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Enjoy =)
Chapter Two-Hundred-Thirteen


Meanwhile on the other side of the cafeteria, when Howie and Ryan had gotten over there AJ and Laila were no longer sitting there. Howie raised his eyebrow in confusion and looked at Denise.


“Now where has he gone to?”


“He took Laila upstairs to get ready.” Howie rolled his eyes.


“That man does everything at the last minute I swear.” Denise laughed.


“Oh don’t I know it.” Just as soon as she said that, AJ walked in with Laila rested on his hip and a diaper bag on his shoulder. He changed Laila from her pajamas to a denim blue dress and a pink shirt underneath. The denim blue dress has pink lace trims. He even put pink converse on her. AJ beamed.


“We’re ready.” Howie stared at Laila and his best friend with an impressed look on his face. AJ who had read the expression on Howie’s face smirked.


“I thought she should look cute for the occasion. Not that she isn’t already adorable to begin with, but you know what I mean.” Howie nodded still looking amazed that AJ had thought of such a thing. Usually he would have to be the one to point that kind of thing out. “I just need Ashley to put her hair up into a half ponytail and put this pink barrette in it. I can’t do hair.”


“Sure Alex, hand her over” Ashley answered as she was sitting in a chair next to Nick now, wrapped up comfortably in her blanket as she had finished her breakfast and he handed Laila over so she is placed in Ashley’s lap. Ashley took the brush from him and the barrette and hair tie and she began to work her wonders, putting Laila’s hair up into a half ponytail and sticking the pink bow in it. Ashley smiled when she was finished.


“She is by far the most adorable baby ever,” she insisted, and AJ chuckled.


“Definitely,” he replied, and Ashley gave her back to him. AJ placed her on his right hip again, and then he kissed Ashley’s cheek.


“Thanks sweetheart. We will meet you at your house later, okay? Don’t do any of the fun decorating without me, you hear me?”


“I won’t I promise.” He grinned and then followed Howie and Ryan out of the Orphanage. They went to Howie’s car and AJ opened up the back door and began to put Laila in her carseat that Howie had put back there ahead of time. When Laila was all set he shut the door and got into the front passenger’s seat and Howie drove off in the direction of the special hospital that Mrs. Sawyer was staying in, Howie telling AJ how impressed he is with him on the way. Meanwhile back at the Orphanage, when Nick and Ashley were both completely finished with their breakfast, Nick put the table up and pushed it to the side where the other tables were and Denise took their plates to the kitchen. When the cafeteria was all clean, Nick, Brian, Riley, Kevin, Brooke, and Denise took the kids to the playroom since it’s all muddy out on the playground from the rain the night before and none of the children were allowed outside until it dried. When they got into the playroom Brian, Riley, Ashley, Kevin, Brooke, Denise, and Jerald, all sat at a table while Nick carried Sarah over to his little fan club who he noticed were looking their way as soon as they walked in with unhappy looks. Sarah wrapped her arms around Nick’s neck and held onto him with a death grip as she eyed her friends warily. When he approached them he squatted down so Sarah was sitting in his lap.


“Hey girlies, what’re you up to?” He asked conversationally.


“Not much…just playin’ Barbie’s,” Alana answered softly, and sounding shy. She smiled some at him, though technically she was supposed to be angry with him and Sarah both. But she couldn’t help it. Who could stay mad at Nick and that melting smile of his?


“Well that sounds like fun. Can Sarah and I join in?”


“But you have to talk in order to play Barbie’s. That’s just the way it is,” Aubrey insisted while looking at Sarah with a glare fixed on her face.


“Well, we’re just going to have to change the rules a little bit. I’ll talk for her will that work?” Nick questioned. So they were going to play hard to forgive. That’s okay. He can handle a challenge when it’s thrown at him.


“Um…okay…” Meghan replied skeptically. Nick eyed the Barbie’s for a moment.


“Sarah and I will be Skipper. Would that be okay?” he asked, only knowing the names of the Barbie’s because Dakota went through a Barbie phase. He picked up the skipper doll and the girls all nodded their approval.


“Sweet.” He then sat down on the floor all the way with Sarah placed in his lap and he handed her the doll.


“We’re pretending the Barbie’s are all going to get their nails done,” Jessica instructed.


“Okie dokie,” Nick replied, and while the girls were setting it up he turned and looked at the table making brief eye contact with Ashley. Ashley got up and went to get her buddy Holly and eventually they were in the dress up section. Nick turned and looked back at the girls just as Meghan had asked skipper a question.


“What color are you going to get your nails done, Skipper?” she made Barbie ask in a make believe voice. Nick then mustered up the best girly voice he could make as Sarah looked up at him while holding her skipper doll.


“Well, I was thinking red. It would look just lovely with my outfit, don’t you think?” he replied, and he placed his hand on the skipper doll while Sarah held it too and he made the doll look like she was showing off her red dress. He could hear Brian laughing behind him at the table.


“That would look very nice Skipper. It would bring out your dress very well,” Alana told him in her make believe ‘Stacy’ voice after giggling at his attempt at sounding like a girl.


“Why thank you, Stacy. I thought so too.” He sat there playing Barbie’s with the girls for ten minutes, every now and then looking back at Ashley with questioning eyes. When ten minutes were up and he looked back at her for the fifth time since he began playing, she nodded. Nick looked back at the girls then and grinned.


“Who wants to play a new game?” he asked in his normal voice then. Sarah looked up at him curiously and her friends were confused, yet interested.


“What kind of game?” Jessica questioned.


“Well Sarah and I thought that maybe you would like to join us for a little tea party," he told them, while indicating toward the dress up area where Ashley and Holly had set up a table with make believe plates and tea party dishes and such. Holly was already dressed in her dress up clothes – a red dress, a yellow hat with a flower on it, and Mardi Gras beads of many colors. They had placed each of the girl’s favorite troll dolls and some of Sarah’s stuffed animal friends and dolls into chairs as well so they would have lots of tea party guests. Sarah gaped at the tea party Ashley and Holly had set up in surprise and shock, as if she were just seeing Disney World for the first time. She can’t believe Nick and Ashley went through all of this just so she could win her friends’ back. Aubrey, Jessica, Alana, and Meghan didn’t look any different.


“Okay!” Alana and Jessica exclaimed together.


“Great lets go,” Nick replied. Sarah set her skipper doll down and Nick got up and placed her so her feet were on the ground and he took her hand and led her over to the dress up area with the rest of the girls. He and Ashley then proceeded to help them all get into dress up clothes of their choice, and then they all sat down at the table – Nick squatted down between Alana and Aubrey and they all had a make believe tea party. For awhile Nick participated, eventually easing Sarah back into her circle of friends, even going as far as magically making them forget the reason they were mad at her and it was as if there was never a problem. When Sarah and the girls were busy laughing and talking – Sarah writing, and them reading, Nick and Ashley quietly snuck back to the table. When they got there, Nick wrapped his arms around Ashley’s waist and pulled her near and he kissed her forehead softly.


“Thanks for your help.”


“No problem skipper,” Ashley answered while smiling up at him some. He made a face and she giggled.


“Tea Parties and Barbie’s…I wonder what the fans would think if they witnessed that,” she teased. Brian laughed.


“They would probably find it sexy and love him even more, knowing his popularity.” Ashley smiled and wrapped both her arms around Nick’s neck and he bent down and rubbed his nose lightly over hers giving her an Eskimo’s kiss.


“I most certainly found it sexy, that’s for sure,” she told him quietly.


“And that’s all that matters right there,” Nick replied before brushing his lips lightly over hers.


“Get a room,” Kevin teased. Nick stuck his middle of finger up at Kevin behind Ashley’s back and Brian laughed. Brooke just shook her head.


“If any of the kids repeat your hand gestures I am sticking you and Alex both in the corner.”


“You and Riley threaten to that to us everytime, and I still have yet to see it happen” Nick replied when he pulled away from Ashley’s kisses and she rested her head against his chest. Brooke and Riley raised their eyebrows.


“Don’t you test us Carter,” Riley insisted. Nick chuckled and he lifted Ashley up after placing an arm under her legs and he looked at Brian.


“Keep an eye on my kids for me, please? We’re going to go upstairs and get ready to leave later.” Brian rolled his eyes.


“You better lock your door. We’ll keep an eye on them but you never know when Kota and Sarah might decide to come see you.”


“We’ll keep that in mind,” Ashley replied while Nick carried her toward the door. Brian shook his head smiling and he looked at Kevin who he could tell was just biting his tongue in order to keep over protective remarks from coming out of his mouth.


“You’re the one who told them to get a room. They’re just following your orders after all.”


“Yeah, yeah…” Kevin replied while rolling his eyes. “The one time he chooses to listen to me.”



~*~*~*~*~*~



When Howie and AJ arrived at the psychiatric hospital that Lindsey Sawyer is staying in, Howie parked the car in the parking lot and he, AJ, and Ryan got out of the car. AJ opened up the back door and he unbuckled Laila from the car seat and got her out. While Ryan was standing next to Howie waiting on AJ, he glanced up at the building and saw that it read ‘Palm Bay’s Psychiatric Care’. He raised his eyebrow and looked up at Howie who was looking down at him and grinning as if waiting for him to catch on. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, as they stood there and waited. When AJ approached them with Laila they went inside the hospital to find Detective Stabler there waiting. Howie went over to him and they talked quietly for a few moments, and then he looked at AJ who was standing behind a little ways holding Laila while he has a hand rested gently on Ryan’s shoulder.


“Come on Aje, this way,” he called to them. He waited for AJ and Ryan to catch up and when they did, Howie wrapped an arm around Ryan’s shoulders and guided him a long as he followed Detective Stabler. He led them through the Psychiatric Facility until they came across a door that led them outside to a nice yard. There is a porch to sit on and then an entire yard of grass with some shaded trees, lots of beautiful flowers, and even a pretty nice waterfall. Howie looked at Detective Stabler and he indicated toward the waterfall where a woman sat on the concrete bench going around it drawing in a notepad. She has on gray sweat pants, a black tanktop, and her long black hair came down to her shoulders. Howie bent down to Ryan’s level and looked at him.


“Why are we here?” Ryan demanded, obviously having no clue that they were at their mother’s hospital.


“There is someone here, that I think you might like to see” Howie told him gently and he pointed to Lindsey. Ryan’s eyes fell on his mother for the first time and he froze in his spot. He stood there staring at her for a few moments wondering if she was a figment of his imagination because he’s been dreaming of seeing her for far too long. After a few moments though, Lindsey began to feel eyes on her. She looked up from her drawing and directly at Ryan and her eyes widened in surprise. Obviously she had no idea her children were visiting either.


“RYAN!!” She exclaimed. Could figments of your imagination talk? Ryan wondered to himself. She spoke to him, and she’s sitting right in front of him as clear as day, so she has to be real right? Maybe he should test it. If he went running toward her like they do in the movie Fievel goes west would he discover that she is nothing but a mere mirage just as he runs right through her? It is worth a try.


“MOM!!” He exclaimed back, and he went running toward her. She stood up and knelt down in front of him holding her arms out for him and when he approached her he went flying into her arms, throwing his arms about her and hugging her tightly. At the sudden realization and relief that she wasn’t just a mirage he broke down into sobs. Lindsey wrapped her arms around him and hugged him back as tears rolled down her own cheeks. She placed soft kisses on various parts of his face. “Mom I missed you so much!”


“I missed you too,” She told him. “But I’m here now, I’ve got you.” She reassured, and she looked up at Howie, AJ, and Detective Stabler as they approached and her eyes fell on Laila who had a death grip upon AJ. Her head was rested against his shoulder and she was just staring at her mother with a pout on her face. Lindsey continued to hug her son for a few moments until she had managed to get him to calm down, and then when he pulled back a bit she looked back at AJ who knelt down in front of her placing Laila on her feet in front of him. She clung tightly to AJ leaning into him.


“There’s your mommy Laila…why don’t you go see her? I bet she could use a great big hug,” he told her gently as he rubbed his hand over her back. Laila stared back at Lindsey with resentment and unfamiliarity in her eyes and Lindsey held her arms out to her as Ryan stepped to the side to give his sister a chance with their mother.


“Come here baby…come see mommy,” she pleaded. Laila turned and buried her face in AJ’s shoulder. AJ lifted her up and scooted closer to Lindsey before placing Laila down right in front of her. He rubbed his hand over her back.


“It’s okay sweetheart,” he reassured. “I’m not going anywhere. Why don’t you say hi to mommy?” Laila peeked out at Lindsey, her face still half hidden in the familiarity of AJ’s shoulder.


“Hi mommy…” she spoke quietly.


“Hi baby,” Lindsey replied gently. “Can mommy have a hug?” Laila looked up at AJ and AJ smiled down at her encouragingly.


“Go ahead honey,” he told her gently. Laila buried her face in AJ’s shoulder again. “Aww…come on Laila, your going to make your mommy sad,” he told her. “She needs a hug,” he then scooted closer to Lindsey and wrapped an arm around her for a half hug while he still held onto Laila.


“See? I like your mommy, she gives great hugs.” Laila watched him for a couple of seconds, and then finally she moved closer to Lindsey and wrapped an arm around her too for a hug. AJ smiled some and pulled back from Lindsey while she wrapped both her arms around Laila for a hug and Laila leaned into her and let her.


“Awww…isn’t that nice?” AJ encouraged while beaming in satisfaction.


“Are you coming home today, mom?” Ryan suddenly asked.


“No, not today honey…” Lindsey answered softly.


“But we’re going to bring you here as much as we can to visit I promise,” Howie spoke up. Lindsey looked up at the familiar voice then.


“You must be Howie then…” She spoke softly. Howie grinned a little.


“Mhm. Asshole in the flesh,” he teased. AJ raised his eyebrow and gave Howie a look toward Laila.


“And you scold me for cussing…”


“Wow I cuss once, and you cuss fifteen hundred times and even teach a two year old a new word in the process.”


“I forgot she was in the car with me, it was an accident.”


“Mhm…Riight.” AJ scowled and Lindsey laughed slightly.


“Don’t worry about it…really. Rick used to accidentally say stuff all the time and Laila would repeat them. It’s nothing new. She was our little mocking bird.” Howie looked over at Lindsey cautiously. Whenever her husband is mentioned – even if she mentions him herself, she usually breaks down. But this time, she seemed to be perfectly fine – happy even. Maybe she was just putting on a show for her kids. If that’s the case, he couldn’t be anymore proud of her at the moment. Her kids are important. Maybe she is starting to realize that.


“What is that you were drawing before we came in?” he questioned. Lindsey smiled some and she grabbed her drawing pad and turned it over for her guests to see revealing a very nice portrait of Ryan and Laila.


“I was actually thinking of my babies just before you all came…so I started drawing them.”


“Wow…that is so amazing. Ryan you didn’t tell us your mom could draw,” AJ commented in amazement.


“She can do everything. She has a few paintings in the museum…” Ryan bragged.


“Really?” Howie asked while looking at Lindsey even more impressed. Lindsey blushed and nodded.


“My most famous one is a portrait I did of this beautiful girl right here,” Lindsey explained as she pulled Laila gently into her lap. Laila snuggled into her some, finally starting to recognize her mother again and she stuck her thumb in her mouth. “Everybody raved about it the most during an art show I had. She’s my little angel.”


“I can believe that,” AJ grinned. “Everybody raves about her in the Orphanage even.”


“Especially you,” Howie laughed while rolling his eyes.


“Well we’re definitely going to have to go check out your artwork. I’m curious now,” AJ replied while ignoring Howie’s comment.


“Ryan knows where to find it. He can show you where to go,” Lindsey replied while smiling some. Howie, AJ, Ryan, and Laila visited with Lindsey for a couple of hours, but then Detective Stabler and a woman who looked like a doctor came walking over to them.


“Howie you all kind of need to wrap up your visit now,” Detective Stabler announced feeling bad that he has to be the bearer of bad news. Ryan frowned and he slid his arms around Lindsey and hugged her tightly.


“I don’t want to go,” he whined, his eyes beginning to water up.


“I’m sorry honey, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to take your mom to a meeting pretty soon here. You have ten minutes more though, and you can come back tomorrow,” the doctor told him gently. Ryan pouted.


“Can I take them to my room really quick? I made Ryan and Laila something that I want to give them.” The doctor nodded.


“That’ll be fine honey. Ten minutes more.”


“Why don’t you go with them Aje and Detective Stabler? I want to hang back and talk to the doctor for a few minutes.


“Okie dokie,” AJ replied and he stood up. Laila slid from Lindsey’s lap and she went and clung tightly to AJ’s leg in fear that he is going to leave her. He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her on the forehead and Lindsey got up and took Ryan’s hand and she and Detective Stabler began to lead the way into the building. When they were gone, Howie turned to the Doctor who was smiling some.


“You must be Howie.” Howie nodded.


“And you sound like Rachael, the woman I’ve been talking to on the phone every once in awhile.”


“Mhm…the one you drive completely crazy sometimes,” Howie laughed.


“That would be me…”


“Well it’s good to finally meet you,” She replied while holding her hand out to shake his, and he took it and returned the gesture before going into his questions about how Lindsey is doing.