Chapter 30

Trevor sat at a counter with a mirror over it. In the mirror he saw Kristi’s reflection as she came up behind him. "Please don’t ask me how my ankle is," he said. "That’s all you ever say to me."

"I won’t. You’ve been dancing, so I assume it’s feeling better," she said as she sat down beside him. He looked at her.

"You look great," he said, indicating her long, red dress.

"Thanks. It’s not every day that I get to go to the World Music Awards in Monaco," she said, smiling. "I can’t wait to see you guys perform. Good luck." Before Trevor could thank her, she was leaning forward and her lips were on his. Trevor didn’t kiss her back since he was so shocked. Kristi backed away to see his reaction. Trevor looked at her, smiled, and pulled her to him again, kissing her deeply.

They were both a little breathless when they separated. Kristi wiped off her lipstick from his lips. "Thanks," Trevor said. "For…for wishing me ‘good luck,’" he stuttered, nervously. Kristi smiled as she walked away.

Ashley went over and put his hand on Trevor’s shoulder. "You and Kristi, huh? Have fun playing ‘doctor,’" he said, running away, laughing, when Trevor tried to grab him.

Dan listened to his voice mail on his cell phone and frowned. He had gotten a call from Dianna. He hadn’t heard from her in a while. She told him that she was now living in Orlando, which was cool, but she had also said that her divorce wasn’t final yet. She wanted to talk to him, but what she wanted to talk to him about she couldn’t get into over the phone. She wanted to talk to him in person. He wondered what she wanted. Dan sighed. He couldn’t call her from here. He’d have to wait until he got home to talk to her.

Orlando

The first paramedics appeared at the accident scene about ten minutes after it had happened. Police and fire personnel quickly took charge of the situation. A paramedic ran to the jeep. He looked at Miguel.

"Have they been moved?" Miguel shook his head. "Do you know them?" Miguel nodded.

"Yeah. Maria, the one on the right, is pregnant. You have to get her out!" he yelled. The paramedic nodded and was joined by firemen and a police officer.

"Son, you have to get down," the officer told Miguel, who carefully climbed off of the wrecked jeep. The firemen took over. Miguel saw that the blonde was now awake and being treated by more medical personnel. She was sitting on the ground, crying and bleeding from a deep cut on her head.

The driver of the van had already been taken out of the driver’s seat. He was unconscious and unresponsive. Miguel saw a couple of paramedics attempting to revive him. Miguel hurried back over to the jeep. The officer held him back. "She was conscious a little while ago!" he called to the medic, who nodded as he took Maria’s blood pressure.

"How far along in her pregnancy is she?" he asked. Miguel thought hard.

"Um, not long. A few months I think," he said. The officer let Miguel stay close, but not too close. The firemen were already pulling the van away from the jeep, so the paramedics could work on freeing Sarah and Maria.

"What are their names?" Miguel looked at a female paramedic who had appeared at the scene and was now working on Sarah.

"That’s Sarah," he said, pointing at Sarah’s still form. "And Maria. They’re sisters," he said. "Please, help them." The female paramedic nodded.

"We’ll do our best," she said, trying to free Sarah from the seat belt. Miguel backed away and ran a hand over his face. He looked over and saw a paramedic cover the driver of the van with a white sheet. Tears fell from Miguel’s eyes as he looked again at the crushed jeep. He closed his eyes and prayed.

Monaco

9:45 p.m.

I wanna go all night/ Ain’t no stopping ‘til the breaking of the dawn/ I wanna go all night, every corner/ Girl you really turn me on…

The Mikes watched O-Town performing, wincing at Erik’s off-key delivery. He was struggling, they could tell, especially when he ripped out his in-ear monitor halfway through the performance. The group was told to perform the ‘censored’ version of We Fit Together since it would be aired during primetime on ABC. At least the group seemed to be getting along better now. Maria’s absence was a huge weight off of their shoulders, especially Jacob’s.

When the guys finished the song, the audience applauded politely. Mike M. shook his head. They had to learn to do well when performing to a track. He respected their choice to never lip synch, but they had to perform well without the band if they ever wanted to be taken seriously as musicians.

The group retreated to the dressing room and seemed to know that their performance hadn’t been their best. Jacob was glaring at anyone who looked his way. Erik walked with his head down, a frustrated look on his face. The others were also very quiet.

"I won’t say anything…yet," Mike M. told them as he left them in the dressing room. Jacob angrily banged his hands down on the counter. He turned and stalked into the other room. Erik sat down and ran a hand over his shaved head. Ashley sat with his head hanging down, his in-ear monitor in his hands. Dan and Trevor stood off to the side.

"We did our best," Trevor said. "It’s the damn technical problems that always screw us. Don’t sweat it, guys." He went to join Jacob in the other room. Dan sighed.

"He’s right. We’ll get it right eventually, don’t worry." He, too, left the room.

Erik and Ashley sat in silence. Mike C. came in and told them to get ready to go. They would be going right back to the hotel. They had to pack since they would be heading back to Berlin for the Echo Awards, which were the following night. O-Town would be presenting an award, as well as performing. Hopefully that performance would go a lot better than the one they just had.

Orlando

Miguel watched as the firemen worked diligently to free Sarah and Maria from the jeep. It had been almost forty-five minutes since the accident had occurred. News vans and helicopters were now flying over the scene. The blonde had been taken to an ambulance and transported to the hospital a little while ago. She hadn’t wanted to go and she’d had to be sedated when she had become hysterical.

"Her blood pressure is dropping!" someone yelled. Miguel watched as the paramedics continued to work on Maria. Sarah had been moved off of Maria. Both Sarah and Maria’s legs were trapped beneath the dashboard, keeping them pinned there.

"I gotta call someone. Susan, I gotta call her," Miguel muttered. He ran over to a man who was holding a cell phone. "Please, can I make a local call?" he asked, desperately. The man nodded, handing Miguel the phone. Miguel called information to get the number to the studio. He closed his eyes as it rang.

"Walsh Studios," Susan’s voice answered.

"Susan? This is Miguel Hernandez, Alex’s brother. Something’s happened," he said in a shaky voice. "There’s been an accident. It’s Maria. She’s been in a car accident and she’s trapped. I didn’t know who to call."

"Oh no. Is she okay?" Miguel could tell that Susan was on the verge of tears.

"I don’t know. They’re still working on her," he said. "You have to call Alex. And Jacob. God. The baby. I don’t know." Miguel was starting to lose it. The man, whose phone Miguel was using, put a hand on Miguel’s arm trying to calm him.

"I’ll call. Don’t worry," Susan told him, strangely calm now. "I’ll meet you at the hospital. She’ll be fine. I’m sure she’ll be fine." Miguel nodded and hung up. He handed the phone back to the man and wiped his eyes.

"Got her!" a rescue worker shouted. "Get a board over here now!" Miguel looked over to see Sarah being pulled gently from the wrecked jeep. A neck brace was put on her and she was quickly placed on a backboard and brought to a waiting ambulance. Once Sarah was free, Maria was carefully lifted out of the jeep and put on another backboard. She was covered in blood. Some of it was Sarah’s, but it was everywhere.

Miguel ran to the ambulance. "Can I come? I’m a friend," he said. The paramedic who had been the first on the scene nodded and Miguel jumped into the ambulance, which took off once the doors were closed.

Susan got control of herself as she dialed the phone. She could call Alex, but she didn’t want to worry her. She had enough to worry about with the added responsibility of getting the last of the information needed for the supplement since Maria was no longer there to do the work. Susan was able to reach the offices of Actual Management, who agreed to connect her to Mike Morin in Monaco. Susan knew that Jacob would be devastated. She didn’t even know the extent of Maria’s injuries, but Jacob deserved to know what was happening. ‘Please let Maria and the baby be okay,’ she prayed.

Monaco

The group had returned to the hotel and everyone was in their respective rooms packing. Mike M.’s phone in his room rang and he answered it, wondering who would be calling at that hour.

The desk informed him that he was receiving a call from the United States. He frowned, but accepted the call. "Yes?" he asked.

"Mike, this is Susan Martin. Something horrible has happened," she said. Mike continued to frown. When he didn’t say anything, Susan continued, "Maria was in a car accident a little while ago. I don’t know all of the details, but it sounds serious." Mike closed his eyes. This was just what the group and Jacob didn’t need right now. "Mike?"

"I’m here. You don’t know how she is?" he asked.

"No. I’m on my way to the hospital now. Alex’s brother was at the scene. He said that Maria was trapped. It doesn’t sound good. Please, tell Jacob that I’ll call as soon as I have more news. Is it possible for him to come home early?" Susan asked.

"No, I’m sorry. The guys have a couple of important shows coming up tomorrow and the 9^th. We’re flying to Germany tomorrow. The group is booked until they fly home on the 10^th. We’ll try to get there as soon as possible. Just keep me updated, okay?"

"You’re not going to tell him. Are you?" Susan asked, anger evident in her voice.

"Just keep me informed. I hope she’s okay. I’m sure she’ll be okay."

"Jacob is going to be very angry if you don’t tell him, you realize that, don’t you?" Susan asked.

"I’ll take care of Jacob," Mike informed her. "Thank you for calling." Mike hung up and sat down on his bed. He closed his eyes and prayed for Maria. He had no intention of telling Jacob about Maria. Jacob had to be focused. There was no way that Mike was going to tell him…yet.

Orlando

Miguel paced in the waiting area at the hospital. It had been fifteen minutes since Sarah and Maria had been brought in. He saw a guy run into the emergency room and look around frantically. The guy went to the desk.

"Excuse me. Can you tell me where I can find Kathleen Burns?" he asked. "She was in a car accident and was brought here." The nurse looked on the computer.

"She’s awaiting X-rays. Why don’t you sit in the waiting area and I’ll let you know when you can see her," she said.

"Thanks." He walked over to the chairs and sat down heavily. Miguel approached him cautiously. Kevin looked up at him. He recognized Miguel from Planet Hollywood.

"I’m Miguel Hernandez. My sister is a friend of Maria’s," he said.

Kevin stood up. "Kevin Davis. I’m Kathleen’s boyfriend." Kevin shook Miguel’s hand, which was shaking slightly.

"The blonde?" Kevin nodded.

"Have you heard anything?" he asked. Miguel shook his head.

"I saw it happen. Kathleen was thrown from the jeep, but she had regained consciousness before the ambulance brought her here. Sarah and Maria aren’t good. They were trapped for the longest time. It took almost an hour to free them." Kevin sighed and sat back down.

"What about the driver of the other car?" he asked.

"It was actually a van. The guy died at the scene," Miguel told him, sitting down beside him.

"The baby. Man, Maria’s pregnant. Will the baby survive?" Kevin asked.

"I don’t know, man. I don’t know," Miguel answered.

Two and a half very long hours later, a doctor came to tell them the girls’ conditions. Susan had arrived and was sitting with Kevin and Miguel in the waiting area.

"Dr. Klein, how are they?" Susan asked. She knew the doctor because he had treated her mother when she had been in the hospital the previous summer.

"Please, come with me. We can speak in private," the doctor told them, noticing the press that was huddled in the corner of the waiting area. He led the three of them into a private waiting room and closed the door. They sat down, all of them perching on the edge of the couch.

"Kathleen Burns has a mild concussion and a deep contusion on her head. I want to keep her here for observation. If her tests come back negative tomorrow, she can go home," Dr. Klein said. Kevin sighed and leaned back against the couch. "Sarah is pretty banged up. Her left leg is broken in three places. We had to operate immediately on her knee. She also has some deep abrasions on her face and arms. The seat belt caused minor damage, but it’s basically a bad bruise on her side and chest. She woke up briefly, but she became extremely agitated, so we had to sedate her. The operation went well and she’s in recovery right now."

"What about Maria? Is the baby okay?" Susan asked, softly. Dr. Klein looked at his chart. He sighed.

"She’s suffered a severe concussion and is in the ICU. She also has a broken right arm and right leg. She’s hooked up to a fetal monitor. Dr. Ambrose is here monitoring the baby closely, so perhaps you should talk to her about that."

"Is the baby alive?" Susan asked.

"Yes. But, Maria lost a lot of blood and her blood pressure dropped dangerously low a few times while we were working on her. Her lung collapsed on the way here, so she had to have a breathing tube inserted to help her breathe. As for her recovery period, I’ll know more as Maria heals. She hasn’t regained consciousness, but I expect her to relatively soon. I’ll give her the medication she needs and see how that works." The doctor looked up at them. "I’ll be honest with you, it’s going to be touch and go."

"Is she in a coma?" Miguel asked.

"I don’t want to label it as a ‘coma’ just yet. The concussion is most likely the reason she hasn’t woken up yet. Since she had been conscious immediately following the accident, I think she’ll wake up again soon. Her body just needs time to heal." The door opened and Dr. Ambrose walked in. Dr. Klein nodded at her to say what she had to say.

"Hi, Susan. Boys. I’ve been monitoring the baby and everything looks okay right now. We’re giving Maria and the baby proper fluids to help them both. There’s no internal bleeding or spotting, so as far as I can see, the baby hasn’t been harmed in any way. It’s up to Maria now. As her body heals, the baby will get stronger."

"The baby…can it still die?" Susan asked, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I hate to say it, but there’s a possibility that if Maria weakens, the baby is still at risk," Dr. Ambrose. "It’s too soon to tell, though. I’ll keep a close eye on both Maria and the baby." Susan nodded. Miguel put his arm around her.

"Is Maria’s boyfriend around?" Dr. Ambrose asked. Susan shook her head.

"He’s overseas right now. On tour with his band," she said. She had to find a way to get in touch with Jacob or it would be four, possibly five days until he knew what had happened. Mike sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him. "Thank you, doctors."

"We’ll let you know if there’s any change with Sarah or Maria," Dr. Klein said as they left. Susan thought hard about what she needed to do.

"I have to get in touch with Jacob, but Mike is being a stubborn bastard," she said.

"Mike?" Kevin asked. "Is that one of the managers?" Susan nodded.

"He won’t tell Jacob because he doesn’t want him worried. The boys have a couple more big shows to do before they come home," she explained.

"What about one of the other guys? What about Erik? Or Alex?" Miguel asked.

"I don’t want to worry Alex yet. She’s been through enough and I can’t call Erik." Susan suddenly got an idea. "I know." She got up and opened the door just as Dianna was walking in.

"Excuse me, are you here for Maria Carpenter?" Dianna asked. Susan nodded.

"I’m Dianna Carroll. I was with O-Town on their summer tour last year. I was Jacob’s physical therapist." Susan shook her hand.

"Oh, right. You arrived just after I’d left. I’m Susan Martin. I work with Maria. Do you work here now?" Susan asked, noting Dianna’s pink scrubs.

"Yes. I just moved here a couple of days ago. This job had been arranged ahead of time," Dianna explained. "I heard about Maria and Sarah. How are they?"

"I think Sarah will be okay. It doesn’t look good for Maria, though. They’re really banged up. We’re all praying and I’m about to try to get in touch with the group now. They’re still overseas. Maria came back early. So, if you’ll excuse me," Susan said. Dianna nodded and watched as Susan left the room.

Susan hurried out the door and ran to the parking lot. She got in her car and headed for Walsh Studios. She had to get in touch with Erik and she knew how she was going to do it…the hell with Mike. Maria needed Jacob---now more than ever.

March 8^th

Cologne, Germany

The group was very tired. They had attended the Echo Awards in Berlin last night where they had presented the best German single to No Angels. They had also performed Love Should Be A Crime. Then, they had immediately flown to Cologne, where they recorded a VIVA Interaktiv special at a school outside of Cologne. That afternoon they had sound check for the Bravo Supershow, which was at the Koln Arena in Cologne. Now, they were in their hotel, all exhausted and wanting to sleep.

"Guys, check this out," Ashley said. Somehow almost everyone had ended up in Ashley’s room. There was a large double bed, which was where Jacob and Dan were stretched out, while Trevor sat on a chair in the corner. Kristi was in a chair in the other corner of the room, while Emily was lying at Jacob and Dan’s feet. Erik was off with Alex someplace. Ashley was reading what appeared to be a German newspaper.

"How are you reading that? You don’t know German," Trevor remarked.

"It’s an English version," Ashley said.

"I thought you knew German, Ash," Jacob said with a smirk. "After all, your family does come from ‘big oranges,’ remember?" Ashley walked over and smacked Jacob with the paper. Jacob laughed. Ashley glared at him.

"Listen, Britney Spears is having the premiere for her new movie, Crossroads, at the Cinedom cinema tonight. Too bad we can’t go," he said.

"Um…we kinda have a major event that we’re performing at tonight," Dan said.

"I know. It sucks, though, that we can’t go support Britney after everything she did for us," Ashley said. Trevor nodded.

"She’s fine," he said, smiling. He looked over at Kristi and his smile disappeared. She shook her head. After their kiss the other night, they had been flirting constantly, but neither one wanted to admit that what they felt was something serious. They weren’t sure if it was something more than them having fun.

A knock came at the door. Ashley opened it, letting Mike M. into the room. "Okay, guys, I’ve got your schedule here. Would you like to know what you’re doing?"

"No," Jacob said, covering his eyes with his arm.

"Good. Okay, you have sound check for the Bravo show in approximately ten minutes. You’ll do some interviews and record a TV advertisement for your Fan Edition Album that comes out on March 25^th. You also have some TV work to do for the Bravo show that’s short and sweet. Tomorrow, you’ll be doing non-stop press for Bravo TV and their website. You will start early in the morning and go right through to the show. You’re gonna be performing Love Should Be A Crime and All Or Nothing. You’re also one of twenty five acts and you guys are the headliners, so try and give one of your best performances," Mike told them. He looked at Jacob and sighed. He wished that he could tell him about Maria, but he didn’t want to worry him yet. Susan had called a few times and lambasted him for not telling Jacob. She had also said that Maria’s condition hadn’t changed. Maria was technically in a coma and the baby was, thankfully, still alive.

Mike had called Actual Management and told them not to let any calls through directly to the band, just to him. He had a feeling that Susan would try to get in touch with Jacob herself. He couldn’t allow that. He wasn’t being mean; he just needed Jacob’s concentration on the band right now. They’d be going home in a couple of days anyway. Jacob would be able to see Maria then. "Okay, that’s all. Be ready in five minutes."

"Is it raining?" Dan asked, tired of the rain. It had rained almost the whole time they’d been in Germany.

"Isn’t it always?" Mike asked back as he left the room. Dan sighed. He looked out the window. Sure enough, it was raining.

Alex was sitting cross-legged on her bed, using Erik’s laptop computer. She was just messing around, looking at some O-Town fan sites.

"Here, let me check my e-mail," Erik said, sitting down beside her and pulling the laptop over.

"Don’t you have to go?" Alex asked. He smiled and kissed her. "Fine, go ahead."

Erik logged on to AOL and went into his mail. He scrolled down until he got to one that said ‘Emergency!!! From Susan M.’ He clicked it open and read:

Erik, I know you always have this computer with you, so I decided to get through to you this way. I’d rather do this over the phone, but Mike isn’t cooperating. I need a favor: you have to tell Jacob something for me. It’s not a ‘good’ something either. Maria was in a car accident a few days ago. She’s in critical condition with a severe concussion and is in the ICU at the hospital. The baby is still alive…for now. It’s still at risk. If Maria weakens anymore, the baby may not survive. Jacob needs to be here with her. He needs to at least know. Please tell him what’s happened. Sarah and their friend, Kathleen, were also injured. Sarah is in serious condition and Kathleen was released from the hospital yesterday. But Maria hasn’t regained consciousness yet and it’s been three days. She needs Jacob. He deserves to know what’s going on. Erik, please, for the love of God, tell Jacob about Maria. She needs him…NOW! I promise that if there’s a problem with the Mikes, I’ll take full responsibility. Thank you for doing this and please pray for them all.

Erik swallowed hard. Maria had been in an accident. If Erik hadn’t made Jacob choose between the band and her, she would’ve still been with them and she---and the baby---would be okay right now. The baby might die and it was his fault.

Alex noticed that Erik had become extremely pale. He sat staring off into space.

"Erik? What’s wrong?" she asked, frowning. She pulled the computer over and read Susan’s e-mail.

"Oh, my God! Maria!" she said, panicked. Erik came out of his stupor and turned to her, grasping her arms tightly.

"You can’t tell anyone just yet," he said, sternly.

"But, Jacob…" Alex had tears running down her face.

"No, Alex. We’ll tell him after the show tomorrow night. He can’t leave us yet," Erik said. Alex frowned.

"Maria may die…Jacob’s child may die…and you’re still thinking only about the band?" she asked, incredulously.

"No, that’s not what I’m doing. I’m saving him the worry and the guilt until after our work here is done. Please, Alex. I’m thinking of Jacob. Maria will hold on for him, his baby will, too." Alex looked into Erik’s eyes. "Really, if I could tell him now, I would, but he’d only worry and he can’t go home yet. The Mikes would never let him leave. One more show, that’s it," Erik said, desperately trying to get her to see his side of it. He was only thinking of Jacob.

Alex looked into Erik’s eyes. He was being sincere. "Okay. But you have to tell him after the show. Promise me you will. Because if you don’t---I will," she said.

"I promise. I’ll tell him tomorrow night after the show. I want you with me, though. He’s been through so much shit and I know that you’ll be able to help him more than I will," Erik told her. Alex nodded. She was still crying.

"I’ll be there. Oh, God, Erik, what if…"

"Don’t think like that," Erik said, pulling her to him. "Maria and the baby are going to be okay. Let’s just pray and God will take care of everything." Alex closed her eyes and prayed. Erik prayed, too---for Maria, for the baby…and for Jacob.

*AN: Hello, again. I have to give credit where credit is due. Laura, I couldn’t have done this tour without you. Thank you so much for your help with the dates and places. I really appreciate it. Thanks, too, for the transcript of Ashley and Jacob talking about Ashley’s fall in Ireland. Poor Ash. LOL! Oh, and if you guys haven’t yet, check out ‘Destination O-Town’: (destinationotown.com). It’s a great site!

Until the next chapter,

~Maura