�In the kitchen!� Nickolas threw his stuff on the sofa and walked to the kitchen. He found Sunshine standing at the stove and walked over to her. He put his arms around her and kissed her neck. �Hey.�
�Hey. What are you doing?�
�Making supper.�
�You should be resting.�
�I�m fine.� He kissed her neck again.
�What is it?�
�Lasagna.� He continued kissing her neck. �Nick.�
�What?�
�Let me finish so I can get it in the oven.�
�How long does that take then?�
�Up to an hour.�
�That�s long enough for what I have in mind.� He turned her face to him and kissed her passionately for the next minute. �What do you say?�
�Very tempting, but I�m pregnant.�
�Doc said it�s perfectly fine until your fifth month.� She looked at him. �Finish here and I�ll be waiting in the bedroom.� He kissed her again and Sunshine watched him leave the kitchen and she shook her head.
�Oh, Nicky.� She turned back to the stove to finish the lasagna. She got it all in the pan and put it in the oven. She cleaned up her mess and picked up the pot that still had hot water in it. She went to dump the water in the sink and the pot slipped out of her hands. �Aah!� She quickly backed away, but not quick enough as the hot water got her feet.
�Sunnie!� Nickolas came running into the kitchen as the pot hit the floor.
�Ow! Ow! Ow!� She sat at the table and started kicking her feet as Nickolas knelt in front of her. �It hurts. It burns.�
�Stop kicking.� He tried to grab her feet but se kept kicking them. �Sunnie, stop kicking.�
�It hurts.�
�Of course it does, but calm down. It won�t make it any better.� She looked at him and stopped kicking as there was a knock. �Don�t move.�
�I don�t plan on it.� Nickolas grinned and left the kitchen. Sunshine sat there a minute by herself and then rejoined by Nickolas with Leslie and accompanied by Dr. Christian Martz.
�Hey, Sunn,� Leslie said.
�Hey,� Sunshine said.
�What happened here?�
�I dropped a pot of hot water and it got me.�
�Let me see,� Christian said kneeling in front of her and looking at her feet. �I don�t think it�ll do too much damage to your feet�Mrs. Carter; just a couple blisters then it�ll heal.� He looked at her and smiled.
�If ya look at my wife like that again, pal,� Nickolas began, �I�ll rearrange your face.�
�Nick,� Sunshine and Leslie said in unison.
�What?�
�Christian, meet my brother; Nick,� Leslie said. �Nick, this is Dr. Christian Martz.�
�Hello,� Christian said.
�Yeah,� Nickolas said. �I�m going to go get the first aid kit.� He left the kitchen again.
�The mop still in the closet?� Leslie asked.
�Yeah,� Sunshine replied. �But Nick can get it.�
�I don�t mind,� Leslie said getting the mop. �Have a seat, Chris.�
�Actually could you point me to the restroom,� Christian said.
�Down the hall on the right,� Leslie said as Nickolas walked in.
�Thank you,� Christian said walking out.
�Where�d you meet him?� Sunshine asked.
�Winn Dixie,� Leslie replied putting the pot on the counter.
�When?� Nickolas questioned.
�About a month ago,� Leslie answered. �I already told you.�
�I don�t remember,� Nickolas said. �Sorry.�
�It�s understandable,� Leslie assured him. �Sunn doesn�t like him.�
�Is it obvious?� Sunshine asked.
�Why not? He�s nice.�
�I don�t want to get into it and stop tickling my foot, Carter.� Nickolas looked at her and smiled. �You�re so cute.� She gushed then kissed him.
�What are you doing here anyway, Les?� Nickolas wanted to know.
�Dinner,� Leslie replied. �Sunn invited me.�
�I thought that since she�s home she�d want to spend some time with the brother she never sees,� Sunshine stated.
�And you didn�t tell me,� Nickolas said.
�You didn�t give me a chance,� Sunshine pointed out then mockingly said, �Finish here and I�ll be waiting in the bedroom.� She grinned.
�Chris and I can go and then come back later,� Leslie suggested and smiled. �We won�t mind.�
�Good,� Nickolas said.
�No,� Sunshine replied. �It can wait.�
�What? I don�t think so.�
�Yeah.�
�Nuh-uh.�
�I ain�t even in the mood anyway.�
�Well I am.�
�I don�t care.�
�Well ya should considering its part of your duty as my wife.�
�I ain�t having this conversation with you in front of your sister.�
�Sunnie��
�No, Nickolas, it�s over. It�s done.�
�We�ll finish it later.�
�Whatever.� Nickolas shook his head. �Thanks, Les.�
�No problem,� Leslie said. �How do you know Christian?�
�He delivered Caroline and Tyler,� Sunshine replied. �And we were all there.�
�That�s him?� Nickolas questioned and Sunshine nodded. �He��
�Don�t, Babes,� Sunshine said. �Not now.�
�That�s a big bathroom,� Christian said rejoining them.
�Not really,� Nickolas said. �That�s average.�
�We�ve all seen bigger,� Leslie stated.
�All done, Sweets,� Nickolas said kissing her.
�Thanks, Baby,� Sunshine said.
�Anything for you,� Nickolas replied as he put the first aid kit on the counter.
�Would you like a drink, Chris?� Leslie asked. �These people have no host manners.�
�That�s because when people visit they help themselves,� Sunshine stated as the phone rang.
�I�ll get that,� Nickolas said picking up the phone.
�Would you like anything, Doc?� Leslie asked.
�Sure,� Christian said.
�There�s a bottle of white wine on the bottom shelf, Les,� Sunshine said. �It�s been there since the others lived here.�
�That�s long,� Leslie said.
�It�s Brad,� Nickolas said handing Sunshine the phone.
�Oh,� Sunshine said. �He�s supposed to be working.�
�He sounds upset,� Nickolas stated and Sunshine looked at him.
�Excuse me,� Sunshine said getting up and slowly leaving the kitchen.
�Nick, get this,� Leslie said handing him the wine bottle.
�It�s going to go flying so duck,� Nickolas said.
�I have the same problem,� Christian said.
�Yeah I bet,� Nickolas said sarcastically and the cork went flying; hitting a decorative plate on the wall. �Oh shit!� The plate fell to the floor and broke into pieces. �Damn it! Sunnie�s going to be pissed.� He gave the bottle to Leslie and walked over to the broken plate.
�What�s going on in my kitchen?� Sunshine questioned.
�That was quick,� Nickolas said.
�Yeah, what�s going on?�
�Um�� She walked over to him. �It was an accident.�
�Nicky.� She looked at the broken plate then at him.
�I�m sorry.�
�Thank you.�
�Huh?�
�Thank you.�
�Wh-Why?�
�You broke it.�
�I know.�
�For me.�
�Excuse me?�
�I never liked it.�
�I thought you did.�
�My gram has bad taste in fine China. I didn�t have the heart to tell her I hated it. I kept it there for her.�
�Oh.�
�Thank you.�
�You�re welcome�I think.�
�I�ll just tell her it was stolen.�
�Ok.�
�Now clean up your mess.� Leslie laughed as Sunshine walked over to the stove. �Ya got 40 minutes.�
�Yes, mother.�
�He�s so childish,� Leslie stated.
�That�s what I love about him,� Sunshine replied.
�And so many other things,� Nickolas added.
�Get to work or no desert,� Sunshine warned and Nickolas shook his head.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
�So we�re all here except for Sunn and Nick, huh?� Kevin said as they all sat at Red Lobster for dinner that night.
�Yeah,� Danielle said. �She had made plans with Leslie and her new boyfriend before we decided to come out to eat. Leslie really wants to see Nick.�
�Oh,� Kevin said.
�We can all do it some other time,� Alexander stated. �At least eight of us are here. Eight�s better than seven.� They all nodded.
�But when will we do it again?� Destiny asked. �If Sunn and Nick decide not to have the baby she�ll get admitted Saturday, get the procedure done Monday, and be laid up for who knows how long. Not only that though, she�ll probably not want to go out for awhile, because everyone is having babies these days.�
�I know what ya mean, because ten girls at work are pregnant and six of them just went on maternity leave,� Venus stated. �I make eleven.�
�Wow!� Alexander said. �Must have been a cold winter.� They laughed.
�I wish it was possible to just make Sunn and Nick�s problem disappear,� Josephine said. �They already went through so much, but more just gets thrown on top of it all.�
�Unfortunately for them,� Brian said. �I just pray to God that he helps them through this. If neither of them pray I think they better start.�
�I pray every night for them,� Destiny stated. �I also thank God that Alex and I aren�t in this situation.�
�Same here,� Venus said. �I wouldn�t know what to do.�
�None of us do, Love,� Kevin replied. �It�s a hell of a situation to be in when you want to have a family like Sunshine and Nickolas do. There�s really no good choice in the matter.�
No one said anything and their food was set on the table. They all started eating and stayed silent. No one knew what to say as they all thought about what was going to happen tomorrow with Sunshine and Nickolas. They all had their own thoughts on what they wanted to happen, but no one shared them with anyone. They just continued eating until they heard a baby start to cry. They all looked around and then at each other, as the baby continued crying. The crying started to get faint and they went back to their eating.
�Maybe it was a good idea for Sunn and Nick not to come tonight,� Josephine said halfway through dinner.
�Why is it?� Alexander asked.
�Because Sunn hates seafood,� Josephine replied and they all laughed.
CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 20
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