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“I can’t believe you won backstage passes!”

“I know! This is the coolest thing to ever happen to me. I never though I’d actually get to meet the Backstreet Boys!”

“Emily, you have to be the luckiest person on the planet. Thanks so much for bringing me with!”

“You’re welcome, Meg. But seriously, who else would I take? You’re my best BSB friend!”

The two girls laughed, knowing their similar choice in music was one of the few things they had in common. They stood in line, waiting for the Boys to enter the meet and greet room. There were only twenty people allowed in, as the contest was a special promotion. The two girls linked only by a music group waited anxiously for their dreams to come true.

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like forever, the doors opened and the five singers walked in.


Nick remembered the moment like it was yesterday. As he spent another long day in the hospital, his mind wandered between past and present.


Instantly, Emily’s eyes locked with the tall blonde man who was last to enter. She never favored one member over the other, but for some reason, he was stealing her breath away. She couldn’t keep her eyes off of him.

The wait to have her time with the Boys seemed to take forever, but finally, it was Emily's and Meg’s turn to meet their idols. Slowly, they made their way down the line, taking a few moments to meet each member individually. They participated in small talk, and Emily was pleasantly surprised by their sincerity and politeness.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the man that seemed to captivate her attention in the most unknown ways. She didn’t know what to say, but she wanted to say something.

“Hi,” she squeaked out.

Nick smiled at her bashful attempt to make conversation. The stranger that stood before him released a glow of sincerity that sparked his interest.

“Hi, I’m Nick.”

He reached out to shake her hand.

“I’m Emily. It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” his smile beamed at her, and he wondered what it was about this girl that made him want to know more. “Did you want something signed?”

“I did, but for some reason, it just doesn’t seem important anymore.”


The start of Nick and Emily’s friendship was so unexpected that to this day, they both still wonder how it ever happened. After exchanging numbers that night, Nick kept in touch with Emily fairly often, and as their friendship grew, and their trust built, their time spent together became more frequent. Nick took Emily out on tour with him several times, and he would often fly out to visit her in the beginning. Whenever he was in town, he would set aside time to visit her.

They talked on the phone frequently, and Nick quickly learned that Emily was someone he could depend on. At some point, though, Nick began to take his friendship with Emily for granted. They went from being best friends that trusted each other completely to two people who hurt each other more than anything else. It saddened Nick knowing that the turn in their relationship was completely his fault, but at the same time, there was nothing he could do about it anymore.


The weeks passed and Nick’s devotion maintained, but his hope faltered. He thought Emily would have woken up by now, and he wondered what was making her remain unconscious. He still couldn’t help but wonder if he wasn’t doing enough; if he was missing something. All he wanted was the smallest hint, but there was no way to get one. He had no lifelines in this game, and he was all alone.

He watched her breathing, wondering what the point was. She was leaving him, and with no explanation. She was giving up, and letting the world pull her under. Maybe she was in too deep, but to Nick, that was no reason to give up. She had to know that he would be there for her. She had to know that he spent every single day in her room, watching for her eyes to open.

Why wasn’t that enough? Even Nick was now wondering what more he could possibly do for her, and the more he thought about it, the more hopeless he began to feel.

Nick had been sitting in Emily’s room with these discouraging thoughts flooding through his head for so long that he felt like he was going to explode inside. Out of no where, he got up and walked out of her room. He wasn’t sure what he was doing or where he was going, but he knew he couldn’t be in there anymore. Thinking of Emily leaving him had taken its toll on Nick’s state of mind, and he needed to run from it all.

So, he left, and he just kept walking. The hospital was huge, and the distance he could cover without any particular destination in mind was endless. He walked and walked and walked, aimlessly turning left here, and right there. He took stairwells that were typically unused, and hallways that were completely abandoned. As he continued to walk, he stumbled upon the cafeteria. Despite spending every day for the last six weeks in the hospital, he had never actually gone to the lower level of the hospital, even for food.

Suddenly feeling a sense of hunger, he entered the giant room and looked around confused. Though the process of ordering food was no stranger to Nick, the fact that he had left Emily was still tugging at his mind. He wondered if he had a right to be away from her, but he also wondered if he could handle sitting in her room any longer.

After concluding the time away was the best thing for both of them, Nick decided to order some food, and quickly found a seat at an empty table. As he ate, the same thoughts of defeat controlled his mind. Nick thought of all he had sacrificed for Emily, and while he didn’t regret it, and wanted nothing in return, he couldn’t help but wonder why his life wasn’t enough. The irony of it all amused him, yet it frustrated him in the most conquering ways.

All Nick wanted was for Emily to wake up. He considered that his own selfishness had something to do with her weakend state, but at the same time, Emily would gain more form Nick’s wants than Nick ever would. Just because she woke up didn’t mean she would be obligated to give him a second thought, though it would give her a second chance at life.

As Nick considered his enlightenment towards the situation, the strangest feelings began to overcome his body. He was angry at Emily. He was angry that she wasn’t giving in and that he wasn’t enough. He was angry that his actions seemed to mean nothing to her, and she was pushing him away with her refusal to wake up. He was angry that she wasn’t letting him make things up to her. He was completely and sincerely angry at Emily, and he didn’t care.

Suddenly, Nick felt his body rise from the chair, unaware of what had even lifted him up. He found himself walking forcefully, as though he had a purpose, but he was unsure of what it was. His momentum continued to pull him forward as he followed the directions on the walls to the main floors. With each step, his pace began to quicken until he was suddenly running.

He ran down the hall with a passion that was untouchable. He dodged every person that threatened his journey, lunging to evade any collisions. Nick ran and kept running until he found himself standing in front of Emily’s door again. He remembered his first trip to the hospital and how he feared the trip to her room. Now, he was drawn to her residence like magnets opposite each other. The only problem was he was still full of anger.

Anger was the pulling force in Nick’s need to be with Emily. He was scared because he knew the moment he entered her room, his newly attained feelings would spew out of him in the most uncontrollable ways. Still, he felt his patience with Emily had lasted long enough, and if she was going to give up on him, he was going to tell her exactly how he felt about it before it was too late.

Hesitantly but purposefully, Nick entered the room. He stood in front of Emily and stared. He felt bad for her, yet he didn’t. It wasn’t her fault she was in a coma, but it was her fault she wasn’t coming out of it. The life she always wanted with the man she always loved was standing right before her, and that wasn’t enough.

Feeling completely out of control of his own thoughts, Nick began to vent his emotions.

“I’ll never be good enough for you! Nothing I do will ever be enough!” He was yelling, but he didn’t mean to. “I’ve sacrificed my life just so you don’t have to be alone and that’s not enough. I’ve become completely depressed and miserable over you and that’s not enough. I’ve completely fallen apart; I’ve broken down; I’ve spilled my guts to you, and that’s not enough! What more do you want from me?! What more could I possibly do to convince you that waking up is worth it?!”

He had begun pacing around the small, open area of her room. He was so angry he wanted to put his fist through the wall, but he refrained, knowing it would solve nothing. He hated himself for yelling at her, but he didn’t know what else to do. Being supportive wasn’t working, and anger was all that seemed to be left.

“Emily, I hate yelling at you like this but I don’t know what else to do. You’re giving up on me! What am I supposed to do? I’ve been there for you. I wrote a song straight from my heart for you! What else is left?”

Frustrated, Nick forcefully sat down in his chair and dropped his head, supporting it with his right hand. He sat their quietly, regretting his previous actions, yet thankful he was brave enough to admit how felt. The realism of his words was worth the risk he took. He knew that Emily always preferred reality to charm, but he could only hope it was enough.

Nick continued to sit in his chair, motionless and expressionless. Sam made her routine visit and was quickly shut out by Nick who had been in no mood to explain himself. Feeling uncomfortable and not wanting to push the issue, Sam cut her visit short and left after only twenty minutes.

Nick still didn’t move. His position was exactly the same as it was when he first sat down three hours earlier. He wanted to cry. He was feeling so much anger and pain inside of his heart that he didn’t know how to cope with it. Worst of all, he now felt that he had added more reason to apologize to Emily to his list. He had been so ruthless towards her that day that the guilt had begun to haunt his mind again.

Wanting nothing more than to reassure himself of Emily’s comfort, he slightly adjusted his head and looked towards her resting body. The piercing eyes that glared back at him sent chills up and down Nick’s spine.

He was unsure of how to react and unsure if he was actually seeing correctly. He quickly sat up from his slouched position to take a better look. The eyes kept glaring, and Nick was unsure of how to read them, but they were definitely open. He noticed his mouth was hanging open in disbelief, and he quickly closed it, hoping it went unnoticed.

Nick’s mind was now racing faster than he could keep up with, millions of questions fighting to be first. Out of no where, though, a single word flew out of his mouth.

“Emily?”

The slightest smile, hardly even noticeable, crossed her face.

She was awake.