“This is a long shot, but we have to do something and make him listen this time,” Kevin Richardson sighed as he balled a fist up to knock on Pearlman’s suite door.
“It’s complete nonesense letting that Carter kid sleeping in the same hotel room with those boys. He needs to stay with a manager or something if he’s that sick!” Denise muttered as she picked a piece of lint off her sweater. “Honestly, if I had known that he was throwing up and with a fever, I would have had Alex sleep in my room.”
“Just AJ? Brian’s sharing that room too you know,” Kevin mumbled.
“Well Alex is my child, Brian is your cousin!”
“That shouldn’t make any difference,” Howie defended, shaking his head in digust.
“Well it’s not that---”
“What are you doing standing in the hallway at this hour?” a bleary-eyed Pearlman boomed as he swung the door open.
“May we come in?” Howie asked softly.
Pearlman opened the door a little further, allowing them entrance into his hotel suite. He stared hard at the small cluster standing in the entryway. ”Well? Come on, I don’t have all night! You have a press conference in the morning!”
“That’s sort of why we’re here,” Kevin started out with a firm voice.
“What is Carter whining about now?”
“Why do you always think it has something to do with Nick?”
Pearlman’s only response was an icy stare at Kevin.
“I think Nick needs to see the hotel doctor---”
”AH HA! It is about Carter!” Pearlman fumed as he made his way into the living area of the suite over toward the mini bar.
“Before you deny the request Lou, hear us out,” Denise McLean asked in a calm voice. She paused as she watched the manager pull a small bottle of liquor from the cabinet.
“Are you going to talk or just stare at me? I thought you had something to say!”
“I was just waiting for you to finish and give me your attention,” Denise huffed.
Kevin’s face held a worried expression at Denise’s forward way about talking to the manager as if he was a casual friend. From prior experience, Kevin knew that Pearlman needed to be treated with kid gloves.
“We need you to authorize the hotel doctor to come and take a look at Nick tonight. He’s really sick, dry heaves and running a fever,” Denise insisted quickly.
“Yeah Nick’s been really sick these past couple of days,” Howie added.
“You know Carter, he’s probably got some flu bug that has to run its couse. I’m not going to fork out a ton of money for some foreign doctor to look at him and say he’s got the flu. He’ll be fine.”
“Then at least let Nick stay in tomorrow morning and not go to the conference,” Kevin begged.
Pearlman grunted as he struggled to raise his bulky frame off the loveseat. “That’s complete nonesense! We’re paid to do a job and they expect complete co-operation and that means everyone shows up, Carter included.” Pearlman paused as he waddled his way over to the door. “If I do remember, Carter was complaining because he couldn’t shit. He should be fine in the morning......I’ve been constipated before and it usually makes a person pretty sick before they finally crap, so I’m sure he will be all set to go in the morning.”
“It’s not that simple,” Kevin interrupted.
“It’s that simple, good night,” Pearlman growled as he opened the door.
The three adults were literally shoved out the door by the manager before he slammed the door in their faces.
“What do we do now?” Howie wondered outloud. “I can’t believe he wouldn’t listen to us, we’re only trying to help Nicky out.”
Denise McLean shook her head as they slowly walked toward the elevators. “If it were Alex, I would refuse to allow him to do this press conference.....I’ve got an idea when we get back down to the room.”
Kevin jerked his head over in the woman’s direction. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m going to place a call to Mrs. Carter.”
“That’s going to cost a lot of money,” Howie stated.
Denise smiled, “It won’t cost me a dime, it’s going on Nick’s room bill.”
“I really don’t think thats a good idea to call Jane,” Kevin replied. “Maybe we should see what Nick thinks about this.”
“Kev, you know what Nicky will say!”
“Well he needs to grow up and take some responsibility about his life,” Kevin sighed.
“He’s right Howie, that boy needs to be accountable for his health as well as his actions. That’s why I thought it was ludacris when Pearlman said you had to watch him. For chrissake, he’s sixteen years old. Alex was working at that age too and he was a lot more responsible than what Nick Carter is or ever will be. Alex was lucky that I was able to be with him.”
Kevin used the key to open the hotel room that Nick shared with Brian and AJ. He was hoping to find a better scene than when they originally left, but found the sick room as it had been - a dull light sickroom with Brian and AJ camped out on the other bed, watching television.
“Any change?”
AJ copped a grin. “He farted once.”
”Alexander James McLean!”
“Ma, I figured you wanted to hear an update and that’s all he did while you were gone......he farted and man did it stink!”
“Jay I really don’t want to re-live that moment,” Brian replied, red faced.
“You should have seen Rok there when it happened, I thought he was gonna throw up!”
“Alex, that is enough!”
Denise walked over to Nick’s bed and placed a cool hand on his forehead. “His temperature doesn’t seem to be as high as it was before.”
“Maybe his body is like a pressure cooker and once he farted it let off some of the built up steam!”
Kevin tossed a dirty look at the young rebel. “I swear I wonder sometime where your mind goes.”
“Nick, how are you feeling?” Denise asked the young boy in a soft voice as he stirred.
Blinking the sleep from his eyes as he struggled to open them, Nick thought for a moment. “I have a headache I guess,” he quietly admitted.
“When don’t he?” AJ informed.
“He can’t help it, but I guess you’re right,” Brian agreed.
“Honey, I was thinking about calling your mother, would you like to talk to her?”
Nick’s eyes squinted in confusion.....something wasn’t right.....Denise calling her honey was the first indication that something was amiss, but then she offered to call his mom! His eyes widened when he connected the plan. ”NO.....don’t call my mom!”
“Shhh, why not?”
“Cause she’ll get mad, s-she’s really busy,” Nick whimpered.
Brian and Kevin exchanged worried glances.
“Nicky she just wants to call your mother, no big deal,” Brian replied.
“It is a big deal, I’m okay just leave her out of this, she’s busy with my brother and sisters she doesn’t have time for this,” Nick begged.
“So you’re feeling better?” Denise questioned.
“Have you gone yet?” Howie asked.
“Oh my God!” Nick blushed when he realized what Howie was asking. “Yeah I went,” he lied.
“That’s good, then you should be feeling better in the morning,” Denise stated with a smile.
AJ touched his younger brother’s forehead; Nick trying to slide away from his reach. “Ma don’t buy it! I was with Kaos and he never went to use the bathroom the whole time you were gone, he’s been sleeping!”
Nick glared up at AJ, muttering, “Tattle tale.”
Denise reached around her son and drew the blankets closer up to Nick’s chest. “Are you sure you don’t want me to call your parents? Lou isn’t letting you out of the schedule for tomorrow.”
“It won’t change anything if you called home,” Nick replied. He turned his head away from the woman, hoping that she didn’t see the tears that had sprung into his eyes. “My mom always told me you have to work through things and I guess that’s what I have to do.”
“I think the best thing for Nick tonight is that he gets some rest, Alex, why don’t you come back with me to my room and Brian can spend the night with Nick to make sure he’s okay.”
“Brian you can go with Kevin and I’ll stay in with Nicky tonight,” Howie offered.
“Ma I’m suppose to stay here with Nick,” AJ whispered in protest.
“What did you say AJ?” Nick squeaked.
“Nothing Kaos, just go back to sleep,” AJ soothed.
“Let’s just leave everything as it is,” Brian stated, “just go to bed Denise, AJ will be sure to call you if we need something, okay?”
“Yeah Ma, we’ll be okay.”
Denise hesitated before standing up. “I guess I don’t have any other say in this then do I?”
“Nope, good night Denise,” Kevin and Howie said as they practically shoved AJ’s mother toward the door.
“But I really don’t want anyone else to get sick with whatever Nick has....”
“No one died from not being able to poop,” AJ laughed. “Besides, I’m sure it’s not contagious.”
“Nick, make sure you wake someone up if you feel like you’re going to get sick,” Kevin advised.
As Kevin waited for a reply from the blonde, he was rewarded with the sounds of soft snoring coming from Nick’s side of the room. “I guess that would be an okay Kevin. Good night guys, call us if you need us.”
Something had woke Brian Littrell up and as he laid in his bed wondering what it was, he couldn’t decide what it could have been. Lifting himself up on his elbows, he could see AJ’s sleeping form and Nick’s curled up in his own bed. Brian quickly decided it had to have been another hotel guest closing their door loudly or possibly a toilet flushing in the next door room.
He had always been a light sleeper. It was a Littrell curse. His mother was a light sleeper as was his brother Harold. It was just something that Brian could never do.
Sleep soundly through an entire night!
Pulling the covers closer toward his chin, Brian re-positioned himself onto his side, smacking the pillow into a fluffier position. Closing his eyes, he tried to will himself back to sleep until he heard the noise that woke him up.
A tiny whimper.
”Nick....is that you?” He waited. ”Nick?” Still no response. Brian again raised himself up onto his elbows and peered over in the direction of the young teenager. Nick was still laying curled up in a ball on his side. ”Nick!”
After a few moments of looking to see if there was any movement from Nick’s bed, Brian threw the covers off his body. ”God, I must be hearing things or something,” he muttered as he slipped his feet into his slippers. With the lights off, he trudged his way into the bathroom, turning the light on as he closed the door.
That was another one of the Littrell curses - tiny bladders! He was always and forever getting up during the night to visit the bathroom. From the time he was a little boy, his mother had with held drinks after 7pm and he lived by that rule when religiously. But it didn’t seem to make any difference - he always had to get up during the night to use the bathroom and most always he would run into Nick either on his way in or out when they roomed together. Nick seemed to spend half his life in a bathroom!
After he had finished his business, Brian made his way back to his bed in total darkness before he changed directions and edged over to Nick’s bed to check on the young teen. As he placed his palm ontop of Nick’s forehead, he was startled by the whimper that came from the teen.
”Wow Nick, you’re really sweaty, are you too hot?”
”I-I d-don’t f-feel good,” Nick whimpered through clenched teeth.
”You gonna get sick?”
”No.”
”Then what is it?” Brian waited for a response from Nick but because of the total darkness of the room, he couldn’t see the young man’s face. ”Nicky?”
“My stomach hurts so bad.”
Brian’s eyes widened. ”So you are gonna get sick! Do you want me to grab the pail?”
”NO! it’s not that, you know how your stomach feels when you’re getting diarrhea?”
”All crampy and stuff I guess.”
”That’s what I feel and it hurts bad,” Nick whispered.
”Have you tried to use the restroom yet?”
”I know it would be a waste of time. It hurts to walk.”
“Brian? Is Nicky okay?”
“Great you woke Jay up,” Nick mumbled.
“It’s okay,” AJ replied as he clicked on the lamp next to his bed.
“Jeeze Bone, you could have warned us,” Brian yelped his hands covering his eyes.
“Sorry....I just thought you’d like to have some light on to see.”
“What time is it?” Nick asked.
“Um, it’s 6:15,” the rebel replied.
“What time do we have to be ready for the meeting again?” Nick sighed as he rubbed his eyes.
“I think they want us down for breakfast at 7:30.”
Nick gritted his teeth rubbing his distended stomach. “Count me out.”
“Did you shit yet tonight?” AJ asked, concern etched on his face.
“God why do you guys worry if I took a crap?”
AJ cocked a grin on his face. “Because we care and because we want to be forewarned so I can open the windows.”
“Ha ha ha,” Nick replied with a dry laugh.
“Seriously dude, you haven’t gone yet?”
“No.”
“But he told me a few minutes ago he has diarrhea cramps,” Brian informed.
Nick’s face turned lobster red. “Great he’ll bring that up at the conference.”
AJ plastered a mock look of hurt on his face. “I don’t share all our secrets with the press, what do you take me for?”
Nick suddenly clamped a hand over his own mouth as he slowly sat up.
“Shit he’s gonna blow chunks, where’s the basket!?” Brian hollered as he jerked his head right and left in search of the steel waste bin.
AJ quickly produced the wastepaper basket from the bathroom and eased it under Nick’s chin at just the right moment. At first it started with dry heaving the suddenly Nick belched and vomited all of the water he managed to drink during the night - the only thing that was laying on his stomach.
A few more moments of dry heaving and Nick gingerly laid back onto the bed. Brian came back into the room with a cool wet washcloth, offering it to the sick boy.
“Are you feeling any better?”
“A little bit I guess.”
“I think Pearlman is one gigantic dickhead!” AJ muttered. “There is no way in hell this kid can go down and do anything regardless of what he said!”
“AJ I think I can do what I have to do, it’s kinda out of my hands,” Nick said softly. “I think since I threw up maybe I can catch a quick nap and be all good to go for the scheduled meeting we have to do.”
“Sounds like a good idea Nick, you lay back and sleep,” AJ replied as he adjusted the blankets on the young blonde. After he tucked his brother in, AJ and Brian both made their way back to their beds and AJ turned the light off.
“And AJ, don’t get any ideas of letting me oversleep and miss the meeting,” Nick stated when the lights went out. “AJ? You heard me didn’t you.......AJ?”
“Alright Kaos, I’ll wake you up when it’s time.”
“Promise?”
A deep sigh was heard from AJ’s side of the hotel room. “I promise.”
Little did the guys realize that this was only the beginning of a very long and very emotional day.......