GO READ CHAPTERS 7-9 OF CHOICES FIRST OR ELSE YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND CHAPTER 27!!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. Taking a long time to get these out aren't I. Well I have a damn good excuse. I have finals and the last few weeks have been pure hell. So don't bitch at me!
Plus, this is a total Rachel is a klutz story here, but it has affected the fact the story didn't come out until now. On Sunday, me being the genius I am, slammed my own finger in my car door, leaving it quite messed-up. 2 hours into my hospital visit, I found out that nothing hurts more then them actually cleaning out a wound with saline. Take my word for it. Don't try it. Unfortunatly, I slammed my right index finger and being right-handed, that has affected my ability to write and type. So I'm using that as an excuse too. Sorry.
Enough of that. Go read some stories like 'Brian and Me', 'Separate Lives', 'Search and Rescue', and 'After 'Nsync'. They get updated more frequently then mine do.
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah...don't you know this by now?
ESCAPE
Chapter 27
"Oh shut up Nick!" Justin pushed the shocked man backwards. Nick planted himself and leapt on Justin, easily dropping him to the ground. The two of them began to grapple for position.
Kevin looked up from his newspaper just to make sure everything was okay. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward so he could see the TV screen better. He leaned back and crossed his legs again. Kevin continued to read his paper, knowing that this was just a post-Nintendo battle. Justin had lost again.
AJ slipped into the room and came up behind Kevin silently. He slid his hands down Kevin's chest.
"Not now Joey. AJ is going to be here any moment." Kevin didn't even look up from his paper as he grinned.
"Everything is ready. I got them hiding in the next room. Brian is keeping them company." Kevin looked up at AJ, still holding the paper up so Nick and Justin wouldn't hear them whispering, not that they were paying attention. Nick had Justin in a headlock and was telling him to call him the King of the World.
AJ glanced over at the two of them. "Let me get this right. Nick is going to be 22 and Justin is going to be 21 and they still act like this?"
Kevin nodded. "Justin lost to Nick again. I see it as a battle for honor."
"JC and Lance are in the other room getting everything else ready. Chris and Howie took Joey out saying something about a Superman exhibit. What a bad lie." AJ shook his head. "You cool with these two still?"
"Sure. If they get antsy, I'll just let them whip my ass in Nintendo for a bit." AJ gave him a quick kiss. "The sacrifices you make for your friends Kev." AJ grinned as he walked away, leaving Kevin to watch two of the three birthday boys.
Some stroke of luck gave Joey and Nick the same birthday with Justin just 3 days later. It made it easy to throw a big party for all of them at the same time. The guys had arranged for Allie and Casey to fly over for a couple days to see Justin and Nick.
Nick climbed off Justin. "Re-match in five minutes. Pull yourself together man." Nick walked over to the phone and dialed room service.
"I'm ordering some food. Anyone else want something?"
"Get me a turkey and cheese sandwich Nick." Kevin answered from behind the paper. Justin jumped up and ran over to the phone. "I'll order for myself when you are done."
Nick picked up the menu.
"Hi yeah. This is Nick Carter in room 823. I want a turkey and cheese sandwich, two cheese steaks, French fries, a pot of coffee, pancakes, those little cookies with the chocolate centers you guys make so well, and a bottle of Coke." He handed the phone to Justin.
"We also want a pizza with pepperoni and sausage, a cheeseburger, potato chips. Do you guys have ice cream? Okay then I want some ice cream too. Strawberry. And a bottle of chocolate syrup. Oh and I really want some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. And some milk to drink. Actually a lot of milk to drink. Bring me up a carton. Okay, thanks."
Kevin looked at the two of them in disbelief. "We just had breakfast two hours ago. How can you two be so hungry already?"
They both shrugged. "I guess we're just growing boys." Nick grinned at Kevin.
"Fatima is going to work your asses off if she finds out how much you are eating."
Justin sat back down on the ground. "We're not going to tell her are you?"
Kevin shook his head. "No, but they do keep records of the amount of food that is ordered for each room. Fatima periodically checks them. That's how come she knew AJ kept ordering an ice cream sundae before bed."
Nick shrugged as he picked up his controller. "Whatever. I can dance more if she wants me too. Besides is there any fat on my body anyway? Look at me."
Kevin glanced up and down Nick's body. He was right. Nick was in great shape despite all the crap he ate. Kevin knew that Nick had a very intense workout he did everyday. Kevin had barely been able to keep up with him when they would work out together the week he had lived with him.
The two of them began another game. As soon as Nick began to beat Justin, the arguing began again. Kevin rolled his eyes and got up. The maturity level in the room was taking a nose-dive and he felt compelled to join in.
Kevin sat down next to the two and picked up the last controller. He entered the game and turned on Nick's character.
"What the fuck?" Nick turned to look at Kevin, letting his concentration skip. Justin took him out with a sniper rifle. Kevin grinned as he turned and blew up Justin's man.
"Oh this is war Kevin. You asked for it." Justin gritted his teeth in determination. Together he and Nick ganged up on Kevin and quickly beat the crap out of him. Kevin started to get drawn into the game despite the fact he was losing so badly.
There was a knock on the door. "Its open." Nick shouted, not willing to get up and open the door.
"Room service." Nick spun around when he heard her voice.
"Allie!" He dropped the controller and ran to her. The two of them kissed passionately, hugging each other tightly.
Casey pushed the next cart in. "I've got an order for a Mr. Timberlake." Justin jumped up, dropping his controller as well. He swung Casey around and kissed her.
Kevin laughed as he took control of the video game. He quickly disposed of both Nick and Justin's characters. He began to cheer, causing the four of them to turn to him. He pointed at the TV.
"I won."
Nick and Justin turned to each other. "Did you pause the game?" "No I thought you did." They turned back to Kevin in disbelief. "Then he did win. Damn, Kevin beat us."
"Oh yeah. Whose King of the World now! In your faces." Kevin began to do a dance, making Allie and Casey double over laughing.
"You are not King of the World Kevin. You were lucky." Justin said.
"Nah, Kevin is Queen of the World." Nick began to laugh. "Oh bitch!" Kevin said jokingly. He grabbed Nick and tossed him over his shoulder.
"Would a queen do this?"
Nick looked up. "According to AJ, yes." Kevin dropped Nick on the couch. "Fine. I'm leaving. Y'all be good okay. We do have a concert tonight and these two jokers have to have a little energy."
Kevin grabbed his turkey and cheese sandwich off the tray and shut the door behind him, leaving them alone.
"All right, who sent in the girls early? They were supposed to show up while we all sang happy birthday onstage tonight." Kevin glared at the assembled group of men.
"It was Brian's idea." Brian began to sputter. "Y'all agreed to it too. So don't blame it on me."
"Hey it's cool. I was just wondering. Besides, because of the distraction, I beat Justin and Nick in Nintendo." Kevin grinned as he took a bite of his sandwich.
"That's my man. Take advantage of them when they are distracted." AJ gave Kevin a kiss.
"So Josh, what do you have planned special for Joey's birthday?" Lance asked him while they strung up the streamers in.
Kevin, AJ, and Brian turned to the two of them, watching as JC turned bright red. He dropped the end of his streamer in shock. Flustered, he leaned over and picked it up.
"Ah well, I kind of thought...we would...ummm...spend some time alone. You know." JC said quietly. Lance looked over at him.
"Sorry Josh. I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"It's okay Lance. It's not like it's a secret what I have planned. I just wasn't expecting anyone to ask about it."
Kevin walked over to JC. "Do you need us to help you with anything? We're all pretty good at setting stuff up."
JC began to blush even more. "I want to make tonight special. I honestly don't know what to do to make it special though."
Lance looked over at JC in shock. "You and Joey haven't had sex yet?" Kevin shot him a look and he shut up.
AJ and Brian joined the other three. "What about reserving the roof tonight? That's always pretty cool. You guys could watch the stars and just be all romantic."
Kevin nodded. "That's a good one Brian. We can make sure everything is all set up. Joey will have no clue."
JC climbed down from the chair. "Thanks guys. I am really bad at all this, so I'm leaving it up to you on what to do. Just let me know where I have to be."
Kevin, AJ, Lance, and Brian immediately began to discuss what to do for JC and Joey. Lance dialed the front desk and made the arrangements for the roof. He argued for a few minutes to get them to agree to close the roof.
"Have you guys seen the garden on the roof? It's beautiful. That would be a really great place to lay a blanket out."
"Oh we need champagne then." Brian threw in. He dialed down to room service on his cell phone. He ordered champagne and some light foods. He also grinned as he ordered strawberries and chocolate syrup. JC blushed deeply as he listened to the four of them plan.
Kevin and AJ were tossing ideas for the actual bed around.
"Josh, do you actually want to be on the roof while you are having sex or do you want us to get your room ready too?"
"I'm not sure. Can you do both?"
Kevin got a glint in his eye that JC had never seen before. He smiled happily.
"Come on AJ. We have work to do." He grabbed AJ's hand and pulled him behind him.
"Wait a sec. We need another room. Joey will notice if he isn't allowed in your bedroom. Lance, see if they have another open room on this floor."
Lance nodded as he talked to the desk clerk.
"Okay, they have a room down the hall. It's next to Howie and Ameena's room. They said to just come down to get the key."
Kevin pulled AJ out of the room to go get the key and check the room out.
"We are going to have to go shopping." Brian and Lance laughed as they heard Kevin as he left.
"That man loves to shop way too much."
"And your family was surprised when he said he was gay?" Lance joked back at him. Brian just laughed.
"Kevin I know that glint in your eye. What are you planning?" AJ asked as he tied his shoes. Kevin was all ready to go. He had on his whole disguise. Baseball cap, sunglasses, and AJ's clothes. That was the best part of the disguise in AJ's mind. It was the only way Kevin would dress weird. Granted, he had to wear Kevin's clothes as his disguise but it was worth it. Also, AJ would never admit it to Kevin or anyone else, but he really liked Kevin's clothes. They were really comfortable and relaxing unlike his own. When Kevin wasn't home, he would put on his clothes.
"We have to go get lots of flowers for the bedroom. Nice sheets, silk probably. A ton of candles. Oh and we have to go to a porn store."
AJ's head snapped up at the last comment Kevin made. "Why do we have to go to a porn store?" Kevin checked his watch trying to hurry AJ along.
"We have to get condoms and lube for them. Do you think we are going to send them into battle without proper protection?" AJ burst out laughing at Kevin's analogy.
"Oh just say sex Kevin. That sounded so stupid."
"Fine do you think we are going to let them have sex for the first time without condoms and lubrication?"
"That's better. But why a porn store? Can't we just go to a drugstore?"
"No." Kevin grabbed the now reluctant AJ and pulled him off the bed. "Why are you so shy all of a sudden? You're the same guy who used to collect porn receipts from all over the world as a hobby."
"And my porn receipt collection is huge. I've just never shopped for anyone else besides us."
Kevin kissed AJ on the forehead. "You're so cute sometimes. C'mon we have work to do." AJ shook his head.
"Well if we are going to a porn store anyway, let's get Nick a vibrator for his birthday." Kevin smiled at him. "Now that's my perverted fiancé that I know and love."
Kevin and AJ walked down the hall to the new hotel room Lance had gotten for JC and Joey. They looked around and opened the door. The room was huge, but set up perfectly. The bathroom was off to the side, so they didn't have to worry about it.
"Candles over here?" Kevin asked as he pointed to the table on the side. "No, I think we should put them on the floor. Let's leave the table empty. Maybe some champagne, but nothing else."
Kevin looked around. "Okay, but we have to make sure they are all secure. Rose petals or not?"
"Not. I think we should put flowers around the bed. Remember that time we had sex with flowers on the bed."
Kevin grimaced. "Oh yeah. That was really uncomfortable. Silk sheets are a definite."
"Oh of course. Those are so fun."
Kevin tossed out a few more ideas and AJ fixed them until they had figured out exactly what they had to go get and what they needed to get done.
"Did you inform the bodyguards of what was happening? Are they coming with us?" AJ asked, suddenly uncomfortable with the idea of them coming with them.
"Actually, we are slipping away from them and taking a rental car. Lance should be here any moment to distract them."
Not a moment after Kevin said his name, Lance walked by. He winked at them and grabbed the bodyguards by the elevator.
"I need you guys to help me with something. Hurry!" He pulled them down the hall.
"Mr. Bass, let me call for someone else to watch the elevators."
"No time. Just hurry."
Kevin and AJ rushed onto the elevators and quickly shut the doors. "Made it. So do you want to drive or should I?"
AJ shrugged. "Neither of us have any clue where anything is in Madrid Kevin. So its not going to make much of a difference."
"That's the spirit AJ. C'mon lighten up and have some fun."
"I'm just trying to be realistic here. We only have a few hours. I don't think we should just drive aimlessly through Madrid looking for a flower shop, a candle store, silk sheets, and a porn store. I think we need to ask directions."
Kevin looked at him like he had grown another head. "Are okay AJ? You are starting to sound like me."
AJ looked at the ground, a little confused himself. "I am starting to sound like you. That's scary Kevin. That's really scary."
Kevin squeezed AJ's shoulder comfortingly. "Honey, don't worry about it. It's not that big of a deal."
AJ pushed past him out of the elevator. "Yeah whatever. You can drive." Kevin shook his head, following AJ. What was that about?
Kevin parked the car and looked around them. "We have to do this now AJ. We've got to get back to the hotel and get to the arena."
AJ shrugged and got out of the car. No matter what Kevin did, he couldn't seem to get AJ to respond with more then a shrug. Sure AJ participated when it involved their purchases, but beyond that he ignored Kevin.
Kevin got out of the car and checked his disguise. So far no one had recognized them and he was pretty sure that they wouldn't be recognized in the porn store they were about to go in.
AJ grinned as they got closer. "It's a family store Kevin." Kevin grabbed AJ's hand as they walked inside. The guy behind the counter nodded his head and went back to reading his book. There were a few other people in the store, but they were all busy minding their own business.
AJ pulled Kevin forward when he stopped to look at a magazine.
"Hey quit pulling me. I was looking at that." AJ tossed him an evil look in response. "We are here shopping for Joey and JC, not us."
"Yeah, but it doesn't hurt to look at the merchandise. We may find something interesting. Besides that was the new Stroke."
"Excuse me. May I help you find something?" An extremely attractive young man asked them in perfect English. Kevin and AJ exchanged glances.
"We need some condoms and lube. Can you please direct us to that section?"
The young man gestured for them to follow him. Kevin and AJ both caught each other staring at his ass as he walked in front of them. AJ poked Kevin, who just grinned back.
"May I help you with anything else today?"
AJ looked over at Kevin. "You pick out the stuff for Joey and JC. I'll go pick out Nick's gift."
"Sure sweetie." Kevin was already looking over the selection. "We need more too." Kevin nodded.
"Now, can you show me to your selection of vibrators, dildos, and fake butts? We are buying a birthday gift for a friend of ours and need something unique." AJ grinned as the salesman's face lit up.
"I have the perfect item. Come see." AJ winked at Kevin as he followed the salesman to the other end of the store. Kevin grabbed a basket that was sitting nearby.
Kevin picked out a couple of boxes of condoms for him and AJ. Occasionally, they still used condoms despite the fact that they were in a monogamous relationship and had been for years. He picked through the bins of condoms for Joey and JC, getting an assortment of colors and styles.
Kevin chuckled as he came across a glow-in-the-dark condom. Maybe he would keep that one for himself. Shock AJ one night.
"Oh my god Kev! You have got to see this. It's perfect for Nick."
AJ was waving at him from across the store. Kevin grabbed two bottles of lube and dropped them in the basket as well. He hurried over to where the salesman and AJ were standing.
"Show Kevin what it does Stefan." Stefan held up the large vibrator and hit a button. It opened up and inside was a bunch of smaller vibrators. Kevin began to laugh.
"I don't know. That's tempting, but I am personally leaning towards a fake butt now that you've mentioned it AJ."
"This one vibrates." AJ grinned as he pointed to one in the case. Kevin began to laugh even harder. "That is quite possibly the nastiest thing I have ever seen. We have to get it for Nick."
"I agree. We want that. Can you gift wrap it Stefan?"
"Of course sir. I will return in a few moments with the package."
Stefan opened the case and removed the butt. He carried it carefully to the back and disappeared.
"He was cute." AJ whispered to Kevin. "I know. Did you see his ass?" "Of course I did. Why do you think I volunteered to pick out Nick's gift? I wanted to watch him walk again."
Kevin grinned. "Is his ass nicer then mine?" AJ kissed Kevin's ear. "Of course not. I don't get to see his ass up close and personal, so I would have to choose yours over anyone's."
"Thanks honey. I like that answer." Kevin kissed him on the cheek and let his eyes wander. He let out a gasp and grabbed AJ's hand.
"Look at this." Kevin and AJ stared at what seemed like a wall of their faces staring back at them along with the other three guys. "What is it?"
"That is our collection of Backstreet Boys porn. Believe it or not, the Backstreet Boys have a very large underground porno following. Sure most of it isn't real, but people still like it."
Stefan stood behind the two of them, holding a large box in his arms. AJ reached up and took down a book. He flipped through the pages until he found a picture of him. He showed Kevin, who just nodded.
"That's a pretty graphic picture. And very realistic." AJ muttered the last part under his breath. "They even have the tattoos right."
Kevin opened another book and searched around for a picture of himself. Finding it, he studied it closely. "Look." He pointed to a scar on the stomach of the picture.
"The scar is in the right spot. This is creepy AJ."
"Would you like to see one of the videos?"
"No!" Kevin and AJ exclaimed together. Stefan looked a little taken aback. "Sorry, but this is really weirding us out."
"That's okay." He looked at them a little strange, but not asking them why.
"You said that most of it wasn't real. What is exactly real on this wall here?"
Stefan reached forward and grabbed a book. "This one here is real. The book as you can see is handmade and the photos are originals. It's very, very rare. There are only 25 copies in the world. Each one has different pictures."
He handed the book to Kevin, who opened it carefully. "Oh my god. AJ." Kevin handed the book to him and turned away from the wall of familiar faces staring at him.
AJ's face turned white as he flipped through the pages, coming across extremely private photos of all of them. The majority of the pictures however, were him and Kevin, together.
"These are old. Look." He pointed to his arms and stomach. "No tattoos yet."
Kevin nodded, still refusing to look.
"We are going to buy this book as well. And Stefan, I'm going to give you a number to call if you come across any of these books again. We want them all."
AJ quickly scribbled down their office number back home. It was a private line. He handed it to Stefan who put it in his pocket.
Kevin and AJ quickly paid for their purchases and left the store. Once in the car, they both hugged each other tightly.
"Who the hell was taking pictures of us?"
Nick looked around at the packages in front of him. Allie handed him the first package. Justin and Joey waited until he had opened it before opening any of theirs.
Nick pulled out a warm sweater in blue. "Aw...thanks Ameena." Underneath it was a photo of himself and Allie in a beautiful frame. It was obviously Howie's handiwork. "Howie this is beautiful. Thank you." He showed Allie the picture of the two of them. Howie had taken it last summer when Allie had been down visiting.
Justin opened his first gift quickly. It was from Lance and Jean- Michel. "Sweet the new Mortal Kombat! Thanks guys." He hugged them both and moved onto his next gift.
Joey just laughed and opened his first package from Brian. He burst out laughing as he saw what was in the box. Brian shrugged and grinned at him. Joey quickly shut the box before anyone could see.
"What was it?" JC asked him. "I'll show you later."
"Ohhhh...one of those gifts." Chris winked at the two of them jokingly. "Shut up Chris." Joey blushed deeply, which set JC off blushing as well.
Nick looked at the large box from Kevin and AJ with curiosity. He had seen them come in with it only this afternoon. They had to get it while out picking up stuff for Joey and JC. Nick grabbed the brightly wrapped package before any others.
"He's opening it." Kevin poked AJ in the side so he would pay attention. AJ looked up from the drink he was making Casey to watch Nick open his gift.
Nick tore the paper off and saw...a brown box?
"Stefan wrapped it well." AJ whispered to Kevin.
Nick tried to rip the tape, but grew frustrated easily. Allie sighed and slit the tape with her knife. Nick grinned at her and reached into the box.
What the hell was that? Nick felt around for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. He peered into the box. With a shriek Nick dropped the box.
Kevin and AJ began to laugh, doubling over as Nick just pointed and stuttered.
"Its...its...its...an ass!" Nick could barely get it out. "Why did you give me an ass? And why is it vibrating?" Nick was practically shaking from the shock.
Justin picked up the box and dumped it out. Everyone burst out laughing as they saw the pale ass vibrating on the ground. It almost seemed to move towards Nick.
"Look honey. It likes you." Allie joked with him as Nick continued to recoil in mock horror and real shock.
"AJ can you hand me another beer?" AJ reached behind him and grabbed a beer out of the bar. He tossed it to Howie, who caught it deftly and continued with his conversation.
Kevin snuggled up behind AJ, kissing the back of his neck.
"Joey and JC left fifteen minutes ago. Don't you think it's time we left too?"
"Not until later. I'm having fun. Besides aren't you the leader of the silly string brigade this year?"
Kevin groaned and hugged AJ tighter. "Yeah, but no one else is in it yet. Are you sure you are okay being the bartender? I'll do it."
"Kevin, I need to do this. Trust me. I'm fine." Kevin didn't answer him. He just tightened his arms a little more.
AJ turned to look at Kevin. He reached up and held Kevin's face in his hands.
"Jessie and I had a long talk about this and we decided that this was the best way and the best time for me to face this. I've already accomplished a lot Kevin. I've gone to numerous clubs, been around my friends while they are drinking, and been alone with you while you are drinking without a drink. I just need to do this. This is the last hurdle. I know I can beat this."
Kevin leaned in and kissed AJ. "I love you."
AJ rested his forehead against Kevin's and stared into his eyes. "I love you too. Now go mingle."
"I'm going to go talk to Chris and Brian. They've been a little withdrawn lately. I think we've been neglecting them. Maybe I can get them to ambush Nick with me."
AJ kissed Kevin and pushed him away from the bar towards Brian and Chris. AJ picked up his soda and took a sip.
"Hey AJ. Can I get a rum and coke?" Ameena smiled at him glumly.
"Sure sweetie. How are you doing?" He quickly mixed her the drink and handed it to her. She took a huge gulp of it and grimaced.
"I'm counting the days until I get to see my daughter again. Plus I'm completely exhausted. I'd forgotten how much work this was. What the hell were you guys thinking when you decided on the lighting for this show?"
AJ grinned and out his arm around. "We were thinking about how to torture you when you joined us in the US. I guess we figured you would have time to learn the setup before you were forced on tour with us."
Ameena tried to smile, but she couldn't. "AJ I want my daughter."
He hugged her tightly. "I know sweetie. I know."
Howie came over to the two of them and put his arms around Ameena. "Let's go call Jared. Maybe Luna will be awake and we can see her." Ameena nodded and let go of AJ. She quickly finished her drink and let Howie lead her away.
AJ watched them leave. He had been noticing that Ameena had slowly been breaking down as the weeks drug on. Howie was still on top of his game while performing, but any other time, he was a mess. Howie had always been pretty good at keeping himself together, but now everything was going wrong. Kevin had been trying to keep Howie from destroying himself.
Ameena was always working. She was the lighting specialist for the Backstreet Boys, and had recently inherited 'Nsync and Britney's shows as well when the guy who whose running them up and quit. Now she was running herself ragged.
AJ was thankful he had Kevin around as much as he did. He didn't know what he would do if he didn't have him.
Lance, Nick, Justin, and Jean-Michel were playing Nintendo. Lance and Jean-Michel had gotten both Nick and Justin the new Mortal Kombat games and now they were getting their asses kicked in a four-on-four battle. Nick had finally gotten over the shock of getting a fake butt as a gift and had fallen into his normal video game habit.
"Damn you Justin! You cannot do that!" Jean-Michel glared at him as he threw down the controller. "Yes I can Jean! You suck at this game."
"You are losing too little man. Nikolas is kicking your ass. You are going to lose!" Justin stuck his tongue out at Jean-Michel in response. Jean-Michel responded by flipping him off in very un Jean- Michel-like fashion.
"Hey you two play nice. It's just a game. Nick! What the hell are you doing?" Lance watched as Nick seemed to shoot fire out of his mouth, scorching Lance's character.
"That would be burning you to a crisp Lance my boy." Nick chuckled as Lance stuck his tongue out at him. Lance put his controller down.
"I'm getting a drink. Does anyone want anything?"
"Get me a screwdriver." Nick said as he began to beat on Justin.
"Beer." Justin barely took the time to answer him. Jean-Michel brushed himself off and stood up as well.
"Lost your dignity a little huh?" Lance grinned at him.
"And I feel like a fool. No one else saw did they?" Lance shook his head. "Your secret is safe with me and tweedledee and tweedledum."
"Thank you James. I am going to go take a quick walk over to Britney's room and make sure she is behaving herself."
Lance gave him a kiss on the lips. "See you soon."
Jean-Michel left the room and walked out into the hallway.
"Kimmie wait up!" Kimmie rushed past him, not seeing him.
Kimmie? What was she doing here? JC rushed past him, grabbing his arm, dragging him along.
"Your little bitch did this. Brought her here. Go tell Chris to talk to Joey. Tell him I'm not mad and I love him. And get Lance and Justin out here. We need to all get together."
JC let go of Jean-Michel and followed Kimmie. She stood in front of the elevator, trying to convince the bodyguards to let her on the elevator.
Jean-Michel was dumbfounded, but he did as he was told.
"Kevin, how can you be so sure that it will work?" Chris asked as he crouched behind the couch with Kevin and Brian. "Because I know Nick. He's just a teeny bit preoccupied with his video game. His fiancée is here and he is still obsessed with the new game.""
"Hand me the silly string Chris." Brian held his hand out as he watched Nick closely. Chris shook his head as he handed it to Brian. Kevin held a can of silly string with ease. He had no clue how Kevin and Brian had convinced him to do this. He just wasn't in the mood.
"Christopher! Hurry come quickly!" Jean-Michel pulled Chris up. "James, Justin, you need to come to. Hurry it's important."
Kevin and Brian watched as the members of 'Nsync were ushered out of the room by Jean-Michel. What was that about?
"Hey what are you guys doing back here?" Nick stood over them. "And what are doing with that silly string Brian?"
Kevin and Brian shrugged and exchanged glances. They both turned and began to shoot the silly string at Nick.
Chapter 28
Kevin leaned over the sleeping AJ and placed his hand against his forehead again. Kevin knew he was being overly paranoid, but he was worried about AJ. Last week, Jean-Michel had gotten the flu. It had quickly spread to Joey, Lance, Howie, Brian, and AJ. Unfortunately, only AJ had gotten really sick with it. The other five guys had gotten over it quickly and had no trouble performing. AJ however, was still struggling.
AJ rolled over and began to cough in his sleep. His eyes flew open and Kevin sat him up. He rubbed his back, waiting for AJ to catch his breath.
"When did you get back?" AJ asked him weakly. "About an hour ago. We missed you tonight." Kevin slid behind AJ, so AJ was resting against his chest.
"How was the show?"
"Not the same without you. I just don't have the range you do. Your parts are tough to cover."
AJ grinned up at him. "I'll be better by tomorrow. You don't have to strain your voice anymore."
"You will only step onstage if you are better mister. I can always get Chris or JC to sing your parts. They have the range."
Kevin kissed AJ's neck softly. "I'll be fine Kevin. I could have done it tonight."
"Honey, all you've done is sleep for three days. You haven't eaten anything. I've been helping you in and out of bed. You are in no condition to go onstage." AJ pouted briefly. He knew Kevin was right.
"Well, since you are here, can you help me with something I've wanted to do for a few hours?"
"Sure. What is it?" AJ began to blush. "I kind of wanted to take a bath. I will admit that I don't have the energy to do it myself. I tried."
Kevin kissed his forehead, noticing the heat that was coming off of AJ. "I'll go get everything ready. Do you want bubbles?" AJ nodded. Kevin climbed off the bed, leaving AJ alone, to go get the bath ready. AJ's eyes began to close despite his best efforts to stay awake.
Kevin sat by the bathtub watching it fill. He added bubbles and some drops of eucalyptus oil Ameena had given him. She said it helped to chase the flu away. Kevin had been putting it in AJ's baths for the past few days. He couldn't tell if it was helping though.
Kevin turned off the water and set out some towels. He walked back into the bedroom. Sighing, Kevin walked over to the bed.
"AJ? Honey?" AJ's eyes fluttered open and he smiled. "Hi Kevin. When did you get back?" Kevin frowned. He pressed his hand against AJ's forehead again. It was warm, but not terribly warm.
"Do you want to go get in the tub?" AJ nodded and tried to sit up. He struggled for a moment, then Kevin helped him up.
It was embarrassing for AJ to be in this situation, but he couldn't seem to help it. All he had asked was that Kevin keep everyone else away so they didn't see him like this.
Kevin lifted AJ up carefully, cradling him in his arms. He carried him into the bathroom and sat him on the toilet. AJ slowly removed his clothes as Kevin waited to help him into the tub.
"It smells nice in here."
"I put more eucalyptus in the bath. Ameena swears it works."
AJ sniffed loudly. "It's clearing me up a little."
Kevin held his hands out to AJ who took them gratefully. He stood up, swaying slightly. Each time Kevin was him without clothes, he was shocked at how quickly he was losing weight. AJ had always been thin, but now Kevin swore he could see his ribs.
"Do I look that bad Kevin?" AJ asked him quietly, looking down at his own body. "No of course not! I was just thinking about how to get the weight you lost back on you." Kevin helped him into the bathtub, lifting him over the side.
"Do you want me to get some food?" Kevin watched helplessly as AJ shivered in the hot water. "I don't really want anything."
"I'm going to get some food anyway. You might see something you like. Are you going to be all right alone?"
AJ opened his eyes and scowled at Kevin. "I'm not a baby Kevin. I just have the flu."
"I know. I'm just worried about you."
"I love you Kevin."
"I love you too AJ. I'll be right back. I promise." Kevin shut the bathroom door, giving him privacy. He went into the living room to order the food.
There was a knock on the door. Kevin sighed, wanting to ignore it, but he opened it anyway.
"Hi Nick."
"Hi Kevin. How's AJ doing?"
"He's in the bathtub. I was about to order him some food."
"Is he actually hungry?" Kevin shook his head. "He's so thin Nick. I need to get him to eat something."
Nick walked over to the couch and sat down. Kevin sat next to him. "How are you doing Kevin?"
"I'm tired and my throat is sore. I can't keep straining my voice like this or I'm not going to be able to sing at all."
"Is AJ going to be better by tomorrow's concert?"
"I seriously doubt it. He didn't have the energy to get his own bath ready." Nick squeezed Kevin's hand.
"Why don't I stay with AJ for a bit? Go take some Kevin time. Go get a drink. Go call Ann. Do something relaxing."
Kevin nodded slowly, thinking about what to do. "I really should call Brian. I haven't talked to him in ages."
"Allie told me he was asking about you. Go call him and relax for a bit. Tell the future in-laws I say hi."
"Let me tell AJ and order some food for him." Nick shook his head. "I'll order the food. Go tell AJ." Kevin stood up. As an afterthought, he turned back to Nick, who had already picked up the phone. "Order him good food Nick. No junk."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not Kevin. I do know how to take care of someone when they are sick."
Kevin walked back through the bedroom and into the bathroom. AJ was laying back in the tub with his eyes closed.
"Hey Kevin."
"Hey sweetie. Nick stopped by. Is it okay if he stays with you for a bit while I go make a phone call?"
"Who you calling?"
"Brian."
AJ opened his eyes, noticing for the first time how tired and stressed Kevin looked. He hated the fact that he was the cause of it. But he also hated the idea of Nick seeing him like this. Kevin needed a break though. He had spent the whole day with AJ, just watching him. Kevin's only break was the concert and that wasn't relaxing. He could handle Nick seeing him like this, but only Nick. Plus he could talk to him about wedding plans.
"Yeah. Can you send Nick in here? I want to talk to him about the wedding."
"Whose wedding?"
"His. I was talking to Casey the other day about some stuff and I wanted to ask him some questions."
"Okay sweetie. Can I do anything else before I leave?"
"Hand me the remote for the micro disc system. I want to listen to some music."
Kevin handed him the remote and gave him a kiss on the cheek. AJ was cooler now then he was earlier, so Kevin felt a little better about leaving him in Nick's care.
Kevin walked back into the living room.
"He wants to talk to you."
"Isn't he in the bathtub?" Kevin nodded. "Then he's naked, right?" Kevin nodded again. "You sure he wants me in there?"
"Nick, when I say AJ is weak, I mean AJ is really weak. You're going to have to help him out of the bathtub, help him put on clean clothes, and then help him back into bed. Can you do that?"
"Yeah I can Kevin. I just wanted to make sure that he really needed me in the bathroom with him."
"He wants to talk to you Nick. Go talk to him." Nick looked at Kevin with a strange look on his face. Kevin was ordering him around again. Nick balked firmly at being ordered around by anyone.
"Don't tell me what to do Kevin. I'm not a little kid anymore."
"I wasn't telling you what to do Nikolas. I was suggesting what you should do."
"You always get so fucking bossy when you are on tour."
"And you always act like a child once you get on tour."
Nick and Kevin glared at each other. The parent-child relationship was evident between the two of them, especially when they fought. Kevin still had trouble accepting that Nick was an adult and he could make his own choices. And Nick had trouble accepting that he still had to listen to Kevin even though he was an adult.
"I'm going to go talk to AJ. Why don't you go call Marilyn?" Nick turned and walked away from Kevin.
"Well fine I will. But not because you told me to, because I want to." Kevin shouted after him, realizing exactly how childish he sounded.
Kevin walked out of his room with no real destination in mind. He probably should have stayed in there, because now he had to find a phone to use and someone who was willing to let him use their room while he talked.
JC and Joey would let him. Kevin knocked on their door and waited patiently.
"Go away!" Joey shouted from inside, not even bothering to open the door. Quickly getting the hint, Kevin left the two of them alone. Howie and Ameena were always cool about letting him use their room.
Kevin knocked on their door, but got no answer at all. Chris walked by as Kevin stood there.
"They went out to eat together after the show."
"Oh thanks Chris. Hey Chris, can I use your phone?"
Chris looked at him strangely. "Don't you have a phone in your room?"
"Well yes, but Nick and I are fighting and on principle I left the room."
"Why does Nick and you fighting mean that you have to leave your room? Aren't you taking care of AJ in there?" Chris was confused.
"Nick offered to take care of him while I called Marilyn, but then we started to fight, so I left. Now I need a phone to use."
"Kevin, that is possibly the stupidest reason you could come up with to use my phone. So of course you can. How could I say no? Your never that creative so it must be true. Come with me."
Chris led the way down the hall to his room, Kevin following close behind. He and Chris weren't that close, but Chris was a nice guy, just a little depressed at the moment.
They actually had a lot in common. Both of them were the oldest members of their respective bands, but Chris tended to be more relaxed then Kevin. Most people would peg him to be around Justin's age, then 30.
Chris opened his hotel room and let Kevin in. "Sorry it's a little messy. I got really drunk last night and kind of trashed the room a little."
Kevin surveyed the damage. It looked like a tornado had been through the room. Clothing was everywhere, plates of food were on the floor, and bottles of liquor were scattered around. He hadn't known that things were this bad for Chris.
"Chris, if you ever need to talk about something or just spend time with someone, I'm always here." Chris nodded. "The phone is by the bed. I'm going to go downstairs and have a drink. Just shut the door when you are done."
Chris shut the door behind him, leaving Kevin in the trashed hotel room. Kevin put the headset on and dialed Marilyn's home number. He began to pick up Chris' clothes as the phone rang.
"Hello?" Kevin clicked the talk button.
"Hi, Mikel?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"It's Kevin. How are you?"
"Kevin hi! It didn't sound like you. Are you on a headset?"
"Yeah, is it that bad?"
"No, no. Did you want to talk to Brian?"
"Yeah. Is he home?"
"He and the other guys are out back by the pool. I'll go get him."
"Wait! Is he busy Mikel?"
"Not really. They're just throwing around ideas. I know he wants to talk to you."
"Okay great."
Kevin continued to make a pile of dirty clothes in the middle of the room as he waited for Marilyn to pick up the phone. He probably shouldn't be cleaning up after Chris, but he couldn't help himself.
"Hey Boo! How are you?"
"So, so. AJ's got the flu really bad, so I've been covering his parts onstage. It's killing my voice."
"Jeez. Why doesn't someone else cover it? You don't have the same range as AJ does."
"Tell me about it. I think we might see if JC can sing tomorrow. He's got the same range."
"How is JC? I remember you telling me that he was depressed. Any problems there?"
"None at all. He's dating Joey."
"Whose Joey?"
"Another member of 'Nsync. One of the 'straight' members, or so we thought."
"Well, are they happy with each other?"
"Seems like they are. They've already gotten past some ugliness involving Britney and Joey's ex-girlfriend Kimmie."
"Well that's good. So what's wrong with AJ?"
Kevin sighed. He looked over at the pile of clothes he had picked up. Kevin leaned over and began to pick up the plates on the floor before he answered.
"AJ's got the flu. He can't seem to shake it. He hasn't really gotten out of bed in three days. He slept the whole way from Warsaw back to Berlin the other day."
"Is he eating?"
"No. I can't get him to eat anything. And if he does eat anything, it comes right back up."
Marilyn was quiet for a moment.
"Have you tried having him smoke?"
"No. He's got the flu. Why would I give him pot?
"It's not going to cure the flu, but it will make him eat. Besides, it helps with nausea. At least Twiggy swears it does."
"I don't know Brian. I don't think having him smoke is a good idea."
"Does AJ get the munchies when he smokes pot?"
"Yeah."
"Then he will get the munchies after he smokes. The pot will suppress the nausea long enough for him to digest whatever he eats. Just make sure he eats something good."
"I'll try it if Nick can't get him to eat anything. I don't want to encourage him to smoke pot."
Kevin could hear Marilyn whisper something to Mikel.
"Sorry about that Boo. We're having Mikel's cousin and her family over for dinner and he couldn't find anything untampered in the fridge. Now we have to go grocery shopping."
"So how is married life treating you Brian?"
"Mikel's a little bitch, but I'm loving every minute of it."
"Why's Mikel a little bitch?"
Marilyn laughed. "Figure of speech Kevin. I wouldn't have it any other way. Seriously though, not much has changed. We've lived together for a long time already. The only thing different is our name. Plus this ring on my finger."
"I saw you two at Rose's premiere in January."
"When did you see that?"
"Boredom. At 3am, even E! is interesting. I love what you've done with your hair."
"Thanks. I'm liking it myself. It's been so long since I've had short hair. I'd forgotten how comfortable it is."
Kevin laid down on the bed, getting comfortable as the two of them fell back into familiar patterns of conversation.
"Nick I really don't want to eat anything." AJ pushed away the food Nick had ordered for him. Nick took the tray off the bed and put it on the table.
"Is there anything you want? You're getting really skinny AJ." Nick had been a little surprised when he helped AJ out of the tub. He looked like a scarecrow.
"Not really."
Nick sat down next to AJ, leaning back against the pillows.
"Want to watch a movie?" AJ shook his head. "I'm really tired Nick."
"Want me to go get Kevin?" AJ shook his head again. "He needs a break. I've been a big burden on him the last few days. Can you stay?"
"Sure." Nick turned off the light.
AJ rested his head on Nick's chest and closed his eyes. Nick put his arms around AJ and rubbed his back. He yawned and closed his eyes as well.
Kevin shut Chris' hotel room door behind him. He felt more relaxed now then he had in days. Sometimes he just needed to talk to Marilyn. He always knew how to set things in perspective. Kevin loved him for that.
He opened the door and walked into his and AJ's hotel room. It was quiet. He walked into the bedroom, stopping himself from turning the light on when he saw the outline of people on the bed.
"You can turn on the light Kevin. I turned it off when he wanted to go to bed. He hasn't moved in a long time."
Kevin flipped on the light. AJ was conked out on Nick's chest and Nick was propped up against the pillows.
Kevin lifted AJ's head and Nick slid out. Kevin gently laid AJ against the pillows. AJ didn't even move. He just kept sleeping.
"Nick. I'm sorry I got bossy."
"I'm sorry too. AJ and I talked about my actions the last few weeks. I have been acting like an idiot. I haven't been acting like a adult."
"It's cool. You'll always be my little brother Nicky. I just have to learn not to treat you that way anymore."
Kevin hugged Nick tightly. Nick yawned.
"I'm going to go call Allie and head to bed. I'm exhausted."
"Did he eat anything Nick?" Nick pointed to the table where a full tray of food was sitting. Kevin sighed heavily. Maybe he should take Marilyn's advice.
"Nick, can you do me a favor?"
"Depends on the favor."
"I need some pot."
"Pot? But you don't smoke Kevin."
"Not for me. For AJ. Marilyn suggested it. He said that it would help with the nausea as well as giving him an appetite. He hasn't eaten in three days now. You saw him. He's skin and bones."
"I'll see if Justin has any."
"Thanks Nick."
"Do you want it tonight or should I bring it over tomorrow morning?"
"I think he's out for the night, so bring it over before breakfast. Maybe if he smokes before breakfast, he'll be able to eat something."
"Okay, I'll see you in the morning then."
"Night Nick."
"Night Kevin."
Nick let himself out, leaving Kevin in the bedroom with AJ who still hadn't moved once. Kevin wandered over to the table and checked out what was on the tray. He picked at the fruit Nick had ordered while he watched AJ sleep.
Kevin wondered what he was doing. Was he that desperate to get AJ to eat that he was willing to give him drugs? He looked again at his sleeping boyfriend.
AJ's skin was pale and he was breathing slowly. Kevin could see the outline of his body under the covers. He knew what he would find if he looked closer. AJ had lost too much weight. He hadn't been eating that well before he got sick and he'd been sick for a week now. He hadn't had anything in three days. Yes, he was that desperate for AJ to eat.
Kevin stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He pulled AJ to him, noticing again the heat that was coming off of AJ's body. If he wasn't better soon, Kevin wanted him to go home. No one else, including AJ, would agree to that though. Kevin closed his eyes and tried to relax.
His mind was racing and despite his exhaustion, he could not fall asleep.
He let go of AJ and climbed out of bed. He stretched and walked over to the window. He pulled back the curtains and stared out into the darkness, losing himself in his thoughts again. He was jolted back into reality when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist.
"Are you okay Kev?"
"I couldn't sleep that's all. What are you doing out of bed?"
"I saw you standing by the window and I wanted to join you."
AJ leaned against Kevin as he began to feel his legs giving out. He was too weak. Kevin led him back to the bed.
"Let's go to sleep AJ." Kevin climbed into bed next to him, holding AJ close to him again.
"I love you Kevin."
"I love you too AJ."
Chapter 29
"Give me your hand AJ." Brian took AJ's hand and helped him get out of the limo. AJ coughed deeply and stretched.
Brian threw his arm around AJ's waist and supported him. AJ was better then he had been, but he was very weak. Brian was taking him to a doctor while Kevin was in a meeting.
"This is so embarrassing Brian." AJ said softly as the two of them walked into the building. Brian wasn't carrying AJ, but he was helping him walk.
"I know AJ, but none of us care. We just want you to get better." Brian had never seen AJ this sick. AJ was always the healthy one of the group, never missing a performance.
Brian sat AJ down in a chair and went up to the receptionist.
"Hi, Alexander McLean is here for his 10:30 appointment."
She looked over him taking in the poor disguise and the bodyguard. Another celebrity. "Have Mr. McLean fill out these forms and then bring them back up here." She handed him the forms and Brian went back over to AJ.
"You need to fill these forms out." Brian handed them to AJ who began to read over them. "Can you write? Your handwriting is better then mine."
AJ handed them back to Brian. Everyone in the band knew that AJ had horrible handwriting. Kevin always wrote for him when he needed to write something by hand. Brian filled out all the information he already knew and then asked AJ for the rest.
"I want to go back to the hotel Brian. I'm tired." AJ leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Stay awake AJ. We have to figure out why you still aren't eating. That's why you are here."
"I'm not hungry that's why." Brian sighed. None of them, including Kevin could convince AJ that there was something wrong because he wasn't eating.
"You ate after Kevin made you smoke so you just need an appetite increaser. You won't get better if you don't eat. And you will not under any circumstances be allowed to do anything more then sit onstage until you are better."
AJ didn't answer him so Brian sat back. It was a sore point at the moment. AJ had shown up at the concert last night to perform without Kevin's knowledge. The two of them had fought and Nick had taken AJ's side. Brian and Howie had been so surprised to see AJ that they hadn't said a word either way. Finally Nick, Kevin, and AJ had agreed that AJ could perform as long as he didn't dance. Surprisingly his voice was strong and he did a great job, even though he just sat in a chair onstage. Kevin had watched him like a hawk the entire show and had taken him back to the hotel immediately to put him to bed.
Everyone had been shocked when they saw how emaciated AJ was. No one besides Nick and Kevin had seen him recently. When everyone had returned to the hotel and AJ was asleep, the groups had a meeting and decided that AJ really had to go to a doctors asap. Kevin had been mad at everyone for taking that choice away from him and AJ, but he finally admitted that he was worried about AJ's health.
"Brian will you come back with me?" AJ asked him quietly. "Of course I will AJ." He was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry I'm not Kevin. I know you want him here with you instead of me."
"Brian I'm glad you are here. Yes I wish you were Kevin, but that can't be changed."
"Alexander McLean?" AJ looked up. "Yes?" "The doctor will see you now." AJ nodded and attempted to stand. Brian lifted him carefully and supported him as they walked back.
The doctor was sitting at a desk when they walked in. He stood up and turned to them.
"Good morning. I'm Dr. Walker. You must be Alexander."
"You can call me AJ. This is Brian. Is it okay if he stays?"
"Of course. Why don't you tell me what's been wrong."
Brian helped AJ sit down on the examination table and he took a seat off to the side.
"I got the flu about a week and a half ago while in Poland for a concert. Since then, I haven't really eaten or been able to keep food down when I do eat. I always tired and I haven't been able to do my job because of this."
"We need to take your vitals and all that good stuff AJ. Can you remove your shirt for me?"
AJ slowly removed his shirt. Brian couldn't hold back his gasp when he saw how thin AJ was. Both Dr. Walker and AJ turned to look at him. Brian hung his head, when he saw AJ's face fall.
"How much weight have you lost AJ?"
"I don't really know." He lifted his arms and took a good look at them. His arms had lost so much definition.
"Well why don't you step on the scale and we'll find out how much you weigh now." Dr. Walker took AJ's arm and helped him over to the scale, noticing that AJ was struggling.
Dr. Walker looked at the numbers and looked at AJ again. "How much do you usually weigh?"
"Around 165-170. Why?"
"You weigh 141. You've lost somewhere between 20 and 30 pounds in a week and a half. That's not good AJ. How long did you perform while you were sick before you got too weak?"
AJ lowered his head. "I did three shows and all my scheduled workouts and dance rehearsals."
Dr. Walker shook his head. "That explains the extreme weight loss. You aren't doing that now are you?" AJ shook his head.
Dr. Walker helped him back over to the table. He took AJ's blood pressure and temperature.
"Your blood pressure is low. No temperature though. That's a good sign." He listened to AJ's heart and lungs.
"Your lungs are a little rattly. I want to take an x-ray to make sure its not the start of a pneumonia."
Dr. Walker walked over to a cabinet and removed a needle and tubes.
"What's that for?" AJ's eyes widened in fear. Needles were something he could never take.
"We need to draw some blood AJ. I have to run some tests."
AJ began to scramble up the table, trying to get away. Brian came up behind him and grabbed his arms. AJ turned to look at him. "It's okay AJ. You can do this."
Brian took his hand in his and held it tightly. AJ relaxed and let Dr. Walker take his other arm. He buried his face in Brian's shoulder so he couldn't see him take the blood. Dr. Walker quickly drew the blood and released AJ's arm.
"Okay that's all. You did good AJ. Thanks for helping Brian."
AJ looked over at his arm. "You didn't hurt me." He said in disbelief. Dr. Walker chuckled.
"Damn let me try again. I try not to hurt people AJ. I've been taking blood for a long time and I pride myself on being able to do it without pain."
He hit the intercom button and a nurse walked in. "I need a chem 7, CBC, diff. Also I need a x-ray machine." She nodded and took the tubes of blood with her. She returned a moment later with the portable x-ray. Dr. Walker quickly set it up and ushered Brian out of the room with him. He took the chest films quickly and they came back into the room.
The x-rays immediately popped up on the attached computer screen. AJ and Brian looked at them, not really understanding anything they were seeing.
"Well its not pneumonia. That's good. One less thing to treat you for. It's probably just because of the flu itself that you are rattly. I suspect that you are basically over it, so that should clear up any day now." He hit another button and AJ's bloodwork popped up.
"I love these new machines. Cuts down on lab time. I think I see something here." Brian felt AJ's grip tighten around his hand. "Is it serious?" AJ's voice shook.
"Your red blood cell count is very low. You have anemia AJ. That would explain the lethargy and general weakness. Don't worry it's not that serious. We can put you on medication for that. Now the lack of appetite is puzzling me. Have you eaten anything recently?"
AJ and Brian exchanged glances. "I ate breakfast the other day, but I ended up throwing it up later."
"Have you tried any appetite increasers or anything for the nausea?" Brian poked AJ gently, giving him a look.
"Yes. I used marijuana. That's the only reason I ate the other day." Dr. Walker nodded, but didn't get mad.
"Marijuana does work, but I would prefer to put you on something less habit-forming. Did it help with the nausea?" AJ nodded.
"Well for now I'll put you on a pill for the nausea, a pill for the anemia, and an appetite increaser. That should take care of everything." Brian helped AJ put his shirt back on as Dr. Walker wrote out the prescriptions.
"I'm going to have to place certain restrictions on your activities AJ. How much longer are you going to be on tour?"
"We head back to the United States in three weeks. Then we are starting the next leg of the tour a week later."
Dr. Walker looked at the calendar. "I'm going to have to order you not to dance until at least you get back to the US. Then I want you to go to your regular physician and depending on your weight gain then you can start performing again. Cut down on partying too. I have a list of foods that will help you gain the weight back as well as an exercise routine. We don't want this to go back on as fat. I want you to make sure he sleeps enough Brian. Until his red blood cells get back up he's going to be really tired."
"We will all make sure he follows the rules. We just want him to get better." Brian squeezed AJ's shoulder.
"Great. Give the scripts to my nurse. She'll have them filled for you and sent to the hotel. Good luck with the rest of the tour AJ. You too Brian."
"Thank you Dr. Walker. I appreciate you seeing me on such short notice."
"Darling come here." Joey called out to JC from the stage. JC rolled his eyes exaggeratedly causing Howie, Chris, and AJ to laugh. He stood up and skipped over to the stage. "Coming my dear."
"They are so retarded sometimes." Chris handed Howie another rubber band. "Ouch. That one hurt." Chris whined as Howie pulled too tight.
"Quit whining. If you didn't want it to hurt you should have asked one of the hair people to do it. Now hold still."
AJ laughed at the two of them. They were such goofballs. He pushed himself out of the chair he was in. "I'm going to go wander for a bit."
Howie looked over at him. "You okay alone AJ?" AJ looked down at his arms and legs. "Yeah I'll be fine Howie."
Chris and Howie watched as AJ slowly walked away. Already they could tell the difference in AJ. He'd been on the medicine for a week now and he had gained back about 5 lbs.
"NICK!!" Nick came sprinting across the stage holding his camera and laughing. A moment later, Joey came running after him, buttoning his shirt as he ran.
Howie and Chris watched as Joey caught up to Nick and tackled him. "Give me that camera!"
"No way!"
JC came running across the stage, seeing his boyfriend wrestling with Nick. "Joey let him go." Joey jumped slightly, but he released Nick. Nick quickly rolled away from him.
AJ pushed the door to the dressing room open. He had lied to Chris and Howie. He didn't want to go wander. He wanted to go sleep somewhere without calling attention to himself.
AJ was better and that was obvious to everyone, including himself. His body was still demanding sleep like crazy. AJ did his best to deliver, but he was still tired all the time.
He laid down on the couch stretching out happily. With a yawn AJ rolled over onto his side. He sat up quickly and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Shaking his head, he put it by the table and laid back down, his eyes closing.
"I'm sorry Mr. McLean, but that's impossible."
"Why? Why is it impossible?"
"Both you and Mr. Dorough have had enough. We will not serve you anymore."
AJ stood up shakily and pointed his finger at the bartender. "Do you know who I am? Who the hell do you think you are saying you won't give me a drink? Do you have any clue who I am?"
Howie put his arm around AJ. "Stop it AJ before they check your age."
AJ threw Howie arm off. "The man I love is upstairs fucking someone else. All I want is a fucking drink! Give me a fucking drink!" AJ lunged for the bartender, thankfully missing him in his drunken state.
Howie grabbed AJ by the shirt and pulled him out of the bar.
"Alexander James McLean that is it! Now go upstairs to your room mister."
AJ stared at his mother defiantly, trying to hold up under her intense, angry gaze. He finally let his eyes drop and AJ shuffled up the stairs to his bedroom.
"Stupid mother. Stupid Kevin getting me in trouble like that." AJ kicked the door as he walked into his bedroom.
"I don't think you should talk like that." A voice said to him.
"Oh you again. Don't you know that you caused all this. Why can't you let me have him?"
"Because I love him too. And I will fight for him if you try to take him from me."
AJ flung himself onto his bed. "Whatever. Leave me alone."
"As you wish."
The phone began to ring loudly, bothering him. AJ stumbled around the room trying to find the phone.
Sitting up, sweating slightly, AJ grabbed his phone.
"Hello?" He mumbled into the wrong end.
"AJ?"
"Yeah?" He turned the phone around, rubbing his eyes.
"It's Marilyn. I tried to call Kevin, but I think his phone is off."
"He's in a meeting and left the phone off."
"Oh. Can you have him call me? It's kind of important."
"Can I do anything? I don't know how long he will be."
"No. Thank you anyway AJ."
"All right. Tell Mikel I said hi." Marilyn was very quiet. There was a broken sob and then Marilyn's voice quivered on the other end.
"I'll tell him."
"Are you okay Brian?"
Marilyn sniffled loudly. "I'm fine. Can you have Kevin call me?"
"Yeah of course. Look if you want to talk about anything. I'm here."
"Thank you. I'll remember that AJ. I've got to go."
"Okay goodbye."
Marilyn hung up leaving a perplexed AJ holding a dead phone.
"Britney Jean Spears do not talk to me like that! I will hang up this phone!" Jean-Michel shouted into his headset as Lance and Justin looked on.
"Fine you little bitch!" Jean-Michel hung up on her. Justin and Lance exchanged glances as Jean-Michel tossed the headset across the room.
"I do not want her anymore James. She is hell personified!"
"I know honey. I've got someone lined up to take her over in a week. At least she isn't here anymore."
"Like that has stopped her any. All she has done since being tossed off the tour is talk to as many reporters as possible. She needs to be arrested or sued or something for violating the gag order."
"The gag order was only good while she was on tour."
Jean-Michel ran his hands through his hair. "Merde." He muttered under his breath.
"Someone had better inform Kevin and AJ what is coming." Jean- Michel looked at Lance pleadingly, not wanting to do that himself.
Justin flipped through the tabloid in front of him. "And someone has to talk to Nick too."
Lance and Jean-Michel looked at him confused. Britney hadn't said anything about Nick.
Justin tossed the paper in front of them. "Look at this."
They stared at the headline strewn across the page.
"Nick Carter's fiancée's fling with Twiggy Ramierz." Beneath the headline were pictures of Allie and Twiggy walking arm-in-arm and hugging each other.
"This has got to be Britney bullshit. Allie and Twiggy are just friends." Justin quickly scanned the article. "It says that he spent a week at her dorm with her in her room."
Lance sighed heavily. "You take Nick, Justin. I'll take Kevin and AJ. God how I wish this had never begun."
---What is going on? What could Britney have possibly done to Kevin, AJ, and Nick to send Lance, Justin, and Jean-Michel on the clean-up path? Check out the next section of Choices and Escape to see!---
That sounded so silly I just had to write it! Well my last final is tomorrow and then my life is back to normal for at least a few weeks. Feel free to email me. I love to hear from people!