Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 01:11:39 From: Jeff Langdon 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....