Wish You Were Here
Chapter One
Nick threw another pair of boxers into his suitcase and took one last look around to make sure he had packed everything he needed. His wife, Linda, walked into the room and found him in deep thought. Nick looked up at her and smiled sweetly. He knew how hard it was for her when he had to leave on tour and she was trying to be brave. Normally, Linda would be traveling with Nick but she was seven months pregnant with their first child and needed to stay behind for a while for a scheduled doctor appointment.
“Did you get everything?” she asked softly.
“Probably not.” he sighed half-heartedly. “I won’t remember what it is until I’m on the plane and its too late.”
Linda tried to force a smile for her husband but she really felt like crying.
“Oh honey,” Nick sighed. “It’s not that bad.” He wrapped his strong arms around her and said, “You know I hate leaving you like this...but its only for a short time. The rest of the fellas are already there waiting for me so we can wrap up this leg of the tour. You can stay here and Leigh Anne will go with you to the appointment. As long as the doctor says the baby is doing okay then you can fly out to be with me.”
Linda gazed into Nick’s stormy blue eyes and felt that everything would work out just fine.
“I know.” she agreed. “I just hate being away from you at all, Nicky.”
He grinned and then kissed her lightly.
“Besides, Leigh Anne is right down the street if you need anything at all.” he said.
“I’ll be okay, Nick.” Linda replied. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his hands on her round tummy.
“You’ll both be okay.” he stated with a grin.
“C’mon honey, I’ll go with you to the airport and bring the car back. Then you won’t need a cab.” Linda said. Nick picked up his luggage and followed her out the front door.
Twenty minutes later they were hand in hand, making their way through metal detectors and security. The old hat and dark glasses Nick wore had saved them from bombarding fans so far. He finally got his luggage checked in just before his flight number was announced. Linda stood before him, admiring him as always and wishing that she could see his blue eyes through the shades. Nick cocked his head to one side boyishly and then looked down at her stomach.
“Alright, kiddo. Be good for Momma now, I mean it. No kicking late at night, either.” he teased. Linda giggled and he focused his attention back to her face. He lifted the rim of his glasses up just enough to glare at her from underneath them.
“I love you, Linda Carter.” he said in a low voice. Linda wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.
“I love you too.” she said sweetly. Nick kissed her softly on the lips.“You’re gonna be late if you don’t go.” she said.
“I’ll call you when I get to the hotel.” he added.
Nick walked to the gate, turning to wave again before he walked into the terminal. He found his seat and was relieved that there weren’t any young girls near his spot. Sighing, he took off the glasses and hat and tried to get comfortable. He was exhausted and the on-board movie was boring so he slept most of the way until the plane landed for a layover. The layover only lasted an hour but it gave Nick a chance to stretch his legs and get a little bite to eat. He also stopped at a little gift shop to buy a magazine where a postcard caught his eye. He bought it along with the Sports Illustrated and made his way back to the gate. He sat down in the waiting area, noting that he still had twenty minutes before the plane would load again. He pulled out a pen from his pocket and gazed over the postcard. On the front it just said “Heaven” with a picture of the ocean and the beach. And the simple words he wrote her, said he loved her and they told her how he’d hold her if his arms would reach.
“Wish you were here. Wish you could see this place. Wish you were near. I wish I could touch your face. The weather’s nice. It’s paradise. It’s summertime all year. There’s some folks we know, they say ‘hello’. I miss you so. Wish you were here.”