It took nearly a half an hour for Lonnie to make it to Mercedes’ house on Sweet Briar. From where Johnny was downtown, it was closer to 45 minutes. "Well, we’re both here Lance, but we can’t find any sign of Mercedes." Johnny said.
Lance was sitting on the couch in the Quiet Room with about 10 minutes before show time. He was in wardrobe, pacing frantically until he finally heard from Lonnie or Johnny. But, most of all he had hoped to speak with Mercedes again.
He was sure he had handled the whole conversation with Mercedes wrong. She never actually said that she had the abortion, only that Dr. Westfall had suggested it. Lance had yelled at her. ‘Damn’ with all she was dealing with today, he didn’t need to make it worse by yelling at her. ‘Please God, make sure she’s alright.’
The other guys were sympathetic. Lance was so withdrawn right now. Chris had heard the abortion remark, but he wasn’t sure if Justin had. He wasn’t about to share what he heard with anyone else. Lance had pretty much confirmed that Mercedes at least HAD BEEN PREGNANT, by answering Chris the way he did. "She couldn’t have, she couldn’t have." He did wonder that if Mercedes had an abortion, why she had. It wasn’t something he’d expect from her, knowing how much she desired children. And it certainly wasn’t anything Lance would have asked her to do for the same reason. ‘Damn.’ Chris was so pissed at the world. ‘Why can’t things go smoothly for two people like them who just love each other?’
"Is her car there?" Lance asked.
"Where does she keep it? There aren’t any other cars here, but ours." Johnny said.
"Did you check every where?" Lance asked as he resumed his pacing again. "The loft? The studio she just had built?"
"Lonnie just checked the entire Barn. Lance it’s starting to get really dark here, do you think she might’ve..." Johnny hesitated, "Do you think we should check the pond?"
"Jesus, what are you suggesting?" Lance answered him. He placed his hand to his head and leaned against the wall. "No, no, NO...she wouldn’t...she couldn’t do that to herself or to me. She’d know that would...kill me."
"Lance, let me get some divers over here, just in case...people do things when they’re upset that they normally wouldn’t do."
"NO. SHE WOULDN’T DO THAT. She’s never tried to hurt herself before, and she WOULDN’T DO THAT!" Chris took up a post by Lance’s side. "Damn it, Johnny, she drives a 1999 convertible coupe BMW...it’s royal blue. IS IT THERE?"
"No Lance."
"Her license plate is...shit...‘Wldflr’...that’s it. It’s a Florida plate."
"And what do you think I can do with THAT information Lance? The police won’t put out an APB on her...she’s over 21, no sign of foul play and they’d just say you had to wait 24 hours...or some other garbage."
"I DON’T CARE...Let’s do it ANYWAY." Lance screamed at him. Chris put his hand on Lance’s shoulder.
"Hey, guys peeps are waiting." Mike put his nose into the door, only to have Justin throw an apple at him. "Whoa. " Pink had come off stage earlier and since her and Justin had been talking, she was still sitting in the Quiet Room visiting before NSync went on.
"Wassup J?"
"Don’t say that!" Justin said sharply. Then Justin softened. "They’re a great couple. What they have is something to envy. So, don’t say that about her...she’s been through a lot."
"Gwen? Gwen, I really need to come and see you. There’s so much going on around me right now, I have to get away."
"Sadie?"
"Gwen, NO BODY calls me Sadie anymore." Mercedes was almost relieved to hear her say it. It had a comfort all it’s own. Her Mom and Dad had called her
Sadie.
"College days die hard, Sweetheart."
"That they do."
"You’re welcome here any time. What did I tell you when I saw you in April? It’s been too long since you’ve been over here to see us. You get on the
next plane...and I’ll meet it."
"Thank you, Gwen."
Dani couldn’t believe the look on Lance’s face as he introduced "God Must Have Spent" He looked like he had just lost his best friend. He still placed the fingers of his right hand to his heart and looked over to where Dani was sitting. ‘Mercedes, where the hell are you?’ Dani said to herself.
Lance put himself on automatic. The show went smoothly, and only those closest to him knew his body was on that stage, but his heart, mind and soul were somewhere quite different. He needed to get to Florida. No, he just desperately needed to see Mercedes.
As soon as the guys finished "Bye, Bye, Bye" and left the stage in the midst of all that rising smoke, the facade let down. Lance bolted for the tour bus
and his cell phone.
No calls from Mercedes, Johnny hadn’t found any clue as to her whereabouts, and Lance was feeling desperate. "Ok, we have to hire an investigator. I have to talk to Mercedes’ sister. And I have to get down to Orlando asap." Lance made a list. Trying to remain calm was always easiest for him when he could
make a plan. Remain logical. Try to blot out the emotional aspect. Yeah, right.
"There isn’t another flight to Orlando tonight from Columbus. Not even indirectly, Lance. Tomorrow morning..."
"I can’t WAIT until tomorrow morning, Johnny." Lance pounded the table in the galley area of the tour bus while he spoke on his cell phone.
"5:40am from St. Louis Lance, that’s the best you can do. You will be in Orlando by 11:25 am. You’ll be flying on Delta. The bus should get you into St. Louis in time to make the flight."
Lance was resigned to his wait.
"But, what THEN, Lance? We‘re running out of places to look."
"You were over at my house?" Lance asked, for at least the fifth time. He was exhausted. He was distraught.
"Yes, Lance."
"I don’t know where else to have you look..." Lance drifted off, shaking his head, tears running down his face. "She HAS to be alright, Johnny." He barely
whispered. "She HAS to be."
"Lance, I had no idea. I’m sorry I let her leave the office today. I am really sorry."
Lance cleared his throat as the other guys plopped a pizza box down on the table and brought out some paper plates. He sat up quickly and wiped his eyes dry. The sore, red puffiness was still evident, however.
"Hey, Lance pepperoni!!" Joey yelled, "Your favorite!" Lance nodded to him, but the mere suggestion of food made him ill.
‘Mercedes was all alone somewhere. Was she recuperating from an abortion? OR was she all upset because I had yelled at her? OR could Johnny be right in thinking maybe she had harmed herself? Oh God, please help me!’ Lance stared out into the black night.
"Guys, thanks, but I’m not hungry right now."
Joey shrugged and nodded his head, rubbing Lance’s shoulder knowingly. Chris motioned to Lance to come get him when Lance was off the phone.
Lance knew he had to get more details from Johnny about what exactly had gone on in his office. It was important to try and clarify just what Mercedes had
been dealing with earlier today.
"Johnny, I am trying to make some sense out of what happened to Mercedes today. She had her appointment at 2 pm. From there I’m not sure what she did next, but she knew about the pills Liam used to cause her miscarriage and that they were the pills I had been given for my migraine in September. At some point she must’ve gone to Trans Con and got some files of Liam’s that had been saved for her."
"Those were the files she came to discuss with me, Lance."
"Did the files mention the pills or did she mention them?" Lance asked.
"No, Lance. I doubt she intended to discuss that with me. All she wanted to discuss with me was how we could protect you."
"Protect me? From what?"
Johnny sighed, "Lance, we both know that Liam had no scruples when it came to business. *N SYNC was the biggest slice of pie he ever sunk his teeth into, and
he wasn’t about to give up on keeping you guys with Trans Con...not without one hell of a fight."
"Okay, you’re stating the obvious here...why?" Lance tried to prepare himself for the worse, but it wasn’t anything he could have imagined.
"Lance, Liam had fabricated or arranged so called evidence on every one of you...not Justin, though. I don’t know why he gave J a break. But, he had witnesses that swore J.C. had taken cocaine. There was a marriage license between Chris and Dani. Joey’s court case for the paternity test. Then what he had in his file on you."
"What? Something about an affair between Mercedes and I? He already told me that he was going to frame me for Mercedes’ miscarriage." Then Lance got quiet, " I think he was disappointed she didn’t die that night Johnny, because then he would’ve tried to frame me for murder as well."
"What he had in this file had nothing to do with Mercedes, until she saw it."
Lance rested his head on the back of the couch. "Do I really want to hear this?"
"No, but I’m afraid I better tell you."
"Go ahead."
"There’s no way to sugar coat this, Lance. Somehow, Liam had a photograph of you engaged in a sex act with another man."
Lance took a deep breath, "Oh. Shit...HOW?"
"Mercedes had some valid ideas and..."
"My God, what could she have thought?" Lance moaned. This whole thing was getting worse by the moment.
"Lance..." Johnny was talking to him, but Lance just couldn’t take any more in. "Lance, let me talk to one of the other guys." Johnny requested compassionately.
Lance placed the phone in Chris’ lap as Lance made his way down the hallway towards his berth. He threw open the curtain and plopped himself inside. The pillows still smelled like Mercedes’ perfume. ‘Where are you? Where are you?’ Lance was exhausted and broken up inside. ‘Why aren’t you answering my calls? Why haven’t YOU called ME?’
Lance thought back over the events that occurred just this morning. They woke up together, in this very spot, only 16 hours ago. Although they were both concerned about her pregnancy...they had each other. They held each other. He had told her she meant the world to him and NOT TO WORRY. My God, where was she now? My God, did she, even for a moment, believe the
photograph was genuine?
Lance closed his eyes, but soon felt the presence of another person standing next to the berth.
"You okay, Lance?" Chris asked quietly.
Lance shook his head, ‘no’. "No. I won’t be okay until I talk to Mercedes."
"Do you want to talk?"
Lance put his hands over his face. "How much has Johnny told you?"
"Not a whole hell of a lot." Chris said. "Liam was a scum bag, we all knew that. It must’ve been quite a shock for Mercedes to finally realize it for herself."
"How could I have told her that, Chris? I couldn’t bear to see her heart broken...but, now it’s worse. She’s in pain somewhere and I am unable to help her."
"Johnny told me to tell you to bring Wes, and he’ll meet you with a car at the airport. Do you know what you’re going to do when you get to Orlando?"
"No. Not really." Lance sighed, "Retrace her steps, I guess."
"Maybe she’ll call you before then. Maybe she just needs some time to absorb everything, Lance."
"Did Johnny tell you about Liam’s files?"
Chris nodded his head. "Yes, he did. I wasn’t going to mention it unless you did."
"Does Mercedes know me well enough to know it’s all a lie Liam fabricated to try and keep us with Trans Con?"
Chris touched Lance’s arm, "Listen, Scoop. You two have been keeping this bus awake nights with your romantic escapades. I cannot imagine that Mercedes
would have even a moment of doubt."
Lance took a deep breath. "That woman is my whole...world." Lance said with emotion. "What am I going to do...if I lost her?"
"Is she...pregnant, Lance?"
"I honestly don’t know, Chris."
"Did you two argue over her having an abortion?"
"It’s not that simple." Lance replied with his eyes closed. "She was under a lot of stress today. If she did have an abortion, I blame myself as much as
anyone."
"You’d still love her, then."
"Of course, I will always love her. "
"Lance, I cannot imagine that she has forgotten her love for you. I’ve heard this chick at night...she adores you."
Lance cannot help but smile, "And we thought we were being so quiet."
The tour bus pulled up to the airport in St. Louis at about 4:45. Just enough time for Wes and Lance to make the 5:40 am flight to Orlando. Chris woke up in time to shake Lance’s hand and wish him well. "Best of luck. Call me."
Lance had to turn off his cell phone while the plane was in flight, but when they landed in Cincinnati at 8 am Lance tries Mercedes cell phone number for the hundredth time. He had over an hour in this airport before his next flight left for Orlando.
Reluctantly, Lance figured he’d better call Mercedes’ sister. Justin and Chris both got weird vibes from Victoria, but in spite of how Lance felt
about her personally, she WAS Mercedes’ sister and maybe, just maybe, Mercedes had contacted her.
"Victoria? It’s Lance."
"Good morning, Lance. You’re up early."
"Yeah, I’m sorry if this is early for you, but I need to ask you if you’ve heard from Mercedes in the past 24 hours."
An evil smile formed on Victoria’s lips. ‘ I’ve got you, Lance Bass.’
"Didn’t she tell you what happened at the doctor’s office?"
Lance closed his eyes. Wes had gotten him a cup of coffee, but Lance waved him away. "Not exactly."
"Well, Lance can you blame her for getting rid of the pregnancy?"
A tear slipped down Lance’s cheek. Wes looked on from a chair across the aisle...it was early in Cincinnati. So far, no one had recognized Lance
sitting there. This was Wes’ guy, he felt for him and he hoped that he could have some privacy for this conversation. It obviously was a heavy one.
"Is that what Mercedes told you? That she had the abortion?"
"Yes, dear. I applaud her decision. She did you both a favor."
Lance brought his hand to his face to cover his eyes. He tried to stifle his emotions. He rubbed his nose and widened his stare as if he could hold back
the tide. "Oh. So, did she tell you where she was?"
"Didn’t she come back to your cozy little tour bus?"
"If she had, I wouldn’t have called you so early this morning, Victoria." Lance said in a monotone.
"Ah, true. Sorry. I have no idea." Then, Victoria twisted the knife, and even she was unaware of just how Lance would interpret this statement.
"Mercedes must have found something else out about her man to cause her to think twice about coming back to you."
Lance bolted upright in his chair, "What are you trying to say?"
"Just rumors, Lance."
"Just say it." Lance was beginning to get angry.
"I’ve always made it my practice never to discuss anything sensitive over a cell phone line, brother- in-law."
"If you talk to Mercedes, please tell her that I love her. Please ask her to call me."
Lance’s flight got into Orlando a little late. The 11:25 am arrival was more like 11:45...but timing is everything.
Lonnie and Johnny met Lance’s flight and immediately swept him away into the waiting car. Lance turned his cell phone back on as soon as the flight
attendants gave the okay. Now he sat in his car, hoping against hope that Mercedes would try and contact him.
"What?" Wes asked incredulously.
"I have to follow that woman."
Lance realized that this woman had a head start. But, he quickened his pace to follow her.
"That can’t be her. Where’s her long, curly hair?" Wes said with breathing difficulty.
"Trust me, I know her butt. That’s Mercedes."
After escorting her discreetly through the terminal, Lance noticed she was headed for the international flights section. He watched her take something out of her flight bag. Lance’s cell phone rang.
"Yeah. Lance." he said as he still tried to keep up with this mystery woman.
"Be?"
Could this be the woman he was following? Was this HIS Mercedes?
"Darlin?"
"I’m sorry if I’ve worried you."
"Baby, I’ve been out of my mind. Are you alright?"
"I can’t even begin to tell you..."
"Mercedes, I know about the abortion. I blame myself. I love you. I understand."
"Who told you I had an abortion?"
"Victoria."
"You’ve spoken with her?" Fear rising in her voice.
"Mercedes, please. We need to talk. Are you in the Orlando airport?"
"Lance, what did you tell Victoria?"
"I was trying to locate you."
"Lance, stay away from her."
"Darlin’, I don’t understand." Lance ran his fingers through his unruly hair.
Mercedes took a deep breath. She turned and she met Lance’s gaze. She let out a gasp.
"Mercedes..." Lance saw that seeing him frightened her. "Baby, what are you afraid of?"
"Don’t come any closer, Lance."
"Ok. Ok, I’ll stand right here. Please don’t go any further away."
She saw the look in his beautiful green eyes. Those eyes of love and innocence. He was feeling so lost and helpless. She desperately longed to run to him and make all this pain go away.
"We shouldn’t be seen together. The only way I can think of to keep you safe is to leave the country for a while. "
"Baby. Listen to me. Together we can take care of anything. No body can hurt us if we stick together here. But, you leaving the country right now is
insane. We have to have time to heal. We need time to mourn the loss of our baby and..."
"You have such little faith in me?"
"I told you I don’t blame you. I know the kind of stress and pain you were feeling yesterday. It’s as much my fault as anyone’s. Dr. Westfall should
have realized the situation you were in. He pressured you."
"No, he didn’t pressure me. He helped me see things more clearly."
Lance was stunned. "Mercedes. Please...let me...hold you."
"You’ve lost faith in me, Lance. How have I killed your faith in me?"
Lance put his hand up to reach for her, as if he could touch her. Mercedes was a good 50 yards away from him, standing over by the escalator. He was
closer to the Delta check-in desk. But, as soon as they locked eyes, no one else in the room existed. Wes was watching Lance’s back, and Johnny and Lonnie were in the vicinity scanning the area. They were all pretty concerned about what was unfolding in front of their eyes. Johnny kept shaking his head.
"No, baby. I haven’t lost faith in you. I love you." Lance’s voice cracked, "I love you, baby."
Mercedes started to cry. She knew she was weakening. "I love you, too, Be." Lance saw her put her hand to her face.
"Mercedes...please, Baby. Let me come over to you."
Mercedes shook her head, ‘no.’ Lance watched as she turned her head towards a group of teenaged girls that apparently were traveling with a school group. She looked back at Lance and put her fingers of her right hand to her heart then she leaned over and motioned to them, pointing at Lance.
"Oh, baby, no." Lance said into the cell phone, but not necessarily to Mercedes. He shook his head, and yelled, "No!"
Next thing he knew she had turned and was walking away. "Please, baby, don’t leave." Lance spoke into the phone. He took off after her as the girls let
out a scream and were in between him and Mercedes. She was getting further and further away, and Wes, Lonnie and Johnny were frantically trying to get Lance away from the teenies who were now surrounding him. Other people in the airport heard the commotion and joined the crowd. Lance was in hysterics. "Wes, go after her!" Almost in tears he adds, "Lonnie, Please, follow her!"
It took all the manpower to drag Lance away from the swarm of teenies. And the man that Wes threw into the backseat of the car to make a hasty getaway
was not the Lance they knew. This guy was broken apart.
