[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Kevin paced the halls of the hospital impatiently. They had been waiting for ages and there was still no news on Nick. It didn’t help AJ had to be sedated either. Kevin growled as he turned around on his heel and headed back towards AJ’s room. The last couple of hours had been a nightmare. After the crash, and then finding Nick unconscious, things had gone from bad to worse. AJ had had a breakdown when he heard Kevin say heart attack, and that had scared Kevin almost as much as finding Nick did. AJ rarely showed emotion of that strength, it was more usual for him to bottle it up inside and become angry, rather than let it all out and be upset. Kevin grimaced as he remembered AJ sinking to the ground in tears, and shaking so violently he could hardly talk properly. The paramedics had told them he was in severe shock, and he would have to be sedated to prevent him from hurting himself. Kevin had merely nodded as he tried to get his head round what was happening. He was surprised Brian and Howie had been so calm through everything so far. Well, they weren’t calm but they were a hell of a lot more settled than he was. But then, he supposed, they had their faith - theirs a lot stronger than his. He seemed to have lost his over the years. Not completely, but faith alone wouldn’t settle him. Not since his father died. And that was what, ten or eleven years ago? He sighed slowing down his pace to a stop and sat on a nearby chair. Resting his head in his hands he took deep breaths to try and regain some control. He wasn’t going to lose Nick. Not like his Dad. He was here this time. He could stop it. He wouldn’t lose Nick. Not now. Not ever.
Taking a final breath he stood up and continued towards AJ’s room, calmer and more determined, his head clear… almost.

“Has he woken up yet?” Kevin asked Howie softly as he entered the quiet hospital room.

“Not yet, the doctor says sometime soon though. It was only a mild sedative so he shouldn’t be out of it too long.” Howie replied. His voice held a sad tone, but his face showed a calm resolve to hold back any emotion until they were through this.

Kevin nodded sadly at the younger man. “Any news on Nick?” he inquired.

Howie shook his head. “No. Not yet.” He said just above a whisper, hanging his head. “Brian’s gone to ring Jane and Bob, and our parents.”

Kevin again nodded and took a seat opposite Howie. There was silence for a while before Howie spoke.

“Do you think we’ll make it through this?” He asked quietly.

Kevin looked at him, almost half smiling. There was no I, only we. Then he lowered his head again before answering. He wouldn’t let anything happen. He was here this time. Looking back up at Howie he answered a firm “Yes.” Before he stood up and continued to pace.

Howie looked at AJ for a minute, digesting Kevin’s answer. Not that there was much to digest. If Kevin thought they’d be okay, then they’d be okay. He nodded to himself slightly. Yep, if Kevin says so then… then that’s what happens. Still, there was that tinge of doubt in his stomach. The one that you get when people tell you and tell you it’s going to be okay, but something still goes wrong. It was there, and it was growing. He sighed. He was glad he wasn’t in Kevin’s shoes. He was barely holding himself together; having to hold the rest of them together would be impossible.

“You gotta stop pacing man, you’ll go insane.” Howie told him.

“The thought actually kinda appeals to me right now.” Kevin replied tiredly.

“Dude, you already are insane.” A choked voice came from the bed.

“AJ!” Howie and Kevin exclaimed together rushing to his side.

“That’s my name.” He replied clearing his throat. “ Where’s Brian?” he continued his voice filling with worry.

“He’s gone to call our parents.” Kevin told him.

“Oh.” AJ said nodding in acknowledgement. “Nick?”

“He’s…uh…” Kevin cleared his throat. “Still in intensive care.”

“Have they fixed him yet?” AJ asked.

“We don’t know.” Howie replied.

“Oh.” AJ said again.

All three looked up at the door opening. Brian walked in, not even looking at them and sat down on one of the seats, resting his head in his hands, leaning heavily on his knees.

“Bri?” AJ asked carefully.

Brian didn’t look up; he just slowly began to rock back and forth in his chair.

“Brian?” AJ asked again, his voice a bit louder. “Bri? What’s wrong?”

Brian stopped rocking and turned his head to look at AJ. “Wrong? What’s wrong?” he asked incredulously. “What do you think is wrong?” he continued, his voice crueller now. “We’ve been sitting here for hours and they still haven’t told us anything. Not a fucking thing. And yes, I did just swear. I’m fucking sick of this, they’re not telling us anything and some bastard just tried to get me to leave because I’m not “family”. Well I am fucking family, and I’m fucking sick of this. What the FUCK is going on?” he finished, his voice and shouting level, and his face showing more anger than anything else. AJ, Kevin and Howie just stood there staring in shock.

“Bri.” Howie said after a minute. “Bri, just ca--”

“Just what Howie? Hmmm? Just what? Calm down? NO, I won’t freakin’ calm down until I know what the hell is going on with my little brother. I swear to God, if he wakes up alone there’s gonna be--”

“Mr. Littrell. I suggest you stop before you say something you regret. Threats are not tolerated in my hospital, especially not on my shift. Now if you would like to remain here with your friends then I suggest you change your attitude or I will have you removed from the premises.” A voice said firmly, interrupting Brian’s tirade.

All four of them looked up at a large Hispanic man, clean-shaven, and around forty, his face showing, he was used to dealing with situations like this.
“Now, it’s you who are here for Mr. Carter, am I correct?” he inquired.

They nodded quietly, unsure of what to say.

“Right, I suggest you all take a seat. Ah, Mr. McLean, I see you’re awake. How do you feel?” the doctor asked walking over to check AJ’s vitals.

“I’d feel better if I knew what was going on with Nick.” AJ replied quietly, still feeling unsure around the doctor.

“All in good time. You seem fine, we should be able to release you tomorrow.” The doctor told him walking back to the end of the bed, and replacing the clipboard, now updated. “Right.” The doctor said taking a deep breath. “First, allow me to introduce myself, I’m Dr. Morales – Nick’s doctor.”

Kevin nodded and held out his hand. “I’m Kevin, this is AJ, Howie and my cousin Brian.”

“Ah yes, Brian and I are old friends.” The doctor replied shaking Kevin’s hand.

Brian snorted in disapproval but said nothing.

“Well technically you’re not allowed to be here, you’re not family and so we’re not permitted to tell you anything.” the doctor said his voice rising as the men in front of him began to protest. “But, we have just spoken with Mr Carter’s father and he has allowed us to tell you anything you need to be told before he arrives.”

“No shit.” Brian muttered, still angry.

The doctor shot him a glance but otherwise ignored the comment. “Also, I understand you five a very close anyway, ‘like brothers’, I believe.”

They nodded in reply.

“Yes, my daughters a big *NSync fan.”

“We’re the Backstreet Boys.” Kevin said dryly.

“Oh, I know. But the whole ‘like brothers’ thing goes with the whole boy-band territory doesn’t it? So I’ve also been told to treat you as though you are his family.”

“Can you please just tell us what’s wrong with Nick?” AJ asked irritated.

“Yes, of course.” The doctor replied. Re-adjusting himself, his face becoming difficult to read. “Judging by the few police reports we’ve had of the accident, it would appear Mr. Carter was--”

“His name’s Nick.” Brian interrupted.

“It would appear Nick, was thrown from the bus through a window after the collision due to the lack of a seat belt. When the driver swerved to avoid the tree, he was going at speed such that when the side of the bus was hit, he lost control. The bus swerved around so it was facing the opposite direction and fell onto its side. It was during this time that Nick went through the window. The police have said the same would have happened to the four of you had you not been wearing seatbelts.
This is a very frightening ordeal to have to go through, as I’m sure you can imagine and can be a great strain on the heart. The test’s we’ve been able to do so far have also shown us that Nick was feeling a great amount of stress and tension, which was not exactly helpful during the crash. As a result, his heart went into over drive. If you think of the heart like a computer, a computer can only run so many programs at once, if it’s doing too many things it will crash, and so with so much going on, Nick’s heart went into cardiac arrest – his heart stopped.
Now, fortunately the paramedics on the scene were able to start it again, but he then proceeded to have a heart attack. We’ve done all we can, but we alone aren’t going to be able to do enough. The cases of this happening are extremely rare, and the chances of it happening to someone are nearly a million to one. Unfortunately Nick is that one. To be able to fully recover from the heart attack, he will need a heart transplant. We have him on a life support machine, but without a heart, he will die. He’s been put on the emergency list, but it could be months before he receives one, and, I’m afraid he doesn’t have that long. I’m sorry, but there’s no more we can do now except hope and pray. I’ll send a nurse down when you can see him as we still have a few more test’s to run, and we’ll get a room set up for you. Once again, I’m sorry.”

And with that, the doctor left the room. For a minute the four of them sat in silence. Kevin swaying slightly as he tried to process what he had just been told, Howie shaking his head in disbelief as he rested on his knees, AJ letting the tears freely fall down his cheeks and Brian scowling at the floor in anger and frustration. Then out of nowhere, Brian stood up and screamed angrily throwing the chair next to him across the room.
“NO!” he screamed. “NO NO NO! This ISN’T happening.” And with that, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him, breaking the window, leaving the other three to stare at the shattered glass.