- Text Size +
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
Enjoy =)
Chapter Two:


The next day Nick and Brian walked into the Orphanage around 10:30 am to find Riley going through some files and she has her back turned on them. Brian smirked and motioned for everyone to be quiet. They did as he asked and he quietly snuck up behind Riley and wrapped one arm around her waist as he covers her eyes with the other hand.


“Guess who!” He spoke in a disguised voice and Riley smiled as she knows exactly who he is.


“Brian!” she replied happily and he removed his hand from covering her eyes. He wrapped her tight in his arms as he rested his chin on her shoulder. She looked up at him as she rested the back of her head against his shoulder and her grey blue eyes met with his.


“Hey beautiful…I missed you so much,” he told her and he kissed her cheek.


“I missed you too Bri-Bear, you have no idea.”


“I missed you more,” he insisted, causing her to giggle. She thinks it’s cute that he always has to compete with her even though she always wins. He then pulled out two red roses that he had bought her and had wrapped just for her, and he wrapped his arms around her again.


“I bought these for you,” he announced softly and she looked down at the roses in his hand.


“Oh Brian, they are beautiful!” she exclaimed as she looks up at him. “You didn’t have to give me these…”


“I wanted to, and they aren’t as beautiful as you are.” He told her as he stared into her eyes with so much adoration in his own. Tears streamed down her cheek as she turned around, his arms still wrapped around her.


“Brian why do you have to be so sweet?”


“It’s hard not to be sweet to a beautiful angel such as yourself. Anyone who disagrees is an asshole and doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” She looked up at him and smiled a little even though tears fell from her eyes. She rested her head against his shoulder and hugged him tight. She’s glad to have him back. She’s missed him so much. She has had no one to turn to whenever her and her husband’s fights were too much for her to handle.


“I missed you so much Bri-Bear, I hate it when you leave me. I miss having you here. It’s always hard on me when you leave but this time it was the worst.”


“I know Ri and I’m so sorry…I hate leaving you too. But I’m here now…and I’m not leaving you.”


“For how long though? How long will it be until Lou the asshole decides you’ve had enough break time and cuts it short? It seems like he is running a slave drive half the time.” Riley complained as tears slipped down her cheek. She hates Lou Pearlman with a passion and he doesn’t like her very much either. Nor is he very fond of Dakota.


“He’s not going to cut it short honey. After this concert, which is our homecoming concert the guys and I are going on a very much needed break for a couple of months. We’re still going to do small interviews and some charities here and there, but nothing too big and we aren’t leaving Florida. I plan to spend the entire break with you.” She looked up into his eyes for a couple of moments before speaking.


“But what if an unexpected tour happens again like last time?” She asked while sniffling as she tries so hard to calm down. He looked into her teary blue eyes to find so much loneliness and heartache in them. He knows that her husband hasn’t been paying much attention to her since he’s been gone, and he knows that he is the only person she can turn to when he makes her cry. He then brushed some of her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.


“Then I am taking you with me,” He answered softly, as he wipes away her tears.


“Honey I have work here in Florida…I can’t just leave the kids for that long and Chase would never let me go even if I could.”


“It wouldn’t hurt you any to take a vacation and have some time for yourself, Ri. You never take a break. You’re always working and you’re always taking care of children from left to right. I have never seen anyone work as hard as you do. You deserve a vacation and Chase is your husband not your boss. If you want a vacation you have every right to a vacation. Just because he likes to work for a hobby it doesn’t mean you have to as well.” Riley sighed and then wrapped her arms around Brian as she laid her head on his shoulder. He held her close to him affectionately.


“Ri, what were you looking at when we came in?” Nick questioned after a long moment of silence when he felt it was safe to change the subject.


“Files about Ashley…Brian Nick told you about Ashley right?”


“Oh yeah, are you kidding me? She is all he talked about through-out the entire meeting last night. How beautiful she was and everything…she must be pretty damn beautiful for him to be as excited as he is. I have never seen him talk about a child with so much interest before unless it was Kota.” Riley smirked at this bit of information and she turned her attention on Nick.


“Carter, are we developing a crush?”


“I don’t know, actually. All I know is that the minute I saw her I became dedicated. She may be covered in scars and bruises, but I know that underneath all of that there is a beautiful face somewhere. Even though she’s very stubborn and hates me with a passion, I know that if I don’t give up she will eventually warm up to me.” Brian chuckled as he watched his best friend swoon over the girl he had only just met yesterday.


“Does that answer your question, Ri?”


“Yes it does,” She answered while smiling in amusement.


“What kind of information do those files have?” Nick questioned curiously.


“Pretty much everything there is to know about her.”


“Can I see them?”


“Mm hmm, I was going to make you study them anyway. If you are going to win her heart - I mean trust, I suggest you get to know her first.” Riley explained and she handed the files to him. Nick rolled his eyes at her joke before he began to read through them.


“Brian, will you help me set up the tables for lunch?”


“Yes of course,” He answered while taking her hand into his.


“I will help too,” Nick replied as he puts the files into his backpack for later and he began to follow Brian and Riley to the cafeteria. On his way there though he suddenly noticed Dakota coming out of the elevator and she noticed him too as he was the first person she saw.


“NICKY!!” she exclaimed excitedly, as it was still very new to see him around the building again and she ran and flew into his arms. Nick gathered her up and hugged her close and he kissed the top of her head affectionately.


“Hi baby, did you just wake up?” he asked her as he noticed that her hair is uncombed and she is dressed in her tank top and pajama pants that he had put her to bed in last night. He also notices that her eyes still look a little sleepy.


“Yes.”


“Wow you slept late. Did you have all good dreams?”


“Yes I did.”


“Well that’s good. I was just on my way into the cafeteria to help Riley and Brian set it up for lunch.”


“Can I come with you?” she asked hopefully, as she hugs Nick close to her in fear that he will leave her. She has been very clingy with him ever since he got home yesterday.


“Yes you may,” he replied and he began to carry her into the cafeteria where Brian and Riley had gone off to. When he got in there he placed Dakota on one of the stools at the island nearby before going off and helping Brian and Riley like he said he would do.


“So Brian where is this homecoming concert taking place?” she asked, causing Nick and Brian to exchange grins.


“Some place nearby? Maybe Dakota and I will go.”


“Oh yeah it’s nearby all right…and yes, you and Kota will definitely be there” Nick answered. Riley looked up at them and saw their grins and she became very curious.


“What are you two up to?”


“The concert is here, Riley.” Brian explained.


“HERE?” Riley asked, shock written all over her face. “How did you manage that?”


“Nick did it. He arranged the entire thing. He talked Brooke into letting us do it and she agreed.”


“Why here?”


“We thought that it would be cool to give you, the other nurses, doctors, caregivers, and all of the kids a free concert. We think it’s unfair to the children that other kids who have families and homes to live in get to see all of these concerts and go to fun places like Disneyland, the park and stuff, and the kids who live here don’t have any of that. We know that it hurts them so we’ve decided to give them their night of fun. Brooke agreed to let fans come in here to see the concert too but they have to pay. It’s a charity and most of the money will be going to the orphanage so that the kids can go on more fieldtrips and stuff.” Nick explained.


“It was all Nick’s plan,” Brian added.


“At lunch we will be passing out Backstreet Boy t-shirts that Howie and I had taken to a shop and had professionally done. They each say ‘to so and so, love the Backstreet Boys’ on the back and they each have a child’s name on it. We all thought that they should have special concert shirts to wear. Tickets were only on sale for two weeks and were already sold out.” Nick explained.


“Aww…you guys are so sweet, they’re going to have so much fun.” Riley replied, as she pulls them both into a hug.


“That’s what we were aiming for,” Brian replied and he and Nick returned her hug. When they pulled away Riley looked at her watch to see that it says 11:30. She then looked at Dakota who is still sitting on the stool where Nick had left her.


“Kota honey, do you want to be Riley’s big helper again?” she asked and Dakota’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.


“Yeah!”


“Okay come here,” she told her and Dakota crawled down from her stool and went to Riley. Riley scooped her up into her arms.


“Do you want to help me give Ashley her medicine and make sure Doctor Johnson does okay with giving her flu shots? Ashley is afraid of needles so Doctor Johnson may need our help.”


“Yes I do.”


“But won’t Ashley snap at her and frighten her? She’s not exactly the friendliest person in the world, I don’t think it’s a very good idea for other children to be in there.” Nick questioned, suddenly worried about his baby girl. “She was pretty mean to me even, if I wasn’t prepared for it I would’ve gotten my feelings hurt.”


“She’ll be fine, her and Ashley are good friends. She had Ashley’s trust long before I did. It had only been a week that she had been staying here when she was throwing one of her usual temper tantrums and fighting with Doctor Adams as usual - She doesn’t like him at all. He for some reason really frightens her and he gets it way worse than the others do. He lost his patience with her and stormed out of the room refusing to have anything to do with her for the rest of the day. Dakota went in there while he was gone and asked her why she gets so upset all the time. Ash didn’t snap at her and began communicating with her - Ashley writing on notebook of course. When I walked in I expected her to still be alone and upset, but I found Dakota in there and Ashley calm as if nothing was wrong. Even though I was confused I decided to just go with it. She was happy that’s all that mattered. Later on that day I was looking through her files and discovered that Ashley has always loved children and used to baby sit five at a time when her parents were still alive. Dakota reminds Ashley of the past and it makes her feel comfortable having her with her. She’ll sit there and color with her and put puzzles together and she never screams or cries or picks fights with any of the doctors as long as Dakota is present. She is always so gentle and protective around her, so I started bringing her in there with me when it’s important that Ashley stays calm. I often leave her in there with her and it’s easier on everyone. Dakota is never bored and constantly asking for attention anymore and we get things done. Ashley has become my baby-sitter when you aren’t here and Dakota has become my biggest helper when it comes to keeping Ashley calm and relaxed for long hours at a time - it’s great.” Nick chuckled a bit.


“Wow Kota, maybe you should become Ashley’s caregiver instead,” He teased and she smiled very big at that.


“Nah…I don’t know how to be a caregiver but I can be your helper - Riley says I’m good at that’s.”


“Yes you are angel,” He told her proudly and he kissed her cheek.


“Well anyway Dakota, I’m sure Doctor Johnson is ready for us by now.” Riley spoke up again and she carried her toward the elevator. Once they were up on the floor that Ashley’s room is on she brought her down to room 107 and walked in to find Doctor Johnson getting ready and Ashley lying in bed with her blankets pulled over her head.


“She won’t let me touch her as usual, and she is under the covers crying.” Doctor Johnson explained to Riley when he saw her walk in. Riley who is not surprised in the least bit put Dakota down, than she went over and sat beside Ashley on the bed. She pulled down the blankets to find her looking up at her with tears falling from her eyes.


“Come here,” she told her gently and she did as she said and sat up and she allowed Riley to embrace her in a gentle hug.


“I’m going to give you your medicine all right? Then Doctor Johnson needs to give you a shot.” She explained and Ashley held onto her tightly at the mention of the last part.


“Please don’t…I don’t want one…” she sniffled.


“Honey you need one. You need your flu shot. You need a lot of shots but we won’t do them all in one day. I know your biggest fear is needles but you have to let us do this honey.”


“No…” She pleaded through endless tears.


“Yes, honey. Will it make you feel any better if I sit here and hold you while he does it?” Ashley thought for a moment and then nodded.


“Alright then…here. Cover your face and don’t even look at it. That way it won’t hurt as much.” Riley explained as she gently made her burry her face in her shoulder and she looked at Doctor Johnson who is now ready. He went and sat next to Riley, and Riley held Ashley’s arm out to him. He then did the shot and she flinched slightly and held on tight to Riley. When he finished Ashley looked up at her.


“There… that wasn’t so bad now was it?” She asked her and Ashley rested her head against her shoulder as she sat there rubbing her back. After a few moments Riley turned her attention on Dakota.


“Now you get to help Kota. Go get Ashley’s medication from Doctor J and bring it here.” Dakota smiled and did as she was told. She went to Doctor Johnson who was putting things away and he grinned down at her as he handed over Ashley’s medicine and she smiled up at him happily before going to deliver the medicine to Riley. She crawled up onto the bed next to her and handed it over.


“Here Kota, pour some into the spoon until it’s completely full” She told her and Dakota did just that being extra careful not to spill any of it. When she finished Riley turned her attention on Ashley and she gave her, her medicine, Ashley swallowing it down with a disgusted look on her face. Riley handed her a small cup of water allowing her to take a drink.


“How come Ashley has to take medicine Riley?”


“It helps her relax a little bit more honey, that’s all.”


“Oh.” Riley looked back down at Ashley, her grey blue eyes meeting with her brown ones.


“Are you hungry now? It’s lunch time. How about you come down to the cafeteria and eat today?” Ashley’s eyes suddenly lit up with excitement at this offer. Even though there’s no smile evident on her face Riley and Dakota can still tell that it’s what she really wants.


“You’re really going to let me get out of bed?” She asked softly.


“Yes, because I know how unpleasant these beds can be when you have to lay in them all day and all night long. You aren’t hooked up to those annoying machines anymore and I think that you deserve to be out of bed for awhile just like everyone else.” She explained while getting up from the bed.


“Do you think that you can try walking?” She added gently. Her attacker had hurt her so bad that she has a hard time even walking on her own right now, simply because it kills her to do so.


“I don’t know…” Ashley shrugged. Riley took a hold of Ashley’s hands and carefully helped her up from the bed. When she was standing next to her she slid her arm around her waist protectively and she began to guide her out of the room after making sure Dakota was following. Just by how much Ashley is leaning on her and that she’s carrying her more than helping her she knows it’s going to be a day or two before she will be able to really walk on her own. The evil bastard who did this to her has injured her so much and that’s still very obvious just by looking at her. She seems so fragile and broken. When they got down to the lobby however, Riley suddenly had a plan. She stopped and waited as Dakota caught up, and then with one arm she gathered her up and placed her on her left hip as she continued to guide Ashley into the cafeteria - this making it a little more challenging for her. When they were in the cafeteria just as she had hoped, Nick looked up at them as did Brian. As soon as Nick saw Riley struggling to keep Ashley up and hold Dakota all at the same time he frowned and immediately felt bad.


“Here Ri, let me help.” He immediately insisted and he rushed over to her.


“Okay you take Ash from me then please. I’m struggling to keep her up and Dakota is slipping. Ashley please let Nick take you he is not going to hurt you I promise.” Nick slid his arm around Ashley’s waist and gently pulling her away from Riley, and Ashley reluctantly leaned against him instead. She is a little surprised to see that he is still here. Why is he still here? Doesn’t he have some Backstreet Boys thing to do? Nick then began to lead her over to a table nearby and Riley beamed in satisfaction that her plan had worked. She shifted Dakota so that she is holding her better and walked off to Brian who had a curious look on his face as he watches her. He had noticed the smile on her face.


“Why do I get the feeling you planned that whole thing?” He asked her when she approached him and Riley smirked.


“Because maybe I did?” She asked and he chuckled before looking over at Nick and observing the way he is with Ashley. He pulled out a chair for her and helped her into it.


“Comfortable?” He asked her.


“Can I have a foot rest please?” She asked softly and he can hear how intimidated she is by him in her voice. Nick grabbed an extra chair from one of the stack of chairs nearby and placed it in front of her. She then lifted her feet up onto it and sat back comfortably.


“There is that better?” he asked her sweetly and she nodded.


“I’ll go fix you a plate. Is there anything that you want in particular?”


“What’s over there?”


“The three main meals are either pizza - pepperoni or cheese, Spaghetti with breadsticks, or lasagna.”


“I want lasagna with breadsticks please.”


“Okay I will be right back with that.” He told her and then walked off to the island.


“You sound like a real waiter over there, Nick” Brian complimented.


“Yeah well she’s cooperating with me and I don’t want to do anything to ruin it so I am trying to be as gentle as possible.”


“Well I have to say Nick…you weren’t kidding when you told us she is beautiful.”


“Yeah she is amazing in every single way but there is no way she is ever going to trust me enough to let me be her boyfriend.”


“Well you never know, maybe if you just keep being gentle with her and give her some time to get to know you, you might earn it.” Brian suggested. Suddenly Doctor Adams came into the cafeteria.


“Riley.”


“Yeah?”


“Its twelve-o-click. Should we let the kids in now? They’re starting to line up out here.”


“Yeah go ahead.”


“Okay.” Nick finished making Ashley’s plate, and then he brought it to her as well as a can of dr pepper. He read in her files that it is her favorite soda.


“There you go…do you need anything else?”


“No thanks…” she answered softly.


“Kay,” he replied and then was about to get himself a mountain dew when he suddenly felt a small tug on his shirt. Knowing that it’s Dakota he looked down at her smiling sweetly and she smiled up at him in return.


“Help me Nicky please? It’s crowded over there and Josh is over there and will make fun of me. Besides…I can’t reach.” She pouted.


“Of course baby,” he told her and he picked her up and brought her over to the now crowded island. He grabbed a plate and looked at her.


“What do you want to eat?”


“Same thing Ashee got’s!” She insisted, and Nick chuckled. He knows she admires Ashley very deeply.


“Okay, lasagna it is.” He began to make her plate and as soon as he did he grabbed her dr pepper.


“Where do you want to eat at?” He asked her as he looked down at her again.


“With Ashee.”


“Alright,” he replied and he brought her over to the table that Ashley is sitting at enjoying her lunch. He pulled out the chair beside her and sat her in it, kissed her forehead and then walked off to make his own plate. He grabbed a mountain dew and went to join Ashley and Dakota. When he got there he found that Brian, Riley, and Doctor Johnson are now sitting there as well and the only empty seat left is between Ashley and Dakota. It wasn’t there before so Brian or Riley must have put it there. He sat down between them.


“So when are you going to tell the kids the good news?” Riley asked the guys curiously.


“When they are done eating and just sitting there.”


“Ooh okay.” Everybody was silent for a few minutes, Nick sitting there looking at Ashley every now and then and just thinking about things.



~*~*~*~*~*~


It is now later on that day - an hour or so after lunch to be exact and the other Backstreet Boys minus Nick are all in the auditorium getting ready for tomorrow night’s concert. Earlier at lunch they had explained to the kids what was going on and why and they were of course overly excited about it. The Backstreet Boys are a favorite among the kids in the Orphanage because not only have Brian and Nick been so good to them over the past four years but there are a lot of little girls going through their teeny-bopper stages too. Brian and Nick have so many little ‘girlfriends’ around it’s hard for their co-workers not to tease them. Nick has gotten ‘married’ three times during the time he has worked there too. Suddenly Dakota walked into the auditorium and looked around only to find Brian, AJ, Howie, and Kevin in there. Howie looked at her as she walked in and grinned. Her eyes immediately landed on him and she smiled back.


“UNCLE D!!” She exclaimed happily, since this is the first time she’s seen him all day and she ran toward him flying into his open arms. He laughed and enveloped her in a hug.


“Hey Munchkin how are you?”


“I missed you so much Uncle D!”


“Aww well I’ve missed you too. What have you been up to?”


“Nothing much really.”


“Ooh.”


“Where is Nicky?” She asked him, loneliness now evident in her voice.


“He ran to the store real quick sweetie, he’ll be back.”


“Kay…” He kissed the top of her head before setting her down and she went to AJ next who was standing nearby reading over some papers. She wrapped her arms around his leg and hugged it. He looked down at her to find her baby blue eyes staring up at him as she has the sweetest little smile in the world. He smiled at her too and squatted down to her level before pulling her into a hug.


“Hey squirt! Long time no see,” He greeted her cheerfully and he kissed her cheek affectionately. She rested her head against his shoulder and hugged him back. Just as she was pulling away she turned to find Nick walk in the door. He has one red rose in one hand and a teddy bear in the other. Dakota’s eyes grew big in excitement at the sight of her number one favorite person in the entire world.


“NICKY!” She exclaimed cheerfully and ran to him. He chuckled a bit and scooped the excited child up into his arms and she threw her arms about his neck and hugged him tight.


“I missed you! Where’d you go…?”


“I went to Wal-mart real quick. Look what I got you,” He answered before showing her the teddy bear in his hand.


“Aww Nicky I love him!” She told him happily. He handed it to her and she hugged it close to her before hugging him once again. “Thank you Nicky.”


“Your welcome sweetie,” he told her lovingly as he watched her hug the bear close to her. Howie just laughed a little.


“Nick you spoil that child rotten to the core. Didn’t you just buy her a bracelet?”


“Mm hmm, I did. And my angel is not rotten, Howie.” Nick answered the last part in a very demanding tone. Howie chuckled.


“It’s just an expression buddy, calm down.” Nick smiled down at Dakota proudly and he watched her cuddle the teddy bear for a few moments while she has her head rested upon his shoulder and her thumb in her mouth. He slowly swayed to the music playing on the radio and Howie just grinned as he watched his little brother with the little girl in his arms. He knows she is Nick’s pride and joy. He knows that no one loves Dakota as much as he does and he wonders all the time why he hasn’t adopted her yet. Sure, he was too young when he found her - 16 to be exact but he’s 20 now and very much ready. Sure, Nick can be quite childish himself, but not when it comes down to taking care of Dakota. When he was 16 him and the rest of the guys questioned whether him taking on such a huge responsibility was really a great idea or not but Nick was determined to do it and already very much attached to her so they knew they couldn’t stop him. They didn’t have the heart. All they could do is trust him and he’s really proved them wrong. In fact, she has even made him mature a little bit. He still acts very childish with his pranks and Nintendo most of the time, but he’s learned when to be serious and when not to be, and that was all Dakota’s doing. He is ready to adopt her. So why hasn’t he? She already pretty much is his, after all. He just needs to make it official and give her his last name. After awhile of watching his beautiful angel, Nick came back to reality and looked at Howie.


“What has Ashley been up to since I’ve been gone? She hasn’t thrown any temper tantrums has she?”


“No because no one has gone near her. She’s just been sitting there writing in her notebook.”


“Okay,” Nick replied and he kissed Dakota’s forehead before putting her down and he walked over to the front row where he had left Ashley at earlier before going to the store. Riley had told him to bring her into the auditorium with him so he could keep an eye on her because she had some other things she had to do so he did. When he reached the front row he went and sat in the chair next to her.


“Hey sweetie, are you okay?” He asked her and she could hear the sincerity in his voice. She nodded her answer and sat there looking at him with an intimidated expression written all over her face. He knows that she is still scared of him.


“Well that’s good to hear. Let me know if you need anything okay?” she again nodded and he continued on conversationally. “Anyway, I went to Wal-mart and I came across this really beautiful red rose. I heard that you really like red roses so I thought that I would get it for you.” He explained as he showed her the rose in his hand. She looked at the rose in his hand for a couple of minutes, than she looked into his eyes to find so much gentleness in them. She slowly took the rose from him and then once again looked into his beautiful baby blue eyes.


“Thanks…” She told him softly, finally speaking to him for the first time since lunch. He smiled sweetly her in response.


“How come you are here?” She asked him softly and he raised his eyebrow curiously.


“What do you mean?” He asked her gently.


“Aren’t you a Backstreet Boy or something? I mean… I know you’re doing a concert here and stuff…but you’ve been here since yesterday. Why?”


“I know that you’re convinced I am only here for charity honey, but I’m not. I work here… I have worked her for four years now. It’s a side job when I’m not on the road with the band.”


“Why?” She asked him, and she looked at up at him curiously.


“Well because I enjoy it. I enjoy making kids happy, I enjoy being around them.” Ashley sat there quietly for a few minutes, just thinking and Nick sat there watching her closely and waiting for her next question. He is very happy that he is making such a progress with her. After a few minutes, she looked up at him again.


“You seem closer to Kota… more so then all the other children, how come?”


“Because she’s my responsibility. I have been taking care of her for four years now. I found her abandoned in a garbage can in a dark alley when she was only just a baby - three days old to be exact. She didn’t have any clothes on and was crying and going through a huge attention withdrawal. I brought her here, this place being the first place I thought of. It was a busy night here though…. And they were short of staff at the time too. Three major things were going on in the hospital area all at once demanding the attention of most of the doctors and nurses. So I was told to wait in the waiting room until there was one available. But I knew if I waited any longer Dakota wouldn’t make it. She needed to be taken care of right away. So Riley, the one nurse that was able to talk to me as she was working the front desk allowed me to go up to the nursery and take care of her. So I did and I nursed her back to health. Riley came in the next day and was surprised to find a healthy baby in my arms. She offered me a job here to be Dakota’s full time caregiver and I took the offer. I have been working here ever since.”


“And Riley has made you my caregiver now too… huh?” Ashley asked softly and Nick nodded his answer.


“Yeah she has. That’s why I came into your room yesterday. I probably should have had Riley come in with me the first time so she could introduce us…rather than me coming in myself. I didn’t think about it at the time though…I’m really sorry I frightened you.” Ashley didn’t reply, she only sat back in her seat and hugged her legs to her chest before looking down at the ground. Nick sat there looking at her for a couple of minutes, than he broke the silence between them again.


“I’m going to get back to work now sweetie. Let me know if you need anything okay?” Ashley nodded quietly and he got up and went off to do his job. Dakota who has her coloring books went and laid on the stage - but off to the side where she’s not in the way and began to color in them as she still holds her teddy bear. Ashley continued to sit there watching the guys get ready for their show and she continued to hold her rose. She watched Nick dance around onstage and no matter how scared she is she can’t help but think he is gorgeous. He has been her favorite Backstreet Boy since BSB has even started and it was kind of sweet of him to give her a rose. No one has ever done anything that sweet for her in years. She still can’t help but fear him though. She’s been hurt too many times in her life how does she know she can trust another man? After the experience she had, had with the last man she trusted she’s not sure she can trust anyone else. After a few hours of just sitting there watching she noticed Doctor Adams suddenly walk in. Knowing the reason he is in the auditorium is most likely for her, her body suddenly tensed up in fear. Doctor Adams is the one doctor she can’t stand the most among all other doctors in Ramsey. There is just something about her that really intimidates her.


“Hey Doctor Adams, what’s up?” AJ asked him with a grin.


“Hey J, not much…I just came in here to borrow Ashley for awhile. I’ve gotta take her upstairs to take her medication.”


“Ooh.”


“Yup,” Doctor Adams replied, than he started toward Ashley. Nick was now watching cautiously and so was Brian. They remember Riley telling them that Doctor Adams is Ashley’s worst enemy, and just by looking at Ashley they know she’s frightened. They know there is going to be a problem - especially Nick, who has had experience with Ashley’s tantrums.


“Nick what’s wrong?” Kevin asked as concern filled his voice.


“Ashley doesn’t like Doctor Adams.”


“How come?” Howie asked curiously.


“She’s intimidated by him….more so then all of the other doctors, nurses, and caregivers. She get’s frightened just by the very sight of him - even when he’s nowhere near her but in the same room as her.”


“Why?”


“No one knows… she won’t tell anyone.” Brian answered, and everyone looked back at Ashley as Doctor Adams approached her.