Nick sat there in the room where they were going to have a interview. He had just been reunited with his wife, Brizee and their newborn son, Nicky. There was some problems with the delivery and Brizee had to stay behind in LA with the baby while Nick continued with the tour. They were apart for a week and during that week, he drove Howie crazy by being there every night on the bus. Howie wanted to be alone with his wife, Hayley, but Hayley had promised Brizee that she would take care of Nick for her so she allowed Nick to remain on their bus for the week which drove Howie crazy. After picking up Brizee and Nicky, everything came to a boiling point where Howie accused Nick of not being a good father. Brizee tried to calm Nick but he yelled at her and she told him to find another place to sleep because she didn’t want him with her. So here he was, alone and no way of talking to Brizee. Billy wouldn’t let him near her and all calls to her room were cut off. He knew he made a mistake of yelling at her but he couldn’t get to her to apologize. She wouldn’t talk to him or see him. Kevin came in and saw him.

        “Nicky, you okay, man,” Kevin said. Nick shook his head and told his big brother what was going on.

        “Want me to talk to her,” Kevin said.

        “She won’t talk to anyone, she won’t take anyone’s calls,” Nick said. He leaned forward and held his head in his hands.

        “I’m not a bad father, Kev, I haven’t been one long enough to be one and I know how to handle kids since I helped take care of my siblings, I know what to do,” Nick said. Kevin nodded.

        “I know that and so does Howie,” Kevin said.

        “I should have just stayed on my bus, everything is my fault,” Nick said.

        “Nick, you missed Briz and Nicky, Hayley’s her best friend and she and Howie promised to keep you company and Hayley promised Brizee that she would take care of you while Briz was gone,  Howie just wanted to be alone with Hayley, and he couldn’t with you there but it is partially his fault because if he wanted to be alone with Hayley, he shouldn’t have offered to keep you company,” Kevin said.

        “I don’t know what to do, Kev,” Nick said.

        “Just give Briz time, and stay clear of Howie, and if you need anything, you have me, Brian, and AJ,” Kevin said. Nick nodded. Howie walked in and saw them. Nick didn’t look at him but Kevin glared at him. Brian and AJ came in and went to Nick and sat next to him. Kevin filled them in quietly. Brian and AJ looked at Howie and shook their heads.

        “What!” Howie said.

        “Just do the interview and go back to your wife, Howie, leave Nick alone, no more yelling at him,” Kevin said. AJ stood beside Kevin.

        “Just so you know, Nick hasn’t been a father long enough to be a bad father and you know as well as all of us that he helped with his siblings,” AJ said.

        “Guys, let’s just get the interview over and done with so I can get out of here and away from him,” Nick said.
After the interview, Nick went out to his bus and got on and locked it and went to the back and laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. His heart ached that he couldn’t be with his wife and son. But he knew he had to give her time and knew he couldn’t get past Billy. He didn’t know what he was going to do to get back with his family. He fell into a restless sleep. The next morning, he woke up and saw he was on the bus and he got up and stretched and changed and combed his hair and went into the hotel to find some breakfast. He walked into the restaurant and saw the guys and the crew sitting around. He saw Howie and Hayley talking with AJ.  Kevin saw him and waved him over. Brian was sitting with him. He waved and got a plate of food and came over and sat down.

        “How did you sleep?” Brian asked.

        “Okay, I slept, would have slept better next to my wife, but I screwed that up,” Nick said. He slowly ate his food as he stared at the table.

Hayley watched Nick sitting with Kevin and Brian and she looked at her husband.

        “Why did you have to say Nick was a bad father, why did you have to fight with him, D, look at him, it’s last week all over again, Briz wants nothing to do with him, it’s our fault, D,” Hayley said.

        “I know but he won’t talk to me,” Howie said. Hayley got up and went over to Nick and hugged him.

        “Want me to talk to Briz,” Hayley said.

        “Thanks, Hayley, but I’m giving her the time she needs, Brian and Kev already offered but I don’t think anyone can get near her, Billy won’t let anyone talk to her, especially me,” Nick said.

        “He’ll let me,” Hayley said.

        “Not even you, we tried last night, Hayley, Billy said she doesn’t want to talk to anyone, even you,” Brian said.

        “I think she is mad at me because I’ve been hanging with Lisa a lot,” Hayley said.

        “I’m just giving her time,” Nick said.

        “Where did you sleep?” Hayley said.

        “My bus,” Nick said.

        “How did you sleep,” Hayley said.

        “Not as well as I do with Briz,” Nick said.

        “Maybe she’ll come around,” Hayley said.

        “I shouldn’t have yelled at her, sis, I was so stupid to yell at her,” Nick said.

        “It wasn’t your fault, Nick, everything just came to a boiling point, you didn’t mean to yell, and for the record, you aren’t a bad father, I heard stories of how you helped with your siblings and I know you know how to handle babies,” Hayley said.

        “He’s your husband, Hayley, you are suppose to be taking his side,” Nick said.

        “But you are my little bro, I can take your side as well, I told Howie that he went over the line, he wants to apologize,” Hayley said.

        “I can’t talk to him right now, what he said really hurt,” Nick said.

        “I know, and he knows you will come to him when you are ready to talk,” Hayley said. Nick nodded. Hayley hugged and kissed his cheek and went back to her husband and AJ. Nick finished his breakfast and went back out on his bus and started cleaning. Kevin and Brian got on.

        “Nick, you can stay with one of us if you don’t want to sleep on the bus,” Kevin said.

        “Thanks, Kev,” Nick said. That night after the show, they went back to the hotel and Nick got his stuff and went to Brian’s room. He walked down the hall when the door to the suite he was going to share with Brizee opened and Billy came out and closed the door. He saw Nick with his stuff. Nick looked at him.

        “Don’t worry, Billy, Brian’s letting me share his suite with him tonight so I can get some sleep,” Nick said.

        “Where were you last night?” Billy said.

        “Out on my bus, didn’t sleep really well, goodnight, Billy, take care of my family,” Nick said.

        “Nick, you aren’t going to even try to get in there,” Billy said.

        “What’s the point, Billy, no one can get past you and you are to take orders from Brizee and that means keeping me and Hayley out, I can’t get past you so I can’t even try because I know you too well,” Nick said. He went to Brian’s suite and closed the door. Brizee came out and looked at Billy.

        “Was that Nick?” Brizee asked.

        “Yeah, he’s staying in Brian’s suite tonight,” Billy said. Brizee looked down the hall.

        “Where was he last night?” Brizee asked.

        “His bus, he didn’t sleep really well, he said,” Billy said. Brizee leaned against the doorframe.

        “He didn’t even try to get past you,” Brizee said.

        “He said there was no point because he knows me too well, he knows he can’t get past me,” Billy said.  Brizee nodded and went back in and closed the door and went to the phone and dialed a number.

        “Heidi, it’s me,” Brizee said.

Nick put his stuff down in the extra room in Brian’s suite.

        “You okay, Frack,” Brian said.

        “Yeah, maybe I can sleep better on a real bed instead of that bed on the bus,” Nick said. He went and showered and put on shorts and a shirt and got into bed and went to sleep with Brizee and their son on his mind. The next morning, he woke up and got up and changed and went down for breakfast. He saw Billy talking with Carlos and Tommy and he looked around and didn’t see Brizee and his son. He went over to Billy.

        “Billy,” Nick said.

        “Nick, I’m supposed to tell you that Brizee took Nicky home to Florida, she thought it would be best if Nicky was home in his own crib and out of the public eye,” Billy said.

        “And she didn’t tell me!” Nick said.

        “She asked me to tell you,” Billy said. Nick shook his head and went to a booth in a corner and sat down and held his head in his hands. Brian, AJ, and Kevin came in and saw Nick and went to him.

        “Nick,” Kevin said sitting down. Nick looked up at him with tears running down his cheeks.

        “Frack,” Brian said.

        “Billy said that Brizee went home to Florida with the baby,” Nick said.

        “And you didn’t know?” AJ asked. Nick shook his head. Brian hugged him. Hayley and Howie came in and saw them and came over.

        “What’s going on,” Hayley said.

        “Brizee left last night and took Nicky home to Florida, Billy just told Nick,” Kevin said looking at Howie.

        “What!” Hayley said.

        “Now I can’t talk to her, if I call home, she won’t answer because of caller id and she’ll hang up if she hears my voice,” Nick said.

        “I’m sorry, Nick,” Howie said softly. Nick looked at him and looked away.

Two days later, they were in Seattle. Nick sat there in his dressing room, bouncing a ball off the wall. There was a knock at the door. He got up and opened it and saw a guy standing there with an envelope. He handed it to Nick and left. Nick closed the door and opened it and saw divorce papers. He saw custody papers and saw she was asking for primary custody of the baby and he got visitation rights every weekend. He threw the papers on the couch and slid down the wall and sat on the floor and cried. There was a knock at the door and it opened. Brian came in and saw him and knelt down.

        “Frack,” Brian said. Nick shook his head and pointed to the couch. Brian saw the papers and he couldn’t believe it. He went out the door and found the guys and Hayley.

        “Brian, what is it,” Kevin said. Brian held up the papers and everyone looked at him.

        “Brian,” AJ said.

        “Briz filed for a divorce and primary custody of Nicky and Nick gets visitation rights on the weekend, he is devastated,” Brian said. Howie got out his phone.

        “D,” AJ said.

        “I’m going to fix this,” Howie said. He called Brizee.

        “Brizee, it’s Howie, yeah, he got them, what do you think, Briz, he’s devastated, you destroyed him, he and I are on speaking terms and working things out, if anything, it’s my fault that he yelled at you, yes it is, I know I did, I thought he would eventually go on his own bus after a couple days but he was always there, I know, Briz, he loves you and Nicky and would give his life for you both, I know he would be an awesome father, I know he helped with his siblings, I was just angry and I let the anger get the best of me, I told him I was sorry, Briz, call off the divorce and come back to him, he needs you and Nicky, I’m sorry for all of this, bye,” Howie said.

        “Well?” Hayley asked.

        “She needs to rethink everything, she will call,” Howie said. Brian went to Nick’s dressing room and saw him curled up on the couch, crying.

        “Frick,” Nick said crying. Brian knelt down beside him and brushed his hair out of his eyes.

        “Howie talked to her, she’s going to rethink everything, she’ll call,” Brian said. Nick nodded.

        “Rip up the papers,” Nick said. Brian ripped up the papers and threw them away.

Three weeks went by, Hayley had been in contact with Brizee and Brizee was still thinking things out. The guys were headed home for a long break before heading out for the European leg of the tour. Nick went home and walked in and saw Brizee sitting on the couch with Nicky. She looked up and saw him.

        “Hi,” Brizee said.

        “Hi,” Nick said. She got up and came over to him.

        “We should talk,” Brizee said.

        “Yeah, we should,” Nick said. She put Nicky down in his bassinet. She turned and saw Nick standing there.

        “Why did you file for a divorce,” Nick said.

        “I don’t know, it was a stupid thing to do, I told Heidi to withdraw the papers, I burned the ones I had,” Brizee said. Nick sat down.

        “Brian ripped mine up, we could have talked before you left, I was just giving you time,” Nick said.

        “I know, I was stupid to leave like that,” Brizee said. Nick got up and came over to her.

        “I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Nick said.

        “I know, and I am sorry that I threw you out, it’s my fault, I should have been with you and then you wouldn’t have been with Howie and Hayley and driving them crazy,” Brizee said. Nick held her face in his hands.

        “Briz, you had to stay in LA, you couldn’t travel, it was hard leaving you but I had to do what was right, Nicky’s birth was difficult and I thought I was going to lose you both, I don’t know what I would do if I lost you and Nicky, you two are everything to me,” Nick said.

        “I never want to be apart from you again,” Brizee said. Nick smiled and kissed her deeply.

        “No more filing for divorce or custody,” Nick said.

        “Deal,” Brizee said hugging him.

        “You,  Nicky, and I are a family, we belong together,” Nick said. Brizee rested her head on his chest.

        “This is where I belong, in your arms,” Brizee said.

        “Only for three more weeks,” Nick said.

        “Oh, right, the European leg of the tour, I’ll be ready with Nicky, we are sticking together, Nick, we go where you go,” Brizee said. He kissed her forehead.

        “Only if you are sure,” Nick said.

        “I want to be with you when the six weeks are up,” Brizee said.

        “Oh right, the six weeks rule, no sex for six weeks after having a baby,” Nick said.