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Chapter Seven

Nick


I followed the parted curtain of rain drops as I jogged along after Margo through the dark. "Wait, come back," I begged. "I didn't mean it. I don't even know you, how could I mean it? I'm just being a jerk. Come back."

I squinted through the paused rain and stared ahead. Along the side of the road were the tour buses. I stopped jogging and stared at them. My breath was caught up in my chest and I glanced in the direction Margo had gone. I wanted to go after her, but I also wanted to investigate the buses. I licked my lips and moved towards them slowly, my heart thumping so hard I could hear it echoing in my chest. Kevin's bus was the nearest to me. I walked around the end of it, pushing the rain out of my way in the glow of the brake lights.

I was about to pull open the door when --

"Don't."

I jumped in surprise as Margo's hand shot out and stopped my hand from opening the door. "Christ, you gotta stop sneaking up on me," I said.

"You don't wanna go in there."

"Why?"

Margo sighed, "It's just -- frustrating, seeing people you love paused and not being able to talk to them. That's all."

"But maybe it'll help unpause things," I said.

Margo shook her head, "How?"

"I dunno how, but I dunno how I got paused to begin with, so how am I to know what'll undo it?" I asked. I reached for the door again. "Look, you don't gotta come in, but --" I yanked the door open. "I'm going in."

I heard Margo follow me as I climbed the steps into Kevin's tour bus. "Kev," I called as I pulled myself to the top of the entry stairs. There were legos on the floor. Kristin was kneeling on the carpet, her hands cupped around a cluster of them, head turned and mouth mid-way forming a word she was about to shout to the back of the bus. "She must've been yelling to Kevin," I said, and I carefully stepped around her.

"She's pretty," Margo commented.

"Yeah I know," I answered.

Margo followed me through the bus, past the bunks where Mason was tucked in, and Max was snug in a carrier, fast asleep. She paused to look at the kids as I moved forward into the living quarters in the back of the bus. Kevin was standing at the window, his cellphone held to his ear, one hand pressed to the glass.

"Kevin," I said, excited. I rushed forward. "Kevin... Can you hear me, man?"

He didn't react, of course.

I moved to stand beside him. "Kev?"

I turned and looked out the window the same way he was looking and squinted through the dark. I could just see the headlights from the car and the eighteen-wheeler in the distance. I looked back at him and I could see the lines of worry and fear in his face. "I'm okay, Kev," I said. "I'm okay. Brian's --" I stopped. I couldn't. I turned away.

Margo stepped into the room.

I looked up at her.

"I told you, we shouldn't have come in here," she said.

I swiped away the tears that were falling across my cheeks and took a deep, shaking breath. "He's watching," I said, "He's watchin' the whole thing."

Margo looked at Kevin, then back at me.

"That's so like Kevin," I said thickly, "Always watching over everyone, you know? He's like the Dad, he's just always watching over everything. Making sure everything's ok."

Margo nodded.

I swiped my tears again. I felt like an idiot, crying like this. I never cried in front of people. It seemed to be coming more and more of a habit lately, though. I closed my eyes, willing the tears to stop.

"...much longer..."

I looked up. "What?"

Margo shook her head, "I didn't say anything." She'd turned and was looking at a series of framed photographs on a built-in bookshelf in the corner.

"But... I heard someone," I said. I turned around and looked around.

"We're the only two people moving, that's impossible," she said. "Plus, I didn't hear anything."

"...consider other options..."

"No dude, I hear someone," I said. I spun, listening, following a tinny, far-off voice until I realized the sound was coming from Kevin's cell phone. "It's the phone," I said, and I wheedled it out of Kevin's grasp, holding it to my ear. "Hello? Hello, hello?"

"...facilities that can care for patients with severe traumas like that which your son is suffering from. Many of them are capable of long-term care, if you're interested in that."

I pressed the phone to my ear. "Hello!" I yelled into it, "HELLO! CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME? HELLO!"

Margo was turned toward me, watching, her eyebrows cinched toether.

"Hello! I'm here! My name is Nick Carter and - I need your help! Who are you? Hello!"

"What are the odds of him waking up?"

That voice. That was my mom. "MOM?" I yelled. "MOM! It's me! It's Nick! MOM? Can you hear me?" My heart race increased. Why was Kevin calling my mom? I wondered. My palms got all sweaty. "MOM?"

"Honestly, they aren't very good odds. The amount of damage that has been done is nearly impossible to recover from..."

"HELLO? Mom? Mom?"

And suddenly the line went dead.

"No! Hey! Come back!" I turned to face Margo. "I heard my mom," I said.

Margo frowned. "I heard mine once, too," she said. "A long time ago."

"You did?"

"Yeah." Margo said hesitantly.

"What do you think is happening to us?" I asked. "Why is everyone on pause? Why aren't we?"

Her eyes met mine.

"Because in their world," she said slowly, "It's us who's paused."