- Text Size +
Awakenings


“When I was five years old I had a near death experience. I was lying in my hospital bed barely able to breath. It felt like I had a pile of rocks on my chest and whenever I tried to take in a breath larger then a gulp of air the burning I felt in my lungs made me almost want to cry.
I knew I was dying.

I mean I was so young and probably didn’t fully understand what was happening but yet I knew. Things felt different to me suddenly, I felt like I was floating and the pain in my chest subsided ever so slowly.

The calmness that comes when you know you’re about to die is just incredible Nick…really”

“The fact that you’re telling me this isn’t making me feel any better Rok” I held him tighter and tried my best to smile. The same feeling I had back then was gradually overcoming me now. I knew there was no way this guy was going to let us live, not the way he was talking to us. We sat in the bathroom huddled together like two newborn kittens. Trying to figure out what exactly this guy was planning next. He had locked us in the bathroom together and we heard him shuffling things around, more like throwing things around in Nick’s room. That’s where we were; locked in his bathroom.

“Brian I thought you were dead…when he hit you with that bat, I thought you were dead and I was going to have to go through this alone”

“I would never leave you Nick, never…okay?” He nodded and then dug his nails into me as the door to the bathroom flung open.


“Brian you okay you seem to be zoning out?” I gasped and swiped the hand I felt on my shoulder away. I saw Kevin’s concerned face staring back.

“Yeah I’m…just thinking”

“Did you hear what Howie said cousin? He’s awake”

I smiled and felt another wash of relief creep over me. The room became a sudden flurry of activity as our various management and security started talking to people who would want to know the latest and best of news.

“We are going right over” Howie said on the phone to someone, my guess was AJ once again. Or had he ever hung up in the first place?

Kevin looked at me and smiled, I don’t think I have ever seen him this happy before. I was happy too, but more confused then anything else. I wish I could accurately describe how I was feeling at that moment. The mix of relief and fear blending together in my stomach causing me to want to puke.

What if I did that to Nick? What if he woke up and said “Brian tried to kill me?”

Or worse yet, because deep down inside I knew that wasn’t really what happened. But the worse scenario would be if he wanted to ask me why I let him get hurt.

“Brian?” I looked over at Kevin who was trying to do about a million things at once, “We’re going to the hospital buddy, let’s go”

“I don’t think I can Kev” He looked at me like I had five heads, “What do you mean you don’t think you can?”

“I just don’t think I can go there and see him yet” Even though I was secretly substituting the word ever in my head.

“Of course you can Brian”

“We should go now guys” Howie said motioning for one of the security guys to get ready to walk us out the door.

“I can’t…not yet…but tell him I love him” Kevin looked part perplexed and part perturbed but he nodded, “I will…go get some rest okay?”

“Okay”

Howie smiled at me in a semi pitiful way and then they both walked out and with them around five other people. I sat on the couch then, wondering why in the world I had just done that. I was so happy he was awake yet I had no desire to see him.

“I’m just not ready” I found myself justifying to the empty room. The two remaining people left to baby-sit me saw my uneasiness and decided to go sit outside on the balcony. I threw off my shoes and lay down on the couch placing my hand over my head as I did. I really felt like I was going to die that day. If nothing else I can remember that much.

I felt the fear welling up inside of me as if it was that day, but yet I couldn’t remember why I was afraid in the first place. “Think Brian….think”

“I’m thinking as hard as I can Nick…” I had a hard time seeing, the blood from my head still gradually falling into my eyes.

“He’ll be back any second Brian…please” The panic in his voice was escalated so high that he made my trembling hands actually quake.

Nick was handcuffed to a chair and I couldn’t get him free.

I staggered back to the bed, maybe there was something I could use to help pry them off.

“Brian hurry…please he said he was coming right back” His lips were now white with terror. That was the word… terror.

I fell heading towards the bed, “Are you okay?”

I didn’t answer, to speak would make the world spin again and I had to get him out of here before that monster came back. “Brian?”

I got my bearings and was able to stand with the aide of the dresser. “Do you have your pocketknife still Nick?”

“I think so” He was struggling to break free and sweating, his own head and mouth bleeding. I pulled open the dresser with such force the drawer flew out and with it all of Nick’s clothes. I sat on the floor going through everything; I could have passed for a rabid fan trying to score a perfect keepsake from my idol.

“Where is it Nick?”

“I don’t know…maybe my backpack?” I stood up and once again got mildly dizzy and had to stop for a second. I saw the backpack lying next to him, “Okay please God be in here” I begged as I dumped the contents on the floor.

“Brian you have to get out of here”

I ignored him and kept looking frantically for anything. He had packs and packs of gum in his backpack but yet nothing to pick a lock.

“Brian….leave please, before he comes back you have to go” Tears were streaming down his face.

“I can’t leave you”

“You have to; you’ll never get the lock picked in time. Go and get help” I looked at him and felt so defeated.

“Please…” He was whispering now, “It’s the only way”

I was almost convinced but I didn’t have time to act on it because he opened the door and smiled wearing a white lab coat, “Awe look who’s awake” He started walking slowly towards us, the bat he had used to hit me in his hand with a big chip missing from the side.

I didn’t have time to think I grabbed the backpack and charged at him yelling, “You son of a bitch!!”


“You son of a bitch!!” I screamed again as I made contact with him and whapped him in the head,

“Brian stop!”

“Don’t tell me to stop let him go now!”

“Brian wake up it’s me AJ…calm the hell down” He grabbed me by both shoulders and shook me as I opened my eyes to be met with his confused brown ones. I was huffing and out of breath still feeling the anxiety but gradually calming down.

“It’s me…AJ” He repeated softer and gentler. We were on the floor, “Hi AJ”

“Hi”

He was out of breath too and had a big red mark across his face where I slapped him. “I’m sorry AJ…I just thought”

“I know it’s okay man…it’s okay” He placed his hand on my shoulder.

“AJ what are you doing here?”

“When you didn’t show at the hospital I thought I’d come and check to you see how you were”

“Is he really awake? I wasn’t dreaming that was I?”

AJ smiled, “No Bri…you weren’t dreaming that…he’s awake”

“Thank God…how is he?”

“He doesn’t stay awake for more then maybe 2 minutes at a time. He opens his eyes, looks around and then goes back to sleep”

“Has he said anything?”

“Yeah…he says Brian…he wants you dude, that’s why I’m here”

“He said my name?”

“Not just once either Rok. Every time he wakes up he says Brian”

“He does?” AJ nodded and once again smiled at me.

“I think I’m remembering things J…slowly they are coming back to me”

“About what? That night?” I nodded.

“What kinds of things do you remember?”

“Just bits and pieces, it’s like every time I go to sleep my brain wakes up. Nick was handcuffed to a chair and I was trying to find something to pick the lock”

“Yeah?” He looked as if we were sitting by a campfire telling ghost stories. “And then we were locked in the bathroom”

“Rok are you sure that they aren’t just anxiety dreams?”

“I wish I knew”

“Well now maybe we have someone to ask…let’s go see him Brian, I promised him I’d bring you” He stood up and then gave me his hand as a crutch to get myself off the floor. I wasn’t sure I would be able to handle this, going to see him. It was almost like looking into those blue eyes would make the reflection of that day come back at me full force.

Maybe I blocked it out for a reason. Maybe I didn’t want to remember. Of course I didn’t want to remember…duh me.

“Are the guys there?”

“Yup but right now his parents are in with him, so we had some free time, that why I came to grab you”

“He didn’t say anything about what happened?”

“Brian he’s not saying much of anything except for your name”

“Okay let’s go” I said putting my shoes back on and walking out the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*


When I got to the hospital Howie and Kevin were sitting in the waiting area of the ICU sipping coffee and laughing. I couldn’t recall the last time I had seen them both that happy and relaxed. AJ pulled me by my sleeve to where they were sitting and immediately Kevin stood up and gave me a hug.

“Hey I’m so glad you decided to come”

“Why are you out here?” AJ asked glancing back at Nick’s door which was closed.

“The doctor is in with him right now”

“Oh” I was feeling anxious and felt the need to sit down.

“Rok said he’s remembering things from that night”

“You are? You mean more of those dreams?” I nodded at Kevin.

“Just bits and pieces of things”

“You should tell the police what you remember Brian, they are around here somewhere”

“I know D…but I doubt they would believe me”

The door to Nick’s room opened and out came a doctor and a nurse, my heart started to race as they walked towards us. “He’s ready for more visitors now” he said smiling, “but try not to stay in there too long, he’s got a long way to go but he is definitely on the right path” He glanced over at me and winked.

Kevin pat me on the back, “Come on and let’s go see our Frack” He sounded almost as if he was ready to cry but I kept focusing on the doctor as he turned and once again winked at me. Briefly transforming into the face of Derek Jones smeared in Nick’s blood. “Brian what’s wrong?”

I looked to see the three of them staring at me, “What? Oh nothing...” I smiled and started to walk towards Nick’s door, “Let’s go”

We walked into the room and that same security guard who was there with him the last time I visited was still there now and I could swear he was reading the same magazine. Nick was asleep but looked so much better now. He had a bit more color to his pale skin and only a hint of blue under his eyes.

This time he wasn’t connected to quite so many wires but still enough of them to make me uneasy. I sat beside him and grabbed his hand; it was still a little cold to the touch. I felt a small grip and looked over to see him struggling to open his eyes. Kevin and Howie moved closer to the bed as he stirred as if they were peering through the glass at a newborn.

“That’s it baby…open your eyes” Kevin whispered gently caressing Nick’s forehead, willing him to wake up.

Slowly his eyes opened and he let out a small groan, “That’s it baby”

His grip on my hand tightened a little bit, still weak by Nick standards though. It almost felt like a child’s hand. He looked up at Kevin who was now once again teary eyed staring back at him, “There’s my little man”

He swallowed a couple of times which made Howie go for the water, “Nicky…you want some water?” Nick groaned again and shook his head, and then he said my name.

“Briiiiaaaan” It came out as a croak.

“Nick…I’m right here” My own voice came out cracked and weak. Maybe I was just in awe. He turned his head slowly towards me, the exertion it took to do that evident by the grimace on his face.

“Briaan?” He said it like a question this time and all I could do was nod.

“I’m here Nick…I’m here” Now I felt tears filling my eyes as my own grip on his hand tightened. He tried to smile and it looked like one of his smirks, “Brian” He said sounding relived then he closed his eyes once more but still held my hand trying to tighten his grip.

I felt myself do the same thing; I never wanted to let him go.

Kevin still played with his hair as Howie and AJ looked on, none of us saying a word just staring at Nick while he lay there sleeping.


I'll be back on Sunday morning with a new chapter :D thanks for reading and reviews!