Chapter 28

            AJ leaned over the long wooden table, lining the long stick in his hand up with the white ball in front of him.  He concentrated picturing which of the stripped balls he wanted it to hit and ricochet into the whole at the other end of the table.  When he thought the two were lined up perfectly he pulled back on the cue and thrusted it forwards.

            “Ok I got a question and since Kevin’s not here yet I’m going ask.” Nick said as AJ sunk the ball into the side pocket.

“And that is?” AJ asked as he stood up and studied the table for his next shot.

“What was the sex like?” The youngest member of the band asked.

“Dude.” AJ replied mono tone and staring at him.

“No no, no disrespect man but I mean, she was sixteen you know and at sixteen she hasn’t really…she hasn’t…” Nick thought about his words.  “Well there’s a hell of a difference between the body of sixteen year old and one who’s thirty.” Nick asked honestly.  AJ sighed shaking his head.  “I mean wasn’t it weird, did you have to teach her stuff?”

“Carter” AJ sighed again as he leaned on his cue.

“I’m just wondering, don’t answer I don’t care.” Nick replied with a shrug.

He stared at his friend for a moment and then… “It was a nice surprise and I definitely don’t have any complaints about the sex.” 

“It would be weird for me, having all that experience.” AJ shot Nick a look.  “You got experience and don’t be a pussy and deny that.” Nick said quickly when he saw AJ’s look.  “But you got all this experience and the last time she did anything she was sixteen, I remember sex at sixteen and it wasn’t like it is now.” He let slip a crooked smile almost like he was remembering something. AJ rolled his eyes a looked back at the table.

“Ok fine but how long did you guys wait?” Nick asked dropping the subject for now.

“A while.” He replied as he leaned down onto the table again.

“Really?” Nick answered back a little shocked.  “After all that shit went down in the cabin, in Kentucky?”

“When we were on tour, in Europe.” AJ told him.

“On tour?!” Nick replied almost spitting out his drink.  “That long?”

“Ahh she had be held captive by her Father for thirteen years, don’t you think the last thing she’s thinking about is sex?” AJ asked as he stood back up.

“No” Nick replied.  “I mean the way she was acting around you I figured you two would have jumped at the chance.”

“Well we didn’t.” AJ said as he started to lean back down.  “Can I take this shot now?”

“Fine” Nick answered.  Leaning down again AJ lined up his shot like he did previously and pulled back on the cue but now his mind was cluttered.  Cluttered with thoughts of him and Chelsea that night in the hotel room, the way she felt against his skin, the way she touched him, kissed him and the way she made him feel that night.  He had to admit he thought their first time would have been very weird, like it was their first, first time all over again but it wasn’t.  In fact he had never had an experience like it before.  She may have been out of practice to everyone else but that night something told him she spent many nights thinking about them together like that.

“Hello!” He heard Nick say and he looked up.  “Shoot the damn ball.”  AJ quickly pulled on his cue and it smacked against the white cue ball and completely missed its intended target.

“Fuck.” He sighed.

“What the hell was that?” Nick asked standing up getting ready for his turn.

“You’re distracting me running your mouth.” AJ sighed. “Where the hell is Kevin?”

Chelsea sat on the couch flipping through a wedding magazine.  She was slowly learning how to enjoy being alone again; AJ went out with Nick and Kevin.  She wasn’t sure if it was the fact she was moving on from what happened with her Dad, or if it was the fact everyone seems to be in her business so it was nice to not have to deal with twenty questions.  Then the doorbell rang, sitting for a moment as she pondered who it could have been.  Getting up from the couch she walked to the door and looked out the peep hole.  A confused look came across her face as she began to unlock the door.

“Kevin?”

“Hey, can I come in?” He asked.

“Sure but I thought you were out with Alex and Nick.” She replied as she stepped back so he could enter.

“I’m meeting up with them in a bit.” He told her as they both walked into the living room.

“So what’s up everything ok?” She asked as she turned to look at him that’s when she saw the other two.  “What the hell are they doing here?” Chelsea said quickly as she pointed to Tim and Jerald.

“They want to talk.” Kevin told her.  “We all need to talk and sort this out.”

“I’m not the one who has to do any sorting.” Chelsea snapped as she stared all three men down.

“You’re getting married in a couple of weeks Chels don’t you want them to be there?” Kevin asked.

“No” She replied and she saw the hurt on all their faces.  “They haven’t supported this since day one why start now?”

“Why did you have to hide your relationship with AJ?” Tim asked.

“Because of the group, we saw what it did to Kevin and Kristin and we didn’t want that to happen to us.” Chelsea told them.  “Besides if you guys are this supportive now I could only imagine how you would have been back then.”

“Well back then he wasn’t…” Jerald started to say.

“Jerald.” Kevin said quickly stopping him.

“No Kevin.” Chelsea replied and then looked back at Jerald.  “Wasn’t what a former drug addict? Alcoholic? Cheater? What?” Chelsea demanded.

“All of the above.” Jerald answered sarcastically.

“I see” Chelsea said nodding.

“What about the baby?” Tim asked. 

“Don’t bring her into this.” Chelsea snapped defensively.

“You got pregnant at sixteen.” Jerald replied.  “If your Dad didn’t take you, you would have ended up ruining your life a whole lot sooner.”

That sent Chelsea on a tirade, she lunge at Kevin’s oldest brother and she almost made it too him if Kevin hadn’t of stopped her. “Maybe I would have, maybe I would have lost my Gymnastics career, maybe he would have been kicked from the group, and maybe I would have been disowned by this whole family but you know what Jerald?” Chelsea screamed at him.  “At least I’d have my daughter here with me!” She screamed at him and she jerked away from Kevin.  “But it didn’t happen like that!” Chelsea wailed at them.  “I was taken by him, I went through everything alone, hoping and prying that my baby would make it through, hoping and praying he wouldn’t hit me or do something to me to make me loose by child, only to have her ripped from me by him…” She stopped as a flash memory jarred into her head, it made her feel a little dizzy and she quickly sat down.

“Let’s go.” Kevin said pointing to the door.

“I’m not done.” Jerald replied.

“Yes you are, and I’m done too, it’ obvious the only out come that will work for you Jerald is for Chels and Alex to be apart and I’m sorry but while you were busy bitching I was busy watching two people love each other and help each other through a very difficult time.” Kevin told him.  “Since she’s been back he’s done nothing to make us think he would hurt her like you said he would, in fact if anything she hurt him when she broke up with him because of you two and his Mom.  All I’ve seen is a man take care of someone he loves very much, and if you’d stop bitching and acting like a little girl who got her dolly taken away you’d see it too.”

As Tim left the house with his brother Kevin turn around and looked at Chelsea sitting on the couch sobbing.  “Chels?”

“Just leave.” She whispered through her sobs.

“Well it’s about damn time.” Nick said as he opened the door and let Kevin in.

“Yeah, sorry I’m late.” Kevin replied walking in. 

“Getting some from the Mrs.?” AJ asked when he saw Kevin.

“I wish.” Kevin sighed as Nick handed him a Pepsi.  “Didn’t Chelsea call you?” He asked.

“No, why would she?” AJ replied with a confuse question.  Kevin sat there a moment and picked at the can tab.  “Damn it Kevin what did you do now?”

“It wasn’t me it was my brothers, well more like just one of them.” Kevin replied back a little defensive and he looked at AJ to see the man staring back at him, a lot like how Chelsea was looking at him.  “They wanted to talk to her so I took them over there.”

“Both of them?” AJ asked and Kevin nodded.  “Well for fuck sakes why don’t you just ambush her then?” He snapped as he put down his drink and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Nick asked.

“Home” AJ replied quickly as he grabbed his jacket.

“She’s our family too ya know!” Kevin yelled at him and AJ turned around.  “And I just wanted to get them talking again ok? I thought we were going to go over there and talk it out but I was wrong ok? So sue me for trying.”

“Not everything has to be so fucking perfect.” AJ snapped back at Kevin and then left Nick’s house.

He got into his Porsche and peeled it out of Nick’s driveway.  His hand tapped against the stirring wheel as he ran the image of Jerald and Tim “talking” to Chelsea and the more he thought about it the angrier he got, when he stopped at a light he picked up his phone and dialed his home number.  After a couple of rings she picked up.

“Hello?” She answered.

“Are you ok?” He asked without saying hello.

“I take it you talked to Kevin.” She replied with a sigh.

“Yes, I’m on my way home now.” He told her as the light turned green, he waited a moment for her to say something but she didn’t.  “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, I just…” She stopped and he heard her take a breath.  “I think I remembered something.”

“I’ll be home in like fifteen minutes ok?” He told her when he hit another red light.

“Ok.” She replied and they said goodbye.

AJ walked into his house and saw her sitting in the living room with both dogs around her as they sat on the couch, he walked over to her and the dogs got up and left.  She looked up at him as he sat down.

“What happened?” He asked.

Chelsea took a deep breath and then answered.  “I was just sitting here and the door bell rang, I checked it and I saw Kevin standing outside.  I let him in and walked into the living room when I turned around Tim and Jerald were with him.” She explained as he took her hand.

“You didn’t see them at the door?” He asked.

“No” She replied knowing now they were staying out of view so she would at least open the door for Kevin.  “I asked why they were here and Kev told me he wanted the three of us to sort things out. I then told him I wasn’t the one who needed to do that, he then asked me if I wanted to work it out for the wedding and I told him no, what was the point they haven’t supported me or us up till now why would they want to start now?”

“What did they say to that?” He asked.

“They asked me why I didn’t tell them about us before, why we kept it hidden; I told them why and asked them what would have been the difference in the way they acted.”  She told him.  “That’s when they brought up the drugs and drinking.” AJ sighed, she squeezed his hand and he looked at her.  “I don’t care about that stuff you know that, I know what you’ve been through, I know what you were feeling, I know why you went there and it shouldn’t matter who they think you are, I know who you are.” She told him, he lightly smiled at her.

“What else happened?” He asked.

“They tried to bring Nadia into it.” She told him knowing it could make him snap.

“What?” He asked, his face an eerie calm.

“Well it was Jerald that brought her up not Tim and he just started spouting off about what things would have been like if my Dad hadn’t of taken me, and that’s when I lost it on them because…” She stopped and he could tell she was starting to get upset.

He closed his eyes as he pulled her into a hug.  “Because everything may have gone to hell but we’d have her.” AJ replied for her and all she did was nod as she wrapped her arms around him tighter.

“That’s when I had the memory.” She said quietly and he pulled away a little.  “I was so mad after yelling at him I thought I was going to have a headache but then it just started coming to me.”

“What did?” He asked her.

“I don’t know her name but I saw a woman, she had red hair, and I think green eyes. She was short and chubby.” She told him thinking.  “She helped me, I remember her helping me just before I had Nadia and I remember her being there when I had her.” 

“Like a nurse?” AJ asked.

“I’m not sure, I didn’t see a uniform.” She told him shaking her head lightly.

“We’ll call Doctor Zimmerson tomorrow and make a Hypno appointment ok?” He told her as he lovingly rubbed her arms.

“Ok.” She nodded with a light smile, a little more calmed and relieved he was home with her.