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Kevin, Nick, Aaron, Brian, Leighanne, Howie and Alex were sitting in the back of the arena where the United We Stand benefit concert was being held at. They had celebrated Kevin's birthday at the softball field. Nick was happy that his husband enjoyed himself. Nick was sleeping with his head on Leighanne's shoulder. He was now eight months pregnant and his energy levels were lower than before when he had gone to the doctor and Kevin stayed with him as he was examined. Kevin made sure to give him his daily Vitamin B12 shot, heart medication and ferrous sulfate tablets. Nick was glad that his husband was making sure that he was alright and comfortable with going out on stage and performing.

The Boys decided to sing about three of their songs from Millennium. Nick chose “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely,” and Brian chose “Don't Wanna Lose You Now” and “The Perfect Fan.” Howie and Alex were all for the three songs since Alex voted for Nick and Brian's songs and Howie suggested “The Perfect Fan” to Brian. Kevin was glad that “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely” was their top song to sing first. Kevin and Nick had played the song at their wedding three years ago. Their fourth wedding anniversary was going to be on Valentine's Day. They married up at Holy Redeemer Chapel in the mountains of Lexington, Kentucky. It was an outdoor chapel at the summer camp Kevin's late father ran.

Nick yawned softly and didn't wake up. Leighanne smiled and reached up a hand to brush a lock of blond hair away from Nick's face. Aaron had his head resting in Nick's lap while he was sleeping. Aaron had made it out to New York when Brian's father, Harold Littrell, Sr., flew out to California to meet up with the youngest Carter child. Nick was forever grateful for Brian's father and Harold told him that he was part of the family and Nick could call him Uncle Harold from now on. Leighanne smiled at her husband and Brian grinned lovingly back at her. She knew that they were ready for a family and she decided to discuss it with him after the concert was over.

Kevin looked over at the two siblings. He knew that Nick was going to watch over Aaron closely since it was only the two of them now. Nick and Aaron were starting to recover from the pain of losing their parents and sisters in the terrorist attacks back on September 11th. The older man was glad that they were starting to feel better. He hated to wake Nick and Aaron up, but he had to since they were due to go onstage in about ten minutes.

“Nick and Aaron, you two need to wake up now. It's almost time for us to go onstage,” Kevin replied softly as he shook them gently. Two sets of eyes, one pair cobalt blue and the other pair hazel, opened slowly and looked up into Kevin's green eyes. Kevin smiled and helped Aaron sit up slowly since he was still groggy and out of it. Nick let out a soft sigh and rubbed a weary hand over his face.

Kevin watched his husband stand up from the seat he was sleeping in slowly and stretch a little bit to straighten his back out. The shirt he was wearing rose up a little bit and he saw the Celtic tattoo that Nick had gotten a couple years ago on his lower back. He made sure that Nick had the right size jeans and shirt since he was pregnant and needed to be as comfortable as possible. He stood up from his chair and walked over to Nick.

Nick turned to look at Kevin and replied, “Thanks for waking me up, Kevin. I guess I needed that nap. I feel a little better and the ferrous sulfate and B12 shot are kicking in now. It's funny how I went from hating needles with a passion to having to depend on them to get my body to function correctly. When this concert is over, I am so glad we're taking a much-needed break from the spotlight after this tour. It will give Brian and Leighanne time to start a family and for us to get adjusted to being parents. Aaron will need to be enrolled in school since he is eligible to be an eighth-grader. It was a good thing that he was home-schooled by a private teacher I spoke with and paid every two weeks."

Kevin smiled at his husband and leaned down to kiss him softly. Nick wrapped his arms loosely around Kevin's neck and felt the strong arms he loved wrap around his waist and pull him closer. Brian walked over to his cousin and best friend. "Alright you two, knock it off. It looked like you were trying to eat your faces," Brian replied and ducked when Kevin and Nick both tried to slap him on the back of the head at the same time. Brian ran off laughing after he teased the couple and Leighanne watched her husband laugh. Nick grinned up at Kevin and kissed him on the nose. It was a little thing that Nick and Kevin developed when they first dated before getting married.

One of the stagehands came backstage and replied, "Backstreet, you're up now. Here are you microphones." Kevin grabbed his mic and Nick's mic as well. He made sure that it worked and was glad that it did. The group made sure that their earpieces were secured as well and they grabbed hands to pray. Nick then began to pray. "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us here safely. We're here together as an unit, a team, and a family. You have protected those You love and care about. We stand in this circle praying that you will grant us the strength to make it through the concert and through life. You are worthy to be praised and loved. In your Son's name, Amen," Nick concluded and everyone replied "Amen."

Nick looked at the stairs where they were to go up and he was a little nervous. He wondered what was going to happen out there after they sang the National Anthem. Kevin saw Nick standing at the stairs, so he walked over to the young man. He slid his arms around the expanded waist and rested his chin on his young husband's shoulder. “Nick, everything will be alright. The paramedics are standing by for anything that will happen. Baby, relax for me,” Kevin replied and kissed the back of Nick's neck softly and smiled when Nick chuckled softly. Kevin was glad that he was able to soothe Nick's nerves and keep him relaxed.

On Stage
After the boys sang the National Anthem, Kevin looked over at Brian and saw his cousin nod. He grabbed Nick's hand and Nick wondered what his husband was about to do. Kevin pulled Nick to the front of the stage and smiled down at him. The crowd was cheering and Kevin quieted them down. "Hello everyone. As you know, Nick and I have been married for three years now. Back on September 11th, one of our crew members was on Flight 175 that hit the South Tower. His name was Daniel Lee. Also, Nick and his little brother, Aaron Carter, lost people who were very close to them. They lost their parents and three sisters on Flight 11 that hit the North Tower. We would like to take this time and have a moment of silence for those who perished in the terrorist attacks," Kevin replied and wrapped an arm around Nick's waist and held the young man close to his chest. Aaron was being held in Nick's arms since he was still small enough to be picked up.

The entire arena went silent. Nick rested his head over Kevin's heart and listened to the strong beating. It was a very comforting sound to soothe the worry and edginess from his body. Kevin opened his eyes and said, "Thank you for your time." The arena erupted into applause and Nick leaned up to kiss Kevin on the lips softly. Kevin tightened his hold on Nick's waist and returned the kiss more passionately. The audience cooed at the love and affection between Kevin and Nick. The couple separated and smiled at one another. Nick set Aaron back onto the ground and told him to go sit at the side of the stage.

The band started to play the music for “Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely” and Brian started to sing the first part of the song. Nick smiled at his husband and placed a hand on his stomach, rubbing softly to calm their daughters' movement down. Their children were on the move like crazy and Nick could never find a comfortable position to sit in or lay in.

Show me the meaning of being lonely
So many words for the broken heart
It's hard to see in a crimson love
So hard to breathe
Walk with me, and maybe

Nick nodded his head to the beat of the song and gasped when he felt a slight tightening in his chest. He inhaled slowly and exhaled slowly to calm his palpitating heart. He didn't know what was going to happen, so he kept his eyes out to the crowd and listened as Alex started to sing his part of the song. Nick heard himself breathing deeply and shallowly. His chest felt like it was on fire and it was tightening more and more as the concert went on.

Nights of light so soon become
Wild and free I could feel the sun
Your every wish will be done
They tell me

After Alex sang his part of the song, Nick tried to sing the chorus but his voice failed him. His vision was starting to go blurry and he had to grab onto the microphone stand in front of him. Kevin looked over at his husband and wondered what was going on. In a matter of seconds, Nick collapsed to the floor clutching at his chest and stomach. Kevin rushed over to where his husband had collapsed and held him close. The crowd cried out in fear and fright as Kevin turned Nick onto his back. He placed his head on his young husband's chest and heard the wet beating of his heart. “Brian, get the paramedics and tell them to get a stretcher ready! Nick is going into labor and his heart is beating shallowly!” Kevin called out. Brian rushed off the stage and told the paramedics to get a stretcher.

Nick looked up into his husband's worried emerald eyes and replied, “I-It will be alright, K-Kevin. Don't l-leave me please.” The paramedics brought the stretcher onto the stage and Kevin moved to the left side and held Nick's hand as he was being prepared for transport to New York State Hospital. Kevin saw the fear in Nick's glazed-over cobalt blue eyes.

Once the paramedics had Nick ready, they placed him onto the stretcher and then secured him in. Kevin held his husband's hand as the young man was wheeled to the awaiting ambulance to be transported to the hospital. When they got to the ambulance, Kevin got in since he wasn't going to let go of his husband's hand until they were at the hospital. Nick smiled weakly at the older man and let his eyes close in complete exhaustion.

New York State Hospital
It had been over eight hours since Nick was brought to the hospital. Aaron was sleeping with his head in Leighanne's lap. Kevin was pacing the hall up and down waiting for news on Nick and their daughters. Brian watched his cousin and knew that he was nervous and anxious to hear any news on Nick. 'Kevin is really worried about Nick. I know Frack will pull through. He is very strong and will be alright. God, don't take my best friend please,' Brian prayed silently. Alex and Howie were curled up together on the couch holding hands. "Kevin Richardson?" Kevin stopped pacing and looked up when he saw the doctor. He walked over to the doctor and shook the extended hand.

“Hello Mr. Richardson. I am Dr. Matthew Stokes, Nick's cardiologist. Your daughters have arrived safely and they've been taken to the nursery. There were no complications with them. On the other hand though, Nick's heart was strained severely. I found another hole in his heart about the size of a child's fist. I had worked on the first one and then we prepped him for surgery straight after your daughters' births to repair the second hole. He is in a private room now, but only two of you can visit him at a time,” the doctor explained. Kevin, Brian, Leighanne, Howie and Alex relaxed visibly. Leighanne looked down and saw that Aaron was finally awake. She smiled softly and ran her fingers through his hair.

“Thank you for coming to tell us, Doctor,” Kevin replied and watched as Nick's cardiologist walked away from them. He then turned to look at his family. “I'm going to go and see Nick right now. Brian, you can come if you want,” he said. Brian nodded and kissed Leighanne on the lips before walking away with Kevin. As the two cousins were walking to the Intensive Care Unit, Kevin was thinking about the tour.

“I think we are going to have to cancel some of the concerts. Nick needs to rest and get adjusted to being a daddy now,” Kevin replied. Brian nodded in agreement with the explanation his older cousin gave. They knew that Nick tried his hardest to tour while pregnant and dealing with his heart condition. Brian was amazed that Nick made it this far before everything had caught up with him. He realized that his best friend was cheating death every time he took the stage to perform with them.

Intensive Care Unit
Kevin and Brian arrived at the room where Nick was and saw his bodyguard, Michael Erickson, standing at the door. The three men exchanged hugs and shook hands. Kevin looked over at Brian and saw the younger man nod. They both walked into the room and gasped softly. Nick was hooked up to a lot of wires from the machines that were brought into the room and had an oxygen hose around his face. Kevin walked over to the bed and sat down in the chair. He grasped his young husband's hand into his own and kissed it softly.

“Nicky, please wake up soon. I need you so much right now, baby. You're my everything and I don't want to lose you. Our daughters are here as well, sweetheart. I'm going to go see them soon. I know they will be beautiful just like you. I'll be back soon,” Kevin replied and stood up. He leaned down and kissed Nick on his lips before walking out of the room.

Brian took Kevin's seat and held Nick's hand in his own as well. “Hey Frack, wake up soon. Your husband is very scared that you're not going to. I know you will since you're strong and have cheated death many times. You're twenty-one years old, but you have shown maturity beyond years and you've cheated death by delaying your surgery twice. Aaron is with Leighanne right now, but they'll come and visit you soon. Howie and Alex will come after them as well. Wake up soon, bro,” Brian replied and kissed Nick on the forehead when he stood up from the chair and walked out of the room. He decided to go and see how Kevin was holding up with everything. Brian knew that Kevin was trying to stay strong for Nick, but he knew that the older man needed to let go for once in his life. He remembered that he needed to call Ann and let her know what happened to Nick.