Chapter 4

"Christmas Gifts"
By: Mandy
Chapter 4

    "Everyone who is hungry, breakfast is on."  Kevin shouted. 
    People started to wake up and wander to the kitchen. 
     Melissa rolled over and then sat up. "Hey, Kendra and Carrie, breakfast is ready."
     Kendra was always a morning person and she jumped right out of the bed. "Good morning, all!"
    "Yeah, whatever!"  Melissa crawled slowly out of bed and nudged Carrie. She moaned and turned over.  "Come on, Carrie."
    Carrie pulled the covers over her head.  Melissa yanked the covers off and reached down to playfully pull Carrie up, but she stopped. "Carrie, you are burning up!"
   "I don't feel so good!"  Carrie groaned.  "Shut the blinds.  My head hurts."
     Kendra obeyed.  "Your face is flushed."
     "I don't feel so good."  Carrie repeated.
    Kendra walked out to the dining room.  Everyone else was there, and most were talking about the shopping trip coming up.  "Do we have any Tylenol?"
     Howie walked over to the cupboards and pulled out the bottle.  "Why?"
    "Carrie isn't feeling that well.  She is burning up and her head aches."  Kendra replied.
    "What a way to spend the first full day of her vacation!"  Kate sighed. 
     Kendra took the bottle and walked back to the room, with everyone following her.
       Carrie looked up, and smiled weakly.  "If I knew you'd all come if I got sick, I would have got sick sooner."
     "Sis, you look really bad."  Howie said.
     "Thank you so much, D!"  Carrie lay back on the bed.  "Maybe if I took a shower I'd feel better."
     Kevin touched her forehead.  "No, you girl, are staying in bed.  You have a fever."
     "Great!"  Carrie sighed.  "This is great."
     "You'll probably sleep it off."  Jen said.
    "Damn, I am gonna miss shopping!"  Carrie muttered to herself.  This was her last chance to buy something for Kevin.  Then she said out loud.  "I need to go shopping."
     "I am afraid that is out of the question."  Brian said.  "You are lucky we don't take you to the hospital."
      Carrie gave in.  She accepted the pills from Kendra, and drifted back to sleep.

                         ******

       "Poor Carrie."  Melissa said to Stephanie.
       "Yeah, that sucks."  Stephanie added.
       "She needed to buy something for Kevin."  Melissa whispered.
       "Oh, that's right."  Stephanie cried.  "We will just have to keep our eye for something and she'll pay us back."
        "Okay."  Melissa agreed.
        "After we clean up the dishes, we will head down the mountain."  Jen and Nick began to clear the table.
        "I take it everyone is going."  Kevin said.
        "No, not us."  Kate told him.
       "Why not?"  Angie asked.
        AJ smiled.  "We want to spend some quality time together, so we are going to watch a movie and sit in front of the fire.  We already have all the presents bought."
       "Okay, but if you are gonna neck keep it down, there is a sick person down the hall."  Jessica said.
       "Is that all you think we do, is make out?"  AJ asked, surprised.
       "YES!" Everyone answered in unison.

                         ******

        "Look at the puppies!"  Angie cried pointing at the window of the pet shop.  "Aren't they sweet?"
        Kevin looked at the little golden lab puppies.  "Yes, they are adorable, Angie."  He put his hand on the window and the smallest one came over and licked the window.
        "I think he likes you."  Angie laughed.
           "Yeah, I think he does."  Kevin stared at the puppy for awhile.  "I still gotta get Carrie something!"

                         ******

         Melissa, Howie and Jessica walked down another aisle.  "Come on, Howie, you are a guy. And your Kevin's friend!  Isn't there anything you'd think he like?"
        Howie shook his head.  "Sorry, Melissa, Kevin is a hard guy to figure out."
        "Carrie is gonna feel real bad knowing that she hasn't got Kevin anything."  Jessica said as she took Howie's hand.
       "If she feels better tomorrow then I will drive her down here to get him something."  Howie sighed.  "That make you feel better."
       "Howie, she is your friend! You should be willing to do this for her." Jessica scolded him.  "Don't act if it is a death sentence."
       "Sorry, Jessica, but I feel as if she has grown up and she is no longer my 'little Sis'!"  Howie sighed again.
       "Yeah!"  Howie said.  "I just don't want her to get her heart broken."
       "HOWARD!"  Jessica half laughed. "Don't you trust Kevin?"
       "Yes, I do."  Howie looked at her confused.
       "Look, you have seen them together, you know how they feel.  I just hope they act on their feelings." Jessica's eyes widened.  "I've got it!"
       "What?"  Howie asked.
       "Carrie's gift."  Jessica said.
       "I am in suspense!"  Melissa cried.  "Tell me."
       "Okay…"

                                                  ******

       Stephanie and Brian were walking hand and hand down the mall.  They window shopped but mostly enjoyed each other's company. 
       "This is so great."  Stephanie pulled closer to Brian.
       "I know."  Brian smirked.
       "Brian…" Stephanie was cut off by a screech.
       "OH MY GOOD GOLLY GOSH!" A girl cried. "It's Brian from the BACKSTREET BOYS!"
       Heads turned and Stephanie sighed.  "So much for a quiet afternoon."
       "We can go…" Brian suggested.
       "No they are your fans.  Don't disappoint them."  Stephanie held her head high when she saw the small crowd coming in their direction.
       "Hi, Brian, where's Nick?"  A fan said.
       "Is this your girlfriend?"  Another cried.
        "Will you please sign this?"  Yet another asked.
       Over all the shouts Stephanie managed to tell Brian that she was going to the bench a little ways away.  She felt over whelmed.
        She watched as girls much younger then her threw themselves at him. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous.  But soon the fans thinned out and Brian made his way to Stephanie.
        "Sorry about that."  He said taking a seat next to her.  Silence followed.  "Stephanie?"
        "Why do you stay with me?"  She finally asked.
        "Huh?"  Brian was confused.
        "All those girls, some are twice as pretty as me.  But yet you stay with me, when you could have any woman you wanted."  Stephanie said.
        "Baby, I love you, with all my heart and soul.  You are the one I want to stay with; you are the one I want to have children with. The one I want to grow old with.  Stephanie, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met.  But that is not why I love you.  You have a wonderful personality and you always know how I feel."  Brian said.  He looked over at Stephanie.  "You are crying."
        "No one has ever said that to me!"  Stephanie told him. Brian reached up and wiped away a tear.  "God, Brian, I love you!  So much, and with everything I have.  I never wanna lose you!"
        "You never gonna."  Brian smiled and stood up.  He took her hand and pulled her into his arms.  "You know why…"
        She shook her head.
        "Because…I'll never break your heart.  I'll never make you cry.  I'd rather die then live without.  I'll give you all of me, honey, that's no lie!"  Brian spoke the words before bursting out in song.  People stopped to listen as Brian sang to Stephanie.  He ended kneeling before her. 
         She gasped.
        "Will you marry me?"  Brian asked the question Stephanie had always wanted to hear.
         "Brian, are you sure?"  Stephanie asked through her tears.          "As sure as anything in my whole life."  Brian said.  "I don't have a ring…I didn't plan on this."
         "Yes."  She answered simply.
         "You will?"  Brian got off his knee.
          She nodded, and laughed with delight when Brian picked her up and spun her around.
          "Let's wait until after AJ proposes to Kate to tell everyone.  He might think we are trying to upstage him."  Brian held her close.
         "I agree, although I am bursting to tell!"  Stephanie cried.
          "When we get back home we can look for the perfect ring."  Brian said.  "Nothing is too good for you."
         "Brian, I wouldn't care if it was a twenty-five cent bubble gum machine ring as long as it came from you!"  Stephanie kissed him. "I am just so happy!"
         "Me too."  Brian pulled her along.  "We gotta find the others.  Nick and Jen wanted us to have lunch with them in the food court."

                                                  ******

         "What is taking them so long?"  Nick looked at his watch.  "I really want to eat the burger before it gets cold."
         Jen laughed.  "They are probably caught in some sort of crowd.  Or he could be proposing to her!"
         They looked at each other.  "Nah!"  And then they started laughing.
          "Here we are!"  Stephanie pulled Brian towards Nick and Jen.
          "Finally.  Nick is so hungry he could eat this place out."  Jen laughed.
           "Please don't.  I want some food too!"  Brian reached over and took his share.  "Thanks for ordering for us!"
           "No problem for a friend."  Nick said.
         "Sorry I am late."  Kendra approached them.  "I was helping Kevin get his present for Carrie to the car."
          "What is it?  It took two of you to carry it!"  Brian asked.
        "No it didn't take two of us to carry it…it took three of us to HANDLE it."  Kendra laughed. 
        "Okay, so what the heck is it?"  Nick asked.
       "Can't tell you, but before Christmas you will probably see it! I don't know how he is gonna hide this from her."  Kendra dissolved in giggles, happy to be in on the secret.
        "Enough talk, let's eat!" Nick commanded.  "Tastes like McDonalds and AJ is missing it.   Too bad, that's what you get for having 'private time' with you girlfriend."
        "I bet they are sucking face like a pair of Hoover vacuums!"  Jen said.
       Stephanie laughed.  "Kissing isn't all they do, they also have heart to heart's."

                         ******

       Carrie sat up in bed.  Her head was throbbing and she felt extremely dizzy.  She heard voices and they were very loud.  Each syllable was a dagger of pain through her head.  She listened carefully.
      "AJ!  I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!"  Kate screamed.
      "HUH, KATE?  WE ONLY HAVE BEEN GOING OUT FOR TWO YEARS AND YOU STILL DON'T KNOW ME.  THIS IS GREAT!"  AJ shouted back.
        "AJ, RIGHT NOW I REALLY DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU."  Kate called back.
       Carrie's head was pounding.  Her steps were wobbly as she padded carefully towards the living room.
       "AJ, YOU WERE ASLEEP ON MY SHOULDER, CALLING SOMEONE ELSE'S NAME IN YOUR SLEEP!"  Kate cried.
       "THAT WAS BEFORE YOU!"  AJ told her.
       "ERICA, THAT IS A PRETTY NAME!  HOW COME I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF HER?"  Kate's hands flew up in disgust.
        "Guys…" Carrie's voice was a whispering.  Her throat was sore and dry.  Her plea for silence went unheard.
        "ERICA WAS ANCIENT HISTORY WITH WHAT CONCERNS US."  AJ tried to reason with her.
        "I TOLD YOU EVERY NAME OF EVERY GUY I HAVE EVER THOUGHT WAS CUTE!  I ASSUMED YOU DID THE SAME!"  Kate stood up.
         "Guys…" Carrie tried again but with no luck.
         "I TOLD YOU ABOUT FIVE GIRLS!  GIVE ME A BREAK, YOU DAMN WELL A GUY LIKE ME WOULD HAVE MORE THEN THAT!"  AJ yelled.
         "A guy like you?  What, a player?"  Kate shook her head. 
"Maybe I was lucky I got you for two years."
         "What are you saying?"  AJ asked, as both voices grew lower.
         "Maybe I don't know you as well as I thought I did!"  Kate said. "I gotta be alone."  She stormed out.
         "AJ."  Carrie's voice was a whisper.  She tried again.  "AJ!"
         AJ whirled around.  "Carrie?  Are you okay?"
         "AJ, I don't feel so good."  Carrie moaned as her vision clouded over. 
         She keeled over and AJ reached there in time to catch her. 
         "Carrie."  AJ cried.  "Wake up!"  Her skin was burning hot.
         "Oh and AJ, here is your stupid class ring…" Kate said as she re-entered the room.  "What happened?"
         "She passed out."  AJ tapped her face.
          "Huh?"  Carrie opened her eyes.  "Oh hi AJ!"
          "How do you feel?"  Kate asked.
         "Not so good."  Carrie laughed.  "In fact I feel like I have been run over by a truck."
          "You look like it too."  AJ told her.
          "Thank you, I try."  Carrie tried to sit up.   "Bad idea!  I feel really dizzy."
          "I think you might have pneumonia."  Kate said.  "I had it, and those are some of the symptoms.  I bet you have a really bad headache."
          "Really bad.  You guys shouting didn't help."  Carrie smiled, weakly.
          "They left a car."  AJ said.  "We are gonna take you to the hospital.  Can you walk?"
          "I hope so."  Carrie started to stand up.
          "Well, I am not taking any chances.  Kate, would you get the door?"  AJ scooped Carrie up.

                                                  ******

           Everyone crawled into the car.  It was packed.  All eyes were on Angie.  More importantly what was in her lap.
           "Is that Carrie's gift?"  Nick asked.
           "That is!"  Kevin said.  "Do you think she'll like it."
           "It's real cute!"  Stephanie took a seat next to Brian.
           The phone rang and Melissa answered it.  Everyone watched as she frowned.  Then she hung up.
            "Guys, we have to go to the hospital."  Melissa said.
            "Why?"  Kendra asked, alarmed.
            "Carrie passed out for a bit but she is fine now.  But she has to stay overnight at the hospital.  She has a mild case of pneumonia."  Melissa informed them.
            "That's awful!"  Brian said.
            "That girl is having a rotten vacation."  Jessica added.
            "I just hope she is fine."  Howie sounded worried.
            "She is now, but AJ said she is scared."  Melissa said.
            "Of course she scared.  She hates hospitals."  Howie told them.
            "Why?"  Brian asked.
            "When she was little she fell down the stairs and broke her arm.  She had a pretty racist doctor.  He didn't treat her that good and she ended up in more pain then need be.  She was terrified."
Howie said.  "Ever since, she has been horrified of doctors.  Having a doctor who rather see you dead because of your ethnic background is an awful experience for a five year old to go through."
            "Carrie must be scared out of her mind!"  Kevin was very worried.
            "Let's just go there."  Howie cried.

End of Chapter 4

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