A couple days had passed and JC still hadn’t gotten any of his memory back. The doctors were at a loss. There was nothing else they could do for him at the hospital. He suggested that JC go stay with his family or with one of his friend’s until he started to remember things. Together the guys decided that JC would stay with Justin. There was plenty of room in the house and JC has lived with Justin in the past.
Before the doctor released JC, he pulled Justin aside. “I just wanted to reassure you that JC hasn’t lost his memories.”
Justin looked at him with confusion. “I’m sorry; I’m not sure what you mean.”
The doctor smiled and continued, “His memories are still there. It’s like they are locked up tight in a box. Only JC can find the key to open it.”
“What else can I do to help?” Justin asked.
“You’re doing everything you can. You’ve shown him pictures and told him stories to try and jog his memory. The only think I can suggest is that you continue to be supportive and patient. JC will get his memory back when he is ready.”
Justin thanked the doctor before entering JC’s room. He found his friend sitting on the bed holding his duffel bag in his arms on his lap.
“You ready to go?” Justin asked.
JC nodded. He stood and heaved the duffel on his shoulder and followed Justin out the door.
“OK, let’s get going,” Justin said to JC as he closed the trunk of the Mercedes. JC looked at the blonde in frustration.
“Are you sure this is ok. I mean I can just go home. I do have a home right?” Justin sighed. He could already tell JC’s road to recovery was going to be a long, difficult one.
“I’m positive it’s ok man. To answer your question, yes you do have a home. In fact I am going to take you by there in a few days. I would do it today, but the doctor thought that it might be a little too much stress on you, but he thought it would be a good idea for you to look around...maybe jog your memory some.”
“Well if we are going there, why can’t I just stay there?” JC asked, a puzzled look apparent on his face.
“C, we all think it would be better if you moved in with somebody for awhile. Having more contact with people and talking about the past might help you get your memory back.” JC continued to stare at Justin in confusion. Justin gave the older man a reassuring smile and patted him on the back. “Come on let’s go,” he continued, motioning towards the car. JC sighed before getting in the car.
The ride started out in complete silence as Justin slid behind the wheel and began to drive towards the exit of the Sand Lake Hospital. JC looked around, taking in his surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. Justin didn’t know what to say to the guy sitting next to him that he had known just about his entire life. The man was like a brother to him and yet it was like they had never met.
Justin reached over and flipped on the radio to try and slow down his racing mind and to ease the tension. He flipped through the stations for a while until he found one that he thought he could deal with. JC listened to the music in deep concentration. Justin smiled as JC bobbed his head along with the music. A few minutes later some familiar notes filled the air. Justin rolled his eyes and reached to turn the station. He made it a habit to never listen to any of their music on the radio.
“Wait,” JC said suddenly and reached out to stop Justin. “I want to hear it. It sounds like a good song.” It suddenly hit Justin what was going on. He sat in silence as JC listened to the song. “This is a good song. I like it. It’s got a good melody. The words flow well.” Justin sighed and looked at his friend.
“JC,” Justin said, sadness could be heard in his voice. “That song is called ‘The Two of Us’...JC, you wrote that song, that's us singing.” Justin told him. JC sat in complete silence as the song kept playing.
“I wrote that?” He asked his bandmate. Justin stared straight ahead at the road and barely shook his head. He hated seeing JC this way. He had never thought it was going to be this hard. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how JC must have been feeling.
“Wow...this all just seems so unreal,” JC said in a daze.
“You’re telling me,” Justin mumbled under his breath.
“Huh?” JC said, turning to his friend.
“Oh, nothing,” Justin replied.
The rest of the ride was in silence. JC still had a look of amazement on his face when they finally pulled up in front of Justin’s house.
“Well this is it,” Justin said as he opened his car door. He turned to JC. “Mi casa es su casa buddy!”
“Thanks man,” JC replied.
(Later that day)
Justin stood for a few minutes with his lean body propped against the doorframe. His sparking blue eyes were fixed on JC. The older man was staring out the window of his current bedroom. Finally curiosity got the best of Justin; he had to know what his friend was so fascinated by. He took a few long strides across the room to stand beside JC.
“Yo man, what’s up? What are you looking at?” Justin asked.
“I was just looking around. You have a beautiful backyard.” Justin had to laugh at that.
“Wow, that’s the first time you have ever said that. You have always told me that my backyard looked like cow pasture with a watering hole compared to your backyard.”
“Hmm…” escaped JC’s mouth as he thought about what Justin had just said. He went back to staring out the window. Justin sighed. It was hard to even have a conversion with him now. Justin reached up and scratched his head before speaking again.
“Well JC, I have some things to do in town. Why don’t you just stay here and rest up. Make yourself at home. If you get hungry, help yourself.”
“Yeah, thanks.” JC answered, half-listening to what the blonde was saying.
“Ok…I’ll be back later. Don’t go anywhere ok, just stick around here. I won’t be gone long.”
“Sure,” JC mumbled as he continued to stare out the window.
JC walked around the house trying to get a feel of the layout. He had just arrived in the kitchen when he heard his stomach growl. He walked over to the fridge to make himself some lunch.
“Wonder what Justin has to eat,” JC thought outloud. He began to rummage though the refrigerator and the cabinets. He came up with a half-eaten slice of pizza, sour milk, a flat coke, some cereal, and a can of dog food. JC tried to remember if he had even seen a dog since he had been there.
‘Help yourself…yeah…it helps if there is anything to help myself to…Now what?’ JC thought to himself. Suddenly he remembered that they had passed a convenience store not far from Justin’s house.
‘I know Justin said not to leave, but it’ll only take a second to walk there and back. He wont even know I was gone,’ he thought to himself. Finally he made up his mind and decided he would walk down there and get some food.
Soon he was standing at the counter of the store where they served some pre-made simple foods. He was trying to figure out what he wanted when a man walked up to him.
“JC! What’s up man! Long time no see!” A man in his early thirties said as he slung his arm around JC.
“Um…hello,” JC replied a little uneasily.
“What, you don’t remember me? Oh that’s right I forgot about the whole losing your memory thing. Your mom told my mom about it.”
“Right…um…who are you?” JC asked the stranger.
“It’s me, Mike…your cousin. Your mom and my mom are sisters. I can’t believe you even forgot family.”
JC tried to place the man standing in front of him. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t make the connection in his brain. He felt bad about it. “Well…I…” JC started to apologize when he was interrupted.
“Oh don’t worry about it. I won’t hold it against ya,” Mike laughed and flashed a reassuring smile.
“Thanks,” JC almost sighed.
“Look, I know this isn’t the best time to ask. I really hate to do this, but I haven’t seen you in awhile.” JC looked at the man trying to figure out what he was talking about. “JC, I need to get back that money that I lent you.”
“Money? What money?”
“I let you use my credit card for some music software for you computer and some new equipment while we were shopping a couple of months ago. You had forgotten your wallet.” He explained.
“Oh!” JC answered surprised. “Well…um…how much do I owe you?”
“The software was five hundred and forty five. And the equipment was $2000. So it’s about $2545 total.”
“Geez…that must have been some great software,” JC mumbled. He couldn’t believe that he would have ever spent that much money on anything. He didn’t doubt what the man was saying though. ‘Why would family lie?’ JC thought to himself.
“Well you know, nothing but the best for the famous Joshua Scott Chasez,” Mike answered.
“Famous. Right. I keep forgetting,” JC said as he reached in his back pocket for his wallet. He opened it up to discover he only had sixty-two dollars on him. He pulled it out and handed it to Mike. “Look, this is all I have on me right now. I’ll get my friend that I am staying with to take me to the bank this afternoon to get the rest of the money I owe you. Will that be ok? I am sorry it has taken so long to get the money back to you.”
“It’s no prob man. Here let me give you my phone number since you probably don’t remember,” the guy laughed as he playfully hit JC on the shoulder. “Just call me when you get the money,” Mike said as he reached over to the food counter and grabbed a napkin. He quickly scribbled his number on the napkin and handed it to JC.
“Ok, thanks. I’ll call you later then.”
“Alrighty, talk to you later. Hope you feel better soon,” Mike said as he flashed one last smile. He turned around and sauntered out of the store.
JC was sitting on the couch in the living room when he heard the front door open and close. He quickly got up and went to the door. JC was greeted with the sight of Justin carrying in two grocery bags.
“Thank God! FOOD!” JC said when he saw the blonde. He quickly made his way over to Justin and took one of the bags. The two then walked to the kitchen. JC hastily began looking for something in the bags to eat.
“C, you act like you haven’t eaten all day,” Justin told him as he watched the older man dig through the bags.
“I haven’t!”
“Dude, I told you to help yourself to whatever was in here.”
“Justin have you looked in your kitchen lately?”
“Um…no. Why?”
“Unless I wanted to eat dog food, there is no food in here!” JC informed him as he opened up a bag of chips and began to munch on them.
“Oh…I guess I needed to go shopping worse than I thought I did,” Justin laughed while wondering why he even had dog food. He didn’t own a dog. JC suddenly remembered about Mike, he looked down to check his watch. They still had time to make it to the bank.
“Hey Justin, can you take me to the bank?”
“The bank? Yeah sure, but can it wait until tomorrow? I am beat.”
“I really need to go today.”
“What’s so urgent that is can’t wait until tomorrow?” Justin asked.
JC told him about the shopping trip and how long it had been since he’d borrowed the money. He explained that he promised to get back to Mike later that afternoon.
“JC, you don’t have a cousin named Mike,” Justin said slowly. He was really confused when JC got done telling his story.
“Maybe you just don’t know him. He said he was my mother’s sister’s son.”
“JC! Your mother doesn’t even have a sister!” Justin exclaimed.
“What? Justin, I am sure you don’t know everything about my family.”
“JC I have known your family forever. We practically grew up together. You mother doesn’t have a sister. There is no cousin Mike.”
“No…why would someone lie to me like that?”
“You just don’t get it do you? How many times have I got to tell you? You are not just some ordinary person! This is exactly why I told you to stay here!”
“Jeez, I was hungry and you had no food. What was I supposed to do? It’s not like I was gone long. Besides, Mike…”
“Mike, or whoever the hell that was is not your cousin.” Justin said as his face reddened with anger. “He was trying to take advantage of you!”
“But how could he have known so much about me?” JC asked, still confused.
“EVERYONE knows about you! A week doesn’t go by that we aren’t on TV. Anyone who watches the news or any kind of entertainment TV knows about your amnesia. You saw the news in the hospital. I can’t believe you still don’t get it!”
“So Mike isn’t my cousin?” JC asked. The information was finally starting to sink in.
“NO!” Justin yelled. He clenched his jaw and took a couple deep breaths to try and calm down.
“I guess I don’t need this then,” JC said as he pulled the napkin from his pocket and put it on the counter.
“What’s that?” Justin said as he walked over and picked it up.
“That’s Mike’s phone number. I told him I’d call him after I got the money.”
“How much money did he say you owed him?” Justin asked.
“$2545, but I gave him sixty-two dollars. It was all I had in my wallet. That’s why I didn’t get to buy anything to eat while I was there.”
“I can’t believe you gave him money,” Justin said, shaking his head as he crossed the kitchen and picked up the cordless phone.
“What are you doing?” JC asked.
“I’m going to give “Mike” a call. He and I are going to have a little chat,” Justin said as he punched in the numbers and held the phone to his ear.
The phone rang several times before someone finally picked up.
“Yeah,” the man on the phone said.
“Is this Mike?” Justin asked.
“Yep. JC? Wow, I didn’t think you’d get back to me this fast! Did you get the money?”
“Actually this is JC’s friend Justin and I don’t appreciate you trying to take advantage of my friend.”
“Oh, is this the pretty boy of the group?” Mike asked. “You can’t blame me for trying to get mine. It’s not my fault your friend is an easy target.”
“You’re pathetic. Taking advantage of someone when they are sick is so cowardly. Get a job man, JC doesn’t owe you anything!”
“Whatever man!” Mike said. It was obvious he was getting annoyed.
“I’d just watch yourself if I were you.” Justin replied plainly.
“Oh really? I’m so scared. NSYNC might come beat me up!” Mike said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“You’d just better hope that you don’t have a run in with our bodyguards. JC is like family to them and I know they would have some things to say to you.” Justin replied icily.
“Whatever.”
“And JC IS my family and if I ever run into you we will share more than words.”
“Is that a threat?” Mike asked mockingly.
“Nope, that’s not a threat, it’s a promise,” Justin said before clicking the off button on the receiver.
Over the next few days JC was under constant supervision. If Justin wasn’t there to “baby-sit,” then one of the other guys filled in. It was getting old really fast.
One afternoon he was sitting outside on Justin’s deck with Chris. JC was sitting there, arms crossed tightly while he glared out at the expansive backyard. Chris stole quick glances at JC out of the corner of his eye as he read the newspaper.
“I’m not a baby you know,” JC said crossly.
Chris set the paper down on the wood table and turned to his friend. “Who said I think you’re a baby?” He asked.
“No one had to say it. I haven’t been left alone for the past three days!” JC growled.
“What’s wrong with your friends wanting to spend time with you?” Chris gave him his best face of angelic innocence.
JC looked at him and rolled his eyes. “It’s a bit extreme with I feel like I have to ask for permission to go to the bathroom!”
Chris smiled sympathetically. “I’m sorry man, but you can’t blame us for worrying about you.”
“I can take care of myself though.”
The two sat in silence. Chris examined his friend’s face. He could see the frustration in his features and the sadness in his eyes. He couldn’t help but take pity on him.
“OK, I’ll tell you what. I have some errands to run so I’m going to take off. It’ll only take me an hour or two to get everything done and then I’ll come back. Justin shouldn’t be home for at least four hours. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him right?”
JC looked up, wide-eyed. “Really?”
“Sure, why not? Like you said, you can take care of yourself.” Chris pushed back his chair and stood up. “Like I said, I’ll be back within a couple hours. If you need me you have my cell number in your wallet.” He smiled and gave a little wave. He slid open the sliding glass door and disappeared into the house.
JC sat by himself on the deck. A smile slowly crept to his face. “Alone at last! Freedom!” he said to himself.
He stretched out and absorbed the feeling that now felt almost foreign to him.
He thought to himself, “I have two hours, what should I do?”
His mind was completely blank. The only thing he knew was that he needed to get out of that house. Everyday it had started to feel more and more like a prison.
He quickly got up and walked upstairs to his room. He grabbed his wallet off the dresser and put it in the back pocket of his jeans. He crossed the hall and went into Justin’s closet. He stared at his friend’s hat collection for a moment before selecting one. He pulled the navy blue baseball hat down on his head. He reached up and grasped the bill with his hands. He gently squeezed his hands together, effectively curving the bill so that it was just right. He stole a quick look in the mirror. He was satisfied that this should be enough to conceal his identity. He didn’t want anyone else to try and hit him up for money.
He walked down stairs and went to the kitchen. He pulled open the utility drawer and rifled through it until he discovered the set of spare keys.
He walked down the hall and emerged into the garage. In front of him sat two cars. One, a silver BMW Z3 Roadster. The other a black BMW 525.
“Ok, which one does this key go to?” He thought to himself as he stared down at the key emblazoned with the BMW logo.“Only one way to find out.” He pressed the “unlock” button on the keyless remote and heard a chirp. He saw the tail lights of the silver Roadster flash.
“Well that was easy enough,” he said out loud.
He reached up to the visor and found the garage door opener. He pressed the button and watched the massive door open behind him in the rear-view mirror. When the door was open enough he carefully backed out of the garage and down the driveway.
Once he was on the road he flipped through the preset radio stations until he found something he could live with. He hummed along to the song as he aimlessly cruised. He watched the scenery around him change from residential neighborhoods to an urban city.
He was still trying to decide what he wanted to do when he saw a sign that said to go to Belz mall, take the next exit. “That could be alright,” he thought. He signaled into the right lane and took the exit.
A few minutes later he found himself in the parking garage, parked in row 2G. He checked his reflection in the rear view mirror. He reached up and pulled the bill of his hat down a bit more so his eyes were less easy to see. He got out of the car and pressed the keyless remote. The car chirped in response.
When he entered the second level of the mall he gazed around at the once familiar sights that somehow seemed foreign to him. He walked over to the mall directory and scanned through the stores listed by category. He decided to just wander around and window shop.
He meandered into a Walden Books. After scrolling through the shelf, he chose a book that peaked his interest. He took the paperback up to the counter. The girl standing behind the counter had her back to him. She was completely engrossed in a conversation she was having on her cell phone.
He cleared his throat. “Uh, excuse me miss?”
“Oh I’m sorry!” She exclaimed. “Sara, can you hold on a sec? I’ve got to help a customer,” she said into the cell phone. She set the phone on the counter and turned around.
“How can I help you?” She asked. She looked up at the man in front of her. Her eyes grew wide with recognition. She quickly recovered.
He handed her the book and smiled as she took it to ring up.
“That’ll be$15.87 please,” the young brunette said.
JC grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and flipped it open. He pulled out his credit card. She scanned it and handed him the small credit card receipt that he quickly scrolled his name on the line.
She handed him the bag along with his receipt. She said, “Thank you.”
He flashed her one last smile and turned to leave.
The girl watched him disappear into the mall. As soon as he was out of sight she grabbed her cell phone.
“Sara, you are not going to believe who just came in here!”
JC walked to the food court and got in line at the Orange Julius counter.
He paid for his drink and was heading back towards the shops when he heard someone call his name.
He turned around and scanned the crowd of people. He didn’t think he recognized anyone, but then again he knew that didn’t mean much.
He shrugged his shoulders and turned back around. As he walked away he heard a couple girls squeal.
Again, he turned around to see what was going on. He noticed a couple of teenagers smiling at him.
He smiled back and gave a little wave before turning around again. He barely made it five steps when he felt someone grab his arm.
He turned around and immediately he felt several other people grab at his arms and shirt.
“What the…” was all that was able to escape his lips.
Within seconds he was surrounded by girls of all ages. He could hear them screaming his name as they reached out.
Fingernails began to sink into his skin. He heard a loud rip and felt his sleeve slide down his arm.
He tried to pull away, but the more he tried the harder they pulled and held on.
“Ouch! You’re hurting me!” He exclaimed to no one in particular. Pain was now cutting into him from every side, every angle.
“Help!” He tried to cry out. Rather than see anyone run to his aid, he watched the mob grow larger.
He felt someone grab his hair and pull…hard. Tears sprang to his eyes when the sound of his hair being pulled out by the roots echoed through his ears.
As the pain increased, the lights around him seemed to dim. The world around him faded to black. An almost inaudible “Help” escaped his lips one last time as his body fell limply to the floor.
Every face around the table was grim.
“We’re just lucky that the mall security was able to handle the situation. If they hadn’t gotten there when they did, those girls would have eaten him alive,” Johnny said.
“What did the doctors say?” Lance spoke up.
“At the hospital they checked him over. The doctor said he passed out from the stress of the situation. Besides some scratches and bruises he’s going to be fine. He’s been upstairs sleeping since he was released a couple hours ago,” Johnny replied.
“Well something has to be done. It’s obvious that we are not enough to keep JC safe,” Justin said as he shot Chris a look across the table.
“Hey man, this is not my fault!” he said as he held his hands up in the air. “If this didn’t’ happen when I was supposed to be watching him, it would have happened eventually.”
Reluctantly the rest of the group nodded in agreement.
“So does anyone have any suggestions?” Joey asked. He looked expectantly around the room.
“Well I know of one possible solution,” Johnny said slowly. “There’s a place just outside of Orlando called La Amistad. It’s basically a place that is completely secure and they would be able to keep JC safe. Also, the psychologists would be able to work with JC to help him regain his memory.” Johnny looked around the room to assess everyone’s reaction.
“So you want to put JC in the loony bin!” Chris exclaimed with a laugh.
Every head in the room jerked toward him. Justin shot him a dirty look. “This is not the time for jokes.”
“I’d rather not think of it as a ‘loony bin’ as you so delicately put it Chris,” Johnny said as he made a face.
“You just need to remind yourself that it would be for his safety. He would only be there until he regained his memory. At this point I’m not sure what else we can do.”
Everyone sat in silence while they let the suggestion sink into their minds.
“What do you think?” Johnny finally broke the silence.
Slowly they all nodded their heads.
Justin spoke up, “I’ll go pack his things.” Without another word he pushed his chair back, stood up and left the room.