“There. The markings are done,” The technician said, capping his pen. He had just finished drawing the dots on Nick’s chest, for where the radiation would be administered. “I’m going to go into the other room, and the table you’re on, will move under that machine. Just lay perfectly still, and it’ll only take a few minutes. No pain at all,”

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick could see Brian watching intently from the other side of a glass window. The table began to move, adjusting him so he was directly under the radiation machine. A loud humming noise filled the room, as lights inside the machine turned off. Red lasers beamed off his chest.

“About two more minutes,” The technician said through the intercom. “Keep holding still,”

As Nick began to count the dots on the ceiling, the machine turned off. The table began to move, and the technician came back out into the room.

”Good job,” He said, acting as if he were talking to a six-year-old. Nick rolled his eyes, as two orderlies moved him from the table, back onto a gurney. They covered him with a thin sheet, and began to move him out of the room. Sitting halfway up, Nick watched his surroundings as he was pushed back to the room. Brian waited outside the room as they began to hook him up to the monitors again. Once they were done, he went back inside. Nick shivered slightly as Brian neared him.

”Cold?”

”A little… these sheets suck,” Nick said. Brian looked around the room for a hospital gown or scrubs.

“I’ll be right back… I’ll go hunt down a nurse,”

”Don’t flirt too much,”

Brian only shook his head as he left the room. He returned moments later holding a light blue hospital gown. He helped Nick put it on, careful not to pull off the monitors and trachea tube, and then tied the back loosely.

“Thanks,” Nick said, lying back down against his pillow. “Man… this is boring. I don’t want to be stuck in here again,”

“I could bring your Gameboy up next time…” Brian offered.

”Would you?”

”Sure. Do you want anything else from home?”

“Down in my studio… on the desk beside the computer, there’s a picture frame of Austin and Maggie from when they were a few days old… would you bring it?”

Brian nodded, seeing tears glistening in Nick’s eyes. “You’re going to be okay,”

“I keep telling myself that… but I just haven’t believed it yet.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Carter?” A nurse asked, opening the door slightly.

“Yeah?”

”There’s a Kevin and Kristen Richardson here for you… shall I let them in?”

”Yes. Thank you.” Nick pressed the button beside his bed, which made him sit up a little further. There was a light knock on the door as it was pushed open. Kevin greeted the two occupants of the room with a slight smile.

“Hey Kev,” Nick smiled.

“Hey Nick… how are you feeling?” He asked, walking in with Kristen closely following.

“As well as can be expected. Hey Kris,”

”Hi Nick,”

”Have a seat… make yourself at home… if that’s possible,”

Brian stood up and ushered Kristen to his seat. “I’m going to get going for the night. Meggie said she’d be back soon. I’ll drop by the house tonight and get your stuff, Nick.”

”Thanks Bri,”

Brian gave Nick a light hug, before giving one to Kevin and Kristen.

”See you all tomorrow. Nicky… if you need anything, you know where to call. Good night,”

An echo of ‘goodnight’ followed Brian as he shut the door behind himself. He walked down the brightly lit hallway to the elevator and climbed on.

“Kev… did you by any chance talk to management yet?” Nick asked softly as Brian left.

”Yeah,” He replied. “The tour is cancelled until you feel up to going back on the road.”

”Do the fans know yet?”

”Not yet. I wasn’t sure how you wanted to tell everyone you were… sick again.”

”Whatever’s easiest… but is there someway I could be involved?”

”We could do a press conference with you via satellite… or even on the phone.”

”Satellite? How would we do that?”

”Set up a camera here, along with a TV so you can watch the conference. Satellite will show up on a television there, so we can watch you.”

”That’d be cool… do you think we could do something like that?”

”We shouldn’t have a problem. I’ll talk to management in the morning and we’ll get it all straightened out.”

“Thanks,”

The three continued to converse until Meggie returned. Kevin and Kristen went home, leaving the couple alone. Around ten oh clock, with nothing on the television, Nick fell into a light sleep, with Meggie sleeping in a chair beside the bed.

~ One Week Later ~

“Put that light there… and the camera goes there.” A crew member from the management said. The press conference was to start in a half hour, and the camera crew was at the hospital setting up the satellite for it.

Nick sat up in bed, playing his Gameboy and trying to ignore the crew. Earlier that morning, Meggie had helped him change into a fresh t-shirt and a pair of jogging pants, rather than the paper-thin hospital gown he’d been wearing.

“Two minutes,” A woman said later, walking into the room. The television was turned on and Nick could see a table and four empty chairs. He sighed, wishing he could be there. A cheer went through the conference room as Nick watched his four friends walk across the stage and sit down.

“Hey everyone!” AJ said loudly as he sat. Girls screamed loudly, but quieted down as Kevin turned his microphone on.

“I guess I should start off with the reason why we’re here. As you know, we have a tour scheduled to start in a few weeks but unfortunately, we’ve cancelled it.”

Almost immediately, the press and fans began to question them.

”Why is it cancelled?” A reporter asked.

“Nick began to have some health complications last week… but I’ll let him explain it.” Kevin nodded towards his manager, who turned the TV on. Back at the hospital, the camera was turned on.

Nick’s pale and thin face showed up on the screen at the conference. Gasps went through the audience, as they caught sight of Nick.

“Hey guys,” Nick said.

”Hi Nick,” The guys said in return.

”First, I just want to say how sorry I am for having to cancel out on this tour. I was really looking forward to getting back on the road and being able to see all the fans again. But as Kevin said, I’ve had some health complications. Last week, I had to return to the hospital because of chest pains. They found a large mass in my chest, which was pretty much squishing my lungs to death,”

The guys laughed quietly at Nick’s choice of words.

“Because it’s so big, it’s inoperable, until it’s smaller. So my doctor is giving me radiation treatment, to shrink the mass. That way they can operate and remove it… and I can go back on tour.”

”Nick, is the mass from the cancer you had previously?” A man from Rolling Stone asked.

”Yes, it is. The cancer has spread to my chest cavity, which caused the mass.”

“Not to make the mood more dreary, Nick, but what happens if the mass doesn’t shrink from radiation?” a woman asked. Nick bit his lip, holding back emotions, before answering.

“The radiation and surgery is my only option.” Nick said. “There’s a fifty-fifty chance it’ll work… so I’m hoping I’m on the good side of the fifty.”

“Otherwise you’ll die?” Someone from a newspaper said.

Nick nodded, sniffling quietly.

“Nick, how are your twins doing?” John Norris from MTV asked. Brian gave him a thankful look as Nick’s face brightened.

“They’re doing great. Both are very happy little babies, who are spoiled way too much by their Backstreet uncles,” Nick laughed.

“Any other Backstreet children soon?”

“Actually…” Kevin started. “ Hopefully Kristen won’t hurt me for telling everyone… but we’re going to have our own little baby in seven months,”

A loud cheer spread throughout the crowd as the guys gave Kevin hugs.

“Congrats, Kev,” Nick said from his room.

“I guess that’s about it. Thank you all for coming,” Howie said.

“Thanks for the support… and hopefully see you on tour in a few months,” Nick said before the camera was turned off. Nick sighed in relief as he fell back against his pillows.

A few weeks later, Dr. Torday was ready to run an MRI on Nick, to see if the mass had gotten any smaller since the beginning of the radiation. After the MRI, Nick was brought back to his room, where BJ, Aaron, and Jane were waiting.

“Hey Nicky,” B.J. said as they wheeled his gurney in.

”Beeg?” He asked, his eyes brightening. He smiled happily as he enveloped his mom and two siblings in a hug. “I didn’t know you guys were coming,”

”We wanted to surprise you,” Aaron said.

”Why’d you come?”

”To see you, Blondie,” BJ replied. “And Meggie and the twins,”

“Brian and Meg took the twins down to the cafeteria… they’ll probably be back pretty soon. So, how’d your tour go A.C.?”

Aaron began to tell them all about it, and they were soon joined by Brian and Meggie, along with Austin and Madison. Nick reached out for one of the twins as the two walked in. Brian gently gave him Madison, who smiled, when she saw her daddy as Jane took her grinning grandson from Meggie.

”One big happy family,” Brian chuckled. “I feel a bit out of place… so I’ll be leaving now.”

”Aww, Bri.. you don’t have to leave,” BJ said.

”I actually need to get some laundry done… and probably the dishes that have been stacking up in the sink for two weeks..” He said sheepishly. “I’ll see you all later,” He waved as he left.

After a few minutes, Madison became impatient, and needed to be changed.

“Can I do it?” Aaron asked eagerly.

”Sure… she’s all yours,” Nick said holding her up. Aaron left the room, Madison in one arm, diaper bag in the other.

”That look familiar…” Jane sighed.

“Huh?”

”You used to do that with Aaron and Angel. Always wanted to help out,”

A light knock on the door turned their heads. Dr. Torday walked in, holding a large, gold envelope.

”Are those my results?” Nick asked.

”Yes,” He said quietly.

“Well?” Nick asked again, this time nervously. A lump rose in his throat as he waited for the answer.

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