An
hour later, Brian, Kevin, AJ, and Howie sat around the waiting room with Nick’s
family. Jane had called Brian’s house
from the hospital to tell them the good news, and they had gotten there right
away. But they had not yet been in to
visit Nick because Dr. Madden was running tests on him. So now they waiting impatiently, eager to
see their young friend finally awake.
Just
then, the door opened, and in stepped Dr. Madden. “Mr. and Mrs. Carter?” he asked. “Could I talk to you two in private, please?”
“Sure,”
Bob replied, exchanging an uncertain glance with his wife, as they both stood
and followed Dr. Madden out of the room.
Dr.
Madden led them down the hall and stopped right outside the door of Nick’s
room. “Okay, as you know, I’ve just run
a whole battery of tests on Nick. Right
now, the results aren’t that conclusive because Nick has just woken up and
hasn’t had much time for recovery. I’ll
run some more tests in a few days to see if he has improved any, and we’ll know
more at that point.”
“What
are these tests all for?” Jane asked worriedly.
“To
measure the amount of damage done to his nervous system,” Dr. Madden replied.
“And?”
Dr.
Madden took a deep breath, saying, “I don’t want to alarm you, but right now,
Nick’s showing signs of brain damage.”
Jane
and Bob both gasped, immediately clutching each other’s hands for support.
“How
bad is it?” Bob asked.
“That’s
what we’re not sure of yet. From what
it looks like, by the way he hit his head on the steering wheel, all three
major parts of his brain were affected.
The cerebrum, which controls intelligence, emotion, memory, speech, and
many other aspects, and the cerebellum, which controls movement and balance,
were the most affected. The brain stem,
which controls vital functions such as heartbeat and breathing, was only
slightly affected. This is why Nick is
unable to breathe on his own right now,” Dr. Madden explained.
“Will
that get better?” Jane asked worriedly.
“Yes,
the breathing will. He’s already doing
better than before, but he’s still not breathing well enough to be taken off
the respirator. It could take a few more
days.”
“What
about the other things you mentioned?” Bob pressed.
Dr.
Madden sighed. This was the question he
had been dreading the most. “Like I
said before, it’s too hard to determine at this point. Sometimes, patients with brain injuries such
as Nick’s recover and regain normal lives.
With some other patients, unfortunately, the injuries end up permanent.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning
they suffer from permanent brain damage.
Some can live relatively normally, while others require round the clock
care at special nursing facilities.”
Dr.
Madden’s words were harsh, but that was the reality of Nick’s situation. Bob and Jane knew that it was a possibility
Nick could end up like some of those people he had mentioned, brain damaged for
life. Of course, the joy and relief
they felt at having Nick awake was powerful.
Yet, at the same time, knowing that their son might never be the same
again left them sad, depressed, and more than anything, terrified.
***
Sunday afternoon, Marissa sat on her bed, absently flipping
through the latest issue of Seventeen.
It was so weird – just weeks earlier, Marissa had loved reading these
teen magazines, getting the latest fashion trends and the scoop on the hottest
celebrities around. Now it just seemed
petty and pointless.
Her
attention turned to the TV that was turned on in her room, as an MTV News brief
came on. Lately, MTV news was the one
thing that interested her. She watched
it, desperate to hear some good news on Nick.
But ever since she had heard the first news report on the accident, she
hadn’t heard any updates on Nick’s condition.
Not good ones, at least.
“This
is Brian McFayden with an MTV News brief.
Sources informed us early today that Backstreet Boy Nick Carter, who had
been in a coma at an Atlanta, Georgia hospital since the fatal car accident he
was involved in on the night of January 27, finally awoke yesterday. As of now, Nick’s actual condition is
unknown. We’re waiting for comments
from the Backstreet Management. That’s
the news for now…”
Marissa
let out a shuddering breath. Her relief
was over-bearing. She knew that Nick
was probably still in a serious condition, but at least he was awake.
She
was already dealing with the death of one of her good friends, but knowing that
she had helped kill a famous celebrity such as Nick Carter would be enough to
send hew overboard.
Hopefully, that would never happen. Hopefully, in a few more weeks, the turmoil
in her life would pass, and she could go on living.
***