Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 01:11:39
From: Jeff Langdon <jeff_langdon@hotmail.com>
Subject: Westlife Romance - Chapter 43

Westlife Romance - Part 43

The street seemed endless and every step sapped more and more strength from
Nicky.  His arms were numb and his back ached.  He was drenched in cold rain
and with every passing minute, Nicky's body threatened to give up its
struggle.

"Stop being a wimp, Nicky," he scolded himself.  "If you feel this bad now,
how do you think Bryan is feeling?"  It had been a long time since he felt
any movement or heard any sounds from his injured band mate.  Worried, Nicky
took a quick glance, only to find Bryan once again unconscious.  The
bleeding seemed to have stopped, but Nicky couldn't tell for sure.

This rain storm was typical for this area at this time of the year, or so
Nicky was told.  He had passed by a small grocery store earlier, hoping to
borrow the phone to call for help.  Unfortunately, the phone lines were
dead, probably from the lightning, the store owner said.  "At least he told
me the way to the hospital," Nicky thought.  The elderly man had said that
the hospital was only about a mile away, but to Nicky, it seemed like he had
been walking for eternity.  As he continued his journey, he could see a few
more cars on the street.  Of course, no one bothered to stop and offer help
in this weather.  After all, most of the drivers probably thought Bryan was
drunk and was being taken home by a friend or something.

As he reached the top of a slight ascent, Nicky could finally see the
hospital in the distance.  With renewed strength, Nicky pushed ahead,
determined to reach the hospital.  The young singer sped up his walk, but
failed to notice an uneven section of the sidewalk.  The sudden bump in the
road threatened Nicky with a loss of balance.  Not wanting to cause Bryan to
fall, Nicky quickly shifted his weight to the other foot, desperate to
steady himself.  He succeeded, but not without tearing open a wound in his
leg that resulted from his earlier fight in the alley.  The sudden pain shot
through Nicky's body, causing him to cry out in pain.  The pain brought
forth tears of agony as he struggled to take one more step.  The hospital
gradually became larger and larger.  It wasn't a huge building, but Nicky
knew that it was the place upon which his band mate's well-being depended.

Finally, Nicky stepped through the main entrance of the hospital.  Looking
around, he tried to find the location to take his friend.  But the journey
from the alley had taken too much out of the young lad.  He fell on his
knees as his body weakened.  As his knees gave way, Bryan's weight increased
its pressure on Nicky's already fragile body and open wounds.  "Help!!" he
finally called out to no one in particular.  "Somebody help!!!"

Next thing he knew, nurses were running towards him from all directions.
Personnel helped to lift Bryan off of Nicky's back, relieving the pressure
on the older boy.  Then came the bombardment of questions.  Nicky forgot
what he gave as answers, but figured the staff was satisfied as they began
to wheel Bryan away in a stretcher.  Nicky struggled to his feet and began
to follow, but was restrained by a nurse.

"Sir, you have to come with me," she said.

"I have to go with him," Nicky explained, not taking his eyes off of the
stretcher where Bryan laid.

"Sir, we need you to provide us with the patient's information.  We can't
help him if you don't give us the information," the nurse repeated firmly.

Reluctantly, Nicky followed her to another area of the hospital.

"What's the patient's name?"

"Bryan McFadden," Nicky answered softly.

"Are you related to Mr. McFadden?"

"I'm his friend," Nicky replied.  "We work together."

"How can we get in touch with his family?"

"You can't.  We're both visitors to the States.  We're from Ireland."

"No family in the States?"

"No," Nicky replied impatiently.  "I told you we're from overseas."

The questions continued for several minutes.  Finally, she was satisfied and
sent the forms off with another nurse.  Nicky got up from the chair and
headed in the direction where the doctors took Bryan.  Again, he was
restrained.

"What is it now?" Nicky asked tersely.

"Sir, we have to tend to your injuries."

"I'm fine," Nicky answered, not remembering how only an hour ago, the pain
was so severe that he thought he would pass out on the street.

"Mr. Byrne, we need to take care of those wounds," the nurse repeated,
clearly exasperated with Nicky's lack of cooperation.

Sighing, Nicky followed her, his mind wondering if Bryan was going to be
okay.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Mark sat across from Shane and the two lads sat in silence.  Not much had
been said in the last hour and Mark was beginning to get impatient.

"Well, are you going to say something, Shane?" Mark asked finally.

"What do you want me to say?" Shane replied, an obvious frown on his face.

"You know he didn't mean what he said," Mark reasoned.

"Go tell Bryan that," Shane shot back.  "I can't take this anymore, Mark.
He can't just go around treating everyone like shit.  He's not the only
person with problems in this world.  The world doesn't revolve around Nicky,
you know."

"Why are you reacting so strongly?" Mark questioned.  "Sure, he said some
horrible things, but still...aren't you overreacting?"

"You don't understand..." Shane muttered.

"Of course I don't," Mark replied.  "That's why I'm asking..."

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

Nicky walked slowly down the hallway.  He limped slightly but it wasn't very
obvious.  The nurses had patched up his wounds.  Luckily, nothing was
broken...mostly cuts and bruises.  Reaching the room, he pushed the door
softly.  Bryan was still asleep on the bed.  The doctors had cleaned up the
wounds and the younger boy looked much better now than he did when he
arrived at the hospital.

The doctors said Bryan was fortunate in that no internal injuries were
sustained.  A very minor concussion was the only significant injury.  They
were probably going to release him in the morning.

Nicky walked up to the bed and sat down.  Taking Bryan's hands, he just
looked at the younger boy.  He tried unsuccessfully to refrain from crying,
but the image of Bryan lying in the alley was too much for Nicky.  "Oh
God...I'm so sorry, Bryan...what have I done to you?" he whispered.  "What
have I done?"

For the next hour, Nicky sat by Bryan's side.  Even in his sleep, Bryan
looked sad.  Gone was the playful, carefree, mischievous look that was
Bryan's trademark, replaced by a look of worry and sadness.  Finally, Nicky
got up from his chair and walked out into the hallway.  Seeing a doctor
making the rounds, Nicky walked up to the young doctor.

"Doctor, would you by any chance have a private room that I can use for a
little while?"

The doctor smiled and nodded.  "Sure.  Just come with me," he answered.

"Thank you," Nicky said with a smile as he followed the doctor down the
hall.

...to be continued....