Chapter 3

Nick’s point of view

I was awoken when the door to my ward creaked open. I could only make out complete darkness, so it must have been night.

AJ: Wait, isn’t he blind? Wouldn’t he always see complete darkness?

Kevin: He can see light, dumbass. Haven’t you been paying attention?

AJ: No…

Footsteps issued from the doorway, where the person was walking. Just a night-nurse, I guessed. I tried to get back to sleep, but the footsteps stopped when they were right next to me.

"Psst…wake up!" a female voice whispered in my ear.

I groaned and pointlessly opened my eyes, "What time is it?"

"Erm…sometime past 1am," she answered. "Look, I heard you had an accident."

"Yep, but so have half the people in here," I replied. "What makes me so special?"

AJ: *imitates teenybopper* Cause you’re, like, Nick Carter! OhmyGod! You’re, like, so hot! *squeals*

Nick: Ew, I didn’t know you felt that way, Bone.

AJ: *glares at Nick*

"Everyone knows about it. I came in here to help you," she claimed.

I sighed, "I don’t need a doctor. I need a miracle!"

Howie: Well, since this is a fanfic, you probably will end up getting that miracle.

AJ: Yeah, how much you wanna bet Nick gets his eyesight back by the end of this fic?

"What’s wrong with you?" the girl inquired, concerned.

Brian: He was in an accident! She already said she knew that!

"I’m blind for life, that’s what! Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep!" I told her irritably. I was getting very edgy lately.

AJ: Aunt Flo coming for her monthly visit, Nick?

Nick: *glares*

"Blind? Geez, that serious?" she exclaimed quietly.

Brian: *sarcastically* Oh, no, really?

"Yes, now go away!" I ordered.

"I can still help," she claimed.

"Look, are you gonna leave or do I have to call somebody in here?" I threatened.

"I promise, I can help you!" she insisted.

I frowned in the direction of her voice. How could she help me out at all? I was told this was irreversible. "Who are you, anyway?"

"That’s not important, just lie still."

I did as she told me, and she put her hand over my eyes, "OK, now this might hurt a bit, but don’t worry," the stranger reassured.

Suddenly, I felt a cold chill go right through me, but I felt relaxed under this girl’s influence. Like the stranger had said, there was a sudden, numbing pain at the back of my eyes. Yet as suddenly as the pain had arrived, it disappeared, and the stranger removed her hand.

Nick: Hm… maybe this isn’t just your average car crash fanfic.

"There. I have to go now," she stated moving away from me.

"Wait! What did you just do?" I asked, sitting up.

"You’ll understand in the morning," she told me.

Nick: Hey, maybe she fixed my eyes!

Brian: Gee, ya think?

She continued to walk, but her footsteps were not alone. There sounded like another set had joined her.

"Is there someone else there with you?" I questioned.

"Well, sort of. He’s not a person," she informed.

"You mean he’s your pet?" I asked, surprised. "You’re not allowed animals in here!"

"I wouldn’t call him my pet, but you’ve got nothing to fear from young Tohja,

here!" she reassured.

Kevin: This is getting weird…

"Strange name," I commented.

There was no reply, but more footsteps, and the new footsteps sounded like a dog’s footsteps.

"Hey, what’s your name?" I demanded, "Who are you?"

"One of your fans!" she whispered, before closing the door and leaving me in silence. Slightly shaken, I lay down and drifted back to sleep.

AJ: Eh, she didn’t fix your eyes, Kaos. She’s just some psycho teenybopper who wanted to touch you, and you’re so damn gullible, you let her.

Nick: *pouts*

THE NEXT DAY

Brian’s point of view

I sat nursing my broken arm in the waiting room, wondering if Nick was any grumpier than he was yesterday. It was about 7:00am, and AJ, Howie and Kevin were still fast asleep. Leighanne had woken me up at about 6:45 when she went to get some coffee, and Kristin had gone with her.

AJ, who had managed to sprawl himself across three seats, turned over dreamily. Still asleep, he wasn’t aware that the seats ended where he was turning. Falling off his makeshift bed, he woke himself up, as well as startling Howie and Kevin into wakefulness. I managed to laugh lightly at their bewildered expressions.

Nick: Ha ha, AJ!

AJ: Shut up, Nick.

"I wish I had a camera right now," I stated, grinning.

Kevin rubbed his head and then started to look around him.

"What you lost, Kev?" Howie inquired, while proceeding to hit AJ with a cushion.

"Kristin. She was right here!" he claimed, pointing to the empty seat beside him.

AJ: *imitates Kevin* “She just vanished into thin air! Or maybe she spontaneously combusted! Or maybe-“

Kevin: If you know what’s good for you, you’ll shut up, Bone.

AJ: *sticks his tongue out at AJ*

Howie: Real mature, Aje.

"Relax, Kev. She went with Leighanne to get some coffee," I told him.

Kevin relaxed and sunk back into his chair. AJ stood up and dusted himself off, "Have you been to see Nick?"

"Not yet. You wanna come?" I offered.

"Yeah, might as well. Save me from getting killed for waking these two up early," AJ agreed, gesturing to Kevin and Howie.

AJ’s point of view

Brian and me walked down the corridor to Nick’s ward.

Kevin: That should be “Brian and I ”.

Brian: Well, thank you, Professor Richardson. Like we care.

We both expected him to tell us to take a hike. Still, we had to see him to make sure he was all right.

We entered the ward to find Nick just sitting up in his bed, and it looked like he was in shock.

AJ: Yeah, he gets all discombobulated when he’s been deprived from his video games for too long…

Brian ran up to Nick’s bed, and I followed. A nurse was seeing to Nick, trying to get some reaction from him.

"Mr. Carter, are you alright?" she asked, "Is something wrong, Nick?"

"Yo Nick!" I attempted, "Say something!"

He just sat there but then turned and looked at both of us in turn, "This can’t be real,"

Brian didn’t know what to say in reply to this. I didn’t either, but I noticed with amazement that Nick’s eyes didn’t have the blank, sightless sense about them anymore…...

Brian: Gee, ya think he got his eyesight back?

AJ: No.