Chapter
18
By Julie
Trying to hold
back his sobs, Kevin carefully lifted Brian and carried him into the plane. He
lay him down on the floor and covered him in the remaining blankets. His whole
body was shivering from being in the snow. Kevin had no idea what had happened
to his cousin. He left Brian wrapped in the blankets and wandered outside,
searching for some clue as to what had made him pass out.
As Kevin wandered
around the plane, he saw something reddish in the snow. He hurried over to it
and gasped when he realized what it was. It looked like vomit, but there was
blood in it, a lot of blood. He knew it had to have been Brian's.
Feeling almost
ready to throw up himself, Kevin ran back inside the plane. Nick had dozed off
when he had gone out the first time to check on Brian, but he woke up again as
Kevin came back in.
"What's
wrong?" he asked weakly, noticing the worried expression on Kevin's face.
"It's Brian,"
Kevin said, motioning at Brian, who was lying further back in the plane. Nick
turned his head and gasped when he saw him, lying there unconscious.
"What
happened?!" Nick cried, a tremor of terror running through his voice.
"I'm not
sure," Kevin said. "He went outside to make you an ice pack, and when
I went out to check on him, I found him passed out in the snow." Nick
gasped and tears filled his eyes. "There was some puke outside in the snow
with a lot of blood in it. It must have been Brian's. But what could be making
him throw up blood?" Kevin wondered out loud.
"Probably
his internal bleeding," Nick said.
"What?!"
Kevin cried, his eyes growing wide. "What do you mean, internal
bleeding?"
"Didn't
you know? Howie thought he had internal bleeding in his stomach from the
crash," Nick replied.
"No! I
had no idea," Kevin said. "I must have still been unconscious, and
Bri never told me."
"Oh,"
Nick replied. Suddenly, he began to cough violently.
Kevin sat down
next to him and began to pat his back. "You okay, Nicky?" he asked
when the coughing ceased.
"It
really hurts to breathe," Nick said.
"I
know," Kevin said sympathetically. "You have pneumonia." Nick's
eyes widened in fear. "Don't worry, buddy," Kevin quickly added.
"We're taking good care of you."
Nick nodded
and shut his eyes. "I don't feel so good. I think I'm going to take a nap.
Wake me up if there is any change in Brian, okay?"
Kevin nodded.
"I will, Nicky. Now get some rest." Nick yawned and almost
immediately drifted off to sleep. As Kevin watched him sleep, he wondered if
Nick was getting better or worse. At least he had been awake for awhile, but
that could have just been because of his fever being lowered. His breathing
still sounded raspy and shallow.
Suddenly,
Kevin began to cry. He was now alone in this plane with two of his best
friends, one his cousin, and both of them were sick, maybe dying. "Please,
God, help us," he prayed silently. He hoped God had heard his prayer and
would get them out of this nightmare soon.
***
