After a few more minutes of hiking they reached the main wreckage site. Kevin gasped at the enormity of it. The only part of the plane that was relatively in one piece was the cockpit and it was smashed almost beyond recognition. "Where's Nick?" he asked one of the men from the rescue crew. He pointed to a clearing and Kevin ran over. His knees felt weak again, when he caught sight of Nick. He was thankful that he had to kneel to see him because he didn't think his legs would hold him anymore. Nick was strapped to an airlift stretcher awaiting the helicopter. His hair and face were stained with blood, it was everywhere. His eyes were shut, but they would have been swollen shut anyway, even if he had been conscious. His entire face looked swollen. Small cuts covered every part of him that Kevin could see and there was a large gash on his cheek. "How badly is he hurt?" he shakily asked a man standing by the stretcher. "We don't know to be sure, we took a chance moving him out of the cockpit, but we had to get him in the stretcher for the airlift. We think there are internal injuries, he has a large wound on his chest, the head injuries, of course. He's in pretty bad shape." Kevin started crying and placed a hand on Nicks shoulder. "I'm sorry Nick. I'm so sorry. But I'm not gonna leave you, I'm here Nick. We're taking you to the hospital and you'll get better, okay? Don't give up." The sound of helicopter blades slicing the sky heralded the air ambulance arrival. The rescue crew prepared the stretcher for the airlift cables quickly. "Radio them and tell them to throw down a ladder, I'm going with him." Kevin yelled over the noise. The man looked at Kevin and could tell it would be useless to argue with him. "I'll let them know." he yelled back. As soon as the cables were attached the stretcher started up towards the copter. When it was pulled in, the ladder swung down. "Thank you for all your help." Kevin hollered and climbed up the ladder.

Howie pulled Bob aside when he reached the airport police station. The Carter kids were sitting huddled together, BJ trying her best to keep the younger ones calm. Jane was making the arrangements for a private plane to take them and the rest of the Backstreet Boys to the hospital were Nick was. "Mr. Carter, Brian didn't want to say anything in front of the kids and scare them. He was told that Nick is in serious condition and may die." Bob stared at him and his face turned pale. "He might die?" "I don't know anything more, Sir. I thought you should know, so that you can let the kids know. You probably won't even be able to see him right away." Bob shook Howies hand and thanked him. He looked over to the frightened faces of the children and the determined one of his wife. "I'll tell them now." he said quietly. "I'll go get the others together" Howie said, leaving the room.

They were already working on Nick when Kevin stepped into the helicopter. The IV had been started and they were setting him up for a blood tranfusion. "Oh God." Kevin said quietly. The attendants hollered instructions back and forth and worked furiously on his friend. "Can I sit with him, hold his hand or something, so he knows I'm here?" One of them nodded. "Sit here and don't move him. If we ask you to get the hell out of the way, you move. Got it?" Kevin agreed and sat on the floor beside Nick. He clasped his limp hand and held it, gently rubbing his arm, careful not to touch any of the tubes attached to it. "I'm sorry Nick, God I'm so sorry. Please be alright." Kevin tried to stop the tears from falling, but they fell anyway. "You can't leave us Nick, please be alright."