The week that Nick had waited for finally came after a two month stay at the hospital. Six weeks in intensive care isolation, the last two were in a regular private room constantly being seen by physical and occupational therapists. He had never dreamt that he would be making it out of the hospital alive. When his body first started rejecting Aaron's donated bone marrow, Nick was certain that death was inevitable but now he felt that he had practically dragged himself out of a deep hole.

"So they're springing you out?" Aaron mused when he walked into his brother's hospital room.

Nick looked up from the book he was reading. "Aaron? What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too bro."

Although he tried to feign an angry face, Nick couldn't stop himself from smirking as he looked up at his baby brother. "Seriously, why are you here?"

"I thought it would be cool to drop by to see you."

"Yeah I guess but shouldn't you be in Cali working…..wait a sec, you didn’t pull another one over ma again did you?"

"All work and no play makes me like anal Kevin or something like that and I just decided to take a break from work…she’ll find out I left eventually and I don’t really care. She’s been such a bitch lately."

Nick studied his brother for a moment before he held his arms open. “Come over here dork.”

After they held each other in a brotherly hug for a few moments, Aaron finally pulled himself back to study Nick closer. "You're looking better since the last time I saw you."

"You've always been a bad liar."

"Yeah but when did you want me to say to you?"

"The truth, you know Nick, you look pale and bloated."

"That would make you feel better how?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders as he smiled. "I dunno probably not that good I suppose but it's not like I don't realize how bad I look."

"You're alive and that's what counts. That is exactly what you'd be saying to me, right?"

"I suppose."

Aaron rubbed his hands together as he made his way over toward the window. "So do you think they'd let you out today?"

"Why?"

"Aren't you tired of this place?"

"Tired? Of this place? Sure but what difference does it make to you?"

"I was planning on taking you home."

Nick shook his head. "You can't."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because for one, you can't sign me out--"

"Why can't you sign yourself out? You're an adult."

"True, but that's beside the point."

Aaron walked back toward Nick's bed. "Okay I guess I don't follow you....you're not making any sense."

Nick sighed. "It's sorta complicated."

Aaron perched himself at the foot of the bed. "Enlighten me then oh big brother of mine."

"Dr. Andersen has this thing about caregivers and she has some instructions that have to be gone over and my mind hasn't been the greatest with all the stuff she has me on."

"So she writes them down for you. How hard would that be to follow."

Nick shook his head. "Aaron, it's not that simple."

"You take a pill at nine a.m., three p.m. and again at nine p.m. seems pretty easy to me."

"That's where you are so wrong little brother. Try giving injections every other day and that is for one of the medications I'm on. Then there is some stuff I have to have pushed through my Hickman cath."

"What the hell is a Hick whatchamacallit?"

Nick pulled the collar of his shirt away from his neck. "Remember this thing?"

Aaron visibly blanch when he saw the rubber tip on the tube that jutted out from under his brother's collarbone.

"I thought so," Nick said as he saw Aaron's reaction. "Not to mention the number of pills she's got me taking too. Things aren't as easy as you'd think so it's important that Brian is here when the doc lets me go home."

"Why Brian then? What about AJ or Howie? They're both in Florida."

Nick shifted in his bed and then threw the covers off his legs. "Because they have things that they said they had to take care of before I come home."

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting up to use the bathroom."

"Are you suppose to be doing that by yourself?"

"I thought you were anxious for me to go home today..."

"I was...er I am.. but aren't you suppose to ask for help?"

"I'm not crippled."

Aaron jumped up, planting himself in front of Nick. He was ready to push his brother back onto the bed until he saw the grin on Nick's face. Panic traded to anger.

"Goddamn it Nick why did you do that?"

"Hey!"

"Why did you scare me like that?"

"I was just teasin'....see," Nick said as he reached over and pushed the call button on the side of his bed.

"That was mean Nick."

"Aww.....I'm sorry...I couldn't help myself. See how bad you freaked out on me? You who wants to take me home from the hospital?"

"Please don't make fun of me Nick...I just want you to get the hell out of this place. Hospitals freak me out."

Nick managed to push himself to a standing position and quickly found himself off balance falling into Aaron's chest.

"Whoa! You are so lucky I was here to catch you Nick. What would have happened if I wasn't there?"

"I probably would have fell to the floor---"

Nick’s favorite nurse Cyndi came rushing into the room. "Okay what are you doing out of bed mister?"

"Scaring my brother," Nick admitted. “Why are you here?”

The nurse shook her head as she grabbed Nick around the waist and lowered him back toward the bed. "You know you're not supposed to get up out of bed without a nurse helping you….my vacation ended yesterday and nice to see you too."

"I knew it!" Aaron sputtered, shaking his head.

"Well now that you have me sitting down how about you help me back up."

"For what?"

"I need to use the bathroom."

"What’s wrong with your urinal or the bedpan?"

"I really am sick and tired of both. Can't I just go and use the toilet like normal people?"

"You probably could but I really don't feel comfortable with you walking around this afternoon. Why don't you leave the walking for your therapist in an hour? I'm sure you'll want to save your strength for that."

“Geeze did your vacation suck or something? Why are you so crabby?”

“Because I came back from my vacation and found out that you were still here,” she winked. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all crabby on you there’s some politics going on out at the nurses station and I guess I just carried it into your room with me.”

“It’s okay….so can I get up to use the bathroom like normal people?”

“Nope…I’ll draw the curtain around your bed if you want privacy.”

“He’s always liked to show off….I’m okay,” Aaron replied. “I can stare out at the parking lot while you go.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Thanks Airhead, you’re a great guy.”

AJ frowned when he opened the door. “Aaron…why are you here?”

Aaron pushed his way past the rebel. “You’re the second person that has asked me that question today.”

“You’ve already been up to see your brother?”

The blonde kept walking toward the kitchen and didn’t bother to answer until he pulled a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. “Yeah. I went up to the hospital right from the airport.”

“So you came by yourself?”

Aaron looked over his shoulder. “Evidently.”

“You don’t need to be a smartass. How was Nick?”

“He seemed to be doing okay. He was reading a book when I walked in and surprised him.”

“How come you came alone?”

“You wanted Jane to come with me?”

AJ lightly swatted the teen on the back of the head. “I just said not to be a smartass. Seriously, how come you came alone?”

“Because Jane is a bitch.”

AJ smirked as he took at seat at the table with the younger Carter. “That we agree on.”

“She wanted me to stay out in LA working and I get sick of her making me do things for her all the time…..she doesn’t stop and think that all of us would like to do something besides be her trust fund,” he said. He thought for a moment and then his expression soured. “Now I totally understand why Nick hated coming home after he had been gone on tour.”

“At least you guys have a family to come home to…..you know, a brother and sisters, parents and all that fun crap. I never had all of that,” AJ pointed out.

“Your life isn’t as bad as what we Carter’s have.” Aaron screwed the lid back onto the water. “I thought I could take Nick back here with me today.”

AJ softly chuckled.

“You find that funny?”

“Pretty much. I just got to Nick’s a few hours ago and I know that even I couldn’t get him out of the hospital myself if I wanted to.”

“So why are you here then?”

“Stock up the kitchen and making sure his room is set for him to come home to and get things around for Brian when he gets in tonight.”

“Did you hire back Nick’s housekeeper?”

“Believe it or not, I can do those things on my own.”

“Kevin left you a list….”

“Did you not hear what I just said?”

Aaron nodded yes in reply.

“Kevin emailed me a list,” AJ admitted.

“Ah-ha!”

AJ stuck his middle finger out at the teen in response. “Well you know how anal Richardson is, he would leave a list for God if thought that was possible. Everything has to be exact before Kevin is satisfied.”

“Nice Jay….saying God and then flipping a kid off for crying out loud!”

“You deserved it.”

“Probably but still….”

“Are you hungry?”

“I suppose.”

AJ glanced at the clock on the wall above the kitchen sink. “I told Brian I’d be picking him up from the airport and his plane is due in a couple of hours. How about we grab a bite at that Italian place near the airport?”

“Is it on Kevin’s list?”

“Is what on Kevin’s list?”

“Us stopping to eat at that Italian place near the airport?”

“Enough about the list and I swear if you say one word to your brother, I’ll personally kick your ass,” AJ teased.