December 19, 2000 Tampa, Florida

The quiet reading environment soon turned into the perfect sleeping environment and both Nick and Tina ended up indulging in their own afternoon siestas.

It was a constant tugging on the blankets that eventually started to wake her up and she became aware of someone else in the room.

“Daddy,” she heard Parker whisper and he tugged on the blankets some more, “Daddy,” he tried again and she smiled to herself as she waited for the Nick in him to show itself, “DADDY!” he screamed and Nick bolted up on the bed, eyes wide.

“What? What’s wrong?” he asked, but Parker just grinned up from beside the bed.

“Daddy I went potty,” Parker announced to the room and Nick and Tina shared a curious glance.

“Where are your clothes?” Nick asked, reaching down to lift the stark naked toddler onto the bed.

“I dunno,” Parker shrugged as if he had just suddenly lost them.

“Where’d you go potty, Parker?” Tina decided to ask, knowing Nick probably wasn’t ready for the answer.

“In the potty chair,” the boy answered matter-of-factly.

She laughed but Nick, not knowing what that really meant just gave Parker a smile, “Good boy! That’s good right?” he asked, looking back at her quickly.

“Check his bum,” she instructed, still laughing slightly. Nick turned the boy around but all seemed clear on the cleanliness front (or back rather), “Oh darn, I was hoping I would have to make you clean up poop off the floor.”

Nick’s expression was one of disbelief and disgust rolled into one, “What do you mean? He said he used the chair...”

“The chair,” she clarified, “Is sitting on the floor in the living room.”

“What... why... I don’t...” Nick stuttered and she wondered how they had survived the last four days without using the potty chair. Clearly someone had been cheating with diapers while she was away.

“He watches television in it,” she said, reaching out to push Parker’s hand away from his genitals – an area that, much like his father, was a source of constant entertainment, “It’s so he gets used to it and likes being on it.”

“Oh,” Nick was truly stumped now, “I just thought that was his TV chair. I never really questioned why it had a lid.”

“What have you been doing the last four days?” she couldn’t keep herself from asking.

“I dunno,” the response this time came from the father and she watched as Nick’s cheeks turned various shades of pink, “I was like... holding him there at first, on the toilet, but then I realized he goes to the bathroom like every hour and a half so I just... used the night time pull ups.”

“I knew it!” she exclaimed, falling into fits of laughter at the thought of poor Nick holding Parker up over the toilet and poor Parker trying to be comfortable enough to use it.

Prompted my hysterics Parker started laughing also, not knowing why but enjoying it none the less.

“You think that’s funny, do you?” Nick smiled at the toddler then playfully tossed him onto the bed, tickling his sides and giving him raspberries on his chubby stomach.

“Daddy!” Parker was squealing with laughter and Tina couldn’t hold back her grin at watching the two of them.

“Okay boys,” she interrupted as their giggle fest came to an end, “First things first, Daddy needs to go take care of the potty chair. Then he needs to put some clothes back on Mr. Naked over there, and then, he needs to think of something for dinner.”

“Dinner!” their son announced with glee and if it weren’t already confirmed by their looks it would be undeniable that he was Nick’s son. Stark naked, playing with his penis, and thinking about nothing more than food, he was absolutely Nick’s.

“Wow, Daddy has to do everything around here,” Nick joked, sticking his tongue out at her before hopping off the bed, scooping Parker up into his arms, “By think of dinner you mean find a good place to order food from, right?”

“Yes, Dear,” she chuckled and watched the two of them take their leave. The smile fell from her face slightly as soon as she found herself alone in the room. Taking a look around at what would essentially be her prison for the next seven months, she sighed.

Feeling the urge to stretch her legs, she stood and walked to the window, moving the sheer curtains aside for a glance outside. Nick’s games room was at the back of the house, facing the patio and out to the in-law suite that her parents lived in out back. High fences surrounded the property so eager eyes wouldn’t be able to get a quick peek at Nick in his boxers, shirtless, or playing with his little boy. So far the paparazzi, when there were any, were contained to the front of the house along with the fans.

She got a chill and the hair on the back of her neck raised as she took a moment to look at the pool. Tina couldn’t believe how much had changed in the last five days. She’d nearly lost her baby, and lost her own life all because of that swimming pool. Now she was stuck around the house because of the whole situation.

“Okay, living room is clean again!” Nick’s voice broke back into the room and she turned to see him shuffle through the door with a few take out menus in his hand. He stopped short when he saw her and he glanced towards the bed, “What are you doing up? Aren’t you supposed to be lying down?”

She rolled my eyes, “How do you think I’m going to pee, or shower? I am allowed to get out of bed every now and again. I just can’t go for a run.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled defensively, “I’m only thinking about your health and the health of our baby.”

“I know,” she said, turning her attitude down a notch, “I appreciate it.”

Holding up the menus again he raised an inquisitive eyebrow, “Chinese, Mexican, or Italian?”

“Chinese,” she answered without much thought, already looking forward to an MSG laden bowl of Lo Mein.

“Should we ask your parents if they want anything?”

“Nah,” she shook my head, “They’ve probably already eaten. What did you make for Parker?”

“Grilled cheese,” Nick answered with his attention on the Chinese food menu as he scanned it for what he wanted to order.

“Did you...”

“Cut it up into quarters? Yes.”

“How did you know I was going to ask that?” she wondered, never knowing where he came up with some of the things he knew. Most times he couldn’t remember where he was let alone details like how to cut up Parker’s food.

Finally taking his eyes away from the menu, he shrugged, “I don’t know. I just figured the question was going to be about sandwiches. What do you want to order?”

After giving him the list of requests she turned her attention back to the window while he picked up the phone to call for dinner.

“It’ll be about a half hour,” Nick said as he put the phone back down.

“I didn’t forget, you know.”

“Forget what?” he asked, coming to meet her at the window.

“Out there,” she pointed her finger out the window, towards the pool, “I didn’t forget.”

Nick nodded sadly, “That’s too bad, I guess if there was anything to forget it would be hitting your head.”

“No,” she corrected him, “I don’t remember hitting my head. I remember what happened before I hit my head.”

“And what exactly happened before your hit your head?” he asked and she could sense his defenses rising.

“I broke up with you.”

Collecting the menus he had discarded by the telephone Nick made his way to the door without bothering to comment on what she’d just said. Before he left the room though, he turned back to her looking long and hard into her eyes as if he were searching for the answers.

“Well,” he finally spoke, clearing his throat slightly, “I guess I have about seven months to talk you out it.”