He was taken back to when he was fifteen. The youngest of a 5- part vocal group, with a curtains hair cut. He had recently shot up in height and strength, no longing being the littlest of the group. He was dealing with his nerves backstage as he was about to perform to a small venue of people. He was beginning to get used to these nerves and how to deal with them, as each performance was getting more and more important, and bigger and bigger in size. He could see AJ and Howie practising some harmonies. He had warmed up already and was sipping on water when a young Brian nearly jumped on him, full of energy, frightening him. Consciously, Nick watched this youngster talking him out of his nerves, promising him they would have fun, and compared him to the married man and father he knew now. Nick hadn't thought of these days in a long time so these thoughts were both familiar and strange to him at the same time. He wondered what had gone so terribly wrong, as he thought of himself now, compared to the happy-go-lucky-teenager he used to be…
Outside Brian persisted to bang on the door, screaming for Nick to answer him-these noises only murmurs against the crowd noise Nick could hear inside his head. Brian rested his head against the wooden hotel room door and sobbed, not caring that those watching could have this all in the press by morning; he cared only about his friend.
"Nick!" Brian shouted one more time before his voice failed him through tears. Leighanne, appearing from her room with a packed suitcase left her baby and her things at her hotel room door, and ran towards her husband. She banged on Kevin's door as she ran. Her maternal instinct told her something was very wrong. She could hear Baylee shouting for his Mom to come back.
"Sweetheart…" She said reaching Brian. "…What's the matter? What's happening?" She repeated this twice but Brian could not reply. She turned desperately to Kevin who had arrived, who looked just as shocked and confused. Kevin's security guard was attempting to move people along from the scene. AJ had found Baylee half way down the corridor crying looking at his distressed parents. Instead of joining the crowd, AJ scooped him up and comforted him, and walked him away from whatever was happening. He didn't need to see it.
"We have to get in there!" Brian repeated over and over.
"Why!?" Kevin asked forcefully panicking himself now.
"Nick…" Brian began, his words broken by sobs and sighs. "He collapsed, he freaked out…he couldn't see me…" Brian tried to describe, but his words could never represent the horror he had just witnessed. Brian completely broke down in his wife's arms.
Nick felt the grass between his fingers again, and the summer breeze as the image of himself at 15 faded away. Lucidly he found his survival instinct telling him to wake up in the voice of Kyra. "Wake up, Nick…" She said peacefully. "…Wake up, Nick…"
Despite her serene request Nick jolted awake violently and sat up rigid in fear and confusion. Flash backs of his temporary insanity filtered into his pounding head as he remembered what had happened, why he was on the floor and why his friends were banging on the door. He stood up, but could not approach the door. He wanted to, but could not. He picked up Kyra's story and frantically began packing. Most of his things were in the suitcase already-staying only a night here and there Nick rarely unpacked fully-but he threw in hastily all of his essentials. He zipped up his suitcase and glanced at the clock-they needed to leave very soon. He sent a quick text to his security guard to come and get him, not wanting to talk.
The group gathered outside were contemplating calling the hotel manager and requesting the spare key to get in, until Nick's security guard approached them and asked what the hell was going on. They were thankful to know that Nick had text him. He must be alive, Brian thought.
Hearing his security guard outside, Nick threw his backpack onto his back and pulled his suitcase towards the door, pausing briefly at the handle. He couldn't bring himself to go back out there. To distract himself he briefly checked the room once more, making sure he hadn't left anything. He approached the door again and took a deep breath. No one spoke surprisingly when he emerged looking only a little worse for wear.
"Excuse me…" He said quietly pushing passed the congregation and walking down the corridor with his security guard who was communicating to Nick's bus, which was waiting outside. The group stood where they were watching Nick as he calmly walked down the corridor where he had ran only a short time ago. Brian watched, not believing how calm Nick seemed, wondering why he hadn't answered the door. Brian thought to himself for just a moment that perhaps he had been imagining things, until Nick's security guard pressed the button to call the elevator. They couldn't hear what Nick said, but Nick walked towards the door to the stairs, nervously looking back towards the elevator, deciding to descend the stairs instead.
