Chapter 7

 

“Before I begin, allow me to introduce myself,” the doctor started.   “I’m Dr. Phillip Madden, and I specialize in neurology.  I was called down to the ER when Nickolas was brought in because it was evident to the ER physician that first treated him that he had suffered a head injury.”

 

Brian’s heart sank.  “How bad of a head injury?” he heard Kevin ask.

 

Dr. Madden adjusted his small wire glasses on his nose and took a deep breath before answering Kevin’s question.  “Well, right now it’s a little early to tell.  It will take at least over night, maybe even a few more days, to determine the full extent of the injury.  Right now, he’s in a coma, but many patients come out of comas and make full recoveries.  However, to be completely honest with you… it doesn’t look very good.”

 

Brian sucked in a shallow breath, feeling suddenly light-headed.  This couldn’t be happening.

 

“According to the police report on the accident, the driver of the car Nickolas’ car collided with was drunk and was driving on the wrong side of the road.   He managed to swerve out of the way when he saw Nickolas’ car enough to avoid a head on collision, but unfortunately, he didn’t get out totally of the way soon enough, and Nickolas, unable to stop, plowed right into the side of the car.”  Dr. Madden illustrated this using his hands.  “It was lucky he was wearing his seatbelt; otherwise he would most likely have been thrown from the car, and to be honest, be dead right now.  The seatbelt managed to hold him in, but his head hit the steering wheel with the force of the impact.  That’s what caused the head injury.”

 

They were silent a moment, as they took this information in.

 

“What about the people in the other car?” Howie asked, always the one to be concerned about others.   “We talked to one of the girls that was involved, but she never said if they were all okay or not.”

 

“From what I’ve heard, there were four kids in the other car.  Two girls, two guys.  The two girls are fine.  The boy that was driving is in jail.  Unfortunately, the other boy was killed.  He was sitting in the backseat on the side where Nickolas’ car struck,” Dr. Madden relayed sadly.

 

Kevin shook his head sorrowfully.  Why was it that the driver, the one who was responsible for all this, was just fine, while the innocent people – Nick and the other boy – had to pay?  It was so unfair.  Life’s a bitch,  he thought ruefully.

 

“Can we go see Nick soon?” Brian asked hopefully.

 

“Yes, you can go now,” Dr. Madden replied.   “I’ll take you down the hall to his room.”

 

“Thanks,” Brian said. 

 

Dr. Madden started down the hall, and Brian, AJ, Kevin, and Howie followed along behind him.   Brian saw a sign on the wall that read Neuro ICU, and he shuddered.   Dr. Madden led them into the Neuro ICU and down a long hallway, with doors on each side.  He stopped at one towards the end and opened the door.  He ushered the four men in, then stepped in behind them. 

 

“I’ll leave you alone with him in just a minute,” Dr. Madden said. “But first, I just want to explain a few things to you.”

 

He walked up to the bed in the middle of the room, where Nick lay.  The Boys hesitantly followed, gathering around their friend’s bed.  What they saw when they got a good look at him was horrifying. 

 

Nick, who, hours before, had been so vibrant and full of energy, now lay on the bed like a corpse, his body unmoving, his skin as pale as death.   His head was bandaged with white gauze, but they could see spots of red where blood had soaked through the bandages.   There was a hose coming out of his mouth and an IV snaking into each of his arms.  Little pads were stuck to his head and his chest, connecting to wires which led to various beeping machines. 

 

Dr. Madden fingered the tube coming out of Nick’s mouth.  “This is a respirator,” he explained to the guys.  “He’s not able to breathe on his own right now, so this is helping him out.”

 

Brian began to tremble slightly.  Not breathing on his own?  He knew that had to be a bad sign. 

 

“These tubes coming out of his arms are IV’s, as I’m sure you already know.  Right now we’re giving him fluids to keep his body hydrated, as well as some drugs that help to preserve his brain function and keep his cells from dying,” Dr. Madden continued.  “This little pads attached to his forehead are called electrodes.  They’re measuring his brain activity level.  The ones on his chest are measuring his heartbeat.”  He motioned to a monitor to one side of the bed that showed a green line, which rose and fell steadily with the beat of Nick’s heart.   “Are there any questions?” Dr. Madden asked, turning back to look at the guys.

 

Kevin glanced quickly at the other three, then, swallowing hard, he replied, “No.  Thank you, Dr. Madden.”

 

“You’re welcome, gentleman.  Just hit this call button if you need anything, okay?”

 

They nodded, and Dr. Madden left the room, leaving them alone with their comatose friend.

 

They all looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to do.  It was Brian who made the first move.  He grabbed a chair that was pushed up against one wall and dragged it up to Nick’s bed, sitting down in it.   AJ took the other chair that was in the room, while Howie and Kevin remained standing. 

 

His hand trembling, Brian reached out and gently patted Nick’s hand, which lay motionless at his side.  “Hey, Frack,” he said softly.  “Happy birthday.”

 

***

 

“We need to make some phone calls,” Howie said awhile later.  A nurse had come by Nick’s room and kindly asked them to leave so that Dr. Madden could examine Nick again.   They were inwardly relieved, for being in that room with Nick made them all uncomfortable.  It was so hard, seeing their friend like that, in that foggy state between life and death known as a coma. 

 

Now they sat in a private waiting room down the hall from Nick’s room, pondering over what to do next.  “Yeah, you’re right,” Brian agreed.  “We need to call Bob and Jane first.  Since they’re all the way out in California, I doubt the hospital could get a hold of them.  And I need to call Leigh too.”

 

They nodded.  “And don’t forget management,” AJ added.  “They need to know too.”

 

“Yeah.  Which reminds me, what are we going to do about the Superbowl tonight?” Kevin asked, returning to AJ’s earlier question.

 

They sighed.  “I guess that’s what we need to talk to management about,” Howie said.  He, Brian, and AJ all looked to Kevin, for as their leader, he was expected to make the phone call to management for them.

 

Kevin nodded.  “But first,” he said, “Nick’s parents.  Who’s gonna do it?”

 

They all looked at each other again.  None of them wanted the heartbreaking job of telling Nick’s parents that their son had been in a horrible accident and was now here in a coma, fighting for his life.   But someone had to do it.

 

“I will,” Brian finally said, swallowing hard.  The other guys nodded.  They had expected Brian to volunteer, for although they were all close to Nick, Brian was his best friend.

 

Brian pulled out his cell phone and punched in by memory the number to the Carter home.

 

***

 

 

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