Bleeding Love – Part 21
Written By: Ms Maggs
Opening the door to the supply closet, Nick grumbled, "Billy, I said I didn't want a…"
"Shit, Nicky. Ever think of knockin'? " Billy turned around to finish zipping his pants and shield Missy as she dressed. "Don't worry," he assured the tense young lady, "That's my brother, he'll be cool about this. Ain't that right, bro?"
Although his first instinct was to beat his brother senseless and drag him out of the supply room by his balls, Nick retreated into work mode, masked his urge to kill, and remained in control. "Let's go."
"Is it kickoff time already?" When he saw there was an hour until the game, Billy turned around and said, "What's the rush? Let me buy you a drink." Opening his wallet, he handed a hundred dollar bill to Missy. "Bring us a couple of beers, sweetheart." He winked, "Keep the change."
"Thanks, baby." As she sauntered past the younger brother, she smiled and tucked the c-note in her pocket. "You're not so bad yourself."
Thinking of his mother's already stressful day, Nick fought off the urge to rip the smug expression off his brother's face. "How long have been seein' her and cheatin' on Maci?"
"Seein' her? Are you kiddin' me?" The busted man decided to downplay the significance. "Let's not make somethin' out of nothin'. I got a meaningless blow job from a tramp, big fuckin' deal."
"That's not what you said when Clinton got caught doin' the same thing behind his wife's back."
"Of course not, because that happened on the taxpayer's dime while he was supposed to be workin' for the people. I'm on my own time and that was my own money…and as long as you keep your trap shut, my wife will be none the wiser."
Suppressing his desire to strangle his brother, Nick held the door open. "We need to go."
"Why are you in such a hurry anyway?" Tucking in his shirt, the Billy laughed, "Is your dorky friend waitin' on you to play chess?"
As much as he wanted to pound the prick into the ground, he wasn't about to cause a scene at the club where his father had golfed for decades. "C'mon, Mama's waitin' on us."
"Ooh!" Walking out of the closet, the hungry man patted his belly. "I hope she's busy makin' somethin' good to eat, 'cause I've been drinkin' and eatin' peanuts for two hours."
"Yeah, Mama's been busy alright." When Nick saw the waitress wave to his brother and lick her lips, his stomach turned.
"I gotta go, guys!" Billy waved to his co-workers. "I'll see you at church tomorrow, Bob."
Nick shook his head and pushed his brother out the door.
"Hold up! I have to grab my clubs."
While fantasizing about beating his brother with a nine iron, Nick tapped his foot to the rhythm of his blood boiling.
"Okay, I'll see you back at the ranch." With his golf bag over his shoulder, Billy started walking in the direction of his Range Rover.
On top of everything else, Nick couldn't believe the self-absorbed ass intended to drive while clearly over the legal limit. "What?"
"See, if you woulda let Missy hoover you, that wax in your ears woulda been sucked out through your pecker."
"That good, huh?" Instead of committing murder, Nick decided to encourage his brother's inner-asshole, so by the time he got to the hospital and found out what happened, he'd want to kill himself.
"Hell, I'm surprised my eyes are still in their sockets."
Nick popped the trunk on the rental. "You're ridin' with me because you said you've been drinkin' for hours."
"Yes, officer," Billy laughed as he stowed his clubs. "I hope you don't bust me for slippin' Missy that c-note." When he was settled in the passenger seat, he said, "For the record, she was doin' it for free."
"I'm sure she thought it was a privilege to drop to her knees for a guy like you."
"No doubt." Billy checked his hair in the mirror. "Since she didn't spill a drop, I decided to give her a little somethin'."
"You're a real sweetheart."
"Yeah, that's why I was always broke at A&M, I gave a t-shirt to every chick who let me in their backdoor or chugged, and there was never a shortage of eager volunteers." Relaxing in the seat, the sated man released a blissful sigh. "If you don't count bachelor parties, that was the first time I've done somethin' like that since I got married, but Maci's been holdin' out on me. I needed the release after workin' my ass off all week."
"How'd you get your wife pregnant if she's not puttin' out?" Nick goaded, while backing out of his parking space.
"I'm not talkin' about reproductive sex, I'm talkin' about the good stuff."
"According to the Bible, reproductive sex is the good stuff."
"You don't really believe all that shit, do you?" Billy slapped on his sunglasses and smiled, "Hell, if you believe that, I have an ark to sell ya, and you better buy it, 'cause I hear a flood's comin'. There's just one small catch, you have to take two of every animal with ya. Yeah, I know it seems impossible to fit all those animals on one ark and not have them kill each other, but forget about logic and just believe."
"Why do you go to church if you don't believe what they're preachin'?"
"Bein' seen there is good for my career and it keeps me in my mama's good graces, but most of all, I go because The Judge would judge me if I didn't." He groaned, "Look at the shit he gives Kimmie for bein' Methodist, and she actually practices what she hears preached on Sundays. She busts her ass doin' all that volunteer work at shelters," he grumbled, "like a sack of canned goods and a new doll is really gonna make a difference to a needy kid in the long run. Those homeless people are a friggin' mess."
"A mess compared to your perfect family situation?" Nick replied while bile rose in his throat.
"Damn straight, because I know how to provide for my family. You won't be seein' a foreclosure sign on my house, and my daughters have college funds, so they won't end up posin' naked or blowin' guys in supply closets for extra cash." Mocking his sister's politics, he said, "But I'm sure Kimmie thinks her patron saint Obama will fix everything the first ten days he's in office. How will she fill her time once all the losers in this country are livin' off hefty government handouts? The only jobs she'll have left are seein' her boys off to school, pampering her pocket puppy, and spendin' her husband's cash. Russell is the only guy I know makin' a fortune while the economy is in the pits. It makes me hate him even more."
"The only reason you hate Russell is because he's bigger, smarter, and richer than you."
"I could take that bastard down with one hand tied behind my back." Noticing they weren't going the right way, he shoved his brother. "You were supposed to turn right at the light."
"I need to make a stop first."
"Gonna buy a Playboy and sneak it into the house for old time's sake?" Billy sighed, "You coulda had the real deal back at the club, bro. For another fifty, she woulda done you too. You shoulda went for it."
"I didn't need it."
"Let me guess." Billy loved tweaking his public servant brother, "Workin' seventy hours a week bein' the voice of the dead wasn't enough to prop your holier-than-thou image, so you took a vow of celibacy."
Without missing a beat, Nick casually replied, "No, because Greg took care of me before we left the hotel this morning." Turning into the hospital lot, he pulled into the first parking space he saw and turned off the car.
"Don't even joke about that queer shit." The idea sent a shiver up the homophobe's spine. "Especially when it involves your geek pal Greg, 'cause that guy's clothes and shoes gave me a serious faggot vibe. Why the hell are we at the hospital?"
With an icy stare, Nick replied, "After Greg and I spent the day playin' daddy to your kids, so you could golf and get your rocks off, Mama and I went to your house to get some fresh clothes for the girls and found your wife bleedin' and delirious on the bathroom floor. I left you three messages, but I guess your hands were too busy shovin' Missy's face into your crotch for you to answer your cell."
"You're fuckin' sick for lyin' about somethin' like that just to make me feel guilty."
Grabbing his brother by the collar, Nick snarled through gritted teeth, "I wasn't lyin' about Greg, and I'm not lyin' about Maci, and I'm not lyin' when I say you better get your ass in that hospital and start actin' like you actually care about the mother of your children or I swear I will tell the family what you did and then hand them a map to where I strung you up by your balls, not that they'd go lookin' for you cheatin' ass." He shoved the stunned man's back into the window. "And God help you if I hear the word faggot come out of your mouth again. I could've worn a pink skirt and screwed every cowboy in Texas last night and I'd still be the only real man in this car, you selfish piece of shit." Releasing his grip, he barked, "Get out!"
Overwhelmed by the devastating revelations and his little brother's uncharacteristic dominance, Billy remained frozen until the passenger door opened and he was yanked to his feet.
"Still feelin' good about that hummer, Mr. Goodbar?" Nick pushed him in the direction of the emergency entrance. "Yeah, I didn't think so. You make me sick."
"I really wanna be at the hospital for my Mom's sake," Kimberly wrung her hands as she paced the kitchen. "But I'm sure you wanna be there for Nicky, right? And it wouldn't be fair to leave you here to watch four little kids, Greg." She didn't want to call her hyper-competitive sisters who would only fuel the family drama to make themselves look better. "I called Maci's sister, but she already has her hands full watching her own kids and baby Maggi."
"I have an idea." Greg grabbed his cell phone. "My mother will be thrilled to play grandma to four little girls." Jillian had told him how much his mother had doted on the children the previous day. "You go to the hospital, because I think it's important for you to be there supporting Nick when his brother finds out the truth."
"They rushed Maci into surgery," Jillian tearfully told her boys when she met them in the ER waiting area. "I'm so sorry, honey." She grabbed oldest son's hand. "It was an ectopic pregnancy."
"Uh," Billy queried in a shaky voice, "I…I don't know what…um." It was all so surreal, like an erotic dream that suddenly turned into a frighteningly realistic nightmare.
Squeezing her son's trembling hand, she explained, "It means the fertilized egg implanted in a fallopian tube instead of passing through to the uterus and implanting there like it should."
Even though his brother was clearly shaken up, all of Nick's sympathy went to Maci. "But she's gonna be okay, right?" He couldn't imagine the girls growing up without their mother. "Women don't die from that."
"Your sister Kendra had one, which they caught real early and handled with medicine, but her tube wasn't ruptured." Jillian cried, "Maci's blood pressure was dropping as we got here, which could mean she was already bleedin' internally and could go into shock."
When Connie Sanders heard her cell phone ring, she gasped and muted her hotel TV. "HA!" Just as she suspected, the caller ID displayed her son's name. "I knew the little ingrate would call groveling." She let it ring four times before answering smugly, "Is there something important you want to say to me, Gregory?"
Yes. When Nick went to his brother's house to get his nieces some extra clothes, he found his sister-in-law Maci bleeding on the bathroom floor. She's having emergency surgery right now and I'm at his parents' house babysitting four little girls. Feel like coming over here and giving me a hand?
"They left you to babysit four small children? The only thing you know about kids is how to act like them."
True, but so far they've been having a blast. We just finished building a fort out of the curtains and now I'm gonna teach them how to push a chair to the counter so they can climb up and get into the upper cabinets.
"Very funny." Like a fireman answering a call, she jumped into her shoes, grabbed her gear, and raced to the door. "I'll be right there!"
"Kimmie's here," Nick told his mother as he pointed to the ER entrance and stood. "Over here, sis!"
"Any updates?" she breathlessly asked while giving her mother a hug.
"She's still in surgery," Jillian answered as she released Billy's hand to return her daughter's embrace. "We were told to sit here and wait."
"Russell's father is close with the Chief of Staff, he's callin' him to make sure Maci gets the very best."
Nick poked his stoic brother. "The appropriate response would be 'thanks'."
"Thanks," Billy stated after swallowing his pride.
When Kimberly's phone rang, she jumped to answer it. "It's Russell. Hey, honey, did you get a hold of your dad?" She walked away to speak in a quiet corner.
Seeing a cell phone reminded Jillian of the question she forgot to ask. "Billy why didn't you answer your phone when your brother kept callin' you? And why didn't you return his messages? Maci was terrified and askin' for you the whole way here. I lied and told her you would meet us at the hospital, so she would calm down. And what took you so long gettin' him here, Nicky? The club is only a few minutes away."
Guilt tearing him up like a pack of hungry wolves, Billy contemplated confessing.
"Sorry, I meant to tell you when we got here." Rather than break his mother's heart, Nick made up an excuse, "He usually turns his phone to vibrate when he's golfing, but today he turned it off by accident. I had to jog out to the fifteenth hole to get him, that's why it took a little longer than expected." After lying, he glared at his guilt-ridden brother. "Billy felt terrible when he heard the news and realized he wasn't there when his wife needed him the most."
Billy was about to blurt the ugly truth when his sister returned.
"Follow me," Kimberly waved for her family members to join her at the information desk. "Hello, I'm Kimberly Ryerson. My father-in-law just got off the phone with your Chief of Staff, Dr. Wenzler. Dr. Wenzler was kind enough to volunteer his office for us to use while we wait for our family member to come out of surgery."
"Yes, I just received a call telling me that." The nurse pushed out a polite smile. "If you give me a second, I'll have someone take you there."
"Your mommy's here!" Madi yelled from the picture window where she was perched waiting for Mrs. Sanders. "She reminds me of a Mary Poppins, but older and with blonde hair."
"She sings like Mary Poppins," Greg informed the girl as he picked up little Molli. "Do all of you remember what I told you to do when my mom walks in? When they nodded, he answered the door. "Thanks for coming, Mom."
"Let's run with scissors again!" Melani yelled, before running around the room with the pair Greg had taped up for safety.
"After we swing from the chandelier one more time!" Madi ran to climb on the dining room table and tried to grab the ornate light fixture hanging high above the table.
Mandi missed her cue, but remembered when Greg pointed to toilet paper roll on the couch. "Then we'll TP the neighbor's house!"
"Cute." Connie rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind her.
"Wait for it." Greg whispered in Molli's ear.
"Party time!" the two year old giggled and clapped.
"We love Uncle Greg!" the three oldest girls cheered.
"Bravo!" the proud babysitter and drama coach grinned at his mother. "They learned that in fifteen minutes. Imagine how corrupted they'll be after a few hours." He handed over little Molli. "She's supposed to go potty every hour, because she just got trained last month. Uncle Greg knows how to play games and make dinner, but he doesn't know how to do the girl potty thing. That's why Connie Poppins had to come here."
"Right in here." Christina, a hospital public relations assistant, showed the Stokes family members into her boss's waiting area. "Dr. Wenzler doesn't have hours on Saturday afternoon or Sunday, so he said you can use his office waiting area for as long as you need. He also wanted me to tell you to help yourself to coffee and the mini fridge, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to call my cell." She handed each family member a card. "The OR desk knows to update you here. Take care."
"Thanks." Nick held the door for the young lady and closed it when she was in the hall. "This will be much more relaxing. Kimberly, make sure you tell your father-in-law thanks from all of us."
"Already did." She went to the coffeemaker to brew a fresh pot. "I don't know about y'all, but I need some caffeine."
"I'll take a cup," Jillian sighed as she took a seat next to Billy, who was still too overwhelmed to talk about what was happening.
"Me too." Nick pulled a chair in front of his brother and sat. "Billy, how about you tell us what really happened at the house."
"Nicky, not now," the worried mother shook her head. "He has plenty to think about already."
"The cops are comin' here to take a statement from Maci and they're gonna ask the doctor if there were any signs of physical abuse."
"Abuse?" Kimberly whirled around to glare at her big brother. "You abused Maci?!"
"No!" Billy snapped, finally finding his voice. "I've never hurt my wife or any other woman for that matter. What the hell are you talkin' about?"
"Your house looked like a tornado had barreled through it," Nick answered. "When the cops and EMTs got there and saw that, and then saw your wife bleeding on the floor, it looked pretty damn suspicious. Even if there wasn't any physical abuse, which Maci said there wasn't, there was evidence of domestic violence in a house where small children live and that's not somethin' I could get the cops to look the other way on, no matter how hard I tried. The best they would give me as a courtesy, was to keep things hush until Maci's statement could be taken."
"Domestic violence?" Again, nothing made sense to Billy. "The dogs ripped up a pillow and got some meat stains on the couch and carpet, the girls made a mess in the kitchen with flour and then I added to it tryin' to make dinner, and while all that was goin' on, Molli tossed chocolate cake around the dining room. That's a mess, not domestic violence." When he saw his mother turn her gaze to floor, he said, "I'm tellin' the truth. The kids were there, they'll tell you the same damn thing."
Nick nodded at his confused brother. "They did tell us all that, but the problem is, there was a lot more damage inside the house by the time I got there. All the china and crystal in the dining room was smashed to pieces and the couch cushions had been shredded with a sharp piece of glass."
"Wh…why would she?" Billy grasped for an answer. "We had an argument, but it wasn't serious."
"It was serious to her," Nick informed him. "Maci was so angry, she cut herself in the process of tearing things apart. She dripped blood from the living room to the master bedroom where I found her on the floor. She went there to bandage her hand, but ended up fainting onto the tile floor and hitting her elbow and head. If I had walked into the house and seen all that and found a wife on the floor in Maci's bleeding and bruised condition, I'd be thinkin' domestic violence too. The cops are just doin' their job and tryin' to protect someone who might be too afraid to defend herself."
Forcing herself to think like a lawyer, Jillian said, "But that's not what happened, right, Billy? Maci was at her sister's until ten and you were at the club golfin' from nine until Nicky found you, right? People saw you there and could tell the police that if questioned, right?" When he nodded, she started breathing again.
Kimberly shook her head at her brother's stupidity. "Didn't I tell you she'd end up in the psych ward one day if you kept pushin' her? She was a full-time maid, full-time nanny, and your lover when you snapped your fingers, all while havin' to look like a freakin' Barbie doll! I'm not the least bit surprised her uterus blew out while tearin' the house apart."
"That's enough," Jillian warned her daughter. "Don't you think he's bein' punished enough losin' a baby and maybe his wife?"
Just as Kimberly was about to shout 'no, not hardly enough' she saw Billy was crying. In her entire life, she had never seen him shed a tear. Marching to the door, she muttered, "I'm goin' to the hospital cafeteria to get us some cream."
"Who wants dessert?!" Greg shouted from the kitchen into the family room. "Dinner won't be ready for an hour, so we have to eat dessert first." When he saw his mother's jaw drop, he laughed. "Ice cream sundaes for everyone!"
"Yay!" The girls dropped their crayons and came running.
"We never get to eat dessert before dinner!" Madi threw her arms around Greg's waist, and thinking of all the time he had devoted to making her happy today, she lovingly said, "I want you to be my daddy all the time."
"Yeah," Mandi nodded, "our real daddy isn't fun like you."
Even though she was certain she'd hate Billy Stokes if she ever met him, Connie felt obligated to correct the children's perception. "I'm sure your daddy works very hard to make money to pay for your house and your toys. Greg seems more fun because he's here on vacation with your Uncle Nick."
"Yeah." Greg patted the six year old on the head. "Just ask your Uncle Nicky, I can get pretty crabby if I'm tired from working a really long time. Sometimes I come home and don't even talk to your Uncle Nick before we climb into bed and go to sleep."
"Greg!" Connie gave him the 'I don't want to have to explain why you sleep with Uncle Nicky' face.
"Do you sleep in the top bunk or the bottom?" Mandi, asked, "I hafta take turns, 'cause Melani likes the top too."
After giving his mother the 'thankfully they worked out an innocent explanation on their own face' Greg innocently lied, "Your uncle and I both like the bottom, so..."
"Gregory Hojem Sanders!" She couldn't believe he'd crack a sexual joke in front of children.
"Geez! Get your mind out of the gutter, Mom." He scowled at her. "We were talking about bunk beds. I was going to say we both like the bottom, so our beds are both on the floor like Bert and Ernie's, who are the bestest of friends just like Nick and I are the bestest of friends."
Connie smiled at the sweet explanation. "Good one."
While scooping ice cream, he continued the tall tale, "Your uncle wears really dorky striped pajamas to bed and snores."
"Greg drools all over his pillow." Connie grinned at her son. "I thought we were sticking as close to the truth as possible?"
"That's the truth, Officer," Billy told the cop who had come to the private waiting area to take his statement. "I finished playin' golf and then I went into the lounge for drinks with my co-workers."
Studying the nervous man's appearance, Officer Farris asked, "Is that your wife's lipstick on the bottom of your shirt?"
Nick turned to look at his brother's golf polo. His urge to kill his brother returned when he saw his mother's stunned expression.
"Yeah, it's my wife's lipstick," Billy anxiously replied.
"Really?" The officer stared into the liar's eyes. "Because I saw your wife as the EMTs were takin' her out and she didn't have any makeup on.
"It was from this morning."
"But you told me your wife was at her sister's this morning, so which is it, Mr. Stokes? Was your wife with you getting lipstick on your shirt or was she at her sister's this morning?"
Nick interrupted the questioning, "I'm pretty sure he means it's a stain from another day. I know he volunteered to give a statement, but it's obvious to me he's really not up to it, so can ya finish after his wife is in recovery?"
Because his captain had given him permission to go easy, the officer put away his notepad. "Tell you what, I'll go over to the club and verify you played in the tournament, Mr. Stokes, and then I'll come back here."
"Thank you." Nick walked the cop out of the room. "Believe me, I know how this all looks, but as soon as Maci is up to tellin' you what happened, everything will fall into place."
Once they were outside the waiting area, the cop said, "We both know that was fresh lipstick and you just didn't want your mother to find out your brother was get his wood polished. I honestly don't care who sucks off your brother, that's none of my business, I only need to know he wasn't at home knockin' his wife around this afternoon, that's why I'm goin' to the club to get the answers I need. How's that?"
"More than generous." Nick nodded to the cop, "If you ever get into a jam in Vegas, you know who to look up."
"Yeah, that's exactly why I'm doin' this, Stokes." The officer gave the ex-Dallas cop a good 'ol boy wink. "A bunch of us are goin' out there for my brother's bachelor party in April and I just might need a friend at LVPD. A few of my brother's buddies are roughnecks, who don't know when to say when."
"When did that lipstick really get on your shirt, Billy?" Jillian knew the bright pink shade wasn't anything Maci would wear.
"It's like Nicky said," he answered without making eye contact. "It's an old stain."
After smacking her son across the face, Jillian cried, "Don't you dare lie to me!"
Just like she used to when she was a little girl, Kimberly retreated to a corner so she wouldn't be in the line of fire when a sibling was getting in trouble.
When she heard Nick re-enter the room, the angry mother rushed to meet him. "Billy just told me the truth. I can't believe you covered for him when I asked him why he didn't answer his phone."
Kimberly and Billy knew their younger brother was bein' trapped, but just like they had done as children, they kept quiet for fear of making their own situations worse.
Surprised his brother had confessed, Nick said, "I wasn't coverin' for him, I was protectin' you from the added stress of findin' out your son was a cheat on top of everything else you've learned in the last twenty-four hours. I blasted the scumbag in the car and let him know I didn't approve of what I caught him doin'. It took all my willpower not to punch him when I found him zippin' up in the supply closet, but I didn't want to cause a scene at Dad's golf club."
"Thank you." Tears carving a fresh path down her cheeks, the troubled mother said, "At least one of my boy's knows how to tell the truth when confronted." Heading for the door, she patted Nick on the shoulder. "I need air and privacy, so I'm goin' for a walk. Call me if you get an update on Maci."
As soon as his mother was gone, Billy turned on his brother, "I can't believe you sold me out! You broke guy code, backstabbed a fellow Aggie, and betrayed your brother!"
Nick got in Billy's face. "You broke your wedding vows and betrayed your Aggie wife and you're callin' me a backstabbin' sell out?"
Finding her voice, Kimberly snapped, "Grow the fuck up, Billy! You're not a 21 year old beer guzzlin' jock who just got caught bangin' some other guy's chick, you're a 39 year old husband and father of five! If I had walked in on you at the club, I would have exposed you for the self-centered jerk you have always been!"
Building on what his sister said, Nick blasted, "I can't believe you lied to mom and used her babysitting services to help you commit adultery. That's sick."
"It's not like I woke up and planned on it! It just happened." Needing to displace his anger somewhere, Billy ignored his whiny sister and used his extra inches of height to loom over Nick. "You don't have the right to lecture me about marriage and family until you have a wife and kids, and I guess the odds of that happenin' are slim, aren't they, gay boy?" He shoved his little brother away. "And you won't ever have to worry about babysittin' my kids again, because I don't plan on lettin' them spend time with their queer uncle and his butt-munchin', pillow-bitin' faggot friend!"
Kimberly screamed in defense of her younger brother, "Shut your mouth, Billy! You're not half the man Nicky is!"
"It's okay, I know what he's doin'." Nick folded his arms across his chest and remained calm. "He's angry at himself and lookin' for a fight. I'm not gonna bite."
"You're not gonna bite huh?" Billy quickly retorted, "Is that what you tell guys when you're droppin' to your knees in restrooms?"
"Shut up, Billy!" Kimberly hit him with her purse. "Enough!"
Nick shrugged off the remark, "You'd like to believe my morals are worse than yours, wouldn't ya? Sorry, that's not gonna work either. I've been in a monogamous relationship with Greg for years and haven't done anything wrong."
"That's your very biased opinion." Billy snarked, "But like most folks and God, I think shovin' it up another guy's ass is pretty goddamn wrong."
Stepping close, Nick smiled, "Actually, you have it backwards, bro. I just bend over, Greg's the one doin' the shovin'."
The idea of his brother being on the receiving end made everything ten times worse. "I can't wait 'til The Judge hears you like takin' it from a geek boy."
With a maniacal edge in his voice, Nick whispered, "That makes two of us."
ANs:
I re-wrote the Nick and Billy parts a few times, and the version I settled on is how I imagine 2008 Nick would handle himself in this situation – a lot of underlying rage, common sense (he's not going to bust his brother in public), and respect for his mother and Kimberly (he's not going to cause a scene at the hospital and break stuff fighting his brother in the Chief of Staff's office) all of which expertly plays to his ultimate goal - proving he is the better man time and time again.
Nick has learned that the best way to beat a bully is to not doing what they want you to do (cry or throw the first punch) and not caring when they threaten you because that takes away their power over you. Kimberly is still a damaged little girl trying to win a losing battle and Billy still deflects his emotions by getting angry at someone else (referencing Nick's story told on the Pittsburgh flight about when he caught his brother crying and got pummeled).
Greg was comic relief in this chapter : )
I hope it was an interesting read!
Maggs