Day 9...

"I think that if I start crying again I’m going to throw something…"

"At least give me a warning so I can duck my head then…" Nick said with a smile as he picked up a bag and began carrying it toward his truck.

"Okay…" she said with a slight smile before turning back to the task at hand. She was packing, or rather, finishing packing. She and Nick had been at it for a while and she was surprised to see how quickly they were able to pack her things and how little she really needed to take with her on this trip. After zipping her last suitcase she lugged it to the living room and looked around the room with a sigh.

Nick walked back into the house and threw his arm casually around her shoulder trying to keep things light, "Throw anything yet?" Kel shook her head and bit her bottom lip not trusting herself to say anything and still not wanting to cry again. The past 24 hours or so had been one hell of a roller coaster for her and although she was ready for the whole thing to come to an end, every time she stopped to think about what had happened, she began to cry all over again. Nick, meanwhile, did what he could to support his best friend in the ups and down of the day, and as often as possible tried to make her smile in between her crying jags. He knew as well as she did that in time the pain and confusion would all go away, but at this time his job wasn’t to "make it better" but rather to just be there. He kissed her temple and smiled gently, "Is that the last one?" Kel nodded her answer and he nodded as well. "I’ll take it out…" he told her. She grabbed his hand before he could get too far and shook her head as again she began to cry. Looking down at her he sighed and pulled her into a tight hug. His hugs were his only tool that seemed to work every time for her, and if he had to stop in the middle of doing something, anything, to help her, then that’s what he did. "You’re going to get through this you know…" he said softly. "I know it feels kind of hopeless right now, but you’re the strongest person I know and you will get through this."

"I don’t think I can…" she told him, her voice as weak as she felt. "How am I going to do this?"

"With me by your side…" he told her confidently. "I’m going to be here the whole time. No way are you going through this alone again…"

Kel pulled back from the hug and ran her hands over her face and through her hair with a frustrated sigh, "I didn’t get to throw anything…"

Nick chuckled and looked around the living room then picked up a book, "Will this do?"

She let out a chuckle and sniffed back the tears that were in her eyes, "I don’t want to throw it…"

"Yeah… I suppose we could save the throwing things stage until later…" Nick said with a smile. He put the book down and then used his thumbs to wipe her cheeks of tears before kissing her forehead. "We should go… It’s getting late."

Kel nodded and looked around the living room, "I think I packed everything that I need… Anything I’ve forgotten I can always buy right?"

"Yeah… Did you call Kevin?"

She nodded and rubbed her face again, the skin felt clammy from all of the crying she’d been doing. "Yeah. I called and told him that we’d be leaving soon. We’re supposed to call his cell phone once we get there…"

"Good…" Nick said with a nod and grabbed her hand squeezing it while he pulled on the handle of her suitcase with his other hand. "Come on, let’s get out of here."

They walked together to the front door and both took deep breaths as they stepped through the threshold. The journey ahead of them promising to be one that they’d both never forget, and that they’d only get through with the support of each other.

~~~~

"You know what is weird?" Nick said as Kel climbed onto the bed with him after putting her pajamas on.

"Hmm?"

"It’s only been nine days since we’ve been talking again…"

Kel smiled and shook her head, "That is weird. It almost doesn’t feel like we ever spent time apart."

"But it also feels like the last nine days have been a lifetime…"

Kel laid down and looked at Nick, "Have I said thank you lately?"

"About seventy times in the last two hours, yeah…" he said with a giggle.

She smiled and nodded, "Just checking…"

"You ready for tomorrow?"

Falling quiet for a minute she then let out a sigh and shrugged, "Part of me is. Part of me isn’t. I think I’m scared more than anything…"

Nick nodded and watched her closely, "Scared of what exactly?"

"Losing him for good… Making the wrong decision… Not being strong enough to do what I need to do to make this better for all of us."

"What can I do to make you not as scared?"

She smiled reaching out to hold his hand, "Just keep being you. My wonderful Nicky."

"How about you call me, Wonder Boy?" Nick teased making them both laugh.

"Wonder Boy? Will that make you happy?"

"Sure…" he said with a shrug and a big grin.

"Okay, Wonder Boy…" she smiled. "Just keep being wonderful…"

"I think I can do that… What else?"

"Don’t let me drop my guard."

"Done. Anything else?"

Moving closer to him she put her head on his shoulder and cuddled up to him, "Lots of cuddling…"

He smiled and kissed the top of her head as he wrapped his arm around her and got comfortable, "No problem…"

"Thank you, Nicky…" she told him quietly after they’d cuddled for a while.

"You’re welcome…" he said with a squeeze. "Now try and get some sleep… tomorrow is going to be a long day."

"The tenth day…" she said with a wry chuckle. "Who would have thought when I ran into you at the grocery store that so much would happen in such a short amount of time? Everything has changed, my whole world…"

"Everything but one thing…" he said and kissed her head again. "I’m still here…"