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<h1 align="center">Chapter Forty-five</h1>
<br><br>


“There you go, Brian, you are doing great.” Brian’s
nurse cheered him on with each step he was taking.<br><br>

Brian managed to smile. He was weak and his legs felt
shaky. It was the first time he was out of his bed since the
accident. He wanted desperately to walk across the floor
into Nick’s room to see him.
<br><br>
“Do you think there’s a chance I could walk across the
room to see Nick?” Brian asked the nurse.<br><br>
“Walk? No, I really don’t want you to push yourself
that far, Brian. How about I take you in the wheelchair, how
does that sound to you?” <br><br>

“That sounds fine by me.” Brian was relieved that the
nurse agreed for him to go to Nick’s room. He hadn’t seen
Nick at all, and it had been over a week since the accident.<br><br>
The last report Howie and Kevin had given him was that Nick
was drifting in and out of consciousness.<br><br>

Brian was nervous as his nurse pushed him across the
floor into Nick’s room. He wasn’t sure what he would be
seeing and he was afraid of what he would be seeing.<br><br>

The room was dark except for the lights that surrounded
Nick’s bed. It cast an eerie light onto his body. As they
got closer, Brian noticed all of the equipment surrounding
the bed and all of the IV’s hanging from the pole. Except
for the green oxygen tubing in Nick’s nose, Nick appeared to
be peacefully asleep.<br><br>

“Do you think you would be okay for about 10 minutes? I
can leave you here if you want to be with him.” The nurse
asked Brian as she locked the wheels into place on the
chair. <br><br>
“Could you? That would be great.” Brian replied softly.<br><br>

“Sure thing. Here’s Nick’s call button. Just hit it
when you’re ready to go back to your room.” The nurse turned
and left Brian alone with Nick.<br><br>

Brian looked at Nick laying on the bed, motionless.
Brian recalled how they had figured Nick would be out of the
coma within a few days, and now, here it was a week and all
Nick has managed to do was come in and out of the coma,
nothing permanent.<br><br>

Brian reached up and touched Nick’s hand that was
laying ontop of the blankets. Resting his head ontop of
Nick’s hand, Brian started to cry. He was afraid for Nick.
With each day that passed, the prognosis would be worse and
that Nick may never fully emerge from the coma.<br><br>

Brian suddenly felt a hand touch his head. For a brief
moment, he was thinking it was Nick, but was jerked back
into reality when he heard Jessica’s voice.<br><br>
“Brian, it’s gonna be okay.” Jess said quietly.<br><br>

As Brian sat back and wiped his eyes quickly, Jess
rested her hands on his shoulders.<br><br>

Nick softly moaned. Brian looked at Nick and then at
Jess.<br><br>

“That’s all he has done, Brian.” Jess hated to take the
hope away from Brian.<br><br>

Brian looked at his friend laying on the bed. Nick’s
eyes opened and stared at the ceiling.<br><br>

“Hey, Nicky!” Brian called out.<br><br>
Nick’s response was blinking slowly. <br><br>

“Come on, Nick, I know you’re in there.” Brian tried to
stimulate a reaction out of him. He leaned towards Nick and
clapped his hands loudly. Nick jumped.<br><br>

“Oh, my god, he jumped! Did you see that? Nick jumped!”
Jessica said excitedly.<br><br>

“Nick snap out of it, come on, you have to try.” Brian
insisted. <br><br>

Nick continued to stare at the ceiling. Kevin and Howie
entered the room. When Kevin spoke, Nick took his eyes off
the ceiling and looked straight at Kevin. <br><br>

“Kev, Nick is looking at you.” Howie noticed.<br><br>

“Kev, move around and see if Nick follows you.” Brian
suggested.<br><br>

Kevin walked to the left of the room. Nick’s eyes
followed Kevin in the room. Jessica walked over to Kevin and
stood next to him. She walked in the opposite direction to
see if Nick would track her. Just as she had hoped, Nick’s
eyes followed her around the room.<br><br>

“Hey.” Nick said quietly.<br><br>
All attention turned to Nick.<br><br>

“Nick? Did you say something?” Jess asked in disbelief.
She thought her mind was playing games on her.<br><br>

Nick continued to stare at Jessica. They all were quiet
hoping that Nick would say something again. After a few
minutes passed, they were disappointed when Nick drifted
back to sleep. <br><br>

“God, at least he did more this time, I think he’s
starting to come out of it.” Kevin said.<br><br>

“It’s the most he’s done so far. I’ll go get his
nurse.” Jessica said as she walked out of the room.<br><br>
When Jess left the room, Kevin spoke up. “I hate to
say it, but this absolutely does not look good at all for
Nick. The longer he is out of it, the worse off he will be.”<br><br>

Brian looked at Kevin in disbelief.<br><br>

“But Nick looks fine to me, and he just woke up a few
minutes ago, he’s got to be ok.” Brian argued with Kevin.<br><br>

“He needs something to stimulate him more, I think.”
Howie suggested. <br><br>

Brian rubbed Nick’s shoulder. He desperately wanted him
to wake up.<br><br>
“God, Nick, you have to come out of this. You can’t
just do this to us, to me, to Jess. Please!” Brian starting
crying again. <br><br>

Kevin and Howie looked at each other. They both drew
the same conclusion that this was more than what Brian could
handle. Kevin put his hand on Brian’s shoulder.<br><br>

“Brian, let me take you back to your room, okay.” Kevin
said quietly.<br><br>

Brian pushed Kevin’s hand off his shoulder. <br><br>

“NO! I’m staying here until Nick wakes up again. I am
not leaving him.” Brian stated through his sobs.<br><br><center>