Chapter Ninety-Four
Meanwhile, out in the parking lot, Brian and Riley pulled in with two separate vans. Kevin had called Brian and asked him to go and pick them up so that he wouldn't have to in the morning. When the vans were both parked, Brian got out of his and walked around to meet Riley at hers.
"I can't believe I am already tired and it's only eleven thirty," Riley whined, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.
"You've been working hard all day, it doesn't surprise me. When we get in there why don't you crawl into Josh's bed with him and get some sleep and I will finish up the packing? You deserve it."
"No…not yet, I want to help you." Riley insisted, and she placed her hand to his cheek and brought his lips down on hers in a soft kiss. "I love you," she announced when she pulled away and he placed his finger to her lips and lightly traced them, as he got lost in her stormy-blue eyes.
"Not as much as I love you," he informed her, and he felt her shiver as a big gush of wind blew by. Brian pulled her even closer and took off his leather jacket and he wrapped it around her.
"You can definitely tell that it's the holidays," she announced, her teeth chattering a little. That was definitely some very chilly wind. Brian chuckled.
"It's going to be way worse up in Kentucky — especially when it nears Christmas time when there's a strong chance of snow. Will you be able to handle it?"
"I packed warm clothes, I'm prepared." Brian smiled at her and brought his lips down on hers for a delicate kiss. When he pulled away, he began to steer her toward the building.
"Lets get you inside," he told her. As they were walking toward the Orphanage door though, Brian spotted a car that he could have sworn was driving behind him on the way to his house earlier. A blue Kia Spectra. He stopped and looked at it more closely, looking to see if there are any people inside it but he didn't see anybody — it looks empty to him. But the question is…what is it doing in the parking lot of Ramsey? He's never ever seen it before, so he knows it doesn't belong to any of his co-workers. Riley looked up at Brian confused.
"Brian? What are you looking at?"
"Do you recognize that car over there? That blue Kia?"
"No, I've never seen it before. Why?"
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid…but I could've sworn I saw that car behind me when we were going to our house…"
"Maybe it belongs to one of the employees here," Riley reasoned, though now that Brian has mentioned it, she can't help but feel a little paranoid as well — after everything that's happened, can you really blame her?
"But if it did…wouldn't we have seen it parked out here before?"
"Maybe someone got a new car…or maybe we were just so caught up in our own lives that we never paid enough attention to notice it all those other times." Brian looked back over at the Kia just thinking for a couple of moments.
"Hmm…yeah I guess your right," he replied after awhile, though he can't shake off that feeling of paranoia. He glanced back over at the car and checked its license plate. It's a Florida license plate so he knows whoever owns it is from around here.
"Come on hon. you still have a son to put to bed." She told him. Brian quickly memorized the license plate number in his head, and then he finally allowed Riley to pull him into the building. When they got in there they spotted Brooke talking to Doctor Johnson.
"Brooke, you are still here?" Riley asked her, as he walked over to her.
"Yeah, I'm doing some last minute things. I will go home though Ri, I promise."
"You better if you think you are leaving town at the same time as us. Don't you have packing to do?"
"I went home earlier while you were gone and packed. I came back to make sure Doctor Johnson was still going to run things while we are gone." Riley raised her eyebrow at her.
"You know he is, he's been planning a special thanksgiving feast for all of the kids for months. You just can't get yourself away from here."
"That's not true I…"
"I'm going upstairs and getting AJ to take you home."
"He can't, he's got Laila to take care of."
"I'm pretty sure Laila is sleeping by now and anyway I know Howie is up there with him seeing as how Ryan is already attached to him. He can keep an eye on Laila for ten minutes." Brooke scowled a little. "So get whatever it was you were doing over with, because he'll be down here to take you home shortly." Riley added, and she pulled Brooke into a short hug, kissed her cheek, then she took Brian's hand and pulled him toward the elevator. Brooke rolled her eyes and looked at Doctor Johnson who chuckled.
"She just cares about you, that's all." He reasoned. He knows exactly why Riley is treating Brooke the way she is, because Brooke finally told him what happened to her years ago.
"Yeah well…I love her, I really do, but she's getting on my nerves." Brooke replied, as soon as the elevator door closed with Riley and Brian inside it.
"Well, you have to understand this information had to be very hard on her…her best friend was raped years ago, and she's just finding it out now. She's gotta be feeling really guilty."
"Well she shouldn't be. I have only told her a hundred times that it's not her fault."
"Wouldn't you react the same way if it were the other way around?"
"Well…yeah…probably."
"Its her way of dealing with it…she didn't get to do this when it happened, so she's making up for it. You just have to be patient with her. You are lucky to have someone who loves you as much as she does."
"She shouldn't love me…" Brooke replied softly, shaking her head as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Nonsense." Doctor Johnson replied, and he enveloped her into a hug. "She would be crazy not to love you Brooke."
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, upstairs, when Brian and Riley got up there they went down the hall to Ryan and Laila's room. When they walked in they found Laila asleep and Ryan still awake, though sitting up in his bed hugging his legs to his chest as he watched cartoon Network. Howie is sitting in a chair that he had eventually gone and borrowed from Nick, and AJ is sitting on the bed next to Laila just incase she wakes up and needs him. They all three looked at Brian and Riley as they entered the room.
"Hey Bri, Hey Ri…what's up?" AJ asked curiously.
"Brooke is still here," Riley announced, and AJ raised his eyebrow.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah…I told her I was going to come up here and ask you to take her home. She thinks you wont though because you're busy with Laila."
"Like hell I won't," AJ replied, and he stood up and grabbed his car keys from the nightstand. He looked at Laila and gently combed his fingers through her blonde curly hair. "She should stay asleep while I'm gone. D will you keep an eye on her for me for ten minutes?"
"Mhm of course. I'm not going anywhere," Howie replied.
"Thanks," AJ said, and then walked out of the room headed for the elevator.
"Night Howie," Brian replied, and he pulled Riley out of the room. Howie went over and sat next to Laila in AJ's spot and he reached over and ruffled Ryan's hair.
"It's getting very late buddy. Why don't you lie down and try to get some sleep?"
"I don't want to," Ryan insisted. "I have too much on my mind." He added, and he looked at Howie with a pained look in his eyes.
"Your mom?" Howie asked gently, even though he already knows the answer.
"Yeah…I really miss her."
"I bet she misses you too," Howie reassured.
"Yeah right…" Ryan replied bitterly, and he looked down at his sister to try to hide his tears from Howie, but he saw them. "All Laila and I ever did was bother her…it's no wonder she went crazy."
"Hey…it's not your fault."
"Yes it is!" Ryan insisted, in slightly raised voice, and he looked at Howie as tears spilled from his blue eyes. "I was ALWAYS getting into trouble, ALWAYS. She was always calling me names and yelling at me…I made her get sick."
"Hey, listen to me." Howie replied, never raising his voice once and he placed his finger to the nine year old's chin and carefully lifted it so he's looking up at him. "You didn't make your mom sick. Your mom made herself sick. That wasn't her yelling at you Ryan…"
"Really? Because it sure looked like her!" Ryan snapped, and he turned his head away from Howie.
"It was her…but it wasn't really her...she wasn't being herself I mean. I'm going to be honest with you because you deserve to know the truth so you don't sit here and blame yourself for something that isn't your fault. Okay?" Ryan looked up at Howie again, only this time he looked confused.
"Okay…"
"Do you know what alcohol and drugs are Ryan?"
"Yeah…we learned about them in school. Why?"
"So you learned that they could make you do some really crazy things sometimes…right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well sometimes when a person is really sad…and they don't want to feel that way anymore, they look for something that they think will help them feel better…which usually turns out to be drugs, or alcohol. Your mom who loved your father very much…was sad that he died. So she turned to alcohol and drugs for comfort…not knowing that it was only making things way worse. Your mom hurt herself very badly…so now she's in a special hospital that is going to make her better."
"Do you really think she will get better?"
"I don't see why not, buddy." Ryan rested his chin on one of his knees and looked at the TV, though he wasn't watching it. Howie rubbed his hand over Ryan's back slowly.
"Come on Ryan…lie down and get some sleep. We're waking up early…you heard we're taking you with us to Kentucky for thanksgiving right?" Ryan looked at Howie then.
"What about my mom? Shouldn't Laila and I go and see her for Thanksgiving?"
"It's a little too soon for you two to be seeing her right now buddy…I'm sorry."
"But…it's thanksgiving! And she's our family! Why can't we see her on Thanksgiving?"
"Because…she needs some time to get better Ryan. I know it's hard, but if you want her to get better you need to give her that time. Okay?"
"But it's not fair…" Ryan sobbed. Howie scooted closer to him, and wrapped him in his arms for a hug.
"I know…I know…"
"No you don't know! You don't know what it's like. Has your mom ever had to be in the hospital sick?"
"No…but my sister has," Howie revealed. "She had a disease called Lupus…and she died from it. So trust me buddy, I do have an idea about how hard this must be for you."
"When will we get to see her?" Ryan asked softly, and he looked up at Howie as even more tears spilled from his eyes.
"Soon, I promise. Brian promised…and he never backs down on a promise. I will even take you there myself the very moment they say that I can."
"Kay…"
"But right now, I need you to lie down and try to get some sleep. I'm turning the TV off in thirty minutes." Ryan didn't reply, he only lay back against his pillows and Howie covered him up. He noticed Laila stirring then, and he looked over at her inwardly begging her not to wake up. Not without AJ there to keep her calm. When he saw her finally settling down too, heaved a sigh of relief.
~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, downstairs in the lobby, when AJ got down there he spotted Brooke and Doctor Johnson still standing there talking.
"What are you still doing here, woman?" He asked, smiling at her.
"I'm the owner of the Orphanage, I have a right to be here," Brooke informed him. AJ laughed.
"Yeah during the day, smart ass." Brooke stuck her tongue out at him and Doctor Johnson laughed as he stood there watching the two of them flirt. One of them completely unaware that they are, and the other fully aware. "Well I've been given strict orders to take you home."
"That's okay you don't have to. I can overpower Riley's orders when I don't like them." Brooke replied rather sweetly. "That's the fun thing about being the boss."
"Oh sure…when she's giving orders to your employees you can."
"Oh you cannot tell me that after spending a day with Laila that you aren't one of my employees now, McLean."
"Sure I can. Cause I'm not," AJ replied with a smirk and he offered her his hand. "Now come on, I won't take no for an answer."
"How about a hell no?"
"No, not even that." Brooke scowled and finally gave into him, allowing him to take her hand. He flashed Doctor Johnson a cheesy grin, and then he began to escort a reluctant Brooke out of the building. Doctor Johnson shook his head smiling, and then he went off toward the Hospital wing to see how things are going. When the two of them got outside, he led her toward his car. When they got there he brought her to her side and went to open her door for her, but Brooke grabbed his hand stopping him. He looked at her confused.
"Let's walk…my apartment is just across the street. Please?" AJ took one look into Brooke's eyes, and he suddenly realized why she requested this. He could see the fear in her eyes and he suddenly remembered — the incident happened in the guy's car. He squeezed her hand gently and gave her a reassuring look, then he turned and steered her toward her apartment by foot.
"How'd you manage to get into the car with me on our day out?" he asked her gently as they walk together, enjoying the calm night. He noticed her shivering slightly and took off his coat before wrapping it around her. She put her arms in the sleeves and took in the smell of AJ's cologne that was left on it.
"It wasn't dark out yet…and it took a lot of reassuring myself that you weren't going to hurt me. It wasn't easy…" AJ gently rubbed his finger over the back of her hand, and he brought it up and kissed it as he gazed into her eyes.
"Id cut off my own hand before hurting you Brookie," he reminded her. The two of them walked in silence the rest of the way to Brooke's apartment, though they kept stealing looks at one another every now and then. When they finally got there, AJ walked up the stairs with her to her door. He waited for her to unlock it and go inside, and he went in with her. She turned on her light and he looked around her apartment protectively. "Will you be okay here by yourself?"
"Yeah I'll be fine, don't worry."
"Alright, well you know you can call me if you need anything and I will be right over. I'm just right across the street."
"I know," Brooke replied, smiling at him, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back tightly, and she rested her head against his shoulder, immediately feeling safe and warm right there. "Thanks for sitting in my room with me all day and putting up with my whiney self."
"Well…you make a tough patient to take care of, but I enjoyed every minute of it nonetheless." He told her, grinning at her. Brooke laughed a little, and he kissed her cheek.
"Night honey," He added, as he pulled away from her.
"Good night," She replied, as she watched him walk out the door and she shut and locked the door behind him. AJ headed back to the Orphanage, and by the time he reached the other side of the street he noticed Marcus standing outside the Orphanage and looked at him curiously.
"Hey Marcus…what are you doing out here?"
"Riley told me you were walking Brooke home. I'm just making sure you get back okay."
"Sorry I would've invited you to go a long, but I kind of wanted to be alone with her…" AJ admitted, and Marcus chuckled.
"Don't worry, I understand. Sometimes even a Backstreet Boy needs his privacy." Marcus replied, as he wrapped an arm around AJ's shoulders, and the two of them walked into the Orphanage and headed toward the elevator to go upstairs.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Enjoy =)
