PART 33<bR><bR>
Brian watched Ellie as she as she talked to Michael.  He couldn't hear what she was saying but he knew from her expression that it couldn't be good.  He was still staring at her when Kevin came back into the lounge after making some phone calls., "Hey Bri...Rae's gonna take the next flight out.  God Bri...she barely said anything...which tells you how upset she is..."  He stopped talking and looked at Brian, "What's going on...who's Ellie talking to?"  Brian shook his head, "I'm not sure but I'm guessing it's that guy Michael."  "Did Nicky say something about him to you?" Kevin asked his cousin, concerned at the tone of Brian's voice.  "No, I didn't get a chance to talk to Nick after they had dinner last night and now..." his voice trailed off.  Kevin rested a hand on his cousin's shoulder, "I know Bri...I'm scared too...it's gonna kill Nicky to have to pull out of the tour but he's got to...he's got to get better."  Kevin's voice cracked a little, causing Brian to look up at him in surprise, not expecting Kevin to be as emotional as he was, "Kev?"  Kevin shook his head, "I'm ok...I...I just wasn't expecting it...ya know?"  He sighed and ran his hands through his dark hair, "I kept telling myself that he was just upset because of Ellie...I guess I was trying to pretend Nicky couldn't ever get sick again...you know, when I was talking to Rae all she would say was how she wasn't going to lose him too...we're not going to lose Nicky this time are we Bri?"<bR><bR>

Ellie hung up her phone, her mind reeling from Michael's news.  She walked back into Nick's room and sat down in the chair next to his bed.  Absentmindedly she brushed his hair from his eyes, noting that his skin was still much too warm to the touch.  She looked down at him, her eyes drinking in every inch of his face.  She was still sitting and watching Nick intently when Howie came into the room, "Hey Ell...I got you some more coffee."  Ellie smiled up at him, "Thanks Howie..."  "No problem Ellie...Kev told me Rae's flying in to see Nick...everyone's pretty scared...how're you doing?"  She hung her head, "I don't know what to do Howie..."  "What about??  What's going on?" he responded, concerned.  Ellie sighed, "I don't know, I'm so confused...I'm in love with Nick..you know that don't you?"  Howie raised his eyebrows, "Of course I know that...tell me what's going on."  Ellie looked away for a moment, and when she looked back her eyes glistened with tears, "I have to leave."  Howie stared at her uncomprehendingly, "What?  When?"  She looked away again, afraid of his reaction, "Today..."  Howie's eyes widened in surprise, "What?  Ellie, you can't!  You can't leave right now...Nicky needs you."  Ellie didn't answer and Howie moved closer, resting his hands on hands on her shoulders, "Ell, how can you even consider leaving right now?  Is your career that important to you that you'd leave Nick when he needs you so much?"  Ellie pulled away from Howie in anger, "You don't understand!"  "No, I don't.  Explain it to me...help me understand."  Ellie shook her head, "Michael arranged a special concert appearance for me at the Queen's birthday celebration tomorrow.  I can't back out now...he did this without asking me...he thought I'd be happy.  I have to be there."<bR><bR>

Howie had no idea what to say.  He was reminded of the time that he and the others had been told they *had* to be at the World Music Awards despite Brian's surgery.  Finally he looked at her, "I'm sorry Ellie, I guess I do kinda understand.  I'm not sure how the others are going to react though...do you want me to tell them?"  Ellie looked at him gratefully, "Would you?  This is hard enough without knowing that Brian and Kevin are going to hate me."  Howie nodded and left the room.  Ellie looked down at Nick's sleeping figure, "What about you baby?  How do I make you understand?"<bR><bR>

Outside Nick's room Howie was trying to explain things to Brian, Kevin, and AJ.  Brian responded first, his face flushed with anger, "Is she out of her fucking mind??"  Howie tried to calm him down, "Rok, she doesn't want to go...she just feels like she doesn't have a choice."  Brian paced back and forth agitatedly, "This is so wrong.  He's sick and she's leaving.  This is wrong..."  Howie looked pleadingly at Kevin and AJ but Kevin just shook his head and walked away while AJ looked at his friend, "I'm with Rok...she shouldn't do this.  He needs her with him right now"<bR><bR>

Kevin strode into Nick's room, his anger building.  He stopped at the door, watching Ellie as she played with Nick's hair, wondering what was going through her mind.  She looked up and over at the door, suddenly realizing that she wasn't alone.  She caught sight of the expression on Kevin's face and her own face crumpled, the tears beginning to fall again.  "Ellie, D told us...you can't do this.  Nick needs you by his side."  "Kev, please, this is hard enough.  Michael..."  "Michael!" he spat out, "The same Michael who somehow made you not get any of Nicky's messages?  Why can't you see that what you're doing is a huge mistake??  What do I say to him when he wakes up and asks me where you are??"  "You make Michael sound like some kind of a monster...he's not like that at all...and Nick...Nicky will have to understand."  Kevin stared at her, "God Ellie...I never took you for such a coldhearted bitch."  Ellie gasped and, unable to stay in the room any longer, jumped up from her seat and ran out the door, her hand pressed to her mouth to stifle her cries.<bR><bR>

PART 34<bR><bR>
Kevin sighed heavily and sat down on the chair next to Nick, "Hey little man...you gotta get better soon kiddo.  Rae's on her way here and she's gonna kick your ass if you don't start improving real soon."  Kevin sat and watched Nick sleep for a while until his thoughts were interrupted when the doctor walked in to check on Nick, "How's the patient doing?" he asked, looking at Kevin.  "You tell me...is he gonna be able to rejoin us on tour anytime soon?"  The doctor shook his head, "You know the answer to that as well as I do Kevin.  Nick's in no shape to be on tour.  Dr. Clark and I both feel like Nick could be close to a reoccurrence of his Leukemia and we need to do anything we can to stop that from happening..."<bR><bR>

As the doctor spoke Nick began to stir, the fever's hold on his body finally beginning to break, "Ellie?" he mumbled.  Kevin placed a hand on his shoulder, "Shhh Nicky...she'll be right back..."  Kevin looked at Nick's doctor, "Will you be here for a few minutes?"  The doctor nodded and Kevin left the room to find Ellie.  He found her sitting on a bench outside the hotel and grabbed her arm, "What the hell are you doing??  Nick's awake and asking for you..."  Ellie refused to look at Kevin, "Thanks..."  She got up and headed back into the hospital, wondering how Nick would react to her news.<bR><bR>

*Nick's room*<bR><bR>

"Hey sweetie....how do you feel?" Ellie asked, sitting down next to him on the bed, her eyes drawn to his pale face and the sweat that beaded his brow.  Nick tried but failed to smile, "Ok," he croaked out.  "Liar..." Ellie responded, bending to kiss his forehead, "You scared us all pretty badly Nicky...you gotta stop doing that..."  This time Nick managed a weak smile, "Sorry..."  Ellie laughed, "Rachel is coming to see you..."  Nick's eyes widened, "Oh man..."  "Shhhh baby...she's just worried about her little brother and she wants to be here with you."  Nick shook his head, "She's gonna be mad..." he whispered, "Good thing I have you to protect me..." his voice trailed off as he saw the look on Ellie's face, "Ell, what's wrong?"<bR><bR>

Ellie got up and paced around, afraid to say what she needed to, "Nicky...I have to go home today and I have to do a concert while I am there.  I have to leave..."  Her stomach knotted up as she saw his expression change, "You're what?" he whispered, hoping he'd misheard.  Ellie hung her head, almost wishing Nick would yell or scream, anything but look at her with that sad expression on his face.  "Nicky, I'm sorry..I don't want..."  He cut her off and spoke as Ellie winced at the quiet deadliness of his voice, "You're leaving while I'm in the hospital?  Because of him?"  "Rae'll be here soon...and I'll be back as soon as I can..."  Nick stared at her, his fear and anger growing, "You're leaving me?  I need you here...please don't leave me..."  "I'm not leaving you Nicky...I'm just doing something that I need to do...something important to me..."  As soon as the words left her mouth she knew she'd said the wrong thing again.  "And being here with me isn't important to you?  You may not feel like you're leaving me but that's what it feels like" he responded, his voice now harsh with anger.  "Nicky, please don't...I HAVE to do this...I don't have a choice!"  "We always have choices Ellie...you're just choosing someone else over me!" he yelled, just before doubling over as pain knifed through his body.<bR><bR>

Ellie's scream brought Nick's doctor, who'd been outside talking to the others, running into the room, followed closely by the Boys, "What's going on in here?"  He rushed over to Nick, who had blood trickling from his mouth.  Turning to Brian he yelled, "Get a nurse!" Brian ran from the room as Ellie stood watching, tears pouring down her face.  She was startled when Kevin took her arm and pulled her aside, "You told him didn't you!" he accused, "Look what you've done!"  She recoiled as if she'd been slapped, shocked at the anger in his voice, "Kev I..."  "Save it!" he snarled, "Right now all I care about is Nick..."  Just then the doctor turned to them, "Everybody out, NOW!!" he yelled.  Still holding Ellie's arm Kevin pulled her out of the room and into the lounge, where they were soon joined by the others.  They waited for the doctor, their apprehension growing, and moments later he emerged from Nick's room, his expression grim, "His blood pressure is falling fast...he's bleeding internally again.  We're going to have to get him into surgery and take a look inside."  He turned to Ellie, "I thought I told you that he didn't need anymore stress!  What were you thinking??"  His words proved to be the last straw for Ellie.  Grabbing her things she pulled herself free from Kevin's grasp, "Tell him I'm sorry and I'll call him..." she whispered before she turned and ran down the hallway leaving Kevin and his friends staring after her in shock.<bR><bR>















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