Chapter
15
Howie and
Kevin just looked at each other for a moment, not sure what to say. Finally,
Kevin spoke.
"Well, AJ
hurt his back and neck a little," he said, trying to make it sound not as
bad as it was. "He's gonna be okay though."
"What
about Brian?" she asked, anxiously.
"Brian
broke a few ribs and hurt one of his lungs, but he's gonna be fine eventually.
He had an operation this morning to fix him up."
"What
about my brother?" she asked. Kevin took a deep breath.
"Nick
hurt his head pretty bad, Angel," he said. "He's in a coma right now.
Do you know what that means?" Angel nodded, her eyes filling with tears.
"Is he
gonna die?" she asked, her voice small and frightened sounding.
"I don't
know," Kevin said. "I hope not."
"When can
I see all of them?" Angel asked.
"I don't
know. Probably not for awhile. You just had surgery," Kevin told her.
Angel looked down, letting her dark hair fall over her face, hiding her tears.
Howie noticed this and immediately put his arms around her.
"Don't
worry, sweetheart," he said, trying to comfort her. "It'll be
okay."
He and Kevin
stayed with Angel for another half hour, comforting her until she finally fell
asleep.
***
By the next
day, everyone's families had arrived in Nebraska. Brian's parents had gotten
there as soon as they could get a flight. Nick's parents had taken awhile
longer to get a hold of, since they were both touring with Aaron and Leslie.
But they had finally been reached, and they, Aaron, and Leslie had arrived
early that morning. Kevin's mother had flown out to Nebraska with Brian's
parents. Howie's and AJ's mothers had also come. All the families were staying
in the same hotel, but they spent most of the day at the hospital.
AJ's condition
had not changed at all. He had no movement of his limbs yet. He had begun to
realize that it might not just be a temporary thing too and became extremely
depressed.
Nick was still
the same as well. He remained in a coma, unable to even breathe on his own.
Angel seemed
to be doing better. The doctors were sure she was going to heal quickly. It
would be awhile before she was able to eat solid food again though. For now,
she was getting nutrients through an IV.
Brian had
opened his eyes the night before briefly, but he had been too out of it to stay
awake and realize what was going on. The doctors assured everyone that he would
eventually come around. They all hoped so.
***