Chapter 8
When Kevin
opened his eyes, he was unhappy to find the room unbearably hot. Someone had
obviously turned the thermostat too high... and what were all those blankets
piled on him? It took some effort but he got rid of everything except the top
sheet, breathing an exhausted sigh of relief as the coolness came. He rested
for a bit, dismayed at his weakness. The coolness seemed to be increasing as
time passed, which confused him a great deal. He wondered why someone had
turned the air conditioner on full blast… What kind of hospital was he in? And
the lights, going from too dim to way too bright… For reasons he didn’t
comprehend, he found his thoughts disconnected and strange. An uncomfortable
tingling seemed to spark along his skin, and he became so sensitive that even
the soft cotton sheet felt abrasive.
Darkness,
when it came, was a welcome change.
"...Kevin?"
someone was saying intently. "Can you hear me? Kevin, look at me."
His eyelids
felt like lead and it was extremely difficult to open them, but the voice
compelled him to try. He focused on kind gray eyes, an oval face surrounded by
dark, straight hair…
"Doc?"
he asked weakly. Why was he so tired? “What’s… happening?”
She placed
a cool hand on his forehead. "You’re burning up; you have a fever. You just
lie there while we get these blankets back on you.”
"No...
not hot. I’m s-so cold..."
"I
know."
"Where-"
"Hush
now, Kevin. Lie still."
"No. I
have to... to..."
What was
it? He couldn’t remember what he wanted to say. Suddenly, it didn’t seem to
matter anymore. Things began to recede.
"Doctor?"
came someone’s voice from far away.
"His
fever is still way too high. Page Dr. Thompson again and call someone from the
lab…"
There was a
strange floaty feeling that came, then. The voices drifted in and out.
"Damn.
This isn’t... looking good. Okay, let’s... get him... started on... and...
at... six units... check the... draw... reports..."
"...too
pale for..."
"....increase
the... dose and... when..."
"...not
broken... dangerously..."
"...lab...
tests show..."
"...fight
this..."
*******
“It’s up
another degree, Doctor,” came the solemn voice as the nurse took the reading.
“Damn,” she
swore softly. “It’s not working.” She let out a sigh and rubbed her eyes,
searching for another solution or approach. “Eva, get another blood tox screen
and send it down as a rush. I’m going to order a full series of enzymes and
counts, maybe that can tell us more.” As the nurse nodded and left the room,
Dr. Meyers looked down at Kevin’s flushed face. In an unusual gesture, she
brushed the back of her hand across his forehead, frowning at the heat she
found there.
Normally
she kept her distance when it came to her patients, but for some reason this
one was special. He was so young, and so full of potential; from the way his
family and friends were reacting to the situation, he was also very, very
loved. She’d heard, of course, that he was famous for his music; the younger
nursing staff seemed to know his work intimately. She hoped, with all her
might, that he would be able to make more of that ‘amazing’ music.
She studied
the monitors and considered the options open to her. As time went on, and his
fever continued to climb, the choices were getting fewer. She looked at her
watch and made a decision.
Before she
could leave his side, however, Brian and Nick came back from the enforced break
the staff had insisted they take. She saw the hopeful look in their eyes and
hated the fact that what she had to say would erase it in an instant.
“Doc?” Brian
asked, his blue eyes eager for good news.
“His
temperature is up,” she said bluntly, not wanting to sugar-coat the news. “I’m
afraid we are running out of options here.”
“What’s
causing it?” Nick asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
“It could
be a number of things, but the most likely cause is either infection or a
hidden internal injury. He’s on heavy antibiotics, but they take time to work.”
“What kind
of hidden injury?” Brian said as he frowned.
“In an
impact injury situation, tissue can be damaged to a particular degree which
later deteriorates… like a tiny pinhole that eventually gets worse. That kind
of damage is very hard to detect, and it can be risky to search for. If what’s
causing his fever is something like that, we only have one way to go.”
“Which is?”
“Surgery.
We’d have to do exploratory surgery, and try to find the damaged area.”
“But how
can you tell if it’s really damage? You said it might just be infection,” Brian
said, confused.
“Now you
understand the difficulty,” she said. “I’ve just ordered some tests that should
help paint a clearer picture of what we’re up against. Surgery is a last
resort, in his condition it will be dangerous. We have to be sure.”
Nick,
several shades paler than when he had walked in the room, sank down in a chair.
Running a hand through his hair, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Brian put a
hand on his shoulder but didn’t have any words of comfort to offer.
“When is
his wife due to arrive?” she asked after a moment.
“She should
be here in about two hours, she’s already in the air. She was in California,”
Brian provided.
Dr. Meyers
crossed her arms and scowled at the floor. “If his temperature keeps climbing
the way it has, we might have to do something before she gets here.”
The nurse
walked in with a blood draw kit and began her work.
“I’ll be in
the Staff lounge,” the doctor told the busy nurse. “Have them page me when the
results come back or any of the changes I mentioned occur.”
“Yes,
ma’am,” came the reply.
“Boys,” she
said as she turned to leave, “hang in there. We’ll do all we can for Kevin, I
promise.”
“Thanks,”
Brian mumbled. When she had left, he moved close to the bed and stared at his
cousin. There was a fine sheen of sweat slickening Kevin’s pale skin, and his
head moved ever so slightly as he fought against the fever.
The nurse
finished her draw and checked over the IV, making a notation. Before she left,
she turned to the pair. “If you’d like to help,” she said in a quiet voice,
“you can use that basin and washcloth to cool his forehead and face. It might
ease his rest. Just don’t get the bandages too wet.”
Grateful
for her suggestion, Brian nodded and watched her go. He reached for the basin
but Nick beat him to it.
“Can we
take turns?” Nick asked, a slight waver to his voice.
“Sure,” he
said. “We can take turns.”
It wasn’t
much, but it was all they could do for their brother.
*******
Brian was
jolted out of his seat by the shrill alarm of a nearby monitor. Frantically, he
sat up straight and looked around, his heart pounding. He hadn’t meant
to doze off when he sat down to rest, but the long hours of worry and stress
had taken their toll… His eyes darted around, trying to figure out what was
happening.
Before he
could rise, a nurse ran into the room, followed by another a second later. On
her heels was Dr. Meyers, her face full of concern. Brian watched as the trio
worked quickly, not really registering the words being tossed about. For a
terrible, panicked moment, he thought that his cousin had gone into a critical Code
Blue condition, but when the requisite crash cart failed to show, he knew it
was another problem. He swallowed his panic and listened.
“I want an
cold-gel bath pack, stat,” came Dr. Meyers’ voice. “And call O.R., we’re going
to need that room early.”
“O.R.?”
Brian said, standing in a rush.
Gray eyes
flickered his way. “His temperature has spiked,” the doctor explained as she
moved to the other side of the bed. “At this point the danger of sustained
fever outweighs the surgical risk factor. The tests indicate internal bleeding,
and we can’t wait any longer. Is his wife here yet?”
“Nick went
to get her, they should be here any minute,” he answered.
“We’re
going to prep him for surgery,” she said. “Normally we would wait for
permission from the next of kin, but emergency overrides that now.”
“I’ll… I
can call Nick, on his cell. Maybe they’re close.”
“Kevin goes
into the O.R. in ten minutes,” she said flatly. “Let’s hope she makes it.”
*******
“…damn,
Bri,” came the soft curse over the phone. “At least they’re on their way. If
they hit traffic or get stuck in that construction…”
“Well,”
Brian said in a tense voice, “they have less than two minutes to get here. The
nurses are already getting him ready. Aje,” he said in a lower tone, “the
doctor said it was really dangerous, this surgery… but they don’t have a
choice. Maybe it’s better if you don’t bother Howie with it all just yet.”
“Are you
kidding?” came the question. “He’s been out like a light all day. I don’t think
I could wake him if I wanted to. And I agree, even if I could get him awake and
aware, this is the last thing he needs to deal with.”
“I’m going
to try Nick’s cell one more time,” Brian said. “They should have been here
already. Look, I’ll give you a call when I know something more, okay?”
“Right,
thanks, Bro,” AJ said before he disconnected.
Brian was
dialing when he heard someone just outside the room call a familiar name. He
hung up the phone just as he spied the doctor in the doorway, her face towards someone
down the hall.
“This way,
quickly, please,” she said, gesturing.
Kristen
rushed into the room, looking panicked and afraid. Nick was just a step behind
her; they both were out of breath from their sprint.
“We got
here…” Nick panted, “as fast… ah, jeeze… as we could.”
“We’re
getting ready to take him up now,” said Dr. Meyers. “Mrs. Richardson, I’ll need
your signature okaying the procedure, then I’ll give you a minute with him
before we go.”
Kristen
nodded, signing the paper as the doctor gave a brief explanation of what was on
the document and what was going to happen next with Kevin. Giving the clipboard
to a nurse, the doctor patted the shaking woman on the shoulder and said, “He’s
not really been awake, but I think he’d like to know you are here for him. I’ll
be right outside.”
“T-thank
you,” Kris replied, taking her first hesitant glance at her husband’s still
form.
Nick leaned
over, hands on his knees, and tried to steady his breathing. It had been a mad
rush to make it in time, and he was certain he’d broken several traffic laws
getting Kris where she belonged. But they had made it, somehow.
Brian gave
Kris a quick, tight hug and whispered that he’d talk to her in a bit. Wanting
to give her at least a little bit of privacy, he guided Nick out of the room.
He could only imagine how horrible an ordeal it was for her. If something ever
happened to Leigh…
He shut his
eyes at the very thought.
“Brian, you
okay?” came the worried voice beside him.
He looked
into concerned azure eyes and nodded. “Yeah, Frack, just thinking. Thanks for
getting her here. I’m not sure I could have done it.”
Oddly, a
wry smile crossed Nick’s lips. “You’re too law-abiding, like Kev. If he knew
what we had to do to get here… my butt would be in a sling.”
Brian
grinned. “Let’s hope you get an earful from him soon,” he said.
Nick’s
smile faded, then he nodded. “Yeah, that’s one lecture I won’t mind getting.”
The two
fell into a suspended silence as they leaned against the wall. Both were lost
in thought when Dr. Meyers approached them.
“I’ll be
assisting the surgeon,” she stated. “He’s one of the best there is. As soon as
I get out of the O.R., I’ll come see you and let you know what we found.”
“How long
will it take?” Nick asked.
“We’re not
sure what we’ll find,” she answered honestly. “It all depends on how fast we
can locate the source, or sources, of the problem. There’s a special surgical
waiting room up on the next floor, I want you to take Mrs. Richardson and wait
there for word. No matter what we find, Kevin will be moved to ICU afterwards.”
At Nick’s widened eyes, she held up a hand. “Just a normal procedure, it
doesn’t mean anything went wrong.” She glanced at her watch and said, “It’s
time.”
The pair
followed her back to the room, where Kristen was clenching Kevin’s unresponsive
hand. Brian went to her side and gently pulled her away, putting an arm around
her as orderlies arrived. In less than a minute, Kevin was wheeled away, the
doctor keeping pace with the gurney.
After a moment,
the three left the room as well. The ride upstairs was made without a sound,
save for Kris’ soft sniffling and Brian’s murmurs of reassurance. Nick stared
at the elevator floor as if answers could be found there, if only he looked
hard enough.
Soon they
reached the isolated waiting room, but none of them noticed the many comforts
that surrounded them. The television, fruit baskets, free beverages, computer
game systems, and library of books and videos were ignored as they sat on a
couch, Nick and Brian on either side of Kristen. Together they settled in for
the wait that, no matter how much time it actually took, was destined to be an
eternity.
***