“So when do you break outta here?” Brian asked his father with a grin.

Harold Littrell, Sr. just smiled from his hospital bed. “Hopefully tomorrow or the next day. I’m doing much better, and the food is really starting to annoy me.”

“I’ll sneak you in a greasy burger later, okay?” Brian offered. “Oops, then again, maybe not.”

Jackie, Brian’s mother, shook her head. “No, no, no. No more greasy food. That’s what got you here in the first place.”

“It was just a mild heart attack,” Harold said softly.

“It was a warning, that’s what it was. And it scared me to death!”

Brian looked at his parents, at the way they gazed at each other with pure love in their eyes. He hoped that he and Leighanne would be this happy so many years into their marriage.

“Well, it’s a good thing you planned this little episode when you did, Dad, so I could come visit you.”

“What’s everyone else up to?” Harold asked.

“Kev’s in LA with Kristin. Howie took his entire family to Hawaii. AJ’s doing his Johnny No Name tour, and Nick’s visiting his family. Leighanne sends her love. She’s doing a tv show in New York.”

“Even when you’re not busy, everyone’s busy,” Jackie said, shaking her head.

“That’s us. So where’s my big dumb brother?”

“Working. He’ll be over later,” Harold said. “How long are you staying?”

Brian shrugged. “I don’t know. As long as Mom let’s me, I guess.”

“Oh, Bri, you can stay as long as you like.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

A nurse knocked on the door and wheeled in a cart.

“Dinner time,” she announced cheerfully, setting a tray on the small table.

“Rah,” Harold said dryly.

Brian stood up and stretched. “I think I’m gonna go check out the children’s ward.”

“What? You mean you don’t want my jello?” Harold teased, holding out the plastic container of lime green goo.

“Uh, no. Thanks anyway. I’ll be back later.”

He left his parents and headed down the hallway towards the elevators. He pushed the down button and waited patiently. Then he heard the music. It was a guitar, that much he could tell. He looked around, wondering if there was a television on somewhere.

And then the singing started. Brian knew that was no tv. That was the beautiful voice of a female. He started following it, down another hallway, stopping at a small waiting room.

She was sitting cross legged on the couch, strumming a guitar and singing a song he knew.

“I’ll be there for you
Wherever you go
Whatever you do. . . “

Normally, he would sing lead on this song, but he liked the sound of the girl’s voice so much that he stopped himself. Instead, he harmonized with her.

She looked up at the sound of him singing, but didn’t stop. She nodded at him and continued with the song. Brian sat down across from her and together they sang the whole thing. When the last note faded away, Brian clapped.

“That was beautiful,” he told her.

The girl blushed and began fiddling with the strings on her guitar. “Thanks.” She pushed her bangs out of her eyes and looked at him. “You’re Brian, right?”

He nodded. “Yup, that’s me. What’s your name?”

“Melody Baron.”

Brian stuck out his hand and she shook it. “Nice to meet you, Melody. You have a great voice. And that song. . . did you teach yourself how to play it?”

“Yeah. And it was a real pain in the ass, too. But it’s my favorite song.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh.”

They lapsed into silence. Brian coughed. “Are you a patient here? Or just visiting?” he asked, eying her khacki shorts and sky blue t-shirt.

“I’m a patient,” she sighed. “I just prefer not to wear the standard hospital gown. Kind of breezy you know.”

Brian chuckled. “I sure do.”

Melody leaned on the guitar and studied him. “You look a lot different in person.”

“Is that a good thing? Television makes my nostrils look bigger than they really are.”

Melody laughed, causing tiny shivers to race up Brian’s spine. He decided she had a beautiful laugh.

“No, no, I like your nostrils. I just think you look cuter in person, that’s all.”

“Thank you. So what are you here for?”

She swallowed before answering. “Heart surgery.”

Brian sucked in a mouthful of air, remembereing his own ordeal.

“I have a condition very similar to yours, actually,” she went on. “But hopefully, this will be my last operation, and then I can get on with my life.”

“Are you scared?”

“I’m more scared for my family. I’m told this is a tricky and risky operation.”

“And you still want to go through with it?”

She nodded emphatically. “Oh yeah. But enough about me. What are you doing here? You’re not having problems, are you?”

“Oh no. My health is fine. My dad had a heart attack, so I’m here visiting him.”

“My gosh, is he okay?”

“He’s fine. It wasn’t a serious one, thank God.”

“He was lucky.”

“Yeah. Hey, let’s talk about you again. Tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?” she asked, giving him a funny look.

“Anything you want to share. You intrigue me.”

She smiled, set her guitar aside and then told him her story.

She was 22, a native of Lexington. She was an only child of divorced parents. She was just a semester away from graduating college, but had to drop out because her heart had been giving her problems. She loved singing and writing her own songs. Her favorite singer was country music legend Reba McEntire, someone she looked up to immensely.

“And my favorite color is yellow,” she finished.

“Have you ever thought of singing professionally?”

“Every day of my life. I was a vocal music major.”

“You’re really good. I mean that. Have you sent off any demos?”

“Nope.”

"No?! Why not? You’d get signed in a heartbeat!”

“I’m not exactly the type of female artist the industry wants right now.”

Brian frowned. “What do you mean?”

Melody rolled her eyes. “I mean, I’m not young, blonde, and I can’t dance my way out of a wet paper bag. I’m not Britney Spears.”

“And thank God for that!” Brian exclaimed.

This caused both of them to burst into a fit of giggles. When they calmed down, Brian asked to hear something she’d written.

“Are you sure?” she asked doubtfully.

“I’m sure.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap.

Melody picked up the guitar again and thought for a moment. Then she began to play. The song wasn’t completely finished, it still needed some fine tuning, but she wanted to sing it anyway.

“Do you still think of me?
As a lifetime drifts farther and farther away

As time goes by and all of our yesterdays begin to fade
Will you remember me?

My friend
I’ll always remember

Your life will take you places that I’ve never been
But still I know that someday we will meet again

I’ll see you again
Will you remember me then?

There’s no way we can start again
Or try to live in memories

No we can never go back
But if you ever need a friend

You can just remember me
I’m never far away.”

She had forgotten Brian was even there as she sang, just letting herself go with the flow. When she ended the song, she looked at Brian and saw he was staring intently at her. She waited for him to say something, but he only sat there, blinking.

Her shoulders slumped.

“You didn’t like it.”

Brian jerked back to attention. “What? No! I mean, yes, I loved it! It was incredible! You wrote that?”

“Yeah, it’s not done, I want to change a part of it. . .”

“It was great! Honestly!” He was so excited he was nearly bouncing from his chair. “What could you possibly want to change?”

Melody played a few notes on the guitar and said, “Well, it was originally intended to be a duet. But I’ve never found anyone to sing it with. So I want to change it to a solo piece.”

Brian’s mind was working overtime as he planned things out.

“A duet? How would you like to sing it with me?”

“Huh?!”

“You heard me. Would you like to record that song with me?”

Melody opened her mouth to speak when a nurse poked her head into the waiting room.

“There you are!” she exclaimed. “I might have known you’d be hiding from me. Come on, it’s time to go back to your room now. Doctor Murphy is on his way to see you.”

Melody threw Brian an annoyed look and then stood up to go follow the nurse.

“Wait!” Brian cried, getting up. “You didn’t answer me.”

“I. . . I don’t know. Can I think about it?”

“I suppose,” he said uncertainly. He’d expected her to jump at the opportunity. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“Sure. I’m in room 410.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Nice meeting you, Brian,” she said before she disappeared down the hallway.

“The pleasure was all mine.”

“Knock, knock,” Brian called out.

Melody’s face brightened at the sight of him in her doorway and beckoned him to come inside.

“Hi! I didn’t think you’d come.”

“I said I would. How are you?”

She shifted in the hospital bed. “Tired. I had some tests done on me today, routine stuff. The doctors keep telling me this surgery is a bad idea, and I should just live out the rest of my life. But I told ‘em to screw themselves.”

“You didn’t!”

“I sure as hell did. I want this surgery. I can’t not take this chance for a healthy life. I have so many things I want to do yet!”

Brian sat down at the edge of her bed beside her. “Have you thought about what I asked you yesterday?”

She nodded and pointed to her guitar by the bedside table. “Grab that for me, will ya?”

Brian picked up the guitar and placed it in her arms. She showed him a pad of paper with the lyrics and the notes all written out.

“I couldn’t sleep last night,” she said. “I was thinking about this song, and how I could keep it as a duet. But only if it sounds right.” She pointed to the lines. “You sing here, and we’ll see how it goes, okay?”

“Yeah!”

He moved closer and read through the words. Melody began to strum the strings of the guitar.

“Do you still think of me?
As a lifetime drifts farther and farther away (Melody)

As time goes by and all of our yesterdays begin to fade
Will you remember me? (Melody)

My friend (Brian)
I’ll always remember (Melody)

Your life will take you places that I’ve never been
But still I know that someday we will meet again (Brian)

I’ll see you again (Melody)
Will you remember me then? (Brian)

There’s no way we can start again
Or try to live in memories (Together)

No we can never go back
But if you ever need a friend (Together)

You can just remember me
I’m never far away.” (Together)

“That was so beautiful,” Brian whispered when they finished. “Gave me goosebumps.”

“Me too.”

Brian pulled a tiny tape recorder from his jacket pocket.

“What’s that for?” Melody asked suddenly, seeing it.

“I wanted to record a rough tape of us singing this. I was gonna send it to Jive and see if the execs like it.”

She became very nervous. “I don’t know if I want to.”

“But you said. . .”

“I never said I would record with you. I just wanted to see how it sounded.”

“Oh.”

Melody chewed on her fingernails for a moment before taking a deep breath. “This is just a rough version, right? I mean, they wouldn’t judge me because I sound sick, would they?”

“Of course not!” Brian told her. “Recording outside a studio will show them your real voice. It’s better this way.”

She finally relented. Brian closed the door to her room and then set the tape recorder on the bedside table.

“All right, I’ll hit record and then you just start playing when you feel the time is ready, got it?”

She nodded, swallowing hard. He reached out and took her shaking hand in his.

“It’s okay, Melody. It’s just me. Just sing like you did yesterday, feel the music,”

“I always feel my music.” She closed her eyes briefly. “Okay, let’s do it.”

Brian grinned and hit record.

“When are you scheduled for surgery?” Brian asked.

They had finished taping the song, which Melody named “Remember Me,” and now they were just talking.

Melody straightened the blankets on the bed and said, “Tomorrow afternoon.”

“What time?”

“Two.” She looked at him, her eyes shining. “Will you be here?”

“I’m sorry, my family’s having a big get together to celebrate my dad coming home. But I’ll come by the next to day see you, I promise.”

“What if I’m not here?” she asked softly.

“Of course you’ll be here. The surgery will fix you right up, and then we can go to Orlando and record this hit song. Don’t you dare think otherwise, you got it?”

She smiled sadly.

Brian stayed as long as he could. During his time there, Melody’s doctor, Murphy, came in to see her. He spoke with her about the surgery, and went over the procedures and risks. She was still adament about having it done.

When it was time for Brian to go help take his father home, he kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

“I’ll be back after your surgery. We can talk more about the song and your record deal.”

She swatted his chest. “Brian, you keep talking like I’m for sure going to get one.”

“You are!”

“Okay, whatever.” She hugged him again.

“Good luck tomorrow, and no fears. You’ll be fine.”

“Brian?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you so much.”

“For what?”

“For being a good friend, and for being so supportive of me. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem. See you later!”

Melody waved good-bye as he left her room.

Two days later, Brian stepped off the elevator with a huge grin on his face. Melody was going to be a star! After he’d played the rough version of “Remember Me” for their producer at Jive over the phone, he was told to bring Melody down to Orlando as soon as she was out of the hospital.

Jive Records had found the next big female artist.

Brian was so thrilled, he had trouble sleeping. He got up at 8 am, showered and dressed and then sped to the hospital to tell her the news. But first he stopped at the gift shop and purchased an enormous flower arrangement and a teddy bear.

He passed the nurses station and went straight to Melody’s room. When he got there, he was surprised to find it empty. Frowning, he walked around the room, but there was no trace of her anywhere. The balloons and flowers she’d had were gone. The bed was freshly made, even her guitar was gone.

Duh! he thought, shaking his head. She must have been put in a different room after surgery!

Chiding himself for not thinking of that sooner, he went back to the nurse’s station. With a grunt, he hefted the large vase onto the counter and smiled at the nurse.

The older woman smiled back. “My goodness. Someone must be very special,” she said.

“Oh she is. But it seems that I’ve lost her somewhere,” Brian said, laughing. “She was in room 410, but she had surgery yesterday and must have been moved.”

“Are you family?”

“I’m a very good friend.”

The nurse nodded and moved towards the patient charts. “What’s her name?”

“Melody Baron,” he answered.

The nurse flipped through charts. “Hmm, she must be on another floor. Let me make a call.”

“Thank you.” Brian began humming part of “Remember Me” as he made mental plans.

She had to come to Orlando and sing for the bigwigs, but she was most definiltey assured a recording deal. She would then begin work on an album, with their duet being released as the first single. She may have to relocate, but he knew she would. He couldn’t wait to introduce her to the guys. They were gonna love her!

“Doctor Murphy is coming to see you,” the nurse informed him, breaking into his thoughts.

“Oh, okay, thanks.”

A minute later, Melody’s doctor approached him. The two men politely shook hands.

“How’s your father doing?”

“Just fine. He’s glad to be home.”

The doctor nodded and guided Brian a little ways away from the nurse’s station.

“Brian, about Melody. . . “

“What about her?”

“There were. . . complications with the surgery. . .”

Cold fear gripped Brian’s insides. “Is she okay? Can I see her?”

Murphy slowly shook his head. “I’m sorry, son. She didn’t make it.”

The floor started to tilt and Brian swallowed hard. “She. . . how. . . I thought . . “

“Her heart just wasn’t strong enough,” Murphy continued. “I’m so sorry.”

Brian reached out and touched the wall, steadying himself.

“I thought about calling you, but I figured the family would have told you.”

“I never met her family,” Brian whispered, her voice shaking. He wiped away tears and looked at the doctor. “How do I get in touch with them? I don’t even know where they live.”

“I’ll get you the address for her mother.”

Ten minutes later, Brian had the address and was heading for the elevators.

“Sir, your flowers!” the nurse called to him.

“Send them to the children’s ward,” Brian told her.

He rode the elevator in silence, lost in his own thoughts. When he stepped outside into the warm Kentucky air, he shivered. He was cold all over. He got inside his car and turned on the heat as he drove to Melody’s house. Cars were parked all along the street, family and friends coming to comfort her mother.

Brian started walking towards the house, in his pocket he carried the original cassette tape of Melody’s song. He’d already made several copies, and he felt the family deserved to have it. Nervously he rang the doorbell and waited.

A woman that Brian immediately knew to be Melody’s mother answered.

“May I help you?”

He cleared his throat and said, “I’m a friend of Melody’s. My name is Brian Littrell.”

Evelyn Baron gasped. “You’re Brian? Please come in.”

He stepped inside the house, nodding at all the people.

“Please follow me. I need to speak to you in private,” Evelyn said.

They walked into the kitchen where she offered him some food.

“The neighbors have been so kind.” She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “She gave this to me, just before she went into surgery. It’s addressed to Brian. That must be you.”

He took the note and opened it. Melody’s familiar scrawl filled a single sheet of notebook paper.

“Dear Brian,” he read aloud. “If you’re reading this, I must not have made it. I just wanted to thank you again for believing in me, and for helping me with that song. Please don’t be sad for me, no fears, no tears. Okay? I’m giving you my guitar and a notebook of songs that I’ve written. Maybe you can do something with them, since I won’t be able to anymore. You were a beautiful friend, and I hope you have a beautiful life. As Nick would say, ‘Live life to the fullest, for the future is scarce.’ Never ever forget to say ‘I love you’ to Leighanne, or anyone else you care for. I learned that a long time ago. Kisses from heaven, Bri. Love, Melody.”

By the time he finished reading, tears were streaming down his and Evelyn’s face. Brian took her in his arms and hugged her, trying to ease the tremendous pain she was going through.

“Her guitar and songbook are upstairs,” Evelyn sniffed. “I’ll go get them for you.”

Brian nodded silently. She came back with the things and told him that he must have been a very special friend.

“She hardly let anyone ever touch it,” Evelyn explained.

Brian thanked her and then they walked together to the front door.

“Before I go,” he said, stopping in the living room with all of Melody’s relatives. “She and I recorded a song together the day before her surgery.” He pulled the tape from his pocket and pressed it into her mother’s hands, closing her fingers over it. “Maybe it will give you some peace.”

“Thank you so much, Brian.”

He hugged her one last time and then left the house. He drove home with a heavy heart. Tears stained her face, but he had stopped crying. He glanced over to the passenger seat, at the guitar and the notebook Melody had left him. He knew he would keep them forever.

He parked in front of the house he’d grown up in and then carried the items inside.

“Brian!” his mother exclaimed, standing up to greet him. “Guess who’s here?”

“Mom, I really don’t feel like visiting,” he said quietly, turning to go upstairs.

“Honey, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He shook his head, fresh tears forming in his eyes. “She died, Mom. She had a million dreams and goals, and now she’ll never get to achieve them.”

Jackie wrapped her son in a hug. “Oh baby, I’m so sorry.”

Brian sniffled and pulled away. He set the guitar and notebook on the nearby couch and sank down beside them. “It’s not fair. She had such talent, and a beautiful personality. What a waste.”

“Life’s not fair, Brian. And I’m sorry about that. If there was anything I could do...”

“I know, Mom. Right now, I just want to go upstairs and think for awhile.”

“I understand, but there’s someone outside with your dad that you may want to see first.”

Reluctantly, he walked through the kitchen with his mom, and out the patio doors to the deck. His father looked up from his chair and smiled.

“Look who came to visit,” he said.

Brian’s eyes widened and he couldn’t help but cry out with joy. “Leighanne!” He scooped her into his arms, covering her face in kisses. “What are you doing here?”

“The show got done taping early, and instead of going to Orlando, I came here. Did you miss me?”

“Of course I did! I love you, Leigh, more than you’ll ever know.”

He hugged her and she could feel him shaking against her.

“Bri, are you okay? Has something happened?”

Brian sighed. “Someone died, and I wasn’t there for her.”

He motioned for everyone to sit down, and then he told them all about Melody Baron.

A year later, Brian, along with the other Backstreet Boys, were performing at the Grammy Awards. The song they sang was up for an award that night, and Brian knew it would win.

The curtain went up, revealing the Boys standing on the stage. The music began, the opening notes touching Brian’s heartstrings. And then a woman joined them onstage, Melody’s role model, Reba McEntire.

They sang “Remember Me” to a full house. They received a standing ovation, and Brian verbally thanked Melody when they won their Grammy. Everyone knew who she was. Brian had made sure her name was known.

And somewhere up in heaven, Melody was smiling down on him.

End