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Chapter 6
I looked into Brian's eyes as he spoke. "There's been an accident. Your brother walked outside yesterday and was hit by a car." He said solemnly.
"What?" I said with tears in my eyes. Brian gripped my hand.
"They just found out last week your brother may have glaucoma.
Yesterday, he went outside to get the mail. It was really bright outside and hard for him to see. A speeding car hit him and now he's in ICU in Tampa Bay General."
"Oh my god, Brian I hafta leave. My mom can't handle this." I said getting up and wiping the tears from my eyes. I ran to my bunk, grabbed what little clothes I had there, and grabbed my cell and called a cab. "Conrad, can you pull over at that motel, I gonna be going back to Florida." Conrad nodded not even questioning me. I walked to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I began to cry. I've always watched out for my brother if someone was messing with him. I always had his back and now I wasn't there. I sat on the floor and put my head in my hands. God damn it, now I wasn't gonna get to see my dad. Our next show was in PA, and I was supposed to meet my dad. I heard a knock on the door and quickly tried to compose myself. I opened the door and saw AJ.
"Linds, Rok told me what happened. Please calm down, you'll get there and everything will be all right." Just then the bus pulled to a stop.
"I gotta go." I said hugging AJ and walking towards the front of the bus. Not even thinking twice, I walked to the awaiting cab. All I had was my backpack and a few clothing items. I left everything else on the bus.
~90 Minutes Later~
I've got one thing to say. It pays to be somewhat famous. Then, it's easier for you to get on a flight right away. All I did was sign an autograph and I was on a plane. I was listening to my discman when a little girl tapped me on the shoulder. I opened my eyes and turned to face her. "Yes sweetie?" I asked removing the headphones.
"Are you Lindsay?" She asked sweetly.
"Yes I am. Does your mommy know you're over here?" She nodded. "Then
why don't you have a seat?" I suggested patting the empty aisle seat. She struggled to get into the seat. She flattened out the petite pink dress she was wearing and then looked over at me. "So, what's your name, hun?"
"Erica. My mommy is over there. Her name is Jane." She said pointing towards her dark haired mother. She waved and I waved back. I then thought of Jane Carter. I completely forgot to tell Nick what happened. Oh well, he'll find out. News travels fast. "Why are you coming back to Florida? Aren't you touring with the Backstreet Boys?" She asked with her tiny voice.
"I'm supposed to be touring with them, but there's an emergency at home, so I need to be with my family." She nodded again.
"Is Nick your boyfriend?" She asked a little shyly.
"Why, yes he is."
"I have a boyfriend. His name is Daniel, but mommy doesn't know
because I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend because I'm only in first grade." I smiled at her ramblings. She was speaking really quickly. Then she took a breath. "Is Nick a good kisser?" I looked at her a bit taken aback. "Don't worry you can tell me, I kiss Daniel all the time..."
I spent another twenty minutes with Erica and then the plane touched down in Florida. I hurried through the airport and ran for a cab. About fifteen minutes after I had gotten into the cab, I found myself wandering the halls of the hospital in search of room 213. "209, 211, 213." I said quietly to myself. I took a deep breath and saw my mom in the room looking out the window. "Mom?" I said quietly walking into the room. She turned around with bloodshot eyes. She always hated when her kids were in the hospital. I was really never in the hospital, but Nick has always had problems. I walked to her and engulfed her in my eyes. I missed her so much.
"I'm so glad you're back. I missed you, sweetie." My mom said. We sat down for a little while and my mom explained what happened. "Last week we went to get your brother new glasses. He had to take a few tests to see if his eyes improved or not. The doctor pulled me out of the office and said he may have glaucoma. We were supposed to go back for more tests tomorrow, but now we're here. He was hit by a car yesterday, Lindsay. He was almost killed."
"Mom, calm down. Everything will be all right. I'm sure the doctors are handling everything. Where's Sammy?" I asked wondering where my step-dad could be at this time.
"He had a trip to Texas, but I told him what happened and he said he'll be here soon."
"Mom, I'm gonna take you home. You need sleep. I will stay here and keep an eye on Nick when he gets back from ICU. C'mon lets go." I said walking my mother towards the entrance to the hospital. My mom protested a little, but I reassured her everything would be all right. I'm responsible when it comes to my family.
The drive home wasn't too long. I drove my mom in her car so that she wouldn't have to worry about it at the hospital. We got home and my mom immediately went to her bedroom. I went into my old room and grabbed some clothes I had stored in my closet. I grabbed my high school duffel bag and filled it with some things from my brother's room. Comic books, gameboy, pictures, anything that looked interesting. I tossed the bags I had near the front door. I fixed my mother a light snack and walked it to her bedroom. She was changed and in bed. I placed the food on her night stand and kissed her forehead. I quickly jogged out to my Grand Am. I really missed my car. I turned on the engine, threw the bags in the passenger seat and turned on the radio. I pulled out of the driveway to hear Will's voice over the radio. "Good afternoon Florida. This is Will and I have a bit of news for everyone. It seems as though pop star, Lindsay is back in Florida. She is supposed to have a show tonight, but an emergency has called her to Tampa Bay General Hospital. The emergency is not yet known, but there may have been an accident involving her younger brother, Nicholas. I personally know that family and my prayers go out to them..." Damn, news travels fast. My thoughts were interrupted with the sound of my ringing cell phone. I reached over into my bag and pressed 'talk'. "Hello?" I asked somewhat in a depressed tone.
"Linds? What's going on?"
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