Brizee laid there in bed crying as she looked over at her husband as he was passed out drunk. He had been drinking and he came home and threw her on the bed and slapped her and ripped her clothes off and raped her. She slowly got up and went and showered and got dressed and went to her brother’s house. She rang the doorbell. Brian opened the door and saw her and she went in. He closed the door.

        “Sis,” Brian said. She burst out crying and he hugged her.

        “I can’t go back to him,” Brizee said crying. He looked at her and saw the marks on her face.

        “He hit you?” Brian asked. She nodded.

        “He slapped me, he ripped off my clothes and raped me, my own husband,” Brizee said crying. He hugged her close.

        “Where is he,” Brian said.

        “Passed out in bed, I want the man I married back, but he is gone,” Brizee said. Brian sat down on the couch with her.

        “You are staying here and in the morning, you call your lawyer and file for a divorce,” Brian said.

        “I love him so much, I can’t stop loving him!” Brizee said.

        “I know, sis, but this can’t go on, he needs to get help and he needs to realize what he stands to lose,” Brian said.

        “Brian, he’s your best friend, you need to support him and be there for him, don’t turn your back on him, please, regardless of what he’s done, he’s your Frack, he needs you,” Brizee said. Brian looked at her.

        “I won’t turn my back on him,” Brian said. Brizee hugged him. She got up.

        “I’m going up to Mom and Dad’s, I need to really decide what to do,” Brizee said. She hugged him and headed to the airport and got on a flight to Kentucky.

Brian went to Nick’s house and went in with his key and went upstairs and saw Nick passed out naked on the bed. He tried to wake him.

        “Nick, wake up, Frack,” Brian said. Nick grumbled and opened his eyes and held his head.

        “Leave me alone, Frick,” Nick grumbled.

        “Nick, you need to get up and sober up,” Brian said.

        “I’ll be fine in the morning,” Nick said. He pulled a blanket over him and turned away from Brian.

        “Nick, you need to face this now,” Brian said. Nick groaned and got up and went to the bathroom and showered and got dressed and came out and sat on the bed and glared at Brian.

        “Okay, now what do I need to face,” Nick said.

        “Your problem,” Brian said.

        “What,” Nick said.

        “Your drinking problem, Nick, it is out of control,” Brian said. Nick sighed.

        “I don’t have one,” Nick said.

        “Nick, you do,” Brian said. Nick looked around.

        “Where’s my wife,” Nick said.

        “She went to the folks for a little while,” Brian said.

        “She didn’t tell me,” Nick said.

        “You were drunk off your ass,” Brian said.

        “What is going on, Brian,” Nick said.

        “You don’t remember,” Brian said.

        “Not really,” Nick said.

        “You got drunk off your ass, came home, smacked her around and ripped off her clothes and you raped your own wife,” Brian said. Nick’s eyes widened. He covered his face with his hands.

        “Oh god!” Nick said. Brian sat down.

        “Nick, she left after you passed out and told me and she went to Mom and Dad’s to think of what to do, she isn’t sure what to do, you possibly could have destroyed your marriage,” Brian said.

        “How could I do this to her!” Nick cried. He laid on the bed and curled up in a ball and cried.

Two days later, Nick checked himself into rehab and he sat in his room looking at a picture of him and Brizee on their wedding day. He couldn’t believe what he did to her. He hoped one day she could forgive him. Brian had called that morning and said that Brizee hadn’t made a decision and that she was still at their folks’ house. There was a knock at the door.

        “Come in,” Nick said putting the picture away. The door opened and Kevin came in.

        “Hey Nick,” Kevin said closing the door.

        “Hey Kev,” Nick said as they hugged. Kevin sat down.

        “You doing okay,” Kevin said.

        “No, I still can’t believe what I did, I deserve whatever she chooses, if it’s a divorce, I won’t fight her, she is better off without me,” Nick said.

        “Nick, don’t say that, she knows you love her, it was just a bad night, a big mistake,” Kevin said.

        “I did the worst possible thing a guy could do to his wife, Kevin, I hit her, I raped her, there is no way I could be forgiven for that, I don’t deserve forgiveness, I don’t deserve anything, she is better off divorcing me and moving onto someone else who won’t hurt her like I did,” Nick said.

        “Nick, you can’t just give up, you love her,” Kevin said.

        “I will love her until the day I die, but what I did was totally unforgiveable,” Nick said. Kevin hugged him and went home. He called Brizee and told her about the visit.  She told him she was on her way to visit Nick.

Nick sat there writing at his desk and thinking of everything when there was a knock at the door.

        “Come in,” Nick said. The door opened and Brizee came in. He looked and saw her. She closed the door.

        “Briz,” Nick said.

        “Hey, how are things going here,” Brizee said.

        “So far so good, group therapy in the morning, it is actually peaceful, I’m writing some songs,” Nick said. She nodded and sat down on the bed.

        “That’s good,” Brizee said.

        “I know what I did was bad, if only I could go back and change things,” Nick said.

        “Nick,” Brizee said.

        “I’m sorry, you did not deserve what I did, you should have filed for a divorce after it happened and been done with me, you are better off without me, as much as I love you, I don’t deserve another chance,” Nick said.  She looked at him.

        “I can’t do that, Nick, I can’t file for a divorce, it would kill me,” Brizee said. Nick got up and knelt down in front of her.

        “Briz,” Nick said.

        “I’m pregnant, Nick, three months along, remember the night of Brian and Leighanne’s anniversary party, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other and we didn’t get out of bed for a week, sometime during that week, we conceived the baby,” Brizee said.

        “Briz, I don’t deserve you,” Nick said.

        “Yes, you do, you would never hurt me if you were sober, you would never have hit me, or anything else if you weren’t drunk, I know you too well, I know how much you love me, the liquor made you do those things, but you are getting the help you need and this is a fresh start for you and for us,” Brizee said. Nick smiled and kissed her deeply.

        “I love you so much, I promise you I will not drink again and I will be the man you married,” Nick said. Brizee smiled and kissed him softly.

Three weeks later, the guys and their wives were over at the house. It was the day Nick was coming home from rehab. Brian had gone to get him. Brizee relaxed in a lounge chair by the pool. She was talking with Leighanne. Kristin, Leigh, and Rochelle came over and joined the conversation. They heard car doors shut and Brizee smiled. Brian and Nick came out. Nick went to Brizee and sat down on the lounge chair and kissed her and hugged her.

        “I’m home, baby,” Nick said.

        “Welcome home,” Brizee said. He moved to sit beside her in the lounge chair and held her close. She rested her head on his shoulder.

        “It’s good to have you back home, Nick,” Leighanne said.

        “Feels great, I feel like a new person,” Nick said.