~ Chapter Seventy One ~

Stacy was having the worst day in... well, she actually couldn't remember having absolutely everything go wrong before.  It had all started when Nick, with his usual restless sleeping, had smacked her across the face with his hand forty five minutes before her alarm went off.  Things had just gone downhill from there.  She had been late to work, and then as the ultimate horrible moment of the day, she had lost the drawing regarding who was to lead the field trip tour of the day, and ended up spending most of her day showing a group of fifth and sixth graders exactly what it was she did for a living.

After today, she wasn't so sure she liked children anymore.  Maybe one at a time, but in large groups, they were too frustrating.  It hadn't helped that the chaperones had more or less ignored their antics and the havoc they were wreaking the entire time.  She now had a headache, her feet hurt, and she had to drive home in rush hour traffic to a boyfriend that could be in one of many moods, none of which had been easy or fun to deal with as of late.

She swiped her ID tag through the latch, waiting for the door to open.  Of course it didn't work, what else should she had been expecting.  If she could manage to get out of the building, she was going home, and she was going to bed.  Nick was on his own for tonight.  He was an adult, in spite of his attitude of late, and he was just going to have to figure something out on his own.

The door opened on her third swipe of the key, and she safely made it into the lobby, almost catching the fabric of her skirt in the door as it closed.  The skirt had added to the feeling of the day.  Stacy would have preferred to wear her khakis and sweater, but she had ended up spending Sunday afternoon with Nick rather than with the laundry basket, as planned, and she had been left with the choice of a skirt or pajamas.  She had almost tripped on the hem twice, and earlier she had closed it in a door.

Stacy almost made it safely out of the building, but not quite.  She managed to catch her bag on the handle to the door, effectively stopping her in her tracks and yanking her backwards.  Turning around, she yanked at the strap in frustration, trying to unhook it.

"Here, I got it."  A familiar voice said from behind her, sounding slightly amused.  "How did you manage to get it hooked around like that?"

"What are you doing here?"  Stacy said in surprise, once her heart climbed back down into the general vicinity of her chest. 

Nick glanced away from the door and raised one eyebrow, not missing the indifferent way she had addressed that question.  "Surprise."  He flashed a quick smile and finished unhooking the bag. 

"What are you doing down here?"  Stacy repeated again, with a little more enthusiasm this time, her brain finally starting to clear.  She couldn't even remember the last time Nick had shown up to meet her either for lunch or after work.  It had been before the pennant race, so chances were it had been towards the end of August.  Not to mention, she couldn't remember him ever showing up wearing dress pants and a button down shirt.  The jacket and tie were missing, but even so, he couldn't have managed to look much more attractive if he had been trying. 

Nick shrugged.  "I had to come down to the front offices today anyway, so I thought I'd come over and meet you."  He reached one long arm around her, pulling her up against him.  "You got plans tonight?"

"Sleeping."  Stacy let herself lean up against his gray dress shirt, not really caring what the pedestrians walking past were thinking.  Nick smelled and felt entirely too good to let go of right then. 

"Aw, bad day?"  He said it sympathetically, but still, he was in a good mood and Stacy wasn't, and he grated on her nerves slightly.  How could he be so cheerful when just yesterday afternoon he had been wondering why he couldn't cry? 

"Yes, bad day."  She left it at that, not really wanting to go through the details.

"Sorry."  His hand rubbed her arm through the sleeve of her cardigan, not saying anything else until they reached his car in the pay lot across the street.  "Stacy?"  He pulled her around until she was facing him, holding onto her shoulders lightly with his hands.  "I know I haven't been easy to put up with lately."

"Nick, don't start apologizing again."  Stacy interrupted him.

"No, I mean it."  Nick shook his head.  "I don't deserve the way you've been treating me, and... I just want you to know that... it's not that I haven't noticed.  Okay?"  He finished his speech, as short as it was, giving her a slightly uncertain smile. 

Stacy couldn't help herself.  Between the way he looked in that shirt, and the unsure way he was standing there, she had to hug him, again.  This time he wrapped both arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head.  "You know what I miss?"  He said finally. 

"No."  She leaned up against his chest, closing her eyes.  Standing there with his arms around her, she could easily forget all the previous events of the day. 

"We used to do fun stuff.  How come we never do fun stuff anymore?"  He sounded thoughtful.

Stacy pulled back reluctantly, looking up at his face.  "I don't know.  Things changed, I guess."

Nick wrinkled his nose.  "I don't like it."

"So do something about it."

"Exactly!"  He almost jumped up and down, but not quite.  "I figured we'd go and see Baby McLean, whose name, I hear, is Natalie, and then we'd get something to eat.  And after that... well... we can be spontaneous." 

"Oh, good idea!"  Stacy was the one jumping up and down now.  She had been hoping to see Felicia sometime that week, but it was better unplanned like this.

"Ow!"  Nick yelped.  "Okay, stand still!"  He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her up against him and forcing her to stop jumping.  He was smiling now, not the little half smiles she had been seeing lately, but a full blown smile, complete with dimples.  "You're that hungry, huh?"

Even if it was immature, she had to do it.  She stuck her tongue out at him and ducked down into the car.

~*~

"Stacy!  Nick!"  AJ slammed into both of them with the force of a small cannonball.  Nick winced and rubbed his ribcage.  Was AJ wearing metal plates underneath his sweater?  Nick was almost positive he was going to be bruised from that attack. 

"What?  The two of you got some kind of a big date tonight or something?"  AJ stepped back to inspect clothing.  Nick was surprised AJ hadn't brought up the clothing first. 

"Nah, I had contract s--- to do today."  Nick collapsed into one of the hospital chairs near the window and gave Felicia one of his best "I'm irresistible" smiles.  He'd seen the look on her face when he first came into the room.  Frankly, he had forgotten exactly how much fun - and how much of an ego builder it was - to turn women's heads.  This was something he'd have to do more often in the future. 

"They're trying to get you to sign a contract?"  AJ grabbed the chair next to Nick, since Stacy was sitting on the end of the bed, both women giggling over something.

"Yep."  Nick shrugged.  He wasn't too sure of the details, because he hadn't really paid attention during the meeting.  He had no intentions of signing any kind of long term contract to begin with, so why bother?

AJ left the contract subject at that, apparently he wasn't one for legalities either.  "So I haven't seen you since we got back.  How's life?"

"Pretty good right now."  It was the truth, and he wasn't going to go into details anyway.  AJ didn't really want details.  He was just making small talk since his other option was to run madly around the room.  Even now, AJ was barely sitting in the chair, both feet tapping on the floor. 

"Alex, you could go find the nurse."  Felicia pointed out.  "As much as we'd all like to believe it, I doubt that they came to see you."

"That's what you think!"  AJ shot back, before obligingly charging out into the hallway.

"It makes me dizzy just watching him."  Felicia sighed.  "I swear - that was the first time he sat down in the last two days."  She smiled at Nick.  "Well, don't I get a hug or anything?" 

Nick frowned, slightly confused.  Stacy didn't appear to be too surprised, so he figured he might as well.  Maybe it was some kind of girl thing.  Nick wasn't a hugs kind of person, unless it was someone he knew really well. He stood up and gave her a quick hug.

"You're right."  Felicia informed Stacy solemnly, before both of them burst into giggles. 

Nick sighed.  "What's so funny?"

"Absolutely nothing at all."  Stacy said quickly, the smile on her face contradicting her statement.

"Yeah, why does everyone have to pick on Nick?"  Nick pouted. 

"It's a secret."  Stacy said saucily. 

"I'll make you tell me."  Nick threatened, grabbing her hair and pulling. 

"You will not."  Stacy ducked her head and tugged her hair out of his hand.  

Nick let go, glancing over at Felicia again.  "How're you feeling?"  He wasn't quite sure why he had asked that.  Something had prompted the question, and he wasn't sure what.  It was something he could see in her eyes, it looked familiar, but at the same time, he couldn't quite place it.

"I'm fine."  Felicia nodded.  "Tired, I suppose, but very happy." 

AJ interrupted before Nick could say anything else, nurse and baby in tow.  "Look!  Isn't she cute?"

Nick stepped back and let AJ and Stacy take over in the cooing and giggling department.

Stacy was sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed, the black material of her skirt draped around her, hair falling down around her face as she fussed over the baby in her arms. 

Nick slouched back down in the chair, chewing on his lower lip, watching AJ hover over Natalie.  Right now, he was experiencing the same feeling he had felt watching the other players and their kids at Family Day at Yankee Stadium when he was little. 

This sucked.  He was jealous of a two day old baby.

~*~

AJ frowned at the closed and locked door, before reaching over and pushing the doorbell again.  Nick was home - his car was parked in the driveway.  He gave up on the doorbell and banged on the door with his fist. 

"What?"  Nick jerked the door open.  He would have been glaring, had it not been for the fact that his eyes were more or less still shut. 

"What's up?"  AJ pushed the door open far enough so he could step inside, checking his watch.  Nick had to have just rolled out of bed.  It was almost noon.  AJ shook his head in mock sadness.  Ah, the life of a superstar athlete. 

"I am... now."  Nick mumbled, rubbing his hand over his head and disappearing into the living room.

"Yeah, well, it was either show up here or get more permanent art inscribed on my body, and let's face it, I'm running out of room."  AJ retorted, flinging himself into one of the leather chairs across from the couch and yanking his shirt up towards his chin.  "I was thinking a ship across my chest...  Nick?  You with me here?"

Nick flopped over sideways on the couch and pulled one of the throw pillows over his head. 

"Did I wake you up?" AJ figured he might as well ask.

"Uh-huh."  Nick said from underneath the pillow.

"Well, damn, I'm sorry."  He said sarcastically.  "You'll have to miss out on your early afternoon sleep today, I guess."

Nick threw the pillow at him.  Even with his eyes shut, he was a pretty good shot.  AJ attributed that to all the relay throws he made from the outfield.  He also attributed the fact that he missed catching the pillow to his defensive abilities as a pitcher.  He was paid to throw a ball, not catch them. 

"What are you doing here?"  Nick wondered, sitting up and at least attempting to look alert.  He failed and ended up looking half asleep and confused, with a serious case of bed head. 

"I figured I'd make myself scarce for a few hours."  AJ shrugged, flipping the footrest of the recliner up and making himself comfortable.  "Lissie's kind of been tired the last couple weeks, and you didn't hear this from me, but she gets a little bitchy when she's tired.  So she gets some space today, and I get to run errands."  He tossed a manila folder at Nick, scowling when he one handed it before it smacked him in the nose.  Then again, Nick was paid to catch balls, not throw them.  Oh well. 

"What is that?"  Nick stared at it for a long moment.  AJ was almost certain he saw Nick's eyes cross. 

"You know Chuck Hale?"

"Yeah, the photographer?"  Nick was slowly waking up. 

"From Sports Illustrated."  AJ finished.  "I ran into him yesterday.  I guess he was here to shoot for the football team or something?  Does Seattle have a football team?"  AJ was hardly the person to know.

Nick snickered.  "Yeah, they have a football team.  Geez, AJ, you have to be the only sports clueless athlete I have ever met."

"I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player."  AJ corrected mildly.  That had been said that before, he was outright plagiarizing someone, but he couldn't remember who. 

"I bet you can't even name half the teams in the National League."  Nick sighed.

"Dodgers, Reds, Braves.  Who else matters?"  AJ shrugged, watching Nick's jaw drop.  Poor Nick, he had been raised with entirely too much baseball around him.  He could probably name lineups for every single major league team.  That thought frightened AJ a little.  He wasn't sure if he could even name the lineup for the Mariners.

"What is this?"  Nick waved the manila envelope in the air.

"Well, I know one is the shot from before game... six, I think."  AJ shrugged.  "As for the rest, I don't know.  You request prints from him or something?"  Chuck was usually quite good about handing out copies of photographs to players.  The one picture AJ knew Nick was getting was the now infamous shot of he and Nick standing with their arms around an imaginary Brian.  The picture had run on the front page of the local newspapers the day after the Series ended, and had almost made the cover shot of Sports Illustrated, before they decided to run with the usual team celebrating on the field photo, and moved the imaginary Brian shot to the inside.  AJ had been impulsively fooling around during the photo shoot - he had no idea that picture would end up meaning as much as it did now. 

"No prints that I remember."  Nick frowned and opened the envelope.  "You mean you didn't look and see?"

"Well, it was sealed."  AJ excused himself.  "Otherwise I would have."  He couldn't help it, he was just a naturally curious person. 

Nick stared at the one print silently, before setting it on the cushion next to him and slowly opening the other packet from the folder.  He flipped through the photos inside, chewing on his lower lip in concentration.  "S---."  He said finally, tossing the pictures onto the coffee table in front of him.

"What?"  AJ flipped the footrest in and leaned forward, his curiosity getting the better of him.  There had to be a dozen shots or so, mostly of Brian and Nick doing what they did best, which was horse around on the field before the game, but a few of just Brian.  There was one in particular that smacked AJ in the chest a little more than the rest, Brian sitting in the dugout, staring up at the action on the field.  He wasn't sure why, it was the look in his eyes or something. Chuck was very, very good at what he did.

"Damn, he's good."  AJ said it out loud, setting the pictures back down.

"I miss him."  Nick said quietly.

"Yeah."  AJ figured Nick wasn't talking about Chuck.  He managed to sit still for a moment, before deciding the mood in the room was getting just a little too heavy for his taste.  "Okay, that does it.  Let's go."

"Where?"  Nick wondered.

"Three weeks until Christmas, my friend."  AJ nodded sagely.  "Let's go shopping."  There was nothing like spending a little money to make you feel better, and Nick had more than enough money to spend.  "You might as well spend some of that Nike endorsement you just landed, right?"

"I guess?"  Nick said blankly.  "What are you doing for Christmas, AJ?"

"Tampa."  AJ shrugged. "But you can't tell anyone, cause I'm surprising Lissie, and I'm not telling her for another couple weeks."  He gave Nick his best threatening glare, which even he knew wasn't much.  "Can you keep a secret?"

Nick gave him a half smile.  "Trust me, I'm entirely too good at keeping secrets."