His nerves were hitting full tilt, and he felt like he was going to lose the contents of his stomach. Agreeing to this little field trip was proving to be a very bad idea, on his part. From the moment he slipped into her car, he couldn’t stop fidgeting with his hands. The nerves floated up and down his body, in a manner that was oddly different than anything he had ever felt. That alone was enough to make the knots, within him, tighten.
“Well, here we are.” She pulled the car into the parking lot, and his eyes grew big, as he looked up at the massive building. He knew damn well where he was, and he didn’t like it one bit. What if she knew? How could she have figured him out? Looking up at the hospital building, he felt his knee, involuntarily, start to bounce. Did the woman survive? Was she here? How the hell could Theresa know it was him that put her there?!?
“Um…w…why…” Letting out a shaky breath, he twisted his fingers around each other. The pit of his stomach was beginning to feel like a gurgling volcano that was ready, to blow, without warning. “…are…we…h…here?” His mouth was beyond dry, as he stared at the building. He felt the car stop, and knew she had parked the car. There was no way she could force him to go inside. He made up his mind…he wasn’t going in there!
“You agreed to put a little trust in me, Nick.” She was now turned, in her seat, and her eyes were locked, on him. The feel of her gaze, was really getting to him. His nerves were starting to fade, only to be replaced by a strong sense, of paranoia. “Come on. It’s not bad…I promise.”
“Uuh…” Despite the extreme feelings that were coursing through him, he found that his hand was reaching for the door handle. Taking a quick glance, at her, he found immediate relief in the warm smile she was offering him. How could this woman work up the nerves in him, yet calm him so easily? “O…o…kay.” With his brows wrinkled, he slowly opened the door, and slid out of the car.
“This is where I work.” Her voice seemed so close, and his suspicion, of that, was confirmed when he felt her hand slip into his. The touch sent a shock through him that made him flinch slightly. Whatever the cause, of it, this woman had some sort of unexplainable power, over him.
Not another word was uttered, as she led him into the main entrance. His stomach was still flipping uncontrollably, and his heart was pounding loud enough that he was sure she could hear it. When she led him in the opposite direction, of the emergency room, he felt some of the panic lift away. Although it only took minutes, to ride the elevator, and reach the right floor, it felt like forever, to him.
Her hand held his tightly, as she led him down a colorful corridor. Curiosity was kicking in, as his eyes looked over the walls, adorned with hundreds of colorful pictures. Some of them were painted with water paints…others colored with markers…more that were crafted, using crayons…all, of which, were obviously created by children. His nerves seemed to disappear, as he became lost among the cheerful, yet somehow sad, hallway.
“RESA!!!” The small voice caught his attention, as he felt her hand leave his. Tearing his eyes, from the walls, he looked down at the little girl. He couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped his lips, as he took in the young girl’s appearance.
“Nick…this is Sarah. Sarah…this is my friend, Nick.” The smile on Sarah’s face, made the hallway seem even brighter, than before, despite the fact that her lips could only lift into a small, deformed smile. He felt his heart jump, realizing she couldn’t have been any older than seven.
“Um…h…hi…Sa…Sarah.” The tightening, in his throat, made it hard for him to breathe...let alone talk. He lost all control of his body, and found himself kneeling to her level. The small framed girl only had half of her dark curls left, but she didn’t seem to care as she greeted him, with another smile.
“Hi Nick!” Suddenly, he felt her small hand grasp his and lightly start to tug. “I like to make new friends! Are you going to come play with us? Robert is awake too, but everyone else is still sleeping. You could play games with us! Or color! Do you like to color Nick? I like to color!” Her voice seemed so small…so fragile…but still so full of hope and life. This little girl did nothing other than simply, and completely, amaze him.
“I uh…I haven’t….colored…in a long time.” Finding it only slightly easier to talk, he let Sarah pull him down the hallway and into a large room. The room was even brighter than the hallway, and cluttered with toys. When they stepped further into the room, he was suddenly bombarded by the older boy, who looked to be around the age of eleven.
“Holy schmoley! You’re Nick Carter! I’m Robert! I just watched one of your movies last night!” Robert was smiling widely, up at him. He swallowed down the lump, in his throat, and sat in the little chair that Sarah had led him to.
“It’s…nice to…um…meet you…Robert.” Licking his lips, he looked from one child, to the other, completely baffled by their happiness. When he looked over his shoulder, Theresa just smiled and motioned that she would be down the hall. The idea of being alone with the kids, both intrigued him, and frightened him.
“Wowee! A real movie star! That’s so cool!” Sarah’s voice was filled with even more excitement, which he couldn’t understand. He was washed up…his career was over…he was nothing…a nobody…how could anyone, no matter the age, be excited to meet him?
“Yeah he is! He was the voice of the funny penguin, in that movie we watched last night…remember?” Robert rolled his eyes, at the younger girl. Looking over the boy’s face, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until he offered a toy, that the damage became obvious.
“Yeah. I was Martin, the Martian penguin.” Nodding his head, he began to feel a little more at ease. In all honesty, he felt like he belonged…like he was accepted…and welcomed.
“So Nick.” Sarah’s little arms leaned on the table, as she continued to stare at him, in awe. “How did you get your scars? I got mine when our house burned down. A fireman saved me, cuz I couldn’t get out, all by myself.” Her fragile smile faded, but only for a moment, as she picked up a crayon and began to color in a princess coloring book.
“I got mine when I tried to stop my sister, Lisa, from pulling a pot of noodles off the stove. The water was boiling, and it spilled all down my arm and side.” Robert shrugged his shoulders, like it was no big deal. “But my sister is ok, and I get to go home soon.”
He sat there, listening to the children chatter, not knowing what to say or how to respond to their experiences. They never stopped talking, long enough, for him to get a word in, anyways. After a little bit, he found himself coloring, right along with them. The sound of their voices had, long ago, melted his nerves away. It wasn’t long before he found their smiles to be contagious…he was smiling, too…really, actually smiling.
Completely unaware that over two hours had passed, he found himself on the floor, in the midst of building blocks, and cracking goofy little jokes. He pulled out all the jokes, from his childhood memories…ones he would normally deem as lame…and found that both of the kids loved them.
If asked, he wouldn’t have been able to explain how, or why, he had loosened up so much in that playroom. Something about these kids…broke down his barrier…and brought out the fun loving Nick that he used to be.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry it's been so long...again! I hope you guys like this chapter!
