Again

Chapter 40

As Isaac and Taylor stood behind Zac on the, once again, familiar porch, they both felt worry for their younger brother.  Zac had been silent the rest of the drive to Kayla's house, and Isaac thought it would be best to text Kayla when they arrived instead of ringing the doorbell so they wouldn't startle Kate.  Now, however, the anxiety Zac thought he'd been hiding was very apparent; he couldn't keep still.  There was no doubt that the seconds were passing like hours for him at the moment.

Zac's head was down when the door opened.  He felt the warmth of the home first.   He closed his eyes, shutting them slightly tighter than normal or necessary, for a quick moment before he let out a deep breath and turned his eyes up.  He immediately caught hers.  In an instant, the 10 years they'd shared, flashed through his mind.  He shook the thoughts out of his body before opening his mouth to speak.

"Hi Zac.  I'm sorry.  I didn't know what else to do but call Ike.  I didn't know if you knew she was here or not," Kayla blurted out, as she stepped back to let the guys in.  It helped Zac, and his body immediately relaxed.

"Thanks," Zac said, his voice barely above a whisper.  "Can I?" he asked as he pointed towards where he knew the couch sat.  As she nodded, yes, Zac moved passed her and made his way over to where his wife was still sleeping on Kayla's 25 year old couch.

"Katie, baby?" Zac spoke, softly, as he placed his hand on his wife's face.  She shuffled a bit, but remained sleeping.  "Katie, come on, we gotta go, babe," Zac kept on, this time a little bit louder.  He tried to shake her slightly, but nothing was helping.

"I think she walked here Zac," Kayla said softly, as she finally closed the door and moved passed Taylor and Isaac toward her staircase.  She picked something off the bottom step, a habit she'd been practicing since she'd moved in with her grandmother, and turned back to face Zac.  "She had one of these in her hand when she got here," she said as she handed a pair of ballerina flats to Zac.  He took them from her and then turned back towards Isaac and Taylor, "I went outside after she passed out, when I was calling Isaac, and I saw the other one on the sidewalk, that's why I figured that's how she got here.  I'm not sure where she was coming from," Kayla finished.

Zac let out another deep breath before he rose from Kate's side, "Thank you," he said to Kayla, "Thank you for letting her in and for calling Isaac.  I didn't know she was here.  She was out with some work friends.  I have no idea why she would have come here.  But thank you anyway.  And I'm sorry.  I'm sure if she could, she'd say the same."

"It's no problem," Kayla answered, trying her hardest to keep her focus.  It was hard keeping her eyes on his.  "She's not the first Hanson to show up on my doorstep today," she continued.

"What?" Taylor asked, speaking for the first time since they'd arrived.  "Who else was here?"

Before she could answer, Kayla's phone went off, alerting her there was someone at her front door.  She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and focused on the screen.

"Okay," she began as she made her way towards Taylor and Isaac, "the last time I opened my front door to someone I didn't know, it was for his wife," she pointed at Zac.  "Does she belong to either of you?" she asked as she held up the screen to the two men.  They focused their eyes, before realization hit Isaac's face.  As he turned his body to open the door they heard a voice from behind the door.

"Hello?!" the voice called out.  A mixture of concern and anger behind it.

Isaac flung the door open, "Nikki?!  What are you doing here?!" Isaac called out, much louder than he'd intended to.

"I think I should be asking you the same thing, Isaac Hanson!  I came to drop the boys off with your mom so I could come home and surprise you, and as I'm walking back to the car, I see Zac's truck all but begging for someone to come and steal it, so I came to see what the hell he's doing over here.  Now you tell me, what the hell are you doing here?!"  Isaac was dumbfounded at his wife's tone, and at the same time turned on.  Nikki and Isaac rarely argued.  Seeing her be, what he took to be as jealous, after hearing her say that they were given the opportunity to have the night to themselves, made him momentarily forget about the situation he'd just been so worried about seconds before.  He couldn't contain himself anymore, and began laughing hysterically.