Kevin Richardson sat in the living room staring at the television screen, cradling a cup of black  coffee in his hands. It had been a little over three days since his decision of taking all of Nick's medications and flushing them down the sink had Kevin regretting his choice. Although he had read about the side effects of Paxil and weight gain, he didn't read into the withdrawals!

The once happy-go-lucky blonde was much more complex since his accident that left him with permanent brain damage. Complicated was one of the best descriptions for Nick nowadays.  Here was a young man that would take medication for occasional migraine headaches that he had been prone to have from the time Kevin knew him growing up to a list of at least seven medications that had been prescribed ever since he was a patient at the adult foster home.

Seven...!

Kevin shook his head at the thought of seven prescription medications. At least two of the seven on the list were for certain anxiety disorders - at least that was what he read online - three listed a side effect of drowsiness. That would explain Nick's constant fatigue.

"He's finally calmed down and sleeping," AJ rasped as he entered the living room.

"Oh," the older man replied softly.

As he leaned back into the leather couch opposite of the Kentuckian, AJ quietly observed his brother's mannerisms; he could tell that the man was troubled.

"I fucked up," Kevin sighed as he set the untouched cup of coffee on the end table. "I admit it, I royally fucked up. It wasn't my call to make taking Nicky off this stuff like I did. I fucked up."

AJ drew a hand over his face in a tired gesture as he listened.

Shaking his head, Kevin continued. "I jumped to conclusions....three days into this and the poor kid is feeling so shitty and it's my fault--"

"Kev, don't beat yourself up," the rebel interrupted.

Kevin put a hand up to silence him, smirking. "No, Jay you're not listening to me. I fucked Nick over. He probably was getting better and as much as I hate to admit it, the meds were helping him get better. I'm sure gaining weight wasn't bothering Nicky, it was bothering me--"

"Stop it!" AJ butted in. "I doubt Nick even notices the weight gain. I'm not sure I even know what Nick remembers anymore. All this shit that has happened is because of me! Not you...me!"

"Don't you dare start up blaming yourself for Nick's accident again! I thought we resolved this months ago. Yes, it was an accident; there was nothing that you or I could have done to stop the alcohol and medication mixture overdose."

AJ's reply was suddenly stopped by a loud thud from the other room. The two men quickly jumped up and sprinted into the room to find Nick crouched in a corner, knees folded up to his chest.  

"What happened," Kevin asked as he knelt beside the blonde.

"I-I c-can't br-e-a-t-h-e," Nick panted.

AJ immediately clicked open his cell phone.

Kevin glared. "Don't!"

"Nick said he can't breathe," AJ rasped.

Kevin waived the rebel away. "Nick you're talking, you can breathe...calm down."

Nick shook his head as he gasped. "I-I c-c..."

"Take slow, deep breaths," the older man instructed.

Nick instantly clamped a hand over his mouth as he quickly stood up. He took two steps before pitching into the wall. Before the young man could right himself he fell to the floor and started gagging.

Vomit - any type of body fluids for that matter - sent AJ McLean's sympathetic gag reflex into overdrive. This left Kevin in the bedroom as Nick emptied the contents of his stomach while AJ wretched in the bathroom.

Kevin knelt beside his brother, gently rubbing his hand on Nick's back to comfort him. Once the vomiting had stopped, Nick sat back.

"Nicky, let's get you cleaned up."

The blonde didn't move.

"C'mon Nick, you threw up on yourself. You need to hop in the shower."

After a few minutes of prodding, Kevin finally was able to encourage Nick to stand up. The young man's steps were wobbly which Kevin had to quickly take a hold of Nick's arm to prevent him from falling. He met a ghost-white AJ in the hall; a light sheen of sweat covered his face.

"Jay, you're gonna have to suck it up and help him take a shower while I clean up the mess in the bedroom."

Swallowing hard as he took Nick's arm, AJ lead his brother toward the bathroom; repeating the familiar task of helping him get ready to take a shower.

It had been two and half weeks into the medication withdrawal and although some of the symptoms had decreased there were others that had cropped up.

"I swear I have to do laundry nonstop around here," AJ grumbled as he heaved a laundry basket onto the kitchen table.

Kevin watched as AJ dumped the clean clothes into a pile. "I guess Nick takes the withdrawal side effects to the limit," he said when the thought of how sweat dripped off the young man's face from doing nothing but walking.

"Yeah, I suppose."

Brian got up to help AJ and Kevin fold clothes. "You really think that having Nick's brother visit is such a great idea Kev?"

"When the hell is that happening?" AJ rasped. "Better yet, when the hell was the last time anyone from his family saw him?"

Took a deep breath as he thought. "God, I hate to say it but it was when Nick was laying in the hospital in a coma....."

The reality of Kevin's comment struck a raw nerve. "What kind of fucking parents does he have? I mean, they willingly wrote off guardianship...correction they faxed off guardianship of their son...." AJ continued on his rant.

Tears welled up in the elder man's eyes as he nodded.

"I could understand when this happened to Nick three years ago that the kids were just kids but why didn't his sisters or his brother visit or call?"

"AJ I wish I knew. It doesn't matter how long ago anyone from his family saw him, Aaron called me and Nick is his brother so it wasn't my place to tell the kid he couldn't come and see him. Besides, I'm desperate to have some type of family bond for Nick."

"Fuck that," AJ seethed. "How do you even know this will help Nick? You played God with him by taking the kid off meds cold turkey and he's already slipping. This little visit from Aaron could literally push him over the edge."

"I'm trying to think positive it won't," Kevin said with a sigh.

"Do you know when Aaron will be here?" Brian asked.

Kevin smirked as he thought. "Don't know. If he's like Nick was, he'll be here three hours past the time I think he'd be showing up."

"It's a good thing that Nick is taking a nap, it will give us some time to talk to Aaron," Brian decided.

AJ's gentle folding of clothes turned into a wadding as the rebel thought about Aaron's visit. Brian took the clothes from the rebel's hands. "Why don't you take a break?"

The doorbell rang and AJ quickly turned. Brian grabbed the man's arm. "Stay put."

"Yeah, do what Brian said," Kevin agreed. "I'll get it...stay."

With a shake of his head, AJ slumped into the chair at the table staring at Brian as he listened to Kevin's voice from the living room. Gritting his teeth, AJ tried his best from jumping up and lunging into Aaron about not taking the time to see how his brother had been all this time.

'Kid's only seventeen,' AJ thought to himself.

"Look who came to visit," Kevin announced as he and Aaron entered the kitchen.

Pasting a smile on his face, AJ stood up to greet the younger Carter. "Hey kid...."

"Hey," Aaron replied.

Brian wrapped the younger version of Nick into a tight hug. "How are you?"

"Good...where's Howie and Nick?"

"Howie's still in Orlando and as for Nick he's taking a nap...would you like a coke?" Kevin offered as he opened the refrigerator door.

Aaron shook his head a puzzled expression crossed his face.  "You said that he's taking a nap?"

Kevin asked young man to sit down. "Yes."

The puzzled expression on Aaron's face immediately turned to fear. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Brian reassured.

"We need to talk before Nick wakes up," Kevin stated as he sat.

Aaron looked at the men. Something didn't feel right! "What's to talk about? Nick's okay, isn't he? I mean Mom has said that he's fine."

AJ felt his blood pressure instantly rise. Brian tossed the rebel a warning look.

Kevin let out a long breath. "Exactly what have you been told about your brother?"

"That you guys are helping him get better at his house instead of staying at that place after he left the hospital. Is there something else that I don't know about?" Aaron asked as he looked at Brian. His eyes followed Brian's gaze and his mouth dropped open as he saw his brother for the first time.

"Were we talking too loud?" AJ asked.

Aaron's shock of seeing that how much Nick's weight ballooned since he had last seen him was immediately replaced with hearing the gut wrenching comment uttered by his brother.

"Who's this?"