” This is life!” Nick mumbled as he stood on deck, drinking a coke looking out to the ocean. Gone was all the worries and he was enjoying life for the first time in many months. The ocean made him feel calm and tranquil and he loved the feeling of salt water and the wind in his face. The waves were comforting and he felt sleepy, yet full of energy.
Even since he was a small boy the ocean calmed him down. His parents used to take him on a boat to treat his restlessness and the boats comforting rocking made him fall asleep on the deck. Today he liked going out onto the water on top speed, the faster the better. He loved the wind in his face and it was strange that the wind that was his enemy on a plane made him feel so relaxed and good in a boat.
Another thing beside the ocean Nick loved was being with friends. It felt good that both Brian and Leighanne could be with him on his yatch. And his newly found friend Julie. Julie had been very happy when he had asked if she wanted to come with him on the boat. He liked her. She was different from all the other girls he had dated. Different in a way that she had something mature over her, but still could act as crazy as he could sometimes. In the beginning when he had gotten to know her he had thought that she was annoying. She had triggered something in his heart that he wanted to be forgotten and didn´t want to be brought up.
She was a real person and she reminded him of the one thing that he wanted to forget, Cancer. As the weeks went by and he met her ever so often at the radiation session he had talked more and more to her. She was one of the persons that he had come to long to talk to because with her he was just Nick. Not Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. The funny thing was that she had never cared about him in that way. Had never asked for an autograph or being taken on photos with him. She had never asked him any “fan questions” and instead had been interested in the real him.
She didn´t even like the Backstreet Boys and was more into rock. This suited Nick just fine.
It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining on the water, glitening. Seagulls flew over the boat and dolphins jumped in the ocean. It was one of those perfect days that you just wanna remember, etched into your memory and that you will never forget.
Even if they had to leave early to go down to Marathon where Nick had his boat, near his house he wasn´t the slightest tired. In fact he was full of positive energy. It also added up that the first chemo session had come out successful and when he expected to feel like crap he had instead felt like a million dollars.
“You need any help?” Brian asked as he came up to stand beside Nick and the steering wheel.
“From who? You Frick? Don´t think so. Unless you want us to run aground!” Nick laughed as he patted his friend on his shoulder. ”You´re a farm boy. Not a sailor.” They laughed and Brian agreed to the last sentence.
“Yeah but one thing is true. We both suck in a plane.” They laughed out loud and it felt good. Like the old days. The days before all the difficulties happened with the band, the management. Brian's surgery and him getting married had also served to bring the men further apart. But what had been the nail in the coffin was when Nick had started to party all the time. That, if anything had brought them further apart. Even if it was sad to say but the cancer had at least one good result. Frick and Frack were together again. At last.
“It´s lunch time,” Leighanne called out as she carried a basket. Julie came behind her and she yelled, “You better hurry or this will be gone..like right now.”
“Wow,” Brian said with amazement in his voice, “You met a girl that likes to eat as much as you do. You guys will have the most expensive food account there is.” He grinned widely.
“And who says that we will be buying food together?” Nick asked, with an hint of amusement.
“Me..and don´t say that I´m not right about this. I can tell that you´ve pretty lost it on her.”
“Well than you´re wrong,” Nick said, with a smile glistening in his eyes, “I like her..as a friend.”
“Yeah right, and my name is Donald Duck.” Brian laughed.
“What are you two laughing about?” Julie asked as she went over to Nick, slapping him playfully on his arm.
“Oh nothing.” Nick blushed instantly and Brian laughed even more.
“Okeeeey, well as we said before..lunch is ready now.”
“Mmmm..sure we will be down in a sec,” Nick mumbled, having trouble meeting Julie's eyes. He couldn´t help to think about what Brian had said. Was he actually starting to fall in love with this girl?
“Come on now, Casanova.” Brian grinned and then stepped down to go and sit by the table.
“What..eh..uh..ok.” Nick had jerked and when he looked up he saw Julie looking at him.
“You alright?” she asked a bit worried.
“Huh?..yes..why?”
“You sort of kept spacing out.”
Nick laughed nervously. “ Eh..that is my trademark..you know..airhead..” Suddenly he felt all tingly in his body. He was warm, yet still cold and for a moment he feared that he had a touch of a fever. Then he recognized the sign as being struck. Struck with a love bug!
Could it actually be like that??? Everything started to make sense. Why he was feeling like a young boy getting ready for his first date. During the past years he had been playing around. Having a dífferent girl every night, but no one made him feel like he did with Julie. Yes maybe Manda..in the beginning. But that was different. Different from now because he had first fallen for Manda's good looks. This time he actually got to know a girl before dating her.
“You did it again,” Julie remarked as he had spaced out one more time.
“Yeah? Ok..sorry,” Nick mumbled as he tried to get his bearings. Mentally he cursed himself for doing that. Spacing out all the time. He also cursed Brian for bringing up the “luv topic” as he felt like he couldn´t be natural around Julie anymore.
What if she didn´t like him? In a way that he liked her? Things were starting to become complicated.
“Aww come on man, get in. It´s not THAT cold,” Nick yelled as he swam around in the water.
“Nooo, there can be sharks.” Brian said reluctantly as he sat on the boat watching as Nick and Julie swim like dolphins.
"Chicken," Nick splashed water upon Brian and he shielded himself with his hands. Leighanne was making Brian company and she smiled towards her husband, “I have rarely seen Nick so happy.”
“Me either,” Brian agreed as they watched the young couple play in the water, throwing water at each other.
“Imagine that they both have cancer,” Leighanne said as she hugged her husbands arm harder.
“Mmmm..who would think that,” Brian said with sadness in his voice. His heart ached when he thought that the love that he saw wasn´t so sure if it was allowed to grow. Something could easily happend to either of them and he knew that they were both playing with death. He wrapped his arm around his wifes shoulder and then stroked her stomach. “Honey..I love you so much,” he whispered, suddenly feeling his eyes burn with tears.
“I love you too, hun.” She leaned her head on his chest, “And he loves you too.” She stroked her stomach with soft moves.
“He?” Brian sat up straight. “You know it is a he?”
“Yes,” Leighanne's eyes were laughing as she saw her husband getting excited.
“How?? How do you know that???” He asked not wanting her to drop the subject.
“Unless girls have a penis this is a little baby boy.”
“Huh?? How?? When?” The questions were dancing around in Brian's head and she laughed silently at him.
“ Before I was flying here, I wanted to make sure that everything was ok and then I did a check up and the doctor wanted to know if I wanted to do an ultrasound. I finally agreed and then it showed a small winkie and the doctor referred to the baby as a he. Then suddenly changed her mind and called our baby an it. “ She chuckled. “But I happened to catch on to this and then I pressed her, wanting to know the sex and then she finally agreed that it was a baby boy.”
“Why didn´t you tell me sooner?” Brian could not comprehend what he had heard. He was happy, but also shocked.
“I wanted it to be the right occasion to tell you so. And what can be better than this?,” she showed with her hand towards the ocean, and Nick's playful laughter and Brian couldn´t agree more.
This was the best and biggest news! Ever!! “ Baby,” he said after digesting the news, “I´m going to have a basketball player!” He raised his voice, laughing out loud. Suddenly he stood up, happiness overcoming him.
”Nick! Nick!” he called out, wanting the whole world to share his fantastic news.
“Yeah what?” Nick was swimming around, diving, trying to impress Julie.
“I´m going to be a dad!” he cried out from happiness, "I´m going to have a baby boy. My own NBA player!!"
“ Cool!” Nick swam closer to the boat. “Totally awesome.” He was genuinely happy and Julie congratulated him too.
“Yes!” Brian yelled, “I love it!!! I love life!!”
