Ginger opened her eyes and there were a few figures around her. Her vision was still blurry and she couldn�t see who was there for a while. Then things cleared out and three figures appeared. Kris, Zac, and Roni. As she glanced around, she saw Taylor and Isaac leaning against the wall, waiting. She sat up, confused.
�What happened?�
�You passed out,� Zac said. He had his finger near his mouth, biting on his nail. He had his dress shirt unbuttoned and his tie hanging around his neck. His jacket was on the chair. �Dr. Whyte took a scan and your tumor pinched a nerve in your brain. That�s why you passed out.�
�Oh, that damn thing.�
�We were really worried about you, Ginger,� Roni said. �Zac had to explain that you have cancer. How come you never told anyone?� She sighed and looked to Zac, then to Kris. They both looked stressed out. Considering they were still wearing what they wore at the wedding, she figured it was the same day.
�I didn�t want anybody to worry about me. It�s a personal problem and if I let so many people on it sooner or later someone is going to pity me and I don�t want that.�
�What is with you and pity?� Zac asked. �Is it so bad that everyone you meet can�t or you�ll just go haywire?� Ginger looked at him, blankly.
�Zac you know about me and pity.� He sighed then looked at the rest of the people in the room. The look in his eyes was enough to tell them to leave. They shuffled out the door, and he watched until the door was closed. He closed his eyes then ran his hand over his face.
�Ginger you scared the shit out of me today,� he said, his voice cracking. �We were having a good time, then you fell on the floor. Body limp, eyes rolled back, not breathing. I could have sworn you were dead. When they got you here you were flat-line. You were nothing.� He grabbed her hand and kissed it. �I love you so much and I just now have you. Please don�t do that to me. Please don�t scare me.� She looked at him and he was trying hard not to cry.
�Baby, you always had me." He looked away. "Come here,� she said, taking him in my arms. He held onto her tightly, biting his lip. �I'm sorry. I�m okay now baby, you�re just going to make me cry.�
�Then cry cause I�m not about to stop.� She hated to see him like that but he couldn�t help it. She knew she scared him; she scared herself to the point where she was shaking as she held him. She didn�t have any pain but she had a feeling that sooner or later she would. She hated hospitals because every time she was in there something else happens or they find something else in her that needs to be fixed. She didn�t want to be connected to Zac so much then; because he just then was showing her how much he cared and didn�t even begin to symbolize what would happen if she actually died. She took a deep breath and sighed.
Zac never really calmed down, but when he was at a tolerable state, he looked up at her. �You are so beautiful,� he said. �Can you believe we�re married?� She tried to smile, but didn�t get very far.
�Yes. You told me we were going to get married, and we are now. I have confidence in your beliefs, Zac. I knew it would happen, I just can�t believe that I actually am in a hospital on my wedding night.�
�Well the night�s just begun. I think they�re going to let us go home.� She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. �But the only reason to go home is just to go to the store anyway�and I don�t think we�re really up to it now.� She smiled. He still called it going to the store.
�What makes you think we�re not up to it?� she asked. �If we get out of here, then tonight will be the best night of your life.�
�Well yours too.�
�Kristina cannot believe that we have been together so long and we haven�t had sex yet.� Zac smiled, slyly.
�Well I wasn�t talking about sex,� he joked. "We really need to go to the store." She shook her head, laughing. �What does she have to say, she�s still a virgin.� She bit her lip and looked away. �Ginger, she�s still a virgin right?�
�She kind of slept with��
�Kristina get your butt in here right now,� Zac said, after suddenly opening the door. She looked rather shocked but got up and came in anyway. After letting her walk in and making sure the door was closed, he flipped around. �You slept with my brother!�
�Ginger!� Kris said, turning to her. Ginger shrugged and stuck an innocent look on her face. Slowly, she faced Zac again. He crossed his arms. �Well, yeah.�
�What the hell? First I tell you not to talk to him, you do that, then you go out with him, and now you�re sleeping with him? What the hell did you do to him? My God that boy is so conservative. He may have had twenty million girlfriends but he sure as hell did not sleep with any of them!!� Kris smiled, glancing out the window at Taylor. �No! Don�t look at him,� he said, and stepped in front of the window.
�That�s sweet!� she said, sitting down next to Ginger. �As much as you may not enjoy it Zac, I�m going out with your brother. I don�t know if I love him or not, I don�t know if I want to stay with him or not. I admit it now that I�m indecisive and I can never break up with someone; I always wait for them to break up with me. With Taylor he doesn�t find a reason why so we�ve been together for a while. The dating scene is something new to me and I don�t have much experience but I do know that it takes me through hell and back to make a decision whether or not to love someone.�
�Um, all right then. I�m done bickering at you, go away,� Zac said. Kris shrugged and left. Ginger waited until she was gone before talking.
�We could learn a lot from her,� she said. �As much as you don�t want to, we most definitely could. She�s spontaneous and we�re all planned out. Why don�t for once we do something that no one else expects us to do?�
�Because we�re boring.� She gave him a look. �I don�t know.� There was a knock at the door that made Zac almost jump out of his skin. He opened the door and there stood Dr. Whyte. He was a stocky middle-aged man, white thinning hair and goofy glasses. But he had a way about him that Ginger couldn�t help but love.
�Considering it�s your wedding night, we�re letting you go home. But I want you back here tomorrow at three in the afternoon, in my office. I�ll explain what will be going on then. Now you are free to go, but I suggest you don�t put your wedding dress back on unless you want to look like a fool,� he said. Ginger smiled and rolled her eyes. �We have clean clothes in the stock room if you don�t have anything else.�
�Clean clothes in the stock room?� she asked.
�Well, from people who�ve died and didn�t get their clothes torn up, we keep them here.� She shrugged. �They�re clean, I swear. No bad luck or anything, all right?�
�Fine.�
Ten minutes later Ginger was in the hall with plain clothes on. It was kind of hard to walk; Dr. Whyte said her balance was still a little off. After walking through the hospital and to the car, she was all right. Instead of having the cynical limo driver pick them up to go to the airport, Kristina drove them home.
After getting home, Zac carried Ginger over the threshold and didn�t set her down until we were in the bedroom. She hadn't seen the new house before, well since it had been remodeled, so she tried to sink in what she saw on the way there. �Are you all right?� he asked, proceeding to lie down next to her. She smiled and kissed him. As much as all of us talked about sex, they never found it in them to discuss that particular night. A first time of something so beautiful, something so right with the one person she loved more than anything. She didn�t want to speak about it; she just wanted to keep it locked in her heart forever.
The next morning, Ginger woke up and looked around. She finally got to explore the newly remodeled house. After getting ready for the day, she headed to the hall. A door was on either side and there was one right across. The door on the left was the master bath, and on the right was a study. Ginger walked straight across the hall and to the stairs. Down ten steps was the second floor. There was a hall and four doors that were along the way. The first door on the left was a bedroom, as she soon found out that three of those doors were. The forth was a bathroom.
Still sinking in the way around the house, she headed down twenty steps to a foyer. On the left was the living room, and on the right was the dining room. A small hallway was between the dining and foyer, leading to the family room. From the family room, there were two sets of French doors leading out to a deck and a pool. To the right another study was tucked away, and to the left was the bathroom and kitchen.
Zac was in the kitchen, cooking himself breakfast. It amazed the living hell out of her to see a man making his own meal, considering her father never did anything but sit at the table and wait. She didn�t have a brother until recently, and she never saw him do anything like that. Zac noticed her presence and smiled. �Good morning sleepy head,� he told her. �You look like you�ve seen a ghost. What�s up?� She smiled and continued to watch before collecting her words to answer.
�I�ve never seen a man cook before.� He gave her a strange look. �Well I haven�t. I�ve never seen my father do anything but sit at the table and wait while either me, Kris, or my mother did it for him. I�ve seen him make a bowl of cereal and sandwiches and stuff like that but he�s never touched a the oven or the stove.�
�You live in the fifties, Ginger,� Zac said. �I�m surprised you don�t have your hair in a ponytail wearing a long poofy skirt and a sweater. You don�t have a little brother who wears a boy scout uniform all the time, do you?�
�Uh, no.� She took a seat at the counter and continued to watch. He shook his head.
�Do you want anything?�
�I�ll just take something off your plate. I�m not hungry.� Zac glanced over at her then continued. �What?� she asked. He just shook his head and waved it off. �No, you gave me a look and I want to know why.�
Zac took the skillet off the burner and turned off the stove. He collected his thoughts then turned to her. �I�m just worried about you, that�s all. You�re never hungry anymore and you��
�Do you think that I�m becoming anorexic again? Is that what this is all about?�
�No, I don�t think you�re becoming anorexic, I'm just worried about you.� She gave him a look. �And if you want to fake the surprise then go right ahead. I�m worried about all this. It�s bad enough just to not eat but to not eat and have your radiation treatments? It�s a bad combination. You puke all the time because of that stuff and what the hell is coming up? It�s like your throwing out your organs cause there�s nothing else in there. You wonder why you�re so thin.�
�Zac it�s not what you think. I'm not hungry. I'm not like that anymore. I know I can't do it because of the radiation. It's not like I haven't tried that before.�
�So you admit there�s a problem?� Zac asked. She thought back to what she said and put her hand over her mouth. �See, you slipped. That�s why I never tell you anything.� He turned around and put the contents of the skillet onto a plate.
�Shut up.� Then it sunk it what he said. Lately she hadn�t been able to take things in quickly. �Hey!� Zac shook his head. �You tell me things.�
�Yeah, but I don�t tell you the things that I don�t want anyone else to hear. That�s another reason why we don�t do anything spontaneous, you�ll tell everyone.�
�I so do not tell everyone,� she whined. Zac laughed and walked over and put his arms around her. �Tell me one thing you�ve never said before.�
�I love you,� he whispered.
�You�ve said that before,� she whispered back. A ring played through the intercoms on the walls of each room. It scared the living hell out of her, considering it was so loud and the room was so quiet. She looked back at Zac. �I�m guessing that�s the doorbell?�
�Must be one of our lovely friends coming to check up on us. I hope they don�t make a habit of this.�
�Come on Zac, you know these people. They�ll make a habit out of anything.� She watched him walk over to the door and roll his eyes before opening it. Roni and Kris came inside. �Hello!� Ginger said, getting up and walking over.
�Hey,� Roni said. �This is a check up, we were just wondering how you were doing.� Kris waved, for no reason.
�Is this going to be on a regular basis?� she asked. Roni nodded. �Dude! Wouldn�t you have to travel a lot, Roni?�
�Not really, we bought a house down the street yesterday,� Kris said. �The four of us in one house. I swear we�re going to be hell for you two.� Zac let his head fall in his hand, then fall on Ginger's shoulder.
�Is it too late for that honeymoon, Ginger?� Zac asked. She pushed him off and shook her head.
�You know there�s stuff to do and problems to be cured. We�ll go later.� He took a seat on the stairs. �So all four of you in one house. That would most definitely be a sight to see. Let me guess, you made the two guys do everything so you can come over here and bug us?�
�Yup!� Roni said, and started over to the kitchen. �I�m hungry.� Ginger rolled her eyes and followed her in. �My God girl, you have got a ton of food.�
�I haven�t checked yet, hun. Zac�s been living here since September, I just saw the house for the first time last night.� Roni smiled and looked at her.
�But I�m sure you didn�t get to see much.� She blushed and turned away. �I know you didn�t get to see much. Somebody got laid��
�Veronica, please!� Ginger snapped. She stood up straight and let her hand reach her mouth. �I don�t appreciate to talk about this with you in such a manner like I do it every damn day.�
�Sorry,� she said. �I didn�t know you were so touchy about it.� Ginger huffed and grabbed the tea from the fridge. �Last night was your first time, wasn�t it?�
�Is it really that obvious?� she sarcastically remarked.
�To tell you the truth, yes. You�re just glowing with happiness, Ginger. I can finally understand why you married him.� Ginger glanced at her. �Yeah, I didn�t know before. I meet up with you for the first time when you�re engaged and I hardly ever saw you two together. For some reason there was this thought in my mind that said you were with him because of his name and not him.�
�You actually think I would stoop that low?� she asked. �Roni, I would never in my life even think about marrying someone because it would give me a name or because of his name. I don�t even think he�s Zac Hanson superstar. To me he�s my husband and I love him more than I love myself.�
�How could you do that, though?� Roni asked. �I�ve never been with a guy and just love him more than anything and so forth. That�s why Isaac and I broke up.�
�You broke up?� Ginger said, louder than she should. Roni put her finger to her lips and looked frantically at Zac.
�Zac doesn�t know yet. As far as he�s concerned we�re still together. He thinks Ike and I are going to be together forever, the same as Kris and Taylor. I don�t know why, but that�s what he thinks. He�s so in for it cause it isn't the real thing.�
�Roni you really shouldn�t of told me if Zac doesn�t know!� Ginger said, upset. �I am horrible at keeping things from people and that goes double for Zac. I tell him everything.�
Roni walked up to her and pleaded with her. �Please don�t say anything, it�ll crush him. He knows how much Isaac loves me and I just do not love him like that. I need my space and my dreams. I�m a drifter; I can�t stay with someone for very long. I�m lucky to have him as such a good friend or I�d be back in Tampa right now. Just please, don�t tell Zac.�
�All right, I won�t.� Roni sighed and gave her a grateful look. �I swear with everything that you say with Zac it�s like he�s a different person to you people. He just gives off this vibe to you that he cares too much or something. He cares a lot but not to the point where you�re going.�
�That�s how he is, Ginger. You don�t know it but he�s a different person when he�s around you. He�s happy and content and talkative. I don�t realize how much he needs you until I see him when you�re not together. I�ve known him for a long time, and I see him sitting there in the corner of the room. When you�re not together he�s all sulky and upset.�
Ginger glanced over at Zac still in the foyer with Kris. He had a sweet smile on his face; he was just glowing with happiness. She couldn�t imagine him being depressed. All the time she�d known him he was so happy and energetic. To think of him upset was weird; it brought tears to her eyes. Maybe that was why he acted so quickly to her depression, and how he didn�t pity her so much. It all came together now.
�Ginger, what�s with the look?� Roni asked. Ginger turned back to Roni, confused. �You just let out this look of happiness, it�s like you�re glad he�s like this.�
�To tell you the truth, I am.� Roni gave her a disgusted look. �It�s not like I wanted him to go through anything, that�s the last thing I�d want but it just I don�t feel so alone anymore. For years I poured out my heart to him and told him everything that�s wrong with me and he never said a word. He seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it. I always wondered why, and now I finally understand that he went through the same thing and he knows where I�m coming from instead of thinking I�m crazy.�
�Okay, I�m guessing you�re not exactly the brightest student in the class?� Roni asked. Ginger shook her head. They were such good friends but she knew nothing about Ginger. �Since when, you�re always so happy?�
�Roni I am not a happy person. I�m surprised you see me that way. Ask Kris, I�ve had a lifetime of problems. I�ve had my normal and my crazy moments and I�ve been depressed. Ever since my parents died and I got separated from my brother I was a total mess.�
�Your parents died?� Roni asked. �Meaning you�re adopted?� Ginger let her head fall on her hand and sighed. �Since when?�
�Dear God Roni do you know anything about me!?� She shook her head. �Why did you think me and Kristina have different last names?� She shrugged. �When I was five my parents died in a car accident. My brother and I got separated and Jane and Matthew adopted me. I met up with Alex for the first time only about eight months ago.�
All of a sudden Kris ran in the kitchen, chased by Zac. They ran around the counter in the middle of the room a few times then back out into the living room. Roni gave Ginger a puzzled stare. �They tend to do that a lot,� she explained. �They fight just a brother and sister would.�
�Why?�
�I have no idea, let�s go see if he�s killing her by now,� she said and walked out of the kitchen and to the living room. Zac and Kris were having their weekly tickle fight. It was more and more often that they did this now, and somehow they always seemed to find a way to get Ginger involved. She pulled Zac off the ground, just because he was losing and he never loses.
�That�s enough, you two. Sometimes I feel like your mother and I really don�t want to because Kris is older than me.� Zac wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto the couch. Kristina caught her breath and sat upright from the floor. She redid her ponytail with a smile on her face.
�I was winning for the first time, Ginger, why the hell did you have to pull him away?� Kris whined, and then got off the floor.
�Because my Zakky never loses,� Ginger said, and then gave Zac a kiss. �It�s the rules.�
�Well I sure don�t feel loved,� Kris said. �Come Roni, we shall run back to the house and see if the guys are done yet.�
�They started a half an hour ago,� Roni said. Kris fell into a chair.
�Then we haven�t been here long enough. I know the minute I walk into that house they�ll have me assembling things that are too complicated for my half-brain. You all know that.� Ginger nodded, Roni shook her head and Zac laughed.
�Who has the other half, Kris?� Zac asked.
�Ginger.�
"Yeah, it's crammed in there with mine. Maybe yours is the part that's infected with the cancer!" She lightly kicked her. "Thanks, stupid."
"Shut up. Listen, I'll take it back if you want me to." They laughed. Ginger looked to Kris and to Roni. Roni looked close to a nervous breakdown, worrying about whether or not Ginger would tell Zac about her and her now ex-boyfriend. They were so cute together; Ginger personally doesn�t think they should have ever broken up. She was quite sure everyone else knew what went on, but she was left out just because she happened to get married to Zac.
Ginger's thoughts drifted to the day before at the reception. She remembered seeing Isaac and Roni dancing, so happy together. If they weren�t dating, then they were the best friends a person could have. The two energies fit together like nothing Ginger had seen before. Roni was 21, while Ike was 23, but the age difference didn�t matter anymore. Probably three years ago when they met it mattered, but now they were like old friends who met when they were born in the same hospital or something. They were inseparable, and Roni says they weren�t meant for each other. That's such crap, Ginger thought.