Chapter Thirteen

Justin winced at Joey's choice of words. He knew he was just rubbing it in Megan's father's face that she was hurt, but did he really have to say things like that in front of him? He was tempted to rip the phone from Joey's hands and give Kevin Ardini a piece of his mind, but Joey seemed to have things under control. He yelled into the phone for a few more minutes before slamming it down, mumbling profanities.

“She's not dying, is she Joe?” Justin asked, sounding like a scared child.

“No Justin.” Joey sighed. “Look, I'm sorry I said that. I was just trying to get a point across.”

“He's not coming to see her?”

“I doubt it. Her mom either.” Joey let out a small laugh. “I can't believe I actually thought that they would come. I mean, sure I’d much rather be in Tahiti than in a hospital room watching over my best friend, but hell, he's her father. You'd think that he would postpone it a few days or something, just to make sure she was okay.”

“Well, at least she has us.” Justin said.

“She's lucky to have you, J.”

“I should have protected her Joe.” The younger man said through clenched teeth.

“There was nothing you could do Justin.” Justin just frowned in disagreement. Joey watched as he turned back to Megan.

He hadn't moved from that spot for 5 days. The only time he had moved was to change his clothes, which he asked Lonnie to bring for him, and to go to the bathroom. When he did get any sleep, it was in the very uncomfortable plastic chair that the hospital provided in the room.

Justin insisted that they finish the tour without him. There were only a few more dates left and he didn't have the heart to disappoint his fans any more than having him not being there. Johnny told Joey, who was the best liar out of the 5, to make something up about Justin not being there. At the concert, Joey had said that there was a family emergency and Justin had to leave for the remainder of the tour. Justin did call in that night, apologizing that he couldn't be there, saying everything he knew they wanted to hear. Little did they know, the concert was the last thing on his mind.

Megan had taken a turn for the worst. Just when the doctors thought that she might wake up, she slipped into a coma. The doctors had told him that the longer she was in the coma, the slimmer the chances were that she would live. They also said that if she did live, she might not ever be the same again. It had hit Justin like a ton of bricks. He had lost too many people in his life and if he lost Megan, he didn't know what he'd do.

His grandmother had died earlier that year, Justin had been heartbroken. After the funeral, he had locked himself in his room and cried for days. One of his best friends had died of leukemia in 2002 and the tragic death of his very close friend Aaliyah in 2001 had hit him hard also.

Her funeral had been beautiful. There were what seemed like thousands of roses all over the place and hundreds of other "celebrities" were there. Britney had gone with him and cried a little too hard. She hadn't known Aaliyah like Justin had. At Mtv's 20th Anniversary party they had spent many hours talking about the business and maybe someday collaborating just weeks before God had taken her away.

Britney was just drawing attention to herself. She was always one to be in the center of attention and it just depressed him even more having her there causing a scene. He had lost a close friend to a plane crash and there he was, comforting his overemotional girlfriend. It was one of the worst days in his life.

They say it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all...if anyone would have said that to Justin right now he would have punched their face in. He wasn't ready to lose Megan. She was so young and had so much more to do before she died. Stop thinking like she's already dead. Justin thought. She's gonna be fine...I hope - no - I know - she's gonna be fine...

"Justin?" a sweet southern voice broke Justin's train of thought. He spun around and for the first time in weeks, his eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Momma!" He exclaimed suddenly twenty years younger. He jumped to his feet and ran to his mother who took him into her arms. "I'm so glad you're here."

"When JC came over after he got home and told me what happened I started planning to come up here." She said holding him tight.

"I'm goin' crazy Ma." He said softly.

"How is she?"

"It doesn't look good." Justin said sadly. "The doctors say that the longer she's in a coma, the worse her chances are." Lynn walked over to the bed and sat in Justin's chair. She moved a curly lock of hair from Megan forehead and frowned.

"Who did this to her Justin?" She asked.

"Her ass hole ex-boyfriend - sorry." He never cursed in front of his mother but the thought of what Jacob had done to Megan made his mind went crazy.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know - and he's luck too because if I did know I'd beat the living shi-" He cut himself off before he said something he would regret.

"I know Justin." She smiled softly. "I know."

"I'm so scared Momma." Lynn patted her leg and Justin immediately sat in front of her and laid his heads in her lap.

"I know you're scared baby." She said stroking his hair like she did when he was a child.

She had never seen him this vulnerable before. He had always been a strong kid, not one to really show his feelings. Even as a child he rarely cried. Scraped knees and broken bones didn't seem to phase him at all. Now that she thought about it, the only time he really shamelessly threw his feeling out for everyone to see was when he had a broken heart. His heart was broken. She knew that if his heart broke too many more times, it might not be able to get put back together again. Someone had hurt her only child. And she was ready to kill whoever it was that was causing him so much pain.

"I can't stand seeing her like this." Justin said, his voice cracking slightly.

"I can't stand seeing you like this."

"I wish I could rewind everything and fix it all."

"But you know you can't do that, angel." She told him.

"I just keep praying that she'll wake up and stop this hurt that I have right here." He put a hand over his heart. "I hurts so bad Mom."

A tear slid down Lynn's face as she leaned over and kissed his hair. "I know it hurts baby. But you have to be strong...for Megan."

"I'm trying..." He said.

Lynn lifted his face and looked him in the eye. "Justin, you have to get out of here. You're going to go have a breakdown if you don't"

"What do you mean?" Justin asked. "I can't just leave."

"I have the key to JC's house, it's only five minutes from here. Just come there with me, eat something decent and get a good nights sleep and you can come back tomorrow." She explained.

"No. I'm not leaving her side until she wakes up. Then, maybe, I'll leave." Justin stood up and pulled another chair up to the bed. He planted himself in that chair and gave his mother a defiant look.

"Justin, you may be 22 years old but I am still your mother and I didn't teach you to talk to me like that." Lynn didn't want to be harsh with him, especially not now, but when she walked in and saw what he looked like, she knew she had to get him out of there. "Now get your stuff. We're leaving."

"No. I'm. Not." Justin said slowly. "I'm not leaving her."

"I came here to help you. And what you need is a good meal and a decent bed to sleep in!" Lynn stood up and started gathering Justin's things.

"But Momma - "

"Don't 'but Momma' me Justin Randall." She said firmly. "You're going to get sick if you don't do this. You've lived in this hospital for almost three weeks. It's. Not. Healthy."

As much as he hated it, Justin had to agree. He was getting tired of the drab green hospital walls. And the so-called "food" that they brought him was beginning to make him sick. She was right, JC's house was only a short drive away from the hospital so if anything happened to Megan, he'd be able to get there in no time. He also desperately wanted a good bed to sleep in. And some fried chicken with mashed potatoes...

"All right! I'll go. But if anything happens, I'm coming straight back here."

"Deal." Lynn smiled happily and handed Justin his bag. "I'll bring the car around." Justin gave her the keys to his BMW when she held her hand out for them. "Be ready." She called over his shoulder as she hurried out of the room. Justin sighed and looked down at Megan.

"I'm sorry Angel Face." He said softly. "I'm so sorry." Of course, he got no answer. He leaned over and brushed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you." He whispered.

Then, Justin stood up and walked out of the room. He didn't look back once. He looked calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside, he was screaming.

Justin stomped angrily up the stairs and into the bathroom. He slammed the door and leaned up against it.

"Justin talk to me about this!" He heard his mother yell from the bottom of the stairs.

"I don't want to talk about it Mom!" He yelled back.

"But she's such a sweet girl and she's worried about you." Lynn said. "Why can't she come over? I haven't seen her in ages."

"First of all," Justin opened the door and stuck his head out. "Britney care's about no one but herself. And second, she doesn't want to come over to see you. She want's to come over to try to get to me."

"It's not all about you Justin. You have to learn that - " He slammed the door before she could say anything else. The last thing he needed was to hear was his mother preaching to him about his ego.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall behind him. How did things get like this? He asked himself. He walked over to the sink and leaned all his body weight against it. He quickly tore his shirt off deciding that it was too hot in the room for clothes. He lifted his head up from his slouched shoulders and studied himself in the mirror.

He looked at his curly locks and wished he had taken Megan's offer a few weeks ago and let her shave it all off. When he had it styled that way a few years ago, he actually enjoyed it. But Britney had hated it so much that she refused to comment on it at all. Justin smiled at the little triumph he could say he had now but quickly scolded himself for thinking about Britney when the woman he loves was in the hospital fighting for her life.

Justin quickly ripped off his khaki pants and wife beater leaving him in only his boxers. He remembered the promise he had made to his mother. A shower. Dinner. And sleep. Nothing else...How am I going to get out of this?...

Justin went over to the walk-in shower and turned the knobs still thinking intensely about his problem. After a few minutes of pondering in his head, he figured it out: A quick shower, enough dinner to please his mother, and then sneak out to the hospital when she went to sleep. He smiled and congratulated himself on being so damn smart. If I wasn't so good at getting out of things, I never would have made it this far. He thought happily. He stepped into the shower where he received his punishment for trying to outsmart his mother.

“FUCK!” He screamed, jumping away from the freezing cold blast that shot from the wall. He heard a knock on the door.

“Justin?” His mom called. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah mom!” He called back, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and continued. “Um…Could you make some dinner?…maybe some…OH! Some fried chicken! And…Some mashed potatoes! And some Mac & Cheese!…” He rattled off a few more requests forgetting his plan to only eat the minimum.

“OK…I’ll have your order done by Christmas.” Lynn joked.

“Well, that was hilarious.” He shot back.

“I know.” She chuckled. “Just finish your shower and come downstairs.”

“OK.”

Justin reached around the icy water and adjusted the temperature to his liking. He stepped under it and almost groaned. It felt incredible. He stood there for a few minutes letting the water run down his chest through his hair and over his face. He reached for some shampoo but something caught his eye. Megan's necklace; the one he found on the floor that day. He'd had the chain fixed a while after Megan was taken to the hospital and hadn't taken it off since.

Justin picked the small heart shaped pendant off his chest and opened it. Inside was a picture of her and him on one side, and just him on the other. Both had been taken in Central City, Colorado on Valentine's Day, the day he had bought the necklace for her.

They had been running all over town gambling and having fun. After leaving a casino, Justin took Megan into town to restaurant for dinner. On the way there she spotted a small jewelry store. She ran up to the window and pressed her nose against the pane like a child looking into a toy store at Christmas.

~~**~~

"Ohhhh, Justin. Look at that one!" She tugged on his jacket sleeve. He leaned over her shoulder.

"Which one?" He asked. She pointed to the locket in the very center of the display.

"That one." It was a white gold locket with a diamond heart in the middle. It had a place where you could inscribe something on the back.

"That's nice." He nodded. "Do you want it?"

"Are you crazy?!" She asked. "That's probably over $500!"

"Like I don't have it?! Just come on!" He said dragging her into the store. 30 minutes later, they came out $575 dollars poorer, but that necklace was firmly attached to Megan's neck.

"Justin you really didn't have to do that." Megan said modestly.

"Oh, quit acting like you didn't want it." He said pulling her against him as they walked down the street.

"I did." She blushed profusely. "And that inscription is so sweet." She picked up the locket and turned it over. "You brought light to this "super" star."

"Well, it's true." He smiled. "I never shine brighter than when I'm with you."

"Awwww." She crooned. "You're such a sweetie."

"Not to sound all mushy or anything, but it is true." He stopped and leaned against a building. He pulled her into his arms and she buried her head in his chest. "Everyone expects me to be this perfect person and act like this...superstar. But you...you don't hold me up on this huge pedestal. You don't think of me as some Rock Superstar. You treat me like a normal person. Just like earlier: You didn't drag me into that jewelry store and demand that I buy this for you. I had to drag you in there. That's never happened before."

"You know I'm not like that Justin." She said looking up at him. "I don't like to be waited on. I like to take care of myself and not have to depend on other people to do things for me. I never would have been able to get myself something like this...it just makes it even more special because it's from you."

He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly. "I love you, Angel Face."

"I love you too, baby."

~~**~~

Justin snapped out of his daze and closed the locket. Silent tears were streaming down his face as he thought about that day. It had been perfect in every way. It hurt him to think that they might never have a day like that again. Throwing that thought away quickly, Justin grabbed the shampoo and washed his hair. When he was fully cleansed, he stepped out of the shower and wrapped a burgundy towel around his waist. He opened the door and padded down the hall to the guest room he was using. Just as he was opening the door, the doorbell rang loudly, echoing through the house.

"Justin, could you get that for me honey?!" He heard his mom call. "I can't leave this chicken on the stove cause it's almost done!" Justin sighed and walked down the stairs.

"Yeah mom." He answered jogging through the foyer to the front door. He adjusted his towel, wrapping it tighter around his waist and pulled the door open. His jaw dropped when he saw who was standing there. "Britney!?" The brunette spun around and smiled.

"Hey J." Her smile got wider as her eyes traveled over his body. "Well, well, well. Do you always answer the door in a towel or am I just special?"

"Trust me Brit, you're anything but special to me right now." Justin snapped. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"For your information, I was invited." She said holding her nose high in the air. Damn it, Mother! Justin thought.

"Well, we were about to eat dinner so maybe you should come back late-"

"Britney!" Justin was interrupted by his mother running up and taking Britney into her arms.

"Momma Timberlake!" Britney said hugging her just as tightly.

"Momma Timberlake." Justin said under his breath, imitating Britney's voice.

"Oh, honey it's been so long!" Lynn said not letting Britney go.

"I know. I missed you." Justin fought the urge to stick a finger down his throat. He just stood there, a disgusted look on his face, watching his mother embrace the girl that had broken his heart.

"You should stay for dinner!" Justin jaw dropped again. He couldn't believe this. "I made more than enough food so as long as Justin doesn't inhale it, there should be plenty."

"I would love to!" Britney's eyes moved to Justin. "You don't mind, do you J?" She asked sweetly.

"No." He mumbled through gritted teeth. He didn't want his mother to know he was upset, that would just cause problems.

"Great!" Lynn grabbed Britney's hand pulling her to the kitchen. "C'mon honey. You can help me make the Mac & Cheese."

"But, I usually help make the Mac & Cheese." He whined.

They didn't hear him. They were too busy chatting to pay attention to him. His own mother was too caught up in gushing over how good Britney looked with dark hair to notice the pained expression on her son's face. He was supposed to be the one cutting up vegetables for the salad, laughing at the story Lynn was telling, not Britney. It disgusted him. Seeing her there acting like nothing was wrong, when she knew damn well that everything was wrong. It wasn't right, having her here. Megan would be livid if she found out that Britney had seen him in only a towel. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if she found out that he had eaten dinner with her. He had to put a stop to this.

"Mom I don't think - "

"Justin go put some clothes on!" His mother interrupted him again. "Dinner's ready."

"But mom - "

"What did I say?" Lynn asked raising an eyebrow. He knew that look; it said 'Do it or there'll be hell to pay.'

"Fine..." Justin trudged up the stairs, making as much noise as possible. One night with Britney wouldn't be so bad as long as his plan to sneak out to see Megan worked. Please work...Please....