Story Notes:
In answer to the following December/January challenge: http://absolutechaos.net/fictalk/index.php/topic,2934.0.html
I walked up the center aisle between the high stadium-style seats that comprised the studio audience of the Anna Bernard Show. Every seat was full, the lights had heated up the stage and I could feel them on the nape of my neck as I made my way forward to the steps up to the stage, where Anna Bernard herself was seated on a purple overstuffed chair, grinning all fakey, running her pudgey fingers along the strands of pearls that lined her neck. When I reached the steps, two stagehands shoved a microphone and a small deck of cue cards into my fists and I was ushered up into the blinding brightness of the lights. They were even brighter than the stage lighting at a concert; I couldn't see even the front row of the studio audience. A blinking red dot was all that indicated the camera's location to me. I smiled and waved and offered my hand to Anna Bernard in greeting before taking a seat on the cushion closest the arm on the wide, overstuffed lime green couch that faced Ms. Bernard's purple chair.
Anna Bernard leaned forward - clearly, someone had cued the audience to die down their cheers because they silenced relatively quickly, in unison, as she leaned closer to me.
"Welcome to my show."
"Thank you Anna," I replied, "It's a pleasure to be here."
"Pleasure's all mine." Anna winked in the direction of the audience and a few scant laughs echoed through th studio. She turned back to me, rested a wide-fingered palm on my leg, and beamed. "It's been forty years since the last Backstreet Boys tour, yes?" she asked.
"Thirty-eight, actually," I corrected her.
She licked her teeth under her muave lips and withdrew her hand. She looked at the teleprompter. "So you're seventy..."
"Five. Seventy-five." I shifted uncomfortably. I wasn't used to the old stage lighting, to the feeling of hundreds of eyes on me. I squinted against the rays, trying to see where Baylee had said he'd be sitting just before he'd left me backstage with the capable assistants. I couldn't see even a shadow of him. My palms started sweating.
"So by now I'm sure you've heard about the Miracle," Anna said excitedly.
I licked my lips. I think everyone from here to Kingdom Come had heard about the Miracle. The Miracle was all anyone was talking about these days.
"Yes, of course," I replied.
Anna was practically crawling out of her skin, "And the Atlanta Times says that one of your friends' bodies was donated for medical research testing of Miracle?"
I nodded.
"Can you tell us about that?" she asked. She was all but salivating.
I took a deep breath. I'd of course known that this was probably what she'd wanted to talk about, considering 38 years wasn't any milestone of an anniversary and it wasn't like I had any promotional reason to be guest starring on her show. It was somewhat common knowledge that back in the day Anna Bernard had been one of our more rabid teen-fans, so it should've been anything but a surprise that she'd want to know about the Backstreet Boys and the connection to Miracle. After all, every talk show in the nation was vying for a new spin on the story, and Anna Bernard had found a way to bring not only a new spin, but intrigue, drama, and guaranteed TV ratings from fans.
"Do you agree with Jane's decision?"
"I suppose," I replied, but even I could tell from the tone of my voice that I didn't. Honestly, a part of me was curious why it was that someone as horrible as Nick's mother had been granted a lifespan long enough to allow her to still be alive into her ninties. But that wasn't a matter I was about to bring up on the Anna Bernard show.
"Were you surprised by the announcement Monday about Jane's choice to donate Nick's body to Miracle research testing?"
"Yes."
Shocked was more the word. Surprised just didn't cut it. I'd completely forgotten about the drama that had ensued years before between Jane and Bob and the custody battle over Nick's body and the choices that had been made concerning it and what to do with it. It had been, of course, a huge hub-bub when it had all been happening - but now it was ancient history. Suddenly, though, it had resurfaced, and Jane had come out of the woodwork, as she usually did, to make the announcement.
"If Miracle successfully works, Nick will be the third human being that will have been treated with the drug," Anna Bernard's voice was a hushed awe. "How do you feel about that?"
I shrugged. "Honestly, I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the idea," I replied.
"And why is that?"
"I believe God does what He does when He does it for a reason, and I'm not sure how I feel about the concept that man can reawaken man from the dead." I hesitated. I stared at my hands, "I suppose I'm morally against the concept."
"But didn't Christ reawaken man from the dead?" Anna Bernard questioned.
"Of course, but He was Christ," I answered, "We are not. Scientists are not God."
"They're as close as the world will allow us to be."
I shrugged again. "But is it really our place to be trying to attain that level?"
"Isn't that why Adam and Eve ate of the fruit?" Anna asked, "To attain the knowledge of God?"
"And it's why we were punished," I replied with a rueful smile.
"All the suffering the human race has gone through for it," she said, smiling back, "It's about time we're given the knowledge that we had coming to us all these years."
I studied my fingernails.
"So Brian," Anna's hand was back on my thigh. "Will you be there? When he awakens? Will there be a Backstreet Boys reunion?"
I licked my lips. "I will be. And Kevin, at least," I answered. "I haven't spoken to AJ or Howie yet about it, so I can't say for sure if they'll come along..."
"Well why don't we ask them?" Anna Bernard smiled and turned in her seat to face the steps that I'd come up, "Can we bring out the other three Backstreet Boys?"
I turned in surprise. I hadn't known the other fellas were there, too. I thought I'd been invited to appear alone. My heart clenched in my chest. Other than Kevin, who I saw at almost every major family function, I hadn't seen the guys since Nick's funeral. Something deep in the pit of my stomach ached as their forms emerged, one by one, out of the florescent lights like angels out of a dense fog. Howie led the way, then paused to let AJ pass and help Kevin up the steps. Howie's features were creased with wrinkles that made him appear kindly, and his still-thick-curly hair was salt and peppered. AJ was next, a heavy frame, faded colors in the tattoos on his arms, thick bifocals, and shining bald head reflecting the light. Kevin followed, his thick white beard and eyebrows perfectly groomed, as always. One by one they greeted Anna and shook my hand and set themselves down beside me on the couch, AJ commenting on the great decor and Kevin groaning as his arthritis creaked his bones. Howie kissed Anna Bernard's knuckles and lowered himself onto the far arm of the couch, reaching around Kevin and AJ to nudge my shoulder and throw me a wink.
My hands were shaking.
A stagehand ran out onto the stage and stuck microphones into their hands. Kevin studied his for a moment, while AJ quickly raised his to his own mouth, "Hello, hello, hello," he said, his voice older and more grainy than it had ever been, but still exuding that personality that he'd always had. The women in the crowd cheered. Howie waved and Kevin lowered the microphone from his inspection and looked at me as though he'd just now noticed me. He smiled.
"Welcome to the set," Anna greeted them. She smiled proudly, "Four out of five Backstreet Boys, reunited once more." She seemed contented, quite proud of herself indeed. It was, actually, quite a feat. It had been nearly 40 years since the last time we'd been this close to being a full reunited set, after all. The Backstreet Boys cruise in 2011 had been the last time we'd been a fivesome - at the Cable Beach resort in Nassau. After that... well.
"So bring me up to speed Boys," she said, "What have each of you been up to since 2012?"
Our eyes all turned to Howie.
"Me first?" he asked. It was unusual, we'd never all turned to Howie to respond first before, but somehow it seemed right that he should. "Well I got a bit more into business," he explained, "Opened some clubs, some hotels, the like." Some clubs and some hotels was putting it mildly. Howie was easily one of the top 50 richest men on the face of the earth at this point. He had to be. He had built a hotel chain that had reached even the furthest parts of the planet. He owned an entire island for God's sake. Dorough Hotel & Resorts Inc. had bought out several other hotel chains (including the Hiltons) and become practically synonomous with vacation in the United States. He had one planted at Disney World and Universal Studios, Dubai, London, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, New York, Los Angeles, Rio... You name it. Howie had practically revolutionized the entire hotel industry.
"I did some work on Broadway," Kevin supplied. Ah yes, Broadway. Kevin had never quite taken off on his own to Backstreet proportions. He'd battled with Jane and Bob for a short time back when the hub-bub had been going on, but other wise he'd managed to lay under the radar for the past 38 years. He'd continued doing short indie movies that didn't really go anywhere besides the circuit of Backstreet Boys fans. And even that circuit had died down considerably after the accident.
Attention turned to AJ. He shrugged, "Mostly just became a family man." He smirked, "My daughter just got signed to a modeling agency last month, and my son's been accepted into medical school. Dartmouth," he added. AJ and Rochelle had settled down and had a wonderful little life. They went skiing every year in the Rockies with their two kids, Calliopie and Heathrow, whose names I found completely ridiculous. "Hey maybe Heath could get in on the Miracle research," he joked, nudging Kevin, who winced as AJ's elbow squished his own. Kevin's arthritis was really acting up today; I wondered if there was a storm in the air.
Anna turned to look at me. My mouth felt dry. "I released that album," I said, "A couple years ago. Mostly just worked with some nonprofits..." I shrugged. Honestly, I hadn't done a lot. Everything had effectd me more than I'd thought it would. I'd gone into hiding - hiding from everything. Leighanne had left me after seven years had gone by, got remarried somewhere around ten years after leaving me, and had other kids. Baylee had been my main family. I'd moved in with him after he'd gotten married. I had three grandkids - they were back home in Atlanta with their mom. But as for things to brag about... there wasn't a whole lot.
Everything had sort of come to a halt that night.
"So let's talk about Nick for a minute," Anna Bernard said, shifting her weight in the purple chair. "Who wants to tell me exactly what happened the night that he died?"
All four of us looked to our sneakers.
"Anyone?" Anna asked.
