Chapter Two-Hundred-Forty-One
Later on that evening, Brian walked into Kevin’s room where his cousin was getting a stubborn five-year-old into her pajamas. Josh who was sitting on the bed already dressed into his own Spiderman pajamas sat watching, trying to encourage his future cousin to do as told. She had run out of the room and down the hall in nothing but her teenage mutant ninja turtles underwear and socks twice, sending Kevin running after her. Not until he told her he would take her turtle stuff away, and threatened that Santa wouldn’t bring her Sai did she finally stop and let him dress her into her pajamas, but she pouted the whole time.
“Hey Bri. You are staying the night here, right?” Kevin asked, as he placed Elenore who had surrendered sullenly into her bed and covered her up.
“Yeah, I decided it would be best seeing as how we have to get up early in the morning and be at the airport by seven. I thought it would be best if we were all together. Plus, I have plans for tonight, and they take place here. So yeah.”
“Ah. I see. Any plans that you want to share with the class?” Kevin questioned, raising his eyebrow. He and Nick had been trying to get it out of Sarah all night since the two of them had gotten back, but the whole time she did what she does best – didn’t talk. She wouldn’t even write the answer down.
“Nope. Just with Josh. I need to borrow him for awhile…but I promise I will return him soon. Ellie you will go to sleep with him tonight I promise,” Brian reassured. Elenore scowled at him but remained quiet nonetheless as she watched him gather her Joshy up into his arms and carry him out of the room. Kevin sighed.
“How about a movie before bed Ellie?”
“CHIPMUNKS!” Elenore cheered, and Kevin chuckled.
“Lie down then and I will put it in. If you are extra good I might go make some popcorn too.” Elenore lay back against her pillows snuggling her teddy bear close and he put in the movie The Chipmunks Adventure. When he had it playing he grabbed up a pack of popcorn and looked at her.
“I’ll be right back. Stay in bed you hear me?”
“Kay,” Elenore replied, and he walked out of the bedroom and went next door to Nick’s to use his microwave. He had brought his microwave from home and set it up in his room so that they wouldn’t have to go far to heat up Bella’s bottles.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile out in the hall, Brian had carried Josh so they were standing just outside Chris’s bedroom. When they got out there, they found Jennifer waiting with an amused look upon her face, as he had confided in her of his plan. He had to after all, seeing as how Chris is her responsibility – for now.
“You’re really going to have him do this?” She double-checked, and Brian nodded.
“It worked before, why wouldn’t it now?”
“True,” she replied, still very much amused.
“So what is he doing?”
“Sitting in bed writing. I told him he had to go to bed in another ten minutes.”
“Kay,” Brian replied. “I’ll make sure he does,” he reassured and she squeezed Josh’s shoulder gently.
“Good luck buddy,” she told him, and then walked off toward the hospital wing. Brian looked down at Josh then, and he set him down so his feet were on the ground and he knelt down in front of him so he could talk.
“What’s the plan?” Josh asked, as Brian still had yet to talk to him about it.
“Remember when you sat at Chris’s bedroom door in the past because he wouldn’t let you near him at first? And you eventually eased your way into his room, and into his heart?” Josh nodded.
“Yeah…”
“Do you think if you did it again, it would work?” Josh shrugged.
“It took me a week – we don’t have a week.”
“No, we don’t. We have one night so I really need you to try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll continue to try when we get back.”
“What if it takes me all night? Ellie will not allow me to be gone for too long.”
“You let Kevin and I take care of Ellie. If we keep reassuring her that you’ll come back and keep her distracted long enough, she just might fall asleep waiting.”
“And if she doesn’t?” Josh asked doubtfully.
“Then you may very well have a visitor in the middle of the night. But right now I need you to concentrate on your friendship with Chris. Okay? Don’t you want him to forgive you?”
“Well…yeah…”
“Then you need to put some time aside from Ellie for him because he is feeling very jealous of her right now.”
“I know, but bedtime is supposed to be Ellie’s time, Brian” Josh argued. Brian sighed heavily. He sat there thinking for a few moments.
“I’ll make a deal with you.” Josh raised his eyebrow at him.
“You give Chris an hour and a half of your undivided attention – that’s as long as Ellie’s Chipmunk Movie is. When it’s over, I’ll send her down here to you. It’ll take me that long to convince Kevin too.”
“Kay,” Josh agreed, and Brian ruffled his hair.
“I’ll be in Kevin’s room if you need me. I’ll be back in ten minutes to make sure he follows Jennifer’s orders too,” he explained. Josh nodded and Brian stood up and walked away. Josh watched him disappear into Kevin’s room.
“Elenore Ellerbee, I believe I heard my cousin tell you to stay in bed little missy” he lectured though there was no sign of authority in his voice. It was all playful. Josh shook his head smiling a little, before turning his attention on the opened door before him. He stood there thinking about how he was going to go about this. One thing he knows for sure, is that he is not going to sit in his doorway the whole night. He may have been willing to when he was four, and he may love Chris very much, but he did hurt him just as much as Josh hurt him. He deserves better then the doorway. After a few moments of thinking it through, he stepped in the open doorway leaning against it and he gazed at his best friend who sure enough, was sitting there absorbed in whatever he was writing. That is, until he saw Josh’s appearance from the corner of his eye and looked up at him. Surprised to see him, Chris quickly shoved his notebook under his pillow in fear that Josh was going to try and read it. And he will not have that. No one reads his stuff. Heck, Josh didn’t even know he could write. And that’s saying a lot seeing as how Josh pretty much knows everything about him.
“What do you want?” He asked moodily.
“My best friend back,” Josh answered, mocking his icy tone perfectly.
“Well, you know where her room is at…”
“I’m not talking about Ellie,” Josh insisted. “So you leave her out of this. This is about me and you.”
“Nothing is about me and you anymore.”
“It’s always going to be about me and you Chris, whether you want to admit it or not. Just with Ellie in the picture too…and some day you’re going to have to learn to accept that.”
“Thought you said you weren’t talking about her.”
“I’m not. But you still need to know that.”
“Fine. I get it. Now will you go? You said you wanted your best friend back, well by all means don’t keep her waiting.”
“Like I said…I wasn’t talking about her.”
“Dakota then. You know where her room is as well.” Josh sighed and rolled his eyes.
“I’m talking about you, dummy.” Chris crossed his arms over his chest and looked away stubbornly. “I want the best friend that was here for me when no one else was. I want the best friend that I spent so many nights camping out with under our blankets that we turned into a tent sharing secrets and laughing about everything that came to our minds. The one who knew how to make everything bad disappear just by being there. I may have Ellie in my life now Chris, and I love her very much – she is my cousin. But you and I have shared so much together and she could never replace that. So will you stop being so difficult and let me back in? Please?”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Why not?”
“Because you hurt me. Don’t you understand that?”
“Well you hurt me too, but you don’t see me shutting you out of my life!” Chris continued to look away from him. Josh stared at him for a few moments and then sighed.
“So, we’re back to this then, huh?” When Chris didn’t answer, Josh shrugged.
“Well, you leave me no choice then. I’m going to sit myself in this doorway and I’m not leaving until you’ve forgiven me,” he insisted stubbornly. Chris looked at him in the corner of his eye as Josh sat himself down. His back against one side of the door, and his feet up against the other side of it and he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at him with a defiant look in his eyes.
“Don’t be stupid.”
“You didn’t seem to think it was stupid the first time.”
“I was three in a half.”
“So?”
“So I just desperately needed someone. It could have been anyone sitting in that doorway and I wouldn’t have cared.”
“Yes, you needed someone desperately and it was I who sat here day and night and watched over you. I was the one who promised to look out for you, and I did just that. And I’m going to continue looking out for you no matter how many times you try to push me away. All night long if I have to. So ignore me all you want, but I’m not leaving this bedroom.” Just then, Brian appeared in the doorway and he poked his head in the room.
“Time to turn the lights out Chris. Your ten minutes are up.”
“Gladly,” Chris replied, and he reached over and turned the lamp off making the room dark before lying down facing so his back was to Josh and Brian and he pulled the blankets up on himself. Brian squeezed Josh’s shoulder gently, and then turned and headed back to Kevin’s room again. Josh sat there staring at Chris thoughtfully for a few moments, and then he got up and went over and sat in the big comfy chair that was in the corner. He crossed his arms over his chest and he sat there staring at Chris, who could now see him in the corner of his eye whether he liked it or not – even if he turned back the other way. Chris rolled his eyes and pulled his covers up over his head but it was no use. Even though he could no longer see Josh, he could still sense his presence. Part of it was very comforting to him knowing he was there. It brought back memories that once made him feel safe. But the other part of it, was just plain annoying. It’s like having a ghost haunting the corner of your bedroom, staring at you all night long while you sleep.
“Please go away,” Chris pleaded.
“Not until you’ve forgiven me.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
“Then I guess you are stuck with me.” Chris scowled. He lie there thinking for a few moments, and then he grabbed his soccer ball shaped pillow, pulled the blankets down, sat up and chucked the ball at Josh. Josh ducked causing the pillow to hit the wall instead and he raised his eyebrow.
“Now I know you have better aim then that,” he told him in a tsk, tsk tone, shaking his head some as if he were ashamed. Chris narrowed his eyes at him, contemplating on diving out of his bed and jumping his best friend. He is long over due for wrestling with him anyway. Though, it would be a lot more fun if it were done in the mud.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile downstairs, Brooke was making her evening rounds where she goes around and picks up toys and such and Jaime trailed behind her.
“Are you going with AJ on his trip tomorrow?” he questioned, hoping to get an answer out of her as she’s been giving him the cold shoulder treatment ever since they had that huge fight. Brooke however, ignored him as she continued to walk around the different centers and picking up toys.
“Come on Brookie, you can’t ignore me forever,” he pleaded.
“Watch me,” Brooke insisted stubbornly and just as she was walking out of the playroom she ran into AJ who was looking for her. He has a fussy Laila in his arms and he looks desperate.
“Hey honey…what’s the matter?” Brooke questioned worriedly.
“I can’t get Laila to sleep. We’ve been wandering the halls for ten minutes. I hoped it would calm her down but then she started insisting upon seeing you. So here we’re.”
“Brookie,” Laila’s little voice spoke up in a pout, and she reached for her.
“Aww sweetie,” Brooke replied sympathetically and she gently gathered the two year old into her arms. “Why are you giving AJ gray hairs, hmm? It’s bedtime” She questioned, and she kissed her forehead softly. Laila slid her arms around Brooke and buried her face in her shoulder continuing to pout. Brooke thought for a few moments, and then turned to Jaime.
“I’m going to help Alex with Laila. I want you to continue my rounds. The classrooms still need tidying up and so does the playground.”
“But—“
“—Jaime go. Please…I’m not in the mood for you.” Brooke demanded and with that she wrapped her arm around AJ and guided him to her office. Jaime sighed heavily and fought back his tears as he did as he was told. When Brooke got inside her office she shut her door behind them and she went over and sat on the couch sideways kicking her feet up comfortably and she shifted Laila so she lay comfortably against her chest. Laila popped her thumb in her mouth and AJ can see the same anxiety in her eyes that she saw when they had to leave Brooke in New York to go back to Kentucky.
“She knows what’s about to happen,” he explained, and he went over and began to make a fire in Brooke’s fireplace so that they wouldn’t have to turn the actual light on. “I think she realizes we’re leaving tomorrow and you aren’t coming with.”
“I really wish I could come…” Brooke admitted softly as Aj settled himself so he was behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist as she lay back against him with Laila. He kissed both girls on the forehead. “But if I’m going to go to Kentucky with you for Christmas then I can’t be going out of town with you everywhere you go. I don’t want to have ot keep asking people to take on my responsibilities for me, I would feel horrible.”
“I understand,” Aj told her as he again kissed her forehead. “But that’s not going to change the fact that Laila is going to have a hard time with this. She’s a baby and doesn’t understand. She’s very sensitive when it comes to people leaving – even if for a short time.”
“Take your laptop with you…I’ll talk to her on webcam. She won’t have me physically but at least she’ll be able to talk to me.”
“Kay…”
“How’d she do with visiting her mom tonight?’ Brooke asked curiously, as she watched Laila’s eyes begin to droop.
“It was a much better visit then the first one. She went right to her when we got there and called her ‘mommy’ too. Having this blanket has been a huge help,” AJ explained as he traced the designs on Laila’s special quilt. “It was a really special thing for Lindsey to have her baby recognize her finally. Howie told me he called her when we got back and her doctors reported that she hasn’t stopped smiling at all since we left and she did really well during her group therapy session, too. They say that every time Lindsey gets a visit from her kids she gets all the more stronger and more motivated to get better too.”
“That’s great,” Brooke smiled. “How about Ryan?”
“He did really well while we were there…the relationship between him and his mother is heart warming. Anyone can see that she loves him very much. That he and Laila are her whole world. But when it came time to leave her again…he struggled. Howie had to carry him out screaming and crying. He never wants to leave her. And then we have to give him his space for at least an hour afterwards because he gets very moody.”
“I don’t think it’s ever going to get easier for him. He’s old enough to understand the anxiety of the whole thing. I think he’s going to struggle with this down to the very moment she gets to come home with him.”
“Yeah…at least his relationship with Howie is getting better. He’s learning how to communicate with him very well thanks to Ashley. That girl is a life savor I’m telling you. She has a real gift with children. Her perceptiveness is very sharp.”
“Oh I’ve known that from the very beginning,” Brooke smiled. “Her perceptiveness doesn’t just work on children, I’ve witnessed the wonders that she works on Nick. No one can read him better then she can.”
“I know, right? I really believe she was made specifically for him. I’ve never seen him so happy.”
“And vise versa,” Brooke agreed. The two of them sat in Brooke’s warm office for an hour and then when they were sure that Laila was asleep they got up. He took her from her very carefully and then carried her toward the elevator. Brooke put out the fire in the fireplace and then poked her head out of her office and looked around and she found Jaime sitting across the lobby on the floor leaning up against the wall and he is hugging his legs to his chest. Brooke sighed heavily and then walked across the way to her brother and she sat next to him and gazed at him quietly.
“It doesn’t feel too good to be ignored, does it?” she asked softly, and she wrapped her arm around his shoulders before resting her head against his.
“I didn’t mean to ignore Peyton…” He insisted quietly.
“I know Jaim but that doesn’t change the fact that you did.”
“I just thought I never had to worry about her because that was more of your department.”
“Peyton has been jealous of our close relationship since she was just a little girl. It was always about you and me Jaime remember that? And it still is, and its killing her. She feels like the odd one out. Yes she’s always had me, but that’s it. You were and still are only concerned about me. And mom and dad…well they love her very much but are so caught up in their dreams for her that they can’t see the bigger picture. They’ve been putting a lot of pressure on her to be more like us and they don’t realize that it’s hurting her. They don’t realize that she is just a kid who is still trying to figure out who she is, and what she wants and she feels so alone. She really needs both of us right now.”
“Why couldn’t she just tell me this?’
“She’s tried but her jackass of a brother told her that she had no chance of winning his attention unless she was raped.”
“I didn’t mean it like that…”
“I know but that’s how it came out, that’s how she saw it. You were too wrapped up in me that you didn’t realize it. But Jaime you can’t do that. I love you for always being here to protect me, I love our close relationship, but you have another sister who deserves some attention too. I was raped…and it was a horrible thing but I getting through it. I’m learning to move on. I need you to move on too. I know you learned about it much later then me, and it about destroyed you. But I need you to try – for me. If you’re dwelling on it it’s not going to make things any easier for me to move on. And I really need to.”
“I’m sorry…” Jamie replied softly. Brooke wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his shoulder.
“You’re the best damn brother in the whole world Jaime and I’m really lucky to have you. But now it’s time for me to share my fortune with our baby sister. She needs you as much as I do.”
“Where is she at?” Jaime asked softly.
“She and Brandon went for a moonlit stroll on the beach. They should be back soon.” Jaime rolled his eyes.
“So she and this Brandon guy are really hitting it off, huh?”
“I think she’s slowly beginning to fall in love with him,” Brooke answered with a small, proud smile.
“I don’t like it.”
“Then I guess she really did get what she wants.”
“You know, I still don’t know what you mean by that.”
“She at first was purposely trying to get your attention. Her original plan was to go out with someone knowing you would immediately disapprove. She was going to choose Kevin but I told her that I wouldn’t even approve of that relationship. That she should at least choose someone she’s attracted to. I believe she really truly, likes Brandon.”
“KEVIN?!” Jaime exclaimed. “KEVIN? Does she not realize how much of an age difference that is?”
“I think that was her whole point,” Brooke laughed. “She knew it would piss you off. I talked her out of it though.”
“Kevin…holy cow…is she out of her mind? And I thought Brandon was bad. How old is Brandon?”
“Twenty four. She’ll be twenty in another month so it’s really not that bad. At least it’s not Kevin.” Jaime shook his head. “And before you get started on your complaints, Brandon is very sweet and loving – a gentlemen. He would never hurt her. There is no one I trust more with our little sister then Brandon.”
“If you say so…”
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile upstairs in Chris’s room, Josh still sat in the comfy chair in the corner except now Elenore lay with her head in his lap sound asleep, her Raphael doll in her arms. Josh sat there quietly, just twirling a strand of her hair around his finger gently while Chris lay in his bed wide awake just staring up at the ceiling.
“What’s so great about Ellie anyway?” Chris asked after a long while.
“Everything,” Josh answered simply.
“But you didn’t like her before. There was a time when you thought she was a spoiled brat.”
“Well, I was wrong.” Josh shrugged.
“And you got all of that just from being handcuffed to her?”
“A lot happened to us that day Chris…a lot that you don’t understand. It changed my life.”
“Well Id like to understand. You know there was a time when you told me everything.”
“It’s too painful to talk about…it’s not something I like to think about.”
“But it’s something that you are willing to share with her.”
“She was there with me…I don’t have to talk about it with her because she already knows.”
“It must be nice. Meanwhile your best friend Chris is left out of the loop when he used to be the only one who could help you.”
“No it’s not nice Chris, it’s horrible. Ellie and I wish we didn’t have those bad memories because it hurts to talk about them. I have nightmares at night. And everytime I close my eyes, or look away from her I’m afraid she’ll be taken again. It’s really scary.”
“But y point is, you used to be able to talk to me about stuff no matter how scared you are. But now you don’t talk to me at all. You share this secret with Ellie and I’m left out of the loop.”
“I’m sorry Chris…I really am…” Josh replied softly as a single tear rolled down his cheek.
“I have no idea what happened to you that day Josh. I was worried sick about you. I was terrified you weren’t coming back. And when you did you didn’t even come see me, you went and saw Dakota…and Ellie. Your new friends. And to top it all off, the next day you were adopted and I once again was left out. After you promised me you wouldn’t let anyone adopt you unless they adopted me too. Then you started spending every waking second with those girls and even went to Kentucky without so much as inviting me. You don’t know how badly that hurt me Josh…and then you come back and expected everything to be okay. Well it wasn’t.”
“I’m sorry Chris…I’m really sorry,” Josh whispered as tears flooded his eyes and slipped down his cheeks. Chris didn’t reply he only rubbed at his watery eyes, closed them and concentrated real hard on going to sleep. Josh just sat there gazing down at Elenore while feeling completely horrible. He wishes he knew of a way to make things better. But he doesn’t. For the first time in the past two years, he doesn’t know what to do for Chris. And it’s all his fault.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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