Melody

* Song playing is "Melody" by Steve Perry *

Melody
Even in my life's confusion
I still feel you near
In my dreams
Telling me you're not illusion
You belong to me

"She's not coming back, Joe." Justin sulked as he stood by him near the cold window.

"I don't believe that." he said softly.

"Joey." Chris consoled him as they all gathered quietly.

The millionth tear escaped Joey's eye as he looked towards the four men that stood behind him. "She'll be back."

"God, Joe!" Justin screamed as he cried. "She's dead!"

"Justin!" JC exclaimed as Justin ran down the hallway.

"Why is it like this? Why this way?" Joey turned back towards the window.

Lance joined the conversation and dared to go near Joey who had developed schizophrenic symptoms an hour earlier.

"I know the situation between you and Melody was bad before the accident. I just want to say I'm sorry and if you need anything I'll be here." he said in a whisper.

Joey again became incoherient and started to mumble. "She was speeding. She was mad. I made her hate me. I shouldn't of let her go."

"Joe." JC joined Lance. "I think we should take you home. There is nothing we can do anymore here." he finished as the hospital waiting room started to fill up.

"No. Not yet." he began to rock back and forth. "She'll be here soon. Don't worry, she'll be here."

Chris shook his head and sighed behind them. They have never seen him like that in all the years that they had known him. It started to scare them. They never thought a girl would make him go crazy.

"Joe, she's not coming back." Chris became impatient. "Let's go home."

Joey totally ignored his last statement and continued talking to himself. "It was raining. She was crying. I broke her. I broke her. I kept her heart as I tore it out. I must give it back."

"Nurse!" Chris yelled down the hall.

"Can I help you?" she asked as she turned around from the direction she was walking.

"Remember my friend, Joey Fatone? He was unstable earlier?" Chris said as she met up with him.

"Yes, I remember. His girlfriend died an hour ago from an automobile accident?" she added.

Chris shook his head as he continued. "Yeah, well he's doing it again. We can't talk any sense into him. He is talking to himself, rambling one word sentences."

"I'll find the doctor that treated him earlier. Make sure he stays calm. I'll be right back." she replied and turned back down the hall.

"Let me go!" Joey yelled as Chris returned to the room. Everyone else in the area stood around and watched them closely.

"Joe, there is nothing more we can do here." Lance pleaded.

"Lance, let him go!" Chris charged in. "He needs to stay calm or he'll go totally insane."

"What are you talking about, Chris?" JC looked at him strangely. "He already has."

Chris looked to Joey who stood staring out the window into the dark night. The rain started to pound on the glass again as the lightning flashed in the sky.

"Joey are you okay?" Chris asked with a soft tone.

But Joey wasn't listening anymore. The rain was hitting the glass at a certain angle which made it seem as if it was coming right at him. The sound of the rapid contact to the glass echoed in his ears as if it was a hundred times louder. All he could see was a mangled car and a tree. The vision of Melody's lifeless body haunted every breath he took as if it should also be his last.

It was silent for a moment when without warning Joey snapped. "Stop!" he yelled loudly as he charged the glass and hit it with such force that it felt like the whole wall shook.

Everyone in the room quickly backed out and left as the doctor and two nurses came up behind the boys. They pulled his arms away from the glass with full force now that he had started to fight with them. The doctor injected a syringe full of a sedative quickly into Joey's arm and within seconds he calmed quietly and sat down easily on his own.

"I think I want to keep him overnight." the doctor finally spoke as he walked a little bit away from Joey with the three boys. "This might keep recurring if we don't watch him and the last thing we all want is for him to hurt himself."

"He's never been like this before." JC stated. "Is this normal?"

"It all depends on the situation and the mental stability of the person." the doctor replied. "He is going through post traumatic stress syndrome."

"That's understandable, but to this degree?" Chris asked.

"There must be other issue's he is dealing with besides his girlfriend's death." the doctor continued as he watched the nurses help Joey up to prepare for his room.

"They got into a big fight before the accident. It got pretty nasty and they broke up." Lance added.

"I see. Well, let's get him up to his room so he can get some sleep. Once the shock wears off then maybe he can come to grips with reality and deal with it in a safer manner."

"Should we come back tomorrow?" JC asked quickly as the nurse's helped Joey walk down the hallway.

The doctor walked ahead of them but quickly looked back. "That would be best. You should all get some rest anyway. It's been a long night already."

"Ok. Thanks doctor." Chris finished and looked at the other two. "We need to find Justin. Hopefully he is not like Joey. After all, Melody was his sister."

"Yeah, you're right. We forgot about him after Joey went loco again." Lance jumped in.

They quickly left the hospital in search for Justin as Joey was strapped down in his bed. His arms were fastened tightly only in precaution in case he would lose himself in pity again. He didn't fight or argue about the confinement. He was happy for the bed and some needed sleep.

Melody
I believe in you
Melody
In my heart
Melody
I still reach for you
Hold me Melody
Hold me Melody

He woke up quickly in his slightly darkened room. He swore he heard her voice. He had dreamed that he had seen her face so clearly. She had touched his face which still tingled as he sat in the silence.

There was some shuffling outside his door when it opened. He turned his direction towards it, wide eyed, he was relieved to see JC, Lance and Chris entering the room. But soon he realized that he was not dreaming her. He looked quickly to his right. She was standing there beside him, almost floating softly within the air.

"Joey? Are you okay?" Lance asked him as he was sitting straight up in his bed and looking as if he had seen a ghost.

"Um, uh, yeah." he mumbled.

"Do you feel better?" Chris walked up beside him.

Joey looked at him for a moment before he spoke. "Sleep was good. I wanna go home."

"You should be getting out soon, actually, we came to tell you to get your stuff ready." JC jumped in.

Joey looked back to his right where she was still standing. The guys could only see the wall and the room window and were wondering what he was looking at.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lance asked again as the other two stared at him strangely.

Joey looked back at them and replied softly. "You see her don't you?"

"See who?" Chris asked quickly.

"Melody. She is standing right beside me." Joey answered without hesitation.

"Joe, we'll be right back." JC gathered them up and went out the door to hunt down the nearest nurse.

"Nurse?" Lance asked first as they stood at the desk. "Is Dr. Johnson available?"

"Actually, you are in luck. His schedule is open for the next half hour, how can I help you?"

"It's our friend Joey down the hall here. We need to talk to him about his situation."

"I'll page him for you. Give me one moment." she finished as they sat down and talked everything over between themselves.

Joey looked back to her quickly as the guys left but before he could figure out if she was really there, she disappeared. He sighed softly with a heavy heart as the feeling of his loss finally overtook him. Tears flowed freely, soaking his face which was already adorned with dried tears from the night before.

Unattached from his bed by a nurse's visit early in the morning, he got up slowly to gather his things together when she again appeared in front of him. He wasn't as surprised as he was a few moments earlier. He was eager to say something, anything.

"Melody?" he asked outloud.

"I can hear you Joey." she said softly.

"Oh my God."

The doctor finished up his conversation with the boys just as Justin joined them. "Don't worry about his hallucinations. We will prescribe him some medication and he will be fine."

"Okay, thanks." they almost said in unison as Justin joined the conversation.

"Hallucinations?" Justin questioned as the doctor handed him the prescription for Joey's medication.

"We went in to wake him up earlier. He is seeing ghosts now." Lance rolled his eyes.

"Can I go in and see him?" Justin asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah I think so." JC replied. "But, if he starts talking to you about Melody's ghost, just ignore him, he's gone crazy again."

"I think we just need to get him out of here." Justin added as he walked around them and went down the hall towards his room.

"I love you Joey. I always will." she continued to talk to him as she hovered over the opposite side of the bed.

"But the fight? I broke up with you and then you had the accident." he said with tears in his eyes.

"It's okay now. Don't worry about me anymore. Where I am none of that matters." her smile glowed.

Justin quietly entered the room behind them but stopped dead in his tracks as he heard Joey talking.

"I love you, Melody." he finished as he turned quickly, knowing that someone was behind him. He noticed Justin standing at the door and turned back around but she was gone.

"Joey?" Justin was almost afraid to break the sudden silence.

"Did you see her? Tell me you saw her. Tell me I'm not crazy, Justin." he asked as Justin walked up to him.

"You're not crazy, Joey. I saw her." Justin replied truthfully. For Melody only showed herself to those who loved her most."

"Everyone thinks I'm crazy." he sighed.

"Let's pack up your things, Joe. I don't think you belong here anymore." Justin finished as he helped Joey pack up his belongings.

It took them a few seconds to throw everything in a bag as they both recollected their thoughts in silence. Justin walked Joey out the room but stopped short at the door. He looked back into the room as he threw Joey's medication prescription into the garbage.

She appeared once more and blew a kiss to Justin as they exchanged private emotions. Justin smiled sweetly and closed the door behind him.

Oh my love
I'm caught between your rhyme and reason
Why you're here with me
Hold me now
Tell me all the answers
That my heart will ever seek