Chapter
28
The guys arrived about twenty minutes later. Nick still hadn't heard
anything on Brian. Kevin sat down next to Nick. AJ and Howie sat next to Kevin.
Kevin had tried to hold back tears the whole way to the hospital. Now, he
looked over at Nick and saw that he was doing the same. Kevin put his arm
around Nick and pulled him into a hug.
Nick needed that. He threw his arms around Kevin tightly and buried his
face in Kevin's shoulder, his tears wetting Kevin's shirt. Kevin allowed his
tears to spill over too. He and Nick hugged each other for a few minutes.
Finally, they let go of each
other. They said nothing, just offered each other a tiny reassuring smile.
Howie and AJ sat next to each other in silence, too worried to speak to each
other. Kevin soon called Brian's parents and informed them of what was
happening. They told him they'd be there as soon as possible, which Kevin knew
might take awhile.
Finally, a doctor came out into the waiting room. "Who is with
Brian Littrell?" he asked. The four guys jumped up quickly and rushed over
to the doctor.
"How is he?" Nick blurted. The doctor held up his hand,
signaling Nick to be quiet.
"Why don't you come with me," he said to the guys. He lead
them down the hall to a small office. Once inside, he motioned for them to take
seats. He sat behind his desk and shuffled through some papers in the file he
had been carrying with him.
"My name is Dr. Seber," he told them. The guys introduced
themselves to him. "I'm sorry to have to give you this news," Dr.
Seber began, "but Mr. Littrell is not doing very well. I'm sure you all
know of the tumor in his lung, correct?" The four of them nodded,
exchanging worried glances. "Well, it has begun to grow at an increasingly
fast rate." The guys looked at each other again.
"But I thought it was dormant," Howie protested.
"It was," Dr. Seber replied. "But it isn't anymore. It's
gotten bigger and is taking over his entire lung, which is why Mr. Littrell had
problems breathing." Nick's eyes filled with tears again, the horrible
scene of Brian collapsing replaying in his mind over and over again. "The
tumor is pressing up against his heart," Dr. Seber continued. "If it
isn't operated on soon, it will put too much pressure on his heart, and he will
die." The Boys gasped in shock and looked at each other, tears filling
their eyes.
"But I thought it was too big to be operated on, "AJ said.
"That's what his doctor told him when he first found out about the
tumor."
Dr. Seber looked grim. "It's a very risky surgery," he
admitted. "But it's his only hope for survival. With the surgery, he has a
chance of recovery. Without it, he will die for sure. I talked to Mr. Littrell
about it, and he wants the surgery." He paused and looked at the four
guys.
Kevin nodded. "Do it then. Do anything you have to, just make him
be alright," he pleaded.
"When will the surgery be?" Howie asked.
"As soon as possible. The longer we take, the bigger the tumor
will get, and the harder it will be to remove it." The guys nodded. Dr.
Seber let them go down to Brian's room to see him before the surgery.
***