As they neared his suite, he realized he should have come up with some kind of prank to play on the guys when he got there, for he had always been a notorious practical joker. Hm, but what? Walk in wearing one of those frizzy red clown afros and say he had gotten himself a wig? Haha, now that could be funny... he was just about to ask Joe if he knew 1) where to find a Wal-mart in the middle of New York City (somehow, in all his visits there, Nick had never gone to a Wal-mart) and 2) if August twelfth was too early for Wal-mart to start selling Halloween stuff, when the large bodyguard stopped outside a room and slid his keycard into the door.
“There you go, Nick,” Joe said, pushing the room to his suite open. “You want me to carry your bags in?”
“No, I got ‘em,” Nick replied, taking his suitcase and carry-on duffle bag from the large man’s muscular arms. “Thanks, Joe.”
“No problem, kid.” Joe grinned, clapping Nick on the shoulder. “I’ll be around if you need anything.”
“’Kay.” Struggling with the weight of his suitcase (jeez, what the hell had he packed in there? He was worse than a freaking girl), Nick entered his suite... and received the shock of his life when a familiar figure emerged from the bedroom.
“Kevin?” he gasped. “Cripes, I thought you were some psycho waiting to kill me. What the hell are you doing in my suite? This is my suite, isn’t it? Wait, unless... we’re not all sharing one room again, are we?”
As Nick babbled, he couldn’t help but notice the expression of shock that flickered across Kevin’s face when he got a good look at him. It had been awhile since the two had last seen each other, and though Nick hadn’t looked good the last time, he was sure he was even worse now, the baseball cap on his head not really hiding the fact that he was totally bald, the white t-shirt he was wearing probably making his complexion look even more washed out than usual, its bagginess only accenting the weight he had lost.
But the alarmed look quickly went away, and Kevin smiled. “Whoa, slow down, Nick,” he said, hurrying to take Nick’s bags from him and carry them into the bedroom. “No,” he continued when he came back out, “we’re not all sharing, but you and I are.”
“Oh. Uh, cool.” Nick wanted to ask why, but he figured he already knew the answer. This was Kevin’s doing, his way of being able to keep an eye on Nick during their stay in New York. Well, whatever, Nick wasn’t going to complain, though he did wish he could room with Brian if they were going to be making him share anyway. Kevin was the kind of person who didn’t approve of jumping on hotel beds, totally freaked out if you left drips on the bathroom floor after your shower (even though everyone knows it’s impossible not to with the sorry excuse for a bathmat they give you), and gave you a ten-minute lecture on organization if you tossed your clothes on the floor instead of folding them and placing them neatly in your suitcase (in the right color-coded section if you were Kevin, who Nick swore was a reincarnate of Danny Tanner on “Full House”).
“Howie and AJ are in the suite across the hall from us,” Kevin said, “and Brian, Leighanne, and Baylee are next door on this side.” He pointed to his left.
“Oh... I forgot Bri was bringing Leigh and the baby,” Nick mumbled, vaguely remembering Brian mentioning it as a possibility when they had spoken on Saturday. He didn’t really mind Leighanne hanging out, and he would be glad to see his godson again, but he also sort of resented them being there. He had looked forward to hanging out with Brian, and now that his family was there with him, that just wasn’t going to happen, not like it would have if Brian had come alone.
“Yeah.” Kevin smiled. “When was the last time you saw Baylee? He’s gotten so big!”
“I bet,” Nick replied, returning the smile. “I think I’m gonna head over there to see him now.”
“Come with me down to Howie and AJ’s room first. Bri’s in there, and I said I’d bring you over when you got here.”
“Oh, okay.” Glad for the opportunity to see all four of his brothers at once, Nick eagerly followed Kevin out of the suite and went next door. Kevin knocked, and the door was flung open at once by Howie, who stepped back to let Kevin in and then seized Nick, pulling him into a bear hug.
“I love you too, Howie,” Nick laughed, awkwardly patting his friend’s back.
“How ya doin’, Nicky?” Howie asked, pulling back and greeting him with a wide smile.
“Good,” Nick replied, following Howie into the suite, where he was immediately met and hugged by Brian.
“So have you been feeling better now that you’re off the chemo?” Brian asked. “You’re looking better than the last time I saw you.”
“Thanks,” Nick replied dryly, “and yes, I’m feeling better, but can we talk about something else? Where’s Leigh and that kid of yours, they in your suite?”
“Yeah, they are, and Leigh wants to see you, she’s been thinking about you, and Baylee’s grown so-“
But someone clearing his throat loudly in the background drowned out the rest of Brian’s sentence, and a familiar, distinctly raspy voice called out, “Yo, Kaos, did you forget all about me or what?”
Grinning, Nick brushed past Brian, Howie, and Kevin and found AJ perched on the arm of the couch, arms crossed, dressed in a black shirt and baggy jeans, a black skull cap pulled over his head and a pair of sunglasses perched on the end of his nose. He surveyed Nick over the top of them, and Nick saw his brown eyes momentarily darken, then brighten again as he smirked.
“Heya, Egghead,” he remarked flippantly.
“Egghead?” Nick’s nose wrinkled. “Don’t that mean you’re smart?”
“No,” AJ said, sliding off the end of the couch. “It means your head looks like an egg.” And before Nick could duck out of the way, AJ sprung at him and flicked the baseball cap off his head. “See? You look like Moby.”
“Ha ha,” Nick said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes, smiling despite himself. Thank God for Bone, he thought gratefully. AJ was the only one gutsy enough to start teasing him right off the bat, and Nick loved him for it. While the others hugged him tight (but not too tight, in case he broke) and asked him about his health, the whole time looking at him with guarded expressions, AJ dealt with the awkward situation in the only way he knew how – humor. And Nick appreciated it, for at least AJ was treating him normally. The other three hadn’t quite mastered that one yet.
“So you think I look like Moby, eh? Well, look in the mirror buddy – a few more years down the road, and you’ll look like him too. Chemo took my hair – what’s your excuse, Mr. Receding Hairline?” Nick shot back jokingly. AJ had asked for that one, teasing him about his hair (or lack of it).
“Ex-cuse me?”
“Oh, don’t go all defensive on me... look here, fellas... prime example of male pattern baldness right here...” As the others watched in amusement, Nick grabbed the top of AJ’s skull cap and tugged it off, glancing over his shoulder to watch the guys’ reactions as he did so. But their smiles quickly faded as their mouths dropped open, and their eyes grew wide.
Nick glanced back at AJ... and gasped in total shock.
AJ’s hair, which had been short and bleached blonde the last time Nick had seen him, was gone. All of it. His head was now as smooth and bald as Nick’s.
“AJ!” Nick choked. “Wh-what did you do?”
AJ grinned sheepishly up at him. “D told me he shaved your head. So I shaved mine too. We just gotta go out and get us some matching outfits, Nickster, and we’ll be twins.”
The reality of what AJ had done sunk in then, and Nick shook his head in amazement. “You... you did this for me?”
AJ only grinned. AJ, who had always taken great pride in his hair... AJ, who had dyed it every color of the rainbow and experimented with all kinds of hairstyles... AJ, whose precious hair had already begun to recede, it seemed... had cut it all off, shaved his head clean... just so that Nick would not be alone.
To some, hair was just hair – no big deal. But to Nick, AJ had made a huge sacrifice in support of him. And as he studied AJ’s shining bald scalp, he was overcome with a sudden burst of emotion, moved by the poignant act of camaraderie.
“Thanks, ‘J,” he whispered, the lump in his throat making his voice hoarse. And feeling like somewhat of a pansy, yet not caring one bit, he pulled his big brother into a hug, the corners of his eyes prickling with tears.
***
