This story is pure fiction and involves the members of Westlife. I am in no way implying anything about the sexuality of any of their members. This is purely a fictional story. Enjoy!
I would really, really appreciate some feedback on the story...so please send any comments and/or suggestions to jeff_langdon@hotmail.com. I would love to hear from you!!
Westlife Romance - Part 28
Nicky sat in the waiting area of Dr. Rosen's office, apprehensive about the test results. He prayed that everything would be alright. After waiting for about ten minutes, the doctor asked him into the office. Nicky sat down in a chair across from the doctor.
"Thanks for coming in, Mr. Byrne," the doctor began.
"You can call me Nicky, Dr. Rosen," Nicky offered, not wanting to make the conversation sound so formal.
"Very well, Nicky. Like I said over the phone, the results from the tests that you did this morning have returned."
"So is everything normal?"
"First of all, like I told you this morning, the nausea that you are feeling lately is no cause for worry. It's just stress and fatigue."
Nicky breathed a sigh of relief from the news.
"Your other tests came back normal for the most part," the doctor continued.
"However, there is one test that is cause for concern."
Nicky felt a lump in his throat as he heard the words that he dreaded to hear. "What is it?" he asked weakly.
"Well, the x-ray that we took this morning, revealed a very small object touching a nerve in your brain."
"What...what do you mean?"
"We believe that it's a small tumour that is lodged beside one of the nerves in the brain."
Nicky sat in stunned silence. His face went pale and his mouth went dry. "How serious is it?" he finally managed to ask.
"It's very hard to say. There is a high probability that the tumour would either move or grow, at which point, it would threaten the nerves around it."
Nicky didn't want to hear anymore. He wanted to get up and run away. But still, he sat where he was. "What would happen?"
"Well, in less serious scenarios, you could have constant dizziness and your vision could deteriorate. In the worse-case scenario, you would fall into a coma and never wake up "
Nicky shut his eyes tight, trying to keep the tears in. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"But again, there is no certainty that anything would happen. It is entirely possible that nothing would happen at all. After all, we don't know how long this object has been lodged in that place."
"So what do you suggest?"
"The best alternative would be to have an operation to remove that tumour."
"What's the probability of success?"
"The position that the tumour is in is very delicate. One mistake could leave you paralyzed or worse. Even if nothing occurs during the operation, the chance of success based on historical cases is about 20%."
"20%?" Nicky whispered. "Then there's no point then..."
"I know it sounds hopeless now, but I must stress that again, there is no certainty and any negative developments will actually happen," the doctor tried to reassure. "Your emotional state can drastically affect the outcome, so it's imperative that you remain positive."
"So what should I do now?"
"Well, the best course of action would still be to have the operation..."
"No!" Nicky cut in. "I can't have the operation now...what other choices do I have?"
"Well, the next best strategy would be to take medication and have the situation regularly monitored."
After he left the doctor's office, Nicky spent the next few hours walking around aimlessly. There was so much going on in his head that it began to hurt. He thought of what the doctor said and what it meant to him. He was scared of what lied ahead, and even more scared that he would have to face this all alone.
It wasn't until late that night that Nicky finally returned to the hotel. Fortunately, the lads were still out at dinner, so he didn't have to answer any questions. Walking into his room, he saw that a dim light was on. As he walked to his bed, he saw Bryan sleeping in the other bed. He was surprised, since Bryan was never one who would sleep early as he seemed to have an unlimited amount of energy. Nicky tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb Bryan, but the younger lad was actually awake.
"You back already?" Bryan mumbled weakly. "I thought you went out to dinner with the others."
"No," Nicky answered. "I had some things to do. Why are you in bed so early?"
"I wasn't feeling so well, so I decided to get some sleep."
Instinctively, Nicky got into his protective mode. "You feeling okay?" he asked with concern. He moved to Bryan's bed and sat beside the younger boy.
He placed his hands on Bryan's forehead. "You've got a pretty bad fever, Bry. Have you eaten anything yet?" Bryan shook his head weakly.
Nicky immediately got on the phone and ordered a hot soup for Bryan. As he waited for the food, he helped Bryan sit up in bed. The younger boy looked drained and exhausted. As the lads waited for the food to arrive, Bryan noticed a very sad look on Nicky's face, but he was too weak to pursue the subject, although he made a mental note to ask Nicky once he got better.
A few minutes later, Bryan's food arrived and Nicky carefully fed Bryan. In a way, Bryan felt terribly guilty, feeling like he was being a hassle for Nicky. On the other hand, he felt so loved. He could feel Nicky's genuine concern for him and this was a feeling that he had been searching for all his life.
"I'm sorry, Nix," Bryan finally said once he finished his soup.
"Sorry for what?" Nicky asked with surprise.
"For always being a hassle for you," Bryan replied sadly.
Nicky smiled at the younger boy. "Don't be silly. Everyone gets sick, it's not like it's a crime."
"Not just that, Nix. I don't know...you're just always here for me. And I..." Bryan was at a loss for words, but Nicky understood what he was trying to say.
"Just don't worry about it, okay, Bry? You just get some rest."
Eventually, fatigue overcame Bryan and he drifted off to sleep. Nicky stayed by Bryan's side, just in case he woke up and needed something. As he watched Bryan sleep, Nicky wondered if Bryan or the others would take care of him the same way when his own health deteriorated. He debated whether to let them know about the tumour or not. As he thought more and more, Nicky never felt so lonely in his life. There wasn't anyone he could turn to. There wasn't anyone who would hold him and tell him everything would be alright. Soon, tears began to fall and Nicky buried his face in his hands. How he wished Kian was here to hold him tight. Or that Shane or Mark was here so that he could tell them about what the doctor said. Or that Bryan was there to cheer him up with a joke. All these thoughts caused Nicky's heart to ache. That night, he cried himself to sleep...
...to be continued....
Hope you enjoyed this segment. Let me know what you think!!
I'd love to hear any comments/ideas/questions. Please e-mail me at jeff_langdon@hotmail.com.