Being directed to stop at the nurse's station on the seventh floor, Brian Littrell looked at the young man that was seated in front of a computer. "Um, could you help me please, I'm not sure if this is the right place....."
The man's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the Kentuckian.

"I'm looking for Nick Carter."

"Oh." The man stood up and walked around the desk toward Brian. "No one has been allowed into see him yet," he quietly stated. "Follow me; I'll show you where you can wait. Once he's ready to have someone come into his room, we'll come down and let you know okay?"

Brian could only nod his response as he glanced into a room as he passed by, wondering if it would be his best friend's room.

"I think there is another person in there waiting," the man said as he gestured to the doorway of the waiting room.

"Oh God, Kevin!"

"Hey!" Kevin rushed up to his cousin and quickly wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug, finally allowing himself to cry into Brian's shoulder.

Feeling the normally stoic Kevin Richardson convulse into sobs as he held him, Brian felt his heart drop. This was not a good indicator of what was happening with his best friend. In what seemed like an eternity to Brian, Kevin finally pulled himself away.par

"Let's go sit down," he mumbled.

Wordlessly, Brian followed his cousin to the first row of padded seats that faced the doorway. He looked at Kevin with a worried expression, afraid to ask the question that was on his mind.

"Coffee's over there," Kevin gestured with his thumb toward the station against the wall.

Brian stood up and made his way over. "Would you like me to get you some?"

Kevin shook his head. "No thanks, my stomach is starting to bother me. I've drank so much coffee I think I'm getting an ulcer," he quietly replied as he started to lean forward, putting his head into his hands.

After a few moments Kevin cried, "God, Nicky should have listened to me....he should have listened to me....."

Brian rubbed his cousin's back. "Don't blame yourself."

"We wouldn't be here...."

"Do you know what happened?

Rubbing his hand over his face, Kevin gathered his thoughts. "They said Nick's car hit some ice and spun out...."

Brian put a hand to his mouth as he gasped.

"He spun out and his car went down a ditch and hit a tree," Kevin continued in a shaky voice. "The car hit on the driver's side and they said Nicky was pinned in the car."

Brian put a hand to his mouth as he gasped. "Oh my god."

Kevin shook his head and looked at his cousin with watery eyes. "Nick's body is so broken up I don't know if they can fix him...."

"Please don't say that...."

Kevin shook his head, dismissing Brian's plea.  "It's true...."

"What are his injuries that you would say something like this?"

"The doctor told me that Nick broke his pelvis and something about a vertebra or something being dislocated and that he has some spine injuries."

"I pray to God that you're not right," Brian whispered.

*****