Chapter 10
Marissa
was allowed to stay home from school that Monday, just two days after the
accident that had torn her life apart.
She knew she couldn’t face the crowds at school.
So,
she had lay around the house all day long, moping. Her parents had both gone off to work that
morning, leaving her alone. Although she
usually was a people person and hated being by herself, the silence and privacy
that surrounded her now was comforting.
Flipping
rapidly through the TV channels, searching for something to keep her occupied,
to take her mind of Luke, Kaelyn, Shawn, Nick, and everything else, she came to
MTV and saw that TRL was on. That was
good enough for her.
Unfortunately,
as she laid down the remote she heard Carson say, “Now we’ll check back in with
John Norris, who is in Atlanta, Georgia, where the Backstreet Boys are holding
a press conference. Rumor has it that
the Backstreet Boys have some news about Nick, as well as their current Black
and Blue tour. John, what’s been
going on so far at the conference?”
“Well,
Carson, I’m here in Atlanta at the Backstreet press conference. Just minutes ago, the Boys gave us some bad
news. As many of you fans know, the
youngest member of the Backstreet Boys, Nick Carter, whose twenty-first
birthday was just yesterday, was not present at the Superbowl yesterday, where
the BSB sang the national anthem. Rumors
have been circulating about where he might have been, but the Boys have just
cleared everything up by telling us that Nick was involved in a serious car
accident late Saturday night, after their concert in Atlanta. They wouldn’t give out too much information
on the extent of his injuries, but they did say he was in critical
condition. They announced that because
of this horrible tragedy, the rest of the concerts on their tour will be
cancelled. They haven’t yet said whether
or not the cancelled shows will be rescheduled, but I’m sure we’ll hear more on
that and on the condition of Nick later on.
Back to you, Carson.”
“Thanks,
John. Well, some sad news in the music
industry. Of course, we’ll all be
praying for Nick and the rest of the guys as well. Now, to our number eight video…”
Hot
tears rose in Marissa’s eyes. She
quickly shut off the TV and began to sob.
***
“Excuse
me, Mrs. Carter?”
Jane
looked up to see Dr. Madden standing in the doorway of the waiting room, a
clipboard in his hand.
“Hello,
Dr. Madden,” she greeted, her hands growing clammy. Did something bad happen?
“I’m
afraid I don’t have anything new to tell you on Nick’s condition. But I do need to ask you about something
important,” he said.
She
nodded. “What is it?”
Dr.
Madden stepped closer, clearing his throat.
Brian, AJ, Kevin, and Howie listened intently as he started to
talk. “This is a Do Not Resuscitate
order,” he said, showing her the form attached to his clipboard. “If you choose to sign it, you will be
saying that if Nick’s heart should stop suddenly, we would let him pass and not
shock his heart into beating again.”
Her
eyes widened.
“You
mean let him die?” AJ asked, glaring at the doctor.
”Well…”
“How
can you even ask that?” AJ continued, his voice rising. “Doctors are supposed to save lives, not take
them!”
“Calm
down, Mr. McLean,” Dr. Madden said. “I’m
required by law to ask the guardians of comatose patients, like Nick, this
question. Mrs. Carter does not have to
sign this form. It’s just an option.”
“Well,
why the hell would anyone sign it?” AJ demanded, the glare not leaving his
face. Jane just stared at him, stunned.
“Some
patients who are in comas are injured so badly that there is no hope for
recovery. The families of these kinds of
patients sometimes think it would be better to let them pass if they start to
die, rather then bringing them back and letting them suffer,” Dr. Madden
explained.
“But
that’s not the case with Nick, right, Dr.?” Jane asked shakily. “Nicky’s going to get better, isn’t he?”
“It’s
still too soon to tell, Mrs. Carter,” Dr. Madden replied sadly. “And don’t worry. Nick’s heart is very strong right now. It was just something I am required to ask
you. You don’t by any means have to sign
the form.”
Jane
shook her head. “I won’t,” she said
firmly.
“Okay,”
Dr. Madden said, nodding. “Thank you,
Mrs. Carter. I’ll leave you all alone
now.” He nodded at them, then left the
room.
As
soon as he was gone, Jane’s eyes filled with tears. Brian, AJ, Howie, and Kevin exchanged
sympathetic glances, not knowing what to do.
Brian, who was sitting beside her, rested his hand gently on her
shoulder, all the while knowing that nothing could comfort her at this point.
***
