Under the Cherry Blossom Tree
a Backstreet Boys story
by Hermione Eveningfall
"Nicholas Gene Carter, you are going to be late if you don't get out of bed right now!"
Nick groaned inwardly as he felt something large and fluffy cuff his ear. He drug his crystal blue eyes open, cringing as bright rays of golden sunlight stung them.
"Well it's about time!"
"Amy?" Nick's vision cleared, focusing on the cheerful face of his girlfriend Amy Lyons. She was already dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a pink tank top, her long blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun.
"What time's it?" he rubbed his hands over his face, blinking stupidly as she kissed him.
"Seven thirty."
Nick yelped, throwing down the covers, and leapt to the floor. "Shit! Shit, I'm going to be late!" he flew past her, grabbing clothes and dashed towards the bathroom to shower. Amy smirked, rolling her eyes as she began making the bed. For the past couple of days Nick, along with his fellow members of the famous Backstreet Boys, began shooting the video for "I'll Never Break your Heart". This meant ridiculously long hours, leaving each of the boys so worn down that they had to practically be carried up to their hotel rooms.
Amy felt incredibly lucky that Nick had given her the opportunity to come to Los Angeles with him, to be on the set and even in the video. She was on summer break from Florida State University, and this was one of the few times he actually allowed her to come along.
Amy and Nick grew up next door to each other, so they'd been friends forever it seemed. However, Amy went to a private Catholic high school and Nick a public one, so they only spent their time together in the evenings and on weekends. When Nick joined the band, she hardly ever got to see him. She cherished those moments they spent together, because they were so rare these days. `The fact that we're still together is amazing,' she thought, sighing as she waited for him.
Nick eventually came back, wearing a pair of sweats and a Miami Dolphins t-shirt. His sunbleached blonde hair was still damp, but he certainly looked more alive than he had before. "Hey," he greeted, kissing her lips and bending down to hug her tightly. "Come on, we have to get out of here and meet the guys or they'll kick my ass."
Amy nodded, allowing him to pull her to her feet, and they made their way out of the hotel room. Nick barely closed the door behind him when he whirled around with a sudden "ASHOOOO!" into the crook of his arm. Amy jumped, laughing as he recovered, sniffling. "Whew! Sorry!" he looked at her, his eyes a bit teary.
"That's okay." She squeezed his arm for reassurance as they headed towards the elevator.
"ASHOOO! Dammit!" Nick suddenly sneezed again, pulling his car keys out of his pocket.
"Bless you!" Amy raised an eyebrow. "You aren't getting sick, are you?" she reached up to feel his forehead, but he pulled away, embarrassed.
"I'm fine. You know I can't go anywhere without sneezing first." He gave a small chuckle as the elevator door opened, inviting them inside. Amy took a deep breath, yawning an dstretching. She grinned when Nick caught her hand, kissing it softly. "Did I ever tel you how happy I am that you're here?" he asked, listening to the tiny ding as the elevator went from floor to floor.
"Yep. I'm glad to be here too, babe."
They left the hotel and went to the parking garage where Nick kept his rent-a-car. Even at nearly eight in the morning, the dry, California heat was already apparent. "Oh...and did I tell you how damn sexy you look in that costume?" Amy added as she climbed into the passenger seat, giggling.
Nick made a face as he climbed into the driver's seat, sticking the key into the ignition. He'd chosen something...well, different for the video. Swishy, nylon pants with at least six zipper pockets in each leg and grey rubber on the knees, along with a tight, black shirt with grey rubber shoulders. His hair, normally down and very straight, was parted into different sections as though it were braided. Amy had burst into laughter at the first sight of him, until he had to clamp a hand over her mouth to shut her up. As they weren't allowed to bring the costumes home with them, the boys had to arrive at the set nearly two hours before the shoot to put them on and for make up.
"I'm so sure you do," he snorted as they began to drive towards the studio. "I still have to get you back for popping that bubble in my face."
She smacked his arm, and he smirked. "Not while I'm driving!"
Amy folded hear arms, trying to appear upset with him, but Nick wasn't buying it. "You know you love me." He turned a corner, pulling down a road surrounded by beautiful cherry blossom trees. The petals fell around them like pink snow, almost appearing to Amy like a picture post card. They soon pulled to a stop light. While Nick usually grew annoyed with red lights, fate seemed to be on his side that morning. The tickle was back in his nose.
Amy glanced to the side just as his breath was hitching, and she stuck out her tongue. "That's for making fun of me," she teased.
"Ve-eh-ry-funny-eh-ASHOOOO! ASHHHHOOO! ESHHHHH! This is ridiculous!" he slapped the steering wheel in aggravation just as the light turned green. "Ames, you aren't wearing any perfume today, are you?" he sniffled. That was the only cause for his sudden sneezing attacks he could think of right then.
Amy shook her head. "No..." she bit her lip. "I just used soap in the shower. I swear!" she added, holding her hands up. Nick rubbed his nose, nearly smacking his head on the wheel as another sneeze exploded. "ASHHHOOOO!"
"I don't know what's bothering you," Amy admitted. "But if you keep sneezing like this, the guys'll have a field day." She cackled as the studio came into view a few moments later.
"ASHHHOOO! ESHHHHH! ASHHHOOO! Ugh." Nick found a parking spot next to Brian's mini van in the back, and went to let Amy out. She rubbed his back as she headed for the main entrence, the sound of music filling their ears.
Inside the studio's rehearsal room, the rest of the guys were hanging out and chatting. Brian sat with his back against the long mirror, his legs outstretched. Kevin stood by the door, his arms folded and an irritated scowl on his rugged face. They could hear the hustle and bustle of the workers as they set up for the day, and the smell of the caterer's cooking breakfast wafted through the crack under the door.
"Where the hell is he? He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!" Kevin thundered.
A.J. and Howie looked at each other, shrugging. "Dude, I told you we should've met in the hotel lobby!" A.J. snapped.
"You know that's not safe, man. We have to travel individually to rehearsal if we don't want a mob of girls after us," Howie replied, running his fingers through his smooth, shoulder length brown hair. "Plus, the shoot doesn't start until eight anyway..."
Kevin was just about to retort when a loud "HASHOOOO!" echoed through the building. Brian hopped up, pointing at the door.
"Nick's here." He announced in his calm, southern drawl.
The boys gathered in a single line, setting their faces into grim expressions. When the door opened, Nick stopped short, and Amy frowned. "Hey..." she greeted.
"You're late," Kevin growled. "Explain."
Nick cleared his throat. "I overslept. Look, I'm sorry, man... this is the first time I've ever done this, so give me a break, will you?"
Howie and AJ waited for Kevin to give the word, and he finally shook it off, his lips twitching. "Yeah, okay."
Nick punched his arm, laughing. "Smart ass." He watched as Amy went over to Brian, and folded his arms when she pinched his cheeks.
"Good mooorning fuzzykins!" she teased, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Brian cringed as they parted, rubbing the offended skin and glaring at her.
"I hate it when you do that!" Brian teased. She replied by giving him a big bear hug, taking in the relaxing scent of his usual cologne.
Kevin went over to where he kept a case of CD's, and found the album entitled "Backstreet's Back", which he popped into the CD player. "We have to at least get some practice in before the shoot starts. The last thing we want Bill to hear is our voices cracking because we haven't been practicing at all." After he cranked up the volume, Amy went to sit on one of the plush bean bag chairs in the corner, catching a beanie baby frog from AJ.
"For you, dahling," he told her.
"I feel so loved, AJ, thanks." She beamed as the boys pulled into a circle.
Nick rubbed his nose again, waiting patiently while Brian snapped his fingers together to the beat of the song. Kevin quietly began to speak to the first verse, his eyes closing dramatically. "Girl, I know you're hurting. Right now you feel like you could never love again. Now all I ask is for a chance, to prove that I love you..."
"HEASHHHOOO!" Nick suddenly doubled over, causing all of the boys to stare at him in surprise.
"You all right, man?" Brian asked, raising his eyes in surprise. Wheezing slightly, Nick nodded, but Kevin cocked his head to one side.
"Yeah, I think so." He sighed, stepping back. "Though I think...I think..."
The guys threw their hands in the air as he let out another "ASHHHHOOO!"
Kevin leaned forward, his voice low. "Yo Nick, why don't you sit down for a while? You know you have these vocals down. Just listen for now I guess and..."
"But I was already late for rehearsal," Nick protested, looking ready to keel over.
"As you said, it's your first offense. And the last thing we want is for you to pass out before the shoot even starts today."
Nick finally releneted, agreeing to go and sit with Amy. He walked over to sit next to her, resting his head weakly on her shoulder. She moved so he could use her lap as a pillow, and she wrapped her arms around him. Kevin watched the two of them for a minute, before turning back to the group. "All right...hit it, fellas," he announced, and the song began again.
About a half hour later, they were able to get breakfast in the dining hall, and it was then that Amy realized her stomach was growling. She squeezed Nick's hand tightly as they made their way over to the buffet table, which had countless types of breakfast foods. Amy made herself a little bowl of fruit, grabbed a muffin and a bottle of water and went to sit at their usual table. Brian sat directly across from her, laughing with Howie and using his arms to explain something, and Amy took this opportunity to fling a large strawberry at him.
Nick nearly choked on a pancake after watching the piece of fruit smack into Brian's forehead. Howie and AJ sat with their mouths hanging open as they watched the bright red juice trickle down Brian's nose, which he licked with the tip of his tongue. "You're just starting trouble," Nick whispered into Amy's ear. "Watch yourself...he's known for sneaky retaliation."
Amy folded her arms and grinned. "I'd like to see him try it," she said just loudly enough for Brian to hear her.
Kevin, who had just approached them with his own breakfast, burst into laughter at the sight of his cousin, and had difficulty sitting on the chair for a second because of his giggles. "Aren't you gonna get her back, B?" Howie asked, smirking at the fact that Brian hadn't moved an inch since he'd been hit.
Brian took a forkful of scrambled eggs, flinging them at her, causing her to shriek in surprise. Everyone ducked as she threw another piece of fruit at him, but it missed Brian and landed in Kevin's cereal. "Food fight!" Howie shouted, and the table erupted with an array of flying food. The only thing the boys had to be grateful for was the fact that they hadn't gotten into their costumes yet. The other people in the dining hall sat watching with amusement, trying to avoid being hit by a stray missile. The fight only stopped when Bill Woodruff, the director, ordered it to, and told them they had ten minutes to finish eating before they needed to start getting into wardrobe and make up.
"I can tell you one thing," Kevin muttered, spitting out a mouthful of whipped cream, "I'm awake now."
The other guys grinned at him, and Brian nudged his arm with his elbow. "We'll just have to do this more often then, eh?" he asked, before going back to eating normally.
"Shit!" Nick suddenly cursed, clasping a hand against his forehead, his vision dimming. The others stared at him, forks halfway raised, concerned expressions on their face.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Kevin asked.
Nick massaged his temples, nodding weakly. "Yeah, fine, I just have a splitting headache." He took a swig of water, clearing his throat and leaning back in his chair. Amy stopped eating, taking Nick's hand in hers again, and kissed it tenderly.
He looked down at her, smiling softly, but that smile was suddenly replaced by yet another hitching of breath. With his free hand, he covered his mouth, sneezing. "ASHHHOOH! HUSHHHUH! ESHHHH! Ow..." he cringed when the fit ended, massaging his chest. "Eh... ASHHHHOOH! Excuse me!" he croaked, taking a spare napkin and blowing his nose.
"Bless you," the boys and Amy told him in unison.
"Thanks." He shook his head to clear it, and then Amy looked at them.
"We should probably start getting ready," she suggested, and Kevin agreed with her, pushing his chair back and standing up.
"Yeah, good idea. Let's get to wardrobe and then to the hell on Earth of make up." He joked, and the rest of the boys followed his lead. Nick paused to sneeze as he stood, but it refused to come out. Amy watched with amusement as he wriggled his nose breathing deeply, doing what he could to try to extract the irritation.
"Look up at the light," Amy told him.
"Ugh." Nick sniffled as the sneeze backed down, and he took a handful of napkins to bring along with him in case. "I'll meet you in the make up room," he told her as they split ways to dress, and she stopped, wrapping her arms around him. It amused her how she only reached the start of his stomach, because he was so tall. Nick was six foot, and she was only five foot three. Nick hugged her back, waving as he disappeared through one of the many doors in the building.
Amy went to the dressing room she shared with the other girls who took parts as the extras in the video, and greeted them cheerfully when she entered. "Hey Amy!" Leighanne Wallace, Brian's partner, exclaimed when she saw her. "How's it going?"
Leighanne had taken part in the Backstreet Boy's other music video, "As Long as you Love me", and she and Brian were becoming awfully chummy to Amy's amusement.
"Good!" Amy pulled out her outfit, and laughed at it. "I feel like SUCH a hippie in this," she joked, beginning to step out of her regular clothes.
"You look cute though." Leighanne shook her head. "I admire you for getting up so early to come with Nick. I sleep till the last possible minute."
Amy shrugged, stepping into her pair of tight, white pants and multi-colored tank top. She pulled her hair out of it's bun, shaking it out and looking at herself in the mirror. For good measure, she turned to the side, gazing at her profile, and struck a pose. Leighanne put her hands on her hips, cocking her head to one side. Amy was one of the younger girls in the group, and sometimes certainly acted like it. But in a funny way.
"Off I go," Amy finally announced after putting on her shoes, which made her look taller, and headed over to the make up room. Nick was there as he told her he would be, having a base applied to his pale skin. He didn't sound any better in her opinion, and she noticed that he was breathing through his mouth. She took every chance to look at him when the hair stylist wasn't straightening her face.
The braiding was painful at times, and it took a lot of willpower not to cry out. By the time she was finally ready, Brian, who happened to come in at that time, took this opportunity to pinch her cheeks and call her a "cute little baby doll". She jabbed a finger at his chest, eyes sparkling.
"Watch it," she warned.
He shrugged. "Oh, and it's fine for you to do it to me, but illegal vice versa?" he wrapped her in a headlock, which she broke by tickling him. Eventually the two were in a tiny wrestling scuffle, which Nick stopped shortly after it started.
"That's enough B, she's my girl," he sniggered.
Brian released Amy, who went to plop herself on Nick's lap after he was free, sighing in content as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "You sound so stuffy," she whispered as he pressed his forehead against her neck, groaning softly. "I'm getting worried, Nick."
Nick kissed her ear, making her shudder with pleasure. "I'll be fine," he promised.
"Get to your designated sets please!" Bill ordered after nearly an hour had gone by. Amy hopped off Nick, taking his arm and leading the way. When they got to the entrance of their bright pink room, Nick placed his hands firmly on her shoulders.
"Please don't hurt yourself this time," he warned, causing her to glare at him.
"Nick, please. Just because I happened to step down into the camera yesterday, doesn't mean I'll do it again tod..." she stepped down, her stomach connecting with the rather large piece of machinery. She stood staring into the lense, and reached out a hand, pushing it to one side. Hearing Nick's hysterical laughter from behind her, Amy spun around, her hands on her hips. "That was so your fault you know. If you hadn't said anything I wouldn't have walked into it! Oh shut up." She walked over to the corner she and Nick sat in the previous afternoon, and plopped down, crossing her legs. Nick took a deep breath between giggles as he joined her, and picked up the famous bubble gun. She watched as he dipped it into the thin soap, and snatched it away before he could pull the trigger.
"Hey! No fair," he pouted as she began to blow a bubble in his direction. "I'm sick, so I should be allowed to have it." He stuck out his tongue.
Amy snorted. "Oh please, Carter."
Bill popped his head in at that point to check on them. "Everything okay in here? The cameras will be rolling in about ten minutes, so make sure you're in the positions I gave you yesterday, all right?"
Nick nodded, letting out a small cough as his chest tightened. "Yep."
"Cool. You'll hear me give the word over the speaker for when to look into the lense." When he left to check on the other guys, Nick coughed again, swaying.
"I hate allergies," he admitted to Amy softly. "I feel terrible." He wanted desparately to curl up on her lap again.
"I'm sorry, sweetie." Amy's eyes suddenly widened as though she'd remembered something. "Oh my God..." she breathed, covering her mouth with her hand, and Nick blinked, confused.
"What? What's the matter?" he asked, his heart racing.
"Nick...allergies..." she bit her lip. "You didn't take your meds this morning! I'm so stupid...that's why you've been feeling so sick today!" They'd rushed out so quickly because they'd been late that morning, that Nick had completely forgotten the pill that he took every day to ease the symptoms. He stared at her, holding out his hand to grasp hers.
"Okay, okay...yeah, that's...oh shit." He felt his vision dimming again as it had at breakfast, and put a hand to his head again.
"Oh Nick..." Amy remembered how sick he got the last time he'd forgotten to take the medicine, which had been a long time ago but she remembered it like it was yesterday. They'd had to rush him to the emergency room because he'd passed out, unable to breathe properly. And of course here he was, starting to wheeze again. "I'm sorry I let you oversleep," she added as he lowered his head, trying to stop the dizziness.
"Not your fault," he promised, sinuses becoming very inflamed. "I'm...I'm okay, really." He covered his mouth with his fist, the sneezes that had tortured him earlier finally releasing themselves. "HETCHOOH! ESHHOOH!"
Amy looked at the camera, not wanting to go through with the shoot. She wanted to bring Nick straight back to the hotel and put him to bed, but that was certainly not going to happen. At least, not anytime soon. "Amy..." he finally whimpered, black spots appearing before his eyes. "I really don't feel good."
"I know, baby, I know. Come here for a minute." She let him lean against her, nuzzling her nose against his neck.
By the time Bill made the announcement for the shoot to start, Amy helped Nick to his feet. He had to steady himself against the wall for a moment, feeling slightly out of breath, eyes clouding over a little. He never forgot to take the medication, knowing the possible effects otherwise, and was furious with himself for it. Amy quickly kissed him before walking off to the side so she would not be in the way of the camera before her time came up.
Barely five minutes passed after the cameras were rolling when Nick collapsed to his knees. He was sucking in air, clutching at his chest. "Amy ran to him, placing a hand on his back, watching in horror as he slid to the ground unconscious.
"Nick!" she shrieked, smoothing his cheeks and forehead. Nick's eyes fluttered under their lids at her touch, but they didn't open. In fact, she took notice of the fact that his breathing was very shallow, that his chest was barely moving up and down. Immediately, Amy leapt up and dashed out of the room, screaming for help, running smack into the enormous, black security guard.
"What the hell's goin' on? Aren't you supposed to be filming now?" The guard's nametag red "Bubbah", and he was one of the guards who had been working with the boys since practically the start of their career.
Amy nodded. "Nick passed out," she told him. "Where's Bill?"
"In the recording lounge..."
But Bubbah did not have to explain any further, because the director was running down the flight of steps, having watched the entire incident via television monitor. "Jesus, what happened?" he asked, his eyes wide with shock.
Amy led the way back to the room, showing Bill where Nick lay sprawled out on the rug. She hurried over to her boyfriend's unconscious body, sitting behind it, and lifted Nick's head so it rested on her lap. Bill lifted Nick's wrist and felt the younger man's pulse, telling the bodyguard to grab the paramedic. "He's barely breathing...we're going to have to get him to the emergency room. Do you know what caused this? Was he feeling sick earlier?"
Amy frowned. "Well, he has really severe allergies and usually takes medicine for them in the morning before work, but we were running late today so he completely forgot everything. He seemed to be doing okay earlier just sneezing and such, but started looking worse at breakfast."
Bill nodded. "You should have told me. We have an extra inhaler for him here. Keep his legs raised." He pulled Nick's legs up a bit just as the paramedic arrived, pulling the oxygen tank with him along with a bag of supplies. "Get a blanket," the emergency care provider shouted after feeling Nick's hands which were ice cold. Once that was draped over Nick, the paramedic looked at Amy.
"Were you here when he fainted? How was he feeling first?"
Amy explained to the man, Ed, that he had an allergy attack. "He takes Allegra every morning to keep this from happening if he's in an area with really a high pollen atmosphere. But we were running late this morning and he forgot to take them, so he got really sick." She ran her fingers through Nick's hair, trying very hard not to cry. If only he would suddenly wake up and be okay.
"Okay. I'm going to put him on oxygen, and I have to call the hospital because we'll have to take him there to officially stabilize him."
Bill looked at Amy, touching her arm. "Amy, I'll need you to go and tell the other guys what's going on. I'm sure they'll want to meet us at the hospital."
Amy choked on a sob, not wanting to leave Nick. "I can't," she whispered, shaking.
"Amy, you have to. This isn't a request, it's an order." Bill's gave her a stern look, and at last, Amy bent over to kiss Nick on the forehead, allowing Ed to continue working on him. She walked towards the rooms where the other boys were supposed to be, and knocked on the first one. She could hear Kevin singing, and when she knocked again, listened to him stop and mention something to the girl he was with. When the door opened, he poked his head through, shocked at Amy's presence.
"What's up?" he asked. "Aren't we filming still?"
Amy shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "Kevin," she whimpered, and he opened the door further, wrapping an arm around her.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nick...it's Nick," she could only stutter. "He's unconscious... we're going to have to take him to the ER."
Kevin let go of her, looking at Tina who was standing and staring. "Come on," he urged, taking Amy's hand. "Tina, you comin'?"
"No...I'll be okay, you two go." She promised.
Kevin brought Amy to alert the other guys, and Brian naturally panicked moreso than the others. "Do they think he's gonna be okay?" He asked as they made their way to the center of emergency to check up on the situation.
"I don't know," Amy admitted. "They were going to hook him up to oxygen when I went to get you guys..." they stood in the doorway, watching as Nick was being placed on a stretcher, still covered with a blanket, an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.
"Out of the way, guys," Ed told them as he and Bill wheeled the stretcher through the door.
"You guys, the shoot's obviously being called off for the day. You meeting us at the ER?" Brian looked at his bandmates, nodding. "Yeah. I'll drive...I have a van."
"Okay. We'll meet you there then." Bill told them, following the paramedic out to the ambulance that was parked in the lot. The boys and Amy stood watching, staring at each other when Nick disappeared through the double doors.
"This is unbelievable," AJ pointed out. "He was just fine earlier, wasn't he?"
Amy folded her arms, rocking on her heels a bit.
"Is he okay?"
Once everyone changed back into their everyday clothes and were heading towards the main hall, they turned to see Leighanne running towards them, her blonde hair flying behind her. She hugged Brian when she caught up with him, and looked at Amy, hugging her next. "I'm so sorry," she told her.
"We don't know. We're going to the hospital now," Brian told her with a small smile. "They just took him. Are you gonna be all right getting home or do you want to come with us?"
Leighanne looked at him. "I don't know if it's right for me to go...I don't want to overcrowd Nick. If you want me to go, then I will."
Brian smiled. "You shouldn't have to be stuck waiting at the hospital. Go on home, I'll call you when we get word."
Leighanne nodded. "All right." She left them alone, and Brian brought the group outside, shaking his head at the piles of cherryblossom petals on the blacktop.
"No wonder he had an attack," Amy breathed, catching one of the pink petals in her fingers. "They're everywhere..."
Brian hugged her, tugging on one of her braids as he brought them to his minivan. "I get front seat!" AJ tried to make light of the situation, pretending to hop in, but then very casually stepped aside, motioning for Amy to have it instead. "Ladies first," he corrected himself, and she smiled weakly, opening the door and climbing onto the seat.
"This isn't really a time to be funny, Boner," Brian told AJ seriously. "Nick's really sick. He could be dying, we don't know any damn thing about this." Brian got into the driver's seat, waiting for the others to get in, and AJ leaned over the back of the seat.
"Nick wouldn't want us to be freaking out like this. You know how he gets if we make the slightest fuss. Plus since he's the youngest..."
"Okay, okay, but I'm only saying," Brian continued, "That I don't think Amy's in the mood for jokes right now." He looked at her, frowning as he watched her gazing out the window, a single tear falling down her cheek. Brian pretended not to notice and stuck the key in the ignition, starting the engine. He hoped though, in the back of his mind, that the group wouldn't be recognized sitting in the waiting room. The hospital was about twenty minutes from the studio, and they pulled into the lot closest to the front so they wouldn't have to be chased very far by a mob. Brian helped Amy out of her seat, and the guys made a block around her for protection as they walked through the front doors of the emergency room. Amy had to hide her secret pleasure at being surrounded by a group of very sexy boys, even though her boyfriend was not there at the moment. They walked to the front desk, and the girl who worked there stared at them, her face loosing most of it's color.
"You're...you're..." she stuttered, pointing a finger at them.
Kevin looked at AJ and Howie who immediately dashed for the empty waiting room, sitting down and picking up magazines to hide themselves. "Yeah, we are," Kevin replied seriously. "But Nick was going to be coming in, and I don't know if they got here yet..."
The receptionist had to swallow once before she could gain a calm enough voice to speak naturally. "Yes, he is here, but the doctor says you can't come and see him since you're not family. But you can have a seat in the waiting room until he does." She pointed in the direction of the room. "There are magazines and such for you. Hey...can I have autographs though? God, I love all of you so much!" She tried hard not to squeal loudly, and to humor her, Brian ordered AJ and Howie to come over and sign a piece of paper. When they finished the autographs, they thanked her before going to sit down.
Amy grabbed onto Brian's arms and stared into his eyes. "I have to see Nick," she whispered, afraid almost of her own voice. "Brian, I have to...he needs me there..."
Brian pulled her into a hug, shushing her softly. "Ames, you can't. We all want to see him, but we can't."
Amy buried her face into his shirt, fighting back sobs. The thought of her Nick hooked up to all of those machines broke her heart. "Hey, I know what you can do," Brian told her calmly, reaching into the pocket of his jeans. "You call Nick's Mom and let her know about this."
Amy stared at Brian, horrified. "What?" she breathed.
"Jane'll probably want to know that her son's in the ER, don't you think? I mean, you grew up with them, right? You're close enough to her to do it."
Amy bit her lip. "I don't know if I can..." "Hey D, check this out! A quiz...who would your dream date be?"
Brian rolled his eyes at AJ's mockingly excited voice, and held the cellphone out to Amy.
"Marylin Manson..." Howie replied with a laugh. "Is one of the choices?"
"Call her, Amy," Brian encouraged. Kevin had a "People" magazine open over one knee, and he looked at them.
"Maybe we should wait until we find out about what's going on with him first, B," he pointed out. "That might be a bit better. You don't want Jane freaking out and wondering what's wrong with him, do you?"
Brian sighed, putting the cell phone away, nodding. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He glanced at the clock, which read nine thirty, and sunk down in the chair, leaning the back of his head against the wall.
It seemed as though hours had drug by before the doctor finally came into the waiting room, causing all of them to stand. "He's awake," he explained after introducing himself as Doctor Kahrn. The boys and Amy seemed to sigh with relief in unison. "We had to give him a shot of benadryl to calm the symptoms down. We did a routine check of his blood pressure, his heart rate and his pulse, which all seem to be fine now. His voice may sound a bit raspy, but don't be too startled by that. His temperature seems normal also. It was just a bad allergic reaction to cherry blossom pollen."
The group looked at each other with knowing expressions, and Amy nearly broke down right on the spot. "Can we see him then?" she asked, shaking.
"Yes, you may. Does he have family you can call to let them know in the area?"
Brian shook his head. "No, they're all in Orlando, Florida."
"Okay, well, I'd suggest doing that in the meantime. I'll only allow two at a time since he's still recuperating."
Kevin squeezed Amy's shoulder, smiling at her. "I'll make the call. You need to go and see him," he promised, and Amy nodded.
"Brian, can you come with me?" she asked.
"Sure."
"He's in room 206. Just knock, and the nurse will let you in."
"Thank you so much, doctor." Amy told him, grabbing Brian's arm and practically dragging him towards the elevator. The ride up to the second floor could not go fast enough, and Brian had to tell her to slow down while they walked down the hall. When they reached the door, Brian knocked and the nurse called "Who is it?"
"Friends of Nick's," he replied. "The doctor said we could come in?"
"Yes, one moment please."
They heard footsteps, and the sound of the door knob turning. Amy held her breath, releasing it when it opened. "Nick!" she cried when she saw him, lying in the hospital bed in one of their plain gowns. He turned to them, smiling weakly, and waved.
"Hey," he greeted, in the hoarse voice the doctor had warned them about. Amy rushed over to wrap her arm around him, then kissed him all over his face.
"Nick...oh Nick, I thought..." she looked at Brian who came over to the bedside to give his best friend a hug as well.
"How are you doin', Frack?" he asked.
"Better," he replied. "I'm sorry I scared you guys..." he sniffled. "Amy, can you give me a tissue?" he asked, and she reached for one, handing it to him. "Heh...Heshhooo!" He sneezed, blowing his nose.
"Bless you." They told him together. "Well, we're just glad you're okay. Just don't ever forget to take your meds again," Brian told him, ruffling Nick's hair.
Nick smirked. "I know. It was a stupid mistake on my part." He kissed Amy. "Are you all right?" he asked, caressing her forehead. She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Now I am." She replied. "I love you so much," she whispered into his ear.
"And I love you," he added. "Heh...excuse me...HeSHIIISh!" he sneezed again, managing to catch it in the tissue just in time.
"Bless you again," Amy chuckled.
"Kevin's calling your Mom, Nick," Brian told him.
"What?" Nick's face turned red with embarrassment. "Geeze, Brian!"
"She needs to know you had this attack, Nick. It's not fair of us to keep it from her..."
Nick rubbed his hands over his face, sighing. "Yeah...I guess so." He sniffled. "Ugh, my nose won't stop itching." He rubbed it with the back of his hand, resting his head on Amy's shoulder again. "Mmmmm." He murmered, and she kissed his hair, which still had the style from the video. "'M so tired," he whispered. "Bri, what about the video?" he added. "What's happening with that?"
Brian folded his arms. "Well, canceled for today naturally."
Nick rubbed his forehead. "I've made a mess of things as usual." He croaked.
Brian rolled his eyes. "You know, Nick, you did. You should have told us right away when you started to feel that badly. We could have given you an inhaler or gotten you benadryl pills before you let yourself black out. You could have died, do you realize that?"
Nick looked at him as Amy wrapped brushed his bangs away from his face. "Brian, he knows that."
Brian turned away, blowing out his breath. "He needs to learn that he can't be a baby anymore about these things, Amy. He's eighteen years old, and had better start acting like it. We've known him long enough that he shouldn't have to feel shy about this sort of thing."
Nick wet his lips, guilt spreading over him. "I'm sorry, Brian. I was an ass, I realize that. I just don't want you guys to worry about me all the time." He felt Amy kiss his cheek, and looked at her lovingly.
Brian turned back to him. "We worry about each other, Nick. Not just you. Do you think the guys don't worry every waking second of the day that I might have heart failure or something?"
Nick nodded. "I don't know what I was thinking."
Amy folded her arms across her chest, looking at the wall. "Brian, maybe we should let the other guys in now."
Nick grabbed her arm and caused her to stare at him, surprised. "Don't leave me, please?" he begged, and she kissed his lips.
"It might make it more even anyway, since we have three visitors left," Brian agreed. "Might make it awkward if say AJ or Howie's left alone with you. Though Kevin might be able to stand it," he teased, and Nick stuck out his tongue.
"I won't leave you," Amy promised, pulling a regular chair up beside the bed. Nick sighed softly, clearing his throat and coughing a little.
"I'll go get the next visitor then," Brian told Nick before leaving the hospital room. When he was gone, Amy looked down at her hands, and Nick propped himself up on his elbow to get a better look at her.
"Amy, you can be honest with me...you really thought that I might..." he paused, not sure if he would continue. Amy chewed on her lower lip.
"Nick, I just kept remembering how sick you were the last time you had an attack like that. We almost lost you then. I couldn't bare it if I lost you, I just couldn't." tears began rolling down her cheeks and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop them. Nick sat up, stroking her cheek with his fingertips.
"Please don't cry baby. I'm so sorry I scared you. I was a total asshole. Come here." He opened his arms, inviting her for a hug, which she gratefully accepted, sobbing into the front of his hospital shirt. "Shhhhhh. It's okay." Nick rubbed her back, kissing the top of her head. When AJ came in, he started to tell Amy, but AJ held his hand out, shaking his head.
"She can stay there." He shut the door behind him, and went to take Amy's original seat. When a few moments of silence passed, Nick smirked.
"AJ, if you want to bust me on this, why don't you just do it? Or say something...anything, I don't care, but this silence is killing me."
AJ snorted. "Nah, I'm not gonna bust you...I know Brian already kicked your ass verbally already."
Nick stroked Amy's hair. "So you're here to kick it physically?"
AJ reached over to ruffle Nick's hair. "Nah, I'll save that for Kevin. I'm just jokin', man!" he added when Nick scowled. "But I will tell you we called your Mom, and I think people could hear her from the third floor of this place. She was pretty hysterical, Nick, and it probably took at least ten minutes just to calm her down and tell her you were fine."
Nick groaned. "Great." He sniffled, quickly reaching for another tissue. "Huh-ESHHHH!"
"Geshuntite." AJ told him as Amy jumped at the sudden movement.
"Thanks."
"You really gave us a scare, though. We thought we were gonna loose you for a bit there."
Nick nodded. "My allergies can get really bad. At least with the meds I'll only sneeze a few times, but without them I just sneeze constantly. You didn't even hear me sneezing in the make up room before you came in, Ames. At least five times before I even had the base put on."
Amy kissed his nose, chuckling. "No, I didn't." she went right back to leaning against his chest, sighing in content.
"I'm glad you're feelin' better though, man. The doc says you have to spend the night for observation?"
Amy looked at Nick, startled by the news, and he smiled at her. "Yeah. I'll be able to come home in the morning. He doesn't want me going home tonight and having another attack so shortly after this past...this past...HASHHHOOH!" he sneezed so suddenly that he forgot to cover his mouth, and Amy covered her face with her hand.
"Charming, Nick!" she laughed, wiping a bit of spray from her forehead which had been in the direct line of fire..
"Sorry," he replied.
"I know what you mean though. Yeah. Good point."
AJ's visit lasted about five minutes, and after the rest of the boys had a turn, the doctor suggested that they all go home for the night. "Some people want to spend there time at the hospital, but he'll be under the best care we can give, so no worries," Dr. Kahrn told the group as they stood outside of Nick's room later in the afternoon.
"I'll pick him up in the morning," Amy told the doctor, looking at Brian who was chewing on his nail nervously.
"Good. If anything happens at all that's unexpected, I'll call you. Do you have a specific number where I can contact?"
"My cell," Kevin replied, jotting it down for the doctor, and handed the slip of paper to him. "Thanks for everything."
"It's my job," the doctor replied.
"Come on, let's go clubbing or something," AJ suggested.
"Sounds good," Howie agreed, looking at Kevin, Brian and Amy. "You three up for it?"
"Sure," Brian nodded, just as Amy held up her hand.
"Let me say goodbye to Nick and tell him I love him before I go," she said, and they waited patiently, leaning against the wall. When she came back out, she smirked.
"He said I'd better keep my bra on. Also, he wants Kevin monitoring how many drinks I have..." she giggled. "Let's go." She wished she could spend the rest of the night with Nick, but knew he wouldn't want her to, and the doctor wouldn't allow it anyway. As she followed the boys towards the elevator, she whispered to Brian, "So...about Leighanne..."
"No!" Brian covered his ears, singing loudly and mixing with the hustle and bustle of the hospital.
I obviously don't own the Backstreet Boys. Hehe they er... belong to themselves, I guess, though Nick's girlfriend Amy belongs to me, since I like to have the hurt/comfort aspect in a fic. I don't believe he had a girlfriend at the time of the shoot, but what do I know? LOL. I'm just an obsessed fan who has too much time on her hands ;o) Written for Weekly Hatch # 6 Fics should center around an existing solo musical artist or band/group. Pop, rock, country, whatever genre floats your boat. I would prefer the characters be in music/tour/work settings, but this is not required.
The Backstreet Boys were the first obsession to ever squeeze fan fics out of me, and I haven't written anything about them in years, so be kind! LOL. Also, here are links to pics as Bryanfan did with her story to correspond with the story sort of. Well, more like the costumes and such. Enjoy! Also, many many thanks to Bryanfan for beta-reading this. Pic #1, Pic #2, Pic #3, Pic #4
