Lexie was glad she had chosen her shoes carefully and that they were flats. She walked four inner city blocks before she could get a cab. It appeared they didn't travel into Christine's neighborhood very often. She was sure her slightly dark complexion and hair kept her from getting too noticed by the locals and the cabbies.

She checked her phone and decided to ignore Nick's voice mail, figuring it couldn't be too important if he hadn't called again. She directed the cab to the showing she had planned on attending, turning her phone off completely as she entered the hall of exhibits.

Back in Orlando, the hospital was filling with Backstreet family. The chapel filled quickly, and Nick found himself in there praying like he hadn't in years. Nothing seemed as important as Howie's recovery. AJ slipped into the seat next to him, slipping a hand over his and squeezing it. He leaned over and whispered in his ear, "He's stable now. They are moving him upstairs for some more tests."

"Any word on any brain damage?" Nick whispered back, but AJ just shook his head, 'no'.

CJ returned to the chapel from her bathroom trip with Caroline. Both girls made their way to Nick's side, and Caroline slipped easily into AJ's arms. AJ pressed a gentle kiss to her temple, and her dark curly head tipped up toward his face. She pressed one chubby little finger to his lips to make sure he was being quiet.

"She looks so much like him." AJ couldn't help himself. He saw Howie more in his children now than he ever had before. It was not lost on him that they might be all they had left of him. They were little bits of Howie to go on forever.

Nick nodded his head toward AJ and then the door and they rose to exit with the girls. AJ followed him out as CJ spoke in the hall, "There are fans outside, Dad. Backstreet fans."

"Really?" Nick asked as she led him to the fourth floor window. He peered out into the Orlando sunshine and there they were, about 30 of them. "I'll be damned."

"That's great." AJ agreed solemnly. "Have you heard from Lexie at all?"

Nick patted down his pockets for his phone, but CJ pulled it from her own pocket. "No, she hasn't called back." She said, handing the phone back to Nick. He pressed 'redial' but CJ cut him off, "Dad, we're not supposed to use the phone in the hospital, but I just tried. I think her phone is off."

"She must be inside the exhibition hall." Nick sighed as he turned off the phone and handed it back to her.

"What are you going to tell her?" AJ asked.

"Whatever news we have when she calls back." Nick sighed, leaning his back against the glass of the window. "She's going to be worried sick all the way back here."

"Maybe you should go get her." AJ suggested. "I have the plane just waiting at the airport, maybe I should send it to JFK just in case."

"That would be good. I promised to be here for Leah."

"I can stay with her. . ." AJ began, but Nick just shook his head.

"I promised." Nick said quietly.

"Nick? Nick?" They heard a familiar voice call out in a soft stage whisper.

"Cook?"

"I can't believe I found you. Aaron called. He's heard the news. He wants you to call him. I wasn't able to get through to you." She said breathlessly. CJ ran to her and slipped into her arms as Cook smoothed her hair.

"We can't have them on. I'll call him." Nick sighed, walking over to CJ and pulling his phone out of her pocket. "If he's heard it, then it must be national news. I hope Lexie calls before she hears it herself."

Lexie talked to several people and gained a lot of research resources while she was at the exhibit; even a possible contact for a position in Tampa as an appraiser. Dusk was settling as she stepped from the building and waved down a cab in lower Manhattan. She chose the ride back to the hotel to turn her phone back on and finally listened to her voice mails.

"Lex, call me. It's urgent."

Nick sounded curt and stressed. She could hear the children in the background. She furrowed her dark brows at the phone as the cab pulled up to the hotel. She paid her fare and headed into her room to return his call.

Nick scrambled for the phone as he stood outside waiting with AJ to finish his cigarette. Digging it out of his pocket, he answered it and lifted it to his ear.

"Hey, Nicky, it's me." He heard her smile as she kicked off her shoes.

"Thank God! Where have you been?!" He demanded.

"I went to the showing. . ." she lied.

"Honey, I need to tell you something. . ." He began to pace in the small courtyard.

"What is it?!"

"It's Howie, honey. He's had another stroke."

"Oh, my. . ." She gasped. "He said he wasn't THAT sick!"

"He wasn't, but something must have changed."

"How is he, Nick? Is he okay this time?"

"I'm afraid it's much worse than before. He's in ICU right now on a ventilator. His brain scans show massive damage to the left side of his brain. . ." Nick stood there facing AJ, absently reaching for the cigarette AJ was working on. He took a drag and held his breath.

"Oh, God, no, Nick. . ." She groaned.

"They don't know if he's going to make it through the night. AJ's plane is sitting at JFK waiting for you. You need to get home tonight." Nick exhaled and began to pace again, using the nicotine to try and calm his nerves and frustrations.

"No, no, Nick!" She cried.

"Baby, please be strong, honey. Please. . ."

"Oh, God, how is Mom?"

"She's sitting with him right now. Can you get to the airport?"

"Yes, of course." She said as she got to her feet, but she didn't know where to begin.

"Be careful and I love you, hon." Nick said softly. "I'll be here when you get home."

"I know." She nodded through her tears. "Daddy. . ."

"Just hurry home, Lex." Nick choked, as he sat down heavily on a stone bench. He rested his head in his hand, and AJ reached to remove the stub of the cigarette from his fingers.

He looked up as Lexie answered, "I will."

"How did she take it?" Cook asked Nick as he and AJ stepped from the elevator into the hall outside of Howie's room.

"As well as can be expected, I suppose." Nick mumbled.

"The doctor just went in and he said he'd let us know more information when he comes out."

Nick looked down at his watch.

"It's so late and the children have been up all day." He looked over at them, all nearly asleep except for John.

"Maybe Leighanne will take them home?" AJ began.

"No, I will." Cook cut in firmly. "They can't spend the night here and neither can you two."

"I'm not going anywhere." Nick said stubbornly.

"Me either." AJ nodded.

"They don't care how famous you two are, they are going to kick you out on your fannies. You can't spend the night here." She said to them and then she planted a finger firmly in Nick's chest. "And you aren't helping the situation by starting to smoke again."

Nick looked over at AJ who just shrugged, "What are you afraid it's gonna do? Stunt his growth?"

AJ smiled softly at the light chuckle between the three of them.

AJ's plane lifted off after Lexie was safely on board. She had begun to repack while she was still at the hotel, but finally just called the manager and made arrangements for them to send her the bags later.

How could this happen? How could this happen?! She wanted to know. Howie was young; too young to be going through this! In her desperation, Lexie knew she wasn't ready to lose him. "Daddy." She murmured quietly as the dark sky swallowed her whole.

If she just hadn't gone to New York in the first place. . .

Howie's hospital room was very quiet, except for the air moving through the ventilator and the occasional beep of the machines. He seemed so peaceful just lying there as Leah gently stroked this forehead. The way the doctors spoke, when Howie woke, he wouldn't be the same man he was before. They were sure he would have voice and motor dysfunction that would need extensive rehabilitation. Even then, they weren't convinced he would be "normal" again. First, he had to get through the next couple days without getting sick with pneumonia or some kind of secondary infection. Right now, he was as peaceful as if he were sleeping right next to her in their bed.

"Nick has taken Cook and the children back to the house." AJ whispered. Leah looked up from her vigil at Howie's side. "Took some convincing, but he's going to go. Cook doesn't know her way around Orlando yet, and she won't be able to get past the security gate."

"Where is Lexie?"

"She's just an hour out. I'll have her picked up and brought here." AJ pulled up a chair next to her. "He says he'll be back in time to meet her."

"Good, I don't want her to be alone. . ." Leah looked down at her watch. "Visiting hours are almost over."

"She should make it here on time." He said. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay." She nodded. "I'm so worried about him, Aje. I mean, what if he doesn't recover enough motor skills or he can't talk. . ."

"Howie will bounce back, you'll see."

"You know, he and I were kind of hoping for another child? We weren't trying too hard, but you never know." She began, her hand still stroking his smooth forehead.

"Howie had mentioned it."

"I don't care, AJ. I don't care about his condition; I'm going to take him home. I can't live without him, Aje."

"I know, sweetheart, but he'll be fine, you'll see."

"You hear that, D? Even AJ thinks you're going to be okay, so don't be afraid, okay? I'm here for you, baby, just come back to me." She whispered.

AJ watched her in the semi-darkness, her eyes and touch never leaving Howie's face. To love like that. . .

Lexie's shoes padded softly against the hospital's title floors as she raced through the entrance and toward the ICU wing AJ's driver had directed her to. She didn't hear the footsteps running behind her until they were upon her. A hand gripped her arm and pulled her around and then she was in Nick's arms.

"Oh, God, Nick. Where is he? Can I see him?!" She pleaded with him breathlessly, throwing herself into his arms and against his chest.

"Yes, yes. C'mon. We've only got another 20 minutes." He said, equally as breathless from trying to catch up with her. He hadn't felt comfortable yelling out in the hospital halls that late at night.

Holding on to her, keeping her snug against him, he took her through the dark corridors to where AJ was sitting out in the hall with Tina, his head in his hand and seemingly asleep. Tina was awake and placed a gentle elbow against AJ to wake him. He looked up at her, and she pointed at Nick and Lexie coming down the hall. He stood immediately and reached for Lexie, but she absently rebuffed his embrace.

"How is he?" She asked him.

"He's resting now. Leah is with him."

"You think they'll let me see him?" Lexie choked, tears threatening to spill over her cheeks.

"Of course, but it'll just be a short visit." AJ nodded, steering her away from Nick and Tina to where Howie's room was. The nurse graciously let her in, and she slipped quietly to her mother's side. Leah got to her feet and held a sobbing Lexie.

"I should have never gone, Mom." Lexie cried softly.

"No, no, honey, no one knew this was going to happen. It was just so sudden." Leah held her, patting her back. "Come here and sit with him."

Lexie sat in Leah's chair, reaching to stroke Howie's brow not unlike her mother had. "Daddy?" She whispered. "Can you hear me, Daddy?"

"He should be awake in the morning. . ." Leah began.

"How bad is it? Nick said something about brain damage." Lexie turned to look Leah.

Leah nodded slowly, "Yes, but they won't know the extent until he's awake and they test him, but honey, the tests don't look good."

"Is he going to die?"

"We're just not sure right now. There are a lot of risks for complications, but his chances of recovery are good." Leah comforted her by reaching out and stroking her dark hair. Leah knew that Lexie wasn't really Howie's daughter, but at times they seemed so much alike. Like soulmates. "We're just going to have to wait and see."

Lexie looked back at her father just as the nurse came in, "I'm sorry, but. . ."

"Of course, Lexie. . ." Leah began.

"Oh, okay." Lexie got to her feet and leaned over the rail and kissed him gently on his cheek. "I love you, Daddy."

She turned to her mother and held her tightly, "I love you, too, Mom. We'll get him through this, I promise."

"I know, honey, I know." Leah agreed, holding on tightly to the daughter the love of her life had given her to raise.

"Who is taking care of the children?" Lexie wearily sighed from the passenger seat of the van as Nick drove to her parents' house.

"Cook."

"Where is Alex? Is he there?"

"No, he's at his grandparents."

"Oh."

Nick reached for her, and she slipped her hand into his just before she burst into tears. He held on as he drove, using his words to try and comfort her. He pulled into the driveway and turned the van off. "Honey, you gonna be okay?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm so tired. . ."

"I know. I'm so sorry, honey. . ." Nick squeezed her hand.

Lexie wiped her eyes with both of her hands and just slumped back in the seat. "I want to go back to the hospital tomorrow."

"We all will after we sleep. Your brothers are going to be happy to see you again." Nick said. "Leah will go to AJ's tonight, and he'll make sure she makes it back in the morning."

"We've done this before, haven't we?" She smiled weakly.

"Yes, we worked together and helped pulled the family through and we will again."

"Thank you, Nick. Thank you for being here." She whispered.

"At your side is where I belong." Nick said, "And it's where I will always be."

"Are you sure?" He asked. "Are you sure this is what you want to do? You can always contact your parents to take him, what about Scotty's father?"

"No, he doesn't know, and I don't want him to know." Christine sighed into the phone. She had the same conversation several times with her attorney, Joshua Silverstone, and she wasn't in the mood to have it again. "I want the papers to read Lexie and Nick as his guardians after my death."

"Chris, you know what happened last time. . ."

"I know, I know, but Lexie said she would talk to him." She began to cry desperately. "What else can I do? I have to trust her. My parents declared me dead a long time ago, they wouldn't want him now. I can't just leave him to strangers. I believe her. I believe she'll take care of Scotty."

"What about Nick? He doesn't have to accept him even after you die." Her attorney warned her.

"Lexie won't let that happen."

"They are strangers, too."

"That's the other part. I'm leaving. She wants us to move to Tampa."

"Your health coverage will take weeks to transfer to the state of Florida."

"It will?" She paused, "Oh, Josh, it doesn't matter. I'm dying anyway. So I miss a few more doctor visits. Who cares?!"

"Scotty may want a little more time with his mother!" Josh snapped back.

"And I'm going to use what time I have left to get him another mother. A mother I know and trust. One I know will love him."

"Lexie Carter may end up being a single mother if Nick Carter doesn't agree to it. Dear God, Chris, she's only 24."

"She promised she'd love him and take care of him. I believe her, Josh. Please, please take care of things for me. I need to get to Tampa as soon as possible." Christine pleaded with her attorney. "You know there is enough money to pay you."

"You know that's not the issue."

"I am sorry, Josh, but I can't offer much more." She mumbled. "Please tell me you'll do it."

There was a long, impenetrable silence before he answered, "Of course. I'll take care of everything, Chris."