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Brian watched patiently as the screen above Nick’s bed revealed the ups and downs of his heart beat. He looked at his TIMEX watch. 12:30pm. He should be having lunch in any minute. He just needed to wait for the nurse or some other person to come by to replace his shift.
The phone rang by Nick’s bedside. Brian picked it up, thinking it was an urgent call from Leighanne.
“Hello?” Brian shouted to the mouthpiece sharply.
“Whoa, it’s just me, Aaron.”
Brian sighed disappointedly inwardly. He had wished it was Leighanne who was calling.
“Hi Aaron, what’s up?” Brian asked him, his tone more relaxed than a few seconds ago.
“Brian, I’m just wondering if Nick’s awake.” Aaron said to him cautiously into the phone not knowing what to expect.
“Nope. He’s not awake. Do you want anything from him? Do you want me to pass on a message to him?”.
“Uhm… Just tell him I might be passing by in a few days, okay? Bye, I gotta go.” Aaron hung up before Brian could even say ‘bye’ to him.
“Bye.” Brian whispered to himself as he laid the telephone back to it’s cradle.
The room became quiet again, a sound so loud to his ears that he couldn’t stand it any longer.
What were the thoughts in his mind that made him panic because of the blanket of speechlessness which was present at that very moment? Was it the uneasiness in the atmosphere, or was it something deep down in his heart that he couldn’t deal with… couldn’t face.
He looked at his watch again, in nervousness. It was 1:10, he had been waiting for 40 minutes already.
The nurse was expected to visit the room at 1:30om, and while she would do the 2-hour daily check-up, he would be able to have time to grab a sandwich on two in the hospital’s cafeteria downstairs and return to the room. But could he wait that long?
He drifted his gaze nervously to the clock which hung on the wall across Nick’s bed. The minute hand was located between 2 and 3 which indicated that it was nearly 1:15.
He bit his nails nervously. He hadn’t eaten breakfast, and he could feel his stomach growling for something to eat.
He looked frantically for snacks in one of the closets. Fortunately, he found a bag of Cheetos. It could do for the moment. He thanked Kevin silently for being considerate enough to bring snacks.
He opened the bag, brought a chip out, and bit into it as he felt the flavor of cheese mix with his saliva. It was a fantastic taste after not eating for many hours.

Brian woke up suddenly from the couch chair he was sitting on. An empty bag of chips was on his lap, but aside from that, everything was where it was suppose to be.
The dextrose was still hanging above Nick. Nick was still sleeping, his body sprawled on the bed. The telephone was still sitting on top of it’s table. The telephone. He had to use the telephone, but he couldn’t gather why a call was so important to him at that very moment. Without thinking twice, he found himself punching the telephone number of the recording studio in Atlanta.
“Tree Sound Studios, what can I do for you?” he heard a familiar female voice answer.
“Hi, may I speak to Dan Muckala?”
“Brian Littrell? Is that you? Certainly, I’ll link you right away to him.”.
He heard background music play. His call was being linked.
“Please wait a moment longer while the connections is being made.”
The background music returned. Brian waited patiently to hear Dan’s voice in the phone.
At last, after a few minutes which seemed like several, he heard Dan’s voice speak from the mouthpiece.
“Hi Brian.” Dan greeted him breathlessly through the phone.
“Hi Dan, I’m just wondering when we’re having our next recording session.” .
“Um.. okay, let me check my calendar for a minute.”.
A silence then filled the few seconds while Dan rummaged through his desk for his organizer.
“How about this Friday?” Brian asked him attempting to fill the abyss silence between them.
“This Friday?” Dan’s finger went through all the sessions he would be having on that day.
“Yes, this Friday.” Dan confirmed it, writing it down on his organizer.
“How about the same time we met today… 9am?” Brian asked him.
“Okay, that time’s fine.” Dan replied on the other line.
“Okay, thanks anyway.”
“Yeah, bye.”
“Bye.” Brian hung up the phone.
He looked at his watch in hunger. 3:30pm.
“Wow, time flies.” Brian thought as he sat back on his chair.
His stomach rumbled inside of him for something to eat, something edible to eat.
A doctor went in, holding a clip board close to her. Brian didn’t notice her as she came in.
“Good afternoon.” the doctor greeted him while checking the dextrose of Nick.
“Oh, hi, good morning… I mean, good afternoon.” Brian stood up and shook her hand, “I’m Brian.”.
“I apparently know who you are already.” she smiled brightly at him, “I was a fan of the Backstreet boys and I’m still a fan now.”.
Brian noticed that she was pretty young. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties. Her blond hair was tied in a neat ponytail, and her delicate hands were tapping her pen nervously on the clip board.
“I thought Dr. Scott is suppose to be here.” Brian changed the subject.
He didn’t want to intimidate her by asking that question, and she knew that.
“I’m an assistant, he’s out for today. I’m Jessica by the way, but you can call me Jess.” Jess smiled at him.
“Hi, uh, Jess.” Brian replied, “Since how old were you a fan?”.
“Since I was 9 years old.”.
“So who is … or was your favorite Backstreet boy?” Brian asked curiously.
Her face grew red. She put a stray strand of blond hair behind her ears.
“You.”.
“Wow, really.” Brian whispered quietly, “So how old are you now?”.
“I’m 26.” Jess replied.
“You’re the same age as Nick.” Brian replied looking at Nick.
“Yeah, I know, our birthday’s are three days apart.”.
“Which is?”.
“January 25.”.
“Wow.”.
Jess merely smiled at him, grinning as she went back to the work she was doing.
“So how is Nick’s condition?” Brian asked after an awkward silence.
“He still needs to stay and take the medications that he is taking now,” Jess said then faced him, her hazel eyes glistening with worry, “but he’s not waking up.”.
“He’s not waking up? What do you mean ‘he’s not waking up’?” Brian asked worriedly.
“He’s suppose to be conscious by now.”.
“You think he has a concussion?”.
“Possibly. He’s decreased pulse rate and blood pressure indicate the symptoms. He’s sweating too.”.
Brian’s mind was filled with worry and fear.
“What really happened and why did it have to happen?” he thought, searching for an answer which he needed most desperately.
He clasped his hands together, unable to control the imminent tears that were waiting to fall down his cheeks.