"Hello? Anybody in here?"

She looked up and smiled at Rho. "Have you ever heard of a door?"

"Have you? I've been knocking for 5 minutes!"

"Sorry." Kathy apologized. "I've been trying to get this written up so I can go home. It's been a long day."

She resumed her writing as her friend settled on the couch across the room. "So no Backstreet friends sightings?" Rho sighed, as she flipped through a magazine.

"No...oh shit!" Kathy stood up quickly and grabbed Rhos hand. "Come on! They were visiting him about half an hour ago. They might still be there!"

Rho yanked open the door and started walking quickly to Nicks room.

"I'm sorry Rho, I forgot that they were here!"

"You forgot?" Rho stopped suddenly and spun around to face her friend. "How could you forget?"

Kathy looked at her, flustered. "Well, I've been busy and working. You know this is my workplace?"

Rho laughed. "I'm just teasing! Let's go!" She turned around quicky and banged right into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry, please excuse me!" She tried to move past the man and quickly got frustrated when she heard Kathy laughing at her. "Please let me by, so at the very least I can kill my good friend over there."

She didn't see Kathy gesturing at the man to hold her and not let her by. "Rho, how about you try looking at the person who has a hold of you?" Kathy was doing all she could not to laugh hysterically at her friend.

Rho raised her eyes and stared into a pair of gorgeous brown eyes. "Oh my God!" Rho blushed furiously and felt her knees go weak.

"Who is this lovely lady?" Howie looked over to Kathy and winked.

After a delicious dinner at a nearby restaurant, Howie, Kevin, AJ and Brian escorted Rho and Kathy to a beachfront caf� for drinks.

"So how is he really doing?" Kevin asked.

Kathy sighed and stared into her glass. "I think he is having a really rough time of it. And his parents aren't helping."

"Bob too?" AJ looked surprised. "Usually it's just the barracuda that gives him a rough time."

"The barracuda?" Rho looked at the 4 men with a confused look on her face.

"His mother." Howie answered.

"She still thinks Nick is her little boy that she can smother." Brian filled in. "And now she has Aaron, so we thought she had given Nick a breather."

"Oh, she sounds horrible!" Rho shivered comically.

"Actually, Bob was quite supportive." Kathy piped up. "Did Nick tell you what he asked me?"

The group shook their heads.

"He wants her to go home with him!" Rho blurted out.

"Whoa! Yay Nicky putting the moves on his foxy nurse!" AJ teased.

Kathy blushed. "No! Not like that! He needs a nurse to assist him until he gets familiar with his sightlessness. Until he can get around on his own."

"And Nick asked you and big momma put up a fuss, am I right?" Kevin raised an eyebrow at her.

"You got it." Kathy pushed her glass to the center of the table. "She wanted him to go back home with them, his parents, I mean. And that would be so wrong for him."

Brian sipped his drink and stared at her. "So are you going?"

"That's the question of the day. Bob wants to know by the end of the week, Nick wants to know..."

"I want to know!" Rho teased.

"I know it is a huge decision, Kathy. But I think it would be the best thing for Nick. Really." Brian finished his drink and stood to put on his jacket. "He can't stop talking about all the things you do for him and the talks you have with him. He needs someone who understands and will support him, not hinder him." He sat again and leaned closer to her. "From what I have seen, you would be perfect for the job."

Rho and Kathy bid the group goodnight at the hospital parking lot and returned to Kathys apartment. As soon as they were inside the comfortable living room, Rho fell on the couch and sighed. "He is so perfect! So wonderful!"

Kathy laughed and curled up on the overstuffed chair near the fireplace. "So what were you two talking about just before we left? You looked pretty cozy in the parking lot."

Rho sighed again. "He asked me out to dinner tomorrow night!"

"Wow! That was pretty fast!" Kathy commented wryly.

"Oh, come on. He doesn't know anyone here except for people they are working with. I'm probably a nice diversion!" Rho smiled to herself at the thought.

"Well, I hope you get along with him. He won't know what hit him!" Kathy giggled.

"Now that's a mean thing to say about your best friend!" Rho reached over and punched her in the arm. "Well, hopefully we will get along. I mean when you go with Nick, I'll have to visit you and he'll visit him..." her voice trailed off.

"Rho." Kathy said, seriously. "I don't know if I'm gonna go with him."

"Kathy, you would be an idiot if you didn't go with him." Rho sat up on the couch and turned to face her friend. "It's the chance of a lifetime."

"I know." Kathy nodded her head. "But I don't know, you know?"

Rho laughed. "Believe it or not, I know. What is bugging you about this, really?"

Kathy chewed on her lower lip. "Well, I, oh this is stupid!" Rho waited silently for her friend to work out what she wanted to say. "Okay." Kathy placed her hands on her knees and stood up. "When I talked to his parents today I was almost ready to tell them that I would do it. Then, I went to take Nick outside." Kathy started to pace the room. "God, Rho! He's so gorgeous, and nice. I don't want to do anything unethical." Kathy sat suddenly again. "I'm afraid I'm falling for him and I don't want it to affect my work!"