Just One Kiss

Before any of them knew it, it was coming to the end of Stacy’s time on tour with the Backstreet crew. She had to get back to work, which she knew she needed to hit the gym because she wasn’t able to keep up with her exercise.

“Let’s go to the gym,” Stacy suggested to Nick, knowing he had nothing to do until late tomorrow.

“Sure,” Nick replied with a shrug. He knew how Stacy cared about her heart health, which he was understanding completely.

They left and reached the gym, Stacy heading straight for the treadmill. Nick decided to join her by jumping on the machine next to her, but he knew talking wasn’t an option because she put her earbuds in. When she had those in, there was no communication until she took them out. While she was running, she started singing, something Nick came to find as soothing as it was amusing.

“What’s the worst that I can say? Things are better if I stay. So long, and goodnight. So long and goodnight.” Nick smiled and shook his head. She was listening to My Chemical Romance. He was a fan, but not as much as she was.

“Hey, you’re Nick Carter,” someone behind him said. Nick turned his neck to see a toned, petit female wearing nothing but a sports bra and a pair of skin tight shorts.

“Yeah, I am,” Nick nodded, turning back to his own workout.

“Mind if I take a picture with you?” Nick knew he couldn’t refuse politely, so he decided to skip the drama and take the picture. Stacy, not trying to get into his business, forced herself to keep up her running.

“Thank you,” the woman said as she walked away. Nick got back onto the machine, and noticed that Stacy was running harder than usual.

“Hey, settle down whirlwind,” Nick joked. “You’re running in place, not away from zombies.” Stacy didn’t reply, she just kept running, soon just giving up on the machine altogether.

“Stace!” Nick called, stopping his own treadmill and chasing after her. “Stacy wait.” he said, catching up to her in just a few strides. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I just got tired of the treadmill. I think I’ll go run a few laps around the track,” she said, trying to start walking again.

“Stacy, I know you better.” Nick mumbled. “It has to do with that girl wanting the picture. I couldn’t just be rude and say no and cause drama.”

“That has nothing to do with it,” Stacy snapped before she could stop herself.

“So you are ticked off at me.” Nick nodded. “Why? What did I do?”

“Nothing Nick,” Stacy sighed. She looked around and grabbed his hand, pulling him into a quiet corner. “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “I guess I just…”

“Got a little jelly?” Nick asked in reply, a small smile on his face.

“I don’t get jealous,” Stacy replied, too quickly. Nick raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed. “Fine, I guess a little.”

“Stace, you have nothing to worry about,” Nick assured her, wrapping his arms around her. “I love you and only you. Besides if anyone should be jealous it’s me.”

“Why?”

“Cause, you go out on national television barely dressed. All these guys get to see what should only be seen by me.”

“Occupational hazard,” Stacy shrugged. Nick chuckled and drew her closer to him. “I’m sorry.” She repeated again.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. I get half naked women that come up for a picture. That’s my occupational hazard.”

“If I remember right, I was one of those half naked women when we first met.”

“Well, you were hot that day, but you didn’t freak out.”

“I was in character when you walked up to me.” Stacy confessed. “If I hadn’t been, I probably would have been screaming.” Nick laughed and looked around the gym.

“Now, I think I really am going to go run the track,” Stacy told Nick. “Just about five laps. I need to stay in shape for when I go back to work.”

“That’s in a couple weeks isn’t it?” Nick asked as they started walking to the door that lead to the track.

“Yep,” Stacy sighed, her hand slipping into Nick’s. Once she was standing in between two white lines, she smirked toward Nick. “Race?”

“You’re on,” he replied, stretching out his legs. He looked up, and around when he realized Stacy had already started running.

“Cheater!” he called as she laughed back at him. He started after her, and caught up quicker than he thought he would. He realized then that Stacy had slowed down greatly, and her face had paled.

“Stacy?” he asked, finally reaching her just as she stopped, doubled over with her hands on her knees. “Hey Stace!”

“Can’t, breathe,” she gasped finally, clutching at her chest. Nick noticed just in time that she started to collapse.

“Stacy!” Nick called out, feeling the cold sweat she had broken out in. He pulled out his cell phone, and quickly dialed for an ambulance. After explaining what was going on, he was told the ambulance would be there within a few minutes.

“Hey man, is everything okay?” a guy passing them asked.

“No, my girlfriend just collapsed. An ambulance is on the way,” Nick replied. “Stacy, stay with me honey,” he said, stroking her hair from her forehead. She was still gasping, but it was getting weaker.

“I’ll go show them back here,” the stranger said. Nick barely heard him.

“Nick,” she gasped out in a cough.

“Save your breathe,” he said just as two paramedics rushed to them.

“What happened?” One asked Nick.

“We were running the track, then she just stopped and had trouble breathing.” Nick told them. “She’s got Cardiomyopathy. Do you think it has something to do with that?”

“It’s likely,” the paramedic replied as the other checked her vitals.

“Breathing is shallow, heart rate is 55 BPM, we need to get her to the hospital quick.”

“55 BPM? That’s low isn’t it?” Nick asked.

“The average heart rate is 60-100 beats. So it’s not extremely low, but with her heart condition, we can’t take any chances.” The guy checking on Stacy replied. The stretcher was brought around, and by this time many people were gathering around. Nick climbed into the back of the ambulance, and held her hand the entire trip to the hospital. As soon as she was taken back, Nick knew it would be a long time before he heard anything, so he stepped outside, cell phone in hand again.

“Hey Nick, what’s up?” Brian answered his phone.

“Bri-I…” his voice trailed off, realization of what was going on finally hit him full force.

“Nick? What’s wrong?” Brian asked.

“I-I’m at the hospital right now Brian. It’s Stacy, she just, collapsed.”

“What? What happened?” Nick explained how they were running, and how Stacy suddenly started gasping and then finally collapsed.

“I’m scared man, she was so damn pale when they took her back.”

“What hospital are you at?” Brian asked, looking up as AJ and Howie walked in. He listened to Nick as he stood up and grabbed a pair of shoes. “Hang tight bro, we’re on our way.” Brian assured him before hanging up. “We gotta go,” he said, throwing on his shoes. “Nick and Stacy were at the gym and Stacy just collapsed on him.”

“Shit,” AJ muttered before running out of the room. Howie was bunking with Brian for the night, so he just grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair and the keys to his rental car.

“I’ll drive” he told Brian and AJ when he came back in. He knew AJ was freaking out as was Brian. He was scared, but he knew to keep a cool head about himself when someone takes a medical turn for the worse.

“Come on then. They took her to the Chicago General Hospital,” Brian told him. Howie nodded and climbed behind the wheel.

Meanwhile, Nick stared at his phone. He knew he should call John, Stacy’s brother, but he didn’t want to get him wound up, or catch him at a bad time.

Sighing, he knew he didn’t have a choice, so he opened his phone and found the name JC, which he used to mean “John Cena.”

“Nick? What’s up man?” John answered the phone with. “Stacy isn’t giving you too much hell is she?”

“T-That’s the thing John,” Nick sighed, knowing he couldn’t stall. “Look, John, I’m sorry. If I knew this would have happened, I never would have agreed to go….”

“What happened?” John asked instantly. Nick heard a clang, and could only imagine what that was.

“Stacy’s in the hospital right now John. We went to the gym and started running the track. I don’t know exactly what happened, but she started gasping and just collapsed all together.”

“Fuck it Stace!” John growled, so suddenly Nick dropped his phone. He picked it up just in time to hear something about the hotel.

“What?” Nick asked again.

“Are you at the hotel right now, or is anyone?”

“The others are on their way here, I think Jenn, our tour manager, is still there.”

“Does she have access to your room?”

“Always does.” Nick replied. “John, what are you getting at?”

“I bet you ten to one that Stacy ran out of her heart medication and never said anything. I knew she was do for a refill, but I never knew exactly when. If she doesn’t take that medicine, her heart has to work overtime to keep blood pumping through her veins.”
Before Nick could reply, Brian, Howie, and AJ walked up to him.

“Hey man, I think we have a problem,” AJ said right off the bat. He held up a clear orange bottle with a white lid, and it was completely empty.

“Damn it Stacy,” Nick muttered, letting his head fall. “You were right John. She ran out and never told us. Alex is showing me the bottle right now.”

“Tell the doctors and get that prescription filled back up.” John told him.

“Don’t worry, I’m taking it straight in, and Stacy and I are going to have a very nice, very long talk about this.”

“Just don’t over do it right now Nick. She’s strong when she’s on those things, but when she stops taking them, she could break in a moments notice.”

“Thanks John,” Nick said. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“Thanks Nick,” John said before hanging up his phone. Nick took the pill bottle from Alex and went inside just as the doctor called out for the party for Stacy.

“Right here,” Nick said.

“Are you family?”

“I’m her fiancé,” Nick told him, which caused Brian, AJ, and Howie to look at him.

“Well sir, your fiancée had a minor heart episode. I assume you know she has a heart condition?”

“Yes sir, what I didn’t realize was that she ran out of her medication.” Nick held the bottle up to him, and the doctor sighed.

“It says here that she has cardiomyopathy?” When Nick nodded to confirm, the doctor's frown deepened, creasing his eyebrow to a near perfect line. “This medication isn’t for that.”