Nick Carter was in a coma and the world just kept on turning without him.
* * *
Officers Park and Martin as well as Sergeant Cox and the detectives remained on the case, re-interviewing witnesses and hoping for a break that would solve this never-ending riddle.
Howie’s family set up camp in Los Angeles, canvassing neighborhoods and businesses in the area where Howie had been last reported being seen as tips continued to pour in from all over the country from over zealous do-gooders wanting to believe that they had seen him. But so far none of the leads had panned out.
Meanwhile Brian’s family made the decision to fly his body back to Kentucky where they held a private funeral and burial for him attended only by family and a few close friends.
Brian was buried in a grand mahogany coffin with pale blue satin lining the color of his eyes, and laid to rest beneath a large bending shade tree that was dotted with fresh fragrant white blooms that would rain down over him like snow when the wind blew just right.
As the coffin was lowered slowly into the ground everybody just stood there silently, unsure of what to do next because it just didn’t seem right to leave Brian there alone.
Finally it was Kevin who made the break. His hands jammed in the pockets of his wrinkled dark blue suit, he pulled away from Kristen’s comforting embrace and walked slowly down the hillside away from Brian’s grave never looking back.
* * *
The day after the funeral Leighanne along with Kevin and A.J. returned to Los Angeles to support Nick’s family in their round the clock bedside vigils at the hospital as well as to help Howie’s family with the search.
Family and friends took shifts at Nick’s bedside talking to him, singing to him, or just being there for him in an effort to help him wake up from the coma that had taken over his body.
After a few days of getting into the routine of visiting with Nick, A.J. found it odd that Kevin was managing to stay away from the hospital as much as possible, instead opting to spend time with Howie’s family or at the police station asking questions about the case.
Finally one afternoon the two friends had it out.
“What the fuck is your problem Kev?” A.J. yelled after Kevin as he bolted out the door of Nick’s hospital room five minutes after his arrival.
“You said you would take the two o'clock to five o’clock shift with him.” A.J. had purposely stuck around after his shift to see if Kevin would actually stay with Nick like he had promised.
“What are you spying on me now A.J.?” Kevin said picking up his pace down the hospital corridor.
“Get your ass back in there Kevin, I’m serious.” Walking on Kevin’s heels, yelling at him, A.J. was oblivious to the stares and whispers of the hospital staff all around him.
“Shut up A.J. you’re making a scene.” Kevin hissed pushing an arm back to shove A.J. away from him.
“You were in there for like five minutes, five lousy minutes. You know the doctor’s said that we all needed to talk to him, play him music, anything that might get him out of that coma.”
“I’m well aware of what the doctor’s said but I got better things to do with my time then try and get that kid out of a coma.” Kevin’s voice was hard, his words biting.
Grabbing him by the arm A.J. spun Kevin around pushing him up against the wall.
“What the hell is your problem Kevin?” He yelled, pushing his face into Kevin’s face determined not to back down.
“You wanna know what my problem is?” Kevin seethed his eyes narrowing into hateful slits. “My problem is that I’m struggling here A.J.”
“Oh we’re all fucking struggling Kevin. Do you think that this has been easy on any of us? What the hell makes you so damn special that you think you have it worse then anybody else.” Kevin shoved his hands into A.J.’s chest pushing him hard and knocking A.J. to the floor.
“You want to know why I’m struggling A.J.?” Kevin stood over A.J. hand cocked ready to fight if the need arose.
“ I’m struggling over the fact that, that dumb kid is lying in that hospital bed alive while my cousin is buried six feet under the ground.” Kevin was yelling his shoulders tensed, veins bulging in his forehead as he continued. “I’m struggling because despite the fact that I want to remember Brian as a healthy happy kid with a big smile and an even bigger love of life, all I can see is him cold and dead lying on the table with a hole in his heart.” A.J. looked up at Kevin his eyes clouding with sudden understanding.
“I’m struggling A.J.,” Kevin’s voice caught as he blinked back tears “I’m struggling because I wish that Nick was the one that died instead of Brian….and I know that isn’t the right way to feel.” Dropping his hand Kevin leaned against the wall staring up at the ceiling.
“I wish Nick was dead A.J…I wish he was dead….... so please don’t tell me that I need to help him come out of his coma because I just can’t do it.”
* * *
The doctor’s couldn’t say how long Nick would be in a coma. They had predicted it could last anywhere from two months to twenty years so it came as a shock to everybody when seven days after the violent shooting Nick Carter opened his eyes.
It was Aaron’s turn to keep Nick company. He had been talking non-stop for hours about the dumbest things. He talked about girls, comic books, X-Box games and Yu-Gi-Oh. He laughed about stupid things the two of them had done as kids and he told Nick how much he wished that they had spent more time together over the years without the constant interruptions of their careers.
At some point during the one sided conversation Aaron had drifted off to sleep, slumped low in the hard plastic chair, a hand lightly covering Nick’s hand as the monitors hummed and beeped all around them.
At first the words were a nothing more then a mumble, something Aaron thought he had dreamed. “We…. look cool……”
“Hmmm.” Aaron mumbled lost in a dream that involved him hooking up with two hot girls from Sweden.
“I was just….having some fun.” The words spilled from Nick’s mouth in slow motion. “One pair….was….for you.”
“Shut up Nick, I’m in the middle of a cool dream.” Aaron shifted in his seat, eyes still closed, thinking that he was tucked away in bed at home Nick talking in the bunk above him as he tried to sleep.
“I…..want some beef jerky….and a Mountain Dew.” Nick’s hand twitched beneath Aaron’s as the word’s Nick spoke became clearer. Aaron’s eyes snapped open as realization slowly sunk in.
“I want beef jerky and some….Mountain Dew.” Nick repeated in a raspy voice. Wide-eyed he pulled his hand from beneath his brothers trembling hand as the machines began to go wild.
“Nick? Nick who are you talking to?” Aaron asked standing up quickly his chair tipping over as he tripped over it trying to get to the door.
“You’re …not…Brian.” Nick’s said, eyes were closed, his body jerking slightly as his brows tipped inward with concern.
“You’re….not….Brian.” He repeated the words again and again his eyes suddenly flashing open.
“YOUR’RE NOT BRIAN.”
Aaron’s heart shot into his throat as spun on his heel and ran for the door screaming,
“Somebody come quick my brother is awake.”
* * *
Just as Nick Carter was opening his eyes for the first time in seven days Howie Dorough was struggling, bound and gagged in the closet of a second story bedroom in an abandoned house in hell. Not literally hell. No, the real hell would have been a lot warmer then the place where Howie now was stashed, but it seemed to him like it had to be pretty close.
Beating his feet, which were tethered from his ankles to his knees, furiously against the door Howie screamed into the gag the sound echoing around in his mouth before bouncing back down his throat. He still didn’t understand much about what had put him in the situation he was now in but he knew it revolved around Nick, and that Nick was still alive. But according to Mo not for long.
Mo went on day after day about Nick; angry that he hadn’t finished the job in the first place and just shot him between the eyes. He would sit across from Howie every afternoon laying out a greasy hamburger and fries for Howie to eat while he talked about ways to kill Nick and make it look like an accident. Since their return to the city Mo had made numerous trips to the hospital to try and get the job done but the security was tight and extra guards had been posted on Nick at the request of his family. So finally Mo decided the only thing to do was to wait. Wait until the story died down or until Nick awoke and stirred things up again with his memories of the fateful evening. Only then would everybody’s attention turn in the opposite direction leaving Nick wide open for Mo’s attack.
So now they waited.
Why Mo didn’t just kill Howie and get it over with Howie was unsure? At this point death seemed a welcome option to the hell and torture of being locked in a dark closet day in and day out bound and gagged with nothing to do but slowly lose his mind.
Lying limp on the closet floor, Howie thought about screaming again but finally came to the conclusion that it was no use, there was nobody around to hear his cries even if the sounds could make it past the gag.
If he was going to live he would have to find another way to break free and he would have to figure it out on his own before he eventually rotted away and died.
* * *
It was early evening and Mo was sitting in the back of the bowling alley as he had been every evening for the last seven days, watching with great interest the news playing on the t.v. overhead.
Throwing back another beer he smiled as the reporter recounted the tragic tale of The Backstreet Boys three members who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Damn straight they were.” A fat guy in a tank top at the next table mumbled as he dug into the bowl in front of him pulling back a fistful of peanuts. “Dumb fucking rich kids.”
“You said it.” Mo shot back signaling the waitress for another beer.
“Stupid kids got what they deserved, they had no business in that part of town.” The fat guy tried to focus on Mo through blurry red rimmed eyes.
“Yeah you know that guy should have done the world a favor and killed them all.” Mo said. The guy laughed turning his attention back on the news as the words UPDATE flashed across the screen.
“It seems there is a bit of good news today involving Backstreet Boy Nick Carter. It has been reported that earlier today he awoke from his coma. Whether or not he has spoken to police or detectives about the case remains to be seen but we will keep you informed on this interesting story as it develops.”
Leaning back in his chair a slow smile spread across Mo’s face.
Ho, Ho, Ho, St. Nick was awake.