Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 03:36:24 From: Jeff Langdon Subject: Westlife Romance - Chapter 55 Disclaimer: Please see chapter 1. Westlife Romance -- Chapter 55 "What is it?" Nicky asked nervously as he sat in the chair. He had an idea that whatever the man sitting across from him was about to tell him wasn't going to be good. Still, Nicky wanted to know. He needed to know. "Well, it seems that it has moved," the doctor said slowly. "What has moved?" Nicky asked, already half sure of the answer. For the first time, the doctor looked at Nicky in the eyes. "The tumour has moved closer to the nerve since your last check-up. "Meaning?" "Meaning that the situation has worsened," the doctor answered calmly. After taking a moment to think of his next words, the doctor continued. "Mr. Byrne, I'm sure your last doctor must have told you, and I'll tell you again. You need to have the operation." "How long do I have?" Nicky asked, totally ignoring the doctor's advice. "That depends..." "Just tell me. How long do I have?" Nicky asked again, more forcefully. "I can't tell you. It all depends on how the tumour reacts..." Fifteen minutes later, the doctor sighed as he watched his latest patient walk away with a bottle of medication in his hands. "He's a strong young man," he thought to himself. "Too bad he's so stubborn..." * * * * * * * * * "Damn it!!" Annette cursed as the ropes got tangled yet again. She has been trying to tie the boxes up for the last thirty minutes but each time, she would end up getting the ropes all messed up. "You know, if you keep yanking it like that, they're going to snap." Annette turned around quickly upon hearing that voice. "Nicky!! You scared me to death!!" Smiling at her reaction, Nicky proceeded to take the ropes and began tying the boxes. Methodically and quickly, Nicky completed what Annette had been trying to do for the last while. "There you go," Nicky smiled, satisfied with his work. Annette was impressed. "Hmm...a good-looking blond...and one with brains too..." she thought. "I could've done it if you hadn't scared me to death, you know," she blurted. Again, Nicky just gave her a smile that Annette found both captivating and intimidating at the same time. "But thank you, anyways," she added. "No problem..." Nicky stopped, not sure whether to continue or not. After a brief moment of hesitation, he continued. "Look, Annette. It's probably too late to change anything now. But I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that you were treated disrespectfully. I don't know what to say other than the fact that I'm really sorry." Seeing no response from Annette, he continued. "Anyways, I just wanted to thank you for helping us out. Well, I guess I better get going," Nicky said as he turned and headed out the door. "Who said that it's too late to change anything?" Annette said as Nicky was almost at the door. Not sure if he heard correctly or not, he turned around with a confused look on his face. "Excuse me?" "I said, who said that it's too late to change anything?" The confused look remained, a look that Annette found quite amusing. "But I thought..." he stammered. "Well, you thought right. But I changed my mind," Annette replied. "Didn't you know that women have the right to change their minds at the last minute?" "This is great!!" Nicky answered with a wide grin. "I don't know what to say..." "You can thank me later," Annette answered. "But right now, I have to get ready for the show." With that, Annette left a smiling Nicky and proceeded with her work. * * * * * * * * * Annette breathed a sigh of relief as the show ended. It was a brilliant show, and this time, there were no glitches. Not a single one. As she began to pack the equipment away, she heard the five lads talking excitedly behind her. Actually, she mostly only heard Bryan's booming voice. "Now that's what I call a good show!!" She smiled and continued her work. She had to admit, these lads were good...really good. Several times, she had to struggle to keep her concentration, finding herself mesmerized by the five young singers. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching her. "Uh...Annette?" She had expected it to be Nicky, but it was not Nicky's voice that spoke. She turned around and came face to face with Mark. Unknown to her, her smile had faded and was replaced by a slight frown. "Yes?" she asked tersely. "Uh..." Mark placed his hand at the back of his head as he searched for the right words to say. "Uh, I just...just wanted to say sorry for yesterday..." "Sorry?" Annette asked innocently. She had no intention of letting Mark off the hook so easily. "Yeah...you know..." Mark continued nervously, feeling both embarrassed and ashamed. "Know what?" "You know..." "What?" Annette had to try hard to keep herself from laughing out loud. The look on Mark's face was unforgettable. "The things I said...I mean...I didn't mean them..." She looked into Mark's eyes as he spoke. Again, looking into Mark's eyes, she felt uneasy. But unlike Nicky's eyes, Mark's eyes seemed dark, as if they were hiding something behind them. She couldn't quite read the look on Mark's face. Finally, Mark gave up. "Look, I was an ass yesterday. And I'm sorry..." "Well, you got the ass part right," Annette answered, her frown still evident. She saw a look of despair on Mark's face, a look that curiously, she found adorable. "But..." Instantly, a look of hope appeared on the singer's face. "But?" "But I'm willing to reserve my judgement of your character until a later time," she answered. "Does that mean?" "Yes, I will be civil towards you." "That's it?" "What more do you want?" "Can we at least try to get to know one another better? So that I won't make an ass of myself again?" Annette turned away and smiled. "Well, at least he seems sincere this time," she thought. "I suppose," she replied coolly, making sure that her smile was wiped clean from her face before she spoke. The look on Mark's face was one that Annette would remember for a long time. Mark looked like he just won the $10-million lottery or something. "That's great!" When she saw Annette staring at him, he couldn't help but blush furiously. "Uh...I better let you finish your work here." With that, he quickly left the room, but was unable to wipe the grin off of his face. Annette turned back to her work, only to be met by the sight of Nicky standing by the wall with a smile on his face. "What?" she asked, somewhat taken aback that her little encounter with Mark was being watched by someone else. "Did I say anything?" Nicky asked innocently. "So what's with that smile?" Annette asked, her eyes glued to the equipment, trying to hide her own blushing. "Nothing...just happy. Can't a lad be happy these days?" "Sure, of course you can." "Looks like someone's interested in our newest stage hand," Nicky continued, as he walked closer to Annette. "Looks like someone's got nothing better to do than to eavesdrop on other people's conversation," Annette answered back. "Hey, you do realize that this is backstage," Nicky replied. "Not exactly the most private place to start a romance." "Who said anything about romance?" Annette asked, embarrassed that Nicky was reading her mind so easily. "Alright, alright...forget I said anything," Nicky said in mock surrender, but his smirk still clearly displayed on his face. Annette returned to her work, thinking to herself that working here might not be so bad after all. ...to be continued...