Date: Thu, 03 May 2001 00:48:25
From: Jeff Langdon <jeff_langdon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Westlife Romance - Chapter 28

This story is pure fiction and involves the members of Westlife.  I am in no
way implying anything about the sexuality of any of their members.  This is
purely a fictional story.  Enjoy!

I would really, really appreciate some feedback on the story...so please
send any comments and/or suggestions to jeff_langdon@hotmail.com.  I would
love to hear from you!!

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Westlife Romance - Part 28

Nicky sat in the waiting area of Dr. Rosen's office, apprehensive about the
test results.  He prayed that everything would be alright.  After waiting
for about ten minutes, the doctor asked him into the office.  Nicky sat down
in a chair across from the doctor.

"Thanks for coming in, Mr. Byrne," the doctor began.

"You can call me Nicky, Dr. Rosen," Nicky offered, not wanting to make the
conversation sound so formal.

"Very well, Nicky.  Like I said over the phone, the results from the tests
that you did this morning have returned."

"So is everything normal?"

"First of all, like I told you this morning, the nausea that you are feeling
lately is no cause for worry.  It's just stress and fatigue."

Nicky breathed a sigh of relief from the news.

"Your other tests came back normal for the most part," the doctor continued.
  "However, there is one test that is cause for concern."

Nicky felt a lump in his throat as he heard the words that he dreaded to
hear.  "What is it?" he asked weakly.

"Well, the x-ray that we took this morning, revealed a very small object
touching a nerve in your brain."

"What...what do you mean?"

"We believe that it's a small tumour that is lodged beside one of the nerves
in the brain."

Nicky sat in stunned silence.  His face went pale and his mouth went dry.
"How serious is it?" he finally managed to ask.

"It's very hard to say.  There is a high probability that the tumour would
either move or grow, at which point, it would threaten the nerves around
it."

Nicky didn't want to hear anymore.  He wanted to get up and run away.  But
still, he sat where he was.  "What would happen?"

"Well, in less serious scenarios, you could have constant dizziness and your
vision could deteriorate.  In the worse-case scenario, you would fall into a
coma and never wake up "

Nicky shut his eyes tight, trying to keep the tears in.  He couldn't believe
what he was hearing.

"But again, there is no certainty that anything would happen.  It is
entirely possible that nothing would happen at all.  After all, we don't
know how long this object has been lodged in that place."

"So what do you suggest?"

"The best alternative would be to have an operation to remove that tumour."

"What's the probability of success?"

"The position that the tumour is in is very delicate.  One mistake could
leave you paralyzed or worse.  Even if nothing occurs during the operation,
the chance of success based on historical cases is about 20%."

"20%?" Nicky whispered.  "Then there's no point then..."

"I know it sounds hopeless now, but I must stress that again, there is no
certainty and any negative developments will actually happen," the doctor
tried to reassure.  "Your emotional state can drastically affect the
outcome, so it's imperative that you remain positive."

"So what should I do now?"

"Well, the best course of action would still be to have the operation..."

"No!" Nicky cut in.  "I can't have the operation now...what other choices do
I have?"

"Well, the next best strategy would be to take medication and have the
situation regularly monitored."

After he left the doctor's office, Nicky spent the next few hours walking
around aimlessly.  There was so much going on in his head that it began to
hurt.  He thought of what the doctor said and what it meant to him.  He was
scared of what lied ahead, and even more scared that he would have to face
this all alone.

It wasn't until late that night that Nicky finally returned to the hotel.
Fortunately, the lads were still out at dinner, so he didn't have to answer
any questions.  Walking into his room, he saw that a dim light was on.  As
he walked to his bed, he saw Bryan sleeping in the other bed.  He was
surprised, since Bryan was never one who would sleep early as he seemed to
have an unlimited amount of energy.  Nicky tried to be as quiet as possible
so as not to disturb Bryan, but the younger lad was actually awake.

"You back already?" Bryan mumbled weakly.  "I thought you went out to dinner
with the others."

"No," Nicky answered.  "I had some things to do.  Why are you in bed so
early?"

"I wasn't feeling so well, so I decided to get some sleep."

Instinctively, Nicky got into his protective mode.  "You feeling okay?" he
asked with concern.  He moved to Bryan's bed and sat beside the younger boy.
  He placed his hands on Bryan's forehead.  "You've got a pretty bad fever,
Bry.  Have you eaten anything yet?"  Bryan shook his head weakly.

Nicky immediately got on the phone and ordered a hot soup for Bryan.  As he
waited for the food, he helped Bryan sit up in bed.  The younger boy looked
drained and exhausted.  As the lads waited for the food to arrive, Bryan
noticed a very sad look on Nicky's face, but he was too weak to pursue the
subject, although he made a mental note to ask Nicky once he got better.

A few minutes later, Bryan's food arrived and Nicky carefully fed Bryan.  In
a way, Bryan felt terribly guilty, feeling like he was being a hassle for
Nicky.  On the other hand, he felt so loved.  He could feel Nicky's genuine
concern for him and this was a feeling that he had been searching for all
his life.

"I'm sorry, Nix," Bryan finally said once he finished his soup.

"Sorry for what?" Nicky asked with surprise.

"For always being a hassle for you," Bryan replied sadly.

Nicky smiled at the younger boy.  "Don't be silly.  Everyone gets sick, it's
not like it's a crime."

"Not just that, Nix.  I don't know...you're just always here for me.  And
I..." Bryan was at a loss for words, but Nicky understood what he was trying
to say.

"Just don't worry about it, okay, Bry?  You just get some rest."

Eventually, fatigue overcame Bryan and he drifted off to sleep.  Nicky
stayed by Bryan's side, just in case he woke up and needed something.  As he
watched Bryan sleep, Nicky wondered if Bryan or the others would take care
of him the same way when his own health deteriorated.  He debated whether to
let them know about the tumour or not.  As he thought more and more, Nicky
never felt so lonely in his life.  There wasn't anyone he could turn to.
There wasn't anyone who would hold him and tell him everything would be
alright.  Soon, tears began to fall and Nicky buried his face in his hands.
How he wished Kian was here to hold him tight.  Or that Shane or Mark was
here so that he could tell them about what the doctor said.  Or that Bryan
was there to cheer him up with a joke.  All these thoughts caused Nicky's
heart to ache.  That night, he cried himself to sleep...

...to be continued....

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Hope you enjoyed this segment.  Let me know what you think!!

I'd love to hear any comments/ideas/questions.  Please e-mail me at
jeff_langdon@hotmail.com.