"He fell into a cactus," Deanna said. Dallas, Leigh, Vanessa, and Grayson stared at Deanna disbelievingly.
"No way," Dallas finally said.
Deanna held her left hand up and placed her right hand over her heart. "On my word of honor."
"Howie fell onto a cactus?" Vanessa asked.
"Yep," Deanna said.
"Where?" Grayson asked. "I mean what part of the body?"
"His right leg," Deanna said. "We just got back from the emergency room. That reminds me why I came in here in the first place."
"Why?" Dallas asked.
"To get an ice pack from my first aid kit," Deanna said, grabbing an ice bag and bursting it from its package. "It's one of those ones where the chemicals react to make it cold."
Grayson laughed and said: "Once a nurse..."
"Always a nurse," Leigh and Dallas finished.
"So you didn't come in here to ask me if I'm pregnant?" Vanessa asked.
"No, but I guess my nurse's instinct kicked in," Deanna shrugged.
There was a light knock on the door. Leigh opened it and Howie walked in.
"Are you okay Howie?" Grayson asked.
"Yeah, we heard what happened," Dallas said.
"I'm okay," Howie said. "A little embarrassed. The guys just laughed me out of the other room. They thought it was so hilarious. They didn't realize painful."
Deanna told Howie to sit down and gave him the ice pack. "Are the ibuprofen the the doctor prescribed helping?" Deanna asked.
"Yeah, a little bit," Howie said, raising his leg and gently setting it on the table in front of him. "I guess I'm just not a desert boy."
There was another knock on the door. Leigh once again answered and said, "I'm not so sure I should let you mean people in."
Kevin, Brian, AJ, and Nick easily pushed past her. "How rude," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
"You're cute when you're mad," Nick said, lightly kissing her forehead.
"I hear you guys were giving Howie a hard time," Dallas said.
"Maybe a little," Brian said.
"Maybe a lot," AJ admitted, trying to suppress his laughter.
"Don't worry Howie," Grayson said. "Has AJ ever told you how he was at my house, coming down the stairs, when he completely misses a stair and butt surfs the rest of the way down?"
Everyone in the room erupted with laughter. Well, everyone except for AJ. "That was real slick Bone," Brian said.
"Hey, my posterior still hurts," AJ said, pouting slightly.
"Anyway, I wouldn't talk Brian," Dallas said. "Do you remember the time when Tyke had been locked in your house all day long and when you got home you picked him up and he promptly peed all over the front of you?"
It was Brian's turn to be embarrassed. "How was I to know I put the cover on the dog door?"
"Well, Mr. Brillant over here," Vanessa said, patting Kevin's head, "Took "There's Something About Mary" too seriously and managed to get himself caught in his fly. Worse, he was at my aunt's house."
"Oh wow," AJ said. "Feeling your pain man."
"Thanks a lot," Kevin said sarcastically.
"Well Nicky here has a couple of stories to tell," Leigh said. "Right after we officially got together, he dropped by Dominos and decided to inspect the walk-in freezer. He managed to get locked into a freezer that doesn't lock."
Brian laughed loudly, "Nick has a gift for getting locked into places. He got locked into a closet at my mom's house."
"He got locked into the bathroom at my house while no one was a home," AJ said.
"Remember when he kept threatening to open his birthday presents a couple of years ago and we handcuffed him to a bed?" Howie asked.
All of the guys laughed. "That isn't funny," Nick whined. "My mom came in and thought I had been getting real freaky with some random girl."
Everyone laughed harder. "I feel so much better now," Howie said.
"Howie you haven't heard the best one," Vanessa said. "Kev and I were at home and we were making room in that big closet downstairs for my stuff. The door locks and there are no lights. We realize that it's going to be at least 18 hours until anyone wonders where we are. But what I don't know is that Kevin has a cell phone in his back pocket! It rang at three the next afternoon. I was so mad!"
"And you still married him?" Nick asked.
"Maybe we should have you institutionalized," Brian said.
"Quite possibly," Vanessa said. "Oh well. I guess I'm stuck with him."
"Well thanks you guys," Howie said. "I forgot about my leg for awhile and let the drugs do their work and I don't feel quite so embarrassed."
The girls all grinned. Grayson said: "Just let us know whenever you need an ego boost!"
Chapter Nine
Anywhere For You Index
Backstreet Boys Fan Fiction