"What about that girl that sneaked onto our tour bus?" Nick stated. They had gotten onto the subject of the craziest things their fans did to get close to them.
AJ started to laugh. "She scared the hell out of me! I had no idea that anyone was on the bus!"
"We still check the bus before we leave a venue!"
"I need to talk to Howie Dorough or a Nick Carter." A dark haired man told the bodyguard.
"It's not going to happen." The bodyguard, Brett stated.
"But I have a message from Mel."
"Like I haven't heard that one before, beat it!" Brett said.
"You don't understand it important, please."
"Brett, what is with all the commotion?" Howie asked as he approached the two men.
"Just a fan that won't take a hint. I'll get rid of him boss."
"Boss, wait are you Howie Dorough?"
"Yes, and who are you?"
"My name is Scott, but that's not important. I have a message from Mel." Howie quickly moved closer.
"What message?"
"She wanted me to find you and Nick Carter. And to tell Nick that she needs him and fast!"
"Where is she?"
"The far end of the parking." Howie swiftly ran back to everyone to tell them.
"Nick, follow me now!"
"What's going on Howie?" Nick asked with uncertainty.
"Mel needs you!" Nick was out of his seat in seconds following Howie, so was everyone else.
"Is he going to be okay?" Melissa asked as the paramedics checked over Jonathon.
"He has a deep gash on the side of his head and he lost a lot of blood."
"Just tell me. Is he going to be okay?"
"He needs to get to a hospital ASAP." The two paramedics laid Jonathon down on a stretcher and strapped him down.
"Mel, what's going on?" Nick asked as he came within reach of her. It was then he saw the blood all over her hands and shirt. "Mel, you're bleeding!" He grabbed her hands.
"It's not my blood, its Jonathon's."
"Oh my god, where is he?" Julie asked her.
"They are loading him into the ambulance. Go and ride with them." Julie hurriedly ran to the ambulance and got in. The ambulance quickly left the parking lot. Everyone remained silent, not knowing what to say in a moment like this.
"We need to get to the hospital." Melissa said with an eerie calm. The ride from the club to the hospital was quiet. Nick wanted to know what had happened, why Jonathon was bleeding, did he get into a fight or, his stomach turned at this thought, was Adam behind all of this.
"Jules how is he?" Melissa asked as she and everyone rushed into the hospital.
"I don't know. The doctor said he would talk to me once they checked him over. What happened, Mel?" Julie asked her best friend.
"I don't know. I found him by a car, leaning up against it, all bruised and scratched. He was bleeding from his head, so I used my sweater to apply pressure. He said he felt tired and wanted to rest, but I was worried he had a concussion so I made him stay awake. It just happened so fast, I should have done more."
"So you are the hero." A tall blonde hair man wearing a white lab coat stated. "I'm Dr. Reed; I'm taking care of Mr. Bradley."
"How is he?" Julie asked Dr. Reed.
"He has a severe concussion and a large slash by his right temple that will need stitches. We also had to give him a blood transfusion because of the amount of blood he lost and he has two bruised ribs. "
"But he is going to be okay, right?"
"Yes, he'll be okay. We will keep him for a couple of days to make sure there aren't any complications, but he should be back to his normal self in no time." Julie let go of the breath she had been holding for so long.
"Can I go in and see him?"
"Yes, but only one person at a time and not for long periods. He needs to rest." Julie looked at Melissa.
"Go ahead Jules, I want to clean up." Julie smiled and entered Jonathon's room.
"Ms. Barnes, I just want to say, you handled that situation very well. I have seen many people panic in a situation like that. Thanks to you, your friend's injures weren't more serious. You should be proud of yourself." Dr. Reed's pager went off and he quickly grabbed it.
"I'm sorry, I need to take this. I'll be back later to check on Mr. Bradley."
"Thank you." Melissa said not even looking at the doctor as he left. "I'm going to go to the restroom. I'll be back."
"Mel, do you want us to come with you?" Jeni asked her fragile friend.
"No that's okay. I won't be long." She stated as she turned down the hall. Once she was out of sight, AJ pulled Nick away from the others.
"Nick, maybe she shouldn't be alone."
"I was thinking the same thing." Nick said and followed the same path Melissa took just seconds earlier.
She entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She reached for the soap and lathered her hands. While rinsing off, Melissa glanced up at the mirror. She did everything she could to control her emotions. Being in a hospital, brought back memories of her dad's accident, memories she wanted to forget, but couldn't. She dried her hands and started to exit the bathroom, but something stopped her. She wasn't ready to face everyone and all their questions. She leaned up against the tiled wall, trying to catch her breath. She took a slow and deep breath. Once she felt in control again, she departed the bathroom.
"Mel, are you okay?" Nick asked as he reached for her.
"I have been better." She stated brushing her hair out of her face.
"Come here." He enveloped her in his arms. "He's going to be okay."
"I know he is, but I know…"
"Mel, the police are here and they want to talk to you." Alyssa said interrupting her and Nick.
Three of them returned to the waiting room across the hall from Jonathon's room.
"Officer Garner, I wasn't expecting you." Melissa said seeing the young police officer.
"I heard your name over the radio and I thought you would like to see a friendly face." The officer smiled.
"Well thank you, I appreciate it."
"Did you see anyone?" Officer Garner asked Melissa. She told him everything she could remember about finding Jonathon all beaten up.
"No, I didn't see anyone." Melissa said with a hesitation.
"Ms. Barnes, why do I feel like there is something you aren't telling me?"
Melissa took a deep breath and looked at the Office Garner. "Do you remember the man I mentioned the last time I saw you?" He nodded his head.
"Adam O'Neil. You think he has something to do with this?"
"I know he is, it's just that I can't prove it."
"Why would Mr. O'Neil want to hurt Mr. Bradley?"
"Adam needs to be in control and when he's not; he'll do whatever can to be back in control."
"If you are the one he is after, why hurt Mr. Bradley?"
"To see me hurt and scared, he feeds off of it. Officer Garner, why would I make this up? How do you explain my windows being destroyed and now one of my friends being beaten up? If someone doesn't stop Adam, he will continue terrorize my friends and me."
"I can't promise anything Ms. Barnes, but I'll do some digging. I'll see if Mr. O'Neil has an alibi for tonight. I'll notify you if I find anything."
"Thank you, Officer Garner." He nodded his head and exited the waiting room. Melissa sighed, hoping Officer Garner would find something, something that would prove it was Adam who hurt Jonathon. She sat down put her hands in her hair. She felt someone wrap an arm around her; she looked up and smiled when she saw those familiar blue eyes.
"Hey, how are you doing?"
"Worried, scared." He pulled her close to him. Melissa rested her head on his shoulder.
"I know I can't find the words to erase all of that, but I'm here if you need me." He stated and kissed her temple.
"You're helping by just being here." He held her tightly against him, so glad that she was okay.
"Mel." Julie said walking into the waiting room. "Jonathon wants to see you."
