Chapter 45

Inner Reflection | home

"What do you mean, he's sick?" Lou asked, and JC could almost see his brow furrowing.

"It's just that..." JC sighed in frustration. He was almost out of the hotel when Lou had called to tell remind them about an appearance they'd be having on Rosie in a few days. "He's getting all these dizzy spells, and headaches, and he gets fevers once in a while..."

"So give him some medicine and move on," Lou said gruffly.

JC's jaw fell to the ground in disbelief. "That's it, huh? See if that's what you're saying when he's too sick to perform," he snapped.

"JC, JC," Lou said calmly, "When will you learn? He'll never be too sick to perform. You will all perform every time you're scheduled to. It's not that hard to understand. Do you get it?"

"Yeah, I get it," JC said bitterly, hanging up the phone. Then he heard crunching noises behind him.

"Trouble in paradise, I see?" he heard a voice say.

JC spun around to see someone dressed in black, wearing sunglasses and eating an apple. "Who the hell are you?"

"Interesting question," the man said. "I've been on your crew for a couple years now. I work the sound. But of course, you wouldn't remember lowly ME," he said tossing the core into a trash can. "I'm just one of the 'sound guys.'"

"That's nuts," JC said, shaking his head. "I know everyone in the crew's name, and you're not one of them."

"Sure I am. I remember back when you almost got shot." JC's eyes widened. "Yeah, that was scary, wasn't it?"

JC WAS scared now. "No one knew about that," he said suspiciously. "It was only us five that knew."

"Oh, no, I knew," the guy said.

"We didn't tell anyone," JC said, backing up.

"How do you know that LANCE didn't tell anyone?" the man laughed seeing JC flinch at the name. "Yes, good, sweet little Lance, right? Expert on lifesaving. Ever wonder how he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time?"

JC backed away again, eyes widening suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"I don't want anything. But tell me something. You and Lance are together, right? You're not nearly as careful as you think you are." JC looked over his shoulder. The door was only a few feet away, maybe he could-- "Don't try to get away from me. I'm everywhere, JC. And I know about you, I know about Lance. I know things about Lance that no one knows. And I know that Chris almost got hit by a truck the day before your birthday, I know that you almost got shot by some guy out in an ally the day of your album release. And I know, that most recently, Joey was found unconscious on the floor of his apartment."

JC was really scared now. Who was this guy? How did he know all of this? He wasn't on the crew, they hadn't HAD one when Chris almost got hit by the truck. He saw a faint figure at the end of the hallway...who was it?

"What else do I know? I know that Lance pushed Chris out of the way of the truck, I know he pushed you out of the way of the bullet." The figure was coming closer, unbeknownst to this stranger in front of him. "All at the risk of his own life. How sweet." The man leaned forward. "But what if I was to tell you that Lance--"

"Lance WHAT?" came a cold voice from behind him. The figure saw JC smile in relief, and he spun around, coming face to face with...

Lance. "Dear, Lance. Haven't seen you in a while, now have I? That's really too bad."

"Really? I thought it was a good thing. My mistake. What are you doing here?"

"Came to visit a friend. Is that a problem?"

"If that friend you're referring to is me, then you're sadly mistaken. But, really, I have to go. So does Josh. Isn't that right?" JC felt two pairs of eyes on him and nodded. "Right. So off we go! Goodbye, Benny, go play with your little friends." Lance pushed by and grabbed JC's hand.

"I will be back," Benny hissed, watching them leave.

"You okay? Did he hurt you?" Lance asked JC once they were on the bus.

"I'm fine...Lance, who was that?" JC asked.

Lance's eyes darkened. "Someone I used to know that drops by from time to time."

JC could see that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. "How do you feel?"

Lance ducked a flying shoe from Chris going to Joey before answering. "Like crap, actually."

JC put his hand over his forehead. "You've got a fever. Again." Lance sighed and rested his head down in JC's lap. "You want anything?"

"Just to rest," Lance said tiredly. It wouldn't hurt if he did that now, would it? They were all okay...just fine...he zoned out, feeling JC run his fingers through his hair.

"Is he all right?" Chris asked, done chasing Joey around for now.

JC looked at him. "He's tired," he said. "And doesn't feel good."

Chris sighed. "He hasn't felt good since April."

JC snorted. "Tell me about it. I talked to Lou." Chris raised an eyebrow and JC laughed bitterly. "He said to give him some medicine and move on."

"You're kidding," Chris said in disbelief.

"Nope. Dead serious. I thought he was going to let up on us?"

"Yeah, he said so in the meeting..." Chris trailed off, realizing something.

"Without Lance," JC said, his eyes wide as he looked down at the blond in his lap.

"Unbelievable. Do you really think...?"

"I hope not," JC said. "I hope not."

"Lance, get up, babe, we're at the venue," JC said, bouncing his leg up and down.

Lance's head went with it. "Uh...I don't wanna."

"I know," JC said. "But come on, when it's over you can go back to sleep."

Lance nodded and slowly stretched himself up. "Sorry," he said.

Lance looked over his shoulder sheepishly. "For sleeping on you."

JC grinned mischievously and raised his eyebrows up and down. "I don't mind."

"You're terrible," Lance said with a blush.

"Yup, just horrible," JC agreed, coming up behind him and kissing him on the cheek. "Now come on, baby." Lance nodded and they both walked up. JC looked at Lance and decided to keep the earlier thoughts he and Chris had shared to himself. Maybe he'd talk about it later; or maybe just with the other guys, even though he quickly dismissed that idea. Lance hated the idea of being left out of anything; the planning of his birthday being a prime example of that. JC shook his head and followed Lance into the arena.

They were changing when they all noticed how pale and sick Lance suddenly looked. "Lance? You okay?" Justin asked. JC looked over, worry crossing his face. Lance shook his head and ran towards the bathroom. JC followed immediately, and the other three heard the distinct sound of vomiting.

Chris winced. "Damn." They heard JC whispering something to Lance, then the sound of running water.

"Think we should cancel the rest of the concert?" Joey asked.

"No," they heard Lance say as he came in the room, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm fine. Just jumped around too much. At least they're playing the video now." He quickly finished changing.

"You sure you still wanna go on?" Justin asked quietly. "We can cancel the rest..." but his tone was doubtful, and Lance could hear it.

"Uh uh," he said, shaking his head. "We can't let them down." He gestured in the general direction of the fans. "I'm all right." JC looked at him doubtfully, but Lance ignored it.

"You're due back on," the stage manager said, poking his head in.

"All right," Justin said. "You're sure?" he said, turning to Lance. Lance nodded and led them all back on stage.

"Lance, you shouldn't have done that one," JC admonished.

"Josh, spare me the lecture, okay? I feel bad enough as it is. And if you say 'I told you so' one more time..."

JC reddened. "Sorry. But still..."

"I know, I know." Lance coughed and held on to JC's arm. "At least we've got a few days until Summer Jam..."

"Right," JC said skeptically. He personally didn't think Lance would be okay to perform then, and he didn't think Lance thought so either. He helped his boyfriend onto the bus and into his bunk. "You need anything?" he whispered.

Lance shook his head with a smile. "I'll call you if I do," he promised. JC nodded. Brushing Lance's hair out of his eyes, he turned and went to the other room. Lance could hear him telling the other guys to be quiet before his voice was gone.

"How's he doing?" Joey asked sympathetically.

JC shook his head sadly. "Not good. I'm really worried. He can't seem to shake this thing." He cast a glance back towards the bunk when suddenly the bus lurched. He fell on Justin, Joey fell on Chris.

"Oh my God!" Chris muttered from the ground. "What the hell happened?" But before anyone could say anything, they heard the door to the bathroom shut and the sounds of vomiting.

"Poor Lance...that couldn't have been good." JC shot Justin a glare after hearing that, then went over to the bathroom.

"What?" Lance said, and JC winced when he heard Lance throw up again.

"You need anything?"

The toilet flushed. "No." JC could hear running water now, and Lance came out. "Why aren't we going anywhere?" he asked tiredly.

"I'll go see," JC said. "Hey James! What happened?"

"We busted a tire. There was nails and glass in the road. We'll be delayed for a while."

JC groaned, then delivered the message to the other guys. Lance flopped onto his bunk. "Perfect."


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 45 **~May 10~** "What do you mean, he's sick?" Lou asked, and JC could almost see his brow furrowing. "It's just that..." JC sighed in frustration. He was almost out of the hotel when Lou had called to tell remind them about an appearance they'd be having on Rosie in a few days. "He's getting all these dizzy spells, and headaches, and he gets fevers once in a while..." "So give him some medicine and move on," Lou said gruffly. JC's jaw fell to the ground in disbelief. "That's it, huh? See if that's what you're saying when he's too sick to perform," he snapped. "JC, JC," Lou said calmly, "When will you learn? He'll never be too sick to perform. You will all perform every time you're scheduled to. It's not that hard to understand. Do you get it?" "Yeah, I get it," JC said bitterly, hanging up the phone. Then he heard crunching noises behind him. "Trouble in paradise, I see?" he heard a voice say. JC spun around to see someone dressed in black, wearing sunglasses and eating an apple. "Who the hell are you?" "Interesting question," the man said. "I've been on your crew for a couple years now. I work the sound. But of course, you wouldn't remember lowly ME," he said tossing the core into a trash can. "I'm just one of the 'sound guys.'" "That's nuts," JC said, shaking his head. "I know everyone in the crew's name, and you're not one of them." "Sure I am. I remember back when you almost got shot." JC's eyes widened. "Yeah, that was scary, wasn't it?" JC WAS scared now. "No one knew about that," he said suspiciously. "It was only us five that knew." "Oh, no, I knew," the guy said. "We didn't tell anyone," JC said, backing up. "How do you know that LANCE didn't tell anyone?" the man laughed seeing JC flinch at the name. "Yes, good, sweet little Lance, right? Expert on lifesaving. Ever wonder how he always seemed to be in the right place at the right time?" JC backed away again, eyes widening suspiciously. "What do you want?" "I don't want anything. But tell me something. You and Lance are together, right? You're not nearly as careful as you think you are." JC looked over his shoulder. The door was only a few feet away, maybe he could-- "Don't try to get away from me. I'm everywhere, JC. And I know about you, I know about Lance. I know things about Lance that no one knows. And I know that Chris almost got hit by a truck the day before your birthday, I know that you almost got shot by some guy out in an ally the day of your album release. And I know, that most recently, Joey was found unconscious on the floor of his apartment." JC was really scared now. Who was this guy? How did he know all of this? He wasn't on the crew, they hadn't HAD one when Chris almost got hit by the truck. He saw a faint figure at the end of the hallway...who was it? "What else do I know? I know that Lance pushed Chris out of the way of the truck, I know he pushed you out of the way of the bullet." The figure was coming closer, unbeknownst to this stranger in front of him. "All at the risk of his own life. How sweet." The man leaned forward. "But what if I was to tell you that Lance--" "Lance WHAT?" came a cold voice from behind him. The figure saw JC smile in relief, and he spun around, coming face to face with... Lance. "Dear, Lance. Haven't seen you in a while, now have I? That's really too bad." "Really? I thought it was a good thing. My mistake. What are you doing here?" "Came to visit a friend. Is that a problem?" "If that friend you're referring to is me, then you're sadly mistaken. But, really, I have to go. So does Josh. Isn't that right?" JC felt two pairs of eyes on him and nodded. "Right. So off we go! Goodbye, Benny, go play with your little friends." Lance pushed by and grabbed JC's hand. "I will be back," Benny hissed, watching them leave. * "You okay? Did he hurt you?" Lance asked JC once they were on the bus. "I'm fine...Lance, who was that?" JC asked. Lance's eyes darkened. "Someone I used to know that drops by from time to time." JC could see that he didn't want to talk about it anymore. "How do you feel?" Lance ducked a flying shoe from Chris going to Joey before answering. "Like crap, actually." JC put his hand over his forehead. "You've got a fever. Again." Lance sighed and rested his head down in JC's lap. "You want anything?" "Just to rest," Lance said tiredly. It wouldn't hurt if he did that now, would it? They were all okay...just fine...he zoned out, feeling JC run his fingers through his hair. "Is he all right?" Chris asked, done chasing Joey around for now. JC looked at him. "He's tired," he said. "And doesn't feel good." Chris sighed. "He hasn't felt good since April." JC snorted. "Tell me about it. I talked to Lou." Chris raised an eyebrow and JC laughed bitterly. "He said to give him some medicine and move on." "You're kidding," Chris said in disbelief. "Nope. Dead serious. I thought he was going to let up on us?" "Yeah, he said so in the meeting..." Chris trailed off, realizing something. "Without Lance," JC said, his eyes wide as he looked down at the blond in his lap. "Unbelievable. Do you really think...?" "I hope not," JC said. "I hope not." * "Lance, get up, babe, we're at the venue," JC said, bouncing his leg up and down. Lance's head went with it. "Uh...I don't wanna." "I know," JC said. "But come on, when it's over you can go back to sleep." Lance nodded and slowly stretched himself up. "Sorry," he said. "For what?" Lance looked over his shoulder sheepishly. "For sleeping on you." JC grinned mischievously and raised his eyebrows up and down. "I don't mind." "You're terrible," Lance said with a blush. "Yup, just horrible," JC agreed, coming up behind him and kissing him on the cheek. "Now come on, baby." Lance nodded and they both walked up. JC looked at Lance and decided to keep the earlier thoughts he and Chris had shared to himself. Maybe he'd talk about it later; or maybe just with the other guys, even though he quickly dismissed that idea. Lance hated the idea of being left out of anything; the planning of his birthday being a prime example of that. JC shook his head and followed Lance into the arena. * They were changing when they all noticed how pale and sick Lance suddenly looked. "Lance? You okay?" Justin asked. JC looked over, worry crossing his face. Lance shook his head and ran towards the bathroom. JC followed immediately, and the other three heard the distinct sound of vomiting. Chris winced. "Damn." They heard JC whispering something to Lance, then the sound of running water. "Think we should cancel the rest of the concert?" Joey asked. "No," they heard Lance say as he came in the room, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm fine. Just jumped around too much. At least they're playing the video now." He quickly finished changing. "You sure you still wanna go on?" Justin asked quietly. "We can cancel the rest..." but his tone was doubtful, and Lance could hear it. "Uh uh," he said, shaking his head. "We can't let them down." He gestured in the general direction of the fans. "I'm all right." JC looked at him doubtfully, but Lance ignored it. "You're due back on," the stage manager said, poking his head in. "All right," Justin said. "You're sure?" he said, turning to Lance. Lance nodded and led them all back on stage. * "Lance, you shouldn't have done that one," JC admonished. "Josh, spare me the lecture, okay? I feel bad enough as it is. And if you say 'I told you so' one more time..." JC reddened. "Sorry. But still..." "I know, I know." Lance coughed and held on to JC's arm. "At least we've got a few days until Summer Jam..." "Right," JC said skeptically. He personally didn't think Lance would be okay to perform then, and he didn't think Lance thought so either. He helped his boyfriend onto the bus and into his bunk. "You need anything?" he whispered. Lance shook his head with a smile. "I'll call you if I do," he promised. JC nodded. Brushing Lance's hair out of his eyes, he turned and went to the other room. Lance could hear him telling the other guys to be quiet before his voice was gone. "How's he doing?" Joey asked sympathetically. JC shook his head sadly. "Not good. I'm really worried. He can't seem to shake this thing." He cast a glance back towards the bunk when suddenly the bus lurched. He fell on Justin, Joey fell on Chris. "Oh my God!" Chris muttered from the ground. "What the hell happened?" But before anyone could say anything, they heard the door to the bathroom shut and the sounds of vomiting. "Poor Lance...that couldn't have been good." JC shot Justin a glare after hearing that, then went over to the bathroom. "Lance?" "What?" Lance said, and JC winced when he heard Lance throw up again. "You need anything?" The toilet flushed. "No." JC could hear running water now, and Lance came out. "Why aren't we going anywhere?" he asked tiredly. "I'll go see," JC said. "Hey James! What happened?" "We busted a tire. There was nails and glass in the road. We'll be delayed for a while." JC groaned, then delivered the message to the other guys. Lance flopped onto his bunk. "Perfect."