Chapter 22

 

AJ entered the kitchen with a bowl of cold soup.  Kevin frowned at the bowl as he took it to put in the sink, “He didn’t eat any of it?”

    

“He was too busy being sick,” AJ said curtly, “Did you get him some Aleve?”

   

Kevin nodded, “That’s what I sent Brian up there with.  Is he bad?”

   

AJ nodded, “He needs to eat something.  He’s losing fluids, but he wouldn’t even look at the soup.”

   

“He’s gonna eat if we have to hold him down to the bed and ram it down his throat,” Kevin grumbled going to the sink to pour out the soup and run water in the sink and the bowl.

   

AJ watched Kevin scrub the bowl aggressively. AJ imagined Kevin was daydreaming it was Nick. “Kevin, you’re gonna have to calm down man, and take it easy with him.” Kevin’s scrubbing slowed down, “I know you’re mad and disappointed but Kev, the guys and I were talking, and… Well, if you can’t learn to control your temper when it comes to him…”

    

AJ heard the clunk of the bowl hitting the metal of the sink.  Kevin tossed the sponge aside, “If I can’t you’ll kick me out of my own house?”

   

“Kev, you’re not helping anybody,” AJ said with a sigh, “You walk around with this sour look on your face like someone has forced a lemon in your mouth! Like Howie said, Nick’s really perceptive…”

    

“AJ,” Kevin began really calmly, “Nick almost talked to me earlier. Talked, AJ.  I made a connection with him. I’m not gonna ruin that by yelling at him… My face, well AJ let me tell you, you don’t look too happy either. I want to find the bastard that sold drugs to Nick in the first place and ring his neck! I want to give that psychiatrist a piece of my mind! I want his license snatched off the wall of his office!”

    

AJ had backed away from Kevin as he advanced on him.  He had misread Kevin earlier, and was sorry but he also didn’t want to be pulverized.  

    

“I want to break something AJ, but not because I’m angry with Nick… but because I’m so angry at everyone around him.  Including myself…. God, how did I miss this?” Kevin sighed and turned back to the sink.  He and AJ were silent for a few minutes then the sink water was running again and Kevin went back to rinsing the bowl, and AJ left the kitchen wondering how Brian was getting along up stairs with Nick.

 

    

Brian thought it would be a good idea to knock, but after standing outside for a few minutes with no response from within…  Brian opened the door slowly and peeked inside.  Nick had definitely been in there.  The bed sheets were strewn all over the floor and objects from his over night bag were tossed haphazardously around the room… but there was no Nick.  Brian stepped inside the room saying Nick’s name.  Nervousness flooded his veins, “Nicky!” What if he’d passed out? What if… “Nick!” Brian heard footsteps.  In an instant Howie and BJ were next to him, “What’s going on? Where’s Nick?”

    

“I don’t know…” Brian looked crestfallen, “He’s not in the room…”

    

“SHIT!” BJ cursed.  She ran out of the room, “Come on, we gotta find him… Shit!”

    

Howie and Brian were on her heels.  “How far could he have gotten?” Brian was muttering to himself, “He couldn’t even walk in a straight line…”

    

“What’s going on?” AJ suddenly appeared on the stairway, blocking their paths.

    

“Nick’s missing,” Howie said, “We don’t know if…”

    

“He can’t have left the house.  Me and Kevin have been by the doors, we would have noticed. He’s still here somewhere,” AJ said easily. BJ let out a visible and audible sigh.  

    

“Dammit!” they heard a familiar voice scream in a pitch that only dogs could hear.  Kevin ran into the living room looking worried, “What’s going on guys? Where’s Nick and Brian? And why is Nick screaming?”

    

Brian came into the room just then, with Nick’s lanky body draped over his shoulders kicking and screaming, “He thought he’d take a walk.”

    

Kevin’s eyes flamed and burned with anger that quickly dissolved, “Where were you going Nickolas?”

    

“To the bathroom,” Nick mumbled.

    

“The bathroom was in the opposite direction,” Brian said sounding hostile, “I almost had a heart attack when I realized you were gone out of your room Nick!”

    

“It’s not my room!” Nick fumed, “I want to go home.”

    

“Nicky…” Howie began.

    

“No, we agreed from the very beginning that I didn’t have to be forced into anything I don’t want… I don’t want this. I want to go home!” Nick yelled, “Put me the hell down Brian!”  

    

Kevin, Howie, and AJ could only stare at each other, they had said that, but they hadn’t been planning on Nick pulling out.  Brian set Nick down gently, but caught his arm as he wobbled, “I’m gonna go home now.”

   

“Nick please,” BJ began but Nick cut her off.

    

“I tried it your way, I didn’t like it…” Nick said, he tried to walk away but after a few steps he stumbled.  Brian wanted to run to him, but Kevin’s arm restrained him.  If Nick was leaving it would be under his own power, with no help from the others.  Nick righted himself, and tried to walk away again.  After the first step he faltered and fell to his knees.  He curled up and rolled onto his side then, his cries were soft at first but slowly began to crescendo until his whole body was shaking.  BJ wanted to hold him, but AJ restrained her.  Nick needed to know what it would be like on his own, he needed to realize that he needed them. Leslie entered the living room last, shocked to see the sorry sight of her brother on the floor crying his eyes out and her sister, his sister, and his friends just standing around watching.

    

“What the hell are you doing?” Leslie yelled trying to get to Nick, but was held back.

    

“He has to know what it’ll be like without us being there Les,” BJ said softly, “He wants to leave, and when he leaves we won’t be able to help him… like now.”

    

Nick’s sobs began to decrescendo after 5 minutes and they were replaced by soft hiccups. His breathing was quieter, and his cheat rose and fell at an even speed.  BJ, Leslie, and Brian were finally permitted to get closer to Nick. After rolling him over Brian deduced that he was asleep.  He lifted him gently and told the others he would carry him back to the room.

   

After that incident everyone decided that Nick was never to be left alone again.