"...wake up."
Wake up? I asked... but the words echoed in my head, rather than coming out of my mouth. Dad?
"Wake up, son..." The voice was deep...
"Dad?" I blinked open my eyes and found myself staring up into the face of a man - a tall man with Red Sox baseball cap on. He was bundled up and had on gloves without the finger tips. He was dark haired and handsomly featured. From a distance - say, across a couple train tracks? - he could've been mistaken for my father, quite easily.
But he was not my father.
"Son, you need to wake up," he pleaded, "Are you okay? You took quite a fall there..."
"A fall?" I blinked in confusion... and realized I was laying on my back in crisp, ice-cold snow, made hard by the frigid air all around me. "I- I fell?" I sat up and looked around.
The public gardens loomed to my left, the train station to my right. A pool of ice sat by my feet, and this guy - this stranger who I'd chased out of the subway tunnel in a fit of delusion - was kneeling beside me, a concerned look on his face.
Then, panic struck me.
"Have you ever heard of the Backstreet Boys?" I gasped out.
He blinked at me in surprise. "Um.. of course.." he murmured, "Who hasn't?" He laughed. Then he said, "Well at least I know you don't have amnesia..."
"What?"
"Well you're one of them aren't you?" he asked.
My heart slammed in my chest. "Yes!" I gasped out the words, "Yes, yes! I do exist! YES!"
He looked at me like I was loony.
"Sorry," I muttered, getting a grips, "I just.. I had the most ridiculous dream..."
"Well, you hit your head on the snow so..." he said. He paused, "Hey, why aren't you over at the Wang Theater? My niece is there for the show tonight, actually," he paused, "Doesn't that start in like twenty minutes?"
I leaped to my feet. "I didn't miss it?" I cried, excitement coursing through my body. "AJ's not dead and I didn't miss the show!" I grabbed his hands and roughly pulled him into me and hugged him. I'm sure he was beyond perplexed by now. "Thank you sir," I cried, "But I gotta go." And I ran, being careful for the ice this time, back to the street, where I hailed a cab, rather than wait for the train. The cab would take half the time. "To the Wang," I cried as I hopped in. The cab sped through downtown Boston traffic, and I bounced in the backseat, barely able to contain myself, my every nerve ending on fire.
When it pulled up out front of the theater, I threw a large bill - not caring how large it was - at the driver and bolted out of the cab and into the theater's front doors. Fans were being let into the gates, and they screamed when they saw me, but I didn't slow down for even a second. I pushed past them into the theater's main room and down the aisle between the seats, past more screaming fans, until I reached the stage. With an agility I thought I'd long lost, I hoisted myself over the barricade, much to the shocked expression on the faces of the security guards standing behind it, and pulled myself onto the stage. They stared gape - mouthed at me - all in recognition, all in shock of my sudden appearance - and let me go as I ran for the backstage passageway.
The Boys were crowded around each other, clearly about to begin the pre-show prayer. Nick had his head rested on Lauren's shoulder, and Baylee was kicking a soccer ball around. Howie was getting ready to start herding them all into the circle for the prayer and Brian's arm snaked around Leighanne's back.
"I told you he wouldn't stay," Nick was saying to AJ, who was staring at the ground, his face disappointed and sad. Nick shook his head, "Kevin never stays..." he added, his voice sad, rather than angry.
Just then, Baylee looked up. "UNCLE KEVIN!" he cried, and he bolted for me, his arms spread wide.
All their head turned towards me. Eyes widened, jaws dropped, and AJ let out a "WHOOP!" and slapped Nick on the back, "And I told YOU he'd always come back!" he yelled, and AJ ran for me, very similarly to how Baylee had.
"Oh Lord," I cried, wrapping my arms around AJ, "You're fucking alive... and you..." I grabbed Brian, ripping him away from Leighanne. "You're here, you're singing..." Brian looked confused, as did AJ. I turned to Howie, who still had James' baby carrier strapped to his chest, "You have James!!" I kissed James' head. "You're not a miser!" I hugged Leigh, then Rochelle. "You're all here, you're all okay!" I felt like I might explode with relief.
"Where the fuck else would we be?" AJ mumbled, scratching his nearly-bald head.
Then I turned to Nick.
He had tears in his eyes.
I stepped over to him. "Nick..." I whispered. Lauren backed away and Nick looked at her, slightly panicky, then looked back at me.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I shouldn't have said that shit to you... I ... I didn't mean it, I mean... Kev, you're- you're the closest thing to a dad I've ever had and--"
Before he could finish, I pulled him into my chest and wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug. His arms melted around me, too, and I could fee his face press into my shoulder as he started crying. "I'm sorry I left," I whispered, "I'm not gonna leave again, though, I promise. I'm always - always - here for you, Nick. Always."
