Chapter One-Hundred-Twenty-Two
By the time Doctor Johnson got done with Rachael, he told Lorelei where she could find him and then took off toward the Orphanage Wing to make sure things are going well over there. It is long after dinner now, he's completely missed it but he called Brandon and asked him to get him something and have the cook save it for him. When he got into the cafeteria, he noticed that everything was cleaned up — all except for one table and Brandon was sitting there waiting for him — to Doctor Johnson's surprise, he hasn't even eaten yet.
"Hey Bro…I was wondering when you would turn up," Brandon greeted him with a small smile, as Doctor Johnson approached looking beat. He dropped into the chair next to the unoccupied plate of tacos, beans, and rice that Brandon had fixed up for him.
"You didn't have to wait for me," Doctor Johnson insisted, as he surveyed his little brother's food and realized it was practically untouched.
"Does it surprise you that I can be a nice brother every once in awhile?" Brandon questioned, pretending to be insulted.
"How did dinner go with the kids? They didn't give any of the caregivers trouble did they?" Doctor Johnson asked, ignoring the comment Brandon had made altogether, as he is not in the mood to joke around. Brandon took note of this, as he cocked his head to the side and gave him a concerned look.
"They were all fine…dinner ran smoothly. I helped with the clean up and stuff. The only kid that gave anyone a hard time, was Jennifer's kid — Chris, I think was his name? He was a little stubborn, but it was nothing she couldn't handle." Brandon explained, and he smiled a little as he noticed Doctor Johnson perk up a little at the mention of Jennifer.
"That's right…I have to call Brian so that Chris can talk to his best friend…" Doctor Johnson replied, making a mental note to go see Jennifer later.
"So…what was the big emergency?" Brandon questioned cautiously, as he noticed that even at the mention of Jennifer, his older brother seemed troubled about something.
"A woman got into a wreck right outside the hospital and had to be rushed here…we did all that we could with her but she's fallen into a coma and is in god's hands now…I feel so helpless you know?"
"You can't save everybody Steve…" Brandon replied softly.
"Yeah we've established that factor long ago, haven't we Bran?" Doctor Johnson asked in a somewhat snappy tone, as he kept his gaze anywhere but at his brother. Brandon sighed heavily.
"When are you going to stop beating yourself up over that? It was a long time ago…"
"She died in my arms Bran, that's not something that you can just easily forget!"
"I'm not asking you to forget it…I'm just telling you to stop beating yourself up over it."
"It's not that easy. She was my baby sister…it was all up to me, and she just died!" Doctor Johnson replied, tears rolling down his cheeks.
"You did all that you could do…"
"Obviously not enough."
"You did as much as a thirteen year old uneducated in the medical field could do."
"Well I am educated now, so why shouldn't I be able to save Annabelle?"
"Because it's not always up to you," Brandon replied, as tears fell from his own eyes. "Things just happen Steve, you can't always control it. If she is meant to live, she will."
"Kayline should've been meant to live! She was just seven years old! She had a whole life ahead of her!"
"It was obviously her time to go, or she would have lived. Things happen for a reason…and sometimes you can't explain them, you can't control them, they just happen."
"But why should it have been her time to go? She had only lived up until seven years!"
"I don't know…god works in unexplainable ways…he obviously thought she served her purpose."
"God is a selfish man and I hate him." Doctor Johnson insisted, and he got up and started to walk away but Brandon grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back down.
"You don't mean that."
"Yes I do. I hate him for taking kaylie away from us. I hate him for taking our entire family away from us. It's NOT fair." He explained.
"He didn't take them away from us Steve…they are always with you, in your heart. They are in a better place now…they are up in heaven."
"Then why couldn't he take us with them? Why did he have to leave us behind?"
"Because you needed to stay behind and serve your purpose. You needed to become a Doctor and do great things…save people."
"But if I can't always save people, then what is the point?"
"Some people just have to die Steve…when it's their time there isn't anything you can do. We all die at one point…it's a fact of life. That woman — Annabelle isn't all the way gone Bro…she's in a coma and you did that. Because you are an amazing Doctor. You did all you could do…now it's up to her and god whether she wakes up or not." Doctor Johnson didn't reply he only shook his head and continued to look down at his food. He can't and he wont understand what his brother is trying to explain to him. Not right now when he is so upset. All he can think about is that its his fault his sister is dead and if Annabelle doesn't survive this coma, that'll be his fault also. That's all he can think about.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, in New York, AJ and Brooke walked through Central Park holding hands and talking. Both of them feeling like they are the only two people in the park, and there is no one else in the world.
"Are you coming here for Christmas too?" AJ questioned, as he looked at Brooke curiously. Brooke shook her head.
"No, not this year. My parents want to go on vacation together, just the two of them." AJ gently squeezed her hand.
"Why don't you come to Kentucky with me then?" He questioned, knowing he is being daring with the question, but he just has to ask.
"What about the Orphanage?" Brooke asked, smiling a little bit. "I can't ask Doctor Johnson to baby sit it for me again, he needs a holiday away from that place."
"So make someone else watch it," AJ replied, smiling some. "You're the boss, you can do that."
"Yeah, but I'm not a scrooge, Aje."
"No you're not," AJ agreed. "Very true. You are much more beautiful," He told her sweetly, making Brooke's insides melt.
"I will find some way to get you to come with me to Kentucky," he insisted, as the two of them came across the lake — Jaime and Peyton are on the other side, on the bridge. AJ led her over to the rock nearby and he sat down, before gently pulling her so she is sitting next to him. Brooke laughed a little.
"Oh yeah McLean? And how are you going to do that?"
"I am going to go to every employee in that Orphanage and get down on my knees and beg them all until one of them caves and offers to take care of the Orphanage while you are gone." Brooke smiled a little.
"Oh great, they'll just love me for that." She told him, rolling her eyes.
"I'll take fault for any angry employees don't worry. I will tell them that I love you way too much to go an entire week without you and I will put on my charm, and one of them are bound to cave sometime! They haven't seen a pitiful Backstreet Boy before." Brooke blushed a little, and darted her eyes away from him and toward the lake instead, where ducks are swimming around, eating bread that near by children and parents are throwing for them.
"I don't deserve you," she insisted softly, shaking her head a little bit. AJ gently squeezed her hand in his, as she still has hold of it.
"Why not?" He questioned, as he placed his finger to her chin and gently turned her head so she's looking up at him.
"Because you are too good to me, and I don't deserve good people."
"I think you deserve to have anything your heart desires."
"Why? What makes me so special?"
"You are a good person…you provide a home for needy children all over the world, and you help them find families…you are a hero in their eyes Brookie. You deserve anything you want. Besides that…you are sweet, caring, beautiful…and I have been in love with you since the moment I set eyes on you — I didn't want anything else."
"Why, because I rejected you?" Brooke asked, smiling a little.
"Well to be honest, yes…" AJ admitted, laughing a little. "You made me work hard for you, and you still do."
"So what happens if I give into you and you finally get what you want? How do I know your not just going to walk away from me after that? How do I know you don't just enjoy the chase?" Brooke challenged.
"Honey even if I wanted to walk away from you…I couldn't…because if you haven't noticed, you have my heart." Brooke just stared at him in silence for a few moments, as he stared back and he noticed her eyes watering up — not because she is upset, but because his incredibly sweet words are overwhelming her.
"How do I know you really mean that?" She asked after a long while. AJ shrugged.
"You're just going to have to trust me, I guess…" He told her gently. He sat and watched her as she stared out at the lake at the ducks swimming near by. "You don't have to give into me now. You can take your time…I'm not going anywhere." Brooke didn't reply, she only leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder, as she looked out at the ducks still, and she wrapped her arm around his waist as she did. AJ wrapped his arm around her in return and rested his chin on top of her head lightly. Meanwhile, across the lake on the bridge, Peyton has Laila out of the stroller and rested on her right hip instead, and Jaime is pushing the empty stroller around, as he follows her.
"Awww…Jai, look at them!" Peyton gushed, as she was standing there watching Brooke and AJ. Jaime shook his head smiling.
"Will you give them some privacy Peyton? Brooke is going to have a cow."
"Says the brother who insisted on tagging a long when she just wanted to be alone with him."
"At least I'm not standing there watching them like they are some romance movie." Peyton rolled her eyes.
"Hey I can't help it…my big sister is dating a Backstreet Boy. My love life is boring, I have to get my excitement somewhere!" Jaime paced back and fourth on the bridge, pretending not to be interested in Brooke and AJ what-so-ever, but to be honest, he is a lot more interested in the Peyton is — and not because he finds it exciting, but because he is worried. Peyton, knowing this all too well, smirked evilly.
"OH MY GOD, WOW!!! Jai look they are kissing, they are kissing!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down and pointing with joy.
"What?!" Jaime exclaimed, and he rushed over to Peyton's side — his eyes wide with worry. He looked across the lake where AJ and Brooke are sitting, and when he saw that Brooke only has her head rested against AJ's shoulder, and the two are talking, he looked at Peyton with narrowed eyes, as she broke out into fits of amused laughter.
"Thought you said you weren't interested?" Jaime narrowed his eyes at her.
"If you weren't holding that baby, I would toss you into that lake." Peyton smirked and stuck her tongue out at him, before walking off to take Laila to the playground. Jaime rolled his eyes and followed, though he took one last glance at Brooke and AJ before he did.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, Nick and Dakota spent hours at the store and when they finally left they had about four bags from the toy store, Dakota's two bags of clothes and jewelry from Hot Topic, and the two bags of dog toys. When they got back to the Littrell House, Nick drove the van in, parked it and got out. He went around to the back and opened the door, and he got a sleepy Dakota out of her car seat, scooped her up into his arms and he carried her into the house, as she is half-asleep. When he got in there he saw that all of the kids were asleep and it was just the adults sitting on the couch.
"Hey Nicky, how was the mall?" Brian was the first to greet.
"Eventful," was all Nick said. "Will someone go get the bags from the van and shut and lock the door for me?"
"Mhm," Brian answered, and he and Howie got up to go do it, assuming they would need the two of them to do it — knowing Nick, he bought Dakota a ton of stuff. Nick carried Dakota upstairs and Ashley got up and followed him. When the three of them got up there, they went down the hall to their bedroom. When they got in there, Ashley went over and pulled down the covers that Sarah isn't using and Nick lay Dakota in that spot. Ashley sat next to her and began undressing her, while Nick went and got her pajamas out of the top drawer. When he returned he handed them to Ashley and Ashley helped Dakota into them. Nick sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, before kissing the back of her neck as he rested his chin on her shoulder. When she had Dakota dressed into her pajamas, Nick sang Anywhere For You to her until she was asleep. When she was, Ashley and Nick got up and walked out of the room, shutting the door just a crack and there was Laney standing dutifully by the door.
"Will you go in and keep an eye on the girls? I can take over with Ashley now…"
"Mhm," Laney nodded.
"Thanks for staying with Ashley."
"No problem buddy," He replied, and he went into the bedroom and shut the door just a crack. Nick looked at Ashley then, and he smiled at her a little, causing her to smile too. He slid his arms around her waist and gently backed her up against the wall, before resting his forehead against hers and gazing into her brown eyes.
"I have missed you," he informed her.
"Missed you more," Ashley insisted, tightening her arms around her waist.
"Did Sarah go down okay?"
"Mhm, Brian sang to her and I tucked her in."
"Good…thanks for baby-sitting honey."
"No problem." Nick leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers, and after a few moments when he pulled away, he playfully lifted her up onto his shoulder, so she is hanging over it like a sack of potatoes, and she shrieked as he did, before giggling. Nick chuckled.
"Shhh… you are going to wake the kiddies up," he told her, and he brought her down the stairs. When he got down there, everybody looked at them and Kevin laughed a little.
"What'cha got there, Nick?" Nick smirked.
"A sack of potatoes," he answered, and he went over and sat on the other side of Brian where Ashley was sitting earlier, and he shifted her so he is cradling her. He smiled down at her and leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
"Sooo…Nick, think you bought Kota enough stuff?" Howie asked, grinning a little.
"Mhm, more then enough, but the little munchkin has me wrapped around her finger."
"I'll say…"
"Did she have fun though?" Brian asked, a hopeful tone in his voice. He knows she's been very hurt lately, and he's hoping the trip to the mall fixed things.
"Yeah, lots of fun minus the part where she tried to get me to buy her another puppy and I told her no," Nick answered, looking at Brian with slight narrowed eyes. Brian looked back at Nick innocently.
"I don't know where she got it from — honest."
"Mhm…probably from my loser best friend…" Nick replied, wrapping an arm around Brian and hugging him. Brian grinned a little, and wrapped his arm around Nick in return, as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"I'm sorry," Nick told him softly, as he rested his head against Brian's shoulder and looked up at him with sincerity in his eyes.
"No…I'm sorry. You have no reason to apologize."
"Yes I do…I said a lot of hurtful things that I didn't mean that night…and made you cry."
"Well, so did I…so we are even."
"I would never really take Kota away from you…I know how much she means to you, and you mean to her. I couldn't do that to either one of you. I want you to be here for her always…especially on days when I am being blind and can't see that something is wrong with her…cause you seem to be good at that."
"She's my pride n joy next to Josh, Nick…don't worry I've got your back. I'm the eyes in the back of your head…always."
"Thanks…" Nick replied softly, and he pulled away and began to turn his attention on Ashley again. As he talked quietly to her, Kori and Wiley decided this was the perfect opportunity to sneak away from her. They got up and quietly went upstairs.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
