The next afternoon, the doorbell rang. Brian hurried through the empty house to answer it. He opened the door to find not only Nick, but Kevin, AJ, and Howie standing on his front porch.
“What are y’all doing here?” he cried, blinking in surprise as he stepped back to let them inside.
“Nicky called us yesterday,” said Howie, stopping to hug him. “We came as soon as we could.”
“He said you had some bad news to share, but you wouldn’t tell him over the phone,” added Kevin with a frown. “So, what’s goin’ on, cuz? What could be bad enough that you’d ask him to leave his family and fly across the country in the middle of a global pandemic?”
“I… I didn’t ask him to come,” Brian stammered, feeling slightly embarrassed. It had been Nick’s idea to come, but only because Brian had been crying too hard to tell him anything during their phone conversation the day before. He had wanted to tell Nick about his diagnosis, but he just couldn’t bring himself to say the dreaded C-word out loud. He knew it would break Nick’s heart to hear that he was dealing with the same disease that had brought so much pain and heartbreak to their group before.
“He wanted to come – and so did we,” said AJ, glaring at Kevin. “Whatever’s going on, we’re here for you, Rok. So what is it? Spill.”
“Let’s sit down first,” said Brian, ushering them into the living room.
“Can we go out back?” Kevin asked, eyeing the glass doors that led to the patio. “After spending four hours crammed in a pressurized cabin, I could use some fresh air.”
“O-of course. You guys go on; make yourselves at home. I’ll be out in a minute.” Letting the others go ahead of him, Brian put on a ball cap, one of Leighanne’s old Wylee kimonos, and a pair of oversized sunglasses to protect himself before venturing outside, where the sun blazed down from the cloudless blue sky.
His bandmates stared at him as he huddled in a chair in the corner of the covered area closest to the house. “Brian?” Howie said, his forehead creasing with concern. “Are you okay?”
Brian shook his head. “No,” he croaked. “I’m not. I found out that I… I have… cancer.”
He closed his eyes, not wanting to see their reactions. When he opened them again, Howie, Kevin, Nick, and AJ were all staring at him, their eyes wide.
“What… what kind of cancer?” Nick was the first to ask, his voice almost whisper-soft. His eyes, light blue orbs of shock and fear, flitted back and forth, searching Brian’s face for any sign that he was just joking. But he had to know Brian would never joke about such a thing, not in front of him or Kevin or Howie, who had both lost their fathers to cancer.
“Basal cell carcinoma,” he replied, rolling up his sleeve to show them the spot on his shoulder. “It’s a kind of skin cancer.”
The other guys looked at each other. “Skin cancer?” AJ repeated. “Is it serious?”
“Of course it’s serious!” Brian cried. “It’s cancer, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but… skin cancer? Isn’t that one of the more easily treatable kinds of cancer? I mean, it’s pretty common, right?”
“So?” He glared at AJ. “What are you trying to say? That it’s not serious because it’s ‘just’ skin cancer, not brain or lung cancer-” He looked at Howie. “-or colon cancer-” His gaze shifted to Kevin. “-or bone cancer?” His eyes landed on Nick.
“No way, dude; I would never say that,” AJ insisted. “I just wondered… well, how serious is it?”
“I don’t know yet. The doctor didn’t give me a stage or anything, but she said if I don’t get it treated soon, my prognosis could be pretty poor.”
“What kind of treatment are you doing?” Nick wanted to know.
“I dunno… The doctor wants to do surgery, but I’m a little worried about it,” Brian admitted. “I mean, what if she starts digging around in there and finds it’s deeper than she thought? My shoulder might never look the same. I don’t wanna be disfigured… or end up losing my arm…” He looked away from Nick’s face, his eyes landing on Nick’s left leg instead.
“Losing a limb isn’t the worst thing in the world. It’s better than losing your life,” Nick said in a low voice. “Trust me.” He lifted his pant leg to reveal the prosthesis poking out of his left shoe, then patted the hard socket that encased the stump of his leg. “I survived it, and so can you, if it comes to that.”
“I know.” Brian sighed. “I guess I should just go ahead with the surgery, huh?”
Nick nodded. “Y-you have to do it. We don’t wanna lose you, Brian.”
“Don’t wanna lose you now,” Kevin crooned softly.
Without missing a beat, Nick began to sing, “I never thought that I would lose my leg… that I could control this. Never thought that I’d be left behind… that I was stronger than you.”
“Brian,” AJ and Howie harmonized.
“I would bring down the moon and the sun,” Nick continued, “to show… how much I care…”
“Thanks, fellas,” said Brian, forcing a smile. “I appreciate y’all coming out here to be with me.”
Nick smiled back. “Of course, bro. You did the same for me when I was sick. I’m glad to be able to return the favor.”
“Whatever you need, we’re here for you,” Howie added, nodding in agreement.
Brian cleared his throat. “Actually, there is something else you can do for me.”
“Anything,” said AJ.
“I was just thinking… if surgery doesn’t get all the cancer, and I have to do chemo, I don’t wanna be like Nick was, with hair falling out everywhere.” He remembered the way Nick had looked with the last loose, wispy strands of hair plastered to his mostly bald scalp while he was undergoing chemo. Brian would rather be totally bald than end up looking like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. “So, would one of you shave my head?”
The guys exchanged glances. “Isn’t that a little premature, cuz?” Kevin asked, running his hand through his own head of thick, dark hair. “I mean, you don’t even know if you’re gonna have to do chemo.”
“I wanna be prepared for whatever is to come,” Brian replied, swallowing hard. “So just do it, please… before my wife comes home.” He knew Leighanne would freak out when she saw him without his hair, but he hoped it would help to soften the blow. He still hadn’t told her he had cancer.
“Are you sure?” asked AJ. “I mean, HairClub for Men has helped you so much…”
“It’ll grow back,” said Brian with a shrug. “And if it doesn’t, well… I’ll just have to rock the bald look.”
“So who gets to do the honors?” Nick asked, grinning. “If I remember correctly, I let Howie shave my head.”
“Really?” AJ frowned. “I thought I did it.”
“No, that was in a different story.”
“I think it should be you this time, Frack,” said Brian, smiling back at him. Seeing Nick the way he was now – healthy, happy, and with a full head of hair – gave him hope.
Nick nodded. “I’m game if you are, Frick.”
Brian went back into the house to get some supplies. Soon he was sitting at the kitchen table with a towel draped around his neck.
Nick stood in front of him, holding his electric razor. “You sure you wanna go through with this, bro? It’s not too late to back out.”
Brian closed his eyes and nodded bravely. “I’m sure.”
“Okay… here goes nothing…” Nick switched on the razor.
“Just don’t nick me, Nick.” Hearing laughter at his little pun, Brian braced himself as Nick buzzed a strip straight up the center of his scalp. Soon, his head felt amazingly cool and light. He opened his eyes and looked down to see his blond curls littering the kitchen floor.
Nick handed him a mirror. “What do you think?”
Brian looked at his reflection, shocked by his bald appearance. He hadn’t had a buzz cut since he was a kid. He looked older without hair to hide the wrinkles on his forehead, yet he felt years younger. There was a sense of freedom in embracing baldness. For years, he had fretted over losing his hair. Now, he no longer had to worry.
“I love it,” he whispered, running his hand over his scalp. “Thanks, Nick.”
“Me next!” AJ announced, plopping himself down in Brian’s chair as soon as Brian stood up.
Brian looked at him in surprise. “You wanna shave your head, too?”
He nodded. “Solidarity, brother. We can grow our hair back together. Or undergo hair transplants together if it doesn’t grow back. One way or the other, I’m with you.”
Brian laughed, a lump swelling in his throat. “Thanks, Bone. That means a lot.”
“Dude, aren’t you in talks to do Dancing With the Stars this fall?” asked Nick.
AJ shrugged. “Yeah, so?”
“Just saying, you may not wanna change your appearance that drastically before the show starts filming.”
“What, you think I won’t look good bald? I’m gonna rock the shit out of the Yul Brynner look,” AJ boasted. Before long, the floor was covered with his dark bristles as well.
“We better get this cleaned up before Leighanne comes home,” said Brian, grabbing a broom to sweep up the hair. “Anyone else wanna shave their head first?”
Kevin, Howie, and Nick looked at each other. “I would, cuz, but I’m gonna grow my hair out to donate again,” Kevin said apologetically. “I’m supporting cancer patients in a different way, see.”
“Been there, done that… not gonna do it again,” said Nick, shaking his head. “Too triggering. Besides, Claire likes me with hair.”
“We can’t all shave our heads. We’d look like we were in a cult, not a boyband,” Howie pointed out.
They all laughed.
Just then, Brian heard the lock on the front door click. “Crap… Leighanne’s home,” he hissed, hurriedly sweeping the stray hair into a pile as his wife walked into the house.
“Well, hi, guys! What’s going on here?” Leighanne looked around the kitchen in confusion. Brian saw her blue eyes widen when they landed on him. “Husband?!” she gasped, her jaw dropping. “What did you do to your hair?!”
He cleared his throat. “Baby, I have to tell you something,” he said hoarsely, taking a step forward. “That mole you made me get checked out? Turns out, it was basal cell carcinoma. I have… cancer.”
Leighanne gasped again, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, my poor baby!” she cried, running to him and flinging her arms around him. “But you’ll be okay, won’t you, once they cut out the cancer?”
Brian squared his jaw. “The doctor said my odds of surviving are 99.9%, but that means there’s a .1% chance I won’t make it.” His chin trembled. “What if I’m in the point one percent?”
“You can’t think that way, baby,” Leighanne said, her tears dripping onto the top of his bald head as she held it against her bosom, stroking it tenderly. “You have to stay positive and believe you’re gonna be all right!”
“Wait, hold up…” In the background, Nick stared at Brian in disbelief. “Point one percent?? You brought us all out here in the middle of a global pandemic because there’s a point one percent chance of you dying? Dude, my odds were, like, fifty-fifty!”
“Now, c’mon, Nick, it’s not a competition,” said Kevin, holding up his hand. “Brian’s has every right to be worried. Cancer is scary, no matter what kind it is.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna go call Claire,” he muttered as he limped out of the room.
“Don’t mind him,” AJ told Brian, shaking his head. “I’m sure it’s just hard for him to watch his best friend go through what he went through all those years ago. It’s hard for us all. But Nick’s right about one thing: He survived it, and so will you.”
“Thanks, bro,” said Brian, lifting his face from between Leighanne’s breasts to smile at AJ. “Thanks.”
“Anytime, bro,” AJ replied, smiling back. “Anytime. Now, why don’t you pick up the phone and get that surgery scheduled?”
Brian sighed. “Okay, bro,” he said, straightening up to take his phone out of his back pocket. “Okay.”
***