Brian, who sat next to him, wearily eyed a magazine. The labored breathing and the occassional moans or grunts that could be heard told him that his friend was in no shape or form to be flying across the globe. When he had told this to the manager, Lou had just responded that this was what Nick wanted and when he had turned to Johnny the black manager had been unaturally quiet so there was no support to be expected either.

With a sigh he looked outside to the darkening view and closing his eyes his thoughts drifted away to the high pressure the previous thought had left as well as the exhaustion he felt. Like Nick he desperatly needed a few hours shuteye before the circus was on the roll again. His parents, but also Leighanne, was expecting him back home and he couldn´t wait for the moment when he was able to step on the ground again. The tour had been fantastic in one way but also very strenuous was finally over and he would get a well needed two weeks of rest before they would start shooting a new video and going into the studio to start working on their new album. Their schedule was filled to the brim, but hopefully it wouldn´t be that lack of free time in the future since he knew that both Kevin and AJ had talked to the management over the pressure that they were constantly under. AJ´s mother Denise had also tried talking to Lou and the guys and he hoped that she had some success since he didn´t know if he could take another tour like this. And if he had been bad off it was nothing compare to what Nick had been going through.

A small moan from the blonde caught his attention and catching a short glimpse he made sure that his friend was well at ease. Shaking his head he thought about how sick Nick was and came to the conclusion that this was all madness. No group or business was that important that he was willing to sacrifice his friends health, no matter how famous they were. Stirring once more in his sleep the blanket fell off Nick onto the floor. Brian picked it up instantly since the young man seemed to be shivering violently. This had him in for concern. His complexion was not pale as could be expected but red like he was suffering from heat exhaustion. To his surpise he also noticed that there were no sweatdrops dotted on his friends forehead which was unusual since Nick was a person that could sweat worse than a pig, especially when he was sick and all. The constant shivers told him that the fever was still rising and feelings of despair crept up inside of him. Brian felt that there was very little he could do.

Reviweing the recent event at the airport he decided that he had never seen Nick worse for wear which had him honestly wondering how the hospital personnel could send their patient home in the way Lou had told them it happened. There had been a time when he had trusted the manager with his whole heart but too many incidents had killed his faith in Mr. Pearlman and today no trust was left so therefore as things were starting to come clear he doubted more and more that his friend had been released from the hospital with the doctors permission.

But if it was what he expected he knew that it was very bad since that would give light to the fact that the boys own well being was not something that they cared for and instead they was sacrificed for the industry.

His own health was at stake and this scared him greatly. Lou as well as Johnny had already been on him on the heart surgery and that they wanted him to push the date aside until they had free time. At first Brian had agreed but at the last check up his doctor had told him that the surgery had to be done or else his own health would be in danger. Lou had been pissed when Brian had scheduled the surgery in May, despite all the obligations he had to attend too. He had recluctantly agreed to do touring in the summer, especially since they had made clear for him that the group had to be his number one priority. These words had him very upset and upon talking to his parents about this the Littrell’s had decided to take actions. None of the guys knew that much about this story since Brian thought that they had enough problems to deal with, beside the trouble with his surgery.

"You ok?" Kevin asked coming back from a short bathroom trip. The seat next to him sank down as his cousin tried to make give his legs some room.

"Wha..uhh..yeah I´m fine," Brian stuttered, getting startled. "I was just thinking."

"You sure?" A hand was on his arm and Kevin’s warm eyes were filled with concern.

"Mmmm, besides its not me you should worry about..it´s Nick." He nodded with his head towards the sleeping man. "I think his fever is getting higher."

"It is?" Instantly an expression of worry dwelled over the older mans features and with a sigh he leaned over to touch the blondes cheek. "Damn he’s burning up," he said, withdrawing his hand to feel the forehead instead. "Man..its bad."

"Yes I know..but what can we do?" There was defeat in the younger mans voice as he thought that there couldn´t be much medical attention in work while flying across the Atlantic.

"We need to lower it," Kevin said while picking up his sportsbag and starting to search for something. More to himself he muttered, "I could swear I had some aspirin in the bag..." Brian didn´t say much as he watched his cousin turning the sportsbag inside out. "Damn I must have left it at the hotel, the dark man said with a sigh before zipping the bag up again. "Shit!"

"Maybe D' has some," Brian volunteered, gesturing towards their sleeping friend across the aisle.

"No he gave it to me..," Kevin sighed, running a hand across his face in a tired gesture, then he said in a much defeated tone, "Now how are we gonna get the fever down?"

They went silent for a while before Brian came with the brilliant idea, "Maybe Nick has some Tylenol or Aspirin in his bag."

"I doubt that," Kevin snorted, "but its worth giving a try." He bent down to get the backpack when Brian stopped him, "No I´ll get it. I´m closer." With that the younger man moved Nick’s feet before picking up the black backpack. Opening it up he noticed that it was filled with stuff as always but soon he found what he was looking for. Nick’s bathroom bag. Unzipping it he noticed that it was filled with little souvenirs from hotels, soaps and shampoo bottles and he had to laugh at it all. Frack was really a collector.

If it wasn´t beanies it was comic books he collected or something else. For a while it had been those small liquor bottles he had collected but then Momma Jane had said Nope and it was the end of the story. Apparently these miniture soaps had replaced it.

"If you don´t find anything I have to ask Lou or Johnny for pain relievers," Kevin said pessimistically. "And the way things are going I rather not do that." No more words had to be said.

"Sure," Intent in finding something that could lower the fever he dug through Nick’s stuff just to come up empty handed. "Nothing."

"No shit?" Kevin sighed, "What are we going to do now?" He knew the answer before Brian said it out loud, "Well I better go and talk to Lou and check if the doctor prescribed anything for him to take..at least for his backpain and things like that."

"Mmmm-..maybe it´s for the better," Brian agreed when he noticed that there wasn´t much that could help their friend. Not that he had expected that much since Nick rarely had a pharmacy stored in his suitcase, even if he would need one.

Just when Kevin made a move to get up a thought crossed his mind, 'Maybe he has stuffed medication in his jeans that he wore when he came back from the hospital' Turning to Brian he asked, "Did you check his pockets?"

"Huh?" Brian looked like a questionmark.

"You know Nick he always stuffs things on him and maybe he´s done it again." There were a light of hope in the older mans face as he urged his cousin to continue the search.

Brian got a disgusted frown on his forehead, "Yeah I would but you know what happened with the pants that he wore.." The expression said it all and Kevin motioned with his thumb towards the plastic bag where the soiled clothes were stored. Reluctantly Brian opened the bag just to scrunch his nose up to the smell that hit his nostrils. AJ must have thought that it was bad too since he barked from his seat. "OK who cut the cheese this time?" When no one answered the young man grunted displeased just to the next second turn back to the book that he was reading.

With a determined move Brian searched the jeanspockets just to encounter something the next minute. Out of the pocket he pulled out a toilet tissue that was wrapped up like a cocoon. At first he thought it was trash when he felt something inside and carefully he unwrapped the tissue just in time to see a hand full of small white pills roll out in his palm. Bingo! He had found some pain relievers.

Kevin who was pre-occupied with going through his own stuff again in a futile attempt to find something glanced up. "You found something?" When Brian didn´t answer right away he continued, "Here let me see.."

"Yeah it´s some white pills but they doesn´t look like painrelievers to me," he stated when Kevin looked closer at the finding. In one alarming sequence the older mans complexion turned first white then red and then he burst out, "Damn..Fucking shit..I thought he had quit taking those." A bit surprised over both the outburst but also over the heat that those small pills caused Brian asked, "What is it?"

"It´s those freaking diet pills that Lou has been pressing him to take." Kevin ran a hand through his hair, almost with a desperate expression on his face, "Shit I thought it was out of his life."

"What are you talking about?" Now it was Howie’s turn to ask when he noticed how upset his friend was suddenly getting. "What diet pills?" He didn´t have to say anything more before the Latino’s eyes darkened a shade, "Don´t tell me it´s those small ones that you took away from him earlier?"

Kevin sighed, "Yeah..I´m afraid it is."

"Damn..I thought it was over for good with that crap," AJ joined in when the conversation turned more and more heated. "Why the hell would Nick be needing that diet crap anyway?"

Brian stole him a angry look, "Yeah you tell me Bone," he said which instantly put fuel into the fire.

"You´re saying that I have something to do with this..this shit?" the younger man practically shouted as Brian went on that he had never shed his feelings about Nick’s weight and that this could very well be the result of it all. Nick abusing diet pills.

When the discussion got a bit too hot for all of the parts liking Howie was the one to butt in, "It´s no ones fault. Nick is the one that has been taking this stuff and you can’t go around accusing each other for that. Instead we need to focus over helping him and right now he doesn´t need anyone bashing him for something like this..especially not when he is feeling this ill."

The guys went silent for a while before Kevin was the one to break the silence, "D is right. We won´t gain anything by fighting..espeically not helping Nick and therefore it´s not much we can do right now. But I want you to know that I´m keeping these as evidence over what management has forced Nick to take and who knows..maybe it comes in handy in a future trial.

"Trial..you think we should sue them for neglecting our health or something?" AJ was the one that looked a bit doubtful.

"Yes why not. I´ve spoken to my lawyer friend and he think we might have a case and that it would hold for a lawsuit to the management. Mom is supporting it and I know that Brian’s parents have been talking about it too."

"Yeah and mom has talked to Nick’s parents too..but they think that we shouldn’t do anything right now since it could just damage things," AJ said as the topic was suddenly changed from Nick’s dieting to the upcoming law suit.

"Figures," Brian sneered, getting all of the guys attention on him.

"BRIAN!" Kevin’s voice boomed, making Nick stir in his seat in the process, still not waking up.

"What?" the younger man said obnoxiously. "Come on don´t tell me that it surprises you that Nick’s parents isn’t going along with the same as ours. After all they don´t want to hurt the hand that feeds them."

"That was uncalled for," Howie said when Brian had blurted out something about Nick supporting them all and that they would rather sacrifice their son then loose money.

"It´s Nick’s family you´re talking about," Kevin explained, "And I don´t think that they would appreciate if they heard you going on like that. And neither would Nick."

Brian snorted, "Well someone is going to have to say what´s on everyones mind."

"I don´t get it how this discussion about the managers behavior is suddenly transformed into a discussion about Nick’s parents parenting. Howie was the one to pick up the subject and reluctantly they all agreed that it was out of forum.

After almost an hour of discussion, in a low tone what to do since the management was sitting further down in a more classier section, they all decided to form a plan. A plan that would take them out of the the hell that they were living now and as far away from Lou and Johnny as possible. Hopefully during the near future or at least as soon as possible.