It was the night before he was supposed to leave for basic training, and here he was, out camping with Rick and Ned. They were scheduled to leave early in the morning, so it wasn’t as long of a trip as it might normally have been. The mood was not the happiest of ones, as they all knew someone else should have been there, but Nick felt it more keenly than the others. Rick and Ned tried, however, to keep the mood light as they all sat around the campfire, drinking the occasional beer that had been provided by Ned’s older brother.
Nick was drinking slightly more than he typically did on their camping trips, and while no one stopped him, they were keeping an eye on him to make sure it wasn’t too much.
I’m sorry, guys.” he finally said. “I feel like I’m dragging you down.”
“We get it, man.” Rick said, reaching over to clap a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “We just wanted to have a last hurrah with you before you leave, even if that’s just sitting quiet under the stars.”
“Thanks man.” Nick said.
Though they wanted to, they didn’t try too hard to cheer Nick up. They were in the unfortunate position of being stuck in the middle, trying to be friends with both Nick and Ryan. Though they never spoke it to anyone but each other, it hurt that their friends were hurting — Nick was depressed, and Ryan was still somewhat angry.
Somewhere, there still exists footage of that night, all of them drunk, singing some tunes, with Nick still having the prettiest voice of them all, though clearly not into it as much as he normally would be.
~
The bus ride to basic training had been spent trying to sleep off a mild hangover. Training itself was an adjustment, mostly to the hours. Nick felt grateful that he was in good shape and had participated in some sports while at school, feeling it helped some with the grueling training. Every morning began at 4:30am, with calisthenics starting at 5:00am. Every day was ten hours of training, with a half hour break for lunch. Lights out was always 9pm. There was never a time you could expect to be alone, and this helped to distract him from thoughts of Ryan.
After ten weeks of training in the Georgia heat, he was able to see his family again, who had flown out for his graduation. The next phase of his enlistment was Infantry School, also located in Georgia, lasting eleven weeks. After completion, he was assigned to his unit, eventually getting shipped overseas to Iraq in December 2015.
~
Three years later, he was sitting in a long-term hotel room in Texas, waiting for a call from Alyssa. He’d undergone a knee replacement several weeks ago, and had been flown to an Army facility in Fort Bliss to undergo physical therapy. They’d been talking ever since he’d been sh ripped off, whenever she could get the chance. Mostly, they talked about how one another was doing, and how they missed one another. Tonight, though, he planned to ask her to come see him on her upcoming leave. When the call came in, s he was immediately concerned.
“Nick, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“Just wiped from therapy.” he assured her. “I had a question for you, though.”
“What’s that?” she said with a smile.
“I was wondering if, on your next leave, you’d be willing to come see me. I miss you.”
“I miss you too.” she responded. “I have other business in the area as well, but I’d rather talk about it when we’re together, if that’s ok?”
He broke into a smile. “Of course it’s okay. How soon is leave?”
“Pretty soon here. Should be about the time you’re finished with therapy, I think.” she responded.
“So not long at all. I’ll have to plan something special.” he grinned.
“I guess so.” she teased.
They talked for a little longer, but as her time was always short, they couldn’t get into much. When the call was disconnected, he was in a happier place, and felt that the pain, if he could push through it, would be worth it to see her again. Now, he just had some shopping to do.
~
A month later, he was at the El Paso International Airport waiting for her, feeling nervous. It had been months since they’d seen each other in person, and he was worried, though he had no idea why. He was reflecting internally so much, that he didn’t notice Alyssa, until she tapped him on the shoulder.
“Hey soldier boy, where’d you drift off to?” she said with a smile.
He blinked back to the present, and just responded with a smile and a kiss. “Just thinking about you.”
“Mmm…good.” she responded, returning the kiss.
“Hungry?” he offered.
“Starved.” she replied.
“For real food or MRE’s?” he teased.
In response, she swatted him, and he laughed. “Real food it is.” he helped her grab her luggage, and led her out to the car.
“I’ve been sorta frequenting a place that’s decent.” he replied. “It’s a Mexican place, though, so we can go somewhere else if you want.”
“Just because I am Mexican, doesn’t mean I mind the food. I’ll just judge you if you’re wrong.” she teased.
“Yes sir.” he responded, grinning as he drove to the restaurant. They ordered, and at a relatively quiet spot indoors to eat.
“Okay, Sergeant. You pass. This time.” she said, narrowing her eyes as part of a serious expression, before her whole face burst into a smile, and she began to laugh.
Nick wiped his forehead in mock relief. “Come on, I’ll take you back to my place.” he said, after paying the bill. “We can pick up some drinks on the way.” he said after a momentary pout from her.
“What, you got a kitchen at your epic suite?” she smiled.
“Yes, actually.” he responded.
“Well then, take me home, soldier.” she teased.
He smiled, leading her out to the car, the two of them picking up some drinks at a liquor store before heading back to his hotel room. They were barely settled when Alyssa began stripping out of fatigues.
“Work on making the drinks. I’m going to get a shower, ok?” she stated.
“Want some help?” he asked.
She threw a towel at him. “Just make those drinks.”
“Yes, sir.” he responded with a grin, admiring her before she closed the door and started the shower.
Alyssa remained wrapped in a towel when she was done showering, accepting the drink from Nick, knocking it back rather quickly before asking for a refill. Together, they drank and made small talk — Alyssa going over how things had been going overseas, and Nick explaining how his therapy had been going. Eventually, they stopped with their drinking, and began exploring each other. As much as they both wanted to get to it, they wanted to take their time and not rush like they were used to, to savor their time together, knowing they didn’t have to worry about getting caught anymore.
~
“I should visit my family while I’m here.” Alyssa sighed the next morning.
“I thought you weren’t on speaking terms.” he asked.
“Just my parents. I have siblings and grandparents as well, you know. I stayed in touch with them. But yeah, I’ve been talking to my parents in recent years.” she said.
“What changed your mind?” he wondered.
“You.” she said. “The way you talked about your family. They seemed so important to you, it made me miss what I had. So I reached out.”
“You can visit if you want.” he said, wrapping her in a hug.
“I was thinking we could.” she said simply.
“If that’s what you want.” he said. “When did you want to go?”
“Tomorrow, if we can. I think today would be too short of notice. What do you think?” she asked.
“Call them and see what works. I’ve got therapy in a couple of days, so that day won’t really work, but any other should be fine.” he commented.
“Alright, I’ll call them. Figure out our itinerary for the day, soldier.” she stated.
Nick knew what he wanted to do that day, but he needed to wait until later, so he came up with other ideas. Alyssa’s call resulted in a meeting for the next day, and Nick decided they should spend the day at the water park to beat the heat. It was a fun day, even if Nick’s knee ended up killing him, and he had to take a pain pill.
After the water park, they found a quiet, secluded spot at a park to sit and rest, primarily for Nick’s sake. When they got there, Nick picked her up and sat her down on top of a picnic table. He attempted to sit down as well, but remained standing after wincing a little, and gave her a bit of a smile.
“You’ll have to forgive me for not doing this traditionally.” he began.
She looked a little wary. “What are you talking about?”
He reached into a pocket, pulling out a small jewelry box. Her eyes got wide as realization hit, and he continued to talk, opening the box as he did so.
“Alyssa María Ortiz — will you marry me?”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she blurted out.
“Proposing?” he blinked, starting to feel anxious.
“Why?” she asked, flabbergasted.
“I love you.” he said. “I want to spend my life with you.”
She took the box from him, and studied the ring it contained. It was a white gold band, with several diamonds forming a circle, and a couple more diamonds along part of the band. “It’s beautiful.”
“Is that an answer?” he asked hopefully.
She hesitated, for a long moment, before finally responding. “Yes. I’ll marry you.” she smiled, and he took the ring out of the box, and placed it on her finger, giving her a kiss.
“Thank you.” he whispered in her ear, and she leaned against him.
~
Alyssa coached him the remainder of that night on what her family was like — largely traditional. Though he’d already asked, and she’d already said yes, she explained she wouldn’t wear the ring to her parents — he would need to ask for her hand. If they agreed, that would be a relief to her. But if they didn’t, they could elope anyway.
The family was welcoming, though they spoke a lot of Spanish around him. He’d learned Spanish however, and after a bit of stumbling, was able to converse fluently with them, which was both surprising and pleasing. The stumble came when it was time to ask Alyssa’s parents for their permission to marry her. They were more comfortable speaking in Spanish, so the conversation carried out that way. Alyssa and her siblings were sent to another part of the house, while they and Nick chatted.
As they spoke, the questions about Nick as a person became more pointed. They were happy with the answers for the most part, until they came to one in particular.
“Tell me, Nick,” Alyssa’s father Mateo began. “Are you a man of faith?”
Here we go again. Nick thought, wincing inwardly. “I would say so.”
“Which faith?” Mateo asked.
Nick responded by pulling out his pentacle necklace. Alyssa’s mother Elena gasped and crossed herself. Nick quickly tucked the necklace away. “I didn’t mean to offend.”
There was a harried conversation in Spanish between Elena and Mateo. Nick didn’t catch it all, as it was hushed, but he could tell that Mateo was calming Elena down, so he didn’t speak until they were ready to address him. Again, Mateo was the one to speak.
“Do you truly love my daughter?” he asked.
“Very much.” Nick responded wholeheartedly.
“Then you’d be willing to convert.” Mateo stated.
“To repent your sinful ways and become one of God’s children in the Catholic Church.” Elena answered.
“I’m not -” he began, but he was cut off.
“Without this condition, we will not give our permission.”
Nick thought, before ultimately nodding. “If that’s what it takes.”
“Well then,” Mateo started, offering a hand. “Welcome to the family.”
Nick took his hand and shook it. The news was spread around the family, and soon many congratulations were given, and Alyssa was able to show off her ring.
~
The proposal had occurred in September. Shortly after the engagement, he was baptized by the Catholic Church, Alyssa officially retired from the Army, and planning for a traditional Mexican wedding began. The wedding itself was held in Texas, with his family and friends flying in. They were happy for him, but worried that he was compromising his beliefs for the marriage, as well as him being only twenty-two and the five-year age gap between him and Alyssa. He assured them he was fine, and nothing else was said of it.
By April, his life had permanently changed again. Alyssa had given birth to a healthy baby girl dubbed Isabella Sara. The pregnancy had been an easy one by most standards — even the delivery was short and problem-free, according to the doctors. Nick was in awe of the small life he held in his hands the day she was born. Alyssa, for her part, was exhausted. He stepped up, however, taking care of little Izzy as much as he could while still working.
By August, he’d lost his job due to workplace cutbacks, and they could no longer afford to live where they were living. Nick made it his priority to find a new job, though that was proving to be difficult. Their little family ended up moving in with Alyssa’s family temporarily, until one of them could find work — that person ended up being Alyssa. She re-signed with the Army, since she could sign back up with her original rank and commission in place, and they moved out of El Paso, and into base housing at Fort Bliss.
They’d argued at first, with Nick’s stance being she shouldn’t have to re-enlist. Alyssa’s counterpoint was that she would make good money, and more could be saved. Not only that, but that this would be a good opportunity for Nick to stay home and play Dad to Izzy. Nick eventually gave up arguing with Alyssa, feeling it wasn’t worth it to get her any angrier, and this way he could spend more time with Izzy, if nothing else.
~
Izzy had turned two the month before, and Nick’s twenty-fourth birthday was approaching soon, when Alyssa stated she was coming home for lunch to talk with him, something she never did. Nick made sure to get Izzy down for her nap before Alyssa came home for lunch, wondering what she wanted to talk about, and worrying it might be deployment.
When Alyssa came home, she headed for the kitchen. “Let’s sit at the table.”
“You want anything to eat?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. I just want to get this over with.”
It was then he noticed a manila envelope in her hands. “Is everything okay?”
“Just…sit. Then we’ll talk.” she said, sounding tired.
He sat down, as did she. “Are you being deployed?”
She didn’t respond, just pushed the envelope toward him. Puzzled, he took it from her, and opened it up. It was thick, and inside were several appears. He pulled them out, and looked them over once before reading thoroughly.
“Divorce papers?” he finally said. She nodded. “Why?”
“I’m not happy, Nick. I haven’t been for a while.” she stated.
“I don’t understand. Why not talk to me first? Why jump straight to divorce?”
“I met someone else.” she said after a long silence.
“Oh.” was all he could think to say, feeling crushed.
“There hasn’t been an affair or anything like that. But there’s an intense connection.” she explained.
“I don’t need details. I just want to know one thing before I sign.” he said.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“What about Izzy?” he questioned.
“I’ve thought about that.” she said. “You can have custody.”
“Visitation?” he asked. She shook her head. “Why not?” he wanted to know.
“I never wanted to be a mom, Nick. I never wanted kids.” she stated.
“You could have said something.” he grumbled. He got up to look for a pen, looking over the divorce papers again to make sure he wasn’t getting screwed, but things there were fairly straightforward. Her signature was already in place, and he signed the three copies there — one for her, one for him, and one for the lawyer.
“We’ll probably have to go to court for custody, the lawyer said. But it shouldn’t be a big deal, as I plan to sign over my rights.” she explained, taking two of the copies and putting them back in the envelope before standing up. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
All he could do was shrug, and after a moment, she left. He knew from experience that she wouldn’t be home until late, and he guessed now he knew why. Izzy would be asleep for a little longer yet, he knew. He felt numb right now. After a moment, he got up from the table and grabbed a beer from the fridge, popping it open and taking a good long swig before sitting back down. He needed to talk to someone, but he didn’t have any friends here. He’d been in Texas three years, and his only friends were Alyssa’s friends or family, and he knew they’d side with her. His parents and friends were working, and Liv was at school, so he had to wait.
Looking back, he could see the signs. He sighed, and finished his beer before Izzy woke up. It was more important to figure out how to explain to her why Mommy didn’t want her.
~
It didn’t take long for divorce and custody to be finalized, since Alyssa wanted to give up parental rights. Things still hadn’t been explained properly to Izzy — the only explanation he could think of was that Mommy had to go away for a while. Because they were no longer married, he couldn’t live on base housing, so he chose to move back to Las Vegas. This was a move that Alyssa’s family tried to stop — especially as Nick had renounced Catholicism, and planned to see a Priestess once he got back to Vegas in order to reverse he and Izzy’s baptisms.
He and Izzy took up residence at his parent’s house, with Izzy taking his old room, and him taking up the couch. His parents and sister were thrilled to have he and Izzy home again, and as soon as he’d settled, he started looking for work at one of the casino’s eventually garnering a position as an evening valet. This meant that he made a base wage and some very generous tips, though his day often was difficult. He’d be up during the day with Izzy until Izzy or his Mom got home, then he’d sleep, eat, go to work, and start the cycle over again.
It wasn’t ideal, and he’d like more sleep, but he did it to provide for Izzy.
~
His twenty-sixth birthday feel on a Monday that year, and Rick had proposed going camping the weekend before. Liv had jumped at the opportunity to babysit her now four-year-old niece for the weekend, and his parents were going to help. He’d been able to take the time off, and was looking forward to a relaxing weekend.
“Who all should I invite?” Rick had asked him.
“I don’t care, as long as there’s beer and a chance to relax.” was what Nick had told him.
He thought briefly about his as he packed the truck, his Dad lugging out the cooler. Nick j logged over to help.
“Oof. Mom packed this, didn’t she?” he asked.
“Izzy helped.” he said with a smile.
“I’ll bet.” he said, taking a peek inside before sliding it into the back of the truck. Inside were plenty of Izzy’s favorites — fruit snacks, cookies and juice boxes, along with his mom’s contribution of water and healthier alternatives.
Just then, they heard running down the front steps. “Daddy! Daddy!” came Izzy’s voice as she ran towards her. He leaned down and swung her upward, resting her on his hip as she giggled.
“What’s up, sweetie?” he asked her.
“You didn’t give me my hug.” she pouted, folding her arms over her chest as she tried to look sad.
“Oh, my bad.” he said, hugging her tightly, even though he’d hugged her several times before leaving the house.
“You goin’ to see Uncle Ned and Uncle Rick?” she asked.
“Yes, I am.” he said.
“Tell them they have to hug me when you co me home.” she demanded.
“I will. Here, why don’t I pass you to Grandpa?”
“Okay!” she said enthusiastically. Nick passed her over to his Dad, who lit up as he smiled at his granddaughter.
“Don’t spoil her too much.” Nick warned.,
“I won’t, I won’t.” Kevin answered.
“You always say that.” Nick huffed.
“Well, I’ll try.” Kevin said after a small sigh.
“Better.” Nick smiled. He leaned over, giving Izzy a kiss on the cheek, before he climbed into the truck, and made his way out to the usual desert campsite. When he got there, he found an unexpected surprise.
~
The four of them were there, together again, laughing, drinking, and having a good time. All were grateful that the once bad blood between Nick and Ryan was now gone, and they reminisced over times past, and worked on catching one another up to an extent, until it was time to sleep. Rick was the first to tap, punching Ned in the arm to emphasize it was time to sleep. It took Ned a solid minute before he realized, and then did an exaggerated yawn before crawling into his tent.
Ryan chuckled. “They never change.”
“Nope.” Nick said after a swig. “Not a bad thing, either.”
“No, you got a point there.” Ryan admitted. “So you haven’t spoken much. What have you been up to these past few years? You know I own and run a comic shop, that I’m single — which the guys were very keen to point out, I might add — and I’ve gone no contact with my parents. But what about you?”
“Enlisted, as you know. Met someone while overseas. She and I —” he began.
“She? So you’re not gay now?” he asked.
“I’m bi, apparently.” Nick said, taking a swig of his beer.
“Sorry, go on. It’s just…surprising, is all.” Ryan said.
“It’s ok. Anyway, She and I got married about fourish years ago. Had a kid. Got divorced about two years ago. Moved back here and have been working at one of the casinos ever since.”
“Whoa. Wait. Wow, that’s a lot. So let me get this straight. You married, were married for only two years before you divorced, and have a kid?”
“That about sums it up.” Nick stated, taking another swig of his drink.
“Why the divorce, if I can ask?” Ryan queried.
Nick shrugged. “She met someone else. Fell out of love with me.”
“I’m sorry.” Ryan said, reaching over to squeeze Nick’s hand without really thinking about it. “Do you have pics?”
Nick smiled a little and pulled out his phone, happy to pull up a few of Izzy’s most recent pics.
“She’s adorable.” Ryan said, smiling. “What’s her name?”
“Isabella, but everyone calls her Izzy.” Nick replied.
Ryan handed the phone back. “Do you get to see her often?”
“Every day. Her mom gave up her parental rights. Never wanted to be a mom. Never told me that, either.” Nick explained.
“I’m sorry you went through all that.” Ryan said.
“It’s alright. I got Izzy out of all the pain, so it’s worth it, you get me?” Nick stated.
Ryan nodded, then studied Nick a moment and reached out, holding the pentacle necklace he had gone back to wearing when he’d gotten divorced. “You still have this?”
“Yeah. Why would I get rid of it?” he asked.
Ryan shook his head, and let the pendant go. “I thought you might have gotten rid of it after our fight.”
“No. Someone important to me gave it to me, and I wanted to keep it, no matter how badly I was hurting.” he admitted.
“You’ve worn it all these years?” Ryan asked incredulously.
“Not quite. I wore something else while I was married.” he explained.
“Dare I ask?” Ryan said, wrinkling his nose at the guess he had.
“A cross. In order to get in good with her family, I converted to Catholicism. Believe me, as soon as we divorced, I got Izzy and I unbaptized by a pagan Priestess I know.” he explained.
“You can do that?” Ryan asked, surprised.
Nick nodded. “A baptism closes the third eye. All you have to do is reopen it.”
“Damn. Can I get that done?” Ryan asked.
“Sure. I’ll introduce you to Selene.” he smiled.
Impulsive, and perhaps a bit drunkenly, Ryan leaned forward and kissed Nick, who, for his part, did not protest and, in fact, kissed back.
“Is this okay?” Ryan asked after they broke apart.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Nick responded.
“I just… I…” he stopped and thought for a moment. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“You aren’t.” Nick assured him.
“Is this…I mean, are we?” Ryan asked. Nick just nodded, and Ryan kissed him again. “Maybe we should take things kinda slow?”
“We can take things at the tempo we’re comfortable with. But you have to accept Izzy as part of my life.” he told him.
“You know I don’t have an issue with kids.” he admitted.
“I know. I just wanted to let you know we’re a package deal.” Nick stated.
“Can I meet her?” Ryan asked.
“Sure. I can give you a ride back to town — unless you drove, of course.” Nick offered.
“No — I got a ride with Rick.” Ryan explained.
“Come back with me. You can meet Izzy, and I’m sure my parents would like to see you again.” Nick said, silently hoping things would go well. He wasn’t sure how Izzy would take to Nick dating someone new.
The meeting with Izzy went better than expected. Nick hadn’t t thought of how well they might connect over Izzy’s love of Spidey and His Amazing Friends and DC Superhero Girls. In fact, she had gotten mad at Nick for keeping a fellow Spidey Friend from her. Likewise, his family was also happy to see Ryan, and he stayed over for dinner that night.
~
Their relationship picked up where it left off, with Izzy wholeheartedly approving of Ryan. They rushed through things, getting engaged a few months later, though Nick was hesitant to marry again right away. Ryan was content with this, helping the little family move into their own place, out of Nick’s parent’s house. Before long, he joined them, and the three of them became their own little family unit.