Chapter
5
“I’m afraid it’s too soon to tell,” Dr. Fergeson replied
softly. “Shortly after he was brought
in, Nick went into cardiac arrest again, and it took us several attempts before
we finally shocked his heart into beating again.” AJ gasped in horror. “This was caused because of the reaction
between the alcohol and the medication in his system. His stomach has been pumped to rid his body
of the alcohol, and I feel that at this point, he should live. However, he could have permanent damage to
his body that could potentially become fatal.”
“What do you mean?” AJ asked, his eyes wide.
“Well, I’m most concerned about his liver. In case you didn’t know, the liver is an
important organ in the body that is used to filter toxins out of the
blood. Without it, the toxins would build
up and eventually kill the person.
Drinking too much alcohol can cause cirrhosis of the liver, which means
it damages the liver. If the liver is
damaged too much, it will cease to function.
I’m afraid that by the amount of alcohol Nick consumed in such a short
time, plus with the added effects of the medication, he could have done some
serious damage to his liver,” Dr. Fergeson explained gravely.
“Shit, what would happen then?” AJ asked. “Would he just die?”
“If he does have damage severe enough to be fatal, he would become
a candidate for a liver transplant,” Dr. Fergeson said.
“A liver transplant?!” AJ cried.
He could not believe something like this was happening to one of his
best friends.
“Listen, Mr. McLean, there’s no reason to discuss this topic any
further right now. It’s too soon to tell
how much damage, if any, there is. I’ll
have some tests run on Nick later to determine the condition of his liver. But for right now, I suggest you not worry
about it,” Dr. Fergeson said. Then she
asked, “Would you like to see Nick now?”
“Sure,” AJ said.
“Ok, come with me. He’s in
the ICU right now so that we can monitor him closely overnight, but if
everything goes well, I’ll have him moved into a regular room, hopefully in a
few hours,” Dr. Fergeson said.
“Ok,” AJ replied. He
followed the doctor to the elevators down the hall and took one up to the
fourth floor of the hospital, ICU.
Once in the ICU, AJ was led down a hallway to a room. Dr. Fergeson slowly opened the door and looked
in. Then she opened the door wider and
stepped back to let AJ in.
“Now, you’ll see a lot of equipment around Nick, but that’s just
to help us monitor him closely. Don’t
let it alarm you,” Dr. Fergeson said. AJ
nodded, nervously licking his lips as he stepped closer to Nick’s bed. “I need to tend to other patients now, but
you just have me paged if you need anything.”
“Ok, thanks,” AJ said, his eyes fixed on Nick, lying in his
hospital bed. As Dr. Fergeson left, AJ
stepped up for a closer look at his friend.
Nick looked horrible, like death warmed over. His skin was colorless, his body was
motionless, and he was indeed hooked up to many pieces of medical equipment,
including an oxygen tank, a heart monitor, and several IV’s. It was killing AJ to see Nick, who was so
active and full of life, in that condition.
“Oh, Nick,” AJ moaned, perching gingerly on the edge of his
bed. “This is all my fault. I wouldn’t be surprised if you never forgive
me. How stupid can I be?” Suddenly, AJ’s guilt, grief, and exhaustion
over took him, and he began to cry softly.
It had been a long time since AJ had openly cried, but now, he
could not help it. He sat there for
nearly a half an hour, crying softly by Nick’s bedside.
***
