"Just about ready, I see you got the sweatshirt," he smiled as he looked over at her.
Lizz hugged the shirt closely to her chest. It was the shirt Nick had gotten her for the press conference a few months ago. "Yeah, I'm glad it was where I thought I had left it. I was afraid I had left it in the cafeteria and I would have been upset if something happened to it."
"Well, I would have gotten you another sweatshirt, they are replaceable afterall," Howie replied, shaking his head.
"No, not this sweatshirt, it's from Nick," Lizz explained.
"Girls, you are so damned sentimental," Howie laughed.
"That's because you guys take things for granted and throw stuff out too easily," Lizz defended.
Both Kevin and Howie waited for an explaination, Kevin folding his arms across his chest. "Meaning?"
"Meaning you guys throw out ticket stubs, valentines cards, any type of cards you get and little gifts," she explained.
Howie busted out in an intense belly laugh with Kevin snickering alongside him. "God, Lizz, listen to yourself. I would have to buy another house just to store all the crap I get!"
Her temper started to flare and suddenly Howie knew he was skating on thin ice with her. "Oops, sorry, scratch that last remark."
"Too late! That is my point exactly and I wasn't talking about fan stuff I was talking about deep, meaningful relationship stuff!" Lizz fumed.
Kevin and Howie exchanged quick glances at each other.
"Deep, meaningful relationship stuff? Is there something you want to tell us about you and Nick?" Kevin begged with a grin.
Lizz tossed the sweatshirt into the chair where Howie was sitting. "Skip it, you got that board ready? I'm anxious to wail on your ass!"
"Lizz, I just captured your queen". Kevin pointed out, waving a hand in front of my face.
"Huh? Oh, dammit." I muttered. Kevin's last question got me a little distracted and now I was paying for it. "Okay, fine, take that!" I hastily moved my rook.
"Checkmate." I stared at the chessboard, unbelieving. Kevin just handed my ass to me.
"A little distracted are we?" Howie smiled as he observed the game.
I groaned. "There is nothing going on between Nick and I, Howie."
"Are you sure? You usually aren't this bad of an opponent." Kevin added with a grin.
I only shook my head. They were both watching me with great interest. "Look you guys, I'm sorry I bit your heads off about the whole sentimental thing, my head isn't on so straight these days."
Kevin and Howie exchanged glances. "Totally understandable, Lizzard. Thinking about Nick at any length is enough to spin anyone's head." Kevin said, laughing.
My jaw just dropped. "That isn't what I was talking about and uh, that isn't true. He doesn't...uh, I mean, I don't..". I stammered. My temper almost went off again before I realized that they were goading me. "Ah just shut up and set the game. I'm so going to kick your ass into next week this time!"
They just sat there and laughed as Kevin began rearranging the chess pieces. I forced myself to pay closer attention this time and I was actually beating him until Howie interrupted us.
"Oh my god. Guys..." Howie uttered, his voice strained.
Kevin and I both looked at him, startled. I followed his gaze to the television that was mounted on the opposite wall, above my bed.
"Lizz..."
I nodded, picking up the remote and turning up the volume. As soon as I saw the screen my heart sank. This breaking news, just in...
"Nick, you doing alright?"
"Brian, for the fifth time, I m fine." Nick said, with a hint of exasperation. However, he
couldn't keep the smile off his face. For the first time since everything had come down, he
was out of that damn bed. His nurse wasn t very happy to let him off the floor without
another nurse, but Brian was very persuasive. The nurse relented, but insisted that they
come back if Nick was having any trouble at all. He was hurting, but didn't dare say
anything.
"Yeah, geez Brian. I'm gonna laugh when he gets out of that chair and busts your ass." AJ
commented.
"Hey, it's my hide if Nick passes out in his wheelchair." Brian defended.
"Well your protective ass is safe cause I'm not going to pass out." Nick grinned up at
Brian. Brian only rolled his eyes.
The three got their food and settled in the food court, off to the side. It was just after the
dinner rush so it wasn't very crowded.
"Nick...?"
"Brian..." Replied a warning voice in return.
"Okay, sorry."
"So, back to this dream..." AJ started.
"AJ, give it rest!" Nick glared at AJ, frustrated.
AJ held his hands up in surrender. "You're a little worked up about that dream aren't
you?"
"Nightmare, AJ, it was a nightmare. And I don t want to talk about it anymore." Nick
stated.
AJ glanced at Brian and Brian shook his head slightly. Brian almost smiled, knowing there
was more to Nick's angst than just the nightmare. "Alright, consider it dropped." AJ
turned his attention up to the closest TV. They were sitting too far away to be able to hear
what was on, but the picture that showed on the screen could be seen by anyone. "Oh
shit." AJ squinted at the TV.
Brian and Nick turned around to see what had caused all the color to drain from AJ's face.
Brian gasped. "I thought this shit was over..." Nick moaned softly.
"Aggie, come on! The place is going
all to hell!" Marilyn shouted to her cell mate. The noise was deafening and the heat from
the flames was drawing near.
"No, Mar. If I get out of here, they will put me in lockdown. If the other inmates don't kill
me first." Agnes said firmly as she sat on her bed.
"Dammit Aggie! They don't know you did it! You think this is going to bring Marcus
back? I know you ain't the type of bitch to let them win, to roll over and die. We can
make a break, let's go." When Marilyn saw that she was getting through to her friend, she
pushed harder. "Come on, Ag. We can get out of here. You want to see Terri, don't you?
You want to avenge your son, don't you? Make those kids pay, Aggie." Marilyn smiled
when she saw that her words were having an effect on Agnes. Finally Agnes nodded.
"Let's go."
"This breaking news, just in! It
has just been reported that there has been an inmate riot at FMC Carswell Prison in Fort
Worth, Texas. Witnesses say that a fire was started by Agnes Miller. For those of you that
can't place the name, Miller was incarcerated nearly six months ago for attempted murder
and kidnapping."
I stared at the television screen, Agnes' mug shot off to one side, the smoke billowing out of the prison windows to the other and words scrolling at the bottom of the screen, typical CNN news crap. I was trying to convince myself that this wasn't the same woman that held such hatred towards Lizz, Brian and I for her daughter' s accident. If this was the same woman, I was silently praying that she never received word about Marcus' death. Surely she would peg the blame on one of us.
"Nick.....?"
"Take me back to my room, Brian, I don t feel so hot."
As Brian jumped out of his chair, he bumped the table, spilling milk and coffee.
"Slow down ace," AJ growled. "I doubt Nick will pass out on us."
Brian took a second to cast a glare at AJ as he steadied the wheelchair for me. "Let's not argue right now, okay? I just want to get back to my room," I begged.
Brian placed his hand on my shoulder. "I know Nick, I know."
"I hope Lizz didn t see this, god she worries about shit worse than me."
AJ snorted at my remark. "I think you do the worrying for the entire country at times Nick."
"This breaking news, just in! It has just been reported that there has been an inmate riot at FMC Carswell Prison in Fort Worth, Texas. Witnesses say that a fire was started by Agnes Miller. For those of you that can t place the name, Miller was incarcerated nearly six months ago for attempted murder and kidnapping. We ll take you live to Fort Worth and reporter on the scene, Anne Robinson.... Anne?....I guess we've lost connection with her, at any rate, there's a riot at FMC Carwell Prison in Fort Worth...."
"I'm turning this off," Lizz stated as she clicked on the remote. "I hope Nick didn't have this on."
"I'm sure he didn't. Brian and AJ are with him, he's probably arguing with them about something," Howie assured.
Lizz smiled at the thought. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what happened. Okay, are you gonna set up that game again? I'm ready to totally kick your ass Kevin."
Kevin snickered and then try to put a concerned face on. "When are you going to get the rest you need young lady?"
"After I waste you in this damn game," Lizz retorted.
Kevin raised an eyebrow as he looked at her determined face. "Then I guess you' ll be awake for the rest of your life because.....," he paused while he set the pieces back in place, " ...it won't happen in your lifetime."
"Bring it!!"
"Hey Terri! Your momma is on the box!"
Terri stopped pulling the weights briefly as she looked over towards the woman that yelled out her name. "What did you say, Grace?"
"I said your momma is on the box! Look!"
Dropping the pulleys, the weights dropped to the floor. Terri took the white towel that was draped around her shoulders and wiped the sweat off her face. Although she was serving a life term for her involvement in the kidnapping and extortion, she worked out in the weight room every chance she had. After being released from the prision infirmary, she was transferred to the correctional facility in Atlanta, Georgia. Her arms had become quite muscular and her upper torso toned and well defined. The only indicator of her being confined permanently to a wheel chair was the immobility of her legs and a slightly rounded stomach that she would never be able to get rid of without being able to do the exercises she needed to tone the stomach muscles. Every day she looked at her legs and her stomach and every day she cursed the person that put her in the wheelchair.
Squinting her eyes to focus on the television screen, Terri finally pulled the prison mandated black rimmed glasses from her shirt pocket. "I'll be damned. She told me she was gonna do it! I'll be damned!"
"You told me she was gonna do that, didn't you kid?" Grace remarked as she pointed a crooked finger at Terri.
"Yup I did," Terri smiled.
"And she' s gonna come and spring you out too," Grace stated, a little too loud for Terri's satisfaction.
"Listen old woman, you keep your trap shut if you know what's good for you," Terri hissed. "I'll take care of you, but you keep your damn mouth shut!" With that said, Terri whipped her wheel chair around in a quick jerk and wheeled herself out of the weight room towards her cell.
"Nick?" Let's put him in bed, the nurse said as she hurried behind Brian and AJ. She moved around them quickly and lowered the bed so that it was flat. AJ and Brian helped me into the bed and the nurse slapped a blood pressure cuff on my arm. "You're looking about as white as the background on your gown," she observed as she pumped the cuff up on my arm.
"All he told us was that he was feeling sick to his stomach," AJ offered.
Her only reply was a shake of her head. "His bp is down". She clicked on the button to raise the foot portion of my bed up slightly.
"I'm fine, I protested weakly." I hated having attention drawn to myself. "Honest, I feel really stupid."
"So how long did you feel like you were dizzy Nick?" Cindy asked when she stopped the bed.
This was a question I did not want to answer. "Oh probably a few minutes."
Evidentally I didnt place too much conviction in my voice.
"Really?" she stated with a look in her eyes.
Busted.
"Okay, alright, it's probably been a few hours but I'm fine," I protested again.
"According to your day nurse, your i/o is really pathetic Nick.."
"I/O? What the hell is an I/O?" AJ questioned.
"His intake and output of fluids, basically, Nick isn't drinking as much water as we need him to so he's probably taxing his system."
"Okay, give me a break, you guys just took me off the stupid IV's this morning," I snapped.
"And if you don't shape up Mr. Carter, we will have to hook you back up, you still have a port on your hand," Cindy pointed out. After she checked my pressure again, she lowered my feet back down to the same level my head was at. "Do you want water or juice?"
"Grape juice," I replied trying to give her a toothy grin.
"It won't work Nick, I ll be back in a minute," Cindy replied as she left the room.
Once the door closed, AJ busted out laughing. "You got caught!"
"Shuddup dumbass. God I am so sick of this place!"
"And the longer you don' t co-operate with doctor's orders Nick, the longer you will be in here, Lizz is getting out after this weekend, I bet you won t be ready by Monday," Brian surmized.
I hate when he's right. "I will co-operate, I will be good, just do me a favor guys."
"Depends, what do you want?" Brian asked suspiciously.
"Don't let Lizz know about this or about the news thing, okay?"
"She won't hear it from me," AJ remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Okay, me either, but if she asks about anything specifically, I'm not going to lie about it," Brian replied.
I sighed. Why did Brian always have to be so damned straight and up front about shit?
"I guess that's the best I'll get?"
Brian simply nodded. Cindy walked in before he could answer. No one spoke as she slowly raised the head of my bed up to a comfortable angle.
"Drink, Nick," Brian ordered.
"Good idea, listen to Brian, but just take slow sips," Cindy cautioned.
I rolled my eyes in reply as they watched me sip the juice. If they only knew that half of the reason for me feeling sick was Agnes Miller, they would put a lock on the TV and keep me under lock and key.
