In a cloud of sneakers, jeans, and perfume, the Hanson brood and Laura's parents burst in the emergency room. Taking refugee in the waiting room, the tension was so thick, breathing was strenuous. Jessica immediately took off for the nearest pay phone so she could call her younger brother and sister, and give them an update. Diana, Walker, and Laura's parents sat in silence, waiting for the inevitable. Becca and Ike stood in the back, arms around one another, watching Zac with worry. He was leaning against a vending machine, eyes closed. His face was pale with worry, and his arms were crossed tightly in front of his chest, as if that could shield him from any bad news the doctor may bring. Taylor and Laura were sitting next to one another. Laura was leaning in, resting her head against her husband's chest and shaking with emotion. Taylor had his arms around his wife, praying silently that his daughter was fine.
"I don't believe all this," Becca whispered to Ike.
"Neither do I. Can't believe AJ and Rick were stupid enough to hide in the cop car and go to the scene. What were they thinking? They put Maddy, and themselves, in danger." Ike shook his head in disbelief.
"I saw them wheel a body in..." her voice trailed off.
"Me too." He frowned. "It was too big to be Maddy, though..."
"You don't think..."
"I don't know what to think," Ike said, glancing at his younger brother.
Hearing footsteps, everyone stopped talking and looked up. Wondering why the chatter had ceased, Zac opened his eyes and slowly turned his head. The sight before him, band-aids, bloodstained clothes, and all, flooded his body with relief, and he smiled wide. In a flash, his arms were around the love of his life, and tears rolled down his flushed cheeks. "Don't you ever, EVER, scare me like that again. Do you hear me? I'm never letting you leave my sight," he whispered in AJ's ear, squeezing her tight.
"I'm sorry, Zac. I'm so sorry." AJ's bottom lip quivered, and her eyes filled with tears.
The two embraced again, but before they could say anything more to one another, Taylor and Laura were by their side, ready to fire questions at AJ. "Are you okay? How's Maddy?" Laura asked.
"I'm fine. Just a few cuts and bruises. Maddy's okay. Not a scratch on her. The doctors are just asking her questions. The police are in there, too," AJ responded, sniffing and wiping away her tears.
"If she's okay, why are the doctors asking her questions?" Taylor asked.
"They want to know if... well... you know... If the guys... If they touched her..." AJ's voice trailed off.
"If they laid a hand on her, I'll..." Taylor's face became red with anger.
"I think she's fine. Really. The police are just getting a statement from her. That's all."
"AJ..." Laura swallowed the lump in her throat. "Why... why are you covered in blood?"
"It's... It's..." A fresh batch of tears rolled down her cheeks. "Maddy and I were running towards one another. The one guy, though... he had a gun. He raised it, and aimed for... Rick pushed Maddy out of the way, but... He got hit. Rick took the bullet for her." AJ paused to swallow. "There was... so much blood. I... I tried to stop it, but I... I couldn't. There was just too much..."
Zac wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "I'm sure you did everything you could. Do you know how he is?"
AJ shook her head. "All I know is he's in the OR."
"I don't believe this. I don't believe this. I don't believe this," Laura muttered over and over. "Why? Damnit, why? Why is he doing all this?" Laura titled her head back and looked up at the ceiling, waiting for answers from the heavens above.
"Because, despite everything, he really did love Maddy..." AJ whispered.
"No. No, he didn't." Laura shook her head and began to cry.
"It's okay." Taylor embraced his wife, and rubbed her back soothingly. "He's allowed to love her. I'd be mad if he didn't."
"No," she insisted, shaking her head. "That's not possible. This isn't the way it's supposed to be. You, me, Maddy, and Jenn. That's it. There's not room for another person."
"You know that's not true. Come on now, Laura. I've known all along that Maddy had another father out there, somewhere. Why are you refusing to accept that?" Taylor continued to hold his wife, gently rocking back and forth.
"I... I don't know..." Laura admitted sadly.
"Let's not discuss this now. Let's concentrate on Maddy, okay?" He pulled back and looked into his wife's eyes, running his fingers through her long, blonde hair.
"Okay..." She sniffed.
Zac grabbed AJ by the elbow. "Let's give them some privacy," he said, leading her towards the vending machine. Once they reached their destination, he turned to face her, arms crossed in front of his chest and a stern expression on his face. "What the hell did you think you were doing, tagging along like that?"
"I... I wanted to help..." AJ figured Zac would be mad at her, but she wasn't figuring on receiving a lecture from his as well.
"God, Amanda Jean! I don't know what the hell is going on in that head of yours sometimes! Do you THINK before you pull stunts like these? Or do you have the patent on making people worry, or something?" His faced was flushed with anger, but his voice cracked with relief that his girlfriend made it out of this escapade in one piece.
"Zac, I... I don't know what to say..." she admitted sadly. "I DIDN'T think. I didn't think at all. All I knew is that I had to help Maddy, somehow..." She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Shit... What the hell is wrong with me? Why is it that I keep getting myself into these messes? And why is it that you're still here? How do you put up with me?" Her eyes filled with tears.
Zac took AJ's hands in his. "Because I hate being apart from you. I remember what that was like, and it was hell." His heart began to ache, and he felt the pain of their earlier separations all over again. It was enough to make him collapse to the floor. "But you scare me sometimes. I want to be there for you, protect you. But I can't do that if you just up and run off someplace. And I can't afford to lose you. You're my world, Amanda Jean."
"I am SO sorry." AJ gently traced his lips with her finger.
He kissed her finger. "I know you are," he said softly. "Just... PLEASE, don't do that EVER again. Once was more than I could handle..." His voice trailed off and he shook his head, trying to get the image of the body being wheeled into the hospital out of his mind.
"What is it?" she asked softly.
"I... I saw them wheel the body in..." Zac's voice cracked, and he licked his dry lips. "I... I was so afraid it was you..." He leaned in so their foreheads were touching.
"Omigod! I am SO sorry I scared you like that. That was NEVER my intention. NEVER." AJ squeezed her boyfriend tightly. "Please, Zac, forgive me."
"Of course," he responded. He looked up and gently pressed his lips against her forehead. Noticing her wince a little, he asked, "What hurts?" His fingers carefully passed over the small, gauze bandage on the upper right side of her forehead.
"My right hip and my head," she told him.
"What happened?"
AJ swallowed the lump in her throat, forming as a result of remembering the day's events. "When Rick pushed Maddy out of the way, I got knocked down, too. I landed on my right hip, and my head hit the pavement pretty hard. The walkway was cracked, and I got a nasty gash. The doctor cleaned it out and gave me stitches," she explained.
"I'm glad you're okay," Zac softly told her.
"Me too." She smiled and then gently pressed her lips against his.
Filled with both relief and happiness to have his girlfriend in his arms again, Zac deepened the kiss. He couldn't get enough of her, and most certainly didn't want to let go. Forgetting where he was, his hands roamed over and under AJ's bloodstained shirt.
Breathlessly, she pulled away. "Zac, we're in a hospital. We're waiting for news on Maddy and Rick," she reminded him.
"I know. But..." He gasped for breath. "I just want to forget everything." He kissed her again, and his teeth tugged gently on her bottom lip. "God, I love you..."
"I love you, too..." AJ ran her hands down Zac's back, and then slid them into the back pockets of his jeans.
"Mommy! Daddy!"
The couple quickly pulled apart and turned around. Their niece was running, arms outstretched, towards her parents. But before she could reach the orange plastic chairs, Taylor scooped his daughter up in his arms, squeezing her tight. "Madeline, I love you so much," he told her, his voice cracking.
"I love you, too, Daddy. Please, don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come back to the field. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." Tears of relief and regret cascaded down the young girl's face.
"Sweetie, you have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing," Laura said, kissing the top of her daughter's head. Taylor set Madeline down so Laura could embrace her. "We're just thankful you're alright. That's all that matters." A few tears slid down Laura's cheeks as she stroked her daughter's hair. "Come." She held out her hand, and the two walked over to the chairs, Taylor right behind them. The three sat down, with Madeline in the middle.
"Mommy, where's Aunt AJ?"
"I'm right here, Honey." AJ walked towards the young girl. "How are you?" She knelt down so she could look into her niece's eyes.
"I'm fine. I... I was wondering... How's your friend, that man?" Maddy's voice was soft. She didn't know much about this man, other than he had risked his life for her. And he showed up with her Aunt AJ, so he had to be a friend, right?
"He's... he's being operated on." AJ didn't want to frighten the girl, but she didn't want to lie to her either.
"Is... is he gonna be okay?" Maddy's eyes filled with tears thinking of the worst possible ending to this whole nightmare. It just didn't seem fair. How could someone she barely knows save her, and then she doesn't get the chance to thank him? It just didn't seem possible. And at the same time, she felt a terrible injustice being done. She had a right to know this man, didn't she? How could someone so wonderful walk in and out of her life in one day?
"We don't know, Honey," Taylor said, giving his daughter's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "We're waiting for the doctors to tell us how he is. If you want, we can go home, and then Aunt AJ and Uncle Zac can call us when they hear something?"
"No." Maddy shook her head fervently. "I wanna stay here. I feel like I owe him that much." She bit her bottom lip, pondering whether or not to ask the question clouding her mind.
"What is it, Sweetie?" Laura asked, noticing the expression on her daughter's face.
"How... How... how do we know him? We do know him, right?" She looked back and forth between her mother and father.
Feeling this question best be answered by Madeline's parents, AJ stood up. "I'm gonna go check and see if there's any news..." she said, backing up and walking away.
"That man, Rick, is a friend, a good friend," Taylor answered, glancing at his wife to see her reaction. She had none, so Taylor went on. "He worked with Aunt AJ, and is a great guy." He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat. "Your mom and I will tell you more about him later on. Okay?"
"Okay," Maddy said softly, nodding her head. She took one of her parents' hands in each of hers and squeezed tight. "I was so scared," she whispered.
"We were, too," Laura said. She looked at her daughter and tried to smile, but the corners of her mouth failed to turn all the way up. Her bottom lip trembled, and a few tears trickled down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her free hand. "Madeline, we love you very much. And you... you will always be my baby. Always."
The tender moment was interrupted by the sounds of someone sobbing. Taylor, Laura, and Madeline looked up and saw AJ walking towards them, and a doctor not far behind. Zac heard the sobbing, and immediately recognized the distinctive sound. He stopped talking to his oldest brother and sister-in-law, and immediately wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. "What is it, AJ? What's wrong?"
She just continued to sob, shook her head, and buried her face in her boyfriend's chest. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to end this way.
"Doctor, what is it?" Zac asked, resting his chin on AJ's shoulder and rubbing her back soothingly.
"I'm Doctor Murphy. Are you Richard Anderson's family?" he asked as his hands found their way into the pockets of the lab coat covering his scrubs.
"Friends," Taylor said, standing up quickly. "We're his friends. His family is in New York." At least, he guessed Rick's family was in New York. But regardless, he was here for this man now. "Doctor, how... how is he?"
Dr. Murphy sighed. "The bullet entered through his back on the left side. It hit an artery. We were able to take the bullet out, but we couldn't stopped the bleeding." He paused. This was the part he hated most. This was the part that made him regret choosing medicine as a profession. "I'm sorry, but we lost him."
"How can you just sit there and read a magazine like nothing has happened?" Laura asked her husband in an aggravated tone. Once again, the couple was sitting in the hospital, waiting. This time, though, they were on the third floor. They were sitting outside Dr. McCormick's office, while Maddy was inside. After yesterday's events, Dr. Murphy had suggested counseling. Taylor immediately set up an appointment. If he thought it was such a good idea, why was he so absorbed in this week's issue of Time?
"Easily. It beats pacing," Taylor replied, tossing the magazine onto the coffee table in front of him. "And I don't pretend, NOT FOR ONE SECOND, that nothing has happened. I'm the one who this up. Remember?" His voice took a sharp tone as he stood up, crossing his arms in front of his chest. This whole situation had been as equally hard on him as it was on Laura, and he didn't appreciate his wife's criticism of how he chose to find closure.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just... she's in there right now, telling Dr. McCormick everything that happened. I feel like I should be in there so I can be there for my baby. But I don't know I could handle... hearing... all that..." Laura sighed and sunk down into the couch.
Taylor sat down next to his wife and rubbed her back soothingly. "And that's exactly why we're NOT in there. We want Maddy to talk freely, without the fear of upsetting us. It'll do her no good to keep any of it to herself." He bit his bottom lip. In all honestly, he thought out of the three of them, Maddy was handling things best. Laura had tossed and turned all night, and he couldn't shut his eyes. So Taylor found himself in the doorway of Madeline's room, watching her sleep peacefully throughout the night.
Laura looked into her husband's eyes, searching for answers she, herself, didn't have. For her, this wasn't over just yet. She glanced at the door to Dr. McCormick's office, and her eyes returned to her husband's. "What do you think Madeline is telling her?"
Taylor sighed. "I don't know. But I'm sure, when the time is right, Maddy will tell us herself."
Madeline sat down on the couch. The doctor, Dr. McCormick, sat on a chair facing her. The woman was fairly young; she couldn't be too much older than her parents. And there was something calming about her demeanor. She made Maddy feel somehow at ease. But that didn't change the fact that she had no desire to talk to Dr. McCormick. She was only here because her parents said she had to be. "What do you want me to tell you?"
"Anything you want," Dr. McCormick replied, folding her hands in her lap. She wasn't surprised at all by Madeline's stiffness. It was very common during her patients' first visits.
"My baby sister, Jenn, will be crawling any day now. She gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth." Madeline smiled, remembering how her little sister rocked back and forth this morning on the living room carpet. She had tried to coax her into crawling, even demonstrating how to do it. Her father said Jenn wasn't ready for that quite yet, but any day now she would be. Maddy loved her family.
Dr. McCormick smiled. "That's nice. I take it you love your sister."
"Very much. I remember when Mommy and Daddy brought her home from the hospital. I was excited, but a little scared, too."
The older woman was a bit shocked by this admission. She tilted her head to the right, wearing an expression of curiosity. "Why?"
"'Cause being a big sister is an important job. I know 'cause my daddy has five younger brothers and sisters. I want to be as good as he is." Maddy fidgeted a bit in the couch. She wasn't quite sure how much she should tell this lady, or if she should tell her anything at all. The last time she talked about her family, she was shoved out of a chair and slid across the floor.
"Wow! Five brothers and sisters! That's a lot," the doctor commented, nodding her head as if that would help her process the information.
"Yeah. And my Uncle Ike is the oldest."
"So your grandma and grandpa had seven kids?" She uncrossed her legs and then recrossed them, switching from left over right to right over left.
"Uh-huh. And my mommy is the youngest. She has an older brother and sister."
Dr. McCormick smiled. "It must be nice having such a large family."
Maddy nodded her head in agreement. "It is. But..."
"But what?" the doctor asked, leaning forward slightly.
"I... I missed them." Maddy swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "When... when I was gone..." she whispered.
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. What did you say?" Dr. McCormick knew exactly what the young girl had said. However, the point of this visit was to allow Madeline the chance to talk about her experiences. Whispering and pretending nothing happened would help no one.
"When I was gone. When I was taken." Maddy's voice cracked, and she began to cry softly. She put her feet on the couch and wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging her knees to her chest. She rested her forehead on her knees as she continued to cry.
Dr. McCormick's first instinct was to get up, sit down next to the young girl, and comfort her. She's a mother, and hates to see any child in pain. However, she also knows that there are two parents in the waiting room who's job it is to comfort Madeline. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Maddy shook her head no.
She chewed her bottom lip, contemplating her next course of action as the young girl continued to cry. "Would you like some tissues?"
Maddy nodded her head yes.
Dr. McCormick rose to her feet and retrieved a box of tissues from her desk. "Here," she said, handing the young girl the box of tissues. She took them and pulled one from the box so she could blow her nose. Dr. McCormick sat back down in her chair. She waited for her patient's sobs to subside some before she spoke. "Madeline, I just want you to know it's okay to cry. And anything else you're feeling, that's okay, too."
Maddy dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, sniffling. "No, it's not."
Puzzled, Dr. McCormick leaned forward slightly. "Why do you say that?"
"Because my mommy told me 'hate' is a strong word, and I shouldn't use it. But I can't help it." Madeline began to cry again, and she quickly blew her nose. "I hate them, Dr. McCormick. I hate them. I hate them! I HATE them! I HATE THEM!"
"I hate them! I HATE them! I HATE THEM!"
Taylor had been sitting on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees, his head in his hands. Upon hearing his daughter's voice through the thick oak door, he immediately rose to his feet. He walked right up to the door of Dr. McCormick's office, ready to barge through. But as quickly as he felt the urge, he stopped it. Barging in wouldn't do anyone any good - especially Madeline. Carefully, he placed his hands on the door, as if he could comfort his daughter through it. Slowly, his hands fell to his sides as he sunk to the floor on his knees. "God, this sucks, Laura."
"I know. I know it does." She got up off the couch and knelt down next to her husband. "We're just going to have to be patient. Again."
"God, I am SO SICK of being patient!" Taylor said, quickly rising to his feet and leaving his wife on the floor, shocked by his outburst. "I thought this was over. I thought once we got home from the hospital, it would be over."
Laura rose to her feet and walked over to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Honey, it will never REALLY be over..." She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his shoulder.
"Actually, I've been thinking about that... I think I know what would help us find closure..."
Laura pulled away and looked into Taylor's blue eyes. Through them she could see the wheels of his mind turning, and felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew EXACTLY what he was thinking. "Oh, no..."
"Laura, just listen to me..."
"No. No, I absolutely forbid it. No."
"Honey, let me explain..."
"Explain what? Hasn't she been through enough?" Laura asked, pointing at her daughter on the other side of the office door. "I am NOT going to hurt her."
"Laura, we're not going to hurt her. I've given this a lot of thought, and..."
"No. That's my final word. It's no longer open for discussion." She crossed her arms in front of her chest for emphasis.
Just then, the door to Dr. McCormick's office opened. Madeline stood in the doorway, watching her parents with earnest. They looked the same as they always did - completely absorbed in one another and flushed. She smiled. Familiar sights were more than welcomed. And if they involved her family, that was even better. She quickly ran over to them, embracing them both. "I love you."
"We love you, too," Taylor said, kissing the top of his daughter's head. He looked at the doctor, who smiled and nodded her head. "Same time next week?" he asked.
"Madeline, what do you say? Same time next week?" the doctor asked the young girl.
"Sure."
Taylor carried Madeline on his back to the front porch, while Laura stood in front of the door, ready to insert her key in the lock. However, someone opened the door before she had the chance. Standing in the doorway with her arms crossed in front of her chest, tapping her foot impatiently, was Avery. "It's for you, Taylor," Laura shouted to her husband as she passed through into the house.
"Huh?" Taylor wondered aloud, not quite sure what his wife meant by what she had said. However, upon reaching the front door, he swallowed hard. He knew he was in for it. "Hey, Avery. When did you get in?"
"This morning. No thanks to you." Avery's stern expression softened when she saw her niece. She kissed her on the cheek. "How are you, Sweetie?" she asked, stroking Madeline's hair.
"I'm good. I've missed you Aunt Avery," Maddy said, wiggling so her father would set her down. Once he did, she hugged her aunt. "I'm happy you're here."
"Me too, Sweetie. Me too."
Mackie interrupted the tender scene, carrying a bag of potato chips. He popped one into his mouth before speaking. "You have company, Tay," he said, smiling a wicked smile. He knew his older brother was about to get an earful.
"Thanks for the news flash. When did you get here?"
"I picked up Avie from the airport. Someone had to." He shrugged. "Just doing my brotherly duties."
"Oh. And do those duties include eating me out of house and home?" Taylor asked, eying his younger brother as he popped another chip into his mouth, and a few crumbs fell to the living room floor.
"Uh-huh. Which reminds me, you're almost out of these."
Taylor rolled his eyes. "What else is new? Where's Jenn, Zoë, and Laura?"
"They're all in the kitchen. I think it's feeding time, or something." Mackie titled his head back and dumped the remaining crumbs in the potato chip bag into his mouth.
"Well, why don't you join them?"
"Because I want ringside seats for this show. Hehehe..." He smiled wickedly again, knowing this was going to be good. Growing up, Mackie noticed Taylor and Avery had some sort of special relationship. It had to be special if Taylor let Avery tell him off the way she did more often than not. Usually, it was about a guy his sister was dating. However, this time, his brother was really up a shit's creek without a paddle. He had neglected to call Avery and tell her Maddy had been missing. There was NO WAY those baby blues were getting him out of his one.
"Mackenzie, why don't you take Maddy into the kitchen and fix her some lunch?" Taylor shot his brother a murderous look. He knew he was in trouble, and his younger brother taunting him wasn't helping any, either.
"Oh, fine. Fine," Mackie said, defeated. "Let's go, Kiddo," he said to his niece, holding out his hand to her.
Madeline slipped her hand into her uncle's. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but did know that her father was in trouble with her Aunt Avery. "Go easy on him," she whispered to her aunt before she and her uncle fled to the kitchen.
As soon as his daughter was out of earshot, Taylor spoke up. "All right. Let me have it. I deserve it."
Avery sighed. "God, Taylor, I don't know whether to hug you tight or beat you severely. You promised me, you PROMISED ME before I left for California that you would be straight with me. You promised you'd keep me up-to-date on everything, knowing the rest of the family wouldn't want to 'worry me' and keep me in the dark. So you can imagine my surprise when I called home yesterday and Mac filled me in. How could you have not told me?" The hurt was evident in the young woman's voice. She felt betrayed more than anything else.
"Well..." He looked down sheepishly at the carpet. He had gone back on his word. He sighed. Long ago, something happened when his parents brought Avery home from the hospital. It was the first time Taylor really understood what being a big brother was all about. And when he first held his sister, he made her a promise. He promised her he'd be the best big brother ever. And, through the years, Taylor did his best to keep that promise. As she got older, Avery would go to him for relationship advice, and he usually told her that whatever guy she was dating wasn't good enough for her. It almost killed him when she decided to go out to California, but Taylor knew the state held a special place in her heart, ever since they had gone out there to record "Middle of Nowhere." But before she left, Taylor made her another promise - he'd keep her informed on what was going on the homefront. Now, he had broken that promise.
"And don't tell me you didn't want to worry me. I refuse to accept that." Avery crossed her arms in front of her chest again. She felt her face flush with anger, and at this point, she wouldn't be surprised at all if smoke came out of her ears.
"I wish I COULD tell you that. But in all honesty, I forgot," Taylor admitted sadly, failing to meet his sister's gaze.
"You didn't forget to call Zac," she replied, her tone sharp. She quickly turned around so her back was facing her brother. She didn't want him to see the tears of hurt forming in the corners of her eyes.
"I know... I know I didn't... Look, Avery, so much has been going on... I know that doesn't make up for what I've done. I wish I could take it back. I do. It's just been one thing after the other. It started with AJ being sued. Then Becca had a miscarriage, and Ike was sleeping here. Then with Maddy's kidnapping... Everything's been a whirlwind." Taylor tentatively walked towards his sister. He wanted to hug her. He felt like he owed her that much. However, he wasn't quite sure she'd appreciate the gesture. Finally deciding things couldn't get much worse, he turned Avery around so he could hug her. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.
"Me too. I'm sorry I couldn't be here for you. Now what's this about AJ being sued and my sister-in-law having a miscarriage? Fill me in," Avery said, taking her brother by the elbow and leading him towards the couch. The two sat down, and Taylor began the long story - everything from AJ's lawsuit, to Ike and Becca's strained marriage, to Rick's sudden arrival and untimely death. "My God, Taylor, you've been through hell and back," she said, embracing her older brother.
"Yeah, but it's over now. It's finally over," he said, returning the hug.
"Is it? What about Ike and Becca?" Avery asked, concern evident in her voice. She had always been particularly fond of her sister-in-law. Back when her brothers first hit it big, Becca had been one of the few constants in the Hansons' life. The thought of her no longer being a part of it broke Avery's heart.
"Well, he hasn't been here, so I'm assuming things are on the mend. It didn't look good there for a while, but I had faith they'd pull through." Taylor smiled. "And before you ask, no, Zac hasn't popped the question."
"What the hell is he waiting for?" Avery asked, exasperated and rolling her eyes. "I'll be in menopause before he gets his act together."
Taylor chuckled. "Don't you think you're exaggerating just a tad?"
"Not really. Well, okay. Maybe a little." The corners of her mouth turned up. "But I'd be surprised if he tied the knot before I did."
"Oh, really?" He rose his eyebrows. "Tell me about him."
"Tay, he is SO cute. He's in my organic chemistry class, and is my lab partner. He has wavy, dark hair, and these deep brown eyes. They're just like Dad's. And he has this smile... it just... warms me. He's incredibly nice, too."
Taylor nodded his head. "That's all well and good. How are his grades?"
"Taylor!" Avery swatted his arms. "There is no minimum GPA that guys must have if they want to date me!"
"You didn't answer my question."
"Well, if you must know, he's the smartest one in the pre-med group. Ranked number one, to be exact. He's very serious about his work."
"Mmm... so, you're still going to be a doctor?" Taylor smiled. "I can just hear it now. 'Dr. Hanson, report to the OR, stat'."
"Actually... I was thinking of going into pediatrics," Avery told her older brother softly. She tentatively raised her eyes to meet his, searching for his approval.
He nodded his head. "That's sound great, Avery. It really does. I am so proud of you. My sister, the doctor." He beamed.
"Yeah, Becca's cousin, Danielle, is setting it up so I can observe some of her rounds this summer. I really want to do this, Tay."
"And I really support you. Avery, if this is what you want, then go for it." Taylor looked at the mantle. Even though the picture wasn't in the center, it stood out all the same to him. It was a picture of him after commencement at Oral Roberts University. He and Avery were standing with an arm around each other's waist, smiling wide. That was the day his sister told him she wanted to pursue medicine, and he told her he was behind her all the way. That hasn't changed.
"Thanks, Tay. That means a lot to me," she said, hugging her older brother again.
"No problemo. Now what do you say we go in the kitchen and get some lunch, Dr. Hanson?" he asked, standing up.
Avery smiled and stood up. "Sounds great to me, big bro."
Zac sneezed as his eyes tried to focus in the dim light of the musty attic. "Damn dust," he muttered under his breath. He was still at a loss as to why his mother insisted he clean his stuff out of the attic NOW. "Brothers one and two still have THEIR shit up here..." he said aloud, eyeing the boxes with his brothers' names on them. As he walked closer to the boxes, he realized there were several with his name on it, while Ike and Tay only had one box each. Zac sat down on the dusty floor in front of his boxes, and his mother's words flooded back to him.
(Flashback)
"Zac, Honey, there's something you have to do before you go back to New York," his mother told him, stirring the sauce for tonight's dinner.
"Oh? What's that?" Zac dipped a small slice of Italian bread into the pot, and then shoved it into his mouth.
"Clean out the attic."
"Mom, I don't live here anymore. Get Mackie or Zoe to do it."
"Sorry. Let me rephrase that. Clean YOUR stuff out of the attic."
"Why?"
"Well, because, as you were so quick to tell me seconds earlier, you don't live here anymore."
Zac crinkled his brows in confusion. "Are you kicking me out, or something?"
"Kicking you out? Heavens, no. I don't 'kick out' my children. They leave of their own free will, when this is no longer their home, just the place where they grew up." Diana kept her eyes focused on the sauce. She didn't want her son to know how hard it is for her to let go.
He swallowed hard. "This will always be my home, Mom." His voice was soft.
"I know, Sweetie. I didn't mean it like that..."
"Then what DID you mean?"
"It's time to let go, for the both of us. AJ is a lovely woman, and New York is your home now. But it'll feel more like a home if you move your stuff out of the attic and take it back with you."
"I... uh..." Zac nervously licked his dry lips. "If you really think so..."
"I know so. I am so proud of you and the man you've become. And you will ALWAYS be my little boy."
"I love you, Mom."
Diana stopped stirring the sauce and embraced her son, tightly. "I love you, too, Zachary."
(End Flashback)
Maybe there was some truth behind his mother's words. Maybe he was holding on. And maybe it's time to let go. New York is definitely his home, so why was his past in cardboard boxes in an attic in Tulsa?
Zac swallowed hard, knowing EXACTLY the reason why. He was afraid. He would be completely on his own, and that scared him senseless. Right now, if something went wrong with AJ, he could very easily come home to Tulsa. But if everything he owned was in New York... Well... then...
"Damn! If I love you so much, Amanda Jean, why is this so hard?" But Zac knew the answer to his question. He liked being his mother's little boy, and a son his father was proud of. He liked being Ike and Tay's baby brother. And he liked being Jess, Avie, Mackie, and Zoe's big brother.
"I wonder if Ike had this much trouble when it came time for him and Becca to marry..." Zac said, lifting the lid of one of the boxes. Inside was his first pair of cleats, and numerous soccer ribbons. There was a ton of sheet music, pieces of songs he had never shown his brothers. He pulled out his first set of drumsticks, kissed them, put them back, and replaced the lid. "Bring to New York..." he told himself softly, setting the box to the side.
Zac went through several more boxes. They contained all sorts of things from the early days of the band. Each Cd, including the independent ones... He took them out and put them in the box that was going to the apartment. The boxes with some of the fan mail, stuffed animals, legos, the collection of shampoo bottles from various hotels, the birthday books, and his now-so-small yellow Doc Martens would go to New York, but be locked in storage.
Zac lifted the lid of the remaining box. As he sorted through its contents, he decided to leave it in Tulsa for his mother. It contained his baby book, his first pair of shoes, and pictures galore. Although all the pictures were in an album, one was in a frame. Zac took it out of the box and studied it. It was a picture of he, Ike, and Tay in Austin, Texas, where they had met their manager, Chris Sabec. The photo had been snapped minutes before they sang for him. Zac put the frame in the box that was going to the apartment.
He was sorting through the box one final time when something caught his eye. It was the cigar Isaac gave him when Kaitlyn was born. Zac smiled, remembering how Taylor INSISTED they smoke the cigars he passed out once Madeline's adoption became official. That was a first and a last... The cigar Taylor handed out after the birth of Jennifer Rose was on Zac's dresser, next to the photo of him holding his goddaughter.
Zac smiled as he twirled the cigar, an idea running through his mind. He put the cigar in his pocket, the lid on the final box, and set off to find AJ.
Zac walked into the living room. He saw AJ fiddling with the buttons on the stereo. He stood behind her, snaking his arms around her waist. "Miss me?" he whispered in her ear.
"A lot." AJ turned around, arms circling her boyfriend's neck. "You were gone quite a while. How much stuff do you have?"
"Boxes upon boxes. One's coming to the apartment, one stays in the attic for my mother, and the rest I'm putting in storage in New York. I can't believe all the things I've saved through the years."
"Like what?"
"My first drumsticks, fan mail, my yellow Doc Martens from England..."
"You kept those ugly things!?!"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."
AJ smiled. "I'd say you must have really loved them, but I already know that, since you wore them so much."
"Know what else I love?"
"What?"
"You." Zac's lips formed a wide grin. He leaned in, and gently kissed AJ's soft lips. When they pulled apart, he let out a shaky breath. "AJ, I need to talk to you."
She nodded her head. "Okay..."
Zac sat down on the coffee table, and AJ sat across from him on the couch. "I also found this," he said, removing the cigar from his pocket.
"It's a cigar," she stated the obvious.
"Yeah," Zac said softly. He paused. "Ike gave it to me after Kaitlyn was born." He swallowed. "Going through all my old stuff, seeing this cigar, it made me realize something... It made me realize how... how much I want a family."
AJ's eyes began to rapidly fill with tears. She cupped his face with her hands, and delivered a soft kiss to his lips. "Zac, I'll be your family." Her thumbs caressed his cheeks.
"I want more, AJ. I want us to have children together, grow old together." Zac unwrapped the cigar. He removed the paper ring from the Cuban, and took AJ's left hand in his. "I want you to be my wife, Amanda Jean."
"Oh... Zac..." she whispered, her right hand covering her lips, which were quivering with emotion. A single tear slid down one cheek. "I want to be your wife," she whispered.
Zac embraced AJ tightly. He released her, and then slid the cigar ring onto her ring finger. "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind..." The corners of his mouth turned up. "I have a ring for you back home..."
"It's beautiful..." AJ said, admiring the cigar ring. She kissed Zac. "Although, I have to admit, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind, either..."
"I wanted to ask you back home, with the ring, but I just couldn't wait..."
"No, it's not that. Zac, ring or no ring, I'd say yes. It's just... Well... I have a ring back home for you, too."
Zac's eyes widened in surprise. "You do?"
"Yeah. I was planning on proposing to you. I took the job at The Times so I could afford to give you the ring you deserve."
"Amanda Jean... I... I don't know what to say..."
"Say you'll marry me. Say you'll love me forever, even when my hair turns grey and everything starts to sag. Say you'll never leave me."
"Yes, yes, I'll marry you. Yes, I'll love you forever. And I will never, EVER, leave you." Zac ran his fingers through her hair. He brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. "Oh, God, I love you so much..."
"I love you, too, Zachary Hanson." AJ smiled. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"The song. Listen."
Zac titled his head and closed his eyes, absorbing the words and music flowing from the stereo speakers. I've seen stars in the night, too many to count... And days when the sun never went down... I've seen thunder and lightning, and pale silver moons... But I've never seen nothing like you... Zac held out his right hand to AJ. "May I have this dance?" he asked softly.
AJ took his hand and stood up. The couple moved to the empty space in the middle of the room. AJ placed her arms around Zac's neck and rested her head against his chest, as Zac's arms circled her waist.
When you came along, you touched my soul... Taught me all the things that I didn't know... And maybe you were sent to me from the angels above... So I would know what it means to love...
"I want it always to be this way," AJ said softly, her voice raspy with emotion.
"I don't. The next time we do this, we'll be in our own home. Together. Where we belong." He kissed the top of her head.
I've been thousands of miles from the place I call home... Stood at the crossroad, direction unknown... And I've sailed on an ocean, so deep and so blue... But I've never seen nothing like you... No, I've never seen nothing like you...