Baby, I Believe in You [Jordan Knight • NKOTB]

Chapter 16: Inches Away

The concert at the Raceway was soon coming to an end after my five favorite guys gave out another amazing performance tonight as they were closing tonight's show with their hit Hangin' Tough. I stood in the front row savoring every second of this moment in my mind as my brown eyes sparkled towards the stage catching my boyfriend's grinning face staring back at me while the butterflies continued to twist the knots in my stomach.

As the New Kids' band was almost at the climax of the song, my eyes followed Donnie standing on the high platform of the center in front of the drummer and suddenly it was as though time slowed down. Donnie ran off of the platform and jumped before landing on stage as the booming sound of explosives flashed and clouds of smoke filled the stage with the whole arena screaming in excitement. When the smoke started to clear up, I only saw four guys on stage for the encore and I wasn't sure whether to scream or celebrate. The unsettling nerves started to erupt from my stomach, I was beginning to worry as I wasn't convinced that Donnie's disappearance was an act and the funny feeling continued to grow deeper inside. The only thing processing in my mind was that trap door they were warned about earlier today and I only prayed that Donnie didn't land himself on that door after jumping off the top platform.

'God, please no...'

After the concert, I made my way through backstage with my pass hanging around my neck and walked along the semi-crowded hallway trying to find Jordan or Jon or somebody. While on my search, Robo, one of the Kids bodyguards recognized me and told me the guys were in their dressing room and he safely guided me to their dressing room.

"Steph...." When I entered the room, I heard Jordan's voice sounding slightly concern as he walked towards me seeing the worriedness in my brown eyes.

"J, where's Donnie?" The words fell out of my mouth as he wrapped his arms around me trying to comfort me.

"I don't know, none of us do but I don't think we should worry about him. Donnie is probably flirting with some of the girls backstage right now." He said to me with a smirk on his lips before kissing me sweetly as the nerves slightly calmed down but I was still a little concern.

"Yeah, you know how D is Steph. He can't resist the opposite sex. We'll meet up with him soon." Danny spoke out trying to sound positive but the look on his face proved to me that he was concern of him too.

"Right..." I let out barely believing that he was out there with the fans.

After a while, we needed to leave the venue and return to the hotel to do another pack up and move back onto the bus to the next city. I walked close to Jordan and Joe to head outside into the parking lot where the limos were waiting but my heart instantly tighten up in my chest finding an ambulance parked out in front of me with crowds of girls and older adults surrounding the scene.

"What the hell?" Danny's voice spoke out as all of us began to move closer to the scene and my stomach shut down once I realized the person being hauled into the ambulance. It was Donnie.

"Oh, no..." My voice couldn't continue and felt Jordan's grip tightening my wrist.

"Shit..." He let out while my eyes stayed focused on Donnie as I noticed his arms cut and blood was everywhere.

The five of us rushed through the crowds to see him while tears were beginning to build within my eyes as I tried not to shed out the tears. Donnie saw us appearing around him in the stretcher he was placed on and opened his mouth trying to speak but his voice was hardly audible.

"Hey, Baby...Girl. Don't you cry, I'll be alright and everything is going to be okay..."As he spoke out softly in a whisper, I couldn't keep my tears from falling and tried to wipe them away while Jordan instantly placed his arm around me and whispered to me to comfort me.

"He'll be okay, Baby. I promise." Jordan let out to me but although he sounded calm, I knew he was concern about him too as all of us watched Donnie being rushed towards the nearest hospital in the city, where we were going to see him soon enough.

Once we quickly arrived at Saratoga Hospital, the New Kids' manager, Dick Scott was the first one to walk up towards the main desk to gather information about Donnie. The rest of us stayed in the waiting room but I couldn't sit down, I was growing more anxious by the seconds as the aching feeling lingering in my stomach wasn't much help either. The guys were restless and worried about our best friend as Jordan stood by me with his arms wrapped around me tight doing his best to calm my nerves down and it was helping and whether people noticed us didn't matter to him at that moment.

"Everything's going to be okay. We're going to hear about anything soon." His voice softly caressed my ear as I leaned into him.

"I hope so. God, I do..." I spoke out with my voice breaking and tried to keep the cancerous lump developing in my throat from increasing its size while the haunting image of Donnie lying in the hospital bed and bleeding everywhere almost as if he was dead stayed clear in my mind.

'God, please no.'

Those long agonizing seconds felt more like hours until finally Dick Scott was joined by the doctor who began to inform us about Donnie's conditions as the first words that came out the doctor's mouth gave me a huge wave of relief. Donnie was in stable condition and only suffered several minor injuries which were stated to be cuts along his arms and chest as well as a gash across his chin and stitches were required for his tongue after he fell onto that trap door.

The doctor soon led us into his room to see him and when all of us entered the room, there he lay in bed and covered in bandages to where I once witnessed blood as he was wide awake and looked at us with a smirk. When Donnie spoke to us, it was a little difficult to understand him as the stitches on his tongue prevented him to speak clearly but it wasn't important, I was just happy that he was okay and that's what important.

As we stayed with Donnie for a while longer, Mr. Scott spoke to the guys that they will have to continue the tour without Donnie for a few weeks until he is fully healed from his injuries and once the news hit my ears I knew it was going to be different without having him with us, not that I love the rest of the guys because I really do love them. They're family but the next few weeks wouldn't be the same without him. I began to ponder the idea of staying here with Donnie at the hospital once he is better and I made the final decision when we left his room and entered the hall way, pulling Jordan aside from the rest of the group as he looked slightly confused.

"Jordan, I need to tell you something but please don't get mad." I lightly let out to me as I held his hand feeling his fingers intertwining with mine with his other hand pressed against the side of my face before he spoke.

"What is it, Steph?" He looked at me with a small smile on his lips as I answered him.

"I want to stay here with Donnie until he gets better, I know you're leaving tonight but I don't want him to be alone for the next couple of days and once he's better we'll be back on the road and I'll be back in your arms." My lips formed a wide smile after finishing my words and this caused him to chuckle and brightening my smile with his warm grin.

"I'm not going to tell you what you should do. If you want to stay, that's fine with me, Baby. I understand, I'll let the others know and Dick too. I'll be missing you though..." He let out sounding sad that I was staying but I only looked at him a sweet smirk before kissing his lips.

"I'll be missing you too, but you have a tour to do and I don't think I could fill Donnie's spot while on stage. I'll keep him company until then, I'll see you soon." I joked to him and he seemed to enjoy it although something inside his eyes held a small glint of negatively only it was gone the second I noticed it.

"I love you, Stephanie." Jordan whispered out, bringing me to meet his lips and enveloped in a sweet and tender kiss.

"I love you too, Jordan. Don't worry, I'll be fine." My voice let out to him while I gave him a reassuring smile before he let me go.