"Bone, go easy on Nick ok? The reason for this meeting was my idea," Brian said.
"Ok, so what's all this about cuz?" Kevin asked.
"Well, it's about Annie," he said.
"Is she ok? What happened up in Indiana?" Howie asked.
Nick laughed. "No D, it's nothing like that. Frick, this is your idea, go for it," he said.
"Well, remember that meeting with management a few weeks ago? The one where they were thinking about hiring a nurse for us and the dancers?" Everyone nodded their heads. "Well, how would everyone feel about giving Annie the job?" Brian asked, looking at his friend's faces for any sort of reaction.
Kevin was the first to speak up. "I have no problem with it. She's a great nurse and a good person."
"True, and I would rather her take care of me than some stranger," AJ said.
"I'm all for it," Howie said. "She'd be nice to have on tour."
"So we all agree on this?" Brian said.
"Well, what about Nick?" AJ asked, a sly grin forming on his face.
"Of course I want her to go with us. I promised her aunt that I would make sure she's taking good care of herself," Nick broke off, before saying anything else.
"And?" Kevin asked, knowing he was wanting to say more.
"Well, I care about her. I don't know if I could stand it , leaving her here alone while we're gone for five to six months," Nick explained.
AJ was about to make some smart ass remark, but Brian cut him off. "Knock it off Bone, don't even get started."
Just then the phone rang. Nick got up to answer it. "Hello....oh hey. Nothing much, just sitting around with the guys.....sure, c'mon over....see ya in a few....b'bye." He hung up the phone and turned to the guys. "That was Annie. She's on her way over. Let's just hope she accepts the job."
A few minutes later, Annie came walking through the back patio door. "Hey guys," she said in a cheerful voice, before plopping down on the couch in between Nick and Brian.
"What's up Annie?" Howie asked.
"Not much. Just finally got done unpacking and sorty all my laundry. I was bored so I thought I'd give blondie over here a call," she said, elbowing Nick.
"Well damn, if that's the way you're gonna be," Nick pouted playfully, rubbing his side.
"Awww, poor Nicky," she said, ruffling his hair. Everyone just watched the two interact, knowing she would be perfect for the job, and Nick.
"Hey Annie. How's the job search coming along?" Brian asked.
She turned her attention away from Nick, leaning back on the couch and letting out a long sigh. "I looked through the paper today, and nothing sounds good. Maybe I'm just being lazy, but none of the jobs they offered appealed to me."
"Well, maybe we have something that might appeal to you," Brian said, with a grin on his face.
Annie just looked at him with a puzzled face. "Bri, what are you talking about?"
Nick turned on the couch so he was facing her. "Annie we have a job proposition for you. A few weeks ago, management suggested that we hire on a nurse to travel with us. Last tour, we had so many illnesses and injuries that it was hard to deal with. We thought you would be perfect for the job." Nick sat there and studied her face, trying to see what she was thinking. They all sat there shocked as they watched her jump off the couch and run out the patio door. A split second later, Nick went running after her. "Annie, wait up!" he yelled, trying to catch up to her.
"What Nick? What is this? Some sort of pity job? Oh, Annie's had such a rough life so let's give her a job. Sorry pal, but I don't work that way," Annie said, anger filling her body.
"Annie, no, that's not what this is about. We all feel that we'd rather have someone we know on tour with us, rather than some stranger. And I promised your aunt that I'd make sure you're doing ok, after everything that's happened," Nick explained. The look on her face told him that that was not the right thing to say at that point in time.
"Nick, I don't need a fucking babysitter. I'm a grown woman and I can take care of myself," she spat back at him, turning her back to him.
"Annie, for your information, giving you the job was Brian's idea, not mine," Nick said, trying to reason with her.
"So? Is that supposed to make me feel any better?"
"Annie, I'm gonna be honest with you. Yes, I want you to join us on tour so I can make sure you're alright. You wanna know why? Because I care about you. For the first time in my life, I'm dreading going on tour, cause I don't wanna leave you behind. I can't imagine my life without you in it. The other guys all agreed with me and Brian to offer you the job. They care about you too," he said, gently turning her around to face him.
She looked up at him, seeing the tears in her eyes that were threatening to fall. "I don't want you to go either Nick."
"Then come with us," he said simply.
"It's not that simple Nick. I don't want this job handed to me just because you guys care about me," she said.
"Don't worry about that. This job isn't being handed to you, it's being offered to you because we trust you. You still have to interview with management. You won't get any special treatment just because you know us. First and foremost, it's a job, just like any other one," Nick replied.
"Nick, I don't know," she trailed off.
"Please, Annie?" he asked, giving her his most powerful, pathetic puppy dog eyes.
A grin appeared on her face. "Dammit Nick, I can't resist that face. I'll do it."
He picked her up, swinging her around in a big hug. "Thank you so much Annie," he said, putting her down and draping an arm around her shoulders, leading her back up to his house.
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