"here you go sweetie." Nicole said as she reached back, giving her son, Jake, a sippy cup of juice.
"thanks Mommy" Jake said with a lisp that only a 4 year old could make cute.
Nicole smiled looking back at the rest of her kids. Kelsey and Kyle were both listening to their iPods, staring out the window. Lorraine was watching a movie on a personal DVD player. She sat forward in her seat. She noticed the time and began to wonder what was taking her husband so long to finish loading the car and locking the house up.
"Mom! Kyle won't turn down his obnoxious noise and I'm trying to listen to music!" Nicole took a deep breath and turned to the back seat.
"this noise is pure energy, pure genius, pure amazing. And its not noise, its music. So shut up" Kyle, her 15 year old son half yelled, arguing with his twin sister, Kelsey.
"Kyle. Turn down your music. Kelsey, try to live with it, we have a long drive ahead of us, and your father and I could just unpack this car while you guys all go to your rooms." Nicole said, knowing that would get her kids to stop arguing.
Kyle and Kelsey both rolled their eyes, but kept quiet. All of a sudden the driver's seat door opened and a curly head appeared. Nicole smiled, then realized that it had taken her husband, Nick, almost 15 minutes just to lock the house.
"Nick, what took you so long?" she asked somewhat irritated.
"oh, I was shutting down my computer. Sorry" he said out of breath.
She rolled her eyes.
"Do you still love me?" he asked making a puppy dog face.
"No" she said with dry sarcasm
"ugh. Say it isn't so!" Nick huffed and dramatized, shaking his head.
He then popped his head back up and chuckled, getting into the car and he started the engine. He cracked a cheesy grin at his wife and then turned to face their kids.
"Are we all ready to go?" he asked.
A big resounding yes came from the backseat of the big black SUV as he turned to face forward and pulled out of the driveway of their over sized, but comfortable house.
A few minutes and a short drive later, they pulled up at a familiar location. The kids all recognized it but had no idea what they were doing there.
"Daddy, what are we doing at Uncle Joey's house?" Jake asked while sipping on his juice.
"well, we have a surpri…..oh my gosh" Nick didn't even finish his sentence before his brother, Joe, came bounding out of the house with about 4 suit cases and a ridiculous Goofy ears hat on.
Nick quickly got out of the car and ran to meet his brother before he could reach the car.
"um, Joe, you know you don't need to bring everything you own, right? Or did you miss that memo?" Nick joked.
"haha, you're so funny" Joe replied sarcastically "I'm very aware that I don't need everything I own. That's why I left one pair of underwear home" he stated very matter-of-factly as he walked down his long walkway to the car.
Nick's jaw dropped and he chased him down the driveway, Joe didn't stop.
"wait, Joe, you've got to be kidding me. Joseph. Go re-pack!" he called as Joe ignored him.
"UNCLE JOEY!" Jake yelled excitedly as he saw that 'Uncle Joey' was packed and ready to go.
"who is ready to see Mickey!" Joe yelled waiting for a reply.
"MEEEEEEEEEEE!" Jake and Lorraine yelled back.
Kyle and Kelsey just stared at him and laughed a little bit at how embarrassing he was.
"oh, sorry, I forgot, you're too cool for Disneyland aren't you." Joe said trying to imitate their attitudes.
They rolled their eyes again and continued listening to their music. Nicole got out of the car and gave Joe a hug while Nick tried fitting all of the suitcases into the car. He finally fit them into the car after reloading half the stuff they had already packed and putting a car top carrier on the roof.
"I'm readyyyyyyy!" a high pitch yell was heard throughout the yard.
"AUNTIE HALEY!" called Lorraine as she unbuckled and jumped out of the car and ran into her aunt's arms.
"Lorraine! How are you sweetie? I've missed you!" Haley said as she wrapped her arms around her niece.
"good! I've missed you too! When are you coming home?" Lorraine asked with her big blue eyes looking up at her aunt.
"well, as soon as your father fixes up the basement. So, ask him" Haley said as Nick walked over to get her suitcases.
He rolled his eyes too, and chose to ignore the comment. He just took her suitcase and drug it down the long driveway to the car.
"Nicky. Might I find your wife anywhere near here?" Haley asked as she continued to hold on to Lorraine as they walked.
"you might" Nick grunted as he hauled her heavy suitcase.
"Oh, thanks. Ugh, Lorraine, your father is no help. Where is your mom?"
"um, I don't know. She was with Uncle Joe last I saw her." Lorraine explained as Haley saw Nicole and Joe.
She walked over to them and began talking as Nick finished packing the car and got the kids situated in the car. Lorraine, Kelsey, and Kyle in the back seat and Jake in the middle seat. He would be sitting with Nick's brother 'Uncle Joey' and his sister 'Auntie Haley' as the kids called them.
They finally all loaded into the car and started their long 7 hour drive to Disneyland in sunny Southern California. They stopped for lunch along the way at California Pizza Kitchen.
"Daddy! I want pizza! I want pizza!" Jake was yelling excitedly.
"okay, baby boy, we'll get you some pizza. You just have to be patient" Nick said picking his son up.
Nicole walked up with Jake's sippy cup and handed it to Nick. Just then, Kyle and Lorraine started arguing for the thousandth time since they had been on the road. They both snapped their heads in the direction of the argument, tensing up a little bit.
"whoa. Kyle, Lorraine. Be cool guys. Chill out" Nick said firmly.
All three of his older children started laughing hysterically.
"Dad, if you ever say that again, I will die of embarrassment" Kelsey said after they finally caught their breath from laughing as they walked away, following a hostess who was seating them.
"Sorry Dad, I guess you're getting old, and you're not cool anymore. You lost your flare" Nicole said sarcastically as Nick held her hand in his free arm.
"Oh, well I didn't get that e-mail" he joked
"well that's because e-mail is old news. Now its all about texting and who knows what else" Nicole explained with a sarcastic smile plastered on her face.
"oh, so that's why they are always on their phones, running the bill up"
"you got it" Nicole said with a big smile as she looked into Nick's chocolate eyes.
He leaned down and kissed her and there was a yell from Nick's arms.
"ew, Mommy, Daddy, don't kiss in front of me, its yucky!" Jake yelled covering his eyes.
The entire table was cracking up as they watched the scene the three were putting on.
"Oh, terrible mistake on our part, Jakey. Sorry" Nick said.
"Well, Jake, if I'm not allowed to kiss your father, who am I allowed to kiss?" Nicole asked Jake, with a smirk.
He said nothing, just spread a huge smile across his face.
"Am I allowed to kiss you, Jakey?" Nicole asked as she leaned in close to her husband and her son.
"Mommy, stop!" He said excitedly as she began to tickle him and kissed him.
Jake wiped his face off as he wiggled out of his dad's arms and went over to the table, leaving Nick and Nicole alone.
"Well, wasn't that cute" Nick said wrapping his arms around his wife.
"what was cute?"
"oh nothing, just you being a mom" he said smiling as he leaned down to kiss her one more time.
"DAD!" Jake yelled.
"sorry buddy, we're coming" Nick said as he laughed and took Nicole's hand and led her to the table where they sat and ate a nice lunch, and Jake got his pizza.
They finally loaded back up into the car and Jake fell asleep close to immediately. Kelsey took out her phone and began texting. Kyle and Joe were talking, while Lorraine and Haley were talking. The drive continued on fine until Lorraine and Kelsey started arguing.
"Girls, can't you please just stop fighting? We don't have that much longer until we get there and you have been pretty good up until now. So please, just stop fighting" Nicole pleaded from the front seat. Nick reached over and patted her leg, reassuring her.
Lorraine stuck her tongue out at Kelsey.
"Lorraine Diane Jonas. Listen to your mother and behave." Nick scolded as he watched what was going on in the rear view mirror.
She looked up and caught his glance in the mirror. She looked down at her hands and decided to listen to some music and put on her iPod and fell asleep. Pretty soon, everyone but Kelsey and Kyle were asleep, and Nick, who was driving. Nick looked back and there was a major thumb war going on. He chuckled a little to himself. After about another hour and a half of driving, the car pulled up to the Marriott Hotel. The black SUV pulled up and a valet employee came out and unloaded their car while Nick woke up Nicole and they walked inside, leaving Joe and Haley with their kids.
"Hi, how can I help you today?" the woman working at the desk asked.
"Hi, we have a reservation for 8, we'd like to check in." Nick said.
"Okay, and what is the name?"
"Jonas"
"Jonas?" she asked making sure she heard correctly.
"Yes" the woman clicked a bunch of stuff on her computer.
"Well, welcome to the Marriot Hotel, here are your room keys, Room 1494. You have an adjoining room too, and here are the keys for that room. Now, just sign right here, and here, and here and you'll be good to go" the woman said really fast as she shoved papers and card keys into their hands.
"Daddy!" someone called as Nick began to sign some papers.
Nick turned to see Jake running towards him with his doodle bops backpack on and a sippy cup in his hands. With Joe, Lorraine, Kyle, Haley, and Kelsey trailing close behind. When Jake reached Nick, he threw his arms around Nick's legs and held on tight. Nick scooped him up with one quick motion and was now holding him on the counter.
"hey little man. Hold on just one second, Daddy is signing something and then we can go up to our room okay?" Nick asked smiling at Jake.
"Hi there! What is your name?" the lady asked Jake, trying to be nice.
He hid his head in Nick's shoulder, as if he were shy.
"haha, sorry, he's a little shy. His name is Jake" Nicole said laughing nervously.
"Oh, that's alright. Well, have fun in Disneyland Jake. Enjoy your stay" the woman said smiling, taking the stuff Nick had signed.
"thanks, we will" Nick said as they walked off to their rooms.
"Okay guys, what ride do you want to go on?" Nick asked as they gathered together as a family after they all had their tickets scanned.
"Space Mountain!"
"Pirates of the Carribean!"
"DUMBO!"
"Snow White!"
The kids were all interjecting their opinions at the same time.
"Oh, wow, okay. Here we go, Um, Haley, you take Lorraine to Snow White in story book land. Joe, you take Kyle to Pirates of the Caribbean in New Orleans Square. And uh, Jake, I'll take you on Dumbo. And Kelsey, Mom will take you on Space Mountain. Does that sound okay?" Nick planned out loud.
"Sounds fine"
"yea, that's good"
"yep"
"okay, cool"
They all agreed.
"Alright, we'll meet back up in about an hour right back by the Frontier Land entrance and Adventure Land entrance, kind of by the castle. And we can go from there okay? If something goes wrong, or the line is way long, call. Have fun!" Nick said and they all broke up and went to their elected rides.
"Okay, come on, Jake. Dumbo is waiting" He said, taking Jake's hand and leading him to Dumbo.
Around an hour later, they all met back up again, like they said they would, and decided they were hungry, so they went to the Hungry Bear Restaurant. They all got big burgers and were loving every bite. Haley said something though, that made Joe and Nick exchange a look. It was about Robert, her husband. After lunch, Nick talked to Nicole and they agreed that she would take the kids on Small World, in Fantasy Land, while he and Joe talked to Haley about what was going on with Robert.
"Okay, come on guys, Daddy is going to take care of something, then we'll meet back up with him" Nicole said smiling at Nick and picking up Jake as Kyle led the way to the ride.
Nick put his hands in his jacket pockets and watched his family walk away. He smiled and thanked God for such a beautiful wife and amazing kids. He was suddenly brought back to the situation by Joe yelling. He turned around to see Joe with his hand stuck in the trash can. Nick rolled his eyes and helped his brother and they sat down with Haley.
"Okay, Haley, twin time." He announced.
"Aw, Nicky, we haven't had twin time since we were like, 16!" She smiled big.
"but this time I'm gunna have twin time! YES! My first time!" Joe exclaimed.
Nick shot him a look, and he focused on what they had to talk about.
"Haley, what happened between you and Robert. I mean, we know you guys were having trouble, and that's why you moved in with us, but, what really happened?" Nick asked.
"Oh, we just…are having a hard time right now that's all" Haley said faking a smile.
Of course, her brothers saw straight through it and persisted.
"Hales, come on. We know you were having trouble, but we want to know why. What happened between you two that caused so much 'trouble'?" Joe questioned.
Haley took a deep breath and looked at her brothers.
"Just promise me you won't get mad and go crazy and cause an even bigger problem?" She pleaded.
Joe and Nick looked at each other and agreed, reluctantly.
"Okay, well, it was about….2 weeks ago, and I was out getting some last minute things for a company party we had at work. I called home to tell him that I was going to swing by Jamba Juice and to ask if he wanted me to get him something. He didn't answer, I just thought he had fallen asleep watching TV or something and….um, well I came home and he had someone there." she looked at her hands.
"WHO?" Nick demanded with anger in his voice.
A tear trickled down Haley's cheek. She looked into Nick's eyes, and behind the anger she could hear, there was concern in his eyes.
"He had another woman there with him. He cheated on me" She said beginning to sob.
Nick and Joe sat there, jaws hanging not really knowing what to say or do.
"Haley, I am so sorry" Nick said as he got up and pulled her up with him and into his arms.
She stayed there for a while, just crying. Joe then took over and he began comforting her.
"haley, you're way too good for him, if he could sink that low, to cheat on his wife in your own house, then he didn't deserve you anyway."
"Thanks guys. But, yea, that's the trouble we've been having. Our divorce is being filed as we speak" She said forcing a weak smile.
"wow, well, you can stay with me as long as you like" Joe offered.
"Haley, your stuff is already at my house. I promise I will get the basement fixed up, as soon as we get back, and you can move in." Nick said pulling her into a hug again.
"Aw. Thanks Nick!" She smiled, not having to fake it this time.
Nick called Nicole to find out where to meet her and the kids. They decided to meet outside Small World, since she and the kids had ridden 3 times since they had left. Nick, Haley, and Joe walked up and saw Nicole, Kyle, Kelsey, Lorraine, and Jake. Haley looked over at Nick and saw the smile across his face and couldn't help but smile herself, at how happy her twin brother was. She nudged him a little and he blushed. Nicole walked up and Jake ran up and jumped into Nick's arms."Daddy! Let's go on Small World! Come on Small World with me!" he begged.
Nick looked at Nicole and she just laughed a little bit.
"Sure, lets go get in line, pal" he said putting Jake down as Jake slid his hand into Nick's.
Nick walked up to Kelsey, who was standing against the fence around the line, looking really irritated.
"Come on, baby girl. It can't be that bad" He pulled her close and walked with his arm around her shoulder toward the line.
"Yea, Mom made me go on this dumb ride about five thousand times while you were gone" Kelsey complained.
"oh, she MADE you go?" Nick replied half sarcastically, cracking a smile at Nicole
"YES" she dramatized.
"What were you thinking, dear?" Nick asked taking his arm from Kelsey and pulling Nicole close too.
"oh, I have no idea, I must have lost my mind. Silly me" She joked and laughed a little bit.
"Dad! You're no help!" she said giving him a look.
"haha, sorry, Kels. But it's a family vacation. Jake is part of the family, so you're gunna have to cooperate."
Kelsey just rolled her eyes and kept walking. Joe was watching the whole situation play out and got an idea.
"I have an idea!" He exclaimed and then his eyes landed on something.
Joe stopped mid-idea and began walking angrily towards…Robert.
"NO! Please! Joe! You promised!" She cried as she tried holding him back.
"Haley, let him go. Nicole, hold Jake please. Joe and I need to take care of something" Nick defended and handed Jake to a completely confused Nicole.
"uh…uhm, okay sweetie. But, please be careful!" Nicole replied with worry, evident in her voice.
"I will I promise. I love you" He said giving her a peck on the lips.
He then turned and walked angrily toward Robert and Joseph.
Nicole saw who it was, and looked at Haley for an explanation. Haley just looked at the ground, embarrassed.
Joe walked up to Robert and saw that he was with another girl.
"Hello Robert." He sneered through clenched teeth.
"Hey Joe. What's going on? Funny seeing you here" Robert said casually.
"Yea, hysterical." Nick butted in. "Who is this?"
"Oh, this is my….oh my gosh. She didn't tell you did she" Robert said with accusation hanging from his every word.
"Oh, she told us" Joe said, raising his voice a little.
"But, I'm not really sure, why she should have a reason to tell us anything like that" Nick yelled.
"Oh no" Haley muttered.
"What is going on?" Nicole asked, completely lost in the situation.
"Robert and I are…" Haley began.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Nicole cut her off and hugged her with her open arm.
"it's fine. It's for the better" Haley smiled. "except this" she said referring to the situation at hand.
By now, Nick and Joe were screaming at Robert. The girl he was with was standing there, looking terrified.
"Nick, Joe. You guys promised! Please! Come back over here! You're causing a scene!" Haley pleaded with them.
"Here, haley, can you watch the kids? Take them on Small World one more time. I can calm Nick down, and he can calm Joe down." Nicole said putting Jake down.
Haley took Jake by the hand and drug an interested Kyle, Kelsey, and Lorraine onto the ride with her.
Nicole walked over to her husband and brother-in-laws.
"Nick. Please, calm down!"
"Nicole, this guy hurt my sister. My baby sister! I can't just let that slide"
"Nick, it's a family vacation, you said so yourself, please, just come back with the family" Nicole pleaded.
"Ugh, I know, but please! I'm trying to take care of my family. Haley is my family I need to take care of her too!" Nick was now screaming at Nicole.
She backed up, eyes widened and wasn't sure how to handle it. Nick must have seen it too. He immediately stepped away from the scene, and left Joe standing there yelling at Robert.
"I am so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled" He said with an apologetic tone in his voice.
"It's okay, but please, let's just go, this is too much to handle, and people are staring" Nicole said looking around at the gathering crowd.
Nick agreed, and drug Joe away, almost literally kicking and screaming. Security had to come and quiet him down. He was 'taking away the magic of the park'. They met up with Haley and the kids and Jake wanted to go on Small World, yet again. Nicole and Nick looked at each other and gave the how-many-times-do-we-need-to-ride-this-ride look, but smiled and agreed.
"I HAVE AN IDEA!" Joe yelled and sprang to attention.
"Whoa, don't hurt yourself there Joseph" Nicole said.
"watch yourself" he retorted, giving her a smirking-smiling look. "How about Haley and I take the kids for a spin on Small World and you two go have some fun on your own for a little while" he said taking Jake from Nick's arms. "come on, man, lets let Mommy and Daddy take a break for a little while, you can ride with Uncle Joey, okay?"
Jake said nothing, just waved at his parents. They looked at Kelsey, Lorraine, and Kyle and asked if it was okay with them. They said it was fine. Nick looked at Nicole and they both blushed.
"Oh jeez. Just get outta here" Haley said rolling her eyes at them. "you're too cute" she muttered.
Nick took Nicole's hand and led her to the castle. They sat by the little pond under the castle for a while and then decided to go back to the hotel and get some rest, while they had some spare time, while they didn't have to watch the kids.
The family had an amazing time in Disneyland, but they were ready to go home. They had walked until they couldn't walk any more. Nicole was positive that she could be put into the Guinness book of world records for the number of times she had ridden small world and Dumbo with Jake. Nick had been on the kiddy rides many many times also. Joe and Haley were gracious enough to take kid duty every once and a while to give Nick and Nicole a break. They got home and had about 3 weeks to get ready for school to start. Nicole took all 4 kids out to go school shopping and they had most of the stuff they needed. Jake still needed a backpack, and they all needed clothes to start the year off. They decided, however, to take a day to relax and enjoy the last of summer, so they went to the beach. Nick took the day off work, and go with the family.
"alright, lets goooooo!" Jake squealed, waddling down the stairs of their home with a towel and a backpack, and a float toy, and sunscreen, and Nick's sunglasses.
"whoa buddy, lets leave some of the stuff here, we're only going for a day, not moving in" Nick joked, more to Nicole than to Jake.
He scooped Jake up into his arms and took him to the kitchen, where Nicole was packing a cooler and sat him down on the counter. He began to unload Jake's backpack full of toys.
"Buzz Lightyear action figure, Woody Action figure, Race Car, Yo-Yo, play dough, watch, and rain boots" Nick listed the stuff off as he pulled it out of Jake's backpack.
Nicole laughed a little bit, walking over to her husband and son.
"Jakey, you don't need all of this stuff at the beach. They are going to get ruined, and you won't be able to play with them anymore" she said, wrapping her arms around him.
His blue eyes grew sad and he looked confused.
"How about if Kelsey helps you pack your backpack? Does that sound good?" Nicole asked as Kelsey came in, already packed herself.
Jake agreed, and Kelsey took him upstairs and helped him pack his backpack with beach appropriate toys.
When they got to the beach, they had lots of fun. Nick and Nicole had to watch Jake closely, but he fell asleep in Nick's lap.
"He's getting so big" Nicole said in a hushed tone, trying not to wake her son up.
Nick smiled down at their son, and pulled Nicole close as they watched their other three down near the water.
"Yea, I can't believe how big he's gotten." Nick smiled that his son was getting to be so grown up.
"Nick, our baby boy is going to be in kindergarten soon" She looked at him, blue eyes glistening.
"man, we are getting old" he said half sarcastically.
"hey! You might be getting old, but…I'm definitely not. I'm young and hip" She said playfully swatting him.
"oh mother, don't EVER say that again, that was definitely the most embarrassing thing I've ever heard you say" Kelsey demanded walking over wrapping up in a towel.
"Kelsey Marie. Don't you ever talk to your mother like that" Nick snapped. "Apologize"
"Sorry Mom" she said, spreading out her towel to tan.
Nicole looked at Nick and smiled, thanking him for the fatherly support. He smiled back when all of a sudden, Lorraine came screaming up the beach.
"MOOOOOOOOOOM! DAAAAAAAAAAAD! HURRY UP! COME! QUICK!" She was a mess.
Nicole snapped up and into panic mode. Nick did the same, handing Jake to Kelsey, who was now trying to figure out what was going on.
"Lorraine, what happened?" Nick questioned looking around.
"AHH! NICK! KYLE! NICK DO SOMETHING!" Nicole was beside herself.
She saw her son, being carried by the ocean, clearly not conscious, with his surf board near by. Nick's head snapped in that direction. All of a sudden, he broke out into a full sprint, pulling his shirt off on the way and throwing it onto the beach, never slowing down. He ran full speed into the water, cringing a little at the temperature of the water that was engulfing him. He saw his son, lingering in the water, face down.
"Kyle…buddy. Kyle, come on man" Nick called as he swam to his son, wrapping his arms around Kyle, pulling him to the shore, where Nicole was waiting in hysterics, holding the girls and Jake close.
Nicole sprinted over when Nick emerged carrying their son. He laid Kyle on the warm sand, face up. He was definitely unconscious.
"Nicole, sweetie, go call 911 please." he looked up at her, worry filling his brown eyes.
She began crying even harder, but nodded and ran to get a phone, and call 911. Paramedics came and took Kyle away and Nick and Nicole would meet them at the hospital. They called Nick's brother, Kevin to come pick up the kids, so they didn't have to go with them. Kevin got there moments after the ambulance left and Nick and Nicole rushed to the hospital. They got there and Kyle was being put into the intensive care unit.
"Mr. Jonas, Mrs. Jonas. Kyle will be fine, but he is going to need to stay here the night. He inhaled a lot of water, and its all in his lungs right now, so we're taking care of that right now. But we just want to make sure he's stable before he goes home." the doctor explained as he showed them to the waiting room they would need to wait in while he was being treated.
Nick nodded in acknowledgement and sat down. He pulled Nicole down onto his lap. She put her head in his shoulder. He rubbed her back, reassuringly. But he knew that in his mind, he was just as scared as she was.
"Shh, its okay, he's going to be fine
Jacob Christopher Jonas - 4 years old
Lorraine Diane Jonas - 12 years old
Kelsey Marie Jonas - 15 years old
Kyle Adam Jonas - 15 years old
