July 13, 2001 Tampa, Florida

Nick always had a very close relationship with his father, and a connection like no other. He was close with both his parents, of course, and he came from a very loving family; a very touchy-feely group of people. But there was just something about the way he and his dad interacted with each other that was different from his mother and his siblings. Perhaps it was because he was the first son into the family, he wasn’t sure.

It was the wee hours of the morning when his dad finally arrived but when Bob Carter walked into the bedroom Nick wasn’t afraid that he was in trouble, or worried about what his dad would say. He was relieved to see the face of the man he knew would help put him on the right path. It was just something his dad knew how to do.

His father looked exhausted, probably his fault for making him haul ass to get to Tampa at the drop of a hat. Nick said nothing, just watched from the bed as his dad made his way through the room then sat down on the comforter next to him.

“What’s going on, kid?” Bob asked, reaching out to brush Nick’s hair off his forehead.

Nick sniffled, his emotions ramping up just from his dad’s presence, “I dunno.”

“I think you do know,” the elder man countered, “and the way it looks from the outside isn’t good. I remember having a conversation with you the day you came home and told us about Tina being pregnant. We told you that you had responsibilities and it was time to start acting like a man and owning up to them. From what we all can see right now you’re avoiding those responsibilities. How is lying in bed all day sulking being any help to Tina and your new baby girl right now?”

Nick’s cheeks blushed red with shame and he sat up against the headboard, looking at his dad sadly, “That’s not what I’m trying to do... I just got so mad. I thought it would be better if I stayed out of the way.”

“Why were you mad? What was there to be mad about, your baby was just born.”

“I wanted to be there,” Nick sighed heavily and wiped his hands over his tear filled eyes, “I wanted to be there so bad. I changed my whole schedule so I could be there and she had the baby while I was on the plane.”

Bob shook his head, “Nick, she could not have controlled that happening.”

“I know!” he cried out in frustration, “I know. It just hurt a lot because it happened for the second time. If AJ had just shut his mouth and not decided to go to rehab at the same time that I was supposed to be on a plane then I would have been there to see my kid being born, but I wasn’t. Instead I was working. I’m always fucking working!”

Bob moved on the bed so he was sitting next to Nick and lovingly wrapped an arm around him, letting his son rest his head on his shoulder, “So who are you really mad at here?” he asked, “Tina, for having the baby early. AJ, for deciding he needed to get help. Or are you mad at yourself?”

“All of the above,” Nick replied, crying a little harder, “But probably mostly me.”

Bob ignored the tears staining his t-shirt and rubbed Nick’s back, “I’m still really confused here, Nicky. I don’t understand why I got called up here because you wouldn’t get out of bed. I understand you’re sad about AJ, and about missing everything that happened here, but laying in bed won’t change what’s waiting for you outside of this room. You haven’t even held your daughter, don’t you care?”

“Of course I care, she’s all I can think about,” Nick admitted, “and I felt really bad about leaving but when I saw her and I realized that she was real... I just couldn’t breathe.”

“Why? You’ve held a baby before, I don’t understand.”

“Because...” Nick whispered, settling in further into his father’s consoling arms, “she’s a girl. I don’t know what to do with a girl. I won’t know what to do with a girl when Tina leaves me.”

Bob looked down at Nick, surprised, “Tina isn’t leaving you!”

“Yes she is!” Nick challenged, nodding his head, “She told me she was going to leave me. She hates me! She doesn’t want to be with me anymore. And that’s fine, but if she’s walking out the door they’re not going with her. I made my mind up about that, months ago. I really thought it was going to be another boy though, and that would have been easier. I don’t know if I can raise a girl on my own, on the road...”

“Acting the way you are right now, like a little boy, is not going to make Tina stay with you,” Bob was honest in his assessment of the situation, “You need to start acting like a grown up. Women want a man who is able to provide for them in more ways than just putting a roof over their head. They want a man who can be a father, and a husband. You can’t be either of those things if you keep acting the way you’re acting.”

“You’re not here,” Nick said defensively, his hands playing with a loose thread on the blue and brown bedspread, “You don’t see how she acts. She’s so unreasonable sometimes and I can’t take it!”

“There’s always going to be times you disagree,” his father clarified, “and there needs to also be times where you admit you’re wrong even when you really believe you’re right.”

Nick pulled away from his Dad, looking confused, “But that makes no sense at all! Why, when I know I’m right, would I tell her the opposite? Just to make her shut up? That’s stupid.”

“You have to make sacrifices to make a relationship work,” Bob told him from experience, “and if that’s the biggest sacrifice you ever have to make then you’re a lucky man.”

“She said she was going to leave me. I tried to change her mind but she just told me again that we were over. She broke up with me when she was pregnant but she stayed because of the bed rest thing.”

“If she really wanted to leave,” Bob stressed, hoping Nick would get the point, “She would have left already. She is testing you. She wants you to be a better person and give her a reason to stay.”

Nick thought about what he was saying and although he really didn’t believe there’d been anything wrong with his behaviour, it was just his personality after all, he considered giving it a try for the sake of both Parker and the new baby.

“I don’t think Tina will want to talk to me after this.”

“She does,” Bob assured him, “She’s worried about you. She is the one that sent her mother over here to talk to you. Her mother told me a lot of things by the way and I really am not impressed with some of the stories of how you treat them. Did your mother and I teach you nothing about respecting your elders?”

“Why do I have to respect people that I don’t particularly like? They treat me like I’m some dumb kid but I’m the one paying their bills.”

Bob chuckled sarcastically, “You’re acting like a dumb kid right now. Do you know everything they do for you and for your family? A lot... and it goes unappreciated, so I don’t blame them for treating you that way. Nicky, I know I have told you this a million times but, you get what you give. Remember that for a change. It’s okay to be sad about AJ, and it’s okay to be upset with not making it in time for the baby but life is going on without you. You need to get out of this bed, have a shower, shave that shit off your face and get this room back in order because Tina is coming home with the baby today. You have an incredible amount of making up to do and you better start right now. Don’t forget that you have to make up to Parker for the last few days too because he has sat downstairs every day wondering why his dad doesn’t want to see him.”

“He has?” Nick’s voice was laden with surprise, “I didn’t know that.”

“He has,” Bob confirmed, “Because he’s your son and he loves you. You want to be treated like an adult? Stop playing house and start living real life. I don’t want to have to get on a plane every time you have a crisis. I told you a long time ago that if you were going to sleep around then you’d better be prepared to suffer the consequences. Well Nick, these are the consequences and you have to suffer a little.”

His father’s words hit him like a slap to the face, but they were a wakeup call none the less. He had been an ass, there was no denying it.

“I’m sorry,” Nick whispered honestly.

“Don’t tell that to me,” Bob told him, giving him a loving slap on the shoulder, “Tell that to Tina.”