Chapter 28:

Getting Out

Brian winced slightly as the nurse pull out his IV, placing a bandage over the bruised vein. As she rolled the IV cart out of the room she gave him an encouraging smile and Brian gave her a fake one back. Rubbing his arm, he carefully slipped out of the uncomfortable bed, ecstatic at not having to drag that damn IV tubing around anymore. It had been three days, three days of unbelievable boredom, pain, and tests. If anyone hated hospitals, it was him, and to top things off the doctors had decided to do the annual exam for his heart. He wanted to scream. He walked over to the window and pulled back his curtain slowly, peeking down at the scene below. A throng of girls patiently waited, signs of get well scattered among them. Brian heard a faint scream and he dropped the curtain in a hurry. They knew. Somehow they always knew where he was. He sighed and turned back to crawl onto his bed, searching for the remote control. His hospital gown got tangled up, baring his ass and he swore, trying to straighten it. He heard a male voice chuckle and he turned to see the doctor standing in the doorway.

"What my 14-year-old daughter wouldn’t give to see that!"

Brian grimaced. On top of the hassles of the hospital, he had to get a funny doctor.

Ignoring the remark, Brian chose to glare at him instead. The doctor walked in and sat down next to his bed, flipping for a few moments through Brian’s chart. Brian impatiently waited for him to finish, eager to ask some questions. The middle-aged physician closed the chart, hugging it to his chest. "Well," he said.

"Well, what?" Brian snapped.

"I bet your ready to leave today, right?"

Brian’s mouth fell open, surprised. "I can leave? Today? I thought you told me there were some more tests you wanted to take!"

The doctor shook his head. "No, no more tests. All your results came back negative. Everything’s fine. Didn’t I tell you? You’re a little under your ideal body weight, but I guess that’s due to our wonderful hospital food, huh?"

If it was legal to shoot doctors, this one would have been dead a minute ago. Brian fumed inwardly, furious. He opened his mouth to complain about the lack of communication but thought the better of it. He was going to request something and it wouldn’t be good idea to get on the wrong side of him.

Brian’s physician reached over to give him a pat of reassurance on his shoulder. "Any questions, any concerns I can answer for you before you go?" He peered at Brian over his reading glasses, waiting expectantly. Brian mentally crossed his fingers, praying that his acting ability was up to par.

"As a matter of fact, doctor, I was wondering if you could write me a prescription for some sleeping pills. Strong ones."

Brian watched as the doctor’s eyebrows rose in question, sensing his curiosity at the request for sleeping pills. Brian took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "Well, you see, I haven’t been sleeping that well. Tour and all. Different rooms, uncomfortable beds, you know. Sure would help me a lot." Brian gave him a distraught look, wondering if his scheme was backfiring, that the doctor could detect his deception. Brian sensed hesitation on the doctor’s part and plunged on, inspiration suddenly hitting him.

"Fourteen-year-old daughter, huh? Whose her favorite Backstreet Boy?"

Distracted, Brian’s doctor paused for a moment. "Uh," he said sheepishly, "I’m not sure."

"AJ?" offered Brian helpfully. "I can get AJ to sign a hat for her."

"No, not AJ," drawled the doctor, lost in thought.

"Is it Kevin? How about a signed concert shirt?"

The doctor shook his head, unsure. "Is that the tall one?"

"Yes," agreed Brian. "Wait, no. Nick is tall too." This was getting annoying.

"Nick?" Brian’s doctor said slowly, contemplating.

"Yes, Nick. Tall, blond, the youngest?"

"Yeah, I think it’s Nick."

Brian nodded, happy to be getting somewhere. "Okay. What would she like? Tickets, backstage passes?"

The doctor brightened. "Tickets. Tickets would be great. Do you think she could she meet Nick?"

"Sure, no problem." Your daughter can marry him, just give me that prescription! promised Brian, biting his lip in anticipation.

Pulling his script pad out of his pocket, he scribbled something on it, ripped it off, and handed it to Brian. "Here’s a month’s worth. See how it goes. If you need refills, contact your primary care physician, okay?"

Brian nearly snatched it out of his hand, nodding in agreement, silently praising the perks of being a Backstreet Boy. He heard a sharp rap on the open door and he looked up to see Nick standing there. Brian waved him in. "Nick! Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you. I just promised my doctor here that his daughter could meet you."

Nick shrugged, hitching his hip onto the end of Brian’s bed. "Sure, no problem," he agreed, holding out his hand for a shake.

The doctor shook his hand, a frown forming on his face. "You’re Nick?"

Nick smiled. "Last time I looked."

Brian’s doctor coughed, uncomfortable. "Uh, I thought you had curly white hair."

Nick laughed. "You’re thinking of Justin Timberlake."

"Yeah, that’s it. That’s who Amber likes. Justin of the Backstreet Boys."

Brian smothered a groan, quickly hiding his prescription under the sheets. Nick looked at the doctor, puzzled. "Justin is with NYSNC. Not Backstreet."

The doctor gave an embarrassed laugh. "NYSNC, Backstreet, they’re all the same, right?"

Oh, no, thought Brian, smothering another groan as he watched Nick stiffen at the unintentional insult.

"No, not really," Nick replied coolly.

Sensing a problem, Brian jumped hastily out of bed, regretting the instant he did as his back protested painfully. Gritting his teeth, Brian forced a smile at his doctor and placed a hand on his shoulder, walking him to the door. "Thanks for everything. Don’t worry about your daughter. I’ll make sure she gets tickets and meets Justin." Even if I have to pull every permed hair out of Timberlake’s head to get him to do it! thought Brian grimly.

The doctor smiled gratefully and gave a nod to Nick. "Nice meeting you," he said, then left.

Nick leaned forward on Brian’s bed, watching the doctor head down the hallway, then straightened, shaking his head. He glanced at Brian who was standing by the door and then snickered. "Nice ass, Bri. So, how many nurses did you impress?"

Grabbing instinctively the back flaps to his gown, Brian turned and stuck out his tongue at his friend. "Ha, ha. Knowing you, you’d wear the gown open in the front for them!"

Nick smiled at the thought. "Only the pretty ones."

"Well, I hope you brought some of my clothes, or you’re going to get another eyeful."

Nick playfully covered his eyes at the thought, then threw a small bag towards Brian. "Here. Underware and all."

Brian gratefully caught it and dressed quickly, vowing never again to take street clothes for granted. "How did you know I was getting out today?"

Nick, leaning back on Brian’s empty bed, snagged the remote and began to surf the TV channels. "Didn’t. Xavier told me. Asked me to come pick you up."

Brian sat down on a chair, bending his head low as he slowly tied his shoelaces. "Xavier knew?" he asked, trying to sound disinterested.

"Yeah." Bored with the selection, Nick turned off the TV and began tossing the remote absently back and forth between his hands. "Seems like he knows everything, doesn’t it?"

Nervous, Brian began to bite at his thumbnail, then stopped, not wanting Nick to see him.

"I’m surprised he didn’t come to pick me up," he commented lightly.

"Couldn’t. He’s in Florida."

Brian straightened up, confused. "Florida?"

"Took off for a few days. He does live there, ya know."

So do all of us, Brian thought worriedly. His mind raced, wondering what Xavier was up to.

"B-Rok....Bri....Brian!!"

Brian jumped as Nick yelled his name. "Hmm?"

"Jeez. Earth to Bri! What’s this?" He held out a slip of paper, trying to study it.

Brian reached over and snatched it out of Nick’s hand, grateful that doctors has such lousy handwriting. He folded it and stuffed it into his back pocket. "Just a script."

"Painkillers, huh?"

"Uh, yeah." Brian quickly changed the subject. "So, how did you sneak in here?"

Nick waved his hand. "Piece of cake. Nobody saw me. Nothing’s too hard for Nick the Great."

"Really." Brian smiled wickedly. "Go look out the window."

Curious, Nick got up from the bed and pulled the curtains apart. He gazed down and a unison scream of delight rose from below. "Shit!" He let go of the curtain and turned to see Brian smirking.

"They know you’re here now."

"Thanks a lot, asshole."

"Anytime." Brian turned around to see a nurse holding discharge papers. He signed as quickly as he could, giving her a sincere smile as she gushed over what a thrill it was to have him as a patient. He signed a few autographs for her then made Nick sign some too.

As soon as she left, Brian packed what little he had. "I’m starving," he announced. "Let’s go get the biggest, greasiest hamburger we can find."

"Sounds good to me. Only how are we gonna get past those?" Nick jerked his thumb, indicating the eager fans outside.

Brian slapped his arm. "Nothing’s too hard for Nick the Great, remember?"

"It doesn’t help when I have Brian the Idiot with me."

Brian laughed as they walked out of his room, each arguing over who had the cleverest escape plan.

***

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