Chapter
10
By Julie
A few hours
later, I was lying down again, for it was too painful to sit up for too long. I
stared up at the ceiling, wondering how far Howie and AJ had gone and praying
that they were all right.
I was startled
out of my thoughts by a soft moan next to me. I sat up quickly and gasped in
pain, for the movement was too fast, and my ribs and stomach hurt. But I
ignored the pain and stared at Kevin, willing him to open his eyes again.
Suddenly, he did.
"Kevin?"
I asked softly, peering down at him. He blinked his green eyes.
"Bri?"
he said, his voice weak and hoarse. I felt tears fill my eyes. My cousin was
back. If he had a head injury, it wasn't as severe as it could have been, for
he knew who I was. That was a good sign.
"Hey,
cuz, how ya doin'?" I asked, flashing him a warm smile. A blank stare came
over his face as his eyes moved back and forth, looking around the plane.
"Where
are we?" Kevin asked.
"We're in
the plane, Kev," I replied.
"Plane?"
he repeated, confused.
"Yeah,
you remember, we were on our way to Denver, and the plane crashed," I
explained slowly.
A look of
terror came over his face. "The plane crashed?!" he asked, his eyes
wide with fear.
I nodded.
Kevin squeezed his eyes closed for a minute. Then he opened them again.
"I'm so
tired," he murmured.
"That's
okay," I said gently. "You can go back to sleep if you want."
Kevin said nothing, just closed his eyes. A few minutes later, his breathing
became deep and regular, and I knew he had fallen asleep.
I sighed,
feeling much better than before now that I knew Kevin was getting better. Nick,
however, was another story. I wasn't sure what he had, but I knew he was sick,
and he seemed to be getting worse. He was still sound asleep on the floor a few
feet away from me. His breathing sounded ragged.
I glanced out
the window. At least the snow had stopped. Normally, I like snow. I don't get
to see it that often anymore, since it never snows in Florida, so usually, it
is nice to see it. But now, it seemed like a curse.
I suddenly
felt one of those horrible pains in my stomach. I clutched my stomach and
gasped in pain, trying not to cry out. I slowly lowered myself down so that I
was lying on the floor again. Soon, the pain dulled. I sighed and prayed once
again that Howie and AJ would get help soon. I was very worried. Internal bleeding
sounded very serious, and I was scared of what would happen if I didn't get to
a doctor soon, along with Nick and Kevin.
***
Eventually, I
dozed off to sleep. When I awoke, I had no idea how long I had been asleep. I
slowly sat up and looked at Kevin and Nick. Both were still asleep. I felt a
little better than before, so using the seats for support, I slowly and
painfully hauled myself up and eased into a seat. I glanced out the window for
a few minutes, lost in my own thoughts.
I was
interrupted by a horrible scream. I whirled around and saw Kevin wriggling
around on the floor, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, a scared look on his face.
At first I thought he was having a seizure. I jumped up as quickly as I could
and lowered myself to the ground, ignoring the fiery pain that ran through my
stomach and chest.
"Kev!
Kev!" I cried, grabbing his shoulders. I shook him once, and he stopped.
His eyes popped open, and he sat up. I let out a sigh of relief. "Kevin?
Are you okay?" I asked.
"Where's
Jason?" he asked, frantically.
"Huh?"
"Jason?!"
he cried.
"Whoa,
Kev," I said, holding him by the shoulders again. "Look at me. Do you
know where you are?"
He glanced
around. "The plane?" he asked. I nodded. "We crashed," he
said. "There was a bad storm, and we crashed."
"That's
right," I said. "Did you have a bad dream?"
He nodded.
"We crashed," he repeated. I nodded, feeling relieved. I realized
Kevin hadn't had a seizure after all. It has just been a horrible nightmare
about the crash. "Please, Brian, where is Jason?" he asked.
I took a deep
breath. "Jason died in the crash," I told Kevin gently, resting my
hand on his shoulder, which was still trembling from his nightmare.
His green eyes
were filled with shock and sorrow. "He did?" he asked softly.
I nodded.
Kevin began to cry softly. I carefully hugged him. He hugged back. After
awhile, I let him go. He just sat there for a minute. Then he lay back down.
"I'm kind of dizzy," he told me.
I nodded.
"You hit your head pretty hard in the crash," I said. "You've
been unconscious for about three days."
His eyes
widened. "Oh my God," he whispered. Then another look of fear shot
across his face. "Where are the other guys?" he asked.
"Don't
worry, they are all okay," I said. He sighed with relief. "Nick's
over there sleeping," I said, pointing to Nick. "He wasn't hurt in
the crash, but he's sick. I think he's got the flu or something. Howie and AJ
are also okay, as far as I know. They left this morning to go find help,"
I told him.
He nodded.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"Somewhere
in the Rocky Mountains, I think," I replied.
He nodded
again. Then he yawned. "I think I'm going to take another nap, if you
don't mind," he said.
"No,
that's fine," I answered. "You just get your rest." He nodded
and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he had drifted off to sleep. I
checked on Nick once more, and lay back down myself. I was feeling relieved
once again, for not only was Kevin awake, but he was able to carry on a
conversation. As long as Howie and AJ found help soon, I knew we would all be
all right. At least, I hoped we would be.
***
