They finally just moved Nick over just a little so they could work on Kevin without Nick being in the way. 

 

Everyone was still around Kevin, Nick and the paramedics, just in a wider circle than before.  Kevin looked at all the faces looking down on him, the sight of it making him dizzy, their features ovewhelming him and sliding in and out of focus.  Nick noticed his distress and turned his head after the EMT's had slipped an oxygen mask on him  and made Kevin look right into his eyes, "Don't look at them, B.  Look at me.  It's just you and me. Okay? You and me."

 

Kevin found himself mesmerized by Nick's blue, blue eyes and how calm they seemed compared to everyone else he had been looking at.  Nick was careful to keep eye contact with Kevin, swallowing all of the panic that was racing around his body and stifling it before it became reflected in his eyes and made Kevin panic even more.

 

Kevin and Nick were so lost in each other's eyes that it didn't register that Kevin was now loaded onto a gurney and was being wheeled into the ambulance.  It just seemed like Nick was part of Kevin and rose when Kevin rose and moved towards the ambulance when Kevin did.

 

The was silence in the backyard except for Dylan's whimpering when the ambulance doors closed.  Kevin's coughs could still be heard, but barely through the thick walls of the ambulance.  One of the EMT's left the name of the hospital with Brian and hopped in the cab of the vehicle and started the lights and siren before racing down the driveway and towards the hospital.

 

Brian took a minute to close his eyes and take a few breaths to compose himself before turning around.  The only thought that he could get a grasp on and hold onto in the chaos that was his mind at that moment was 'what would Kevin do?'  He took another breath before turning around and looked over the shocked faces of his family and friends.  "Ok. D, AJ, come with me.  Leigh, Mom and Dad, please make sure everyone gets home and then come to the hospital. Sam, Melinda and little D......hey little guy, come here."

 

 

Dylan nodded and scrunched his face up, "It hurt!"

 

 

Brian leaned closer to Dylan, like they were sharing a secret, "Daddy sometimes likes to think he is Superman, but we know Daddy isn't right?"

 

Dylan nodded, "Daddy is Daddy, not Superman!  Superman has a cape and can fly! Daddy can't fly!"

 

 

Dylan nodded, "I tell him! Daddy no Superman!"

 

Brian nodded, "I think your Momma's are ready to take you home.  You give me a great big hug and kiss and I'll give them to Daddy for you ok? And when Daddy gets back from the doctors and is all better, he'll come over and give you a great big hug and kiss back."

 

Dylan wrapped his little arms around Brian's neck and squeezed fiercely, then pulled away and kissed Brian on the cheek, then kissed him again and hugged him again. "Daddy Nick too!"

 

Brian laughed softly, "Ok, I'll give them to Daddy Nick too.  Now run along to your Momma's and make sure you have say your prayers before going to bed."

 

 

Brian looked at the crowd again, who hadn't so much as moved since Brian had last spoken to them.  The fame mask slipped onto his face like an old friend and he smiled a little at the crowd, "Sorry about the party, Ladies and Gentlemen.  I'm sure you all know that the flu has run rampant throughout practically the whole tour and Kevin's the lucky one that got the last of the latest one that went through, probably getting it from all of us and he's come down with it hard.  I'm sure there is nothing to worry about, it's probably developed into bronchitis like happened to Tommy and Dennis.  We'll keep you all posted on Kevin when we know something. When things have calmed down and EVERYONE is completely better, we'll reschedule the barbeque.  Thank you for coming." 

 

With that he turned back around and started towards his car, hearing the footsteps of AJ and Howie right behind him. Howie's car was one of the last ones in the driveway and easiest to get out, so it was the vehicle of choice to get to the hospital. 

 

Once the three of them were in the car and Brian had gotten the keys from Howie, he manouvered out of the driveway and started towards the hospital.

 

They had driven for a few minutes, all of them lost in their own thoughts, when the car jerked to the  side, startling AJ and Howie out of their dazes.  Brian had pulled the car to the side of the road and sat with his hands gripping the wheel in a white knuckle hold. He started to shake so bad, that Howie and AJ thought he was having some sort of seizure, then they heard a muffled sob and immediately AJ's ams went around Brian from where he was in the back seat and Howie's went around him from the side, the three of them holding on to each other for dear life.  Here in the parked car, they didn't have to put on their game face and they could show how scared they really were, knowing the other two were just as scared as they were. In front of everyone at that party that didn't know about Kevin and Nick, or about their lives behind all the stardust, they had to play the part, here they were just Brian, Alex and Howie and they were scared for their friend.

 

*****************

 

Nick sat in the back of the ambulance and watched the EMT that was back there with them start an IV into Kevin and monitor how much oxygen he was getting into his system.  His eyes would only stray from Kevin's for seconds before going back to meet his husband's green ones, knowing that contact was the only thing that was holding Kevin together at the moment.  It was the only thing holding Nick together at this moment also. 

 

 

The doors opened and out of habit, Nick lowered his face towards the floor of the ambulance and then raised his eyes to glance through his bangs to survey for press standing there ready to ambush them. 

 

He breathed a sigh of relief, there weren't any.  He turned to Kevin's eyes again and reassured him without a word and a simple squeeze on the hand.  Kevin was still coughing horribly and gripping Nick's hand with each racking sound.  The only thing that stopped Nick from wincing was the knowledge that however bad it hurt for him, coughing like that for so long had to hurt worse for Kevin.

 

They were ushered right into a room in the E.R. and a doctor was waiting there for them.  He looked at Nick and was about to say something when the EMT caught his eye and shook his head discreetly, "He panicks.  Let him stay."

 

The doctor barely heard it, but acknowledged with a nod of his head, "What have we got?"   He looked down at Kevin and recognition dawned on his face, but not for the reason that you would think.

 

 

Nick tried to place the face and it clicked with him, this was the same doctor that took both of them after the whole ordeal with Stephanie, and then gave them a clean bill of health when it was time to tour.  He smiled at the doctor, "Hey Doc. And you are right. This is becoming an awful habit."

 

Kevin feebly raised his free hand while he coughed and flopped it a little in a wave. 

 

Doctor Sullivan took the hand and turned it over and examined Kevin's fingernails and then lifted the oxygen mask a little to study Kevin's lips and then glanced down at Kevin's sandaled feet to look at his toenails. 

 

He raised his head and looked at the nurses waiting at the ready, "I'll need......" 

 

Nick listened and it all flew over his head. It sounded alot like the stuff they shout on the show E.R. but he didn't have a clue what it was for and if it was bad. 

 

"And a chest x-ray. Stat."

The nurses scattered and the Doctor leaned over and looked at Kevin's hold on Nick's hand, "Married?"

 

Nick jumped and looked around to see if anyone was watching their conversation, "Yes. 10 and a half months."

 

 

Nick nodded, "Yes, please.  Thank you for letting me stay."

 

 

Nick nodded and explained they'd all had the flu more than once

 

"Has he ever completely shaken it?"

 

Nick thought about it and shook his head, all of them had barely had time to recover before another flu flattened them all again.

 

 

Nick counted the days back in his head, "About two weeks."

 

"Did he cough anything up?"

 

Nick nodded and tried his best to describe it for the doctor, shuddering at the having to remember it.

 

The doctor nodded and took a vest type thing from one of the nurses that was wheeling in a large protable xray machine. He slung the heavy material over Nick's shoulders and made sure it draped over Nick's internal organs and other x-ray sensitive parts.  He then moved Nick to stand right above Kevin's head and assist in holding Kevin's arms spread out at his sides so they cold get a clear view of his chest in the x-ray. 

 

 

 

Brian wiped his eyes and felt the tremors racing through his body ease a little, "That....that scared the shit out of me."

 

AJ wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, "Amen."

 

Howie just nodded silently, his wide brown eyes saying more than he could at the moment.

 

AJ took a deep shuddering breath, choking down the lump in his throat, "Did you see him go down? He just crumbled right there in front of Dylan.  I saw him try to catch himself, trying not to scare the kid, but he couldn't help it. "

 

Brian and Howie nodded.  Howie finally got a grasp on his voice, "Nick was...he just snapped right into control. I've never seen anything like that before from him. He held himself and Kevin together and even though he didn't look at us, I could feel the calm coming off of him and calming me down."

 

Brian nodded, "He amazed me.  He didn't have eyes for anyone but Kevin and it was like....he instinctively knew what to do, even when Kevin jerked forward like that.  I would have pushed him back down on his back again, Nick rolled him over probably saved him from choking."