Chapter 5

Nick slept most the afternoon, waking occasionally from Katie checking his I.V.’s and his bandage. The medication kept him painless and drowsy, allowing him to rest peacefully.

“Nick,” Katie whispered at his bedside. He slowly opened his eyes and let them focus on her face. “I just wanted to let you know that my shift is over now. Your night nurse is Shelby. And you have a new visitor. He’s in the hall, but he’ll be in real soon.” She wrote down his vital signs from the SAT monitor, and then copied down the remainder of the I.V. bag. “Dr. Resnick will be in to check on you in a bit, also. You’re doing great though.”

She pulled down the sheet and raised the gown to his chest, checking the bandages for oozing or bleeding. She then checked the drains, which still had faint signs of blood running through. Replacing the gown, she fixed the sheet. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Nick closed his eyes until he heard the door open again. A tall figure neared the bed, a scared look in his eyes. Though the mask covered most of his face, Nick realized it was his father.

As tears burned his eyes, Bob leaned over Nick, kissing him on the forehead. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” He whispered. Stepping back, he sat down in the chair at the bedside and took Nick’s hand into his.

Nick watched his father begin to cry, helplessly. He wanted to say so many things, but the ventilator prevented him from speaking. The door suddenly opened and Dr. Resnick walked in.

Bob stood abruptly, stepping back.

“No, no. You’re fine. I’m just checking on him. I’m Dr. Resnick.” He offered his hand to Bob.

“I’m Robert Carter, Nick’s father.”

“I was Nick’s surgeon yesterday and today.” Dr. Resnick withdrew gloves from a box on the counter. Sliding them on, he went to the other side of Nick’s bed, opposite of Bob. “Have you talked to anyone yet?”

“My other son called me yesterday but was brief on the details.”

As the doctor folded down the sheet, he began to explain to Bob what had happened, and the surgery that had taken place. “So far, his vital signs are great. His incision hasn’t been bleeding or oozing, and I’m just going to check that real quickly for signs of infection. Nick, this might tug at your skin a bit, but I’m going to be as gentle as possible.”

Nick looked down as Dr. Resnick lifted his gown, and then began pulling the tape off the side of his abdomen. Peeling back the bandage, a long, thin incision could be seen. It was red and swollen around it, but looked much better than it had yesterday. Staples lined the center of it, keeping the skin tightly together. “It looks great.” He replaced the bandage, and then began taking off the gauze covering the wound where the pole had impaled him. “Nick, we used a special material that we use on burns for your wound. Eventually, you may need a skin graft. Your back is the same way. Right now, it’s healing very well.”

Replacing the bandage, he pulled the gown back down. “I’ll have your nurse change your bandages tonight.” He picked up the chart and looked over the notes from the nursing. “Your breathing looks good. Would you like to get that out of your throat?”

Nick nodded to the best of his ability. “All right. Let me go get the nurse and I’ll be right back.”

Nick looked over at his father, his face pale and damp with sweat. This wasn’t the way he wanted his father to see him.

Dr. Resnick returned with a nurse on his heels, carrying a basin. Using the over-bed table, the nurse took several packets and supplies out of the basin, and then set it on the counter.

“Nick, I’m going to try to make this as comfortable as possible. I’m going to put a little bit more of pain medication in your IV before we start.”

As the nurse opened a packet and took out clear tubing, Dr. Resnick inserted a syringe into a cap in the I.V. line. Nick immediately felt his body relax. “We’re going to sit you up a bit, Nick.”

The head of the bed suddenly started to elevate, stopping at a 45˚angle.

“I’m Shelby, by the way,” The nurse said as she laid a white towel across Nick’s chest.

“Nick, I’m going to turn off the machine, and then count to three. When I get to three, I want you to cough as much as you can.”

Dr. Resnick took the tape off the side of his face where the tube was taped down. On the other side of the bed, Shelby was connecting a nasal cannula to the oxygen socket on the wall behind the bed.

“All right. One… two… three.” It suddenly felt as though his lungs were being ripped out. He couldn’t help but cough and gag, though it sent excruciating pain to his abdomen. Once the tube was out, he breathed heavily, as if out of breath. Shelby was quick to place the cannula beneath his nose. It immediately sent fresh oxygen to his lungs, calming him. She strung it behind his ears, then down to the bottom of his neck, where the tube circled around to the socket on the wall.

“Good job, Nick.” Dr. Resnick said, patting him on the hand. “I’m just going to suction out your mouth a bit.”

From another socket in the wall, came another tube. “Shelby, can you get me a size fourteen?”

She nodded, opening a package of tubing. He connected it to the container on the wall, and then turned the suction on. He gently placed it in Nick’s mouth, suctioning out the saliva he had been unable to swallow.

“Your throat will be sore and dry for a few days. I’m not quite ready to start you on liquids yet, but I’ll allow ice chips. I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow.”

As Shelby began cleaning up the area, Nick realized his father had left.

“He was looking a bit queasy.” Shelby said, noticing the look on his face. “You’re so lucky that you have so many people here with you. The waiting room was full when I left this morning. Well, I’ll let you rest. Press the call button if you need anything. The TV remote is right by the call button, if you’re bored.”

Nick watched as she left, leaving him alone for the first time that day. Someone had been with him since he got back from surgery, and it was odd for it to be so quiet in the room. It stayed that way for nearly an hour before the door opened again. Nick had dozed off and on, enjoying the freedom from the breathing tube.

Turning his head, he saw Aaron near the bed and sit down.

“Hey,” Aaron said, fussing with the mask on his face.

“Hi,” Nick whispered, attempting to talk for the first time. It hurt, but at the same time, felt good to be able to speak.

“How are you feeling?” Aaron asked, then immediately regretting it, seeing how it was impossible to feel great in his position.

“Medicated.” Nick replied. He was still trying to fight off the effects of the Valium from being extubated. “Did you see Dad?”

“Yeah. He’s in the waiting room. He’s got jet lag and was tired, I guess.” Aaron rolled his eyes, knowing his brother would understand.

“Where’s Brian?”

Aaron held his breath, unsure as to how to answer. “At the hotel. He’s feeling a bit under the weather.”

“Liar.” Nick watched his brother’s cheeks grow rosy in color. “He’s mad, isn’t he?”

“I… I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him.”

“If you do… tell him I’m sorry? It’s the least I can say right now. I have so much I want to tell you guys, but I’m so tired… and it hurts to talk.”

“It’s okay. We have plenty of time. Just sleep.”

He hesitated, staring into Aaron’s eyes before closing his own. As he woke later, he felt as if he hadn’t slept. The night lingered on but he wasn’t sure what time it was. The curtains had remained tightly closed all day, not allowing the sun or the moon to shine through.

Shelby had been in several times, each time greeting him with a smile before checking his IV and incision.

“What time is it?” He asked as she came in once more.

“Eleven forty-five.” She replied, checking her watch. “Want something to help you sleep?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“All right. Let me know if you do.”

Realizing Aaron was gone and he was alone yet again, he turned the television on. Finding himself too weak to bother turning the channel much, he ended up watching a rerun of <I>Will and Grace</I>. Shortly after, Entertainment Tonight came on.

“We have breaking news straight from the Backstreet Boy’s manager.” The host rambled on about several other top stories, before she appeared with a picture of Nick over her shoulder. “Backstreet Boy’s manager has announced the official postponement of the upcoming tour. Here’s Jann Carl with the latest.”

It showed a recent appearance by the Boys with a woman’s voice talking. Suddenly, Johnny Wright appeared on the screen. “Nick was injured seriously yesterday during rehearsals. He was impaled by a pole for the barricades. He’s doing great and his doctor’s expect him to make a full recovery.”

Nick held his breath, fearing the worst would be told to the World, but it didn’t happen. The female voice returned as the camera panned back to the main studio. “The tour is postponed indefinitely. All tickets can be kept for use at the new tour dates or can be returned for the full amount.”

“Thank you, Jann. In other music news-“ Nick turned the channel, finding <I> The Cosby Show</I> on the Nick At Nite channel. He left it on, but found it hard to watch with the medication keeping him a bit drowsy.

The door opened, but instead of Shelby, a petite woman appeared. He watched her eyes as they filled with fear and sadness, trying to recognize the woman behind the mask.

“Riley?” He asked, his voice quiet and raspy.

She nodded, her voice lost for a moment as she took in the scene that lay in front of her.

A light that had been missing in his eyes suddenly appeared. He held his hand out for her and she hesitated before taking it. He pulled her close, kissing her on the cheek.

“What are you doing here?”

“Kevin called me.”

“You didn’t have to come. Aren’t you busy with your company?”

“You’re more important than my career, Nick.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you more.” Realizing that it was, indeed, Nick there, she began to become more comfortable.

“I thought I was too late to see you tonight, but seeing as you’re still awake…”

“I’ve been sleeping all day. I’m kind of tired from the medicine, but I don’t want to sleep right now.”

“So why did you have to go and fall off a stage?” She asked, a sense of teasing in her voice. Nick watched her eyes crinkle above the mask, a sure sign she was smiling.

“Believe me, after all this, I don’t think I’ll do it again.”

“Good. So why are you in isolation? I’m not digging this garb.” She motioned at the gown she wore.

“They’re worried about me getting an infection.”

“Why?”

“They had to take my spleen out. They said it was part of the immune system.” Nick attempted to dodge the actual answer, not ready to tell her quite yet.

“Well that sucks. So let’s put this out of our minds… how’s life?”

“Eh… it’s okay.”

“Just okay? That’s odd coming from you, Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky.”

“Emily broke up with me.”

“What?”

He yawned before replying. “She said our relationship wasn’t going anywhere, therefore, I’m history.”

“Aw… I’m sorry, Nick.”

“Enough about me. What’s up with you?”

“Nothing really. Business is doing pretty well over there. I miss it here though.”

“Aren’t you knocking guys off their feet?”

“Yeah, like I have time.” She rolled her eyes. Nick yawned again, and then attempted to shuffle beneath the sheets. “I hate this. It hurts to move anything.”

“Bet you can’t wait until they have you walking.”

“Ugh,” He moaned. “Don’t remind me. I can’t even sit up, let alone walk.”

“I would say, I know how you feel, but I’ve never been impaled. But it gets better, Nick. Once the incision starts healing and your muscles heal, it’ll get better.”

She knew what she was talking about from experience. Nearly five years ago she had been in a near-fatal car accident, and had gone through many surgeries in order to live a normal lifestyle.

The door opened, startling them both. Shelby appeared carrying a new bag of IV fluids.

“Sorry, guys.” She apologized for the disturbance. Going to the other side of the bed, she unhooked the old bag from the tubing before reconnecting it with the new one. “Nick, are you sure you don’t want anything to help you sleep?”

“Uh…”

“Yes he does.” Riley spoke for him. “Nick, go to sleep. Don’t let this turn you into an insomniac. It’s a pain.”

“Will you stay until I fall asleep?” He asked, his voice innocent.

“Yeah.”

Shelby left the room for a few minutes before returning with a syringe. She inserted it into the IV cap and pushed it in slowly.

“There you go. You’ll be out in no time.”

“Thanks,”

Within a few minutes, his eyelids grew heavy and he felt his body giving way.

“Don’t fight it.”

He smiled sheepishly. “Thanks for coming, Riley.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Love you babe.” His words became slurred as his eyes closed.

“Love you, too.” She whispered. His hand relaxed within hers. She watched him for several more minutes before gently pulling her hand away. Standing, she pulled the chain from the light, causing the room to immediately darken. She walked to the door and looked back once more before exiting.

Outside, she untied the mask and tore the gown off, disposing of them in the red waste barrel. She followed the signs to the waiting room, surprised to see AJ and Aaron playing a game of cards. When she had arrived, everyone had been sleeping. She had wrangled information from Frank who was still downstairs, and found Nick’s room on her own.

Peering over AJ’s shoulder, she glanced at his hand.

“Three kings,” He said, laying down three cards in a growing pile. Aaron looked up as she shook her head.

“Bullshit.” Aaron said.

“Man, you don’t call me this whole time, but the one time I have something good going…”

“Bullshit. You still suck at this game.” AJ spun around quickly, his eyes widening at the sight.

“Well, if it isn’t Ms. Hot-Shot-I’m-Too-Good-For-The-US.” He grinned as he rose to hug her. “I missed you, babe.”

“I missed you, too. Sorry I interrupted your lame attempt to play the game.”

Aaron stood, also hugging her.

“Want to play?” He asked.

”Nah. I think I’m going to go find a hotel. I’m beat.”

AJ dug in his pocket, returning with a card key.

“Here. Take my room.”

“AJ, I can’t.”

“Yes you can. I’m staying here tonight with this little bugger anyways.” He ruffled Aaron’s hair, in return receiving a nasty glare. “Take the room for the night. Shower. Sleep. God knows you’re tired. You look like crap.”

“Always the gentleman. Sorry I don’t look my best after a ten-hour flight. Anyways, I’ll see you two in the morning.”

Picking up her suitcase, she walked towards the elevator. As it opened, she waved to them before disappearing.

~~~~~

Nick woke early from the medicated sleep to find himself alone in his room. He lay, staring through the slits in the blinds, out into sky, which was beginning to lighten. So many thoughts crossed through his mind. So much had happened in the past several days. One of his best friends hated him, while another flew half way across the world to see him. But she didn’t know anything yet.

The door suddenly swung open, startling Nick from his train of thought. Shelby entered carrying a tray of items.

“Good morning. How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good.”

“That’s great. Well, Dr. Resnick wants you sitting up today, and possibly moving over to the chair.”

Nick made a face at the thought of having to move. Just trying to turn a slight bit caused terrible pain.

“I know it sucks, but the sooner you’re sitting up, the sooner you can start walking which means the sooner you walk OUT of here.” She offered him a grin as she wrote down his vitals from the monitor. “As soon as I’m done with this, I’m going to take off the bandages so the incisions can get some air. And then we’ll sit up.”

She measured the amount in the IV bag, then the catheter bag before emptying it. Returning from the bathroom, she took off her gloves before washing her hands, then put on clean gloves.

“Shall we get this show on the road?” She asked.

“If you must.”

She raised the bed, and then put down the side rail before turning on the light above the bed.

“I’m going to take your gown off for now. I’ll get you a clean one when we’re done.” She unsnapped the buttons along the shoulder line before sliding it out from beneath his arms, then off his chest. Laying it on a chair, she then folded down the sheet to the bottom of the bandage. “It might tug a little at the staples when I pull the tape off, but I’ll go as gently as possible.”

She started at the top, slowly peeling back the white medical tape. She worked her way down on one side, then the other. Wadding it into a ball, she tossed it in the trash before carefully lifting the gauze bandage off the wound.

The incision was pink and swollen, nearly red in some places. She took the bandage off the impalement wound, careful not to disturb the grafting material.

“It looks really good.” She said. He looked down, expecting worse than he saw. The area was red, but had a light pink mesh material over the wound. “Okay, I’m going to help you turn onto your side, but I’ll need you to grab the rail and hold yourself over there for a minute.”

He held his breath as she slowly helped him roll onto his side. It didn’t hurt nearly as bad as he thought it would, but still caused an ache in his abdomen.

She took off the bandage in the back, but placed a gauze four-by-four over it.

“I don’t want the sheet to irritate it right now. When you sit up, I’ll put a pillow or towel behind you so it can get some air.” Pulling the sheet back up to mid-belly, she disposed of the bandages and tape.

“Okay. Since you’ve had abdominal surgery, your muscles are sore. When you first sit up, it <I>will</I> hurt, but as the muscles get used to the position, the pain will lessen. You haven’t used those muscles in a few days, so they’re also weak. I’m going to help you sit up. You can use the rails to pull yourself up, also. Then I’ll move the bed up and you can sit back against it.”

She slid one of her arms behind his back, and then took his hand in her other.

“I’ll count to three, then slowly sit upwards, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“One… two…three.” She slowly pushed him forward as he pulled himself up with her hand and the side rail. Pain struck suddenly, burning his stomach. He gasped, nearly losing his breath. “Take a deep breath. It will pass.”

As promised, it passed and she helped him up the rest of the way. Moving her hand out from his back, she used the remote to raise the head of the bed.

“Okay, sit back,”

As he did, he sighed in relief.

“You did awesome.” She said. “How do you feel?”

“Kind of lightheaded.”

“That’s okay. That will pass too. It’s just from lying down so long. Just take a few deep breaths.” She put the side rail back up before taking off her gloves.

“I’m going to go get a clean gown. I’ll be right back.”

Nick closed his eyes, hoping to make the pain disperse, but it didn’t help.

Shelby returned and helped him put the gown on.

“Do you want some pain medication?” She asked, rolling a towel beside him.

“No… it makes me drowsy.”

“Can you sit up just a bit?”

As he did, she slid the towel behind his back to keep weight and pressure off the wound.

“If that gets uncomfortable, let me know and I can put a clean dressing on it and you can lay on it. And if you decide you need medicine, let me know.”

“I will. Thanks.”

“Dr. Resnick will probably be in to check on you later. I think he’s planning on moving you to a regular room this afternoon.”

“Okay.”

Shelby glanced around to make sure she had cleaned up before slipping out the door.

Nick sighed, resting his head against a pillow. Outside, the sun had begun beating down, now leaving rays of light splashing across the tiled floor. The door opened, not surprising him, as it was nearly seven and someone was bound to be awake. Glancing over, he saw it was a tall figure that had entered.

“Hey Kev,” Nick said upon realizing who it was.

“Hey.” He sat down in the chair behind the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“At the moment, not so good. My stomach is killing me.”

“Do you need the nurse?”

“Nah. She just left. It’s just because I haven’t sat up yet.”

“Did you get pain medicine?”

“I didn’t want any. It makes me drowsy.”

“Oh.”

There was an awkward silence, neither one knowing what to say.

“Did Brian go home yet?” Nick asked suddenly.

“What?”

“Did he leave yet? To go back to Georgia?”

“I… I don’t know. I saw him yesterday, but it was before all the plans were made for the tour.”

“So… he’s not even going to talk to me? I can understand being pissed off and upset… but won’t he even let me explain anything?”

Kevin sighed, leaning back in the chair.

“I don’t know, Nick. He’s stubborn and you know that. He was being an ass yesterday when I saw him, and besides that, I haven’t talked to him. I don’t think anyone but Leighanne has. He’s the only one that hasn’t been here. Leigh was even here for a long time.”

The conversation was short-lived as Dr. Resnick walked in.

“Good morning,” He greeted, lifting the top page off the chart he held. “Everything looks good. How are you feeling?”

“Kind of hurting right now.”

“From sitting up?”

“Yeah, but it’s starting to go away.”

“You’re muscles are still very sore, naturally, so it will hurt for awhile. As you begin using them again, you’ll begin to feel better. It will take some time, though.” He set down the chart on the corner of the sink before withdrawing gloves from the box above the faucet. He put them on before drawing down the sheet from Nick’s abdomen. “I just want to check the incision and wounds real quick. Shelby said they looked good.”

Lifting Nick’s gown, he peered over the incision, then the impalement wound. He dropped the gown before asking Nick to sit up a bit so he could see his back.

“Looks great, Nick. Much better than I expected them to heal. Hopefully they’ll continue to heal this way so we won’t have to do any skin grafts.” Disposing of his gloves, he glanced over the chart again.

“Why don’t we try you on some liquids today at lunch? If you can keep it down without any problems, we might be able to go to soft foods by tomorrow. I also plan on moving you later this morning. Once you’re settled in, I want to try to get you into a chair and see how you do there. The sooner we can get you up and moving, the easier it will be to fight off infections.”

“Move out of ICU or out of isolation?”

“Isolation. I think one more day in the ICU wouldn’t hurt. The air is a bit cleaner up here, so there’s not as much chance for infection.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll have some vaccinations sent up before they move you. But for now, just rest. I’ll be back in this evening to see you.”

“All right. Thanks.”

“This blows,” Nick said as the door closed. “What I wouldn’t give to be at home right now. Or hell, even on tour.”

“If I could whisk you out of this place, I would, believe me.”

“Riley will be happy they’re moving me though. Apparently, those isolation gowns aren’t a fashion statement.”

“Riley’s here?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you know?”

“Well, I knew she was coming, but haven’t heard from her since yesterday and she had yet to make flight arrangements.”

“She got in late,” Nick yawned, moving the pillow beside him in an attempt to get comfortable. “It was after midnight. She didn’t stay long though because she was tired.”

“Maybe if she’s staying at the hotel, she’ll run into Brian.”

Nick snicker, imagining what the outcome of that could be. Riley had been known to have a nasty temper if someone really set her off.

“Well, I’m going to get out of here and let Aaron in. He went down for breakfast earlier, but he should be back by now.” Kevin stood, stretching as he did. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye Kev. And thanks.”

“For what?”

“Everything.”

***

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