Chapter Twenty-one

“Time to go!” Denise called out, clapping her hands. “We’ve got a couple hours to catch a nap and some dinner before the show tonight, so let’s move it!”

The Boys, Dana, Megan and Leighanne began heading for the doors leading outside to their awaiting van that would take them back to the hotel. The dancers and the band would be leaving after them.

“So how did you like it?” AJ asked nervously as he walked with Megan.

“It was really nifty, man!” she said, kissing his chin. “The fans must go wild for it.”

“Well they sure did over in Europe. I hope the US finds it exciting too.”

“I’m sure they will.”

They caught up with the others by the door. Fans could be seen just outside, being held back by uniformed police and flimsy yellow barricades.

“We have to do this again?” Dana asked, gripping Kevin’s arm a little tighter.

Denise ushered to the girls. “We go first, straight to the van, in as fast as you can. Boys will follow.”

Brett went first with Leighanne and Dana. Megan and Denise walked together behind them with Jack.

“Be careful out there,” Megan said to AJ before leaving.

“Same to you.”

The doors were pushed open and the four women headed out to the van parked about twenty feet away. When they were halfway to it, the Boys started their walk. Of course they signed autographs and chatted briefly with fans.

“How do they do it?” Megan asked to no one in particular as she half turned to watch.

“You mean the fans?” Denise said.

“Yeah. How can they keep going like that?”

“They thrive on the attention, especially AJ.”

Megan had to agree. AJ was hamming it up with Howie while fans snapped pictures. She laughed at how silly they looked. Then her eyes met with Kevin’s. It was only for a split second, but it was enough to make her uncomfortable. She turned away and focused ahead of her.

Leighanne and Dana were just a few steps away from the van when chaos broke out. The crowd had been pushing so hard against the barricades and each other that it suddenly snapped. People were falling onto the pathway, separating the Boys into two groups. Howie, Nick and Brian were the closest ones to the doors and their bodyguards had already grabbed them and were steering them back to the arena. AJ and Kevin were trapped in the middle of it all, as more fans started to jump around the fallen barricades to reach their idols.

Brett nearly shoved Leighanne and Dana into the van and slammed the door shut. Denise began pushing her way back to the arena, shouting orders into a handheld radio, Jack close behind. Megan was momentarily left alone in the crowd with no one to turn to.

She forced herself not to panic, even though she’d never been more terrified in her life. The flow of the people seemed to be moving towards the arena doors so she went with it.

She was doing fine until she tripped over someone’s foot and went down hard on the cement, smashing her left knee. She grimaced in pain and tried to get to her feet, but there were too many people moving around and she couldn’t get her balance.

Looking up, she saw a little girl, probably around five or so, crying hysterically and lying on the ground. Ignoring the pain in her knee, Megan took a flying leap and covered the child with her own body.

“Hold on, I’ve got you!” she yelled, but doubted the girl even heard her over all the screaming going on.

Cradling her, Megan stumbled to a standing position and tried to hobble in the general direction of the door. She caught a glimpse of dark spiky hair and recognized Kevin, hurridly being pushed to safety.

“Kevin!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “KEVIN!”

Just then, Megan received a hard blow to her side and she fell once more, rolling with the little girl so she was on top of her again, protecting her from the crowd’s heavy footsteps. She thought she heard AJ yelling her name.

Kevin whipped his head around in time to see her go down and his heart jumped wickedly into his throat. He wrenched himself free from his bodyguard and tore his way back to Megan.

He was able to reach her without hurting any of the fans with his pushing. He quickly scooped her and the little girl into his arms and began shoving again to get them inside. He called out for help and several bodyguards and police officers surrounded him and escorted them into the arena.

“Megan!” AJ cried, rushing over. “Omigod, someone get a doctor, an ambulance, call 911!”

“The dressing room,” Kevin shouted, still carrying Megan and the girl.

AJ, Brian, Nick, Howie and Denise quickly followed while the bodyguards made sure the entrance was secure. Kevin kicked open the dressing room door and went straight to the sofa where he set his precious cargo down.

AJ fell to his knees beside the sofa and hugged Megan so tightly she thought her ribs would crack.

“Mommy!” the little girl cried, gripping Megan. “Where’s my mommy?”

“Shhh, it’s okay, we’ll find your mommy,” Megan soothed. She sat up with AJ’s help and placed the child beside her. “What’s your name?”

“Krissy Lawson. My mommy was with me, and then we got split,” she explained. “Her name is Janey.”

Denise was busily talking on her radio. “Dana and Leighanne are on their way back to the hotel with Brett, they’re fine. We’re going to search for the mother now.”

“Megan,” AJ said. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

She nodded. “My knee, I fell on it. And my stomach and back hurt too.”

Denise took care of Krissy while AJ attended to Megan. Her knee was going to bruise for sure, that much he could tell. He gently turned her and lifted her shirt to reveal a dozen small puncture marks on her back.

“Damn!” Nick exclaimed, running out of the room in search of ice.

“Girl, you got trampled on pretty bad,” AJ said softly.

“Some bitch with stiletto heels most likely,” Megan snorted. “Oooh, owww.”

A bruise was starting to form on her right side and her knuckles were scraped and bloody as well.

Nick returned with a bucket of ice and some rags. Brian looked behind him at Kevin, sitting in a chair.

“Hey, cuz, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. How’s Megan?”

Megan waved at him and winced as AJ pressed a cold rag to her back.

“I’ll live. Thanks for saving us.”

He shrugged. “I wasn’t going to leave you out there.”

“Well, thank you anyway.”

“Yeah, thanks!” Krissy piped up.

Denise’s radio crackled. “Yeah, bring her in, we’re in the back dressing room,” she said. She dropped the radio to her side and hugged Krissy. “Your mommy is on her way, sweetie.”

Howie knelt beside Denise and Krissy and smiled.

“Hey, cutie, are you a big fan of ours?” he asked.

“Uh huh. A huge fan.”

“How huge?”

The girl held her arms out as widely as she could, an enormous grin on her face. Howie chuckled.

“That big, eh? Do you have tickets to tonight’s show?”

“Yeah,” Krissy answered, making a face. “But they suck.”

“Well I think we could fix that, right guys?”

Everyone nodded and voiced their agreement.

“How would you and your mommy like to come up on stage with us tonght for a special song?”

“Really?!”

“If your mom says it’s okay.”

“Oh she will!”

A minute later the door burst open and in flew Krissy’s mother.

“My baby girl! Oh, Krissy!”

Krissy jumped from Denise’s lap and ran straight for her.

“Mommy! I was rescued by Kevin! And Howie wants us to come up on stage tonight for the show! Mommy, you’re squishing me.”

“I’m sorry, I just want to hold you. I thought I’d lost you out there, are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Mommy. Kevin saved me!”

Janey Lawson seemed to notice for the first time just who was in the room with them and blushed a deep red.

“I am soo sorry for being trouble for you,” she began to apologize.

Kevin held up a hand and said, “It was no trouble. But Krissy’s giving me too much credit. It was really Megan over there who did all the hard work, and she’s got the war scars to prove it.”

“I’m fine,” Megan said, then hissed through her teeth when AJ touched a bruise on her back.

“Sorry, babe,” AJ said, kissing the tender skin.

Denise tapped Janey’s shoulder and said, “Ms. Lawson, I’m Denise McLean-”

“AJ’s mom, hi.”

“Hello. Can I speak with you about arrangements for tonight?”

“You’re actually serious?” Janey asked in disbelief.

Brian jumped in. “Yeah, it’s during our song, ‘The Perfect Fan.’ We bring up five mothers with their daughters and serenade them. We’d like you and Krissy to be one of those pairs.”

“Well, um,” Janey stuttered.

Krissy took over and yelled, “Yes! Can we be with Kevin?”

“Sure thing, sweetie pie,” Kevin said, coming up to them and kissing her cheek.

“Goody.”

Denise smiled and suggested they go somewhere to talk so that Megan could be taken care of. Once they had left, Brian, Nick and Howie hovered over Megan to see just how bad her injuries were.

“I’m fine!” she declared. “I’m just gonna be sore for a couple of days, no biggie.”

“You could have been killed,” Nick breathed.

That thought had never occured to Megan and a shiver ran up and down her spine. “Holy God,” she whispered in a trembling voice. “I could have. . .”

AJ immediately wrapped his arms around her and let her cry against him.

“Way to go, Nick,” Brian scolded. “Now you’ve really freaked her out.”