"Stop rammin' the thing up my heels." Lauren grabbed hold of the cart. "Slow. Down."
"I didn't on purpose, you stopped suddenly." Nick pouted.
Lauren glowered. "Then slow down and walk further behind me so you can stop before slamming the cart up my ankles."
"Maybe you should stop more gradually."
"No I'm serious, Nick, stop it." Lauren started walking again, examining the food on the shelves of the grocery store. Brian rolled his eyes at Nick as Nick cheesed broadly in his best friend's direction.
Brian felt sort of like he used to feel when his mother would take him and Harold shopping in the grocery store when they were children. He grabbed hold of the cart, too, and monitored Nick's stopping ability. He really didn't want to listen to him and Lauren argue. Their relationship seemed built on tiny arguments - that's just the way Nick needed it, though. He'd act like a kid, she'd act like a mother. Nick had always sought that sort of a relationship. The fact that Lauren, too, needed that sort of bonding made Brian realize that maybe, just maybe, this was the relationship for Nick. He smiled to himself.
"What're you all Cheshire Cat about over here?" Nick demanded.
Brian laughed, "Nothing."
Nick was solidly distracted, however, when they turned a corner and found a display of football magazines. He picked up one dedicated to the Tenneesee Titans and picked it up eagerly, abandoning the cart altogether. Lauren grabbed hold of it, and mouthed I'll go finish up, keep him busy and wandered away gleefully.
Brian leaned against a pile of beer and stared at the magazine rack as Nick rifled through the Titans' yearbook magazine. His eyes scanned all the hobby and education magazines - National Geographic, Photographer's Digest, Mac World... And finally he stepped forward and picked up Psychology Today and read the headlines off the front cover.
"I never really had you pegged for a psychology type, Littrell," came a familiar voice to Brian's right. He turned and found himself face-to-face with Molly.
"Molly," he said in surprise. He curled the magazine into a roll nervously and felt Nick's eyes on the back of his head, having obviously lowered the Titans book in interest. "I'm sorry about the other day...with Baylee..."
Molly waved her hand, "It's all right." She took a deep breath, shifting her body weight foot to foot. "Look, Emma would kill me if she knew I was talking to you about this but..." Molly chewed her lip a moment, hesitating.
"But...?" Nick intoned over Brian's shoulder, trying to encourage Molly to go on.
Molly's eyes snapped to Nick. "Nick Carter, right?"
Nick's chest puffed up proudly, "That's me."
Molly turned back to Brian. Brian could almost hear the steam let out of Nick behind him as he deflated. Molly leaned closer, "Emma... she's really... she's scared." Molly seemed to be chosing her words extremely carefully. "She's got a lot going on and -" she licked her lips, "- and she really needs a friend."
"What are you, then?" Brian asked.
Molly's eyes cast downward to the floor and she hesitated, "She needs help. Financial help."
Nick edged closer to Brian's back. Molly looked up at Brian's face. His muscles had tightened around the jaw and he was staring down at Molly with an expression of confusion and worry mixed together. "How much?" he asked.
Nick's eyes shot between Molly and Brian.
"A lot," Molly answered.
"For what?" Nick butt in.
Brian waved him off. "How much is a lot?" he asked, "Thousand?"
"Upwards of a hundred thousand," Molly gushed quickly.
"Oh hell nawh," Nick groaned. He grabbed Brian's shoulder, "Dude, c'mon this is crazy."
Brian didn't budge though. He could feel the guilt of what he'd done to Emma years ago surging through his veins. He stared into Molly's eyes for a long time. "She's sick, isn't she?" he asked.
Molly's eyes filled with tears. "We don't know anybody else to turn to Brian. When I heard you were in town, I just prayed maybe your history with her would be enough to move your heart to make you want to help out to keep her alive. She's basically just waiting to die because she can't afford the treatment and the hospital's been knockin' waiting for their payment on the first couple rounds and she can't - she doesn't have any money and -"
"Come to my house for dinner," Brian said, "And we'll talk."
"Dude some random chick comes up to you in the grocery store and asks for enough dough to buy a freaking house and you're just like 'lets have dinner'? Seriously?" Nick was prancing hyperactively around Brian as they made their way back to Lauren and the cart. Nick's voice was shrill with nerves and Brian's hands were pools of sweat. "You dunno what the real situation is, you dunno if this chick's really sick. Dude, it was sooo long ago that you knew these people. They could be like drug smugglers or something. They could have planes, be flyin' to Mexico or something."
"Nick, not everything is a shitty movie plot, ok?" Brian said, rolling his eyes.
"It's not a shitty movie, thank you, I'm in it."
"Did you watch your acting reel from the film, because I did and Nick, it's shitty."
"It wasn't my best performance, but it wasn't really shitty..." Nick shook his head, "No, wait, this isn't about me and my movie, it's about you and this chick being a con artist. Dude, you dunno what's going on, not really. How do you know they don't just wanna swindle you a hundred grand and take off?"
Brian shrugged, "I don't know that. That's why I invited them to dinner."
"So you're gonna feed'em and give them a hundred grand."
"I want details about what is going on, Nick, I want to know what's happening, what she needs help for, everything like that you know? I told you the other day, she looks like she's been through hell and I was the first hard knock she had, walking away when I'd promised to marry her... Nick, I can't just dishonor her even further. I have the opportunity here to help her, to set things right."
"Giving a chick a hundred grand isn't the same as marrying her, Brian, it's a whole 'nother ball game you're playin' here."
Brian took a deep breath, "Nick, it's important that I do this." His eyes met Nick's and the came to a stop. "Emma deserves at least that I hear her out on what's going on."
Nick shrugged, "Whatever dude but I think you're nuts."
Molly was putting away groceries, telling Jake about the conversation she'd had with Brian. "He said for us to go over there and have dinner with him, and we'd talk about it," she was wrapping up. "I feel like that's the least he can do is hear her out."
"The least who can do?"
Jake and Molly both turned to see Emma in the door way. Jake thumbed over Emma's shoulder, "I'll be... you know... somewhere else." He ducked past her and disappeared quickly into the depths of the house.
Emma stepped further into the kitchen, the sea of discarded plastic bags swishing loudly at her feet. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Molls?"
Molly put a box of cornbread mix into the cupboard, then turned to face Emma. She took a deep breath. "Em," she said quietly, "I... ran into Brian today... at the grocery store..."
Emma sucked in her breath, "Molly, what did you do?"
Molly reached out a hand and took Emma's hand gently in hers. "Em, I'm sorry, but - I just want to see you be okay."
"You told him?" Emma asked, her voice shaking.
"Not expressly," Molly replied, "He asked if you were sick and I told him that you needed help with medical bills and that it was important and he asked how much and I told him and he wants us to have dinner with him so we can talk about him helping you out. Emma, I told you he'd want to help out."
Emma's face was ashen and her eyes were wide. "Oh my God," she whispered. She felt mortified. "How could you?" she asked.
"Em, you've been avoiding him like crazy, the closest to talking to him you've done was the other day when Baylee came over, and you need help like yesterday, okay? I'm not gonna let you throw away this chance because you're embarassed to ask for help."
"I'll find a way to pay for the bills, I don't need to be begging around Brian Littrell of all people for help!"
"What're you gonna do to get that much money, huh? Rob a bank or two?" Molly shouted, "It's not like you can go be a prostitute - a chick with no hair isn't going to get anywhere in that world, sweetheart. Even your freaking illegal options are really limited, woman."
Emma's eyes were pooled with tears and she reached up and held her fishing cap tighter to her head, the few strands hanging around her face. She turned, shaking her head, and walked out of the kitchen. Molly sighed and dropped the bag of groceries she'd been emptying onto the kitchen table and hurried after Emma, up the stairs. Jake ducked out of the way from where he'd been standing, listening, as the two girls thundred by.
"Leave me alone," Emma cried as Molly followed her into her bedroom, having caught the door before it slammed behind her.
"I'm sorry, that was really cold of me to say that," Molly said apologetically. She grabbed Emma's shoulders, but Emma twisted and freed herself from looking at her friend. She grabbed her duffle bag from the floor. "Em, c'mon, you don't have anywhere else to go, listen to me a second, okay? I love you so much, you're my sister practically. You're closer to me then anyone else, even Jake, and I can't stand the thought that I'm gonna lose you to some disease that we could've beat if we'd just been given the chance. And Brian Littrell -- he owes you so much anyway. Your entire life would've been so diffrent if it wasn't for what he did to you. Emma, you need to let him help, you need to because if you die I don't know what I'd do. Please."
Emma dropped the duffle bag and tears poured over the rims of her eyes. "I feel so helpless," she cried, "I feel so pathetic. I just want to be strong again and confident again and I don't know how to anymore."
Molly stepped closer and wrapped her arms around her best friend, tears coming to her own eyes. "I love you Emma and we're gonna fix this, we're gonna beat this."
"It hurts so much, Molls," Emma whispered, "Being so dependent on everyone. I can't do anything for myself, you know? And I'm so scared."
"It's okay, Em," Molly whispered back, "It's not forever. It's just for a little while. This too shall pass, my friend."
Emma buried her face into Molly's neck, her shoulders shaking.
