Date: Sat, 19 Jun 1999 15:35:04 PDT From: keith lowell Subject: Brian and Keith -- 6 Here is the sixth part of the story. Again, this story involves Brian Littrell or the Backstreet Boys. Please remember that this is pure fantasy and absolutely nothing is implied about the sexualities of any of the characters in this story. All comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated at keithlowell@hotmail.com Thanks. With that said........ENJOY......... Brian & Keith -- 6 "Okay, before this gets out of hand, I think all of us need to get a good night's rest and then regroup tomorrow and then talk about it," A.J. said as he looked at Brian first and then at Kevin and then back at Brian again. "I agree," both Nick and Howie said simultaneously. "Yeah, that's fine with me," Brian said as he looked at the floor. "Okay, lets go then," Kevin said as he stood up and walked out the door. Nick, Howie, A.J., and finally Brian followed Kevin out of the room. They made their way out of the waiting limo that Kevin had called for them. All of them got inside and the limo took off to the hotel. None of them said anything to each other and before they knew it, they were infront of the hotel. They all got out and Brian instructed the driver that he will be back in about 10 minutes. Everyone made their way up to their floor in the elevator. Still no one had spoken to each other but they all were stealing glances at Brian. No one knew quite the seriousness of Brian's relationship with Keith so they had no idea why Brian was acting this way. Brian noticed the glances by the others but did not feel like discussing it right now. Brian was the first one off the elevator as soon as the doors opened. He made a mad dash to his room and in a matter of seconds was inside with the door closed shut behind him. Once inside his room, Brian breathed a sigh of relief. He stood there for a moment trying to recollect his thoughts. Finally, he set about getting his and Keith's overnight bags in order. He was ready to go in five minutes. He opened the door to notice that the guys were sitting in the hall around his door. He was shocked to say the least to see this, and his expression showed this emotion. "We just wanted to wish you a good night and tell yo that we hope that Keith is feeling better in the morning," A.J. spoke for everyone as they all stood up. Brian could not believe this. He had been so rude to them and here they were acting like that never happened. He could not hold back anymore as he let his tears escape his eyes. Kevin noticed this and immediately hugged Brian. Brian immediately broke down as soon as he felt Kevin's arms around him. He needed to release his fears that were inside him about Keith's condition. Soon Brian quieted down and let go of Kevin. "God, I hope he makes it out of this mess okay," were the first words out of Brian's mouth as he turned to face the rest of the guys. "Just pray for him and leave everything to God," A.J. said as he gave Brian a warm hug. When A.J. ended his hug, Howie stepped up and hugged Brian. He hated to see Brian hurt like this, but he also knew that he could not really go anything to make it better. He knew from experience that this would also make Brian's relationship with Keith stronger. Howie let the hug die as he stepped away from Brian. Brian noticed Nick standing there looking at the floor while twiddling his thumbs. Brian always got along fine with Nick although they did not agree on everything, far from it. Nick was apprehensive about whether or not he should hug Brian. He was not sure if Brian even wanted to speak to him after what he had done. While he was thinking these thoughts, Nick noticed a pair of sneakers in front of him. He looked up and saw Brian standing there with a grin on his face. Nick smiled widely and immediately hugged Brian like he was a long lost friend. "I'm sorry," Nick whispered as he let go of Brian. Brian smiled at Nick but did not say anything. Nick returned the smile happily and stepped out of the way to allow Brian to walk to the elevator. "Bye everyone, I will call y'all tomorrow morning when I reach the hospital to let y'all know how Keith is doing," Brian said as he pressed the down button for the elevator. "Please do," A.J. said as he headed for his own room. Brian got inside the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. The rest of the guys headed inside their own rooms after the elevator doors closed. They all had only one thing on their minds, that being the well being of Keith. They all were trying to figure out who would want to hurt Keith in that way. All of them, except Kevin, fell asleep after saying a little prayer for Keith. Kevin could not get a question out of his head. What if the same person caught up with Keith and the guys, while they were together, and the instances of today were repeated. It would be a public relations nightmare. 'What would happen then,' Kevin thought. He eventually fell asleep thinking up more of those scenarios. Brian finally made it to the waiting limo. He apologized to the driver for being late and gave him directions to Keith's apartment. Soon, they were on their way. In what seemed like seconds to Brian, the limo was parked at the entrance of the apartment building. Infact, Brian had all along thinking about the night's events and trying to figure out what could have possibly caused them. Brian snapped out of his daze and got out of the limo. He grabbed his and Keith's bags and headed inside the building after tipping the driver and wishing him a good night. Brian was standing in front of Keith's apartment door. He felt like he was invading Keith's privacy by being there when Keith was not there. But then he thought since Keith and himself were on their way to a relationship together there should be no secrets between them. With that thought he opened the door and went inside. Brian felt like a kid in a toy store. There was so much to explore and so little time to do it in. He had the same thought the whether he should really be doing this, but then he again realized that he was in his lover's house. There should be no secrets between them. Suddenly, Brian stopped in his tracks as a thought came to him. 'Would I have to tell Keith all of my secrets also then.' Ofcourse came the reply from inside of Brian's heart and in due time his mind followed up with the same answer. Now he knew that he was really in love. A huge smile came to his lips as he thought about what that meant. Finally Brian relaxed enough to go inside the apartment from the foyer. He made his way into the kitchen and saw the message light blinking on the answering machine. Brian thought if he should listen to the messages. After some thought he decided against it. He still was not sure how Keith would feel knowing that Brian was in his apartment when he was not there. Brian thought that listening to Keith's messages would just add fire to the fuel incase Keith was upset. Then Brian went into the living room. He remembered what he was feeling the last time he was in that room. But now all that was behind him. He smiled as he thought that it all seemed such a long time ago, but infact it had only been a matter of days. Brian left the living room and made his way to the bedroom. He checked which door led to the bathroom for future reference. As he opened the door to the bedroom he stood in awe as he stared at the bed. 'Boy, A.J. was not kidding,' he thought as he leaned against the door. Infront of him stood this beautiful wooden four-post bed with curtains draped all over it. Brian suddenly smiled as he thought about how he wanted to make love to Keith for the very first time in that bed. He suddenly felt very tired looking at the bed. He smiled and walked back to the foyer to grab his overnight bag. He left Keith's bag next to the door since he would take it to the hospital in the morning. Brian went into the bathroom and used the facilities. He changed into his nightwear and headed to the bedroom. He was still in awe as he looked at the bed. He missed having Keith there. He wanted so much for tonight to be the big night for them. But it was not meant to be. If the person who did this ever came infront of Brian, he would go ahead and strangle that guy to death with his hands. He was that angry with that guy. But then the troublesome thought about Keith not doing anything to protect himself. Then Brian decided that he would give Keith a chance to explain his actions to him before jumping to conclusions. With that he forced his mind to throw out all thoughts concerning the incident for now. He decided that sleep is what he needed at this moment more than anything. He looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was 12:30 A.M. Brian looked at the bed again and decided that he would wait for Keith to spend his first night in it. He would never be able to go to sleep in it without Keith being there. He grabbed a blanket and a pillow and laid them out on the floor. He laid down and as soon as his head hit the pillow, Brian was out cold. Brian awoke to the sunlight shining through the drapes. The position that he was on the floor was perfect for the sunlight to shine directly on his eyes. He squinted and moved away from the sunlight's path. Brian sat up as he yawned and noticed that it was already 7 o'clock. He decided that he would get up now and start getting ready for the day. Brian decided to take a shower before doing anything else. The water felt very refreshing on his sore muscles. He made a mental note to get a massage before the show otherwise he would be in bad shape after it. He got done with his shower and went to get ready. He was dressed and ready to go in a matter of minutes since he had only brought one change of clothing with him. He picked up his makeshift bed and put them on the real bed after dusting them off. Again, he stood in awe looking at the magnificent bed. He didn't know why but he really liked admiring the bed. In one way it was like Keith, so inviting and warm. He got a very comfortable feeling staring at the bed. Brian was snapped out of his daze as he happened to glance at the alarm clock. It said the time was 8:15. 'Oh no I'm late, I have to be at the hospital at 9:00,' he thought. But then he realized that it only took about ten minutes to walk to the hospital from here. He breathed a sigh of relief and walked out of the bedroom. The growling in his stomach reminded him that he was starving. "Okay stomach time to feed you," he laughed out loud as he rubbed his stomach. Brian walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. After a thorough search through the fridge and the cabinets, he came up empty handed for something to eat. 'Boy what did Keith eat while he was here,' he thought as he decided what to do. Brian made up his mind to walk to the hospital and stop if there was a cafe on the way. He grabbed his cell phone, wallet, and the keys to Keith's apartment and headed for the door. He grabbed Keith's bag and was on his way. Brian walked out of the apartment building doors to be greeted by noise of the morning rush hour. 'Yuck,' he thought as he pulled the front of his cap lower. The last thing he needed this morning was to be ambushed by fans. He started walking towards the hospital with his head down and feeling very hungry by now. He had only walked about two blocks when he noticed a cafe. He casually looked forward and he noticed two more cafes on either side of the street. This is what he loved about big cities, there was everything that a person could need within walking distance. Brian walked into the cafe and quickly ordered a regular coffee and a bagel with cream cheese on it. He would usually order his favorite coffee, a cafe mocha, and some biscotti biscuits, but he was in a hurry today. Those items required some time to sit and enjoy, and time was one thing that he did not have much of at this instance. He grabbed his breakfast and quickly paid for it and sat down at one of the tables. He started eating while reading a newspaper that was left on the table. Soon his breakfast was gone, and he felt much better now. He got up and left the cafe and was again on his way to the hospital. Brian entered the hospital and started getting nervous. He was not sure how Keith would act towards him after yesterday night. He was having second thoughts if infact he was actually ready to hear and accept the explanation that Keith would give. He was not sure if Keith would just volunteer the explanation or wait for Brian to bring up the subject. As he was about to enter the elevator, his cell phone rang. He stepped back and stood next to the elevator and answered the phone. "Hello," Brian said. "Hi Brian, good morning," Kevin said. "Good morning Kevin," Brian replied. "So any news on Keith?" Kevin asked. "Well! I just entered the hospital, I am about to go up to Keith's room now," Brian said. "Oh sorry, all the guys are here and we got tired for waiting for your call so we decided to call you instead," Kevin said. "Thats okay, I am really nervous now," Brian said as he brushed his hair back from his forehead. "Don't worry about it, just relax," Kevin said in a very calm tone. "Boy, I really wish that you guys were here with me," Brian sighed. "Well! turn around and maybe your wish can come true," Kevin said and disconnected the phone. "Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, hello," Brian said into the phone. He received no answer. 'The phone must have gone dead,' he thought as he turned around. Brian stopped in his tracks as he looked at the sight infront of him. There stood Kevin, A.J., Nick, and Howie all with wide smiles on their faces. They all stood there with flowers and get well balloons in their hands. Brian was so shocked that he could not move. Kevin smiled as he approached Brian. "Did you actually think that we would not be here," Kevin said as he hugged Brian. Brian accepted the hug and whispered, "thank you," in Kevin's ear. He knew that this was all of Kevin's doing. He probably organized all of this, and Brian was certainly impressed by his cousin's effort. Brian hugged the rest of the guys one at a time and thanked them for their consideration. He was very happy to see them there. He certainly needed them for moral support. Even though he wanted to speak to Keith alone, it will be a nice feeling to know that the guys were there for him. "Okay its time that we go and see how our patient is doing," Kevin said in his ordering way. "Yes sir," Brian said as he rolled his eyes while looking at Nick. Nick snickered at Brian but managed to be quiet so that Kevin would not notice. It was nice to see that everyone was acting in their "normal" roles. They were all acting like five friends. All was as it should be. Everyone stepped into the elevator. As soon as the door closed the mood immediately changed from jolly to somber. Everyone was dreading the explanation that they would receive from Keith. None of them were looking forward to it, but they all knew that it had to be heard. Besides, all of them really wanted to know why Keith did nothing to protect himself. The elevator doors opened and they all walked out one by one. Dr. Rosenberg happened to be walking by and noticed them. She smiled at them and laughed out loud at all the flowers and balloons. "Hi guys, how is everyone this morning," Dr. Rosenberg asked. "Hello doctor, we are all fine thank you," Kevin replied for the group. "Looks like you guys bought out the whole store," she said as she pointed to the flowers and balloons. "Yes, certainly looks that way," Brian said proudly as he smiled at the rest of the guys. "Oh Brian! sorry we could not get through to you last night. We tried calling three times at the number you gave us, but no one picked up the phone," Dr. Rosenberg said. "Oh my God! is everything okay with Keith," Brian asked anxiously. "Yes, you did not get the message we left on the third time we called," Dr. Rosenberg asked with a raised eyebrow. "No, I did not think to check the messages," Brian said sadly as he looked towards the floor. "Well anyways, Keith woke up in the middle of the night and has been recovering very well," Dr. Rosenberg continued to explain. "I think he is expecting you guys this morning. If everything goes well, he might be able to go home today," she added as she excused herself from the group. "Thank you doctor," Nick said to her as she walked away. She turned back and smiled at the group before returning to her task. "Brian you okay?" A.J. asked as he put his arm around Brian's shoulder. "How could I be so stupid," Brian said as he wiped a tear from his left eye. "I should have realized that the hospital might be calling, especially when I left the number with them," he added as he slumped his shoulders. "Hey Brian, everything worked out okay, Keith is doing fine. They were calling to give you good news," Kevin said as he looked at Brian. "Yes, but they could have been trying to reach me in case of an emergency. How could I be so thick headed," Brian said as he smacked himself slightly on the head. "Now, stop that, so you made a mistake. You are human you know," Howie said as he stopped Brian from hitting himself again. They all voiced their agreement with what Howie said, and told Brian that he should not be too hard on himself. "Okay, I know that I am acting silly, but the doctor just scared me by the way she said that," Brian said as he smiled. Once again he was really glad that the guys were there with him. Each of them exuded his own energy onto Brian, which in turn made him feel very strong and secure. He realized that the guys were "his family" when they were traveling together. "Okay, lets go and see how Keith is doing," Kevin said as he started walking towards Keith's room. Once they reached Keith's room, Kevin knocked on the door. There was no answer. Kevin knocked again, but still the guys received no answer. They all shared worried expressions among themselves before Howie spoke up. "Maybe he's in the rest room and can't hear us," Howie said as he looked hopefully in Brian's direction. "Brian, you should go in and see if Keith is up for company," Kevin suggested as he pushed Brian forward towards the door. Brian took a deep breath and opened the door. He peeked inside and could not see Keith on the bed. He went inside and closed the door behind him. Right then he heard water run in the bathroom. Brian breathed a sigh of relief as he went and sat in the chair next to the bed. Soon, Keith opened the door and stepped into the room. He briefly looked up and saw Brian sitting there. Keith stopped in his tracks when he noticed that Brian had stood up. Brian was shocked to see the condition that Keith was in. He still had all the bandages and he looked very tired. "Hi," Brian managed to say after Keith had made it to his bed. "Hello," Keith answered hesitantly as he sat down on the bed. Brian leaned forward and kissed Keith on the lips. Keith was surprised by the kiss, to say the least. That was the last thing he expected to happen. He expected Brian to be extremely upset about the things that happened last night. Brian sensed that all was not well with Keith. He did not want to make Keith feel uncomfortable. "Are you up for company?" Brian asked as he looked hopefully at Keith. "That would be great," Keith replied. He was not sure how to act around Brian. He did want to be alone with him, but he did realize that he has to explain the situation. He would rather do it all at one time with everyone present, rather than do it one at a time. Brian walked to the door and opened it. "Come on in guys," he said as he was greeted by four sets of eyes silently asking permission to come in. All the guys smiled and walked in. Kevin was the first one to enter the room. He paused as he saw Keith. He had no idea the extent of Keith's condition. He sat through the explanation that the doctor gave, but to see it in person was something else. "Hi Keith, how are you feeling?" Kevin managed to ask as he put down the flowers that he carried in. "Not bad, thanks," Keith replied as he pointed to the flowers and the balloons that Kevin had held. "Don't mention it," Kevin replied as he walked up to the bed. He went up to Keith and hugged him. "You scared us especially him," he whispered in Keith's ear as he pulled away from the hug. He had pointed to Brian during the hug, but Keith would have known either way. Keith just smiled at Kevin as he wiped away a tear. He was thankful that he had friends like Brian and the guys that looked out for him. He chuckled to himself as he thought about how Kevin was really like a father or big brother that he needed desperately right now in his life. Keith was brought out of his trance as he felt someone hug him. He noticed that it was A.J. "Boy, am I glad that you are okay," A.J. said as he let go of Keith. Keith just smiled at A.J. also. For some reason, he felt extremely comfortable with A.J., much as one would feel like with a best friend. Howie came up next and hugged Keith. "Glad you're okay," he said as he let go of Keith. He set down the flowers that he had carried next to the ones that Kevin and A.J. had set down on the table. Keith looked up and noticed lots of balloons. He saw a pair of legs standing behind the impressive display of balloons. He laughed out loud as he thought that only Nick could be responsible for the show. Nick was like a good friend that Keith never had. Sure they had their differences in the beginning, but they had gotten over that pretty fast. Nick stuck his head out from behind the balloons and quickly hid his head back again much like one would do with a child. Everyone laughed at that, and Keith was certainly having a good time. He felt like he was two years old and Nick had been given the task of cheering him up. Nick repeated this a couple of times before he stopped and let go of the balloons. All the balloons elevated up to the ceiling. Nick was very proud of himself when he saw the smile on Keith's face. He came up to Keith and hugged him. Nick backed away while Brian came and sat next to Keith. Brian was happy to see Keith with a smile on his face. All the rest of the guys sat in chairs looking at Brian and Keith. There were numerous balloons behind them. Keith looked at the balloons and smiled warmly. 'Even though my family has turned their backs on me, I have this family to nourish me,' he thought to himself. Soon tears started falling down his cheeks as he realized that he would probably never see his family. Brian reached over and wiped the tears away. Keith felt Brian's fingers on his face and suddenly woke up from his daydream. He smiled at Brian as the tears stopped flowing. "Did you guys buy out the whole store?" Keith said as he pointed to the balloons. "Yeah, looks that way doesn't it. They even surprised me when they showed up at the hospital early," Brian said as he took Keith's hand in his own. "Well! it was worth it to see the smiles on both your faces," A.J. said with a snicker. "Thank you very much, that was very nice of you guys," Keith said appreciatively. "Your welcome very much," Nick replied for the group with a huge smile on his face. "Why are you so happy Nick?" Howie asked suspiciously as he looked over at the grinning Nick. "Oh! I just like to see people happy," Nick replied coyly. "You big ham," A.J. said as he lightly punched Nick's arm. "Hey! watch it," Nick said as he punched A.J.'s arm in reply. "Okay, cool it you two goofballs," Kevin said in his serious tone. Everyone laughed as both A.J. and Nick stopped the horseplay quite abruptly when they heard Kevin speak. They all knew from experience that Kevin meant business when he used that tone. They all had learned quite early in their careers that it was not wise to mess around when Kevin was not in the mood. That meant trouble for everyone. They all quieted down and looked expectantly at Kevin since he had brought an end to everyone's fun. "Okay, I think that Keith owes us an explanation," Kevin said when he noticed that everyone had relaxed. He looked directly at Keith, ignoring Brian, trying to get him to talk. Brian could not believe that Kevin was that direct. 'Thats Kevin for you,' he thought as he shook his head. Brian looked at Keith worrying about his reaction. 'I must admit I want to hear this explanation, but I wouldn't want Keith to feel uncomfortable,' he thought as he squeezed Keith's hand. Keith felt all eyes on him as Kevin spoke. 'Oh well, that was good while it lasted, now back to reality and being alone,' he thought to himself. Suddenly he felt Brian squeeze his hand. It felt so good to have some that would hold him like that. 'Thank God for Brian,' he prayed to himself. He looked at Brian who had a very scared look on his face. Keith smiled and felt Brian relax. "Okay, yes I do owe you guys an explanation at the least," Keith said as he looked at Kevin. "I'm sorry Keith, I did not mean to put you on the spot. You only have to continue if you are ready to talk, if not, we can wait," Kevin said as he looked at the rest of the guys and then back at Keith. The other guys gave approving nods as to agree with what Kevin had said. "No that's okay, thanks for the offer though," Keith replied with a warm smile. Once Brian noticed that smile, he knew that Keith was ready to explain. He decided that he would not stop Keith from going further. Keith started explaining by who Pete was and how he had met him. He explained about his unfortunate friend who had stood up to Pete and lost his life because of it. He wiped away tears as he was explaining that. He further explained that Pete had threatened to go to the press about Brian being gay and how Keith could not let that happen. He explained that was the main reason why he had decided against to put up a fight because he would never do anything to hurt Brian or the rest of the guys. With that said, Keith ended his explanation. Keith thought that he had covered all the bases and there was nothing else to explain. He was certainly glad that Brian had not let go of Keith's hand. Infact, when Keith would slow down a little Brian would give Keith's hand a little squeeze to continue. And when Keith's tears fell down his face Brian reached over to wipe them away. Keith felt a little better after he finished with the explanation. He felt relief that it was over. After all he had been anticipating this moment since he woke up early in the morning. 'It wasn't that bad now was it,' he thought as he looked at his love. He smiled to let Brian know that he appreciated Brian's support. 'It's okay and you don't have to thank me,' Brian thought while looking into Keith's eyes. He smiled as he noticed relief in Keith's eyes. It was almost as they if they were having their own private conversation telepatically. They seemed to be tuned in perfectly as to what each of them would say to each other it they had actually spoken. Keith looked away from Brian and looked at the guys. They were all very quiet, which did not comfort Keith. He also noticed that they were wiping away unshed tears from their eyes. 'Boy am I going to get it now, I made them almost cry,' he thought a she chuckled to himself. Infact, he was really scared of the reaction that he will receive from the guys. They could decide that they did not want to be associated with him anymore because the stakes have been raised now. He did relax a little when he noticed smiles instead of frowns on their faces. "Whew!" Kevin exclaimed as he exhaled some of the nervousness inside him. "Boy, what a thing to go through," Howie said as he shook his head from side to side while looking at Keith. "Oh my God," Nick said as he wiped away a tear that had managed to escape from his eyes. A.J. did not say anything, but instead he got up and hugged Keith. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," he whispered so only Keith could hear. It was such a soft whisper that even Brian did not hear that comment. Keith did not say anything. He just smiled at everyone as they sat there trying to comprehend the situation. He did try to give each of them individual attention as he looked at them. However, he did not look at Brian. He just squeezed Brian's hand every so often. Brian squeezed Keith's hand in an attempt to get Keith's attention. Keith did not look at Brian, instead looked at the floor. Brian squeezed Keith's hand once more with a little more pressure. Still he got no answer. Brian was getting a little upset by now, but he did not want to make a scene infront of the guys. Keith was still looking at the floor not making any attempt to look in Brian's direction. Brian made another attempt with squeezing Keith's hand but got the same response. Keith was not trying to ignore Brian. He felt every one of those had squeezes and the meaning behind them. He also knew what his reaction would be if he would look into those blue eyes. He would not be able to hold back then. He also did not want to make a scene infront of the guys. Brian got tired of being ignored by Keith. He took his thumb and put it under Keith's chin and raised it. Keith felt Brian's thumb and tensed up. Brian turned Keith's face towards himself with his right hand. As soon as Keith's eyes met Brian's, Keith started crying. Soon Keith was surrounded by Brian's arms and his head was resting on Brian's shoulder. Now, he really let go. He cried like a baby with Brian comforting them. .......to be continued...........