Chapter
4
The next
morning, Brian felt less weak, but the pain medication had worn off, and he
hurt all over his body. Pain radiated from his leg, chest, stomach, and head.
When a nurse
came by with breakfast trays, Brian asked if he could have some pain medication.
Another nurse came in a few minutes later and injected him with some. After
awhile, it started to kick in, and he began to feel better.
By noon, the
pain in his chest, leg, and head had worn off, but his stomach still hurt. He
hadn't had any appetite for breakfast, and lunch was no different.
By afternoon,
he had been given another dose of pain medication, and still, his stomach hurt.
He tried to ignore it and concentrate on what his mother was saying to him. She
was saying something about his brother, Harold.
Suddenly,
Brian gasped as the pain in his stomach intensified. It felt like his stomach
was on fire!
"Brian? What's wrong?" his mother asked, her eyes wide with concern.
"My
stomach," Brian gasped. The pain was getting worse every second.
Jackie reached
over and smacked the call button. Minutes later, a nurse came into the room.
"Get a
doctor in here, quick!" Jackie shouted to her. The nurse took one look at
Brian, moaning in bed, and fled the room, looking for Dr. Martin.
Dr. Martin
came in within a few minutes. "What happened" she asked, alarmed when
she saw how pale and sweaty Brian had gotten.
"Something's
wrong with his stomach," Jackie said, her voice shaking with fear.
Dr. Martin
immediately went to Brian's bed and pulled the covers off of him.
"Just
relax," she told him. She pressed her fingers into his stomach. "Does
this hurt?" she asked, as she pressed in different places.
"Yes!"
Brian gasped. Dr. Martin turned to the nurse quickly.
"Call the
OR, now!" she shouted. The nurse hurried out of the room.
"What's
wrong?" Jackie asked worriedly.
"He's got
internal bleeding," Dr. Martin said. "We have to get him down to
surgery right now."
A moment
later, a group of doctors and nurses ran into Brian's room, rolling a gurney
with them. They surrounded Brian's bed and quickly lifted him onto the gurney.
Brian cried out in pain. Then the doctors quickly rolled him out of the room
and started down the hall. The last
thing Brian saw was his mother begin to sob as he was wheeled away. Then, the pain grew too intense, and he
blacked out.
***
