Chapter 1

Sunday - September 8, 2002

"okay, keep your eyes open for a pearlized off-white Escalade" I said to my friend, Kris as soon as we entered Marathon. she just rolled her eyes at me and I playfully hit her in the arm. "dont you roll your eyes at me! we are now officially in Carter Country and we have to keep an eye out for any Carters'"

"Carter Country?" she asked me dryly with her eyebrows raised

"shut up!" I said with a laugh "just watch the cars, ok? and be sure to look in K-Mart's parking lot"

"ohmigod" she said, shaking her head at me "what the hell are we gonna do? chase down every white Escalade we see just in case it's Nick Carter? it's not like you'd talk to him anyways!"

I turned and glared at her as she sat there laughing, but ended up laughing myself "you need to stop being mean to me. you knew when you agreed to go to Key West with me that we'd have to go through Marathon to get there. and you also knew that Nick lives in Marathon. you wanted to come down"

"I wanted to spend the weekend in Key West, yes. I never once said anything about chasing Escalades!" she said with a laugh

"you knew it was a given. now watch the road" I said to her with a grin. even though Kris continually teases me for being "obsessed" with Nick Carter, she still puts up with me and I know for a fact that if she sees a white Escalade, she'll be pointing it out to me and telling me to follow it. although personally I think "obsessed" may be kind of harsh... ok, well sometimes but it's all in fun! one thing she's right about, if I ever did meet Nick, I'm not to sure I'd be able to say anything to him!

"Uh, Katie" Kris said as I tried to find a song on the CD I have in the stereo

"yeah" I said, glancing at the road real quick to make sure I'm still in my lane

"I really hate to point this out, but isn't that a tour bus turning into Nick's compound up ahead?" she asked

I shot my head up at the road ahead of me. Jesus Christ! she's right! I'm so proud of her! "you go girl!" I said, stepping on the gas.

"what the hell are you gonna do? hit him??" she asked with a laugh, grabbing the handle above her window.

"no!" I laughed "I'm just trying to get closer"

"wonderful" she muttered, shaking her head as an 18 wheeler passed us on the right "Jesus, is he stopping?"

"he better be!" I said with a laugh, slowing down myself as we got closer to where the tour bus is trying to turn (and blocking the road)

"ohmigod" Kris said, just staring out the window as we heard the 18 wheeler try to slam on his breaks at the last second "I honestly dont think he saw the bus"

I just stared ahead of us, unable to stop what I know is going to happen. Kris and I both just stared as we watched the truck try to stop, not having any success. we heard the squeal of the tires then the crunching sound as the truck hit the bus right in the middle of it, tipping it over.

"ohmigod" Kris muttered, staring at the scene in front of us with wide eyes.

"Jesus Christ" was all I could think to say. I stared at the bus on it's side for a second then quickly pulled over to the side of the road, searching for my cell phone

"what are you doing!" Kris yelled as I jumped out of the car

"Kris! people are gonna be hurt! call 9-1-1!" I yelled, tossing her my cell phone as I ran towards the accident.

"Katie! damn it, it could catch fire!" she screamed after me, waiting for an operator to pick up

I ran up to the truck and stepped on the step, looking in to the driver "are you okay?" I asked him

he just nodded, looking stunned "I never saw him until it was too late"he muttered

I just nodded "helps on the way. just stay still" I said, getting down and running over to the bus

"Kate! where are we!" Kris yelled, coming over to me "I have 9-1-1 on the phone but I'm not sure where we are"
"Marathon. right across the street from the airport, heading North." I said, going over to where the bus is tipped over. I looked inside and saw Bob Carter (Nick's dad) laying against the window, still strapped into his seatbelt "Bob! can you hear me! are you okay?" I called to him, going over to the windshield and kneeling by it so I can see it better. "Mr. Carter! are you okay?!"

he slowly turned his head towards me and nodded "sore, but okay" he muttered

"we called 9-1-1. they should be here soon. is anyone else in the bus with you?" I asked

he slowly nodded "my son is in the back" he said

my heart immediately leapt to my throat. weather he means Nick or Aaron I have no idea, but either way I have to try to help them. I carefully climbed onto the bus and tried to see where the door might open

"what the hell are you doing!" Kris screamed at me as I tried to pry open the door

"someone is back there. either Nick or Aaron" I said, fighting with the door

"Katie, please. wait for the police to get here" she all but begged me

"shh!" I said, hearing something real faint. I put my ear up to the door and heard a faint sound like "help". my eyes immediately found Bobs'

"that's Nick. help him. please" Bob said to me.

"no!" Kris yelled, grabbing my arm as she heard what Bob just said "Katie, there is smoke coming out of the back of the bus! let the fire department help him!"

"let go of me" was all I said to her. "Nick Carter or not, either way I would be helping whoever was in this bus and you know that. Kris, please. help me with the door then you can help Bob out while I try to get Nick. please" I begged her.

she took a deep breath then nodded, knowing what I just said is true. even if it wasn't Nick stuck in the back of the bus, I would still have stopped to help the person. Kris climbed up onto the side of the bus with me and finally between the two of us we were able to get the door open. I jumped down into the bus then helped Kris down "Mr. Carter, can you move if we unbuckle you? are you hurt?"
"if you can get me out of the seatbelt, I should be able to get out of the seat" he said

I nodded "Kris, help him" I said, starting to crawl towards the back of the bus - not able to see anything "Nick! where are you!" I called. I heard a faint "help" again and tried to follow the sound as I climbed over all the shit that had fallen over when the bus tipped. I could hear Kris and Bob behind me and looked back, glad to see that Kris is able to help Bob stand and that there seems to be someone trying to help pull him out of the bus. I started to faintly smell smoke and for a split second I almost turned around to head back out of the bus, but I cant do it. I took a deep breath and slowly started making my way towards the back of the bus, yelling for Nick to answer me. finally I all but fell on Nick, able to feel that he's laying in the middle of the bus with a big TV on top of his legs "Nick, are you hurt?" I asked, trying to see him. damn tinted windows! it's so friggen dark in here I can barely see 2 inches in front of my face! "I cant move my legs" he muttered

"the TV fell on you. if I lift the TV, can you move yourself back?" I asked him, trying to get past him without climbing all over him (ok... I'm sure once this is all over and done with I'll be a lot more excited that I am this close to Nick Carter!)

"I dont know" he muttered

I had to fight not to sigh. "you gotta try, ok?" I said, trying to lift the TV off him. yeah right! Jesus! he needs to be getting a smaller TV!

"Katie! hon, you gotta get out of there! it's smoking really bad!" Kris yelled to me, her voice filled with panic

"smoke?" Nick asked, sounding scared
great. gee thanks Kris. scare him more than he already is "it's fine. we're fine. just try to move back once I lift the TV" I said to him calmly. the last thing I need is to have to deal with a freaked out pop-star.

"Katie!" Kris yelled again

"damn it Kris! he's stuck! I'm not leaving him!" I yelled back to her "where the hell is the fire department!"

"they're coming. just .... Katie please come out" she all but begged me, yelling at me

I just shook my head, ignoring her as I tried to lift the TV "Nick, try to move back ok? I can lift the TV, but just a little" I said to him, struggling to lift the TV off his legs. I think he tried to move back using his arms (not that I can really see much) but all he did was scream out in pain.

"it hurts!" he yelled at me

yeah pal, yell at me some more and watch me leave your ass in this damn bus. I took another deep breath and looked at him as my eyes started to adjust to the darkness. he really does look freaked out and like he's in pain. make that a lot of pain "I cant lift the TV and move you at the same time. try to move back again, ok? once we get the TV off you, we can get out of here" I moved things away from his body so that he'll be able to have a clear path when he tries to pull himself back from the TV. "you have too much stuff on this bus ya know" I said, trying to get him to laugh. it took me a second to realize that he's not answering me anymore. "Nick?" I leaned close to him so that I can see his face and realized that his eyes are closed. oh hell no! this guy is NOT doing this to me! I shook him hard and screamed his name. it took a few times, but finally his eyes opened and he glared at me "dont you sleep on me Carter. you need to stay awake"

"it hurts"; he said again "if I sleep it dont hurt so much. just leave me in here"

I shook my head and leaned down towards his face again, looking right into his eyes "listen to me, ok? I'm not leaving here without you. I didnt climb in this damn bus just to leave your ass in here. we're gonna get you out, I just need you to stay awake and to try to move back a little. can you do that?" I said to him, trying to keep my voice calm even though inside I'm starting to freak out just a bit too. the smell of smoke is getting worse and I still have not heard any sirens to let me know that help is close. Nick just looked at me, his eyes half closed "Nick please. help me get you out of here. you cant sleep right now" he finally nodded and I breathed a sigh of relief "good. now, I'm gonna lift this big ass TV you've got and you move back. ready?"

"yeah" he muttered. I counted to three then lifted the TV. Nick screamed in pain again but I think I saw him move back some "I think I'm free" he muttered - gasping for air as he laid back down on the floor, closing his eyes.

I slowly put the TV down and felt around for his legs, finding them clear of the TV. "good. you're out. let me climb back behind you and I'll drag you towards the front" I started to climb past him when all of a sudden I heard a loud noise then I felt a strong heat behind me. I instinctively threw myself over Nick, blocking him from the fire and crying out as I felt it hit my back.

CHAPTER 2

I screamed as I felt the fire hitting my back, trying to move away from the heat and pain.

"Katie!" I heard Kris scream

"fuck!" Nick yelled, turning his head away from the massive heat.

I scrambled off Nick, swatting at my back - actually checking to see if I'm on fire. I didnt feel any flames so I fought to not think about the pain as I climbed behind him "you ok?" I asked him

"yeah" he said quietly

I just nodded at him, not even sure if he can see me "I'm gonna grab you by the arms and pull you back. it's gonna hurt, but we gotta get out of here. try to help me if you can"

"Katie!" Kris yelled again

"we're ok!" I called back to her "I'm gonna try to move him towards the front. how's the bus look"

she paused for a second "hurry up, ok. just get out" she said.

great. from the sound of her voice, I'm thinking the whole back of this fucken bus is in flames. wonderful. "Nick, stay awake. talk to me about something" I said, noticing his eyes getting closer and closer to being closed. he just looked at me and I shook my head, grabbing him under the arms and babbling to him about different shit as I pulled him towards the front of the bus. finally I could see Kris through the windshield and just as we got to her I heard sirens getting close to us. about damn time too!

"Kate! the fire department is here! do you want me to try to lift him up?" she asked, looking in at me from the windshield.

I shook my head no "you're not gonna be able to lift him" I said, out of breath from dragging him "just tell them that we're stuck in here and to hurry up. he keeps going in and out of consciousness and I'm not sure how much longer I can keep him awake" I muttered, all of the fight and energy suddenly gone from me. I looked down at Nick and saw him eyes closing "wake up" I said, shaking him hard.

"can you please shut up and let me sleep?" Nick asked, trying to turn his head to block out all the noise from outside.

"no. I'm going to continue to be annoying and keep you awake until we get out of here." I said, gently placing his head in my lap and seeing a big gash above his right eyebrow. guess that could explain his sleepiness. I looked around for something to cover his cut with and finally just ended up ripping part of my t-shirt at the bottom. as soon as I applied pressure to the gash Nick jumped and glared up at me "I'm sorry. I know it hurts. I need to try to stop the bleeding though"

"it hurts" he muttered "I cant really feel my legs, but my back ..... it's bad"

oh Jesus. please dont start freaking out on me again. "try to think of something else. uh... think about being out on your boat. nothing but the calm ocean to see. nice and quiet. no fans. no press. just you and the water." Nick just looked at me like I have two heads but I continued to talk as I heard water being sprayed on the back of the bus and someone yelling to us that they'd have us 'out in no time'. "come on Nick. work with me here. you love the ocean, right?"

"yeah" he muttered

"do you go out on your boat when you want to get away from everything? when you want to be just Nick and not famous Nick Carter?" he nodded again and I took a deep breath, moving so that my back isn't leaning against anything "ok then. just pretend you're out on your boat. maybe Aaron is with you, I dont know. whoever you want. just think about that ok?"

"Kate, the fires out. they're gonna saw the bus to try to get to you guys. you okay?" Kris said to me, looking at me with a worried look on her face.

I nodded at her, trying not to think about the massive pain in my back "can you tell them to move their damn asses. I cant keep him awake much longer and he's in a lot of pain. Jesus. how fucking long did it take them to get to us anyways?" I asked, starting to get really mad.

"too long. I'll go tell them to hurry up" Kris said, getting up and running away from the window

"you awake?" I asked Nick, sounding like a broken record as I ran my fingers through his hair without thinking about what I'm doing. Nick just nodded. before I could tell him to start talking to me again Kris came back with a firefighter

"ma'am, we're trying to get you out as quickly as possible. how bad are your injuries"

I all but rolled my eyes at him "I'm not hurt. but you need to hurry the hell up. Nick has a big gash on his forehead and it's getting harder for me to keep him awake. his back is killing him and his legs were trapped under a big screen TV. you need to get him out of here and to the hospital. now" I said

"we're trying"

"Jesus Christ! I could have kicked out a window by now and had us out! do I have to do fucking everything to get us out of here!" I screamed, over being in this damn bus by now. hell, it took them long enough to get here and now they're taking their sweet time getting us out. Kris looked at me with wide eyes as I heard Nick chuckle from where his head is still in my lap. I looked down at him and gave him a small smile when I saw the grin on his face

"you gonna kick out a window now?" he asked, groggily

"I might have to. Jesus. is Marathon always this slow?" I asked him

Nick nodded "that's why I like it" he muttered, his eyes closing

"Nick.. dont do that. stay awake" I said to him in a warning tone. he just shook his head no and let his eyes close all the way. "Nick! come on, wake up!" I yelled, shaking him but not able to wake him this time. "Kris! he's unconscious! tell them to get us out of here before I do it myself!"

"they're almost to ya Kate. honest. hear the saw?" she asked. I listened and finally realized that I can indeed hear a saw

"he's not waking up Kris." I said, finally starting to freak out as I kept shaking Nick, not able to wake him up.

"he's gonna be okay Kate. helps almost there" she said, trying to calm me down. I just shook my head no, gently shaking him as I continued to run my fingers through his hair. "he's gonna be fine hon, I promise"

"you cant promise that" I muttered, begging him to wake up. I did not just go through all that hell to have him fall asleep on me. finally I saw a lot of light stream into the bus and then saw a couple men coming towards us. "about fucken time" I muttered.

"ma'am, are you okay?" one of them asked me, kneeling in front of me and Nick

I nodded "he wont wake up. I tried to keep him talking to me but maybe 2 minutes ago he went unconscious again. you need to help him"

"we will ma'am. it's going to be okay now" the man said then started checking Nick.

Chapter 3



Monday - September 9, 2002



"hey, how you feeling?" Kris asked me the next morning when she realized I was awake in my bed.



"fine" I muttered



"dont lie to me. do you need any medicine?" she asked me. I just shook my head no. "Kate, you have 2nd degree burns on your back, if you need your pain pills or the cream, I'll get it for you"



I sighed, trying not to think about the pain in my back. "did you call the hospital to see if he's okay?" I asked her, meaning Nick.



"hon, they're not gonna tell me anything if I call. the accident has been all over the news this morning. I'm sure the phone at the hospital has been ringing off the hook"



"can you try, please" I asked her. she just sat on her bed looking at me. while I know what she's saying is true - they may not even give her any information on his condition - I just really need her to try "Kris, please. he was hurt bad. I just .... I want to make sure he's okay"



she nodded slowly, getting up and reaching for her cell phone. she called information for Fisherman's Hospital then I guess they connected her because she stared talking to someone "hi, uh, I was wondering if I could find out how a patient is doing? ..... Nick Carter .... no, I understand but ... please. my friend and I saw the accident yesterday and we just want to make sure he's okay .... I know, thank you ... really? wow ... okay, thank you very much for all your help" Kris said then hung up the phone.



"well?" I asked her after she didnt say anything for a minute



"he's okay. they're transferring him to the hospital up in Miami later today because of his back, but he's gonna be okay. he broke his left leg and he has a concussion but they seem to think he'll make a good recovery. he's in a lot of pain, but she said that's normal for his type of injuries"



I breathed a sigh of relief. "and Bob?" I asked, turning my head away from her as I tried to get comfortable on my stomach.



"he's fine. bruised up a bit, but he was okay yesterday while we were waiting for you and Nick to get out of the bus. the nurse told me one other thing about Nick" she said, looking at me. I turned my head to look back over at her "she said that you saved his life Katie. apparently, you took the brunt of the fire when the back of the bus exploded. she said that if Nick had still been stuck under the TV when the fire got in, he would have died. you saved him Katie" she said quietly. I just stared at her for a second. as soon as it hit me exactly what she just said to me, all the emotions of the accident yesterday hit me full force and I quietly started crying. Kris saw the tears running down my cheek and immediately came over to my bed, sitting down next to me and pushing my hair out of my face. "you saved him Kate. he's okay" she repeated gently



I nodded my head, trying to calm down. "guess now I can finally say that I met him" I said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood a little



Kris looked down at me for a second then laughed "yeah, I guess you can. Christ, the least he could have done was given you his autograph" she teased, making both of us laugh



"what time do we have to check out?" I asked her after a few minutes as I tried to sit up without having my pajamas hit the burns on my back. yeah right. it didnt work - trust me.



Kris looked at me like I have three heads "uh, we're gonna be staying down here for a few days kiddo, you can hardly move. never mind take a 3 1/2 hour car ride back to Ft. Lauderdale. besides, Dr. Conner wants to see you Wednesday to see how your burns heal"



"huh? Kris, we gotta get home" I said



"Katie, Jesus. you have 2nd degree burns on your back! we're not going home until Dr. Conner says your okay. I already called Jeanne to let her know what happened and she said not to rush back to work. she said not to worry about the gym, she can cover it" Kris said. Jeanne is my friend (and boss). she owns an express gym and I manage it. "she just wants you to get better and she doesn't want you to have to make the drive home while you're uncomfortable. she did say that she is never giving you time off to 'stalk Nick Carter again' though" she said with a laugh



I had to laugh at that. good old Jeanne. knowing her, she is totally blaming Nick for everything about now. I'll have to call her later and let her know that I am indeed okay. "I wasn't stalking him! and even if I were, he needs to be damn thankful that I was!"



Kris nodded "damn right he does. I wonder if he'll remember anything about the accident or anything" all I could do was shrug. hell, I know a big part of me wishes I could forget the accident. while I'm glad I was able to help, it's certainly not something that I'd willingly do again anytime soon. "can I ask you something without you getting mad?" Kris asked. I just raised my eyebrows at her. this should be good. I nodded at her and she looked at me for a second before continuing "at any time, did you ever think to just leave him there and get yourself out?"



I just stared at her for a second then slowly nodded at her "before I found him, when I was crawling towards the back of the bus, I looked back at you and saw you helping Bob stand up. for a split second, I told myself to just get out. I knew the bus was in danger of catching fire and I was scared. but I couldn't do it Kris. even if it hadn't been Nick in the back of that bus, I still think I would have done everything I could to help."



Kris nodded, watching me as I winched once I stood up "you need some cream for your back?" she asked and I nodded, not able to ignore the pain of the burns any longer.



"fuck trying to be strong. just give me the cream and some pills" I said to her with a grin



Kris just shook her head at me then followed me towards the bathroom, getting the cream as I carefully lifted my pajama top off my back. she grabbed the cream that the doctor prescribed for me last night and carefully started rubbing it on my back "Christ girl. what the hell did you do anyways? throw yourself on him to protect him?" she teased, trying to get my mind off the pain as she saw me winching in the mirror. when I was silent she just looked at me with a shocked look on her face 'ohmigod. you did, didnt you?"



I just kind of shrugged 'it was instinct Kris. he couldn't move. I heard a loud noise behind me then I felt this massive heat on my back. without even thinking about it I just kinda threw myself over him"



"Jesus. that nurse wasn't shitting when she said you saved his life! wow" she said, stunned



I just shrugged again, pulling away from her as my back started to hurt more and more "do we have room service here?" I asked her, trying to change the subject



she actually laughed at me "girl, we're at the Ramada Inn. I dont think they have room service. but I'll go get you whatever you want. what do you feel like?"



I glanced over at the clock, seeing that it's only 9:15am "Burger King" I said



Kris just rolled her eyes at me "shoulda known. the usual?" she asked, grabbing her purse. I just laughed and nodded my head at her as I reached for my purse "I dont want your friggen money Kate. let me buy the hero breakfast"



I just glared at her "I'm not a hero Kris. you would have done the same thing"



"uh, do you not recall me screaming at you to get the hell out of the bus? shit, I was screaming at you to not even go near the bus! no, I honestly dont think I would have done the same thing." she said. "I'll be back soon. dont move around too much. the doctor wants you to stay as still as possible to let the burns heal"



"oh, dont worry. I dont think I'll be going to far" I said, crawling back into my bed on my stomach as I grabbed the remote to the TV, waving to her as she left.