My Everything

Hello, Everyone!

I'm back with another chapter of "My Everything."

Thanks for all of your support! Without it, I don't think I could have written this story for this long.

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.

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

and finally:

"What I feel for you" by Thack.

Now, I"ll let you get on with the story.

Enjoy.

Previously on "My Everything".....

The Detective opened up his notepad so that he could get ready to take notes. Then, he looked back up at Joe and asked the first question.

"Do you know of anyone who would have hated your daughter enough to want her dead?"

Joe thought about it for a moment. Nick was totally out of the question because he had been there when Jessica was attacked. Joe also knew that Jeff, Justin, and Drew would never hurt her. They all loved her.

Then, Joe thought about Kandi, who he'd had a fight with, earlier. He knew that she didn't like Jessica, so she could be a possible suspect, but he still didn't think that she was capable of murder.

"Well," Joe started. "Nick, her husband, is definitely not a suspect because he was with us the whole time when it happened." He said. "So is Nick's brother, Drew, and the rest of his bandmates. They all have alibis, I'm sure."

Then, Joe thought back to something that had happened not that long ago. All of a sudden, the pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together for him.

"I think I know exactly who is responsible for my daughter's attack." Joe Simpson said. "Alright, Detective, If you want a suspect, I'll give you the number one suspect in my book."

"Who would that be, Mr. Simpson?" Detective Adams asked, as he put his pen to his notepad and started to get ready to write.

Joe's face started turning red with fury.

"A man named Sean Perry." He said, in a dangerous tone of voice.

******************************************************* BACK AT SEAN'S APARTMENT............

DING DONG!

I woke up to the doorbell ringing, signaling the arrival of a visitor. I looked over at the clock and saw that it read 12:00a.m. Nick must have headed over.

I got up and stretched to wake myself up. Then, I quickly got up and headed towards the door to let Nick in. I'm sure he had to be going through hell right now.

When I opened the door, I wasn't greeted by Nick. Instead, it was Danny.

"Danny, hi." I said, tiredly. "Come on in."

Danny entered while I closed the door behind me. He turned and looked at me.

"Are you aware that Jessica was attacked tonight?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I am." I told him. "I saw it on the news about an hour and a half ago. How is Jessica?"

"Not good." He said. "Nick told us that she's in a coma and her chances of coming out of it are not good."

I opened my mouth, in shock when I heard that little bit of news. Things with Jessica were worse than I'd thought.

"So, you're saying that she could die?" I asked him, wondering what his answer would be. I saw Danny nod.

"It's very possible at this point." Danny told me. "If she doesn't wake up, in 48 hours, chances are she never will."

I shook my head and raised my hand to run it through my hair. When I did, I realized that it was my injured hand. I quickly lowered it, hoping that Danny had not seen it. But, I wasn't so lucky.

"Sean, what happened to your hand?" Danny asked, in shock.

"Oh no!" I thought to myself, as I looked up at him. "How am I going to talk my way out of this one?"

********** CHAPTER 88 **********

"Sean?" Danny asked again. "Come on, tell me. What did you do to your hand?"

I looked down at my hand and then back up at Danny. I knew I shouldn't do this, but I was going to lie to him. I was not ready to get into specifics about what had happened to my hand and why. I was going to have to get into where I'd been and I didn't want to talk about it.

"Danny, it was just a slight accident." I said. "It's nothing for you to be concerned about."

I saw Danny look at me, strangely. It was clear that he wasn't buying my excuse. I couldn't say that I blamed him. He did know me pretty well, considering our past friendship.

Danny stepped closer to me and grabbed my injured hand to get a better look at it. As I watched, he started un-wrapping my bandages. I made no move to resist it.

When, he'd finally unwrapped my hand, he could see the blood, seeping through the gauze. Then he lifted the gauze off and saw the long, nasty gash across the palm of my right hand.

"Oh my god, Sean!" Danny exclaimed. "This looks really bad! Slight accident, my ass! You may need to get stitches!"

Hearing him say that, I started to go into panic mode. "What was I going to do?" I couldn't go down to the hospital. "What if Nick and the guys were there?" I didn't want them to see me this way.

"Damn it, Danny!" I cursed, yanking my hand away from him. "It's no big deal! As long as I keep it bandaged, it will be fine!"

Danny looked at me, a frown on his face. It was clear that he was starting to get suspicious about something.

"Sean, you need to have your hand checked out." Danny pointed out. "If you don't, it could get infected. Do you really want that to happen?"

I took a moment to think it over. I knew that Danny was right. My wound looked worse than I thought. But I didn't want to go to the hospital, for obvious reasons. One being that when you went into the E.R. for anything, they have to fill out a medical report and I was not looking forward to telling the hospital what I'd gone through, that night.

"Well, what do you say, Sean?" Danny asked me. "Am I taking you to the hospital or not?"

******************************************************* BACK AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL.........

NICK'S ROOM......

"So, how's Nicole?" Nick asked Drew, as he entered the room. "Is she sleeping?"

Drew nodded, as he sat back down, next to Casey, on the spare bed in Nick's room.

"She's still asleep, Nick." Drew told him. "She was fussy earlier because of the storm. We all know how she's afraid of lightning and thunder."

"Right." Nick said, with a nod of his head. "I'm going to go in and check on her, in a minute. First, I need to talk to you and Casey about Jessica's condition."

From the tone of Nick's voice, and the expression on his face, Drew and Casey could tell that it was very serious. Nick looked like hell.

"What's going on, Bro?" Drew asked him, his worry starting to grow. "What's the prognosis?"

Nick sat down on his bed, across from Drew and Casey. He looked up at them, his eyes saying it all.

"It's not good." He said. "Jessica has slipped into a coma. And her chances of coming out of it are lousy."

Drew and Casey sat there, both of them frozen in shock. They could not believe that things were that serious with Jessica. That only gave them more questions.

"Oh my god, Nick!" Casey exclaimed, quietly. "What are the doctors doing for her?"

"Well, they're monitoring Jessica's condition very closely." Nick said, wiping at a tear that had started to fall down his face. "The next 48 hours are critical. If Jessica hasn't woken up by then, chances are she probably never will."

That made Drew and Casey both feel worse. They couldn't help but feel helpless. There was obviously nothing that they could do to help Jessica wake up from her coma. But there was something else that they could do for her.

"Nick, before you got here, I was thinking of going down to the hospital to see if there is anything I can do for your wife." Casey said. "I was just getting ready to head down there when you called about 10 minutes ago. I thought that maybe I could help in some way, given that I am a doctor, myself."

Nick gave Casey a look of gratitude. He was very touched that Casey wanted to help, but he wasn't sure what Casey could do for Jessica.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Casey." Nick said, quietly. "And I'm very grateful to you for wanting to help, but truth be told, I don't think that there is anything you can do. Not unless you can make Jessica wake up from her coma."

Casey shook his head, sadly.

"I'm sorry, Nick." He said. "Not even I could gaurantee that. We'll just have to pray and hope for the best."

"He's right, Bro." Drew agreed. "We just have to pray that Jessica will come out of this. There's nothing else we can do. Is there?"

"As a matter of fact, there is." Nick said to him. "Joe and I are going to hold a press conference in the morning."

Drew frowned in confusion.

"What for?" He asked. "What's that going to accomplish?"

"We're going to get the public involved." Nick explained. "Jessica has alot of loyal, caring, fans out there. If we inform the public that Jessica is in a coma and we ask them all to pray for her recovery, then that could make all the difference in Jessica's recovery."

Drew and Casey looked at each other and thought that Nick had a very good plan. But the question is: Would it work?"

"I think that you may have something there, Nick." Casey said. "It sounds like a good plan. What can we do to help?"

Nick thought about how they could help, but he couldn't think of anything else at that moment. Right now, he was too worried about Jessica and their daughter, to really think of anything.

"I'll let you know when I come up with something." Nick said, rubbing his eyes. "Right now, I'm so exhausted, I can't even think about anything else but Jessica and my sweet little girl."

"That's understandable, Nick." Drew replied. "You've been through the ringer, tonight."

Nick couldn't sit there anymore. He had to be near his little girl right now. He had to be with her, in case the worst happened to Jessica. Then, he remembered that his parents had asked him if he could tell Drew that they wanted to see him, tonight.

"I have to go and be with my little girl." Nick said. "I'll watch her while you go down to the hospital, Drew. Mom and Dad are there and they want to see you."

When Drew heard that, he stood up.

"Mom and Dad are here in town?" He asked. "Why didn't you tell me, sooner?"

I never got a chance to." Nick said, tiredly. "There was just so much going on that I just forgot."

"It's ok, Nick." Drew said. The important thing is that I know now."

Drew stood up, intent on going down to the hospital to visit his parents. He hadn't seen them since he'd left town. Now that he was back, he wanted to let them know that he was alright.

"I'm going to go down to the hospital with Casey to see my parents now and to give Jessica's parents my support." Drew said, as he started to walk towards the door.

"Before you do," Nick said to him. "I'd like to talk to you for a minute. Alone."

Drew frowned and looked at Casey. Casey sensed that this could be a very important moment for Drew and Nick and he decided to give them this opportunity to talk with each other. Maybe they would be able to get things out in the open and deal with their issues.

"I'll go downstairs and wait for you in the lobby, Drew." Casey said. "When you and your brother are done here, meet me downstairs and we'll go to the car, together."

"Thanks, Casey." Drew said, as Casey walked towards him. Then put his arms around Drew's waist and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

"I can't wait until we get down to the car." Casey said with a grin on his face. "Then, you and I can steam up the windows."

Hearing that, Drew's grin matched Casey's at that moment.

"In that case, you'd better get down there and get the car ready." Drew said. "I'll meet you down in a minute."

"Ok." Casey said, releasing Drew. "I'll see you downstairs."

Casey then said goodbye to Nick and left the room, leaving him alone with Drew to talk things out.

When Casey had left, Drew turned back to Nick, wondering what he wanted to talk to him about.

"Ok, Nick, We're alone now." Drew said. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Alot of things." Nick said, tiredly, then gestured towards the other bed. " Please, sit down."

Seeing the serious look on his brother's face, Drew knew that whatever Nick had to talk about was not going to be easy for him. So, he sat down on the other bed and waited for Nick to decide where he wanted to start in their conversation.

Nick looked up at Drew, through tired eyes, as he started to speak.

"First of all, I want to talk about what happened earlier today when you found me, outside, this room, crying."

"You don't have to, Nick." Drew told him. "I already know about the divorce. Jessica told me everything."

"She did?" Nick asked, a little shocked by that. "When?"

"Later this morning, after our fight in the hall, earlier." Drew pointed out. "She was devastated, Nick. I don't think I've ever seen her like that before."

Nick nodded, as he stood up and started walking around the room, a bit. He stopped at a dresser and leaned over it, looking at his and Drew's reflections in the mirror.

"Did she also happen to mention to you that when I told her that I wanted a divorce, that she threatened to out me to the whole world if I did?"

Now, Drew was not prepared for that one. When Nick revealed the awful truth to him, he was stunned.

"She did what??!!" Drew asked, completely blown away by that insult. "Nick, I can't believe that Jessica could do something so cruel and hurtful like that."

"Wait, there's more." Nick said. "She also said that if I were to get back together with Sean again that she would file for full custody of our daughter and make sure that I never got to see my daughter while Sean was in my life."

If Drew wasn't as stunned before, he certainly was alot more stunned now. That had to have been one of the lowest things that Jessica could have done to Nick.

"Nick, I'm so sorry to hear that." Drew said, symapthetically. "I had no idea that Jessica could stoop so low."

"Don't worry about it, anymore." Nick said to Drew. "It's no longer an issue."

"Why?" Drew frowned, now confused.

Nick turned around and looked back at Drew, ready to tell him what had happened earlier.

"When I came back to the hotel, Jessica apologized to me and said that she didn't really mean all of those awful things that she said. Nick explained to him.

"Do you believe she was sincere?" Drew asked him. Nick nodded.

"Yes, I believe she was." He said. "I have to believe that all Jessica really wants is what's best for our daughter. She had to realize that a messy custody case was not the answer. Nicole wouldn't benefit from that."

"No, she certainly wouldn't." Drew said, softly. "That little angel has been through enough, already."

Nick nodded, agreeing with Drew there. Then, he thought of another issue that needed to be addressed.

"While, we're talking about apologies," Nick said to Drew. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for the way I treated you, this morning."

Drew felt his heart burst with joy at that moment when he heard Nick apologize to him. But, at the same time, he didn't want to get his hopes up too high. Just because Nick apologized to him, didn't mean that things between them were magically resolved.

"It's ok, Nick." Drew said. "Don't worry about it."

"No, it's not ok." Nick said. "My anger was directed at Jessica, not at you. I shouldn't have been that harsh with you. You were only trying to help."

"Nick, I understand why you're angry with me." Drew said. "And, because of what I did, breaking up your marriage to Sean, I have alot to make up for. With both of you."

Tears were starting to well up in Drew's eyes at that moment. Nick could see just how much remorse Drew actually felt for what he'd done. Nick walked back over to his bed and sat back down.

"Yes, you do." Nick agreed, his face all serious. "But you have to understand that I can't just forgive and forget what you did, like it never happened. Your deception caused alot of people alot of pain, including yourself."

As Drew listened to Nick, his tears were starting to run down his face at that moment, as his emotions gave way.

Nick continued.

"I trusted you, more that anyone else in this world, Drew." Nick said, his voice surprisingly calm. "And once you betray that kind of trust, it is very hard to get it back."

Drew hung his head, looking down at the floor, as he nodded. He sniffed, as his crying started to escalate.

"I know that, Nick." He said. "While, I was on the road, thinking about what I'd done, I thought to myself: "How could I do such a thing? and the most important question was: "Why?"

Drew looked up at Nick, with a very intense look in his eyes.

"And I've finally come up with the answer." He said.

Now Drew had Nick's attention. Drew finally was able to answer the question that Nick had wanted to know for a long time.

"If you have the answer, I'd really like to hear it, Drew." Nick said to him. "I've asked myself that question a million times. Why? Why would my little brother do something so incredibly deceitful to his own brother? and to a man who once considered you a great friend, and brother in law?"

Drew started to choke up, not just because of the pain and the guilt that he felt over his deception, but because he was finally going to look his brother in the eyes and face the truth. He was going to give Nick the truth, once and for all.

Drew stood up and looked down at Nick, throught tear-filled eyes.

"I just hope that you can understand why I did what I did, because I sure as hell understand why." Drew said. "It's because I was too weak. I never really dealt with my depression after Sean chose you over me all those years ago before you got married. Seeing how happy you were with Sean and how happy everyone else was around me, just made me even more lonely. All I wanted was for somebody to love me. And I was so desperate to cling onto what I thought was love with Sean, that I lost sight of what was really important."

"What was that?" Nick asked, his expression intense, as he listened to Drew.

Drew gestured towards Nick with his hands. That said it all.

"You." Drew said. "I didn't stop to realize that I WAS loved. I was loved by everyone. You, Sean, Jeff, Justin, Kandi, and Danny. They all loved me. That should have been enough for me. I didn't realize any of this until I saw Casey again, when I was in New York City. Casey and I were both at our lowest points when we came face to face. We consoled each other and he shared his pain with me, and I shared mine with him. Then, we both realized that maybe it was fate that had brought us together. I knew at that moment that it was possible to find love again. My life had a purpose again. I finally knew that I could head back home and try to make things right with my family again."

When Drew came to that part of his story, he sat back down again. But he still wasn't finished.

"I just want you to know, Nick." Drew said to him. "That my feelings for Sean are resolved now. I have a man who loves me now and I'm happier now than I've ever been. But, I'll be at my happiest again when you finally are able to find it in your heart to forgive me for all of the pain that I caused you."

Drew's words were starting to sink in for Nick. He was finally beginning to understand what Drew had gone through.

"I love you, Nick." Drew said, as he wiped his tear-streaked face. "I would give my life for yours. You know that. And I would cut off my arm if it would help take away any of the pain that I caused you."

Nick sighed heavily, as he listened to Drew beg for his forgiveness. As much as he would have loved nothing better than to embrace Drew and say that he was forgiven, it just wasn't that simple. The wounds were still too fresh. After all, Drew hadn't been gone that long.

"I have no doubt that you mean all of those things, Drew." Nick said, tiredly. "And as much as I would like to tell you that I forgive you, I can't. It's not that simple for me."

Unfortunately, that wasn't the answer that Drew was hoping to hear. But, Nick still wasn't finished yet.

"If I'm going to forgive you, I have to have more time." Nick said. "You have to prove yourself to me, so that there is no doubt in my mind that you have changed. Once that has happened, you will gain back my forgiveness and trust. But we have to do it, slowly. It can't be rushed."

Drew felt like he was going to burst with joy at that moment. From what Nick was saying, it sounded like he wanted to work on repairing their relationship as brothers. But, did he for sure?"

"What are you saying, Nick?" Drew asked him, his voice full of hope. "Are you saying that you want to work things out with me?"

Nick was silent, as he let himself think it over. Then, he looked back up at Drew.

"I don't see any reason why we shouldn't." Nick said. "And right now would be the perfect time for you to start proving yourself. With Jessica in the hospital and unable to care for Nicole, I'm really going to need your help and your support throughout this whole ordeal."

Drew breathed a sigh of relief. He was instantly filled with joy. He and Nick were finally going to start making some progress in repairing their relationship. With time, hopefully, they would get back their brotherly bond that they had once shared and become loving brothers again.

"Thank you, Nick." Drew said, as he moved in and embraced his big brother. "Thank you so much."

Nick was a bit caught off guard by Drew's embrace, but he made no move to stop it. For a moment, Nick seemed to wrestle with his thoughts on whether or not, he should return his brother's embrace. After all, the wounds were still fresh where Drew's betrayal was concerned. But he also realized how much he had missed his little brother while he was gone. In the end, Nick's love for his brother won out, and he slowly wrapped his arms around Drew and returned the hug.

Drew, I want you to know something." Nick said, as he continued to hug Drew. "And it's really important for you to know this."

"What is it?" Drew asked, not letting go of Nick.

What Nick was going to tell Drew would no doubt make Drew feel even better.

"Despite what you did to me and Sean when you ruined our marriage," Nick said, as a tear ran down his face. "I want you to know that I still love you."

Drew gasped when he heard Nick admit that. In response, he hugged Nick even tighter.

******************************************************* MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE HOSPITAL, IN THE WAITING ROOM.....

"I cannot believe that I let you talk me into this." I said to Danny as he and I entered the waiting room area.

"It's because you know that I'm right." Danny said. "You need to have your hand looked at by a doctor."

"Maybe so." I said, as I sat down in a chair. "But did it have to be tonight?"

"Yes it did." Danny said, as he sat down next to me. "Or it would have gotten infected. If it hasn't already."

I sighed in frustration as I looked around the waiting room. I hated hospitals. They were so depressing and they smelled awful all the time. I have yet to be in one hospital that doesn't smell like death.

At that moment, I wondered something.

"Danny?" I asked him. "Is Jessica in this hospital?"

I saw Danny look at me. Then he nodded. Just seeing that was enough for me.

"That's it." I said, standing up. "I'm out of here."

I started quickily walking away, but I didn't get far. I felt Danny grab me by my upper arm and pull me towards him.

"No, you're not!" Danny said, sternly. "And don't even think about trying to put up a fight! You are going to stay here and get your hand checked out, even if that means I wrestle you down and tie you to a damn chair!"

When I looked at him and heard the seriousness in his tone, I knew that he meant business. I didn't stand a chance against him if I chose to call his bluff. If Danny wanted to wrestle me down, he could do it. He was one of the best wrestlers of the high school wrestling team, back when we were still in school. And I was sure that he still knew all of those moves.

Finally, I rolled my eyes and sighed, heavily, in defeat.

"Alright, fine, you win." I said to him. "But, can't we please just do this somewhere else? I don't want to be in the same hospital that Jessica is."

Danny crossed his arms over his chest and squinted at me a little bit. Just seeing that look in his eyes made me nervous.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" I asked him, nervously.

"I'm just trying to figure you out." Danny said. "You've been acting really strange since I arrived at your house, earlier. You won't tell me what happened to you or how you got this awful gash on your hand. And whenever Jessica's name is brought up, you get really agitated for some reason. Why is that?"

I could feel my heart beating a mile a minute. I thought I was going to faint. Danny was starting to get even more suspicious. If he kept at it, I was not going to hold out much longer. I was probably going to have to give him the truth, anyway.

"We'd like to know the answer to that, ourselves." I heard a voice ring out.

Danny and I turned in the direction the voice had come from and we both came face to face with Joe Simpson, Jeff, Justin, and a man who looked like a detective of some kind.

I turned away at that moment, as I silently cursed to myself over this situation. I didn't not need this right now. I was only here to do one thing and that was to get medical attention. Not to be going another round with Jessica's father.

******************************************************* BACK AT THE HOTEL, IN NICK'S ROOM......

"You'd better go." Nick said, as he released Drew from their embrace. "Casey's waiting for you, in the car, downstairs."

Drew pulled back and wiped the rest of his tears off of his face. But, he was smiling now. He had finally made progess with Nick. Nick was willing to bury the hatchet with him for now.

"I know." He said. "I've kept him waiting long enough."

Drew got up and started for the door, but then he turned back to Nick.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Drew asked him. "I'm sure Kandi wouldn't mind watching Nicole until you get back."

Nick shook his head.

"No, Drew, that's ok." He said. "I'm exhausted, and Kandi needs to get her rest as well. You go ahead, though. But, call me if there is any change in Jessica's condition."

"I will." Drew said, "I'll see you later, Nick."

Drew walked over to the door. Before he could open it, He heard Nick's voice again.

"Drew?"

Drew turned around with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah?" Drew asked, wondering what Nick wanted. He saw Nick looking at him, intensely.

"I know it means alot of you that I'm willing to try and give you another chance to make up for the pain that you caused me." Nick stated.

"Yes, Nick, it does." Drew said. "And I'm grateful to you. More than you'll ever know."

Nick nodded.

"Don't make me regret it." He said, the seriousness very obvious in his face. Drew knew that he meant business.

"I won't, Nick." Drew said, sincerely. "I promise."

Ok. Nick said. "Go."

Drew nodded.

"I'll call you later." He said, as he opened the door and stepped out of the room. Then the door closed behind him.

Nick slowly stood up and started walking into the living room area of the hotel to check on Nicole.

He entered the room and walked over to where Nicole was sleeping. He gazed in at her as he watched her sleep. She was absolutely adorable when she was asleep.

"Oh, baby." Nick whispered, his voice barely audible. "You've already been through so much. What's going to become of you and me if....."

Here, Nick choked up, as he attempted to finish what he was going to say.

...If your mother dies?" Nick finished as a sob escaped his lips.

******************************************************* BACK AT THE HOSPITAL..................

I quickly stuck my injured hand in my pocket before anyone else noticed it. And I must have succeeded because no one asked me about it.

"Oh, this is just great." I said, to myself. "This is just what I don't need right now."

I saw Joe look over at the detective at that moment. When I saw that, I did too. The Detective was eyeing me in a very uncomfortable way. I didn't like it at all.

"Detective, this is the man that I was telling you about, earlier." Joe said to the man.

When I heard that, I frowned, in confusion. "Why would Joe be talking to the Detective about me?" Unless.....

I saw the Detective start walking towards me. When he was in front of me, he extended out his hand.

"I'm Detective Adams." He said. "I take you you are Mr. Sean Perry?"

I looked down at his hand and then back up at him, as I refused to shake his hand. I couldn't. Otherwise, I would have to reveal my wounded hand.

"Yes I am, Detective." I said to him. "What can I do for you?"

The Detective looked at me, suspiciously as he withdrew his hand, seeing that he was not going to get a handshake from me.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to ask you a few questions." He said, as he pulled out his notepad and pen.

"Fine." I said to him. "Ask away."

Detective Adams looked at me and prepared to ask me his first question.

"What is your relationship to Ms. Simpson?" He asked me, as he watched me carefully.

"We have no relationship." I told him. "She's married to Nick Lachey."

"That's not the answer I'm looking for." He said. "So, I'll rephrase that: "Are the two of you close at all?"

I knew that question was coming. There was no way that I could lie my way out of this one.

"No, we're not, Detective." I said, as I rolled my eyes. "Jessica Simpson and I will never be friends."

I brought my left hand up to my face as I bowed my head down and rubbed my face, in exhaustion.

"Why is that?" Detective Adams asked me. "Is it because of your relationship with her husband?"

That did it. My head whipped upwards in shock as I looked at the Detective, stunned that he had brought up that question.

"Where the hell did that come from, Detective?" I asked him, as I started to get upset.

"From me." I heard Joe Simpson say. I looked over at him and saw the look on his face. There was no doubt in my mind that he was out for blood. And from the looks of it, it was mine!"

I shook my head at him, in disgust. I should have known that he would badmouth me to the Detective. I turned back to Detective Adams and proceeded to answer his question.

"Nick Lachey and I are friends." I replied to Detective Adams. "I've known him for almost 3 years now."

"I see." Detective Adams said. "And, are you aware that Miss. Simpson is here in the hospital in acoma?"

Before, I could answer him, a nurse walked into the waiting area.

"Sean Perry?" I heard her ask.

"Yes?" I asked her, wondering what she wanted.

"The Doctor can see you now." She said. "Come with me."

"I'm coming." I said, then looked back up at the Detective. "I'm sorry, Detective, but I have to go."

I could see that Detective Adams was not pleased about that. Now, I was hoping that this would get rid of him. But somehow, I knew that it wasn't possible.

"What do you need to see a Doctor for?" He asked me.

"That's really personal, Detective." I said to him. "Now, If you'll excuse me, I have to go."

As I started to walk by him, I felt him throw his arm in front of me, stopping me.

"Not so fast, Mr. Perry." I heard him say. "First do me a favor and remove your right hand from your pocket."

"Excuse me?" I asked him, not sure I'd wanted to hear him.

"You heard me." He said. "Remove your right hand from your pocket so that I can see it."

Busted! I knew at that moment that there was no way out of this one. I was going to have to reveal the truth, whether I wanted to or not.

I looked over at Danny for help. When I did, I could see that I wasn't going to get any help from Danny. He was not about to lie and cover for me.

"Just do it, Sean." He said. "Everyone else is going to find out, soon enough, anyway."

I sighed and turned back around to face the Detective. As I did, I slowly pulled my bandaged hand out of my pocket and looked down at it.

"My God, Sean!" Jeff gasped. "What happened to you?"

At that moment, I panicked. There was no way I was going to stand around for anymore of this. I was going to go with that nurse and get my hand checked out.

"Not now, Jeff." I said. "I'll explain later."

With those last words, I quickly walked past them and went with the nurse towards the examination room, leaving everyone else behind me, with more questions.

******************************************************* MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE HOTEL, IN NICK'S ROOM.....

Nick was lying on the couch, asleep, next to his daughter's crib. He was reliving the events that had happened back at the auditorium ealier that evening.

<<NICK'S DREAM>>

"JESSICA, LOOK OUT!" Nick heard himself scream, as he saw the chandelier falling towards Jessica's head.

He remembered seeing the look of confusion on her face as she looked over at him. Then he saw her look up and saw the chandelier come down on her.

Nick remembered seeing her fall. Then he saw the vision of her covered in glass. He saw her blood everwhere.

"DON'T YOU DIE ON ME, JESSICA, DO YOU HEAR ME?!" He sobbed,into her ear. "DON'T YOU DARE DIE!"

<<END OF NICK'S DREAM>>

Nick awoke with a start, jerking upright into a sitting position, on the couch, as the remnants of the dream faded. He saw that he was in the hotel living room.

His breathing was coming out in quick gasps, his skin was clammy and cold, and he had tears running down his face. He had obviously been crying in his sleep and he also had woken up in a cold sweat.

Just then, Nicole started crying. Nick wiped away his tears, got up, and looked inside the crib to see Nicole looking up at him, tears falling down her face. Nick reached in and carefully picked her up out of the crib.

"Come here, my sweetheart." Nick cooed as he held her close. "It's ok now. Daddy's here."

Nicole still wouldn't stop crying. That made Nick wonder if maybe she needed a diaper change. Nick smelled her to see if she had pooped in her diaper. She didn't smell like it, but he figured that he'd check anyway to make sure.

Nick walked back into the bedroom and laid Nicole down on his bed. He started opening her diaper to inspect it. He pulled the tabs apart, opened up her diaper and looked inside it.

Sure enough, she needed to be changed, for she had urinated in her diaper.

"Looks like my little cutie needs to be changed." He said, smiling down at her. She was falling asleep again. But that was ok with Nick. It made it easier for him to change her diaper without her making a fuss, which toddlers sometimes did when they had to be changed.

Nick grabbed her diaper bag from the bedside table and laid it down next to him. He opened it up and took out a clean diaper and some baby wipes. Then, he pulled her dirty diaper off of her and set it aside to be thrown away. Then, with the baby wipes, he cleaned her up a bit, before putting the clean diaper on her.

Once that was done, he grabbed another baby wipe out of the dispenser and wiped his hands with it. After he was finished, he threw the dirty wipes inside the diaper and rolled it up. Then, he got up and threw it into the trash can nearby.

He turned back around and walked back over to the bed to where Nicole was laying. He leaned down and carefully picked her up again. He cradled her in his arms and walked over to a recliner chair that was nearby.

He sat down it in and raised the footrest so that he could lay back into the chair and put his feet up, too. He held his little girl in his arms, as he watched her sleep.

"This time you get to sleep in your Daddy's arms, my little one." Nick said, quietly, as he kissed her little cheek. "Goodnight, precious."

As Nick lay there, with the baby in his arms, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on at the hospital right now.

As Nick started to drift off, there was a soft knock on the adjoining door to his room. As he looked in the direction of the door, it opened and he saw Kandi stick her head in.

"Hi." He said, softly. "Why aren't you in bed?"

Kandi entered the room, in her night gown and saw that the baby was sleeping in Nick's arms. She quietly snicked the door shut behind her.

"I couldn't sleep." She said, tiredly. "I have too much on my mind right now."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Nick said, nodding. "I just had a nightmare about what happened tonight a few minutes ago."

Now, Kandi was concerned. She walked over and sat down at the end of the spare bed, across from Nick.

"Was it about what happened to Jessica, tonight?" She asked. Nick nodded.

"Yes, it was." He said. "I will never forget that moment as long as I live. It was so hard for me to see my wife like that. All covered in glass, her blood everywhere..."

Kandi could see that Nick was visibly upset by having to relive that whole experience. Who could blame him? Anyone would be shaken up seeing someone that they cared about hurt like that.

"Shh," Kandi soothed, as she rested a hand on Nick's thigh and patted it, sympathetically. "Honey, don't think about that right now. It's doesn't do you any good to get worked up like this."

Nick looked up at her, as he started to break down again.

"I can't help it, Kandi." He said, as he looked down at his little girl. "My wife is in critical condition and my little girl, here, is left with only one parent to take care of her, right now."

"Nick, Honey." Kandi said, trying to calm him down. "You have to stay strong. Jessica needs you to do that. So does your daughter. Don't give up hope."

Nick looked doww at Nicole and saw that she was sleeping peacefully, now that she had been changed.

"Excuse me, Kandi, while I go and put her back to bed." Nick said.

He pushed down the foot recliner and started to stand up. Kandi did as well.

"Why don't you let me do that for you, Nick?" Kandi offered. "It'll give you a chance to compose yourself, and then we can talk."

"That's a good idea." Nick agreed. "Here, take her."

Nick carefully handed Nicole over to Kandi, and Kandi cradled her in her arms.

"I'll be right back." Kandi whispered. "Why don't you go ahead and turn on the baby monitor so we can hear her in case she wakes up again."

"Sure." Nick said, as Kandi walked away and headed into the living room to put the baby down.

Nick walked over to the bedside table and clicked on the monitor so that he could hear the baby in case she woke up again. As he did, he could hear Kandi moving around in there.

Nick sat back down in the chair and put the foot rest up again. He took a moment to relax while he waited for Kandi to come out of the living room.

Finally, Kandi emerged from the family room and came back to sit on the bed again.

"Listen, Nick," She began saying. "if you'd like to go back down to the hospital and spend some time with Jessica, go ahead. I can keep an eye on Nicole for you."

Nick looked at Kandi through his tired eyes and gave her a look of gratitude. He was very grateful to her for her support, even though he knew that she and Jessica hadn't been on good terms lately.

"Thanks, Kandi." He said, as he attempted a smile. "But, that's really not necessary. I sent Drew to the hospital with Casey. If there's any change in Jessica's condition, Drew said that he'd call me."

"Ok, hon." Kandi said, tiredly. "So, what shall we talk about?"

Nick remembered his conversation with Drew earlier. He decided that he would tell Kandi about the progess he made with Drew, on mending ther relationship. He had no doubt the she'd be overjoyed about it.

"Well, despite all the bad news that's happened today, I do have some good news to share with you." Nick said, with a tired smile. "You'll no doubt be very happy about it."

Now, Kandi was intrigued. She was definitely looking forward to hearing good news for a change.

"I'm all ears, Nick." She said "It'll be great to hear some good news for a change. So, go ahead. Tell me."

Nick looked up at her and smiled.

"Drew and I had a long talk, earlier, when you and I got back from the hospital." He said. "I apologized to him about how I'd treated him earlier yesterday morning. We talked things through and came to a decision."

Kandi was no doubt happy to hear that part, but when Nick stopped there, she could see that he was still grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense." Kandi said. "Tell me. Does it have to do with the two of you? Are you and Drew going to try to mend fences with each other?"

******************************************************* BACK AT THE HOSPITAL.........

"Well, Detective?" Joe Simpson asked after Sean had run off. "Do you think he's hiding something?"

Detective Adams turned back to Joe and nodded.

"You bet I do." He said. "The way he just tore out of here just now is very suspicious to me. He wouldn't even explain how he injured his hand to us."

Detective Adams then looked over at Danny.

"Mr. Matheson, do you have any idea how Mr. Perry injured his hand?" He asked him. Danny shook his head.

"No, Detective, I don't." He said. "I asked him about it multiple times, but he refused to get into it with me."

Just then, Detective Adam's cellular phone started ringing. He picked it up and answered it.

"Detective Adams, speaking." He said, into the phone. "Oh, Hi Max, what's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know that we got back the results of the test that we ran on the blood droplets we found, in the maintenance area of the auditorium." Max told Detective Adams.

"Yeah?" The Detective asked. "And what did the results show?"

"After we ran the tests on the blood, we've determined that the blood type is B positive. So, you have to have a suspect with the same blood type as this to figure out who's blood it is."

"Alright, Max." Detective Adams said. "I'll take it from here. Thanks."

Detective Adams hung up the phone and turned back to Joe, Danny, Jeff, and Justin, who were wondering what that phone call was all about.

"Detective, what's going on?" Jeff asked him, as he walked over to stand beside Danny. "What was that phone call about?"

Detective Adams returned his mobile phone to his belt clip and looked back up at Jeff.

"That was one of my forensics guys." He said. "They found droplets of blood that had been left at the scene of the crime when the attacker had fled. They sent it down to the lab to test it and find out what type of blood it was."

Now, everyone was wondering the same thing. "Who's blood was it?" If they could find that out, then they'd know who had tried to kill Jessica.

"And?" Joe Simpson asked, pushing for more info.

"The blood type for the blood that was tested, is B positive." He said. "Do any of you, standing here, have the same blood type?"

Joe, Justin, Jeff and Danny all looked amongst each other and then shook their heads no.

"No, mine is type O." Danny said to him, revealing his blood type.

Detective Adams then looked over at Jeff.

"What about you, Mr. Timmons?" He asked. "What's your blood type?"

"Mine is type B negative." Jeff told him.

"And you?" Detective Adams asked Justin.

"Mine is type A." Justin replied.

The Detective wrote down everyone's blood types next to their names and then started flipping through his notes.

"Just so you all know, I'm only asking this so that I have it on record." He said. "Mr. Timmons has an alibi for last night. He has said that he and Mr. Matheson were having dinner at the hotel restaurant during the time that Jessica was performing. And Mr. Jeffre had said the same. He and Ms. Kane were having dinner together as well, so none of you are considered suspects in this investigation."

The guys and Joe all looked at each other in relief. They were glad that they didn't have to worry about being suspects. But they were starting to wonder about Sean. Why was he acting the way that he was?

"Then, that just leaves Mr. Perry." Detective Adams said. "I'll have to talk to him and find out where he was on the night in question."

Jeff, Justin, and Danny were listening to the Detective thinking out loud, and they weren't liking what they were hearing.

"What are you saying, Detective Adams?" Danny asked him. "Are you suspecting that Sean may have done this to Jessica?"

Before Detective Adams could answer him, Drew and Casey had arrived at the hospital and were heading in their direction.

"Guys, we're here!" Drew called out to them.

Detective Adams, Joe Simpson, and the rest of the guys turned around and saw Drew and Casey heading towards them.

"Hey, Drew, Casey." Danny greeted them. "It's a good thing that you're here."

Drew frowned as he looked around at everyone. He could see the serious looks on everyone's faces.

"What's going on?" Drew said, frowning. "Why do I get the feeling that Casey and I just interrupted something, here?"

"Because you're right, Drew." Justin said to him, as he put a hand on Drew's shoulder. "We were just asking Detective Adams if he's considering Sean as a suspect in the attack on Jessica, last night."

Drew and Casey were both floored by that revelation from Justin. Drew looked at the Detective, ready to come to Sean's defense.

"Is that true, Detective Adams?" Drew asked him. "Do you really think that Sean is capable of murder?"

The Detective looked at Drew, with his emotionless Detective look.

"Anything is possible, Mr. Lachey." Detective Adams said to him. "And judging by the way Mr. Perry was acting, earlier, when we tried to question him here about his hand injury, I have no doubt that....."

Detective Adams didn't get any further before Drew interrupted him. He had no idea about Sean's injury.

"Whoa! Wait a minute, back up!" Drew asked in shock. "What hand injury?"

"Sean somehow hurt his hand tonight, Drew." Danny supplied for him. "I saw him, earlier, at his apartment when I left the hospital, earlier. He has a nasty long gash across the palm of his right hand. It looked bad enough that he may need stitches."

"Did you ask Sean what happened?" Casey asked, concerned for Sean."

"Yes, I did." Danny said to him. "But, he refuses to talk about it with me. That isn't like him at all."

"Which only goes to prove that he's hiding something." Detective Adams said. "And I'm not going anywhere until I finish questioning him about his whereabouts earlier tonight."

Drew looked around at that moment, wondering where his parents were. He turned to Joe.

"Joe, where are my parents?" He asked them. "Nick said that they wanted to see me?"

"They're with Tina, in Jessica's room." Joe replied. "Why don't you go in and see them. They've been waiting for you. Jessica is in the ICU, room 120."

"Thanks, Joe." Drew said. "I just wanted to say how sorry I am about what happened to Jessica tonight."

"Thank you, Drew." Joe said. "I appreciate you saying that."

"Is there anything that I can do for you or Tina?" He asked him.

"Say a prayer for my daughter." Joe said. "Right now, that's about all we can do at the moment."

Drew nodded.

"Consider it done." He said. "I'll go and see my parents first, and then I'll head down to the hospital chapel."

Joe didn't say anything, but he nodded. Drew turned back to Casey.

"Come on, Casey, let's go." He said to Casey, and started walking away to find Jessica's room. Casey followed him.

Joe, meanwhile, was starting to believe that Sean had something to do with what happened to his daughter, tonight. He was standing there, his hands balled into fists, as his anger started to escalate.

"So help me, If I find out that Sean Perry had anything to do with what happened to my little girl, tonight," He fumed. "I'll make him wish that he'd never been born!"

******************************************************* BACK AT THE BEST WESTERN HOTEL...........

"Yes, Kandi." Nick said, giving Kandi her answer. "Drew and I are going to try to rebuild our relationship." He said. "But, it's going to take time. It too early yet to forgive Drew."

Kandi was overjoyed to hear that news. She rose off of the bed and eveloped Nick into a hug.

"Sweetie, that's the best news I've heard all day." Kandi gushed as she hugged him tightly. "I am so happy for you and Drew. I knew that you'd come around, eventually. I told Drew that if he was patient just a little while longer, then your anger would subside."

Kandi let go of Nick to see him, looking at her with a surprised expression on his face.

"You really told him that?" Nick said. "I'm very surprised by that. "Other than me, you were the only other person who can't forgive easily!"

"I know." Kandi said, with a nod of her head. "But when I saw him arrive on Sean's doorstep on Christmas Day, I immediately noticed something different about him. It was like he had gone through something during his time away, that changed him."

"He did." Nick said to her. "He grew up. He fell in love. And for the first time, ever, it was the real thing for him. Not like what he thought was love when he was with Sean."

"And, how do you feel about that?" Kandi asked him. "About Drew being in love with Casey, I mean?"

"I'm very happy for him." Nick said, smiling. "I think I finally understand now what it must have been like for Drew to see everyone else happy with someone, while he was left with nobody. And that could have been part of the reason he did what he did, destroying my marriage to Sean."

Kandi thought about what Nick had said for a moment and realized how much sense it made now. Now even she started to understand Drew a little better.

"So, in other words, "She said, as the pieces started coming together for her. "Drew was probably reacting more out of loneliness, than out of what he thought was love where Sean was concerned."

"Exactly." Nick said. "Drew was so desperate to find love, that he misinterpreted his loneliness for something else."

Kandi thought about that and realized that what Nick said made alot of sense. She looked back up at Nick.

"Do you think that it will be easier for you to forgive him now, knowing what you do?"

Nick wasn't sure how to answer that at first. Instead, he shrugged.

"I don't know." Nick said, unsure of himself. "Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see how things play out. But, I do know this much. There's no point in trashing Drew anymore. I've already seen just how much remorse he feels for what he did."

Kandi nodded. Then she thought about something and when she realized what it was, she started to laugh. Nick looked at her and frowned.

"What's so funny?" He asked her, as his smile started to turn into a huge grin, just from seeing her laugh.

"You know, it's ironic." Kandi said. "Just about a half hour ago, you were telling your parents how you weren't ready to resolve your issues with Drew and how you two probably never would become loving brothers again."

Nick nodded, remembering that confrontation.

"I know." he said. "And I meant everything I said, at the time."

Kandi shrugged.

"What made you change your mind?" She asked, curiously.

Nick shrugged.

"After what happened to my wife, tonight, I realized that life is too short to hold on to a grudge." Nick told her. "I thought about what it would have been like if it had been Drew who had been injured tonight, instead of Jessica. Once that thought entered my mind, I knew that I had to meet Drew, halfway, in getting our relationship back on track."

Kandi smiled. Then she got up and embraced Nick again.

"Just the same. I'm very happy for you." She said. "Once you and Drew get your trust and your friendship back, your brotherly bond will be stronger than ever. I know it."

Nick smiled, as he returned Kandi's embrace.

"I'm hoping for that, too." He said. "I just hope that Drew doesn't make me regret my decision to bury the hatchet with him."

******************************************************* BACK AT THE HOSPITAL..........

Tina was still sitting at the edge of Jessica's bed, holding her hand and talking to her, softly. Cate and John were standing behind her. Both of them felt sorrry for Tina. No parent should have to see their child going through what Jessica was.

"Baby, please wake up." Tina begged her. "Your husband needs you. Your daughter needs you too. Now, more than ever. You can't give up, now. You have to keep fighting."

It was no use. Jessica still wasn't responding to Tina. Tina kissed her hand and reached over to stroke Jessica's cheek a little.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. As Tina, Cate, and John looked in it's direction, the door opened and Drew poked his head in. Casey was right behind him.

Cate and John's eyes widened when they saw their baby son, standing in the doorway.

"Hey, can we come in?" He asked, looking around the room. Then, his eyes fell on his parents. He smiled at them. "Hi, Mom, Dad." He said. "Nick said that you wanted to see me?"

When the shock wore off, Cate rushed over to her son and threw her arms around him, as tears came to her eyes.

"Thank God." She said, joyfully. "My baby is back! Your father and I have missed you so much!"

Drew returned his mother's hug, as Casey looked on. Drew's eyes also were filled with tears. He had missed his parents alot while he was gone.

"I missed you both, too." Drew said to me. "I wish I had known sooner that you were here in Orlando. I would have come to see you, sooner."

"Don't worry about that, Son." John replied. "The important thing is that you're here now. The family has to pull together right now."

"I know." Drew said, as his mother released him from their embrace. "It's really terrible what's happpened to Jessica."

John looked over at Casey at that moment, wondering who he was.

"Who is this?" he asked Drew. Drew turned around and looked at Casey.

"Oh, right." He said. "Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Casey Richards."

Then as Casey was getting ready to shake hands with Drew's parents, Drew introduced them to him.

"And Casey, this is my mother, Cate Lachey, and my father, John Lachey."

It's great to meet you, both." Casey said, as he shook hands with Cate, and then John. "Drew's told me alot about the two of you."

"All good things, I hope." Cate said, giving him a small smile.

"All good." Casey said, warmly. "You're both great parents from what I've heard."

"Thank you, Casey." John said. "We really appreciate the compliments."

"No problem." Casey said to him. Then he saw Tina, still sitting near Jessica's bedside. He walked over towards her.

"You must be Jessica's mother." Casey said as he introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Casey."

"Yes, I'm Jessica's mother, Tina." Tina said, as she reached out and shook hands with him. "It's good to meet you, Casey."

You too, Mrs. Simpson." Casey said to her. "I'm just sorry that it couldn't have been under better circumstances."

"Me too." Tina said, as she turned back to watch Jessica again. Casey looked at Tina, sympathetically. She looked very tired and worn out, and he couldn't help feeling sorry for her.

"I just want you to know how sorry I am for what happened to Jessica, earlier tonight." He said. "No parent should ever have to go through something like this."

"Thank you, Casey." Tina said. "I appreciate you saying that."

Casey then thought about suggesting to her if he could help in any way. He was a doctor after all.

"Listen, the reason I came down here with Drew is because I thought that maybe I could help your daughter in some way, considering that I am a doctor, myself."

Tina looked back at Casey, in surprise. Casey did look quite young to be a doctor.

"You're a doctor?" She asked him, then said. "If you are, then I'd appreciate anything you could do that would help my daughter come out of her coma."

Casey could see that Tina was starting to lose her composure. But, even he could not make Jessica come out of her coma. Nobody could do that, but Jessica herself."

"Well," Casey started. "First, we have to wait to see if Jessica wakes up soon. Then, we'll see what happens from there."

Tina nodded and turned back to Jessica, as she once again picked up Jessica's hand and squeezed it, lightly.

"Mrs. Simpson, why don't you go to the cafeteria and get something to eat?" Casey suggested. "I could stay here with Jessica while you go down and get some coffee or something. You need to keep your strength up."

"No, I couldn't." Tina said. "I need to be here in case Jessica wakes up."

"Tina, I think Casey is right." Cate said to him. "Come on down to the cafeteria with me and John while Drew and Casey stay here with Jessica. OK?"

Tina still didn't want to leave Jessica's side, but she was feeling a bit weak, and a bit hungry, so she reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, I will." Tina said as she rose up from her chair. "But, I want you to promise me that you'll call me if Jessica wakes up. When she does, I want to be summoned."

"Don't worry, Tina." Drew said to her. "We will." I promise."

"Ok." Tina said, as she wiped the remnants of her tears from her face.

She started walking towards the hospital room door to leave. As she did, Cate put her arm around Tina, as she and John followed her out of the room.

When they were alone, Drew turned back to Casey. He was very worried, right now, about alot of things.

"Casey, I just realized that as much as I'm worried about Jessica," He said to Casey. "I'm much more worried about how Nick is going to react when he finds out that the police are considering Sean as a suspect in Jessica's attack tonight."

Casey gave Drew an understanding look, as he put his hand on Drew's shoulder and squeezed it, lightly.

"I know." He said. "But even Nick has to realize that the whole idea that Sean could have done something like that, is insane."

"I know." Drew said. "I can't see Sean as the type of person who would try to kill anyone. Although, the Detective did say that anything is possible, I still can't believe it."

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions until we get the whole story from Sean." Casey replied.

Drew had to admit that Casey had a point there, but he wondered how they were going to get the full story from Sean since Danny had said that he'd refused to talk about how he'd injured his hand.

"How will we get the whole story if Sean doesn't talk about it?" Drew asked him.

"I guess we'll just have to wait until Sean is ready to talk about it, openly with us." Casey said to him. "There's nothing else we can do at this point."

Drew sat down next to Jessica's bed and looked down at her unconscious form.

"One thing I do know," Drew said, looking back at Casey. "is that if Sean really did try to murder Jessica, it would be all over for him. He would go to prison for the rest of his life, and Nick would never forgive him. Neither would the rest of the guys, including me."

"Wait a minute?!" Casey was shocked. "Don't tell me that you're starting to believe that?!" Sean would never resort to murder!"

As much as Drew wanted to believe that Sean didn't have anything to do with Jessica attack, he was starting to have his doubts. Especially because he had seen a side to Sean that he'd never seen before, awhile back."

"I hope you're right, Casey." Drew said. "Oh god, I hope you are right."

******************************************************* DOWNSTAIRS, IN THE LOBBY.........

"Joe, would you get a grip on yourself?" Jeff said, nervously. "You're upset, and you have every right to be, considering what Jessica's gone though, tonight."

Joe looked over at Jeff, the anger still in his eyes, as he listened to him.

"But," Jeff continued. "You're not thinking clearly. You want to blame someone for what happened to Jessica, but you can't just blame Sean."

"Oh no?!" Joe suddenly said, loudly. "I cant?! Jeff, that man doesn't get along with my daughter! Have you forgotten the incident in the living room, when Nick came back from Orlando with him? He got rough with Jessica, right in front of all of us! You saw it!"

Jeff opened his mouth to protest, but Justin interrupted him before he could say anything.

"Joe, come on, that isn't fair." He said, calmly. "It's easy for you to blame Sean, simply because you don't like him. That makes him an easy target for you."

Although Justin was making sense, it only seemed to infuriate Joe more. He didn't like to hear anyone defending Sean. Especially the people who were closest to Jessica.

"Damn it, Justin!" Joe said, furiously. "Since you are close to Sean too, you can't be objective about this! Come on! How could Sean not have done this to my daughter?! Look at all the evidence! He gets rough with Jessica in the living room and shoves her to the floor! and just days before that, he beats Nick's little brother to a pulp! So, don't tell me that Sean Perry isn't capable of harming anyone! Because as far as I'm concerned, he's capable of anything!"

Justin couldn't think of anything else to say. He looked around at Jeff and Danny. They both were also at a loss for words. It was clear that no matter what they said, Joe was going to stand by his conviction that Sean was the culprit who tried to murder Jessica.

"Well," Jeff said. "I guess I can see Joe's point to a certain extent." He said. "After all, Sean did beat Drew's face to a pulp when he'd found out the truth about what Drew did to him. Sean was never one to use his fists on anyone."

"Finally!" Joe said, throwing up his hand. "Finally, you are starting to see what Sean is capable of!"

"BUT HE IS NOT CAPABLE OF MURDER!" Danny suddenly shouted. "I KNOW HIM BETTER THAN ANYONE!"

Danny was starting to cause a scene and that was getting them unwanted attention. People were starting to stare.

"Mr. Matheson, calm down." Detective Adams said, softly. "Making a scene isn't going to solve anything."

Danny calmed down then, but he was still angry. He crossed his arms and stared daggers at Joe, as he stopped talking. Jeff saw this and decided to do something about it before things got worse.

"Danny, come with me for a minute." Jeff said. "Let's go for a walk while you calm down."

Danny didn't say anything, but he nodded. With one last angry look at Joe, he walked over to Jeff. Jeff put his hand behind Jeff's upper back, briefly as they both walked out of the lobby area.

Then, Detective Adams looked at his watch.

"What is taking Mr. Perry so long?" He asked. "He should have been done by now."

******************************************************* OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL......

I was outside the hospital, getting some fresh air, while I thought about what to do where Detective Adams was concerned. I figured that he must be the Detective in charge of Jessica's case. And his job was to find the person who'd tried to kill Jessica tonight.

"What am I going to do?" I thought to myself. "How am I going to get myself out of this mess I've created for myself?"

I thought it over and as much as I didn't like it, I was going to have to face Detective Adams. But, it was not going to be here, at the hospital. So, I came up with an idea.

I quickly ran to the car and got into it. As I did, I reached for my cell phone. When I picked it up, it beeped. When I looked at it, I saw that the battery was low.

"Damn!" I said. "The battery is dead!"

I started frantically looking around for my charger that plugged into the cigarette lighter. It wasn't anywhere in sight. After a few more minutes of searching, I found it, lodged underneath the front passenger seat.

"Oh, Thank God!" I said, kissing the charger in relief. "Am I glad to see you. Now, I can go ahead with my plan."

I plugged one end into my phone and the other end into my cigarette lighter. When the phone flashed on and said "Charging" I immediately flipped it open. When I started getting ready to dial a number, I heard the message beep sound. I had gotten a voice mail from someone. Curious as to who it was, I dialed my voice mail and followed all of the prompts, and then waited to hear the message.

"Hey, Sean." I heard Nick's voice say. "When you get this message, please call me. It's very important that I speak with you. There have been some recent developments that I think you should know about. Call me later, ok?"

Then the voice mail ended. I didn't have any other messages.

"I wonder what he wanted." I said to myself. "Well, we'll find out soon enough."

I then sat down in the driver's seat and pulled out my keys to the car. I started the engine and started backing out of the parking lot. Once I was out of the space, I turned around and looked towards the entrance to the hospital.

I noticed that there were a bunch of news reporters hanging around, outside. Security was doing their best to keep the entrance clear so that people could get in and out without being ambushed by them.

When I saw that, I was even more convinced that what I was doing was going to be what was best for everyone. Except, I thought about the fact that I was leaving Danny behind, without telling him where I was going.

"I'm sorry, Danny." I said to myself. "You'll just have to understand that I have to do what I have to do. Hopefully one of the guys will give you a ride back to my house."

I flipped open my phone again and dialed Nick's cell phone. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Hello?" I heard his voice greet me. He sounded exhausted.

"Hi, Nick, it's me, Sean." I said to him. "How are you doing? I heard about what happened to Jessica, tonight on the news."

"Not good." He said. "I'm a complete wreck right now."

"I'm sure." I said, sadly. "Listen, could you stop by my apartment? I'm on my way home now and I need to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait?" I heard him say. "I'm really exhausted right now."

"Actually, no it can't." I said to him. "This is very important. I wouldn't ask you if it weren't. Meet me, Nick. Please?"

I didn't hear anything for a moment, which must have meant that Nick was thinking about it. I could still hear him breathing on the other end of the line.

"Ok, I'll be right there." Nick said. "Bye, Sean."

"Bye, Nick." I said, and then hung up my phone.

I then continued to drive out of the hospital parking lot. I got back on the road and headed for home.

******************************************************* BACK AT THE HOSPITAL...........

"I can't believe the nerve of Joe Simpson, or Detective Adams!" Danny said, as he and Jeff walked through the halls of the hospital. "Accusing Sean of those things! Of murder!"

"I know." Jeff replied. "It does seem rather extreme."

Danny looked over at Jeff, in shock.

"Extreme?!" He exclaimed. "Jeff, it's insane! I know Sean! He doesn't have it in him to commit murder! He's just not that kind of person!"

Although Jeff really wanted to believe Danny, he was having doubts about Sean's innocence. Now if Sean was still the same man he knew 2 years ago, he would have given it a second thought. But from what he had seen of Sean since he'd come back into their lives, he had to wonder if maybe the new Sean Perry really was capable of murder.

"Well, I believe Everyone is capable of murder." Jeff stated. "If they're pushed far enough."

Danny suddenly stopped walking. Jeff stopped and took a good look at him. It was clear that Danny was visibly upset by Jeff's statement just now.

"But not Sean." He said, as he tried to hold it together. "This is a man I've known for years! We grew up together! I've seen Sean get taunted and teased, in high school. I often wondered if he would snap, myself. All he wanted was to get along with everyone in high school. He never held a grudge against anyone. Not without a good reason!"

"Danny," Jeff started, seeing how upset that Danny was actually getting. "I have no doubt that you know Sean better than I do, or the rest of the guys do, but maybe he's not the same guy anymore. After what we did to him, it changed him! And if you remember, not long ago, he beat Drew to a pulp when he find out about how he had destroyed Sean's marriage to Nick. and that came as a total shock to all of us! Sean was never violent like that before! He never believed in settling scores with his fists!"

"Stop it!" Dany berated Jeff. "If you're not going to be on my side of this, then just go back upstairs to the lobby with Justin and everyone else and leave me the hell alone!"

Jeff looked at Danny, trying to clear his face of the tears, that were falling down his face. He pulled Danny close and put his arms around him for a brief hug.

"I'm sorry." Jeff said. "I'm sure you're probably right. I guess maybe neither of us should jump to any conclusions until there is more proof. After all, Sean is innocent until proven guilty, right?"

"Yes, he is." Danny said, as he clung to Jeff. "But he's not guilty. He can't be!

"We'll find out soon enough." Jeff said to him. "In the meantime, why don't you come back to the hotel with me and get some sleep? You're dead on your feet right now. Hell, so am I."

Danny looked up at Jeff and saw how right he was. Jeff looked like he was ready to fall asleep.

"You do look exhausted." Danny agreed. "But, I can't leave until Sean comes back from getting his hand checked out. He has to take me back to his apartment, since I'll be staying there for awhile."

"Alright then," Jeff said. "How about we get some more coffee and then I'll walk you out to his car. Do you have a key to it?"

"Yes." Danny replied. "Sean gave me one years ago when he was on tour with you guys and asked me to keep an eye on his apartment, back in New York."

Ok, cool." Jeff said. "How about you and I go out there and wait for him in the car. We can relax and get some shuteye while we wait."

"That's a good idea." Danny said. "Let's go."

Danny started to turn back the other way, but Jeff grabbed his arm.

"No, this way." he said. "There's a back entrance not far from here. We'll just have to walk around the building to the car. Besides, this will help us to elude all those reporters that are outside."

"Right." Danny said, as he stifled a yawn. "Lead the way."

He and Jeff started walking down the corridor and then took a few right turns down a few more corridors and sure enough, there was the back entrance that Jeff had told him about.

Once they were both out of the building, they started walking around towards the parking lot where Sean's car was parked. When they did, Danny stopped in his tracks.

"Oh no." He suddenly said. Jeff turned and looked at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Sean's car is gone." He said. "Look."

Jeff looked in the direction that Danny was pointing and saw that there was an empty parking space where Sean's car had been.

"It looks like you're right." Jeff said. "It is gone!"

"But, he knew that I was going to be staying with him." Danny said, obviously hurt that Sean had left him behind. "Why would he have just left me here, without telling me that he was going to leave?"

"I don't know." Jeff said, with a look of determination on his face. "But, we're damn well going to find out. Come on!"

They both headed back towards the hospital entrances to let Justin know what was going on.

******************************************************* BACK AT SEAN'S APARTMENT.........

I entered my apartment and set my keys down on the coffee table. I then walked towards the kitchen and headed for the pantry. I opened the door to it and pulled out a bottle of Whiskey out of it. I set it on the table. Then I turned and pulled a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with ice.

I opened the bottle of whiskey and poured some into the glass. Once that was done, I put the cap back on the bottle and set it back onto the counter.

I picked up the glass and took a big sip if it and quickly swallowed it. I grimaced as I felt the burn of it going down my throat and into my stomach.

"This is pathetic!" I said to myself. "Look at this! Look at what that bitch has driven me to!"

I normally was not a drinker at all. This wasn't the solution to my problems, but it was the best thing I could come up with at the moment.

I took another sip of my whiskey and walked back over to the couch to sit down, while I waited for Nick to arrive.

in a few minutes, I heard the doorbell ring. I got up, my glass of booze still in my hand, and walked over to the door and opened it. I saw Nick's tired form, looking back at me.

"Come on in." I said, as I sipped my whiskey again. "Make yourself comfortable."

I turned away and headed towards the couch, while Nick shut the door behind him. When I turned around, I saw him frowning at me.

"What?" I asked him, wondering what he was looking so intense about.

Nick gestured towards the drink in my hand.

"Whatever it was that you wanted to talk to me about, must really be important for you to be drinking that whiskey." Nick pointed out. "That's not like you at all."

"Yeah, well," I said, in a sarcastic tone. "It's the best thing I could come up with at the moment. Do you want one?"

Nick shook his head.

"No, thanks." He said, looking at me, worriedly. "I'll pass."

"Are you sure?" I asked him. "After what happened tonight, you look like you could use something strong."

"Yes, I'm sure." He said. "But, I'm worried about you, Sean. What's going on that has you drinking like this? It's got to be something big."

"Oh, it is." I said to him, as my anger resurfaced. "It has to do with that bitch you have for a wife!"

Nick frowned, seeing how angry I was, which started giving him questions.

"What are you talking about?" He asked me. "What about Jessica?"

I took another sip of my whiskey, this time a bigger one, and gulped it down.

"I believe I was the last person who saw your wife before she was attacked, tonight." I said. "She paid me a visit earlier tonight."

"She was here?!" Nick asked, obviously shocked by that. "When?"

"I don't know." He said. "But I think it was right before her concert started. I was here when I saw it on the news, so I know that the attack must have happened after I saw her."

Nick nodded. Then I saw him look down and his expression changed to concern.

"What's the matter?" I asked him, wondering what he was looking at.

Nick reached out and grabbed my right hand, by the wrist and lifted it up to have a better look.

"What happened?" He asked. "Why is your hand wrapped up in this bandage."

Once again, I was faced with that question that I didn't want to answer. But, I decided to, anyway."

"It's nothing." I said. "Just a slight accident, that's all."

Nick didn't look like he believed me. But, that was no surprise to me. Everyone seemed to be that way, tonight.

"I can see you don't believe me." I said, seeing the expression on his face. "So, I'm not even going to bother with any explanations. Instead, we need to get back to Jessica."

Nick looked at me, his concern for me, growing, as he saw the state that I was in.

"Alright, fine." He said. "I'll drop the question about your hand, for now. What did Jessica want when she came here, tonight."

"Oh, only just to remind me once again about how I will never share another holiday with you, ever again."

I then looked down at the coffee table again and noticed my broken ornament still sitting there. I choked up, immediately, as I remembered what it had meant to me.

"And to stick the nife in my back and twist it some more." I said, as I knelt down and grabbed what was left of the ornament. "She dropped her purse on this ornament of mine and destroyed it, forever."

The tears were coming back full force now. I couldn't help it. The one last meaningful memory of my parents was gone.

"I'm sure it was just an accident, Sean." Nick said. "Why would you be upset this much over a broken ornament?"

As much as I could have been angry with Nick for saying that, at least he had been more sensitive about it.

"Because, this was the last gift I got from my parents before they died." I revealed to him. "They gave it to me on my 16th birthday, right after I got my driver's license. It read: "The World's Greatest Son."

After I'd revealed what that ornament had meant to me, I saw Nick's face take on a painful look. It was like he could feel my pain.

"Sean, I'm so sorry." He said, coming over and hugging me, tightly. "I wish there was something I could do to make your pain go away."

I wrapped my arms around Nick and held onto him like I would never let him go.

"After that I totally lost it and exploded with rage. I told her what the ornament had meant to me and that it's irreplaceable. She wouldn't even say that she was sorry and said that maybe now I'd feel the same pain she did because she was going to lose you, because of me. She told me that you asked her for a divorce."

"I can't believe this." Nick said, still hugging me. "So, that's why she took off so unexpectedly before her concert was to start. She got back just in time for her introduction. She almost missed it."

Now, that was news to me. I didn't know that she'd left the concert to come back here to have it out with me.

Nick released me and looked me in the face.

"What happened next?" He asked me, urging me to go on.

"Well, after I found out about the divorce, I told her that I was glad that you finally see her for what she really is."

Nick raised his eyebrows, then.

"I can only imagine how she reacted to that." he said.

"Oh no you can't." I told him. "She went ahead and said that if I even tried to get back together with you, that she would tell the whole world about our relationship."

Nick's mouth dropped open, in shock. Before he could say anything, I stopped him.

"Just wait, it gets worse." I said to him. "She also said that if you and I do get back together, she will go to court and file a motion for full custody so that she'll have full control over her daughter. that way she can make sure you're never granted any visitation rights, while I'm in your life."

"I can't believe her!" Nick said, looking very angry. "She went back on her word!"

Now, I was confused. Nick didn't seem all that shocked about it. His reaction was not what I'd expected.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. "And why are you not more shocked about this?"

Nick looked up at me.

"I'm not as upset, because Jessica made those same threats to me, earlier this morning, when I told her, I wanted a divorce. But earlier tonight, before her concert, she apologized to me and said that she didn't mean any of those threats."

"Maybe she just wanted to stick it to me, one last time, before she admitted defeat." I said. "I didn't think even she could be that heartless to try to destroy you like that. But after seeing her tonight, I have to wonder about that, now. If she really does go through with that, then that just proves that she doesn't love you. How could she do that to the man that she supposedly loves?"

Nick turned back to me.

"What happened after she made those threats?" He asked me. "I'll bet you almost had a heart attack."

"You'd better believe it." I said. "I almost did. But then after that, it got worse. More words were said and then she dealt the final blow to me."

"What was that?" Nick asked, looking almost frightened at the expression on my face.

I lost my composure right then. I brought a hand to my face and covered my eyes as the first sob escaped my lips.

"She said that you never loved me the same way that you love her." I said to her. "She said that you only tried to love me, out of pity, because I was raped, and you wanted to make it up to me. So, she said you played my little charade and ended up playing me like a violin in the process."

"How dare she say that to you?!" He said. "She sure had alot of nerve!"

I removed my hand and turned to look at Nick. He was really angry now. But, I had a question to ask him.

"Was she right?" I asked, in between sobs. "Did you ever really love me?"

"No, she wasn't!" Nick said, in shock.Then he cupped my face.

"Sean, my love for you was very real." Nick said, sweetly. "I don't want you to ever doubt that."

"Thank you, Nick." I said, as I hugged him again. "I'm sorry I had to ask you that, but I needed to hear it."

"Don't apologize." He said. "Anyway, what else happened?"

I pulled back from Nick, briefly.

"Well, then she went to leave and then said that she wanted to clarify something for me." I explained to him. "That's when she told me that I wasn't the world's greatest son, and that he'd died a long time ago! After that, she left."

"I'm really sorry that you had to go through that, Sean." Nick said. "Jessica had no right to come down on you like that."

I turned away and leaned down to pick up the TV remote. I switched on the television and then set the remote back down on the table. Then, I also put my drink down, too.

"Do you want to know what the worst thing about this whole tragedy was?" I asked him.

"What?" He asked, curious as to what that was.

"When I saw on the news that Jessica had been attacked, tonight, all I could feel was relief." I explained to him, as I started to lose it again. "I wondered if she was dead. And if that had been the case, I knew that the hell in my life was over. It was finally over and I wouldn't have to worry about Jessica anymore. I wouldn't have to be put through anymore pain by her."

I looked up at Nick and saw that he was shocked by my revelation. He was looking at me, intensely.

"If it's wrong for me to feel that way, Nick, I'm sorry." I sobbed. "But, it's how I feel. It's the only way I can feel."

After saying all of that, I couldn't go on. I sank down onto the couch and buried my head in my hand as I allowed myself to cry my heart out.

Nick just stood there, looking down at me. After hearing everything that I'd said, he wasn't sure what to say or what to do. He didn't even know what to feel, either.

Finally Nick sat down beside me, on the couch. I sat up and took a look at him, wondering what he was thinking. I could see the mixed emotions that were playing on his face. It looked like he wanted to be angry with me, but at the same time, I think he felt sorry for me.

Nick didn't say anything. Instead, he put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me into his arms. When he did, I clung to him like I would never let him go.

"Oh God, Nick!" I said, as I sobbed hard. "I never wanted to hurt you like this! Please, forgive me! I love you so much!"

After I'd finished rambling, I heard Nick gasp, in shock. It was then and there that I realized that I'd let the truth be known. I had revealed my true feelings for Nick. "Now what? How was he going to react?"

Before I could find out, I heard the door slam shut. Startled, Nick and I both turned to see Joe Simpson, standing near the door, along with Danny, Jeff, Justin, and Detective Adams.

"I KNEW IT!" Joe bellowed. "NICK, I TOLD YOU THAT HE WASN'T OVER YOU! NOW, I'M MORE CONVINCED THAN EVER THAT IT WAS HIM WHO TRIED TO MURDER MY DAUGHTER, TONIGHT!"

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.

slpwriter@yahoo.com