Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2003 18:29:07 EST
From: KandLStories@aol.com
Subject: Maze of Moments 20d - celebrity/boyband

DISCLAIMER, AND GREETINGS! Hey, that time again! This is fiction, made up,
not real. I don't know N'Sync, although they look like a fun bunch of guys,
and nothing of what you are about to read should imply anything about them
and their sexuality. Okay? While most of the locations in the Maze of
Moments series are real, a few were made up here and there so that the
story could progress.

Thank you for staying with me, and to many of you, special thanks for the
kind words. The last couple of months have been hectic, to say the least,
and there is still a long road ahead. Know that I appreciate your
sentiments, and my family and I are grateful for your prayers.

If all of the above confuses you, then I encourage you to join the NEW
Kevin and Lance update group at Yahoo! Point yer browser to
groups.yahoo.com/Kevin_Lance and be one of the few, the proud, the K&L
fans! And while you're at it, don't forget to pay a visit to
Railwayshoes.net, the home of Maze and many other great stories!

Comments, questions, and sums of cash should be sent to
KandLStories@aol.com!

Once again, the following chapter contains material that may be upsetting
to some readers. Discretion is advised.

Thanks for waiting and reading...now, on with the show!

--Tony


The Maze of Moments - A Kevin and Lance Story

Chapter 20 - Dies Irae ('Day of Wrath')

Part Four - Darkening Skies
			"Sometimes, even music cannot substitute for tears."
				-- from "The Cool, Cool River" by Paul Simon


Across America on this Thursday night, many families sat glued in front of
their televisions, watching one favorite program or another. Usually, it
was the networks that garnered this attention, and one in particular whose
motto for the past several seasons came to be known as "must see tv."
Still, there were others that preferred to surf the channels on cable
systems, and some of them found themselves watching an unfolding story on
the three news channels.

Terry Reid was one such individual.

He had just walked into his small apartment near the campus of Mississippi
State. The night had been a success, no doubt about it, and he was happy to
have played a part in it, regardless of how small it had been. It took a
lot of hard work, and Lance had been pleased with the final results. That
was all that mattered.

Picking up the remote, he turned on his television, and began flipping
through the stations. It was the words of an anchor on MSNBC that caught
his attention:

"...this is Brian Williams at the MSNBC news desk, and we're interrupting
our regular coverage to bring you a breaking story out of Jackson,
Mississippi, where tonight firefighters are battling a huge church fire in
that town. Adding a whole new dimension to this story is an unconfirmed
report, stating that there are children trapped inside this structure, as
well as, and again we need to stress that this is totally unconfirmed, two
members of the hugely popular music group N'Sync."

Terry looked at the screen in shock.

"This is coming on the heels of a suspicious fire just about two weeks ago,
in the same area. Many of you may be aware of the fact that tonight, a
concert was held by N'Sync to raise money for the congregation of that
church. Again, information is sketchy, and still unconfirmed. We're going
to try to speak to our affiliate in Jackson here shortly, and hopefully get
some more information on this situation..."

The color drained from his face as the enormity of what Brian Williams was
talking about slowly began to sink in.

N'Sync.....fire.....members trapped..... Lance.

Terry dropped the remote, grabbed his keys, and was back out the door.

                         **********

"Hey, come on over here.... sit down."

Kevin smiled and walked in the direction of familiar voice.

"What's up man? What're you doing here?"

Eric smiled at his long time friend.

"Not much. Have a seat, join me. You want a coffee or something?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm good," Kevin said as he pulled out the chair and sat
down. "So...what are you doing here, anyway?"

"Don't you ever take off those sunglasses? I mean, come on Kev...we are
inside, you know," Eric said with a grin.

"Hey, it's my style, what can I say?"

"Kev, you have no style."

Kevin laughed along with his roommate.

"Yeah, yeah.... whatever! But anyway.... Eric, what're you.... what're we
doing here?"

"Kev.... I've got to go."

                         **********

In a spacious apartment located in the Gold Coast area of Chicago, Chad
Douglas opened the door to his room, kicked off his tennis shoes, and sat
heavily on the bed.

Summer had just begun, the last summer before he went to college, and
already he was bored. There were only so many games of basketball one could
play with ones friends, or lazy afternoons spent on the beach, or intense
workouts done in a weight room. Further, an eighteen year old could only
spend so much time working as a runner for the family business before that
would bore him to tears.

'Maybe I could convince mom and dad to let me road trip or something,' the
young man thought to himself as he ran a hand through his sandy colored
hair.

Picking up a remote control, he turned on the TV set and immediately
changed the channel to MTV.

What he saw came as a shock, to say the least.

".... Kurt Loder with an MTV News special report on the fire in Jackson,
Mississippi that apparently involves members of N'Sync, who held a concert
tonight in that same town for another church that burned recently. MTV has
learned that the members of N'Sync are in no danger, but it is in fact two
members of the band that opened for them, Dubious Distinction, that
reportedly are trapped in the building. A spokesman for Jive Records told
us that they..."

Chad stiffened, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

Dubious Distinction.

Kevin.

"MOM! DAD!" he cried as he ran out of the room.

                         **********

"What do you mean you have to go?" Kevin asked as he took off his
sunglasses and set them down.

"I have to go," Eric shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Go.... where? I don't understand."

"You don't have to. It's okay, though. Don't worry.... well, don't worry
too much at least. Okay? You're going to be fine. You and Lance."

"What does Lance have to do with this? E, you want to try explaining this
to me? I'm a little confused here...."

"I know...it'll all make sense soon, though. I promise. I just wanted to
make sure you were okay before I left. That's all."

"Well, why wouldn't I be okay?"

"You sure you don't want that coffee?"

                         **********

Across the country, Britney Spears thanked her audience one last time,
waved, and ran offstage as the lights came on. The encore finished, she
could now safely retreat to her dressing room area, where she could shower,
change clothes, and get ready for the next stop on this whirlwind tour.  As
she wiped her sweaty face with a towel handed to her by a stagehand, a
member of the tour personnel ran up urgently, a look of horror on her face.

"Brit... sweetie...you need to come with me, right away."

"Why? What's wrong Donna?" Britney replied as she gratefully took a bottle
of water from the same stagehand that had given her the towel.

"You just.... you have to come with me. I need to tell you something. Now."

"What is it? What happened?"

Donna looked around and leaned over, whispering into Britney's ear.

A look of surprise, then shock, then dismay came over Britney's face.

"Oh my God.... oh no....is he.... is it? Justin?"

"We don't know yet...come on, Johnny is waiting for you to call."

Britney dropped the water and the towel, and ran off to her dressing room.

                         **********

"Now, I want you to know that this isn't your fault. I don't blame you for
any of it. You just did what you felt you had to do, that's all. No hard
feelings, okay?"

Kevin, more than a little bewildered, simply nodded his head.

"You have to remember that. No matter what.... you didn't do this, you're
not responsible any more than I am. I don't want you to beat yourself up
over it."

"Right. Of course not," Kevin replied.

"Just go on with things....go forward. Be happy. Be with Lance. You two are
going to need each other, you know that don't you?"

"Well.....yeah, sure. I guess."

"You two have some great times ahead. And some crazy times, no doubt about
it. And your kids are gonna be awesome."

"Our kids. Right. Uh.... Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"What the HELL are you talking about?!?"

"Kev.... I've got to go...."

                         **********

".... continuing now with a Fox News Alert, and the breaking news out of
Mississippi about the church fire that involves N'Sync. Fox News has
learned that two children have been pulled from the building, and that they
are alive, so some very good news there. However, we still have unconfirmed
reports that two members of the band that played with N'Sync tonight may
still be trapped inside that burning church. We're going to switch now to
our local affiliate, who may have some more information for us..."

In an apartment in Oxford, Mississippi, Gina Dawson and Sarah Adams sat on
the couch and held hands. They weren't there at the concert, although they
knew all about it. Work and summer classes prevented them from
attending. Still, having a neighbor dating someone in one of the most
popular bands kept them in the loop, so to speak, when it came to most of
the ins and outs of what was going on.

They, too, had been aimlessly going from channel to channel before going to
bed. When they stopped on the Fox News Channel, they found themselves no
longer tired.

"....have word from an eyewitness who says he saw N'Sync and two other men
arrive at the scene shortly after the fire broke out, and then saw those
other men run into the building. Apparently, they had been told that there
were children inside and they took it upon themselves to try and save
them. We want to bring into this a spokesperson for the Jackson Fire
Department, who can perhaps tell us more about what is going on at the
scene..."

Gina turned to Sarah, each having tears in their eyes.

"It's them, isn't it?" she asked.

Sarah, choking back tears, could only nod.

                         **********

Racing through the streets of Jackson, Jim and Diane Bass sat in silence.

They didn't watch the news on television, nor did they listen to the
radio. There was no need to. Their son called them only minutes before, and
had barely been able to choke out the words.

"Mom....it's me..."

"James? Honey, what is it, what's wrong?" Diane had replied.

"M-mom....I need you and dad to....there was a fire....some people got
hurt..."

"A fire! James, what happened, are you alright? What about the other boys?
We said goodbye to you after the show, and things were fine...what fire?"

"Another....another church.....please...please momma, get daddy and come
down to the hospital, okay? Please? Saint....Saint Dominic...."

"Honey, we'll be right there, you just stay right where you are..."

Now, two worried parents made there way in and out of traffic. Something
awful had happened, something involving their son. Pop superstar or not, he
was still their little boy, and he needed them. That was all that mattered
now.

"I'm sure he's okay," Jim said softly.

Diane nodded.

"We're almost there."

                         **********

"Go *where*? I'm still confused."

"I know. But it'll be okay. I promise."

Eric stood up and finished off the last of his coffee.

"You'll be fine. Just trust me. I gotta go Kev."

Eric turned and began to walk away.

"No, Eric....wait....go where? Where are you going? Eric? Eric?! ERIC?!!?"

                         **********

"....Eric.......where.....Eric?....."

Taking a deep breath, Kevin Douglas opened his eyes slowly, painfully. The
intense light coming from above him hurt, so he had to squint a little,
making his already blurry vision that much more distorted.

A nurse who had been checking his pulse looked over and smiled when she saw
that her patient was now awake.

"Well, hello there. You gave us quite a scare, young man."

"Mmmmm.....head hurts."

"And it probably will for a day or so. You've got a nasty concussion."

Kevin tried to sit up, but a sharp pain ran up his spine, causing him to
wince and moan, and then layback.

"My back....what happened...?"

"I'll let the doctor explain it to you, alright? But you'll be glad to know
that you should be just fine. In the meantime, there are a few people who
would like to see you...one in particular. I'll go get him now."

"Eric?" Kevin asked, still a little confused.

The nurse, who had began to walk to the door, stopped. She was about to
tell him something, but thought better of it. "Why....no.....no, I think
his name is actually James. I'll get him...and the doctor will be in right
away."

His head swimming with pain and confusion, Kevin closed his eyes and lay
back gently on the pillow. It all was just a weird dream. That's all. From
the concussion.

"Hey...hey you."

Opening his eyes again, Kevin saw Lance looking down at him, a smile on his
face and tears in his eyes.

"Hey babe.....meet any cute doctors in this place?" Kevin said weakly.

In spite of the situation, Lance laughed a little, then pulled up a chair
so that he could sit next to Kevin's bed. "Nah...they're all too old for my
taste....and I already have a dad anyway."

Kevin laughed, and grimaced as he did so. "Ow...that hurts!"

"I know," Lance replied softly. "How do you feel?"

"My head is pounding, my back is killing me, and I think they put one of
those tube things in my dick so I can pee. Other than that, I'm great. What
about you?"

"I'm....I'm okay." Lance's lip began to tremble, then he broke down and
began crying. "I..I was so worried about you," he sobbed.

"I know...I know. I'm sorry I scared you," Kevin said as he reached up,
painfully, and ran his hand over Lance's cheek. "Hey...I'm okay though,
really. I'm gonna make it."

Lance nodded and wiped his eyes with his arm.

"Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Eric?"

Lance stiffened.

"Eric."

"Yeah, where is he?"

"Kevin....Eric is..."

Just then, the door opened and a doctor walked in.

"Well, welcome back, Mr. Douglas. How are you feeling?" he said.

"I've been better," Kevin said as Lance turned away.

"I imagine you have. You're a very lucky young man, you know. Can you tell
me where you are?"

"In a hospital."

"Which one?"

"Uh....well, one is about the same as the other, and since I'm not from
here...."

"Fair enough," the doctor laughed. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Thursday."

"Close....past midnight, so it's Friday now, but I'll give you that
one. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three," Kevin correctly answered.

"Very good. Well, you do have a concussion, but I don't think there will be
any long term effects from it. I'll ask you those same questions again in a
few hours. Now, then....your back."

"Yeah, what the hell happened?"

Lance turned again, and walked back over to Kevin's bed.

"You really are very lucky. You didn't break anything, but you did suffer
some deep bruising, and a mild case of spinal shock. Other than pain and
general weakness, that should heal up in a few weeks. But, you'll probably
need crutches for a few days to help get you around, support your
weight. I'll do some tests a little later this morning to see how much
strength you currently have in your back, and that should tell us more
about your anticipated recovery time."

"Yeah....great. Can you tell me something?"

"Certainly, what?"

"Where's Eric? My friend? We were both in there together."

The doctor looked at Lance, who closed his eyes and nodded his head.

"Your friend is in another area of the hospital."

"Like, outpatient or something?" Kevin asked.

"No....I'm afraid he's in the Burn Unit."

                         **********

"Justin....Justin, calm down. Here, sit down by us."

Justin paced back and forth, ignoring the words of Chris Kirkpatrick.

"You hungry, kiddo? You want to go to the cafeteria?" Joey Fatone
tried. Still no answer, as Justin walked around the room nervously.

"Justin, come on," JC Chasez said as he stood and walked over to his young
friend. "Come and sit down, try to relax."

"No! That's easy for you to say! You weren't there! You don't know!"

"Yes, yes I was there, Justin...and I do know. Eric is hurt, very
badly. But walking back and forth like this won't solve anything, now will
it?"

Justin stopped in mid-stride. "No...I guess not."

"Come on, sit by us. Lance will be back in a few minutes to tell us how
Kevin is, and then we'll go upstairs."

Resigned, Justin sighed and walked over to the chairs and sat next to
Chris.

"It was so scary...they had him on this stretcher...and wrapped this...this
foil stuff all over him...they started talking about 'tubing' him, whatever
that means..." Justin said as he put his head in his hands.

"I know, buddy, I know. They're doing everything they can for him...and
this is one of the best hospitals in town. You'll see, everything will be
fine."

Chris looked back up, and saw JC heading for the door.

"Josh?"

"Be right back....bathroom..."

As he walked out into the hall, JC picked up his pace as he headed for the
men's room. Nothing had prepared him for the events that had happened so
far, or that continued to happen. They called him 'Fearless Leader,' but
right now he was very afraid. Afraid for Lance and Justin, afraid for Kevin
and Eric, whom he barely knew. Afraid at what this might do to the
group. The stress, the sheer enormity of what had gone on in the last few
hours were starting to take their toll on him.

Pushing open the door to the bathroom, he quickly ran to a stall, slammed
the door behind him, knelt down, and vomited.

After a few minutes, and feeling a little better, he splashed cold water on
his face, dried it off with paper towel, and took a deep breath. He walked
back to where the others were.

They needed him.

He needed them.

                         **********

"...about seventy percent of the body. Mostly third degree."

Kevin stared blankly at the doctor, who was explaining the nature and
extent of the injuries Eric had suffered. Lance stood next to the bed, his
head bowed in a combination of regret and resignation.

"But...I mean, he'll get better, won't he? People recover from this stuff
all the time, right?" Kevin asked.

Dr. Haycraft shook his head solemnly. "With burns of this magnitude and
extent, the chances for complete recovery are slim. I'm sorry."

"No...no, that can't be right. You guys...you guys are supposed to fix
him!" Kevin exclaimed, his voice rising.

"Son, I'm sorry, but there really isn't..."

"Bullshit!" Kevin yelled. He attempted to sit up straight, but the pain in
his back prevented him from doing so. "God...DAMMIT!" he winced, as Lance
tried to ease him back onto the bed.

"Kev, calm down...take it easy..."

"I want to see him," Kevin said through clenched teeth.

"Out of the question. You're in no condition to get around by yourself at
this point. As soon as we know something more, we'll come down and let you
know. Besides, you aren't immediate family," the doctor explained.

"I'm his roommate!"

"Still, that doesn't make you..."

"I'm his best friend!"

"Son, rules are rules! Once his parents get here, then perhaps something
can..."

Kevin turned to Lance. "Lance...Lance, please...help me. Do something!" he
begged.

Lance sighed in resignation and nodded. "Doctor, can I speak to you
outside, please?" he said, walking over and taking the physician by the
arm, leading him out of the room.

"Look," Lance began as he closed the door behind him, "this night has been
hell on all of us. Can't you make an exception, just this once?"

"Mr. Bass, hospital policy strictly forbids anyone from entering the
Critical Care units unless they are a family member. I'm sorry, but there
isn't anything I can do."

"But we're going up there in a few minutes! Me and the other guys...what
difference does it make if Kevin comes up there or not?!"

"You and the other gentlemen will be in the waiting area, nothing more."

"Alright! Fine! So, why can't Kevin come up to the waiting area with us?!"

"He has a serious concussion, and a serve back injury! If he starts walking
around now, he could jeopardize his recover.."

"Don't you people have fucking wheelchairs in here!" Lance screamed.

Dr. Haycraft took off his glasses and sighed. Rubbing his eyes with one
hand, he shuffled from foot to foot for a moment. "Alright. Fine. A
wheelchair. Let me call upstairs and make the arrangements. But, and I
won't bend on this point, I want him to wait at least another forty-five
minutes to an hour. He just woke up and still seems somewhat
disoriented. One hour."

"One hour," Lance nodded.

					**********


"Jim, Diane, thank God you're here," Joey said as Lance's parents came into
the room.

"Joe, what happened son? What's going on?" Jim Bass asked. "Church fire?
What were you kids doing in the area to begin with?"

"Jim, come on, let me explain," Joey said as he pulled Jim aside.

"D-Diane?" Justin whimpered, his lower lip trembling.

"Oh, Justin, honey...it's alright, everything is going to be alright," she
said, taking him into her arms. "I'm just thankful that you are the other
boys weren't hurt...but James said something about friends of yours? How
are they?"

Justin sniffed and wiped his eyes as he let go of Lance's
mother. "Kevin...Kevin should be okay. But Eric....Eric was hurt really,
really bad. They don't...they don't..."

Diane nodded knowingly. "Keep praying for him, honey. Just keep praying."

JC walked back into the waiting room, and greeted Lance's parents. "Thanks
for coming over so quickly. We could use a little help until Johnny and the
others get here."

"Understandable," Jim Bass sighed. "Where's my son?"

"Checking in on Kevin," Chris answered. "He should be back in a couple of
minutes.

Diane smiled. "That's our James. Always concerned about other people."

Chris and Joey looked at each other, while JC turned away for a
moment. Justin could only look down at the floor and sob quietly to
himself.

Together, these four had worked so hard to protect Lance, keeping his
secret safe from everyone around them, and that included their
families. Only a handful of people outside of the group had knowledge of
his sexuality, but they were at the highest levels of management who had
nothing to gain by making that information public knowledge. Now, all of
that could come crashing down around them. Silently, each one vowed to do
whatever he could to keep the floodgates closed.

They couldn't know that, in spite of their best efforts, those gates would
be opened. They couldn't imagine who it would be that would open them.

					**********

"Try to get some rest. I'll come back in a little bit, and we'll take you
upstairs," Lance said softly.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the others. My folks should be here by now."

Lance leaned over and kissed Kevin on the forehead, then turned to leave.

"Lance?"

Lance stopped and turned back around.

"Lance...I need to get up there. You understand that? I have to go see
him."

"I know, Kevin. I understand."

"Promise me you'll get me up there?"

"I promise Kevin. I promise."

Exiting the room and walking down the hall back to the special waiting
area, Lance sighed and said a silent prayer, imploring God that Eric could
hold on just a little longer.

					**********

River Forest sits west of the city of Chicago, roughly thirty minutes or so
via the Eisenhower Expressway. Forty-five minutes on a bad day. It's a
suburb characterized by several things one would find in just about any
smaller urban area: parks, small shops, friendly people, a
multi-generational ethic identity. And money.

In the case of River Forest, old money.

The Douglas family had made their presence known here, in one way or
another, for the better part of a century, but it wasn't until Richard
Douglas, Sr., began to build what would eventually become a small business
empire in the 1940s, that the family truly made their mark.

"Mr. Richard," as he was known to many in the community, had a large
apartment in the city as well, but the sprawling mansion along Thatcher
Drive would forever be home, and home base for the family. He was proud of
it, and beamed when members of his family came, his children and
grandchildren, nieces and nephews, cousins, both close and distant. He was
the patriarch, and his wife, Helen, stood by his side - through good times
and bad - for over forty years of marriage.

It was Helen Douglas who presided over the family now. "Mr. Richard" passed
on in 1996, having lived 76 years on this earth, and having witnessed so
many things happen to his country and family. Normally, the eldest son (and
heir) would have stepped into the role of head of the family, but tragic
fate took Richard, Jr., away from them in a plane crash in 1979. Many said
that old "Mr. Richard" never recovered from his oldest boy's death. His
younger son, Jacob, took on many of the responsibilities that his brother
would have inherited, but Helen remained the grand dame of the family. It
was a role that suited her, and she took to it with a sense of flair and
grace one would expect of one in her station.

The grandchildren, the grand-nieces and nephews called her "Nanna," and
while someone else in her position might have corrected them, she never
did. Certainly, she expected a certain kind of behavior from them, but this
one concession, one of familial affection, she secretly reveled in.

She had buried her oldest son and her husband in her lifetime. Now, in the
twilight of her years, she was faced with the possibility of burying a
grandson.

"Tell me again," she said to those around her, "what was he doing?"

"Playing in a concert Nanna," Chad Douglas said. "It was a charity event
that he helped organize, and he and some friends played in a band."

"Why didn't he just give the poor souls a donation?" Helen asked in wonder.

"Mother, that's not the point," Jacob Douglas said, rubbing his eyes and
getting up from his seat. "Kevin wanted to do something more than just give
away money. He wanted to try and make a difference."

"Jacob, must we talk of him in the past tense?"

Jacob sighed and paced around the large library.

"And who were these other people?"

"N'Sync, Nanna."

"In what?"

"Never mind that now," Jacob interrupted, "we still don't know if Kevin was
seriously hurt or not. All we know is that he was taken to a hospital in
Jackson. As soon as we find out anything else, I'll fly down there."

"I'm going too," Chad said.

"I think it would be better if you stayed here with your mom and
grandmother, Chad."

"But I want to go! He's my cousin!"

Helen shut her eyes. "Children, please. Jacob, it's only right that Chad
accompany you. As should I."

"Mother, that shouldn't be necessary."

"Jacob, my grandson is in the hospital. If he is hurt, I should be there."

"But it's a long flight, and at..." Jacob was going to continue but thought
better of it.

Helen, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow.

Thankfully, Jacob Douglas was saved when his wife, Robin, entered the
room."

"It's Saint Dominic - Jackson Memorial, and he's in serious but stable
condition," she said, breathless.

"Oh, thank God," Jacob said as he embraced his wife. "I'll have the plane
waiting for me..."

"And me!" Chad said.

"...and Chad, shortly. All right, you come with me. But mother, I still say
you should stay here with Robin."

Helen closed her eyes and sighed, her fingers tapping the arms of the chair
she sat in. "Very well. But if his condition worsens, you will notify me
immediately. I'll have Alexander make sure the other plane stands by."

"There is...one other thing, Mother," Jacob began hesitantly. But Helen was
one step ahead of her younger son.

"No. Not unless his condition becomes more serious."

"But Mother, he has a right to know. After all these years, and especially
now..."

"I said no, Jacob. Now is not the time."

Jacob nodded, kissed his wife on the cheek, and left the room, his son
right behind.

					**********

A private college, somewhere in America.

Most students were in bed at this late hour, but a few remained awake,
watching the talking heads and listening to the sound bites coming through
their television sets. The news broke earlier that night, and only the most
curious, or the most die-hard of fans, chose to stay awake and watch for
the latest developments.

One student, a young man in his early twenties, leaned back on the old,
worn out couch of the dorm lobby. Most of the others had long since gone up
to bed, and only the curious or the night owl were left.

"Man, this is all over the place tonight," a girl to his right said to no
one in particular.

The young man nodded in reply. Then, he got up and walked over to a row of
vending machines.

"You want something Angie?" he asked.

"Yeah, a Coke. Thanks, Rich."

Digging in his pockets, the young man pulled out the change needed for two
soft drinks. As he dropped in the first quarter, he grit his teeth and
willed himself not to cry.

He couldn't die. He just couldn't.

It would be so unfair to the both of them.

					**********

"Here. You look like you could use this."

Lance looked up and saw Chris holding out a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"Honey, why don't you close your eyes for awhile. You look exhausted,"
Diane said, lightly stroking the back of her son's head as she did so.

"No, momma, I'm fine." Lance took a sip of the black liquid, wincing a
little at the bitter taste.

"It couldn't hurt, son," Jim added. "We'll wake you up if something
happens. And I'm sure that other guy is sound asleep anyway."

"His name is Kevin, dad."

Jim Bass was about to say something else, but a look from his wife made him
think better of it.

JC walked over to the Bass family. "Lance, they're right. Catch a few
winks, and we'll wake you up when they say we can go upstairs."

"One hour. The doc said Kevin could go up in one hour."

JC nodded. "I know...that gives you about twenty minutes or so. Take a
power nap, okay bud?"

"Well, I guess it couldn't hurt," Lance said, putting the Styrofoam cup
down on the table in front of them. "But promise to wake me up."

"We will," Diane promised.

					**********

"But you have to believe me! I really do work for Lance Bass!"

Terry tried to reason with the police, for about the tenth time.

"Son, you might work for the government for all I care, but my orders are
to keep everyone but family out of the area! Now, I'm not going to tell you
again!"

Terry walked off, away from the hospital entrance. He moved towards a bench
where he could sit and wait. That was all he could do.

But, often a knight had to wait when in the service of a prince. And that
is what Terry resolved to do.

					**********

Lance woke up with a start.

The room was empty, the lights dimmer than they had been when he fell
asleep.

"Where did everybody go?" he said to himself. "Why'd they leave me here?"

"They didn't," Eric said as he walked into the room.

"Eric? Is that you?"

"Last time I checked, Lancelot."

"B-but...what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be...I mean, you're
upstairs."

Eric shrugged and gave a lopsided smile.

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" Lance asked.

"Just making the rounds. You know. Making sure you're all right."

"I think I am," Lance said, a little confused. "Tired, but okay other than
that."

"Good. I just wanted to make sure."

"This has gotta be a dream."

"Maybe," Eric grinned. "Dreams are funny things. Kind of like a roller
coaster, you know? There's always that unexpected twist and curve. Or a
peak or valley. Then again, life is a lot like that, too."

Lance nodded.

"Well, I gotta go Lance. Take care of things for me, okay? And take care of
Kev."

"Right...sure. See you around."

Eric looked back and winked before he walked out of the room.

"Huh. That was weird. I wonder where he has to go...go...oh, no. Oh, no,
no, no....wake up, Bass! Wake up! WAKE UP!!!!"

Lance sat up with a start.

"Lance? Honey, what's the matter?" Diane asked.

Lance stood up quickly and looked around the room, at his parents and his
bandmates.

"We have to go upstairs. NOW."

					**********

Pacing nervously back and forth, he waited. The nurse helped Kevin out of
bed and over to the bathroom.

"Mother of God," Kevin moaned as he walked back into the larger room
slowly, taking each step carefully. "It feels like somebody took a
sledgehammer to my dick and balls!"

Lance blushed and looked at the nurse, who smiled knowingly.

"Trust me," she said, "I've heard worse."

Carefully and gently, she assisted Kevin as he sunk down into the
wheelchair. He closed his eyes in pain as he sat back in it slowly.

"Ready?" the nurse asked.

"I can take him, ma'am," Lance said.

"Sir, we've told you before. Hospital policy states very clearly that..."

"Okay, okay," Lance said in surrender. "Can I have a minute alone with him
though first? We'll meet you at the elevator."

The nurse nodded and walked out of the room and down the hall.

"How do you feel?"

"Like hell," Kevin said, his eyes still closed. "But I have to do this,
Lance. I have to." He opened his eyes and looked at Lance. "Do you
understand?"

Lance nodded and walked behind Kevin, pushing the chair out the door and in
the direction of the elevators, where the nurse was waiting.

Just a little bit longer, God, Lance thought to himself. Just a little
longer. Five more minutes, that's all.

The ride up seemed to last an eternity, even though it was only a matter of
seconds before they reached their destination.

More cold, white, sterile walls. More doctors and nurses going about their
business.

Turning a corner, the trio approached the large double doors that led into
the waiting area for the Burn Unit. As they began to walk down the hall,
they could see through the windows that those already inside were standing,
huddled around a doctor.

Opening one of the doors, the nurse stepped aside as Lance wheeled Kevin
into the room.

"...the time of death was exactly 3:27. I'm very sorry," the doctor said
grimly. "There was nothing we could do for him."

"Damn you, God," Lance said under his breath, closing his eyes in defeat.

"Wait...wait, what did you say?" Kevin asked.

Justin turned to Kevin, his lower lip trembling.

"K-Kev...I'm so sorry," he choked out.

Joey turned away, crossing himself as he did so.

Chris looked down at the floor.

JC closed his eyes and folded his hands.

Jim and Diane Bass began to approach their son and their son's friend.

"Son," Jim began, "I'm sorry."

"No...no, wait...no, this can't be happening," Kevin exclaimed.

"Kevin, take it easy," Lance said. "Calm down..."

Kevin, in spite of the extreme pain in his back, sat up totally straight,
and looked at those in front of him. Justin, Joey, Chris, JC, Jim Bass,
Diane Bass. Then, he turned to his left, where Lance came up to stand
beside him, tears in his eyes.

"I tried, Kevin. I tried."

With supreme effort that astounded all around him, Kevin pushed himself up
and out of the chair. He took a few uneasy steps forward, and then over to
the side of the room where he leaned up against the wall. Slowly, he slid
down to the floor.

Bringing his knees up to his chest, and ignoring the pain shooting across
his back, started to rock back and forth.

And he began to scream.

Lance leaned down to embrace him, but Kevin would not let him.

And he continued to scream.

Justin and JC rushed over to try and help, but Kevin pushed them away.

And he continued to scream.

The stillness of the night settled over the country. Firefighters finished
their work at the scene of a church fire in Jackson, Mississippi. A man and
his son sat in their seats in a private plane. Terry Reid tried in vain
once again to explain who he was to uniformed police outside a
hospital. Helen Douglas tried to sleep, but could not. Gina Dawson and
Sarah Adams drove on through the night. Britney Spears was on a plane of
her own.

Darkness enveloped them all.

And Kevin continued to scream.

And scream.

And scream.

And scream.

He had been abandoned again.


End of Chapter 20