“Hey Frack, how was the house?”
Nick looked at the ground for a minute. “It was interesting... we still need to go through some things, but it went pretty well.”
“How did Meg do?”
“Good. She only broke down once, when she walked into her old room, the one that she had when she was really little. I guess her dad had her move out of it when she was about 10 and then locked it up. She was going through his desk drawers and found the key for it. We walked it and it was exactly the way she had left it when she walked out of it for the last time. Her dad had bought her all new furniture and everything for her new room, so everything that she had had as a little girl was in that room.”
“That’s kinda weird. Her dad sounds like a strange guy.”
“Yeah, but he loved her a lot more then she gave him credit for. It was kinda obvious in the way that he preserved everything from her childhood.”
“Well, hopefully she’ll realize that. How was it for you to go through some of her old stuff?”
“Educational... I learned a lot about her that I never knew before. She’s like a different person when she’s here and it’s a person that I’ve never seen before.”
“Well, I guess it’s something that we’ll have to watch. Where is she now?”
“In our room getting cleaned up. We are all going over to Nancy and Stan’s tonight for dinner, remember?”
“How could I forget? Real food for once.” Brian smiled at his friend.
“Well, just be ready in about an hour and a half, k?”
“Not a problem!”
Brian watched as Nick left the room. This trip was something that was teaching his younger friends a lot about each other. Nick had to be there for Megan during some of the hardest times of her life, and she had to be willing to lean on him for support, something that she wasn’t always willing to do. They were growing and they were growing together, something he always knew was going to happen.
The phone rang. Megan grabbed it. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Megan Bradford?”
“Yes this is she.”
“Hi, I’m Detective Parker, and I’m working on the case regarding the little girl in your care...”
Nick walked out of the bathroom in his khakis while towel drying his hair. He glanced over to where Megan was sitting, and did a double take.
She was sitting with her back to him, staring out the window. Her reflection on the glass told him that something had happened while he had been taking a shower. He threw the towel on the nearest bed and walked over to her. “What’s wrong?” He asked as he lightly touched her shoulder.
She turned around to face him, and a look of perplextion was what he saw. “I got a call from the detective working on Leigha’s case.”
“And?”
She got up, walked over to her bed, and flung herself down on it. “And they’ve decided to call it a case of child abandonment for now... they are going to keep looking for her parents but they want to get her into a home before we leave... and that’s in two days.”
“Meg, that’s good. She’ll have a family that loves her.” Nick sat down next to her on the bed.
“Nick, you don’t understand... they are going to take her away, and they said that the closest house that they could find willing to take her in was in Idaho. We might never get to see her again. And on top of that... her parents deserted her... they left a mute four year old child in an airport to fend for herself. What would have happened if we hadn’t of found her? What if she hadn’t been attracked to all the commotion that was going on around her? What if someone else had found her? What if-“
“Meg, the important thing is that we did find her, and we cared enough about her to try to help her. Her parents deserted her... then they didn’t deserve to have her to begin with. She’s a cute little girl and a lot of bad things could have happened if you hadn’t found her, but you did, and that’s all that matters. She is going to go to a family that cares for her, and will be able to take care of her.”
“But I liked taking care of her... it made me feel like I had a reason to get up at the crack of dawn every morning.”
“Meg... you’re only 16... you can’t take care of a four year old. For a week it was ok, but you can’t take care of her forever. She is going to a home where they can take care of her.”
Megan looked up at him and into his eyes. Deep down she knew he was right, that she wouldn’t be able to take care of Leigha, but she was attached to the little girl now, and the thought of never getting to see her again made her sick. "I know... but I’m going to miss her.”
Nick smiled. “I know you will, and so will the rest of us, but it’s something we are going to have to do for her... it’s the best thing we can do for her.” Megan nodded. “How about this... let’s finish getting ready, go over to Nancy’s and have fun tonight... we can tell the rest of the guys about it tomorrow morning. OK?” She nodded once again and reached up to hug him.
“Thanks Nicky.” With a kiss on the cheek she let him go so he could finish getting ready.
Ten minutes later they were waiting outside of Brian’s hotel room for him. Nick was wearing khaki pants, a white t-shirt and a blue button down. He was also wearing the tour jacket from the last tour they had done in Europe. Megan was wearing dark jeans a dark blue top and Nick’s tour jacket from their first tour.
The door opened to reveal Brian clad in jeans, a white t-shirt and a sweater vest. “How do I look?”
“Like you are going to meet your girlfriend’s parents.” Megan smiled at him. He rolled his eyes at her. “You look nice Bri. Don’t worry about it, I’ve already told Nancy all about you.”
“Is that supose to make him feel better?” Nick asked, grinning.
“All I did was ask a simple question...”
“See the problem was that you asked a female... that’s where you went wrong Rok.” Kevin said, coming out of the bathroom, and grabbing his tour jacket.
“Thanks... why do I feel out numbered?” Megan asked, looking at the three guys that were standing in front of her. “To think that people actually wait in line to see you guys.... why?”
“I’d watch it if I were you...” Brian said, grabbing his jacket.
“Why? You gonna sic your body gaurd on me?”
“Where have I heard this conversation before?” Nick asked as they started to walk to AJ and Howie’s room. As usual the pair were running late, most likely because of Howie and his hair issues.
“Gee, I don’t know...” Megan trailed off as she knocked on the door. AJ answered and confirmed that Howie was having hair troubles. Five minutes later, after Howie had finally tamed the mane, they were on their way down to the lobby where security was waiting to escort them to the Mills’ house for dinner. Leigha had stayed their the entire day and Megan was eager to see the little girl again.
Once they were inside the van that would be taking them to the house, Megan snuggled up to Nick and shut her eyes. She was home, and she had Nick with her, the only thing wrong was that someone else was going to be taken out of her life. “Awww... aren’t they cute?” Brian cooed.
“Bite it Brian.” Was all Megan said from where she was sitting.
“We sure are fiesty tonight, aren’t we? What’s wrong Meg?”
“Nothing, I’m just tired. Leigha had another nightmare last night and with everything that happened at the house today I’m emotionally drained. I’ll be better once I get some sleep.”
The only thing she was lying about was Leigha having another nightmare... ever since all three of them had been sleeping in the same bed she had slept through the night without any problems. Brian knew this but decided to keep his mouth shut. Something was bothering her, and from the looks of it, Nick knew what it was, or he’d be asking her what was wrong as well.
He decided to let it go. If it was something that all of them need to know about then it was something that they would find out about when they needed to. “So... Brian are you nervous at all about meeting Kaytee’s parents?” AJ asked with a grin, trying to break the silence that had taken over the car.
“A little, but from what I saw of her mom at the show I think that I’ll be OK.”
“They already know everything they need to know about you, so all that’s left is for them to actually meet you.” Megan added.
“Why does that not sound promising?”
“Oh don’t worry, I couldn’t say anything bad about you, other then you treat me like you little sister, but that’s really only bad for me.”
“My question is why?”
“Um... you mean besides the fact that you are dating her daughter?”
“Don’t be a smart ass Megan.”
“I actually told har about you before you and Kaytee were together.”
“Once again... why?”
“It’s not my fault that for the last few summers I’ve been stuck watching you guys rehurse for tours ans make stupid music videos.”
“So, all you told her about was your summers in Florida?”
“Yup! What’d you think, I was going to tell your entire life history to someone whose never even met you before?” Brian glared at her. “OK, I don’t even want the answer to that question.”
“Can we talk about something else?” Howie asked, not wanting any one to be killed before dinner time. “Have you heard anything from the police yet?”
“How about we not talk about that just right now?” Nick suggested. Brian was beginning to see the picture. Megan was upset and it had something to do with Leigha, the little girl who had become a part of their lives in less then a week.
“What did you guys do up at the house?”
“We went through some of Dad’s papers in his office and looked at some books. When we get to the Mills’ house I have something for all of you from my father.”
“Your father?” Kevin raised an eyebrow to the thought of something coming from her dad when he had been dead for a number of months.
“You’ll see what I’m talking about when we get there.”
“Speaking of getting there, where do I go from here?” Frankie asked from the drivers seat of the van. Megan climbed forward and gave the body gaurd directions to her friend’s childhood home. Ten minutes later they were parked in the driveway. “Now you guys are going to call me when you want me to come get you all, right?”
“Yes Frankie we will make sure to call you before attempting to forge through the wilds of Portland alone and unarmed so that you may come and save us from the vicoius beasts that lurk beyond the protection of your glare..” Megan rolled her eyes at the large man. It wasn’t like they were going to the mall of anything, they were going to visit a few friend’s of hers and they were to middle age adults, not a group of pre-teens that could scream high enough to break glass.
“Kevin?” the bodygaurd ignored his charge’s sarcasim and asked someoen he knew would listen.
“Yes, Frank, we’ll be sure to call.” They all climbed out of the van and walked up to the front door. Megan rang the door bell and withing a few seconds they were greeted by Nancy Mills.
“Hi!” She smiled at the younger people in front of her before calling over ther shoulder. “Oh Leigha.... guess who’s here!” They heard the sound of running feet on hardwood floor and the next thing they knew Megan had the young girl in her arms.
“Well, hi there. How was your day?”
“Come on in, and we can tell you all about it.” Nancy ushered them all in and waved to Frankie who was still waiting in the driveway. Once she shut the door she showed them to the living room and took their jackets. “Matching jackets?”
“Tour jackets from the last tour.” Nick smiled.
“Why doesn’t Meg have one?”
“I was on their last tour in Europe, but I didn’t have a job on it and my going was kind of a last minute thing. But I will be on their next tour in the US, at least for part of it.”
“Are you gonna get a jacket then?”
“No I won’t. I’m prefectly happy wearing Nick’s from the first tour.”
“Yeah right... the last thing we need to two people going around with Nick’s name on their jackets.” AJ smiled.
“OK, enough... I need to introduce everyone. Nancy these are the Backstreet Boys. AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson, Brian Littrell, and Nick Carter. And if you guys say ‘Hi, we’re the Backstreet Boys’ in unison I’m gonna smack you all.” Nancy laughed. “Guys, this is Nancy Mills, Kaytee’s mom and another one of my many parents.”
“Hi boys. It’s so great to meet you all finally. I’ve heard a lot about you all, especially Nick and Brian, for obvoius reasons. I’m sorry that Stan couldn’t be here, they were having problems with the paper and in order for them to get it out on time he has to stay and work tonight.”
“The paper?”
“Yeah, Kaytee’s dad is an editor for the Oregonian.”
“That’s cool.”
“Nick, I hear that your little sister and my Shayne are making a connection.”
“If that’s what you want to call it. They are hard to figure out, they don’t really act like they are together but they do... they just need to figure it all out before they drive us all insane.”
“That sounds freghteningly familiar....” Brian trailed off. Nick hit him in the stomach. “Anyway....”
“How was Leigha today?” Megan cut in before anyone got hit again.
“She was an angel. We went to the park and to a movie. We had a lot of fun, didn’t we Leigha?” The little girl nodded from where she was clinging to Megan. “I think she missed you a little though... something tells me she’s not used to haveing someone care about her. But she was a breeze to take care of.”
“Well, Grandma, don’t get used to it, cause she’s not really mine.”
“I don’t plan on being a grandma for a few more years, so I’d watch your mouth young lady.”
Megan laughed. “Hey Megs, can I take her for a few minutes?” Nick asked. Megan nodded and handed the little girl to him. “We’re going to have a little talk. We’ll be right back.”
“OK.... “ Megan watched them walk into the living room before turning back to Nancy. “So... what’s for dinner?”
“Well, we are going to have speghetti, garlic bread and salad. How does that sound?”
“Like real food, unlike what they serve us in the hotels that we stay at and the planes we fly on.” AJ answered.
“Is there anything that we can do to help?” Brian asked, wanting to do something besides standing there.
“Um... actually if you could help me finish the salad that would be great, dear.”
“No problem, just point me in the right direction!” He smiled. Nancy pointed him in the direction of the kitchen and told him where everything he was going to need was.
Nancy could see why her daughter liked him so much; he was a good looking, sweet guy, with a lot of talent, as she had heard at the show. It was also easy to see why Megan loved all of the Boys so much. They were all very polite and seemed to be very nice young men. She was going to have to talk to her about Nick later...
“So, how do you boys like it here in Portland?”
“Well, it’s been really nice spending some time where Megs grew up when we didn’t see her. It’s a bit cold, but other then that, it’s just great!” Kevin answered.
“Yes, good old Portland, they only place where you can freeze and have it be sunny at the same time.” They talked more about the show and other things until Brian was done with the salad, just as Nick came back with Leigha.
They ate amidst conversation and laughing, all of the Boys telling Nancy of the antics on tours of the past and their plans for taking over the United States.
After dinner Megan told the Boys to go watch TV while she helped Nancy with the dishes. “Dear, I was going to wait until you all left to do that.”
“No, Nancy I need to talk to you about something, I think that this is the best way to keep them from wanting to listen. I know for a fact that none of them like doing the dishes.”
Nancy laughed. “OK, lets go wash.” They brought all the dishes into the kitchen and Nancy began to fill the sink with rinsing water. “What’s on you mind?”
“Well, I got a call from the police while Nick was in the shower, right before we came over here. It was the detective that was working on Leigha’s case.”
“Was working on her case?”
“Yeah... they’ve decided that they are just going to call it a case of child abandonment and they are going to put her in a foster home as soon as possible. They want to do it before we leave so that she won’t have to stay in any of their facilities.”
“Child abandonment?”
“Yeah. They’ve decided that the best thing for her is to get her into a home where she will be cared for, as opposed to finding the parents that left her in an airport on purpose and giving her back to them so that they can do the same thing again.”
“That sounds like a good thing to me.”
“I know, and I know that is what’s best for her, but they said that the closest place they have found that can take her in is in Idaho, and when I asked if I would be able to get any information about where she was going they said that they couldn’t give it to me because I wasn’t related to her.”
“But if you were related to her then she wouldn’t be having the problem that she is now.”
“Exactly, but they still wouldn’t give me any information. Not very helpful people if you ask me.”
“They never have been. So what are you going to do? I know that you are attached to the girl, even though she hasn’t been with you for very long.”
“I don’t know... there isn’t really much that I can do. I have no legal right to her and I know that she needs to go to a place where she will be taken care of, especially since she can’t talk.”
“Sounds like your stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
“You’re telling me. Not only that, but I want to make sure that she is safe... I don’t know if who ever sent me that threat is following us around. I’d don’t think they are, but that’s why I have Frankie around all the time. And what better target to choose than someone who I’ve attached myself to over the past few days, and has a huge weakness, not being able to scream as she’s being dragged away.”
“Megan, you need to calm down. If the person that sent you that note is around, you’ve got plenty of security, and Leigha will be safe.”
“I know... I just wish that she could go to someone that I know so that I could keep in touch with her and make sure that she’s OK.”
Nancy was quiet for a few minutes, before speaking again. “Well, you know, it’s been awful quiet around here with out Kaytee or Shayne... and she is a sweet little girl. I’d have to talk to Stan about it, but I’m sure that he won’t mind, it’s not like she’s hard to take care of... “
“Nancy, what are you trying to say?”
Nancy smiled at her as she started putting dishes in the dishwasher. “I’m saying that I would like to take Leigha in and take care of her. That way you will be able to keep in touch with her and make sure that she’ OK, and she’ll stay here so that the police will have an easier time working on her case. We had a lot fun together today. Do you think that she would mind living here with us?”
“Mind? She’s gonna love it here.”
“Well, I’m still going to have to talk to Stan about it, but you can go ahead and tell the others about it if you want.”
“They don’t even know that any of this is happening. The only other person I’ve told is Nick and he told me that I needed to have fun tonight and then talk to the rest of the guys about it tomorrow. But now I don’t need to worry about it!” Megan smiled at the older woman. “Oh crap! That reminds me. I have some things that I need to give to you all.”
“Well, lets hurry up and finish the dishes and join the others.”
Megan threw herself down on the bed. It was late and she was exhausted. It had been a long night at the Mills’ and she was glad that she would finally get some sleep.
Nick laid Leigha down next to her. The little girl had fallen asleep in his arms on the ride back to the hotel.
“She’s out.” He whispered as he took off his coat and started getting ready to go to bed. He was tired too. They had all talked for a very long time after Megan had handed out the letters that her father had written and made them all promise not to read them until they were by themselves.
“Thank God. I’m just going to let her sleep in her clothes because I don’t want to wake her up.”
“Sounds like a plan. Why don’t you get ready for bed? You’ve got to be tired.”
“I am, but I’m happy too. And don’t even try to figure out why because I’m not going to tell you until we talk to everyone tomorrow.”
Nick was too tired to try to pry anything out of her at that moment. “OK, that’s fine with me. Just hurry up and get ready to go to bed so we can turn that damn light off.”
Megan laughed at him as she got up and walked into the bathroom. She came out ten minutes later, after washing her face and getting ready for bed, to find Nick already asleep next to Leigha in the bed they were all sharing. She smiled at the picture in front of her before turning off the night and climbing into the bed.
It was only then that she noticed the light on the phone blinking, indicating that they had a message. She decided that it could wait until morning and rolled over, ignoring it.
