Only in Your Dreams: Chapter 3
2 weeks later�
Justin stood in the open doorway watching his mother move back and forth across her bedroom as she packed the two suitcases lying open and half full on her bed.
�Geez Mom. Do you think you�ve left room for the kitchen sink?� the young man said with a smirk.
�Don�t forget that you�ll be shopping while you�re at Aunt Dora�s, so leave some room in one of those,� he added as he pointed across the room at the rapidly bulging suitcases. Lynn gave her son an exasperated look.
�I don�t know how long I�ll need to be gone at Aunt Dora�s and there is no way that I could ever outdo you and your shopping, Justin.� With that remark, Justin laughed out loud.
�Seriously Mom. I�m sure she has a laundry room for you to wash your stuff, so don�t take so much with you,� Justin said as he made his way to the bed and sat down.
�Well, I just want to be able to concentrate on her needs instead of my needs, okay?� Lynn called out from her walk-in closet. �Besides that, I don�t know exactly how much shopping I�ll be able to do on this trip.�
Justin pushed her suitcases aside and lay down to watch his mother continue her frantic pace.
�Thanks for letting me invite the guys over to stay with me even though I AM 19 and I AM OLD ENOUGH to stay home by myself,� he said with a smile, knowing that his mother would catch the humor in his voice.
�Justin�ugh,� Lynn said in half frustration. �I know that you are old enough to take care of yourself and to stay by yourself, but I am glad that the boys are going to stay with you while I�m gone. That will be one less thing for me to worry about.�
To accentuate her relief, she paused long enough to brush her son�s cheek with a kiss before continuing with the job at hand.
�Ahh. How sweet. What a Kodak moment,� was heard from the doorway of Lynn�s bedroom.
Justin sat up and saw that Lance was standing just inside the room.
�Hey Poofoo! Watch it or you�ll have to share a room with Joey!� Justin called out with a laugh.
�No way Curly will I share a room with the snoring man,� Lance answered with a chuckle.
�Hey, I heard that!� yelled another familiar voice in the distance.
�Good. Joey�s here,� said Lynn �Has he looked, I don�t know, tired to either one of you?�
�Well, a little bit, Mom, but so does Lance,� Justin answered as he looked at his friend. He and the others had noticed that both Joey and Lance seemed to be more worn out lately during rehearsals and were sporting dark circles under their eyes.
Lynn glanced over at Lance, immediately noting that he did appear paler than normal. She then quickly walked over to his side and reached up to hold his face in her hands.
�I know that you boys will have fun, but I do want you and Joey to get plenty of rest,� Lynn quietly commented as she entered her mother mode. �You all have work to do for the next two weeks in the studio.�
�Yes ma�am,� Lance answered.
�I know that youth is on your side, Lance, but you need to learn how to pace yourselves just the same.�
Lance gave Lynn another shy smile. �Yes ma�am.�
�And that goes for you too Justin,� said Lynn as she turned to look at her son. Returning her attention to Lance she added Chris Joey and JC�s names to the order.
With her instructions finished, Lynn returned to her packing as she visited with the two young men.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Joey was nervously thinking about this sleepover thing. The nightmares he had been having these last two weeks were beginning to take their toll on him. He didn�t want to have to face they guys if he had another one. They might tease him and he just couldn�t handle that right now. With those thoughts in mind, his mood darkened a little further, if that were at all possible. He decided that if asked, he would still explain it away as just needing some rest and relaxation. Hopefully, he would get that here at Justin�s house. Joey sat on the living room couch and began to play a video game as he waited for the others to join him.
With her packing almost Lynn crossed the room and gave Lance a hug and kiss on the cheek as she spoke to him.
�I really appreciate you and the others coming over and staying with Justin. I hate leaving him while you�re in town and it�s not very often lately that I do get to see all of you.�
She continued speaking as she returned to the task of closing her suitcases, all the while, glancing about the room trying to figure out if it were possible that she had forgotten anything.
�I don�t know how much Justin told you about my trip, but my Aunt Dora needs support right now. My uncle died a few months ago and she�s still trying to deal with that. They were unable to have a family, so there was very little help for her during that period of time. And now, she is facing cancer treatments. I don�t know how she�s going to cope.� As she finished that last statement, her voice choked and she quickly sat down and put her hands to her face to stop the tears from falling. Justin and Lance quickly sat down either side of Lynn on her bed. Justin wrapped his arms around his mother in a tight hug as Lance ran his hand up and down her back in an effort to comfort her.
�It�ll be okay Mom.�
�Yeah,� added Lance. �With all the stories that you have told us Lynn about your aunt, she sounds like a real tough lady that will be able to handle this.�
�You know you can always call to talk to one of us, Mom.�
�We�re here for you Lynn.�
Lynn removed her hands from her face and put her arms around the boys. After giving them a tight hug, Lynn took a deep breath.
�Thanks guys. I really needed that.� She kissed each on the cheek and then stood up. �I need to make sure I�ve packed everything before I�m leave for my flight.�
Lance and Justin playfully shoved at each other a few times, before Justin spoke again.
�I wish I could drive you to the airport Mom.� Justin tried to duck Lance�s hands as they reached up to ruffle his already unruly curls.
�I know honey, but with Mike being unable to go with you, it would be just too much of chance for a scene and I don�t think I could handle that today.�
�I could wear a disguise and��
Lynn faced her son and put her hand up to stop his sentence. The look on her face also stopped Lance from his tormenting Justin anymore and he put his hands in his lap.
�Justin, we�ve been through all of this time and time again, and the answer is still no, sweetie.�
Regretfully, the phenomenal success of NSYNC prevented her son from carrying out an ordinary gesture as driving his mother to the airport. This was the price of fame that was sometimes hard to swallow for both mother and son. Well, for all of the families involved for that matter.
Justin hung his head and nodded. �Okay.�
Lynn then walked over to the two and ruffled both of their heads with satisfaction and a grin on her tired face.
�Lance, when will JC be here?�
�Pretty soon Lynn. He had some sort of errand to do down at the studio or something like that.�
�Do you think you boys could handle carrying these out to my car?� Lynn pointed to the suitcases as she made her way back into her bathroom.
�Sure thing Lynn.�
�Good grief Mom. Are you trying to give us hernia�s here?� exclaimed Justin as he pretended to struggle with one of the suitcases. Lance promptly thumped Justin on the side of the head and made his way past Lynn carrying the other suitcase.
�Hey!� Justin rubbed his head in mocked pain and quickly followed Lance through the door.
�Revenge will be mine Poofoo!�
�Yeah. That�s what they all say,� was his response.
Lynn stifled her laugh as she watched from the bathroom door as the two young men head down the hallway.
It had been several hours since Lynn had left on her flight to San Diego and the boys were outside playing a fierce game of basketball. Lance had decided to sit out the game and watched the on going battle with amusement. JC and Justin had dominated the game for the last 15 minutes and Chris and Joey had been pulling out all the stops in an effort to win the game. Justin had been taunting the two for the last 10 minutes and they had had enough. Chris called a time out and he quickly motioned for Joey to follow him to the far end of the court.
�Okay. It�s time to do it to him,� hissed Chris as he watched Justin, laughing out loud at the two of them from across the court and performing his little victory dance.
�Yeah,� smiled Joey wickedly as he nodded in agreement. �I�ve been wanting to see fro boy fall off that pedestal he�s on.�
He turned and waved at the still dancing Justin.
�You old folks ready to complete this butt whippin�?� Justin asked with a grin wide enough to split his face.
�Oh yeah,� replied Chris with a slight wink at Joey.
�Let the butt whippin� begin,� yelled Joey as he turned to face Justin and then returned his attention to Chris.
JC noticed the wink and sly grin that Chris gave Joey and inwardly, he groaned. He knew something was going to happen and Justin would not be a happy camper in the end.
Chris and Joey walked slowly back across the court to Justin and JC. They were doing a great job of hiding their amusement over what would be happening in just a few minutes and Justin seemingly had no idea that something was going to happen. The ball was quickly put back into play with JC passing it to Justin who immediately began dribbling the ball toward the hoop. Chris quickly began reaching for Justin�s arms and face, lightly slapping him in an effort to distract him.
�Hey! Watch it!� yelled Justin as he tried to advance past Chris, but his efforts were unsuccessful.
Chris smiled wickedly as he jumped up and down in front of Justin, again trying to further distract him by pulling his hair. As this was happening, Justin did not realize how close Joey was behind him. Suddenly, he felt a distinct draft against his rear end as Joey quickly pulled his shorts down.
�What the�� screamed Justin as he struggled to dribble the ball and reach down to pull up his shorts at the same time. That was the one instant that Chris needed to snatch the ball from Justin�s grasp and surge to the hoop scoring the final and winning point of the game.
Lance and Joey instantly doubled over, breathless with laughter as they watched the look on Justin�s face as he still struggled to pull up his shorts. JC completely collapsed onto the ground, laughing so hard that tears began to fall as he watched Chris begin his own version of a victory dance in front of the red faced Justin who stood completely speechless as he watched what was going on around him. He quietly lay the ball down and walked off the court to the water hose lying on the ground.
�Uh oh,� said Lance, as he looked up to see the expression on Justin�s face as he approached them with the hose.
�Huh?� was all Joey was able to say before he was hit in the face with a steady stream of cold water.
�REVENGE WILL BE MINE!� Justin screamed as he began spraying the others as he chased them around the yard. Justin chased the four others wildly around the back yard, which was quickly beginning to resemble a giant mud pit with all the water that was saturating it.
�Joey, get him from behind!� yelled one of the boys.
�I�m trying, but the little weasel is too quick!� Joey yelled as he attempted to weave and dodge around Justin.
�That�s because you�re an old fart!� Justin screamed as he blocked Joey�s attempt to circle him.
�Who you calling old fart brillo head?� That remark earned Joey a full blast of water in the face. Justin was finally beginning of the end when Lance managed to grab the hose and put a kink in it, causing the water flow to suddenly stop. With Lances move, the battle finally ended with Justin being wrestled down to the ground by the Chris and JC, and Joey was given the satisfaction of thoroughly soaking him. For once this entire week, both Joey and Lance were able to put the nightmares behind them as they had the time of their lives.
Two hours later, after showering and eating a casserole that Lynn had left prepared for their supper, the boys were ready to settle down to watch some videos. JC was looking through different videos that were stored on shelves in a closet of the living room.
�Let�s watch a comedy,� suggested Joey as he bounced into the room carrying a six-pack of sodas with Chris following behind carrying 2 large bowls of popcorn.
�No, we did that last time Joey and you laughed so hard that you threw up and Mom�s not here to help clean that up,� answered Justin as he settled down on the floor with his back to the couch.
Lance cringed at the memory as he made room for Joey sit on the couch beside him.
�How about an action video?� suggested Chris as he put the bowls of popcorn on the floor and made his way over to JC to help him choose a movie.
�Nah,� Was the general response.
�Well, I guess that leaves scary,� commented JC as he continued to flip through the collection of videos. �This looks like a good one.�
�What�s that?� asked Chris as he looked over JC�s shoulder to the video he was holding.
�It�s called �The Season�s End�.�
�Hadn�t heard of that one,� said Joey as he began opening up sodas and passing them out to everyone. No one but Lance noted the nervous edge to his voice. He knew what Joey was thinking and he did not want Joey to see anything that might not help them both have a good night�s rest. A comedy or action/adventure video would have been good for that.
�That must be the new one that a friend picked up for Mom,� answered Justin as he just caught the end of the looks that flew between Lance and Joey. He knew not to ask any more and decided to just ignore it.
�Oh yeah? What did she think about it?� Chris asked as he took the video from JC and put it into the VCR.
�I don�t think she really liked it too much. You know how she is about scary movies and all.�
The boys shrugged in agreement and found a place to settle down close to a bowl of popcorn as beginning credits started scrolling across the television screen.
Two hours and two more bowls of popcorn later the boys understood a little bit better why Lynn felt the way she did about scary movies.
�That was�I don�t know�kinda intense,� said Justin with a slight shudder, clutching a pillow closer to his chest.
�Definitely a night to leave the nightlight on,� chuckled JC as he stood up and stretched the kinks out of his legs.
Joey and Lance muttered their agreement as they busily picked up popcorn kernels that had made their way to the floor instead of their mouth.
�You got that right, man,� said Chris as he took the empty soda cans into the kitchen. Chris was soon followed into the kitchen by the rest of the group.
�Well, who�s rooming with who?� asked Chris as he washed his hands in the sink.
Justin and Joey crowded in beside him and began washing their hands also.
�I really don�t care as long as I don�t have to sleep in my room by myself,� said Justin nervously as a few of the gorier scenes from the movie replayed in his head.
�Couldn�t agree with you more on that one little fro man,� whispered Joey so softly that no one heard.
�I�ll stay in there with you,� said Chris. �Don�t worry, my little Michael J. wannabe. I won�t let the boogieman get you,� he added playfully as he gave Justin a pat on the back.
Justin tried to act angry at the remark, but his eyes held a look of relief with the thought that he wouldn�t be alone tonight.
�Well, that leaves three boys, two rooms, and four beds,� Lance said taking his turn at the sink along with JC.
�I�ll share with you Lance,� answered JC making room for him at the sink.
�So I guess I�ve got a room all to myself,� said Joey, with little enthusiasm.
That had not been the way that Lance had planned it, but maybe just being in a different environment would help Joey to actually make it through the night without a nightmare.
�What�s the matter Joey?� Chris asked as he crept up to him giving him his best vampire imitation.
�Worried that you�ll be facing the demons that stalk at night?�
Chris lunged at Joey, grabbing him around the neck and pretending to take a quick nibble.
�Stop it man!� yelled Joey as he backpedaled across the kitchen and ended up against the wall.
�Hey, I was just kidding Joey,� Chris replied when he heard the fright in his younger friend�s voice. He then quickly backed off with his hands up in surrender, giving him room.
�Hey. Lighten up Joe. He was only playing with you,� said Lance as he noticed Joey breathing heavily. He knew that tonight was probably not going to be a good night after all.
�I�m good. I�m good. I just need to go to bed,� said Joey as he quickly walked past the others without saying good night and headed for the stairway leading up to the bedrooms.
�Man. What�s eating him?� asked JC as he watched Joey quickly leave.
�Maybe that movie�I don�t know,� Justin replied as he finished cleaning up around the kitchen.
It was now or never, thought Lance. Enough was enough. The guys really needed to know what had been going on. He would deal with Joey later if he became upset with his breaking his trust.
�I think I know what might be bothering him, but you gotta promise that you won�t say anything to him, okay?� said Lance in a quiet voice.
Justin, JC and Chris turned to Lance.
�What do you mean by that?� Chris asked as he hopped up to sit on the nearby counter.
�Well, he asked me not to say anything to the rest of you because he didn�t want you guys to kid him about it.�
�Okay�so what gives?� stated JC as he sat down on a nearby barstool.
�Before I say anything, you have to promise me that none of this gets back to him, okay.� Lance looked at the three faces so seriously that they could only nod their agreement to the request.
�Okay. You know, he�s been a little short tempered these last couple of weeks�being un-Joey like,� Lance paused to watch the reaction from the others.
�Yeah,� commented Justin as he bent over to lean his elbows on the counter. �Joey said that he was just tired and needed some r and r.�
�And you�ve been pretty un-Lance like lately too,� said JC as he reached over and patted Lance�s arm.
�I�m sorry guys, but he asked me not to say anything and the pressure has been getting to me since I�ve tried to help him out.�
�Is there something wrong with him Lance? � asked Chris in shock. �He isn�t sick or something, is he?�
�No, it�s nothing like that.� He could see the others visibly relax with his reassuring remark.
�It�s just that he has been having some pretty intense nightmares these past 2 or 3 weeks that have been keeping him up at night.�
�That�s all,� said Chris. �We all get them from time to time. It�s not a big thing.�
�It�s big when your dream has your best friends being killed or attacked in some pretty hideous ways while you watch helplessly.�
�Are you serious?�
�As a heart-attack JC,� Lance quietly replied. �He is scared to death of the possibility that someone could even do those things to anyone of us.�
�But they�re just dreams Lance,� Justin said, trying to understand what could possibly be causing Joey to be so worried about his bad dreams.
�And besides that,� he continued. �We have plenty of security on the road to take care of us and we have each other.�
�Yeah�you�re right Justin, but Joey is still almost too scared to even close his eyes at night,� Lance answered as he uneasily shifted from one foot to the other before deciding to go on.
�Justin, remember that night that you spent over at my place?� Lance looked at the younger man who nodded his head.
�Yeah, but what about it?� he asked, not knowing what that night had to do with Joey�s nightmares.
�Well, Joey called at 3:00 that morning totally freaked out.� Lance looked down at his hands then brought his gaze back up to his friends and saw that he still had their attention.
�What happened?� Chris asked, not knowing if he actually wanted to know what was going to be said.
�Um�Joey was trying to find out if you were okay, Justin. He was crying�upset�it was so bad that I had to take the phone into the living room to show Joey that you were still alive and that it had just been a dream.� There�he had said it�he had broken his word with Joey, but he felt tremendous relieve in knowing that now the others could possibly reassure him and help him help Joey.
The boys shuddered at the news and instantly felt sorry for Joey. They never realized how bad things were and they felt somewhat guilty that they had not known more before this.
�Well, maybe being here with us will help him out. I mean, he does live alone and maybe knowing that we�re just across the hall or next door will reassure him a little,� suggested JC.
�Do you think one of us needs to sleep in his room with him?� asked Chris �I�d be happy to if you think that would help him out.�
�No,� Lance quickly answered, realizing that Joey would probably figure out that he had disclosed their secret.
�He might figure out that I�ve spilled the beans and then he�ll feel like he can�t come to me.�
Justin hesitated to ask the next question, but he knew that Chris and JC were probably thinking the same thing in their own minds.
�Lance. I need to know something,� he started.
�You want to know why he came to me with his problem and not one of you, right?� Lance replied with a small sigh, knowing that his explanation was probably going to hurt some feelings, but it had been Joey�s decision to call him in the first place and not the others.
�Yeah. I mean�I know you don�t want to hurt his trust or anything�.� Justin stammered.
�No�it�s okay,� Lance reassured him before answering the question. �Joey called me at 4:00 in the morning after the first nightmare since I have my own place, and he didn�t want to disturb any of you or your families.� Everyone nodded their heads in understanding. JC was living with Justin and Lynn in their home, while Chris was staying with his mother and four sisters while his apartment was being remodeled. Joey�s reasoning made sense and were considerate.
�Was the dream a pretty bad one?� JC asked. He was just trying to understand the intensity of the dreams. Joey had always seemed to be such an even headed, easy going person and it was a little unnerving, to say the least, that something like nightmares could be causing him such problems.
�The dream was so intense that he threw up,� Lance answered as he shuddered at the memory of that phone call.
The shocked expressions on the faces of his friends caused him to further explain the seriousness of the situation.
� Do you guys remember last week when Joey had that bruise on the side of his face?�
�Yeah,� JC answered. �He told me that he hit the wall or something like that.�
�Well, that�s not the whole story of what happened,� Lance countered with a sigh. He ran his hands over his head as he continued speaking.
�He had a really bad nightmare and called me. He was pretty shook up and I told him that I would be over in a few minutes to talk to him and sit with him so that he might get some rest.� Lance�s voice dropped to a near whisper with his next statement.
�When I got to his place I had to use my key to get in when he didn�t answer the door. I�um�found him in his bedroom getting up off the floor.�
�What had happened to him, Lance?� asked Chris with great concern. He didn�t like where the conversation was going. He quickly stepped closer to Lance then put his arm around his shoulder, and was disturbed to find that his friend was trembling slightly.
�Hey�why are you trembling?� Chris asked as he stepped away from Lance to look him in the eye. �Was it that bad?�
�He had fainted and when he had fallen to the floor, he had hit the wall on his way down.� Lance shuddered at the memory of how scared both he and Joey had been.
�If he hadn�t called me, he could have really hurt himself and no one would have found him until later in the day,� Lance added quietly. The others couldn�t help but shudder themselves at the thought of finding their friend like that and what could have possibly happened.
�What do you think we need to do?�
�I don�t know JC. I just don�t know.� Lance sounded defeated as he wearily ran his hands across his face and then dropped them to his sides. Justin immediately hopped off the counter, walked over to him and gave him a hug. JC and Chris joined them for had a group hug.
�We�ll get through this together,� said Chris as they released each other. �Let�s just see what happens tonight and take it from there, okay?�
Justin, Chris and Lance nodded their agreement to JC�s suggestion. They then headed toward the stairs to go to their bedrooms.
Later that night, Lance was startled awake by a loud cry coming from Joey�s bedroom.
�Oh brother,� groaned the young man, He slowly sat up and wearily ran a hand through his tousled hair and glanced at the clock sitting on the nearby nightstand.
�It�s 2:30 in the morning,� he croaked as he groped on top of the bedcovers for the shirt that he had opted not to wear with his sweats before climbing under the sheets only a few hours ago.
�I was hoping Joey could get just one full night of uninterrupted sleep tonight,� he silently muttered as he quickly slipped the shirt over his head and managed to leave his bed without waking his roommate JC. Lance stole a glance at the still figure, softly snoring in the bed next to his.
�That boy could sleep through a tornado,� he thought to himself as he opened the door to their bedroom and entered the dimly lit hallway to see that Justin�s bedroom door was opening.
�I guess that movie must have gotten to him,� said a bleary eyed Justin as he half stumbled his way out of the bedroom he was sharing with Chris to make his way down the hall toward Joey�s room.
�Yeah, I guess so,� replied Lance, meeting Justin half way down the hall.
�I hate knowing and not knowing what Joey�s going through,� said Justin as he shook his head. �You never would have know something was wrong because he laughed out loud during that movie tonight, every time someone had their bellies slit open and their guts and blood�.�
�That�s just not something that I need to relive Justin and we all know that Joey handles stress with humor,� said Lance as he gave Justin a playful shove. Justin recovered his balance and chuckled as he stretched slowly and then yawned.
�Okay,� replied Lance tiredly. �I guess one of us needs to go in there and wake him up.�
Justin�s reply was masked by another yawn. Lance stifled his own yawn.
�Look, why don�t you just go on back to bed, okay?� he suggested. �If I need any help, I�ll come knock on your door.� Lance watched Justin silently nod as he turned around and shuffled back to his bedroom. Lance waited for Justin�s door to close before he continued to Joey�s bedroom door. He softly knocked on the door.
�Hey man, you okay in there?� whispered Lance. Getting no reply, he gripped the doorknob and slowly pushed open the door. He heard quiet whimpers coming from within the darkened room. The dim light from the hallway barely reached into bedroom.
�Joey? Joey?� Lance called out when he had entered the room, then turned on a small lamp sitting on a nearby desk. With the added light, Lance glanced at the rumpled bed covers and saw that the bed was empty. He shivered when he felt a chill wind softly sweep through the room from the opened window across the room and drew his arms across his chest in an effort to keep warm.
�Good grief. Is he trying to catch a cold?� Lance mumbled as he quickly crossed the room to the window and silently closed it. Turning around he looked up as he heard another slight whimper and then a very small voice chanting repeatedly
�I didn�t mean to do it. It�s not my fault. I didn�t mean to do it.�
Lance followed the voice to the other side of the bed where he found Joey, crumpled in a heap on the floor between the bed and wall.
�Hey, Joey�you alright?� Lance asked in a concerned voice noting that Joey�s shirt and shorts clung to his body, damp with sweat. Joey�s face and arms also seemed to be covered in a layer of sweat even though the room was chilled from the open window. With a closer look, Lance could see that Joey�s eyes were open, but were unseeing and that he was violently trembling. Lance waved a hand in front of Joey�s face and received no reaction at all.
�Man, he�s still asleep.� Lance got down on hands and knees and crawled between the bed and wall toward Joey.
�I didn�t do it. It wasn�t me,� continued the small voice in a tortured manner as Lance reached Joey�s side.
�Joey, you need to wake up, man,� whispered Lance. Getting no response, Lance repeated in a louder voice.
�Hey, Joey. Dude, you�re having a bad dream. You gotta wake up.�
Lance reached toward Joey�s shoulder to gently shake him awake.
�Hey, Joey. Come on man. You�re having a night...�
Lance was unable to finish his sentence. Just as he touched Joey�s shoulder, Joey�s slumped body suddenly came to life. �NO! NO! NO!� Joey screamed at the still vivid image in his mind as he punched violently into the air, connecting with Lance�s chin. Lance managed to yell out Justin�s name before he succumbed to the darkness racing toward him when his head made contact with the nearby hard frame of Joey�s bed with a dull thud.