Sitting in Kevin and Howie's room several hours later, A.J. had been given a clean bill of health but still wasn't sure the time had come when he could safely have that nervous breakdown he'd been promising himself. Four of the five Backstreet Boys had assembled in the room, feeling the need to have some kind of group meeting, but none of them seemed to have the faintest idea what to say. Nick was on everyone's mind. He was still in the ICU, and was expected to stay there until he woke up. From the look on Mindi's face A.J. knew it wasn't going to be anytime soon.
Kevin was sitting on top of his bed, staring at the walking cast he'd been given. He wasn't too badly off; apart from the bruises they all had and the hairline fracture in his leg, the only reason he was still checked in was a concussion. Howie was in the same boat, if maybe a little more disoriented. Instead of a broken leg, he had a couple of cracked and bruised ribs. The gash A.J. had seen earlier on his calf had been stitched up nicely. He'd been tucked into bed and instructed not to move too much until his ribs had healed.
Brian was sitting just inside the doorway, playing with the armrest of his wheelchair. No concussion, because he'd hit his head hard enough to draw blood and require stitches, ergo relieving the pressure,but the hospital staff had still gone nuts over the fact that he was a heart patient. They were keeping an eye on him, giving him a private room away from Howie and Kevin so that he could have some quiet, and not allowing him to go anywhere without the wheelchair. He'd lost quite a bit of blood too and was still a little weak.
Having heard their various diagnoses, A.J. couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if Nick's friends hadn't been around. They had obviously healed everyone to a state where each of them had been told how lucky they were, but all had recognisably just come out of an accident. No miracles. He supposed it was safer.
It was he who finally broke the silence. "No offense, you guys, but I wish Nick wasn't such a stubborn ass."
"Huh?" was Howie's reaction. Kevin glowered silently.
"That's our Frack." Brian replied quietly. "Every now and then he shows us how much he really does love us."
"I know I was knocked silly," Howie interrupted, "but what the hell?"
"I'm not sure myself." Brian told him, "But I have this feeling like...like Nick got me out of that bus."
"Nick? The Nick who's currently comatose in the ICU?"
"Sounds dumb, huh?"
"What do you guys actually remember of the accident and shit?" A.J. wondered, wondering further how much he was supposed to tell them. Unfortunately, no telepathic answers were forthcoming from anywhere.
"I headed straight for my bunk when we left the hotel." Brian shrugged. "Next thing I remember... it was dark. I was still sort of half-asleep. I knew something really bad had happened and I was real scared. I knew if I woke up I'd hurt a lot....Um... this is where it gets weird."
"Go on." A.J. prodded, watching Kevin start to study the wall intently.
"Nick was with me. In my head. He kept telling me that it was okay, that he'd take care of me... that I had to wake up. I woke up...and I was on a stretcher. You were there, Bone."
"Uh huh." Brian seemed pleased by this confirmation.
"A lot of weird shit happened then. Like.. I wasn't hurtin', but I knew I shoulda been. Nick was still in my head for a while. I went to sleep, and woke up a lot less messed up than I was. And Mindi was there."
"Skip Mindi for just now. What about you, D?"
Howie had been staring at Brian, openmouthed. "Uh... I don't remember anything like that."
"So... tell me what you do remember."
"Ummm..." he thought hard. "Not much. I was only sort of half-asleep when the bus swerved and I started bouncing around in my bunk. I hit my head, I guess. Next thing I remember, *you*" he looked accusingly at A.J., "were singing my Prince song... I've never heard you sound that wack."
"Hey!" A.J. protested, grinning. "You needed to wake up. Did the trick, didn't it?"
"Yeah well next.. um.. stretcher, like Brian said. Somebody said something about a punctured lung? Anyway I was out again until they started loading me into the ambulance."
"That explains a lot."
"Are we ever gonna get that explanation you promised me?" Brian asked.
"I dunno how much I'm allowed to tell. And there's a lot Nicky-boy has got to tell all of us."
Howie ignored most of this exchange, still sorting things out for himself. He turned to Kevin. "What about you, Kev? What do you remember?"
Kevin sighed heavily, and glared at A.J. before he finally began to speak. "I dunno, man. I think I was kinda hallucinating or something. It was a terrible experience, I think it fucked with my mind a little."
"That's not what he asked." A.J. prodded. For some reason it had become incredibly important to him that Kevin acknowledge what had happened beyond the accident itself. "Tell us what you remember, Train."
"I... not much." The expectant silence stretched for a good minute before he continued. "I dropped off after Bri, but before Nick or Howie. I woke up for a second when I went flying out of my bunk - forgot to draw the curtains, I guess. Once I hit the floor I knocked myself out. Next thing I remember is... Bone, swear to me you'll NEVER sing that again."
They all chuckled. "It's unanimous, then." A.J. grinned as Brian nodded vigorously. "Nick yelled at me to shut up the second he got Howie out."
"He would." Brian agreed, ignoring the silence from the other two. Realising what he'd said, A.J. sent "thank-you"s to him with his eyes.
"Sorry Kev. Go on?"
"Ah.... " the older man shrugged. "I woke up on the... I guess I was lying on the ceiling. I heard the sound of air rushing... then I thought I was alone in the bus. I must have called out. Nick..." he stopped, then continued in a firm voice.. "I was hallucinating. Next thing I remember clearly is being out on the stretcher."
That was it. A.J. telegraphed his frustration to Brian, who just shook his head and shrugged helplessly. Kevin wasn't going to acknowledge anything... for now.