Chapter 19
“Has Jane or Bob called?” Brian asked later that evening.
The others shook their heads.
“Figures,” Brian scoffed.
“They weren’t exactly happy with me when they left this morning.”
AJ shrugged. “I’m
sure they made it home fine,” he said.
“And don’t worry, Bri.
They’ll come around. They’re just
still upset about this whole thing,” Howie said.
“I know,” Brian replied.
“But still…” He let the sentence
trail off.
“It’s time for Nick’s dinner, guys,” Kevin said, glancing
at his watch.
Brian got up from his seat and went into the kitchen. Leighanne was already blending the protein
shake that Nick was supposed to drink.
He was not able to chew, so he could only have liquids and very soft
foods.
“Here ya go, honey,” Leighanne said, handing Brian the tall
plastic cup with a straw and lid, containing Nick’s dinner.
“Thanks,” Brian replied, smiling at his wife. She had been great about his decision to
take care of Nick himself and had taken the training needed herself to that she
could help out with his care.
Brian carried the drink into the downstairs guest room,
where Nick was staying. He found Nick
propped up in bed, right where Brian had left him.
“Hey, buddy!” Brian greeted cheerfully. “You hungry?”
Of course, there was no response.
“Well, I’m sure you are. Here’s
dinner,” he continued, placing the straw in between Nick’s slightly parted
lips. He held the cup as Nick drank
slowly through the straw.
When he was finished, Brian set the cup aside and patted
Nick’s shoulder. “I’ll be back later,
Frack,” he said, taking the cup out into the kitchen.
***
Later that evening, Brian, Kevin, Howie, and AJ all sat
crowded in Nick’s room with him, absently watching TV.
Howie glanced at Nick and saw that his eyelids were
drooping. “Hey, Bri, I think Nicky’s
ready for bed,” he said.
Brian turned to look at Nick and nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I’ll get him ready.”
“You need some help, Bri?” Kevin offered.
“Sure, Kev. That’d
be great,” Brian said.
Kevin nodded. Howie
and AJ exchanged glances and left the room.
“Okay, what first?” Kevin asked.
“Let’s get him dressed in his pajamas,” Brian replied,
pulling a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a T-shirt out of the dresser.
Together, he and Kevin struggled to undress Nick and get
him into the pajamas. Brian clenched
his teeth the whole time, trying to keep himself from crying. But it was hard, knowing that Nick might
spend the rest of his life like this, like a helpless baby, having to be
dressed and fed, unable to do anything for himself.
“Now what?” Kevin asked, once they had successfully dressed
Nick.
“Now I have to change his… his catheter bag,” Brian said
uncomfortably.
“Oh,” Kevin said, glancing down. “Can you do that on your own?”
“Yeah. The people at
the hospital showed me how,” Brian replied.
“Okay. I’ll… I’ll…
uh… be back later then,” Kevin stammered, escaping from the room.
Brian let out a sigh and hesitantly began to do hit duty.
***
By nine, Brian had Nick all ready for bed. He bent over Nick’s bed and ruffled his
friend’s hair. “’Night, Frack,” he said
softly. “See you in the morning.” He smiled slightly at his friend and turned
out the lights, leaving the door open slightly as he headed back to the living
room.
“I’m exhausted,” he announced, wearily sinking down in a
chair. “I have a feeling this is going to
be harder than I thought.”
“You’re not have second thoughts, are you?” Howie asked.
“No. No, of course
not. Nick is my best friend, and I’ll do
anything I can for him,” Brian replied confidently. “I think I’m gonna go to bed now though
guys. It’s been a long day.”
“Okay. Goodnight,
Bri,” they all replied.
“I’ll be up later, honey,” Leighanne said, kissing him
before he headed upstairs to their bedroom.
***
