| Chapter 60 Gary pulled away and stared at Leighanne. "Anne, I don't think we should do this," he said. Leighanne looked at him confused, "What do you mean? Isn't this what you've wanted all along?" "Yes, but.."Gary started. "Then what is the problem? You've convinced me that you've changed, and you were right, I do still have feelings for you," she said. Gary took her hand and caressed the side of her face, "Anne, things are different now. We can't just jump back in where we left off." "And why not?" she asked. "Well for one, you're still married. And two, I want us to start out slow this time, to be friends, to learn each other's wants and fears, before we take the next step. I want to do it right this time," he said. Leighanne stared at him for a long time. "OK, this time we do it right," she said with a smile. Gary stood up to leave, a smile on his face, "Thank you Anne, you won't regret this." Leighanne followed him to the door, "So what do we do now?" "How bout dinner tomorrow, around eight?" Gary asked. Leighanne laughed, "You mean like a date?" "Yeah, is something wrong with that?" he asked. "No, not at all. See ya tomorrow," she said. Gary bent down and gently kissed her on the cheek, "Tomorrow." Leighanne watched him leave, then closed the door. She leaned against it and smiled, then made her way to bed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lyn still had tears in her eyes when Ted came through the door. "Uncle Ted," she said wiping her face, "This is Brian Littrell and Tara..um, I'm sorry I don't know your last name." Tara smiled, "It's Conway." Ted extended his hand, "Nice to meet you both." Brian shook his hand, "Thank you for what you've done for Nick." Ted smiled, "Well, that you have Lyn to thank for. She can be rather convincing when she want's to be." Nick squeezed Lyn's hand, "Uncle Ted, Nick just woke up a few minutes ago." Ted walked over to the side of the bed, "Hi Nick, do you remember what happened?" Nick nodded his head, then reached for Tara's hand. She took it and laughed, "Doctor, he want's to know when you're gonna take the ventilator off?" Ted looked at her, "You can hear what he's thinking?" Lyn nudged Ted, "It's a really long story, but yeah she can." Brian looked at Tara, "That's not what he said was it?" Tara laughed, "Well, that was the just of it. I left out a few choice words though." Ted was a little thrown off by Tara's ability, "Um, well. I think it would be best to leave it on for a few more days." Nick shook his head and stared at Ted. "He really wants it off," Tara said. Ted looked down at Nick, "I'm sorry, but you're still a little to sick. We'll see in the morning." Lyn could see the disappointment on Nick's face. Tara started laughing harder. "What'd he say?" Ted asked. Brian looked over at him, "I don't think we want to know." Lyn started laughing, and Nick looked at her, trying his best for an innocent look. "Well, I'll be back in the morning," Ted said heading for the door, "Lyn, do you need me to pick up anything for you?" Lyn walked to the door with Ted, "Yeah, can you get me some clothes?" "Sure hon, I'll run by your house in the morning and get some," he said. "Thanks," she said. Ted left and Lyn turned back around, Brian and Tara were staring at her. She walked back over to the side of the bed, "What?" "How did you know about Tara's um, abilities?" Brian asked. Lyn looked down at Nick, he was staring at her. "Well, Nick had a high fever for a few days, and he kinda talked in his sleep," Lyn said. "How much do you know?" Tara asked. Lyn locked eyes with her, "Enough." "What do you mean, enough?" Brian asked. "I know what she used to be, and I know that she still has some powers," Lyn answered. Nick squeezed Tara's hand, she looked down at him, "It's OK, you were sick." "I'm not gonna say anything, don't worry," Lyn said. "We know, it's just that, what if it wasn't you ya know. It could've been all over the media by now, and who knows what they would've done to her," Brian said. Lyn smiled, "Well, it was me, and there's nothing to worry about. The media doesn't even know Nick's here, or you guys for that matter." "And how did you manage that?" Brian asked, "We aren't the easiest people to hide." Lyn laughed, "Yeah, tell me about it. We admitted Nick under a false name, and the staff that has worked with him have all signed confidentiality agreements. If it leaks out, they all lose their jobs." Brian and Tara looked at each other, impressed. "Lyn, I know your Uncle is a doctor here, but how did you manage that?" Tara asked. Lyn smiled, "There are some things you guys probably need to know about me. I own the hospital, and most of the businesses around it. I also own the house Nick was renting." Lyn looked down at Nick, he was staring at her with wide eyes, as where Brian and Tara. "I know I didn't tell you, but there were more pressing issues at the time. When my parents died, I inherited a large trust fund. My internet company was doing very well at the time, so I invested the fund. My father was the owner of the hospital before he died, and it was part of my inheritance. I decided to buy the business's around the hospital and make it more convenient for the hospital employees. So I started a day care down the street, and put in several shops, like hair salons, and diners, so the employees wouldn't have to worry about getting things done, it's all right here close," she said. "Wow," Brian said. Tara laughed at him, "You said you own the house Nick was renting?" "Yes, it was my parents. Our houses are right next to each other, and a mirror image of each other. After they died, I couldn't just sell it, so I made a deal with a rental company in town. They could rent it out, but I had to approve all the occupants," Lyn said. "So you knew Nick was the one renting the house?" Brian asked. "Well, not at first. He rented it under his alias, but when I saw him the first night he was there, I knew it was him," she answered. "Nick, I'm not asking her that," Tara said. "What?" Lyn asked. "He wants to know exactly how much you own, like your net worth," Tara said scorning Nick with her eyes. Lyn laughed, "It's OK, I don't mind him asking," she looked down at Nick, "Take what you guys made last year on tour add your record sales for the year, then times it by four, and you'll be in the ball park." Brian walked over to the nearest chair and sat down. Lyn and Tara looked at him. "Bri, are you OK?" Tara asked. He looked up at her, "Yeah, I'm just in shock, that's alot of money." Tara suddenly burst out laughing, "I am not saying that!" Nick stared at her. "No, I refuse," Tara said still laughing. "What'd he say?" Lyn asked. Tara reached over and grabbed Lyn's hand, "OK, say that again," she told Nick. Lyn began laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. "OK, what am I missing?" Brian asked smiling. Lyn looked at him, "He want's to know if I'll adopt him." Brian rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Lord." Lyn looked back down at Nick and smiled, "We'll see." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leighanne walked through her door and stopped in surprise. The entire living room was filled with roses. She had just come from picking up Tyke and Litty from the boarders, and they were squirming in her arms, ready to get down and play. She set them down and closed the door. There was a large vase of roses on the coffee table, there was a card sticking out of them. Leighanne walked over and opened it: Dear Anne, Words cannot express how I feel about you. I hope these brighten your day, and I can't wait to see you tonight. Love, Gary Leighanne sat down on the couch, taking in the aroma of all the roses in the room. It was late afternoon, and she would need to be getting ready for their date soon. She had no idea where they were going, and therefore no idea how to dress. She had to laugh at the thought of dating again. It'd been a long time since she'd dated, she wasn't sure if she even remembered how. Why am I nervous? she thought. It wasn't like this was a stranger, it was Gary. She'd known him for years, so why was she so nervous? She almost felt like she was fifteen again. Those same butterflies were in her stomach, just like her first crush. It felt like it did when she and Brian met for the first time, instantly attracted to one another, and afraid to speak at the same time. Leighanne took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She got up and headed upstairs, the long issue of what to wear ahead of her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lyn sat watching Nick sleep. Brian and Tara were in the chair on the other side of the bed. They had stayed awake most of the night, getting to know each other, and talking to Nick. Now they were both asleep, cradled in each other's arms. Lyn looked at them and smiled, they truly did belong together. Nick had been sleeping most of the day. Ted had made his rounds early that morning, and after some pleading on Nick's part, with the help of Tara, he had taken Nick off the ventilator and put him on oxygen. Lyn was still a little worried about him though. Even though he seemed to be feeling better, his fever was still high. Ted had told her that with the infection that was to be expected for a few days, but she still wished it would break. Lyn felt eyes on her and looked up, Tara was looking at her. Lyn smiled as Tara gently eased out from under Brian's arm and sat down next to her. "Have you slept any?" Tara asked. Lyn shook her head, "I can't." Tara reached over and touched Lyn's arm, "He'll be OK, and Bri and I are here. Why don't you go home and get some rest?" "I can't. I promised him I wasn't going to leave, and I won't, until he gets to leave too," Lyn said. Tara smiled at her, "You two really do have a strong bond, I can feel it." Lyn smiled, "As do you and Brian. It's weird how things happen like that." "Like what?" Tara asked. "Like the right people being put together, even though it wasn't how they started out," Lyn said. "Yeah, I guess things have their way of working out," Tara said. "With a little help of course," Lyn said. Tara looked at her puzzled, "What kind of help?" Lyn looked at her, "Your kind, or ones like you used to be. You can't tell me that what we felt yesterday before Nick woke up wasn't one." "No, you're right. They seem to be working overtime with us lately, first with Brian, now with Nick," Tara admitted. Lyn just nodded her head. "Lyn, how do you feel them? I mean, I know why I do, but you're not like me," Tara asked. Lyn just shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, but I always have. Even when I was little, I knew when they were there. I've never seen them, or heard them speak to me, but I know when they're present." "I believe they do speak to you. You may not audibly hear them, but I think you know what they're saying. How else would you have been able to find Nick in the water, or to even know to watch him, or go after him?" Tara said. Lyn thought about it, "I guess you're right. Something was nagging at me that day, almost like a whisper in my mind." Tara smiled at her, "I think you and I are more alike than we know. You may not have the powers that I do sometimes, but you have the heart to hear, and that in itself is a great power." Lyn smiled, "I have a feeling we are gonna be great friends, I already feel like I've known you all my life." "So do I," Tara said. Lyn looked over at Nick and Brian, both still asleep, "Aren't they cute?" Tara laughed, "Yeah. Those two would walk through fire for each other." Lyn looked at her, "I get the feeling they already have." Chapter 61 |