Here Comes the Sun

Relief. It was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Sweet, sweet relief. I could take a deep breath and relax for the first time in months.

“But what about all the nausea?” Mandy asked the doctor after she hugged me warmly, “What’s wrong with her?”

“It could have been a hysterical pregnancy. They’re uncommon but not unheard of,” the doctor began, clicking her pen by her ear, “But if you ask me, I think you’re just stressed out, Kara.”

Her tone softened as I looked into her gentle hazel eyes.

“I can see it in your eyes,” she said calmly with a small smile on her face, “Life is hard. Believe me, I know. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

I smiled at her kindness. She fondly reminded me of Dr. Montgomery. “Thank you.”

She grinned. “You’re very welcome,” she said, getting to her feet as Mandy and I followed her actions.

“Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, Dr. Evans,” Mandy said, hugging the doctor, “It really means a lot.”

“It was my pleasure,” she replied. She turned to me and touched my shoulder, extending a hand for me to shake it. “It was nice to meet you, Kara. Drop by whenever you need to.”

I began to shake her soft, gentle hand when instead, she pulled me to her and hugged me as well. I sighed against her shoulder, relieved at the news she’d just given me.

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Pulling into the parking lot at the local Whole Foods, I was confused.

“I thought the grocery store story was just to get the guys off our backs,” I said, questioning Mandy as she checked her makeup in the car mirror.

“Exactly,” she said, smiling as she touched up her lip gloss, “So how do you think they’d take it if we show up without brownie batter and gauze?”

“Oh,” I exclaimed, suddenly understanding her sneaky logic, “Touché.”

She grinned largely as I marveled over her sparkling teeth. “Let’s go. Don’t forget your glasses.”

I nodded and slipped my sunglasses on my head. I got out of the car and shut the door behind me. Mandy linked her arm with mine and we began to walk towards the store. Seconds was all it took for me to realize why Mandy wanted me to cover my face with the glasses.

The paparazzi were relentless. I didn’t know what had gotten into them, but they’d suddenly become feisty, pushy, and fast on their feet. About a dozen cameramen followed us on our way to the store entrance, flashing bright cameras in our faces and shouting out questions.

“Kara, what’s the situation with Nick Jonas?”

“Mandy, are you dating Joe Jonas?”

“Kara, where’s Layla?”

“Kara, why did you visit the gynecologist?”

“Kara, you’ve lost weight. Are you on a new diet?”

“Kara, what’s your makeup routine?”

“Kara, Kara, Kara!”

It drove me insane.

“Come on, Kara,” Mandy said into my ear, “Just walk quickly. Ignore them.”

She intertwined her fingers with mine and began running towards the doors with me close on her tail. It was a relief to finally step into Whole Foods and leave the stubborn paparazzi outside.

“Jeez,” Mandy sighed as she shifted her sunglasses up onto her hair, “What was that all about?”

I shook my head. “No idea, but let’s grab the stuff and get out of here before more people decide to go berserk.”

Mandy agreed. “I’ll get the brownie stuff and you get the gauze? It’s in Aisle 4. Meet me at the check-out lane.”

“Alright. Ready, set…GO.”

I turned on my heel and ran down the aisles to get to the health section. I stopped at the gauze and pondered over which one would be more comfortable for Nick. Honestly, the only thing I wanted to do was get back to him.

A few girls behind me were giggling to each other. I tried to ignore them, but it was hard not to overhear their high, perky voices.

“That’s totally Kara Chanel,” one girl exclaimed, “I can tell by her hair.”

“Go ask her for an autograph, Leslie!”

“No, you do it!”

“No, you!”

Before they could argue with each other any longer, I grabbed the nearest box of gauze and set off speed-walking back to Mandy, hiding the side of my face with my hand. If the girls saw us both there at the same time, all hell would break loose.

“There you are!” Mandy said loudly, standing on her tip-toes and taking my hand.

“Some Jonas fans are hot on my tail. We have to run,” I whispered.

She nodded and we set off towards the cashiers. Quickly, we paid for our groceries and ran out of the store, sprinting past the paparazzi, jumping into the car, and speeding all the way back to the apartment.

We laughed hysterically all the way home.

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“Here’s your gauze, kid,” Mandy said happily as she set the Whole Foods bag on the table Nick had propped his feet on, “We’ll change it later.”

“Thanks,” he said sleepily, drowsy from his medication.

Mandy walked into the kitchen and began prepping the kitchen for the brownies.

“How are you feeling?” I asked as I took a seat beside Nick and felt his forehead with the back of my hand.

“Tired,” he replied, “I tried to take a nap while you were gone but Joe was too loud, arguing with Demi on the phone.”

As if on cue, Joe stormed into the room holding his cell phone against his ear.

“Look, this isn’t my fault! If you just listened and cared about someone other than yourself, we wouldn’t be having this problem right now,” he said firmly into the receiver, “It’s always about you, isn’t it? You haven’t once asked me how I am or how Nick and Kara even are. You’re so selfish! I can’t believe I – ”

He saw me and rolled his eyes about Demi, but he seemed to take notice of Mandy and decided to continue the conversation elsewhere. He stormed back into another room, slamming the door behind him with great frustration.

“See what I mean?” Nick sighed.

“Yeah, I do,” I muttered, taking his hand, “Just wait a little while. If he doesn’t calm down, I’ll tell him to ‘cause you need your sleep.” I smiled warmly at him.

He nodded.

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said after a while.

I nestled closer to him and leaned my head back against the couch cushions.

“I’m all ears,” I said.

He waited a moment and looked deep into my eyes.

“I want to go home,” he begged, “I miss home.”

The longing in his eyes nearly broke my heart. He pleaded like a scared, lonely child.

“I know you probably don’t want to go back just yet, but I really want to,” he went on quietly, the pain creasing his eyebrows together, “I miss Layla and it sounds corny but I just want a hug from my mom.”

Gently, I took his face in my hands and held back my tears.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I said softly, “We’ll go home very soon. I promise.”

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“Very soon” turned out to be quicker than expected. About a week later, when Nick was strong enough to walk, we packed up the few clothes we had and made our way to the airport. For the long walking to the terminal, we put Nick in a wheelchair and Joe pushed him. Our private jet was waiting for us to board on the opposite end of the airport.

“I’m going to miss you so much,” Mandy said through thick tears as she held me in the lobby. A gift bag dangled on my arm filled with numerous gifts from her, like a framed picture of us and a perfume set. “You have to come back to see me soon.”

“We will, don’t worry,” I assured her, tearing up myself. She’d become one of my closest friends in such little time. “I love you, Mandy.”

“Oh, I love you, too,” she said, hugging me tighter.

“I’m pretty sure it’s my turn now,” Nick said, getting up from his wheelchair shakily. Joe rushed to help him stand up straight and I held back a wince at his hands – Joe had just recently un-bandaged his fingers, unveiling the painful scars he’d gotten when he broke through the window that day. I looked away, still ashamed.

“Aw, my little Nicky,” Mandy cooed as she pulled him into her arms. He was a few inches taller than her, but she still cradled the back of his neck like a small child. “I love you,” she told him.

“I love you more,” he said, closing his eyes, “Thank you so much for all you’ve done for us.”

She pulled away from him, holding onto his shoulder with one hand and wiping her tears with the other.

“You’re always welcome here with me. Don’t you forget it,” she said, looking at all of us.

Finally, much to my surprise, Mandy even hugged Joe.

“I’ll see you around, Joe,” she said, a bit of sadness hinting in her tone.

“Y-yeah,” he replied, surpised she was speaking to him, let alone hugging him, “See you around.”

She let go and took my hand.

“Anything you need, just call,” she said for the fifth time that day, “Anything at all.”

I smiled. “I know. You too.”

“I love you guys.”

“We love you, too.” I gave her one last short hug, helped Nick back into his wheelchair, and walked beside Joe towards the terminal.

I looked back and waved goodbye to Mandy one last time, hoping I would see her again soon.