Chapter 33

“.... Stable, his charts are very good. Worse case of allergies I’ve ever seen though..... Not just the allergies.... I know.......administered prednisone....”

Nick opened his eyes a small fraction to let a little light flood in. He closed them back tightly after a second or two. Conversations buzzed on around and over his head. “.... Climate changes.... exhaustion is another problem..... Bronchitis...... changed his medication a bit.....plenty of rest, and.... kept indoors. Clean.....pets....” Ok, this was getting annoying Nick thought to himself. Was someone watching television and flipping through the stations before anyone could finish a sentence? He let his eyes open another fraction again. This time he kept them open and began to open them wider. He gasped, or tried to... something was covering half his face. His eyes scanned his whereabouts in a panicked daze... what the hell, had he been abducted by aliens..? He was in a plastic cage... or tent. He moved his arm... Hey he still had arms! He moved his arm and put his hand to his face. He felt the hard plastic of the mask and tried to pull it off. Something was keeping it... there it went. That felt better. His face itched now, and he felt a little light headed. He took a deep breath in, and felt his lungs responding to his request with a slight wheeze. Hey he could breathe again! The aliens must have been experimenting on his body... awesome. He tried breathing through his nose... Ok. Apparently he had fallen in with some rather stupid aliens. He knew he should be panicking, but he felt... pretty. Kind of high, it felt good. He hadn’t felt this way in over a week. He heard the garbled voices again, except this time one of the voices was familiar. It was female and it was asking questions, “Asthma.... No... You don’t..... Oh, oh, Ok....”

“Mom?” he asked. Huh? Had that pitiful sound come from him? That wasn’t his voice, he cleared his throat and tried again, “Mom?”

He heard something, something like footsteps and felt himself shudder... Footsteps. He remembered the grimey basement and the men in black with the guns trooping down the stairs... The gunshots, the blood. He felt his breathing quickening, “Nicky, honey, put the oxygen back on, get your mask.... Can I?”

Nick saw a strange mass coming towards him, it was saran wrap-covered, it grabbed the oxygen mask he had laid aside and secured it back on his face. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes trying to clear his mind of the horrible memories. He opened his eyes again to see, “Mom?”

“Hey honey, hi, are you ok?” His mother stood outside the plastic bubble.

“Where am I?” Nick asked softly, he reached to remove the mask again. He didn’t like the distortion it made in the sound of his voice.

“You’re in the hospital Nick,” his mom said softly, using the plastic glove her hand was in to run through his hair.

Nick blinked, “I’m not in the basement anymore?”

Jane shook her head, “No baby, you’re safe with me and Dad now.”

Nick let out a sigh of relief, “How’d I get out? And why am I in a bubble? Where are the other guys?” He was more alert now. He peered through the clear plastic to see his surrounding white hospital room. He saw the glass window.

Jane frowned at him, “Nicky... the others... they’re still in there. Remember the kidnappers would only let you out.”

Nick blinked and shut his eyes trying to concentrate on a memory.... He remembered feeling like he was suffocating... he remembered. Oh God! He remembered, “Oh no! It’s not fair! I shouldn’t have gotten out when they’re still....!” he coughed.

“Nicky, calm down,” Jane said sternly, “You’ve been asleep for nearly 16 hours. You’re in that oxygen tent to shield you from outside germs and allergens kiddo. You were pretty sick.”

Nick blinked, “Are they... Are the guys going to get out soon?” Nick didn’t care about his condition as much as he cared about his Backstreet brothers.

Jane sighed and petted his head, “Yes baby, they’ll be out and here to see you soon.”

Nick frowned, “I have to stay here for that long?”

Jane laughed, “No hun, in fact they said it would only be another day. Now that you’ve woken up they’re just going to run a few more tests and then we can go.”

“Then we can go and wait for the guys to come out,” Nick said seeming somewhat content. His eyes were slowly beginning to close again. Jane sighed and stared at him. He appeared to be so fragile as she observed him through the plastic oxygen tent isolating him from her touch. His face was pale and washed out, and his thin body trembled slightly. Jane stood to leave as she realized that soon he would be asleep.

“No,” was the soft sound from his lips.

“Nicky, I’m just gonna get a....”

“NO!” His eyes flew open and he reached for her hand only to be blocked off by the oxygen tents restrictions, “Don’t go! Stay here! I don’t want to be alone!” Tears fell from his blue eyes as he pleaded with his mother not to leave him.

Jane sat back down beside his bed, “Nicky, Momma won’t leave you alone. But Momma’s gotta....”

“No!” Nick hit the oxygen tent, “No!”

“Ok, ok, calm down, calm down sweetie,” Jane was saying beginning to look frightened. She pressed the button for a nurse. A pretty nurse in uniform entered the room smiling, “So sleeping beauty finally decided to wake up. What’s wrong honey?”

Nick blinked back his tears and stared at her and then at his mother, and pouted, “Can I get out of this thing?” He slapped the tent with his palm.

The nurse frowned, “I’d have to ask your doctor... Is that all?”

“No,” Jane said, she glanced at Nick, who was still pouting at her, warily, “Can you run down to desk and page my husband and kids from the cafeteria, because somebody here won’t let me leave.” She grinned down at Nick, who was grinning lightly back at her. A ghost of his former smile, but it was a start.

“What should I get him?” Angel Carter looked indecisive over the two equally unattractive beanie babies she held in her grasp.

Leslie made a face, “Well they’re both ugly...”

“Yeah, but Nick... and not to mention I, don’t have either one of them yet,” Aaron took one of the beanie babies from his sister and tossed it into the air, “I’ll get this one for him, you get the other.”

Angel nodded getting out her wallet to make her purchase.

BJ was already at the checkout line with the counter stacked high with snack foods and miscellaneous items.

“Getting all that?” Leslie questioned joining her older sister at the register. The twins fell into step behind her.

“Yeah, you know he’s gonna get bored... and hospital food is gross...” BJ was saying absently as she watched the cashier bagging her purchases.

“Guys,” Bob Carter came into the gift store, “Mom just had the nursing station upstairs page me. Nicky’s awake.”

“That’s great!” Aaron said tossing his beanie baby on the counter and looking impatiently at the slow cashier, “Can we go see him?” No one had been allowed in to see Nick but Bob and Jane. The others could only see him through the glass window. Aaron felt intimidated by the plastic cage his brother was in... he knew it was to help him... but it looked awful. He wondered how Nick reacted when he woke up in it.

The elevator ride upstairs took forever, or at least it seemed that way for BJ. She ran through the door once they had opened and bolted down the hall. She couldn’t wait to see him, to talk to him. She still couldn’t believe he was back with them. He was where she could touch him.... well almost touch him. The plastic around him kept everything out. She shivered thinking about it. She stopped outside Nick’s room next to the bodyguard who stood by the door, and peered through the glass. The plastic tent was gone from around the bed. BJ smiled and felt something run up against her, “Aaron?”

Aaron smiled up at her then grinned, “Good that bubble thing’s gone.”

“Ok, now they only allow two people in the room at once guys,” Bob said to them, “And I’d like to go in and talk to him first, if you don’t mind. And I’m pretty sure you’re mother’s going to want to be in there while I am. We’ll trade later.”

BJ tried to hide her disappointment behind a smile, “Sure Dad, but I’m next.”

“Me too!” Aaron chimed.

“Then us,” Leslie and Angel said.

Bob entered the room. BJ watched as her Dad’s smile grew and he sat down beside Nick’s bed. He spoke very animatedly and laughed at something every now and again that Nick said.

He then got up after 10 minutes and whispered something to Jane. Jane shook her head and was explaining something to him. Bob nodded and gazed back down at Nick, then he came back out of the room, “Ok kids... um you can only go one at a time. Nicky doesn’t want to be separated from Mom just yet. Don’t talk about what happened ok? It will upset him.”

BJ nodded, “Can I go in?”

Bob nodded and let her pass through the door. The first thing she noticed right off was the oxygen mask over Nick’s face. His skin was pale and sallow and his face looked gaunt. His breaths were hesitant but steady, “Hey Nick.”

His eyes opened and they looked at her. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly and he greeted her, “Hey Beej.”

“How are you feeling?” she slipped into a chair next to her mother and smiled at her.

“Like a gay pansy... Honestly as much as they’re going to make me pay for this they could at least give me a night gown without a draft spot in the back.”

BJ giggled, yup this was Nick alright.

< The Boys In The Basement >