Nick arrived at the venue with Brian, Howie, and AJ. They went to their dressing rooms.       His cell phone rang.

        “Hello,” Nick said.

        “Nick, this is Laura,” Laura said. Laura was his wife’s mother. Brizee, his wife, had left him five years before. They were still married since he didn’t receive divorce papers. He hasn’t heard from her since she left. He was on tour and Brizee had told him that she would see him when he got home. When he got home, she was gone along with her stuff. He tried calling her but got a recording saying the phone number was no longer in service.

        “Hi Laura, how are you,” Nick said.

        “I’m fine, but Steve isn’t,” Laura said.

        “What happened?” Nick asked. Nick had kept in touch with Laura and Steve. They have not heard from Brizee since she left and they didn’t know where she was or why she left him. Laura assured Nick at the time that if she knew where her daughter was, she would tell him.

        “Steve had a heart attack, it was massive, they couldn’t save him,” Laura said.

        “Oh man, Laura, I’m so sorry,” Nick said.

        “The pi you hired to track down Brizee, he found her, he couldn’t get ahold of you so he called me, she’s there in Dallas,” Laura said.

        “Where?” Nick asked.  Laura gave him the address.

        “She doesn’t know she was found, he didn’t make contact with her, she’s been going under the name of Britney Cartman,” Laura said.

        “Cartman, that is the name I go by,” Nick said.

        “I know, please go to her and bring her home,” Laura said. Nick closed his eyes.

        “I will, tonight’s the last show of the tour, I’ll bring her home,” Nick said.

        “Thank you, Nick, you are like a son to me,” Laura said. Nick smiled.

        “And you are like a mother to me, I’ll bring her home, even if Billy has to throw her over his shoulder and drag her home,” Nick said.

        “Do what you have to, she needs to come home to us,” Laura said. Nick told her bye and hung up. Brian, Howie, and AJ came in.

        “Nick,” Brian said.

        “What,” Nick said.

        “You okay,” Brian said.

        “Steve died of a heart attack, and the pi I hired found Brizee, she’s here in Dallas,” Nick said.

        “After the show, we are going to get her,” Brian said.

        “I have to,” Nick said. They went onstage and performed.

Chapter 2

After the show, they showered and got their stuff together and went to the buses and put their stuff on there and got into the rental car and Nick drove to the address that Laura gave him. They got out and went up to the door and rang the doorbell. The door opened and Brizee stood there.

        “Hi honey,” Nick said going in. Brian, Howie, and AJ followed.

        “How did you find me,” Brizee said closing the door.

        “Private investigator, didn’t think I would find you, wife,” Nick said.

        “Nick,” Brizee said.

        “Why did you leave me, you said you were going to be there when I got home, I got home and you were gone, along with your stuff,” Nick said.

        “Nick, my life is better now,” Brizee said.

        “Better since you broke my heart and walked out on our marriage, we were happy, you promised you would be there when I got home, but you lied!” Nick said.

        “Brizee, you practically destroyed him when you left him, why did you do it,” Brian said.

        “I wasn’t cut out to be your wife,” Brizee said.

        “Then why did you marry me,” Nick said.

        “Because I loved you,” Brizee said.

        “But you don’t anymore,” Nick said.

        “I still do, but I don’t know if I can be a Backstreet wife,” Brizee said.

        “You are, Brizee, me and Leighanne have made it and we all had a double wedding, you remember, Leighanne misses you, she misses her best friend,” Brian said.

        “Oh god,” Brizee said covering her face.

        “Briz, you are my wife and I still love you as much as I did before,” Nick said.

        “Nick, I can’t come home,” Brizee said.

        “You have to, your mother called me, your father had a heart attack,” Nick said. Brizee sat down.

        “Nick,” Brizee said.

        “He didn’t make it, it was massive, they couldn’t save him, your mother needs you, I need you,” Nick said. He sat down beside her. Brizee covered her face in her hands and cried. Nick hugged her. She fell apart in his arms and buried her face in his chest.

        “Take me home!” Brizee cried. Brian, Howie, and AJ packed up her stuff. Nick carried her out the door and they went back to the buses and headed back to Florida.

Chapter 3

Brizee sat on the bus looking out the window. Her face was tear-stained. Nick sat next to her.

        “Why am I so stupid, to leave like that, not keep in contact with my parents, I never called them, who knows what my dad was thinking before he died, he probably thought I was dead or something, I would give anything to go back in time,” Brizee said crying. Nick hugged her.

        “You didn’t know this would happen,” Nick said.

        “I always thought my dad was invincible, he hardly ever got sick, he was always healthy and now this, I never thought anything could happen to him,” Brizee said.

        “I know,” Nick said. The bus pulled up in front of the house. Brizee took a deep breath. She got off the bus and looked up and saw her mother standing on the porch. Nick got off the bus as AJ, Howie, and Brian got off their buses. Brizee ran to her mother and they hugged for a long time and cried. Howie’s cell phone rang. He went off to talk. Nick walked up to Brizee and Laura.

        “Nick, thank you for bringing her home,” Laura said.

        “It’s no problem,” Nick said. Laura hugged him.

        “You are like a son to me,” Laura said.

        “And you are like a mother to me, and Steve was like a father to me,” Nick said. Laura smiled and they all went inside. Howie held the guys back.

        “That was Jeff, they can’t postpone many of the dates,” Howie said.

        “How many can they?” Nick asked.

        “Two,” Howie said.

        “I can’t leave in two days, did you tell him what happened,” Nick said.

        “Yes, and they said they are sorry but there is nothing can be done,” Howie said.

        “I have to be here for them, I can’t leave them like this,” Nick said.

        “Nick,” Brizee said. He looked at her and Laura.

        “Jeff can’t postpone more than two shows, I’ve got two days before I have to leave,” Nick said.

        “Regardless of the situation,” Brizee said.

        “Yeah, I told him the deal and he said he can’t do it,” Howie said. Brizee grabbed Nick’s phone and called Jeff.

        “Jeff, this is Brizee, Howie told me the deal and that is not good, I need my husband with me, look, it isn’t hard to put the dates at the end of the tour, a week at the most, I know it’s short notice but no one knew this would happen, Jeff, my father was like a father to him, I can’t go through this without him, look, they will still get to see them at the end of the tour, it isn’t hard to move a week’s worth of shows to the end of the tour, you know what, you are a jerk,” Brizee said. She hung up and gave Nick his phone and went inside.

        “I guess that wasn’t good,” AJ said. Howie’s phone rang. He looked at it.

        “Nope, Jeff’s calling,” Howie said. He went to take the call. Nick went to Brizee’s old room.