Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2007 21:41:40 -0700 (PDT) From: slpwriter Subject: Nick Lachey: My Everything-98 Hello, Everyone! I'd just like to say, Happy New Year to all of you devoted readers out there! 2007 is going to be a better year for me! Hopefully for all of you, as well. I'm continuing the story and I hope to finish it soon. and hopefully this story will have a happy ending. "But we'll soon find out, won't we?" Now on with the story. First of all, let me just say that this is my first time writing any kind of fiction like this. DISCLAIMER: This is a work of total fiction and is not meant to imply anything about the sexualities of Nick and Drew Lachey or anyone else mentioned in this story. If you are too young to read this, or if Homosexuality offends you, then please don't continue any further and leave. Also, here is an updated list of a few more stories that 98 Degrees are in on Nifty. Other 98 Degrees stories I'd like to recommend are. "Give Me Just One Night" by Unanoche. "69 with Jeff Timmons" by Zachary Scott Pritt "Nick Lachey" by Ken. "98 Degrees Is Hot" by Gay Night "The Reunion" by RinSong. "Loving Nick Lachey" by Jordan "Playing Doctor with 98 Degrees" by Brian "This Gift" by Sprout "Shut Up" by Anonymous "What I feel for you" by Thack and finally: "All that Matters" By Jason Phillips." Now, I"ll let you get on with the story. Enjoy. ********** CHAPTER 98 ********** AT THE HOSPITAL, THE NEXT MORNING...... I was sitting up on my bed, trying to wake up so that I be alert and ready to take on the day. Today was the day that I was going to go to my bail hearing and find out if I would be released on bail. I sure hoped that I would. Because I didn't know if I could handle being behind bars a day longer than I already was. I picked up the phone and dialed Selina's number. I wanted to touch base with her to find out how she was feeling this morning about how things might go at the hearing. After a few rings, she picked up. "Hello?" I heard her say. "Hi, Selina, it's Sean." I greeted her. "How are things this morning?" "Hello, Sean." Selina greeted me back. "Actually things are going good. I believe I have prepared you a solid defense and if things go the way I think they will, you should be out on bail today." "That is what I'm praying for, Selina." I told her. "I would like nothing better than to get out on bail, go home and relax, and forget about all this madness I just went through." "I know." Selina replied. "Don't worry. You will be out of prison soon. Are you calling from there right now?" I then realized that Selina had no idea that I'd been rushed to the hospital after being attacked in prison yesterday. "Actually, no." I revealed to her. "I'm calling you from the hospital. I had to be rushed here, last night, after I was attacked by an inmate inside that prison. But, before you freak out, I just want you to know that I'm ok." "Well, that's a serious relief." Selina said, sounding relieved. "Which hospital are you in?" "I'm in the same one that Jessica Simpson is in." I said. "Can you come over here now? There's something else that I want to talk to you about which may help in my defense at the bail hearing and we don't have alot of time. I have to be at the courthouse in an hour and a half." "I am on my way." Selina said to me. "I'll be there, shortly." "Alright," I said to her. "Thanks, Selina." I then hung up the phone and got out of bed so that I could get a shower and prepare for the day. But first, I wanted to make sure that I had no unwanted visitors in my room while I was showering. I walked to the door and knocked on it, so that the security guard who was posted outside, at my door would know that I was there. He stepped aside and I opened the door. "Excuse me, Officer?" I asked him. "Could you do me a favor?" "Sure." The officer said, with a nod of his head. "What is it?" "My attorney is coming here to visit me, shortly. Her name is Selina Edwards. I have to take a shower and get ready for my bail hearing, so can you tell her, and any other visitors to wait outside until I'm finished?" "Certainly." The Officer said. "Thank you." I told him. He nodded, and I stepped back inside and shut the door to my room. Then, I headed into the bathroom and prepared to take my shower. As I did, I wondered how Nick and the others were doing this morning. ****************************************************** AT THE SAME TIME, BACK AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL.... Nick was already up and was fully dressed in a full grey suit. He was just tying his tie, when Drew walked, sleepily into the room. "Hey, Nick." Drew said, in his morning voice. "How are you holding up this morning?" Nick turned to Drew, just as he finished with his tie. He could see just how tired Drew still was. "I'm doing alright." Nick said. "I wish I could say the same for you. Did Nicole have you up alot last night?" Drew shook his head and ran his fingers along the corners of his eyes to wipe the sleep matter out of them. "Only a couple of time." Drew told him. "But it's not like I could have slept much anyway. I had too much on my mind." Nick frowned. Usually Drew fell asleep fast. Especially after having jet lag from flying into Orlando, yesterday evening. "About Casey?" Nick asked him. After a slight hesitation, Drew spoke again. "About alot of things." He revealed to Nick. "Not just Casey." Nick nodded. He knew what Drew had to deal with. Not only with Casey, but with Jeff as well. "I suppose you mean Jeff and his feelings for you." Nick suggested. Drew nodded. "Yes." Drew told him. "I have to figure out a way to let him down easily. How am I going to do that without hurting him even worse than he is right now?" "You'll figure out a way, little brother. " Nick said, as he grabbed a brush and started brushing his hair. "And we'll all be there for him to help him through his pain if he needs us." Drew sighed, heavily. Then he decided that he'd better hop into the shower and get cleaned up. "Well, I'm going to go and hop in the shower." Drew said to Nick. "Maybe that will help me wake up better." "That's a good idea." Nick said. "Is Nicole still asleep?" "Yeah." Drew replied. "Do you think we should wake her up yet?" "No, I'll just leave her sleep until she wakes up." Nick told him, setting his hair brush down. "Go ahead and get your shower. I'll watch her until you're done." "Ok." Drew said. Then he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Nick sat down on the bed and picked up the phone. He dialed Jeff's room number and waited for Jeff to pick up. After about 4 rings, Jeff picked up. "Hello?" He said, sounding good. "Hey, Jeff." Nick greeted him. "It's me, Nick. Are you getting dressed to go with us to Sean's bail hearing?" "Yes, I am." Jeff replied. "I was just about to head over to your room when you called." "Oh, alright then." Nick said. "I'll see you in a second then. Later." Nick then hung up the phone and walked over to the door and opened it, just as Jeff came out of his room and over to Nick's. "Good morning." Jeff said, giving Nick a brief hug. "How did you sleep last night? "I slept like a baby, thanks to Drew." Nick said to him. "He volunteered to watch Nicole for me so I could get a full night's rest." "Ah." Jeff said, with a smirk on his face. "And I'm sure he's paying for it now, huh?" "Yeah." Nick said, nodding. "He said he didn't sleep very well anyway last night. He was up thinking about Casey and how he left things with him. He's in the shower right now. Hopefully, he'll be more awake when he gets out." "I'm sure he will." Jeff replied. "A shower always works wonders when you're tired. I took one myself an hour ago." Nick eyebrows raised at that revelation coming from Jeff. usually, everyone else was up before he was. "You've been up since 6:30?" Nick asked, in amazement. "What did you do for that whole hour besides take a shower. "Lots." Jeff said. "I had breakfast this morning, and then headed down to the hotel gym for a morning workout. Then I came back up to my room at 7:15 and took a shower. a nice long shower." "Cool." Nick said. "By the way, have you talked to Danny yet, this morning?" Jeff shook his head. He still felt bad that Danny couldn't stay with him last night, even just to keep him company. But he couldn't blame him. Despite their one night of sex, since their breakup, Danny was still hurting over the fact that Jeff was also in love with Drew. And Jeff didn't know how long it would be before Danny did stop hurting. "No, I haven't." Jeff said, in shame. "Maybe you should call him and see if he's up yet." I don't have to find out if he's up." Nick said to him. "I "know" he is up. I'm surprised you don't remember that Danny is an early riser." "Right." Jeff said, nodding. "With everything that's going on, I guess I didn't think about that fact." "No worries." Nick told him. "Will you go and check on Nicole while I call Danny?" "Sure." Jeff said. "What do you want me to do if she's awake?" "Just keep an eye on her." Nick replied. "If she's awake, bring her in here and I'll get her ready so I can take her over to Mom and Dad's hotel room." Jeff had a better idea. Nick shouldn't have to run to too many places at once. "Why don't you just call them and ask them to come here?" He asked Nick. "It would be easier. Then that way, she'll be right here when we get back from the bail hearing. Plus, if Sean gets out on bail, We all can escort him home." "That's a great idea." Nick agreed. "It would save me alot of gas right now. Prices are going up on gas and it's an outrage." "I hear you, there." Jeff said. "I'll go check on Nicole. You call Danny." Jeff then headed for the living room area and Nick reached for the phone. First, he dialed his Mom and Dad's hotel room number so he could talk to them first. His mom answered. "Hey, Mom, it's Nick." Nick said, into the phone. "I was wondering if you would be able to come over to my hotel room and watch Nicole for me while I go to Sean's bail hearing?" "Sure, sweetie." Cate replied. "I would be happy to watch her for you. Do you want me to bring her here to our hotel room afterwards?" "If you want to do that, that's fine." Nick said to him. "But you're more than welcome to stay here in my room with her until I get back." "Alright then, we'll do that, honey." Cate told him. "But, while you're at the hearing, we might take her over to Jessica for a visit." Nick thought that was a really great idea, rather than having them stay at the hotel all morning. "Actually, that sounds better, Mom." Nick said, liking the idea. "In fact, why don't you just come by and pick her up so that you can head on over there? I'm sure Jessica is aching to see our daughter right now." "Alright, then it's all settled." Cate told him. "Your father and I will head over there right now to pick our granddaughter up." "Alright." Nick said. "I'll see you in 15 minutes." "Alright, Honey." Cate replied. "I love you. And tell your brother that I love him, too." "I will, Mom." Nick said. "And I love you, too." "Ok." Cate said. "Bye, sweetheart." Nick hung up the phone, just as Drew came out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Mom sends her love, little brother." Nick told him. "I just got off the phone with her." "Thanks for telling me." Drew told him. "I really needed to hear that, right now." Drew walked over to the dresser and pulled open a drawer to grab some underwear. Just before, he pulled a pair out, he dropped his towel, exposing himself for anyone to see. Nick just happened to look in his direction and saw that his little brother was literally standing there, naked. Then, he realized that he had to tell Drew that Jeff was there and to cover up before Jeff saw him. "Uh, Drew, if I were you, I'd cover up." Nick told him. "We have company." Drew looked up at Nick and frowned. "Who?" Before Nick could answer him, Jeff came from the doorway of the living room. "Nick, I think you should know that......" Jeff trailed off when he saw Drew standing there, totally naked. He got a view of Drew's fine naked ass, as well as the nice package in front. At that same moment, in a flash, Drew grabbed his towel and quickly covered himself up. His face must have been turning every shade of red in the book by now. "Jeff's.....here." Nick said, hesitantly between the words. Drew looked at Jeff, still standing there, in a daze, from the scenery he'd seen a moment ago. "Jeff, snap out of it." Drew said to him. "It's not polite to stare!" Jeff shook his head, as a satisfied smirk came over his face. "Sorry." He apologized, although he wasn't really sorry at all for what he saw. "I guess I couldn't help myself. I didn't know that you would be standing there in all your......" Jeff locked eyes with Drew at that moment and trailed off momentarily. "...beautiful nakedness." Jeff managed to finish. that admission from Jeff made Drew turned even redder and Nick's expression turned serious. "As much as I hate to spoil this touching moment," Nick said, out loud. "Drew needs to get dressed. And you, Jeff, need to get your mind out of the gutter." "Indeed he does, big brother." Drew agreed. "especially since I'm still a taken man." Drew grabbed his underwear and a few more clothes and scooted into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Once he was gone, Nick turned to Jeff. "Try not to take that, personally, Jeff." Nick said. "He was just embarrassed to have you see him, naked, knowing how you feel about him." "I can understand that, Nick." Jeff said. "But did you have to embarrass him and myself any further by telling me to get my mind out of the gutter?" Nick chuckled, with slightly raised eyebrows. "Yeah, well, that's where your mind was headed." He told Jeff. "Someone had to stop you from looking like a total idiot." Now, Jeff was starting to get upset over the way Nick was talking to him. "Nick, come on! It couldn't have been that bad!" Jeff said, his voice starting to get loud. "Jeff, your mouth was hanging open." Nick revealed to him. "any longer and you would have been drooling everywhere." Now, Jeff was getting angry. It sounded like Nick was attacking him. Or was there something more behind it?" "Nick, why are you talking to me, this way?" Jeff asked him. "You're really starting to piss me off right now!" While Nick and Jeff were arguing, they didn't notice that Drew had opened the door and was now standing there, in the doorway to the bathroom, watching them at that moment. Nick walked over to stand, in front of Jeff at that moment. His face was very serious now. "Listen, Jeff, you know I love you, man." He told him. "But, you need to get your feelings for Drew under control for right now. Drew's going through alot right now and he's in no shape to deal with your puppy love right now." Drew could see that the tension was getting heavy between Nick and Jeff right now. He wondered if now was the right time to step in before it escalated. But before, he could decide what to do, he saw that Jeff was getting even madder than he was before. "One more negative word against me, out of you, Nick, and I swear I'm going to deck you!" Jeff threatened him. "Look, Jeff." Nick said, in a more serious tone of voice. "I don't want to see my little brother get hurt because of your selfishness! So, I suggest that you back off for awhile and think things through before you get my brother any more confused that he already is, right now!" That was the last straw for Jeff. He turned away for a moment, with gritted teeth. When Drew saw that, he knew it was time to step in. "You self-righteous, Son of a Bitch!" Jeff said, once he turned around. Jeff went for Nick, but Drew got in between them before Jeff could strike out at Nick. Drew was near tears at this point. "Stop it, both of you!" Drew yelled at them, pushing a hand against both Nick and Jeff, to keep them apart. "Please, stop it! We cannot be fighting!" Nick and Jeff both relaxed and stepped back a bit, so that Drew didn't have to hold them back anymore, but they still glared at each other. "We can't be fighting right now," Drew said, with tears streaming down his cheeks. "We have to pull together more than ever, right now!" When Nick and Jeff both saw how upset Drew was over the current situation they both felt bad for making him cry. Drew then turned to Nick. "Listen, Nick." He said. "I appreciate your support right now, but you have to admit you were really out of line the way you treated Jeff right now. I know his feelings for me are genuine! But that didn't give you the right to totally dump all over his feelings like that." Nick looked at Drew, then back up at Jeff, who was still angry. Then, Nick's expression softened. At that moment, the phone rang. "You two apologize to each other, while I get the phone." Drew said. He walked over to answer the phone, while Nick and Jeff stood there, not knowing what to say to each other. But Nick did, so he went first. "Jeff, I'm sorry." Nick said, with a shocked frown on his face. "I don't know what possessed me to say all those hurtful things to you. I guess I was just being overprotective of my little brother." Although, Jeff was sure that there was some truth to that, he wasn't completely buying it. There had to be something more behind it than that. "No, Nick, that's not all that was." Jeff said. "There's more to it than that. What's going on?" Nick realized that Jeff was right. There was more to his reaction than just protecting his brother. "I guess with everything that I'm going through right now, my divorce from Jessica, Sean's situation, my constant fighting with Joe, and now Drew's falling out with Casey, I guess the stress of all of it was too much for me to handle and I took out all of my frustrations on you." Nick extended his hand, out to Jeff, intent on making up with him. "I'm sorry, Jeff." He said to him. "Can you ever forgive me?" Jeff looked down at Nick's hand. After a moment, he looked back up at Nick. Then his hard, angry expression relaxed and he reached out and took Nick's hand and they shook hands. "Of course I forgive you." Jeff said. "I guess I was acting a bit selfish there for a moment." "So, we're good, then?? He asked Jeff, wanting to be sure that they had made up, entirely. To reassure Nick of that, Jeff pulled him close and hugged him. "Does this answer your question?" Jeff asked him, as he continued to embrace Nick. "Yeah." Nick said, hugging Jeff, strongly. "Thanks, Jeff." While Jeff and Nick were embracing, Nicole started crying, which meant that she was awake. "Well, that's my cue." Nick said, letting go of Jeff. "I need to attend to my daughter." Nick started walking towards the living room, but then remembered something and turned back to Jeff. "Jeff, when you were coming out of the living room and saw Drew, naked, you were in the middle of telling me something. Nick pointed out, then asked. "What were you going to tell me?" Jeff remembered and decided to tell Nick. "I just was going to tell you that when I touched Nicole's forehead, she felt a little warmer than normal." Jeff told him. "Do you think she might be getting sick?" "Really?" Nick asked, in concern. "I sure hope not. Let me go see for myself." Nick went into the living room and Jeff followed him. Drew, who had just gotten off the phone, wondered what was going on and followed them into the living room. When Drew entered the living room, he saw that Nick had picked up Nicole and was feeling her forehead. "Nick, what's going on?" Drew asked him. Nick looked over at him. "Jeff said that he touched Nicole's forehead and she felt warmer than usual." Nick said, with a worried look on his face. "And now that I'm doing it, I'm thinking that Jeff may be right." "I'll go and get the ear thermometer out of her diaper bag and we'll see how high her temperature is." Drew said. He hurried back into the bedroom, rifled through the diaper bag, and returned to the living room with the thermometer. He then handed it to Nick. Nick turned it on and put it in one of Nicole's ears and clicked it. when he looked at it and saw how high it was, his concern turned to panic. "Oh my God!" Nick exclaimed. "Her temperature is 101.5 degrees! She's burning up!" "Are you serious?! Drew asked, grabbing the thermometer from Nick and glancing at it. When he saw the temperature reading, he also started to panic. "Nick, you're right!" Drew said to him. "We need to take her to the hospital right now!" "Nick, where are your car keys?" Jeff asked him. "I will go down and get the car ready." "They're on the bedside table, next to my bed." Nick said. "Call Mom and Dad and let them know that we're heading to the hospital with her." Just then, Jeff heard a knock on the door. He turned back to Nick. "I don't think you need to worry about that now." He said. "Cate and John are already here." "Good." Nick said "Go and let them in, while I get Nicole ready to go." Jeff went to the door, while Drew stayed behind to help Nick with Nicole. "Don't worry, Nick." Drew told him. "I'm sure Nicole's going to be OK." "I hope so, Drew." Nick said to him. "She's my whole world. I couldn't bear it if I lost her." Drew could see how emotional Nick was getting over Nicole's high fever. No one wanted their child to be sick like this. "Nick, you're not going to lose her." Drew told him. "Don't think like that." While Drew was comforting Nick, Cate, John, and Jeff appeared in the living room. "Honey, is it true?" Cate asked him. "Is our granddaughter really sick?" Nick nodded. "I think so, Mom." He said, in an emotional tone of voice. "Her temperature is 101.5." Nick's mother put a hand to her mouth, while his father decided to do something about it. "Come on, let's get her over to the hospital." John said. "I'll drive." Drew threw a blanket around Nicole to keep her from getting the chills and Nick followed his parents out to the bedroom area of the room as they all headed for the door. On the way out, Drew grabbed Nicole's diaper bag and Nick's key card to the room, since he'd forgotten all about it. Then, he hurried to catch up with Jeff, Nick, and his Mom and Dad, who were already out the door, heading down the hallway towards the elevators. ****************************************************** BACK AT SEAN'S APARTMENT....... Danny was sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast with Michelle and Jake, whom he'd asked to come over this morning to tell them about Sean's case. "Thank you both for coming over this morning." Danny said to them. "I thought that you might want to come with us to Sean's bail hearing a little later." "We were both glad to get your call, Danny." Jake told him. "And of course we're going to Sean's bail hearing. We wouldn't be anywhere else." Just then, the phone started ringing. Since Jake was nearest to the door, he volunteered to get it. He got up and went into the living room to answer it. "So, Michelle," Danny asked her, once Jake was gone. "How are you doing with your pregnancy right now?" "I'm doing very well." Michelle told him." Thanks for asking. Danny nodded. He was glad she was doing well. "I wish you and Jake all the happiness in the world." Danny replied back to her. "And when that baby comes, you and Jake are going to have a very full life ahead of you." "I'm sure we will." Michelle said to him. "But hopefully, by the time the baby arrives, Jake and I will have graduated college and have good jobs by then. Just as Michelle finished saying all of that to Danny, Jake returned to the kitchen with the phone in his hand. "Danny, it's for you." Jake said, handing him the phone. Danny accepted it from him. "Thanks, Jake." Danny said, as he put the phone to his ear. "Hello?" "Danny, it's me." He heard Jeff's voice say. "Nicole seems to be falling ill, so Nick and the rest of us, are taking her to the hospital right now. Will you be able to meet us there?" Danny stood up, in concern. Even though Nicole wasn't related to him in any way, he was still concerned for her. When he and Jeff were together, they both watched her grow up from a baby into the toddler she was today. He had grown to care for her very much. Everyone did, including Kandi and Justin. "Sure, Jeff." Danny said. "I'm on my way." "Before you head over here, could you go over to the hotel and pick up Kandi and Justin?" Jeff asked him. "In all the concern, we forgot to go to their room and see if they wanted to come with us." "Sure, Jeff." Danny told him." I will call them at the hotel right now and tell them what's going on. Then I'll go over for them and we'll meet you there, at the hospital." "Alright, thanks man." Jeff said to him. "You're the best." Danny hung up the phone and sat it down in the middle of the kitchen table. When Jake and Michelle saw the worried expression on Danny's face, they immediately grew concerned. "Danny, what's wrong?" Jake asked him. "You look worried. Has something else happened to Sean?" "No, Jake, Sean's fine." Danny reassured him. "It's Nick's daughter, Nicole. She's fallen ill and Jeff wanted me to go over to get Kandi and Justin, to tell them what happened, since they weren't informed of what was going on." "Alright, well you go ahead and go, man." Jake told him. "We'll clean up here and lock the house when we're ready to leave." "Alright, Thanks Jake." Danny told him. He grabbed the keys to Sean's SUV and headed out the door to go to the Best Western hotel to pick up Justin and Kandi. "God, I hope Nicole's going to be alright." Michelle asked, in concern. "I know how much Nick loves that little girl." "She'll be alright." Jake said. "I'm sure of it. All babies get sick at one time or another." "Yeah." Michelle said, with a sigh. "But I hope that it isn't anything serious." ****************************************************** BACK AT THE HOSPITAL...... I had finished my shower and had gotten dressed back in my orange jumpsuit, which was the only thing I had to wear to the bail hearing. By now, I was sitting in the room, talking to Selina about how to compose myself for the bail hearing. "So, Selina, what do you think the chances are that I will get out on bail today?" I asked her. "Actually, I think your chances are very likely." She told me."Since you have no criminal background, you should be able to get out on bail." I nodded. But Selina also had a worried expression on her face as she was jotting down notes. I then decided to call her on it. "But, there is something that's worrying you about this, also." I told her. "What is it?" Selina looked up at me, her face all serious. "Well, I'm sure that the District Attorney is going to do everything humanly possible to see that you are denied bail." She said. "I'm also worried that they might tell the judge that you're a flight risk." Now, that shocked the hell out of me. I knew what that meant. It meant that the D.A would believe that because I know famous celebrities and have a decent amount of money to live comfortable for the rest of my life, that I would be able to leave the country and disappear for good. I found that to be ridiculous. "A flight risk?!" I asked, in shock. "Selina, I have no intention of fleeing the country! I intend to stay here and fight to clear my name!" "And I believe you." Selina replied. "But we're going to have to make the D.A. and the judge believe it as well." I leaned back against my bed and brought both hands up to my forehead, and closed my eyes, in frustration. "I just wish this wasn't happening!" I said, almost on the verge of tears. "I didn't try to kill anyone! and now I'm facing the possibility of going to prison for years!" "Sean, that's not going to happen." Selina tried to reassure me. "She's right." A voice from the doorway said. Selina and I both turned to see Jason come into the room. "Jason." I said, in surprise. "I didn't know that you were coming to see me?" "Well of course I was." Jason. "Do you really think that I'm going to miss your big day today at the bail hearing?" I smiled and realized that I should have expected Jason to be there for me. He had been so great to me since we'd met each other again. "Of course not." I said to him. "Thanks for being here for me." Jason came over to sit down in the chair next to my bed. Before he did, he leaned down and gave me a kiss on the lips. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be." He said to me. Then, he sat down. Then, I decided to introduce Jason to Selina. "Jason, this is my attorney, Selina Edwards." I said to him, then turn to her. "And Selina this is my boyfriend, Jason Madison." It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Madison." Selina said, politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Ms. Edwards." Jason said to her, with a smile. "But, please, call me Jason." Selina smiled back at him. "Sure." She laughed. "As long as you call me, Selina." "Deal." Jason said, politely kissing her hand, smiling warmly at her. After exchanging greetings, they both turned to me. "Alright, well I have to go." Selina said. "The guards are going to escort you to the courthouse soon, and I have to get back to my office and pick up a few things I'll need on my way there." "Alright, Selina." I said, shaking hands with her. "And I just want you to know that no matter what happens in that courtroom today, I think that you're the best lawyer anyone can ask for." Selina smiled, touched by my opinion of her, as well as my confidence in her. "Thank you, Sean." Selina said. Then, she turned to Jason and smiled. "Keep him out of trouble in the meantime." "I will." Jason told her. "No worries. Selina grinned and left the room, leaving Jason and I alone together, in the room. I took Jason's hand and looked at him, lovingly. I was glad to have him here with me. It sure beat being alone. "Do you have any idea how much I've missed you since my arrest?" I asked him. Jason nodded. "I can imagine." Jason told me. "Because I felt the same way about you. My heart ached for you. I wanted to have you in bed next to me at night." I smiled at him, as my emotions started to give way. Tears came to my eyes as I listened to him continue talking. "I missed you feeling and caressing this big muscular body of mine." Jason said to me, in a soft voice. "And whispering sweet nothings in my ear when we would make love together." I wiped at a tear that had run down my cheek. I missed being with him more than I realized. That also made me realize something else: That not only was I in love with Nick, but I was falling madly in love with Jason as well. "I know." I said. "I've missed that too. And that made me realize something just now." "What's that?" Jason wanted to know as he smiled at me, warmly, his eyebrows raised. In response, I brought a hand to his cheek as I prepared to tell him what was in my heart. "I realized that even though I still have strong feelings of love for Nick," I told him. "I also found out that I'm truly falling madly in love with you." Jason looked at me, stunned by what I'd told him. But it undoubtedly made his day. He smiled, and brought a hand up to mine, which was still rested on his cheek. He pulled it down and kissed it. "I can't tell you just how happy I am to hear you say that." Jason said to me. "I feel the same way about you, more and more, everyday." I then took that moment to talk seriously about my feelings for Nick. "Look, Jason." I began. "I know that my feelings for Nick still bother you, but I hope that you'll be patient with me as I try to deal with them and put them to rest. I'm starting to see that a future for Nick and me is pretty much gone. Nick isn't exactly jumping at the bit to take me back. He's told me over and over again that we don't have a future together. And more and more, I'm starting to believe it and accept it." "I understand, Sean." Jason told me. "And yes, I won't deny that your feelings for Nick still bother me, but I know I can't expect you to just turn off your feelings like a light. That is easier said, then done, I know that." I then thought about something else. Even if I did have a chance with Nick, I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go down that road again. There were still alot of negative reasons why Nick and I shouldn't be together and they outweighed the good ones. "Besides, even if Nick did feel the same way about me and took me back," I revealed to Jason. "I would have to go back to hiding my feelings for Nick in public and only be intimate with him, in private. I'd have to constantly watch what I say and what I do around him, out in public." "The only way I could be with Nick in every way is if he came out to the world about his sexuality. But he can't. That would ruin his career and I don't want to see that happen to him. Also, I'd be living in a war zone, because I'd constantly be scrutinized by his parents, as well as Jessica's, because they don't want me to get back together with him. None of which, are good reasons to rekindle something that may not ever work again." "I know." Jason told me. "But with me, you don't have all of that excess baggage. And you can be out in public with me and show your affection all you want." Then, Jason thought of something that he had told Nick and the guys back when he found out that Sean was arrested. "Actually, there's something I want to tell you." Jason told me. "If you get out on bail today, I'm going to ask all of your friends to help me throw a dinner party in your honor. I told the guys I had a surprise planned for you once you were out of jail." I sat up in my bed, now curious as to what kind of surprise Jason had in store for me. "What is this surprise?" I asked him. Jason just grinned and shook his head. "Sorry," Jason said. "I can't tell you just yet." Now I knew he was torturing me. I have to admit now that I was definitely over curious." "Jason, come on!" I begged him. "Can't you give me a hint as to what you're planning?" "Nope." Jason chuckled. "You're just going to have to wait until tonight." I squinted my eyes, still grinning as I looked at him. Then I motioned him with my finger to come closer to me. When he did, I kissed him on the lips. Then, I started kissing him in all of his hot spots, trying to get him to come clean about his little surprise. "Mmm" Jason moaned, softly. "That feels amazing, baby. But that's still not going to get me to tell you what I'm planning. All you're accomplished is turning me on, right now." In defeat, I pulled back from him, and crossed my arms over my chest and gave him my pouty look. "Fine, have it your way." I said to him. "You're no fun!" All Jason could do was laugh at my pouting. When he did, he showed his beautiful teeth and his sexy dimples. Another thing I liked about him was the little laugh lines around his eyes when he was laughing. He looked cute even with them. "You are such a kid sometimes." Jason said, still chuckling. "Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough what I have in store for you, tonight." I brought my hand up to his face and stroked his cheek lovingly. Just at that moment, there was a knock on the door. Jason and I looked over in the direction of the door and saw a police officer standing in the doorway. And Detective Adams was with him as well. "Mr. Perry, we need to escort you down to the courthouse for your bail hearing." He said to me. Hearing that, I felt nervous all over again about the outcome of today. Jason stood up at that moment. He looked down at me. "I'll see you at the courthouse." He whispered to me. "I love you." "I love you, too." I said to him, softly. Then, Jason left the room and left me alone with the officer and Detective Adams. "Detective, may I get a fresh change of clothes from my apartment?" I asked him. "Or do I have to go down to the courthouse in this get up?" "Unfortunately, yes you will." Detective Adams said. "But if your bail is granted today, then you can change into your clothes that you still have at the station, while the paperwork is being processed." I didn't like the idea of changing back into the same clothes from the night of my arrest, but I had to admit that anything was better than being stuck in this embarrassing prisoner jumpsuit any longer than I had to be. "That's fine, Detective." I said, getting up. "Are we ready to go now?" "Yes." Detective Adams. "Officer Daniels and I will escort you down to the police cruiser." I nodded. Then officer Daniels walked up to me and took out his handcuffs. I tensed up, dreading this moment. "Detective, are the handcuffs really necessary?" I asked him. "I promised that I wouldn't try anything before back when I was arrested before and I won't do anything now." "Yes, but this time you're in a hospital and we have to make sure that the prisoner is not a danger to other patients here in this hospital, so it's standard procedure." I nodded, but didn't say anything. I held out my wrists and Officer Daniels put the cuffs around them. "Alright, Mr. Perry, let's go." Officer Daniels said to me. Without a word, I obeyed and started walking out of my hospital room with Officer Daniels and Detective Adams. Once we were out of the room, Officer Daniels clutched one of my arms, in his hand, and Detective Adams walked on the other side of me. In silence, we walked down the hall. We got to the elevators and I watched at Detective Adams pressed the down button for the lobby. The elevator doors opened and Officer Daniels, Detective Adams, and I stepped inside. Then, Detective Adams pressed the button for the lobby and the elevator doors closed and the elevator began it's decent. Once it was down and the elevator door opened, I was led out of the elevator and down the hall towards the exit. As We were walking towards the exit, the doors ahead opened and Nick, Drew, Cate and John came rushing into the emergency room area. I noticed that they all looked worried. "Guys, what's going on?" I asked them. Nick and Drew looked my way and saw that I was being escorted outside by the police. "Nicole's ill." Drew told me. "We brought her into the emergency room to have her checked out." "Oh no!" I said, in shock, then glanced over at Nick. "I hope it's not serious." "We don't know, yet." Nick told me. "She has a high fever of 101.5. I hope that's all it is." "Me too." I agreed. "I know how much that little girl means to you, Nick. I'll say a prayer for her when I can. Right now, I'm being escorted to my bail hearing right now." "Speaking of that," Nick began saying. "I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it after all, with Nicole being sick and all." Normally, I would have been disappointed that Nick couldn't come to support me, but I knew that right now, his little girl needed him more than I did. Now was not the time to be selfish, thinking about myself. "Nick, don't even give it another thought." I told him. "Your little girl should be your first priority right now. Besides, Jason will be at the courthouse to support me. If I can get out on bail, I'll call you and let you know." "Alright, Sean." Nick said. then he extended out his hand. "Good Luck." I reached both of my cuffed hands out and Nick gripped one of my hands and shook it, but with the cuffs on, it was an awkward shake. "Yes, Sean, Good Luck." Drew added in. I smiled at him. "Thank you, both." I told him and Nick. "Now, I have to go. Hopefully, I'll see you all later." Nick and Drew stepped aside so that the police could lead me to the police cruiser that was outside. Cate and John, who hadn't said a word since they saw me, stepped aside also. But before we were even two feet away, Nick's voice rang out, again. "Sean, I think you should be warned that there are reporters outside." He told me. "I just thought I'd let you know so that you wouldn't be caught off guard when you get out there." "Great, just what I need right now." I groaned. "Thanks for telling me, Nick. I appreciate it." "Just don't say a word, no matter what kinds of questions or accusations they fire at you." Nick advised me. "Just ignore them and get to the police cruiser." "I will." I told him. "Later." As Detective Adams and Officer Daniels led me outside, I was greeted to a flurry of flashed and shouts from reporters all asking me questions about the attack on Jessica Simpson. "Mr. Perry, is it true that you attacked Jessica Simpson?" One reporter asked. "How does her husband, Nick, feel about your involvement in this, given that you two appear to be good friends?" another reporter asked. I calmly walked towards the police cruiser, despite the reporters still firing away questions. Detective Adams opened the back door and ushered me into the car. He closed the door was I was inside and buckled in. Officer Daniels and Detective Adams got into the car and drove towards the courthouse. ****************************************************** BACK AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL...... "Hi, Danny." Kandi greeted him as she opened the door for him to come. "Are you just about ready to go down to the bail hearing?" Danny nodded as he stepped into the room. He noticed that Justin was sitting in a chair at the table, reading a magazine. "Yeah." He said. "But there's something that you and Justin need to know first." "What?" Justin asked, as he laid down his magazine. Danny then prepared to lay the bad news on them. "Nicole has a high fever of 101.5 and Nick, Drew, and their parents just took her to the hospital." "Oh no!" Kandi said, in shock. "That poor, sweet, little thing! Is she going to be ok?" "I don't know." Danny said. "I'm sure they're going to run tests on her to see what's going on." He said. "But with this going on, I don't think that Nick is going to be to attend Sean's bail hearing." "Well, that's understandable." Kandi said. "And I'm sure Sean would understand if he knew what was going on. Have any of you guys talked to him yet today?" Not since last night." Danny said to them. "I just came over here to let you know what's going on. And also to see if you want to come with me to Sean's bail hearing." Justin didn't say anything, at first, but Kandi's answer was quite obvious. "Well, you can count me in." Kandi told him. "I intend to be there for Sean to show my support." "Good." Danny said. "I thought that even if I didn't stay, that I'd at least make an appearance to let Sean know that I'm there for him." Kandi nodded and turned to look at Justin. "What about you, Babe?" She asked him. "Are you feeling any different today about Sean?" Justin shook his head. "No, I don't, unfortunately." He said. "I still am not totally convinced of Sean's innocence. And until I am, I won't be showing him any support at this time." No one was sadder to hear that, than Kandi. Justin was very important to her, but so was Sean. She was not about to be forced to choose between the two of them. "Well then, I hope you won't mind if I go with Danny over to the court house?" Kandi stated. "But I hope that you'll change your mind about coming." Kandi walked over to Justin, leaned over, and kissed him on his cheek. Then, she turned to Danny. "Well, are you ready to go?" She asked Danny. Danny nodded. "Yeah, come on." He said to her. Kandi grabbed her purse and followed Danny to the door. Danny opened it and walked out while Kandi turned and looked at Justin one last time before she shut the door behind her, leaving Justin alone in the room. Justin sighed and stood up to go stand by the window. As he looked down at the cars parked in the parking lot down below, he thought about how he was feeling about Sean. He wondered if he was being to judgmental of Sean right now. "Am I being too hard on Sean right now?" Justin asked himself. "Will he ever be able to forgive me after this if I'm wrong about him?" ****************************************************** MEANWHILE, DOWN AT THE COURT HOUSE........ The police had taken me to the court house and had brought me into the court room. They led me over to my area of the pews and sat me down there, where my attorney was already seated. Selina was reviewing her notes. "Hey, Counselor." I greeted her as I sat down next to her. I then gestured towards her notes. "What are you doing there?" "I'm just going over my notes." Selina said. "I'm memorizing what I should say to the judge when I bring up the issue of your bail." "Well, I just hope that it works." I told her. "Because I'd like nothing better than to be out on bail today." "That's what we're hoping for." Selina said. "But I have a feeling that the D.A. that is presenting for the prosecution will not make it easy for me." Selina turned and looked behind us and saw someone coming into the court room. "Here he comes now." She said to me. I turned to see who she was talking about. I saw a well dressed man walk into the room. He had short blonde hair, which was styled nicely and very piercing blue eyes. Eyes that would make anyone think that he could see right through you. He appeared to be in his mid fourties and still very handsome at his age. I could tell that he was still in very good shape. I could see his pecs pushing out of his shirt a bit, which proved that he took care of his body. Although I wondered where he found the time to work out, being the D.A. and all that. As I was looking him over, he walked up to where Selina and I were to greet us. "Greetings, Counselor." He said to Selina. "So, you're Mr. Perry's attorney, huh?" "Yes, I am." Selina told him, then turned to introduce us. "Sean, I'd like you to meet the District Attorney, Mr. Bill Smith. And Mr Smith, this is my client, Mr. Sean Perry." Mr. Smith looked down at me and extended his hand out to me. I took it and we shook hands briefly. I didn't show it, but I felt uncomfortable when his eyes were on me. His blue eyes were piercing like daggers. "Well, it's good to put a face to the person that I'm having to prosecute." I cleared my throat and went into defense mode. I looked up at him as I prepared to say something to him. "I'm innocent until proven guilty." I told him. "Just remember that." He nodded, but didn't say anything. He let go of my hand and turned back to Selina. "Well, I'd better be getting over to my area." He said to her. "I look forward to being your opponent, Counselor." After saying that, Mr. Smith walked over to his side of the room and sat down to review his own notes. Once he was out of earshot, I leaned over and whispered to Selina. "How good, is he as an Attorney?" I asked Selina. She turned and looked over at me, her face very serious. "He's very good." Selina told me. "Damn." I said, as I slumped back in my seat. "Now, I'm really done for." Selina put her hand under my chin, forcing me to look up at her. "Sean, don't lose hope." She told me. "We have the advantage here." Now I'd like to know how. I frowned at her. "How so?" I wanted to know. "You may not know this," Selina whispered to me. "but I was once his student. He taught me everything I know about being an attorney." "Really?" I asked her, with raised eyebrows. I was thrown by that piece of interesting information. "Yeah." Selina replied. "I know how the guy operates and how his mind works, so I believe we have a great shot at winning if this case does go to trial." I nodded and sat back in my seat. I looked over at Selina and watched her reviewing her notes and jotting down some new ones. Then, I looked around the courtroom, taking in the whole scenery. This was the one place where everyone dreaded being, no matter whether they were innocent or not. I had hoped that I wouldn't ever have to see the inside of a court room. But unfortunately, it was happening whether I liked it or not. I was so intense in my thoughts that I jumped when I felt someone lay their hand on my shoulder from behind me. Startled, I turned and saw Jason leaning over me. "Hi, Sexy." He whispered to me. "Sorry I startled you." After he said that, he planted a kiss on my lips. I smiled up at him. "Well after giving me a kiss like that, you're forgiven." I whispered back to him. "And I'm glad you're here." After that, I stood up and hugged him. As I hugged him, I glanced back at the door just as two guy came in. My eyes widened when I saw who they were. "Oh my God!" I whispered, in shock. "I don't believe it!" "What?" Jason asked me, turning to see who I was looking at. Then he saw them too. There at the door, stood Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. I hadn't seen them since I was last in L.A. I couldn't believe that they were here. Immediately, I let go of Jason and made me way up to them, as they were walking down towards me, both of them smiling at me, warmly. As soon as I was close, I threw an arm around each of them, hugging them both. "What are you two doing here?" I asked them. I couldn't wait to hear what they had to tell me. To Be Continued........? Well, that's all for this one. I hope you all enjoyed it! "What happens next?" Oh, if you only knew!" Stay tuned. Send all feedback, whether it'd be comments or criticism to: slpwriter@yahoo.com