Date: Sun, 4 Aug 2002 16:42:01 EDT
From: KandLStories@aol.com
Subject: Maze of Moments 20c - celebrity/boyband

DISCLAIMER: I don't know Lance Bass or any of the other members of
N'Sync. This is a work of fiction, and I don't claim to know any of the
real people portrayed herein. Okay? Good. Oh, and the locations in the Maze
of Moments are mostly real, but a few had to be made up along the way so
that the story could progress.

Ye Writer here, once again asking for your input and comments on the story,
as always. Send along a message to KandLStories@aol.com and tell me why you
love (or hate!) My little adventure. Please? Thanks! And make sure to stop
by railwayshoes.net and take a look at the other wonderful stories, all
hosted by my one and only Guru, Gabriella Morrison!

Again, the next few installments contain some material that may upset some
readers. Discretion is advised.

Thanks for reading...and on with the show.

               ---Tony



The Maze of Moments - A Kevin and Lance Story

Chapter 20 - Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)

Part Three - Disaster

               "Never wanna be a hero too soon.."
                    --from "Imaginate" by Taxiride



Controlled chaos.

There really was no other way to describe what was unfolding at the West
Side Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi.

Dozens of pieces of fire equipment were on the scene, with several more en
route. Engines, hook and ladder trucks, snorkel units, rescue squads -
their bright lights flickering, their piercing sirens breaking the silence
of the night. Firefighters, their bravery and determination the stuff of
legend, worked valiantly against the animal, carrying pounds of equipment
on their backs and in their hands. Sweat and grime marred their faces as
they grit their teeth and carried out the task before them.

Local police were on the scene as well, no less brave than the men and
women attacking the blaze. A crowd had started to gather, and as the
numbers of the curious onlookers grew, their task was to keep them at a
safe distance. In addition, the task of contacting parents fell to them, as
they went about gathering information from a huddled group of frightened
children and teenagers, dressed only in their sleeping apparel.

Paramedics had been dispatched to the scene also, and now they waited. They
stood near their ambulances, ready to do whatever it took to keep the
injured alive and well until they reached local hospitals. And there were
sure to be injuries, it was almost inevitable. A fire of this magnitude
usually brought at least minor ones, to firefighters getting hurt in the
line of duty. With this fire, however, they had been warned ahead of time
that four others were trapped inside: two children, and two young men who
had made an attempt to rescue them. They had not been found - yet. As
seconds turned to agonizing minutes, they knew that the longer it took to
find them, the more likely it was that any injuries these four might have
would be serious. To that end, a larger ambulance, emblazoned with "Mobile
Intensive Care Unit" on the side, had also been summoned and was also
waiting.

Waiting also were five young men, who only a short time before had no way
of knowing that they would be thrust into a situation such as this. Three
of them stood together, watching what had unfolded before them in silent
horror. A fourth man crouched low next to the fifth, who had fallen to his
knees in abject despair. The man he loved, and his friend, were two of
those trapped.

Tears continued to fall from the eyes of Lance Bass, but he made no
sound. He was too shocked to do anything more.

"Lance....Lance, come on....it's going to be okay, they're going to get
out...."

JC Chasez did what little he could to support and comfort Lance, but he
knew that in spite of his best intentions, there was nothing he could say
that would make it better. Together, they had watched Kevin Douglas and
Eric Hagen run towards the church; together, they saw the roof of that
church collapse in a thundering blast of heat, fire, and smoke.

Together, they waited. And prayed.

Lance slowly turned his head to JC.

"This....this isn't happening....this is a nightmare, right? I'm going to
wake up now, and it's all going to be over, right? JC, tell me this isn't
real....tell me I'm only dreaming....JC, please, please...make it go away,
please...."

"Lance, come on....everything is going to be fine....come on, get up and
come back over here."

JC helped Lance to his feet, and putting an arm around his shoulders,
walked with him slowly back to the others. Justin, Joey and Chris came
forward, and the five men met in a group embrace.

Breaking the hug, Lance turned back to look at the fire. "This isn't
real...this isn't happening...please God, don't let this be happening..."
he said as he broke down again.

JC turned to the others.

"Who has their phone with them?" he asked.

"I...I do..." Justin barely managed to get out.

"Alright....Justin, try and get a hold of either Johnny or Mel, let them
know what's happening here. If they don't answer, use their pagers, and put
in a '911' message. We're going to have reporters crawling around us any
second now....it'd be better if they heard what was happening from us
instead of the press..."

However, Justin Timberlake was in no condition to make a phone call of any
kind at the moment, let alone one of such urgency.

While the group as a whole was being affected by the events spiraling out
of control before their eyes, Lance and Justin were perhaps hit the
hardest. Lance's boyfriend had rushed in, but Kevin did not go alone. His
roommate, Eric, was with him, and Justin had started to grow quite close to
him. In the short time they knew one another, he considered Eric a true
friend, as close as any of his 'brothers' in N'Sync. While he shed tears
because of what was happening, he was still able to keep his emotions under
control. Until JC asked him to perform this task.

"JC...Josh.....I can't....I can't, please..." he said, breaking down.

"Justin, come on! Pull yourself toget..."

"Here, I'll make the call," Chris said, taking the phone from Justin, who
collapsed in the arms of Joey Fatone. "Take it easy JC, okay? Don't make
this worse...leave him alone."

Chris dialed a series of numbers and waited. "Come on...come on, pick
up....pick up the phone...come on....Johnny! It's Chris..listen, we have a
situation here you need to know about..."

JC turned his attention back to Lance.

"Lance, why don't you come over here and sit down, okay?"

"No..."

"Lance...come on, they'll find them, trust me...come over here and..."

"I said no!" Lance answered firmly though his tears.

JC gently grabbed Lance and turned him around, so that they were facing one
another.

"James....James, listen to me....there's nothing you can do right now,
okay? The firemen are doing everything they can....."

Lance looked at JC in the eyes at the mention of his true first name. It
was something they did only when they were being very, very serious..call
each other 'James' and 'Joshua'.

"...now, please...come over here, and sit down. Kevin and Eric are going to
be fine..."

He led Lance over to the side, making sure to shield him from the sight of
Justin weeping in the chest of Joey Fatone.

"Justin...Justin, it's all right...it'll be all right, okay?" Joey said as
he rubbed the back of his young friend.

"Yeah...yeah...I know...I'm okay now," Justin replied as he leaned back,
wiping his face with his arm as he did so.

Meanwhile, Chris hung up the phone, and jogged over to where JC had taken
Lance.

"Okay, Johnny is putting things in motion, and said he'll send security
ASAP. He also wants us to get out of here as quickly as we can."

"NO!" Lance said. "We're not leaving! I won't leave without Kevin!"

"Calm down, Lance...we won't leave him here, okay?"

JC stood up and went next to Chris.

"This is going from bad to worse....fast."

"Yeah....suggestions?"

JC looked over his shoulder back at Lance, who had been joined by Justin.

"Did Johnny say he was calling the local police?"

"Yeah."

"Giving them the codeword?"

"Yeah..."

"Good...let's hope they have word by now that we're here. Try and find a
cop, make sure no one bothers us...especially Lance."

"Got it...what else?"

JC looked back at the fire.

"Pray."

                         **********

The crew of Engine Company 46 made their way with hoses, axes and ladders
around the east, or right, side of the building. The fire was out of
control, and the Battalion Chief at the scene, as well as the Division
Marshal who had also been dispatched, called for a multi-pronged attack to
try and contain it.

As they turned the corner, they could hear the wails of children. Coming
closer, they indeed saw two, a small boy and girl, sitting on the grass
near a young man who appeared to be unconscious.

"Hey! Over here!" one of the men cried. "We found some of them!"

The Captain in command of Engine 46 keyed his radio. "Battalion 14, this is
Engine 46, we've found three victims on the east side of the building...."

One of the firefighters took off his helmet and knelt down over Kevin. He
checked to see if he was breathing, and if he had a pulse.

"He's breathing...has a steady pulse....don't see any obvious trauma!"

The Captain nodded. In a matter of seconds, EMT's and paramedics would join
them with specialized equipment to remove the young man and the children
from the scene.

Three down, he thought to himself. One to go.

                         **********

Chris ran up to a police officer who had just arrived on the scene.

"Hey! Hey, officer! We need you over here!"

"Take it easy, okay? Everyone needs us tonight..."

"Condor!" Chris yelled, using the codeword that had been given to him.

The officer knew what this meant. On his way over, a message came over
through the squad car radio, stating that there were celebrities at the
scene, and that they should be shielded as much as possible until their
private security could arrive. They would know who they were when the
codeword had been given, Condor.

"Where are the others?" the officer asked.

"Over here, this way! Come on!"

Running with Chris, the officer used the radio attached to his
uniform. "This is unit 2202, bird has landed, repeat, bird has landed...I'm
going to need some backup!"

                         **********

Lance continued to cry. There was nothing else he could think of to do.

Justin sat next to Lance, an arm wrapped protectively around
him. "We've....we've gotta stay positive, right?" he said through his own
tears.

Lance nodded and sobbed.

"Hey...when this is done, they're gonna owe us big time for scarring the
shit out of us, you know?  I say they have to buy us dinner, what do you
think?"

In spite of himself, Lance laughed. "Order...order the most expensive thing
on the menu...."

"Right," Justin agreed, laughing through his tears as well. "Or two of
everything!"

Lance laughed again and rested his head on the shoulder of his
friend. Then, Justin leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

"We've gotta have faith....gotta stay strong..." he said again.

Chris and the policeman ran to JC and Joey.

"What do you guys need?" the cop asked.

"Keep the press away from us as best you can, okay? Especially our friends
over there," JC said, pointing towards Lance and Justin.

"Won't be easy...you guys shouldn't even be this close to begin with!"

"Look, let's argue about procedure later, huh? Just work with us here,"
Joey said sternly.

Four other officers arrived, and hasty plans were made to keep a perimeter
around N'Sync, and bystanders as far away from them as they could.

While all this was being done, JC noticed several paramedics and
firefighters running to the side of the building Kevin and Eric had gone
towards. With them, they carried various boxes, an oxygen tank, and a
basket-like stretcher.

"Oh God," JC said under his breath, loud enough for Chris and Joey to hear.

"What? What is it?"

"I think they found them."

Moments later, a fireman ran around the corner carrying a little girl
wrapped in a blanket. He was followed a few seconds after that by one of
his brother firefighters, but he carried a little boy in his arms.

Lance looked up and saw the second firefighter carry the boy over to a
waiting ambulance, where he would be examined for any burns or
injuries. Scanning the area, Lance saw that a little girl had also been
brought over, and she was being treated as well. Quickly, he got to his
feet, much to the surprise of Justin who had not noticed what was going on.

"Lance?"

Slowly, deliberately, Lance walked over to JC and the others, pausing only
to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand. He came upon them so quietly,
that it took a few seconds before any of them realized that their friend
had joined them, with Justin not too far behind.

"You okay?" Joey asked softly.

Lance only nodded in response, sniffing back more tears as he did so.

Suddenly, a rush of activity was noticed from the side of the burning
church, when a group of firefighters came forward quickly and carefully, as
they carried an instrument known as a Stokes stretcher, a wire basket,
essentially, to remove victims from disaster or accident.

An anguished cry caught in Lance's throat. He paused for a moment, as a
thousand different thoughts ran through his head - What should I do? Do I
wait here? Is he alive? How badly is he hurt? He needs me....he needs
me....run.

Run.

And run he did, in a dead sprint, rushing past his friends, police, and
other emergency officials.

"Shit!" JC exclaimed as he and the others ran after, followed close on the
heels by the police officers who were trying, in vain, to keep them away
from harm.

Lance came upon the firemen, practically skidding to a halt next to the
person they were carrying.  There, laying lifeless, with a neck brace
wrapped tightly around his throat and his body strapped to a backboard, was
Kevin.

"Oh, God in heaven no!" Lance cried when he saw his boyfriend.

"Son, stand back....let us through now," one of the firemen said as he and
they others made their way towards a waiting ambulance.

The others caught up to Lance, who appeared to be on the verge of
hysterics.

"Kevin...Kevin...he's...oh my God....Josh? Kevin is....they're taking...."

"Easy Lance, take it easy...they found him...they're going to take good
care of him. Come on, we have to go back over there now..."

"I'm going with him," Lance said as he began to follow the firemen, who
were now loading Kevin onto a normal stretcher.

JC and the others looked on as Lance walked...then jogged...then ran over
to where paramedics began a preliminary assessment of Kevin.

"Now what?" Chris asked.

"Lance goes...we go. Chris, get his keys and..."

"No!" Justin cried, interrupting JC. The three older men turned to their
younger friend, who was once more on the verge of tears. "We can't leave!
They haven't found Eric yet!"

"Justin," Joey began, "they'll find Eric, I promise. Come on, let's go over
by..."

"No! I won't leave! You go with Lance, but I'm staying here!"

Joey took a deep breath and turned to JC. "I'll stay here with Justin, you
and Chris go with Lance to the hospital."

"Joe, we shouldn't separate at a time like this.." JC started.

"No, he's right. They have Justin's phone, we'll have Lances, so we can
call one another if we have to," Chris said. Then, he turned to Joey. "You
have the keys to the rental?"

"Yeah."

"Fine, you guys will have transportation then, too."

"Alright," JC exhaled. "You call us when you find out anything, and we'll
do the same." Then, he and Chris exchanged quick hugs with their friends,
and jogged over to the ambulance, just in time to see Kevin being loaded
in.

"Move over, I'm coming too," Lance said as he began to climb into the back.

"Sir, you can't come with us...you can't be in here," one of the paramedics
said.

Lance looked at him with fury in his eyes. "I
said...I'm...coming...too. Make. Room."

JC and Chris had arrived at this point.

"Lance, why don't you just come with us...we'll take your truck, okay?"
Chris said.

Lance spun around and looked at his bandmates. Then, digging in his pocket,
he pulled out and tossed Chris the keys to his 4 Runner. "Here. Follow us."

"This is getting us nowhere...alright, you want to ride, you ride. Stay out
of our way, and hold tight, got it?" the paramedic asked.

"Fine, whatever...let's get going!" Lance said as he climbed in.

The doors of the ambulance were about to be closed, when JC shouted, "Wait!
Which hospital?"

"St. Dominic - Jackson Memorial!" the medic replied before closing the
door. Then, a firefighter hit the doors, palm down, indicating that they
were secure. Slowly, the ambulance pulled away, and as it cleared the area,
picked up speed and turned on its siren.

Chris and JC then turned and ran the two blocks back to Lance's truck,
rushing past streams of onlookers who appeared to be more interested in the
fire rather than who they were. When they reached the 4 Runner, Chris
unlocked the drivers side door and got in, then leaned over to unlock the
passenger side, allowing JC to hop into the vehicle.

"Let's go," JC said with urgency as Chris pulled the driver's seat forward
a little. Then, turning the ignition, he put the truck in reverse and
started to back out. Abruptly, he stopped, and threw the vehicle back into
park.

"What?" JC asked.

"I have no idea how to get there," Chris said.

"Great," JC sighed. "Just fucking great. Now what do we do?!"

"I don't think....wait, I know!"

"What?"

"Look!"

JC looked at what Chris was pointing to on the dashboard.

"You know, if it wasn't for the circumstances, this would almost be funny,"
JC said as he pushed the button and waited for a response.

"OnStar, how may I help you today Mr. Bass?"

                         **********

The ambulance sped along the streets of Jackson, weaving its way in and out
of traffic, running red lights.

Lance did his best to hold on, but it was a bumpy ride to say the least. He
watched, partly in shock, partly in horror, as the medic examined Kevin,
cutting open his shirt to attach electrodes on his chest which would
monitor his heart. Then, he reached over to get an IV bag, and this was
when Lance spoke up for the first time since the ride began.

"He....he's diabetic," he said shakily.

"Don't worry....this won't hurt him," the medic said as he inserted the
needle.

"Is...is he going to be okay?"

The medic sighed as he finished his task and turned to Lance. "Well...his
heart is pumping and he's breathing fine, so that's good. But it looks like
he has a concussion, and we don't know if he hurt his back or his neck."

Lance squeezed his eyes shut tightly, bowing his head a little.

"Hey, don't worry...the docs at St. Dom's are some of the best in the
city. They're gong to take good care of him. Okay?"

Lance nodded as he held back more tears.

The medic checked Kevin's blood pressure, and then spoke to Lance again.

"How long have you two been going out?"

Lance lifted his head quickly. "Wh-what?"

"It's okay, I'm not going to tell anyone. I just thought it was a little
strange that you wanted to come along with us like this....usually it's
family that puts up a fight, and you guys don't exactly look related."

"Um....about two weeks now..."

The medic nodded and then went back about his duty. "It's okay, I'm family,
too, if you know what I mean," he said as he winked at Lance.

Lance tried to talk, but had a difficult time finding the words.

"He's going to be in good hands, I promise. We're almost there."

Again, Lance could only nod.

"You can hold his hand if you'd like."

Lance leaned forward a little, and reached out, putting his hand into
Kevin's, and lacing his fingers through his. The medic patted him on the
back in a soothing manner, and went back to his work.

The ambulance sped on into the night.

                         **********

"Twenty-one year old male, probable concussion, possible trauma to the neck
and back...unconscious when he was found at scene...pulse is 86,
B.P. is...."

Paramedics and hospital staff wheeled Kevin into the hospital, going
through the metal double doors that led into the emergency
department. Lance jumped out of the ambulance and jogged behind them as
they turned a corner towards examining rooms. They turned a corner again,
leading into one such room, when a nurse stopped him.

"Sir, you can't go in there, you have to stay out here," she said.

"I want to be in there with him," Lance said as he tried to step around her
and walk through. But the nurse, a veteran when it came to dealing with
distraught relatives and friends, was too quick for the young man.

"Sir, please...let the doctors examine your friend...you need to let them
work, alright? Why don't you come with me to the waiting area, and I'll get
some information from you."

Lance was barely able to keep his composure, and this latest stumbling
block was not helping any.  Once more, he looked past the nurse, and into
the cold, sterile looking room where Kevin had been taken into. He watched
through the still open doors as medics and doctors lifted Kevin off of the
stretcher and onto an examination table, and then heard the voice of the
doctor taking charge of the situation: "Chem 7, UA, cross-table c-spine,
neck, chest and pelvis series, and we'll need a head CT also...let's get to
work people...."

The nurse tried again. "Come on now. Come over here with me."

Lance took a step back. He balled his fists in a combination of fear and
rage, and closed his eyes tightly. Quickly, he bent forward slightly, and
then straightened up just as fast, as if he was having some type of
convulsion.

"God...oh God..." he managed to choke out. Then, he sucked in a deep breath
of air, and broke down again.

Knowing that her job was to bring comfort as well as to assist in the
healing process, the nurse gently took Lance by the arm and led him away to
the waiting area.

"I...I can't wait there," Lance said in between his sobs.

"This is our waiting area, sir, we don't have another..."

"No..no, you don't understand....I'm L-Lance Bass....reporters...."

They stopped walking as the situation started to become more clear to the
nurse. She, herself, may not have been a fan of N'Sync, but it was a rare
individual in Jackson who had no knowledge of one of the cities most famous
sons.

Quickly, she looked around, making sure no one else was watching.

"Come this way," she said, leading Lance in the opposite direction.

                         **********

The fire raged on, but at last those fighting it were starting to gain the
upper hand.

Joey and Justin watched on. They had hardly spoken since Chris, JC, and
Lance left the scene, but there really was little that they could
say. Justin would pace back and forth anxiously, then stop and look at the
church and the firefighters going about their work, then start to pace
again.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down or something?" Joey asked after a
few minutes of this had gone by.

"I'm fine," Justin replied, unconvincingly.

Joey scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something he could
say or do that would calm his young friend down, but he drew a blank. Even
if he did think of some magic words, he doubted that they would have a real
effect. Justin was the type of person who made friends quickly, as he had
obviously done with Eric, and this was probably killing him as much as it
was Lance.

"Come on, Justin....let's go sit on the curb for awhile. Okay, buddy? We
won't leave or anything, I promise."

Sighing in resignation, Justin turned around and walked with Joey over to a
curb near some fire trucks, the police officers assigned to them following
along. As they walked, Justin put his arms behind his head, intertwining
his fingers, and looked down in frustration. "This is taking too long," he
said. "They should have found him by now."

"You've gotta give stuff like this time, Justin. They know what they're
doing."

"I hope so," Justin said as he sat next to Joey. "God, I hope so."

"Excuse me! Mr. Fatone, Mr. Timberlake?"

Justin and Joey looked up to see a reporter with a cameraman coming over to
them.

"Aw Jesus, not this....officer!" Joey said as he stood up.

"Jeff Rent, NewsChannel 12...can you tell me what happened here? Was anyone
from N'Sync inside the church? Where are the other members of..."

Two of the policemen stepped in front of Justin and Joey, blocking access
to them. "Move back, sir," one of them said. "You need to get back on the
other side of the tape."

"I just have a few questions for..."

"They'll talk to the press later, I'm sure...now, move back, please."

"Yes, but my viewers have a right to..."

"NOW, mister!"

The reporter stopped, waited a second or two, then turned around with his
cameraman and walked back to where other members of the press had
congregated.

"Thanks," Joey said.

"You got it."

                         **********

Chris pulled in to the small parking lot outside of the emergency room,
found a space, and parked the truck. Turning it off, he and JC hopped out
and ran up to the doors. As they did, they could see the start of a small
crowd of people, including reporters, that had gathered off to the side,
being held back valiantly by hospital security.

"Great...just what we need," Chris said as he ran.

"We need to call Johnny again...tell him where we are," JC added. "This
place is going to be a madhouse before too long."

They ran through the doors and looked at the waiting area. Seeing no sign
of Lance, they ran up to the admit desk.

"Hey...hey, we're looking for our friend....he came in with someone a
little while ago..." JC said to the nurse at the desk.

"Just a second, please," she said without looking up.

"Ma'am, we don't mean to be rude, really, but we really need to find
our..."

"I said, just a second, please!" she said again, keeping her attention to
the paperwork in front of her.

"This is ridiculous," Chris said as he turned away. Then, he saw another
nurse walking down the hall, so he jogged over to her, hoping that she
might be able to help. Fortunately, this was the same nurse who was with
Lance before their arrival, not ten minutes before.

"Excuse me, nurse. Can you please help us, we're looking for our
friend...his name is...."

"Oh! Oh my, you must be with Mr. Bass!" she exclaimed.

"Um. Yeah. Yeah, we are...how did you...oh, never mind, can you just tell
us where he is?"

"Right this way...he's in a private waiting area...we thought that might be
best, all things considered."

"JC! Over here!"

JC jogged over to join Chris, and together they were led by the nurse
through the halls to a small room, where Lance was waiting.

"You'll tell us when you have news about Kevin?" Chris asked as the nurse
went to leave.

"Of course. Come find me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Nurse..."

"Phelps."

"Nurse Phelps, right. Thanks."

Chris closed the door and turned around to see JC sitting next to Lance,
cradling him in his arms.  Taking a deep breath, he walked over and sat
down on the other side of Lance.

"You okay, bud?" he said quietly, rubbing his hand up and down Lance's
back.

Lance nodded into JC's shoulder, but said nothing.

"What next?" Chris asked, looking up at JC.

"Johnny needs to be updated."

"Right...I'll step outside and call...let him know what's going on," Chris
said as he stood up. He rubbed the back of Lance's head, smoothing down his
hair. "I'll be right back, okay? You stay strong."

Lance nodded again and watched him walk out of the room.

"You okay?" JC asked.

"I thought he was dead, Josh," Lance said in a voice just above a
whisper. "When they first brought him out...when I ran up to him. I didn't
know if he was breathing..."

"Shhh...it's all over...they found him, he's getting taken care of."

"I know," Lance said as he sat up. "Still. That had to be the scariest
moment in my life." He turned his head and looked at JC. "I don't ever want
to feel that way again. Ever."

JC could think of nothing to say, so he simply reached out and took Lance's
hand, squeezing it.

Chris poked his head back into the room. "Private security just made it to
the church, and they're helping the police there...some are coming here,
too."

"Good," JC said.

"Lonnie just got on a company jet in Orlando, and he should be here in a
few hours with some of our people," Chris continued.

"Even better....that's good, I feel better with our own guys," JC nodded.

"Lance?"

Lance looked up at Chris.

"Our nurse friend has some news for you."

Lance jumped up out of his seat and went to the door, stepping out into the
hall with Chris and Nurse Phelps. JC got up also, and was right behind.

"What is it? Is Kevin alright? What's going on?" Lance asked frantically.

"Well, the doctors have finished their preliminary examination. He does
have a concussion, and the x-rays of his neck and back came back
negative..."

"Oh, thank God," Lance sighed.

"...and they're waiting to take him for a head CT, just to be
cautious. They still have a lot of work to do, but while we monitor him as
we're waiting...you can go in and see him for a few moments."

Life seemed to return to Lance's eyes as he heard these words. Nodding his
head, he walked with the nurse down the hall, leaving JC and Chris behind.

                         **********

He had to wait for a couple of minutes longer, so that doctors and nurses
could finish the work they were doing. Then, finally, they walked out of
the room, and the nurse let him inside.

"I'll be back shortly," she said before turning to leave.

"Hey, sexy," Lance said quietly as he pulled a stool next to the still
unconscious Kevin. Much like he had done in the ambulance, he reached out
and took Kevin's hand, gently pulling it up to his chest, taking it in both
of his own.

"The doctors say you took a pretty nasty hit on the head....but that you
should be okay."

Kevin lay motionless.

"You did a really brave thing, you know that? You saved those kids'
lives...you were a hero out there tonight...you and Eric, you're both
heroes."

Tears began to trickle down Lance's cheeks.

"I'm so proud of you for doing that....and I'm so mad at you for doing
that....don't you ever, ever scare me like that again....okay?
Because...because...I just met you...and I love you...and I don't know what
I'd do...if I...if I lost you...."

"Mr. Bass?"

Lance quickly wiped his face with his sleeve and turned to the nurse.

"Yes?" he said, sniffing.

"Your friends said they need to speak to you...and we're almost ready to
take Mr. Douglas for his cat scan now..."

"Okay...thank you, I'll be right there."

The nurse stepped back outside as Lance stood up and tenderly placed
Kevin's arm back at his side. Then, he leaned over and kissed him on the
cheek.

"Wake up soon, Kevin....please...wake up soon."

Walking out of the room, he turned to take one last look at Kevin, and then
went back down the hall to the room where he had left Chris and JC. As he
made his way towards it, he saw that they were standing out in the hall,
waiting for him to come back. Getting closer, he could see that they were
both pale.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

"They found Eric," Chris said grimly.


To be continued.