Author's Chapter Notes:
It's the day before the big O2 gig and Nick is sick
Chapter Fifteen
The year was quickly progressing, the month of May now upon them and he was nearly finished with the European leg of their tour. She couldn’t believe how quickly the time had actually passed, before he left she was sure it was going to be the longest possible year, that it would drag by excruciatingly slow because they were apart. She had been wrong it was going by too quickly, only reiterating how short life could be, how you had to live for every minute, not wait for things that were important. This fast paced year was only making her contemplate things she never thought she would do.
Her birthday had made her see things differently, the chat with her Dad, Nick’s invitation to therapy, well he was trying and they were both still young, she could wait at least another year to start trying for a family. My god was Adrianna Jones about to compromise? Shockingly enough it seemed as though she was.
She felt the plane touch down and breathed a small sigh of relief, she didn’t hate to fly, in fact she quite enjoyed it, it was just the landings she hated. Most crashes happened on landing, the pilot either missed the runway or the landing gear was faulty, god thinking about it sent chills up and down her spine. It also made her smile to herself because landing was Nick’s favourite part of flying, it signified the end of the trip, being back on land again, even if it was just for a short time. She remembered when they had first flown together, how he tried to hide it but she had known immediately.
Brisbane 2006
She fell into the seat closest to the window with him sitting in the one next to her and for someone who had been so full of conversation earlier, it was a stark comparison, usually Nick could talk the hind legs of a donkey but now…it was almost as if someone had removed his tongue. She tried getting the conversation back, asked him questions by he answered quickly, one word answers and she wondered if she had done or said something to piss him off. Then again maybe he was just tired, he had been touring pretty much non stop, the way he seemed to hold his breath and dig his non existent nails into the arm rest when they began to taxi was the giveaway.
“Do you not like flying Nick?” She asked softly.
“Will you think I’m a pansy if I say yes?” He asked, his eyes remaining shut.
“No,” she chuckled as she took his hand in hers giving it a squeeze.
“Then yeah I hate it, it’s the worst thing in the world,” he admitted.
“I hate landing,” She admitted.
“Landing is the best bit, it means you have survived the trip, that your pilot is actually competent, oh god,” he moaned as they plane began to accelerate.
She squeezed his hand tighter, bought it up to her lips and kissed it and reassured him that it was going to be fine as they took off and once they had levelled out he finally opened his eyes, smiling to her sheepishly.
“Any other phobias I should know about?” She asked.
“He thinks gremlins will bite his toes off if he hangs them over the end of the bed,” she heard Brian’s voice from behind and laughed when Nick turned beetroot red.
She walked through arrivals and frowned slightly in disappointment when she just saw Josh. Usually Nick always met her at arrivals, then again maybe he was just waiting in the car out front because he didn’t want to deal with the fans today, if that was the case it meant he was having an off day. Most of the time he was happy to meet with his fans, to chat, sign autographs and take pictures but just like everyone else he had the occasional off day and rather then be classed as an arrogant ass when he ignored pleas he just avoided the fans.
“Hi,” She smiled to Josh when she finally reached him.
“Hey nice flight?” He asked taking her bags from her.
“Not bad, movies sucked,” she shrugged, “Nick in the car?”
“No back at the hotel, he’s really sick,” Josh told her as she followed him through the doors and out onto the street.
“His cold?” She asked. She had called him just before she left for the airport yesterday and he had sounded pretty congested, blaming the English weather even though today seemed pretty hot and bright.
“Yeah, he can barely breath through his nose so I don’t now how he is going to get through the show tomorrow,” he said as they got into the car that had been waiting for them.
Forty five minutes later and Adie realised just how sick Nick was. When she had spoken to him on the phone he had sounded slightly horse and was a bit bunged up, sniffing and coughing down the phone for emphasis but she was used to that. It was a well known fact that when Nick got ill he played it up, that it wasn’t just a cold it was flu, it wasn’t a stomach bug he had food poisoning, it wasn’t a headache it was a brain tumour! Yes he had actually said that once. This time though maybe he hadn’t been over exaggerating. She watched him from the doorway of the bedroom, he was curled up on the bed the covers pulled over him so all she could see was the top of his head, well actually the top of his Union Jack beanie, a circle of tissues surrounding him. In fact they were everywhere, on the nightstand, the comforter, a trail on the floor she chuckled slightly as she shook her head and began to pick them up, placing them all in the bin, frowning slightly when he moved. His breathing was definitely off, he sounded rattley, like he needed one hell of a good cough but she didn’t have the heart to wake him to tell him that so instead she backed out of the bedroom and walked into the living room picking up her cell phone.
“Are you here yet?” Rachel asked when she obviously picked up her phone.
“Yeah I just got in, are you busy?” She asked.
“Not really I’m just sat while Alex does a quick run through of his set for Friday, why?” She asked.
“Want to meet me in town? I have a feeling I’m going to need some supplies if Nick is going to be any use to anyone tomorrow,” she said.
“Is he still sick? God he’s been snotty since Germany. Sure I don’t know how to get there though.”
“You need to meet me at Covent Garden so I think from where you are that means you needs to get the jubilee line and then change for the Piccadilly. It’s all signposted anyway,” Adie said trying to remember the route from when she used to live in London.
“Okay I’ll meet you at the entrance to the tube?” Rachel replied.
“Yeah sure, see you soon.”
She quietly made her way out of the suite making sure to grab her bag on the way out, and before she left she let Josh know so he could relay the message to Nick if he decided to wake up before she got back. She then walked the short distance to the nearest tube station and topped up her oyster card so she could hop on and off wherever she wanted. She missed this, yeah it was nice to be living back home with all her family but there was just something about London that she loved. Everything was close no matter where you lived, there was a Starbucks practically on every corner, most places were open late, she loved city life. She wasn’t even sure that she would have left if it hadn’t had been for her Father’s heart attack but then again if she hadn’t then she would never had met Nick, how different would her life had been? Would she be married now…she shook her head at herself trying to rid the thoughts, she had to give him a chance, all she had to do was wait until this leg of the tour was over and then they could go to therapy, he could start to open up to her.
The trip from the hotel to Covent Garden only took about ten minutes but she knew Rachel would took longer so she headed towards Starbucks before making her way back to the entrance of the tube so she could met her sister.
“I am never getting on the fucking tube again,” She huffed as she came walking through the gates, blowing the loose hairs out of her flushed face.
“Why?” Adie asked slightly bemused by her sisters appearance, she looked dishevelled, hot and extremely pregnant for someone who was only five months along.
“It’s too damn hot and crowded,” She whined as she took the frappacino from her sister with a small smile of appreciation, “where’s the whipped cream?”
“You know you do kind of have to eat a bit healthy when you’re pregnant,” Adie pointed out as her sister nearly downed the who Caramel crème Frap ignoring what she had just said as she interlinked arms with her sister.
“So he still whiney?” She asked as they walked along the cobbled street.
“He was sleeping when I got in but he does look really sick,” she defended.
“Yeah at first everyone just kind of ignored him, told him to deal but he had gotten worse I mean we all went out for dinner last night and he stayed back just wanted to crash which is kind of un Nick like,” Rachel said as they walked into Boots, a national chemist in Britain. Adie picked up a basket and began throwing random things in from paracetamol, ibuprofen, decongestants, cough medicine. From Boots they made there way over to Lush where she stoked up on bath salts, oils and moisturiser and finally there last stop was Thornton’s on Rachel insistence.
“Chocolate always makes me feel better,” she shrugged as the waltzed in.
“So how is Alex? Nervous about his show?” Adie asked as they slowly made their way back towards the tube, licking the ice cream from the cones that they had just bought.
Rachel nodded, rolling her eyes before answering, “Totally I mean I thought you were neurotic but he is something else. Everything has to be perfect, he ran through one song seven times today, I was about ready to whack him over the head with the microphone if I heard it again.”
“So I saved you huh?” Adie giggled as she swiped her oyster card opening the gateway to the tube.
“Yep I will forever be eternally grateful.”
“Is Denise here yet?” Adie asked.
“Tomorrow we’re going shopping on Friday morning if you want to come,” She offered.
“I might meet you I’m going to visit GOS,” she replied before stepping on the tube that had just arrived her sister following close behind. She had promised that she would go back and visit when she left and that had been almost four years ago now, so she couldn’t wait to go back and see some familiar faces, see how the unit had changed.
“Nick going with?”
“Depends on if he is still sick or not, I’m sure he’ll manage to pull himself out of bed for the show though,” She said as she clung to the railing above her head as the train pulled out of the station.
“Good because I think Alex is going to murder anyone who isn’t there.”
***
She expected him to at least be stirring when she got back to the hotel two hours after she had originally left him but he hadn’t even moved. She glanced at her watch as she inched her way into the bedroom it was coming up on five o’clock if he didn’t wake soon he was going to be awake all night. She picked up on of the bags and headed towards the bathroom, filling the tub with tepid water, adding a few salts and a lemon bath bomb, hoping that would at least start to clear his blocked sinuses. She left the water running as she dimmed the lights and lit a few candles, a relax in the tub usually always worked wonders. She slipped back into the bedroom quietly and fished out the bag which held a pharmacy’s worth of drugs that she was going to feed him in the hopes of beating this damn cold or at least still it a bit until after tomorrows show.
She placed the packets on the side along with the bottle of water and then she slowly tried to coax him out of his sleep. She carefully slipped his hat off and pulled the covers back a little stifling a laugh when she realised that he was actually fully clothed, his jeans still on, a warm fleecy hoody covering his top half, god no wonder he felt warm when she ran her hand across his forehead.
“Nick,” she called softly but to no avail. “Nicky,” she tried again, stroking his face softly and he sighed at her touch. “You need to wake up baby.”
His hand came to his face wiping his eyes and then at his crusty nose making her scrunch hers up in disgust. He finally opened his eyes and even managed a small smile when he saw her but burst into a coughing fit when he tried to say something. She rolled her eyes as she pulled him so he was sitting up, patting his back feeling how crackly his chest was just from the touch.
“Finished?” She asked after about a minute when his hacking coughing stopped.
“Yeah, what time is it?” He asked as he wrapped the duvet round him more, almost shivering into it.
“Almost five,” she said.
“You’re late, was your flight delayed?” He asked falling back against the pillows. He was definitely ill because otherwise he would have been all over her.
“I got here on time but you were sleeping so I went out to stock up of stuff to get you better,” she told him running her hand through his hair making him sigh at the contact.
“So you’ll be my nurse?” He tried to flirt but it wasn’t very attractive or inviting when he sneezed and then wiped his nose on his sleeve.
“Yeah,” she giggled. “You need a bath.”
He shook his head in disagreement, “I’m comfy here.”
“You smell, this bed is gross and the steam will help your sinuses,” she told him firmly pulling at his hands as she tried with all her might to move him from the bed but it didn’t work. “Nick,” she said in her warning voice.
“Can’t you bring the bath out here?” He whined.
“No whiney boy I can’t so move your toosh in there,” she said pointing towards the bathroom and with a heavy sigh he pushed himself up from the bed and started in the direction of the bathroom.
“Are you not coming too?” he asked when he reached the doorway.
“I’ll come check on you in a bit,” she told him as she peeled back the duvet and pulled out yet more tissues.
“But I might fall asleep and drown.”
“No you won’t,” she said not even looking at him.
“You don’t know that, I could then how guilty would you feel?” He asked.
“At least I wouldn’t have to share my bed with a whiney sick person.”
“Meany,” she heard him call from within the bathroom, followed a few moments later by “SON OF A BITCH!”
“You still need to add cold water,” she called to him.
“Yeah thanks for telling me,” he moaned.
“Well I thought you would check the temperature before you got in,” she called back as she stripped the bed before placing the clean sheets on that she had found in the closet because there was nothing worse then getting into a bed that was all sweaty. She then pulled out a pair of sweats from his case with a plain wife beater and laid them on the bed for him before grabbing a few of the medicine bottles from the nightstand.
She laughed when she saw him in the tub, surrounded by bubbles, the washcloth thrown over his face as he reclined back.
“What?” His muffled voice asked.
“You just look soooooo attractive right now,” she joked as she pulled the wash cloth from his face handing him a few pills.
“What are they?” He asked eyeing them sceptically, almost as if she were trying to poison him.
“Pain killers.”
“I’m not in any pain,” he told her trying to hand them back.
“They’ll bring down your temperature and the ibuprofen will help the swelling in your throat,” she told him handing him the bottle of water when he placed the tablets in his mouth.
“I feel like shit,” he whined.
“You look like it too,” she told him making him frown.
“That wasn’t very nice, are you going to get in?” He asked but she shook her head no. “Please…pretty please” he whined again.
“You’re worse then a child when you use that voice with the pout,” she told him which only made the pout worse and she found herself caving to his demands. He smiled cockily as she began to strip and moved forward slightly so she would have enough room to climb in behind him. Once she was comfortable she pulled him to rest back against her, kissing his flushed cheek as she ran her hands down his chest. “Don’t fall asleep again,” she warned.
“Why? This is so relaxing,” he breathed finding her thigh under the water and gently caressing it.
“You’ve been sleeping all day,” she pointed out.
“Actually I got into bed at eight last night and I think I moved twice to pee,” he admitted making her shake her head a t his confession, no wonder his chest was so bad.
“You know that’s an excellent way to catch pneumonia,” she told him as she began to pat his chest to try and break up some of the gunk that had to be in there if his hacking cough was anything to go by.
“Ergh pneumonia nothing I haven’t had before,” he shrugged, “What are you doing?” He asked as her patting increased.
“Giving you a bit of physiotherapy, cough,” she commanded.
“Don’t want to.”
“Cough,” she said again more firmly and he did clearing his chest and when she placed her hands back over it there were definitely less crackles.
“This is so typical of me,” he moaned
“What being whiney? Yeah I know that,” she said spluttering slightly when she got a face full of bubbles.
“Getting sick before important stuff smart ass,” he bit back. She knew he would get pissed off at himself, tomorrow was being recorded for the MSN broadcast, it was a big deal, if he sounded like shit it would be everywhere. This tour had already gotten some bad reviews, he didn’t need anything else to bring him down, saying that his voice was shit when it quite clearly wasn’t. The thing about Nick was that he took things to heart too much, if someone bad mouthed him, made snide remarks it would play on his mind for weeks.
“You’ll be fine, I’ll keep you dosed up and as long as you rest your voice as much as possible, make sure you have a good warm up before the show you’ll do great,” she reassured.
“I’ve got sound check so I can’t really rest it.”
“You’ll be fine, is your throat sore? Have you seen a doctor?” She asked.
“Yeah it’s pretty much raw I think it’s strep throat.”
“I’ll see if I can get you some chloraseptic when I go to GOS tomorrow,” she told him as she began to massage his shoulders, he was so tense, it was going to take her ages to work out all the knots that had built up.
“That feels really good, I doubt I‘ll be able to go with you will I?” he asked
“Not really I don’t think they would be to impressed if you gave all the kids your cold. Why don’t we get out and I can work off these knots some more?”
“Definitely” he agreed.
***
She yawned for the tenth time as she walked into the entrance of the children’s hospital. Nick had been so fidgety, hot one minute, shivering with being cold the next and as a result the duvet had been on one minute and off the next. Add that to the fact that he seemed to be blowing his nose constantly, jostling the bed with his coughing well she hadn’t really gotten a lot of sleep, in fact she could think of nowhere better to be then back in the comfy hotel bed where she had left her sick boyfriend. She couldn’t put this off any longer though, as it was it was only going to be a fleeting visit.
“Nick keep you up all night?” Brian asked as he walked beside her with a smirk.
“Yes but not in the way you are insinuating,” she replied making her way over to the bank of lifts.
“His cold?” He asked and she nodded. When Brian had learned that Adie was going to be visiting the cardiac intensive care unit he had jumped at the chance to go with her, to learn more first hand of what went on after surgery, how these kids were cared for, yes he had the foundation, yes he had read up on stuff but seeing it first hand would be a real eye opener and the whole journey over he had been asking her questions, intrigued to know more about her nursing background. It was nice really, she knew that he was or had been Nick’s closet friend in the band but now…well if you were to ask her it seemed that Nick had a closer bond with Howie. She of course knew Alex really well after all he was her brother in law and she got on well with Howie but it was the two Kentucky cousins who she knew the littlest about.
Kevin of course had left not long after she had started seeing Nick, that was one of the first and only times she saw Nick shed some of his emotions, he hadn’t cried, at first he didn’t even acknowledge it but after a while he got angry, ended up trashing their hotel room. She had been slightly scared at first but she eventually saw his actions for what they were, his way of showing how he felt, a person that didn’t know how to deal with his emotions, maybe that should have been her warning right there that their relationship was not going to be easy, that it would be a constant battle for her to get him to show her his true self.
Brian…Brian was different. She knew there had been a falling out between the two friends, that Nick’s choice to pursue his solo carer had played a part in that, that Nick and Leighanne hadn’t always seen eye to eye. They had drifted apart but according to Nick things were starting to get better between the two. Was it sad that she didn’t really know that much about someone who had once been almost inseparable from the man she loved?
She didn’t have time to contemplate that much more because before she knew it she was stood just outside the unit waiting to be buzzed in. She walked into the old cardiac unit and almost felt as if she was home, the smell, the noises, the sights, god nothing had really changed which in a way was a bit upsetting because she knew when she had been here the unit had been struggling. The walls could do with a fresh look of paint, the monitoring could certainly do with being updated and the kids could certainly do with a few more TV’s to keep them entertained. She didn’t have time to contemplate further before someone was running towards her, pulling her into a massive hug.
“I can’t believe it’s you!” The women said squeezing her even more making Adie laugh.
“In the flesh Lou,” She said squeezing her old friend back.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said pulling back. “I think you’ve bought the wrong Backstreet Boy though,” she said eyeing Brian shaking his hand when he put it out.
“Nick’s sick so I’ve bought Brian instead, Brian this is Louise I trained with her,” she introduced.
“Nice to meet you,” he smiled.
“Believe me the pleasure is all mine, my sister is going to freak out she’s a big fan of yours.”
“I’m sure I can sign something for her,” he smiled, “So this is where you used to work?”
“Yep, hasn’t really changed much,” She said smiling to Lou.
“Nope not much has changed, you want a quick tour?” She asked Brian.
“Sure,” he said following her leaving Adie at the nurses station smiling when she spotted someone who she got on so well with.
“Hey stranger,” She said making him look up with a broadening smile.
Chapter End Notes:
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