Chapter 5

When Kevin drifted into the waking world again he was greeted with a headache that seemed to grow with each passing second. He flinched at its sharpness but fought against it, waiting as the pain faded to a tolerable level. No one was there this time, but he found the call button near his right hand and pressed. Only seconds passed before the door opened and in stepped a nurse. Her friendly, efficient smile seemed to lighten the room.

"I was on my way in here when I saw the call flash. How are you doing?"

"Have a hell of a headache," he replied, wincing a bit at the light.

"I’ll ask the doctor if we can give you some painkillers. There’s no sense in suffering pain needlessly, your body has enough to fight as it is."

"I remember... before. I saw you, right?"

"That’s right." She adjusted his IV and checked his chart. "I’ve been checking on you for the last few hours, but I didn’t think you were awake enough to remember."

"How long have I been... here?"

"It’s been a little while. Let me get the doctor, Mr. Richardson. She’ll want to speak to you now that you’re up.”

In what seemed like just a few seconds the doctor came in, giving him a slight grin. “Hello again, Mr. Richardson. I see you’re awake.”

“Kevin,” he breathed, “call me… Kevin.”

“Thank you,” she said, moving closer to his side. “Nurse Jones tells me you’re in a bit of pain. That true?”

“Yeah, m’head, and… and all over.”

She scribbled something on the chart before setting it down. While the nurse worked on the IV, the doctor felt his forehead, then spoke in a soothing voice. “I need to ask you a few questions, then I’ll let you rest. Do you know why you’re here, in the hospital?”

“I think some kind of accident,” he said slowly. “Howie, something about Howie… is he, he okay?”

“Howard Dorough? He’s doing very well, he had only slight injuries, mostly bruises and scrapes and a minor concussion. We’re keeping him here overnight just to be sure.”

“I thought I saw him earlier.”

“I heard he snuck in here to see you,” she smiled. “He wouldn’t submit to treatment until he was sure you were settled in. Your other friends are visiting with him now if I’m not mistaken. The nurses had to practically drag one of them out of here a bit ago.”

“Who?” he asked tiredly.

“I’m not sure of his name. He has dark blond hair, sort of wavy, blue eyes, is about my height…”

“Brian,” Kevin provided. “My cousin.”

She checked his vitals for a moment and said, “Okay, Kevin, back to those questions. Do you know what day it is?”

It should have been a simple question, but he had a hard time figuring out the answer.

“Um… it’s Saturday.”

"Hmm. Okay. Actually it’s a bit later than that, but a little time loss is normal with a concussion like yours. What do you remember about getting injured?"

It was difficult to think. Images flickered but refused to stabilize, the pain began to increase and he stopped trying to recall.

"No. It’s all... confusing. Someone said... they were saying something about a car crash. I don’t seem to remember much other than Howie was there."

"Understandable. Give it time, don’t force things."

"Was... was anyone else, ah, in... involved?" he said slowly as the sedatives began taking effect.

"Just your car and a light pole, I believe.” She watched as his eyelids closed. “Rest now, Kevin. Get some strength back."

He was enveloped in a cottony cloud not a moment later. The doctor watched his vitals slow and made notes on his chart.

"You’ve got a long road ahead of you," she muttered. "And it won’t be easy."

*******

Brian hung up the phone and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Normally it wouldn’t have been up to him to handle things like security measures, contacting management, getting insurance information, and making whatever travel arrangements might be needed. But Kevin wasn’t able to take care of things in his usual efficient way…

A small twinge of pain came with the thought. They’d always relied on Kevin to get things done, to keep things organized and connected. In just a few hours, Brian was beginning to realize how hard his cousin had to work to keep up the illusion of smoothness. Little ruffled the eldest; now, however, it was all up to him and AJ to keep it together. Nick was nowhere to be found, and Howie needed attention, not the burden of responsibility.

Back in his room, Howie was resting fitfully, the staff not allowing him to sleep normally because of his concussion. It was obvious that he was feeling guilty over the accident, and nothing Brian or AJ had said seemed to make a difference. The only reassurance that would matter would have to come from Kevin himself… and there was no way of telling when that might be.

AJ seemed to be holding up well; he hadn’t left Howie’s side for hours but it wasn’t due to worry or fear. Once the initial shock of the accident had worn off, he’d proven to be calm and matter-of-fact in his attitude. He had told Brian that since helping Kevin was out of his hands, the least he could do was watch over Howie. His continued attempts to distract the older man, and to keep him awake, showed just how much he cared for his brother. AJ might be outwardly outrageous, encouraging his wild and carefree reputation, but his loyalty ran true in the things that mattered.

Brian’s smile at the thought shifted as he considered their youngest brother.

Nick’s reactions scared him, truth be told. No one had seen him since he’d fled Howie’s room; despite the other Boys’ insistence that he’d be back when he was ready, Brian was concerned. He knew Nick would never leave the hospital, but they hadn’t been able to figure out just where it was he had gone to. He’d checked a few places but lacked both the energy and the patience to do a true search. They’d left a message at the floor’s nursing station, just in case he stopped there, but Brian didn’t think it would matter. Nick was scared, maybe more afraid than he’d ever been before, and there wasn’t a damned thing Brian could do until he reappeared.

Brian sighed. He wasn’t sure he could do anything anyway. What could he say to reassure Nick when he was scared to death himself? He hated hospitals, hated feeling helpless and unsure and like he was going to break down at any second. All he wanted to do was to go far away from the reality and the fear and the pain of it all, to feel Leigh’s loving arms around him, to have someone tell him it would be all right, for a miracle to occur and erase the terrible event…

But he knew that wouldn’t happen.

The doctors were keeping a close watch on Kevin; only time, they said, would reveal the extent of his injuries and the amount of damage that had been done. Leigh wouldn’t be able to come for at least three days; while he knew she wanted to be there supporting him, her mother needed her more, and he’d told her to stay where she could do some good. And instead of being reassured, he’d had to pretend to be confident and cool when contacting his Aunt and parents with the news. They were relying on him to keep strong, to keep the faith. He knew it would be a true test of his belief before the ordeal was over with.

The call to Kristen had been the worst. He had explained things as calmly as possible, but he knew how deeply she and Kevin felt about one another; sure enough, she’d almost fallen apart on the phone. He had to fight his own tears while she wept in reaction; thankfully, she pulled herself together and they made plans for her flight back. Luckily the production crew only needed her for one more day of filming anyway; she would be taking a private jet back East the next evening so she could focus on her most important priority.

Not willing to go back to Howie’s room just yet, and not sure he would be allowed back in Kevin’s, Brian headed for the cafeteria to get something to eat. At almost one in the morning, the place was practically deserted, only a few residents and staff scattered at the tables. He grabbed a bag of cookies and a cup of coffee, got the same to go for AJ, and settled down at an isolated spot. As he sipped the dark, sweet liquid he shut his eyes, hoping that the caffeine would clear his head a bit. He debated whether it was worth trying to convince AJ to go home and get some rest. He dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it had appeared. AJ wouldn’t be able to rest even if he was somehow made to leave; Brian understood perfectly. To that end, he decided that he’d take up the staff’s offer to ‘house’ the three Boys in the Resident’s lounge. Publicity was a major issue; both he and the hospital wanted as little as possible right now. The consensus was that if AJ, Nick and Brian stayed at the hospital until the next day, there was little chance of being discovered. Of course, the news would leak out, but the tactic should gain them at least a day of peace. Then, they would know something more on Kevin’s condition and would be better able to make press statements and answer questions.

He nearly groaned at the thought of dealing with the media intrusion. He understood that part of his job was being in the spotlight, but there were times that it was unwelcome. Brian wondered distractedly how long it would take before the word got out. If they were lucky, it wouldn’t be until late tomorrow... but he didn’t count on it.

The cookies were surprisingly good, and he found himself wolfing them down once he took the first bite. He was almost halfway finished his coffee when he heard a small noise behind his shoulder. When he turned around, he found himself looking into tired azure eyes.

“Hey, Frick,” came the soft greeting.

Brian was relieved to see Nick standing there and gestured to a chair at once. “Come on, sit down,” he said, his eyes scanning the tall figure.

Without a word, Nick took the seat across the small table and sat down heavily. He put his face in his hands for a second, then looked at Brian again.

“Any word?”

“Nothing significant,” Brian answered. “They kind of kicked me out after a while, told me to take a break and get some rest.”

Nick gave a small snort. “Like any of us can rest right now.”

Brian nodded, then studied the blond closely. “How you doing, Bro?”

A shrug. Then, “I guess you heard about… well, the way I behaved.” He stared down at his hands resting on the table.

“AJ told me,” Brian admitted. “Been worried about you. Where did you go?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nick said. “Look, I want to apologize, I haven’t been very helpful during all this. Has anyone contacted management, whatever?”

“Yeah, I just finished a few minutes ago.”

“What about Kris?” he asked as evenly as he could.

“Her too. She’s flying back tomorrow night… er, that would be tonight, now. Seems she was scheduled to wrap up her scenes and stuff anyway, so once she gets back, she’ll be here to stay.”

“Good,” Nick said, nodding. He frowned for a moment, then ran a hand through his hair. Finally meeting his friend’s eyes, he said, “How are you doing? I mean, with this being a hospital and all…”

Brian’s eyebrows raised slightly at the question. “It’s not about me, Kevin’s the one who-”

“Bri,” came the tired, serious interruption. “Come on.”

He leaned back and took a sip of coffee, then stared up at the ceiling. In a low voice he confessed, “It’s hard, Nick. Damned hard. It’s bad enough dealing with Kevin and Howie being here, and all that’s happened… but this place is conjuring up too many memories.”

“Sorry,” came the apologetic whisper.

“Not your fault,” Brian said. “You… sure you’re okay?”

“I’m tired,” was all the answer he got.

Silence drifted between them for a minute or so, each lost in their private thoughts. Finally, checking his watch, Brian drained the last of his coffee and gathered up the now empty bag. “I’m going to bring AJ something, he’s camped out in Howie’s room. Then I’m going to try and convince him to catch some sleep in the Resident’s lounge. How about you grab a bite of something and come with me?”

Nick shook his head. “I’m not hungry,” he began, then stopped abruptly. “But… sure, we can go up together. Maybe we could all use some rest, huh?”

Brian was too weary to figure out his best friend’s odd responses; it would have to be mulled over later, when he had a clearer head and more time to think. For now, it was enough to have Nick by his side.

Together, the pair left the cafeteria to join their brothers once again.

***

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