Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 23:52:31 EDT
From: BrwyMilo@aol.com
Subject: "Nick and Justin" part 21

    Here is part 21, the latest installment.  Again, I apologize for it's
lateness, but between work and school it was necessary.  I have worked out my
scheduling problems and the updates shouldn't take as long in the future.
I'd like to thank everyone for reading this and thanks to all those who send
me e-mail with comments and suggestions.  You can reach me at Mike at
BrwyMilo@aol.com.  I love mail!

    This story is purely a work of fiction and is not meant to imply anything
about the sexuality or beliefs of anyone involved.  That said, enjoy the
story.

                        *****

    "Mr. Carter, please.  I really don't think I can deal with anything else
right now," Justin said as he struggled to hold back his tears.  He kept his
face on Nick's sleeping body.  'God, why couldn't it be me in the coma,' he
thought to himself.  'I don't think I'm strong enough to do this.'

    "Justin, I'm not here to do anything," Robert said calmly.  He nervously
put his arm out and touched Justin's shoulder.  Justin flinched a bit, but
let Robert lay his hand on him.

    "What do you want to talk to me about then," Justin asked slowly.  His
hand was gently touching Nick's as he moved his teary eyes to Robert's face.

    "God, I hate seeing young people cry," Robert said.  He pulled a chair
over to where Justin sat and looked at him carefully.  "When I heard about
the accident, my first thoughts ran to Nick.  Is he alright?  Was he hurt?
Typical father things."  He stopped for a minute and looked down at his feet.
 "My next thoughts...went to you."

    Justin was shocked for a second.  He didn't know what to make of the
situation.  So much had gone on in such a short span of time that he found
his head spinning.  He looked at Nick, trying to draw strength from his
sleeping lover.  He gazed back at Robert hopefully.  "What were your
thoughts?"

    Robert sighed loudly.  "I was hoping you were alright.  Not injured.  I
know Nick loves you.  Believe me, that was definitely a hard thing for me to
believe."  He stopped again and looked at his son lying in the bed.  It had
been the first time he had carefully examined him since he got to the
hospital.  As he saw his son lying there, tears came to his eyes, which he
quickly pushed back.  "My wife gave me two choices before she left to come
here," he said slowly, still staring at Nick.  "Accept your relationship with
my son, or lose him forever."  More tears came to his eyes.  He lifted his
hand quickly and wiped them away.  "So, I kind of need your help here.  I'm
not used to having a gay son.  And I am definitely not used to talking with
his boyfriend.  I'm sure you're not used to dealing with you're boyfriend's
idiot of a father either.  Do you mind if we learn together?"  Robert's eyes
settled on Justin's startled face.

    "Um...I..." Justin stammered.  He looked at Nick and smiled.  'This would
make you happy,' he thought to himself.  "I think that would be great,"
Justin said slowly.  Robert smiled widely.  He moved forward a bit and
extended his arms.  Justin moved forward as well, careful of his IV.  He
accepted Robert's hug and stayed in his arms for a couple of minutes.

    "Now, what the hell are we going to do about sleepy head here," Robert
joked.  Justin looked a bit shocked.

    "He's...um...he's in a coma," Justin said.

    Robert laughed.  "That's one thing I guess you have to get used to with
me.  When I'm upset, I joke.  Probably not the most healthy thing, but it
helps me deal."  Justin nodded slowly.  He let a few tears fall from his
crystal eyes.  "I see that's how you handle things."  Justin smiled a bit and
nodded.

    "I just don't know how to take this.  Why is he still like this?"  Justin
cried a bit harder.  He looked carefully at Nick's face and noticed
something.  He leaned in closer and stared carefully at his closed eyes.
Around the lid, there was moisture.  "Nick," Justin asked as he leaned in
still more.  He gently wiped some of the moisture from his lover's eyes as he
continued to stare.  He felt something on his hand.  Looking down, he could
see Nick's fingers curled around his own.  Tears were now flowing freely from
his eyes.  "Come on Nick," he said as he gripped Nick's hand tighter.
Slowly, Nick's eyes opened.

    "I didn't want to interrupt the two of you," Nick said weakly.  His lips
were curled upward slightly at the ends.

    Justin stood there speechless.  His lips finally began to curl at the
ends as tears began to stream down his face.  He threw himself down on Nick's
bed and hugged him as best he could.  Nick weakly lifted his arm and placed
it around Justin's shoulder.  "Stop crying baby," he said slowly.  Justin's
shoulders shook as all the built up emotions were released.  "Come on, your
getting my sheets all wet," Nick joked in a small voice.

    Justin finally lifted his head and stared deeply into Nick's eyes.  "I
have never been happier to see you awake," Justin said.

    "Thanks I think," Nick replied slowly.  He pulled Justin back to him and
hugged him.  He looked over his lover's shoulder and stared at his father.
Robert seemed at a loss for words for a moment.  Nick smiled at him
tentatively, not loosening his grip on Justin.  Robert finally smiled back at
him.

    "I'll let your mother know that you're awake," Robert said.  He paused at
the door for a moment and looked at Justin's tear stained face.  He smiled
warmly, before exiting the room.

    "Nick, you don't know-" Justin began to stammer out quickly.

    "It's OK Justin," Nick smiled as he wiped Justin's tears away with his
thumb.  "I'm fine."

    "But I was so worried about you," Justin said as more tears came.  "I
even had my mom in here talking to you!"

    Nick laughed quietly.  "She must have been thrilled."

    "She likes you a lot.  You know that.  I think she's gotten more
comfortable with us."

    "I knew she would," Nick replied.  He ran his fingers gently over
Justin's and smiled.  Then he slowly yawned.

    Justin sat where he was, his heart brimming with emotions he never knew
he was capable of.  "Nick," he finally said.  "You need you're rest."

    "I've been sleeping for hours," Nick smiled, yawning again.

    "Nick," Justin said with authority.

    "I know I do mommy," Nick replied with a smile, his eyes closing a bit.
"Would you stay here with me though?"

    "Well, you're on my side of the bed, but I guess I could," Justin smiled.
 "Just let me take care of something real quick."  Justin quickly ran out
into the hall and made a nurse remove his IV.  He shook his hand, thankful to
have the tube gone.  When he walked back into Nick's room, he saw that Nick
had moved over to the other side of the bed.  Justin giggled lightly and lay
down in the bed.  He pulled Nick towards him and felt the warmth from his
body.  'Thank God,' Justin thought to himself.  He kissed Nick lightly on the
cheek as he drifted off to sleep.

    Two minutes later, Jane Carter burst into the room, Robert following
close behind.  She saw the scene on the bed and stopped in her tracks.  "This
must have been how Lynn felt," she said as she remembered her brief talk with
Lynn in the hall outside Justin's room.  She glanced back at her husband and
saw his face hardening.

    "Robert, don't do anything," she said authoritatively.

    "Jane, you can't tell me you're gonna let them stay like this!  They're
in a hospital," he yelled in a whisper.

    "I will let them do whatever makes them happy," she replied.

    "Look, it's not just the gay thing Jane and you know it.  They both have
their careers to worry about.  I'm sure there are press crawling all over the
place."

    Jane thought about this for a moment.  "So, do you take the first shift
at the door or do I," she asked with a grin.

    "I do," Robert replied weakly.  "I've got a lot to make up for."

    Jane laughed a bit and patted her husband on the arm.  "I'll bring you
some coffee."  With that, she left the room.  Robert stared at the two
sleeping lovers and sighed loudly.

    "I'm glad you found love Nick, I am," he said quietly.  "I just...I don't
know.  I'll support you the best I can, but I don't know if I can get used to
this."  He quietly turned around and pulled a chair right outside the room
with him.  He sat there and began his nightlong vigil.

                                    *****

    "This probably isn't the best idea Lance," Chris said as he and Lance
walked down the sterile hospital corridor.  Lance had just been released and
the first thing he said he was going to do was see Brian.  "You know you're
not going to be able to visit him," Chris replied.

    "I don't care Chris," Lance replied.  "I just want to see him.  I need to
make sure he's-"

    Lance stopped at the door to Brian's room.  "We're here," he said
quietly.

    Chris stared at Lance and then at the door.  "Going in?"  Chris watched
his friends face and saw him squint his eyes to see through the darkness.
Chris tried to see into the little window as well but couldn't.  "Hello?  Are
we going in?"

    Lance shook his head slowly.  Chris looked at him carefully and saw he
had moisture in his eyes.  "Lance, Brian is going to be fine.  He's a
fighter.  He'll pull through this."

    Lance shook his head as tears began to glide down his smooth, pale face.
"I know he will.  It's just-" Lance lifted his hand and pointed through the
small circular window to Brian's room.

    "Oh God," Chris said as he saw what Lance was pointing at.  "I'm sorry."

    Inside, Brian was sitting up on his bed, tears streaming down his face.
His shoulders trembled a bit as his sobs shook him.  JC had his arm around
Brian's shoulder and was kissing his cheek lightly.  Brian turned his body
towards JC and put both of his arms around him.

    "I'm sorry," Chris repeated lowly.  Lance was already running down the
hall.

                                        *****

    "Hello Robert," Leigh Anne repeated slyly.  There was no answer.  She
crept forward towards the bed where Robert lay.  His face was heavily
bandaged and he had several tubes and monitors running through his body.

    "What's the matter?  Can't answer," Leigh Anne said.  She pulled a chair
over to the bed and sat very close to it.  "Oh that's right!  You still in
that little coma aren't you?  I'm so sorry."  She grinned widely to herself.
"So, did you enjoy you're little stunt?  I hope so, because it may be your
last one.  You see, you messed with the wrong bitch," Leigh Anne said
spitefully.  "And you are going to pay."  She stood up and walked around to
the other side of the bed.  "I hear your face is pretty cut up.  That's OK.
You were ugly to begin with.  Maybe this will be an improvement."  She walked
over slowly to his heart monitor.  "This doesn't look good at all," she said,
watching the green line flicker occasionally.  "Looks like you were trying to
make my job easier.  You see, I think you're an asshole.  And I really don't
think asshole's deserve to live.  So, let's see.  How about we play a little
game of yank the wire," she said as she ran her hands over all of the
equipment.  "I like this pretty blue one," she said as she gently ran her
finger across it.  She glanced back at the bed and felt her smile fade.  "God
damn it!  Wake up so I can enjoy this," she yelled suddenly.  "I want you to
scream, cry, beg!  Do something!  Anything!  Don't just lay there!"  She
groaned loudly as she punched her fist down on his bed.  "You have to pay for
what you did."  She fell back into her chair.  "But maybe this isn't the
right way.  Fine, I won't kill you here.  But so help me God, if you ever
come near any one of us again, I will hunt you like an animal and eat you for
lunch."  She got up quickly and walked towards the door.  "Get well soon,"
she said as she closed the door behind her.

                                *****

    It was raining heavily outside the hospital.  People ran in every
direction outside, trying to escape the downpour which had come from
seemingly no where.  The sound of ambulance sirens rang through the streets
as people glanced at them, wondering who was in them.

    Kevin, Joey and Lynn sat at the long conference table that the hospital
had provided them with for the press conference the labels had insisted they
hold.

    "I hate doing there," Joey whispered to Kevin, a bit nervously.  "Lance
usually handles these."

    "Well I couldn't find Lance," Kevin replied.  No one had been able to
find Lance all morning.  "He's probably asleep in some room somewhere."

    "And why was it that I was asked to attend this," Lynn said, still unsure
why her presence was wanted.

    Kevin sighed loudly.  "Someone started a stupid rumor that Justin was
dead or that his condition is fatal or some garbage like that.  We thought
that they would believe his mother more than any of us."

    Lynn face was hard.  "I hate the press."

    "We all do," Kevin said as he pulled the microphone towards him.  "Good
morning ladies and gentleman," Kevin said.  "Under the circumstances, I think
we can skip the formalities and go straight to your questions."

    Hands flew up in every direction.  Kevin pointed to one blindly.

    "What kind of condition are the guys in?"

    "Well, it appears we were really lucky.  Most of us just got cuts and
bruises or at the most a sprain or something.  Chris does have a fracture in
his foot.  Now, Nick and Brian were both in comas for a little while, but
both of them woke up a few hours ago, so they should be fine really soon."

    "What about Justin?  It's rumored his condition may be fatal."

    "We actually have Justin's mother here with us now to answer that
question."  Kevin slid the microphone over to Lynn and nodded.

    "Um, good morning," Lynn said, a bit nervous.  "I would just like to say
that I saw Justin last night and again just a few hours ago and he is
perfectly fine.  He is not in a coma or on life support.  He doesn't even
have any broken bones.  He had a mild concussion and was out of it for a
while, but he is fine."

        "Was there anyone else injured in the accident?"

    "Britney Spears was injured, but she is doing fine now," Joey
replied.  "Our choreographer Fatima was injured a bit more severely, but she
should be back to 100% soon."

    "Was there anyone else in the bus?  Besides the driver?"

    "No," Kevin replied quickly before Joey could open his mouth.
"There was no one else."

    "How is this going to affect the tour?"

    "Well, what we're going to do is take a little while off to recover.
The shows that we miss will be rescheduled for times either during a break,
or after the tours scheduled completion.  So hold onto your tickets, they
will be honored when we make up the dates.  All scheduled venues will be
covered," Kevin assured them.

    Kevin and Joey answered the standard questions about the upcoming
releases and what's in store for the future.  When a reporter asked about
the relationship between Britney and AJ, Kevin hinted that it may be true,
but didn't say for sure either way.  They took a few more questions before
telling the reporters it was time to go.  With that, the three quickly left
the conference room and headed back to the waiting room.

    "I'm gonna go see if Fatima is feeling better," Kevin announced as
they walked past her room.  Lynn and Joey said that they'd be in the waiting
room.

    Kevin walked back towards Fatima's door and stopped.  Peering
inside, he saw that she was not alone.  He waited a second before deciding
it would be OK to knock.

    "Come in," Fatima said from her bed.

    Kevin opened the door slowly and stuck his head in.  "Am I
interrupting?"

    "Not at all," the young man said with a wide smile.  Kevin examined
him closely as he stood.  He was about six feet tall with black hair which
he wore short and spiked a bit.  He was thin, but not anorexic and was very
well defined.  His skin was pale and his eyes were so crystal that they were
almost clear, except for a slight bluish tint.  He could be no older than
nineteen.  "Hi, I'm Devon, but my friends call me Dev," he said, extending
his hand.

    "Hey Dev, I'm Kev," Kevin said as he shook his hand, laughing at his
own humor.  Fatima groaned from her bed.

    "Please, spare me the rhyme time games," she called.

    "Someone woke up a little grumpy today," Devon whispered to Kevin
with a smile.

    "I heard that," Fatima snapped back.

    "What's wrong," Kevin asked as he walked closer to the bed.

    "They took my morphine drip away," Fatima pouted.  "They have some nurse
come in now, some nazi of a woman, and she gives me one shot.  One!"  Fatima
was obviously still in a lot of pain from her back injury.

    "God I'm sorry Fatima," Kevin said.

    "It's fine.  I'll be better after they let me out of here though."
She looked over at Devon who quickly looked down at his feet.  "Actually
Kevin, I'm glad you stopped by."

    "Oh," Kevin said as he looked up at her.

    "Yea.  Kevin I'm in no position to keep training you guys as long as
I have this injury.  I mean, I'll still be on the tour with you to oversee
all the dancing and all, but as far as choreography, I'm gonna need a lot of
help."

    "I can speak with management if you want," Kevin volunteered.

    "Actually, I already did," Fatima grinned.  "That's why Devon's
here.  I've known him for some time now and I think he would be the best
person to replace me.  So, as long as you guys can get along with him, he's
going to be filling in for me."

    Kevin's eyes widened a bit as a smile crept onto his face.  "Wow,
that's great," he said as he looked at Devon.  Devon was blushing and
staring at the tile floor.  "So, you'll both be on tour with us then?"

    "Looks like," Devon replied, glancing up at Fatima.

    "Well in that case why don't you come and meet the other guys?"
Kevin started for the door but paused and looked back at Fatima.  "Does
Devon know..."

    "Yes, I told him the whole story about everything and everyone,"
Fatima replied with a smile.  "With you guys, it's hard to keep things
hidden."

    Kevin smiled back at her.  "And you're cool with everything?"

    Devon laughed.  "I better be!"  Kevin gave him an odd look.  Fatima
giggled from her bed and Devon threw her a glare.  "I'm gay Kevin," he said
in a whisper.

    "OH," Kevin exclaimed.  "Well then, with these guys it looks like
you'll fit right in!"

    Kevin led Devon down the hall to the waiting room.  "We'll introduce
you to the healthier guys first," Kevin said with a smile.

    "Sounds like a plan to me," Devon replied.

    Kevin held the door open for Devon and walked him over to where most
of the group appeared to be sleeping.  "It's been a rough couple of days,"
Kevin said.

    "Looks like," Devon replied as he glanced around.  He paused a
moment and listened carefully.  "What's that," he asked as he heard some
sniffling.

    "I don't know," Kevin said as he looked around.  His eyes finally
settled on Lance.

    "Should we see what's wrong," Devon asked.

    "Sure.  And we can introduce you to at least one of the guys."
Kevin walked over to the chair where Lance was curled up and placed one hand
on his back.  "Lance, what's wrong?"

    Lance shook his head and sat up in his chair.  He swiftly wiped away
his tears with the back of his hand and smiled weakly.  "Nothing's wrong."

    Kevin glanced at Devon who had a warm smile on his face.  Lance saw
him standing there and opened his mouth a bit.

    "Hi Lance, I'm Dev," Devon said as he went to shake his hand.  Lance
gladly accepted.

    "Um, how are you," Lance asked as he stared at his eyes.

    "Better than you I think," Devon replied, a bit concerned.  "If you
want me to leave you guys alone to talk for a bit, it'd be OK."

    "No, don't be silly," Lance said with a smile.  "Like I said, I'm
fine."

    "Sometimes your powers of recovery astound me," Kevin laughed as he
received an elbow from Lance.  "Devon here is going to be touring with us.
He's filling in for Fatima while she's injured."

    Lance's eyes grew even wider.  "So you're coming on tour with us?"

    Devon merely smiled and nodded in reply, receiving an even bigger
grin from Lance.

    "Why don't we all go get some breakfast," Kevin said to them.
"Everyone else seems to be asleep."

    "Let's go then," Lance said.

    Devon turned around and walked to the door.  Kevin leaned in close
to Lance.  "I see you watching his ass," he said with a laugh.  Lance hit
him playfully on the arm and ran quickly up to catch Devon.

    "This is going to be interesting," Kevin muttered to himself.

                        *****

    Nick yawned and stretched the best he could.  He had one arm around
Justin's shoulder and was holding him close to his body.  He leaned over and
kissed him gently on the cheek.  His body felt sore all over and his head
was pounding.  'I am never getting on a bus again,' he thought to himself.
He yawned again and then turned his head.

    "Hi honey," Jane Carter said with a grin.

    Nick nearly jumped out of his skin when we saw her.  "Mom, I just
got out of a coma, you want to give me a heart attack!"

    Jane laughed a bit and smiled.  "No Nick, I don't want to give you a
heart attack.  Sleep well?"

    Nick nodded his head in a sleepy manner.  "But it feels good to be
awake."

    "I don't think Justin knows that feeling," Jane laughed as she
looked at Justin who was still sleeping, clinging onto Nick's arm like it
was his favorite teddybear.  "He loves to sleep doesn't he?"

    "You have no idea," Nick laughed as he glanced over at Justin.

    "Well, I don't want to interrupt this, but we really should wake
him.  The doctor's are going to want to examine both of you.  It's almost
10."

    Nick sighed loudly and then turned to Justin.  He gently shook the
arm that Justin was holding onto, shaking Justin with it.  "This is not
going to be easy."

    "Let me," Jane said as she walked into the bathroom.  She emerged
with a cup of water.

    "Mom, you can't do that," Nick laughed.

    "It worked with you when you were younger.  I'm sure it still works
on teenagers."

    With that, she began to pour the water slowly across Justin's
forehead.  Very slowly he opened his eyes.  "Is it raining," he whispered.
Jane laughed loudly behind him, causing him to jump up suddenly.  "Oh, hi
there Mrs. Carter," Justin said, blushing.

    "Morning Justin," she replied with a smile.  "We tried to wake you,
but this seemed to be the only way."

    Justin yawned loudly.  "OK, I'm awake," he said, his eyes still half
closed.

    "The doctor's are going to be coming in soon, so I guess you have to
get back to your bed," Nick said sadly.

    Justin merely nodded, knowing that it was what had to be done.  Then
he perked up a bit.  "Say, do we get breakfast?"

    Nick laughed loudly.  "Already you're pushing me over for
breakfast!"

    Justin pouted a bit and muttered something about not eating much the
day before and being hungry now.  Nick gave him a big hug.  "Yes, we get
breakfast.  Probably oatmeal with insects, I mean raisins.  You know
hospital food."

    "Oh Yea," Justin replied.  "I forgot we were in one of those."  He
slowly stood and stretched again.  "OK, I'm right across the hall.  In fact,
I can see you from my bed I think, so leave your door open if you can."
Nick smiled and watched as Justin walked back to his own room.  He had been
there only a moment when a nurse walked in with a tray.

    "Good morning honey," the large elderly woman said cheerfully.  "I've
got some breakfast for you!

    "Thank God," Justin said.  "I'm starving.  What is it?"

    "Oatmeal with raisins," she exclaimed as she put it down for him.
He looked into Nick's room.  Nick was rolling with laughter as he watched
Justin's face.

    "I don't think I'm hungry anymore," he said as he pushed it aside.

                            *****


    "Brian, stop apologizing.  I forgive you," JC said for the hundredth
time.  "It was partly my own fault.  I'm the one who left in the first
place."

    "No, it wasn't your fault.  I was an idiot," Brian said as he laid
back down on his bed.

    JC sighed loudly.  "Do you think we can forget the whole thing ever
happened," JC asked with hope.  Brian smiled up at him.

    "I'll do whatever you want," he said.

    "Good," JC said as he walked over to Brian's bed.  "In that case..."
He leaned over slowly and kissed Brian squarely on the lips.  Brian gasped a
bit, but soon let go of himself and allowed JC to kiss him passionately.  He
parted his lips a bit and allowed JC tongue to enter his mouth.  JC placed
one hand behind Brian's head to better control the kiss.  Brian moaned in
pleasure and felt his body totally relax.  JC tongue roamed around Brian's
mouth until finally he forced himself to pull away.

    "Good morning," Brian said perkily with a huge smile on his face.
JC laughed a bit and sat back down in the chair he had sat in for so long.

    "Now, I want you to get some rest.  The doctor's are probably going
to be poking and prodding you all day, so you'll need it."

    "Gee, that sounds like fun," Brian said sarcastically.  "OK, I'll
get some rest.  What are you going to do?"

    "Watch you," JC replied with a smile.  Brian smiled back warmly and
got comfortable on his bed.  He stared at JC for a minute before finally
closing his eyes.  He muttered "I love you," before finally drifting off.

    "I love you too, Brian," JC replied with a smile.

                            *****

    Well there you have it!  Sorry this section took so long, but life
has been busy as you can well imagine.  Thank you to everyone who has been
reading and who has emailed me and given support and suggestions.  If you
want to e-mail me, I can be reached at BrwyMilo@aol.com.  The next section,
part 22, will be out a lot sooner than this one was.  I just needed a bit of
time to get adjusted to my
new work and school schedule.  But I think I now have everything all planned
out. Part 22 will answer many of the questions I have been receiving.
Mainly, what's going to happen to Robert.  So stay tuned.

    So, who's this new guy Devon?  No, not Devon Sawa.  Sorry guys.
What's going to happen to Robert?  Will everyone's recovery be as easy as it
seems?  Will Robert Carter's new personality be permanent?  Were there
really insects in the oatmeal?  J/K.  So many questions.  Feel free to send
me and comments, suggestions, criticisms, or just a hello.  Thanks for
reading and see you soon!