Childhood Friendships
Lifelong Connections
by Mistress Anna

Wease couldn’t hide his astonishment as he saw the legendary superstar walk towards him. It still amazed him that Dave and his sister knew so many famous people. He had to remind himself to breathe before he stood up to greet the sixteen time world champion. He cleared his throat and smiled as the man greeted him with a smile. He didn’t offer to shake hands because the other man had two coffee cups.

“You must be our little girl’s brother,” he said with a smirk to the younger man. Their similarities were too striking to be missed.

“Yeah, Wes,” he supplied. He didn’t know what else to say, but knew he was standing there looking at Ric Flair and feeling like a little kid.

“How is she this morning,” Ric asked. He recognized some of the other the similarities between the siblings, including shyness. Wease couldn’t help himself, he blushed at the legend’s question.

“Better. She’s awake last I saw her. Kris and Dave are in there right now,” he supplied. Ric’s eyes widened and he smiled.

“Big Dave’s here? Great. Think she’s up for some coffee,” he smiled at her brother.

“You’ll be her favorite person if one of those is for her,” Wease agreed. Ric grinned at him as he walked towards the partially closed door. Wease stepped around him and pushed it open so he could go in. David turned his head at the sound of the door opening and stifled a small laugh. He stepped towards his friend and smiled at him.

“Thanks for coming. Good to see you,” David said as he took one of the cups from his mentor.

“Oh no you don’t. One of those is for our little girl,” he said as he smiled at David’s surprise. David stopped himself just before he took a sip and turned to the lady in the bed.

“Someone’s here to spoil you, Tink,” he told her with a smile. She was already grinning at the blonde man. Kris met David’s eyes and they stepped out of the room to give them some privacy. Ric handed her the returned coffee and sat down next to her. She sipped it and smiled.

“Thank you. Just perfect. The crap they have here shouldn’t be called coffee,” she told him. Ric was quiet for a moment, just watching her and absorbing what he saw. He knew that she had been sick. Cena had said as much this morning, but he wasn’t prepared to see her look so small and frail. She noticed his quiet and guessed he was trying to think of something to say, since she knew she looked like shit.

“How’d you know where to find me,” she finally broke the silence..

“Cena,” he grinned. “I was looking forward to seeing you last night and cornered him this morning in the lobby. I thought maybe he hid you all for himself or something,” he sad, referring to the fact that he was aware of the other man’s feelings about her.

“No. No way. I wanted to see you last night, too. I’m so sorry that this happened. I miss you. I miss Hunter too, but don’t tell him that,” she giggled.

“Little Girl, it’s not the same without you. We miss you, too. You hear when they’re springing you from this place,” he asked her. She shook her head as she continued to sip her caramel latte. He knew what she liked and she was pleased that he remembered.

“I’m thinking that the move to Smack Down hasn’t agreed with you,” Ric said diplomatically as he looked her straight in the eyes. She winced, knowing what he didn’t say.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with this, thankfully. David said the same thing last week. This is something different, but it’ll pass eventually,” she said quietly.

Ric shook his head. He knew that if she looked like that when she was with RAW, both he and Hunter would have dragged her to a doctor, even if she was kicking and screaming. He knew that Dave was a big softy when it came to her and didn’t normally force anything. He’d have a talk with the big man about that before he left.

“Tell me what’s happening, how the new kids are working out. It’s killing me, to watch it on TV and not know what the heck is going on really. John sends me emails but he doesn’t know, since he’s still learning,” she said grinning.

Ric proceeded to tell her some of the happenings that he and Hunter had orchestrated, complete with sound effects. Ric loved a good story and he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to share some of them when he had a captive audience. Before long, he had her laughing and giggling at his stories.

David and Kris were just coming back with their own coffees. Seeing Ric with some reminded both of them they hadn’t had any yet this morning. David looked over at Kris and winked as they neared Carrie’s door and heard an unmistakable, “Woooh!”

Kris shook her head and smiled at her husband. If anybody could get Carrie to laugh, it would be Ric Flair. Some of the stories she heard through David were funny. She bet they were even better from the man himself. David stopped her from opening the door by gently putting his hand on hers and shook his head. He pointed with his chin to some chairs down the hall. She understood what he meant. They walked back to them and sat down, giving Carrie some privacy and letting Ric Flair work his magic on her.

“She needs this,” David said quietly to his wife. Kris knew what he meant, a visitor talking to her about something else, something besides herself and her sickness. Then you add in the fact that it was Ric Flair, it was even better. Just as they sat down, Mike turned the corner, intent on her door.

"Mike, hey buddy. We're over here," David said. Mike turned to the other man's voice and grinned at him. He also held a large cup of coffee in his hand. It was before nine am, so the chances were very good he'd have a cup of coffee. He walked over to them and smiled.

"How is she and what are you guys doing out here," Mike asked. Kris smiled at him and motioned for him to sit down.

"Ric's in with her, filling her full of stories," Kris supplied as she watched Mike gulp his scalding coffee.

"Ric? Ric who," Mike asked since it was his first cup and his brain was still sluggish.

"Flair, buddy. Ric Flair," David grinned at his friend's surprised face.

"What? What the hell is he doing here," he asked both of them. David shook his head, knowing that Mike forgot RAW was in town last night.

"He thought he's stop by before he had to leave. He would’ve killed me if he heard about it later and didn't get a chance to visit Evolution's Lil' Sis," David said honestly.

Mike nodded his understanding. He had forgotten about that little complication. He forgot that she had many others besides Cena that cared about her on the other show. Thinking about Cena just irritated him and he had made a promise to himself that he was going to try to be diplomatic to him if he showed up at the hospital this morning. Getting pissed just thinking about him wasn't a good start, he knew.

"Besides, someone had to bring her some decent coffee," David laughed at Mike's startled expression.

"I take it she's awake then,” he asked both of them.

“Yeah, she is. She looks a lot better. At least she has some color this morning,” Kris told the worried man. He sipped his coffee before he said anything else. He wanted to ask them something, because he had made a plan and wanted them on board. He’d ask them later, maybe.

“She still got that green stuff dripping in? What the hell is that, by the way,” he grinned at Carrie’s sister.

“You two are so alike. Are you sure you’re not related? Dave had to ask one of the nurses. It was killing him. I guess it potassium and some b vitamins,” she asked her husband.

“Yeah, that’s what he said. He also said she’d be getting that for a while,” David told the other man seriously. Mike understood his meaning, she still wasn’t out of the woods yet.

“Hey, where’s Wease? He said he wasn’t going anywhere when I talked to him last night,” Mike directed to Kris.

She grimaced as she said, “I scolded him and told him to go home and at least take a shower. But he made me promise that we wouldn’t leave her until he came back.”

Mike realized that Wease had the worst day of all of them yesterday. He found her and had been at the hospital the entire time, waiting and sitting by her bedside.

“You’re looking a little scruffy my friend,” he said to David. David acknowledged his observation by rubbing his hand along his jaw and listening to the sandpaper.

“Yeah, I’ll go home once Wease is back,” he said. Mike saw his opening and decided to take the plunge before he had a chance to rethink it.

“I have a request, well sorta,” he scowled at them as he worked himself up to it. David’s eyes widened, knowing his buddy very well and knew it must be something big if his face was any indicator. Kris just looked over at him, not sure of his intent, but willing to listen. Just as Mike was opening his mouth again, John walked around the corner and saw them.

Oh shit, was John’s first thought. He had hoped to be able to visit her without having to run the gauntlet of her protectors. He kept his face neutral, because he didn’t want to antagonize anyone.

“G’morning,” he said and smiled at them. David noticed that John didn’t have a cup of coffee; he was carrying a can of Red Bull. That told him that John must be dead ass tired. He guessed he didn’t get much sleep last night and probably had some stuff to do today before flying home. He drank that stuff occasionally. It tasted like shit, but it got you wired for the day. David stood up and walked over to his friend with a smile. He reached out and shook his hand.

“Good to see ya, buddy. Glad you could make it this morning,” David said honestly. He wanted to nip any animosity between the two men in the bud. Mike had stayed seated he knew. But he didn’t know what he was doing other than staring a hole in John.

“Thanks Dave. I have a little time before I have an interview then some fan stuff. You know how it is,” he grinned at the world champion. David nodded, he did know. It could be tiring without all the added stress of having a loved one in the hospital.

“Nice you could make it today,” Mike said from beside David as he reached out his hand. David hadn’t heard him step beside him. Both other men were stunned but John took his hand and shook it. If Mike was going to be that way, so was he. His mother raised him to be polite.

“Thanks. Anybody know how she’s doing this morning,” he asked them as he took a sip from the can. He frowned at the taste.

“She’s awake or at least was when Ric went in. He’s been telling her stories and making them both laugh,” David told him pointedly. The other two men understood immediately what he didn’t say and knew they had both just been warned.

“That’s great. I didn’t know if Ric was going to make it. He was pissed at me this morning,” John told them. He remembered Ric’s accusations in the lobby, how he had waited until there was no one around and accused him of hurting her or keeping her away from her ‘family’t. The fact that Ric hit the nail on the head when he accused him of hurting her cut him to the bone. His baby being sick carrying his child was all his fault and he was heart sick about it. David thought he knew exactly what John was referring to. He knew how protective Ric was about Lil’ Sis, almost like she was his own daughter.

Mike had stayed silent, listening to the others talk, trying to keep himself in control and not grab John by the throat and throttle the shit out of him. He hadn’t been to the gym yet today, stupid of him, he realized a little too late. He took a deep breath before he said anything. His next words would astonish the others, he was certain.

“Go ahead, John. Go see her. I know you have a schedule to keep. I can wait,” he said with a small smile and nod to the champion. Kris hid her surprise as John glanced at her and she nodded to him to go ahead and go in. It was okay with her too.

Once the door shut behind the other man, David turned to his long time friend and said, “Did you meet up with Wease in the parking lot or something? I’m almost speechless buddy,” he said as he slapped Mike on the back. Mike sat down and took Kris’ free hand and brought it to his lips before he said anything.

“That’s a good idea. I didn’t think about that. Maybe next time I have to see him I’ll go visit Wease first. That should make my life a hell of a lot easier,” he said returning her hand. The couple was quiet because they were tired and because they didn’t know what to say in response to Mike’s unselfish act they had both witnessed. Mike sat for a minute, thinking about what he had said, knowing that he meant every word of it.

“When you go home Dave, I want to follow you, if that’s okay,” Mike said. Dave thought that Mike would be more comfortable asking him the favor that he’d mentioned earlier away from the hospital and probably away from his wife.

“Sure, no problem. Kris said she’s staying anyway,” he told the other man.

“Really? Do you want me to leave Giselle’s keys with you in case you want to go home before we come back,” he asked without thinking. Kris smiled at him, knowing he didn’t realize what he’d just said. She saw that David did and was going to give him some shit about it.

“Giselle? You call that car Giselle? What the hell kind of name is that? Sounds a little, I don’t know, girlie…don’t you think,” he teased his buddy. Mike finally realized what he’d said and had the energy to blush at his embarrassing slip up. David looked at him and laughed at his embarrassment.

“Thank you, Mike. That’d be great, if you don’t mind. I never know how distracted Dave is going to get. Sometimes I think he forgets stuff on purpose, but most of the time I just think he forgets,” Kris said with a smile for her loving but forgetful husband. He looked over at her and pretended to be wounded deeply by gripping his chest and moaning. She giggled at his bad acting and drank more of her coffee.

John stepped in the room and was greeted by Ric Flair strutting in front of Carrie and telling some funny story. They were both already laughing. She looked so much better than last night, he noticed. He let out a deep breath in relief; his baby was going to be okay. All that praying last night must have worked. She looked at him and motioned him over. He stepped around Ric, since he was still in the middle of explaining something that happened to Carlito. He didn’t catch all of it, but it must have been funny because they were laughing. He took his previous seat and reached for her hand.

“You guys are such bastards,” Carrie said with a grin for the many time champion.

“Oh yeah, baby and that’s how you like us. C’mon, you know it is,” Ric teased her. He was rewarded by a smile from her as she set her coffee cup down, emptied. John shook his head at the older man, he didn’t normally see this side of him.

“Ric was telling me about some of the bimbos, John,” she said and noticed he got tense. “Excuse me, some of the divas. Has the cost of helium gone up significantly since some of them started? It sounds like it should have,” she asked him with a smirk.

“Nah, Baby. I think they’re all just natural mouth breathers so they fill up with air that way, much easier for them and they don’t have to think about it,” he said with a straight face.

“Wooh!” was Ric’s comment as he grinned at the younger man.

“I can’t believe you said that,” she said from the bed with a giggle.

“You know how some of them are, Baby. There’s no way to hide it, even though Vince tries. The other ladies tolerate a lot of shit because of them, that hasn’t changed,” he told her.

“Ric was also sharing some silly shit about you that you never told me about,” she grinned at him. John glanced at the other man and was rewarded with a wink. Damn, what kind of crap did he tell her now, he worried.

“C’mon, Johnny. I can’t believe you didn’t tell her how you had to ride back to the hotel in a towel one night because some bastard stole your clothes and your bag. The ladies in the lobby were very impressed little girl, let me tell ya,” Ric teased them both. It was funny now, but at the time John wasn’t laughing. He shook his head again, knowing that Ric was just teasing him and trying to make her laugh.

“Did he tell you they left my hat,” he laughed.

“What,” she giggled.

“Oh yeah, my hat, so I wouldn’t have to go out in the rain without a hat. Or maybe I was supposed to use that instead of the towel? I don’t know, but they left me my hat, the bastards,” he told her with a smirk. Ric grinned at him. He was going to be alright. He was going to do alright if he could keep his head on straight, Ric thought as he looked at the younger man. He remembered Hunter when he first started, and was surprised at some of the similarities.

Ric leaned over and kissed her on the cheek lightly and said, “Little Girl, I don’t want to have to visit you in one of these places again. Don’t make me come to Smack Down, Hunter wouldn’t be happy,” he grinned at her. She reached up and touched his cheek with a smile. He was such a dear man, such a good friend to her and she missed him.

“I’ll do better, I promise. I don’t want Hunter mad at me either. Wait, forget that. I don’t want Nan mad at me,” she giggled.

“Yeah, you got that right. That wouldn’t be good,” he said as he opened the door to leave. She waved at him and smiled. Once the door was closed, John took her hand and kissed it, smiling at her.

“Baby, do you hurt anywhere,” he asked her. She still had all the damn bags dripping in so he didn’t know.

“No, not really. But I have got some serious bruises from when they were trying to put in the iv’s. I guess I was tough to find a vein on, not like you or David,” she said. He nodded, it made sense to him if she was dehydrated.

“John, this,” she waved her hand to include herself, “is not what I had planned. Please don’t think I did this on purpose to trap you or something awful like that,” she said as she looked in to his eyes. David had told her about some of the scene that she missed between him and Mike last night when they learned of her pregnancy. David had kept one very important detail from her at Kris’ urging, knowing it wasn’t their place to tell her Mike’s news.

“I know that, Baby,” he smiled at her. “Last we knew, this wasn’t supposed to be able to happen, right?” At her look, he continued. “Let’s just take it as it comes. I guess this was supposed to happen, even if we didn’t know it.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead and whispered, “I love you.” She reached up and touched his chin with her hand and smiled at him.

“Hey, you did shave,” she teased him. He chuckled at her. “You know, I think this is just your way of changing the ground rules again, don’t you,” she said with a smirk.

“Yeah, whatever works,” he smiled and shrugged.

“Tell me about shopping with your mom and if you managed to mess with anyone last week,” she asked. She wanted to hear about his trip home, knowing he never got enough time anymore. He proceeded to fill her in on his family’s happenings, just being with her, and knowing that she was eventually going to be all right was enough for now.

***

Ric looked over at them seated, drinking their coffees and motioned to David to follow him for a quick walk. Mike noticed and followed too.

Ric looked at him and said, “Yeah, you better hear this too. I’m sure you’re just as responsible.” The two big men exchanged a look, not prepared for what was coming, they were certain. They stood outside in the parking lot, so no one would over hear. Once he had their attention, Ric started in on them.

“Can either one of you explain to me how come our little girl is in there? What the hell have you two been doing? You’re supposed to be protecting her, even if she doesn’t want it, remember,” he said dangerously with a stern look at David. David looked away and mumbled something. “I’m glad I didn’t catch that, I’m sure. You knew she was sick. Cena said she’d been sick for a couple of weeks. Cena told me, not you, not her! What the hell is wrong with you? You know she’s too stubborn for her own good,” he told David. He turned to the other big man and said, “And you, what the hell you been doing when she’s home? You could see she was sick, why the hell didn’t you drag her to the doctors long ago, even if she was kicking and screaming? Do either of you know how close you came to losing her?” At their blank stares he continued, “She could have died last night, boys. Yes, died on your watch.”

He stopped for a moment to let it sink in. He was fairly sure that neither of them knew how gravely ill she must have been last night. David was silent, brooding over everything Ric had just said and knew he was right. He had let everyone down and he wouldn’t let it happen again. He knew that Hunter and Ric counted on him to take care of Lil’ Sis, even if she was unaware of it.

“How the hell am I supposed to do anything for her when she pushed me away,” Mike complained to the older man. Ric shook his head at Mike.

“Do you still love her,” he asked Mike.

“Of course,” was the immediate answer.

“Then you better get your ass in gear because Cena’s in there picking up the pieces,” he told the stunned man. Mike blinked and then settled in to a scowl. Ric continued to berate both men about their lack of care and attention to Lil’ Sis. He scolded them like they were his own sons and they quietly took it from him, as they would’ve if that were true.

“Here’s the man I think you both owe a huge apology to,” Ric said as they watched Wease get out of his car. “He seems to be the only one who realizes how close she came last night. But he’s her little brother and nobody listens to their little brother. He’s the one that had enough smarts to do the right thing and get her here. You two didn’t,” he finished his tirade as her little brother walked up.

“Hey guys. Are we having a conference in the parking lot? Did they finally ask us to leave their waiting area,” Wease asked them with a grin. Dave shook his head and reached over and slapped the younger man on the back.

“Nah, we were just getting our asses chewed. Something that was over due,” David said. Wease hid his surprise at David’s words and stayed silent.

Ric reached out and shook his hand and said, “Take care of her, even if you are her little brother. Good job and let’s hope next time I see any of you, it’s not at a place like this.”

“Thanks, Ric. Thanks for everything,” David said sincerely. Mike nodded and shook his hand, he was still shaken by the wrestling legend’s words. All three watched Ric get into his rental car with conflicting emotions.

“Man, I thought Hunter was the tough one,” Mike said to David. David shook his head and Wease smiled, knowing the kind of ass chewing they must have received from Mr. Ric Flair. He was one of the few who could.

“Where do you think he learned some of it from? Don’t let the stylin’ and profilin’ fool you. Ric’s a tough one. How do you think he’s survived so long in the business,” he told his buddy.

“Next time I look like I want to join in on a discussion, don’t let me,” Mike said with a small grin for David.

David slapped him on the back and said, “You got it, buddy.”

They walked back into the cramped waiting area, noticing that Kris had moved out there instead of outside Carrie’s door. Kris smiled at them as they walked in, but had a questioning look for her husband. She could see he was upset about something, but wasn’t sure what. John walked out a few minutes later with a smile and waved as he headed out the doors.

“See ya later,” he said over his shoulder since he was going to be very late for his first appointment of the day.

Mike shook his head and said, “God damn it,” to no one in particular.

“Go ahead. I’ll wait for you. Besides, I have stuff I need to do before we go anyway,” David told Mike. Wease’s eyes widened in surprise, not sure what they were talking about, but had a feeling he was about to find out.
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end

Mike walked through the double doors and headed straight to her room without hesitation. He knew he’d made a major mistake a week ago by not talking to her then. But she threw him out before he got the chance, he reminded himself.

He saw her door partially open so he peeked in and saw some people in there. One of them looked like a doctor, maybe. He walked in but stayed near the door out of the way. He watched more iv bags being hung up. She still had the green one, he noticed. One of them checked her numbers on the read out and noted them. Someone else came in behind him with a tray full of food. He stepped out of the way, but didn’t leave. Everyone seemed so business like, it was amazing to think that she had been so seriously sick yesterday and today they were treating her like anybody else. The lady that brought the food tray set it down on her rolling table and pulled the lid off. He saw clearly from across the room her color fade as she smelled her breakfast.

“You must eat,” said the lady he thought might be the doctor. Carrie nodded, but didn’t say anything yet. He stepped forward to look at the tray and recognized the problem immediately.

“Did she tell you she’s a vegetarian,” he asked the doctor.

“What? No. Who are you?” The doctor turned her concerned gaze on him.

“I’m her friend and private chef,” he grinned. The doctor looked confused for a minute, but let it go. She just wanted her patient to eat, even if it meant getting a different breakfast for her. Mike reached over and put the lid back on her bacon and eggs. Carrie looked up at him with a grateful smile.

“Babe, you could try the tea. It’s not the same as a latte’, but it’s better than nothing,” he said quietly. She nodded and picked up the cup and sipped. She grimaced at him but kept the cup in her hand.

“Will you eat oatmeal and fruit,” the doctor asked her.

“I will try, yes,” she said quietly.

“Okay, that’s what you’re getting instead of this. I’ll let the kitchen know of your dietary needs, but don’t be surprised if they mess it up at lunch. These things take time,” she said with a smile for her patient. She clicked off her tablet pc and walked out. The nurse was finishing up with all the iv bags and left at the same time as the breakfast tray lady.

Mike noticed she left the breakfast on Carrie’s table so he picked it up and put it near the sink, on the other side of the room. He lifted the lid quickly and grabbed the bacon as he turned back to her and smiled.

“What? It was just going to got waste. You know how I hate that,” he grinned as he stuffed the bacon in his mouth. She shook her head at him and smiled. She did know how much he hated wasted food. But he was getting used to her leaving so much, particularly recently when everything just smelled and tasted gross. They were both quiet for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

“Honey,” he started and took a deep breath. “Carrie, there’s something I have to tell you and it’s too important to put off any longer. I wanted to tell you last week, but I didn’t get the chance before you…well before you said you didn’t want me in your space any more.” She winced, hearing her words from him. She didn’t mean them like that, but that was what she said, she knew. She sipped her awful tea and listened to him.

“Just before Lisa came back and you disappeared, I went to the doctor for a second visit. No, don’t look like that. I’m okay. It was a routine procedure. I wanted to get it done for a while, but we never talked about it. Then I never got the chance to tell you.” He could see she was listening and growing concerned, but still confused. “The first visit was a while ago to see if it was feasible. Lucky for everyone, it was. So I scheduled it and had it done a while ago, the day before you ran away.”

He stopped for a moment, not sure how to tell her, but knew he’d put it off for too long and he wanted to tell her, in spite of everything, including what he had yelled at him from Cena yesterday.

“Babe, what I’m trying to say is I went and got my vasectomy reversed.” There he said it, finally.

She blinked at him and set her cup down and what little color she had drained away. Her eyes filled with tears, but she stayed silent. He reached for her hand but she pulled away. He stayed quiet and watched her, waiting for her to say something.

“How could you? How could you do something like that and not tell me,” she whispered.

“I wanted to that night over dinner, but Lisa showed up and it wasn’t that important anymore. The most important thing was making sure you were safe. The doctors said it would take at least a few weeks before everything was functioning and flowing again,” he said with a wink at her.

“I…I…damn it. Why am I such a fucking basket case? I’m not usually so emotional. I can’t even think straight,” she declared.

“Yeah, but now we know the reason. My guess is you found out and tossed me out soon after. Am I right,” he asked her.

She nodded. She didn’t want to hurt him again and knew the baby couldn’t be his. He rubbed his hands over his face before he said anything else.

“I’m not going to tell you what to do. You’re too damn stubborn for that. I love you and want you to be happy. It’s one of the reasons I went to the doctor in the first place. I knew you wanted to have babies if possible and it wasn’t ever going to be possible in my previous state.”

He sat and just looked at her for a long time. He watched as tears rolled down her face, knowing he caused them and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it this time. It was up to her.

She finally pulled herself together enough to say, “But, John? What?”

“Do I care that you slept with him? Hell yes, I care,” he admitted. He stood up and paced before he finished what he had to tell her. He knew what he needed to say, he hoped she’d believe him.

“Can I do anything about that now? No. Do I think you love him? Not enough to want to spend the rest of your life with him. Do I think this baby is his? No. If it is do I still want you? Yes Babe, with all my heart.”

He stopped as his voice wavered and he felt his tears start. She reached her hand out to him and he took her hand quietly and brought it to his lips. Her breakfast tray was delivered by a different person who took one look at both of them and silently put it on her table and left without a word.

“How will we know,” she asked him. “How? I don’t know if I can wait that long to find out,” she said as her voice gained strength. He took a deep breath and lifted the cover off her breakfast.

“Eat, Babe. At least try to eat some of this shit. The sooner you start eating, the sooner we can get you out of here and I can cook for you,” he smiled at her tear streaked face. He reached over and wiped her face with a tissue, from the ever present box on her table. She nodded as she lifted her fork in an attempt to eat some of the fruit first. He watched her, hoping she believed him and would let him take care of her again. She needed him and he needed her, more than he could have imagined. Last week, plus last night told him all he needed to know about his feelings for her. He spent last night staring at his ceiling and thinking. He handed her the water jug because he saw that she looked like she might need to throw up again.

“Drink it. It might help. Wease said they gave you stuff to help. Doesn’t it work,” he asked her. She drank first before answering.

“It works. Before I was barfing all the time, even without eating. Now at least I get to keep some of it. That’s a big plus. Think you’ll be able to handle having me waste all that food by throwing it back up,” she smiled at him. He grinned back at her and nodded. She was going to let him cook for her again. Thank God. That was a start at least.

“I gotta tell you something else. Please don’t throw anything at me. Remember when we went to the picnic and you couldn’t believe how big my family was?” he said. He took a deep breath before he dropped the next bomb on her.

“Carrie, there’s a reason for that. Twins and triplets seem to run in my family. I know, I know, these things don’t supposedly run in families, at least that’s what all the medical experts say. They haven’t seen my family, obviously. I am not a twin, but my dad is and I have uncles and aunts who are also. So it skipped me, but I can have twins. Of course they’d have to be identical, since obviously I wouldn’t be the one pregnant, but you know what I mean,” he said as he waved his hands at himself. “It’s a family trait,” he finished.

She put her fork down and sat still. He looked at her, alarmed at her sudden stillness.

“Babe, you okay. Do I need to get the nurse or something? You need to throw up? What?” he asked the suddenly still and pale lady. She shook her head at him slowly, not able to speak yet. She started to speak a couple of times, but just opened and shut her mouth without getting anything out.

Finally she was able to say, “Mike, Wease told me the doctors said I have babies when they talked to him last night. Not one, but at least two. Shit, it could be a whole litter for all I know. I didn’t find that out the doctors, that wasn’t part of the test. It was just a blood test to verify that I was, not how many and if we could field a hockey team all by ourselves,” she smiled at him. He was speechless. He stood up and reached around her carefully and hugged her.

“Carrie, I love you honey. I don’t know what else to say except that I love you and get well so you can get out of here,” he finished as his voice broke. She nodded into his chest, since he was still holding her. He sat back down and pulled her bowl of oatmeal close so she could try that.

“Carrie, you gotta try it at least. It might be better than the fruit, you just don’t know,” he said with a grin at her scowl. She shook her head, but he stared at her long enough to make her give in and pick up the spoon to try some.

“Do you think we could find out how many we have in this litter while you’re here,” Mike asked the eating lady.

“Probably not. I’m sure there’s all kinds of rules against it, plus I’m not very pregnant yet anyway,” she told him.

“Babe, there’s pregnant and then there’s not pregnant. No such thing as not very or a little bit,” he laughed at her offended expression. He noticed she continued to eat her oatmeal. She did drink lots of water, so he refilled it for her. “Carrie, I have some running around to do and Dave’s waiting on me, so I’m gonna go for now. Kris and Wease will be here to make sure you eat the nasty lunch. I’ll be back later today,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her.

“Okay. Mike?” He turned back to her from the doorway. “I am not buying a fucking mini van!” He laughed as he left the room.

The three waiting outside used the time to catch up on all the confusion. Wease was correct in his guess that Ric Flair had scolded both men. He could only imagine how that must have went. He thought to himself that was pay per view material, but kept that thought private, knowing Dave wouldn’t think it was funny. Kris was still reeling from all the information and confusion, but listened to all of it, particularly the part about babies, instead of one. David realized the significance of that, since he knew most of the Adams clan through all their years of running around together. He kept quiet about it for now, knowing it would come out soon enough, he was sure. They looked up to see Mike walk back to them, smiling.

David stood up and asked, “Everything okay?” Mike nodded and kept grinning. “Okay Kris, we’re going home. I need to take a shower and get some real food to eat. Then Mike has something he needs from me. So, I’m not really sure when we’ll be back. Do you want me to bring some food back with us,” he asked both of them. They nodded as they walked towards Carrie’s room. Looking at Mike, they knew there was more to the story, but it could wait.

Hopefully she’d be able to sleep some more today. She’d had a busy morning so far, Kris thought. Kris’s guess was right. Wease opened the door to her room gently and they saw her sound asleep with a mostly empty bowl of oatmeal in front of her. Wease smiled at Kris as they looked at the remains of her breakfast. They could see that she had eaten quite a bit, at least for her. They both pulled the chairs around so they could read or watch TV in her room, without waking her. Kris opened up her recent purchase from the gift shop and settled in, knowing she’d be by her bedside as long as was necessary. Wease flipped open his own portable computer, knowing it was similar to his sister’s, but he worked on business interests and got current with his email. Both of them knew they weren’t going anywhere soon, their sister was always there for them when needed and they knew she needed them this time.

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end

He waited for the other man to hang up before he hurled the phone against the wall, watching it shatter. He noticed a few pieces were stuck in the wall. He didn’t give a damn, he was so furious he wanted to grab a specific person’s head and ram it through god damned the wall. He paced, looking for something else to throw or take his anger out on. Damn it, he knew that he should have insisted weeks ago. Nan heard the crash and left her office to see if something had fallen over. Instead she saw Hunter enraged and pacing, looking for more ways to get his anger out. She leaned against the door frame quietly and watched him. She didn’t know what sparked him, but she did know that he needed to let off some more steam before she asked him about it. She watched him pace for a few more minutes, trying to calm himself down. It seemed to work a little so she ventured in to the room. His back was to her as he grabbed his cell and dialed. She was just a few feet away, but she still couldn’t hear him. He was actually growing into the phone at someone. All she could hear was the noise, not the words. She pitied whoever was on the line with him. She saw him stop and get very still. He turned around and smiled at her as he said, “Who? What,” He listened to the answer and laughed. Nan was more confused but walked to him and listened to his end of the conversation as his arm wrapped around her automatically.

David looked over to his buddy, noting his large shit eatin’ grin was still firmly in place, “Everything all right,” he asked in his usual understated style.

Mike chuckled from the passenger seat at his buddy, “Oh yeah, Dave. Everything is fucking great, buddy.” He laughed as a thought occurred to him. “You know what she said just before I left,” he asked his friend.

David shook his head as he concentrated on the traffic.

“She said she still wasn’t buying a fucking mini van,” Mike laughed.

David laughed with his buddy. He knew how much she hated the damn things, remembering their early car shopping experience. David shook his head at her spirit. He knew if she was complaining about mini vans, she was on the mend. His cell phone chirped just as he pulled into his driveway.

“Dave here,” he said as he shut the car off.

“Can you explain to me why Lil’ Sis is in the hospital and I’m just now hearing about it,” the other voice growled.

“Hunter, let me explain,” he started. Mike’s eyes widened at his friend’s tone, knowing he was probably getting another ass chewing.

“No, I don’t want to hear it. Ric just called and told me, said she’s sick and could be there for a while. What the hell happened? We trusted you, she was your responsibility,” he continued on in a dangerously quiet voice. Mike was quiet, watching his friend’s face, noting his scowl and clenched jaw.

“Hunter, let me explain,” David tried again.

“It’d better be good, Dave. That’s all I can say,” Hunter growled. David nodded unconsciously in to the phone and took a deep breath.

“Carrie has all the time morning sickness. She doesn’t do anything half assed, you know that,” he said with a smile, hoping the other man would understand. There was a few seconds of quiet that greeted the unexpected news.

“Who? When,” was all Hunter got out before David started chuckling.

“The asshole sitting here next to me. You want to chew his ass? Ric already did a pretty good job this morning,” he asked the other man.

“Damn, I was worried you were going to tell me Cena. That would not have been good,” Hunter said as he blew out his breath and relaxed. “Yeah, why don’t you hand the phone over to Mike, I need to chew his ass anyway,” he said with a smile.

David laughed with him and handed the phone to Mike as he got out of the car. Mike followed David while putting the phone up to his ear.

“This is Mike,” he said, trying to sound calm.

“Yeah, what’s this shit I hear? You think you get to see my little sis and make her sick? That’s just bullshit. I didn’t even get the courtesy of a phone call asking for permission,” Hunter said sternly then chuckled at the silence on the other end.

“Sorry about that. We had other things on our mind at the time,” Mike said with a grin to his friend as he walked into their kitchen.

“What’s the deal? How long she staying and does she need anything,” Hunter asked the recently uncovered daddy to be.

“I’m not sure how long yet. She’s been throwing up constantly for weeks, so she was in real bad shape last night. She’s got some interesting stuff being dripped into her. She’s doing okay right now. Ric made her laugh with his stories. She’s eating finally and some of it is staying. I think she has to do that for a while before they let her out, I don’t know really,” he stopped babbling as he reached in to the fridge and grabbed a large water for himself. David had disappeared upstairs, probably taking a shower, Mike thought.

“Congratulations, buddy. Good luck dealing with her when she gets pregnant lady crazy. That should be fun just to watch,” Hunter chuckled.

“Thanks, thanks a lot,” he said sarcastically.

“ Nan is going to kill you, by the way,” her blonde protective brother told Mike.

“What? Why? What the hell did I do now,” he asked Hunter.

“You made Carrie sick and you got her pregnant. These things don’t usually make Nan happy,” Hunter said with a smirk.

“When are you in town next so I can make sure I’m not,” Mike asked remembering Hunter’s beautiful lady and her forceful personality.

“Hell, I might just drop in and surprise you next time. You never know. She able to have deliveries,” he asked Mike.

“Yeah, definitely. Soon she’ll probably start being the world’s worst patient. Right now she’s still too damn tired, but I don’t see that lasting long. She has no cell, no computer and no tunes,” Mike relayed.

“Oh, yeah. I can imagine. I don’t think I’ve ever known her to be without all of that,” Hunter said with a small laugh. “Do you know when it’s supposed to happen? When does the lucky little devil join our happy family,” he grinned so Mike could hear it.

“Not a clue. But here’s the fun part. You get to be uncle more than once. Not sure how many more, but count on at least two,” he said as he heard the other man laugh.

“No shit? You guys don’t do anything half way do ya,” Hunter teased the other man. They finished up the call with Hunter asking for the hospital name and room number and a stern warning to keep him posted on his little sister.

David found Mike a little while later sitting at his kitchen table, staring off in to space with an empty bottle of water in front of him.

“How’d it go,” he asked Mike. David saw Mike blink a couple of times before he said anything.

“Good, I think. He takes the whole little sister thing seriously, doesn’t he,” Mike asked David.

“Oh yeah. He doesn’t have any sisters or brothers, so he takes a special interest in Carrie. He accepted her right from the start and treated her like family. That hasn’t changed, even though I moved to Smack Down. You thought you only had Wease to deal with? Oh no, buddy. You got all of Evolution, plus a few more,” he told his shell shocked friend. “Relax, you’ll get used to it, eventually,” David chuckled as he opened his fridge trying to decide what to eat.

Mike nodded vaguely. He had no idea that she had so many self appointed brothers, most of them potentially dangerous. He better keep his shit together, since he didn’t want to piss off her extended family.

“What do you want to eat? I don’t see anything handy. You want to go out and eat,” he asked Mike.

“Sounds fine. I just need to eat some real food, Dave. Not the vending machine crap,” Mike said.

“Okay. Let’s do that and you can tell me what you need me for or what favor you need from me,” David said, reminding the other man he hadn’t forgotten…

Once they had ordered, David turned to his long time friend and said, “Okay, what’s up? What did you need?”

“I made a plan last night, before I talked to her this morning. But now I’m really gonna do it,” he said. David looked at him, waiting for him to get to the point.

“I need help moving my shit into her place. Some of it is at my folks, but most of it is still at my house and Lisa is there,” Mike told his friend as their pitcher of water arrived. David scratched his cheek as he thought about what Mike didn’t say. He knew Lisa was unstable and was guessing that Mike didn’t want to have to deal with her alone.

“Plus, I don’t have a key,” Mike admitted with some embarrassment.

“What? Key to your house,” David asked.

“No, to Carrie’s place,” he clarified.

“That’s easy to fix. We just call her asshole landlord and get you a key. I’m surprised you didn’t do it sooner,” David told the other man. Further conversation was stopped as their meal arrived and they concentrated on the food in front of them. Their meal was excellent, their server was attentive and refilled their water pitcher without asking and was unobtrusive. It was a nice change for David. Normally when he went out for a meal, there was usually a fan somewhere. Wrestling fans were everywhere he had learned over the years. It could be the time of day, maybe wrestling fans don’t eat lunch out? Who knows, he just enjoyed the simple pleasure of eating out with his friend. After their table was cleared, David picked up the thread of their earlier conversation.

“When did you want to do this,” he asked Mike.

“If we can get a key, I’d like to get my stuff from my folks today. I’ll need my truck and yours for my house, so maybe we do that tomorrow, before you head out the next day,” he asked his buddy.

“Sounds like a plan to me. Let’s call her asshole landlord and see about getting you a key,” he chuckled as he flipped open his phone.

“You know the number,” Mike asked incredulously. David nodded and winked.

“Hey, asshole landlord,” he said to the other voice that answered.

“Yeah,” the voice chuckled.

“We need an extra key for Carrie’s place. Mike wants to move his shit and he doesn’t have a key,” he continued.

“Really? I thought she gave him one. Oh well. No biggie. Put him on the phone so I can be an asshole landlord, will ya,” the voice asked.

David handed the phone to Mike as he said loud enough for the person on the phone to hear, “The asshole wants to talk to you.”

Mike winced as he put the phone to his ear and said, “This is Mike.”

“What’s this I hear about you not having a key,” the voice said with a chuckle.

“Wease? What the hell? You’re the asshole landlord,” Mike asked him.

“You don’t think she’d live that close to me for any other reason, do you? She gets some fringe benefits, like babysitting requests at the drop of the hat. Shit like that,” he chuckled again, knowing Mike had no idea. “You still there Mike,” Wease asked since Mike hadn’t said anything for a few seconds. David watched his friend close his eyes and rub his hand across his face in confusion.

“Yeah, it’s just been a full day already and we’re not even half way done yet,” Mike told the asshole landlord.

“I know, trust me, I know. Just go see Carla when you get there and she’ll have a key for you. I’ll call and tell her. Be prepared to have her ask you millions of questions about Care. She doesn’t think I give her enough details,” he told Mike.

“Okay. I understand. Sometime soon we’re going to have a long talk, asshole landlord. You guys keep surprising me. When does it stop,” he asked Wease.

“Mike, you’ve got it backwards. You have to worry when it stops, that means you’re not having fun anymore,” Wease chuckled.

As they were getting back in to David’s hummer, his cell chirped again. David shook his head and flipped it open.

“Dave here,” he said.

“What’s up that Carrie has a full voice mail box. That’s never happened. She okay,” the deep voice asked. David grinned, realizing he was probably going to spend the next couple of days fielding these kind of calls.

“Yeah, she’s okay. She’s been admitted,” was all he got out before he was interrupted.

“What the hell? Is she okay,” the voice demanded loudly. David looked over to his friend in the passenger seat and grinned.

“Yeah, she’s okay. She’s been sick for too long and needed to be admitted so she could get better,” he said as he winked at Mike.

“I knew she was sick. We’ve all been bitching at her to go to the docs. Did they find out what the hell is wrong,” ‘Taker asked.

“Oh yeah. They did,” he grinned and paused. ‘Taker waited impatiently.

“Am I going to have to beat it out of you or what? Tell me,” ‘Taker said quietly.

“If I tell you, you have to pretend you didn’t hear it, okay,” he asked the other man and looked over at his buddy who was grinning.

“Okay. Now my curiosity is killing me. I promise,” ‘Taker said to the other man. David took a deep breath before he said anything, knowing that the other man would be happy for her and relieved.

“Carrie has all the time morning sickness,” David managed to say before the other man’s laughter could be heard. Mike heard it from the passenger seat.

“Damn. That’s funny. Sorry, don’t tell her I said that. Where is she and how long is she going to be in,” ‘Taker recovered enough to ask. David told him the name of the hospital and her room number.

“I don’t really know how long she’s going to be in. She’s still throwing up a little, but not like before, so I don’t know,” David answered honestly.

***
She managed to sleep for several hours after her breakfast and busy morning filled with visitors, Kris was happy to note. She was just stirring when her lunch was brought in.

She cracked an eye open and asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s a little after noon, must be lunch time by the looks of things,” Kris supplied. Wease frowned and lifted the lid on her lunch and replaced it with a head shake.

“Care, did you tell them that you don’t eat this shit,” he asked her as she stretched and pulled the covers back up.

“Mike did. Why, what is it now,” she asked.

“You don’t really want to know, trust me. The veggies are all over and polluted,” he said referring to the fact she’d eat vegetables, as long as they didn’t touch any meat first. I saw some soup in the vending machines, let me see if I can find something else. I think me and those vending machines are almost on a first name basis now anyway,” he smiled at her. He put his portable down on his chair and left.

“Have you called Mom and Dad,” she asked Kris.

“No, I didn’t want to ruin their cruise, plus we didn’t really have anything to tell them. They’ll be home late tonight and we can tell them then. You know Mom’s going to be camped out here as soon as she hears,” Kris warned the smaller woman.

Carrie sighed, “I know, she won’t be able to help herself. It’s why we love her.”

There was a quiet tap at the door and someone said, “Delivery for a Miss Martin.”

“Come in,“ Kris said, thinking that this was the first of many, if her guess was right. A beautiful flower arraignment preceded the delivery man through the door. Kris smiled and told them where they could put it, pointing to the shelves by the window. It was dozens of pinks roses and both of them could smell them. Kris took the card and handed it to Carrie. She smiled as she opened it, not sure who they were from. She smiled as she read the card.

“They’re from Ric,” she told Kris.

“They’re beautiful,” Kris admired.

She nodded her agreement from the bed. Kris was pleased to see that Carrie had more color than earlier, it could be the pleasure from the flowers, but at least she had more color.

“What are you two doing for lunch,” Carrie asked her sister. Kris shrugged.

“It depends. It depends if Dave remembers to bring us lunch. I bet he forgets or doesn’t get here until later. Once Wease comes back with some food for you, I’m going to run home for a shower anyway. Mike was nice enough to leave Giselle’s keys for me,” she said with a straight face.

“Really,” she asked. “He told you the car’s name,” she asked and couldn’t hide her surprise. Kris giggled remembering the shit Dave gave him.

“Yeah, but not on purpose. Dave gave him some serious shit about it,” she continued to giggle with her sister.

“I can imagine,” Carrie said quietly from the bed. She was glad he was still driving her, even after she told him she wanted him out of her space last week. She winced as she remembered his face and his confusion at her words. He looked more hurt than when she slapped him months ago. Why did she always seem to hurt him? Why did it seem like she always hurt the men in her life? She thought about how much John was going to be hurt if he wasn’t the father of the babies she was carrying. She knew he hadn’t found that special person yet, even though she had pushed him to through her emails and phone calls. She wanted to try to remember and call him later today, once he was home.

“Do you think you could bring me my cell,” she asked Kris. Kris looked at her and shook her head. “Why not,” she whined.

“You need to rest for a few more days before I bring it. Once I bring your cell, you won’t get any sleep. You know that,” Kris told her. She sighed, knowing that her sister was right, but she bet that her voice mail was getting full. She had a few things she was dealing with and was waiting for some info. She’d ask Wease to take care of some of it, she reasoned.

He came back in with a cup of something in his hand. “Sorry, you get cream of mushroom soup. That was the only thing I could find, besides a candy bar for later,” he grinned at her. She smiled from her bed as she reached for the soup.

“Thanks,” she said as she pulled off the lid and the room was filled with the aroma of her soup.

Wease looked at the flowers by the windows and smiled, “Nice” was all he said to her. He knew there’d be more, regardless of his sister’s opinion of herself.

“That’s my cue to go. I’ll be back in a while and I promise not to put a scratch on her,” she with a wink. Carrie shook her head at her sister as she left.

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end

David pulled up to the Adams ’ house and parked in their long sloping driveway. He was comforted by the fact that it felt like he was coming home.

“You going to tell your folks,” he asked Mike.

Mike hesitated for a moment before replying. “Um, I don’t think so. Not yet anyway. Carrie needs rest before she gets enveloped by the whole clan.” David grinned, he knew how they were. They had been his second family for as long as he could remember and they had helped him whenever he needed, even if he didn’t think he did at the time. They walked through the front door to find Val poking her head out of the kitchen.

“David, good to see you,” she said as she walked up to him and put her arms around him.

“Good to see you too, Momma A,” he returned her hug.

“What brings you here? I haven’t seen you in ages,” she asked her son’s long time friend and her honorary third son.

“Mike’s finally decided to leave home,” he said with a smirk to his buddy. Val looked from one man to another, waiting for the rest of it.

“Yeah, Ma. Lisa’s still at my place, but I’m moving to Carrie’s. I came to get my stuff,” he finished.

“Good. Do you need anything,” she asked as her mother mode kicked in.

“I don’t think so, not yet anyway,” Mike replied with a smile. His mom would always be his mom, even when he was sixty, she’d still be mothering him, he knew. He turned and walked to his old room, thinking about what he had here and what he had at his place, if she hadn’t burned all of it.

David followed him, struck by the feeling of being back in school and coming home after practice. It was just too weird having Val peek out of the kitchen. She was always in the kitchen when they were in school and the things she used to make. Just thinking about it made his mouth start to water. He could smell she was cooking something good today. He’d have to stop by the kitchen before they left.

Mike’s stuff fit into three garbage bags, pretty pathetic, he knew. He thought he had more stuff over here. He wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow and going to get his stuff at his house. Lisa would probably be at her nastiest. He was glad Dave had agreed to help him. Dave had helped him move in years ago, he remembered.

They took the three bags of mostly clothes and his laptop to David's car, knowing they'd come back in to say goodbye. He needed to let his mom know that Carrie was admitted at least, just not the exact reason for it yet. They both walked back to the kitchen, knowing that something good was cooking. Mike looked at his buddy and grinned, he was struck by the feeling of being a kid again too.

"Whatcha cookin' Momma A," David asked her with a hopeful smile. The two grown boys filled her kitchen, waiting to try a taste of whatever delicious concoction she was making.

"It's still in the oven boys, sorry," she smiled at them, taking in their disappointment at her news. "It's a new lasagna. There should be plenty of left overs if you want to come back this evening," she asked both of them. Mike thought now was a good time to tell his mom about Carrie, at least part of it.

"Sounds good, Ma since I'm not cooking tonight and I'm sure Kris and Dave could use some real food," Mike started. He noticed his mom heard what he said and started to get a small worried frown. Now was the time to say something, he knew or he'd really be in deep with her.

"Mom, Carrie was admitted to Sacred Heart last night," he said as he looked at his small but fierce mom. He heard David's sigh, knowing that he had just opened himself up for an ass chewing.

"What? Why am I just now hearing about this, Michael," she demanded with her hands on her hips. He knew the shit had hit the fan, it always did when she called him Michael. David knew it too and sat down on the couch.

"I...we...didn't have anything to tell you before. Wease found her last night and I only heard about it through Kris. I didn't want to call and wake you, Ma. I know how Dad hates having his sleep disturbed," he tried to placate her using the sleep disturbance card. It wasn't going to work, he could tell by the grim line of her lips.

"Don't give me that, Michael. This is something you could have woken us up for, for goodness sake. Why is she there and is she okay? Can I help? I know her folks are still out of town. Do they know? Where's Kris? Where's Wes," she asked him in rapid succession.

He could see that she was just warming up so he held his hands up and said, "Wait. Let me tell you what I know. She's going to be okay, but she'll probably be in for a few more days. It's because she couldn't stop throwing up, Ma. She got so run down and Wease found her passed out in her kitchen." He could see his mom was turning things over and putting several pieces together, but didn't say anything yet.

"I'm moving in so I can finally take care of her. She doesn't know it yet and she can try to throw me out, but it won't work this time. If I'd been with her before, this wouldn't have happened," he said. He glanced over at his buddy on the couch and saw him give a small head shake. They both knew that once Val found out why Carrie was really admitted, Mike's ass would be in deeper shit.

"Momma A" David asked from the couch.

"Yes, dear," she answered absently.

"I'd love to take you up on your offer of leftovers. Kris and Wease would appreciate it too, I'm sure," he said artfully.

"Oh, of course. Did you want me to make anything else for you," she asked.

David smiled at her and winked, "I sure miss your brownies." Mike looked at his buddy quickly and smiled. He knew that he was deflecting her and he was all for it.

"Oh," she said with a pleased smile. "I can make some for you to take with you, if you'd like," she offered.

"That'd be great. I haven't had any of your brownies in years. Thanks," he smiled at her. He got off the couch and walked over and kissed her cheek.

"We have some running around to do, but thanks for your help. I'll see you later. My mouth is already watering for your cooking," he grinned at her as he headed towards the door. She stayed in her kitchen with a smile. She knew what he had done, but she let him get away with it, this time.

As they were getting back into the car, Mike looked over at him and said, "Thanks for bailing my ass. She was just warming up."

"I know. I remember. Plus that lasagna smells great," he grinned as they pulled away from the curb.

***

Wease had shut the door, so Carrie could sleep uninterrupted. It helped to cut down all the noise of the hustle and bustle of the busy hospital. She had fallen asleep before she had finished her soup, leaving very little. Looking at her resting, he could see that the dark smudges under her eyes were less pronounced and her skin didn't look as tissue paper thin. He looked over at the shelf near the window and shook his head at some of the flowers and balloons that had already been delivered. With her door shut, it also forced the deliveries to go to the nurse station. He guessed that she'd be getting more, once word spread. He knew her voice mail must be full by now with all the extra calls. There were some normal days that it got full so it must be by now, he reasoned. He also had a lot of time to think about how he could help her with her heavy work load. She always took too much on and her collapse proved it to him. Some things he knew about, but he realized he didn’t really know all of the things his sister was involved in. He’d ask her about it and take a much more active role. He was grateful for her convincing him to go out on limb with her all those years ago. Who could have predicted the turn of events. But she wasn’t satisfied with the status quo. She was always into something new, and he didn’t know what it was. He was ashamed to admit he had been complacent and lazy, enjoying the early fruits of her labor and playing at his side of their business.

A nurse came in to check on her and roused him out of his reverie. She wrote down the readings from the displays. He smiled at her, trying to get some kind of reaction out of her, without success. She left as quietly as she came in. Another nurse came in shortly after the other one left and glanced at her patient. She shook her head and looked at Wease with a sad smile. She motioned for him to follow her outside.

Once the door was shut, she turned to him and said, “She needs to get up and start moving soon. All the fluids being dripped into her will start giving her problems if she doesn’t start moving soon.” He frowned and knew his confusion showed. “Are you her husband, brother,” she asked.

“Brother,” he supplied.

“Okay. She needs to leave that bed for a few minutes every couple of hours or she is going to blow up like a balloon and she’s too tiny to handle that very well,” she explained. He nodded, but was still confused.

“Okay,” he said in an unsure voice.

“Let me know when you’re ready to try and I’ll come help so you can see what she needs to do, okay,” she asked her confused brother. He nodded still confused but would follow her request. “I need to draw some blood from her, so unfortunately I might have to wake her. Let’s go see if she has a free port,” she said gleefully and walked back in the room. Wease followed slowly, thinking that was one of the weirdest conversations he had in a long time, particularly since he was stone cold straight and sober.

The nurse walked around Carrie, peering at her iv’s and shaking her head. Wease saw her shake her head again just before she dipped her hand into her pockets. He didn’t even know she had any. He tried to guess her age and all he could come up with was somewhere between twenty five and forty. She seemed like a nice person, she was one of the few who had actually talked to him, instead of just worked around him.

“Sweetie, you have to wake up so I can get a blood draw. I don’t want to do it without you knowing. You might wake up swinging and neither one of us would be happy about that,” she said in a playful tone and a small smile for her patient. Carrie blinked and opened her eyes with a frown. Wease was reminded how she used to look when he would ask to come into her room because he couldn’t sleep. She had that same confused look. He smiled, thinking back to those simple times.

“Care, don’t hurt her. She just wants to be a vampire,” he teased his sister. She looked at him and nodded. He saw her lick her lips, trying to wake up and say something, maybe. The nurse was quick and efficient and drew what she needed quickly and as painlessly as possible. Carrie didn’t flinch, but Wease didn’t expect her to as long as she was awake.

Once the nurse left, she turned and asked, “How long? How long did I sleep?”

He shrugged, “Couple hours. They tell me you have to move your lazy ass out of that bed occasionally.” She looked at him sharply, trying to decide if he was joking or not. He laughed, “You have to move or all that iv shit is gonna to settle in your ass and you’ll never be able to move.”

“What the hell,” she said almost at a normal volume. She was starting to feel better, he could see. Some of her spark and fire was returning, at least temporarily. He reached for the call button and hit it, as instructed. Carrie looked at him in confusion.

“Time to move your ass, I wasn’t kidding,” he smiled at her.

Several minutes later, the same nurse returned. She showed Carrie how to get out of bed without disturbing all the iv’s and wires. It took several minutes and a robe, but she was standing next to the bed trying hard not to sway. Wease came round and offered his arm, since she looked like she needed it. She smiled her thanks and grabbed him.

“Sweetie, if you can walk around the floor you can come back to bed. Don’t run, I don’t want to have to chase you,” the nurse smiled. “Just once around the floor and then back to bed. The sooner you’re up and moving, the better you’ll feel. Trust me,” she said as she opened the door wide for her patient to teeter through.

“Let me know if I’m going too fast, Care,” Wease said quietly. She just nodded and clenched her jaw in determination. She couldn’t believe how hard it was to move. She felt like a wet over cooked noodle. Just thinking of that made her smile remembering her own attempts to cook pasta, any pasta.

“What’s so funny,” Wease said beside her. She shook her head, knowing she wasn’t going to share her last thought.

“Oh, all this shit. I feel like I’m a hundred and ten years old, I swear.”

Wease wisely stayed quiet and kept the pace slow, but noticed she was getting better at moving after a few minutes. The nurse wasn’t kidding, he realized. It took a long time, but they eventually made the complete loop around the floor. By the time they were back at her room, he could see she was very tired. He helped her back in bed, making sure everything was still plugged in as she pulled the covers back up.

“Shit, what a wimp I am. Fuckin’ pisses me off,” she said quietly. He knew his comment wasn’t wanted or needed. He sat back down in his chair and opened his portable, preparing to settle in again.

“Wease?”

“Yeah,” he said without looking up.

“I hate to do this, but I need your help with some stuff and Kris won’t let me have my cell or computer,” she tried not to whine, but knew it sounded like it anyway. He closed his computer and gave her his full attention.

“Whatever you need me to do, I’ll try,” told her. He could see she was getting tired.

“Okay, thanks. Let me think for a minute about what needs to happen first and then you can give it a try,” she said as her eyes were closing on their own, it seemed. He smiled as he watched her drift off. He was curious about the help she needed and what she was in to. He knew she was still involved in national politics, thanks to their own brush with the law and the backwards thinking. But he wasn’t sure what else she dabbled in besides real estate. He had been complacent, he realized since he didn’t know much of her activities or interests. All he knew was that she was always busy, going a million miles an hour and he envied her abilities. Stupid of him he knew, but he’d always been in awe of her, her smarts and her ability to cut through the crap and see things clearly and concisely, except of course when it came to herself.

He was roused again by Kris with Melissa as they came into the room. She smiled at him, but stayed quiet. She had noticed that Carrie was still sleeping. She didn’t count on her daughter’s excited squeal at seeing her aunt. Carrie’s eyes flew open and she smiled at her niece’s grin.

“Hi, Lissa,” she said and tried to sign.

The little girl understood and signed back, “love you.” Kris met Carrie’s eyes and knew that her daughter had hit a bull’s-eye. Carrie grinned at Melissa and signed back, “love you too baby.” Wease was trying to follow, but he wasn’t as good as the ladies at learning a new language.

“The other kids are here too. They wanted to see their aunt, even though they know it’s just for a short visit. You up for it,” she asked her sister. Carrie nodded.

Wease looked over at Kris and said, “Let me take her. We’ll go for a walk and explore all kinds of cool thing for a few minutes,” he said. Kris handed her daughter over wordlessly, knowing that Lissa loved her uncle almost as much as she loved her aunt.

He passed the kids out in the hall with Lissa. They smiled at him and said hey and waited for their mom to come get them. He made sure he was gone for at least fifteen minutes so the older kids got a chance to visit before Kris took them back to Louise’s

He stayed outside once he came back and listened to their excited chatter, asking Carrie all kinds of questions, some of them personal but most of them about how boring it was being in hospital. He could hear that she answered, but couldn’t make out what she said. The kids and Kris left and he settled back in to his chair, as he had come to think of it.

The same helpful nurse came back and noticed Carrie was still awake and said, “Time to run another lap, young lady.” Carrie sighed and started the slow process of getting out of bed. It was easier that time because she knew how many tubes and wires she had, plus it just seemed easier the second time for some reason. Wease gave her his arm again and they walked out her door and started on their lap. He thought she might be moving a little better, she didn’t seem to be as stiff, but it was hard to tell. She wasn’t as tired when they made it back to her door. He pushed it open and saw Mike in her room with a fierce scowl.

“Thank God,” he said as he saw them.

“What? I was just doing my laps. Soon I’ll be Olympic caliber and nobody will be able to catch me,” she said with a slight grin. Mike frowned at that, but stepped out of her way as she lowered herself back into bed. Wease helped her with all the damn wires and making sure everything was back where it needed to be. She pulled the covers back up and sighed.

“Where’s Dave,” Wease asked the other man.

Mike grinned, “He’s picking up dinner and desert from my mom.”

“No shit,” he said.

“Oh yeah. Somehow that bastard got my mom to give him some of her special lasagna and make brownies especially for him,” Mike laughed.

“Your mom’s brownies are great. I remember them. Is he bringing it back here,” he asked.

Mike nodded at Wease’s grin. Wease took himself for a walk to give them some privacy because he was certain Mike hadn’t told his sister of his plan to move himself into her condo. That might be pay per view caliber too, he chuckled to himself. Mike took her hand in his and kissed it lightly and saw more bruising.

“Is there any part of you they didn’t bruise,” he asked. She shook her head.

He was so relieved at seeing her walk back in to her room with Wease earlier he didn’t know what else to say. He thought something horrible had happened and he got pissed at himself because he left her. He could see she definitely looked better, but she still had all those damn bags dripping in.

“Babe, I was worried when I came in and you weren’t here,” he told her quietly. She looked at him but stayed quiet. She was tired, dead ass tired.

“You can’t get rid of me so easily this time. I got a key and moved my shit. I don’t want to have to visit you in this place again. I don’t know…” He stopped once he looked at her because he saw she had drifted off to sleep. He set her hand back down gently and leaned back into the chair to watch and listen to her sleep.

***

They had pulled up to an apartment parking lot for a quick side trip, Dave had said.

“It won’t take a minute. I just want to drop something off,” he said vaguely. Mike knew his buddy had been seeing someone new recently, but didn’t know much else yet. He had noticed his change in attitude and outlook. His workouts weren’t as anger filled recently either. He hoped it was due to the new lady in his life, whatever her name was. He glanced at his buddy and saw a strange look on his face as they pulled in and stopped.

“Are you going to tell me her name or am I going to have to beat the hell out of you,” Mike said with a grin.

“What? Oh yeah,” Dave grinned again. “Her name’s Kris and she’s beautiful.”

Mike nodded to himself. He thought so, he knew his buddy well.

He didn’t jump out of the car, instead he turned to his friend and said, “Okay you bastard, tell me more.” Dave sighed, knowing he had tried to keep Kris a secret just in case everything went to shit like it had the last few times. It didn’t look like Mike was going to let him get away with that this time.

“Tell me she’s not a dancer, please,” Mike said.

“Hell, no! I learned my lesson there a long time ago. I didn’t even meet her at work. You should be proud of me,” he slid his eyes over to his buddy, hoping that would be enough for him, for now.

“Okay, that’s good news. Finally you figured that shit out. What else asshole,” Mike asked him.

“Um, she’s beautiful. Did I tell you that,” Dave asked him. Mike looked over at him and nodded, making a motion with his hand, more please.

“She’s smart, she likes to talk to me, not just have me hang around.” Mike knew what he meant. Dave’s recent ladies seemed to like him just hang around, didn’t care if he had anything to say, they just wanted him present, but silent. Lisa was like that too sometimes, so he knew how irritating it was. He looked over at David and gestured, tell me more.

“Um, Liz and Mikie like her and she likes them,” he told his friend.

Mike was surprised, most of Dave’s previous girlfriends barely tolerated his kids, he knew. Mike nodded at his buddy, signifying he told him enough for now, but he still wanted to hear more later. They got out of his car, Mike waited while Dave surveyed the lot, looking for something specific he was sure. Once he found the car he was looking for he nudged his buddy.

“It’s that little red one,” he said quietly. Mike looked at the car pointed out to him and couldn’t believe he saw some feet sticking out.

“You sure, buddy? Looks like someone had a hell of a good time last night,” he chuckled referring to the feet sticking out. “Maybe they come standard or something,” he continued to tease his buddy.

Once they were close enough, Dave introduced him to the owner of the feet. A small woman in overalls stood up and was introduced to him as Carrie, Kris’ sister. He shook her hand thinking that if he didn’t know any better he would have sworn she was a kid by her size. But her voice and manner were definitely not those of a kid. Interesting, he thought to himself. He wondered if her sister looked like her. When they were safely back in Dave’s car he asked him about her, asking if the sisters looked alike, because his curiosity was definitely stirred.

“No buddy. Not a bit. I don’t understand it at all, but Kris is tall and blonde while Carrie is small and brunette. She’s a tough one, let me tell you,” he said as he shook his head at the memory. He saw Mike’s confusion and told him about his first meeting with Carrie and how she grilled him mercilessly.

“No shit? She’s so small, she doesn’t seem tough,” Mike said.

“Don’t let that fool you buddy. That’s what I thought, too. But I also thought she’d look like a sasquach or something, thanks to Kris’s descriptions,” he laughed, remembering. Mike was confused, not understanding how you could think that small lady was some mythical big foot. David explained Kris’s descriptions and how he had thought he would be meeting a hippy-ish type geek or something.

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