Chapter 1

Nick dropped the Nike duffel bag onto the hard wood floor with a thump. His dogs jumped at the loud sound.

“Sorry guys,” He mumbled, stumbling into the kitchen. Reaching into the cabinet, he pulled out a bottle of Tylenol. Shaking the bottle upside down, 2 lonely pills fell out. He threw back his head and popped them in. Quickly grabbing a small juice glass, he filled it with water and washed the pills down He replaced the lid to the bottle and put them back in the cabinet. He shut it with a bang and picked up his duffel bag.

Ignoring the constant beep from the answering machine, he left the room and climbed the curvy stairs. He walked down the hall to the room at the end. As he opened the door, a foul odor leaked out. He scrunched his nose and shut the door. Sighing, he went back down the hallway to the extra guest bedroom. He pulled the crisp sheets away from the bed and climbed under them. He winced as his head touched the cool material. Slowly, his eyes began to close and he fell off into a deep sleep.

He awoke a few hours later, feeling better than he had. His headache had finally relieved him of the severe pain. He sleepily got out of the bed and made his way into the bathroom. He sighed as he looked into the mirror at the face looking back. Turning the faucet on, the cold mist hit his face. He splashed the cool water on his face, hoping to make himself feel better. He grabbed the nearest towel and wiped his dripping face off.

Nick turned his face to the side and looked at the lump that lay near the bottom of his jaw. He touched it, but jerked back from the pressure.

“Just a swollen gland,” He told himself, leaving the room. As he hit the bottom stair, his dogs greeted him excitedly. Smiling, he let them outside onto the deck.

“This place is a mess,” He muttered, picking up old magazines from the coffee table. He dropped them into the nearby trashcan then returned upstairs to face the smelly room.

The stench made him sick to his stomach as he entered the room. He followed the smell towards the laundry hamper.

“Figures..”

He picked the dirty hamper up and carried it downstairs to the laundry room. Dumping the mixture of clothing into the washer, he turned the knob onto ‘cold-cold; large.’ Quickly, he dumped Downey’s “Sweet Slumber” into it and closed the lid. He grabbed a can of air freshener from beneath the sink and went back upstairs and filled the room with the wonderful smell of a field of lilies.

After a short sneezing fit from the spray, he went back downstairs to put the can away. As he shut the cabinet, the phone rang, startling him. He grabbed the phone off the cradle and pressed it against his ear.

“Hello?” He asked.

“Hi Nicky,” His long-time girlfriend, Meggie, asked.

“Hey Meggie,”

He continued to talk to her for the next 2 hours. Before he hung up, he made plans to pick her up from the airport the next week. She was flying in from Minnesota, where she had been visiting family.

Nick’s head throbbed as he hung up. He shrugged off the idea of taking Tylenol and lay down on the couch. He dozed off and on, until he finally fell asleep.

His doorbell ringing awakened him only a few hours later. He slowly sat up, letting the blood rush to his head, and stretched. He slowly walked to the door and looked through peephole. A blonde girl stood outside, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

He opened the door to reveal his sister, B.J.

“Beej…what are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too, Nick. Remember… telephone conversation… oh… last week. You told me to stay here with you while I was in Tampa for a modeling shoot.”

“Oh yeah!” He said, playfully hitting his forehead. “Sorry… it’s been a long week,”

“I can stay at a hotel… don’t want to be a bother,” She said, turning around.

“Bobbie Jean get you’re a** in this house right now,” He teased.

She turned back around and greeted him with a hug.

“Missed you, Dorkus,” She laughed.

“Missed you too,”

He ushered her into the house and took her bags.

“Can I use your phone real quick? I was supposed to call mom the minute I got off the plane,”

“Sure… I’m going to put these in your room,” He said, walking up the stairs.

“Thanks,”

When they were both finished they met up in the living room.

“How long are you off?” B.J. asked, sipping a bottle of Dr. Pepper.

“Not long enough… three weeks,”

“Isn’t this the last leg of the tour though?”

“Yeah… but then we’re back in the studio for a new album,”

“Ah… sucks to be you,”

“You’re telling me… so is this Jeremy going to be at the photo shoot?”

B.J.’s cheeks flushed at the name.

“Yeah he is,”

“Do I get to meet this infamous guy?”

“Maybe… if you don’t embarrass me,”

“Now why would I do that?”

“Nickolas… I know you,” She glared, jokingly.

“I won’t… I promise… hey… you hungry?”

“Actually, I am,”

“Let’s go out… my treat. Italian sound good?”

“Great,”

Nick entered the kitchen and pulled his keys off the key-rack.

“Finally started putting them somewhere that you couldn’t lose them?” She teased.

“Yeah… but I still lose them,”

B.J. only shook her head as Nick ushered her out of the house. He locked the door behind him and went over to the garage and punched in the password. His garage opened on command to reveal his several cars. They got into his Durango, and backed out. Nick hit a button on the remote and the door closed.

“Buckle up,” He said, pulling the belt over his chest and abdomen.

“Yes, sir,”

“Nice car you rented,” He said as they pulled out of the driveway.

“Dad recommended it,”

The rest of the car ride resulted in small talk between to the two siblings.

Soon, Nick pulled the truck into Olive Garden’s parking lot.

“How are you going to pull this one off Nick? It’s improper to wear hats while eating, especially in a restaurant.”

“Attack them with my fork,” He joked as they walked inside. “Or I can always fling spaghetti at them,”

“How many?” The hostess asked as they approached the desk.

“Two, non-smoking,” Nick replied.

She took two menus and led them to a table for two.

“Hi, I’m Molly and I’ll be your waitress for the day. What can I get you to drink?” A young woman asked, approaching their table.

As she looked up from her notepad, her eyes widened.

Nick ignored it, trying not to laugh.

“I’d like a sprite, and she’d like ice tea, no lemon,” Nick said.

Molly nodded and wrote it down with her hand shaking.

As she walked away, Nick started to chuckle.

“You’re mean!” B.J. laughed. “How’d you know what I wanted, anyways?”

“Because you get the same thing wherever you eat,” He replied.

An Hour Later

Molly laid the bill on the table and quickly walked away.

Nick pulled his wallet from his back pocket and thumbed through his cash and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. Then he took a napkin and wrote on it with a pen.

Molly- Thanks for not saying anything to anyone and letting us enjoy our dinner. Take care.

Love, Nick Carter
BSB

“See, I do have a nice side,” Nick said as he slid the napkin under the bill.

“I know. I’ve know… just don’t like to let the truth out,” She teased.

Nick, being a gentleman, helped B.J. put her jacket on then they left the restaurant.

As they got into the truck, Nick shivered.

“Are you cold or something?” B.J. laughed.

“Actually, I am…”

“It’s seventy-five degrees outside, and you’re cold? Are you running a fever?”

“I don’t know,”

B.J. laid her head atop Nick’s forehead.

“You are kind of hot, Nicky,”

“Probably just a virus or something,” He replied, putting the key in the ignition and turning it. “I feel fine… don’t worry, Beej,”

“Alright,” B.J. replied, knowing her brother’s stubbornness.

Soon, Nick pulled the Durango into his circular driveway and opened the garage door. He slowly pulled it into the garage and put it into park.

Pulling the key from the ignition, he opened his door and got out. B.J. did the same and they went into the house.

“I’m going to hit the sack. I’m still worn out from the tour,” Nick said, dropping the keys onto the ceramic countertop. “Make yourself at home. You know where everything is,”

“I’m going to go to bed too. I need my beauty sleep,” She replied, a twinkle in her eyes.

“Alright. Goodnight, Beej,” He said, kissing her atop the head.

“Night Nicky,” She called, walking towards her room.

He smiled, happy to have his sister with him, as he walked into his room.

Digging through the dresser drawers, he found a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He walked into his large, private bathroom and did his business, then dressed.

With a yawn, he lied down onto his feather-down bed and fell asleep immediately.

Next Day

Nick awoke to the sound of a door closing.

He turned over and looked at his alarm clock. 12:36. His eyes widened as he got out of bed.

He pulled on a pair of jeans, then decided to get a sweatshirt since he was cold. Walking out of the room, he was greeted by B.J.

“Good afternoon, Sleepyhead,”

“I didn’t mean to sleep so late.. I didn’t realize I did. I missed your photo shoot… why didn’t you wake me?”

“Nick, it’s ok you missed it. I didn’t wake you because you’re sick and need your rest,”

“Aw, Beej, I’m not sick,”

“You are!” She said, feeling his forehead, “You’re still running a fever, you look sick, and your gland is swollen... actually... is that even a gland?”

“ I don’t know… it’s been there for a few weeks.”

“A few weeks?! Did you even go to a doctor for medicine??”

“No…”

“Well you are now,”

“Beeeeej,” Nick whined.

“Don’t want to hear it. Go eat breakfast… or lunch… or whatever. I’m going to call the doctor,”

“Yes, Mother,” He smirked.

She stuck her tongue out as she walked into the living.

Nick slowly walked towards the kitchen and looked around. Finally, he opened his pantry and looked through it.

“Thank god for Chef Boyardee,” He said, grabbing a can of ravioli.

By the time he had finished cooking it and was sitting at the table, B.J. walked in.

She rolled her eyes at what he was eating.

“What?” He asked, eyeing her.

“You need a full-time girlfriend, or a cook,” She snickered, sitting down across from him. “Anyways, you have an appointment at 1:45. And you can’t get out of it because I’m going with you,”

He quickly finished his lunch, and then went to take a shower, to be somewhat decent for the doctor.

He stepped out and dried himself with a towel. Then he tied to towel around his waist and shaved his face. After applying aftershave and deodorant, he spiked his short hair the got dressed.

“Are you ready, Nick?” B.J. asked from the living room.

“Coming,”

He grabbed his wallet then went into the kitchen and got hit keys off the counter.

“Now I’m ready,” He said, walking towards the garage door.

B.J. picked up her purse off the coffee table and followed. Silently, they got into his Durango and pulled out of the driveway.

***

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