CHAPTER SIX

Nick walked through the airport with his sunglasses on. It wasn't that bright inside, but the light hurt his eyes. By now he should have learned when to stop drinking, but somehow, he always managed to pass his limit. He checked his bags and headed for the terminal. He sat down and leaned his pounding head on his hand.

Laurie walked into the terminal and immediately noticed Nick. She couldn't help it, she walked over and sat next to him. "Hey there. Pulling an A.J. on us?" she asked teasingly.

Nick looked up at her. Great. I wish she knew she was the reason that I'm this way, he thought, then regretted it. She had no way of knowing what she'd done to him. "Huh?" he asked.

She pulled his sunglasses off gently, revealing his red eyes. Nick blinked and snatched them back. Laurie stood, trying not to show her surprise. "I, I'm sorry. I didn't know," she told him.

Nick looked at her worried expression.  "It's ok. I just have a killer headache."

I bet you do. You must have drunk the entire mini-bar, she thought. "Want some Tylenol?" she offered.

Nick shook his head. He'd already taken enough at the hotel. "Don't worry, I'm fine," he told her. Laurie simply nodded.  "What seat do you have?" Nick asked.

"Um, 4A," Laurie said, looking at her ticket.

"I have 4C," Nick said. This was pure torture. She always fell asleep on planes, and right now he couldn't stand watching her sleep. It reminded him too much of a time when he could watch her sleep without having to steal glances.

Laurie bit her lip. "I know you don't like planes, so do you want to see if you can switch seats and sit next to me?" she asked.

Nick closed his eyes tightly behind the sunglasses. YES! his heart screamed at him. "Sure," he said. He figured nothing bad could happen. Right, you'll just sit there and put yourself through two hours of torture. Why not Carter?  He came back from asking the guy that sat in 4B. "He said he's fine with it. Thanks," he told her.

"Sure," she said with a smile. Hell, if he's going to be close to you, he might as well be next to you, she thought.
         
Laurie looked at Nick as the plane moved to the take-off strip. "You ok?" she asked.
 
"Yea," he said. He wasn't. He hated take-offs, and she knew it. His hand tingled as she placed her's over it. Despite his reaction, he relaxed.

What are you doing?! Don't touch him! Oh God, she thought, as the feeling passed through her body. At least Nick had calmed down.

About forty-five minutes into the flight, Laurie sighed and leaned her head back. She was tired and needed to sleep. Besides, what else was there to do on the plane? Her breathing evened out and she soon fell asleep.
 

"God no," Nick whispered under his breath as he looked at Laurie. He had the urge to shake her and tell her to stay awake, but he couldn't do that. She moved in her sleep a little, and leaned her head onto his shoulder. Nick pressed his head into the seat. Guess old habits die hard, huh babe? he thought. Then it occurred to him that he could sleep off the hangover. Soon, he was sound asleep as well.
         

"It's 85 degrees and sunny in Tampa. We should be landing in about fifteen minutes," the captain said in a garbled voice over the P.A. The voice had woken Laurie up. She moved her head a little to see Nick asleep with his arm intertwined with hers. She moved some blonde hair out of his eyes and rested her hand on his cheek. She sighed and sat back, looking out the window. She missed Tampa. She was born outside of Detroit, in a small township. She'd always known she was meant to be somewhere else. Tampa was the place.
 
Nick stirred and felt something under his arm. He looked and saw Laurie looking out the window with her arm in his. He sat up and moved his arm.

"You're awake," Laurie said. "Sleep ok?"

"Yea, great," Nick said. "You?"

"Mmhmm," she said, looking out the window.

"Miss home?" he asked, yawning.

"God yea," she said. "It was only a day, but still..." She knew Nick would understand.

Nick nodded. In a way, he was dreading the end of the flight. That would mean that he would have walk away and go back to his life without Laurie. It was amazing what one day could do to a person.  The plane began to descend, and Nick gripped the seat. Laurie looked over at him. Without thinking about it, she took his hand and squeezed it. "It's ok," she told him, smiling. Nick gulped, not because of the plane, but because of the touch.

Laurie and Nick walked off the plane together. They both headed to the baggage claim. Laurie looked up at him and had to turn her head away. It's like leaving all over again, she thought. Why does this have to be so hard?

Nick picked Laurie's bag up off the carousel. "Thanks," she barely whispered, trying to fake a smile for him. Nick smiled back.

"You have a ride home?" he asked.

"Yea, I have something arranged," she mumbled. Nick nodded. He bent down, kissing her on the cheek. Laurie closed her eyes to hold back tears that were threatening to spill. "Bye," she said hoarsely. She walked away quickly, not trusting her will a minute longer.

Nick watched her walk away. It's like she's leaving all over again. He shook his head and walked out to his car. He figured he had a beer waiting in the fridge for when he got home.