AJ bounded up the stairs, two steps at a time with Aaron closely behind him. When they entered the room, they found Nick sitting up in bed in a hunched over position, his arm placed protectively around his stomach and broken lamp laying on the floor.
When Nick heard them enter the room, he pasted a false smile on his face. “Oh...sorry....I....didn’t... mean... to---”
“Don’t bullshit Nick, what’s wrong?”
He licked his lips as he tried to steady his voice. “I musta had a bad dream.”
AJ studied Nick’s sweatsoaked face.
“AC, could you get me some water?”
Aaron didn’t move at first until AJ softly pushed the young boy’s shoulder. Once he left the room, Nick dropped his protective shield and the tears started welling up in his eyes.
“I don’t want him to see me like this,” he whispered.
“It’s alright Nick, it’s nothing you can help.”
Gasping, Nick started rocking back and forth. AJ’s eyes widened. “I need some pain meds. I want two Percocets.”
Standing in the hall with the glass, Aaron heard the conversation. Although he was scared to see his brother in pain he tried his best to put a smile on his face. “Here.”
AJ rushed back from the bathroom with the medicine cupped in the palm of his hand. Nick accepted the white tablets and then took the glass of water. His hands were shaking so violently that the water spilled from the sides of the glass until AJ reached a firm hand onto the glass and held it for Nick while he drank.
“Thanks.”
Aaron could only stand off to one side while all this was happening; scared to say anything, terrified to see his brother in that shape. He wanted to run from the room but his feet refused to move. All he could do was stand and watch the scene as if he were a spectator at a horrific accident scene.
AJ glanced back toward the young boy and noticed that the teen’s skin looked pale. “Aaron, do you need to sit down?”
Aaron swallowed hard, shaking his head. He couldn’t speak; his throat hurt with the screams he kept from escaping. What he was seeing wasn’t fair to anyone, especially to his brother. He could only stand and stare.
Nick started to moan and rock his body back and forth as he clutched his stomach. “Oh god.... god this fuckin’ hurts.”
“What can I do?”
”Help me....god.”
”NICK WHAT’S WRONG?”
”WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIM? HELP HIM!”
AJ threw a hurried glance toward Aaron when he heard the young boy’s shouts. He managed to thrust an arm out as he approached the bed, trying to keep him away because he feared that Nick was sick to his stomach and was going to throw up.
”GET BACK!” he snapped.
“Jay.... help me get to the bathroom.”
Grabbing Nick under the arms, he hoisted his frame up easily from the bed. It used to be a struggle for AJ to push Nick when he would fall asleep in a chair or on a couch when they were touring, but since the cancer had ravaged his body, he had lost so much weight that he was possibly as thin as he was when he was 16.
Although the lifting wasn’t a problem, the helping Nick walk to the bathroom was as his legs kept giving out. He started to ask Aaron for help but the moment their eyes met, AJ changed his mind.
”I NEED HELP UP HERE NOW!”
Thundering footsteps where heard as help was racing up the stairs. Aaron tearfully stood and watched as Howie and Kevin rushed into the room over to aid AJ in helping Nick to the bathroom. After a couple of miscalculated steps by their brother, Kevin stepped into action and picked Nick up and carried him into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
AJ and Howie turned their attention from the closed door to the gangly teen standing alone in a corner with tearfilled eyes, wringing his hands.
Howie walked over to the boy, placing a protective arm across his shoulder. “Aaron? Are you okay?”
Aaron sniffled and shook his head. “I-I don’t know.”
“Come on, let me take you downstairs.”
Aaron shook his head. “I-I don’t know what to do anymore.”
“C’mon kiddo, let’s go downstairs and talk,” AJ suggested.
The obvious sounds of Nick’s dry heaves drifted out into the room, upsetting Aaron more.
“Why does he have to get sick all the time? I want my brother back,” Aaron sobbed.
“We do too honey,” Howie agreed.
“Let’s just go back downstairs. Kevin will take good care of Nicky. You know Nick will only worry about you if he comes out of there and sees you standing here crying, don’t you?”
Aaron looked up at the tattooed singer and shook his head affirmatively.
“Okay then, let’s go downstairs for a bit and hope that your brother gets the rest he needs.”
With fatherly tenderness, Kevin rubbed his young brother’s back in small circles as the boughts of dry heaves kept wracking his weakened body in spasms. Nick’s only sounds were the cries that would escape everytime the pains seared through his swollen abdomen.
“Sh-h-h-h.”
After twenty minutes had passed, and Nick felt that he was finished for the time being, he sheepishly asked if he could have help with a shower. “I’m a mess.”
“Don’t be embarrassed, it happens to the best of us. Are you sure you don’t want a bath instead?”
“I think I can manage a shower. I just need you to be here in case something happens.”
“Okay, well sit down and I’ll get the shower going.”
Kevin’s breath caught in his throat when Nick took his shirt off. His stomach was swollen to the size of a woman that was five months pregnant, the bandages from the biopsy incision still intact. Although his stomach was swollen, his ribs were showing through his pale yellowish tinged skin, showing more profoundly with every breath he took.
“I don’t think you’re suppose to get that wet. You better just take a sponge bath tonight.”
Nick absently placed a hand over the bandages. “Oh... this thing.....” He quickly tore the gauze and surgical tape off.
“Nick you were suppose to leave that on, what are you doing?”
He smiled wryly at Kevin’s shocked expression. “What? You think I’ll get an infection?”
“In your weakened condition, yes!”
“You worry too much,” Nick replied as he gingerly slipped off his pajama bottoms. He swayed briefly but thankfully Kevin was there to offer a firm hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Nick, there’s nothing to apologize for. C’mon, get in the tub before you freeze. I hope the water isn’t too cold.”
“It’s perfect, thanks,” Nick replied as he stepped into the tub.
As Kevin slid the glass door closed, he told Nick that he would stay outside of the room to give him some privacy. Nick graciously accepted the offer and Kevin left closing the bathroom door quietly behind him.
