CHAPTER 9 – THE CRACKS BEGIN TO SHOW


“Where have you been?” Nick inquired as Alicia stepped through the door.
She’d left when he was still asleep.
“I needed to go for a walk that’s all” Alicia replied placing her bag on the kitchen table
“Oh, okay” Nick mumbled pouring some OJ into a glass
The room remained silent, both of them wanting to say something – yet neither quite able.
“I’ve been thinking” Alicia sighed sitting down on one of the dining chairs
“About?” Nick inquired as he opened the fridge and peered in
“Us. I think maybe it would be a good idea for me to move out, get my own place”
“Why?” Nick inquired snapping his head around
“I just don’t want to take things too fast Nick, you can understand that cant you?”
Nick shrugged his shoulders.
“Anyway while I was walking, there was a job going at Tower down the road, I went in and talked to them, they’re gonna ring me back sometime tonight. Hopefully all going to plan I’ll have a job by the end of the week”
“You don’t need to work, I make enough money” Nick sighed
“I don’t WANT you to support me Nick, and I don’t need you to, that’s not why I'm here”
“Why are you here then?” Nick questioned, he’d had girlfriends in the past, a whole stack of them, and he’d since become past putting his trust in anyone, and most girls where there for one simple fact – he was Nick Carter, plain and simple.
“Sometimes I really don’t know” Alicia snapped gathering her things and making a hurried exit out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
Nick slumped down against the bench, he didn’t always mean to be such a prick, it just happened. His feelings had long ago become numb if not nonexistent. Entertaining was all he knew how to do, it was all he’d ever done, love, passion, trust were all new to him, and though he desperately wanted to feel them all, something deep down told him he’d never be able to.

~ AT THE SAME TIME ~

“Samuel will you stop that” Kevin huffed as he struggled to read the newspaper, Sam driving his matchbox cars around Kevin’s feet
“Good news” Kristen smiled as she replaced the cordless phone on its wall mounted cradle
“What?” Kevin inquired barely looking up
“I’m not too old to dance” Kristen laughed “I got a job, with Justin Timberlake, that’s the curly head one that split from Nsync back in early 2001 right?” she continued beaming proudly “Anyway he’s doing a Joey MacIntyre thing, you know, coming back as a solo act, and I auditioned for one of the backup dancers and I got it”
“But you’re gonna turn it down right?” Kevin questioned, finally looking up from behind the paper
“No, why would I?”
“Because you have Sammy to think about”
“I have Sammy to think about? What well you jet around the world doing what you love?”
“Lets not start this argument again” Kevin sighed
“No lets do exactly that Kevin. You knew when you married me, dancing is what I love doing, and now you expect me to stay home just because you don’t want me out there”
“That’s not the reason”
“Oh I bet it’s not” Kristen sighed “Tara, could you come in here a minute” she called
Tara appeared soon after.
“Could you please take Sammy upstairs, Kevin and I have something we really need to discuss” she said with a straight face.
“Sure, come on Sam, how about we play with the cars upstairs” Tara said taking Sam by the hand
They quickly disappeared as Kristen stood over Kevin.
“I'm going Kevin, I'm going on this tour” she said strongly
“No you’re not” Kevin responded
“So it’s okay for you to follow your dreams and to do what you love, but not okay for me?”
“Don’t you love Sammy? He should be the one you’re thinking of, and we hardly go anywhere anymore”
“I’ll do this Kevin with or without your support”
“What about Sam?”
“What about ME? Sam has Tara, and he has you, let me have something”
“So what? This house, this life isn’t enough for you? You have to be flying off around the place, parading around in next to nothing, doing what supposedly is dancing?

~AT THE SAME TIME ~

Sam sat in the corner of the room, his eyes shut tight, his hands over his ears as the sound of his parents arguing rose through the roof.
“Sammy, what’s wrong?” Tara inquired
“I hate the yelling” he announced looking up “They don’t like each other do they?”
“Of course, you parents love each other and they love you”
“Then why do they scream at each other?”
“Because sometimes they don’t always agree” Tara sighed, wishing there was something else she could say
“Did your mom and dad fight?”
“Sometimes yeah” Tara nodded
“I don’t like it. I won’t fight” he sighed

~ AT THE SAME TIME~

“You have no right to say that Kevin, and like I said I will do this with or without your support” Kristen exclaimed
“Fine, you do what you have to do Kristen”
“I will”
“But don’t expect me to be there when you fall”
“I never did expect you to be there” she announced before walking out the patio door, slamming it behind her.

Kevin kicked the chair beside him before storming upstairs into the bedroom and slamming the door.

~ AT THE SAME TIME ~

Howie sat lazily on the couch starring at the TV, enthralled by how people can get on stage and yell at each other like they did on those talk shows. The phone beside him rung. He leaned over and picked it up.
“Hello?” Howie mumbled finishing the mouthful he had in his mouth
“Is Eve there please?” a soft female voice inquired
“Ah no, she’s at work, can I take a message?”
“Please, what is her work number?”
The ladies voice sounded distant and upset.
“Can I help you at all? Who is this?” Howie inquired
“Please I need to speak to my daughter, its urgent. I need to speak to Evie”
“You’re Eve’s mother?”
“Please, her work number”
She was crying now, the sound drifting through the phone.
“567-6789” Howie rattled off, perplexed by the lady on the other side. Eve had never mentioned anything about her mother, he assumed she didn’t live anywhere nearby
“Thank you”
The phone clicked dead, leaving Howie holding the phone, intrigued.

~5 MINUTES LATER ~

“Eve, phone” Jessica, one of the other girls, called
Eve placed the customers order down in front of him, smiled, then walked over to the phone.
“Hello?” she said
“Evie, you must come to the hospital quickly”
“Mamma? What’s wrong?” Eve inquired
“Luke is hurt, please hurry sweetheart. Ward 7, Orlando main” she responded before hanging up the phone, leaving Eve in shock.

~ 10 MINUTES LATER ~

Eve rushed up to where her mother and father were standing, starring into a glass window.
“Oh my god, my baby, what happened?” Eve cried realizing the person fighting for their life on the other side of the glass was Luke, her son.
“He was playing ball in the yard, I was watching him I swear Evie, but a car came out of no where, the driver couldn’t take the corner, ran up on the curb and hit Luke. Evie, I'm so sorry” he mother cried, wiping her tired eyes, but to no avail.
“Oh mamma, this isn’t you’re fault, and all we can do is pray” Eve whispered placing her hand on the glass, as if hoping to give the small boy strength while the doctors struggled to keep him alive.

~ LATER THAT AFTERNOON ~
“Are you sure this is necessary?” Brian inquired hesitantly following Leigh Anne through the large glass doors.
“I want to make sure everything works right” she laughed slightly “It’s just a sperm count test Brian, there’s not a lot to it” she smiled “you stay here, I’ll be right back” she winked sitting him in the waiting room as she walked up to the reception desk.

“I'm looking for Doctor Rush?” Leigh Anne announced to the younger girl on reception
“One moment, I’ll see if he’s available. Name?” she replied cheerily
“Littrell, Mr. & Mrs.”
She spoke quickly to a man over the intercom before turning her attention back to Leigh Anne.
“He’s ready to see you and your husband now, through that door, first on the right”
Leigh Anne signaled for Brian to come hither, and he did just so. Following her though the door to the first door on the right.

Chapter Ten

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