[[ Friends Forever ]]

I made sure never to leave my cell phone on the bus for the next week. On Wednesday, mom called again. " Nikki, your father's condition is still the same. LeAnn and Justin are coming to stay with me for a while. They were going to stay with Aunt Shellie, but she's too busy with Austin. Have you been praying for your father? " she asked. " Yes, I have... mom, I want to help. Keeping track of LeAnn, Justin, and Bobby is too much of a burden for you, " I said.

" Nikki, there's nothing you can do to help except pray for your father. LeAnn and Justin will stay here with Bobby and I. Be sure to pray for your father, and hope he makes it. Pray for a miracle, " mom said. I started to cry. " Mom, I've got to help. I have to do something. Please, let LeAnn and Justin stay with us on the road for a while. We're stopping in Jacksonville next week for a show, " I said.

" Nikki, that's too much trouble. You're too young, and you can't possibly keep track of two rambunctious teenage kids and keep up with your career, too, " mom said. " Mom... let me try. Please! " I pleaded. " No, " mom said firmly. There was no changing her mind right now. She was determined, and nothing was going to change that. I decided to wait until I heard more news about dad.

I went to find Nick, but he wasn't anywhere to be found. " Do you know where Nick is? " I asked Howie when I ran into him. " Nope. Haven't seen him in a few hours, " Howie replied. " Okay, thanks, " I said, taking off to look for him again. Amanda, Charisma, AJ, and Brian didn't know where he was, either. And Kevin was nowhere to be found, either. I went back to the bus and sighed, discouraged.

Nick and Kevin returned a couple hours later. I was asleep in my bunk, but Charisma woke me up.

" Nick's back, " she said when I opened my eyes. " Okay, " I said, getting up. Not remembering there was a bunk above mine, I smacked my head on a piece of wood. " Ow! " I muttered, then got up again, this time ducking under the board.

I went to find Nick to tell him what mom had told me, but he insisted that he had something he had to tell me first. " Let's go where no one is going to eavesdrop, " he said, knowing Charisma and Amanda would be listening around a corner somewhere. We went into the lounge in the venue and locked the door.

" Okay, what is this that's so important? " I asked.

" Kevin and I went to talk to an attorney today... " he started. " Why? " I asked. " Just listen. I asked him if it'd be possible for you to get custody of LeAnn and Justin, and he said that you could as soon as you're eighteen. Then he suggested something else to me that sounded interesting, " he said. " What would that be? " I asked.

" He said that if your mom would sign the papers for it, they could put me in charge as legal guardian, and then as soon as you're eighteen, there's some form you can sign that'll make you the legal guardian, " Nick said. I shrugged. " I don't know... I talked to mom this morning and she said dad's condition hasn't changed. And when I asked her if LeAnn and Justin could stay with us on the bus for a while, she was pretty much set on keeping them at her house, " I said.

" Of course she is. She knows how busy you are, " Nick said. " It doesn't matter. They're teenagers. They know how to pretty much take care of themselves. LeAnn's a very brilliant girl. And Justin's really smart. I can honestly say that if they were left on thier own in the world tomorrow with no one whatsoever to depend on, they could make it just fine, " I said.

" Your mom obviously doesn't think so, " Nick said. " That's the problem. I've got to convince her. That attorney's idea was a good one. I'm just not sure mom will be too keen on it, " I said, picking up my phone and calling mom.

" Mom? Hey. I've got a question, " I said. " What is it, dear? " mom asked. " Well... okay, this is just a suggestion, but please, please think about it before you just flat out say no, " I said. " Okay... it's not some far-fetched, crazy idea like some of the ones you've had, is it? " she asked. " No... not really... " I trailed off.

" Just get on with it, " mom said. " Well... you know how this morning I asked you if LeAnn and Justin could stay with us? " I asked.

" Yeah... and I said no, " mom said. " Why not? " I asked. " Because you're too young. You can't legally be the guardian of those children, " mom said. " I'm almost old enough... and that's where Nick comes in, " I said. " What do you mean? " mom asked. I took a deep breath. " Well... I was going to ask, and I really hope you'll consider this before just saying no, but I was going to ask you if it'd be possible for you to sign some forms and appoint him the legal guardian of them until I turn eighteen, " I said.

" What? Run that by me again, " mom said. " I... I love those two a lot, mom, and I really hope you'll consider signing some stuff and appointing Nick the job of legal guardian of LeAnn and Justin until I can sign something else, once I'm eighteen, to take full responsibility, " I said. Mom was silent. " Mom? " I asked.

" I'm here. I'm thinking, " she said. I crossed my fingers. Please say yes, I silently prayed.

" Let me talk to Nick, " mom said a couple minutes later. " Okay, " I said. " She wants to talk to you, " I said, handing him the phone. " Hello, " he said. I couldn't hear what mom was saying, so I had to rely on Nick's end of the conversation. " Yes, ma'am... yes, I would... mmhmm... okay... I'll do that... okay, here she is. "

He handed me the phone. " Mom? " I asked. " Yeah. Are you sure you guys want to do this? " mom asked. " We're absolutely sure, " I said. " Well... I'll talk to LeAnn and Justin about it, and if they like the idea, then okay, we'll do it. If they don't, then no, it's not going to happen, " mom said. I smiled. " Okay, mom. That's fine, " I said. " Okay. Let me let you go now, so I can talk to them. I'll call you later, " she said.

I hung up the phone and looked at Nick. He looked back at me expectantly. " She said that if the kids want to, then she's okay with it, " I said, letting out a deep breath and grinning. " Alright! " Nick exclaimed, throwing his arms around me and hugging me tightly.

That night while I was onstage, I heard a commotion backstage. The stage lights were too bright, so when I looked back, I couldn't tell what was going on. We finished up the last song and I ran backstage to find out what had happened. At first, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. Then I saw Nick backing into a corner and someone heading toward him. What the hell? I thought, silently walking up to the guy.

" What the hell do you think you're doing? " I asked, hands on hips. He turned around in surprise.

" Yeah, you. Who are you? " I asked. " You'll never know, " he said in a menacing voice. " Want to bet? " I asked. Obviously I wasn't thinking. I had no idea who this guy was, or how dangerous he could have been.

" Yeah, " he said, turning and facing me. " Nikki! Get out of here! " Nick hissed. " What's going on? " I asked, ignoring Nick.

" I'd leave if I were you, girly, " the guy threatened. " Knock it off, asshole. What the hell is going on? I demand an explanation, " I said. " Well, you're not going to get one. At least, not before I kill you, " the guy growled. My eyes widened when he pulled out a gun. " Oh, my... " I whispered. He pointed it at me, and made me start backing into the same corner Nick was in. Damn it! Where's the crew when you need them? I thought.

The guy had us cornered and the gun trained on us by now. I saw someone walking by in the shadows. " Help! " I suddenly screamed. The guy was startled, and a shot rang out. I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped in front of Nick. Then I heard a loud ping as the bullet hit something metal. I sighed with relief. " Shut your trap, missy! " the guy warned in a threatening whisper.

He advanced toward us, and I tried to think of a way to get him to drop his gun. Then I saw someone silently coming up behind the guy. But they walked right past, not even noticing him. Would we be stuck here until we were killed, or would we make it out? I had no idea, but I knew we had to think of something quick.

I could see the road crew working to get the stage taken apart and getting the instruments loaded back into the buses. If I yelled again, I'd be risking getting myself or Nick shot. If I didn't, I'd be risking the same thing. Either way, I had to do something. " Help! " I screamed again. Another shot rang out. I stepped in front of Nick, but he pushed me back. " Nick! " I cried, hoping the bullet wouldn't come near us. I heard another ping as it hit another pole.

I sighed with relief. This time someone had heard my cry, and was approaching us. The gunman didn't hear him, and had no idea what happened when someone came up behind him and grabbed him. Another shot rang out, and when I stepped in front of Nick to protect him again, I felt a sharp pain in my hand. " Ow! " I screeched. " What's wrong? Did it hit you? " Nick asked frantically. " Yes, " I said, grimacing in pain. " Oh, my God... where? " Nick asked, panic in his voice.

" My hand... ow, " I said, tears rolling down my face. " Oh, God... oh, Nikki... it's my fault, " he said.

" No, it's not, " I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. " Yes, it is. I shouldn't have let you stay here. I should have made sure you were gone. It's my fault this happened, " he said. " Nick... it's not your fault. Please, don't think it's your fault, " I pleaded. " Nikki... you should not have stepped out in front of me. You should have let it hit me. It's my fault because I didn't push you out of the way, " he said.

" No... Nick, I promise you, it's not your fault. Even if you had pushed me out of the way, I would have stepped right back out in front of you, " I said. I could hear him sniffing back tears. " Don't... stop, Nick. It's not your fault. I couldn't let it hit you. It would have killed you, and I wouldn't have been able to handle losing you, " I whispered.

" Nikki, it's my fault whether you realize it or not. I should never have let you step in front of me, " he said. " Stop it! Quit blaming yourself! It's not your fault! " I screamed. My hand was getting numb. Nick just looked at me, dumbfounded. " Look, can you just help me figure out how bad this thing is? I'm losing feeling in my hand, " I said. " Come on. Let's get you back to the bus, " Nick said, picking me up and carrying me.

He took me back to Strike 4's bus, and when Charisma saw my bloody hand, she freaked. " Oh, my God! " she shrieked, then headed for the bathroom. I heard her throwing up, and sighed. Amanda had been asleep, but Charisma's yelling woke her up. She wandered out, groggily asking what was going on. " She got shot in the hand... it's my fault, " Nick said. I started to cry uncontrollably. " Nick, it's not your fault! " I sobbed.

" Oh, my God... who... what happened? How'd she get shot in the hand? " Amanda asked, looking at my hand. Nick followed her over to the sink with me in his arms, and she attempted to rinse my hand off.

" Some guy... I couldn't tell who. He had me cornered, and Nikki came up behind him wondering what was going on. She didn't realize he was a killer, " he said.

" He just shot her in the hand, right there? " Amanda asked. Nick shook his head. " In a couple minutes, he had her cornered right there with me, and had his gun trained on us. She called out for help, but no one heard her. That's when the first shot went off. After a couple more minutes, she yelled for help again. He shot again, but it hit another pole. Then someone came up behind the guy and grabbed him, but I think the guy was so startled that he pulled the trigger again. Nikki stepped out in front of me and it hit her. And it's my fault, for not pushing her out of the way, " he said.

" Oh, my... no, Nick. It's not your fault. She's right. It is not your fault,and don't you dare think that. Now come on, we've got to get her to a hospital, " Amanda said. I'd fallen asleep, but they thought I'd passed out. " What's going on? " I asked groggily when Nick started walking again. " Oh, God! She's awake again! " Amanda cried. " Of course I'm awake. You can't sleep when someone's carrying you around, " I said. " You passed out, " Nick said. " No, I didn't. Ya'll were too busy fussing over me, and I fell asleep, " I said.

" You've got to go to the hospital, " Amanda said. " No, I don't. I just need to clean this thing out and put a bandage on it, " I said, hol ding up my injured hand. I struggled to get down, but Nick was stronger than me. " No. We're going to the hospital, " he said. " No, we're not, " I said, finally breaking loose and regaining my balance. I went over to the sink and started rinsing my hand. When the water hit it, I sucked in a breath quickly and squeezed my eyes shut.

A little while later, I'd managed to get my hand cleaned up. It wasn't as bad as it had looked before, when it was all bloody. The bleeding had stopped, and it was nothing more than a large cut. " See? It's okay. It'll be fine in a couple weeks, " I said to Nick, putting some medical ointment on it and covering it with a large bandage. Nick still looked doubtful. " Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? " he asked. I nodded. " I'm okay. Honestly, " I said.

Nick left a little while later, and I followed him back to the Backstreet Boys' bus. " Goodnight, " I said when we were standing at the door. " Goodnight. I love you, Nikki, " he said. " I love you, too, Nick. More than everything, " I whispered. We kissed, then he turned to go. " I'll see you tomorrow, " I said. " See you tomorrow, " he echoed. I turned to go, but then heard him say something to Brian that made me want to cry.

" It was my fault. "