Aaron Carter guided Nick's BMW down the highway toward Tampa General Hospital. Although he only had a learners permit, he took the chance of driving himself, slipping out of the house at 6:30 am while the rest of the house slept. The guys he could deal with, but having Jane attached to his hip during the final pre-op tests would drive him crazy.
The digits on the clock dashboard read 7:19 as the BMW pulled up to the entrance gate to the parking area. Aaron drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited for the black and white gate arm to raise. The arm had barely risen when he revved the engine, jerking the car forward with a start causing the tires to squeal in protest of the sudden movement. Embarrassment crept up on his cheeks as he manuvered the car into the dimly lit parking area, pushing the thoughts of how - 'Nick would seriously kill me if he knew that I squealed the tires on his car' - aside.
Aaron wasted no time parking the car in the first available space - which was easily found at this hour of the morning - and quickly exited, pocketing the keys as he pushed the car door shut with his hip. Tugging a hand through his blonde hair, he trudged through the heavy automatic doors leading into the hospital lobby.
After stopping at the information desk and asking where the outpatient laboratory was, Aaron headed off to have some more of the obligitory draws done for the final preparation of the task that would be at hand. He stood for a few moments at the windowed reception desk before a young girl looked up, sliding the window open. Recognition flashed in her eyes as she smiled.
"Can I help you?"
"U-uh, yeah, I'm suppose to get some blood drawn this morning," Aaron stammered.
The girl furrowed her brow for a moment. "Okay, Aaron Carter, right?"
Aaron grinned. "Yeah."
"Do you have orders with you?"
Aaron's grin quickly faded. "Um, no....someone called last night or something like that and tole me I had to come and have more blood drawn....for my brother...."
Once again the girl smiled finishing his sentence. "Yes, for Nick..."
"Yeah," he breathed as he watched her start to flip through a pile of green and white papers that were laying on her desk.
"Here they are, Doctor Heatherinton's orders....."
Aaron's relief was shortlived when the girl looked up at him, a serious expression on her face as she tried to look past him. "Did your mother come with you? I need her to sign the consent form for the draw."
In his mind, Aaron heard the distinct sound of tires screeching as if the brakes had been stomped on. "Huh?"
"I said did your mother come with you?"
Aaron shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Ah, no....it's early and I just came here by myself. I got the call and I just thought I could come over and get this taken care of."
"You're only fifteen and you need to be at least eighteen to have something done without a legal guardian's signature."
"They've already gotten her consent before, what's the dif if they just take the blood without all the legal mumbo jumbo?" Aaron asked calmly.
"Something about stupid rules and stuff I guess," the girl replied.
Pasting his best smile on his face, Aaron leaned forward. "Do you think you could just let this squeak by this time?"
The girl shook her head. "Sorry but I can't..."
"How about forgeing her signature?"
"You're kidding me, right?"
Aaron swallowed nervously. "Yeah...I was kiddin'.......she's up visiting my brother, how about I take the form upstairs and have her sign it and bring it back to you?"
The girl sighed, shaking her head. "You told me when you came in that you left by yourself."
Aaron looked at the ID badge that was attached to the front of the girl's scrubs. "Okay Lindsay, I lied, but you just gotta let me do this without getting my mother involved.....trust me on this, she's not a very nice person this early in the morning....could you just call Nick and get his permisson over the phone or something?"
Either the girl was flattered by hearing him call her by name or had a lapse of good judgement, Aaron's mouth dropped as he watched her pick up a pen from the counter and quickly scrawl Jane Carter onto the consent form.
"Thanks Lindsay," Aaron whispered. "I'll cover you.....I swear you won't get in trouble."
Lindsay quickly put the pen down and scooted her chair off to the side putting the paperwork into an open slot. "Have a seat and a phlebotomist will call when they're ready."
Aaron barely had time to open a magazine when a short, wild red-haired man slipped a door open. "Aaron?"
Nick slowly laid back onto his back. He was always patient when he had the daily morning vital sign checks done but always dreaded when they did the weight checks only because it would require him getting out of bed and making his way over toward the portable scales. It was a task that wore him out even on the good days.
"I will put a call into your doctor about having the lasix upped," the nurse said as she wrote some notes into his chart.
"More lasix?" Nick groaned.
"Looks like it," she replied, not looking up from her paperwork.
"I feel like I pee a river as it is already," came the quiet protest.
"Sorry but you don't want to drown in your own fluids, do you? I'm sure it was the chemo that caused the water retention. You don't seem to be able to lose the water on your own so I guess we'll have to give you a little help."
Nick could only shrug his shoulders in reply.
"A ten to fourteen pound weight gain in little over twenty-four hours is not good."
"Which explains why I feel like a balloon...." Nick sighed as he looked at his puffy hands.
"I'll be back in a few," the nurse promised as she scooped up her paperwork.
"Lookin' forward to it," Nick mumbled sarcastically as he drew the covers up to his chest and closed his eyes. He had only had his eyes closed for a moment when he heard footsteps enter his room followed by a quick gasp and a whispered, "Holy shit.." Nick opened his eyes to see Aaron standing in the door, slack jawed.
Grinning, Nick tried to overlook the shocked expression on his younger brother's face. "Hey Airhead....you gonna come in or just stand in the door and stare?"
Aaron snapped himself out of the shock and forced a smile on his face. "S-sorry," he stammered, "I-I guess I wasn't expecting this...no one told me you'd.....you'd...."
"Look like the Michelin Man?" Nick finished the sentence with a smirk.
Aaron's eyes grew wide, "I wasn't gonna say that...."
"Relax bro, I know I look like shit.....no worries it's just the meds they gave me, I'll look as normal as I can for me after they pump me with lasix."
"Oh...."
"It's a water med," Nick quickly explained when he noted the blank expression on Aaron's face. After a few moments of silence, Nick decided to start talking to put Aaron at ease. "You could sit down ya know."
Aaron followed Nick's direction and pulled a chair up next to the bed.
Nick couldn't help but notice that Aaron was staring at the numberous bags of fluids hanging from the IV pole. He quickly tried to divert his brother's attention away from himself. "Who came with you?"
"Huh?"
Nick chuckled lightly. "Dawg, you're spacing out."
"Uh, oh, sorry......I came alone, got some more blood drawn," he replied pointing to the bandage covering the crook of his arm.
"How did you do that?"
"You know, a person from the lab sticks a needle into your vein...."
"No dumbass, I didn't ask how it's done, I asked how you got to get your blood drawn and you came by yourself?"
"Oh," Aaron smiled, "just a little sweet talk to the receptionist and she was putty in my hands."
"Ma's so gonna have a cow when she finds out," Nick warned.
"She won't find out," Aaron assured.
"Jane Carter not finding out? RIIIIGGGHHHHTTT," Nick commented, putting his Dr. Evil impression to use.
"She won't find out unless you squeal."
Nick shook his head. "So you called a cab and came up here by yourself, I'm impressed."
Aaron scowled at his brother. "I didn't take a cab smart one, I drove myself here."
Nick's eyes widened in shock. "You did what?!"
"I drove myself."
"Are you crazy? After we had that little talk about the last time you pulled that stunt?"
"Hey it's better than coming up here with the interrogator."
"You should talk nicer about ma," Nick admonished. "She means well, she just has a hard way of doing it."
Aaron frowned. "Since when did you side up with her?"
Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, probably since I've gotten this sick it's sorta changed my aspects on life." He noticed the puzzled look on Aaron's face and quietly added, "but I agree though, she can really say and do some psycho things though."
"Whew......I thought you were going toward the dark side for a moment."
Nick raised an eyebrow at his brother. "Hold on for a moment boy, whose ride did you steal?"
Aaron flashed a cheesy smile. "Yours."
"Ah-ha....which one then?"
"I took the beemer," he admitted with a sheepish smile. "Don't be mad at me."
Nick sighed. "I'm not mad although I should be royally pissed. I should kick your ass for this but I don't have the energy."
"I'll remind you when you get better."
"Somehow I don't trust you on that promise."
Aaron's cell phone vibrated in his pocket, tearing him away from the banter between him and Nick. "Sorry," he apologized as he pulled the flip phone from his front pocket. After checking the caller ID, he shoved the device back into his pocket.
"Who is it?" Nick questioned.
"Just the bitch from hell," Aaron groaned.
"Aaron Charles Carter! You know should answer the call," Nick urged.
"Why? So she can freak out and give me a huge lecture?"
"You know you'll get a lecture either way, just answer it and get it overwith."
Groaning, Aaron pulled the phone from his pocket. In sudden move, he tossed the phone to his brother. "You answer."
Nick threw a dirty look at his brother before he opened the phone. "Hello?"
"Aaron Charles Carter! Where the hell are you?!?"
Nick winced at the shrill tone his mother was using. "Hey ma."
"Don't hey ma me, I want answers and I expect them right now!"
"Ma....this isn't Aaron."
There was silence on the phone for a few moments. "Bob? Did I dial the wrong number?"
Nick sighed in exasperation. "Would dad call you ma? It's Nick."
"Nicky? Baby? Where are you?"
Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked at his sibling. "In the hospital?"
Jane sighed into the receiver. "Yes...yes you're right, can I talk to your brother?"
Without saying anything further to his mother, Nick held the phone out. "She wants to talk to you."
Reluctantly, Aaron stood up to take the phone. "Don't start yelling, I'm with Nick and I'd like to visit with him for a bit."
"How the hell did you get to the hospital? You didn't drive did you?" Jane demanded.
"You already know I drove myself and I really don't care what you think," Aaron snapped.
"Don't you dare come off with a cocky attitude young man. You know when your father finds out he will back me up with grounding you!" Jane threatened.
Aaron rolled his eyes. "Punish me then and you know that dad doesn't give a rats ass what you think, he divorced you, remember?"
"Aaron! Don't talk like that to mom," Nick pleaded in a hushed whisper.
"Hey Nick's nurse is coming back, I gotta let you go, bye."
It was obvious to Nick that Aaron didn't wait for a reply from his mom when his brother quickly snapped the phone closed.
"Hi...sorry to bother your company," the nurse apologized as she made her way over to the IV pole. "Doctor wants you to get 200mg," she stated as she hung the bag and threadded the line into an existing port. When she finished her task, she handed Nick a paper cup containing a large tan pill.
Nick looked at the tablet suspiciously. "What's this?"
The nurse handed him the styrofoam glass of icewater. "Your potassium tablet."
He balked handing cup with the pill back to the nurse. "I already took this with my morning meds."
"You can take this orally or I'll have no other choice but to hang a bigger bag on your already strapped pole," the nurse snapped with a finger gesture toward the IV pole. "Besides, you haven't taken the potassium orally since the day you were admitted for the BMT prep."
"Hang a freakin bag then cause I ain't taking this shit."
This time it was Aaron that gave a dark look. "Nick!"
Nick folded his arms across his chest in a defiant gesture.
"Fine," the nurse huffed as she took the pill and stormed out of the room.
Nick held his middle finger in the air as the nurse left the room. "Bitch!" he muttered.
"Tsk....tsk....tsk," Aaron clucked as he shook his head. "Was that anyway to talk to your nurse?"
"Don't care.....she's a total bitch! I hate it when that damn Faith is on, I swear she is the witch from hell."
"I take it you've had lots of experience with her and not good ones?"
"Put it this way, she has a touch like an auto mechanic."
After a few minutes had passed, the nurse re-entered the room with a large IV bag in her hands, dragging a new IVac machine behind her.
"I'm putting a new line in your right arm," she snapped as she dragged the machine around Aaron's chair.
Nick rolled his eyes. "Like to see you try." His eyes didn't leave the nurse as he watched her pull the bed tray up and lay a white sterile package on the table. "You know I have shitty veins, why are you doing this?"
The nurse didn't bother responding.
"You don't have to do this, I can get Nick to take the medicine like you wanted," Aaron offered.
Faith shook her head. "Too late, he wants to play games and I don't have time to dick around."
Aaron's eyes grew wide and his expression matched his brother's after those words were uttererd by the woman. Without an explanation, the woman left the room.
"Do you think it was smart to push her Nick?"
"She gets three tries and then she has to get another person to start the IV, personally, I'm not worried."
"Three tries?!? You're crazy! Why would you want to do this? Once is enough for me and as far as I know those things look like they would hurt and you know I've never had an IV before."
Instead of the nurse entering the room, a woman from housekeeping came in with her small cart. She quickly set about doing her chores, ignoring the two in the room.
"Excuse me, miss?" Nick asked.
The woman paused and turned. "Yes?"
"Do you know if Cyndi Johannson is working this morning?"
The older woman shook her head. "Haven't seen her this morning, sorry."
"Can you do me a favor and go get a nurse....not that Faith woman another nurse?"
"You don't want Faith?"
"That's right, I want to see a nurse but not her, can you hurry?"
The woman nodded and left the room.
"What the heck was that about?" Aaron questioned.
"Just that I'm fixing her bitchy ways once and for all," Nick replied. Relief washed over him when a different nurse appeared in the room with the woman from housekeeping.
"Ruthie said you wanted something?"
"Yeah, I don't want Faith to take care of me anymore," Nick stated, pausing when Faith re-entered the room.
"Faith? Mr. Carter wants me to take care of him this morning."
The other nurse didn't seem fazed by the request. "Sure....let me get this IV started and you can handle his case."
"Don't touch me, I don't want you in here anymore so just go," Nick ordered with a growl.
"Sure after I hang the postassium...."
"Leave or things will get ugly," he threatened with a glare.
Faith shook her head as she snapped her surgical gloves off, tossing them into the wastebasket. "I would have expected aggorance from your little brother but not you." With that said, the nurse left the room in a huff.
Aaron stared after the woman, open mouthed. "Judas, who the hell does she think she is?"
Nick adjusted the blankets on his chest. "Fired from my care."
As the new nurse took the IVac machine, she paused for a moment. "My name is Lesley, do you need anything before I go?"
Nick shook his head.
"Alrighty then, just call me if you change your mind."
"Hey I do have one question."
"Was the extra potassium necessary?"
"I dunno, I haven't reviewed your chart but I'm guessing probably no."
As the nurse left, Nick rolled his eyes. "Thought so."
"So......now that you pissed a nurse off this morning, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?" Aaron queried.
As he drew a tired hand over his face, Nick yawned. "I dunno."
"Why don't you get some sleep, I can tell you're tired."
"I am," Nick admitted. "But I want to visit."
"Just take a damn nap and I'll go downstairs and grab something to eat since I haven't eaten breakfast yet."
Nick nodded, yawning again. "Okay."
Aaron stood up, smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt. He approached Nick's bed and leaned down and wrapped his arms around him and gave him a light hug. "Love ya....back in a few."
