This story involves members of the bands Backstreet Boys and N'SYNC. I am in no way implying anything about the sexuality of any of their members. This is purely a fictional story. Enjoy!
This is my first attempt at writing a story like this so please bear with me. Please send any comments and/or suggestions to jaclarke@hotmail.com
Loving Nick - Part 8
Everyone on the floor came running out of their rooms after hearing Lance's scream. They all gasped at what they saw. Lance was totally distraught and he had no idea of what to do. Immediately, Kevin and JC took charge of the situation and minutes later, paramedics on were scene.
They loaded Nick onto a stretcher and carried him onto the ambulance. Everyone else followed Nick to the hospital.
While Nick was being examined by the doctors, everyone waited in the waiting area in stunned silence, not knowing what to make of the new development.
Lance was a complete wreck. He was crying so hard that his head started to hurt. Everyone tried their best to calm him down but it was useless.
"It's all my fault," Lance muttered between sobs.
Justin held Lance tightly. "No, it's not, Lance. No one wanted this to happen, so stop beating up on yourself."
"If I hadn't gone to take a shower, this wouldn't have happened." Lance truly believed in his heart that he was responsible for this.
Justin looked at Lance and sighed. "You've got to be strong, Lance. We all need to be strong for Nick, right?" Justin was trying his best to keep Lance thinking positively.
Before long, the doctors emerged from examining Nick and everyone rushed towards him at the same time.
"Well, doctor? What's wrong with Nick? Was it a drug overdose?" Brian asked nervously. He asked the questions that were on everyone's mind.
"No, not at all. As a matter of fact, what happened to Mr. Carter was a result of the opposite, a drug underdose," the doctor replied calmly.
"What??" everyone said at the same time. "Nick was on drugs???"
"It's not what you think, so let me explain," the doctor answered. "A few months ago, Mr. Carter was diagnosed with severe ulcers that were causing him massive pain. His doctor wanted to operate on him but he insisted that he had to go on tour since it would take him a while to fully recover."
"Why did Nick tell us all this??" AJ could not believe that all of them were blind to Nick's pain.
"Anyways, the doctor agreed to postpone the operation and prescribed some medication to Mr. Carter. The purpose of the medication was to control the ulcers so that they would limit the pain that was felt by the patient. The only drawback was that a strict schedule had to be followed or else Mr. Carter's condition would deteriorate drastically. In addition, in his condition, Mr. Carter was advised to relax and take things easy for the next little while. Stress, anxiety, as well as emotional problems were all things that could make Mr. Carter's condition take a turn for the worse."
By now, everyone's faces had turned white. All of the things that the doctor said to avoid...stress, anxiety, emotional problems...were all things that Nick experienced in the last few days. To make matters worse, they were the direct causes of that stress, making them seemingly directly responsible for Nick's present condition.
"When we examined Mr. Carter," the doctor continued, "we discovered that he had already missed four doses of medication. This would explain what he collapsed earlier this evening. He was lucky that you brought him here in time. An hour later, he would not have survived."
By now, Lance was suffering from an emotional collapse. He couldn't listen to any more of the doctor's revelations. This was not the way things were supposed to turn out. He had just gotten Nick back and now he seemed to be lost him again.
"So how is he now, doctor," Kevin finally asked.
"Well, let's just say that the worst is over. Mr. Carter is still not awake yet but he should wake up in about an hour's time. He is still very weak at this point and would need lots of rest. We will keep him here overnight for observation but he should be released tomorrow if all goes well."
"Can we go in to see him?"
"Sure, just remember, he cannot take any more stress or shocks at this point in time."
"Thank you, doctor."
"You're most welcome. You seem like you're all good friends of his. He'll need all of your support to get through this. I'm just surprised that none of you seemed to be aware of his condition."
As the doctor walked away, everyone quietly walked into Nick's room, where he was still sleeping peacefully. Lance began to sob quietly, and everyone felt horrible for him. However, none of them knew the relationship that existed between Lance and Nick.
That night, no one left the hospital, even though they took turns going to the cafeteria to get something to eat or just to take a walk. Lance and JC sat in the chairs in Nick's room, both getting tired from the lack of sleep.
"I'm going to get a cup of coffee from the cafeteria. You want one, Lance?" JC offered.
Lance shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm ok." Lance didn't want anything, he just wanted Nick to wake up.
"OK, I'll be right back." JC quietly left the room, leaving Lance alone with Nick.
Lance walked up to Nick's bed and held his hand tightly. "Please, Nick, please wake up. I need you. I love you, Nick. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when you were going through all that pain. Please, I promise I'll never leave you alone again. Just give me one more chance." By now, Lance was crying again. He so desperately wanted Nick to wake up. Suddenly, he felt Nick's hand move and he looked up to see Nick stirring.
"Nick!!!" Lance yelled in excitement. He jumped onto the bed and hugged Nick tightly.
"Wow, that's quite a welcome!!" Nick joked.
"I'm so glad you're awake. You had us so worried!!!" Lance answered.
"Oh, so you guys were all worried, huh?" Nick said, sounding disappointed.
"Well, you had me very worried, Nick. Don't ever do that again," Lance replied.
With that answer, Nick's face lit up. He hugged Lance and kissed him on the lips. "I'm so sorry, Lance, I didn't mean to..."
"Don't say sorry, Nick. You don't have to. I should be the one saying sorry for putting you through all the stress and all," Lance said, looking at the floor.
Nick looked at Lance in the eyes. "Listen to me, James Lansten Bass...I love you..."
Lance stared at Nick in shock, his mouth wide open but no words coming out. "What...what did you just say?"
Nick got up really close to Lance and whispered in his ear, "I said, I love you, Lance Bass."
Tears of joy swelled up in Lance's eyes. For years, Lance had waited for this moment. He thought that he could only hear these words in his dreams but Nick himself has said those words. His dream had become reality.
"Oh my god, Nick...you don't know how long I've waited to hear those words. I love you Nick!!! I love you so much!!!" Lance held on to Nick tightly, almost afraid that Nick would disappear if he let go. He wanted to cherish this moment and make it last forever.
"Lance, I know you've shed a lot of tears for me, even though I'm so undeserving of it." Nick's smile melted Lance's heart.
"No, Nick. Every drop was worth it," Lance smiled as he said those words.
"I, Nicholas Gene Carter, promise you, James Lansten Bass, that I will not let your tears be shed in vain. I will prove to you how much I love you, in all that I do and all that I say."
Lance was deeply touched by Nick's promise. "I believe you, Nick, I believe you. You make me feel so special. I'm the luckiest guy in the world"
Nick pulled Lance close and gave him a deep, passionate kiss. Their tongues explored each other's mouth and their hot bodies rubbed against each other.
As Nick's hands began to roam Lance's body, the door opened and JC walked in with his coffee. He stared at the two guys on Nick's bed and dropped his coffee on the floor in shock. "Just what the hell is going on in here?" was all JC could say.
...to be continued....
Uh oh...now what?? What will the other guys think? Do Nick and Lance really have a chance together?
Please send any comments and/or suggestions to jaclarke@hotmail.com