"We the jury find the defendant..." Nick held his breath. He felt Kevin's hand around his shoulder. 'This is it' he thought 'This will determine if he goes to jail or is free to come after me'. He was afraid to hear that last word cause it may just be two words instead. The two words of NOT GUILTY. Nick noticed the juror take a breath.
"Guilty!"
The people in the courtroom cheered. Nick was in shock at first then it sank in and he jumped up and hugged Kevin
"ORDER! ORDER IN MY COURT!" The judge yelled. The crowd quieted down and listened to what the judge had to say. "Mr. Williams you have been found guilty on the charges of child abuse to the first degree and child endangerment to the second degree, therefore you will serve 11 to 15 years in jail depending on good behavior at the maximum Florida state prison. (NOTE: I don't know the exact sentence for these charges so I guessed) Also you have lost all legal rights to Nickolas Carter and are not to come with in 100 yards of the boy from here on. Guards cuff him and take him away! Court dismissed." Then the judge banged the gavel down and everyone got up.
John was being hauled out of the courtroom in chains. He turned to Nick and yelled "THIS AINT OVER YET YOU FUCKEN SHIT OF A KID! I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS!" The guards quickly dragged John from the courtroom and Nick looked back at Kevin who he had been hugging the whole time.
"Don't worry Nick. He's in jail now. You'll be ok." Kevin reassured. They were soon joined by the other three guys and they left the courthouse happy.
That night they had a party to celebrate that John was put away. Kevin watched as Nick played with his cousins, who were around Nick's age, in the back yard. Nick was laughing and running. He was being a child and probably for the first time since he was 6. In watching Nick, Kevin realized that Nick was now an orphan. No mother, no father and no siblings of any kind. His biological father was killed when Nick was 1 in an auto wreck and no other family came forward to claim Nick as a family member. The court said Nick could continue the tour with Kevin as his guardian but after that Nick had to be placed with foster parents or someone who could properly take care of him. The problem was that those people, whoever they were, may not let Nick continue with the group. Kevin had 3 months to figure out what to do.
~~~~~~~~~~After the tour~~~~~~~~~~~
"Brian, where am I gonna go?" Nick asked the soon to be 19-year-old, the fear evident in his voice. Brian looked at Nick not really sure of what to say
"I dont know Nicky."
"They are gonna send me away. I won't be able to be with you guys anymore." Nick said about ready to cry.
"Don't worry Nicky. You won't be taken from us. We will think of something." Brian said hugging his young friend. Kevin stood on the other side of the hotel door going unnoticed by the two boys. What he heard broke his heart. 'I can't let them take him from us!' Kevin thought to himself. He then went off to tell management what he wanted to do and he knew that they wouldn't agree with it but he had to do it. For Nick and for himself.
