Dr. Angelo approached the hotel room nervously. This was his first real assignment since he graduated from medical school yesterday. He had been called upon by a Mr. Lou Pearlman to come and take a look at a young man who was in his care and after they argued about the fees, Dr. Angelo reluctantly agreed to two concert tickets in exchange for a housecall.

He didn’t have to stand in the hallway for long after he knocked. A tall, rather good looking young man stood in the doorway, a questioning look on his face.

“Dr. Angelo, I was contacted to see someone that is ill?”

Kevin gestured with his hand as he held the door open wider. “Yes.... please doctor, come in.”

Quickly surveying the scene in the dimly lit hotel room, the doctor’s eyes fell upon Nick, laying on his side, his face an obvious mask of pain. Setting his bag on the floor next to the bed, the young doctor knelt beside his patient.

“Can you tell me what your symptoms are?”

“My head hurts and my back hurts...” Nick mumbled.

“I see, history of headaches?”

“Yes.”

“History of backaches?”

Nick rubbed his forehead with his hand as he thought. “No, not really I guess.”

“Does it hurt to urinate?”

‘Boy, the doctor hit that one,’ Nick thought to himself. “Yes a lot.”

The doctor looked at his patient. He could see clearly that his face was puffy and swollen looking, but he had never seen the boy before in his life so he assumed that maybe he was a chubby guy. He pulled the covers back, and after noticing Nick’s full looking abdomen, he was definately certain that the swollen face could be attributed to fat.

“Sit up please, I want to palpitate your back.”

Nick slowly did as instructed and bit his lower lip as the doctor poked in his kidney area, bringing tears to his eyes.

“Does it hurt when I do that?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Running a fever?”

“Yes.”

“What does the urine look like?”

“It’s dark when I do go,” Nick stated quietly.

“He’s been drinking tons of water and puking his guts out,” AJ advised the doctor.

The doctor nodded, indicating that he had heard AJ. He opened his bag and pulled out a packet of tablets. “What you have sir is a bladder infection and you’re experiencing dehydration. You need to drink more fluids and take two of these antibiotics now and two more this afternoon and you’ll be feeling fit in no time.”

“But he is in so much pain....” Kevin stated “and throwing up.”

“That would be from the bladder infection. If he takes those pills he should be feeling better by tomorrow evening.”

“You should tell our manager that he is in no shape to work tonight,” AJ ordered.

The doctor paused for a moment as he closed up his bag. He agreed that the young man that was laying on the bed was in no condition to be up and running around but he remembered what that Mr. Pearlman had told him in his phone conversation. ”Under no circumstances will that kid be allowed to sit out a concert! Do everything you can to make sure he is onstage tonight!”

“He will be fine to work tonight, no need to worry,” the doctor quickly stated.

“But he’s really in a lot of pain, there’s no way he can perform,” Kevin insisted.

“Yeah, the kid is really hurtin’ you gotta give him something for the pain at least then if you don’t want to get him a red card,” AJ rasped.

The doctor sighed as he opened up his bag again. He looked at their faces before he held out a small white envelope. “I’ll give him an injection of a narcotic drug and six hours from now you can give him two tablets for the pain if he is still in need of relief. I would caution you that this may make him sleepy or hyper, I’m not sure which, it depends on the patient.”

“Thank you doctor, hopefully he will be feeling better by tonight and won’t need these,” Kevin smiled as he took the offered pain killers.

Once the doctor drew up the injection and administered it in Nick’s thigh, he quickly stood up and grabbed his bag. “Thank you, I will be in contact with your Mr. Pearlman and let him know of this young man’s condition. Remember, it is very important that he takes the medication and drinks lots of water. Thank you and good day.”

Kevin saw the physician to the door while AJ dutifully went to the minibar and got Nick a bottle of water to wash the antibiotics down.

“Here Kaos, god who would have thought you had a bladder infection,” AJ smirked as he handed his brother the water. “I thought that was a female problem.”

“Guys get them too AJ,” Kevin corrected as he sat down on the bed opposite of Nick’s. He watched in amazement as the young boy drank the water down in less than three gulps. “Wow, you really are thirsty.”

Nick held the empty bottle up. “More please.”

AJ grabbed the bottle from Nick’s hand. “Good thing you like water kiddo. This is the first time I’ve seen you actually listen to a doctor.”

Little did they know that the advice the doctor kindly gave Nick was the worst possible thing he could be doing to himself right now.

Nick woke up alone and in pain in the hotel room. He was a little surprised at first that everyone had left him, but he remembered that they told him they didn’t have a choice in the matter since Lou told them they had to be at the interview and that he would have to deal with his own problems for the time being.

He had slept most of the morning and mid afternoon away, only getting up a few times to slowly make his way over to the mini bar and grab a bottle of mineral water which wound up with another two bottles within a 30 minute time span. His thirst hadn’t seemed to die down yet. His back hadn’t either for that matter. It was still a dull ache which always increased when he tried to empty his bladder.

“Damn infection,” he hissed as he tried another unsuccessful attempt.

Glancing over at the alarm clock, he noted that the guys were due back soon from the interview and the pain meds he took still hadn’t kicked in yet.

“I better put my jeans on before they get back,” Nick said to himself as he hobbled over to his duffle bag. He grabbed a clean tee shirt, socks and underwear and grabbed the jeans off the floor with his foot as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Gingerly, he had put every item on without any troubles until it came time to fasten his jeans. He struggled to get the sides to meet, but finally was successful. The waistband dug into his stomach and back, making it very uncomfortable. Nick finally gave up and unbuttoned the jeans.

“I’m getting too fat for my clothes,” he moaned. He spied the bottle of water he had left on the table. “Shit, I need that,” he mumbled as he struggled to get back up, gasping a few times in his efforts. When he finally reached the table, he leaned against it, his breath coming in short pants from the excruciating pain that was radiating in his back. His heart skipped a beat when he thought he heard his friends out in the hall.

“I realize that Nick isn’t feeling good and had to sleep the day away but this really sucks that we had to go out and do those freaken promos without his whiny ass,” AJ muttered as he stomped down the hotel hall towards the rooms.

“Well I’m sure Nick would have gladly gone along instead of laying in bed feeling like crap,” Brian defended.

“Yeah, I guess so, I’m just getting a little tired, I don’t mean bad things,” AJ apologized as he stuck the room card into the slot. “Hey.... Nick is up and dressed!”

“Nick? What’s wrong?” Brian asked as he rushed up to a hunched over Nick.

“I-I don’t feel so good....help me,” he moaned.

“Did you take your pain pills yet?” Kevin questioned.

“Let me help you Nick,” Howie offered, taking Nick’s other side.

“Yeah, I took them, god why aren’t they working?”

“How long ago did you take them?” Howie questioned, a mothering mode setting in.

“I dunno, maybe a half an hour ago I guess.”

“Just lay back and try to relax, maybe you’re getting too worked up and maybe that’s why you’re hurting so much,” AJ counselled.

Nick ran a tired hand through his hair. “Yeah, maybe.”

Kevin held out Nick’s bottle of water. “Here drink more.”

“I don’t know how he’s going to be fit to be up on stage tonight,” Brian whispered to his cousin as he watched Nick gulping the water.

“Me either, but Lardass Lou won’t listen to anyone but himself,” Kevin replied. “Let’s hope he doesn’t make himself worse by obeying orders.”