Chapter 99:
Picking Up the Pieces
As he was waved through by hospital
security, on his way to the unoccupied waiting room, Nick shook his head slowly
in resignation. It had been a nightmare, it was still a nightmare, and
as far as he was concerned, things would continue to be a nightmare for
sometime to come.
It had been difficult to visit anyone, the
wide-spread publicity of the accident making his every movement almost
impossible; the endless stream of reporters vying for an interview, the media
and fans camped out in front of the hospital, clamoring for anything tangible.
Security, as expected, had kicked into high gear, not allowing anyone access
until being checked and then double-checked. But he endured it, gladly, just
for the opportunity he received from a sympathetic nurse who would sneak him in
for unauthorized and after-hour visits. It was the only thing that kept him
sane, and by the frequency of AJ's visits, suspected it also held true for AJ.
Catching the end of the coffee table with
the tip of his shoe, Nick dragged it close enough towards him to prop his feet
up. Slouching a little more comfortably into the upholstered chair, he made
sure not to make any sudden downward movements with his head, noticing that the
injury to his jaw had seemed to affect his equilibrium. The doctors had said it
would be just a matter of time before his balance would return to normal.
His attention was caught by a passing
nurse on her way to deliver some medication. She gave him a quick nod of hello
and Nick stared back, too tired to acknowledge her presence. Glancing at his
watch Nick noted the time, wondering where AJ was. AJ had called him at the
hotel, excitedly telling him to get his butt down here cause the doctors were
thinking about discharging Howie soon. Nick remembered being the first to be
discharged from the hospital, followed shortly thereafter by Kevin. Then the
waiting had begun. It took several days before Howie regained consciousness,
his concussion so severe that neurological specialists had been flown in for
their opinion. It was touch and go for a while, no one knowing whether Howie
would ever awake from his coma. It had been one of the worst times in Nick's
life, not sure if he could kept his sanity if Howie died.
Still pondering on what might have been,
Nick jumped a little as the door banged open, AJ sauntering in with a big grin
on his face. "Hey, Nick! Today may be the day!"
"Yeah, great," he mumbled
unenthusiastically, irked that AJ was in such high spirits, considering….
AJ frowned, coming over to stare down at
him. "You're still thinking about Brian, aren't you?"
"Of course!" shot back Nick,
angry. "Aren't you?"
"Well, sure, I'm not that much of a
bastard," said AJ heatedly. "It's just that I'm happy that Howie
might be getting out today. Excuse me. I just thought you'd be happy
too."
"I am," yelled Nick, not
caring who heard. "I think about Howie every fucking second, of every
fucking hour, of every fucking day since he got here!" He rose suddenly,
ignoring the slight vertigo that hit him. "Don't you dare accuse me
of playing favorites, AJ, just because Brian…" he faltered, unable to go
on, the misery evident in his eyes.
AJ's face softened and he heaved a small
sigh. "Nick, you can't help but be sad," he said softly. "I am,
Kevin is too. It's not something we will ever forget, ya know?"
Nick sat back down, leaning over in the
chair and covered his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I understand all that. It still
doesn't help."
AJ shrugged his agreement. "Guess
not. But maybe this will."
With a small plop, a folded up section of
newspaper landed on the coffee table in front of him.
"What's this?" he questioned,
his eyes zeroing in on the obituary page. Jesus! That was the very last thing
he wanted to see right now. What the hell was AJ thinking?
"You want me to read the obits?"
he asked, his voice incredulous with surprise.
"No! Not that, read the
article on the left."
Sighing heavily, Nick picked up the paper
and read the small article.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Associated Press
Bodyguard to the famous boy band, the
Backstreet Boys, Xavier L. Delgado was killed late Sunday night in a motor
vehicle accident just south of the border, in
<><><><><><><><><><><>
Stunned, Nick looked at the date of the
newspaper, realizing it was several days old. "How… how did you find
this?" he breathed, his voice a mixture of disbelief and delight.
AJ smirked a little, looking pleased.
"A reporter. Said if I gave him an exclusive interview, he'd give me a
special surprise in return." Throwing his arms wide, AJ grinned.
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for surprises."
Nick caught him up in a big bear hug,
giving an ear-splitting whoop of joy. "Oh my God, oh my God, I can't
believe it! Does Kevin know?"
"AJ told me a just a few minutes
ago," said Kevin with a broad smile as he entered the lounge room. "He
regrets any heartache that he may have caused to the Backstreet Boys"
he mimicked, citing the article. "Heartache, my ass! I'm gonna send him a
personal thank-you for killing that SOB for us!"
Remembering, Kevin turned around to face
Matt, who was quietly standing behind him. "Oh, yeah, sorry about your
truck, Matt. Name your make and model. Whatever you want. It's the least we can
do."
"Don't forget Zac," said Matt,
with a sly smile.
"Never."
AJ and Kevin both slapped him on the back,
their eyes shining gratefully with thanks that mere words could not show.
Nodding, Matt turned to Nick, who was
standing quietly a few feet away.
"Hey, Nick."
Nick shifted uncomfortably. He was
surprised to see Matt here; he hadn't seen him since Brian had….
"Hey," he replied back softly.
"You doing okay?"
"I guess. A lot better now, due to
this," Nick admitted, waving the folded newspaper.
"Yeah," said Matt, a slight
smile forming.
"Listen, I want to thank you for
everything you've done, man. If it hadn't of been for Zac and you…."
"It's okay, Nick. I just wish I could
of done more."
Nick gaped at Matt. "What do you mean,
done more? You did everything you could! Everything!"
Matt stared at the floor for a moment.
"I dunno. Brian…"
Nick interrupted him with a slash of his
hand. "No! It's okay. Really. I understand. We all do. Hell, how were you
to know? How were any of us? How could we have possibly known that Brian would
live?
* * * * * * * * *
Nick tip-toed into the room, giving the
nurse a wink of thanks. The room was quiet, cool, and Nick could barely make
out Brian's sleeping figure in the dim light of the room.
Treading softly, Nick came up to the side
of the hospital bed, staring down at Brian, his breath catching for an instant.
Brian looked so still, so lifeless, just like when the paramedics had lifted
him onto the Air-Vac; his frantic screams to save his
friend overshadowing even the high whine of the rotating blades. He remembered
how it took all of AJ's, Zac's, and Matt's power to
keep him from boarding the helicopter with Brian, wildly thinking that if he
were aboard, he could keep Brian alive, that somehow he could do what the
paramedics said was impossible. Well, Brian proved them wrong. He fought for
his life, fought harder than Nick thought anyone possibly could, wavering
between life and death for two days before doctors declared him out of the woods,
shaking their heads and declaring it a miracle. And it was. Never again would
Nick take the power of prayer for granted, the hours he spent in the chapel,
the ICU, the waiting room, enough to prove to him that God had indeed heard.
Wondering if he should just let Brian
sleep, his question was answered by the flutter of Brian's eyes opening, a weak
smile spreading to his eyes when he saw Nick's concerned face.
"Hi."
"Hey, Frick. Didn't mean to wake
you."
"Naw," said Brian softly.
"You didn't."
Nick was almost afraid to ask, but did
anyway. "How are you doing?"
Brian closed his eyes for a second.
"Not too bad. I guess I'm going to be staying here a while longer,
huh?"
Nick gulped. Yeah, a while longer. A
lot longer. And I'm with you every step of the way.
"Just a bit," he admitted.
Wanting to change the subject, Nick waved the paper in front of Brian's nose.
"Got something for ya. I think it will make you feel much better."
A bit of the old Brian showed through his
eyes, a slight smile twitching at Nick's teasing.
"Okay, lemme hear it."
Excited, Nick carefully hitched a hip on
the end of the bed and began reading as quickly as he could. Finishing, he
brought down the paper to see Brian's reaction. Brian's head was bent, his face
shadowed by the faint lighting in the room.
"Bri?" asked Nick, slightly
panicked.
Brian raised his face to meet Nick's
anxious one, his eyes glittering joyfully with sudden understanding.
"I won," he said softly.
***
