Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2000 14:17:49 -0800 From: Denzil Cuddy Subject: Love and Longing part six Well, here we are part six. Let me just say that I enjoy writing this story, but I do want to say (once more) that it is all FICTION. LOL I saw the guys in concert a little while ago, and they were great. I really enjoyed it and recommend that if you have a chance you go see them as well. As usual I do not know or am in no way affiliated with the group Nsync, or any other famous people that may show up in my story line. This story is just the product of my deranged and bored mind. I just enjoy writing something that people will read. So enjoy and send e-mail people. I love to hear from you, to know what you think and how you think the plot should develop. So, drop a line it only takes a second. Thanks. Now, boys and girls and folks of all ages, without further ado, we are off into the world of "Love and Longing" Enjoy!! Joey sat at the table and we all looked at him for a moment but he seemed to be fine. I smile at Lance and then at Britney. She looks good, all golden skinned and blond hair. I smile at the thought that my family is all together again. It is great to have such close friends. I sigh as I lean back in my chair and peruse the menu. "So, Brit., why did you fly in early?" Lance asks as he takes a sip of his wine. "Oh, it's an interesting story." She replies as she lays her menu on the table. "Well, it seems a hacker got into Jives computer system." She pauses here to give her words time to sink in. "He got a lot of files downloaded before they discovered him. They have no idea who it was. Though, he did leave a message, about being the one who sent me all those scary letters a few months back." She takes a sip of her water as everyone just stares at her. "You seem to be taking this awfully well." Chris says abruptly. "Yeah, well, I'm not overly concerned. I have Paul and Rusty over there," she waves toward the two rather large body guards a couple of seats down, "and all of you. I was kind of freaked at first, but I've calmed down a lot since getting back on home territory." "We will just have to be extra careful from now on." Justin says in a rather somber tone. "This person did get a lot of files, on Brit. and us and even on the Backstreet Boys. He has our travel plans, and some of our personal information. Some of the travel stuff I am sure we will be able to change, but a lot of it is contracted. We are going to be having some extra security too." "Why haven't we heard about this until now?" Lance asks as I feel his hand brush mine. "Well, we don't start our tour until just a little more than a week from now, and our rehearsing is on a break for the next few days, so there wasn't really a point. Britney told me and my mom talked to management about it. They are interviewing some bodyguards right now for us. So we will have a few extra people on tour, should prove interesting." Justin takes Britney's hand in his. I look at them looking at each other and am amazed by how open they are with their emotions. "Are you ready to order?" A young lady walks up to the table pad in hand. "Yes thank you." Lance says and then we all place our orders. The food is brought out shortly and we eat and talk and enjoy the company of good friends. The meal is almost over when I notice that Joey has hardly touched his meal. "Joey, you've hardly taken two bites of your pasta. You feeling alright?" I ask drawing everyone's attention. "Yeah," his head snaps up from his plate as he answers. He is flushed and sweating. "No, uh, I don't really feel so well after all. It's so hot, and I can't seem to breath." He puts his hand on his chest and a pained expression crosses his face. He tries to stand up and his chair falls to the floor with a loud clatter. We all jump up as he falls to the floor with an umph. I was by his side feeling for a pulse, it took a second but I found it. His heart was beating excruciatingly fast, and his skin was clammy and slick with sweat. I loosened his collar and motioned for the others to step back so he could get some air. "Call an ambulance!" I say as I push his hair back from his forehead. He is breathing erratically and his eyes are fluttering, I think he is having a seizure. "Done." Britney says as she closes her phone and slides it back into her pocket. "Is there a doctor here?" Lance asks the room at large. Everyone is just staring at us. A rather large older man stands up and makes his way over to us. "I'm a doctor, I've been retired for a couple of years, but I will try to help." He says as we all part for him to get next to Joey. The doctor takes his pulse, and pulls open one of his eyes to look at the pupil. Suddenly Joey goes into true convulsions. He is jerking his arms and legs and twitching all over. "Grab his arms and legs please and hand me a spoon from the table." The doctor says as he steps back to abuse getting battered by Joeys our of control limbs. Chris and Lance grab his legs. Justin and Britney both take an arm. I hand the doctor a spoon which he pries into Joeys mouth to keep him from swallowing his tongue. Joey suddenly goes limp and his breathing becomes shallow. The doctor steps back and the paramedics make their way into the room. The paramedics immediately take his pulse and check his other vitals they make some comments into their portable radios. One of them is getting some information from Lance, and they quickly get Joey onto the stretcher and head out. "O.k. Chris Lance you two will come in the car with me." I say as Chris sits and looks down at his feet. "Justin Britney, can you two call management and Joeys family, and let them know what is going on? We can all meet back at the hospital." Everyone begins to move as I finish talking. Lance and I help Chris to the car and we are off. The blaring lights and sounds of the ambulance go wailing past us and out into the street. Chris is crying in the backseat as he watches the flashing red lights disappear down the road. I turn as soon as I can and see Britney driving Justin's car right behind me. Justin is in the passenger seat, and wiping his eyes. We make it to the hospital rather quickly, and go running into the emergency room. I walk up to the large desk and smile at the rather formidable looking nurse behind the counter. She does not return my smile, she just stares at me. Waiting for me to tell her what I need. "A friend of mine was just brought in in an ambulance." I say to her impassive face. "Is there anything you can tell us?" "What's his name?" She asks in a monotone voice. "Joey Fatone." She types the name quickly, and scrolls down a screen of names and numbers. "He's in the emergency room, that's all I know. If you would like to have a seat, and wait." She gestures to the crowded room. For the first time I notice all the people in the room with us. Several of them are staring at us with obvious recognition. I gulp at the sight. "Is there a private waiting room?" I ask with very little hope. "Oh, yeah, we have one set aside just for you folks." The large nurse laughs as she says this. I walk away from the desk and head for the corner of the room. The others follow closely. "Josh, we can't all stay here, it is going to attract too much attention." Britney says as she looks around the room. "Management said that Deborah is going to come down, why don't one or two of us stay here until then, and then she can stay?" I start to protest about not wanting to leave my friend in the hospital. I see the same expression cross Chris's face, but I see the logic of the though. We will cause a stir here, and if the press shows up it will be a real mad house. The crowded waiting room would become a quagmire of bodies. "Fine, Lance and I will stay." I say as I look around at the little circle of my friends. "You and Justin take Chris and we will meet back at Justin's as soon as we can." Britney nods, and Justin puts his arm around Chris's shoulders as the three make their way out of the room. Lance and I sit in the far back and try to blend into the scenery. People were coughing and moaning in pain all around us. Several people seemed to be asleep or passed out in the chairs, and one lady was in a wheel chair. I sigh as I settle back awash in this sea of peoples misery. I must have looked as bad as I felt because I felt Lance's hand brush my own. "Hey, he's going to be alright." He says as quietly as he can. "You know how Joe is, so stubborn. No way is he going to give up on life just yet." "I know." I smile at Lance's wonderfully empathetic expression. He is a mirror of my pain. "I feel bad for him, and for all of the people in this little cramped waiting room. How horrible must it be to sit here and wait, suffering and hurt. And I asked for a private waiting room! What was I thinking? Am I so used to special privileges that I have come to expect them everywhere." "No, you just know that we can't function well in crowds of people." Lance says as he smiles at me. "Besides the nurse was a bit of a bitch, she didn't have to act so rudely. Man, I hope we hear something soon." I look around the room and spot Deborah coming into the room from the large automatic doors at one end. I wave her over, and smile over at Lance. Deborah is a member of managements team. She handles a lot of the little difficulties that arise in the daily lives of the artists. She is also really great with the press. She has her hair pulled back into a ponytail, and looks as composed as ever. I swear I have never seen her agitated, not even when Joey or Chris pull practical jokes on her. "Guys, how is he?" She asks as she sits beside Lance. "We don't know." I say. "The nurse at the desk said someone would be with us as soon as they know anything. The others have gone to Justin's to keep from drawing too much attention." "Great." She smiles a bit as leans back in her chair. "You two should probably go too. I know you want to stay, but we don't need a mob scene here. I will call as soon as I know anything, and I will try to get a room for ya'll to wait in." She reaches out and squeezes Lance's shoulder. "So, can you tell me exactly what happened?" "Well," Lance says as he sits back in his chair. "We were at Emilio's and he just collapsed. He went into convulsions, and it looked like he was having some kind of seizure. It was terrifying." "O.k. I will take care of it." She says to Lance and me. "Ya'll go on home and I will call as soon as I can. Don't worry I'm sure he will be fine. Remember do not talk to the press without me or one of the others there with you. Now get out of here before people start asking for autographs." We all look a bit nervously around the room. Several people are unabashedly staring at us. I feel a little put out, I respect their pain, can they not do the same for me. I feel angry and quickly stand. Lance follows me out of the building as quickly as we can without running. We go to Justin's house, and find everyone there. Chris is sitting on the couch, in his own little world. He and Joey are very close, and I can tell that he is hurt very much by this. Justin is sitting on a chair with Britney on his lap. Her arms are wrapped around him, and I can tell that he has been crying too. "Well, do ya'll know anything more than when we left?" Britney asks. "No, Deborah is there now, and is going to call as soon as she can." Lance says as he sits on the couch beside Chris. "Chris, don't worry man, this is all going to work out." Lance place his hand on Chris's shoulder. Chris sobs aloud and falls onto Lance. He is sobbing and holding onto Lance for dear life. I walk into the kitchen and start pulling drinks out of the fridge. The door opens and Lynn walks in from the garage. Her laptop is slung over her shoulder, and her hair is pulled back into a tight braid. She smiles at me, but stops when she sees the look on my face. "Josh, what's wrong?" She asks as she studies me. "Joey," I say trying not to cry. "He collapsed at lunch and is in the hospital now. Deborah is waiting to call us as soon as she finds something out." "Oh, God." Lynn says as she sits her stuff down and pulls me into a hug. "I'm sure he is going to be o.k. Is everyone else here?" I can tell by her voice that she is asking specifically about Justin. I nod and wipe the tears from my face as I step back so she can go into the living room. I hear Justin say "mom" and I open my can of diet coke and guzzle greedily. "Are you o.k. Josh?" Britney asks from the door way. "Yeah, thanks." I say as I sit in one of the stools by the little bar in the kitchen. "How you holding up Britney?" "You know me, solid as a rock." She smiles as she rubs my shoulders. She takes my can and takes a long sip from it. "It always seems like the two of us are the controlled ones. Lance is the all compassionate one, and the others are just usually going with their emotions. It can be tuff are you sure you are o.k.?" I look at her, really look at her, for the first time since she arrived. I can see all the worry and frustration that she hides so well. I can see that her eyes are a little more dark than usual, and that she looks very tired. I know that she has been going through a lot lately, and now she walks into this whole mess. She really is a strong one. "I'm fine Britney," I say as I motion for her to take the stool beside me. "Are you sure that you are o.k.? I mean you have been through a lot here lately, and you must have jet lag. You need to get some rest. Are you telling us the whole story about the stalker?" I don't know what made me ask that question, but I suddenly know that I needed to ask it. Her eyes widen in shock at it, and her lips quiver. "No, Josh I did not tell ya'll the whole story." She says as she takes another drink of my coke. "Whoever it is has been sending mail to my hotel room, I even found one under my pillow once. It scares me to death. Management had to cancel the last few dates of the tour, things were getting too crazy. One of my dancers was seriously hurt, and they think it was meant for me. The letters also threaten you guys and some others. This is a real sick person, Josh." She does not cry. I can see the emotions whirling in her eyes, and see them go speeding across her face, but she does not cry. Her shoulders are slumped and I wonder when was the last time she got a good nights sleep. I pull her into a hug, and we both draw strength from it. "I'll go upstairs and put some sheets on my old bed and you can get some sleep." I say as I kiss her forehead. She nods and smiles at me. "Your old bed, when did you move out Josh?" She asks as it suddenly hits her what I have said. "Yesterday," I say as I smile at her. "I moved in with my new boyfriend." Her face lights up at this. I can tell what he next question is going to be so I beat her to the punch. "Lance," I say all too casually. "Thank goodness." She says as she pats my hand. "Congratulations to both of you. That is one less worry off of my mind. Now, go get that room ready. I'm going to have a little fun with Lance." I start to ask why but she just shakes her head at me and makes a scooting motion with her hand. I just smile and go, leaving her to her devices.