| "Brian!" she screamed over and over again. She couldn't see who had been stabbed and whose blood it was flowing out at a rapid rate on the cream coloured carpet. Screaming and crying trying everything to loosen her confinement, she felt David come up to her to untie her ties. Her body was shaking uncontrollably and he couldn't get the knots untied. "Sue," he whispered pulling a sheet around her body. "Calm down. Come on, I can't untie you like this. You have to keep still." He could have used the knife in his jacket, but thought that would only make matters worse. It was obvious whatever had caused the massive blood loss on the floor was a knife. He saw that Will was on the phone ringing 911, leaning over both men trying to help. Her eyes wouldn't leave the men on the floor straining to see over the edge of the bed. It had only been a matter of seconds, but it felt like hours, playing out in front of her like a bad movie. "Brian?" she asked David. She noticed someone moving and thought it was Brian. "Brian's fine." David said to reassuringly. "Are you sure David? Is he okay? Who's blood is that?" She asked pointing when the tie was undone. David held her on the bed and she struggled to break out of his hold. Then she saw Brian move, and slowly sit up, blood all over his shirt. Sue screamed again and jumped out of David's arms with a super human effort. Brian jumped up and pulled her into his arms holding her securely in his arms. He never wanted to let her go again. The blood on his shirt was staining Sue's shirt and the sheet David had put on her, but neither one of them cared. Brian had never been so scared in all his life as he had been over the last hour or so. He vowed to himself he was never going to let anything happen to Sue again. David moved away from them to help Will with Spencer. Sue pulled back. "Brian, are you hurt?" she asked looking at him, touching him in an agitated state, checking every part of his body along the way, her eyes darting over him endlessly. Her body was running on adrenalin and Brian worried about her state of mind. Brian took Sue's face in his hands, holding her still. "Shh Sue. Baby, Shh!" he shushed her. When he had her attention and she had settled down a little he continued. "I'm okay Baby. It's his blood not mine. I'm okay," he repeated to make sure it was sinking in to Sue's consciousness." Sue's fingers came up to trace the side of Brian's face, already starting to go purple from the hit Spencer had given him. "He hurt you," she whispered leaning down to kiss him gently where he was bruised. Brian's heart went out to her. After what she had been through she was worried about him, a mere bruise on the side of his face that would heal. Her mental state he was not so sure about. "It's alright Sue. Oh God I was so scared for you." He pulled her back into his arms firmly. "I'm never going to let you go again." "Don't leave me Brian." She said simply, like a child. "I'm not Baby." His hand cradled her head lovingly knowing she needed it. They both looked up as a clatter came from the doorway. Paramedics brought a trolley into the room fully equipped with everything they would need. They immediately set to work on Spencer, and Brian and Sue watched on in shocked horror. The pool of blood on the carpet had spread, staining a considerable portion underneath where he lay. It was eerie looking at his lifeless body on the floor when he looked so much like Brian. "Is he…. Dead?" Sue asked Brian quietly. Brian stroked her hair soothingly and thought before he answered. He didn't know and he didn't know how he felt about it. He didn't even know if he was the one to cause what had happened. "I don't know Baby. They are working on him. Look." Sue looked down and watched the paramedics administer their treatment then quickly lifting him to the trolley, the IV drip lifting with him. In a flash they were wheeling him out of the room and he was gone, hopefully out of their lives forever, in a jail or mental institution. Brian was convinced he was insane. A doctor stood beside the bed insisting both Brian and Sue come to a hospital to be checked by both a doctor and also to see if they needed counselling. By now Kevin had come into the room having heard the commotion from down the hallway in his room. He was agreeing with the doctor and was organising a car to meet them out the back entrance and take them to a private hospital. Kevin stood next to them, Brian still holding Sue in his arms. "You okay Brian?" he asked him when he got his attention. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm worried about Sue," he said and Sue didn't even acknowledge that Brian had spoken her name. She held on to him tightly, afraid if she let him go something bad would happen. Her fingers gripped his shirt tightly, the blood that was drying there sticking to hands. "We'll all make her better Brian. It will take time, but we will do it together." Kevin told him, a hand on Brian's shoulder, giving him strength. "Thanks Kevin. I think we'll need all the help we can get this time," Brian said to him as Kevin's cell phone rang. Brian tried to stand and Sue tightened her hold on Brian. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. "It's okay Sue." Sue refused to let go. "Sue? Sue! I only want to get us some clean clothes. Look these ones are stained." Sue still held on to Brian not letting him move an inch away from him. "Okay," he told her sitting down beside her again," Kevin is going to get us some clean clothes. Come on I will help you." Slowly, almost mechanically, Sue let Brian help her change into clean clothes, leaving the others lying on the floor. She cringed at seeing the bloodstain on the carpet again and closed her eyes. The sooner they got her away from here the better, Brian though to himself. Kevin led them out of the room with Will and David following them and they made their way to the waiting van that would be taking them to the private hospital that was expecting them. Brian held Sue in his arms again in the back of the van, knowing she has dozed off to sleep but still not content to let her go. He needed her as much as she needed him. He knew in his heart this would be something that would be a long time to get over for both of them. A sense of fear still gripped his heart as they drove. ********** Downstairs at the hotel the paramedics had dashed through the crowd out the front of the hotel. Unaware of the commotion and panic bringing Spencer through the crowd would cause they ploughed right on through to the waiting ambulance. Spencer was hanging on to a thread of life and every second counted. Their only thought was their patient. Fans had already taken note of an ambulance at the hotel. But on seeing a bloodied and lifeless Spencer on the trolley, who they all thought was Brian, pandemonium broke out. Screaming floated through the immediate area, followed by crying and uncontrollable sobbing. Each and every girl there thought Brian had been taken away within an inch of his life. Girls collapsed where they were standing, others hugging them for support, crying along with them. There was no consoling any of them. Upstairs in his room Nick heard the noise coming from downstairs and an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. What on earth could have caused such an outcry down there? As far as he knew everyone was in their room, resting up after the night before. He rang his security to accompany him and headed down to the ground floor. The moment he stepped out of the elevator he heard the commotion. It was bedlam, from what he could hear. The elevator was out if view from the front of the hotel lobby so he listened for a while before stepping out, listening to see if he could work out what the problem was. A girl came around the corner, her eyes red from crying. She saw Nick standing at the elevator and her body nearly crumpled, Nick reaching over to catch her as she was falling. "What's going on out there?" Nick asked her. "It's Brian. He's…" She sobbed again and Nick rubbed her back comfortingly. "He's… he's… he's… I think he's dead." "He's WHAT?" Nick asked her, pushing her back with both hands holding her at arms length to get her attention. Fear sliced through his body at her words and he started to shake. "Tell me, why would you say something like that?" he insisted. "We all saw him. He was taken away in an ambulance. There was blood everywhere and they were frantic to get him to the ambulance quickly," she hurried out, blowing her nose when she finished. Nick let go of the girl and walked around the corner to see the scene in the hotel lobby. Girls were sobbing, hugging each other in groups. Some were standing alone as if in shock and Nick wanted to go up to each one of them and hug them, tell them it wasn't true. But he didn't know. He had to find out. Working on adrenalin now, he turned back before anyone else saw him and stepped back into the elevator. He paced the elevator, his mind spinning, before taking his cell phone out and ringing Kevin's number, impatiently waiting for him to pick up. The thought of his best friend being dead was almost too much for him to bear and he leaned against the wall for support. On the fourth ring Kevin's voice came saying a lazy hello. "Kevin, where's Brian?" Nick asked frantically. "He's here beside me, why?" Kevin asked instantly aware of Nick's agitated state. "He's there? With you?" Nick asked, relief washing over him, warming his body again. The relief he felt was overwhelming and he felt tears forming in his eyes. "Is he okay?" "Yes, he's here, Why Nick, what's up?" Kevin asked. What could possibly be worrying him now? If he only knew what Brian and Sue had been through he wouldn't be worrying about where he was. "Kevin. Why do the fans think he is dead?" "Oh shit." Kevin took a breath and let it out in a blast of air. "Nick, what's happening over there?" Nick relayed the story of hearing the commotion downstairs and what the fan told him, the scene he had witnessed with his own eyes. "What's going on Kevin?" "Okay Nick. You need to get Tim to go down there and make a statement to the fans there. We are going to have to get on to the press immediately, or there will be worldwide hysteria among our fans. Nick, just get Tim to tell them Brian is fine. Tell Tim to schedule a press conference." "Why Kevin? What's going on? Where are you? Why is Brian with you? Where's Sue?" Nick threw the questions to Kevin in rapid succession. "Spencer Newman got to Brian and Sue." Nick cursed into the phone. "Oh my God. What happened?" Nick asked taking a moment to think, pinching the bridge of his nose to clear the confusion and ache that he felt. "It was him wasn't it? They saw Spencer?" Kevin sighed. "Yeah, that's who they saw. I didn't see him, but from what Brian told me he's hanging on to life, but only just. If the fans saw him, it's only natural they would think it was Brian. God, what a mess." Nick could hear the frustration in Kevin's voice mixed with a fear for Brian and Sue. He understood how he felt seeing he felt it himself. Kevin had been right. Despite the fact he had gotten Tim to go down to the lobby and assure fans that Brian was okay, some fans had left either not believing Tim, or having left in a state of shock before Tim had appeared. News of Brian began to circulate through the internet and it was going to take a massive effort on their behalf to quell this latest dilemma. He didn't mention it to Brian. He knew there was enough on his mind at this moment. He looked over at him cradling Sue in his arms and felt helpless to do anything that could help. ********* Sue had gone into a shell and it worried Brian. She sat in his arms not uttering a word despite how much he tried. In the end he gave up, giving her the time to think about the events they had been through. All he could do for now was be there for her, and he would do that. At the hospital they heard the news that Spencer had died of his injuries, the massive blood loss due to an enormous knife wound to the chest, could not be controlled. Guilt plagued Brian due to his subconscious wish that he would die coupled with the fact that he didn't know if he was the one that had inflicted the wound. He sat watching Sue as a doctor tended to her, checking her arm yet again in case the previous break was aggravated, and generally checking her well being. Throughout the entire examination, she said nothing to anyone, and closed her eyes as everyone but Brian left. He still held her hand tightly, their fingers entwined, and he felt her grip lighten, knowing she had fallen asleep. Brian's breathing was coming in gasps as he thought back to the events of the morning. How could their lives have tumbled so completely out of control? One man changed their lives and Brian prayed it would not put an impenetrable barrier between them. He knew Sue loved him as much as he loved her, but could this put a wedge between them? He didn't want to live without Sue and would do anything to ensure it didn't happen. He was living with his own demons. Spencer had died and he didn't know if he was the one who had forced the knife into his chest. Blood had pumped out of his body over the two of them at a terrifying rate. He knew it was serious, and at the time, with his body humming with hatred for this man who would have done everything in his power to rape Sue before his eyes, even kill them both, he wanted him to die. He relived the moment of the struggle over and over in his mind trying to remember if he had ever had the knife in his hand, being the one to stab it into his chest. He shook his head forcefully, trying to clear the thoughts running around. Kevin came in the room at that moment. "Brian, are you okay?" he asked coming to his side. "Not really." He lowered he head into his free hand closing his eyes to the bright light of the room making his headache worse. Kevin reached over to switch the light off using only the natural lighting of the day outside to light the room. In complete contrast to the events of their morning, the day was bright and sunny outside almost mocking them. "It's over now Brian." Kevin said to him quietly. Brian looked up at him, his eyes revealing the sorrow and the helplessness he felt. "Is it Kevin? Is it really over? Will it ever be?" "You'll get through this Brian. The two of you are stronger than this. Newman is gone now. He can't hurt you anymore." "Except in here," Brian said tapping his head. He looked inconsolable and stood up, unlacing his fingers from Sue's, walking to the windows to look out, yet not seeing the view from them. "Kevin, I don't even know if I am the one who killed him. In the heat of the moment, with the hatred I was feeling, I could have been the one who stuck that knife in his body." He turned to look at Kevin. "I might have killed a man." Kevin walked over and pulled Brian into his arms for a comforting hug. "Brian, don't beat yourself up over this. From what I have heard so far it was an accident, Newman did this with his own hand as he fell." Brian was about to protest and Kevin held up his hand to stop him. "I know you won't feel at peace about this until you know for sure, but beating yourself up over it won't help either of you. Let me be your strength. You concentrate on you and Sue and I will worry about everything else." He hesitated he didn't want to ask Brian the next question but it had to be done. "Brian, I need you to come outside with me for a little while." He didn't fill him in on the details yet. "No, I'm not walking out of here, I am not leaving Sue," he said forcefully. "Brian, you have to." Brian looked up, alarm shooting through him. "Why?" he asked his eyes narrowing with question. Kevin sighed. "I know you aren't going to have this on the top of your priority list, but," Kevin didn't know how to say this so he used the straight forward approach. "The fans in the lobby saw Spencer being taken away in the ambulance." Brian's brows knitted together in confusion before he realised what Kevin was saying. "Oh my God, they think I am dead?" Kevin nodded ruefully. "I'm afraid so. It was pandemonium at the hotel and the news is spreading throughout the world at an alarming rate. We had Tim go down to the lobby to tell them it wasn't you, but it was too late. We need you to come outside, down to the hospital press room to tell the world you are okay." Brian looked at Sue sleeping, his heart melting at the sight of her laying there so peacefully. "But Kevin…." "She's sleeping Brian. You won't be gone more than 20 minutes. I promise you that." His mind warred with the decision but he knew what had to be done. He nodded to Kevin and walked over to kiss Sue softly on the forehead. "I won't be long Baby. I love you so much," he said, his voice full of love. He turned to leave with Kevin, looking into the room one more time before walking out and down towards a press room down the long corridor. The press conference was emotionally draining for Brian, reliving the past months of horror he and Sue had lived. The most important piece of information he had to give was that he was indeed alive and well and the statement was recorded for TV all over the world. All that needed doing was to get the news on TV and the internet would spread the news, but it needed to be done immediately. Once his statement was made he immediately headed back to Sue's room. He walked in and his heart fell when all he was greeted with was an empty bed. Sue was nowhere to be seen. |