Chapter 4

 

Nick took a flight straight out to Florida. He sat in the plane, trying to get a hold of his mother. After what seemed like an eternity, the plane landed. Nick darted out, taking a rental car. The hospital finally came into view. Nick hesitantly got out. Struggling to keep calm under the circumstances. He entered the hospital and approached the front desk. His hands were trembling, and his voice shaky.

 

“Bobbie Jean Carter, please.”

 

The elderly receptionist smiled, sensing the worry in his voice. “Just a sec hon.”

 

Nick nodded, but his mother came running down before the receptionist got a chance to look her up.

 

“Nick, oh thank God that you’re here,” his mother cried, holding her son tight to her.

 

“BJ, mom, is she okay?”

 

“She hasn’t woke up yet. They are worried that—that…this can’t be happening!”

 

“Mom, c’mon everything is gonna be okay.”

 

Nick and Jane walked through the halls. “What, how mom, how? I mean I just talked to you guys this morning. Wasn’t she fine?”

 

Jane shifted her gaze to the floor. “After that she left and then we got a phone call saying that she was in an accident.”

 

“No…no! This can’t be! It’s all my fault!”

 

Jane didn’t say a word. She kept on to her daughter’s room.

 

Nick stood alone. He thought that his mother would try to console him. Try to convince him that it wasn’t his fault. Nick turned his head away. His mother had left him, walked away. Nick stood there, dwelling in the pain. He felt numb all over. Once he regained his composure he rushed to her room.

 

He took a shocked step back, gasping. His little sister lay in her bed. She appeared to be hooked up to a million different machines. Her face was extremely pale. BJ had a large cut on her forehead and a bruise on her cheek. She had an oxygen mask on, feeding her life. She was also attached to an IV. Her shiny blond hair rested limply on her pillow. Bob sat next to her, holding his little girls hand in his. Aaron, Leslie, and Angel stood a few feet away. Their faces tear stained. They didn’t even seem to notice Nick. Too wrapped up  in worry and pain.

           

Nick walked over to his sister he took her hand. Then his phone rang loudly. He received glares from everyone in the hospital room. “Sorry,” Nick mumbled. He was going to let it ring, but decided not to, afraid it was important. “Hello.”

 

“Nick, it’s me Eric I just wanted—”

 

Nick cut him off. “Can’t you please just leave me alone,” and he hung up.

 

Everyone was still staring at Nick when he set the phone down. “I said that I’m sorry.”

 

Just then the doctor walked in. His face was somewhat grim.

 

Jane shook her head tearfully. “No…no she’s going to be okay!”

 

“Mrs. Carter. I’m afraid that if she doesn’t wake up by tomorrow evening…I can’t hold out much more hope…”

 

“Oh Jane,” Bob said, racing over to his wife’s side.

 

“This is all my fault…” Nick muttered. The tears filling in his blue eyes. His little sister could die…because of him.

 

That night Nick sat with BJ. Holding her hand tight. Bob had taken the Leslie, Angel, and Aaron back to the hotel to sleep, while Jane stayed with Nick.

 

“BJ, sis ya gotta wake up. You’re my little sister and I don’t think that I could handle it if something happened to you.”

 

Nick turned to see his mother walk in with coffee. “Mom, why don’t you go to sleep or something.”

 

“No…I’m never leaving my baby.”

 

Nick sighed. “Okay.”

 

“Hun, I’ll be right back. Okay?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Nick sat in the room alone with his little sister. Nick glanced out of the window. Hoping, praying that BJ would come back to them. Something caught his attention. BJ’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

 

“BJ! Hey, how are ya?”

 

“Nick,” she asked quietly. “Is that you…”

 

“Yeah, yeah sis, it’s me. I’m here for ya.”

 

“Listen…BJ I really wanna make an attempt to be here with you more. I want to spend more time with my family. So ya gotta get better…okay?”

 

“BJ!”

 

“Mom,” she replied weakly.

“Baby…you had me so worried,” Jane cried. “I love you so much.”

 

“I love you to mom.”

 

“What—what happened to me? Why does it hurt everywhere?”

 

“Baby, hon you were in a car accident. You’re in a hospital.”

 

“Nick, go get her doctor,” Jane demanded.

 

Nick darted out of the room. His phone then rang. Nick rolled his eyes and sighed. “Hello?”

 

“Nick…hey how are ya.” Nick groaned. It was their tour manager. “Look, I know that you are having a family problem, but we can only allow you a couple of days. All right? You’ll get plenty of time off in a few weeks for Christmas.”

 

“But…” Nick started, feeling defeated. He shut his eyes momentarily. The anger grew inside of him. Who did he think he was? Telling him that he couldn’t stay with his sister who’d nearly lost her life. “If my sister needs me, you can all forget it, I’m not coming back!” Nick then hung up and continued down the hall in search of BJ’s doctor. He ran down the hall, and slammed right into doctor, Martin.

 

Nick turned a bright red, “Umm…sorry. BJ sh—she woke up!”

 

The doctor’s eyes widened. “Oh, really. That’s wonderful.”

 

They both walked down the hall back to BJ’s room.

 

“Hello, Ms Carter, I’m glad that you’re doing better.”

 

BJ made a weak attempt to smile. “Am…am I going to get better?”

 

“Well, BJ I don’t see any reason why not. If you keep making progress like this, I’d say you’ll be out of here in no time,” he said smiling. Doctor Martin then looked over BJ, asking her questions and writing her responses down on a clip board.

 

“I’ll be back in a little while, I’ll send your nurse in to check your vitals.”

 

All three of them nodded. Jane then turned back to her daughter. “Oh baby…I’m so sorry this happened.” Jane ran her fingers through BJ’s long blond hair. BJ eventually drifted off to sleep.

 

Jane sighed in relief. “Nick, thank you sweetie, for being here.”

 

“Yeah, of course mom. Not sure how long that I can stay here for. They’re already on my back…”

 

“Yeah well this is your family Nickolas! We should come first to the Backstreet boys. I understand that you have a lot of obligations to the group, but still!”

 

“MOM, do you think that I don’t know that! What am I supposed to do?”

           

Jane shut her eyes briefly. She then said quietly. “I don’t know…”

 

Nick’s cell rang again. “Oh my God…” he whispered. “Hello?”

 

“Nick,” hey it’s Howie. “How is she?”

 

“Oh, hey man. She’s going to be fine. I thought that you were one of our managers, calling to get on my case about getting back.”

 

“Yeah, don’t worry. Do you know when you’ll be comin’ back though?”

 

“Yeah, probably the day after tomorrow, if everything goes okay…”

 

“All right Nick, I’ve gotta go. Hope everything goes okay, see ya man.”

 

“Yup, see ya Howie,” Nick replied and rested his head on BJ’s bed and fell quickly to sleep.