Rachel had just finished a photography session when she got a phone call from the hospital. She hoped it was good news, that she would be able to save Christopher's life. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The moment she was told the news, she felt numb. He had been a brother to her from day one. Why couldn't she be his hero? She couldn't bear the idea of losing him. Feeling just as helpless as Arielle did, the only thing she could think of to do was to go for a drive. She waited until she was able to gain her composure, as she had burst into tears upon getting into her car. Then she pulled out of the parking lot and just drove, not really sure where she was going. When she finally did stop, she pulled into the parking lot of a cafe.
She went inside and found a table in a corner. Once she ordered her food, she took out her cell phone to look through her Twitter and Facebook notifications. She also had a missed call from Natalie, which she dialed a few minutes later. Dialing her number, she took a sip of her coffee.
Natalie answered after a few rings. " Hi Rachel. How are you, sweetie? It's been awhile since we've heard from you."
" I've been better. The hospital called to tell me I'm not a match." She sighed, tears coming to her eyes again. " I was really hoping I could have been the one to save Christopher."
" I know the feeling. I got the same call myself earlier today." Natalie told her. " Where are you at? I was hoping you might want to come one over. Arielle and Christopher are out, but we can still hang out and maybe watch a movie."
" I went for a ride to clear my head, and I found a cafe to stop at for dinner. But as long as you don't mind me coming over late, then sure." The waitress brought over her food, and she gave her a smile to say thanks.
" That's fine. You can stay the night even. Christopher and Arille would love that."
" Sounds good to me. I'l see you in an hour and a half or so." She hung up, and took a bite of her hamburger.
When she was finished eating, she paid for her meal and headed back to her car. She was surprised to see it had been broken into. The car window had been smashed in, and several things were missing. Feeling frustrated and angry, she called the police. They came out to take her statement, and she begged them for a ride so she wouldn't have to bug anyone, but they wouldn't. Getting on her phone, she called Taylor.
He seemed a little annoyed, but he couldn't leave her stranded. So he picked her up and brought her over at Natalie's request. He softened a little when Rachel told him that the hospital had called to give her the bad news. The were pulling into the driveway when she broke down into tears again. He gave her a big hug and let her cry on his shoulder, as tears came to his own eyes.
Natalie had been watching for them, and came out when she saw the car pull up. Opening the passenger door, she took over for Taylor and gave her a hug as well. " I know, sweetie. I am just as scared as you are."
" I can't lose him, Natalie. He's like my brother, and I just... I would be so lost without him." The tears streamed down her face. " There has to be someone who can save him."
" Of course there is. We just have to keep looking for them, and we will." Kissing her on the cheek, she nodded towards the house. " Let's go in and find a good movie to watch."
Rachel followed her and Taylor inside, and she was told to pick out something while they made up popcorn and grabbed drinks for them. They had so many movies that it was hard to pick. In the end, she ended up settling on 50 First Dates.
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Isaac and Nikki had been running errands all day while his sister Jessie and her family watched their kids. They hadn't had too much time to themselves lately, so when they heard from her about taking them to Dave & Busters, they happiy accepted. It gave them a chance to get things done. They went to the grocery store, dropped off a package at the post office for her parents, paid off their JC Penney credit card, picked up a few things from Home Depot, and then went home to put the groceries away. Afterwards, they began cleaning up the house a bit.
Both were tired when they were done running around, so they took turns in the shower before leaving again to go out to dinner. Neither of them felt like cooking, but they didn't feel like ordering a pizza either. He drove them to Fat Guy's Burger Bar, where they saw Arielle and Christopher with a guy that they had never seen around town. He appeared to be the same age as Arielle.
Sitting down at a table, they tried resisting the urge to go say hi and see who he was, but they were curious and just the same as all families did, felt protective of them. Especially after everything they had been through. They ordered their drinks, and then made their way towards them. Nikki waved at them to get their attention.
Christopher was the first to see them, and he jumped from his seat, throwing his arms around Nikki. He gave her a big hug, and a kiss on the cheek. " Hi Nikki. How are you?"
" I am doing great." She smiled at him, returning the hug. " You look so handsome."
" Thanks." He pulled out of the hug so that he could hug Isaac.
" Hey, buddy. How are you feeling?" He hugged him back, stroking his hair out of his face.
" A little better than I was earlier. Aubrey broke it off with me." He fought back the tears that threatened to come.
" Well, it is her loss. You are a catch, Christopher. Any girl would be lucky to have you." Nikki told him, looking from him to Arielle.
" That's what I have been trying to tell him." Avery said, turning around to face them. " Arielle wasn't kidding when she had told me hoe awesome he was."
" This is my new friend, Avery. He just moved here a couple of weeks ago from Tennessee." Arielle told them, making the introduction. She watched as they shook hands.
" It's nice to meet you, Avery. How are you liking Tulsa so far?" Isaac asked.
" Well, everybody seems nice so far. Especially your niece." He gave her a smile, and continued the conversation. " She has been showing me around today, along with her awesome brother. I have a good feeling about it. Something tells me that I will grow to love it here."
" That's good." Nikki looked from him to Arielle. " It's nice to see you look so relaxed for a change."
" Yeah. It certainly has been awhile since I have felt like I can." Arielle gave her a little smile. " I hope you two have a great dinner."
Isaac took the hint, and led Nikki back to their table so they could order and enjoy their food. Saying their goodbye's as they walked away, he gave them a wave. They were able to keep an eye on them where they were sitting, but tried not to focus on them too much.
Ashley and Zac came walking in a bit later, both catching Isaac glance towards Arielle and Christopher. She couldn't help but smile at how protective he was of them. It felt good to know that despite everything, that Isaac cared so much about her daughter.
