Standing on the carpet in front of the press and photographers, Nick wished he was back at the hotel and under the covers. His stomach was aching and the cramps came in waves. It had started out light at first but as each hour passed, they seemed to be getting stronger. Pasting a well practiced smile on his face, Nick played to the cameras dispite his discomfort.

“Hey kid, we’re going in now for dinner, are you gonna join us or just stand out here looking like a complete dork?” AJ growled as he tugged on Nick’s arm.

Jerking, Nick snapped out of his daze. “Oh, yeah.”

AJ shook his head as he followed the blonde into the auditorium. “I swear you space out more than anyone I know. It’s amazing there hasn’t been a drug abuse story linked to you.”

Waiting in line with a mixture of who’s who from the recording industry, the boys waited in silence for their turn to be escorted to their table. The smells of food mixed with men’s cologne and women’s perfume made Nick’s stomach do flip flops. Just as he spied a restroom, their turn came up in the line.

“Gentlemen, follow me please.”

“I-I was gonna use the bathroom,” Nick whispered into Brian’s ear.

“Wait until we get to our table. You’ll get lost if we separate,” came the quick reply as they started off.

Nick’s hopes for a table near an exit or a restroom were quickly dashed when the boys were led to a round table, nearly front and center.

“Hey! Look bottles of wine!” AJ chuckled.

“Not for you,” Kevin said as he shot a warning glare.

“I’m legal here dickhead,” AJ hissed.

“Would anyone care to order a cocktail?”

“Yes, I’d like a whiskey sour and Nick here will have a rum and coke,” AJ grinned at the waiter.

“Neither one of you need any drinks,” Kevin advised. “Cancel that order.”

“Control freak,” AJ snapped.

“Proud of it too,” Kevin added.

Nick glanced warily at his surroundings, looking for an exit or a quick route to the restroom. His stomach was starting to knot up again and he kept thinking maybe if he went to the bathroom he would feel better.

“Nick, lean back so you don’t get burned,” Kevin advised as he placed a hand on the young singer’s shoulder.

“Huh?”

As Nick leaned back, his eyes followed the arm that snaked in front of him, setting a small cup of some type of creamy soup.

“Murklor,” the waiter stated as he placed the bowl in front of the blonde.

“That sounds like the noise Nick makes when he farts,” AJ snorted and then mimmicked the waiter’s words over and over again, amusing himself. ”Murklor!”

Leaning forward, Kevin glared at AJ. “These are the reasons why certain people should not be drinking tonight.”

“Yeah, eat your Murklor,” Nick mumbled, rubbing his stomach.

Turning the silver white creamy mixture with his spoon, Brian scrutinized the bowl. “This looks like it has mushrooms in it.” He quickly dropped his spoon back into the bowl, pushing the soup away.

“God, why don’t you try something new for a change?” Howie encouraged as he blew on his spoon before placing it into his mouth.

Nick looked down at the bowl in front of him, stirring the spoon around in the namixture, never attempting to put the spoon into his mouth. He kept trying block out the stomach ache that was growing more intense as the minutes ticked away; blaming it on nerves more than anything.

Just as AJ scraped the remainder of the soup from his bowl, the waitpersons decended upon the table like buzzards from the sky, clearing the soup dishes.

Nick scooted his chair away from the table.

Kevin eyed his young brother. “Where do you think you’re off to?”

Wiping the sweat that was beading on his upper lip with the linen napkin, Nick looked nervously toward the exit. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Kevin clamped a hand on the boy’s forearm. “Not alone you aren’t.”

“I’m fine, okay, I’m not a baby,” Nick protested as Kevin stood up from the table.

“Kev, I’ll go with Nick, I needed to use the restroom anyway,” Brian offered.

Kevin sat back down into his chair, never taking his eyes off of Nick. “Make sure you don’t lose track of him.”

“I’m sure he won’t get lost going into the bathroom for crying out loud. Give the guy some credit,” Howie sighed.

Brian had to sprint to catch up with Nick’s long legged strides towards the restrooms. “Hey! Wait up!”

Nick slowed his pace but never stopped, keeping his focus on the doors leading to the facilities and the relief he was desiring. Much to Nick’s dismay, they had to stand in line to wait a turn for one of private stalls. Nick shifted his weight back and forth.

“Is there something wrong?” Brian asked, concern in his eyes.

“My stomach is upset, that’s all,” Nick muttered.

Brian raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the blonde, noticing the film of sweat that was beading up on the face and forehead. “Oh.” Quickly the memory of Nick throwing up after a heavy food binge sprung into his head. “You been overeating again?”

Nick rested his head against the wall, rolling his eyes. “God, why do you always think that I did something to myself? Just drop it!”

A stall became free at a very opportune time for Nick and he wasted no time in putting space between himself and Brian and quickly darted towards the safety of Brian’s questions and stares.

Brian shook his head as he watched Nick dash into the stall, slamming the door loudly behind him. Admist toilet flushes and water running, he tried to train his ears on any sounds that could be coming from Nick’s stall. Specifically sounds of someone throwing up.

As luck would have it, a man exited the stall that was next to the one Nick occupied. Brian nearly knocked the older man over in his haste to get in to see if he could hear what was going on over in Nick’s stall. Preoccupied with unfastening his pants and trying to hear noises, Brian didn’t realize that the opening of a stall door was Nick’s.

Sitting down, Brian sat completely still. His wait was finally awarded with the sounds of feet shuffling back and forth and a short grunting noise. He furrowed his brow as he listened, feeling like a spy in a James Bond 007 movie. Suddenly, a hand came underneath the stall wall. “Hey buddy, you have any TP to spare in there?”

Brian looked down at the hand; it clearly didn’t belong to Nick, but that voice sounded so familiar to him, he couldn’t place who it belonged to.

“Uh... yeah.” Drawing a long strip of toilet paper from the roll, Brian folded it several times before laying it into the open palm that was still outstretched under the metal wall.

“Thanks.”

The person that occupied the next stall finished his business and flushed the toilet, banging the door against the wall loudly when he exited his stall. “Hey JC, did you see Nick Carter?”

Brian narrowed his eyes. Now he realized who the hand belonged to.

Joey Fatone.

“Yeah, god that kid is really packing the weight on, ain’t he? You’d think for being in the business he would watch what he does to himself.”

At first Brian was angry as he listened to Joey’s rude comments, but his anger slowly dissolved into a the quiet realization that if they were talking about Nick, that meant that Nick was no longer in the bathroom!

Quickly pulling his pants up, Brian slid out of the bathroom stall. He saw the back of Joey and JC as they left the restroom, which suited Brian fine, since he was angry about the words he had heard come out of Joey’s mouth he wasn’t sure he would be able to keep a civil mind about him if he were to confront Joey face to face.

Relief washed over him when as he approached the table and saw Nick was already sitting down, and the waiters were starting to serve dinner.

“I thought you were gonna wait for me,” Brian stated as he pulled his chair out and sat down.

“It would look kinda gay if I hung out in the mens room alone, wouldn’t it?”

“I see your point, but still, you just told me you weren’t feeling good and then you up and leave me in the bathroom. How was I to know you didn’t pass out or something?”

Nick shrugged a reply.

“Filet a la oscar,” the waiter announced as he set the plate in front of Nick.

As Nick looked down at the meat dish, his stomach started making loud rumbling noises.

“Starving Nick?” AJ grinned.

“I really doubt that,” Brian snapped as he cast a glare over at Nick.

Kevin picked up on the tension between Brian and Nick. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing, Brian is just thinking he’s psychic or something I guess,” Nick mumbled as he threw the napkin back into his lap.

Picking up his fork, Nick visualized Brian’s face as the potato and repeatidly stabbed it.

“Easy with the spud Kaos,” AJ snickered.

As Nick opened his mouth to reply, a loud burp escaped his lips and he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth as his cheeks started to turn bright red.

AJ cocked his head to one side and grinned his approval. “Now there’s some real class!”

Brian and Kevin’s head shot up and both directed a look of disapproval toward the young teen.

“What the hell has gotten into you tonight?” Kevin hissed as he watched Nick squirm around in his chair.

“I-I don’t know, it just slipped out,” Nick defended. “Excuse me.”

A look of disgust was on Howie’s face. Body sounds was never high on his list and it was one of the things that could make the Latino gag over quite easily.

AJ eyed his younger brother, concern etched on his face. “Nick you look a little green around the gills, are you sick?” He stretched out his hand to check Nick’s forehead which he quickly darted away, avoiding contact.

“I’m fine,” Nick assured; his voice lacking the conviction as he tried to will his mind into thinking he fine. “It’s just a case of nerves.”

Nick started thinking about the question. Was he really fine? If someone asked him how to describe what he was feeling at the moment, he wasn’t sure what words he would use for a description. Shit? Hell? Death warmed over? Shrugging his shoulders, only to himself, Nick couldn’t decide how he really felt and why for the most part. Lou had given him that health drink but now he was beginning to wonder if he took it a little too late and he was already affected by the Backstreet Flu Bug.

AJ wasn’t the only one that noticed Nick’s color being off. From the other table Lou Pearlman and Johnny Wright sat quietly observing their charges. Lou was starting to wonder why Nick was looking the way he did. The medicine he had given to him earlier should have done it’s deed and not held the young singer in any distress; at least that’s what the directions on the bottle of milk of magnesia instructed him.

Tossing back the rest of his mixed drink, Pearlman shook his head. He came to the quick conclusion that the Carter kid was a wuss and anything he took would work in overdrive because of his system. He quietly decided that maybe the first time would be the worst for the boy and with each dose he took, the effects wouldn’t be as troublesome.

Kevin noticed Nick staring down at his plate. “How come you’re not touching your food?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not hungry, okay?”

“Is there a reason for this?” Kevin pressed.

“God, leave the boy alone, I already said he looked green, if you make him eat I’m sure he’ll hurl right on the stage!” AJ pointed out.

‘Okay, great AJ, thanks for putting that thought in my head,’ Nick mentally commented to himself. It was bad enough that he figured he had a bad case of nerves but now Kevin was staring at him and AJ was reminding him that he had a sensitive stomach. When was the torture going to end.

As if his stomach had anything to add, a loud gurgle announced that it was still alive and active. Nick clamped his arm over the offending area, trying his best to calm it down. The pressure of his waistband didn’t help matters so Nick tried as secretively as he could, unfasten the button on his pants.

Catching his moves, Brian leaned closely to his brother. “Ah ha, so you didn’t stuff yourself earlier?”

“Please leave me alone,” Nick wined softly.

“Brian, I was with Nick the whole time, he didn’t eat anything, so just back off the poor kid. I really think he’s sick!” AJ defended with a hard glare thrown in for effect.

Running a shaky hand across his pale forehead, Nick mumbled, “I think I’m getting the flu.”

Howie shifted his chair strategically further away from Nick’s side of the table, sliding his dinner service along with him.

“I swear D, you’re too much sometimes,” AJ grinned as he watched Howie’s movements.

Staring at the group, he looked at them with his deep brown eyes, swimming with innocence. “I just need to be careful. Relapses happen.”

Kevin shrugged his shoulders as he focused his attention back toward the plate in front of him. The meal looked delicious, but as much as he hated to admit it, he was a little nervous about standing in front of his peers at least twice tonight.

Nick started squirming in his seat again, desperate to find a comfortable position.

“Nick! Knock it off, you almost spilled my drink!” Brian growled as he jerked to catch the goblet from tumbling over.

Once again as Nick opened his mouth to apologize, a burp came out in reply.

“That’s my boy,” AJ snickered, amusement evident on his face.

“You are definately not saying one word when we go up to present that award,” Kevin snapped as he glared at the red faced teen.

A sudden need filled his gut and Nick knew there was only one thing he had....no must do to feel better. He quickly shoved his chair away from the table.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Bathroom,” Nick mumbled.

“Gentlemen, please follow me to the backstage,” an older woman dressed in formal attire stated with a thickly accented voice as she gestured with an outstretched arm.

Nick wanted to cry at this point. He needed to go use the bathroom and now was not the time to be interrupted again in his quest for relief. “You guys go on there without me,” he begged, his voice cracking.

“We were invited as five members and five members will be presenting the award. Get your ass over here,” Kevin hissed through clenched teeth.

AJ rushed up to walk alongside Nick. “You got the shits?”

Nick kept his eyes focused ahead. “I told you I think I’m getting the flu.” He could hear the tattooed man’s snickering. “I’m serious!”

“You always had immpeciable timing Kaos.”

As he opened his mouth to defend himself, another loud burp came out as the reply.

Gathering off stage, Kevin gave his bandmates a quick pep talk. “Brian, you can take the lines that would be Nick’s. Nick, under no circumstances do you speak or even open your mouth.... do you understand?”

As Nick was preparing to answer, Kevin shot him a hard glare. He immediately clamped his mouth shut and nodded his understanding.

“Good.”

Rocking back and forth as he stood with Kevin next to him, Nick prayed that their segment on the award show would be overwith quickly; better yet, the entire show would end and he could be back in his hotel room safe in bed or safe in the bathroom...whichever provided him with relief.

Just as Nick was thinking about bolting towards the exits, Kevin’s hand clamped down on his arm. “We’re on.”

“God get me through this please,” Nick moaned as he put the fake Backstreet Smile on his face.

Showtime once again.