Chapter Thirteen

While Kevin was driving the guys in the Expedition, ideas were thrown around for food. They knew they were going to hit the loop and tried to decide. AJ called out; "Hard Rock sounds great!"

A few groans were heard. Brian motioned his want; "Ed Debevic's is a must!"

Again groans were heard Maggie decided to bring the boys to their senses. "You'll get mobbed in places like that."

AJ was looking forward to hitting a few "hotspots" of Chicago and wanted to hit Hard Rock at least once this trip. "And what do you suggest?"

"Something a little intimate." AJ smirked at Maggie. She swung at his arm, "No, not like that. Just something small and dark."

AJ responded to Maggie's ideas, "Exactly what I was thinking." She swung at him again playfully hitting him. Kevin took directions from Maggie to her and Nicole's favorite downtown restaurant.

They entered the small, dim-lit, quaint restaurant, whose exterior looked like a two-story home. The hostess took their order before she sat them. Another discussion came about what toppings for their pizzas. They finally settled on the order about ten minutes after they were asked. When they walked over to their table, AJ pulled out a chair for Maggie to sit down. She was surprised, pleasantly, for his motion.

He sat down next to her and asked, "How did you come across this intimate place."

She chuckled, "This is Nicole's favorite restaurant downtown. She started dragging me here once I moved closer to her." Nick couldn't see sitting at a cramped table in a dark room as being a favorite activity of anyone's and asked of it. Maggie responded, "Well, first of all they have the best pizza in all of Chicago. Better than Gino’s. Second, this place is open until 2am on the weekdays, and 3am on the weekends. About the only place open past midnight."

AJ was grinning, "Sounds like my kind of place!"

"Yeah, so when we have nothing better to do after midnight, we drive out here. Somewhat of a ritual for weekends."

He asked of her, "You, two, a bit of nighthawks?"

"Nicole's better at staying out at night. She is definitely not a morning person. She was born for the night."

Kevin was surprised to hear this, but realized Nicole was right when she first told him she wasn't an early bird. The conversation changed as the boys' concerns of Nicole not joining them, surfaced. Maggie didn't want to share the story of Scott and what was actually happening that night. She instead, told the story of Nicole's conversation with her brother. The boys were interested in hearing more about Nicole and kept asking questions. Maggie was careful to not divulge too much information, knowing she would most likely say something Nicole wouldn't want known. The night went of well from both ends.

They walked around the area and headed out towards North Pier. They walked around the mall while AJ dragged Maggie into stores, as he was window-shopping. When the group was together, they were cracking jokes and entertaining themselves. Especially when people would walk by and stare, almost knowing who they were. It was getting past midnight when they decided to head back to the hotel. The guys could see Lake Michigan and Navy Pier from North Pier's exit and wanted to come back the next night. They talked the ride back about their plans for the next night.

AJ turned to Maggie, "Think we'll get Nicole to come out tomorrow?"

Maggie shook her head in response. "Her parents are coming out for dinner tomorrow night. She of course will get a lecture from her mom on how she talked to Jason. Most likely she won't be in any mood for fun."

AJ leaned against the bench seat and slung an arm behind Maggie and across the back of the seat. "You'll come right?"

She began to think of how much Nicole would want to just stay in the next night if she did have an argument with her parents. Then realized Nicole wouldn't want to be alone, and might need Maggie to cheer her up. "I'll see. I'd love to, but with Nicole, we will have to see." AJ smiled. The answer was not a definite no.

When Maggie returned to the hotel she knocked on the door of Nicole's room. No one answered. She that thought maybe Nicole had gone out for dinner and maybe even with Scott. It wasn't uncharacteristic for Nicole to stay out late, so Maggie thought nothing of it. She went over to AJ's room and when he answered she asked him to use the phone. She wanted to call Nicole's room to leave the message they were back. A faint voice answered the phone. "Nicole?"

"What's up Mags?" There was not much energy in her voice.

"Nothing, we just got in. Were you sleeping? I just knocked on the door."

"Nah, I'm awake. I guess I just didn't hear it." Nicole was speaking with very little charisma, one thing she never lacked.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. What did ya need?"

"Well, I was just going to leave a message that I'm over at AJ's until you got back, I figured you had gone out. So what happened with Scott?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing really." Nicole was eager to change the topic. "Well, I figure I'll be going to bed soon anyway, you wanna come get a key?"

"Yeah, I'll be right over." With that, Maggie hung up the phone and told AJ she would be back. She went over to the room and Nicole had already propped open the door with the lock.

Upon entering the room, there was no light but from the window whose curtains were wide open. Nicole was lying on her stomach across the bed, but with her feet at the headboard. Her head was facing the window and was leaning on her arms crossed under her chin. The key was on the edge of the bed away from Nicole.

Maggie felt something wrong with the entire setting. She sat down on the edge next to Nicole and placed her hand on Nicole's head. "So, I talked to Kevin." While Maggie was presenting the situation as if they talked about Nicole, not being the truth, she was not lying. She had talked to Kevin during the night. She figured this would bring Nicole's attention. It was unsuccessful.

"Nic?" Still no answer. "What happened?"

Finally the one-side conversation was broken. "Nothing really. Just the same old stuff with Scott." Her voice was the same as the phone call.

Maggie knew there was something more, but didn't want to push Nicole in this mood. She began to stroke her head. "It's ok dear. Just tell me when you want to." She waited to see if her friend would respond, but she didn't. "Well, I'll let you alone. I'll be by AJ's."

Maggie left the room with the key in tow, and ran into AJ in the hall. He figured something was up with Nicole from Maggie's faces and reactions from the phone call. He could also see the dim lit room and heard the room's conversation. Yet, trying to play dumb, he asked Maggie, "Is she going to be ok?"

"She's tough. She'll be ok." AJ looked concerned. She could see it in his face and began to worry herself. "I hope she'll be ok. I haven't seen her like this since, well, you know, Scott. And here he is again and she’s doing this." AJ asked Maggie if he should go to talk to Nicole. "When she shuts down, she shuts down. She'll come around when she's ready. Just don't try to push her into anything. She won't talk when she doesn't want to." Maggie knew Nicole's moods, although she did not always understand them or how she got into them.

"Are you sure?"

Maggie responded, "Yeah, she'll play the 'woe-is-me' act until she's ready to move on."

"I couldn't see Nic playing a guilt card."

"She doesn't do it often, but she does it well. She always hated those people, who starve for attention and pull guilt trips, so she doesn't do it often. But when she does, she gets great results. People don't flood to her side, but she gets the TLC she needs."

"Tender loving care?" Maggie's response was a nod of her head. "So, this is all because of Scott calling her?"

"I'm almost sure something else happened with him. She's just not saying right now."

"Is he really the love of her life?"

Maggie chuckled as she answered. "I just harass her about it because she won't admit to ever loving him. But, you can see it in her. She just never says it out loud. It’s her pride."

Kevin then stepped out of his room and entered the hallway. He saw the two chatting and came down to them. "What's going on kids?" AJ, subconsciously, looked over to Nicole's door. Maggie answered Kevin's question with a nothing. "So what's with her?" he motioned towards Nicole's room.

AJ stayed silent as Maggie spoke. "Nothing. She just got to bed early tonight."

Kevin began to think of it as a rational answer after spending the last two nights with her awake past 5am. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she'll be fine."

Kevin caught the sentence. "She is fine? Or, she will be fine?"

AJ butt into the conversation between Kevin and Maggie. "Why don't you go see her?"

Maggie nudged AJ and spoke, "I don't think she really wants to see anyone right now."

Kevin looked confused and AJ shot Maggie a look that said, 'Follow me here.' "She's just a little down in the dumps." Kevin asked if it was the problem with her brother. "It's a few different things. Just go on in. I'm sure she could use your company." Maggie wasn't sure this was the best idea, but could tell none of her pleading would help so she let AJ continue. "Just don't push her to talk about anything she doesn't want to."

"Ok mother." Kevin walked over to the door and opened it.

As Kevin left the two, Maggie swung at AJ’s arm. "What are you doing?!" She was outraged after she had told AJ that Nicole should be left alone for the time being.

"First of all, Ow." He rubbed his arm then finished the thought. "And second, I'm helping Nicole."

"How? It's not going to help her to talk if she isn't ready. She'll just sit there with him in her presence and play her guilt card. There's no reason to encourage---" Maggie paused and realized what AJ was doing. "Ooo. You're good. You're really good."

As he flipped his collar, "Yes. Thank you very much." Maggie had realized Kevin's empathetic fatherly instinct would come into play to comfort Nicole.