"Way to go, Howie," said Nick.
Howie looked distressed as he turned to look up the stairway. "What do I do, guys? Should I say something?"
"I think you've said enough," Nick replied, looking upset. "I'm not even THAT stupid."
"Well, I didn't think they'd DIED, Nick." Howie shot back at him.
"Somebody needs to go up there and see if she's okay," said Kevin, looking at Brian.
Brian sat there looking back at Kevin as he considered what he was asking of him. "I'll do it," he said, getting up off the floor. He knew as well as Kevin that he could probably talk to her the best, since he was a natural at talking about things of such a nature. As he headed to the stairs, Howie tugged on his pants leg as he walked by. "Hey, Bri, will you tell her I'm sorry?"
"Sure, D," he replied.
As Brian walked slowly and quietly up the stairs he could hear Angela's hushed sobs through the bathroom door. He knocked cautiously on the door and asked, "Angela, can I come in? This is Brian." He could hear the toilet paper roller jiggle, and then her blowing her nose.
"Just a minute," Angela replied, trying to sound okay. "I'm okay, Brian, really I am." She stood up and looked in the mirror. Her eyes were a little red from crying, but it wasn't as bad as she had expected. Besides, she knew that he knew she'd been crying. She wiped her nose again with the paper and opened the door.
Brian was standing there with concern deeply rooted in his eyes. "Hi," he said softly. "Howie wanted me to tell you he's so sorry. He didn't mean to hurt you like that. He feels really bad about it."
"I know," she said, looking away. "It's just a hard thing to talk about, especially to strangers."
"You still think we're strangers?" he asked, smiling, hoping to lighten things up a bit.
"Well, not STRANGERS, but, you know. I don't know you all very well. It's not like you would sit there and tell me YOUR personal tragedies." It was a small dig, but it was how she felt. There was no way any one of them would discuss anything like that with her. After all, this was just a four-day event for publicity, end of story. She didn't want their sympathy or their pretend friendships.
Brian could sense Angela's hostility and remained unfazed with his sincerity. "That's not true. What do you want to know about me? I'll tell you, if it's not downright rude."
"Like Howie?" she laughed softly.
"Yeah," he said softly, smiling again. "Like Howie."
Angela stood there thinking, trying to find SOMETHING in her mind to ask Brian. But that was a tough call. She didn't know anything about him except for the fact that he sang in the Backstreet Boys and that he was from Kentucky. Big deal. "It doesn't matter, Brian, I can't think of anything anyway."
"Okay, then I'll TELL you something," he replied. "And I've never told anyone but my Mama about this."
Angela's eyes searched his briefly for truthfulness and her heart conceded that he was indeed sincere. She sat back down on the toilet and waited for his "secret."
Brian sat down on the edge of the bathtub, beside her, so he could be at eye level. He pulled his T-shirt up and revealed a scar on his chest area. "See this?"
"Oh my GOD, what happened?" Angela said in shock.
Brian continued. "This is my scar from open heart surgery." He pulled his shirt back down. "I don't remember a lot about it except right before they put me out. But, I swear to you, sometime during that surgery, I saw something."
"Something?" Angela asked.
"Yeah," he replied, his eyes leaving hers and drifting off into thoughtfulness. "I don't know if I was dreamin', or if I heard someone talking, or what. But I swear, I think I saw....." he paused and looked at her. "....an angel".
Angela studied his facial expression. He looked....bewildered, almost. "An angel?" she asked. "What did it look like?"
Brian looked at Angela for reassurance that she believed him. "It was just a bright, bright white.....but it had a man's voice. I didn't really see a face that I can remember. Nothing like that."
Angela leaned closer to him. "What did it say?"
Brian smiled and looked down, reluctant to answer that question. Angela prodded again. "Come on, Brian, I want to know........what did it say?"
Brian sighed heavily as he considered telling her. His smile broadened and his face turned slightly pink before he told her. "It said.......'Fear not, for I am with you'. " The bewildered look swept his face again as he recalled the vision, but then he snapped out of his thought and shrugged at her, grinning.
Angela instinctively pulled Brian too her and as he hugged her tightly, he whispered in her ear. "Don't you think that applies to you, too? Maybe that's why we're here."
She pulled away and laughed as she wiped tears from her eyes. "What, 'Fear not for the Backstreet Boys are with you?' "
Brian winked at her. "Something like that."
They both stood up and looked at the door. "What do I say to them?" she asked. "I feel stupid now. Kevin probably thinks I'm a big crybaby."
"Don't worry about it. They'll be a little freaked out at first, but they'll chill," he replied.
Brian opened the door and they walked down the stairs together. Angela could hear the others downstairs whispering "Here she comes." She looked at Brian and rolled her eyes, and he slugged her on the shoulder, playfully (smiling as usual). She wondered if he'd really told that story to anyone else besides his "Mama."
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Thirteen
Story Index
