“GAWD,” the word was shouted, then followed by an immediate yelp of pained agony. “I’m in hell!”

Terri pulled the receiver away from her ear, then carefully listened until Brooke’s yelling stopped on the other end of the connection. “Rick, what are you guys doing to my sister? It sounds like you’re torturing her.”

“Oops, that’s my cue, Babe. I’ve gotta go, and no, we haven’t done anything to her.” He smirked, “She’s just got up with what I’d call a major headache.”

“Oh God, Brooke. That’s disgusting,” Brian called out loud enough for Terri to hear.

“What’s happening, Rick?”

“Brooke just barfed all over Brian’s shoes,” Rick groaned. “I hope he brought more than one pair with him ’cause those are wastebasket food now.”

Terri couldn’t help but laugh, having lost a few pairs of her own shoes in just the same manner. “Well, you’d better get going. Speaking of which, I’d better look back in on my women’s ward over here.”

“RICK!” Brian’s shrill cry broke the air. “Carry your sorry ass in here and fix this shit. You’re the doctor here.”

“Yeah,” Terri smirked, “I can hear that you guys showed her a really good time. Later, Rick.”

“Bye, Babe.”

Terri hung up the phone and looked over to the quietly sleeping blonde. “Boy, am I thankful that you did that last night and not this morning. I’m not too sure that I wouldn’t be joining you myself, now.” Terri reached into her pocket and pulled out her package of saltine crackers as she moved toward the door. She opened the plastic bag and promptly popped one of the morsels into her mouth. “Well, that’ll help my nausea.” She looked back to Sam one last time before exiting the room. “And as soon as you wake up, I’ll see what I can do to help yours.”

“Come on, Brooke, you’re fine. It’s just nerves.” Brian stood outside the bathroom door in his stocking feet. “We all do before we get married. Why in the hell do you think the custom of getting drunk the night before got started? It’s so everybody thinks that’s why you’re puking your guts out.”

“Go away, Brian.” Brooke’s lackluster voice came through the door.

“Brooke, I’m not going to be the one to tell you what to do, but if you don’t come out soon, you’re going to be late for your own wedding.” Brian began to pace, knowing that he too, still had to get dressed.

“Go away, I said.”

Hearing that, Brian threw his arms up in the air and started muttering under his breath. “Yeah, get me in trouble with your mother and my wife. Mable and Randi will have my head if they find out. It’s not bad enough you trashed my favorite pair of shoes.” He turned abruptly in midstep and looked up to see C.C. poking her head into the half-opened door to the room.

“Hey, Brian.” C.C. did a quick scan of the room with her eyes. “What’s the hold up? I thought that Brooke was supposed to meet with the minister at two?”

“C.C., thank God!” The exasperated man jumped for joy at the sight of seeing Brooke’s favorite sibling. “Hold up? Oh, nothing except she’s been throwing up for the last 2 hours. Maybe you can get her to come out.”

The brunette walked over to the bathroom door and gently tapped it. “Hey, Brooke.”

“No, not again.” Brooke moaned.

C.C. could hear the sound of dry heaves as she put her hand on the doorknob and started to turn it slowly. “You done doing that disgusting stuff? …’Cause if you’re not, I’m just gonna go tell Sam that you want to call it all off.”

“NO!” Brooke replied, without a second of hesitation.

The young woman at the door looked back into the room as Peter entered. She smiled at her sister’s reply. “So,” C.C. glanced over to Peter. “You coming out or what?”

“I don’t get it.” Peter spoke quietly, “Rick gave her that surefire remedy.” He looked over to Brian.

“Go on in, C.C.,” Brian encouraged her. “Maybe she won’t hit you.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” C.C. muttered, then turned back to the door, opening it slowly and peeking in. “You okay, Sis?”

Brian and Peter stood behind C.C., trying their best to see how Brooke was doing. Their eyes fell on a dark-haired woman sitting curled up in a ball, her face a ghostly pale shade of her real color.

“No.” Brooke raised her eyes to C.C. as she wrapped her arms around her legs, holding her knees close to her chest. “God, Chase…make it go away…puhleease.” The drummer closed her eyes and let her forehead come to rest on her knees.

“Good gods,” Brian gasped. “You look like Randi when she gets that first bout of morning sickness the minute that she’s pregnant.” The man quipped and gave a little laugh. Seeing Brooke’s pained look as she slowly turned her head in his direction and the fire in her steely blue eyes, he immediately stopped.

Before he could say another word, Brooke’s arm moved with a fluid motion, sending the shampoo bottle hurtling toward the door. Brian’s quick reflexes enabled him to grab the doorknob and yank it shut as C.C. just barely ducked out of the way. With a thud, the bottle hit and shattered, letting the gooey liquid to slowly ooze down the door.

“Jeez, Brooke,” C.C. straightened back up. “You could have ruined my outfit. You know, I didn’t get to bring my whole closet to pick and choose from.” She looked back down to her sister and a thought came to her mind. “Brooke,” She knelt down beside her and spoke softly. “You didn’t do anything…ah…stupid last night, did you?”

“Stupid? Like what?” She muttered, as she became tucked back into a ball again. “You mean other than being stupid enough to let every male in this family get me shit-faced?” Brooke lifted her head and shot a mean-eyed glance at C.C. “No.”

C.C. let out a sigh, “Whew…that’s a relief.”

“What did you think I did?” The arched eyebrow made its appearance making her face even harsher looking than before.

“Never mind, let’s just get you up and presentable.” C.C. tried to move on to another subject.

Brooke saw the lip biting of her sister and threatened her. “Tell me C.C., or so help me God, I’ll throw up on you right now.”

The brunette took in a breath. “Well, you know how guys are. I thought maybe that they got you one of those cake things…ah…with a sleepover or something. Or that maybe you…ah…sorta tried something that you knew you wouldn’t get, after today.” C.C. cringed as the flames of hell seemed to take up residence in Brooke’s gaze. “Not that you would have. I know better, but with the booze and all…”

“NO! NEVER!” Brooke started to rise to one knee, “How could you even think…” her speech was interrupted by the need of her body to expel both the contents of her stomach and the thought from her mind. She turned to the toilet and clung onto the ceramic bowl as she sang her praises to the porcelain god.

“Open mouth, insert foot,” C.C. muttered to herself as she helped her sister by holding back her long hair. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up and presentable.

The woman moved away from the bowl, taking the tissue that was handed to her and wiped her mouth. “Ugh.” She looked at it, then threw it into the mess as she reached for the handle to flush it away. Slipping back down and laying on the floor, Brooke wrapped her arms around her stomach. “Why do I have to feel like shit on my wedding day?”

“Seriously Sis,” the brunette sat down on the edge of the tub. “I think you would have been sick, no matter what day this was, after the party you had last night. I saw all those empty liquor bottles outside of the room when I came in.”

“C.C.?”

“Yeah?”

“What if she gets tired of me?” Brooke furrowed her brow even more. “What is she decides that she doesn’t love me anymore? Then what do I do?”

The brunette could not help but laugh. “Tired of you? Is that what all this is about?” C.C. slapped her own leg as she shook her head. “Never, Sis. It’s never going to happen. She loves you more than life itself.”

Brooke closed her eyes in prayer that her youngest sister was correct. Wanting the support and the closeness that she needed from C.C., Brooke slowly raised her upper torso off the floor and crawled over to her sister.

“What if I screw up, C.C.?” Brooke cast her eyes to the floor. “I don’t know how to be married.”

“I know that it’s scary, Brooke.” The brunette gently guided her sister’s head down onto her lap and stroked the long dark hair. “Trust me, I know that she loves you.” C.C. smiled then gave a little chuckle. “You know that Sam couldn’t stop talking about you all night?” She felt Brooke’s head turn to look up at her as she continued. “Even when she was blitzed, you were all that she talked about.”

“Really?” Brooke gulped, looking up for reassurance.

“Really.” C.C. nodded and smiled as she met her sister’s gaze. “Brooke, if you ask me, you’ve been married to her ever since you started dating her.”

There was a moment of silence while C.C.’s words sank in, then the subtle upturn came to Brooke’s lips when she had to agree that her sister was right.

Seeing the hint of color coming back into Brooke’s cheeks, C.C. gave her a comforting rub to her back. “Now what do you say we pull you together and get you to your own wedding.” C.C. bent over enough to make eye contact with Brooke. “Hmm…?”

“Maybe…” Brooke looked down at herself. “Maybe I should take another shower,” she stated. “and my teeth…God knows, I have to brush my teeth.”

The brunette raised her nose to sniff the air, then made a terrible looking face. “Yeah, that might not be such a bad idea if you plan on getting next to someone for the rest of your life.”

The young woman leaned into the mirror. She was amazed at the lack of any ill effects from the party the night before. Even her eyes showed no dark circles from the evening of drinking. In fact, if the truth was to be known, Sam felt pretty well rested at that. No one would have believed that she’d been throwing up until the wee hours of the morning.