~ Chapter Sixty Two ~

Stacy pressed redial again, listening as the phone rang once, the same automated message starting, telling her the phone wasn't in service.  "Nick, turn your phone on..."  She muttered, hanging up and tossing the phone on the bed next to her.

The TV was muted, the only light in the room excepting the overhead light by the main door.  The game had ended two hours ago, and the post-game coverage had wrapped up long ago, Stacy just hadn't been paying enough attention to turn the TV off.  She did so now, reaching over to switch on the lamp next to the bed as the TV powered down, sending the room into darkness. 

What was she supposed to do now?  His cell phone was off, if he was even back at the hotel, he wasn't answering the phone in his room - she had no way of contacting him.

She hadn't heard from Nick since Friday night, when he had cut their conversation short when Brian was taken to the hospital.  Stacy wasn't sure if he was purposely avoiding her, or if things were just so hectic in Los Angeles right then that he wasn't thinking about checking his phone messages. 

Stacy dove for the phone again, suddenly realizing there was one person in LA that wouldn't be ignoring his phone messages.  AJ, being the worrywart that he was, made sure that Felicia could always reach him somehow. 

~*~

"I have got to get myself a different agent."  AJ said for the fifth time, his head still swiveling around the hotel suite that Nick stayed in, as opposed to the rooms the rest of the team had.  He wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, Nick had vanished into the bedroom, and while Becky was still firmly attached to AJ's hand, he had the sneaking suspicion she wasn't really listening to him. 

He paused and stared down at the little girl, still wearing her Mariners cap and sweatshirt.  AJ didn't have a specific recollection of when he was six years old, other than he had spent a great deal of his time terrorizing his mother's cat, but he was pretty sure he had acted nothing like Becky.  "Well, what are we going to do with you?"  He said finally. 

Becky shrugged.  "I don't know."

That made two of them.  "Here - sit down, I'm gonna go check on Nick, okay?"  AJ detached his hand from Becky's sticky grasp, crossing the room to stick his head in the bedroom door. Nick was curled up in a little ball on closest side of the large bed.

"Hey, how're you doing?  You want anything?"

"No."  Nick mumbled. 

AJ hesitated, not sure whether he should press farther or not.  "Okay... let me know if you do, ‘kay?"

Nick didn't answer, just curled up a little tighter and closed his eyes.

"Here you go."  Becky handed AJ a square post-it note as he returned to the other room. 

"What the hell is this?"  AJ scrunched his face up at the phone number written on it.

"It's Daddy's cell phone."  Becky explained.  "I have to keep it with me in case of a crisis."

AJ had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud.  He found that comment amusing for two reasons.  One, only the offspring of Kevin would have cell phone numbers in case of a "crisis" and two, this most certainly qualified as a crisis.

He found the phone and dragged it halfway across the room so he could sit down on the couch.  When was the last time he had sat down?  It must have been the eighth inning.  That was the last time he remembered sitting.

"Hey, kiddo, would you mind keeping an eye on Nick for a minute?"  He asked, dialing to get an outside line and punching in Kevin's cell phone number. 

Becky slid down off the couch, straightened her skirt and darted into the bedroom, her curls bobbing up and down.  AJ relaxed slightly.  It was kind of freaky, the way she would sit and stare.  Of course, her father did the same thing, so it didn't surprise AJ in the slightest, but still, he preferred not to have someone staring at every little move he made.

Kevin's phone kept ringing - AJ was just about to hang up, when Kevin finally picked up.  "Yeah?" 

"Hey, Kevin, it's AJ."  AJ said, slightly uncomfortable with the entire situation. Kevin sounded upset, and it made AJ feel as if he was intruding on something personal. "I just wanted to let you know that Becky's with me, before you guys turned Chavez Ravine upside down looking for her."

Kevin was quite for several seconds.  "Becky?"  He said finally.  "Oh my God... is she okay?"

"Yep."  AJ confirmed. "She's in the best shape out of any of us, actually."

"Dammit, I can't believe I forgot my own kid!"  Kevin exclaimed. 

"Kevin, under the circumstances, it's completely understandable."  AJ had to stop himself from laughing again.  This wasn't a funny situation, in spite of what his emotions seemed to be telling him.  "She can just stay here with me.  You've got enough s--- to deal with right now." 

"Tell me about it."  Kevin said tightly.  He sounded as if he had been crying, or if not, he was struggling not to.  "Does Becky know?"

"Yeah... she figured it out all on her own."

"Let me talk to her for a minute."  Kevin said finally.

"Yeah, hang on."  AJ slowly pulled himself upright again, heading for the bedroom.  "Becky - your dad's on the phone." 

Becky climbed down off the bed and skipped over to take the phone.  AJ leaned up against the doorjamb, only half listening to the conversation.  He was tired, he wanted to go to bed - actually, what he wanted right now was to be home and going to bed, but that wasn't going to happen.  He'd have to call Felicia when things quieted down a little.

"Yes, Daddy."  Becky was saying, listening to the phone intently.  "No... I'm taking care of Nick, what are you doing?  No... it's just AJ and Nick... okay... I love you too."  She handed the phone back to AJ.  "He wants to speak to you again."

"Hey, Kevin."  AJ stepped back outside, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, his back propped against the wall.

"AJ, will you do me a favor?"

"Sure."  AJ thought for a moment.  "Um, what is it?"  Maybe he shouldn't rush into things too fast.

"Would you mind if Becky stayed with you for the next few days?"

"No, that's fine!"  AJ said in surprise.  He could watch Becky; she was no trouble at all.  It was the least he could do.

"Thanks.  It's just that... Brian was so protective of Becky with this entire thing... and it just seems like that would have all been for nothing if I take her over to Lexington."  Kevin explained quietly.

"Yeah."  AJ agreed, not quite sure what to say.  "Don't worry about it, Kevin.  Between both my mother and Felicia, Becky will have more than enough to keep her entertained.

"Thank you, AJ.  I really appreciate this..."  Kevin paused, distracted.  "Oh, I've got to run.  I can't thank you enough."  The phone went dead in AJ's ear. 

"Yeah, sure..."  AJ leaned his head back against the wall.  He really needed to go to bed.  Right now he could fall asleep sitting on the floor.

Not that he was going to get the chance - as soon as he closed his eyes, something started tapping his shoulder.

AJ glanced up to see Becky carefully tapping on his shoulder.  "What?"

"Excuse me."  Becky said politely.  "Nick's throwing up."

"No."  AJ shook his head. If he just denied it, then maybe it wouldn't happen.  This was not his life.  This had to be a nightmare of some sort.

Becky frowned. "Yes.  He is."  She waited a few seconds.  "Well, you have to do something!"

"Why?"  AJ challenged.

"Because you're the grown up!"  Becky said in exasperation, her lower lip starting to tremble slightly.

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming..."  AJ forced himself to stand up one more time.  This was going to be a long night.