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Chapter 3:



Rain beat against the windshield as Scott directed his car into the Littrell driveway. He looked over at his girlfriend when he heard a sigh escape her lips and he raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure you want to go home right now?" he asked as Jessica turned to look at him.



"Yeah," Jessica answered with a nod. "I need to speak to my dad."



"Alright. Call me if you need me."



"I will." Jessica opened the passenger door and stepped out into the rain. "I love you."



"Love you too, babe," Scott answered, backing out of the driveway once the door was shut.



Jessica stood there for a minute as she watched her boyfriend drive off down the road, longing to go with him. But she knew she needed to get home and talk to her father. He had to of been worried sick about her last night after she'd run off. Sighing quietly, she jogged up the front steps and pulled her house key out of her pocket, letting herself inside.



There was no sound coming from inside except for the "tick-tock" of the grandfather clock against the wall in the living-room. 'It's still early in the morning' she reminded herself as she headed for the stairs. Most defenitely they were still asleep, but she figured she would wake her father up now to let him know she was home. Ascending the stairs, Jessica walked down the hallway to her father's room and was greeted with his door being open. Peeking inside, she didn't see him anywhere. She continued down the hall and on instinct, headed for Bailey's nursery. This door was half-way closed and Jessica pushed it all the way open quietly. Walking in, she instantly noticed her father sitting in the rocking chair over by the window, cuddling Bailey tightly in his arms. Both were in a deep sleep. 'Awww...' she thought as she tiptoed over to her father. "Dad?" she called out quietly, not wanting to wake her nephew up. When she recieved no answer, she shook his shoulder gently. "Dad?"



Brian stirred from within his slumber and his eyelids fluttered before a tiny bit of clouded blue could be seen. He looked up at Jessica groggily. "Steph?" he asked, his voice a bit strained. He went to sit up, but Jessica gently pushed him back, knowing if he got up right then he would be sure to wake Bailey up.

"No, it's Jess."



Brian woke up fully and sighed in relief. Jessica was home and okay. "Why did you run off like that? You scared me half to death. I had no idea where you had gone," he spoke in a quiet tone, gently rocking back and forth.



"I needed to get away because I didn't want to listen to you and Uncle Howie yelling at me anymore. And I wasn't doing any good by staying and yelling back at ya," Jessica answered with a small shrug as she took a seat on the floor and looked up at her father. "How come you slept in here with Bailey?"



"He's sick," Brian replied shortly, looking down at his grandson with a frown. The little boy's fever had gone down a little, but was still present. Bailey had thrown up several other times during the night hours, leaving Brian to sit up with his grandson in the rocking chair all night. "Did you think we wouldn't have yelled at you for what you did? Why did you do that? And drag your sister and cousin along with you?"



"I..." Jessica couldn't explain, for she didn't even know why. "I guess it was to have fun. I thought Ana and Steph would have fun, too. It always seems like I'm not allowed to have any when I'm at home. Like I'm still a child, but I'm not, dad. I'm an adult now."



Brian sighed. "I know you're an adult, but you're my baby. Both you and Steph, and I care about you so much."



"But you need to lighten up sometimes. No need to be such a rough head when it comes to me."



"Maybe if YOU would lighten up towards me, Jess. Try putting yourself in my position and deal with all the crap you dish me 24/7. You don't make it very easy."



"I know..." Jessica looked down in shame. "I'm sorry."



"Do you not like me? Is that why you act the way you do towards me?" Brian blurted at his daughter.



Jessica looked up at her father in surprise. "What?"



"Do you not like me?" Brian repeated.



"No! Dad, I love you."



"Well, sometimes I don't feel you do," Brian whispered, looking down at Bailey as he heard the little boy whimper. He saw a tiny pair of eyes looking up at him and he smiled. "Hey Bailey boy."



"Papa..." Bailey whimpered, his bottom lip quivering.



"Awww, does your tummy hurt still, buddy?"



"Tummy hurt."



Jessica kneeled down in front of Bailey and softly smiled. "Hey, buddy. Do you want to come with Auntie Jessie and get a freezie?"



"No...papa..." Bailey cried as he turned away from his aunt.



"How come he's sick? He was fine yesterday."



"I don't know. Must be just a 24 hour bug." Brian stood up from the chair. "C'mon, Bailey, let's go get a freezie, it'll cool you down." Bailey clung onto his grandfather tightly as Jessica followed them timidly down the stairs.



"Dad, did you believe me when I said I was sorry?" Jessica asked her father as they headed into the kitchen.



"Huh?" Brian asked, walking over to the fridge.



"I said I was sorry, Dad. Don't you believe me?"



Brian sighed as he grabbed a red freezie and handed it to Bialey, but the little boy refused to take it. "Jess, you have tried me so many times...how do I know you're sincere?"



The words stung Jessica's heart as she blinked back tears. "So, you don't think I'm sorry?"



"No, I'm asking how do I know if you actually mean it when I've heard it so many times from you before?"



"But-"



"Jess, you have done this so many times, and you always say 'I'm sorry'. Did you ever mean it?"



"I can't believe you would even think I don't mean it-"



"No, I can't believe you would keep doing things over and over."



Jessica couldn't take hearing this from her father anymore. "Maybe I'll just sit in my room, like Steph does. She's always been your favorite, right?"



"Don't say that, Jessica. I don't play favorites."



"Obviously you do. You treat Steph so much differently then you do me. What the heck is that supposed to tell me, huh?"



"You're always the one talking back to me, sneaking out, breaking curfew...your sister doesn't do that. Obviously there's going to be differences."



"Oh yes, since Stephanie is the PERFECT teenager, am I right?"



"Jessica, stop," Brian sighed as Bailey continued to whimper, still refusing to take the freezie from his grandfather.



"Why? Because I'm right?" Jessica sneered.



"Listen, I don't need this right now. Bailey's sick, I need to take care of him. Why don't you go upstairs and sleep?"



"You don't need THIS? Maybe you just don't need me!" Jessica spun around on her heels. She walked quickly through the living-room and ran up the stairs.



Brian sighed angrily. He looked down at Bailey, who had finally taken the freezie. "I hope you never have teenage girls to worry about."



*****



Jessica pounded up the stairs with fury flowing through her. She felt the tears brimming her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. She would not allow herself to cry over the fact that her father hated her and that he always chose Stephanie over her. Or the fact that...No! She wasn't even going to think about it. Forget him! She could care less that he hated her. Reaching her and Stephanie's bedroom, she threw the door open, not caring that it slammed against the inside wall loudly. "Stupid jerk!" she growled loudly, kicking off her shoes.



"Hey! Quiet down!" Stephanie grumbled in a muffled voice from her bed.



"Shut up!" Jessica spat, glaring in her sister's direction.



Stephanie sat up sleepily. "Jess? What the Hell are you doing? Why did you run off like that? Daddy was-"



"Oh shut the fuck up, little miss perfect! I don't want to hear it!" Jessica snapped, throwing herself into her bed.



"Wha-" Stephanie looked at her sister in shock, mouth wide open and eyebrows raised.



"You heard me!"



"What did I do to you?! All I did was ask where you were!"



"No, you were being dad's perfect little girl, like always! God, I am so sick of him playing favorites!"



"He does not think I'm perfect and he doesn't have a favorite! How can you even think that?" Stephanie asked, not believing what was coming out of her sister's mouth.



"Why don't you just think about it smarty!"



"Jess-"



"Haven't you ever noticed he treats you like a princess and treats me like dirt? Or how he gives you everything and gives me shit? Or-"



"Jess, shut up!"



"Screw you! And screw dad!"



"What are you trying to say? You wanna live with mom? Do you really hate me and dad that much?"



"Obviously, you two hate me, cause I'm always in the fucking doghouse around here!"



"We DON'T hate you!"



"Bull fucking shit, Stephanie!"



"Just calm down! You're overreacting!"



"Overreacting?! I don't think so! This is all the truth!"



"What do you want? To live with mom and have her give you everything you want?!"



"If that's what it fucking takes!"



"Jess, please...just calm down."



"Why the Hell should I?"



"Because I don't like to see you like this."



"Why would you even care?"



"Because you're my sister. My twin. It comes with the job."



"Sometimes you slack in that department. Now shut the Hell up, I'm going to bed." Jessica pulled her comforter over her head, leaving Stephanie in shock.



"Jess-" Her voice dropped as her misty green eyes filled with tears. What Jessica had just said hurt Stephanie really bad. How could that even be true? Their father didn't have a favorite.



*****



Brian's head pounded in frustration and exhaustion as he carried a wailing Bailey around the living-room. His grandson had gradually become sicker throughout the morning, and now it was the afternoon and Bailey was even worse. His fever was as high as it was the night before and he'd already thrown up two times. Brian was baffled about the whole thing, too. Bailey's sickness had come on out of nowhere. The little boy had been so active and full of energy the night before and then he suddenly fell ill and Brian couldn't think of a reason why. All Brian could do was hold him and cuddle him lovingly in his arms as the little boy cried in misery. There was nothing Brian had been able to do to stop his grandson from crying. Bailey refused to take any freezies and had drank little fluids the whole morning. Any fluids he had intaked had come up when he threw up. This worried Brian more then anything because he knew Bailey was becoming dehydrated, which accounted for his fever not lowering or going away. He also knew that if Bailey didn't take any fluids, his fever would continue to raise and he would be in real trouble then.



"Awww, Bailey boy...shhh," Brian cooed in his grandson's ear as he rubbed Bailey's back in a circle motion. Bailey's only reply was to cry back in return. Brian frowned and went to sit down in the lazy boy chair, but when he attempted to, Bailey screamed out so he continued to walk around the living-room. That was the one thing that was frustrating Brian. Bailey wouldn't let him sit down or let him put him down. It was getting to be a very tiring situation.



Bailey continued to cry as Brian walked around the living-room. This was definitely not a pleasant weekend in the Littrell household, and it seemed like it was just getting worse. After his 10th time around the living-room, the phone rang, much to Brian's displeasure. Groaning, he walked across the room to where the phone was and answered it. "Hello?"



"Bri? It's Howie," the voice on the other line greeted as soon as he answered.



"Oh, hey..." Brian replied with no enthusiasm. He really wasn't in the mood to be talking on the phone and he was still waiting for Bailey's pediatrician to call him back. He'd called the pediatrician hours ago and was told he would be called back soon... At that moment, he really wanted to know what their defenition of soon was.



"Everything alright?" Howie asked with concern. He couldn't miss hearing the sound of Bailey's crying since the little boy was in Brian's arms.



"No, not really. Bailey's really sick. Worse then last night," Brian answered, kissing Bailey's burning forehead.



"Have you tried calling his pediatrician?" Howie suggested.



"Yeah, earlier this morning. Still waiting to hear back from her," was Brian's reply as he sighed. "I really don't know what brought this on. He's been puking all night and already twice this morning. He won't take any of his pedialite freezies, he won't drink any fluids, and any fluids he did drink came up when he threw up. I'm becoming really worried because his fever is getting worse and I've run out of things to do about it."



"You might end up having to take him into the ER if he doesn't get any better and you don't hear from his pediatrician."



"Yeah, I know. I was thinking about that."



"Just calm down though. He'll be alright."



"Yeah... I just feel so bad for the little tyke, you know? He can't tell me what's hurting him, and there's nothing he can do about it." Brian kissed Bailey's hot forehead again as the little boy let out another agony-filled cry. "All he can say is 'tummy hurt' or 'no good'. That doesn't help me or him much."



"I know what you mean. So, did Jess come home alright?" Howie asked, changing the subject.



Brian made a sour face. "Yeah, we had another fight," he answered through semi-clenched teeth.



"Another fight? What happened?"



"Where should I start? The part where I don't treat her the way I should? Or I don't believe anything she tells me? Oh! Or when she told me I played favorites between her and Stephanie? Take your pick, man."



"She gave you a hard time, huh?"



"In her opinion, yes. In my opinion, I don't know anymore. I don't know what to do anymore. She stormed upstairs and I heard her and Steph arguing and...I don't know. I heard her say something along the lines that she doesn't want to live here anymore."



Howie sighed. Brian really didn't deserve all this trouble; he had basically raised Matt and the twins since Leighanne was never around unless it was to spoil the kids to death. He just coudln't understand what was making Jessica act like that. "Wow. I'm sorry, man."



"I'm really close to giving up right now, D. I just don't know what to do anymore."



"You can't say you want to give up."



"Can't I?"



"I really don't know what to tell you because...well, heck, I'm still mad at her about last night and she isn't even my daughter. But you can't give up on her. You just gotta keep in mind that she is your daughter and you love her. No matter how crappy she is towards you."



"Yeah, I guess your right." Brian was silent for a moment and all that was heard on Brian's end of the line was Bailey's persistant wails. But even that quickly died out, though not for long. Howie heard small coughing, gagging, and then loud screaming wails as Brian groaned. "Ah, man, D, I gotta go. Bailey just threw up again!"



"Maybe you oughta take him to the ER?"



"I think I'm going to have to. He's not getting better and obviously his pediatrician isn't going to be calling back any time soon. I'll give you a call later if I can, ok?"



"Yeah. Good luck with Jess. Things will work out sooner or later between the two of you."



"Yeah, thanks. Bye, D." Brian quickly hung up the phone and let it drop to the floor. Without even thinking twice, he turned around and rushed up the stairs with Bailey. "Shhh, Papa is going to get you cleaned up. You'll feel better soon, Bailey boy. Shhh..." He hurried into the nursery and worked on pulling a clean pair of clothes from the drawer, including grabbing the container of baby wipes so he could clean the throw up off of Bailey. "Steph!" Bailey struggled with him as he tried to place him on the floor, making Brian's task all the more difficult. After several minutes of struggling with the little boy and still no appearance of Stephanie, Brian was able to get the yucky clothes off Bailey body. 'God Bailey, you really are burning up' Brian thought as he rested a hand on Bailey's chest which was rising and falling in a staggering motion in sync with the wailing cries. "Steph!" Brian yelled again as he produced a baby wipe and began to clean the throw up from Bailey's face. That only seemed to upset Bailey even more and Brian cringed.



"What's going on?" Stephanie asked as she rushed into the nursery. She came to a halt when she saw the horrible state her little nephew was in. "Did he throw up again?"



"Yes," Brian answered in a timid tone. "He just keeps getting worse and I haven't heard back from his pediatrician yet. I'm worried about his high fever so I'm going to take him into the ER."



"Is he really that bad?"



"Yeah. I need you and your sister to go with me-"



"Jess isn't talking to me."



"She isn't?"



"Not since this morning, she's not."



"Yeah, I heard." Brian sighed as he brought Bailey into his arms again. The little boy was falling weak as he rested his head on his grandfather's shoulder, clinging tightly to Brian as if for dear life. "Do me a favor and go get one of the blankets out of the closet in the hall. I want to wrap him in one-"



"What about his clothes?"



"We'll bring a pair with us. But right now he is burning up too much to have too much one him. A blanket will do just fine."



"What about you?" Stephanie couldn't help but smirking, despite the situation they were dealing with.



"What do you mean? What about me?" Brian asked in confusion.



"Are you trying to start a new trend by going around sporting baby throw up?"



Brian had to keep himself from gagging as he remembered he had the yuck all over the front of his shirt. "Right...here," he quickly handed Bailey over to Stephanie, which only produced a fresh set of wails from his grandson. "Go get the blanket then meet me out in my car. I'm going to get on a fresh set of clothes."



"P-p-papa!"



"I'll be right back, Bailey boy!"



*****



"You need to work on your defense more," Nick explained with a toothy grin to the shorter blonde boy he had just spun around, doing a perfect lay up shot at the hoop. He heard a groan come from behind him as he retrieved the ball and he walked back over to his twelve year old son who had such a look of frustration on his face that Nick had to fight to keep from laughing. "One of the key points to basketball, Jordan, is defense. When the other team is in possession of the ball, it's your job to prevent them for scoring, or at least make a good effort."



"I know what defense is, Dad," Jordan replied, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.



"Well good. So start showing me you know what it means," Nick said and ruffled Jordan's short spikey blonde hair. Jordan swiped at his father's hand and Nick handed him the ball. "You've got possession of the ball and I'm defending you. I want you to pivot around me and go in for a lay up shot. Ok?"



"Yeah," Jordan nodded and dribbled the ball a few times as his father got into defending position.



"Alright, go!" Nick instructed. He watched as his son began to pivot, becoming frustrated as he wasn't able to make his way around his father's tall form. "Pivot, Jordan! Pivot!"



"I'm trying to!"



"Manuever around me!"



"I said I'm trying to!" Jordan gritted and shoved his father with his elbow.



Nick stumbled backwards and immediately grasped the ball from his son's hands. He shot his son a dissapproving look. "Offensive foul. The other team now has the ball. You can't pull that type of move out on the court. Your team will lose possession of the ball if you do."



"You're not playing fair!" Jordan argued as he reached for the ball, but Nick was quick to hold it away from him.



"Yes, I am. And you're not always going to encounter opponents who play fair. The game of basketball isn't always easy. You gotta work and you gotta play hard. Minus the shoving you just tried to do, because in a real game, you'd have gotten penalized for that."



"Yeah, yeah..." Jordan muttered and held out his hand for possession of the ball.



"Here. Work on your free-throw shots for a while. I'm going to go check on your sister." Nick gently tossed Jordan the ball and turned around to jog inside. Opening the front door, he entered into the living-room but was met with no sight of his eight year old daughter. "Kel!" he yelled out as he made his way into the kitchen to grab a couple water bottles for him and Jordan. "Kelly Anne!"



"Yeah, daddy?" A little girl with bright green eyes and long blonde hair ran into the kitchen moments later. She had a thin blue activity book from her 2nd grade class in one hand and a glass of cherry Kool-Aid in the other. Her lips and teeth were stained red.



"I was just wondering where you were. How's the homework coming?" Nick asked, bending down and kissing the top of his daughter's head.



"It's hard," Kelly answered, looking extremely stumped. She shoved the activity book into her father's hands. "They have us adding and subtracting BIG numbers," she added in exaggeration, showing her father the page she was working on.



Nick chuckled as he skimmed over the page, noticing his daughter's very sloppy scrawl and smudges of pencil all over the paper from being written on and erased over and over again. "Hmmm...ok," he spoke thoughtfully. He looked at his daughter with a raised eyebrow. "What's five plus two?" he asked, looking back down at the book again. That was one of the problems that his daughter hadn't answered yet. Or rather had tried to, but just hadn't succeeded.



"Uh..." Kelly furled her eyebrows in deep thought and licked at her cherry red lips. "Nine!"



"Try again."



"Um...eleven!"



"Kel..."



"Ten?"



"Kelly Anne. I know you can do this problem. This one is very easy."



"No it isn't!" Kelly pouted as she placed her glass on the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's too hard!"



"I know you don't like math, but if you keep trying, you will eventually understand it."



"Will you help me?"



"Ok. Let's see..." Nick looked around the kitchen for something he could use to help demonstrate the math problem to his daughter. Finally noticing the fruit bowl on the counter by the sink, he picked his daughter up and took her over to the counter. "What's this?" he asked as he placed her by the fruit bowl.



"Duh. It's Mommy's bowl of fruit."



"Exactly. How many pieces of fruit are in the bowl?"



"I dunno."



"Well, let's count." Nick reached into the glass bowl and pulled out five oranges and two apples, placing them on the counter next to his daughter. "Right here, I've got one...two...three...four...five oranges," he said, counting each orange as he placed them in Kelly's lap. "And right here I have one...two apples." He held one in each hand. "How many pieces of fruit do I have?"



"Two."



"How many pieces of fruit do you have?"



"Uh...five."



"Ok, now add your fruit in the bowl with mine and how many pieces of fruit are there in total?"



Kelly bit down on her bottom lip as she began to place each piece of fruit back into the glass bowl. "...four...five...six...seven!"



Nick grinned. "So what's the answer to five plus two?"



"Seven, duh!"



"See? That wasn't so hard," Nick replied, chuckling.



"You made it easier, Daddy." Kelly gave her father a sloppy kiss. "Thank you!"



"Ick, girl germs!" Nick teased, wiping his cheek. Kelly giggled. "You're welcome, honey. Why don't you go and finish your homework? Mommy should be calling from work soon."



"Ok. And then we'll go out for ice cream tonight?" Kelly asked hopefully with a grin.



"We'll see," Nick answered his daughter.



The phone rang right at that moment and Kelly ran out of the kitchen, determined to get to the device before her father. "I'll get it! I'll get it!" she screamed as Nick stayed behind in the kitchen. "Hello? Carter Residence," she answered in a chirpy tone as she brought the phone up to her ear.



"Is this Miss Kelly Anne Carter?" the voice on the other end asked.



"Yes it is. Who are you? Because Daddy says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers and if you're a stranger then I can't talk to you. So, are you a stranger, mister?"



The voice chuckled. "No, Kel. This is your Uncle Howie."



"Hi Uncle Howie!"



"Hey sweets. Is your daddy around?"



"Yeah, he was helping me with my math homework. But ya know what Uncle Howie?"



"What?"



"I don't like math!"



"You inherited it from your daddy. He never liked math either."



"But he's really good at it! He helped me figure out the answer to five plus two!"



"Really? Five plus TWO?"



"Yeah! Do you know what the answer to five plus two is, Uncle Howie?"



"No. You want to tell me?"



"Duh, Uncle Howie! It's seven!"



"No!"



"Yes it is!"



"Really? The answer is seven?"



"Yeah! Me and Daddy figured it out together!"



"That's really great, sweetie. Can you do me a favor and put your daddy on the phone? I need to talk to him."



"Yeah, hold on!" Kelly dropped the phone on the floor and opened her mouth wide, taking the deepest breath possible. "DADDY!!!"



Nick jumped as he ran back into the living-room. "Kelly! What is it?! You scared me!"



"Uncle Howie is on the phone," Kelly replied innocently, pointing to the phone on the floor.



"What's Uncle Howie doing on the floor?" Nick asked dumbly.



"He's not on the floor. He's in the phone! Duh!"



Nick rolled his eyes; his daughter sounded just like Brian at times. "Thanks for answering it, honey." He bent down and picked it up. "Hello?"



"Hey, man!"



"D! Man, what's up?" Nick asked,happy to hear his older friend's voice.



"So, I'm on the floor, huh?" Howie teased at his friend's expense.



"Hey! No encouraging my impressionable eight year old daughter!" Nick replied, a grin on his face. He watched as Kelly stuck her tongue out at him and ran off with her activity book. Once she was gone, Nick headed back outside with the phone to sit on the lawn next to the driveway and watch his son practice as he talked on the phone. "Man, D! It's been a while! How have you been?"



"I've been doing better," Howie answered, hoping that Nick wouldn't be like the others and try to touch into something that was a sore subject for Howie. "What about yourself? I hear you've been keeping yourself pretty busy lately?"



"Yeah! Jordan tried out for the summer basketball league and I was assigned as head coach for that. So we're workin' on his b-ball skills right now," Nick exclaimed proudly as he watched his son carefully. He grinned. "And Kelly's doing better on her summer math tutoring, even though she still hates it."



"She gets that from you," Howie answered. "But yeah, she was telling me how you helped her figure out the answer to five plus two. I guess you're pretty bright, huh?"



"Shut it!" Nick growled playfully as Jordan came around and did another lay up shot. Nick had to admit that his son was becoming really good at making those sorts of shots. Now all Nick had to do was teach Jordan to put a little style into it and Jordan would be on his way.



"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Howie replied with a small laugh.



"You never could, old man," Nick teased as Jordan made another basket. He gave a thumbs up and a grin when his son looked over at him. Jorndan grinned back and kept on working with his shooting.



"Hey, watch it, boy. Or else I won't tell you what I got," Howie replied, making a face as he walked outside to his back porch.



"Is that something I want to know?" was Nick's playful question, tossing the basketball back to his son after it had bounced off the backboard and rolled over to him.



"I don't know, is it?"



"That's why I asked you."



"And that's why I asked you in return."



"Stop trying to play with my mind, D."



"Who said I was?"



"D!"



"Hey, I'm not like that. Kev, maybe. Brian, most likely. Aje, most defenitely!"



"Yeah, Lord knows how many times he's tried to play with my mind since I've known him. Speaking of J, have you talked to him lately?"



"No. I was gonna ask you the same question."



"Why would you ask me? You're supposed to be his best friend."



"Who knows. AJ's living his own life. What can I say? We've all lost a bit of touch over the years."



"Ditto to that. Anyway, what brings ya to call me?"



"Besides wanting to just chat with one of my old buddies for a while?"



"Ah, c'mon D, who you tryin' to fool?"



"Noone. Figured I hadn't talked to ya in quite a while so I thought I'd give you a call and see how you and your family were doing."



"And?"



"And...I have something I want to tell you about."



"Yeah? And what's that something?"



"Well, there's this old house I've been looking at for awhile. You know, that plantation house out on that backroad? Um...Shelton Rd."



Nick squinted his eyes, trying to remember the place Howie was talking about. His eyes oepned suddenly when he remembered. "Oh! Yeah, I do. What about it?"



"You're never gonna believe this."



"I will too, just tell me, man!" Nick growled playfully, but getting slightly frustrated with Howie's stalling.



"All right, all right. That old house is mine now."



Nick's mouth dropped open in surprise. "You bought what?!"



"Yep. I bought it!" Howie repeated, just imagining the expression that had crossed the blonde's face. "I finalized the papers a few days ago. I'm pretty thrilled about it."



"So that means you're going to be moving out of your place in the city?"



"Yeah. Ana and I have already started packing."



"I bet she's thrilled too, huh?"



"Well, no, not as much as I am."



"Figures. She's a teen. Never could understand them."



"So you couldn't understand yourself when you were her age?"



"Shut up, you know what I meant. But wait, doesn't that place need a little fixing up?"



"Yeah, that's another thing I wanted to talk to you about."



Nick groaned. "Man, can't you give me all the news at once?"



"Oh, hush up and listen!" Howie laughed, loving to boss around his younger friend like he used to back in the days when they were still a music group.



"Okay, what else do you need to spring on me?"



"Would you be willing to drive to the plantation and help us renovate it?"



"Us?"



"Us as in Brian, Kevin, A.J., Stephanie, Jessica, Ana, you and me."



Nick's eyes grew wide in surprise. He jumped up and cheered. He missed being with all the guys, like back in the old days. Howie held the phone away from his ear until Nick stopped yelling. "D, that's a great idea! It's been too long since we've all been together!" he exclaimed as he caught the odd glance Jordan was shooting him. Nick grinned sheepishly, not caring that he had just jumped up like a fool because he was excited.



"That's what I thought. So, would you be able to come? I still need to get a hold of Bone, but I'm sure he'll come here, too, if he can get away from Sarah and the kids for a bit."



"Man, you don't even have to ask me twice. You know I'd be more then willing to help ya out. I'd like to see everybody anyway. Brian and Kevin are already in?"



"Yeah. I talked to them about it last night actually. I was over at Bri's house to talk and then the twins and Ana went out and decided to get themselves into trouble-"



"What-"



"But that's another story and I don't feel like getting into it right now," Howie interrupted with a chuckle. "Anyway, Bri and Kev said I could count them in to help. And I can count on you too?"



"Of course!"



"Thanks, Nicky. This means alot."



"Awww! D's getting sentimental! Hey Jordan! Your uncle is getting sentimental!"



Howie rolled his eyes as he heard Jordan came running to his dad. "Which uncle?" Jordan asked, panting from playing basketball.



"Uncle Howie. He's doing that gushy Spanish blood stuff."



"Nick, what the hell are you talking about?!" Howie laughed.



"Can I say hi to Uncle Howie?" Jordan asked.



"Yeah, sure. D, Jordan wants to talk to you."



"Good. I'd rather talk to him then you any day," Howie answered, hinting in his voice that he was only joking.



Though, Nick decided to take the dramatic response and held his hand up to his chest, even though Howie couldn't see his gesture. "Ya know, D? That hurt. It really hurt. I think I'm emotionally scarred for the rest of my life!...Or something like that-"



"Hey Uncle Howie!" Jordan grinned as he snatched the phone from his father's hand. "Dad's being a moron again. Did he always act like this? I mean, back when he was younger?"



"Sadly, yes. He did. But it was worse back then and the four of us--your uncles and I, had to deal with him 24/7. So many times we were on the brink of being shipped off to a mental hospital from being around your dad so much. He's gotten better over the years. Just be glad you didn't have to deal with him back then."



"Aight. Gotta go shoot some more hoops. Bye, Uncle Howie."



"Stay out of trouble."



"Yeah, yeah..."



"What'd he say to you?" Nick immediately asked.



"Nothing," Jordan shrugged, tossing the phone back to his father and returning to his "practice".



"Alright, D...what'd you tell my son?" Nick questioned, bringing the phone up to his ear, keeping a stern eye on Jordan.



"I just answered his question!" Howie laughed, holding a hand up in defense. Ana walked down from her room to get a soda, when she saw her dad out on the porch, talking loudly and laughing. She headed out there as well, curiosity getting to her.
"Uh-huh... yeah, I know. Well, I'll see you in a few days then. Okay! Bye, Nicky." He hung up the phone and turned around, only to be facing Ana. "Argh! Anita, you scared me!"



"Sorry," Ana replied and took a sip of her soda, eyes sparkling. For a brief moment, it reminded Howie of his wife and he closed his eyes sadly until Ana interrupted his thoughts.. He shook the sad memories away as she spoke. "Were you talking to Uncle Nick?"



"Sí. He's gonna come and help us, too."



"Are you serious? Uncle Nick is actually going to come?" Ana asked to clarify what she had just heard. She grinned from ear to ear; she loved being able to spend time with her Uncle Nick. She didn't understand it, but they had always bonded really well. Ana got along with him great. But she was also smiling for the fact that her father seemed so happy that her Uncles Brian, Kevin, and Nick were coming. It would do him alot of good to get together with all of them. "What about Uncle AJ?" she asked, realizing her father hadn't said anything about him.



"I don't know, Anita," Howie answered with a sigh and leaned back in his chair. His face was taken over by a troubled expression, mixed with disappointment. "I haven't been able to get ahold of him. I tried calling him earlier, but he wasn't home. The more I think about it, though, I probably wouldn't count on it."



"Try calling him again later, Papi," Ana suggested, knowing how much it would mean for her father to see his best friend.



"Yeah, I probably will. I'm just saying, I can't gaurantee I'll get ahold of him. So don't count on him absolutely coming."



*****



Stephanie slumped further in her seat as she watched her father up at the receptionist’s counter in the ER. She felt a bout of uneasiness course through her at the expression that crossed her father’s face; Brian was becoming peeved and angry at the fact that they were having to wait so long before Bailey could be looked at. Surprisingly, the ER wasn’t as busy as one would expect it, yet, nobody had been out to speak to them and it was pushing Brian’s temper. And poor Bailey...he was suffering the most. Stephanie frowned as her father came walking back over, carefully holding a sleeping Bailey in his arms. The little boy had only shortly fallen asleep, exhausted from all the crying he had been doing. But it wasn’t a deep sleep. Any harsh movements on Brian’s part would jolt the little boy from his restless slumber. "What’d they say?" Stephanie asked, keeping track of her father pacing in front of her.



"Same thing they’ve been saying since we got here an two hours ago. ‘We’ll have someone out here to see you shortly’. Well, what the heck is their definition of ‘shortly’? This place isn’t busy, for Christ’s sake! We should have talked to someone by now!" Brian ranted as Bailey stirred in his arms. Thankfully, the little boy continued to sleep.



"Daddy, sit down. Not only are you making me dizzy by watching you, but you’re going to become dizzy yourself," Stephanie replied, understanding her father’s concern. She, too, wanted to know why her nephew had become so ill. It was probably a nasty case of the flu, but it didn’t leave her resting assured when her nephew had a high fever and was continuously throwing up.



Brian nodded and carefully took a seat next to his daughter. "I hate hospitals," he grumbled, carefully adjusting Bailey into a comfortable position against his chest.



"Bailey will be fine," Stephanie reassured her father, knowing how much he really did feel uneasy while being in a hospital. "It’s probably just a bad case of the flu."



"Yeah, that’s probably what it is," Brian mumbled and looked down at his grandson. Bailey’s cheeks were a deep rosy red while the rest of his skin was a sickly pale color. It made Brian’s blood run cold. "Did you get ahold of your brother?" he asked.



"No," Stephanie shook her head. "I tried his cell, but he’s not answering. He never left another number that we could reach him at. I left a message on his cell’s voicemail. Don’t know what kind of good that’ll do."



"What about Ariane’s cell?"



"Tried that too. Got a message that it’s been disconnected."



"Great...just great..."



"Daddy, everything's gonna be fine. Just keep calm, okay? Bailey needs that." Stephanie rested her hand on her father's shoulder.



"I know. How your sister's been acting hasn't helped, though. And you know how she's been towards me."



"Yeah, I know what you mean," Stephanie answered quietly. "But she'll change. It's nothing against you. She's just...Jessica."



"I really feel like she hates me."



"She really feels like you hate her."



"You know that's not true."



"I know. But she doesn't, Daddy. She thinks that since you and I never fight, it means you play favorites. And that makes her even more angry, which causes her to rebel." Stephanie looked down sadly. "Daddy... I don't want Jessica to go to Mom's. She's my twin, I want her to stay with us."



"But maybe I should send her to live with your mom. She'd obviously be happier if she wasn't living with me anymore," Brian answered reluctantly. "I really don't know what to do with your sister anymore. She makes me feel like I'm the worst father in the world, and ya know what? I'm starting to believe her."



"Daddy-"



"I don't know...I'm frustrated, I'm tired, I've got a headache...and where's the damn doctor?!" Brian's outburst resulted in the sudden awakening of Bailey, filling Brian and Stephanie's ears with a fresh set of wails that had yet to be forgotten. "Awww, Bailey boy...Papa's sorry. He didn't mean to yell. Shhh...it's ok. Go back to sleep Bailey boy...shhh..."



"He's not going to go back to sleep now," Stephanie sighed and rested back in her chair. She glanced at her father looking helplessly down at Bailey and she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm going to go try Matt's cell again," she added shortly and hurried off.



Shortly after Stephanie left did a doctor finally approach Brian and the crying child. She had an apologetic look etched on her face. "I'm sorry about the long wait. We just had a traffic accident brought in a while ago. Took up alot of the ER docs. I assume you're Mr. Littrell?" the woman spoke softly as she bent down in front of Brian, having kept in mind what the nurse had told her. When Brian nodded, she spoke again. "My name is Dr. Annie Franklin; I'm head of the Pediatrics unit in the ER. What do we have here?"



"This is my grandson, Bailey. He's really sick and to tell you the truth, I have no idea why," Brian answered in a helpless tone as Dr. Franklin rested a gentle hand on Bailey's forehead, then on his bare chest. "I see he has a very high fever. Has this been persistant?"



"Yeah, since last night."



"Alright, follow me and we'll head back to one of the exam rooms so I can examine your grandson."



"W-wan' Daddy!" Bailey cried out as Brian followed the ER doctor across the lobby of the ER.



"I know you do, buddy...but Daddy is away with mommy right now," Brian tried to explain quietly as Dr. Franklin lead them into an exam room. But he knew that didn't matter to Bailey at the moment; all that mattered to the child was he was terribly sick and he couldn't have his daddy.



"If you would lay him on the bed, we'll get started," Dr. Franklin explained, motioning to the small gurney/bed Brian was now standing next to.



Brian nodded and proceeded to gently place Bailey's body down, but the little boy cried out fearfully and grasped onto Brian's arms, refusing to let go. "It's alright, Bailey. Papa needs you to lay down so the nice doctor can take a look at you. She's going to make you feel better," he tried to coax his grandson, still trying to place Bailey down with the assistance of Dr. Franklin. There was no such luck and Brian looked to the doctor with a helpless expression.



"That's alright. You can just hold him if it works better for him," Dr. Franklin suggested, pulling up a chair as Brian sat down on the edge of the gurney/bed. "How old is he?" she asked, removing her stethoscope from around her neck and placing it in her ears.



"Two," Brian answered.



"Such a big boy!" Dr. Franklin smiled, bringing the round metal part onto Bailey's chest. The little boy became startled from the cold touch and cried out, trying to shy away. "Awww...I'm sorry it's a bit cold." She sat there for a moment, listening to Bailey's heart rhythm, admist his crying. "You said he's had a persistant fever since last night? Can you remember approximately what time it started?"



"I'm not sure. He was fine during the evening and when I put him to bed. Then, around...9:45 or so, my daughter brought him downstairs when he woke up crying and that's when I noticed he had a high fever."



"Do you remember what his temp was at that time?"



"Um...yeah. It was...102.1."



"I see. And has it fluctuated at all since then or has it pretty much stayed the same?"



"Well, the first time I took his temp last night and saw how high it was, I gave him one of those Pedialite freezies. That lowered his temp a little, but afterwards it went back up again."



"That's not a good thing. What about his intake of fluids?"



"He's had very little fluids. He's been refusing to drink anything since very early this morning and anything he had drank, came up when he threw up."



"How many times has he thrown up?" Dr. Franklin got up from her seat and went across the room to retrieve a thermometer, similar to the one Brian had used at his house. She brought it back over and worked on slipping it into Bailey's ear unnoticed.



"Six times since he became sick last night," Brian answered, trying to think of the exact count. "Five times at home and once in the car on the way here."



The thermometer produced a tiny 'beep' and Dr. Franklin removed it from Bailey's ear, frowing at the reading. "His temperature stands at 103.1 right now and that doesn't note a good thing. Especially since you say he hasn't been intaking any fluids. From the paleness and clamy state of his skin and his high temperature, he has become very dehydrated. That's the main reason why his temperature hasn't gone down at all. Does your grandson like ice?"



Brian raised his eyebrows at the question. "Oddly enough...yes. Why?"



"I'm going to get some ice chips that I want you to try to feed to him. We need to get his fever down because that is my biggest worry right now."



"What about all of the throwing up? I mean, the last he ate was his supper last night and he hasn't drank much, yet he keeps throwing up."



"I can't give you an answer to that yet, but I want to do a couple of blood work tests to check for the normal sicknesses or anything else. I assure you we will find out what's making your grandson sick. But I also want to start him up on a fluid IV incase the ice chip approach doesn't work, because we really need to get his fever to lower."



"Ah, he ain't gonna like that," Brian thought outloud, looking down at Bailey. The little boy was staring up at him with fear and whimpering quietly. Brian hadn't even realized he had stopped crying.



"Well then, it will be your job to distract him," Dr. Franklin joked softly, jotting down some quick notes. "A nurse will be in shortly with the ice chips and to start your grandson on the IV. I am going to go order those blood tests right now. Oh, and the waste basket is right there next to the bed in case he decides to throw up again."



"Thanks." And with that, Brian and Bailey were left alone.



*****



"Pops," a soft voice pierced into Brian's cloudy mind, willing him to open his eyes and bring him back to the land of the living. He fought against the urge of conciousness, not wanting to wake up and go back to feeling exhausted like he had been feeling all day. Or lately in general. "Pops," the voice called again and this time he felt a hand rest gently on his shoulder. It caused him to jump the slightest bit against his will and Brian unwillingly forced his eyes to flutter open. At first, he didn't recognize his shoulders, but when his vision had fully cleared, he realized he was still in an emergency room at the hospital and he remembered why. Eyes travelling downward, Brian caught sight of his grandson sleeping peacefully, tucked tight in his arms. The little boy rested against his grandfather's chest as Brian sat propped up on the gurney/bed, both of them covered with the blanket that had been brought from home. Bailey was clinging onto a light blue bunny the pediatrician had given to him. Brian smiled softly, glad that Bailey was finally getting rest. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Pops."



Brian let his gaze travel to his side as he heard the voice chuckle. "Matt? What are you doing here?" his voice croaked with a hint of confusion. The last he knew, Stephanie hadn't been able to get ahold of Matthew or his wife Ariane. But Brian felt relief wash over him, now that he knew Matthew was here for Bailey.



"Steph called me," Matthew answered, gently caressing Bailey's cheek with his thumb. The little boy's cheeks weren't as rosy as before, Brian noticed. That had to mean that his fever had gone down. "I got her first message and I tried getting back to you to let you know I was on my way, but niether of you have your cell phones with you. I'm lucky to have had my phone on when she tried calling the second time, 'cause I didn't know if I was supposed to head to your house or come here. I really didn't understand what was going on."



"I still don't know, somewhat. All I know is that this little guy is pretty sick," Brian motioned with his eyes down to Bailey. He slowly thought back to when the nurse had come in to hook Bailey up to an IV. Brian had barely been able to get his grandson to eat a bit of the ice chips he had been given, then the nurse produced the needle to stick into Bailey's arm and the little boy flew off the hook. He went ballistic. Though that was only the beginning. He acted even worse when the nurse was taking blood samples and finally Dr. Franklin had to administer something into Bailey's blood stream to calm him down and it worked like a charm. Shortly after all of that had happened, Bailey slipped into slumber and Dr. Franklin instructed Brian to sit propped up with his grandson on the gurney/bed while the little boy was hooked up to the IV and slept. Looking at the clock, Brian saw that was over two hours ago.



"Yeah, the doctor said it's a nasty case of the flu, that's all," Matt replied, running a finger through Bailey's soft blonde hair. "So, how did everything go last night BEFORE my boy got sick?"



"I don't want to talk about it," Brian mumbled and rested his eyes shut for a second. He was so exhausted, his body ached. God, he hoped he wasn't coming down with anything. He opened his eyes to find his son looking at him with a questioning gaze and he shook his head. "It's not something I'm in the mood to get into right now."



"All right, Pops, don't worry about it. Listen, I got Bailey now. Why don't you and Steph go home and get some rest?" Matt replied, knowing that his younger sister did something to really upset their father.



"He's been asking for you since he got sick," Brian spoke, looking down at his grandson. He looked back up at Matthew. "I'm sorry this happened, Matt. I really don't know what happened."



"No blame on you, Pops. It's not your fault," Matthew quickly interjected against his father, seeing the stress in the older man's eyes. "He already had a small cold anyway. I guess it was bound to happen. So don't worry about it. But like I said, you should go home and get some rest. I can stay here with Bailey now until they release him. You look like crap, Pops."



"Thanks..." Brian muttered with small sarcasm as he rolled his eyes at his son. He rubbed at his temples with one hand as he tried to sit up straight without disturbing Bailey.



"Hold on, I got him." Matt leaned down so Brian could carefully place Bailey into his arms. "Now get going. Ariane and Steph are in the waiting room. Just have Ari come in here, okay?"



"All right," Brian nodded, standing up from the gurney/bed so Matthew could take his place. "You take care of my grandson?"



"No, Pops," Matt rolled his eyes, which were the same emerald color as Stephanie's. "Of course we will. Just go and get some sleep, old man."



"Give me a call to let me know when you get home?" Brian asked, slowly heading towards the door. He was uneasy about leaving his grandson, but he knew Matthew was perfectly capable of taking care of his own son. Brian pushed the feeling aside when Matthew said "Yes" and offered a small smile. "Sorry you had to come back early from your "alone time" with Ariane."



"Oh well, no big deal," Matthew grinned. "Bye, Pops."



"Bye, son," Brian replied and left the room.



Walking down the hallway, Brian could see his daughter and daughter-in-law talking intently. Coming closer, he could see tears in Stephanie's eyes as Ariane's voice soothingly floated to his ears.



"Ari, I don't want to lose my sister. It's like losing a part of myself. If Jess goes to live with Mama... I might never see my twin again," Stephanie replied to what Ariane had said.



"Then you don't let yourself lose your sister. I know there's a part of Jessie who doesn't want to leave her home with you and your father. Jessie's not a bad kid, she's just really rebelling and that's one reason why she claims to not want to live with your father anymore. I'm sure this will all just blow over. Try talking to her about it again. I'm sure if you approached gently about she would be more willing to talk. That and she will have calmed down from what's happened," Ariane explained, offering her sister-in-law a comforting smile. "I know you love your sister, and I know Dad does too. Just keep proving that to Jessie."



"I know. I just wish all this rebelling shit wouldn't have ever started. Our lives were fine until it started to happen."



"Nothing can go right all the time, sweetie." Ariane replied.



"Yeah, I found that out. Now I'm just praying that I won't get a hard punishment for the whole nightclub thing... it was Jessica's idea."



"So she wanted to have fun and picked the wrong place to go. Jessie made a mistake."



"Yeah. A big one."



"Don't hold it against her. That's only going to cause more problems to arise."



"I know. I'm not mad at her anymore, I just don't like the way she's treating Dad. Dad doesn't deserve it."



"I don't deserve what?" Brian asked as he made himself noticed by his family, deciding to play it as if he hadn't heard any of the conversation. Ariane smiled at her father-in-law and stood up to give him a warm hug. "Hello, Ari."



"Hey Dad," Ariane replied. "How is my son doing?"



"Better. He's still sleeping; has been for about two and a half hours," Brian answered, releasing from the hug. "Matt has summoned you back to the room, trauma room three. Steph and I are gonna head home, by orders of Matt."



"You should head home, Dad," Ariane agreed. "You're not looking too good. Are you ok?"



"Yeah, I'm just tired."



"All right," Ariane turned to Stephanie and hugged her as well. "Get some sleep, sis."



"I will, I will." Stephanie gave a half smile.



"Bye, guys." Ariane turned and headed to the room her husband and son were in.



"Bye," Stephanie and Brian replied in semi-unison.



Stephanie turned to her dad and looked at him. He really didn't look good. "Daddy, do you need me to drive home?" she suggested.



"No, I'll be fine," Brian answered.



"But-"



"Let's just get home, ok? Maybe your sister will be willing to talk to you when we get there."