A/N: I love reviews…heck I love reviews more than I love George Stults (well ok that's a lie right there) seriously I love reviews because I get that happy feeling in my stomach when I see you really love me!!
A/N: I don't own 7th Heaven but I do own George Stults World so don't sue me if you want money because that's something I don't have! I also don't own the song Crazy by K-C & Jojo
A/N: I'll be gone from 07/22-07/26 so I won't have anything else posted but chapter 15 until I get back…so if you guys want to know what happens next please don't forget to leave reviews!!!
A/N: Thanks to my betas Betsy (a.k.a Star2717) and Sara (a.k.a Shouhei) for helping me out!
She had taken her time to get to his house. She had to think carefully about what she was going to tell him.
Since prom he had no problem telling her how he felt of even hesitate to show her his true feelings for her...
So why was it that it was so hard for her to admit her true feelings for him?
Was it because he was older? Or was it because she was afraid that Matt would pummel him to a pulp when he found out?
She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts when she heard something that had been said the night at prom before he kissed her.
"I'll never hurt you Lucy Michelle Camden" he whispered in her ear before cupping her face.
That was what the problem was...and she knew it...she was afraid of being hurt
She had been hurt by so many guys in the past she was afraid of Kevin doing the same thing to her. Using her, telling her he loved her and then dumping her a month later.
But, somewhere deep in he heart she knew that he would keep his promise to her and knowing that made it so much easier for her to make a decision.
Today would be the day she'd tell him she loved him back...but that was before she saw him with another woman.
And that was before she saw him kissing her and that's when she knew her world was crashing down and she couldn't stop it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Karen settled down in front of her desk and pulled out the middle drawer that held pens, pencils and some other knick knacks including her telephone book.
She grabbed the telephone book and flipped open to the "C" section and traced down slowly to find the number for the Camden's…it was time for the parents to get involved.
Picking up the receiver she dialed their number and listened to the phone ring for a few, before someone picked up the phone.
"Hello?" a male voice answered.
"Eric? This is Karen Kinkirk" she replied.
"Hi Karen. Listen, have you seen Lucy? Annie and I have been trying to get a hold of her since yesterday at Jeremy's house but he keeps telling us she isn't there." Eric said.
"Actually, that's why—"Karen started to say before Eric cut her off again.
"And we are starting to get worried…it's so unlike Lucy to do something like that"
"Actually, that's why I called. Lucy is here... with Kevin." she started again this time finishing her sentence.
Eric paused for a second before running up the stairs to find Annie listening on the phone conversation as well.
"What do you mean she's there with Kevin?"
"I mean she's here with Kevin" Karen repeated.
"Well at least we know she is safe" Annie spoke into the phone.
"Well that's not all…just about an hour ago Kevin told me something very interesting"
"What?" Eric asked, with curiosity.
"Eric…Annie…I don't know exactly how to tell you this and I feel awful for having to be the one to tell you but"
"But what?" Annie practically yelled into the phone
"I think our kids are in love with each other," Karen said with a sigh.
"I know," Eric admitted.
"What do you mean you know?!"
"I mean I know…well actually Eric and I both know" Annie replied sitting down on the bed. The one thing that they wished didn't happen…finally happened and this time they didn't think they could stop it.
"How? How do you both know? And, more importantly, why didn't you tell me?!" Karen asked, starting to feel angry.
Eric shifted uncomfortably and said, "I thought I took care of it."
"What are you talking about, Eric?" Karen asked him.
Finally, Eric decided to just fess up. "I sort of told Lucy that Kevin didn't feel the same way about her that she did about him. And she got mad, and moved on. I had no idea it would ever backfire. I'm really sorry, Karen."
Karen forgave them, and then they got to work on how to fix the problem.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucy stood, frozen to her spot, just staring in shock at Kevin. Her eyes then shifted over to the blonde woman that was kissing Kevin just moments ago.
Lucy wanted to rip the smirk off that woman's face. Hot, angry tears welled up in her eyes, but she spun around and headed back towards the cab that was still waiting for her.
Kevin shot an evil glare to Mindy and jumped off the porch and chased Lucy as fast as he could.
"Luce…stop…please?" he shouted trying to catch up to her.
When she didn't stop walking he managed to grab her arm and she spun around with anger flashing in her eyes.
"How dare you Kevin Kinkirk…how dare you tell me to stop" she seethed
"Luce…please let me explain" he pleaded
"Let you explain? LET YOU EXPLAIN??" she shouted glaring at him and then back towards the blonde that was sitting on his front porch swing.
"You don't have to explain anything Kevin…I know what I saw…here I was stupid and willing enough to come back here and tell you that I finally love you and I find you kissing another women…so what's there to explain?"
Kevin opened his mouth to say something but Lucy didn't notice.
"It's no wonder my dad lied to me…he was right wasn't he? HE knew we were wrong for each other so he lied to me to protect me"
"No, Luce, we're right for each other. You just don't understand..."
"Understand! I understand perfectly. I understand that you aren't the guy I thought you were."
With that, Lucy got into the cab and told the driver to go. He pulled away and Kevin watched for a split second before jumping into his own car.
Throwing his truck into reverse he backed out of his driveway with his tires squealing not giving a care in the world…he had to get the woman he loved back.
Keeping his eye on both the road and the cab that was about three cars in front of him, he tried to catch up…but the speed that the other two cars were going he knew there was no way he could catch up in time.
Lucy sat in the cab trying hard not to cry, when out of the corner of her eye she saw a truck heading straight for them. She tried to scream, but no sound came out as the huge monster of an automobile crashed into the cab.
Screeching tires. Burning rubber. Shattering glass. The car spun out of control and everything around Lucy went black.
Kevin watched in horror as an eighteen wheeler crashed into the cab. He swerved to avoid hitting the twisted metal and shards of glass.
Pulling onto the shoulder, he jumped out of the car before even pulling the keys out of the ignition. Fear coursed through his veins as he made his way to the accident, dialing 911 on the way. Giving the operator the address, he pried open the door of the cab and saw Lucy's body.
She was passed out cold and covered in blood. The cab driver climbed out of the driver's seat and stumbled onto the concrete.
Kevin bit back tears when he realized the last moment they were together she was angry at him. Oh, and what Lucy must have been thinking of him right before the accident.
Snapping himself out of the negative thoughts and his first aide training took over. Instead of moving her, he climbed in with her and checked to see if she was breathing. She wasn't, and that scared him more.
He began to perform CPR on her and continued until the paramedics arrived. Kevin climbed out of the cab and let the professionals get to work. Standing there watching the love of his life being put onto a stretcher. He had to see her and explain when she woke up. She had to wake up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After almost 45 minutes Eric, Annie and Karen could not come up with a single reason to keep Kevin and Lucy apart from one another.
"Karen, I have to go and check on the boys I'll be back" Annie told both her husband and Karen as she placed the other cordless phone back into the receiver and exiting the room.
After a few moments of silence between them Karen spoke up. "Eric…why did you lie to Lucy like that?"
Hanging his head down in shame not wanting to re-live the past he sighed before answering. "Honestly…I don't know…I don't know what I was thinking…I guess I always see Lucy as my little girl and I wanted her to stay that way…but knowing how Kevin felt about her well…made her grow up in my eyes faster than I wanted her to"
"I understand that, but I guess it's time to face that they're both adults and are obviously in love."
Eric choose not to comment on that because he knew she was right.
All of a sudden Karen got an idea that would help both the Camden's and herself out at the same time.
"Hey, Eric—"she started to say when call waiting beeped.
"Hold on a sec, I got someone else on the line" she replied clicking over.
"Hello?"
"MOM…it's Kevin" he told her shouting into his cell phone.
He explained to her exactly what happened and how scared he was for Lucy. Kevin was close to tears, which was strange for him.
Karen did her best to calm him down, but it was to no avail. He was terrified, and he couldn't get a hold of the Camden's because there phone was busy.
"Kevin…what happened?" she asked him trying to get his attention focused on something else for a minute.
"I…I was driving down the road following her cab…she was so mad at me mom…Mindy was at the house and she kissed me and Lucy saw the entire thing…oh god mom… an eighteen wheeler crashed into the cab…" he told her…that's when the tears started to flow and he couldn't stop them.
"Kevin…Shh…It'll be alright…just as long as you stay with her okay? I'll let Eric and Annie know as soon as we are done" she spoke soothingly to him.
"Where are they taking her?"
"They are taking her to Buffalo Medical Center" he told her breathlessly, running with the paramedics to the closet ambulance that was available holding tightly to Lucy's limp hand.
"All right…I'll let Annie and Eric know as soon as I hang up with you"
"I got to go mom…they are taking her now and since they won't let me ride with her I'm going to follow them in my truck" he told her hanging up the phone.
Karen started at the receiver with the dead dial tone…now she had to do something that was twice as worse.
Clicking over she heard both Annie and Eric talking to Sam and David…taking a few deep breaths to calm herself she spoke into the phone.
"Annie, Eric…I'm afraid I have some bad news…there was an accident..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin pulled into the visiting parking lot of the ER, and ran in to see what was going on with Lucy. Running up to the receptionist, he asked to go back to see Lucy.
"Are you a blood relative?" the woman asked him.
"Not exactly," Kevin said.
"I grew up with her, though. We were childhood friends, and I love her with all my heart. Please let me go back there. I want to marry her, but she was mad at me right before...," Kevin gulped. "The accident."
The young woman looked at him and sympathetically said, "I'll see what I can do, but in the meantime, have a seat in the waiting room. Oh what's your name?"
"Kevin Kinkirk," he told her as he took a seat.
In the meantime, doctors rushed around Lucy's bed as she lay unconscious. One doctor was busy pulling pieces of glass out of her open wounds, and another doctor was stitching her up.
Lucy had blood being dripped into an IV because she lost so much. Finally, she was all bandaged up and stable enough to be taken into her own room.
She still wasn't awake, but she could breathe on her own. She was in surgery for two hours, and finally the receptionist got word to tell any family. She called Kevin to her desk and he rushed over towards her and looked at her with worry etched in his features.
"Is she okay?"
"She's doing okay, and I've been able to convince them to let you see her. But, just so you're prepared, she lost a lot of blood and is still unconscious."
He thanked the young woman and rushed down the corridor to see the love of his life. He just hoped it wasn't too late for them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What do you mean there has been an accident?" Eric asked with fear gripping his chest.
"Well, I'm not exactly sure but Kevin was on the other line. He told me that Lucy was going back to her hotel room in her cab and an eighteen wheeler hit the taxi."
"WHAT?" Annie screamed into the phone.
"Is she ok? Is she hurt? Where is she at?" Annie demanded speaking faster with every word.
"I don't know. All I know is that Kevin told me that they were taking her to Buffalo Medical Center"
After a few moments of silence Karen shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She hated this kind of silence, and she knew she had to say something.
"I'm sorry that I don't know anything else, but as soon as I hear anything I'll call you. I'm going to the hospital right now."
"Thank you" Eric choked out trying hard to keep the tears from flooding.
"We will be there as soon as we can get a flight" Annie sobbed into the phone.
"Call me before you leave Glenoak and let me know what flight you are on and I'll be there waiting"
"You don't have to do that Karen. We'll take a cab" Eric told her picking up Sam and waited for Annie to pick up David so they could take them both to the nursery.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, we'll meet you at the hospital"
"All right. I'm sorry again."
"It's not your fault Karen" Annie told her hanging up the cordless phone and taking Sam from Eric to get him and David ready for bed.
"Karen, before you go... will you tell Lucy something if she's awake?" he asked her.
"Sure"
"Tell her we love her" he told her softly before hanging up the phone. Both he and Annie had to find Matt and start to pack for their trip to Buffalo, New York.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The stark hospital corridors felt strange and haunted as Kevin made his way down the hall. Arriving at Lucy's room, he took a deep breath, and quietly pushed open the door.
A nurse was leaning over the bed, blocking Kevin's view of Lucy.
Hearing him enter the room, she turned around. "Are you Kevin Kinkirk?"
"Yes," replied Kevin.
The nurse smiled. "They told me about you. You can see her, but you have to be very careful not to move her or touch the equipment. She's doing better, but we still need to be alert. If you notice any difference in her condition, immediately hit the call button, ok?" Kevin nodded in response.
"Ok. I'll leave you two alone now." The nurse adjusted a few more buttons on Lucy's monitor and then left the room. Kevin gulped and approached the bed
Lucy had always been a small girl, but she seemed even tinier as she lay in the vastness of the plain white sheets surrounding her.
A large bruise had blossomed over her cheekbone, and several faint scratches were visible on one side of her face. She looked almost peaceful as she rested, but the numerous fluids dripping from the IV stand, as well as a tangle of monitors testified that she was in pretty bad shape.
Kevin sat down on the chair next to the bed. He started to pick up her hand and then stopped, suddenly terrified by the nurses warning.
Struggling to keep himself under control, he finally decided to be content with stroking her hair.
"Lucy," he whispered, closing his eyes. What could he possibly say? "Oh, Lucy. I love you. Lucy..." The only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock and the slow pumping of a machine next to Lucy's bed.
As the afternoon sunlight began to lower in the sky, Kevin bowed his head in prayer. Across the country in California, Eric and Annie were doing the same.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robbie was in the middle of a rousing mental debate between the merits of a turkey sandwich or some ice cream as he entered the Camden kitchen.
All thoughts of hunger quickly vanished from his mind, however, as he saw Annie and Eric clutching each other and sobbing.
"Rev. Camden? Mrs. Camden? What's wrong?" asked Robbie, beginning to get alarmed.
Annie pulled away from Eric, wiping her eyes. "Robbie, there's been a terrible accident. Lucy was in a car that was hit by an 18 wheeler. She's at the hospital right now."
Robbie blinked, feeling as though his stomach had just dropped down to his feet. "Is she gonna -- where -- did Jeremy call?" he stuttered.
Annie shook her head. "No, she broke off her engagement to Jeremy. She's with Kevin. Robbie, could you take Sam and David upstairs? Eric and I are going to get a flight out to Buffalo."
"Sure," muttered Robbie, slightly dazed. He took Sam and David's hands and led them out of the kitchen while Annie began dialing the travel agent. Upstairs, Robbie set up the twins with a game and then walked down the hall to Ruthie's room. Entering, he found her sitting on her bed and reading a book.
"Ruthie, is Simon here?" Ruthie looked up.
"No, he's out with Matt getting some lunch." Ruthie noticed the look on Robbie's face.
"Robbie, what's wrong?" Robbie walked across the room and sat next to Ruthie on the bed.
"Ruthie, I have some bad news..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kevin didn't even realize that the nurse had reentered the room until he saw her leaning over Lucy.
Startled, he jumped back a little. "What's going on? How is she?" he asked anxiously.
The nurse checked a few things on the monitors, and then made some notes on Lucy's chart.
Turning to Kevin, she smiled. "By all accounts she's improving. She could regain consciousness at any time. She's not completely out of the woods yet, but I'd say she's a fighter."
"She is," said Kevin, feeling a surge of pride well up within him. "She's so strong."
The nurse grinned; she could see that this young man really cared about the girl lying in the bed.
"You know, sometimes it helps if you talk to her. She might be able to hear you." Kevin nodded, and turned to Lucy as the nurse exited the room.
"Hey, Lucy." Kevin smiled, and once again began stroking Lucy's hair. "You hear that? The nurse says you're a fighter. I bet you're rolling your eyes at me right now." Kevin laughed a little.
"Did I ever tell you that I love it when you roll your eyes? I do. I love it when you talk about something and get so excited that your eyes light up and your cheeks flush. I love it when you tease me. I love everything about you, Lucy. Everything." Kevin regarded her for a moment, and then continued.
"When I married Mindy, I was so sure that I loved her. She seemed perfect. But I was young, and dumb, and so was she. And I guess what she did today proves she's still dumb... but I'm not going to dwell on her. When I told you that everyone makes mistakes, I meant it. I made a mistake Lucy. I should've fought for us. I've never felt for anyone like I feel for you, Lucy. I would risk Matt beating me up. That's gotta mean something, right?" Kevin laughed again, although this time tears were forming in his eyes.
"Lucy, this is why you gotta wake up. You need to see Matt kicking the crap out of me. You need to see Ruthie tease us about liking each other while we hold hands at the dinner table. You need to be around when Robbie says something dumb about us kissing and embarrasses us in front of your parents. You gotta be there to witness me beating up my brother for saying you're pretty. Lucy, I'm not asking you to wake up. I'm telling you. You have to wake up. I don't know what I... I can't..." Kevin trailed off, unable to hide his tears any longer.
He buried his face in his hands, trying to curb the sob welling in his throat. After a moment, a soft whisper reached his ears.
"Kevin?" Kevin's head shot up. Lucy was staring up at him, slowly blinking her eyes.
"Lucy... oh my god... Lucy..." Kevin was laughing and crying at the same time.
Lucy smiled, still looking very, very pale.
"I was so afraid I lost you Luce... that I'd never be able to tell you how much I love you. Mindy... she kissed me, I didn't kiss her. I was trying to push her off. Lucy, you have to believe me."
Lucy nodded slowly. "I do believe you."
Kevin thought his heart was going to explode out of his chest. "Thank you Lucy. Thank you so much. Luce... I love you. And now, more than ever, I know that I want to be with you." Kevin's grin started to fade, however, when he saw tears welling up in Lucy's eyes.
"Luce?" he whispered softly.
Lucy just shook her head. "Kevin... I can't. I have feelings for you... but I think everything happens for a reason. Me breaking up with Jeremy, finding you, getting hit by the truck... I think that someone is trying to tell us that we aren't supposed to be together. I just... I just need some time. I need to recover, and not just from this. I think..." Lucy slowly removed her hand from Kevin's.
"I think that I want you to be my friend." Kevin stared for a moment. He felt utterly and completely numb. He wanted to yell, or scream, or -- taking a deep breath, he forced himself to smile.
"Of course I'm your friend, Luce. Now, how about we get the nurse in here and let her see how you're awake?" Kevin hit the call button, and Lucy grinned back at Kevin.
"Thanks Kevin. I knew you'd understand." Kevin continued to smile and nod, not understanding anything at all.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annie stared out the window at the traffic zooming by in the opposite direction. Her and Eric had managed to get on a red-eye flight to Buffalo, and were now in a taxi that was driving along the highway between the airport and the hospital.
They had called the hospital upon landing, and were thrilled to learn that Lucy had woken up. Now, even though she hadn't slept in nearly 24 hours, Annie was anxious to see her daughter. The cab swung to a halt, breaking her train of thought.
Eric handed the driver a twenty dollar bill, and they exited the cab, both carrying overnight bags.
Entering the hospital, Annie spotted Karen Kinkirk standing near a large fish tank. Karen smiled as she saw Eric and Annie approaching.
"She's still doing fine," Karen said, before either Eric or Annie could ask.
"They brought her up some breakfast, and Kevin's helping her eat. Did you want me to get you anything to eat or drink from the cafeteria while you visit her? You look exhausted!"
Eric smiled back. "No, thanks. I think we just want to see Lucy. Karen, thank you so much for taking care of her while we were on our way..." Karen shook her head as she led them over to the bank of elevators.
"Don't even mention it. I know you would've done the same for me. And Kevin has really been the one there for Lucy through all of this... he slept in a chair in her room last night, just in case she needed anything." The elevator doors opened, and the three stepped in.
Annie and Eric exchanged glances before Annie spoke. "Are Kevin and Lucy..." she trailed off, unsure what she was asking. Karen, however, understood.
"I don't know. I asked Kevin last night, when I brought him a change of clothes, and he avoided the subject. Oh, here's our floor." They exited the elevator, and headed towards Lucy's room.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You know, if you were really my friend, you'd sneak me in some donuts." Lucy gave Kevin her best puppy dog eyes.
Kevin laughed. "Come on, Luce, hospital food can't be that bad."
Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah? Want to try my scrambled eggs then?"
Kevin looked down at the watery, pale eggs which lay on Lucy's tray, surrounded by soggy French toast and equally unappetizing looking bacon.
"Uh, actually, I'm stuffed."
Lucy giggled. "Sure, you make me eat it, but you won't..." Kevin firmly pressed a fork into Lucy's hand.
"Well, you need to get strong. Come on, eat a little more of your eggs and I might be persuaded to sneak you a candy bar later." Lucy rolled her eyes, but started to eat some of her food anyway. Kevin watched her eat for a few moments, and then began to stare out the window.
"Hey Kevin?" Kevin turned around; Lucy was idly poking her fork into the toast.
"Um... when I was unconscious... did you talk to me?" Kevin swallowed and stared at the floor. They'd been acting like nothing had happened, but there was a sense of awkwardness between them.
"Yeah... did you hear me?" Lucy met Kevin's eyes for a brief second before dropping them back down to her tray.
"I think I heard your voice. I don't remember what you said though."
"Oh," was all Kevin could manage to reply. Before Lucy could ask anything else, the door clicked open, cutting through the awkward silence that had filled the room
"Mom! Dad!" Lucy burst into a grin at the sight of her parents silhouetted in the door. Tears streamed down Annie's face as she rushed towards Lucy's bed.
Mother and daughter shared a long embrace before Eric leaned over to kiss Lucy's cheek.
"Sweetie, we were so worried... thank God you're ok..." Annie sat on the side of the bed, squeezing Lucy's hand.
Lucy smiled back at her parents. "I'm fine, Mom. I'm so glad you're here though." Karen walked over and rested her hand on Kevin's shoulder.
"Kevin, perhaps we should give the Camden's some time?"
"Sure Mom," said Kevin, getting to his feet.
"Kevin, I can't thank you enough for looking out for our daughter," said Eric. Kevin blushed, wondering exactly how much Eric and Annie knew.
"Well, Lucy's a fighter," he said, and smiling at the Camden's one last time, followed his mother out the door. Lucy frowned. What Kevin had said sounded so familiar... but she couldn't place it...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was a testament to how strong Lucy really was that four days later, she was walking through the Buffalo airport with her parents and the Kinkirk's.
Her progress was slow, but she was walking all the same. Everyone was grinning like crazy -- Lucy's doctors had said that aside from a few scars, the accident would leave her with no lasting damage.
Lucy was walking next to her mother, while Eric and Karen chatted, Eric lugging several shopping bags full of teddy bears and flowers that Lucy had accumulated.
Kevin lagged behind; he and Ben were carrying the Camden's luggage through the airport. Eric, Annie, and Lucy got in the line to check in.
Karen wandered off to find a bathroom, so Kevin and Ben were left to stand near a newsstand and wait for the Camden's to get their boarding passes.
Ben nudged his brother. "So. You ever gonna tell me what happened?"
Kevin avoided Ben's glance. "The car she was in got hit by a truck. I thought it was pretty obvious."
Ben rolled his eyes. "I mean, what happened with you two? Why is she here?" Kevin frowned, suddenly very interested in the spiral pattern on the carpet.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Ben just shook his head. "You two are so dumb, you know that? You're obviously in love with each other."
Kevin jerked his head up. "What?"
Ben snorted. "I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet. I realized it when we were little kids. How dumb are you?"
Kevin glared at his brother. "Maybe I'm not dumb. Maybe I do realize I love her."
Ben looked confused. "Then why aren't you guys -- Oh. I get it."
Kevin looked away again. "Yeah."
Ben patted his brother's shoulder awkwardly. "Sorry, man."
Kevin shrugged off his brother and began to walk back towards the Camden's. "Whatever. Come on, I think they got their boarding passes. Ben watched Kevin walk for a moment before rolling his eyes once more and following after him.
The two families wandered around the airport for a few minutes before deciding to get a quick cup of coffee before the Camden's flight.
While they chatted and sipped their beverages, Kevin kept stealing glances at Lucy. What was she thinking? Was she staring at him too, or was he imagining it?
Ben wasn't aiding the situation in the slightest, as he kept mouthing "KISS HER" whenever Kevin caught his eye. Kevin resolved to thoroughly beat him up when they got home.
After a few more minutes, Annie remarked that they needed to get to the gate. Karen, Kevin, and Ben followed the Camden's over to the metal detector line.
Eric smiled at them. "Well, I think this is goodbye. Karen, thanks so much for letting us stay with you."
"Yes, thank you Mrs. Kinkirk," said Lucy, blushing slightly.
"No problem," said Karen, smiling and hugging both Lucy and Annie. "It's so good to see you up and about, Lucy. Annie, call me and let me know when you get home, alright?"
"Of course," said Annie.
"Bye Mr. and Mrs. Camden. Bye, Lucy," said Ben, leaning down to hug her.
He could practically feel Kevin's glare burning into his shoulders.
"Feel better, ok?"
"Bye, Ben. Bye, Kevin." Lucy, Eric, and Annie began to walk away.
Ben suddenly was overcome with a coughing fit, which sounded suspiciously to Kevin's ears like Ben was coughing out the word "chicken."
Pausing only to punch his brother in the arm, he took a few steps forward and called out. "Lucy!"
Lucy turned from her spot in the security line to see Kevin approaching.
"I'll be right back," Lucy muttered, handing Annie her purse. She walked as quickly as her healing injuries would allow her over to where Kevin was standing.
Kevin reached down and placed his hand against her cheek. "Luce, I couldn't let you leave without saying something."
Kevin bit his lip, and Lucy looked up into his warm brown eyes.
"Yeah?" she whispered, feeling her resolve for being "just friends" with him rapidly slipping away.
"I -- uh-- I mean you..." Kevin trailed off, and suddenly quickly bent down to hug Lucy.
"Um, have a good flight." And with a brief kiss on her forehead, he turned and jogged back to his mother and Ben.
Fighting back tears, Lucy went and rejoined her parents in the line. The Kinkirk's stood and waved until the Camden's dissappeared down the terminal.
Karen smiled at her sons. "Well, you boys ready to head home?"
Ben waited until his mother was a few steps ahead. "You told her to have a good flight, didn't you?"
Kevin glanced over, wishing he could punch the smirk off of his brother's face.
"Shut it," he muttered, and walked the rest of the way to the parking lot in miserable silence.