Cari went inside her chateux in Paris, with a heavy heart. She had been crying since she boarded her plane. Her eyes were now red and puffy, her body aching and tired.
"Madamoiselle Sanders! What a pleasant surprise!" Charlotte said, letting Cari in. "Will I tell Andre to cook dinner for you?"
"No thanks Char, I'm tired. I'm going to bed. If anybody calls, tell them that I'm not here, okay?"
Charlotte nodded her head. "Madamoiselle Donahue called an hour ago. I told her you weren't here, should I call her back?"
"No. When she calls again tell her the same thing you told her. Anyone who calls, tell them that I'm not here." she ordered as she went upstairs to her room.
When she reached her bed she collapsed, strting to cry again. "Nick, are you thinking of me now? I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry." she thought brokenly. "Damn you Daddy! If you didn't hit mama or me this wouldn't have happened!" she screamed, tears flowing on her face. "My Nicky, my Nicky, I'm so sorry," Cari fell asleep, fatigue finally overcoming her.
At Nick's...
"That bitch! Why did he have to include my brother?" BJ raged after hearing Brooke explain what happened, and why she does it.
"BJ!" Nick warned.
"She is, why can't you see that? She already hurt you, still you slave after her!" she said frustrated at her brother.
Nick shook his head, Brian patted his shoulder. "I never thought Cari would do this, such a heartless way," Leighanne said.
She never wanted the "Mandy Episode" to happen itself, but here it was again, Nick suffering. She had seen Nick look for that
perfect girl and all of them agreed that Cari was the one he was looking for, but with what happened that day, looks like
they were wrong.
"It totally not like her," Amanda contributed. The other guests who were supposed to come had already departed, Jane went
inside the room with a defeated look on her face. She sat down beside Nick, Nick placed his head on the crook of Jane's neck,
tears began racing through his face.
"Nick, you live, you learn." she whispered in Nick's ear, trying to soothe his newly broken hearted son.
"But why did she have to leave me? It's not fair mom, it's not fair!" he placed his head on his hands. Jane rubbed Nick's
back. She looked at the guys helplessly.
Brooke went into the room, adding to the sea of already defeated faces. Brian looked at her expectantly. Brooke shook her
head. "I just called her in her house in Paris, she's not in there or Mexico either. I'm sorry Nick," she stated.
"Where could she be Rok?" Nick said desperately.
"I don't know, Nick, I don't know." Brian said, almost feeling the same pain Nick was going through.
Nick shifted from the "sad" to the "anger" phase. He stood up, anger and pain etched in his handsome face. "Who does she
thinks she is? Just leaving me withour saying goodbye? She didn't even have the guts to face me, damnit!"
"She had reasons Nick, unvalid they may be, they're her only reasons." Brooke interrupting his tirade.
"Stay of out this Brooke, you always help her when she does this, funny you didn't do it to me," he mocked.
Brooke flinched, Jane looked at her apologetically.
The session went on for another hour until the party broke up. Only Brian and BJ stayed with Nick. BJ hugged her brother
tightly, who promptly cried at he shoulder. It was a pitiful scene. "It's okay Nick, it's okay. I'm quitting LIMPA tomorrow,
Cari isn't being fair about this. It's her loss, she didn't know what she let go," she wiped the tears in her brother's eyes.
"Thanks Beej, so much. But I don't think you should let go of your job in LIMPA, it's your dream, don't let my relationship
with Cari destroy it. Besides, your shoot in Paris begins in a month. " Nick said.
"She hurt you Nick, I'm going to hurt her company," she said bitterly.
"Please Beej, for me." Nick said quietly. "Please,"
BJ gave a defeated sigh, "Okay, but it's for you and if I find another agency, I'm quitting LIMPA." she declared.
"We're going to find her Frack, she'll have to contact us." Brian said with conviction in his voice, as if he was sure of
what he was saying.
"I hope so," Nick said sadly.
"We'll get pass through this big brother, together. I promise." BJ said giving her brother one last hug before she went up
to her old room.
"You'll go with her Brian," Nick said.
"Where?"
"Paris, search the whole place, every nook and cranny if you have to. Just find her. I need BJ to model for LIMPA as long as
she can. They're sending her to every corner in the globe, and in each of those sites, there's a LIMPA agency. And I'm pretty
sure Cari also have a house in that country." he said briskly, all emotion gone in his face. The only indication of pain were
in his blue eyes.
Charlotte knocked at her door, "Madamoiselle Sanders, are you okay?"
"Yes, bring my breakfast up and call a doctor," she said almost inaudibly.
"Okay madamoiselle,"
"Of all the days to get sick!" she murmured to herself.
Carlotte went inside the room rolling in Cari's breakfast tray. She took one look at Cari's face and her hand flew to her
neck. "Madamoiselle, are you sick?"
"I think so, did you call the doctor yet?" she asked tiredly. Her head was still throbbing in pain.
She hardly ate her breakfast, picking it with her fork. She heard a knock on her door, she jumped. She had been very edgy
ever since she came, thinking that it might be someone she knew. "Madamoiselle, the doctor's here." Charlotte said as she
opened the door to take a peek.
"Send him in,"
The doctor was a stout, elderly man. His name was Dr. Robinson. "Hello Madamoiselle,"
"Good Morning doctor. Please, sit down. Call me Cari."
"Yes, Cari. So what seems to be the problem?" he asked gently.
"When I woke up today, I felt nauseous. I threw up and ever since, I have a throbbing headache." she explained.
"Okay," he stood up and felt her forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever developing, have you missed your monthlies?"
Cari blushed. "Don't be embarrassed dear, I'm already in my sixties and I've done his a million times before," he assured her.
She frowned, her usual date did not come. She did not notice it because she had been cooped up in bed the whole time she was
there. "Yes, in fact I have missed this month's," she said.
"I think it is possible that you may be pregnant, Cari. You might want to let another doctor look at you, to make sure." he
adviced.
Cari's eyes became wide, "It can't be! It's just the flu," she said wildly, shaking her head.
"Cari, that's what most young ladies say. It is not uncommon for first time mothers, such as yourself to think that it might only
the common flu." he explained patiently.
"But-" then she remembered that she and nick didn't use contraceptives the night the made love. She gulped. "Oh my God!"
"Dear, you're not even sure yet. Don't get overly excited about it."
"Dr. Robinson, can you recommend some doctor to look at my condition?" she asked.
"Yes, in fact I have," he got a piece of paper and wrote down some names and gave it to Cari. "Dr. Mary Taylor, is an
excellent Obstetritian-Gynecologist, she can take care of you. I suggest you go to her immediately. If what we thought is
right, you should take the necessary precautions. Her clinic's open today." He stood up.
"Thank you doctor Robinson, for your help." she said hoarsley, still not believing the impossible could happen.
He went out of her room, "Oh my God!" she closed her eyes for a moment then called for Charlotte.
"Tell Jacques that we'll be going somewhere. Tell him to be ready in an hour." she stood up.
She looked doubtfully at Cari before she nodded.
That confirmed Cari's worst fears, Dr. Robinson's diagnosis was just a speculation. "Is it 100% sure?" she said, hoping against
hope.
"Cari, our tests are 100% sure. We use the latest medical inventions here." she said.
"Oh my God, what am I going to do?" she said unhappily.
Dr. Taylor sat beside Cari, "You have other options, you don't have to keep the baby if you don't want to,"
"I can't do that, I think I can't live with it. I can't carry the guilt." she said miserably.
"So your going to have it?" Dr. Taylor asked.
Cari nodded mutely, "Then here are the things you have to do," she explained to Cari the precations, the things she has to
avoid and things she has do. "I'll see you in a month okay? Call me when your having any problems," she said patting her
shoulder. "It's a gift that you have to treasure Cari. God's gift. Take Care," she said finally.
Cari smiled at her and went ut of the clinic. She's going to have Nick's baby. When the realization finally sank in, she
groaned, "What am I going to do?"
She decided to walk around a bit before she goes back to her house. Seeing a park, she went there, deciding to pass time and
to make very important decisions in her life and the baby's life.
She sat at the bench near the pond, thinking that the serene scene would calm her down. She finally smiled, "I may not
have Nick but at least I have something that is part of him. I'll take care of you, no one will ever know who you're real
father is. You'll be safe with me. He'll never ever know who you are," she vowed to herself.
But that vow will not be fulfilled because not more than twenty feet away was Cari's very own photo shoot with none other
than BJ Carter as the model.
"What? Don't you have a photo shoot to attend to?" he asked annoyed.
"I have a break, why did you have to come anyway?" she asked matching his voice.
"Your brother insisted that I go with you remember? I have a job to do, babysitting." he said sardonically.
"Is that the only thing your supposed to do? Babysitting?" she inquired, peering her eyes at Brian's face.
"I have to fine every nook and cranny of Paris for any sign of Cari Sanders." he sighed heavily.
"I don't understand him!" she ranted. "She hurt him and he still wants her back!"
"You brother fell, fell very, very hard. You can't change his mind, heart for that matter." he said.
Deciding to change the subject, but failed when she gasped. Brian, hearing her, looked at her. BJ was looking at the pond's
direction, he follwed her gaze. He too gasped and felt immobile, for not less that twenty feet away, seated quietly on a
bench, was the girl who broke his best freind's heart.
"The bitch!" she said furiosly as she began her way towards where Cari was seated. Brian clamped her shoulder.
"BJ wait, calm down first. Maybe she has a more reasonable explanation than what Brooke gave us. Give her a chance to
talk, okay?" he said meaningfully.
BJ took a deep breath to calm herself, "Let's go,"
Brian and BJ threaded their way across the people who were included at the shoot. When the were behind Cari, they both stopped.
Brain cleared his throat.
They saw Cari's back stiffen, then she turned her face around. Blood promptly drained from her face.
"Surprise, surprise," Brian said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Cari remained speechless, regaining her composure she stood up and started to walk away. BJ clamped he arm and turned her
around swiftly that Cari almost fell.
"After a month of not making her prescence know, that's how you greet your friends?" BJ asked sneering at the last word.
"What are you doing here BJ?" Cari asked quietly.
"I sould be asking you that," BJ snapped.
Cari sat down on her bench with a defeated expression. Brian, having calmed down, sat beside Cari. "Cari, why did you leave
Nick?"
Cari lifted her head, which was surprisingly was filled pain so raw, Brian had to turn his face. "I don't know Brian, I honestly
don't know."
"You don't know? You don't know? You sent my brother to hell when you left and you don't know why?" BJ said her face blazing
with anger.
Cari looked at her pleadingly. "BJ, I'm sorry I hurt your brother, but I can't change the past." she said quietly.
"Your I'm sorry won't bring my brother back from hell," she spat.
"BJ," Brian interrupted with a warning tone on his voice.
"It's okay Brian," but before Cari could continue, she turned green. She stood up suickly and looked around for a trash can.
Finding one, she rushed to it and threw up. Wiping her mouth with her hanky, she went back to Brian and BJ who had matching
looks of puzzlement and bewilderment.
"Are you okay?" BJ asked, sofetening a little towards Cari.
Cari nodded. "Are you sick?" Brian asked.
"Yeah,"
"It's not that I don't know why I did it. It's because of that." she said unhappily.
BJ finally sat beside Cari, but was still wary. "Did you have your dream?" BJ asked.
Cari shook her head, "I just got scared, about what it meant. And what it had to do with me. I can't go back, even though
my mother did not come, I still have a promise to keep. Not even Nick could stop me since I'm at the unreachable stage now."
"But Cari, my brother's in hell," BJ said desperately.
"They all come to that stage BJ, it'll pass. I can at least assure you of that. I seen it all, all thirteen of them."
"So that's just it, nothing could change your mind?" BJ asked bitterly.
Cari nodded her head. "I'm sorry."
There was an uncomfortable pause between the three. Then Cari stood up. "I know your going to tell Nick that I'm here, but I'm
telling you this, if you do, I'm going to another place and this time you guys won't find me. At least if you don't tell him,
you guys would know that I'm safe. You would know where to find me when Nick's anger has passed. You don't have to search
every corner of the world to look for me." she said quietly, she gave them time to think, to weigh down the pros and cons of
the situation. "Will you two give me your word?"
"On my word Cari. It's for everybody good. But I can assure you that Nick will find you sooner or later. He's set on finding
you." Brian said finally. Cari turned to BJ.
BJ was looking thoughtfully, she stood up and slapped Cari then hugged her. "You've been the sister that I've always wanted.
I have two more but your the one understands me. Someday, when Nick comes out of his, I may forgive completely. I hope you
know what your doing."
"Same here BJ, I'm sorry BJ for hurting you and Nick," she said, relief flooding in her body.
"That was for Nick," pointing at Cari's red cheek. She smiled. She then hugged Brian. "Thank you guys. Someday when we all get
pass through this, everything will be okay, I promise."
Cari walked down the block and went inside her car.
"Are you going to tell Nick? BJ asked him.
"No, I promised, maybe in time, I guess." They started to walk back to the photo shoot site.
"How about you, your sure your not going to tell Nick?" Brian asked BJ curiously.
She nodded, "Yes I'm sure, it's not for him to know right now." she answered nonchalntly.
Brian looked at her with disbelief, "You were the one bitching her out not less than thirty minutes ago and now your taking
her side?"
"I'm not taking her side," she said annoyed.
"Then why?" Brian persisted.
BJ looked distantly, "When she spoke of why she left Nick, I saw her eyes, they were full of pain, just like Nick. And-"
"And?"
"And love, so much love,"
Instead of the surprise party the boys and Nick's family intended, it became a support session for Nick.
They heard what happened and all of them had mixed feelings for Cari and Nick.
A month later...
Cari woke up feeling nauseous, her eyes went wide then rushed to her bathroom. After throwing up, she
had a massive headache, she dropped back into her bed. Gone was the beautiful and talented Carissa Sanders, CEO od LIMPA.
She hasn't gone out of her house in a month, making her skin pale, her hair, now dull and limp, her eyes, instead of being
bright with life was now filled with pain, and sadness. It was like this ever since she went to Paris. She had no contact
of the outside world. She hasn't picked up the phone to call Geena to ask what was happening. Hell was already breaking
loose in LIMPA at the moment.
At the doctor's...
"Congratulations Ms. Sanders, your going to be a mommie!" Dr Taylor said.
"Hey Brian, Brian!" BJ said gritting her teeth while tapping Brian's shoulder.
