A/N: An author/good friend of mine has done a "spin off" sorta thing with this book. She took two characters, Emma and Greg (...you might remember them ;)...) and created a book all about them. There are the same characters from this book (aka- Riley, Nick, Kiersten, Tina, Warrick, and all of Riley's crazy insane friends...) The book is in my favorites, titled The Long Road Ahead. Alright, I think that's it...yep, ON WITH THE BOOK!
Chapter 34
Nick's House—August 18, 2006—5:03 a.m.
Nick smiled as he slowly turned the knob to his front door, knowing Riley would already be in there waiting for him. He had gotten the day off due to his birthday, and he was pretty sure she did too. Having a date with the 'Naughty Nurse' wasn't going to happen, but she'd no doubt have something special planned...
Nick smiled wider and stepped into the house, brimming with excitement. He looked around confused when he saw the house was dark, except for the light of the computer, which Riley was typing at ardently. She was wearing one of her large T-shirts and a pair of sweats with miss-matched socks and her hair clipped up into a sloppy bun. Nick furred his brow and walked over to the entirely engrossed red head, mesmerized with whatever she was doing on the computer. Nick scanned the computer screen, seeing that she was reading a medical article from a few years back on Dr. Kevorkian. "Ry...Whacha readin?"
"Dr. Kevorkian." She answered simply, never looking away from the screen.
Nick raised his brow. "Why?"
"Because is one of the biggest case files on PAS and euthanasia out there..." She mumbled, still leaving her reasoning ambigious, and switched to a different link the computer gave her. She brought her fist to her chin, and pressed a hook-shaped index finger against her pursed lips, a common habit she had signaling she was pondering something deeply.
Okay...go ahead...tell me she forgot...
Nick thought and pulled away from the computer, still standing behind her as he placed his hands on his hips and looked down at his feet as he shook his head slightly. "Riley, what day is it...?" NIck hinted at the fact that it was his birthday...and she'd forgotten.
"I don't know...its September right?" She asked seriously and Nick smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"Unbelievable..." He muttered and she furred her brows confused, still not looking away from the screen.
"What? Was it a bad day at work...?" She asked and Nick sighed aggravated and walked off. After a few minutes she tore her impossibly blue eyes away from the screen and looked down the hall towards the bathroom to which Nick had slammed the door.
Nick sighed and fell back against the bed and pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly before dragging a hand down his now mustache-free face. "Unbelievable...unbelievable..." Nick mumbled to himself and shook his head against the sheets.
"You look pretty sick Birthday Boy..." A sexy Southern drawl came from the doorway, making Nick snap his head towards the familiar voice. Nick pushed himself up so that he was leaning on his forearms, and had a better view of his woman. "I wonder if I, Nurse Nancy, can help with that..." Riley pondered seductively, biting her flush, pink lip while twirling a long, red, straightened piece of hair.
Nick dropped his jaw and stared at her in shock. In the blink of an eye she had transformed from a computer-potato (in our world known as someone addicted to this site) into a sexy nurse. She wore a very skimpy white nurse's uniform, cut lower and with more cleavage than any nurse should have, and was short enough to be hanging in Paris Hilton's closet (burn). She had thigh-high white stockings, connected by garter belts and lacey strings. She was wearing baby pink kitten heels with tiny white bows on the dorsal of the feet and small white ruffles surrounding the sling backs and open toed holes of the shoes.
She smiled and shook her long hair off her shoulder while leaning against the door frame. He grinned and shook his head. "...You played me like a fiddle..."
She shrugged innocently. "Me...? No, I'm just an innocent nurse..."
Nick shook his head slowly as she walked towards him sexily, taunting him with her form. Nick gulped and looked at her hungrily. "Innocent?" He asked unbelievingly and she smiled chaste and nodded sweetly, proving her point, yet making the sex appeal grow. Nick sat up fully on the bed, but she softly pushed him back down with her finger.
"Yes...Nurse Nancy doesn't know much...you may have to teach her...see," She ran a steady hand up his thigh, but settled her other one on his knee as she stood up from the position of kneeling she had been in before. "She just reformed to 'naughty nurse' so you'll have to help her along..." Riley explained, referring to her character in third person. She smiled and began toying with her hair again, while rocking on her heels and biting her lip in mock-nervousness. "Are you up for the challenge?" She questioned softly.
Nick smiled and eyed her. "I don't know...she seems pretty seductive already..." Nick replied, keeping the charade going.
She grinned and shook her head. "Nah, that's just how she always is..."
Nick smiled and grabbed her hand pulling ehr slowly towards him. "I think I can teach her a thing or two..."
Nick ran his hand lazily up and down her naked form, before finally settling on her hip. He smiled as he spotted the nurse's 'uniform' tossed into a corner, forgotten in an instant as he had assisted undressing her. Something smooth rubbed against his foot, and he hooked his toe around it and reached under the covers to retrieve the item. He smiled as he held up the baby pink push up bra with white lace, then felt around for the matching boy shorts. He found them and heard Riley snicker.
"Ya know...I never pictured you as a 'pink girl' Darlin..." Nick drawled and she chuckled and nestled her head against his chest, right above his heart.
"Yeah well...there's a lot of things you wouldn't picture about me...don't mean they ain't true." She replied as the twang became extremely evident in her voice and Nick grinned.
"...What, you got two kids and a whole 'nother life stowed away somewhere?"
She grinned and laughed. "Hell no...no kids."
Nick chuckled. "Sounds like you're a secret agent or somethin...that'd be sexy."
She grinned deviously and turned her body on his form so that she was now facing him, as she climbed on top of his body and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Ooooh, yeah. We could be spies that are on opposite sides and ordered to terminate each other, but...we get a little side tracked..." She waggled her eyebrows and Nick laughed as he could practically see the wheels turning in her head.
"Hell yeah...when do we not get side tracked?"
"Hey, I was doing very well on your 'physical exam'...until you seduced me." She accused and Nick laughed and subconsciously began massaging her thighs and hips.
"Well...that was the most physical 'physical exam' I've ever had..."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I should hope so...you got an 'A' by the way..."
Nick nodded triumphantly. "Damn straight."
She rolled her eyes and smiled as she slid back down his body and molded herself against his form. "So...how does it feel to officially be 36...?"
Nick groaned. "And officially 12 years older than you?"
She rolled her eyes. "It's not that much of a difference...and besides, you're only 12 years older for a few months so suck it up old man." Nick groaned and poked her in the side, causing her to squeal and curl away from his hand to prevent him from tickling her again. "Hey, tickling isn't allowed."
Nick laughed and rolled her over on her back. "Well in that case..."
"No!" She protested and tried to shield herself as he began to tickle her sides. "Nick stop it!"
"Nope." He replied and pinned her to the mattress with his naked body, not that she really minded. (cause c'mon, who could?)
"Nick!"
"Yes?"
"Nick stop please!" She begged as she laughed and tried to fend him off. He finally smiled and stopped tickling her to say something, but was cut off by his phone ringing. He groaned and closed his eyes while Riley snickered.
"Twenty bucks says it's your mother..."
Nick sighed and stayed still in bed, not going for the still ringing phone.
"...Get the phone Nicky...talk to your mother." She ordered playfully and rolled out from under him.
He sighed and picked up his cell phone and shook his head. "Hi Mama..."
Riley winced and pulled her head away from the harsh, out-of-key chorus of 'Happy Birthday' coming from the phone. Nick pulled the phone away from his ear and held it above his head. Riley did her best to suppress a chuckle as she climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom to laugh freely. Nick tossed a pillow at the closed door and brought the phone back to his ear when the singing had stopped.
"Thank you Mama..."
"You're on speaker phone Nicholas." His mother drawled and Nick smiled.
"Thank you everyone. How're y'all doin?"
His oldest sister, Maggie, laughed and he could practically hear her roll her eyes. "Typical Nicky, always avoiding the fact that he's yet another year older."
"Well, he hasn't always avoided it...remember when he was seventeen and dyin to be legal?" His brother, Brian, asked and Nick sighed and made a pleading face to Riley as she walked out of the bathroom, after having calmed down a bit.
She smiled and shrugged as she crawled back into bed with him and molded herself back into his side, missing the feel of his body against hers.
"I think when he hit 29 he freaked and realized that birthdays suck..." Erica, his third oldest sister and fraternal twin to Brian noted.
"Y'all do remember that I'm on the phone and can hear what you're sayin right?" Nick asked and he heard his mother snort.
"Well, it's been so darn long since we've seen you we kinda forget about you easily." His mother not-so-subtly hinted.
Nick rolled his eyes and nodded. "Thanks...that's comforting."
His father snickered in the background. "Well Pancho, your mother is a little upset that you didn't shimmy your way over here for your birthday."
"Yeah, I got that Cisco, thanks." Nick drawled while chuckling and Riley raised a brow at the one-ended conversation she was hearing. "But uh, work has been crazy and I couldn't get time off for a few more weeks."
"You better haul ass over here then or Mama's gonna be madder than a wet hen!" Karen, who was only a year older than Nick stated.
"Karen Joanne Stokes you watch your foul mouth when your children are present." Mama Stokes demanded and Nick laughed.
"Oooh! You got middle named!" He accused and Riley rolled her eyes, knowing the sibling banter all to well from her own family. She felt a pang of homesick-ness and she made a mental note to call them. As if on cue, her phone began ringing,
Hey momma, don't forget to tell my baby sister I'll see her in the fall. And tell mee-mal that I miss her, yeah; I should give her a call. And make sure you tell Daddy that I'm still his little girl. Yeah I still feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. Don't forget to remember me.
Nick shot Riley a look to signal for her to silence the obvious ring tone so that it wouldn't raise suspicion amongst his family...
Too late...
"Nicky, what's that ringing in the background?" His second oldest sister, Shannon, asked.
"Is that a girl's voice I hear?" Brian asked dauntingly, knowing full well that it was. Riley scrambled out of bed to begin her phone conversation in silence. She snatched up her thigh high olive green robe in the process and threw it on as she went into the living room.
"Get off it Brian, it's the television..." Nick replied while rolling his eyes.
Brian snickered wickedly. "Sounds like someone's already gotten off..." A loud slap was heard from the other end of the phone and Brian whined. "Ow! Mama...!"
"Brian James Stokes you watch your foul mouth when children are present! I swear these youngins are going to grow up with the dirtiest minds..." The eldest woman groaned.
"...Anyway, we just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday Pancho." His dad replied, trying to wrap up the phone conversation to save him from any more embarrassment.
"Thanks Cisco. Thanks everybody, this was...fun."
"Don't be a stranger to the phone Nick, give the kids and I a call some time." Karen instructed and Nick smiled.
"I will Kar...talk to ya later everybody."
"Bye Nick!" They all chorused and Nick smiled as he hung up. He chuckled tiredly and laid his head back against the pillows, before picking it up a few minutes later when he didn't hear any sound coming from the living room. He furred his brows and listened intently for anything. He heard Riley's soft drawl mumble some incoherent words, and caught bits and pieces of the one ended conversation.
"...how long ago...didn't he...how's Donnie...tomorrow...work...bye." He sat up in bed when he heard no attempt on her part to re-enter the room. He pushed the covers off and slid his boxers on and mossied slowly into the living room to see Riley sitting on the edge of the couch, cradling her head in her hands.
Nick quickly ran over to her and knelt in front of her. "Baby, Riley, Honey what's wrong?"
She sighed heavily and pulled her head out of her hands. "I need to go to Texas."
He furred his brows and brought his hand to the back of her head and stroked her hair. "Okay...is everything alright?"
She sniffled slightly and looked down to her knees where her hands were hanging loosely. She closed her eyes and paused a minute before she shook her head. "My Aunt Dee just died..." She choked and looked away towards the front door absently, bringing her finger to her lips, she pressed it against the soft pink flesh and choked back a sob.
"Oh God, Riley...I'm sorry."
She turned her hand and put her mouth against her palm while resting her elbow on her knee, and finally dragged her gaze over to meet Nick's. "I have to leave tomorrow...I need to call work." She mumbled and ducked her head to dial on her cell phone. Nick sighed and moved his hand to cup her elbow.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Nick asked and she looked up from her phone and bit her lip, mulling it over intently. She seemed to be weighing her options, then looked him in the eye hopefully.
"Could you get off work?" She asked and Nick shrugged.
"Yeah...probably...I'll be able to push around some dates and then let Grissom know. And ya know, if you want to handle it alone I can always go see my parents but still be near by...Dallas is closer than Vegas." Nick reasoned and she nodded.
"I want you in Fort Worth with me...I mean; you can visit you parents but I-"
He nodded and pulled her into a hug to silence her. "Alright, I'm going too."
She buried her face in the crook of his neck as a sob escaped her throat. She quickly pushed the rest of the back, along with her tears, and pulled away from his embrace. She took a breath and looked Nick in the eye. "Thank you."
Alright...so they're off to Texas...oh what oh what will happen next? LEAVE ME A REVEIW PLEASE!
-Futuremisscsi60