Chapter
16
The next day,
two days after the accident, Howie, Kevin, and the others were gathered around
the hospital as usual, taking turns visiting everyone.
Kevin had been
around earlier when the autopsy report had come back on Bobby, their driver. He
had died of an aneurysm in his brain. It had been a sudden, painless death, and
was something that could not have been prevented. This put everyone at more
ease, knowing that what had happened to their driver was not their fault.
When Kevin and
Howie's turn came to visit the ICU, they went up right away, eager to see if
Brian was awake yet. Dr. Jackson had told them he would probably regain
consciousness sometime that day.
When they
entered Brian and Nick's ICU room, they both looked the same. They were both
still unconscious. But when Kevin sat down beside Brian's bed and took his
hand, he stirred. Kevin watched hopefully as Brian's eyelids fluttered.
Suddenly, his beautiful blue eyes opened and stared up at Kevin. Brian looked
confused at first, but then it was clear that he recognized his cousin. He
tried to say something, but the respirator he was attached to prevented it.
"Don't
try to talk, Bri," Kevin said. "You're on a respirator to help you
breathe." Kevin paused and saw the frightened look in Brian's eyes.
"Don't worry," he said soothingly. "You're gonna be okay. One of
your lungs got punctured, and it just needs some time to heal."
Then Howie
appeared on Brian's other side. "Hey, B-Rok!" he said. "I'm here
too. Actually, pretty much everyone's here. Your parents probably will come in
here after us. They couldn't wait for you to finally wake up." Brian
looked confused, and Kevin wasn't sure he understood everything that was
happening. He didn't want to explain everything just yet though. He thought it
would be better to wait until Brian was stronger and able to talk again.
Howie and
Kevin talked to Brian for a few more minutes before bringing Jackie and Harold
in. Then they left the room.
***
