A/N: OK, just a little note that comes up briefly in this chapter. It will be covered a little more extensively in the coming installment of The Love Center. Towards the middle of the chapter, Hudson will make a reference to Kevin and Baby Ace. For my version of OLTL, there never was a baby switch. Babe is the biological mother of Ace, but the baby was legally given up for adoption by her. This will come into play more in the next installment, but I thought I'd clarify a little now Enjoy.

Nick had just stepped out of the locker room in full uniform when he saw the rest of the team already preparing to hit the field. "Here he comes," Sean said loudly. "Here comes Messina. We gonna win this one out there today, Messina?"

"Don't we always?" Nick smiled.

"These guys though..." Sean said.

"We played them before," Nick said. "They're tough but we've got them."

"Field gentlemen!" the coach said.

The team ran off to gather on the field and Ethan managed to hang behind. He looked around for a minute before opening the side door. In walked a larger boy, a little bigger than Nick.

"What's the word?" he asked Ethan.

"Nick Messina," he said "He's wearing number 23 out there. You know who I'm talking about?"

"I know the guy," he said "So he turned out to be a queer." He paused. "So how bad do you want this?"

"I don't want Nicky to walk away from this," Ethan said. "I want him to be caught off guard... I don't want him to see this coming Pete."

"You just give the ball to Messina. He won't walk off that field. That I garruntee you."

>>>>>>

"Where's Marcie?" Shannon said as she and the rest of the Love Crew sat in the bleachers at LU.

"She'll be here." Jen said. She looked over at Hudson who was reading the paper. She pushed it down. "Don't read that here."

"The Lieutenant Governor got his son back." Hudson pointed out. "I happen to be following the whole thing. When he and his ex-wife adopted him, the custody hearings, the kidnapping... It's a miracle that that baby is back with his father."

"I'm just glad that the crazy woman who took him is behind bars." Mark said as the football team took the field.

"Marcie is going to miss this," Shannon said again.

"She'll be here," Riley said. "Relax."

The teams had already begun to play and the LU Panthers had control of the ball. Sean made sure that Nick had his hands on the ball and was allowed to run a lot of the plays.

The game went on well for the first fifteen minutes of the quarter. The whistle blew and Sean got the ball to Nick. With the crowd cheering, Nick headed towards the endzone. Every other player seemed covered, but then out of nowhere, Pete went for Nick's lower back, snapping him forward, his neck flying back and forth and his head hitting the ground at full impact.

The whistle blew and the teams went back to the line. Nick didn't move. The crowd went silent, watching as the paramedics drove out onto the field. They slowly removed Nick's helmet . Blood poured down from a gash on his forehead. The collar went around his neck and Nick was lifted on a gurney into the ambulance.

>>>>>>

Michael took a deep breath, standing from his chair. "Marcie," he said, pausing. "It's something that happened... about eight years ago. I've never told anyone."

"You can tell me," Marcie said. "Anything, Michael." She stood and approached him.

"This is... it's different Marc. This is... it's a part of my past that I can't think about. That I haven't talked about. I shouldn't."

"Why?" Marcie said. "What can be so bad, Michael, that you'd think I'd hate you? What would make you think that you'd lose me?"

"I can't..."

"Michael."

"I killed somebody!" Michael exclaimed. Marcie's jaw dropped, breathing stopped for a moment. She couldn't move. "Marcie..." Michael said as the phone rang. He didn't answer it, let the machine pick it up. "Say something Marcie." he pleaded. "Please."

"Michael, Marcie..." Jen's voice came over the answering machine. "Michael, there's been an accident. It's... it's Nick, he got hurt. He looks really bad. God I hope you didn't leave for the game already. "Guys meet us at the hospital. It doesn't look good." The phone clicked.

"We have to go" Marcie said simply. We have to go to the hospital."

"Marcie..." Michael said. "Sweetie..." Marcie had already turned, gone to get dressed. "Can you just say something to me. Anything?"

"Can we go?" Marcie said. "Hurry."

Michael sighed, grabbed his keys. He and Marcie left the room, hurrying to the hospital.

TBC in The Love Center: Family Matters