-* *- The Road To Take-* *-

May I come in?"Howie asked a surprised Morgan as she opened her apartment door a jar. He smiled kindly, his eye doing that twinkly thing that always drove her crazy. She closed the door and undid the chain and then opened it wide. “What brings you back?” she said in a monotone voice as she turned and walked away from him.

"You did. You brought me back,” he said as he warily followed her into the kitchen. She sat down at the kitchen table and glared at him with hateful eyes. Howie sat down across from her and smiled nervously again. He realized that this was going to be much more difficult than he had anticipated. “How is she?” Morgan asked, maintaining the glassy stare. “Who?” he answered awkwardly, trying to play dumb.

“You know who. I know that she ‘s with you. You’re no better than I am,” she trailed off and removed the stare, dropping her eyes down onto the table.

“Morgan, I didn’t come here to talk about CJ.......I came to talk about us.....what happened to us? Where did we go wrong?” Howie asked with a sorrowful tone. Morgan shook her head and looked him straight in the eye. “Well, I guess if you wanna talk about what happened to us....I guess that we’re going to have to talk about Kevin....we were okay until Kevin came into our lives....he spoiled everything...” she trailed off as a perplexed _expression popped up on Howie’s face.

“Kevin? What has Kevin got to do with........” he stopped himself. “Oh, Morgan, please tell me that he’s not the one you.............Mo? Tell me he’s not!!!” Howie begged, but Morgan fell silent and began to fiddle with her hair. “YOU and KEVIN! What were you thinking?” “I don’t know!” she started. “He was just there and he was so damn alluring!!!!” “That BASTARD!!!! How could he have done that and then act like nothing happened? How could he have slept with my girlfriend?” Howie said, banging his fist down on the table.

“HOWIE! In Kevin’s defense......he thought that I was your sister......” she said matter-of-factly. “My SISTER! Where in the world would he ever get an idea like THAT?” Howie demanded.

"Well,....I told him,” she answered meekly. “I don’t know why.....I acted on an impulse....I didn’t think that you’d ever find out.......and you wouldn’t have, if HE hadn’t TOLD YOU!” she yelled, slamming her hand down on the table. “KEVIN didn’t tell me,” Howie started to say, trying to grasp all of this new information. “CJ’s the one who told me that you......y’know,” he said gently. Morgan stood up and walked behind the counter and leaned across it.

“Oh, Howie,....can’t you see what she’s done to you? What she’s done to US?” she said in a low voice as she ran her fingers through her hair. “She did whatever she needed to do to break us up in order to get you for herself....and you fell for it!!!........I’m surprised that she didn’t seduce you herself!” Morgan laughed to herself and then stopped as she watched a guilty _expression wash up on Howie’s face. She threw her hands in the air and walked back out to the table. “Well GOOD JOB, Howie!!! You’ve surrounded yourself with cheaters and liars!!!!! Doesn’t that make you feel GREAT!” she yelled as she threw her arms around a little more. Howie looked down at the table, desperately trying to figure out when and where his judgment became so clouded.

“So let me get this straight,” he said finally. “You cheated on me because you thought you could without me finding out, but I did and I got mad at you for it and then I allowed myself to be seduced to even the score and then just when I give my heart to someone new, she cheats on me too!” “CJ CHEATED on you too!!! OH, THAT’S GOLD, Howie, just GOLD!” Morgan beamed. “So why didn’t you leave her?” “I did. I left. That’s why I’m here!” he said as he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know what I expected from coming back here.......I don’t know what I want. I thought I did, but when I stand back and look at it.......I don’t know. I always thought that somehow I was different than both of you, but I’m no different.....in fact.......I’m worse and I can’t go forward and I can’t go back, so I guess I’ll just go,” he said, standing up to leave. “I loved you, Howie!” Morgan blurted out. “Please don’t go.” Howie stared for a moment and watched her as she nervously pulled her long hair up into a knot on the top of her head. His heart thumped loudly in his chest and he paused, thinking of what Morgan truly meant to him. Her sad eyes stared through him as he hesitated and then unzipped his jacket, hanging it up in the hall closet where a life-time of memories still hung.

“I’m singing at a local club tonite if you wanna come,” Morgan said to Howie as she poured him a glass of wine. “That would be nice, I’ve missed hearing your beautiful voice,” he smiled as he accepted the glass. Morgan checked her watch and then began to unbutton her blouse as Howie sat up in his chair. “Don’t get any ideas!” she smiled. “It’s getting late and I better start getting ready. Disappointed, Howie relaxed back into his chair and took a sip of his wine as he read the newspaper. He hadn’t been gone that long, yet he felt like he’d been away for centuries.

Finally, he heard Morgan yell from her bedroom that she would just be a moment longer. He thought that was as good a time as any to start getting ready. He ran into the bathroom and fixed his hair and brushed his teeth. When he returned to the living room, Morgan was there, standing tall in a beautiful red strapless gown. “You look....AMAZING!” he beamed as he helped her on with her shawl. “Thank you,” she said. “I’ve missed this.”

She took the stage at 8:20pm exactly and her set lasted 45 minutes. By the time she was done, the place had filled to capacity and the crowd was begging for more. The crowd loved her so much infact, that the manager asked her to stay and do a second set at 10:15pm. Howie sat watching and waiting for her at the bar as she graciously exited the stage and made her way through the adoring crowd. “She’s good. Hot too!” the bartender said to Howie as the two of them gazed closely at her. “Ya, she’s not bad...” Howie replied. “Her voice is beautiful.”

“Screw her voice! I’m talkin’ what I wouldn’t give to nail a chick like that!” the bartender said as he wiped down the bar. “Hey man, watch what you say! She’s a lady” “Lady my ass! She’s a devil in that red dress and you know it,” the bartender said as his eyes undressed her. “I’ll bet you $10 bucks that she goes home with me tonite! C’mon, man! $10 bucks!!!” “I don’t think so...” Howie said politely. “YOU don’t think so?? WHY NOT???” “Because she’s goin’ home with me tonite, okay?”

“Oh, what makes you think that SHE’S goin’ home with the likes of YOU?” the bartender asked, getting angrier and angrier with Howie by the moment. “Well,....because she came with me...she’s my girl,” Howie replied proudly, trying not to act intimidated. The bartender narrowed his eyes and just when Howie thought that he was going to hit him, the bartender turned and threw his towel in the sink and moved to the other end of the bar. Howie let out a little breath of relief just as Morgan sat down on the stool beside him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You must be good luck, Howie Dorough. I haven’t seen a crowd like this in ages,” she smiled. “I hope that you’re not bored.” “Who could be bored? There’s always something exciting going on ‘round here.”

As soon as Morgan’s set was done, the house DJ fired up the turn-tables again and began to blast the bar with a house mix. After a drink or two, Howie dragged Morgan up onto the dance floor and twirled her around until he was seeing stars. “You better watch and make sure that dress doesn’t fall down!” he smiled as he pulled her close for a slow song. “This is nice.....being here with you,” Morgan said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Ya,” he agreed. “A lot different from the last time we were here.” Morgan’s body stiffened as she stopped dancing and pulled back from his embrace. “I’ll never forgive you for hitting me y’know,” she said coldly as they stood in the centre of the dance floor as everyone danced around them. “And I’ll never forgive you for cheating on me,” he replied unemotionally. Morgan stepped back and looked Howie in the eye, desperately searching for the man she once fell in love with.

“So,...is this what our relationship is about now? Unforgivable mistakes?” she asked. “Will we never be able to move beyond this point?” Howie froze as images of her and Kevin ripped through his mind. “I dunno. I was wrong to hit you, Morgan. I’m so sorry for that, you know that I am, but we can’t very well move forward if we can’t get past this road block, can we?” “No,” she replied somberly, dropping her eyes to the floor. “So what’d we do now?” “Go sit back down at the bar and wait for your next set?” he suggested with a smile. Morgan smiled back and took his hand when he offered it to her. “Don’t forget me Mo, will you?” “I don’t see how I ever could....”

Clattering and banging shook Howie from his deep sleep. He was lying flat on his stomach, naked from the waist up in an unfamiliar room. He opened one eye to see Morgan in the corner, busily tossing things into cardboard boxes. He opened his other eye and gazed around groggily, finally realizing that he was in CJ’s room. “Whatcha doin’ Mo?” he mumbled into his pillow.

“Packing up CJ’s stuff!” she said triumphantly. “I don’t care where she lives, but she’s not living here anymore!” “Whatcha gonna do with it?” he asked as he closed his eyes and began to fall back asleep. “Dunno. Send it back to her parents. Give it away to the Salvation Army. I don’t care, I just want it GONE!” she said, her last word jarring Howie awake. “That’s nice,” he mumbled as he began to drift asleep again, until the ringing of his cell phone made both of them jump. “Where is it?” Mo asked as she tried to listen for the ring. “In my pants, wherever they are..” he said as he rolled over onto his back. Morgan located the cell and tossed it over to Howie. He answered it as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Hello?” he said in the most pathetic voice he could muster.

“Howie? Is that you?” Alex’s voice came through the other end. He sounded out of breath, which caused Howie to listen with both of his ears. “Howie, I think that you should consider coming back......there’s been an accident.”

The stop over in Tallahassee had been a short one. Just long enough to refuel and just long enough for Nat to win Kevin’s keys away from Alex via an arm wrestle. During the last couple of hours of the drive home, Jamie could feel herself becoming more and more anxious about all of this. She was thrilled that Alex was coming home with her, but at the same time, she felt a little weird about bringing home someone whom she had just met a few days ago. She knew that her house was just over an hour away and she knew how excited all of her new friends were to finally get there. “What’s the matter?” she asked Alex as he sat quietly in the backseat with her.

“Nothin’.” he sulked. “I just can’t believe that I lost to a girl!!” Jamie smiled and poked Nat in the shoulder blade. Nat smiled into the rearview mirror and stuck out her tongue at Alex. “It’s okay, Alex,” Nat started. “Your story can always be that you let me win cuz you were tired!” She smiled and then turned up the volume on the radio.

“Oh this is one of my FAVOURITE songs!” Nat squealed as she began to sing along. “Late at night when all the world is sleeping, I stay up and think of you. I wish on a star that somewhere you are thinking of me too, cuz I’m dreaming of you tonight till tomorrow....” Kevin smiled at her and rubbed his hand along her leg as she sang her heart out. Jamie’s attention quickly turned from Alex onto Nat. Her ears perked up at the sweet sound of her voice as it kissed the Florida air. When the song was over, Nat reached over and turned the volume down to a normal level as Kevin kissed her cheek. “Uhm, Nat.....when we get to Orlando, I want you to come into the office with me, okay?” Jamie said as she rummaged through her purse for her appointment book. “Let’s see, today is Friday...how about first thing Monday morning?” Jamie smiled and marked something down with her pen as Alex watched her curiously. “Uh, sure.....why?” Nat asked hesitantly. “I have someone I want you to meet.”

Jamie ran up the stairs to her front door in a rush before anyone could catch up to her. She opened the door and began to frantically toss her zillions of pairs of shoes into the hall closet. When she had left for her trip she wasn’t expecting to have been bringing home company. Alex ran up after her and told her not to worry about how her house looked. CJ bolted past them all, begging Jamie to point her in the direction of her washroom. When CJ returned everyone had gathered in the living room. The boys had already struck up a game of pool in the corner. “This house is AMAZING!” Meg exclaimed as she gazed around at all of the gadgets and state-of-the-art electronics.

“Thanx,” Jamie smiled shyly. “But none of it’s mine..it’s just a perk of working for JAX Records. Mr.Jax has a lot of money and he likes his employees to be happy.” she said as she gazed out into the screened in pool. “Anyone for a swim? Whatever you need, just make yourselves at home!” “We can’t stay HERE!” CJ said. “We can’t just barge in on you.....we have to make our own arrangements...don’t we?” she asked looking around the room. “Kevin? Don’t we?” Kevin looked up from his shot on the pool table. “What? Oh, yeah, we should go out to eat. That what you said, right?” CJ rolled her eyes and her and Jamie broke out laughing.

“Forget it...we’ll worry about that tomorrow, but Kevin is right, we should go out to eat, cuz my fridge is empty.” Jamie smiled. “Y’all can stay here tonight, somewhere and I’ll help you find a place tomorrow. Now, who wants a shower?” she asked. Everyone heard that. Everyone’s hand shot up in the air. Brian was in mid shot, but he stopped and threw down his cue and began to jump up and down yelling ‘me,me,me!’. “Geez Brian, if it’s that bad, maybe you better jump into the pool first!” Nick teased. “Ya know what? You’re right!” Brian yelled and started to run for the door, picking up Meg on the way by, not stopping until they were both submerged. Everyone ran out onto the patio to watch as Meg surfaced, killing herself laughing.

“That looks like a great idea,” Alex said, quickly grabbing Jamie and plunging in after Brian and Meg. Nat laughed as she watched, but started to scream as Kevin grabbed her from behind and tossed her in, jumping in after her. CJ looked over at Nick who was laughing at Brian as he continued to dunk Meg underwater. CJ felt Nick’s eyes on her and she turned to make a run for it back into the house, but it was too late, Nick already had her and before she could elude his grip, her feet were off the ground and she was joining the rest. Nick jumped in after and once they both surfaced, CJ splashed water at him and teased him about having to follow is ‘big brothers’. Two by two, as they had gotten into the pool, they all got out of the pool and dried off. The girls made their way upstairs to use the two washrooms up there, while the boys stayed downstairs and showered in the two washrooms down there.

“Let me just check my messages quickly,” Jamie said as she limped down the hallway towards the kitchen with one shoe on and one shoe off. She strapped on her other high heel as Alex stood in the doorway and watched her closely while she jotted down her messages. He was smitten. No, he was more than smitten, he was head-over-heels crazy for this girl. She caught him watching her and motioned for him to come in. He jumped up on the counter beside her and leaned down and began to kiss her neck. She fought the urge to give in to him and continued to make her notes, but soon her writing became scribbled and she pressed her cherry lips against his, forgetting that there was a roomful of people waiting for them. Before she succumbed to him completely, she pulled away, breathless. “We can’t do this, not now....they’ll be lots of time for us later,” she smiled and pulled him down off the counter, leading him back into the living room.

“CJ, can I speak with you for a second in the kitchen,” Jamie said in a suddenly very professional voice. CJ nodded and followed Jamie. “Uhm, listen, I don’t know what y’all have planned here. I don’t know how long you wanna stay here, but I think you would be a great asset to me.” Jamie smiled as a perplexed _expression popped up on CJ’s face. “What do you mean exactly, I don’t really know how long any of us are planning on staying, but me personally, I’m in no hurry to go back.” “Great. I’ve been waiting for the okay from my boss to hire an assistant and he just left a message that I could. I don’t know if you are interested or not, but I think you have the perfect personality to work in this biz.”

“But I’m a nurse....I don’t really know anything about music.....”CJ trailed off. “That doesn’t’ matter. You’re smart, you’re a quick thinker and you’re kinda ruthless. I love that. I think you’re perfect.” Jamie laughed and CJ smiled. “I really like you Jamie, I hope that you and I can become really great friends and I think that we could work really well together.”

“Great! You’re first assignment will be helping me to get Nat a record deal. We’ll be meeting first thing Monday morning, okay? But this is Friday....and now we PARTY! Let’s go!” Jamie grabbed CJ’s hand and they ran out of the kitchen laughing like school girls. When they made their way back into the living room, they tried to supress their laughter, but couldn’t. “I hate it when they do that,” Alex said. “You just know that they’ve been talking about us!” “We have not!” CJ said as she dried her eyes. “Relax, it was just business!” Jamie smiled. “Funny business!” And then the two cracked up laughing again.

“So, seeing as we are the only singles, I guess you can be my date!” CJ said to Nick as they followed the others into the restaurant. “Ah, y’know what....I think I’m just gonna go this one alone, if that’s okay with you?” He replied kindly. “Oh, well you’ll save me a dance, right?” “A dance? We’ll see.” he said kinda coolly and then took a seat beside Brian. CJ took a deep breath and tried to put the fact that Nick had just brushed her off behind her. She forced a smile and sat down beside Jamie and Meg.

During dinner, wine flowed like water as Jamie explained CJ’s duties to her. As the meal drew to a close, CJ, Jamie and Meg had emptied 3 bottles between them. “I’m fine!” CJ said as she struggled to stand up and hang her purse over her shoulder. Kevin tried to help her, but she said that it was nothing that she couldn’t handle. Once out into the fresh air, her senses came back to her and she felt fine. “I’m not drunk!” she smiled as Alex helped her and his date into the car. “Well, maybe a LITTLE!” She yelled and her and Jamie began to laugh hysterically, which they did the entire drive to the club. As Alex parked the car, he looked over at Brian in the passenger seat and then the two looked into the backseat. There sat CJ, Jamie and Meg, all wide-eyed, each sporting a ridiculously enormous grin across their face as they innocently tried to conceal their laughter. “What are we gonna do with them?” Brian asked, causing the girls to crack up. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this...I think maybe they’ve had enough for one night!” Alex said. “We’re fine!” Jamie said as she pushed on CJ to open the door and get out. They all got out and managed to stand steadily on their feet. “SEE!” The guys shrugged their shoulders and escorted their dates into the club.

Meg seemed fine, she hadn’t had as much as to drink as the other two. Jamie grabbed Alex and they quickly made their way up onto the dance floor where they were quickly joined by Nat and Kevin.

Nick made his way over to the bar and ordered a beer. He sat down on one of the stools and began to sip his suds as a lovely young woman zeroed in on him. She ordered a martini and struggled to make eye contact with him. Finally, he noticed her and shyly, began to strike up a conversation with her. “My name is Nick, can I buy you another drink?” he smiled shyly, flashing her his beautiful white teeth. “I’d like that,” she smiled back. “I’m Chloe, by the way,” she said, brushing her long bang away from her eye. As the bartender set her drink down in front of her, she pulled her bar stool closer to Nick. They put their heads close together and began to make relaxed conversation just as CJ popped her head in and interrupted. “Hey Nicky, watcha doin’?” she asked gaily. “You wanna dance with me? C’mon, it’s now or never!!” Nick looked up from his drink and scowled. “How about NEVER! Can’t you see that I’m in the middle of something here!” He said coldly. “God CJ, sometimes you can be so SELFISH!” CJ was flabbergasted at Nick’s outburst. The smile quickly dropped from her face as she took a few steps away from him.

“I, I...just thought that maybe you’d help me to fill a void,” she said quietly under her breath. “Go find someone else to fill your void,” he said firmly. “You’ve used me for the last time.” Nick turned back around and took a swig of his beer as tears burned at CJ’s eyes. She fled from the bar to the far corner of the club where she sat down at a table and hid her tears. “Uhm, ya know what....I think that I better get going,” Chloe said nervously after CJ left. Suddenly, she was getting a very negative vibe from Nick and it was making her feel very uncomfortable. She stepped down off her stool and gathered up her purse, but Nick’s hand grabbed her wrist and squeezed tightly. “Don’t go....Please! You have no reason to be afraid of me.” He smiled again and released her wrist. “Please, at least finish your drink....then I can explain everything to you.” She thought for a moment and then looked him in the eye. She didn’t see anger or hate, she saw no reason to be afraid and she climbed back onto her stool and listened to Nick’s story. When he was done she could think of nothing to say, so instead she put her head on his shoulder and rubbed his back gently.

“There is no reason why you should feel used. You can’t allow yourself to feel that way. I think that she is just trying to help you, in her own twisted way. But I can see how you could get fed up with her, but promise me you won’t treat her like that again, okay?” He smiled and sipped his beer and as he was putting his glass down she grabbed his chin with her hand and pulled her lips close to hers. She smelled wonderful and tasted even better.

CJ watched Nick’s antics from across the room through her watery eyes. She watched as Jamie and Alex, Meg and Brian and Nat and Kevin had fun on the dance floor. She watched as Nick sparked a new romance at the bar. She watched as all of her friends had a good time, everyone but her. She sat and pitied herself and tried to figure out where she had gone wrong. Why was she the only one alone and not having fun. “Can I buy you a drink?” a deep baritone voice asked as the chair next to her moved. She looked up to see a bearded man with a ratty leather jacket and ripped jeans sit down in the seat beside her. His eyes were red and he was slurring his words a little, but he was someone, her type or not, he was someone.

“Sure,” she replied. “Vodka, neat.” He motioned for the waitress and he gave her their order. He slithered in close to her and offered her every pick up line that he could think of. She just laughed and drank as he made several attempts to charm her. As he babbled on about her beauty and her long legs, her eyes kept wandering around the room, stopping on Nick and pining for Howie. As her eyes followed a man around the room, a man that resembled Howie so closely that her heart began to race, suddenly the leather clad man’s lips were pressed up against hers and his hand was searching around her blouse. She was drunk and weak and needy. She didn’t fight him off, but she didn’t exactly participate either. He pulled back and said something about how amazing she was, but her eye was on Nick, still broken-hearted over the way he had treated her. She watched as Nick escorted Chloe onto the dance floor and as they began to do a nice slow grind together. Her blood began to boil and she suddenly jumped up out of her chair and onto the strangers lap. “What’s your name anyway?” she asked as she kissed him deeply. “Tommy, baby, what’s yours?” “Candy! You gotta a place near here, Tommy?” she asked as he licked her neck.

“You bet, honey!” he said and stood up and grabbed her hand. She was woozy and so was he, but the two of them clung onto each other for support. They somehow managed to stagger out into the parking lot where he rummaged around for his keys while his lips were locked onto hers. “You sure you can drive like this?” she giggled. “I don’t know, sweetie, you’re quite a distraction!” he laughed and started the engine and threw it into reverse. He pulled out onto the main road began to make his way to his apartment.

“Hey Nicky, where’s CJ?” Alex asked as they passed by each other on the dance floor. “I dunno, last I saw her she was over in that corner with some guy.” Nick said and then quickly turned his attention back to his new distraction. “Ya, I saw her there too,” Jamie said, “But she’s not there now, where do you think she went?” “I don’t know either, but I’m getting kinda tired and I’d like to go home,” Alex said. They pulled apart and alerted the others that CJ was missing. They split up and searched the club, but all came up empty handed. “You don’t think she left without us, do you?” Nat asked. “Well if she did, I hope she knows what she’s doing.” Alex replied and rubbed Jamie’s back, hoping to rub the worry away.

Tommy sped along the empty road, anxious to get home to do unspeakably wonderful things to CJ. His eyes were heavy and he was having trouble staying in his own lane. She rode along in the passenger seat unaware of how intoxicated he truly was. She was torturing his by running her hand vigorously along the inside of his right thigh. He became aroused and then distracted. He leaned over to kiss her, they locked lips and then he pulled away to check on the road, but it was too late, the road was curving and Tommy’s Jeep was still going straight. He squinted to find the yellow line, but he couldn’t do it, his reflexes were too slow and before CJ knew what was happening, their car was rolling over and over in the ditch not stopping until all of the windows were broken and it was resting on its roof.

As Alex drove home he ran the scenerio over and over again in his mind. He couldn’t figure out why she would leave without telling anyone. He had asked around the club’s parking lot before they left and learned that CJ had gone home with one of the regular in his red Jeep. The person didn’t know where Tommy lived, but said that they thought that she would be okay with him. Jamie was in a full-on panic. Alex was still worried too, he knew that she was drunk, drunker than Jamie, and that maybe she had gotten herself into something that she shouldn’t have. He was also racked with guilt because he promised Howie that he would look out for her and he had failed. As he drove along the unfamiliar roads, he came across some fresh skid marks. As he slowed down for the turn, he remarked to Jamie and Kevin, who was in the backseat cradling Nat’s sleepy head, how spectacular those skid marks were. They went on for almost 50 feet before leaving the road. As Alex negotiated the turn, he saw a car in the ditch on its roof. The lights were still on and no one seemed to be around. As he got closer, he realized that it was a red Jeep, just like the one that Tommy was supposed to have been driving. He began to panic as he passed by it and pulled over.

“Oh MY GOD! You guys!! What if that’s the Jeep that CJ was in???” he began to yell as he stopped the car. He jumped out of the car like a shot and began to run back to the flipped over car. As he ran, he could hear Kevin and Jamie calling after him. As he ran back towards the car, he thought that he could see someone inside, someone moving. He began to call out CJ’s name, but just as the words left his lips, the Jeep burst out into flames.

Alex stopped cold in his tracks as the Jeep became engulfed in flames. Kevin and Jamie ran up beside him and watched in disbelief. Kevin ripped his cell phone from his pocket and quickly dialed 9-1-1 as Jamie looked on in horror. Alex’s mouth dropped open as the heat from the fire scorched his face. “This can’t be......where the heck are the others?” Kevin said after he hung up the phone. Nat explained that they would be along soon, that Nick was busy making a date with Chloe. As Brian passed by the accident, he did a double-take as he saw his friends standing on the side of the road. He quickly pulled over and caught up to them. Meg began to cry and clung onto Brian as Kevin explained what they thought had happened. Nick watched in disbelief as pangs of guilt washed over him. “Isn’t there something that we should be doing?” Brian asked in a panicked voice. “The heat’s too strong, I don’t think that we could even get near the car,” Kevin replied. Jamie left Alex’s side and began to walk around the Jeep, never taking her eyes off it for a second. She walked around the back of it and then turned to look towards the road. She was trying to figure out what had made the car leave the road so abruptly. The heat was so intense that she began to back away from the inferno; she walked backwards along the shoulder until she couldn’t feel the heat any longer. She stopped and took a deep breath and then tried to convince herself that this was all a mistake. She tried to tell herself that this was all a coincidence, that this wasn’t the car that had been carrying CJ. But then she remembered that Alex had seen someone still inside the car before it burst into flames. Someone had lost their life right before their eyes and there was nothing that anyone could have done about it.

Tears welled up in her eyes and she fell onto his knees, not feeling the pain of the sharp gravel as it pierced her tender skin. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that. No one was moving, everyone was paralyzed by the flames until finally, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Alex forced his eyes shut and began to make his way over to Jamie. He kneeled down beside her and cradled her. He told her that everything would be okay, but as Jamie’s tears fell, so did his. He helped her to her feet and as he did, something caught his eye in the ditch. It was a dark mass. He jumped to his feet and ran over to it, afraid of what he might find. “OVER HERE!” he yelled with a hint of elation in his voice as he kneeled down beside CJ’s body. She was lying on her side in the ditch and although she was face down, he knew it was her by her black and blue French manicure on her nails. He didn’t want to move her, but he needed to know. Jamie came running over first and kneeled down beside her.

“Is she?........”she asked as she slipped her fingers onto her throat to check for a pulse. She nodded. “Strong pulse.”

As the paramedics loaded CJ into the ambulance Alex hugged Jamie with all of his might. Never in a million years did she ever think that her first nite at home with her new friends would turn out like this. It was difficult for the paramedics to determine the extent of CJ’s injuries; they seemed worried about the extent of her head injury, since she had been thrown from the car. “I’m gonna ride with her to the hospital, okay?” Jamie said to Alex. She was trembling and her hand was shaking as she climbed into the back of the ambulance. “We’ll see you there,” she forced a smile as the doors closed and they drove away. “C’mon man, we can all fit into one car,” Brian said as he patted Alex on the back. Alex took a deep breath and nodded reaching into his pocket for his phone as he followed Brian back to the car.

As Brian drove towards the hospital, trying not to get lost, Alex dug into his pocket again and retrieved the card which Howie had scribbled his number on. He sat in the backseat beside Nat and Meg and staring silently at the numbers, searching for the words to say. He rubbed his thumb over the edge a dozen times before stuffing it back into his pocket. It was too soon, he wouldn’t know what to say.

Jamie was waiting in the lounge when they arrived at the hospital. She had no idea where they had taken CJ or what was wrong with her. She sat alone in the corner, resting her forehead on her hand as tears dripped down from her face. Alex’s heart broke when he saw her; he felt her pain and sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “It wasn’t supposed to be this way!” she cried as Alex rubbed her back. “I know, baby. It’ll be okay, you’ll see.” he tried to comfort her, but in his heart of hearts, he couldn’t shake this feeling that it was going to be grim.

An hour or so passed before anybody appeared through the magic doors that lead into the ER. A man too young to possibly be a doctor came out and walked towards them in a brisk walk. He was carrying a clipboard in one hand and a half eaten apple in the other. “Who came in with the young lady from the car accident?” he asked in a very professional manner. Jamie lifted her head off Alex’s chest and acknowledged the question. “Are you her sister?” “No, no I’m not. We’re all just her friends,” Jamie answered quietly.

“Do you know where her family is? How to get in contact with them?” Everyone exchanged glances and then shrugged their shoulders. “That’s too bad,” he replied and then took a seat beside Jamie and began to jot down as much personal information on CJ as they could offer. “Can I ask you a question?” Jamie interrupted his scribbling. “How bad is it?” She bit her lip as she asked the question, preparing herself for the answer. “Well, I don’t have all of the answers. I just treated her in the ER. She has shattered her pelvis, but can be repaired....” he trailed off. “We’ve moved her into the ICU, she’s having trouble breathing on her own, but we can find no damage to her lungs. We are most concerned with her head injury. The failure to breath on her own could be a sign of brain damage, but we’re not jumping to any conclusions. We’re just observing her.” He cracked a smile and then tossed his apple core into the nearby garbage can. “Can we see her?” Alex piped up before Jamie had a chance.

“I’m sorry, but no visitors are allowed in the ICU.” Jamie flinched in her chair and let out a defeated breath. “C’mon man, isn’t there some way you can let her in?” Kevin asked with pleading eyes pointing towards Jamie. “I’m sorry,” he replied coldly and then stood up and disappeared through the gray door from which he came. “Well....what are we going to do now?” Meg asked in a sleepy voice. Brian stroked her hair and repositioned himself in his seat. Nat had already dozed off against Kevin. “We wait,” Nick said, who was busy pacing the floor, as he had been for the last 45 minutes.

Everyone had fallen asleep by the time the young doctor returned. Everyone except Jamie. She sat with puffy eyes as Alex lay curled up beside her on the floor. “You’ve been here all nite, is there something I can get for you?” he asked in a whisper so he wouldn’t wake anyone up. “You can let me see my friend.” He nodded and motioned for her to take his hand. He helped her to her feet and led her through the big, gray doors. “I can’t let you in the room, but you can see her through the glass,” he said kindly and cracked a smile as he pulled up the blind.

Jamie had tried to prepare herself, but still she couldn’t stop herself from letting out a gasp of shock. Through the glass lay her friend, unrecognizable to the eye. CJ was hooked up to a machine and had tubes and wires running all around her body. Her face was swollen and purple, as were her arms. Jamie’s heart sunk as she watched the machines do their work. She placed her palms on the glass and leaned in close and closed her eyes, hoping that when she reopened them, it would have all been a terrible nightmare. But when she opened them, it was all the same. It was all too real. She dropped her shoulders in defeat and pressed her nose against the glass and just watched. She was startled by the sensation of Alex’s arms slipping around her waist.

“How’s she doing?” he asked as he kissed her neck. “The same. They tell me that they hope that she’ll wake up soon,” Jamie replied. “Well, I guess I can’t avoid it any longer then,” Alex said as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

“Howie? Is that you? Howie, I think that you should consider coming back....there’s been an accident....It’s CJ.” Alex said as delicately as he could. Howie was silent at the other end for a brief moment before his voice exploded. “CJ??? WHAT KIND OF ACCIDENT?? Is she ALRIGHT?” he demanded as he tried to wake himself up. “I dunno, she’s in the ICU right now and they won’t tell us a heck of a lot...it was a car accident,” Alex trailed off, knowing what the next question would be.

“Car accident? Well are the rest of you okay?” Howie fluttered. “Ya, we’re all fine....she wasn’t with us.......Howie, this isn’t important, but I think that she may really need you now......when she wakes up.” Howie said that he would jump on the next plane and get there as soon as he could. Alex tucked the phone back into his pocket and stared through the glass with Jamie, both of them hypnotized by the motions of the ventilator.

“I have to go,” Howie told Morgan as he sprung out of bed and gathered up his clothes. “Who was in the car accident? CJ?” Morgan asked as she continued to cram all of CJ’s clothes into a box. “Ya, it was CJ....I’ve got to go to her,” he said buckling up his belt. “Is she alright?” “ I don’t really know, Alex was very vague......” “You know what this sounds like to me.....this sounds like a ploy to get you back!” Morgan said sharply.

“Get me BACK? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???...You think that Alex is lying about this?” Howie asked in shock. “Well, you and I both know that CJ will do just about anything to get what she wants......and what she wants is you......” “No way......not even CJ would fabricate a terrible story like this...no way!” he protested. “I dunno, Howie....I think you may be blinded by her charms,” she smiled dryly.

“Morgan! Give it a rest....she wouldn’t do THAT! And besides, I KNOW that Alex wouldn’t lie for her...he wouldn’t scare me half to death just to try to get me out there.” “What if he did? What if you go all the way to Florida and find out that she lied......then what?” Morgan asked with a cold stare. “What if I stay here and find out that Alex was telling the truth? What then?”

Meg opened her eyes and looked around. She let out a defeated sigh as she realized that it hadn’t all been a terrible dream, she was infact sleeping in a hospital lounge surrounded by her new friends. She looked to her left to see Brian wide awake reading a magazine. As she stirred around in her seat, he put his magazine down and offered her a faint smile. “Morning,” he said. “I won’t say good morning, cuz I don’t think there is much that is good about it.” She forced a smile back and then stretched. He jumped from his seat and offered her his hand. “C’mon Meg, let’s get a change of scenery. Let’s take a walk around outside and get some fresh air,” he said with a faint twinkle in his eye. She didn’t feel like it, but she also didn’t feel like arguing.

As soon as she stepped out through the sliding doors she felt better. The bright sunshine beat down on her gray face and she breathed a sigh of relief. Brian still had hold of her hand as they walked down the sidewalk. “We’ll just take a little stroll, maybe bring back some muffins for everyone,” he said. Meg walked along in silence, reliving the past 12 hours over and over in her head. As they walked down the street she felt as though she should be filled with grief for the man who had lost his life last nite. She thought that she should be racked with guilt about not being there to help her new friend when she apparently needed someone. She felt that she should be overcome with sadness for her hurt friend, but she didn’t. Infact, the further they walked away from the hospital, the better she felt. The greater the distance between herself and the group, the more alive she felt. She felt herself drawing strength from Brian and the solitude and peace which they were creating out on that Florida street. She felt so much as if a heavy weight had just been lifted from her, that she even cracked a smile....and Brian noticed. “It’s good to see you smile again, Meg,” he said as he squeezed her hand tightly. “You’ve been so quiet lately....I’ve missed you.” “I know that I’ve been quiet...I’m sorry for that....it’s just that......well....lately I’ve felt like I don’t really belong here....like I don’t have any real friends,” she said. “No friends? Not even me? And what about Nat? She’s your twin, she’ll always be here for you, right?” Brian asked, confused by her sudden bluntness. “You are the only one Brian. You are the reason why I even came....I felt like you could be a really good friend to me.......I can feel Nat and I growing apart....she’s so wrapped up in Kevin right now and she’s fallen so easily into a friendship with the other girls......Nat’s always been able to do that. She’s always been the upbeat, outgoing one, who never has any trouble fitting in or making friends. I’ve always been the quieter one, the emotional one, the sensitive one. I take things a lot more seriously than Nat does. I find that I can lose myself in my thoughts so easily. I’m sorry for that,” she said.

“Don’t you dare apologize to me....why do you think that I like you so much? Cuz you’re not like other girls. You’re smart and quiet and reserved, but you’re also a hell of a lot of fun! You know that!” he smiled and tickled her waist, causing her to break away from him and run up the sidewalk a ways, laughing her head off. She stopped and waited for Brian to catch up to her and when he did she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all of her might. “Thank you for that,” Brian said when they pulled away. “There’s lots more where that came from!” she beamed and pecked his lips again. “That was nice too, but I mean thank you for being so honest with me. I had no idea that that’s how you were feeling. I don’t want you to feel like that....there’s no reason for it.......tell me how I can make it better.”

Stay with me and never forget this conversation,” she smiled and pecked his lips again. He looked in her tired eyes and saw a little girl. He saw the eyes of someone who truly needed him, like he was the last person left in the world. He smiled back and they turned to walk ahead and just as they did, they both rammed into someone coming out of the nearby store. The collision had been so strong that it almost knocked the wind out of Meg. Brian hadn’t seen the faces of whom they had just bumped into, but instinct told him to apologize and offer “I’m sorrys.’ In the split second after the collision, Brian gathered himself to look at the people he and Meg had just bumped into. He expected to see perfect strangers, but instead he saw two of the most familiar faces he knew.

“YOU! You little shit! What the hell are you doing in FLORIDA??” the woman demanded to know. “Well Audrey, actually I’m starting a new life in what I thought, was the furthest away from you as I could get. Apparently I was mistaken,” he said coldly, squeezing Meg’s hand tighter and tighter. “How could you have DONE THAT TO ME??” she demanded to know, pointing her finger at Brian’s chest. “HOW COULD YOU HAVE JUST LEFT ME AT THE ALTER??” “What? You really thought that I was still going to marry you after finding you in bed with Drew? Are you crazy?” Brian said.

“Oh, c’mon Brian! Get off it! You mean to tell me that you didn’t know about Audrey and I?” Drew asked casually. Brian furrowed his brows and looked confused. “You mean to say that you didn’t know that Audrey and I were an item? We were together long before I introduced you to her,” Drew stated proudly. “Wait! I’m confused. You were dating Audrey.......yet you, my best friend, introduced me to her and allowed me to fall in love with her, you let me plan on marrying her, because..................??????” Brian asked more confused than ever.

“GOD! Do we have to spell it out to you? We were going to live BIG! Brian you’re LOADED! I was supposed to marry you and stay married to you for a couple of years and then get a nice and neat little divorce, accompanied by a huge settlement. It was gonna be perfect.....and you spoiled everything, you little twirp!” Audrey stated and gave him a shove. Fire raged in Meg’s blue eyes. She squeezed Brian’s hand tighter and he knew immediately what she was gonna do. “Now look here.......NOBODY TREATS BRIAN LIKE THAT! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF.....I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN THE WORLD......YOU’RE NOTHING BUT A HOOKER!!!” Meg yelled as Brian held onto her arm, hoping that this wouldn’t turn into anything but a yelling match.

“Oh Brian, she’s lovely...who’s this little gem?” Audrey asked deviously. “All I can say to you Audrey is THANK GOD THAT MY CAR DIED AND I HAD TO COME TO VEGAS LATE...THANK GOD THAT I FOUND OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU AND DREW BEFORE I MARRIED YOU.....CUZ I DON’T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE IF I HAD FOUND OUT AFTER.......!!!!!” he yelled and then whisked Meg past them and hurried up the sidewalk.

Once he got to the corner he stopped and began to count to 10 to calm down and to fight back the tears which so desperately wanted to escape. Meg hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek softly. “I’m so sorry Brian...I can’t imagine how you must be feeling,” she said warmly. He collapsed down onto the curb and ran his fingers through his hair. He had begun to hyperventilate and he was trembling. Meg sat down beside him and watched as she tried not to panic. He seemed to be in such distress, yet she didn’t know how to help him. She rubbed his back gently as he fought to take deeper and longer breaths.

“Brian, you’re shaking!” she said as he leaned over and rested his head on her chest as he began to cry. She hugged him tightly and stroked his hair as she rocked him like a baby. Finally, he let out a longer breath and the trembling stopped. He sat up and looked away from her in shame. “I’m sorry Megan, you must think that I’m crazy or something,” he said quietly. “Are you alright? Is there something I can do for you? Can I get you a drink of water or something?” “No, sometimes, very rarely, but sometimes I get these anxiety attacks....there’s nothing I can do really but ride them out. I just feel so ashamed.....I feel so stupid that all of that was going on and I never even realized it. I was just so blinded by her.”

“Brian, you’ve got to believe that everything happens for a reason......good and bad. You’ve got to know that something intervened that nite in Vegas and saved you from a lot of heartache and that same something brought you to me. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?” she smiled. “Promise me you’ll take what you can from this and not let this destroy you.....” she said as he looked into her pleading eyes. She knew that he was trusting and vulnerable; she could tell that from their very first conversation. That’s partly why she felt so drawn to him, because she felt the exact same way.

“Let’s make ourselves a promise.....right now,” she said quietly. “Let’s make a promise that we will always be completely honest with each other.....about everything. Promise me that you’ll let me in and I’ll promise you that I won’t shut you out,” she smiled faintly. He nodded his head in agreement.

“You’re absolutely right.....if we are going to try to make this work, honesty will be our foundation. I promise to be honest with you, Meg and I promise that I’ll never lie to you.” He cracked a smile and rubbed his eyes with his hands and stood up. “Can I ask you one question?” Meg asked as she got to her feet. “Of course, you can ask me anything.” “Why didn’t you tell me that you have money?”

“Because I didn’t want you to look at me through green eyes. I’ve worked hard for the money that I have. I wasn’t born wealthy. I didn’t have everything just handed to me. I’ve very proud of the fact that I made something of myself in the corporate world. I was afraid that if I told you right away that you would think that I was some spoiled little rich-kid, but I’m not. I’m not even used to having money. Actually, I hate it.”

Meg had her hands full of bags of muffins as Brian tried to steady 7 large coffees in his two hands. They had asked the clerk for a big box to carry everything in, but she had just looked at them as if they had just asked her personally to help them carry everything back. Luckily it was a short walk to the hospital, otherwise Brian would have found himself taking the Lords name in vain several times. They were just waiting for the last light to change before crossing the street in front of the hospital when a cab pulled up and a familiar face jumped out. “Geez Brian, why didn’t you tell us that you were so addicted to coffee,” Howie tried to tease, but Brian’s face remained in a frown. “It’s a good thing you’re here,” Meg said as she grabbed at one of the bags which was slipping from her grasp. “Why? So I can help you guys with your loads?” Howie smiled.

“NO! Because CJ is really gonna need you!” Meg answered back firmly. The smile disappeared from Howie’s face as he took a few cups away from Brian. “Then it’s true.....how bad is it?”