Chapter 26
Nick woke up as someone gently shook him and told him that they had
arrived in Los Angeles. Nick slowly opened his sleep filled baby blue eyes
and seen a stewardess in front of him. He smiled at her and quickly made his
way off of the plane. He had decided on the flight that he wanted to surprise
his family with his visit so he asked the cab driver to take him to the closest
rental car place. When he got there, he finally found a dark green Camaro
and he rented it. After paying for it, he got in and started up the car and out
of habit automatically turned on the radio.
He was quietly singing along to
Blink 182’s “Adam’s Song” as he drove down the highway and when the
song ended and the familiar harmony of “Show Me The Meaning Of Being
Lonely” came on the radio, Nick quickly reached over and turned the radio
off. It seemed to him that everything was reminding him of the rest of the
guys, especially of Brian. He slowed down as he came to the block that his
family’s house was on and slowly drove the car into his family’s driveway.
He stopped the car in front of the family garage and stepped out, taking in a
deep breath as he breathed in the humid California air. He then realized how
much he missed the little things in life he had always taken for granted. He
takes in another deep breath as he jogs up to the front door of his parents
large home and knocks on the door; because he had forgotten his key in his
bags which the bodyguards took to the hotel after Brian collapsed. He
listened for a few moments and heard nothing at first then he heard the sound
of two pairs of small feet running to the door, he smiled knowing who was
about to open the door.
The door opened and Nick’s two youngest siblings,
Aaron and Angel looked at the figure before them with happiness evident on
their faces. Nick bent down and pulled them both in a tight hug; he had
missed them more than anyone could ever imagine. He let go of the twins
and made his way through the house, Aaron and Angel right on his heels. He
turned the corner and found his parents sitting in the kitchen side by side with
their backs turned towards him.
With a small grin on his face, he turned
towards the twins and put his index finger up to his lips, signaling for them to
be quiet. They nodded and clasped both of their hands over their mouths,
trying not to allow their built up giggles to escape. Nick quietly came up
behind his parents as he opened his mouth and screamed, “HI MOM AND
DAD!” and burst out laughing at their reaction. Both of his parents seemed to
jump about 10 feet in the air from their sudden scare. The twins ran up to
Nick and wrapped their arms around his waist as they laughed along with
their oldest brother. Jane and Bob quickly turned around and their faces lit up
with their smiles.
They pulled their eldest son into a hug and his mother said,
“What are you doing home so early, Nickolas? Tour doesn’t end for another
3 months. Is something wrong?” Her only response was Nick burying his
head further into his father’s shoulder as he let a loud sob.
“Nick, honey tell
me what is wrong. I hate to see you like this. You know you can tell me
anything.” said Jane as she smoothed down her son’s short blond hair.
Nick
raised his head up and looked at his mother as he pulled away from his father,
”I’m sorry mom but this time I can’t.” said Nick as he grabbed his rental car
keys off the table and walked outside heading towards the dark green
Camaro. After he started the car up and backed it out of the driveway, Nick
pushed the gas pedal and drove quickly down the street; leaving his family to
wonder what had happened.