pushed back his chair to stand, but was stopped short of doing so.

“I’ve got it. Just sit back and rest. Less movement is less pain.”

Nick rolled his eyes as Riley took away the vegetables.

“Want to eat outside?”

“Sure. Can I stand up to go out there?” He asked sarcastically.

“I’ll even let you carry the silverware.” She handed him silverware, napkins, and the salad.

“Ooh. Even the salad!” Nick mocked as he went outside to the deck. He set the salad down in the center of the table, and then put the silverware and napkins at two seats across from each other. Returning into the house, he opened a cabinet in the dining room and took out several white candles and a box of matches. Riley followed him back outside with two plates heaped with spaghetti and sauce.

”Don’t get all romantic on me now,” Riley teased as she went back in the house for the plate of garlic bread.

“Well, it’s either we eat in the candlelight or the dark.” He lit the candles, setting them in the center of the table. “It won’t be long before the sun goes down and I don’t have any lights out here yet.”

They ate slowly, enjoying the scenery and atmosphere. As it was September, the seagulls were returning, filling the air with occasional squalls and chirps. The sound of the waves crashing against the beach just made everything that much better.

“It’s going to be so hard to leave this place,” Riley said, sipping iced tea from a glass.

“Then don’t.”

“I can’t. I have my life back in Paris. I mean, only being there for two years, I don’t have many friends or anything, but my company. I don’t see how I could leave it. And then my apartment. Not such an issue getting rid of it, but its full of furniture now.”

“What do you miss most about being over there?”

“You. And the other guys. It’s not like I can just hop on a plane and come visit whenever I want. And you guys never come and tour France.”

“We’ve been on a break.”

“Such a break you couldn’t drop by to see a friend?”

“Halfway around the world?”

“Excuses.”

The sky had turned dark, now only a sliver of light showing over the horizon as the stars began coming out above them.

“Are you done?” Riley asked as she stood up from the table.

“Yeah. Sorry I couldn’t eat more.”

“It’s okay. We’ll have leftovers, so when we get lazy this week, we can pop it in the microwave.”

She picked up their plates and took them into the house, placing them in the sink to tend to later. Returning to the deck, she saw Nick standing, but leaning heavily on the table.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, worry in her voice.

“I think I just moved wrong. I’m okay.” He remained for a moment, catching his breath. Riley watched him wearily, slowly picking up the remainder of their dishes. He began walking towards the door, slowly and bent over more than usual.

“Do you want help?”

“No, I’m okay.”

She watched him go inside, setting down the items in her hand. He stopped at the kitchen counter, leaning on it to try to ease the pain. Rather than bother asking, she silently went inside and slid her arm into his. His cheeks grew pink, as if embarrassed, but he allowed her to lead him to his bedroom. She helped him sit down on the bed.

“Do you have my pain medication?” He asked, his voice breaking as he lay down. He lay on his side, his hand over his abdomen and a pained expression on his face.

“Shit.” She said. “We didn’t get it filled. I’ll go get it now.”

“No, it’s okay, I’ll-“

“Nick, it’s not a problem. Osco is open twenty-four hours. If you need anything, call my cell. Will you be okay by yourself?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Rye.”

“Light on or off?” She asked, standing in the doorway.

“On.”

“Okay.”

She disappeared from the hall as she returned to the deck to take everything inside. After locking the backdoor, she retrieved the keys from the drawer again. She checked the front door to make sure it was locked before going out through the garage.

It took nearly a half hour to get to Osco, as there wasn’t one in Marathon so she had to go outside the city limits to get it. Construction also filled the roadways, slowing down traffic. She finally arrived, parking in the brightly lit lot before jogging inside.

“Hi, I need to get this filled.” She said as she arrived at the pharmacy.

“Okay. It’ll be just a few minutes.” A man said from behind the counter.

Riley wandered the store aimlessly, stopping occasionally to look at pointless items. She checked her watch nearly ten minutes later before returning to the pharmacy.

“I was just about to call your name.” The pharmacist said as she stepped up to the counter. “It’ll be thirty-nine dollars even.”

Riley took her wallet from her purse.

“Do you take Visa?” She asked hopefully.

“Sure do.” Breathing a sigh of relief, she handed him her card.

“French?” He asked, scanning the card.

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have an accent.” He stated, handing her card back.

“I’m from here. I’ve lived there for a few years.”

“Ah. Okay, so this is a pretty strong pain medication, so follow the instructions carefully. He can take two pills every twelve hours.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

She dropped her wallet back into her purse before taking the sack from him. Hurrying back outside, she quickly climbed in the car. The traffic wasn’t as bad going back, as it was nearly ten o’clock. When she returned home, she parked the car in the garage before closing the door. As she stepped into the kitchen, she heard talking from down the hallway. She set her purse down on the counter before taking the pills from the sack. She filled a small glass with water then followed Nick’s voice to his room. He lay on his back in bed, the phone at his ear and the television on mute.

“Okay… I’ll tell her. I’ll talk to you later. Love you, too.” Nick pulled the phone from his ear and turned it off.

“I hope that wasn’t AJ,” Riley snickered as she sat down on the edge of his bed.

“It was Aaron. He says hi.”

“How’s the pain?” She asked as he struggled to sit up.

“A pain the ass,” He replied trying to lighten the situation.

“You can take two every twelve hours.” She unscrewed the cap of the orange medicine bottle and handed him two large pills.

“Damn the horse pills. Please, if I choke, don’t do the Heimlich maneuver. It’ll hurt.”

“Hm… death or Heimlich?”

“Death,” He moaned, swallowing the second pill. “There’s a Golden Girls marathon on. Care to join me?”

“Sure. I’m going to go take a quick shower and change.”

“I need to change, too.” He said, slowly moving his legs off the bed.

“Do you need help?”

“Could you just help me take my shirt off? I’m good after that.”

“Sure. Raise your arms up.”

Nick felt as if he were five again as he lifted his arms over his head and she pulled his shirt off.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I’ll be back in a few.”

Fifteen minutes later, she returned to his room, her hair damp and clothes changed as she now sported pink capris and a black tank top. Nick stood in the doorway of his bathroom, brushing his teeth. She collapsed on the opposite side of the bed he had laid on, propping up on a pillow. He disappeared from view for a few minutes, and then reappeared as he turned off the bathroom light. He lay down on the bed beside her and turned the mute off.

Rather than watch the show, Nick allowed his mind to wander off. This is how it used to be. Late nights in hotel rooms, sitting around and watching great television. Brian wasn’t here to share it though. It was usually the three of them. Kevin would come in hours later, telling them to turn it off and go to sleep. And they did. Only it was at least four in the morning before it happened.

A sharp pain in his abdomen suddenly interrupted his thoughts. He flinched, his fist gripping a wad of bed sheets.

“What’s wrong?” Riley sat up, looking over at him. The sharp pain passed quickly, but left a dull ache throughout his chest and stomach.

“It hurts.” He turned onto his side to face her, hoping the new position would help. Rather than lie back down, she leaned against the headboard.

“The medicine will start working soon. Then you won’t have so much pain.” Her heart ached for her friend. She had never seen him in such pain before. Sure, she had seen his share of bruises and sprains, but never before something so serious.

Another sharp pain. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep quickly to make the pain pass.

Riley got up quickly, turning off the lamp and leaving only the glow of the television to light the room. She sat back down on the bed, facing him as she did. He opened his eyes as the pain passed.

“This sucks.” He mumbled.

“I know. It’ll get better.”

“You all keep saying that. It hasn’t happened yet.”

Riley had to smile at his childish thoughts. She brushed his hair from his eyes slowly as his eyes closed again.

“Just go to sleep. You’ll feel better in the morning.”

***

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