Chapter 4
Nick woke slowly, his eyelids heavy and hard
to keep open. The room was rather dark, as there were only lights around the
perimeter of the ceiling. Turning his head ever so slightly, he saw a nurse
hanging a new IV bag from a pole. She was wearing a yellow isolation gown and a
mask covering her mouth and nose.
“Hey there. My name is Katie. You’re surgery
is all finished, and you’re back in the ICU. I’m going to turn the light on
above your head, so you might want to close your eyes.”
Nick closed them as she tugged on a chain that
turned the light on.
“I just want to check your bandages real
quick.” She pulled down the sheet, exposing the bandages, which covered most of
abdomen. “Looks good. Why don’t we put a gown on you, then I’ll let your family
come in. I’ll be right back.”
She left for only a few seconds before
returning with a white gown speckled in blue dots. She unsnapped buttons at the
top of it. She then laid the gown over his body.
“Can you lift up your right arm a bit?” She
asked. As he did, she slid the material under it and snapped it across his
shoulder. “Now your left.”
She repeated the process on the other side,
and then tucked it gently behind his back. After pushing it beneath the sheet,
she pulled the sheet back up to his chest.
“There we go. Are you ready to have some
visitors?”
He attempted to nod, but the ventilator tube
didn’t allow much movement.
“Okay.” She patted his arm before leaving the
room. He stared at the ceiling, trying to stay awake, even though his head
ached and his eyes were threatening to close. The door opened suddenly, and a
tall figure appeared wearing the same gown and mask as Katie had. As the figure
neared the bed, he realized it was Aaron. He sat down in the chair beside the
bed, but remained quiet. Nick held his hand out and Aaron hesitated, but then
grasped it. Nick tightened his grip as Aaron attempted to smile.
In the waiting room, everyone sat, waiting for
Dr. Resnick to come and speak with them. He was supposed to come talk as soon
as the surgery was finished, but he was called to an emergency.
“Kev, I think after you get a chance to see
him, you and Aaron should get out of here for awhile. Get some real food and
then maybe get some rest at the hotel.” Kristin said.
Kevin nodded agreeing. “Yeah. I need to try to
get a hold of Riley, anyways.”
Dr. Resnick appeared in the doorway of the
waiting room, his face damp with sweat and breathing heavily.
“Sorry about that, folks. I had an emergency
down in the trauma room.” He sat down in a chair near the group as he took off
his surgical cap. “The surgery went just fine. The damage to his stomach was
minimal. It only went through one layer of tissue, the mucosa. We were able to
suture that up without a problem. We did have to take out his spleen and left
kidney. The nephrectomy is nothing to worry about, but with the splenectomy, as
I said before, we’ll have to be cautious of his illnesses. He’s in isolation
right now, so he’ll have time to heal a bit before introducing him to a regular
room. Nosocomial infections are always possible when in a hospital, so we’ll
make sure he gets the vaccinations as soon as possible. The sooner we can get
him out of here, the better. If all goes well, he’ll hopefully be in a regular
room by tomorrow evening. I hope to take him off the ventilator tonight once
he’s had a chance to rest. Do you guys have any questions?”
“How long will he have to stay in the
hospital?” Howie asked.
“If all goes well, at least a week. Possibly
more. We have to watch for the possibility of infection within the wounds.
We’ll also keep an eye on his immune system. We’re going to have to get him up
and walking as soon as he’s able, and then keep doing it often to lessen the
chances of blood clots. If he’s feeling better within a week, is up and
walking, and eating decent meals, then I’d say let him go home. It will take
about six weeks or more to recover from this. Not only is a laparotomy a major
surgery, being impaled by the pole also puts a damper on the situation.”
“Thank you, Dr. Resnick,” Kevin shook his
hand, followed by the others.
“I’m going to go check on Nick before I head
back down. Be sure to wear the protective gown and mask before you go into his
room to keep out bacteria and germs.”
Dr. Resnick left, leaving the group in a deep
relief.
“I’m going to go down and see him real quick,
then get Aaron out of here for awhile.”
Kevin stood from the couch, leaning over his
wife to kiss her before exiting the room. He walked down the long hallway,
hearing bits of conversations and television shows from each room. He stopped
in front of the new room where a nurse was just leaving.
“Hi, are you going in to see Nickolas?” She
asked.
“Yeah.”
“All right. I’m Katie, by the way. I’m his
nurse until about six. Gowns are here,” She placed her hand on a shelf
containing boxes of different sized gowns. “And masks are here. You’re probably
a large gown. They’re made big for their sizes. The masks are all one size fits
all. Before you go in, use the antibacterial foam that’s near the doorway on
your hands. Just be sure it’s dry before you go in.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. The phone number to his room is
written on the dry-erase board, along with the names of the doctors and nurses
on his case. Just let me know if you need anything.”
Kevin nodded, gazing over the boxes of gowns.
He chose the large she had recommended and slid it over his arms. He tied it
around his neck, then his waist, before taking a mask from the box. Tying it
tightly against his neck and head, he then used the foam to rid his hands of
bacteria. Once finished, he opened the door to the room, immediately seeing
Nick’s worn out body.
His eyes remained tired, but more relaxed than
this morning. He held Aaron’s hand in his own as he watched Kevin cross the
room.
“Aaron, I thought maybe in a few minutes, we’d
get out of the hospital for a bit and rest at the hotel. Is that okay with you,
Nick?”
Nick nodded slightly, attempting not to pull
the tape that kept the tube on his face.
“Okay. AJ and Howie are still here and they’ll
be down as soon as we leave. We’ll be back this evening though. Hopefully
you’ll have the tube out so you can talk to us.”
A look of relief crossed his face. Kevin
stayed in the room several more minutes as Aaron talked to Nick, and then he
stood to leave.
“We’ll be back later.” He squeezed Nick’s
hand, promising his return before leaving with Kevin. Outside the room, they
both stripped out of the protective gowns, placing them in a large trash bin.
“I figured we could grab a bite to
eat, since we’ve been lacking on nutrition. We could go back to the hotel and
get some sleep too, if you’re tired.”
Aaron shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
They returned to the waiting room to
see more families sitting around the large area.
“Hey guys, we’re going to get out of
here for awhile. Bob should be here at anytime. We’ll be back later.”
“Frank’s been hanging out downstairs
in the lobby incase he was needed, so he can give you a lift,” Kristin said
before kissing Kevin goodbye.
“Okay. I’ll see you later,”
“Bye guys,” Howie’s voiced echoed as
they walked towards the elevator.
“Anywhere in mind to eat?” Kevin asked
as the elevator delivered them to the first floor.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not that
hungry anyways.” Aaron replied. They walked outside, shielding their eyes from
the bright sun they hadn’t seen since the afternoon before.
A big, burly black man leaned up
against the brick building, a cigarette between his lips.
“Hey guys,” He said, smashing the butt
into a nearby ashtray. “Need a ride?”
“Yeah,” Kevin replied.
Frank led the two to a parking lot,
stopping in front of a black SUV.
“Want shotgun?” Kevin asked.
“Nah,” Aaron replied, opening the door
to the backseat.
“Where to?” Frank asked, inserting the
key into the ignition and starting the engine. He backed slowly out of the
spot, before putting the truck into drive and leaving the lot.
“Uh… why don’t we just go back to the
hotel? There’s a restaurant downstairs we can grab some food at.” Kevin said
while opening his cell phone. As he turned it on, it immediately beeped,
signaling a voicemail. He allowed it to call the voicemail number and then put
in his password before holding it to his ear.
“Hey Kev, this is Riley returning your
call. You should be able to get a hold of me anytime after six. I’ll make sure
to answer. Bye.”
Kevin checked his watch, seeing it was
nearly two in the afternoon. He decided to wait and call from the hotel later.
Within minutes, they had arrived at
the hotel.
“Aaron, Leighanne had TJ put your bags
in their room. They’re in one-fifteen.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Kevin, just call my cell when you’re
ready to come back. I’ll come get you.”
He nodded, opening the door and
stepping out. “Thanks Frank.”
“Shall we eat first or go upstairs?”
Kevin asked as they walked inside the lobby. A bellhop greeted them as they
passed.
”I’m not really hungry? Can we go upstairs and maybe take a shower or
something?”
“Sure.”
Upon pressing the elevator button, he
heard his name being called. He turned to see the tour manager, Phillip,
running towards them.
“Hey. How’s Nick?”
“Uh… he’s stable.” Kevin said. The
elevator door opened and the three-stepped in. “He’s out of surgery and back in
the ICU.”
“Okay. I called Johnny last night, and
he wanted to wait to discuss everything with you all before going on with
anything. But with the first show being tomorrow night, we need to figure out
something.”
“What do you think is best?”
“I’m not sure. He won’t be able to
return to the stage for awhile, will he?”
“Doubtful. At least four to six weeks
before he can get back to his normal life, that’s not counting the stress of
touring.”
“Why don’t you call Johnny? Talk to
him and you two figure something out.”
“All right.” The elevator opened,
exposing the hallway that contained their rooms. As they stepped out, Kevin
fumbled for his key in his back pocket. Upon finding it, he led Aaron to the
room and opened the door.
“Why don’t you go on in and I’ll go
get your stuff?”
“Okay.” Aaron had remained silent
until then, but obeyed and went into the room. As the door shut, Kevin went to
the room next beside his and knocked gently on the door. Several seconds later,
the door opened and he came face-to-face with his cousin.
Brian stood silently, his eyes tired
and looking as if he hadn’t slept all night.
”Hey,” Kevin said softly. “I just came to get Aaron’s stuff.”
”Oh… yeah.” Brian stepped back from the door, opening it further to allow Kevin
in. Brian picked up a black duffel bag and backpack and set it at Kevin’s feet.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” There was an
uncomfortable silence, which was rare between the two of them.
“Uh… Phillip asked what we wanted to
do about the tour?”
Brian shrugged. “I don’t know. Cancel
it, I suppose.”
“Yeah. I’ll talk to Johnny, I guess.”
Kevin picked up the bags and turned to
leave.
“You know, Bri… I know you might be
hurt from all this, but believe me, Nick’s more hurt than you are. Emotionally
and physically. You should consider going to see him.”
“I think I’ll about it,” Brian
replied, not at all convincing.
Sighing, Kevin opened the door and
left. Knocking on the door to his room, Aaron opened it shortly after.
“Thanks,” Aaron took the bags from
Kevin’s grasp.
“You’re welcome to the bathroom or
whatever. I need to make some calls, so you can do as you please.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll order up some food. Anything in
particular you want?”
“Uh… just a burger or something is
fine.” Aaron replied as he disappeared into the bathroom with his duffel bag.
As the door shut, Kevin collapsed onto the bed. The soft bed felt good against
his achy and tired body. Sitting up, he fumbled with his cell phone. Searching
through the electronic phone book, he came upon his manager’s number. He
pressed the call button and waited for the other side to begin ringing. As it
did, he lay back against the wooden headboard.
“Johnny Wright.” A male voice came
onto the line suddenly.
“Johnny, this is Kevin.”
“Hey man, how are you?”
“I’m okay.”
“And Nick?”
“He’s stable.”
“Good. Look, I’m glad you called me.
We need to discuss the tour.”
“Yeah, I know. I don’t think Nick will
be able to return to the stage for at least two months, if not longer.”
“Okay. We have the option of canceling
or postponing. It’s your guys’ call.”
“Why don’t we just postpone
indefinitely for now. When he starts getting better and everything, we can talk
about it again.”
“Works for me. What do you want the
fans to know?”
“They can know everything except about
the HIV. Let him decide about that one. Just tell them about the accident.”
“All right. I’ll let you go so I can
get started on straightening things out and getting a press release. Take care,
Kevin, and let me know if you guys need anything.”
“Thanks.”
Kevin hung up, now hearing the shower
running in the other room. He decided to order room service before calling
Riley. Using the hotel phone, he dialed one and waited for the operator.
“Marriott. How can I help you?” A
female voice asked.
He quickly put in an order for food,
and then hung up. The water stopped in the bathroom, leaving the room in a dead
silence. Glancing down at the phone in his hand, he all but wanted to call
Riley and tell her. Seeing as she was halfway around the world, she would be
torn at the fact she couldn’t do anything immediately about it.
He hesitated before finding her cell
phone number in the phone book. He pressed down gently on the call button, and
the call was suddenly being made. Holding the small gadget to his ear, he
listened to the line ring several times before someone picked up.
“Hello?”
“Riley?”
“Kevin?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey! How are you?” She asked
cheerfully.
“I’m okay. How about yourself?”
“I’m great. So what’s so urgent?”
Kevin looked up as the bathroom door
opened and Aaron emerged, dressed in clean clothes, though his hair was still
damp. At the same time, there was a knock on the door. As Kevin got ready to
stand, Aaron waved him off and went to the door.
“Kev?”
“Sorry. Uh… Nick had an accident.”
From the other side of the line, he
heard giggling. “He’s always having accidents. Did he break his leg this time?”
“No… it was more serious this time.”
The other end of the phone went
silent. Dead air filled the line. “Kev… just tell me this. Is he alive?”
“Yeah, he’s alive.”
He could hear her as she breathed a sigh of relief. “He fell off the stage and
landed on a pole used for part of the barricades.”
Aaron shut the door and returned to
the main room with a large silver platter. He set it on the table, and then
uncovered it. The smell of hot food immediately filled the room. Kevin realized
how hungry he was for the first time that day.
“How is he?”
“He’s stable right now. He’s had two
surgeries. They had to take out his spleen and kidney, but they expect him to
make a full recovery if there aren’t any complications.”
“Where are you guys at?”
“In New York. We had rehearsals for
the tour, but its getting postponed.”
“How much longer will you guys be
there?”
“Nick will be here at least another
week, maybe more. Aaron’s here, too. The rest of the guys are at the hospital.”
He left out the part about Brian, wanting to let Nick to tell Riley everything.
“I want to come see him. I’m not sure
how soon I can get a flight. I might be able to get a red-eye. Can I have the
information for the hospital and stuff?”
He gave her the name of the hospital
and Nick’s room number. “He’s in isolation, but he might be out by then.
Security has been downstairs, so they can help you find him, too. We all have
security bracelets.”
“Okay. I’ll let you go so I can get a
flight. Thank you for calling me, Kev. Love you.”
“Love you, too, kid. Take care.”
They hung up, Kevin feeling a bit
relieved. He left the phone on the bed as he sat down in a chair beside Aaron
at the table.
“I didn’t think I was this hungry,”
Aaron said, munching on some French fries.
“Me either. Riley said she’s going to
try to get a red-eye flight.”
As they finished with their food,
Kevin took his turn to shower while Aaron lay on the couch watching TV until he
eventually fell asleep. Kevin returned to the room soon after and decided to
rest as well. He set the alarm on his cell phone before lying down on the bed.
It seemed as if before his head even touched the pillow, he was asleep.
***