Author's Note~ Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the next chapter!
And I'm sorry that it took me this long to get the chapter out, but I
didn't have any time to upload it until now. And to everyone who wanted to
know about Kate (which was probably everyone lol) you get your wish in this
chapter! Hopefully you already put together that Kate and Katie (from the
'evil Carrie' scenes) are the same person. If not, then now you know! Lol
Please R&R!!
~*~*~*~
Nick stood frozen, his feet planted firmly on the ground, his wide eyes intently staring at the woman in front of him. Sara put a concerned hand on his shoulder, but he was oblivious to her actions. Every fiber in his being was focused on Katie.
"Uh, hey.Nick," Katie said slowly, an awkward smile on her lips. "Long time no see."
"I don't believe this," Nick said absently.
"Nick?" Sara said, worry evident in her voice, "Nick, what's wrong?"
Nick shook his head slightly, finally regaining control of himself. "I don't believe this," he repeated, but this time his voice held an element of anger and disgust.
"Nick, I, um," Carrie said, her voice wavering not only from her weak state but also from her discomfort with the situation.
"Don't."
"What's wrong, Daddy?" Lexi asked, walking over and taking his hand, her brown eyes filled with concern.
"I'm just surprised to see your mommy's friend, that's all," Nick answered, looking Carrie coldly in the eye.
"Sweetie? You want to do Mommy a favor?" Carrie asked, and Lexi walked towards her mother's hospital bed. "Grab my bag from that table and go get me some candy, okay?"
Lexi obliged and grabbed the purse, taking two singles from the wallet and heading out the door and towards the candy machine.
Carrie sighed. "I'm sorry, Nick. I owe you an explanation."
"You're damn right you do!" he yelled, trying to keep his voice down but failing miserably.
"Nick, what's going on?" Sara repeated, walking towards him and rubbing his arm.
He sighed and ran a hand through his cropped hair. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."
Sara turned to Carrie and Katie. "You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" she demanded, "And who the hell you are?" she added, flinging her words at Katie.
"Katie is my best friend," Carrie explained, "And my attorney."
"Jesus," Nick said, looking up, "You're a lawyer?"
Katie offered a half smile and a shrug.
"And how do you know Nick?" Sara asked Katie.
"Katie's my favorite waitress," Nick said wryly.
"You mean.." Sara let her sentence trail, and Nick nodded. "Wha--?" she stammered, her eyes darting from Carrie to Katie to Nick.
"It was almost eight years ago," Carrie started. "And it was the biggest mistake of my life."
~*~*~*~
FLASHBACK
A twenty-two year old Carrie Barnes sat at a small table in a musty bar, Amstel bottle in hand. She peered through the crowds of people, her eyes searching for her friend. Finally she spotted the person she was looking for as she walked through the door and looked around. Carrie smiled, raising the beer bottle as Katie smiled in return and walked towards her friend.
"Hey!" Carrie greeted, rising to give her friend a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Hey yourself," Katie replied, shrugging off her leather jacket and slinging it across the back of the chair. "I'll just have what she has," she said to the waitress who stopped at their table, "Thanks."
"Thanks for coming on such short notice," Carrie said, taking a swig of the bottle.
"No problem. What are friends for?" Katie replied with a smile. "So what's up?"
"It's Nick," Carrie started as the waitress brought Katie her drink.
"Ah, the boyfriend," Katie said with a sigh, bringing her own drink to her lips. "Is he number one or two?"
"One."
"So what happened?" the brunette asked, "Did he catch you with Mark or something?"
"No, nothing like that," Carrie said, fiddling with the napkin on the table, "I just need to get rid of him. He's holding me down."
"What do you mean? I thought you said things were working out great the way they were. Nick for the steady relationship, Mark for the teeth- rattling fling."
"I know. They are, I mean, they were," Carrie explained, taking another swig of the beer. "At first I thought it would be fun to move in together, and have that steady kind of relationship, but now it's getting too serious. Nick wants a commitment that I'm not ready to make. But Mark.. Mark's in it for the same reasons I am. He doesn't want any of the heavy obligations of a serious relationship. He just wants to have some fun. So do I."
"So dump him. End of story," Katie suggested.
"It's not that simple, Kate," Carrie insisted, "He works for my dad, and they're really close. I'd be mortified if I had to face him all the time. And my dad definitely wouldn't give up his relationship with him just because I was afraid of the 'C' word."
"I'm not really seeing where I come in," Katie said, taking a swig of the bottle.
"Look around, Katie," Carrie said with a sly smile, indicating all the waitresses clad in tight shirts and short skirts. "What's the one thing no man can resist?"
A grin spread across Katie's face as she understood. "A beautiful woman."
"Exactly."
"So what you're saying," Katie began as she leaned forward, a wide smile still playing across her features, "Is that we mess with his head a little. Make him think he's to blame."
"Right. And that's why I need you," Carrie said, eager to share the plan she had formulated, "You're the bait. You're the only one of my friends he hasn't met, so it'll work out perfectly." She took a final gulp of her beer and placed the bottle on the table.
"I told him that this Friday I'm going away for a girl's weekend, and I suggested that he have a boy's night at O'Leary's," she continued, mentioning the local pub that Katie waitressed at to supplement her funds for law school. "You just have to hook him and reel him in, and I'll come home early to 'surprise' him, and catch him in the act. And that will be that," she concluded with a triumphant smile.
"So basically you want me to seduce him into taking me back to your place?" Katie said, waggling her eyebrows teasingly at Carrie, who nodded in affirmation. "Is he cute?"
Carrie sighed. "Stay with me, Kate. You're helping me dump him, not finding him a replacement girlfriend."
Katie pouted but quickly brightened. "What's his name again?"
"Nick."
"To Nick, then," Katie said, raising her bottle in a toast. Carrie followed suit, and the glass clinked as they sealed their plan.
END FLASHBACK
~*~*~*~
Sara stared blankly at Carrie when she finished her story. Nick held his head in his hands, rubbing his temple. No one knew what to say.
"So, what happened next?" Nick asked, raising his head and breaking the awkward silence. "After you used me, lied to me, and made me feel like complete shit, that is."
Carrie winced at Nick's harsh tone, but knew that she deserved it. "After . . . that night, I asked Daddy to fire you, so I wouldn't have to see you anymore. He was more than willing, after what I told him happened," Carrie said, her voice barely a whisper, guilt and shame consuming her.
"And Mark?" Nick asked, "How long had you been with him while we were still together?"
Carrie sighed. "I'd been with Mark for about a month or two. We met at some bar one night when you and I had a fight, and one thing led to another, and. . ."
"I get it," Nick replied, his voice void of any emotion. "So I'm guessing that Lexi is-" Nick let his sentence trail, not wanting to say the words aloud.
Carrie nodded. "Yeah. A few weeks after you left Dallas, I found out that I was pregnant. At first I thought it was yours, but when the doctor told me when the baby was conceived, I knew it was Mark's. It was the weekend you were at that convention." She looked at Nick to gauge his reaction, and at his blank stare she continued. "I told Mark, and he freaked. He didn't want a baby to tie him down, so he left me."
"Then what?"
Carrie took a deep breath. "I told my dad that I was pregnant, and that it was your baby," she said, "He said I should talk to you, and I-I told him I had. I told him you said you didn't want anything to do with me or the baby," Carrie continued in a whisper. "I figured I had already made you out to be such a jerk, so one more lie wouldn't hurt. I was just too afraid to face you."
"You know, Carrie, you could have told me," Nick said, "I would have understood. I might not have forgiven you right away, but I would have been there for you. I loved you."
"I know you would have. I realize that now." She looked down at her hands, which were clasped tightly on her lap. "You know, it's funny," she continued with a cold laugh, "I went through this whole charade because I was afraid of a commitment, but then I had a baby. The biggest commitment of all."
The room was silent when Lexi bounded once again into the room, a Snickers bar in hand. "I got your favorite, Mommy," the blonde girl said, handing her mother the chocolate.
"Thanks, sweetie," Carrie said, taking the bar and kissing her daughter's forehead.
Nick's eyes were focused on Carrie's, and Carrie's on Nick's, and Sara knew that there were things that still needed to be said.
"Uh, Lexi, I think your mom needs her rest. Why don't we head downstairs to the car?"
"But I want to stay with Mommy!" she whined.
"Sweetie, Mommy's really tired," Carrie explained. "But I'm sure that Daddy and Sara will bring you back later."
"That's right, shortcake," Nick said, "We'll come back tonight."
Lexi pouted but complied. She gave Carrie and Katie each a hug and promised to see them later. Taking Sara's outstretched hand, she headed toward the door, pausing when she saw that Nick wasn't following. "Aren't you coming, Daddy?"
"I'll be down in a few minutes, Lex," Nick said, and Lexi nodded, following Sara out the door and through the hallway to the elevator.
"Uh, Carrie?" Katie said, "I think I'm going to go, too. I'll be back later with everything." She gave her friend a hug and turned to Nick. "I, uh, well. Bye Nick."
Nick nodded as Katie left the room. He rose from the chair and ran his hand across his face. "I just need to know one more thing: After all these years, why did you come to me?"
"You're a good man, Nick. I know that. I always have. And I knew that my daughter would be in good hands if she was with you. And I know that I should have told you the truth in the first place, but I guess I thought you wouldn't want responsibility for her if you knew she wasn't your daughter," Carrie explained.
Nick took a deep breath. "And what if Mark comes back one day and wants custody of Lexi? I don't want her to have to go through something like that."
Carrie's eyes dropped to a spot on the floor, and she answered Nick without looking at him. "That won't happen," she said softly. "Mark got pretty heavy into drugs right after we broke up. He O.D'ed two years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. He was a bastard anyway," Carrie said, forcing a smile to her lips.
"Look, um, this is a lot for me to digest, so I'm gonna go," Nick said, turning for the door, "We'll, um, bring Lexi by later."
"Nick?" Carrie said, stopping him at the door.
He turned around to face her, one hand on the doorframe. "Yeah?"
"I just," she began, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything." Her gaze fell to the floor as she fiddled with the edge of the hospital blanket.
"I loved you so much, you know," Nick confessed, looking at the frail, weak woman before him. The woman who at one point had been his entire life. "But I guess you didn't feel the same way." Nick stared at her for a moment, waiting for a response that didn't come. He turned and walked out the door, leaving her alone in the room.
"I do love you," Carrie said in a whisper after he had left, "I never stopped."
Nick heard her words as he stepped into the hallway, and they caught him off-guard. He paused for a moment, before shaking his head slightly and heading towards the elevator. Heading home. Home to Sara.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N~ Sorry if that chapter was too boring or confusing. Hopefully all questions in this story have now been answered! If there's anything that I forgot to mention in this chapter, please let me know and I'll put it into the next chapter. Please review!!
~Emily
~*~*~*~
Nick stood frozen, his feet planted firmly on the ground, his wide eyes intently staring at the woman in front of him. Sara put a concerned hand on his shoulder, but he was oblivious to her actions. Every fiber in his being was focused on Katie.
"Uh, hey.Nick," Katie said slowly, an awkward smile on her lips. "Long time no see."
"I don't believe this," Nick said absently.
"Nick?" Sara said, worry evident in her voice, "Nick, what's wrong?"
Nick shook his head slightly, finally regaining control of himself. "I don't believe this," he repeated, but this time his voice held an element of anger and disgust.
"Nick, I, um," Carrie said, her voice wavering not only from her weak state but also from her discomfort with the situation.
"Don't."
"What's wrong, Daddy?" Lexi asked, walking over and taking his hand, her brown eyes filled with concern.
"I'm just surprised to see your mommy's friend, that's all," Nick answered, looking Carrie coldly in the eye.
"Sweetie? You want to do Mommy a favor?" Carrie asked, and Lexi walked towards her mother's hospital bed. "Grab my bag from that table and go get me some candy, okay?"
Lexi obliged and grabbed the purse, taking two singles from the wallet and heading out the door and towards the candy machine.
Carrie sighed. "I'm sorry, Nick. I owe you an explanation."
"You're damn right you do!" he yelled, trying to keep his voice down but failing miserably.
"Nick, what's going on?" Sara repeated, walking towards him and rubbing his arm.
He sighed and ran a hand through his cropped hair. "I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."
Sara turned to Carrie and Katie. "You want to tell me what the hell is going on?" she demanded, "And who the hell you are?" she added, flinging her words at Katie.
"Katie is my best friend," Carrie explained, "And my attorney."
"Jesus," Nick said, looking up, "You're a lawyer?"
Katie offered a half smile and a shrug.
"And how do you know Nick?" Sara asked Katie.
"Katie's my favorite waitress," Nick said wryly.
"You mean.." Sara let her sentence trail, and Nick nodded. "Wha--?" she stammered, her eyes darting from Carrie to Katie to Nick.
"It was almost eight years ago," Carrie started. "And it was the biggest mistake of my life."
~*~*~*~
FLASHBACK
A twenty-two year old Carrie Barnes sat at a small table in a musty bar, Amstel bottle in hand. She peered through the crowds of people, her eyes searching for her friend. Finally she spotted the person she was looking for as she walked through the door and looked around. Carrie smiled, raising the beer bottle as Katie smiled in return and walked towards her friend.
"Hey!" Carrie greeted, rising to give her friend a hug and a peck on the cheek.
"Hey yourself," Katie replied, shrugging off her leather jacket and slinging it across the back of the chair. "I'll just have what she has," she said to the waitress who stopped at their table, "Thanks."
"Thanks for coming on such short notice," Carrie said, taking a swig of the bottle.
"No problem. What are friends for?" Katie replied with a smile. "So what's up?"
"It's Nick," Carrie started as the waitress brought Katie her drink.
"Ah, the boyfriend," Katie said with a sigh, bringing her own drink to her lips. "Is he number one or two?"
"One."
"So what happened?" the brunette asked, "Did he catch you with Mark or something?"
"No, nothing like that," Carrie said, fiddling with the napkin on the table, "I just need to get rid of him. He's holding me down."
"What do you mean? I thought you said things were working out great the way they were. Nick for the steady relationship, Mark for the teeth- rattling fling."
"I know. They are, I mean, they were," Carrie explained, taking another swig of the beer. "At first I thought it would be fun to move in together, and have that steady kind of relationship, but now it's getting too serious. Nick wants a commitment that I'm not ready to make. But Mark.. Mark's in it for the same reasons I am. He doesn't want any of the heavy obligations of a serious relationship. He just wants to have some fun. So do I."
"So dump him. End of story," Katie suggested.
"It's not that simple, Kate," Carrie insisted, "He works for my dad, and they're really close. I'd be mortified if I had to face him all the time. And my dad definitely wouldn't give up his relationship with him just because I was afraid of the 'C' word."
"I'm not really seeing where I come in," Katie said, taking a swig of the bottle.
"Look around, Katie," Carrie said with a sly smile, indicating all the waitresses clad in tight shirts and short skirts. "What's the one thing no man can resist?"
A grin spread across Katie's face as she understood. "A beautiful woman."
"Exactly."
"So what you're saying," Katie began as she leaned forward, a wide smile still playing across her features, "Is that we mess with his head a little. Make him think he's to blame."
"Right. And that's why I need you," Carrie said, eager to share the plan she had formulated, "You're the bait. You're the only one of my friends he hasn't met, so it'll work out perfectly." She took a final gulp of her beer and placed the bottle on the table.
"I told him that this Friday I'm going away for a girl's weekend, and I suggested that he have a boy's night at O'Leary's," she continued, mentioning the local pub that Katie waitressed at to supplement her funds for law school. "You just have to hook him and reel him in, and I'll come home early to 'surprise' him, and catch him in the act. And that will be that," she concluded with a triumphant smile.
"So basically you want me to seduce him into taking me back to your place?" Katie said, waggling her eyebrows teasingly at Carrie, who nodded in affirmation. "Is he cute?"
Carrie sighed. "Stay with me, Kate. You're helping me dump him, not finding him a replacement girlfriend."
Katie pouted but quickly brightened. "What's his name again?"
"Nick."
"To Nick, then," Katie said, raising her bottle in a toast. Carrie followed suit, and the glass clinked as they sealed their plan.
END FLASHBACK
~*~*~*~
Sara stared blankly at Carrie when she finished her story. Nick held his head in his hands, rubbing his temple. No one knew what to say.
"So, what happened next?" Nick asked, raising his head and breaking the awkward silence. "After you used me, lied to me, and made me feel like complete shit, that is."
Carrie winced at Nick's harsh tone, but knew that she deserved it. "After . . . that night, I asked Daddy to fire you, so I wouldn't have to see you anymore. He was more than willing, after what I told him happened," Carrie said, her voice barely a whisper, guilt and shame consuming her.
"And Mark?" Nick asked, "How long had you been with him while we were still together?"
Carrie sighed. "I'd been with Mark for about a month or two. We met at some bar one night when you and I had a fight, and one thing led to another, and. . ."
"I get it," Nick replied, his voice void of any emotion. "So I'm guessing that Lexi is-" Nick let his sentence trail, not wanting to say the words aloud.
Carrie nodded. "Yeah. A few weeks after you left Dallas, I found out that I was pregnant. At first I thought it was yours, but when the doctor told me when the baby was conceived, I knew it was Mark's. It was the weekend you were at that convention." She looked at Nick to gauge his reaction, and at his blank stare she continued. "I told Mark, and he freaked. He didn't want a baby to tie him down, so he left me."
"Then what?"
Carrie took a deep breath. "I told my dad that I was pregnant, and that it was your baby," she said, "He said I should talk to you, and I-I told him I had. I told him you said you didn't want anything to do with me or the baby," Carrie continued in a whisper. "I figured I had already made you out to be such a jerk, so one more lie wouldn't hurt. I was just too afraid to face you."
"You know, Carrie, you could have told me," Nick said, "I would have understood. I might not have forgiven you right away, but I would have been there for you. I loved you."
"I know you would have. I realize that now." She looked down at her hands, which were clasped tightly on her lap. "You know, it's funny," she continued with a cold laugh, "I went through this whole charade because I was afraid of a commitment, but then I had a baby. The biggest commitment of all."
The room was silent when Lexi bounded once again into the room, a Snickers bar in hand. "I got your favorite, Mommy," the blonde girl said, handing her mother the chocolate.
"Thanks, sweetie," Carrie said, taking the bar and kissing her daughter's forehead.
Nick's eyes were focused on Carrie's, and Carrie's on Nick's, and Sara knew that there were things that still needed to be said.
"Uh, Lexi, I think your mom needs her rest. Why don't we head downstairs to the car?"
"But I want to stay with Mommy!" she whined.
"Sweetie, Mommy's really tired," Carrie explained. "But I'm sure that Daddy and Sara will bring you back later."
"That's right, shortcake," Nick said, "We'll come back tonight."
Lexi pouted but complied. She gave Carrie and Katie each a hug and promised to see them later. Taking Sara's outstretched hand, she headed toward the door, pausing when she saw that Nick wasn't following. "Aren't you coming, Daddy?"
"I'll be down in a few minutes, Lex," Nick said, and Lexi nodded, following Sara out the door and through the hallway to the elevator.
"Uh, Carrie?" Katie said, "I think I'm going to go, too. I'll be back later with everything." She gave her friend a hug and turned to Nick. "I, uh, well. Bye Nick."
Nick nodded as Katie left the room. He rose from the chair and ran his hand across his face. "I just need to know one more thing: After all these years, why did you come to me?"
"You're a good man, Nick. I know that. I always have. And I knew that my daughter would be in good hands if she was with you. And I know that I should have told you the truth in the first place, but I guess I thought you wouldn't want responsibility for her if you knew she wasn't your daughter," Carrie explained.
Nick took a deep breath. "And what if Mark comes back one day and wants custody of Lexi? I don't want her to have to go through something like that."
Carrie's eyes dropped to a spot on the floor, and she answered Nick without looking at him. "That won't happen," she said softly. "Mark got pretty heavy into drugs right after we broke up. He O.D'ed two years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. He was a bastard anyway," Carrie said, forcing a smile to her lips.
"Look, um, this is a lot for me to digest, so I'm gonna go," Nick said, turning for the door, "We'll, um, bring Lexi by later."
"Nick?" Carrie said, stopping him at the door.
He turned around to face her, one hand on the doorframe. "Yeah?"
"I just," she began, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. For everything." Her gaze fell to the floor as she fiddled with the edge of the hospital blanket.
"I loved you so much, you know," Nick confessed, looking at the frail, weak woman before him. The woman who at one point had been his entire life. "But I guess you didn't feel the same way." Nick stared at her for a moment, waiting for a response that didn't come. He turned and walked out the door, leaving her alone in the room.
"I do love you," Carrie said in a whisper after he had left, "I never stopped."
Nick heard her words as he stepped into the hallway, and they caught him off-guard. He paused for a moment, before shaking his head slightly and heading towards the elevator. Heading home. Home to Sara.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N~ Sorry if that chapter was too boring or confusing. Hopefully all questions in this story have now been answered! If there's anything that I forgot to mention in this chapter, please let me know and I'll put it into the next chapter. Please review!!
~Emily