“Please make sure your seat backs are locked in their full upright position.” The very young, very unhappy flight attendant smiled falsely down at Stasia and Lyn.
Lyn smiled back with equal mock sincerity, “Why must she use that syrupy tone? I hate that.”
Stasia smirked, “Your headache isn’t any better is it?”
“Not so much.” Lyn sighed pinching the bridge of her nose .
“Once we land, you’ll feel better. This pressure can’t be helping.” Stasia put her arm around her friend’s shoulders, “You don’t look like you’re feeling great.”
“No, I don’t feel great. I think I’m getting a sinus thing.” She shrugged, “I know you’re right, once we land I’m sure I’ll feel better.” She let her head fall back against Stasia’s shoulder, “You know, this will be the first time I see the house in Michigan.”
Stasia laughed, “Yeah. Me too.”
“WHAT?”
“Well, I know which house it is. I’ve seen stacks of pictures. I’ve driven by it at least a million times, but I have actually never been INSIDE the house.”
“But Lance gave it to you MONTHS ago.”
“I know, but things got nutty. Jess helped us decorate it. She went in, took pictures of each room, and sent us the measurements, I called Ethan Allen and their designer met her there. Odd approach...I hope I don’t hate it.”
“I cannot believe you! Don’t you think it would have been wise to visit the house first?” Lyn laughed.
“If it would have been possible, I would have. I’m excited, I wish Lance could have made the trip up with us.”
“I wish JC could have gotten the time off, we haven’t been apart since Ireland.” Lyn smiled softly.
“We really haven’t had a chance to talk in depth about that. What was the turning point?” Stasia rested her head on top of Lyn’s, “I was so worried about you. I hated not knowing where you were, and I hated not being able to do more to help you. I HATE feeling helpless. But LORD, when you left, I thought you’d kill him if you ever laid eyes on him again.”
“I thought the same thing, but Stasia, he followed me. He slept on the porch. He went to GrandDa and told him the whole truth. He wasn’t willing to give up. And then you and Justin robbed his house, stole his journal and proved that he loved me BEFORE I thought he did. He rode a horse.”
“We didn’t ROB his house exactly...we had a key....he didn’t happen to know that we had the key....or that Justin had read his journal...and...and it was for his own good.” Stasia blushed, “JC rode a horse? He hates horses.”
Lyn smirked, “He doesn’t hate horses...just riding them. It was comical. I wish you could have seen it. I was NO HELP, I rode all over the place, knowing full well he couldn’t possibly keep up.”
“I wish I could have seen it.” Stasia laughed, “You realize I’m going to force him to ride with me now.”
“He is going to KILL me for telling you.”
“I can handle him. I am not afraid of Mr. Fluffy hair.”
“Who told you about that?” Lyn laughed.
“Chris. He told me about it the other day. You know you’re right. It is getting...fluffy.”
“THANK YOU! He’s going to get a haircut soon, he just doesn’t know it yet.”
“Believe me, I understand. Lance isn’t fully aware that the goofy beard is going to be leaving soon. I’ve been a very good girl, letting him try to show the world how manly he is. Now the world knows that he is a studly, manly man and the beard can go!”
“I’ve been wondering about the beard.”
“I think when we get to Orlando, the beard is going to disappear.” Stasia grinned evilly.
“The beard and the hair will BOTH disappear.” Lyn laughed.
“Deal. I’ll help you if you help me.” Stasia nodded, “But you know, while we’re at it...”
“CHRIS!”
“AMEN! That stupid beard has GOT to go, he looks like a deranged pirate. I hate that thing and I know Dani got caught trying to cut it off while he was sleeping. He can’t overpower all three of us though.”
The plane touched down and Don leaned across the aisle, “You girls sit tight here with me while Ron goes ahead.”
Stasia rolled her eyes, “We’re at Metro, they know me here, they look out for me. And we’re here without the guys, we should be fine.”
Ron looked down at her sternly, “Don’t start. We keep to the normal protocol, as soon as we relax too much, something will happen to one of you girls. I’m not going to be the one to tell Lance that I let you get mobbed, that skinny boy can bite! Not to mention the fact that the press knows Lyn’s trial is about to start. They’ll be here.”
“Always the voice of reason aren’t you Big Guy?” Stasia smiled up at the huge man.
“Always.” He pulled on her ponytail.
The two women gathered their bags and watched as all of the other passengers made their way off of the plane. Many of them glancing down at the two women, sitting in first class, who didn’t seem to have plans to leave their seats. Lyn looked at Stasia, “I feel goofy. All of these people are looking at us like we’re crazy. Not one person on this plane knew who we are, yet we sit here like WE are celebrities. WATCH....” She cringed as she watched Stasia get hit on the back of the head with an over sized purse, “...out.”
“OOF!” Stasia rubbed her head and shot the offending traveler a dirty look. “Don’t let the boys hear you say that. They’re right, they’re here to keep us safe, but I understand exactly what you’re saying. When Lance first brought Ronnie in, I thought he was INSANE, but look what happened. We never want the same thing to happen to you, so now we have Don.”
“Yeah but, the situation is different. No one has threatened me.”
“Sweetie, don’t be so sure.” Stasia shook her head.
Ron walked back onto the plane and waved at his brother. Don stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder and said, “Time to roll ladies.”
Lyn’s forehead was resting on the conference table. Stasia was sitting next to her, lightly rubbing her back, “It’s not going to be a lot longer Lyn, I promise. You can crawl back in bed just as soon as we finish all of this prep stuff and you can stay there until we have to leave for the airport.”
Lyn had been getting progressively sicker since they boarded the plane to Michigan, she had not gotten out of the bed in Stasia’s guest room until half an hour before they had to be in Jess’s office. She was running a fever, she was coughing, sneezing, her throat was sore and she was frighteningly pale. Stasia had been forcing juice and soup into her for two days, and she only seemed to be getting worse. “I’m fine. Keep going.” Lyn’s voice was not strong or reassuring to Stasia’s worried ears.
Jess shot her friend a worried look, “Lyn, are you going to be able to make it in Court in a day and a half? This is really a very important day. I can try to get an adjournment, but considering it’s Reagan and only two days before trial, it wouldn’t be an easy task.”
Lyn picked her head up off of the table and narrowed her eyes, “If it means making Powers pay for all of this and putting this mess behind me, I will be healthier than you have ever seen me. Don’t worry about me.”
Jess smiled, “That’s my girl!” She looked down at her notes, she tapped her pen against the table, flipping through her yellow legal pad, “I think I only have one more question, and this isn’t something I’m going to ask you on the stand...it’s just something that’s been bothering me.”
“Go ahead. Ask away.” Lyn said as she lowered her head back down onto the cool wood table top.
“Where is Powers from?” Jess tossed her pad onto the table and leaned back in her chair.
“Orlando.” Lyn squinted, wondering why that made any difference.
“He didn’t get that accent in Orlando.” Jess pointed out.
“I’ve never really thought about it.” Lyn rolled her head to face Jess, “It’s not a strong accent. Sounds sort of British I guess. I can tell you it isn’t Irish.” She smirked.
“I suppose you’d know.” Stasia laughed, “Maybe Australian?”
“Nah. It’s definitely some warped English accent. I guess he’s either lost it, or works to cover it.”
“I’m going to check it out, who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll be here illegally.” Jess laughed, “It would be fun to get him deported.”
Stasia rolled her eyes, “We would have stumbled across that a long time ago.” She looked at the file folder in front of her, looking at her own notes one last time, “I’m going to do the opening argument, right?”
“Oh, he’ll pay. You are going to own him when we’re through.”
“I don’t want to own him, I just want to hurt him...and watch him squirm.”
Stasia shook her head a little, “Easy killer. Trust me, he’ll squirm. But on a completely separate note, we need to call the airport and find out if flights are being delayed. It looks like the rain has turned into some pretty heavy snow.”
“You know how Metro is, if they can, all flights are going to be close to on time.” Jess pointed out.
“Still, I’d like to know in advance.” Stasia started to toss things into her briefcase, “Are you ready to get out of here Lyn? You can get a few hours sleep before we have to go.”
“Sleep is good. I like sleep.”
“I know.” Stasia put her arm around Lyn’s shoulders, “I’ll tuck you in, and then find out about flights and such. I’ll wake you up when we need to walk out the door.”
“Thanks.” She forced a smile, “I’m sorry about this.”
“Don’t be silly. You have nothing to apologize for, it’s not your fault you don’t feel good. You can’t help getting sick.” Jess rolled her eyes, “You could however have better timing.”
“I know.”
They made their way out of the conference room and down the hall, stopping in Jess’s office so she could gather her things. Stasia left both of them there to say goodbye to Josh. She stuck her head into his office, “We’re going to get going.”
“So soon?” He smiled up at her.
“We’ve got trial the day after tomorrow, we have to get back to Florida. Plus, I need to get Lyn back in bed.”
“She’s looking a little rough, how’s she holding up?”
“Emotionally she’s fine, but she is sick as a dog. I wish I didn’t have to get her back on a plane tonight.”
“Poor thing, that’s the last thing she needs.”
“Josh...” Stasia looked down at her hands, “...can I ask a favor of you?”
“You know you can ask me anything.” He stood up and walked around to the front of his desk, “Why such a serious face?”
“Because I don’t know quite how to ask you this, or how you’ll feel about it.”
Josh ran a hand through his gray hair, “Stasia, in all the years I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you at a loss of words. Just come out with it. Didn’t I teach you that the direct approach is always the best approach?”
She smiled warmly at him, “Yes you have. You have taught me so much in life. Your opinion means so much to me.”
“I only have the highest opinion of you. I am very proud of you...Counselor.” He smirked, “I’ve waited years to call you that. I always knew you’d make a wonderful attorney. Now tell me young lady, what is this favor you need of me?”
“I was hoping that you might consider walking me down the aisle. You are the only father I have ever known, and you are the person I am honored to call my mentor.” She lifted her gray eyes to his and was shocked to see tears in them.
“You want me to do it? You would allow me to do it?”
“Please.” She nodded.
“I am truly humbled.” He held open his arms and she gladly walked into his embrace, “That nephew of mine is the luckiest man in the world. He’s making you part of my family in name now as well as the place you’ve always held.” He kissed the top of her head, “You just give me a time and place and I’ll be there with bells on.”
“You’ll be there with bells on? You’re not old enough for that type of comment.” She winked at him.
Jess stuck her head into the office and rolled her eyes, “So you asked him?”
“Yes.” Stasia rolled her eyes back at her friend.
“As if he would say no. I have no idea why you get so weird about these things.”
“Shut up Jess.” Stasia stuck her tongue out.
“You know how much I hate to break up this mutual adoration society, but we’ve got to get Lyn into bed before she collapses.”
“OH! You’re right, and I need to call the airport.” Stasia reluctantly squeezed Josh one last time, “Thank you.”
He kissed her forehead, “Happy to help. I just wish I was worthy of filling Noah’s shoes.”
“He would have come down from wherever he is and smacked me if I hadn’t asked you. There is no one else I would ever dream of asking.”
Lyn rolled over and rubbed at her eyes, which had not stopped watering in two days. She blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the dark room. She lifted the clock from the night stand next to her and squinted until the numbers came into focus, 9:53 p.m. She shook her head, it wasn’t possible that it was 9:53. They were supposed to be in Orlando by 9:53. She threw back the covers and shoved her feet into her Scooby Doo slippers before pulling on her bathrobe.
She made her way down the stairs into Stasia’s study where she could hear her friend talking, “I don’t care about early blizzards. I don’t care about ice, we have to get to Orlando tomorrow.” She stuck her head through the door and Stasia smiled and waved her in. She curled up in a chair in front of the fireplace and smiled at the welcome warmth it was providing.
Stasia slammed down the phone and growled at it, “How are you feeling?”
“Ehh.” Lyn shrugged, “I couldn’t help but notice that, we’re in Michigan.”
“Yeah. We have an issue. While you were sleeping, we got eight inches of snow, and there’s no sign of this letting up anytime soon.”
“EIGHT INCHES?”
“Yep. The airport is basically shut down. We cannot fly out of here, today, and most likely not tomorrow.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Well, if opposing counsel had a heart or a soul or any redeeming quality at all, we would just adjourn the trial until later in the week. But, since this is Reagan we are dealing with, that isn’t going to happen. I called to talk to him about it and he laughed, and then hung up.”
“Typical.” Lyn rolled her eyes.
“So I’m thinking our only option is to leave soon, and drive straight through.”
“Are you kidding? That has to be a fourteen hour drive.”
“Nope, more like nineteen, in good weather...we’re in for a long drive.”
“Are we going to make it in time?”
“If we have to drive straight through to the Courthouse, we’ll get there on time. I promise you.”
“I’m just afraid that I’m not going to be able to help much with the driving. I’m all doped up on cold medications. I can barely walk, let alone drive.”
Stasia stood up, gather all of the paperwork form the top of her desk and flipped off the lamp, “I’ve got Don, Ron and Jess to help me drive, you sleep. The healthier you are, the better off we’ll be. I want you to be as sharp as possible, knowing Powers and Reagan we’re in for a few curve balls.” She smirked, “Little do they know, we have a curve ball of our own.”
“Did Amanda get you a copy of her birth certificate?”
“The day after I asked her for it. She got me a certified copy.” Stasia sat back against the edge of her desk, “I’m really conflicted about that girl.”
Lyn nodded, “Join the club. I feel like we’re Superman, and our only chance to win the battle is to team up with Lex Luther.”
“You need to spend less time with Joey.”
“You may have a point there.” Lyn laughed, and then abruptly began coughing.
“If we have a spare ten minutes, you’re going to a doctor. You aren’t getting any better, and I’m getting worried.”
“I’ll be fine, MOM!” Lyn stood up, holding the arm of the chair for balance, a move not lost on Stasia.
“Call me anything you’d like, but I’m serious. You need a doctor. I am NOT above ratting you out to JC and your mother.”
“You WOULDN’T!”
“Oh yes I would! I’m not about to let my best friend die of a common cold gone wrong!” Lyn froze at Stasia’s words, and her friend misunderstood, “NOT THAT I THINK YOU’RE DYING!”
Lyn rolled her eyes, “I KNOW I’m not dying! But you said ‘best friend’.” She smiled.
Stasia laughed, “Well, yeah. OK, now I’m feeling stupid. I understand that Dev is your best friend...and JC...but...”
“Oh SHUT UP!” Lyn hugged her, “You just made my day, now stop babbling before I don’t want to BE your best friend.”
“Oh, I have one more thing to babble about before I’m done.” They began walking toward the staircase.
“And what is that?” Lyn sneezed hard, and then began coughing again.
“Bless you. I was wondering if you’d like to be my Maid of Honor?”
“ME? What about Jess? I just wouldn’t feel right....”
“Shush. I’m getting by on a technicality. I’d like you to be my MAID of Honor. Jess has already agreed to be my MATRON of Honor, although she claims she’s not old enough for that.”
“I’d be HONORED to be your Maid of Honor!” Lyn was beaming.
“We sound like we write for Hallmark. We need to shut up and pack.”
“You’re right. Where are Ron and Don?” Lyn stopped in front of the guest room.
“Out filling Jess’s car with gas.” Stasia walked to her bedroom door and then stopped. She turned back to Lyn and locked her gray eyes on Lyn’s, “Are you scared?”
Lyn smiled, “Not even slightly. I’m in the best hands.” With that she turned and walked into her room to pack.
She pulled out a pair of warm-up pants and an old George Washington University sweatshirt and was digging through her suitcase looking for her second sneaker when her cell phone began ringing. Before she had a chance to answer it Stasia came flying back through the door, “Do NOT tell JC or Lance we are going to drive straight through. They will both freak out and be on the phone every five minutes.”
Lyn nodded, “Good point. I’m glad you caught me, because it’s JC.”
“I assumed.” Stasia laughed.
Lyn flipped open her phone and sat down on the bed, “Hey Snapdragon.”
“Call ID sucks, I was going to say something dirty and make you guess who it was.”
“Face facts, you are the only person who talks dirty to me. Feel free...go ahead, I’ll pretend I don’t know it’s you.”
“Well, it’s no fun now. So what’s up with your flight?”
“Ah...we’re still waiting to hear. Looks like we’re going to have to wait until morning. I’m going to get more sleep.” She lowered her voice to a low whisper, “Do NOT tell Lance this, but we are leaving right now to drive straight through. Stasia doesn’t want him to worry, which is why I promised not to tell, but I’m telling you so you don’t worry.”
“I’m not sure I like that idea. But I’ll be quiet FOR NOW.” He sighed, “How are you feeling? You don’t sound much better.”
“I don’t feel much better.” She coughed hard, as if illustrating her point.
“Sweetpea, I don’t think you should come home until you’re healthy again.”
“I don’t have a choice. Reagan refused to postpone things. Not to mention, if you guys get called to the stand or whatever, it has to be soon. You’ve got packed schedules coming up, not to mention Christmas is just around the corner.”
“Lyn, none of that matters if you keep getting sicker. I want you to take care of yourself. Is Stasia feeding you? What have you eaten today? Are you taking any medicine?”
Lyn flopped down against the pillows and sighed heavily, “JC! I’m FINE! I have a cold. I swear I’m going to live. Stasia has been mothering me to death, I have eaten three square meals. I have taken a whole variety of cold medications.”
“HOW MANY? Dear God! You can overdose on that stuff! You need to be careful! Let me talk to Stasia!”
“OH MY GOD, JC! You don’t need to talk to Stasia! I didn’t take them at the same time! I happen to be a highly educated adult, I know not to mix medications. Calm down!”
“I should have gone with you.” He growled.
“You couldn’t come up here with me. It wasn’t possible.”
“I should be there to take care of you. You need to be pampered and held. You should be in your own bed, with me waiting on you.”
“Sounds good to me. You can baby me all you’d like tomorrow when we get home.”
“Is there anything I can do for you before you get home, anything at all?”
“Well...you could....talk dirty to me.” She giggled.
The wipers were turned on as high as they would go, making an annoying whirring sound. The snow was still coming down remarkably fast, and had not eased up at all through Michigan or Ohio. Stasia had both hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. If she squinted, she could see the tail lights of Jess’s car in front of her. Ron and Don were driving Jess’s car and she was driving one of Josh’s. He had insisted she take his Grand Cherokee when he’d heard their insane plan, because if nothing else, it had four wheel drive and a backseat big enough for Lyn to sleep on.
Lyn was curled up on the backseat, her breathing deep and even and Jess had passed out two hours ago in the passenger seat , it looked like she had caught Lyn’s cold. So there she was, on her own, straining to see the tail lights in front of her. She was sleepy and her back was stiff, but there was no way they were going to stop.
“How do we keep getting mixed up in all of these messes?” She shook her head and smirked, “Who in the hell am I talking to?”
She glanced down at her phone sitting in the hands free cradle and smiled, “Chris will be up.” She said clearly, “Chris Cell.” and the phone dialed itself. The sound of ringing filled the car and she waited for the familiar voice on the other end.
“Stay-A! Why ya callin’ me in the middle of the night? It’s 3:30.”
“I need someone to talk to and Jess and Lyn are both sick and passed out.”
“Shouldn’t you be tucked safely into your bed as well?” She heard him flop down into his favorite leather chair.
“Umm...yeah, I probably SHOULD be.”
“But you’re not. You are doing something bad aren’t you?” The sound of him clapping broke the brief silence.
“Not bad exactly....” She squeaked.
“Let me ask you this, does Lance know what you’re doing?”
“Umm....”
“That’s a ‘no’. So you ARE doing something bad. I LOVE IT! Tell me!! TELL ME!!” His chair moaned and he bounced.
Stasia rolled her eyes, “We’re on our way home.”
“So you got a flight.”
“No. We’re driving. Straight through. And it’s snowing like crazy, and I can’t see anything except Ronnie’s tail lights, and I’m sleepy, and I CAN’T stop.”
“This may not have been your best idea.” He was quiet for a second, “So let’s talk.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know. YOU called ME.” She could hear him smiling, “Did you talk to Josh?”
“Yep.”
“And he without a doubt said ‘yes’?”
“Yep.”
“Told you.” She could hear him sticking his tongue out at her.
“It was kind of a no brainer, but I still have all these...feelings, about asking him to fill the role of my father, there is something twisted about that, especially considering who my father is.”
“Stay....We’ve talked about this.”
“I know.” She sighed, “I’ve talked and talked and TALKED this whole issue to death.” She paused, “I told you what the shrink said about ‘survivor’s guilt’ right?”
“Yeah. He’s right though. You show all of the symptoms.”
“Do not.”
“Do too.”
“Oh shut up.”
“I didn’t bring it up.”
“Yes you did. You asked me about asking Josh.”
“So I brought up Josh, not your unfounded guilt.” He huffed in frustration.
“OH NICE! This from the guy who can’t seem to stop thinking he could have stopped the freak from attacking me?” Stasia snorted.
“Don’t go there.”
“Let’s drop this whole thing and talk about something else.” Stasia rolled her eyes.
“Deal. And stop rolling your eyes at me.” They both laughed.
“So how’s Dani? I haven’t had a chance to talk to her in ages, not really TALK.”
“She’s fine. Sleeping.”
“Fine?” She could tell instantly that something was bugging him, “Fine? That’s it? What’s up?”
“I love her.”
“I’m fully aware. That isn’t exactly the news flash of the century.”
His voice was quiet and she has to strain to hear him, “I think of us going through what you and Lance went through, and what JC and Lyn went through and are still going through, and I just can’t see myself being able to be there for her the way they’ve been there for you guys. I’m a big fool. I love her, and I’d WANT to be her rock, but I’m really nothing but an overgrown, frightened child. Think about it, every night we are on tour they put me in that stupid harness, and every night I think I’m going to pee on the crowd because I’m scared.”
“You have a very valid fear of heights, and if you were to put me in that stupid harness I WOULD pee on the crowd. There is no doubt in my mind that you WOULD be there for her. You were there for me. You knew exactly what to do. You didn’t even think for a second, you just kicked into protective mode and you reacted, and you reacted properly. Look what came out of that situation.”
“What? Fifteen stitches?” He scoffed.
“Shut up! Who do I call in the middle of the night when I need a friend to talk to.” Her voice was tinged with anger.
“Me.”
“Exactly. You are NOT an overgrown child Chris. Far from it. You take care of yourself, you take care of your sisters, Dani, your mom and even me. I have never met a person who is more fiercely loyal to the people he loves. Who was the ONLY person I admitted my fear of crowds to before that whole fainting in front of the hotel in New York thing?”
“Me. But we ALL knew about it.”
“But I TOLD you. I didn’t tell Lance, and he is the most important person in my life. I needed YOU.”
“Does Lance ever ask you about our relationship? Sometimes I worry he’s gonna think I’m trying to move in on his woman.”
“No. He understands me better than I understand myself. He knows there are certain things you need from certain people. One of the most important parts of being in love is knowing when you have to let go and let your lover get through something on their own, or with the help of someone else. He knows that I draw tremendous strength from the knowledge that he is always there for me, and that when I turn to other people, it’s in no way a slight on him. He knows I’m madly in love with him and I always will be. There aren’t many things in life I am 100% confident about, but the fact that I belong with Lance is one of the things I 1,000% confident about. Then there’s the fact that he knows I DO NOT see you in a romantic way.”
“OUCH!”
“Shut up, you know what I mean.”
“Yeah.” He was quiet again, “You think I’m good enough for her?”
“DEAR LORD! Chris, I think you’re good enough for my future children, if you want to wait that long! She loves you, she wouldn’t still be with you if you weren’t good enough. You are an amazing guy, and she knows it, which is why you should hold onto her and never let go.”
“Again.”
“Ehh, it was a fluke. You guys were both being silly and you had forgotten to communicate.”
“Yeah.”
“So why are we all deep tonight?”
“Because I’m worried about you driving all night and most of the day in a blizzard. We’ve all been watching the Weather Channel. I wish you guys would have waited for a flight.”
“It was no longer an option. I just wish I wasn’t sleepy.”
“So sing to me.”
“SING TO YOU? Are you on crack? You’ve heard me sing.” She snorted.
“Nice snort, very ladylike. I’m serious, SING. It’ll keep you awake. Sing to me hot stuff. You can’t see it, but I’m giving you an irresistible pout.”
“I can resist. No.”
Watch out here I come.... He began singing to her.
“Oh, not fair.” She gave up and joined him.
You spin me right round baby right round
Stasia and Chris sang eighties songs together, at the top of their lungs, until Stasia glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Lyn’s eye. Lyn was smiling, and her hand was covering her mouth holding in her laughter, “Nice.” She winked at Stasia.
Chris yelled, “LYN? IS THAT YOU?”
“The one and only.”
“How you feeling kid?”
“A little better.”
“You needed to get up anyway, right Stay?”
“She needs to get healthy, she should get more sleep.”
“Will you girls be ok for a little while? It’s like 8:30 and Dani needs to get up. I’m gonna wake her up, take the kids out, eat something and then I’m going to call and check on you.”
“We’ll be fine. Thanks Chris. Bye.” Stasia hit end, “Lance is going to skin me alive when he get this cell phone bill five hours...I’m dead. Lyn, I’m going to leave all of my clothes to you, and...”She caught Lyn’s eye in the mirror again, “What?”
“I suspected, but I never knew for sure.” Lyn’s eyes were dancing.
“What?”
“You two are a lot tighter than anyone realizes. I assume Lance knows, and Dani. But it never dawned on me that you guys really TALKED. He is so much deeper than people give him credit for, which is really sad. I guess even I have been guilty of not seeing beyond the goofy shell. I never considered the fact that the goofy shell is one of his defense mechanisms.”
“You got all of that from us singing?” Stasia took her eyes off the road for a second to raise her eyebrow in the mirror.
“No.”
“Oh.” The realization that her conversation had been heard hit her, “I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was most of the time, but when I woke up and heard you two talking, I didn’t want to interrupt. It seemed important to both of you.” She stretched, “I guess you learn new things about your friends and loved ones every day. Like, I have never noticed how nurturing you are before. You take care of everyone, all the time.”
“Just not myself.” Stasia smirked.
Lyn leaned forward and rested an elbow on each seat, “You’re getting better about that. You’re learning. You’ve come along way in a short amount of time.”
“Ever since you called me out on my behavior when we were in New York. I have to admit, I never expected that from you. I saw you as too timid. I didn’t think you were the, call it like it is kind of girl. I suppose you’re right, no matter how well you know a person, they can still surprise you.”
“Does Lance surprise you anymore?”
“Every day. Little things, like whenever he’ll snap at his momma or Stacy or me on the phone or in a meeting or whatever, he sends flowers. Did you know that?” Stasia smiled.
“No. But then again, he’s never snapped at me before.”
“He doesn’t do it often, so when he does, guilt gets the best of him.” Stasia laughed, “I guess it’s surprising to me that you two have gotten close, I don’t know why, I love him, I love you...so it makes sense, but I’d never really thought about it. Lance is very selective about his friends, so you should be honored.” She giggled, “How about JC, does he still surprise you?”
Lyn looked down at her hands, “Yeah. Yeah he does.”
“Like what?” Stasia grinned.
“Like keeping the truth about Johnny from me.”
“Oh Honey, I thought you’d worked through that.”
“I have. But it frightened me. I never thought he’d keep anything so important from me. Then the whole Brenna thing, that surprised the HELL out of me. Talk about life most surprising moments. And really, Bren surprised me, I never expected her to do something to try to protect me.”
“Well, as far as JC’s actions go, I can promise you he won’t do it again. He was completely devastated. I SWEAR to you, I saw him. As soon as he did it, he wanted to undo it.”
“I hope you’re right, because I’m not sure we could get through that again. I love him, with everything I have, but I can honestly say I have never been so hurt. My world came crashing down around me in a split second. We I believe we can deal with the truth together, no matter what it is, but hiding things and lying...I’m not so sure.” Lyn rested her chin on her hands.
“You ARE his world, and I swear, he is going to spend the rest of his life trying to make that one moment up to you. I’m confident you don’t have anything to worry about.”
“I hope not.”
Lyn and Stasia made their way to Lyn’s door. Stasia squinted at her watch, “7:16 am. We made it in twenty-two hours and sixteen minutes. I promised to have you back in time for Court. We have one hour and forty-four minutes to spare.”
“HOW in the world are we going to stay awake in Court today? What if it goes all day?” Lyn started to open the door but it flew open to reveal JC and and Lance standing shoulder to shoulder, both wearing starched button down shirts, suit pants and dress shoes. They were both clean shaven and had fresh hair cuts. JC held his arms open, and Lyn gladly fell into them.
Lance had his arms crossed over his chest. Stasia flushed beat red, “Harry, honey, I can explain...”
“I really don’t think that you need to explain. I think I have your little stunt all figured out.” His green eyes were cutting into her.
Lyn turned her head and rested her cheek on JC’s chest, “Please don’t be too hard on her. She did it for me. We really didn’t have a lot of options.”
“She’ll live, I promise.” Lance kissed Lyn’s forehead, “How you feeling kid?”
“A little better, I’m sleepy, but I’ll get my second wind soon.” She smiled weakly.
JC pulled her into the apartment, and kissed her soundly, “I laid out a suit and the blouse I THINK you normally wear with it.”
She placed her hand against his cheek, “You are so sweet.”
They glanced over to the couch where Lance and Stasia were having a very quiet, but very animated conversation. JC grinned, “He called me at eight o’clock last night and told me that she would do this. Does she realize Ron told Lonnie that you’d be driving down.”
“She doesn’t realize I told you. She was worried that you’d all be worried.”
“Chris said you were all fine. And Jess is sick now?” He sat on the arm of her chair.
“I think she caught it from me.”
“Where is she?”
“Ronnie and Don took her to the drug store to find some non-drowsy cold stuff. She wants to be on the top of her game.”
They turned at the sound of Stasia’s laughter. Lance was holding up a garment bag, “JC isn’t the only one that can pick out clothes.” Lance grinned.
“Admit that I reminded you.” JC laughed.
Lyn ran her fingers through JC’s newly shorn hair, “You look awfully...preppy.”
“You like that? We decided we wouldn’t be very credible witnesses in our former incarnations.”
“I still think I could have kept the beard.” Lance ran a hand over his face.
“No Harry, you couldn’t.” Stasia winked at Lyn.
“You look perfect Snapdragon! Thank you for even thinking of it!”
“We are going to do anything and everything possible to help. In reality, the way our hair is cut and our beards are trimmed, will most likely have no bearing on the outcome of your trial, but we figured it couldn’t hurt at all.”
Stasia smiled, “You never know what will effect the outcome, but it is always better safe than sorry.”
Mind if I shower here as well?” Stasia tightened her ponytail.
“Not at all. You go ahead right now, then I’ll jump in when you’re finished. I feel the need for a pot of strong coffee.”
Stasia smiled, “I’ll love you forever if I can get a cup.”
“Consider it done.” Lyn pushed up out of her chair and walked into the kitchen.
She was fumbling with the coffee pot when JC walked in, “Here, let me.” He began counting out scoops of coffee into the filter basket, “Would life be a little better if you laid down on the bed for a few minutes, or would that just make it too hard to get going again in half an hour?”
“I think if I fell asleep now, there would be no way of waking me up until tomorrow. Caffeine is going to have to pull me through today.”
“I wish you’d waited for a flight last night.”
“They still aren’t flying out of Detroit Metro.”
“That much snow?”
“And ice. It was absolutely beautiful. Reminded me that Christmas is just around the corner. Which made me think, you guys need another Christmas video. ‘Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays’, is a little...dated.”
“I have to say I agree with you there.” He laughed, “By dated you mean cheesy right?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” She grinned.
Stasia yelled down the hall, “Lyn, I’m out.”
Lyn sighed, “I suppose that means I should start getting ready for court. I am really not looking forward to this.”
“I have a feeling that not only is this going to go our way, but that we are going to actually enjoy watching everything unfold.”
“you have a feeling?”
“Yep. That is what my gut is telling me. We win.”
Lyn bent at the waist and poked him in the stomach, “Hey gut, you had better be right about this one.”
JC laughed and shoved her by the head, “Go shower.”
“Yes sir.”
Sitting near the window in the first black Suburban in their caravan, Lyn gasped as they rounded the corner and the court house came into view. There were several camera crews and a huge crowd of people gathered on the front steps. Her eyes grew wider as she saw the armed federal marshals trying to control the crowd of reporters and NSYNC fans.
Stasia leaned forward from the backseat, “Welcome to the circus.”
“WHY are all these people here?”
“Our witness list is public record. It’s no secret that all of the guys, Ryan, Johnny, Dani, Angela, Morgan, half of your coworkers at Hazelwood and a ‘witness whose identity must be confidential for that person’s protection’ are all going to be here.” Stasia smirked.
“Who are we not disclosing publicly?”
“Amanda. First off, she is a minor, and secondly, we filed paperwork with the Judge stating that she feared both Reagan and Powers.”
“I wasn’t expecting all of this.”
“We are all here for you Sweetpea.” JC squeezed her hand.
Lyn glanced at the other occupants of the truck. Don was driving, he was wearing a black suit, identical to those being worn by the rest of security, his dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. Jess was sitting in the passenger seat, reviewing her notes making small changes here and there. JC was next to Lyn on the seat holding her hand tightly trying to adjust his tie with his free hand. Stasia was in the third row of seats between Ron and Dre. She knew three Suburban followed their’s, filled with her sisters, parents, Ryan, the rest of the guys, all of security, Morgan, Dani and Angela. She knew Bethany and the rest of her friends from Hazelwood were already inside the building, because Beth had called to reassure her.
As they slowly came to a stop in front of the massive building, Lyn heard Don’s radio screech, and Lonnie’s voice filled the air, “Amanda and I are tucked safely in the secured witness room. No one was at the garage entrance. I’ll see you guys when you get in here.”
Don quickly answered him, “We’ve got it. Thanks Lon.” He threw the truck into park and turned his head, “We all get out on the passenger side. I’m going to go around and let Jess out first. Jess you stay against the car until I open the back door for everyone else. Stay close, move fast, Stasia, Lyn and Jess on the inside of the group.” With that he slid out of the car and walked around to open Jess’s door.
JC snorted, “Sure, keep the girls on the inside, let them rip me apart.”
Dre smacked the back of his head, “We’ll call you girly if it would make you feel better.”
“I was KIDDING!” JC rubbed his head.
Jess’s door opened and Don held out his hand to help her step down. She moved a step to the side and allowed him to pull her heavy brief case down for her. He handed it to her and then moved to the back door. JC was first out, and a cheer went up from the fans in the crowd. He helped Lyn down and wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders. Ron was next out, carrying Stasia’s two briefcases, when she slipped out behind him, he handed one of them to her and they stepped aside so Dre could get out of the car.
The group moved quickly toward the steps leading into the building and reporters and fans screamed out to them.
“Lyn, what do you think the outcome of the trial will be?” Don led the charge up the stairs.
“Ms. McLachlan, how do you feel about the allegation that you are an unfit role model for children?”
Jess turned to the reporters, “Our client has no comment at this time.” They all dashed up the last few steps.
“I LOVE YOU JC!”
“Ms. Blake, how long do you expect the trial to run?”
“How will the trial effect any up coming NSYNC engagements?” They finally pushed through the doors and into the lobby.
“MARRY ME JC!” The doors finally closed behind them, and the screams were quieted.
There was a marshal waiting for them as they made their way through security, “I’ve been asked to escort your group to one of the settlement rooms, we’re going to try to keep you out of the halls as much as possible. There are reporters with clearance to be in the building, so you aren’t going to be left alone in the halls.”
Stasia smiled, “Thank you. We appreciate that.” They followed him to a large conference room, normally used for negotiating settlements. Once they were happy with the security of the room, Dre, Ron and Don went to move the car and help escort the rest of the group into the building.
It wasn’t long before the room was filled with their friends and family. Lyn heard everything that was going on around her, but she felt as if she wasn’t really there, as if she was floating above the room, watching what was happening.
Justin walked over and squatted in front of her chair, “L.S., How are you holding up? You look about a million miles away.”
“I FEEL a million miles away. For the first time, I’m feeling frightened.”
“For the first time?”
“Well, maybe not for the first time, but I’m definitely feeling fear. Stomach turning, I’m about to puke on your new shoes, fear.”
“No puking.” He smiled, “Would you like a drink of water or something?”
“JC just went to get it. Thanks for asking though.”
“No big deal.” He eyed her, “I haven’t seen this look on you in a while. You look ally teachery again.”
“Well, just like all of you deciding to shave and look like clean-cut, all-american boys, we decided that the crazy mane should be tied back, and my suit should be basic. You'd let me educate your kids looking like this, right?”
“I WILL let you educate my kids. I plan to send them to the McLachlan School.”
“You just don’t want to pay for private school.”
“I’m hurt. You’re right....but I’m hurt.” he kissed her forehead, “You’re going to do just fine.”
“Thanks B.B.”
Dev walked over, “Hi One. How are you feeling? JC said you had a sinus thing.”
“I’m fine. But you should stay away from me, I could be contagious.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us,” She rubbed her small tummy, “we’re strong.”
“Your McLachlans, of course you’re strong.” Lyn winked at her sister.
“Not to bring up a touchy subject, but...while you’re home, would you consider sitting down with Bren?”
“I’ve been meaning to. I didn’t want to do it over the phone, so I was waiting, but I should have at least let her know I wanted to talk to her.”
“She’ll be relieved.” Dev smiled gently, “Have I mentioned how proud I am to be your sister?”
“DON’T make me cry.” Lyn’s bottom lip began to quiver.
“I’m serious, you have handled everything this last year with grace and dignity. You’ve been there for me and for Ryan. You have fought this fight fairly and you have held your head up the entire time. I’m proud of you.”
Lyn stood up and hugged Dev tightly, “I love you.”
Jess walked in from the hall, “Saddle up kids! It’s time to go.”
Stasia crossed the room, kissed Lance who whispered into her ear. She nodded and then walked to Lyn’s side, “You, lucky lady, get to sit right up front, next to me!”
“I don’t mind sitting next to you, but can’t we just hang out in here?”
“No such luck. It’s show time.”
Lyn pushed her shoulders back, brushed off the front of her skirt, rolled her head twice in each direction, lifted her chin high and walked out of the room between JC and Stasia.
Like a record baby, right round, round, round
You spin me right round baby right round
Like a record baby, right round, round, round
~Chapter Thirty-Four~
~Main~
