~ Chapter Forty Six ~

"We're back with the postgame show." Niehaus announced after the commercial break.  "The Mariners take game three of the World Series 6-3, and now have a 2-1 lead in the series.  Strange things always seem to happen in the postseason, and you have to admit, tonight's game had it's share of memorable moments. 

"The Dodgers led 3-0, until the fifth inning, when with a man on third and one out, catcher Kevin Richardson, hitless through out the postseason so far, beat out a slow grounder to shortstop for an infield hit.  His cousin, Brian Littrell followed that abnormality with one of his own - a three run homer into the seats in left field.  Littrell hadn't hit a home run since August of last season, but what a time to pick his next shot.  That tied the game, until the eighth, when the Mariners pulled ahead for good following back to back doubles by Dorough and Carter."

Niehaus chuckled for a moment.  "I don't think I've ever seen Kevin run that fast before, and I doubt we ever will again.  We're going to pause for station identification, and then we have player comments from the clubhouse.  The Mariners take game three - 6-3."

~*~

"Hi, Stacy!" 

Stacy looked up to see Brian beaming at her.  "Brian - how are you?"

Brian shrugged, still smiling.  "Okay.  Y'all waiting for Nick?"

Stacy nodded.  It was at least an hour and a half after the game.  Most of the fans had cleared out of the stadium, save a few diehards waiting along the barriers to the parking garage, hoping for an autograph.  She leaned back against the brick wall and observed Brian for a moment.  When she thought of athletes, she usually pictured men bigger than herself.  Brian was shorter than her by a good two inches.  Either he was getting thinner, or he was just tired.  His face looked more drawn than usual.  Still, he was standing in front of her with that irresistible, eye crinkling smile. 

She had never gotten to know Brian that well.  True, she saw him all the time, since Nick practically worshipped the ground Brian walked on, but the conversations between her and Brian were few and far between. 

"He'll probably be a while."  Brian leaned against the wall next to her, making himself comfortable.  "He, Bob and the rest of Fox Sports are in a big fight over interviews."

"Oh, honestly."  Stacy rolled her eyes. 

"They're heading for a big blowout."  Brian added absently.

"Do you suppose they've always been that way?"  Stacy wondered, referring to Nick and Bob. 

"Well... I guess five years now."  Brian said thoughtfully.  "You'd probably know more than I would."

"Oh, right."  The sarcasm was evident in Stacy's voice.

Brian tipped his head to the side, staring at her.  "What did that mean?"

"I have no idea."  Stacy shook her head.  Apparently she was being left out of the circle again.  There was a sort of emotional wall Nick had put up around himself, and she couldn't get through it.  It seemed that Brian had, and the truth be told, it didn't surprise Stacy in the slightest.

"Yeah, well... just give him time."  Brian patted her arm.  "He'll come around once he stops freaking out." 

Stacy smiled.  She strongly doubted that Nick would ever stop freaking out.  He spent the greater part of his life doing that, whether it was over something serious, or over a completely trivial subject, like his car, or the lack of cheese in the refrigerator.

"You know what?"  Brian flashed another smile at her.  "He's changed a lot since he met you.  The beginning of the season - he was a brat, hands down, no other way to say it."  Brian scowled.  "Well, there is another way to say it, but I don't use words like that."  He laughed at this comment, then continued.  "You might not believe it right now, but you're the best thing that ever happened to him - and I think he knows it."  Brian shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.  "Hang in there - he'll come around eventually."

Stacy felt like hugging him.  Brian had an incredible ability for saying the right thing at the right time and making people feel better. 

Brian leaned back against the wall again, silent for a moment.  "You ever heard of pineoblastoma?"

"Yep."  Stacy wasn't a tumor specialist, but she was still fairly familiar with them.  She did know they were inoperable, and fast growing. 

"Just wondered how up on your tumors you were."   He grinned.  "Can you spell it?"

"Yes."

His eyes widened.  "Really?  ‘Cause I can't.  I can barely say it."  Brian pursed his lips, thinking.  "Just think - if this was happening twenty years from now, y'all would have already figured out how to cure all this."

There wasn't really anything Stacy could say to that.

"You know what I hate about this?"  Brian said suddenly.  "I don't care that I'm dying - that doesn't scare me.  What I hate about all of this is it ended up hurting so many people.  I hate what it's doing to my parents, and to Kevin, and to Nick..."  Brian's voice was climbing towards hysteria.  "... and Becky.  That's what gets me the most about this entire thing... and I have absolutely NO idea why I'm telling you all of this - I'm sorry."  He rattled the last sentence off in one long panicked breath.  

This time Stacy did hug him.  She couldn't help herself.  Brian had overwhelming odds stacked up against him, and he was going through all of it without anyone to lean on, because everyone was depending on him.  Stacy had a tendency to mother people, something she had always found a little strange, since it wasn't a quality she tolerated very well in other people.  Right now, she wanted to fix everything for Brian, but she knew she couldn't. 

Brian hugged her back, then stepped back, looking slightly hesitant.  "I'm sorry I flipped out like that." 

"No, don't be."  Stacy cut him off. 

"There's Nick."  Brian nodded his head towards the aisleway.  "He must have won the interview battle."

"You're still here?"  Nick shook his head at Brian as he joined them.  "Do you ever go home?"  Nick's hair looked slightly damp, and was hanging down over his forehead.  It made him look younger. 

Brian smirked, all traces of his earlier mood gone.  "I felt bad, leaving your girlfriend here all alone while you threw television cameras around the clubhouse."

"Nick!"  Stacy said in shock.

"He's exaggerating."  Nick rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders.  "I threw a microphone.  I didn't even throw it AT him, which is what I wanted to do."

"Nick wins the battle, the war rages on."  Brian quipped. 

"Shut up!"  Nick retorted.  "I didn't need someone giving me a lecture on what I did wrong at the plate tonight in the middle of an interview!"

"We did win the game."  Brian pointed out.  "Two more, and we're the champions."  He began a convoluted dance in the middle of the aisle, shaking his hips and waving his hands in the air. 

Nick snickered.  "Brian - go home.  You're scaring me."

"You're just jealous of the moves."  Brian smirked.  

"Yeah... well..."  Nick couldn't think quickly enough to come up with a comeback. 

"See y'all tomorrow."  Brian beat feet out of the stadium before Nick's brain cut in and he came up with a retort.  Stacy watched him stop along the barrier to sign autographs, his mouth moving the entire time, chattering away. 

"Sorry I kept you waiting."  Nick draped one long arm around Stacy's shoulders.  "He's just really good at pushing my buttons."

"And you're always so calm and collected to begin with."  Stacy turned to face him, running her finger along the Nike logo on the front of his shirt.  "Imagine someone actually making you flip out."

"Very funny..."  Nick wrinkled his nose. "Make fun of the screwed up people - that's big of you."  He leaned over and gave her a messy kiss, before yanking on the back of her hair.  "C'mon.  Let's go get something to eat.  I'm starving." 

Nick grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the parking garage, ignoring the fans behind the barrier, which didn't matter, as Brian was entertaining them anyway. 

He glanced over the convertible top at Stacy, raising two fingers on his right hand in a V.  "Two games."