A/N Slowly but surely, I am trying to catch up on all my stories (of course I was stupid and actually started two new ones, check em out if you haven't already and let me know what you think, they are called 'Brotherhood of the Lost' and 'Armor'!) but so far I think I am on a roll! Deteriorate is next on my update list so here ya gooooo! WOOHOO ;) PS thanks for every single review last chapter omg I got so many and it makes me so happy!
ENJOY
The boys were still in the small bathroom thirty minutes later. They had stayed there in a clustered heap with their arms secured around each other tightly. Carlos, James and Logan were gathered in Kendall's lap, and the blonde had the only dry eyes in the room. It pained Kendall to hold in the tears that begged for release, but he felt he had to be the strong one. So as his younger brothers cried, he rocked them and kissed their heads and rubbed their backs to comfort them.
The boys were mourning the world tour in the back of their minds, but all of their tears were shed for Carlos. To say they were scared was an understatement. None of the boys had ever been so sick before, and there was an unsettling feeling in each of their stomachs that something serious could be underlying Carlos' illness, and they didn't know how to handle that.
Kendall had called Mrs. Knight and begged her to come get them. She promised her distraught son over the phone that she would rid the crowds at the mall and come to their rescue asap. Finally, she burst through the door to the bathroom to find her boys on the gray tile floor. Their eyes were red-rimmed with tears and exhaustion, but Carlos looked the worst. She had to hold back a gasp at the sight of the smallest boy, who was a pale white and leaned against his friends for support, as if he couldn't sit up on his own, and his usually sparkling brown eyes were glassy and unfocused.
"Oh my God, Carlos…" The motherly woman said, kneeling next to the small boy and placing a delicate hand on his warm forehead. Carlos leaned into her arms and she embraced him, rocking him gently.
"Honey, what's wrong?" She asked him desperately.
"Don' feel good, Mama K," Carlos slurred against her chest.
"Boys, how long has he been sick like this?" Mrs. Knight asked. The boys' cheeks turned red with shame and none of them wanted to speak up.
"He said he didn't feel good on the plane ride here, so I guess a few days now?" Logan said sheepishly. He felt guilty, but how could they have known that Carlos was seriously ill?
Mrs. Knight did not look too happy. "How could you boys keep this a secret from me? When one of you is sick I expect the others to look out for the sick one by telling me so it doesn't turn into something this bad!"
"Sorry Mama K," James said sadly, tears prickling at his hazel eyes. "We had no idea he would get so sick… But Mama K we want to cancel the world tour. We just want Carlos to get better now. I'm scared."
"Oh honey, it's going to be ok," Mrs. Knight said tenderly, realizing that now was not the time to scold her boys. James had started to sob and she opened up an arm, beckoning him to come in for a cuddle. James practically flew into her embrace and held her tightly with one arm, while wrapping his other arm around Carlos. "We'll talk about the tour once we get back from the doctor, ok? One step at a time. Gustavo is going to get you boys back to the hotel for some rest while I take him to the ER."
"No mom, we want to come, too! Please!" Kendall said. He couldn't stand the suspense if he was forced to sit in a hotel room while his little brother was in the hospital.
"I really think you need to go home and keep Logan and James calm," Mrs. Knight said, gesturing to the two brunettes. James was still clinging to Mrs. Knight like a small child and Logan was sitting on the floor with his knees up to his chest, his little chin quivering as he watched Carlos worriedly.
"But mom," Kendall said. Mrs. Knight reached over and squeezed her green-eyed son's hand.
"Honey, you need to listen to me and do as I say. You guys have taken care of Carlos enough, you did everything you could. It's mom's turn ok?"
Kendall reluctantly agreed with his mother. He could tell by her tone of voice that there was going to be no more arguing.
"Sweetheart, help me get Carlos off the floor and to the car please," Mrs. Knight told her son. She was scared for Carlos but tried to stay as calm as possible. Kendall nodded and placed his hands beneath Carlos' armpits.
"You ready to go see the doctor?" Kendall asked Carlos as he lifted his light body off the ground. Carlos was about to say something, but as soon as he was to his feet, a sharp pain resounded through his skull and he literally screamed in agony, clutching his forehead and falling against Kendall's chest.
"Carlos? What's wrong?" Kendall asked worriedly, clutching the screaming boy to his chest. He looked up to his bewildered mom for help. "Mom, why is Carlos screaming?"
Mrs. Knight grabbed Carlos' arms tightly and looked into his pain-filled eyes. "Carlos, talk to us baby, you need to tell us wrong baby."
"It hurts," Carlos whimpered. He was crying now, big wet tears streaming down his cheeks, which were turning redder with each scream he let out. James scooted towards Logan and put an arm around him, because he looked absolutely terrified now.
"Mom, he can hardly stand on his own," Kendall said. "Th-this happened before, during our dress rehearsal, he couldn't stand up!"
Mrs. Knight looked panicked. She reached into her pocket and handed Kendall her cell phone and the keys to her rental car. "Kendall, give Carlos to me ok? I need you to call for an ambulance, and then you're going to take Logan and James back to the hotel."
Kendall nodded. He felt like his mind was in robot mode now, and did whatever his mother told him to, because he was completely lost now. He gave Carlos to Mrs. Knight and watched as she slowly lowered him to the floor, rubbing his back and whispering soothing words of comfort to keep him calm.
Kendall called the hospital and told them to send an ambulance. Mrs. Knight gestured to James and Logan, who were still huddled on the floor silently. Kendall nodded reluctantly. He didn't want to leave, but he trusted his mother.
"Ok mom, call us as soon as possible, please," Kendall said, getting to his knees and wrapping his arms around her neck. Mrs. Knight kissed her sons cheek sweetly.
"It's going to be ok, honey. Get some rest and take care of your brothers."
"Bye mom," Kendall said. He tousled Carlos' hair with his fingers, than touched the crying boy's cheek gingerly. He looked so fragile and ill. It made Kendall feel sick inside. "It'll be alright, Carlos. Mom's going to take care of you, ok? I love you Carlos."
Carlos barely seemed to hear Kendall's words. He was so far away, like he was lost in his own world of pain. Kendall sighed and willed himself to focus on James and Logan. He took their hands, hauling them off of the floor. Without saying a word, he led the two younger boys through the mall. Kelly and Gustavo had gotten the crowds cleared away for their privacy, so they made it quickly and safely to the car.
The ride back to the hotel was silent. James sat in the front seat while Logan was curled up in the back. Every once in a while, the pretty boy would open his mouth as if he were about to ask Kendall a question, but he'd quickly shut it, realizing Kendall was just as confused and scared as he was.
In the hotel room, Logan and James sat at their small kitchenette table, fidgeting with their hands and shaking their legs nervously. Kendall went about fixing dinner, which was basically just microwaving spaghettio's and pouring apple juice into cups. He just had to stay busy.
Once dinner was on the table, spoons swirled absent-mindedly in the circle shaped noodles and bright red sauce, but not a bite was taken. Their focus was on their cell phones, praying that Mrs. Knight would text or call soon, but the minutes ticked by and there was no word from the hospital.
"You guys should eat before the food gets cold," Kendall mumbled. "You need to eat something."
"I'm not hungry," James said, almost like a defiant five year old would.
Kendall forced himself to take a bite of spaghettio's, but it didn't taste very good at all. He didn't have any appetite, and he felt like he might throw up if he forced any more food down.
Wordlessly, Kendall cleared all the dishes from the table. He poured their untouched apple juices down the sink and tossed their dinner into the trash. James and Logan watched him, concerned. They worried he might be angry at them. But when Kendall was finished, he offered them a small smile and lied down on his bed. Logan and James exchanged glances and joined Kendall on the bed, silently asking for permission. Kendall scooted over and patted the bed, motioning for them to huddle with him.
James grabbed the remote for the television and put on cartoons for distraction, but the boys didn't pay much attention. They watched their cell phones anxiously and thought about how Carlos was doing.
Logan sniffled sometimes. Every time Kendall would look over to the small boy, his cheeks would turn bright red and he'd quickly swipe his tears away, pretending like he wasn't crying even though it was obvious he was. Kendall decided to save his dignity and not call him out on his tears. He would just squeeze his knee lightly and turn his attention back onto the television.
"When's your mom going to call, Kendall?" James finally asked. "It's been two hours."
"I don't know!" Kendall said a bit too loudly. He must have sounded frustrated or something, because James recoiled and his cheeks flushed a light pinkish color.
James rolled out of bed and grabbed his backpack before Kendall had a chance to apologize.
"I'm taking a shower," he mumbled, and his long legs stomped to the bathroom. The door slammed shut, making Kendall and Logan jump.
The silence was beginning to get awkward. Logan rolled onto his side and closed his exhausted eyes. He knew he wouldn't be able to get an ounce of sleep in, but he felt like he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer, and he was desperate for some rest.
Several minutes later, Kendall was wondering what was taking James so long to come out of the shower. Logan thought he heard odd, high-pitched noises coming from behind the closed door. The brunet rolled over to face Kendall and shook his knee gently to get his attention.
"What's up buddy?" Kendall asked.
"Do you hear that?" Logan asked in a hushed voice. "It… It sounds like crying coming from the bathroom."
Kendall frowned and shut off the television so he could listen carefully. Logan was right. It sounded like there was a hurt animal or something in the bathroom.
"James!" Kendall called, getting to his feet and running the short distance to the bathroom. He knocked on the door, but James didn't answer. Kendall tried the handle and pushed it open with relief when he found it to be unlocked. He quietly walked into the bathroom, feeling his heart breaking into a million different pieces when he saw James sobbing helplessly on the floor in his jammie pants and a soft sweatshirt.
Logan was right behind Kendall, a hand gripping his shoulder shyly. He whispered James' name sadly when he saw how broken his friend looked. He let go of Kendall and rushed to James' side, immediately taking him into his short arms and stroking his long, damp brown hair.
"Jamie what happened?" Kendall asked softly, getting to his knees in front of the brunet. He took James' clammy hand in his and squeezed it.
"I can't stop thinking about him guys," James admitted. "He looked so sick and he was screaming, Kendall. We couldn't do a thing to help him. We've barely even tried to help him even though he was so obviously sick these past few days. We were so caught up in the tour, that we couldn't see something was seriously wrong with our baby brother."
"James, no, it's not our faults," Logan said sympathetically, but he felt a little guilty too. "We thought he was fine. We didn't realize how sick he was."
"We should have," James said remorsefully. He ran a shaky hand through his wet locks. His breaths were deep and unsteady, like he was about to lose it any minute now.
"What if he has cancer, guys?" James cried suddenly, speaking the unspoken fears of everyone in the room. His voice broke with a sob, and Kendall leaned over to hug his friend. "What if something is wrong with his brain? He can hardly walk or talk and his headaches are excruciating. What else can it be? I just… He can't have cancer, Kendall. He's just a baby. He doesn't deserve it."
"We don't know if it's cancer," Logan said, rubbing his fingertips against James' back. "We can't start freaking out over what we don't know yet."
"I want Carlos back and I want to go home," James said. "I can't stand to see him sick, guys. I don't know what I'm going to do."
"Hey, hey look at me," Kendall said, pulling James away from his chest so he could look him and Logan in the eyes. "The only thing we can do is stay strong and keep it together for Carlos, no matter what we hear when that phone rings. Whatever is going on with him, he needs us now more than ever. So we are going to cry our eyes out and keep our tears in this bathroom, so when we get to that hospital, we can be strong for him."
"But I'm scared, Kendall," James said, gripping Kendall's shirt tightly.
"I am too Jamie," Kendall said. He carefully untangled James' fingers from his shirt and held his hand again. Tears he had been trying so hard to keep welled up and stung at his eyes, and he let out a loud sob, startling Logan and James.
"It's ok, Kendall. It's ok to cry," Logan said. The younger boy crawled into Kendall's lap and clung onto his neck. That was all Kendall needed to let go. Once he was with Carlos, he would go back to being strong and fearless Kendall again, but for now, in Logan and James' arms, he cried.
And then the phone rang.
A/N Sorry! Cliffhanger cause I am a horrible person. Jk, I'm really not a horrible person, I just have to go to work now! Thank you for reading. Reviews make me the happiest girl on earth. They really do. So if you can, drop me one and I'll love you forever! I hope you liked it!
PS, it's totally the one year anniversary of meeting my boys! A year ago today I was anxiously and excitedly waiting at the airport for hours with butterflies in my tummy just for the chance of seeing my hero's! And right when I was about to give up and leave, thinking I was silly for ever expecting to meet them, they literally just appeared and walked straight up to me and introduced themselves, cracking jokes and being adorable, normal boys. Best day ever. I can't believe it's been a year :')